Love Thoughts Renewed

Yesterday, I renewed my promise to have only loving and nurturing thoughts. And, of course, I enjoyed a wonderful day. So today, I will continue to focus on this simple task. I thought about it more when I got up this morning. I understand that many people find it easy to hold grudges and to let their reactions control their emotions. I used to fall into this trap myself. I would let an event, like an inconsiderate driver cutting me off dictate how I felt for the day. Then, when I got to my destination I would feel impatient and even angry. And then, I could tell that people would sense that in me, and they would feel uneasy, and angry themselves. They would, in turn, transfer that to someone else later that day. A big chain reaction eventually engulfs several people all because I refused to let things go.

I could have just paid no mind to the person cutting me off. I didn't know the intentions of that person. That person probably didn't even realize that he cut me off. And I let it affect me. Then, it eventually negatively affected hundreds of people, maybe even thousands. Instead of just me having a bad day, thousands of people have a bad day. So, in a way, to make this world a better place, we must learn to let things go.

And what it comes down to, reacting to things and situations in a negative way involves people adopting a victim mentality. We feel victimized because we feel a lack of control over the situation. We give in to our emotions because in our minds we don't feel we deserved whatever negative situation came about. We must never lose control. The truth - you can chose exactly how you want to feel about any situation. You demand this of yourself. You demand that you will be happy by any means necessary. You demand that you will only have loving and nurturing thoughts. This can work as a chain reaction in the same way that anger can infect a group of people. And that simple action and promise makes the world a better place.

The Way of the Braza - Love

One of the coolest things I continue to experience involves my sister whispering to her son (my nephew) that the secret to life is to love. And whenever I see and hear her do that, I reaffirm that belief to myself. I remember the happiest times in my life involved the times spent around people who I love: friends, family. I also experience happiness around people who vibrate in the Love realm. I don't have to know them to feel the love. I feel the love as I process the energy that they send out.

A lot of people don't believe or understand that our thoughts affect others and the environment. And, they really do. You don't have to say a word to someone for them to know when you're feeling sad or excited or lonely. When you hate someone with a passion, they know it. So, you shouldn't get surprised when that person that you really hate doesn't give you that raise or doesn't help you with a favor. On the flip side, people also know when you love them. They go out of their way for you. They smile when you appear in their sight. As you get older, you learn to sense other, more subtle emotions and feelings like sincerity, sarcasm, annoyed, relief, etc.

I knew this before and I keep having to remind myself of this. So today, I begin once again, to have only loving and nurturing thoughts. And this doesn't only extend to just other people. This extends to places and inanimate objects. For example, I will have loving thoughts about Bakersfield. I used to hate Bakersfield, but now I love it. I will have loving thoughts about my computer, my tax return, my socks that easily get holes in them. I will also extend this lovefest to situations and scenarios like I will have loving thoughts about having just one follower on this blog. You're a cool person whoever you are, follower. May you live a prosperous and long life. Yeah, you know what? I love you all. YEAH!

Joe Braza - The Comedian

People ask me all the time what do I talk about in my comedy. And, I really can't narrow it down to one thing. I'm pretty much all over the map. The only thing that's constant is that when you leave the show, you know my name. If you don't know what I mean, take a look at this recent show that I did in late September:

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed performing it. Had a really fun time. I'll be sure to post more of my comedy up in future entries.

Space Exploration

There's been an uproar about how NASA spent $79 million to collide a probe into the moon in search for water. You hear the arguments and beliefs about how spending money on Space Exploration is wasteful, that the money should be spent on other areas. But, people fail to realize that space exploration has provided huge benefits to mankind, more than anything that has come before. You can find just a fraction of the valuable products that have been developed by space exploration here. And, just think about how different our world would be without satellite imaging or satellites period. Basically, I'd still be posting these blogs up using a dial-up modem. I would still be buying porn instead of getting it for free.


Don't get me wrong. We can spend money in other worthy areas to improve our society and our civilization., our planet. But, spending money on space exploration gives back a very high return on investment. People talk about high gas prices and the need for alternative energy sources. Well, I believe space will provide us with answers and other possibilities for better and more environmentally-friendly energy sources. In fact, at some point, the oil will run out and we won't have any choice but to find another energy source. Maybe, we already reached that point.

Regardless of all the benefits and logical reasons for exploring space, I personally just get excited about it. I get excited about the possibility of mankind living on the moon and on other planets. And as we try to figure out how to do that, we will gain more knowledge and create and invent more products that will improve our existence. Maybe if we focus more on exploring space, we could focus less on wars and our differences. We can come together in peace and understanding. That's why I don't mind NASA spending $79 million to find out if there's water on the moon. Hey, maybe the moon can be the solution to our clean water issues on Earth.

Fro Update

As you can see, we have a guy who's very happy and upbeat about life. The Fro is really starting to take shape. People that knew me when I was completely shaved don't recognize me or do double takes when they see me. I want to reassure you all that, although I now have The Fro, I'm still the same lovable, huggable guy that you all knew or will soon really know. I like sports. I like watching sunsets and taking long walks on the beach because chicks wear bikinis on the beach. And I like to scratch my nuts when it itches.

But, yeah, we are currently at 63% of Full Fro Realization. I'm 2/3rds of the way there. I'm planning on having some kind of party or celebration when we reach 100%. Probably gonna have it at Dairy Queen. Whos with me?

The Art of Negotiation

I went to Rome back in September 2006 for a good friend's wedding. And whenever I travel, I tend to pack very light. Any experienced traveler knows that the more stuff you bring, the more stuff you gotta carry. So, knowing that I wanted to spend about a month total in Europe, I decided not to bring a suit and just buy a nice shirt at one of the shops there. I didn't plan on wearing a jacket as it was pretty hot there.

The day before the wedding, I went out and looked for a place to buy the shirt. And, if you know anything about Italians, they take their fashion seriously. Went inside one place and as I walked in, I felt a condescending feeling from the workers there. Apparently, I should have dressed up better before I went into their store. I would think that they would want a guy like me, who in their mind, needs their store. But, I looked around and I saw something that convinced me that I really didn't belong there. They had a clearance section where the cheapest item was a t-shirt that cost 80 euros. After doing a quick Euro to Dollar conversion, that t-shirt would have cost $100. For a t-shirt! I didn't even bother to look at anything else. And, as I walked out of the store, I chuckled to myself at the 50 euro "designer" solid black socks. What the hell??

Walked around more and found more stores that weren't as pricey as the first store, but still way above what I wanted to spend. I thought, maybe I should go shopping in the "bad" part of Rome, which coincidentally wasn't too far from my hotel room. Yup! Finally found a small shop owned by a short, rounded Italian woman with a warm and friendly, welcoming vibe. Conversed with her using all the phrases I learned from the Italian phrasebook. She picked out a few shirts in my size. Tried them on and settled on this Ivory colored one. The price was 35 Euros. I only had 25 euros on me. So I asked her if she accepted credit cards. She said no. I suspected that she actually did accept credit cards, but didn't want to do a bunch of paperwork. Then I told her that I had to go to the ATM. She then asked me how much cash I had. I shrugged my shoulders and pulled the 25 euros from my pocket. She smiled as she grabbed the 25 euros from my hand and gave me the shirt wrapped in a nice box. Grazie!

I thought, Cool, as I walked away, purely satisfied with the deal I got. About a block from the store, I suddenly realized that if I would have just pulled out the 20 euro bill, and left the 5 euro bill in my pocket, she probably would have accepted that. Dammit! I turn to look back at the store to witness her locking it up and shutting down for the day. She walks toward my direction, still with the big smile on her face. And as she passes by me, she reaches out and squeezes my arm. 2 things I learned that day: everything's negotiable and never let 'em know how much money you have or are willing to spend.

Ganja Gratitude

I had a strange day yesterday. To summarize it real quick, I got offered weed by 3 different people on 3 different occasions. Now, this would be great if I smoked weed. But, I don't. I know that some people who have read my blogs think I do. But, I really don't. Weed doesn't do anything for me. I'm already a chill guy. And I do a lot of meditation, so I already experience different types and levels of consciousness. I have done weed in the past and the only thing it did was make me feel lethargic for a week and make my vocal chords burn. So, I politely declined all 3 offers.

I do feel grateful for the offers, though. In fact, I feel happy whenever I get offered anything because it means that people still like me. And, I like being liked. Being liked is definitely better than not being liked. I remember back in grade school when I told this girl that I liked her. She laughed at me. That would have been a good time to have weed. It would have helped me cope. But, it's cool because I had Super Mario Bros. to get me through.

I do try to find the reason why I got offered weed on 3 separate occasions. Like, I'm trying to figure out what the Universe is trying to tell me. I do this a lot, because, I don't believe that there's such a thing as a completely random event. Everything happens for a reason. For example, that girl back in grade school who didn't like me, I found out about a couple of years ago that she's a lesbian. She didn't even have to potential to like me. And, I let it depress me. If I can go back and talk to my grade school self, I'd tell him not to worry, that there really is more fish in the sea. And, that I should try to go for fish who shave their armpits and don't play softball. So, I thought about it more and more why I got offered weed 3 times. Didn't come to any crazy realizations, but, I've come to the conclusion that I hang out with a lot of pot-heads. Not a negative thing because they're all pretty cool people. I feel blessed.

I'm baaaaaaack!

First of all, I'd like to apologize to all you Braza-maniacs out there for being out for over a month. Got caught up in a few things. But from now on, I'm not gonna let anything get in the way of our relationship. First of all, I'd like to dedicate this return blog to a pretty young woman. You know who you are. I find it really interesting that you really enjoyed my blog about lap dances. I enjoy it when any woman enjoys reading about lap dances. I'm not going to read into that too much, I'm just gonna let me imagination run wild.

Okay, so there's this Vietnamese girl, right? She works at the Dairy Queen near me, very cute, very good personality. Always has the brightest smile on her face. After some time, I began to have a little bit of interest. Here's the problem. I don't really know how old she is. Since she's Vietnamese, she could be anywhere from 39 to 14 year's old. Her mom's the owner and I see her there all the time as well. And she looks young too. So, I think I can rule out that the girl's in her 30's. But, again, you really don't know when it comes to Vietnamese or for that matter any person from the Asian countries.

Now, if I can somehow confirm that she's over 18, then I have to figure out how to maneuver around the over-protective Vietnamese mom. I mean, yeah, the mom thinks I'm a nice and funny guy. But, I know that the moment she finds out that I wanna go out with her daughter, I instantly become a scum bag and then she puts a restraining order on me. And, I don't wanna go through that again. I mean, yeah, I can just ask her how old she is. But, then she might think it's creepy for a guy like me to ask how old she is. And then, every time afterward, when she sees me come in, she'll have that look on her face like - oh, I gotta make the creepy guy a sundae.

Bottom line here, at some point, I have to find out how old she is and then I can go from there. And, so I will let you guys all know when I find out and also, the aftermath. I dunno when that'll be as she hasn't been working whenever I've come in. But, I'll definitely let you guys know, even if it makes me look like a jackass. But, of course, you guys would never think of the Braz as a jackass, right? Right?

Maximum Fun

I came to the conclusion that we were all put in this world to maximize our fun. We should all focus on having a good time. Of course, this will mean something different for everyone. People don't enjoy the same kinds of things. Some enjoy watching sports, while others would rather get a root canal. Some like the thought of spending a quiet evening at home, reading a very large book with small print. Others would rather watch the movie version of that story.

I believe that one should proactively take charge of their fun. For example, instead of going to the museum to look at wonderful works of art for your fun, go out and make your work of art. Don't watch. Do. Make your fun. Make it happen. Don't watch other people partying and having a good time. Party with them.

We don't live very long in this world. Average person lives life until about 70 years old. That's about 25,000 days, 1,500,000 hours. Most people spend about 500,000 of those hours sleeping. So, you have about a million hours to yourself to do as you please. I dunno about you, but I'm spending as many of those hours having fun. I do have a lot of fun writing these blogs and sharing my innermost thoughts to you people. So rest assured, that you will always have the option of reading the thoughts and discoveries of the Braz.

Some people say, well Joe Braza, you do have to work and do things that aren't fun. To that, I say - make it fun. Do whatever you think you have to do to make it fun. Challenge yourself at your job. Count how many times the boss frowns at you. Laugh about it. If you have access to a computer at your job, read this blog. I can't think of a much better way to pass the time than to learn the Way of the Braza. Damn! Sometimes I even amaze myself.

Alright kids. Enjoy your life.

Mega Millions

Today's Jackpot sits at an estimated $252 million and if you decided to take the cash option and after subtracting the 31% taxes, your share would still be around $109 million. At that point, you could pretty much buy a small third world country. I however have calculated that for that money, you could get over 5 .4 million lap dances. How long would that take? Well, on the average, a lap dance last for about 2 minutes and you multiplied that by 5.4 million. You're looking at 10.8 million minutes----> 180,000 hours ----> 7,500 days ----> 20 and a half years. And that's if you were to go 24/7 every single day without missing a day, no sleep, no time for anything else. So, say you decided to just get lap dances for only 8 hours a day (a full-time shift), it'd still take a little over 61 year to complete. Okay, so $1 "investment" for a chance at 61 years worth of lap dances? I think I can do that.

Fro Report

Hey guys. I understand that it's been a while since I've put up a blog. But, I've been busy with gambling, telling jokes, and trying to get some chicks. Some people say, Joe Braza's been spending his time with things that he fails at. So, I decided that I'm going to go ahead and post up the current Fro Report. The growth has been steady. People do comment that I look younger. Not sure if that's a compliment or not, but I'll take it.



As you can see, I'm currently at the stage where my hair can look un-groomed, but unfortunately it's not long enough to where it can be brushed into place. A few more weeks and you can see a more groomed up version of the Braz. But, for now, I promise to update this blog a lot more in the near future. Have fun today!

World Traveler

I have visited many countries: Brazil, Italy, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, the Philippines. And I've seen most of the US when I was traveling a lot as a comedian. I truly enjoy traveling. A lot of people, when they travel, see the sights and do all of the touristy things. And although, I do force myself to do those things, I spend most of the time just hanging out. I go to a nightclub to listen to the local musicians.

But, I really enjoy the chaos of traveling. See, as humans, we settle into a routine very quickly. We crave stability, almost need stability, even when we have a self-destructive routine. When you travel, you get thrown off that routine. Again, I really enjoy that. I enjoy having no clue where anything is. I enjoy trying to communicate with people knowing nothing more than what I learned from 3 hours of reading a phrase book. I like having to eat foods that I don't normally eat. People look at me, knowing that I'm obviously not from around there. Street merchants call on me, excited to see a new person who they haven't relentlessly annoyed to buy their junk.

Life communicates to you through this chaos. Whenever I become aware of the chaos, I take a moment to feel the wonder of life. As human beings, we have the power to build big buildings, paint great art, play beautiful music. Many opportunities get thrown our direction, yet we refuse to take those opportunities because it would break up our routine. The chaos tries to tell you to seize control of your life and control of your thoughts. You can feel happier. It tells you to find a job that you really feel passion for, break up from a relationship that you don't really wanna be in, eliminate any activities that you feel ashamed of. I like traveling because it helps me to become aware of these possibilities. So, I'm a big advocate of traveling. Of course, you could do the same thing by reading this blog. But, yeah, traveling's fun.

Breathing

I have a pretty busy day today. I don't want to get into details, but I'm taking this time right now to enjoy the sensation of breathing. See, people don't really understand how good breathing feels until they've been in a situation where they can't breathe. What situations am I talking about? I'm talking about anytime you swim underwater, get choked by a hooligan, or your purposely withholding your breath when you're playing a drinking game of - who can hold their breath longer. And after they go through that situation where they couldn't breathe, they forget about how good it feels after a few moments.

But, I've spent a lot of time in hospitals as I have taken my dad back and forth for different medical procedures and surgeries. And, I whenever I would pass by and see other patients there, I often marveled at the ones who carried oxygen tanks on their wheelchairs or laid in bed, hooked up to a respirator. People take breathing for granted. We've taken so many breaths of oxygen throughout our life, we just assume that it will always be there. And it usually is.

So today, I enjoy the sensation of breathing. I pay homage to it. I use it to nourish all of my cells and to relieve any stress that I may have. Wait a minute, I'm the Braz. I don't have stress. Alright, have fun today, everyone.

No Excuses!

When I first started this blog, I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. I had no direction. I thought maybe I would just share some funny moments that happened throughout my day and life. I wanted to avoid writing a positive "You can do anything you set your mind to" type blog. We already have a bunch of those dudes. And anyone that meets the Braz would never describe the Braz as just another dude. Joe Braza leads all who follow to happiness. But, I realized that maybe you come here to get some positivity out of your life. Maybe, you seek the knowledge and the wisdom of the Braz to better your life. So here we go:

Today, you will adopt the mantra - No Excuses!
Say it with me - NO EXCUSES!

Today, you will not accept any excuses for not being the best that you can be.
You will not allow yourself to accept anything but the best things in life.
You will not let anything prevent you from doing the things you have passion for.
You will not make excuses for how your life has turned out so far.
You will not wait for someone or something to make you happy.
You will not quit.

You will do your best everyday.
You will learn from all your mistakes.
You will follow your passion.
You will follow your passion right now.
You will make things happen.
You will feel happiness by any means necessary.


I guarantee that if you adopt this attitude, you will feel real happiness. No one can stop you, just like no one can stop the Braz. Be happy, my friends!

Gout, but not out

I made my decision to revert back to a vegetarian lifestyle partially because I suffered from gout attacks in my past. For those of you who don't know who don't know what gout is, it's basically a very painful arthritic condition. I'm talking real pain. Imagine taking a handful of needles and jamming them into the joints of your feet, ankles, knees, or toes. Every year from about 2002 to about 2008, I would go through at least one 2 to 3 month period where I basically was confined to my bed or the couch. And I would lay there in pain. There were times when I felt pain just from the weight of a blanket. After going through this several times, I can truly say that I do not wish this condition on my worst enemy, not that the Braz has any enemies. Well, you got the point.

What makes this condition hard to cope with at times is the fact that there is no cure. There isn't even really a treatment. See, gout's caused by a high levels of uric acid in the body. And the way to get rid of uric acid is to pee it out. And while you're peeing it out, you have to eliminate foods and drinks that contain uric acid in them, things like alcohol, soft drinks, beans, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, seafood, and yes -----> meat.

Now, I haven't suffered from a major attack since early 2008 (knock on wood). But, at this moment, I am experiencing a very mild attack in my right foot. I'm still able to walk around and do what I need to do, but with a limp and a slight pain, more like a slight irritation. Like, you will not see me do any kind of dancing or running around the neighborhood naked. But, if I had to do those things, I could but with a very disgusted look on my face. I'm drinking lots of water and have gone to the bathroom about 50 times today. At that rate, I usually only wash my hands every 8th time I use the bathroom.

Although this condition can be very painful, I do enjoy a few aspects of it. Whenever I go through an attack, I get to do a lot of thinking and resting without anyone bothering me to do some stupid errands or favors. This downtime allows me to really relax and focus in on the important things in life - love, family, friends, community. Of course, I initially spend a certain amount of time feeling sorry for myself, but then I realize that, there's a world out there where millions of people suffer everyday, throughout their lives, from physical, mental, and psychological ailments. My suffering lasts no more than a couple of months. But, because I do suffer, I feel one with them. And, I want to ease their suffering. And if you're one of those who's suffering, I want to ease your suffering. How? By being the lovable, huggable, and truly wonderful Joe Braza. That's right!

Back to Basics

Last Thursday, July 30th, I went back to being a vegetarian. I had stopped being a vegetarian when I visited Eastern Europe, specifically Prague, Czech Republic, back in Fall 2006. For those of you who don't know, Czechs aren't very well known for their culinary excellence. And, pretty much, all of their dishes contain some kind of meat. The only thing that I could eat was this dish called - Smažený sýr. It's basically a cheese dish that I got tired of after a couple of days. So, when I finally got back to Italy, I went buckwild and ate a pepperoni pizza. Not, one of my proudest moments, but I just wanted to eat something edible.

When I got back to the States, I had fully intended to revert back to my vegetarian lifestyle, but I didn't. I enjoyed the convenience of eating anything. Restaurants and my family don't really cater to vegetarians. They try, but you look at any menu and on the average, vegetarians have about 10-15% of the menu to available to them. So, I just suspended my vegetarian lifestyle indefinitely.

Fast forward to last week. I decided to go back to being a vegetarian after eating some tacos from Del Taco. I literally wanted to shoot a hole in my stomach to relieve my digestive system from processing that meal. I mean, yeah, cheap meal and all, but it lacked fulfillment. I hated myself for eating Del Taco, but I knew there was more to it.

I became a vegetarian in the first place for better health and because I cared for our environment. In case you're unaware, it takes 16 times more resources to produce a pound of meat than it takes to produce a pound of grain. These resources include water, gasoline, feed, etc. I believe that if only 10% of the US population converted into a vegetarian diet, we could severely reduce our dependence on foreign oil. And, if you look at gas prices these days, you would know that, that wouldn't suck.

So, I'm back guys.

Investment strategies from the Braz

I have always felt that there was really very little difference between sports betting and playing the stock market. In both, you're risking money in the hopes that you will make money. The only difference, I see, is in sports betting, you will know right away whether you win or lose money. In stocks, it could be years before you profit or lose money, as stock prices will remain relatively the same over that time span. Both usually use a 3rd party to make transactions. And both, charge a commission of some type for this transaction, meaning that they make money whether you win or lose on the trade or bet, provided that there is an equal amount of action on a sporting event.

With that said, here's a simple strategy for the upcoming football season. Last year, the Detroit Lions finished with an 0-16 record for the very first winless season in the NFL. That's right, no other team in the history of the NFL has ever gone an entire season without winning at least 1 game. Knowing that, here's what you do: Bet on the Lions to win game one of the regular season. Don't screw around with the point spread, bet on the Lions to win outright. If you don't win your bet, double your bet for the next week's game. And then, keep doing this until you win a bet. This is pretty much a no-lose situation because the Detroit Lions can't possibly go another entire season without winning at least one game, right? Right??

2009 Schedule

Sun, Sep 13 at New Orleans - 1:00 PM
Sun, Sep 20 Minnesota - 1:00 PM
Sun, Sep 27 Washington - 1:00 PM
Sun, Oct 4 at Chicago - 1:00 PM
Sun, Oct 11 Pittsburgh - 1:00 PM
Sun, Oct 18 at Green Bay - 1:00 PM
BYE
Sun, Nov 1 St. Louis - 1:00 PM
Sun, Nov 8 at Seattle - 4:05 PM
Sun, Nov 15 at Minnesota - 1:00 PM
Sun, Nov 22 Cleveland - 1:00 PM
Thu, Nov 26 Green Bay - 12:30 PM
Sun, Dec 6 at Cincinnati - 1:00 PM
Sun, Dec 13 at Baltimore - 1:00 PM
Sun, Dec 20 Arizona - 1:00 PM
Sun, Dec 27 at San Francisco - 4:05 PM
Sun, Jan 3 Chicago - 1:00 PM

But, remember: Joe Braza can not be held responsible for any losses regarding this blog entry. Good Luck!

Fro Update - Beard out, but Fro still in

Here's the latest on the fro: 14 days since the last time I shaved my head and going strong. As far as the beard, I had to shave the beard as it became really, really itchy to the point where it would keep me up at night. Now although many of you agree that the Braz doesn't need any beauty sleep, because the Braz is beautiful on the inside and out. I do, however, like to sleep. It's one of my favorite activities. So off came the beard. My dreams of achieving the Geico Caveman look have been ceased. But, many of you will be happy to know that the Fro will stay. No one can stop the Fro!

My Favorite Actress

A lot of guys will list Megan Fox or Jessica Biel as their favorite actress. But, for the Braz, Anna Faris tops them all. She has wonderful comedic timing while at the same time maintaining a high level of physical beauty. I describe her as "approachable" hottie. For example, at any bar she's in, she'd probably be the hottest chick in there, but also the most approachable. Like, if I were to come up to her and say, "Hey, is the sun shining or did you just smile?", she wouldn't look at me with disdain. She would actually engage in a nice conversation and possible do a shot or two. But, of course, no girl looks at the Braz with disdain. The ladies just can't resist the charm and the smoothness that one would expect from the Braz.

*Note: Joe Braza doesn't use a pick-up line because he doesn't need it.

I saw her for the first time in the movie, "Just Friends", starring Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart. I found the movie to be just alright, as in, I would've been pissed had I paid 10 buck to watch it. But, I saw it on HBO, so it was cool. She played Samantha James, up-and-coming pop singer and did a great job. She basically made the movie a decent watching experience. You can see what I'm talking about:



The thing I like about her most is that she's very versatile in the roles she plays. I next saw her in "Waiting" and "My Super Ex-Girlfriend". And, while watching those movies, I had to remind myself that she was the crazy diva-like chick in "Just Friends". She can do crazy diva-like chick and the sweet girl next door. That's talent. Usually, an actress can only do one or the other.

Don't get me wrong. I do like Megan Fox and Jessica Biel. I mean, last time I checked I am a guy and I'm straight. But, Anna Faris is the one. And you can take that to the bank------->$$$

30 ain't the new 20, it's the still the old 30

A lot of people talk about how 40 is the new 30 or 30 is the new 20. This crazy talk has gotta stop. There are no universal guidelines of how you're suppose to act in regards to your age. And there shouldn't be. Your age shouldn't be a factor in deciding how you go about your day. You should do whatever you want and act any way that you want. Let your desires determine how you live your life. We live in exciting times, with many opportunities available to us.



Why limit yourself?

If you happen to be 40 years old, but you want to participate in an activity that 20 year olds participate in, again, you should do what you want because it's what you want to do. Unless that activity involves scoping out high school chicks, but that's a whole other issue. But again, why limit yourself? Why let others dictate how you live your life, just because they don't think a person of your age should be allowed to engage in a certain activity? It's your life. Don't let other people's insecurities about how one should act affect how you live your life. Go do it if it's really what you want. Break free from the prison of social acceptance. Cause the bottom line, you don't want to be in your death bed, looking back, and thinking to yourself - I never did anything cause I was always too old. YEAH!!!!

I like ALL kinds of Music

Something that a lot of people might not know about the Braz, I really like music. I like all kinds of music, from Classical, to Jazz, to Hip Hop, Rock, Blues, even Country. I find it kind of strange how much some people really hate Country music. I'll ask them why, and they usually can't come up with a real reason. In fact, a lot of times, they haven't really listened to any Country Music at all. So, I suspect most of this hatred comes from their dislike of the kinds of people who listen to it. But, I'll tell you straight up, I've met a lot of cool people who also happen to like Country music. In fact, I think I've gotten more free drinks from Country music fans than the fans of other music genres.

Now, I'm not claiming to be a Country music expert. In fact, admittedly, I've only listened to a small amount. But, I've liked most of what I've heard. What I like about Country Music, I enjoy the realness of the Country singer. I listen to a Willie Nelson or an Allison Krauss and I can feel the pain that they've suffered in life just from their voices. The songs tend to be very personal and aren't superficial. I also like the fact that there are a lot of successful Country performers who are average looking. In Country, you don't have to be Bootylicious to make it. I mean, I'm sure it helps, but it seems to be more about how good your music is.

So as you're all starting to learn, the Way of the Braza is about having an open mind. If you've never really given Country music a shot, here's your chance. Here's one of my favorite Youtube clips featuring Willie Nelson and Norah Jones. I know that Norah Jones isn't considered Country, but anytime you're singing a duet with Willie, you automatically become Country.

The Fro

Okay, here's the deal. I am in the process of growing back my hair. Here's what I looked like sometime last week:






For those of you who don't know, my hair is naturally thick, really thick. Here's what I looked like back in 2005:







And here's where I'm at now:





*Note - As you probably already know, the goofy smile in the above pictures doesn't come naturally. I had to put a lot of effort into it.

Now the plan: I haven't shaved my head since Friday, July 10, 2009 and I haven't shaved my face since Tuesday, July 14, 2009. So, I will not shave either my face nor my head for as long as I can, at least until Halloween. That way, I can at least save on a costume and just go as a homeless person or one of those Geico Cave Men.

Why am I doing this? I dunno, because I can. Why do I have to have a reason? Because I'm tired of being bald and looking like every dude you see at a sports bar? Maybe, I should have a better reason. I know, I'm gonna grow the Fro for world peace. That's right! I want all the fighting to stop and the cooperation among nations to increase because of my fro. We will all come together in love and happiness because of me. That's right! Be sure to check back in now and then to see the progress. But for now-------->

One Love, One Fro

My Amazing 2000 Saturn

I dedicate this first blog entry to my 2000 Saturn. I recently surpassed the 200,000 mile barrier with her. I find it hard to believe that I have traveled the equivalent of 8 times around the planet, with this GM Motors product.


Throughout those 200,000 miles I suffered only one car accident. I did over 9 years driving most of the 200,000 on the 5 & 405 and all of the other crazy Southern California freeways. But, I don’t think about that accident. I think about all the “almost” accidents. I think about all the times that I could have ended up on a hospital bed because other drivers feel they need to arrive at their destination 30 seconds faster. Basically, I owe my life to the person who invented brakes. Thank you, Louis Renault!

Anyone who doesn’t believe that human beings can cooperate with each other, doesn’t understand how amazing our road traffic system is. Whenever you drive, you put an amazing amount of trust in other drivers. You trust that other drivers will stop at red lights, that they’ll stay in their lanes, that their cars are sufficiently maintained and safe to drive, that they’re mentally fit and sober to drive, etc. We trust complete strangers, people who we’ll probably never, ever meet or even like, we trust them to make good and safe driving decisions. If we met some of these people, we probably wouldn’t trust them to give us the correct change back, yet we basically trust them with our lives.

At this time, I would like to apologize to my Saturn for not treating her the way she’s deserves. I apologize for not putting the best motor oil in her and waiting until the last minute to gas her up. I apologize for allowing people to smoke inside her, along with all the cigarette burns. I apologize for all of the fast food trash and Gatorade bottles that I left in the back seat for several days at a time. I apologize for using her instead of a motel room whenever I met a lovely lady. Of course, being Joe Braza, this opportunity came up ---> Never.

So right about now, I want you all to know that my 2000 Saturn is the most wonderful car in the world. She may not be a Ferrari or even a Mercedes, but she gets the job done. She has served me very well and she still runs strong. I think it’s time for a car wash.