Former District 4 City Council Candidate and PRC Board Member, Gene Masuda 

So - I went to the Pasadena Republican Club annual dinner last night.  Not only was I welcomed with open arms by the only people who make sense in this City, the event itself was nothing short of awesome.  Here are some things of note:

  • Chilled with Gene Masuda during the social hour and after the dinner was finished.  He was laughing about my Steve Haderlein video, which PRC member Vince Farhat got a kick out of as well.  
  • Speaking of Vince Farhat, I was greeted by him and his wife.  He’s a big fan of the website.  As he should be.
  • Met Charles Hahn, the dude running against Adam Schiff.  Nice guy.  I hope he wins.
  • I was the youngest person there (well, not counting the Boy Scouts who did an excellent job of presenting the Colors and leading us in the Pledge).  Which is sad.  Then again, I’ve practically given up on young people.  If they can’t find it on their MySpace or Facebook, they don’t give a shit.  Look at the dismal young voter base in Pasadena alone, not to mention the rest of the country.  Blech. 
  • Got with PRC members Ed Barnum and president Lynn Gabriel.  I’m going to be helping them turn their crappy Geocities-esque website into something quite electrifying. 
  • Ran into former Pasadena Mayor, Bill Thomson, who I mentioned that while he may favor Bogaard in his appearance, he’s far less dull.
  • Best moment of the night:  So, I see Mary Dee Romney of Pasadena Pundit and PUSD fame (played in movies by Renee Zellweger).  I introduce myself and shake her hand.  Minutes later, she comes back with a surprised look on her face.  She says something like “Aaron Proctor?  The guy in mascara (sic - because it was eyeliner) who ran against Mayor Bogaard?”  Yep, that’s me.  She kindly asked what happened to the make-up and, more importantly, why the hell was I at a PRC meeting.  In short, I let her know the make-up is over and done with and I’ve joined the right team. 
  • Martin Truitt was not there, but I figured out what he’s been up to lately in a Top Ten List over at The Underbelly.
  • The guest speaker was Brian Kennedy, a member of the Claremont Institute.  He not only spoke about the three greatest challenges America faces (which are illegal immigration, the bastardization of the Constitution, and radical Islam) but he made a lot of damn sense.  He basically mentioned a few of the core reasons why I became a member of the GOP in the first place:  I hate big government, I believe in personal freedoms, and I don’t like people coming into this country illegally and living off of resources that were created for people who came here the right way.  I also wanted to yell “KENNEDY!” when they said his name, but I didn’t think he’d get it. 

All in all, a really, really fun night.  Just a quick note I want to address:  Lately I’ve run into a lot of people who haven’t seen me in about a year, who don’t read the blog or keep up with me much, and don’t quite understand what’s going on with me.  So, let’s break it down real simple.

 

This is OLD Aaron Proctor.  He’s dead now.  Threw all of his make-up off of Suicide Bridge. Long live the king.

 

This is NEW, IMPROVED Aaron Proctor.  Way more awesome and respectable-looking.  Notice the haircut, the smile, and the lack of eyeliner.  Grown-up and more of a ladykiller than ever.

Hopefully, this’ll be the last time I have to make this clear.

**

Centinel, Foothill Cities 

By far, The Foothill Cities Blog is the most popular blog in all of the land.  It’s run by two anonymous dudes - Centinel and Publius.  Centinel, or “Fiddy Cents” as he’s known on the streets, does a wonderful job of covering Pasadena.  Lately, he’s been letting us all in on campaign contributions in last year’s Mayoral and City Council races.  Unlike some people I know, I don’t mind anonymous bloggers.  I do, however, love figuring out puzzles - because I’m a genius.

A while back, Centinel once said that, when the time is right, he’d unmask and show us all just who he is.  A lot of us here in Blogadena have been wondering just who he is though. 

Cent’s given us some clues over the past year.  I don’t think he’d lie to protect his identity, so, for any argument’s sake, any statement he’s made about his personal life is true. Here’s what we know about him, so far:

  • He recently was married
  • He knows what kind of cars the Bogaards drive
  • He’s possibly under 40, since he gets a lot of my modern pop culture references
  • He doesn’t like big government
  • He lives in Pasadena

That’s not really much to go on.  However, there are rumors in the community about the identity of Centinel.  I’d like to dispell some of these rumors through my own research and analysis of the blog. 

The following is a list of people who are most likely NOT Centinel of Foothill Cities, contrary to semi-popular belief.

Centinel is NOT Pasadena resident and Aaron Proctor look-a-like, John C. Reilly.

 

Centinel is NOT David Lee Roth.  He, however, may be the lead singer of Cinderella. 

Centinel is NOT Pasadena Weekly reporter Joe Piasecki.  Joe still hasn’t figured out fax machines yet, much less the blogosphere.

 

And, finally, Centinel is NOT Sid Tyler.  Sid Tyler would have to create a whole separate Internet for his blog.

Will we ever discover Centinel’s true identity before he reveals it himself?  Only time will tell.

**

Even idiots like cheesesteaks

Last, but not certainly least, I’m pretty sure we have a champion in the Chase For The Cheesesteak.  And, because my heart is in Philadelphia and my home is in Pasadena (or is it the other way `round?), it’s going to a real Pasadena cheesesteak place.  Most definitely the best I’ve had since I was a youngin’ going to Tony Lukes on Oregon Ave.

Your winner and newwwwwwwwwwwwwwww champion:

Philly’s Best, Del Mar Station, Pasadena.

Best tasting cheesesteak, cheapest Tastykakes, and high-quality service.  You CAN order it “wit’out wiz, sweet” and they’ll know exactly what you mean.  They might not have pizza but they make up for it in price and distance to my home and work.   

I recommend you all do yourselves a favor and check this place out today.  They blow everyone else in the LA Area out of the water.  I’m not sure about their other locations, though, since the locations seem to have a lot of independently owned/operated ones - but I can tell you for a fact that the one in Pasadena is going to be seeing a lot of business from me over the next few weeks, months, and years.

Have a safe weekend and make sure the FBI isn’t wiretapping your hookers,

- AP