Live Free. Die Poor

I was sitting in a booth the other day, alone, at Denny's eating a made up Grand Slam breakfast in the evening and I get tapped on the shoulder. "Here's a coupon for you," she said. Some stranger, and I thanked her and she left. Good strangers exist. I haven't given up on them like most of the world. 

I suppose that explains the three strangers I've driven across country in the past 6 months, and the connections we've made. 

The other day I was looking for a stove for the Writing Temple in the Free section on Craigslist, and I came across an ad for a Free Friend. His name is The Fuzz Life, and he's a little fuzzy...um...thing. The requirement to get him was to take him where I go and have adventures. I responded to the ad, and Alison, the creator, wrote me back saying she'd hide him in The Grove, then shoot me a video of where he is. She sent the video, and I put my hand in a bush, pulled out a box and BAM! The Fuzz Life goes where I go. 

It's these kind of things that will make it all worth it in the end. 

Me and some friends took a trip to a mountain that took us 4 hours to reach, almost killed my brakes, only to find the mountain was on fire and we couldn't hike. But the trip was amazing, the laughs were awesome, and I'd do it again. 

LA is alright. 

I randomly submitted a photo I loved to Vogue Italia and it was accepted and published. Wow. No idea how big Vogue was in the real world, I had friends calling and texting to say "congrats" and explain to me that this was a "big fucking deal." 

And my dear friend, Lauren ´Elan, said I was dope. And I told her I'm only dope because my friends are doper. They are. 

My brother Tony says we can't get far walking with losers. I do believe he's right. 

Buy a camera and take plenty pictures. When times and moods change, the feelings and the people in the photos never will. Line the walls of the house you buy to one day remember things at an old age with photos. 

The second year I couldn't call one of my favorite people in the world and listen to her sing Happy Birthday to me; my grandmother. Slightly reminded of that Drake line "what's a star when his most important fan is missing?" But I hope the love was felt from me to those who made calls, texts, wall posts, and so forth. I love it all, and none of them are unimportant to me. 

Low key birthdays are important to me, sometimes. Sometimes I want to sit back and reflect on the last years with those who were there. Tonight I did just that with some of the most important people in the some of the most important stories I've told. Awesome. 

I'll move forward with them and with new folks and new places and new me's. 

Yesterday I made Phó, a Vietnamese dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs and meat. It was my first time, but I've eaten it enough to do it with my eyes closed. And being one who urges others to try new and exciting things, including @Sean_PA, I'm sharing my personal recipe with you guys. 

8 oz. Rice Noodles

8 Cups of Water

4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

3 Big Spoonfuls of Sliced Ginger

3 Big Spoonfuls of Lemon Grass

7 Green Onions, Chopped 

5 Filleted Chicken Breasts, Cut into small pieces

2.5 Cups of Mung Bean Sprouts

2 Cups Chopped Bok Choy

3 Whole Jalapeno Peppers, sliced into small circles

1 Whole Habanero Pepper

A.) Put a little olive oil in a frying pan, and lightly fry the chicken thoroughly. Add in the Bok Choy and the Jalapenos 3 minutes before finishing. Season to your taste. I used a little Italian seasoning and seasoning salt.

B.) Boil the 8 cups of water with the bouillon cubes. Add Ginger, Lemon Grass, Bok Choy, Mung Bean Sprouts, Chicken, Jalapeno, and whole Habanero. Let cook on Medium for 10 minutes. 

C. In a large pot, bring your noodles to a boil. Rice noodles cook pretty quick. Roughly 3-5 minutes. Drain the noodles, keeping them in the big pot. 

D. Mix everything together in the big pot. 

ENJOY! and come and let me know how it tastes.