The Adventures of Aaron Proctor

No worries, people.  Thanks for the e-mails and phone calls and such: I’m fine and just taking a little break from everything.  Be back soon!

If you’ve ever seen that list floating around the Internet for ages - which is mostly mistakenly attributed to syndicated columnist, Dave Barry, you may find this Friday rant a little amusing. Here’s the link to what I’m talking about, first:

http://www.snopes.com/humor/lists/16things.asp

16 Things I’ve Learned In 25 Years

1. Jaywalking across a busy thoroughfare takes longer than waiting at the nearest crosswalk.

2. High school is like that season of “Dallas” where the whole season was all a dream and everything that took place there never happened (minus Patrick Duffy).

3. An entire can of Pringles is not dinner.

4. Wherever you go, whatever you do, Bryan Adams will not be right there waiting for you. EDIT: I mean Richard Marx.

5. If your mom’s response to a question is “We’ll see”, count that one as a “no”.

6. Me wearing make-up + being south of the Mason-Dixon line = bad idea.

7. Crying does not win a woman’s heart over.

8. Always say “thank you” when someone holds a door open for you.

9. The Internet is the best and worst thing to happen to me.

10. There’s no “perfect place to live”.

11. If you don’t know the lyrics, don’t pretend to know them.

12. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is one of the most integral learning experiences of life.

13. You cannot do your laundry and leave the dry clothes sitting in the hamper for 3 days.

14. Never throw away a true friend.

15. Every chick does not like being called “hon”.

16. Never be selfish with your cigarettes or loose change. Someday, you’re going to need a cigarette or 73 cents.

Stand & Deliver

- Aaron

Music is an integral part of my life.  It’s the soundtrack to how I feel, what I do, and who I am.  Most of the music I enjoy is indexed in the Goth, New Wave, Industrial, or EBM genre – something a lot of mainstream/mainstream-minded people aren’t entirely familiar with.

Adam Ant

If you’ve been following this blog since its inception in October of last year, it goes without saying Adam Ant is one of my favorite musicians.  He’s been a staple in my life for a long time and I often enjoy emulating him when I trek out into the “Hollywood Club Scene” (as Todd Ruiz refers to it). 

Gary Numan

But shying away from Adam Ant, there’s a wide variety of bands and groups I like to listen to.  In any given week, I could listen to maybe 15 or 20 different musical artists.  Sure, most of them span things popular or once popular in the “Goth” scene – but sometimes a little Johnny Cash or Queen or Kingston Trio or Etta James makes its way into my set-list.

Andrew Eldritch of the Sisters Of Mercy

You know how when you read a book or see a film or even read someone else’s blog and they’re saying something and you’re like “Hey!  That’s right!  That’s how I feel!”?  Music is the #1 source of that feeling for me.  I can easily match any of my different colored moods with the perfect background music, the perfect soundtrack to life.

Lately, I’ve had a lot of strange and new (but very good and very happy) emotions come over me.  The kind of emotions you can’t put into words or talk to your friends about that easily.  Those are the types of emotions that make one such as me turn to an art form – such as writing.  I find out, though, music is the most comforting avenue and listening to music even more so.

Lords of The New Church

Here’s what’s been in my playlist for the majority of the week.  Check out these bands if you’re interested:

Fictional – “Blue Lights”
Tom Petty – “Running Down A Dream”
Gary Numan – “I Dream Of Wires”
Apoptygma Berzerk – “In This Together”
Alphaville – “Sounds Like A Melody”
Wolfsheim – “Care For You”
Sisters Of Mercy – “Adrenochrome”
Assemblage 23 – “Document”
Queen – “I Want It All”
The Smiths – “Golden Lights”
Johnny Cash – “Ring Of Fire”
Covenant – “Bullet”
Lords Of The New Church – “Dance With Me”
Adam Ant – “Beautiful Dream”

Rock on.

My latest YouTube creation (read: dibacle):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMUWl4gnpWk

“The Council” - Thursday nights on NBC.

So, as you may have seen on this very blog a few days ago, I received a phone message from Robin Salzer asking me to give him a call back.

Today I was checking my e-mail and I received this message:

Hi Aaron,
  I had a great idea for the new menu that I’m working on. Give me a call at your
earliest convenience so I can share an idea with you. I hope that all is well.
  Sincerely,
  Robin

I’ve been quite busy the past few days which is why I didn’t return his call but this e-mail intrigued me even more.  So, about 20 minutes ago, I gave Robin a call and he promptly called me back.

If you remember Barbecuegate: The Invasion, my special lady-friend and I ate at Robin’s back in mid-April and had the Pat E. Melt. I also took this photo outside of Robin’s:

Robin mentioned how a lot of people who have been patrons at his restaurant have been bringing up the Pasadena Weekly articles and this blog and he said that - although I painted him a negative light a few times - it was really good for business. 

Robin Salzer (left) with his wife, Ann-Marie (right) and some dogs.  Courtesy, Pasadena Weekly.

So - anyway - Robin’s idea?  He’s putting me in the menu in about a month under the Pat E. Melt.  He’s also adding a “Wall of Fame” to his restaurant and wants me to be a part of that.  Awesomeness.  I’ve never had a burger attributed to me in my life.  He said it might mention it’s a favorite of “Former and future Mayoral candidate, wrestling all-star, future gubernatorial, future presidential candidate Aaron Proctor”. I told him it’s a great idea because I’m the King of Self-Promotion and everyone and their mother would know about it when I’m through.  Robin said he’ll be in touch with me when it’s on the menu and - when it is - you bet I’ll tell you all.

Robin also apologized for the “incident” that started it all back at the Affordable Housing Forums. 

Apology accepted, barbecue sauce under the bridge.  I also stifle any insults I’ve hurled at him.  See? Isn’t democracy beautiful?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I (heart) Pasadena.
 

Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ & Grill

http://www.robinsbbq.com/

395 N Rosemead Blvd

Pasadena, CA 91107

If you go to the Pasadena City Website (http://www.cityofpasadena.net/), you’ll stumble across a page listing the Commissions, Committees, and Advisory Boards in the Crown City.

Did you know, though, this page does not list ALL of the commissions? You will after reading this brand new Top Ten List!

TOP TEN LESSER-KNOWN COMMISSIONS IN PASADENA

10. The Transportation Advisory Commission: A Musical

9. The Commission Of Sitting Around, Taking Shots Of Jaeger, Drunk Dialing Their Ex’s, And Getting Totally Wasted

8. Mark Leon & The Planning Experience (featuring Margaret McAustin & Full Force)

7. The Macarena Commission (dissolved in 1997)

6. The Philip Koebel Commission Of Obscurity

5. The Commission On Fans Of TV’s Michael Chiklis In “The Commish”

4. The Sexy Commission (Chair: Steve Haderlein)

3. Commizzle Fo-Shizzle

2. The Commission In Aaron Proctor’s Pants

1. The DaVinci Commission

:-)

So I had my first meeting serving on the Human Relations Commission last night. It was really great and I met a lot of great people, including the invaluable Nat Nehdar, whose post on the Commission I’m easing into.

Suit with no make-up? Selling out???

Vice Chair Stephen Macala really made me feel “at home” and made it known that I could feel free to ask any questions I wanted to (I had a few of them) and made me feel like this is going to be a comfortable group to work with.  Commissioner David Leming also has some great ideas to get youth more involved in the community. Sonya Amos, the staff rep, is a real joy to be around and she is definitely also someone I’m looking forward to working closely with.  They are already doing amazing things for the community: peace festivals, essay contests in the schools, etc. - and I’m glad to be a part of this. There’s even a rep from the Pasadena PD who comes and updates us on some pretty serious stuff involving hate crimes, etc. 

Interesting to note - one of the Commissioners is none other than Meta McCullough.  Who is Meta, you may ask?  Well, she’s the mother of my good friend and local professional wrestler, Eric Watts!  Small world!

We’re actually presenting some pretty awesome awards at a special shindig at the Main branch of the Pasadena Library on June 6th.  More on that as we come closer to that date. 

In other strange news - I got a message on my machine last night from none other than Robin Salzer.  He wants me to give him a call.  I wonder if he finally found my blog?  Is the charcoal from Barbecuegate still burning?

I hope it’s about some free food!

Stand & Deliver!

- Aaron

What are you doing for Cinco de Mayo?

I’ll most likely be here:

So, City Council returned to City Hall last night and experienced some, uh, technical difficulties:

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_5789952

Council members will have to resist the temptation to check their personal e-mail or favorite blogs - City Attorney Michele Bagneris warned them that any use of the terminals was a matter of public record.

No MySpace for Mayor Bogaard!