July 29th

You know I was thinking yesterday after hearing about the passing of Bob Hope, about how different the world seemed in the past, as if it was something innocent and wonderful. How only in current times we have death and despair, poverty and destruction. But in the past everything seemed peachy and wonderful. How even horrible events like the two World Wars were nothing compared to what we went through with Viet Nam or September 11th. How the world just seemed more innocent back then. Almost like watching a black and white movie. How Simon and Garfunckle said it best “Everything looks good in black and white.” How life always just used to seem so much simpler. There was only one or the other, never any kind of grey. Even now being in my mid thirty’s I can remember the good days of the 1970’s when everyone had wide collars and very bright colors were high fashion. Growing up Halloween was a real holiday not just a time to go to the shopping mall. When you used to be able to go trick or treating all throughout the town that you grew up in and the only thing that you had to be worried about was if your parents were going to take all the “good candy” from your plastic pumpkin while you were asleep. OK where am I going with all of this, I don’t really know but I just was thinking about how looking at all the old Bob Hope footage from 100 years of his life, I just started thinking about when God Willing I get to my 100th birthday what will I remember of my life? Will I have nothing at all to look back at to remember, something that was just a steadiness of white noise with an occasional blip here and there or will it play back as a black and white film inside my head with all the bad stuff glossed over and replace by only the good. How will I be remembered? I’m planning on the later with yours truly in the staring role. I’m still not sure how I’m going to do it but damit I’m planning on leaving my mark on society, just you watch. Now just have to figure how to do it? Hmmmmm which plan to take over the world shall I choose tonight?

To the family of Bob Hope, our thoughts and prayers are with you. To Bob I just wanted to thank you very much for all the laughs (some of them even too corny for even me). I always liked watching your movie, and some of your TV specials. All we can say from us here at Fabersplace is “Thanks For The Memories”

Well that’s it for tonight

Hope your all doing great

I’ll talk to you soon

Peace

Mike

July 28th

Well here’s the funny thing, I had every intention to write tonight’s update about how everyone is getting lost in their own little world while being on their cell phones, But you know something always gets in the way of me writing what I originally set out to write. Tonight I went to Wal-Mart and did the usual shopping of things I really didn’t need, but decided also to finally put off some projects that I have been meaning to get to since I moved into my apartment (yes since February for those who are counting). So I picked up some new nails to put up some pictures and also get some super glue to fix some of the things that broke on the move out here from Seattle. So feeling good about my self, being a regular Bob the Builder, I rushed home to start my projects. When I got here I had a few minor things to do but then started right into putting a few pictures up on the walls. Then I sat down at my desk and decided to start fixing some of the broken items with super glue. First off let me tell you that you shouldn’t open super glue without really reading the directions. Well of course me being a man and thinking, “I don’t need to read directions, how hard could this be”. OY was ready for a rude awakening. So I grab the glue and start trying to mend the broken ceramics. I have used super glue many years before and remember it being quite easy. So I start squeezing the tube trying to slowly apply the glue, but nothing comes out. So I start squeezing a bit harder on the tube, still nothing. Of course then I look at the tube and go, “hmmm wonder why it’s not working”. So I start squeezing even harder, but then something on the TV distracts me, so I turn my head just for a second. All of a sudden I felt this gloopy stuff dripping down my fingers (ok keep your minds out of the gutters). Instead of just a little bit of super glue to hold the piece together I got enough to hold the Titanic together dripping down my hand. All I could think about was the scene from American Pie 2 where Jason Biggs got his hand glued to his ..... well you know (Now you can have your mind in the gutter). So instinctually I run my to the sink (after prying my hand off of the ceramic piece) but it was too late, water just dulls the glue but doesn’t wash it off. So now to quote the Rolling Stones but I got "Sticky Fingers". Woo Hoo. Even now I'm having trouble typing because my fingers are sticking to the keys of the keyboard. Of course after the fact now, I’m looking at the directions for the glue and right there on the tube it says “ Apply firmly but slowly, and keep away from flesh” OPPPS guess it pays to read.

Ok that’s it for tonight, I’m out of here before I get into too much trouble

Peace

Mike

July 24, 2003

Well you know when they say, if you ask for something be careful what you wish for? Remember the other day when I was said that if the US Army actually killed Sadam Husein’s children they should prove it somehow? Well guess what? Today the pentagon in all their wisdom actually released pictures of the two dead bodies all bloody and still in the body bags. I’m sorry talk about bad taste. The media has been having a field day with this showing the photos over and over again at nausea. I was at lunch today with my intern Dan and had to be tortured to seeing the bodies splashed on the dozens of the TV’s at the sports bar, finally someone who sat at another table complained to the manager to change the TV’s while people were eating. So we got to spend the rest of the meal watching the Joy of Family Matters, hmmmm watching Urckle or the dead bodies I wonder what was making me loose my lunch more?

In the Kobe Bryant news, two little things to talk about real quick, first off you will remember that I was telling you about how he was getting the shaft from the media and such. Well a few days ago a radio DJ in Los Angeles named Tom Leykis thought he would be a smart ass and reveal the name of the alleged rape victim. I used to listen to Tom when I lived in LA and Seattle and I found him amusing at times, but sometimes he was a little thick headed and his women-bashing hit at little bit below the belt. But the gual to go ahead and reveal the alleged victim’s name to the public is going way too far. Yeah she would have milked this for all the mileage she could get from it, but it was her choice to do it. Not some lame ass DJ trying just to grab ratings. Like I said it’s already becoming a circus. And now let’s get to Kobe, in a way to apologize to his wife for cheating on her, he went out and purchased a $4 million eight-carat, purple diamond ring for his wife, gee why didn’t I think of that as a make up present with my last girlfriend. The best quote on this was from the man who made the ring for the couple “They looked very happy together,” well I guess I would be happy too if someone spent that much money on me.

On that note, I’m going to crash for the night

Have a great weekend

Talking to you from the other side of my brain

Peace

Mike

P.S. Oh yeah thanks to all who wrote to me about yesterday’s update, don’t worry I’m doing fine, just a lot of things on my mind.

July 23rd

How old do you have to be to have a mid life crisis. The whole issue with the change in car has started me thinking about where my life is going and am I really happy where my career is going. It was kind of funny last week when I was looking at the Mazda 6 it just felt so much like driving a sports car, I started panicking and started thinking, “Oh My God, I’m too young to buying a sports car”. But then of course me being a thinker I started dwelling a little deeper into my neurosis and started doing some kind of self-exploration. Over the last six months I have been feeling more and more unease with my career, I have been feeling like I have been busting my butt between doing the work for Kalico Productions, and for Siemens. But it just doesn’t feel like I’m getting anywhere and I feel like there should be a passion there but something just seems missing from my work almost leaving me with a shallow feeling in my heart. So lately I have been playing with the idea of changing my career, but finding what would both fulfill my heart and my bank account. Should I think about going back to school to get my masters or even a doctorate? Hmmmm Dr. Michael Faber, that dose have an nice ring to it. The question is would I become a medical doctor (maybe a dentist or an opthamologist) or sometimes I think a therapist would be great too since I like to help people with their problems. It would be kind of cool to do a “Love Line” type of talk show. Wow, Me and Adam Corala, talking about some of my favorite subjects. My website = my fantasies. Then again I could go back to one of my true loves music and get involved again into radio or even better voice over work. Would be cool hearing me on TV, Radio, Movies, Video Games or even better Cartoons. Just have to figure how to get back into it.

Other options of me becoming something completely different then what I have been used to also, maybe a social worker or a firefighter both would help others, but would be lacking financially. Then there is also the thought about going back in Rabbinical School but that would mean going to study for four years away from William (no way that would ever happen, even though some people out there would be very happy about me being away, no comment on names). A few other friends have suggested that maybe I should think about writing a book, well Odd Todd did it so why not me. Oh well I didn’t really think anything would be resolved yet but these are just some thoughts that are going through my head tonight, any suggestions or thoughts on what to pursue or how to do it, would be welcome.

Thanks for listening, don't mind me I'm just loosing my mind as always

Peace

Mike

July 22nd

Tonight I might be taking a stand that some people might not really agree with. Like I have mentioned in the past the views expressed on this website are wholly my own, and this is just the place that I like to express them. Today’s subject is one that’s already being blasted everywhere in the news and you will be hearing about it for at least the next six months or so. What am I speaking of, Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers of course. Unless you have been living under a very big rock, you have read, heard, seen on TV that Kobe has been accused of Raping a 19 year old woman in Colorado. After seeing all that the media has to say about the issue I’m very sure that he is totally get the Shaft from the media. Now let me clarify the facts as I see it, before I start getting hate mail from some of you out there. Yes, I do think Kobe is a huge scum bag for cheating on his wife (cheating is a whole another issue which we are not going to get into tonight) with this trailer trash woman from small town Colorado. I just think all this victim sees are dollar signs, and her fifteen minutes of fame. I’m sure in the next few months we will see her face all over TV (the usual suspects, Larry King, Montel, Opera, and the rest of the gang) and not to mention the National Enquire and Daily Star, etc. they will have a field day with this. He has fully admitted to doing wrong (to cheating but not to rape), but like the current take of the media and society itself most celebrities are guilty until proven innocent. I just have a feeling if this goes on long enough we might be seeing another media circus ala O.J. Simpson, which is not good. The sad thing in all the truth is how much this will take away from the true rape victims out there, and how support they really need and that the true predators need to be stopped so women ever where can live with out fear and having to stop continually looking over their shoulders. Hey a guy can dream can’t he?

Today also brought some interesting news, in that the US military is claiming that after a vicious six hour gun fight between 200 US troops and four armed men held up in a house in Northern Iraq, they have claimed that have killed Saddam Hussein’s two sons Odai and Qusai. Sorry for sounding a little skeptical here but this report is coming from the same organization that claimed to have actually killed Saddam on the first nights of the war. I guess when they prove it with DNA or actually showing the bodies (I know that sounds morbid) I will believe it. The one thing the US Army has succeeded in doing is making Saddam in to a martyr with the Iraqi public. Kind of like the boogieman, never knowing where he is or what message of his is going to turn up (most of us are too young to remember "Where is Ho Chee Min?"). I just hope this isn’t going to be turning into another Viet Nam, which the US won’t be able to get out of without a lot more of innocents lost.

On a more positive personal front the hunt for a new car is finally over. Yes you heard me right, after a very long month and a half of just total frustration of car shopping the search is over. On Friday the good people at Gwinnett Nissan (and help from my friend Sam who just happens to work for Nissan in California) I purchased a 2003 Nissan Altima 2.5 S. Yup, brand new, no demo car or used car, brand new with only 189 miles on the car. The car is a Polished Pewter color, 5 speed manual transmission, and the rest of the bells and whistles. It already is really fun to drive. It will be interesting to see what William will think of it. I asked him the other day if he would mind if Daddy got a smaller car? He said, “No Da, Da I don’t want you to get a smaller car, I want you to get a bigger one. You should get a Hummer” Oy, out of the mouth of Babes. Of course it was sad to say bye to my Pathfinder, but knowing it’s at a Nissan dealership I know if will get the best treatment to be fixed up and taken to it’s new owner.

Ok Kids, time for me to crash for the night. I hope your all doing great, and having a great summer so far.

As always

Peace and Friendship always

Mike

July 17, 2003

Hi, me real quick. Been busy at work adding a few more pieces to my portfolio section. Take a peek at some of my work and let me know what you think. A few people were mentioning that I didn’t have enough of my variety of my work online, so I went through all my portfolios and pulled some of my more appropriate and favorite pieces. Maybe someday when I become a somebody I’ll post all my works from the sixth grade though today, but I’ll change the names of some of the people to protect the innocent.

Like I mentioned earlier in the week I went to see two movies over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

The first one was “Finding Nemo”. The movie brought to you by the fine folks at Pixar. The same people who brought you Toy Story, Bugs Life and Monster Inc. The story centers around a clown fish named Marlin, and his search for his missing son Nemo. As with all Pixar movies we are inserted into a world beautifully computer animated, this time we view scenes from the Great Barrier Reef to a very realistic view of Sydney Harbor. Marlin (very nicely voiced by Albert Brooks) searches for his son he is joined by the always-forgetful Dory (portrayed wonderfully by Ellen DeGeneres) they search high and low and travel through many exciting undersea adventures. Of course, yet to be disappointed with a film by Pixar, you go into the movie thinking this one seems like a total kids movie, but as you watch this film you realize oh my god they really wrote this one for adults. There were so many scenes that actually really hit home with me but don’t want to ruin any scenes for anyone who hasn’t see the movie yet, Of course the focus of the film is every parents nightmare and their child being taken from them, and the ends that any parents would go through to find them. I have seen the film twice already and have seen things each time in the film that I missed the time before. A definite must see even if you’re not a huge animation fan.

OK I’ll add my review of "Pirates of the Caribbean" either tomorrow or Sunday night. My eyes are just too tired right now. On the car front real quick, I’m still looking at the Accord but I’m now thinking about the Mazda 6. A very fun car, almost felt like driving a sports car while having the size of the Honda. Will let you know.

Hope all you are doing great, and I’ll talk to you all soon

Always Talking Whale (a “Finding Nemo” reference)

Mike

July 13, 2003

Car salespeople are the scum of the earth, yes you heard me right. My feelings towards car salespeople run deep and long. I don’t know of anyone who sing praises to buying a car, yes I do admit there is a science to buying a car, but damit the game keeps on changing and the rules are written in some long lost language that only an ancient scribe can decipher. This past few weeks I have been going back in forth in trying to narrow down the car search and finally have narrowed it down to a few different vehicles. I started out searching for a Honda Accord, Nissan Atlima, Volkswagen Passat (the Jetta was nice but no real back seat), Toyota Camry, and the Subaru Impreza. After countless test drives, and hours of online price searches and such. I narrowed the car down to either the Honda Accord or the Volkswagen Passat. Both cars have great features and would be very comfortable driving for the next five or six years or so. So after deciding on features and which automobile I wanted I decided to go into a dealership and try to settle on the right vehicle. Volkswagen has the better overall standard warranty, but the Honda had just an overall better feel and the price point was a lot more acceptable for my budget. That’s when the hell began.

I have never hidden anything from the readers of my website ever, and I’ll be the first one to admit it that my credit rating isn’t spectacular. Some of it’s my own fault but other stuff was left over garbage from the divorce with Angela. I’m not harping on it here, it’s in the process of being fixed but thought you should know a little background of what I’m going through to make this tale more understandable. So anyway the first thing you find out when you go into a car dealership is that if you don’t have stellar credit they don’t want to give you the time of day. The second thing that they hate is that if you actually known what your talking about in buying a car. They expect everyone just to come into the dealership not having a clue about price, dealer invoice, what kind of mark-ups are involved and then they hate it when you give them a price that you know you have researched and know it’s a fair price for the car, but think your out of your mind. Do you know how many times I heard “How do you expect us to make any money on this car, if you want it for that price” I would just smile and say “I know for a fact that you will still be making enough money on this deal to be able to make a fat commission on it”. After about four different dealerships and having them try to play the “I have to ask my manger on this price” deal and them disappearing forever into some office to play solitaire on their PC’s, after a bit they pop again with someone claiming to be the manager (most likely just another sales person just playing a role), trying to convince you that your nuts for wanting anything under the winder sticker price. That they have to put their kids through dental school or such and it’s a fair price. I usually just look at them and tell them “Only an Idiot Would Pay Sticker Price” (the title of my soon to be published car buying guide, available soon at all fine gas stations in Halifax Nova Scotia).

Let me tell you my dear readers, car salesmen are not bright. To say that they are stupid would be a insult to stupid people. One dealer ship that we stopped at very briefly had a sales guy who didn’t know the difference between an automatic transmission and a manual transmission. The next dealership wasn’t much better. The sales guy couldn’t speak English if his life depended on it. The only worlds he knew were “You buy now?” and kept on showing me the oil dipstick over and over again. Hmmm wonder if that was an insult to me? Another dealership was so bad that they had on the computer that they had the perfect car for me but we then proceeded to spend an hour walking though the back parking lot (at least 2000 cars deep) with the remote sensor trying to set off the alarm to find this car. Of course after walking through the lot for quite some time another sales person found it for us in about two minutes flat. Another car sales person accused me of making up the price I had printed off of my computer, that I was just there to try to get a car for close to nothing. Or another one said “Oh sure I can beat the price off the website” but then neglected to tell me that he was planning on adding another $700 to the price of the car for a finders fee. OY!!!!! Don’t even get me started for them trying to charge me for “Undercoating” and a “detail fee” excuse “detail fee” when I buy a car I think it should be cleaned anyway. DUHH!!

The worst one though just happened yesterday. I thought to myself. HEY, maybe I should go for a slightly used car (a year or two old but with low mileage, you know the car depreciates as soon as it rolls off the lot anyway so I might talk advantage of someone else’s misfortune, I’m not above that). So I want to this place we shall call CARMAX (scummax they should be called) because they offered a no haggle rule and offered their cars below blue book value. I went to the local dealership and didn’t find anything locally, but they had a couple of selections at a few of their locations up and down the east coast. After a little research we found a 2002 Honda Accord EX (totally loaded) in Maryland. Usually I wouldn’t even consider buying a car used in another state, but since I had my Dad not to far away I had him go take a look at it. When Dad saw it he had nothing but praise for the car. Saying it’s a great deal and I should snap it up right away, so I talked to the sales person in Maryland and they would hold it for me to arrange the transfer to Georgia. This is where it all went to pot. I contacted my sales person I had worked with locally, he told me that he would arrange for the transfer and all I would have to do was come in give them a fee for the transfer which would be applied to the price of the car. So I waited for about a day and didn’t hear anything. So I called the local dealership and found out some interesting news. “Mr. Faber, I’m sorry to tell you that instead of them putting the car on hold for you, they by accident put the car on the market again and someone jumped on it in North Carolina.” Dam I though, those bastards. But thought it was par for the course with my search. The next day though they called again and said the person who wanted the car in North Carolina had gotten another car, so the Honda was mine. Just stop by and drop off a check. Well when I went in to see them, I heard from the sales person “ Well sir, I have some good news and some bad news” The car is basically yours but we can’t get anyone in North Carolina to sign off on it tonight, but will have it on it’s way here by tomorrow. Well guess what, I got call the next morning telling me that the Honda was sold to some shmuck in North Carolina and that they were very very sorry. Well I told him if that’s how they do business I won’t be ever recommending them to anyone and wouldn’t be caught dead giving them another of energy. I also told them that I was a owner of a consumer watchdog website, and would not be saying nice things about them onlne. They were like “oh well, sorry” CLICK.

So that’s where I stand currently, in this hell I call shopping for a automobile. Oh yeah, I still have the Pathfinder for sale, if you know of anyone who's looking for a new car I have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder SE for Sale, 2 wheel drive, clean, great condition 56K miles (mostly highway), new brakes, in dash six disk cd player, sunroof, towing package, Burgundy with grey cloth interior. A must see, at a great price. Drop me a line.

Sorry if I have offended any car sales men who read this site, (yea right who am I fooling, a car salesman couldn’t read anything above See Dick, See Jane, See Dick Run, See Jane Run… Running from a dealership screaming from their experiences within).

Ok that’s all the bitching for tonight, tomorrow night I promise I’ll get to the review of Finding Nemo (which I saw for the second time this past weekend). And I also saw Pirates of the Caribbean today, I’ll tell you all about that one also.

Hope you had a great weekend.

Peace and friendship always

Mike

July 7, 2003

Well you know sometimes a break is all that you need, too bad that when your break includes a Faber Family reunion, you usually need a vacation from your vacation. Now don’t get me wrong, I had a wonderful time with everyone. The one thing you notice when your with my family is how light hearted the mood usually is and how we can have fun doing just about anything, no matter where we are. It was fun seeing everyone in one place, it was the first time we were all together since 1995 at my wedding, way to long for the whole family to be together. We spent time swimming, horse-back riding, hiking, bowling, movies and lots and lots of food, It was great also that William was able to meet his dad’s side of the family. Up till now he’s had a slight hint at it by meeting Roy and Ivy and Cheryl and Danny, but now he got into it full blast. He had a great weekend with his Grandpa. I was a bit worried if William would of taken to his Grandfather, since he really hasn’t met him before, but it was an instantaneous connection. William and my dad were incredible together. Not sure Dad really appreciated or survived the Chuck E. Cheese experience, but the little guy really appreciate him being there for him. We also visited the World of Coke, the Airport, both the big one and a small one where William actually got to sit in a plane. It was so much fun. There just was so much we did that it would be tough to write it all here and still keep your interest. I’ll be posting pictures from this past week up on the site for everyone to look at.

But alas like all good things it’s also really nice that my apartment is now quite empty. At the busiest we had Cheryl, Danny, Dad, Maggie, Max and William in the apartment, I really didn’t think that the apartment could fit much more, but it would have been fun to find out. Sitting here in the apartment and having it so quite here now is almost like the close to a great visit, and that my life is now quietly reverting to reality, and not rushing towards me.

On the car front I’m just waiting to find out about loan approvals for a new Accord. If it doesn’t go through I’m probably going to buy a slightly used Accord that Dad, Danny and I foudnd at CarMaxx, the funny thing is that the car is located in Maryland. How’s that for irony. Will keep you updated as thing progress, but I think this week will be the week something happens.

Saw two movies while everyone was here, "Charlies Angels: Full Throttle" – This movie was just so damm bad that it’s not even worth a review from me. All I can say about it is I want to sue those girls for wasting two hours of my life I can never ever get back again.

Movie number 2 was “Finding Nemo” – which I totally adored, in how much I hated Charlie’s Angeles, Nemo was the complete opposite. Finding Nemo was a very well rounded film from our friends at Pixar that held everyone’s attention the whole time. Even a hardened teenager like Danny loved the movie. I’ll do a full review of the movie tomorrow night.

Have lots more to talk about the world around us, about the middle east, and how my prophecy of the President spreading the military to thin is starting to unravel any plans for Iraq to have a stable near future.

Ok that’s it, I’m burnt out for tonight.

Ladies and Gentleman Mike has left the building.

Peace

Mike

P.S. Of Course if you know of anyone who's looking for a new car I have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder SE for Sale, 2 wheel drive, clean, great condition 56K miles (mostly highway), new brakes, in dash six disk cd player, sunroof, towing package, Burgundy with grey cloth interior. A must see, at a great price. Drop me a line.