It looks like they hit up 2 locations each night.  They have the week ahead planned on their website, but it is strongly suggested you follow them on twitter as the locations can change or as I’m reading, sometimes the addresses aren’t quite right.

I don’t know about you, but I am SUPER DUPER excited about this!!!!!  It looks like they’ll be at “Prim Jewelers – 1736 E. Meats Ave, Orange”  from 10:30-Midnight this Wednesday, you’d better believe I’ll be there!

Thank you Kogi!!!

Look how happy that t-shirt is!

I’ll be honest.  I’ve been debating posting about this for over a year now.  As much as I wanted to tell everyone about this super cool laundromat, I also wanted to keep it to myself.  Most of the time, when I’m there it’s just me or me and 1 or 2 other people.  I enjoy not having to wait for that one machine to open that I need, or waiting with damp clothes for a dryer to open up.   But posting this on here doesn’t just help you find a better laundromat.  It also helps the owners get more business, which is most important.  If they can’t pay their bills and have to shut down, where will I go??

My favorite part of the laundromat is not the cleanliness, emptiness or closeness, but the friendliness.  I won’t lie, the people who come here aren’t too different from your average laundromat (good or bad…you decide) but the best part is the lady who works there.  Next to the detergent dispenser is a little room behind a caged door.  Here sits this nice lady waiting to either help you if you’re not sure how the machines work or to provide you with change because you forgot to break the $20 bill before you came.  She greets everyone with a big smile and a “HELLO!  Welcome!  Good to see you again!”  I love her!

Here she is with her husband. He brings her lunch everyday.

So if you’re unlucky enough to not have your own washer/dryer or you live in an apartment that is either too busy or, in my case, has terrible equipment, and you find yourself needing to visit a laundromat, go to Laundry Club!  Maybe we’ll see each other there and can sit awkwardly near each other smiling but not talking.  Because we all know you NEVER talk with people at the laundromat.  Or at least, that’s how it seems.

These are my dryers! Don't touch!

You can use these instead.

She even put up pretty flowers.

Minus the sleeping bags, this is a typical load for me. This is why our 1 washer and 1 doesn't-dry-so-well dryer aren't very useful to me.

The door is open, waiting for you!

The address: 2020 N Tustin St Orange, CA 92865 (located between BevMo! and Zito’s Pizza)

Written by various employees and cast members, this is the new go-to place to find out what is going on at the Disney Parks.  And if that isn’t enough, they even have @DisneyParks Twitter account and the @DisneylandNews Twitter account to satisfy your Disney fix.

Hmmm, I’m guessing that Pittrollie will not become a subscriber…

Unless, of course, she decides to give Disneyland a shot and winds up actually liking it.

Thankfully, Ford not only heard our calls for help, but they decided to spoil the hell out of us. Drum roll please…..ladies and gentlemen, I present my new obsession……The Ford F-150 Raptor.

Bringin' the Orange to the County

I highly suggest you follow me past the jump for more pictures and information that will make many of you want to run to the nearest Ford dealership. Yes, really!

Well Hello!

Let’s start with the looks. This thing looks, and actually really is, massive! A stock F-150 next to this thing looks like the skinny little brother of the jock older brother. This new massive look comes, in part, from the fact that they widened the truck by 7 inches! Those big fender flares aren’t just for looks like on your neighbor’s pickup (if you live in Huntington Beach), they are quite necessary. That’s the reason there are marker lights around the truck. As with a duelly (the pick up trucks with 4 wheels in the back and giant rear fenders), the rules of the road stated Ford had to add the marker lights for safety. If you look closely at the front grill however, you’ll see instead of putting the lights on the roof, as the duellies and semi trucks do, they placed them in the grill. Check it out!

Who makes this truck again?

Don't the lights look pretty? Photo courtesy of Raptor's photo download section of their website

While we’re on the grill, did you notice the slight huge change? The Raptor gets a custom grill with a giant Ford stamp across the front. I really like it. Ford also created a custom front bumper just for the Raptor. I’ll get in to the details later, but Ford and Fox Racing Shox teamed up to make a completely custom suspension upgrade for the Raptor. As an added bonus to those who might admire your truck from up close, Ford added a window to the front bumper so as to admire the custom suspension.

Photo courtesy of Raptor's photo download section of their website.

Going back to the rest of the exterior, you might notice a new color from Ford, “Molten Orange.” Like some (many?) of you out there, I really wasn’t sure about the color at first. I thought it was just a preproduction scheme for the press. But as I walked around it more, and got used to it, I can’t see this truck in anything but orange! However if you’re really not a fan, the truck comes in 3 other colors. “Tuxedo Black”, “Oxford White” (get it? it’s like an oxymoron! trucks and nice clothes??) and my favorite…”Blue Flame”. Blue flame? Really? Was there no one at Ford that heard that name and immediately thought of lighting farts on fire?? I digress. The only other color I think the truck looks good in is the “Tuxedo Black”, however I feel you lose all the aggressiveness of the vehicle. Blue is my favorite color but I don’t feel the blue suits this particular vehicle. As far as the white is concerned, I don’t believe anyone should drive a white car unless it’s some vintage Rolls Royce or Mercedes.

Blue Flame?

The last things I’d like to point out on the exterior are the hood scoops and fender vents. While they may look like pretty decorations, it turns out they are actually functional!

They're almost like the gills of a fish, letting the beast breathe.

If the fenders are gills, these must be the nostrils....OF THE BEAST!

While we’re on the subject of big breathing beasts, let’s talk engines. (insert Tim Allen grunt here) The truck that I drove had the 5.4L SOHC V8. The thing sounded great and was mighty powerful under pressure, yet very refined on the streets. The specs show it as having 320 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s an engine you can have some fun with! However…if that’s just not enough for you (let’s face it, if you’re going to own a truck like this, why not go balls to the walls), then may I suggest waiting until early next year for the 6.2L V8! This engine is also known as the “BOSS” engine. It has over 400 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque! Pair each of those with a 6 (yes 6) speed transmission, and you’re going to have some fun in the desert, or wherever you go! (except the gas pump, that still might suck) The MPG was in the 17-21 range, which for what you’re getting, really isn’t that bad, but let’s be honest…it’s no Prius.

Like an idiot I forgot to photograph the engine, so once again I thank Raptor's website for downloadable pictures.

Earlier I mentioned the suspension. As I stated Ford and Fox Racing Shox teamed up to create specialized shocks just for the Raptor. The guys at Ford wanted to give the maximum amount of travel (the distance the wheel can move up and down) without intruding into the engine bay or truck bed. Fox designed specialized shocks that look as though they have reservoirs attached, as you would see in professional race trucks, but in reality that is just an extension of the shock itself. I lied. It is in fact a reservoir! Even better! This allowed them to get a few more inches of travel into the suspension and keep the structural integrity of the original design. How many inches of travel you ask? Try 11 inches in the front and 13 inches in the back! This provides a big cushion for the truck to land when you catch air and a great amount of flexibility when maneuvering difficult off-road courses. Unlike in typical suspension upgrades, though, they have also made the truck smooth and sturdy when driving on the asphalt! This means when you drive to the movies or work or whever, it’s a comfortable ride! Go figure!

Don't they look pretty?? See what I mean about the piggyback design?

Just to give you an idea of what 13 inches of travel looks like. I don't think I was even at max stretch here either.

How have I gone this far and not mentioned the off-road specific features of this king of the desert?? This truck was purpose built to race the Baja 1000, widely agreed upon as one of, if not the most grueling auto race in the world. Every year approximately two-thirds of the vehicles that enter the race don’t finish. Well the Raptor finished 3rd in class and was the FIRST EVER preproduction truck to finish the Baja 1000!! Don’t believe me? Check it out!


So how do you build a production truck capable of accomplishing such a feat? Well it helps to start with a sturdy vehicle. Say what you will about Fords, they haven’t had the longest running, highest selling pickup for no reason. As I said, they threw in a powerful engine, beefed up the suspension, widened the track by 7 inches…what else is there? How about the first factory standard Electronic Locking Rear Differential!! (the link takes you to wikipedia for those who don’t know what it is) They also created a technology they call “Hill Descent Control”. When this is engaged, if you’re descending a hill, the anti-lock brakes automatically control your descent! Yeah, take your foot off the brakes and concentrate on steering. It works and it’s awesome. It also works in reverse, so if you climb a big steep hill only to discover it leads no where, you can safely back down. There is also an “Off-Road Mode” button. When this is engaged, the computer adjusts the throttle to be more less responsive (in other words, less touchy…so if your foot accidentally twitches, you’re not sent 90 mph over the rock you were crawling over) and lets the shifts rev a little higher to prevent constant gear changing when climbing hills. It also adjusts the ABS brakes and the locking rear differential to improve your off-road experience. Having tested these features out I can tell you they work, and they work WELL! Ford also teamed up with BF Goodrich, widely know to make superior off-road tires, to create a custom tire just for the truck! While they may look like your typical “BFG All Terrains” you see on most other off-road trucks, these have been specially made to improve the truck’s handling on and off the road, and best of all…they’re quiet on asphalt! Yeah! You can drive with your windows down and talk to your passengers! They think of everything.

I wish I could say this was me, but I didn't want my PR rep, Octavio Navarro, to lose his job, so once again Raptor's website provided the photo.

Custom tires even!

OK, let’s finish up with the interior.

Looks great, right?

Sync! I love it and will discuss more about it in future posts. Stay tuned!

This truck had all the bells and whistles for the entertainment system. It had Ford’s exclusive “Sync” system (which I adore and will discuss in a MetBlogs post in the near future) and of course the full touch-screen/sat nav/DVD/space ship/super duper/blow you away entertainment system. As I said earlier, I’m a DJ so music is VERY important to me. The sound system equipped in our truck was Ah-mazing! One of my pet peeves when off-road driving is, being that it’s bumpy, my CDs always skip! Well this thing has a hard drive to store your music. Now I can rock out while I’m out climbing rocks! Also, if you can see those four switched by the shift lever, those are pre-wired auxiliary switches! It’s not uncommon to add a winch or exterior lighting to an off-road vehicle, but the problem has always been where to install the on/off switch?? Ford answered that for us. Thanks Ford!

Look at the cool looking gagues!

Nothing clever to say about this one. It just looks great!

As with you’re typical extended cab pickup truck, it has a “suicide door” setup for easy entry and to haul bigger stuff in the cab. The back seats don’t provide any more or less room than your standard extended cab either. If they do, it’s not really enough to be noticed by the general public.
OK I’ve covered all the areas I felt were most important, but there’s still so much more that I didn’t cover. Why don’t you check out Raptor’s website yourself, or just go chat up your local Ford dealer and see it for yourself! If you have an interest in trucks and playing in the dirt, I think you’ll be hard pressed to not want to buy one of these.
I’ve included the rest of my pictures below. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the pictures get much larger with a click. Enjoy!

I like the logo too. Fun but not over the top.

This picture wasn't my idea, but I like how it turned out. So you get to stare at my beautiful face and be jealous I drove a cool truck...and you didn't.

No matter what your view is on the war(s), my hope is that EVERYONE supports the men and women who fight daily for the safety of our (and others’) country. I personally have several friends who have been/are now overseas, and any little piece of home they can get, they cherish. Well it appears our local Starbucks in Anaheim and Orange (maybe others elsewhere too) are sending them some coffee to remind them of what’s on every corner everywhere in America.

Here’s the deal: You buy 1 pound of coffee to send to the troops, and they will give you a free tall coffee for your trouble! It’s a win-win! So help out the good people trying to do good overseas and do it.

Change4Homless meter

For more information go to change4homeless.com

Dopey Dick Nixon

In 1955, Vice President Richard Nixon visits the less-than-1-month-old Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA. Of the Seven Dwarfs whose names grace the cars in the “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” ride, “Slippery Dick” chooses “Dopey.”

Strong work Mr. Vice President.

Tomorrow Monday, June 15 is FREE hot dog day at Hot Dog On A Stick!!

Head over after work from 5-8pm! Yay!!!!!!!

We here in Orange County are lucky to have 2 Sonics! There are NONE in LA. The only 2 “close by” are in Hemet and Apple Valley.

The Anaheim location is on Lemon St just north of the 91 freeway. There’s also a Mission Viejo location (which I didn’t know about until now) located at Jeronimo and Los Alisos.

So go get it! And while you’re at it, take a picture of yourself and upload it to their website. Your face could grace their home page! Ooooohhhh! :-O