When it Freezes in Houston...

Image taken from KHOU.com

It is very rare for Houston to have a Winter Storm involving icy roads. Now I am no meteorologist or an expert in driving on ice, but as a delivery driver who spends a lot of time on the Houston roads and highways, I'd like to share a few things that I have learned to do when Houston experiences a Winter storm.

Because of how rare Houston experiences these ice-cold conditions, many commuters in this city will tend to underestimate Mother Nature. Let's face it Houston, we don't know how to drive on ice. I'm a very experienced courier in Houston, and I'm first to admit, I suck at driving on ice! Northerners can laugh all they want. Just brush it off and think of your survival (or the safety of your pocketbook)! So, in this blog entry, when I say Winter Storm, I'm not talking about blizzards or an avalanche. I'm talking about ice on freeways, which I'm sure is normal to many folks up north.

Recently, on January 24^th, the Houston highways experienced some icy freeways, causing over 200 accidents. This is unfortunate to many commuters in the city, but consider the fact that no casualties were reported. Unlike the Winter Storm of February 2011, there were over 800 accidents, including at least one reported casualty. Remember that day?

Twee - San Francisco

This is an original song that my friend Twee wrote and composed on her guitar. It's called "San Francisco". The lyrics were written by Twee.

• Vocals / Lyrics / Guitar: Twee

• Guitar: Duane "Roger" Perez (me)

Please visit my YouTube Channel to see more videos of Twee.

Twee - Tonight's The Night

This is an original song that my friend Twee and I composed. It's called "Tonight's The Night". The lyrics were written by Twee. I composed the music and the arrangement.

• Vocals / Lyrics: Twee

• Guitar: Duane "Roger" Perez (me)

Please visit my YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/callmeroger

Anime Shows I'm Currently Watching...

Despite the fact that I haven't had much time to watch anime, I still manage to find time to catch up on my favorite simulcasts anime shows, while trying to watch other anime shows that has finished airing long ago. This season of anime, Winter 2014, has a great line-up, while I'm still enjoying some on-going shows from the previous season of Fall 2013.

Here are some shows I'm currently enjoying via Crunchyroll Simulcast:

Kill La Kill (episode 14 screencap)

Kill La Kill

(currently at episode 14)
At first, I had very little interest in watching this show. I understand that this was created by the same folks who brought us Gurren Lagann. Because of that, I was like "I don't know if this show will live up to the exaggerated epicness of Gurren Lagann." Of course, with the absence of Attack on Titan, this could be a substitute, for now. People are buzzing about it. It's what made me shy away from it... until finally I gave in.

I watched the first episode, and I could NOT "not like" it, even if I tried. I couldn't turn away from the show. The next thing you know, I was 6 episodes in. I was addicted!

Watch it on Crunchyroll: http://www.crunchyroll.com/kill-la-kill

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Golden Time  (episode 14 screencap)

Golden Time 

(currently at episode 14)
It wasn't my idea to watch this show. My wife got me watching this show. The whole "law school" part of Crunchyroll's synopsis of this show interested her.

Though I am not as hooked on this show as I am with Kill La Kill, I could use some romance drama anime. Oh, the love triangles and the "friendzoning" in this show reminds me of my younger years. Koko is also the type of girl that I try to avoid dating: possesive and stalkerish, even when I ended up with a few girls that are just like her.

Overall, I ended up liking the show enough for me to keep up with each latest simulcast. Love triangles are very unpredictable in my experience, and those types of stories keep me on my toes to see what will happen next.

Watch it on Crunchyroll: http://www.crunchyroll.com/golden-time

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Chuunibyou REN (season 2 episode 2 screencap)

Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions! REN 

(currently at season 2 episode 2)
Of course I would watch this! I've been waiting since the first season ended. Even though I haven't seen the movie yet, I just had to jump into watching this season!

I love how they act out their delusions. Even I find myself doing the same thing, and I'm 34! So for me, I can relate to this show very well.

A new character has been introduced recently, I can't wait to see what's going to happen next.

Watch it on Crunchyroll: http://www.crunchyroll.com/love-chunibyo-and-other-delusions

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Recently, My Sister is Unusual (The Cake to Boobs Scene!)

Recently, My Sister Is Unusual

(currently at episode 3)

I first watched this show at work, without wearing any headphones. BIG MISTAKE! Luckily, no one was in my office. But wow! I don't know why I'm watching this show. It is very funny, and very ecchi. Ok, I'm watching this because it's ecchi. lol 

Watch it on Crunchyroll: http://www.crunchyroll.com/recently-my-sister-is-unusual

Other Anime Shows I'm watching:

• Nisekoi
• Hajime no Ippo
• Super Sonico The Animation
• ...and more

I'm slowly making my way to watching more of these simulcast shows on Crunchyroll. But my time is very limited nowadays due to my work. For a more comprehensive version of shows I watch, check out my MyAnimeList page: http://myanimelist.net/animelist/CallmeRoger

Where No Egg Has Gone Before...

This morning, while I was cooking some eggs for breakfast, I couldn't help but think of the Star Trek logo when this fried egg took shape on the frying pan.

That is all.

My Car is 288,000 Miles Old Already!

288,000 Miles Driven on my 2008 Civic Si.

I've had this car for 6 years now. And it already has 288,000 miles on it! It's a 2008 Honda Civic Si. It's what I use for my deliveries; contract, sub-contract or independent. I wonder how many cars, '08 and above, have this many miles already...

When I bought this car, I knew that it's main purpose is for work. The braking system, suspension, power, and what I call fun factor was evidently in this car. Basically, I made "working" or "doing deliveries" fun for me! This is also where I spend more than 80% of my time working.

 Some people think that my car has lasted this long without anything majorly wrong happen to it. Most of them say "Honda cars will normally last that long." But some of my closest friends know what happened to this car over the years:

• Transmission failed on me during my deliveries at 189,941 miles. It took two weeks to repair and about $4,700 to repair. 
• The alternator was recently replaced, at 287,900 miles. If it was replaced before, I don't remember, nor do I have any transaction records of it.  Ok, this was a surprise to a few of my friends. I do remember replacing the starter back on November 2012.
• Exterior: The back bumper, and both left and right side panels, have been replaced during Winter of 2013, after getting side-swiped and hit on three different occasions at one of my delivery sites. The total cost of repairs came out to $4,800. All of which was paid for by two different major companies that were responsible for causing the damages.

Until this day, my car is still fun to drive. And this is why I love my job as a courier. This car is also my second home. When I'm on standby between deliveries, I spend a lot of time in here. If ever I have to be away from home again, like during my intercity or interstate deliveries, my car is a good place for me to sleep, eat, etc. (except use the restroom... lol)

Now Serving: Pearland, TX

I've been temporarily assigned as a standby courier at an emergency center in Pearland, TX. For the type of work that I have to do, this assignment actually pays decently. And on top of that, I'm somewhat able to keep my current contracts at the Texas Medical Center. though I have to be extremely careful about working both jobs at the same time.

Yesterday was my start date. I did experiment on doing my little covert operation and despite the difficulty of combining the two jobs. I know very well that I won't always be as lucky, and the emergency center can call at a bad time. Luckily, my wife was willing to help, by going on standby for me at the medical center, just in case I'm stuck at Pearland and unable to go to the Texas Medical Center.

My contractors told me that I will most likely be doing this for a month, and there's a possibility that if the driver I'm covering decides not to come back, I will be able to keep the route for myself and to continue with both contracts for as long as I'm able to perform both of them with no problems.

The Graveyard Shift On-Call Deliveries

It wasn't too long ago when I made an unprecedented decision to work overnights to do hot shot deliveries. This decision was an indirect result of the "Thanksgiving Ultimatum" incident that I engaged against my contractor's operations team. But because my biological clock got totally screwed up, I took my chances on the dispatchers that worked the night shift.

Maybe later on, I'll delve more into details regarding that "Thanksgiving Ultimatum".

Here are some pros and cons when I'm doing hot shot deliveries at nights:

Pros:

• The commission rate seems to double at nights (from 7pm to 7am). If they aren't doubled, the pay for each delivery is still significantly higher than the commission rates during the day. This does not apply to daily orders and route coverage. Just the on-call deliveries.
• The roads and highways aren't as busy at nights. The freeways are certainly wide open and free of traffic jams, especially after midnight.
• I feel a better sense of peace and quiet. Driving becomes less of a job, and more like a relaxation.
• I go home when I want to go home. 

Cons:

• I don't always get the deliveries. Depending on my location and the delivery's Point:A, if there's another driver closer to that location, dispatchers call them.
• There's always that one or two hours of unpaid standby time. Sometimes, I can be out there for 5 hours, and not a single job is dispatched to me. This is annoying, even when I'm standing by at home.
• It gets unbearably boring and lonely at times. 

For two weeks, this is what I did. I slept all throughout the day. Got up as late as 3pm. Started my M.D. Anderson delivery at 4pm. Went home at 7pm. Spend time with my wife and daughter while I'm on standby at home. I normally got dispatched out when my wife was getting ready for bed. Sometimes earlier. There were times when I went straight to working the night-time hot shots right after my M.D. Anderson route. 

There were two dispatchers that normally ruled the night time board. I became really good friends with one of them. I almost never turned down any jobs she sent my way. But we did have a good rhythm going. I liked the way she dispatched, and the way she covered each region of Houston. If there was a part of town she did not have covered, I played the pinch-hitter and covered the void.

Two weeks later, my supervisor gave me a list of routes where he needed coverage. Many of my fellow drivers by day are taking days off or going on vacation. But for the money, I agreed to it. I'm back at the day shift again, covering routes and special assignments. 

It won't be until further notice when I will be able to work overnights again. But I do miss being nocturnal. 

Sword Art Online II - 2014:Activated

Last night, I got to watch Sword Art Online - Extra Edition, thanks to the simulcast by Crunchyroll. Even if I'm not a big fan of flashback episodes/feature, SAO Extra Edition did not fail to deliver a great amount of fan service and an underwater adventure that was quite entertaining. The special episode is about 100 minutes long, so it's like a movie.

Coincidentally, I was watching the English dub version of Sword Art Online at work, and almost did not remember that the Extra Edition episode was airing. I'm glad I remembered yesterday. But while I was making sure I know where to find it, I googled it and ran into a teaser video that officially announces Sword Art Online II! My first reaction to it, I whispered to myself: Gun Gale Online? Yes, it is!

Here's the video:

I'm so excited, I can't wait!!! Some folks are already saying that it will start airing during Spring 2014. 

For more info, check out: http://www.swordart-online.net/phantom/#!/ 

Silly anime scenes that makes me hungry...

I was watching Sword Art Online while I was working. And in episode 9, there's a scene where Asuna hands Kirito this delicious looking sandwich. In this scene, Kirito was really enthused about eating whatever Asuna made....

....that scene, just made me go to McDonald's to get a McRib!

That is all.

Finally got around to watching "The Future Diary"

After everything that has happened in the past three months, I have not been able to catch up on the anime shows I've been planning to watch. I'm slowly starting to catch up all over again, now that I am finding more time to watch anime while I'm at work.

But there's this one show that I'm a bit scared to watch by myself: Mirai Nikki (a.k.a. The Future Diary). If you're wondering why, it is because I have developed a bit of a phobia of stalker girls, or #yandere since high school. 

Yes, I'm scared of crazy, stalker, clingy girls like Yuno Gasai. In the past, I have dated quite a few girls that turned out to be very yandere. Though none of them turned out to be just as crazy as Yuno, I did end up with one that tried to ruin my life, and nearly succeeded (until her "fatal attraction" kicked her right back in the ass).

Yuno Gasai - The Future Diary

But enough about my past experiences with yandere girls, and back to this anime show Mirai Nikki. Yuno scares me! She's very cute. Don't get me wrong. But I can't seem to watch this show by myself. My wife is actually enjoying the show with me, since this was on her plan to watch list. And now she's making fun of me by telling me things like she's going to turn out to be a yandere.

I decided to continue watching this show some other time. I think we are on episode 8. This entry is certainly not a review of the show. But if you were to ask me for my opinion about this show, I'd have to say: CREEPY!

Changes to the New "CallmeRoger.com"

I'm almost sure that no one even noticed the big change. The domain "callmeroger.com" now points to Blogger.com. I decided to save my money and cancel my hosting service. All the entries I ever posted on my old Wordpress is tucked away in my old Wordpress.com account.

Because I'm still paying for this domain, I would like to continue to put this site to good use. All I want is a website that I can call "home". This is where I will be experimenting on my journal writing, creative writing, and more. 

Here are a few changes to CallmeRoger.com:

• Obviously, it is no longer powered by Wordpress (I miss it already!) It is now powered by Blogger.
• Having said that, many parts of this blog will be implementing the use of many Google services.
• My music videos from YouTube, including videos from my band's YouTube account "Otaku Acoustic", and videos from various users that has me and my band on their videos, will soon be posted here.
• I will most likely blog about my personal life. This includes blog entries about my work, my home life, etc.
• This blog may include elements that are probably copyrighted by their respected authors and artists. I will do my best to credit them, and/or the site/source from which I took them from.

This coming year of 2014, which is just around the corner, I would really like to make a habit of updating this blog. I hope that my friends from Google+ and Facebook visit my site every once in a while. This goes out to my followers on Twitter as well. 

Otaku Day!

So yesterday was Otaku Day. Too bad I had to work, and it totally slipped my mind.

Haven’t Been Blogging Lately…

Sorry guys, I haven’t been blogging a lot lately. I’ve been busy with work, and playing video games on Steam and on our new PlayStation 3. I do have a lot of drafted blog entries, reviews and posts, but I haven’t been updating them either.

While I hate to admit it, I really have a busy, hectic life. Even I don’t want to face that fact, either. All day long at work, I think about things that I want to do for leisure when I get home. But when I’m home, I got all these chores that I didn’t really have to worry about before.

Also, when I feel overwhelmed with a lot of tasks to complete, and don’t know where to start, I usually just start looking for other non-productive things to do. I am well aware of this bad habit of mine. I think I’m doing a very good job at keeping my own self under control… I think.

I have some upcoming posts that I’ve been working hard to finish. Some are just personal entries, others are a bit more opinionated. Some of the other posts I’ve been working on are just anime and video game reviews.

Call me Roger @ Mindsay

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