Cocktail Confessions

Okay, maybe you guys might think I’m a huge blowhard (that’s okay, I’ve been called worse) but I got some exciting news last week and I just found out the results today.

As some of you may be aware, I joined OC Yelp just over a year ago because I like to write reviews and I love try new places to eat.  Most of the time I review only restaraunts, but occasionally I will write or comment on various service establishments.

I really do pride myself on being absolutely fair, impartial, and balanced.  I take all things into account when crafting reviews: taste, quality, friendliness of staff, decor, and of course….overall cleanliness.  I won’t give a place 5 stars just because the food is outstanding.  If the floor or bathrooms look like crap, or the staff is negligent I score appropriately and explain why.

Well, it looks like my hard work paid off.

Last week I received a personal email from one of the staffers over there at Yelp who apparantly took notice of my writings and asked me if I would like to be nominated for the 2012 Yelp Elite Squad.  In my book, that’s a kind honor to be recognized for your work and efforts.  Of course I said “Yes” and had to fill out a simple questionaire which would then be submitted and reviewed by senior Yelper’s.

Today I received yet another official email congratulating me and my online profile here shows my new “Elite” badge of honor.  I’m very excited and hope to do Yelp well over this next year, and hopefully be recognized on a year to year basis.

Anyway, if your interested in Yelp, or already a member of Yelp and wanna be my friend there, please drop me a line again here.

Yup, still here.

Just haven’t had the time or willpower to sit down and write at length.  Work has been busy, weather has been crappy, but I have been writing a few food reviews over at Yelp.  If you’re interested in following me, you can read some of my reviews here. 

As I eat at more and more foodie joint, I’ll write more reviews.  I suppose I could write a ton now, but seems a little bit like cheating if I write a review months after I’ve been to a restaraunt.  There’s plenty of BBQ joints, breweries, sports bars, etc. I could sling a few words at, and I suppose the next time I visit one, I’ll write a review and post here.

Been doing a few food truck foodie events lately.  Found a website dedicated to food trucks here in Orange County, called RoamingHunger.com.  I’ve gone to OC Bowling Galley over at Lake Forest lanes and the OC Din Din A Go Go over at Irvine lanes,  Had some fabulous meals, and I hope to have to a extended entry up here soon enough.

Speaking of being being behind the 8-ball, I have at least 2 (possibly 3) more YouTube videos to post on my slow brisket smoking.  I do feel bad about this as I’ve dragged this out much longer than I ever intended.  As a matter of fact I may be doing a smoked baby-back rib competition in my neighborhood within the next few weeks.  No sweat.  I’ve tasted the competition, and I know mine blow most of my neighbors away, although one neighbor, Paul may give me a run for the money.  He takes his bbq’ing seriously, as much as me, and he’s getting into it lately as well. 

So it looks like next week Governor Moonbeam will once again be in charge of ruining California.  All the major polls today (6 days out from the vote) place Moonbeam 10pts ahead of Meg Whitman.  Both are shitty choices, but with all the crap happening, or should I say ‘NOT’ happening here in California, I’m pretty surprised how many people here have a short memory of all the crap Jerry Brown did to this state back in the late 70′s.  It’s gonna be a hellacious 4 years, and we can all expect our taxes to go up and amnesty for illegal aliens.

Finally, can you believe the new (or not so new) news with Charlie Sheen?  Sheen, 45 and the highest paid actor in television today (he earns $1M an epsiode for “2.5 Men”) was arrested in New York the other day after a call from his hotel room.  Authorities found Sheen naked, the room a mess, a female ’escort’, and Sheen says it was a reaction to ‘medication’.  Yeah, turns out the ‘medication’ was ‘cocaine’ and he was also intoxicated from booze.  Oh and the escort?….well, it appears she is 22 year old porn star Capri Anderson (aka Christina Walsh) who said she feared for her life when Sheen thought she may have stolen his $100K watch and couldn’t find his wallet to pay here a few of $12K.

Yes, her ‘work’ for the evening has a rate of $12K, on top of the 5-star dinner she got and hanging out with him.  The cocaine was supposedly free. 

Now here’s the problem I have, and I’m not sure if anyone is to blame other than society who puts this value on people.  Charlie Sheen can do whatever he wants with his money, and she can charge whatever she wants.  I don’t give a crap.  But the fact is, he breaks the law numerous times, hires a prositute, wrecks a room, and gets a pass?  And she gets $12,000 for 6-8 hours of hanging out with Charlie Sheen, and she says they didn’t have sex, because he went insane.  I have to work everyday for almost 4 months straight to net $12,000 (after taxes), and this 22 year old gets it in one night for laying on her back……and because Charlie Sheen makes approx. $22-24M a year just for his sitcom, this is like chump change to him.  That equates to her getting somewhere in teh neighborhood of $1500-2000 an hour, plus a 5 star meal to boot! 

Um, shouldn’t he be thrown in jail for wrecking a room?  Cocaine possession?  Possibly threating an escort with his ex-wife and two children down the hall in a seperate room of the same hotel?  And shouldn’t Capri Anderson be in trouble for admitting to being an escort and using a ‘madam’ to arrange her ‘appointments’ (Remember Heidi Fliess?).

See, I’m pissed off because if that was me, or anybody else we’d be in jail.  But Charlie, who has a problem, and has been the subject of this behavior many times over and over in the past is allowed to leave and go back to a filming gig two days later.

Couple of things to note here:

1. Became a member of Yelp in the OC sector.  I can write a few reviews on the fly when I’m out and about.  So look me up there under my name Jayson O.
2. Removed the Calendar (aka Club Nights) section in the upper left hand margin.  It seemed to stop working some time back, and didn’t really serve much of a purpose anyway and I’m to lazy to fix it right now.
3. Removed the old text box with my Twitter account: AloneDisciple.
4. Added new Tweet Speak box in the left hand margin, that not only has my account name (@AloneDisciple) but lists the last few ‘Tweets’ I made.  I’m doing this on a trial basis.  Not sure if it will stay like that or not.