The Days and Nights of Robierto

So I went to view the Hobbit opening night dressed up like Gollum, wearing only a loin cloth held together with dental floss. I have to be honest it wasn't a wise choice, it being December and all. But I took my seat and found I was sitting next to an older gentleman and his wife. As I sit down, I notice that he hadn’t pulled down the arm rest that separated our two seats.  I am not going to lie to you. It was uncomfortable. I was sitting extremely close on essentially a love seat, with someone I didn't know. And our legs were touching…not like “touching” touching,  but the fabric of our pants was touching.  So I sat down thinking, well knowing, that this might be an issue for me, considering I have major personal space issues. How was I to enjoy the Hobbit with the fabric our pants touching and no discernible barrier between us?  I could deal with this…( deep breath )  Who am I kidding? I  couldn't  de...

I have never been a big “Halloween Guy”.  May be it’s because I had a bad experience in a haunted house or may be because my entire family was murdered on Halloween when I was 10. I don't know, it's hard to be sure, but for what ever reason I have always felt a disdain for Halloween and Halloween related activities. I just can't seem to embrace the fun of of it all. Last Friday, we had an Office Halloween Party complete with a costume parade and trick-or-treating. So for the children I decided I would rise above my dislike for Halloween and give out candy to the kids that came through our office.  At first it was tedious, but as the day wore on, I really started enjoying myself as I engaged in the parade of costumes. “ Here is Iron Man” “Look it’s the weird guy from Yo-Gabba-Gabba!” “Oh look...It’s an adult belly dancer who needs to wear a more age appropriate costume next year. Good to see you...and I mean off all you.” So by the end of the ...

An interesting event happened to me last night that changed me in a deep and profound way for many minutes thereafter. Last night I was sitting alone reading a book at a Latin culture event I was attending. As I was sitting and reading my book, a beautiful woman kept looking at me from across the room. Of course I was flattered and gave her a smile back. Although, I didn’t speak her native language, I was pretty sure as to what was being communicated between us. She started walking over to me, and it was just like something out of a movie. Time seemed to stand still as her hair billowed in the cooling breeze of the air compressor I was sitting on. Her lips parted and she spoke, “ Hi my name is Carmen. I hope this isn’t awkward, and I never do this, but I was wondering if you would like to... She paused. My thoughts raced, " Like to? You would like to what? Have my number? Bear my children? Slow dance to the gentle purr of the air compressor? What?" ...

So one of my friends told me to watch this TV show called the “Walking Dead”that is about zombies attacking the world.  As I watch it I keep thinking, “ Are zombies really a viable threat? ”  Every time someone dies on the show from a zombie attack I have to do an exaggerated eye roll and say, “ Um, sweet friends that death could have been completely avoided." Here are some tips that I came up with to avoid being eaten by zombies, should the problem ever arise: 1- Shut Up and Run -Friends, it would be one thing if once if zombies developed some super human strength or could run really fast, but they can’t. Most of the time zombies are dragging a limb or other appendage behind them, so they can’t sneak up on you or run after you. So if you see a zombie, shut up and run, chances are they can’t out run you. 2- Boom Box It -So in “Walking Dead” the zombies supposedly are attracted to loud noises. So if you are living amongst zombies friends, always carry a huge ...

Friends, the holidays are rapidly approaching and as I have always said it is never too early to start stressing out about what to give for “neighbor’s gifts” this year. 9  If you are like me you don’t want to give bake goods again because let’s be honest, they end up in the trash. And last year I gave Costco muffins with the tag, “I’m getting’ “muffin” for Christmas” which was really cleaver, but it cost me like $12,000.00 to fund. Well my good friends and crafting muses, down ta' Craft-acular, Krystal and Carol, introduced me to a fun and easy craft to give your neighbors this year.  It’s a gift that is inexpensive, and a gift your neighbors will never forget, I guarantee. Behold, I bring you glad tiding of great joy in the form of…( wait for it ) …The Tampon Angel. It’s fun, it’s festive, it’s fantastic. The hard part of this craft is coming up with the note to put on it because; you know it’s a…a tampon.  What my tag is going to be this year ...

Is nothing sacred? I just saw an ad for the new the Star Wars Angry Birds, being launched in November, and I have to say unto the creators, "Woman Please!" As a youngster I reverenced Star Wars. It was as important as the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Many a parallel was drawn from my life to Star Wars, and the lessons I learned in the Star Wars universe shaped me into the amazing person that I am today. And now we are making mock of something that I consider sacred. George Lucas when is enough, enough? Stop selling your birthright for a mess of pottage, already. Am I the only one who feels that Star Wars needs to treated with a little bit more respect and not be cheapened with each passing year? I mean haven’t we suffered enough watching those terrible prequels and that Star Wars Christmas Special? ( P.S. if you haven't seen this Christmas Special, it is a must see train wreck.  To see our fearless heroes less...

So this year one of my goals has been to try to cultivate my acting ability. I have been in back to back shows all year, and although it has been a wonderful experience, I have realized some things. One of them is that theater people are very odd indeed. Show Don't Tell I have never met a group of people that love to tell you how awesome they are more than actors. I say “ tell ” but I really mean “ show ”.  For example, supposing I was talking to an actor and I asked if he could do a Scottish accent. The actor wouldn’t be content to say, “ Yes, I can do a Scottish accent ”, but they would immediately start talking to you in a Scottish accent, which is fun for a minute, but when it drags on for 15 days it gets, how do you say, old real fast .  So I have learned to never ask people their qualifications unless, I really want them to burst into song, perform a tap number, or mime something. Physical Touch I don't like people touching me, let's just be clear. I don'...

So Friday I had a rehearsal for a play I am in Provo. I got there about a ½ hour early, so I decided to go walking on the Provo River Trail to try to memorize my lines. I found that as I was walking I was pretty much the only one on the trial, so instead of whispering or reviewing them silently, like a normal person, I started speaking them in full voice. But I kept thinking, “ Robierto, be careful someone is magically going to appear on a long board or bike and you are going to look really stupid. ” But no one came, so I just kept right on a goin’. So I just went for it, shouting, shaking fists in the air. It was quite a scene, man. And then to my right, I heard the sound of little voice clear its throat. As I turned my head, I saw a little body, and that little body was riding a little yellow bike. I did a full body cringe, and thought, “ If I don’t make eye contact with him maybe he will just ride away .” He didn’t ride away friends, but rather just kept ri...

Sometimes blind dates cause more questions than they do answers, don’t they? This last month was five years since my last blind date and since that time I have built up a lot of self confidence, got a haircut, and cut my nose hair so it doesn't dangle below the rim. So one of my good friends, who I would says knows me really well, approached me about going on a blind date. Normally I would just shut the man down, but he assured me that he had found the perfect girl for me. He assured me that we had so much in common, and that we were so similar that we could be related. I am pretty fantastic, so why wouldn’t I love to hang out with the female version of me? So I walked into the restaurant looking for a tall, funny girl who was devastatingly good looking. But after looking around I didn’t see anyone that fit that description. The only other person in the restaurant was a short girl in a turtleneck. I asked if she was the person I was there to see, and she said...

Iron Man texting on the train, next to his super cool 10 speed. A lot of people don't know, this but when it rains outside, Iron Man takes the TRAX train. He got off at the mall where I can only assume he is meeting Thor and the Hulk at the food court for a "slice" at Sbarro's. They will discuss their next mission and then stop on over to the Gap to buy some skinny jeans. But not the Hulk, he is kind of stuck on the purple capri pant look.

So yesterday was my birthday. ( I am still accepting gifts by the way, so please drop off yours ASAP) , and I got like 8 trillion "Happy Birthday" wall post on Facebook, mostly because I am so popular, but fear face to face interactions with people. My friend Chris sent me a birthday video that change me in deep and a profound way for 20 minutes. It was this special, special video entitled "Tight Pants/Body Rolls". Oh friends I don't know where to start, only to say that this video is so "out there" that I really like it a lot. I relate to the "high kicks" portion. Many of you may not know this, but one of my special gifts is high kicks, I get it from my mom. Enjoy, and get your birthday gifts to me as soon as you can!

What is it about the DMV that I love? Is it the wonderful potpourri of smells? A subtle mix of body odor, second hand smoke, and just a hint of poopy diaper. Is it the breath taking gallery of body art that is on display by people wearing tube and tank tops? Or is it the line you wait in for 45 minutes, to receive a number so you can wait in another line for another 45 minutes? Probably, my favorite reason for going to the DMV is the quality of customer service and care I receive from the staff there. For example, my recent experience at the DMV was a classic example of public service at its finest.  I had received a letter from the DMV that I needed to renew my license in person, since for the past 20 years I have been carrying around the driver’s license I had in high school. Sure I look great, but I have to be honest, it hasn’t been to my advantage when they check my ID when I go clubbing on the weekends. So I was excited to get the photo updated ASAP. ...

Has this ever happened to you as you walk into a bathroom? You sit down on the toilet and think to yourself, “ This toilet is wonderfully comfortable, but what about my feets? I have walked from the couch to the bathroom and my feet are in need of a well needed rest! ” Well friends wait no longer, for today I would like to introduce you to “ Lavatory Leg Rest ”. That’s right friends; No longer do your feet need to be in pain unnecessarily while your bottom is sweetly cooled by the porcelain of your toilet. Your feet can now get in on the sweet relaxation, that is the whole body, ( well at least your lower extremity ) bathroom experience.   Everyone is getting one today. You’re getting one. You’re getting one , and you’re getting one. ( Pause. Wait for people to scream raucously. OK ) That’s right friends, everyone is getting a “Lavatory Leg Rest”…or you can just stop by my mom’s house and take the one she has in her guest bathroom.  Seriously, It’s my ...

So yesterday our ward got to serve at the LDS Dairy, packing cheese And do you know what my job was? Wrong. I didn’t pack the cheese. I got to cut the cheese. I cut cheese for 5 solid hours. And friends, I cut it long and I cut it hard. The supervisor said that she had never seen anyone cut the cheese as well as I did. She said that I had a real talent in cutting the cheese. Although, I always knew that I had some natural raw talent in cutting cheese, as I cut cheese at home on occasion, it was nice that someone else acknowledged my gift. Sometimes, people get angry when I cut cheese around them, but why should I hid this talent under a bushel? Shouldn’t I let it shine as the primary song says? If you are looking to have someone cut cheese at your next party or family gathering please call me. If you have never been a 14 year old boy you may not appreciate this entry as much as you should. In all seriousness, at the dairy they use such...

So I had a really scary thing happen to me over the weekend that changed me in a deep and profound way for at least 5 hours. Friday night before I went to be bed I partied and had a Coke. A beverage I don’t drink very often, so when I do drink it I get the “shakes” and can’t sleep for days. So Saturday morning at 4:00 am my smoke alarm starts beeping. So I checked my house and nothing was on fire or smoldering ( unless you count that smokin’ hot tall guy with the Coke hangover and pajama bottoms ). So I looked on my smoke alarm and my CO2 light was flashing. So I rushed around my house and opened all my doors and windows to get out this C02 that was infiltrating my house. ( I don’t really know what C02 is…but isn’t the stuff that makes Coke fizzy. How could that be bad for you? )  I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t and my C02 alarm kept beeping. So I decided to do what any brave man would, I evacuated my house and called my father. He said that ...

Don't you love people like Nina Katchadourian   who go into an airplane lavatory and decorate themselves with only items found on the airplane.  Most people just go into the lavatory to pee or join the mile high club, but not Nina.  While the rest of us are using the blue water toilet with suction power that could carry a way a young child, young Nina is creating art out of toilet tissue and neck pillows.  Shine on you crazy diamond! Check it. http://laughingsquid.com/airplane-lavatory-self-portraits-in-the-flemish-style/

So I have been attending our ward choir. Not because I really want to but because, like all good Mormons, my guilt compels me there. I am not a great singer by any stretch of the word but I can carry a tune and I can sight read music a little.  So by ward choir standards I am freakin’ Luciano Pavarotti. So the choir director makes me sit next to a guy who can’t sing his way out of a wet paper sack, in hopes that he can follow me and pick up on how to sing parts. However, in the last few rehearsals a development has started that I don’t love concerning this brother. He keeps criticizing me on how I sing. “You sang that part wrong”, “You are singing “yeah” instead of “yea”, and my personal favorite “you are sing to loud, who do you think you are Luciano Pavarotti?”. I have tried to bite my lip and thank him for his constant critiques of my already fragile self-esteem when it comes to my ability to sing, but enough is enough. I think this brother is why more fist...

Don’t you hate it when you go to the dentist and after examining your mouth, he looks at you with a raised eyebrow and asks, “ Have you been brushing and flossing every day like I told you to do on your last visit? ” And very truthfully I say, “ Yes sir. I floss and brush at least two times a day and sometimes I gargle after a filling lunch.” And then he gives me this look, like, “ How dare you turn my dental office into a den of LIES .” And then I feel like I have to apologize because I wasn’t taking better care of MY mouth. As if somehow my dental “ goody ” bag was tied to the regularity of my flossing. And then I drive home feeling guilty for something that I was already doing to begin with. I am not sure how I feel about it. Maybe it’s time to stop going to a pediatric dentist. 

I love this so much that it needs to be shared. My three favorite muppets performing a very special St. Patrick's Day song. Friends, I give you the musical stylings of Beacker, The Swedish Chef, and my favorite, sweet, sweet, Animal.

So I finally bought new pants. Yes friends, I finally found a normal pair of pants that weren't skinny fit tailored to fit a 16 year old girl. Thank you Macys for clothing the unusually tall man. Yesterday at church as I was wearing my new pants, I had occasion to put my hands in my pocket and noticed there was a slip of paper inside. Which read "Ask salesperson for mate" Well you can imagine how sad I felt knowing that if I had only found this slip of paper sooner I could not only have wound up with not only a pair of fine looking slacks, but also an eternal companion from Macy's. As I returned to Macy's to ask the salesperson for my mate, she informed me that the "free mate with purchase of a regular priced dress pant" event had ended last week.

Have you ever talked to someone with a Lazy Eye? I mean, bless their hearts for carrying the burden of that because that has got to be rough. And just FYI, my intent today is not to make fun of these wonderfully courageous people who go about their daily lives with the challenge of having an eye that fades ever so slightly to the left… or to the right. But rather, my intent is to come up with some protocol so that when I address these brave people I can make them feel more at ease. This has been on my mind because this week I had an occasion to talk to a gentleman with the lazy eye malady. I was trying to look him in straight in the eye, but then I noticed that his other eye was looking somewhere else. So then I thought, “That must be his good eye”, so then I switched my focus.  But through the course of our conversation I kept second guessing myself as to which eye was his “good eye”. So then my eyes started darting back and forth because I wasn’t sure which eye I wa...

Have you ever gone to Costco and wondered what the reasoning behind that person with the Sharpie that strikes a line through your receipt as you exit is?  I guess it’s to stop shoplifting. But if I am honest with myself, and I would like to think that I am , how in the world does one shoplift at Costco? Everything is like the size of a grand piano. I mean, I guess if you had a huge hoop skirt or trench coat you might be able to hide a pallet of muffins or a hamper of Alaskan crab legs close to your person. But the likelihood of that happening isn’t that high… unless you where in some kind of high school choir, then you probably have a dress that you could hide some pretty amazing things under. I think the Sharpie Costco worker might be wasting my time and theirs. That sweet Costco worker might be better served working in the kitchen where they can serve me a “slice” or a delicious hot dog and a drink.

On this day of love,I would like to share a beautiful dramatic reading by my friend Precious, not to be confused with Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. She has such a way with words that her dramatic reading left me, the audience, and the announcer utterly speechless. Happy Valentines Day!