Obama "Burgergate"

BILL: Whether you like the guy or not, can't this dude go out and get a burger or go on a date with his wife without the damn world coming to an end?! I mean Jesus Christ, what is wrong with this world?! Who cares?! I applaud the man for going out for burgers. What's next?! "Oh no...Obama laced his shoes wrong!" "Oh the humanity! Obama accidently wore white socks with his dress shoes!!!" or heaven forbid "Did you hear? Obama watches CSI:New York but NOT CSI:Miami!".....clearly the terrorists have won.

TED: Well to be honest CSI:Miami is pretty hard on the eyes... it's so f*ckin bright, & Davis Caruso's outta control. Anyway... That's the way it goes with the media... I can only hope Obama can make it as entertaining as our previous president. I think he should get a pair of velcro shoes just in case that whole shoe-lace scenario plays out.

BILL: I think I'll send him a couple packs of black socks also. I just think the world would be a happier place if more world leaders went out for burgers once in awhile. If Kim Jong Il would just get outta the house or palace or whatever it is he rules from for some burgers, we wouldn't have to worry about them having nukes. Ok, yeah we would but you know what I mean.

TED: I don't know if the "Il one" is a burgers kinda ruler... He strikes me more as a weiner man.

BILL: ZING!

10 Days.....

So it's been awhile since I last blogged. I'm blogging now, for if nothing else, to blow off a bit of steam. The last 10 days have been eventful, no so much for me, but for people around me. They've been a bit of any eye opener for me though. First, a lady I work with found out that she has terminal cancer. Her husband just died of cancer, she just retired and was ready to move out to Iowa to enjoy her retirement. But nope, her second to last at work...BAM! you're gonna die. She did hop on a plane, 2 days after brain surgery, 2 days! To live out the rest of her time in Iowa. That was a little over a week or so ago. Then over the course of the past 5 days....5 days!...Two El Camino employees committed suicide. Granted I only knew one of them personally, but good God....how does life get so bad that you're only way to deal with it is to take your own life and make your family suffer even more than they ever will? What I'm going to say may sound cruel, but I don't feel sorry for the two men that killed themselves. I think they're horribly selfish people. I don't care how horrible life is at any given moment, suck it up and DEAL WITH IT! These two guys had good jobs, families that cared for them (granted I know they were both having some sort of family trouble at the time) and were well liked, well respected people on the campus. My heart breaks for their spouses, children, mothers, fathers, etc....Whatever you believe in, God, Buddha, "higher power", mother earth, Ewoks....whatever! Life is a gift given to us each and every day. Life is not a given, it is not a right, it is a gift, period....and you have no right to take that gift and essentially give it back. So that's my rant on that....then lastly, a family friend passed away over the weekend. Also, a good, well liked man, but old, sick and I'm pretty sure he was ready to go. He lived a long happy life and will be missed. So, that's been the extent of my 10 days. It's all played a big part in this "funk" i've been.....but even with all of this negativity, I wake up each and every day and say a little thank you. I have so much gratitude for what I have in my life. I may not have the best car, apartment, job, gadgets, etc....but I have a great wife, a family that loves me, great friends and that's all you need. I'm extremely grateful for all of the things I do have...and you should be too.....OK, thanks for letting blow off some steak....I'm off to stock up on masks to keep myself from getting the swine flu.......

It's about that time.......

So tomorrow is the first day of the last year of my 20's. God...29....when I was a kid that seemed so old and for a little while lately I felt the same way. However, I realize I'm not as bummed as getting close to 30 as I once was. When I turned 27 I was really bummed for some reason. 30 seemed too close, I felt like I wasn't ready, but now, I'm welcoming it....hell, I'm even excited. Now, 29 or 30 isn't old....it just means that NOW you are actually an adult. While you were technically one in your 20's, you're still considered a kid by most. I was inspired by my buddy Joe to look inside of myself and think of what I've accomplished in my 29 years, and what I want to accomplish before I hit the big 3-0. The one big thing I wanted to do before I was 30 was have my first child....and that's just not gonna happen....at least it isn't the plan anymore. So what do I want to accomplish? Aside from the usual domestic stuff (ie, pay off my debt, move into a bigger place, yada yada) I want to finally find my niche in music. Whether it be writing scores, jingles, etc, being a recording songwriter, a performer, whatever! I just want to find where I really belong, and get comfortable with it and get good at it. Other than that, I'm very content with everything else. I have an incredible wife, a stable job and a roof over my head and in these tough times, that's all I need. So, what am I going to do on the first day of the last year of being a "kid"???? I'm going to fuckin Disneyland!!!!!!!

The Resistance

The Resistance has begun.....Are you in?

Longest "short" weekend ever!

Just returned from my weekend away with Amy. While we were only away for about 24 hours, our weekend felt about a week long. To put it in a nutshell....that 24 hours was filled with, swimming, water slides, spas, shopping, drinks, delicious food, jazz music, late night champagne, on demand movies annnnd I got to meet a race car driver that I'm a big fan of on our way out. Turns out he frequents the resort we were at. If you're ever in Carlsbad, check out La Costa Resort and Spa....it'll cost ya a pretty penny, but it's very much worth it! So very relaxed...............back to the grind tomorrow though :-( blah!

Thank God.........

Thank God! Amy and I finally get a nice weekend away. We're gonna be spending the weekend at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad for a much deserved weekend vacation. Not much to this blog other than to express my happiness for our getaway. You can also bet your sweet ass that I'll be bumpin' The Shaggs on my way down too..... ;)

Yeah....Yeah I do......

....Not many know that I am a practicing Catholic...Yeah....Yeah I do....I go to Church on Sundays....make the sign of the cross....take communion...the whole 9 yards. I've been Catholic my whole life....went to Catholic school for 12 years....but I haven't always been practicing. As a matter of fact, The Church and I were at odds for many a year...it wasn't until about 2 years ago actually that I started up again. I have my reasons for doing so....anyway, that's a story for another blog.....So "what's the point of this blog if I'm not going to tell the story?!" you ask.....Not much really...just found one of the few Bible passages I like....thought I'd share....Even though I am a Catholic, doesn't mean I don't like some evil shit....hence my attraction to this verse...

REVELATIONS 6:8
And I looked, and behold a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth...

Vatican 3...part Zwei!

Zwei is German for two just FYI.....So, to those that may care even the slightest, I wrote the lyrics for Vatican 3 about a week ago. I've been in a bit of a lyrical rut as of late so I wrote the lyrics quickly, almost just to get them out of the way. I definitely had a theme in mind and I wanted to stay true to the first two "Vatican"'s. More on those in a minute......I was pretty critical of what I had written because it seemed too simple and a bit amateur-ish but it stayed pretty true to what I wanted to write. Now a week later, I'm very proud of my simple lyrics..."What's the song about?" you ask....well, let me give you a brief run-down of the first two "Vatican"'s.

"Vatican"- This song was written by my first band Studded Infant in 1996. It was a very basic song about a nuclear war and a handful of survivors. Throughout the song they vow to repopulate Earth and restore it to what it was, however slightly more "Utopian". Simple? Yes, Cheesy? Extremely, but we were 16! Cut us some slack. As for the name...the song is quite long and at the time was kinda complex for us to play. So we needed a name to reflect the "bigness" of the song....our guitarist Frank had just returned from a family trip to Italy and more importantly...The Vatican....he kept talking about how big it was so voila! Vatican was born.

"Vatican 2"- This was written by the same band in 1998. The verses have a very secret, yet very funny meaning (wanna know what it's about? Just ask) that seem very serious. The rest of the song is pretty much just documenting the survivors progress at fixing the Earth.

Many attempts were made at writing Vatican 3 over the years, but none stuck until now. So when I sat down to actually write part 3 a couple of months ago I was torn. I wanted to stay with the "end of the world" theme, but at 28 it seemed way too cheesy. It wasn't until last week that a little bit of inspiration hit me. I found a way to incorporate the end of the world and an underlying story. So, in a VERY basic nutshell, I will say this about the theme of the song. It's about one of the survivors from the first "Vatican" breaking his "promise" and failing to save Earth.....as for the underlying theme???? That's for me to know and for you to find out......................................

Sorry for the length of this blog....get used to it though. I quite like talking about my songs and what they're about....until next time!

Quotes Galore!

What the hell....I'm bored....since I posted a new favorite quote in my last blog I'll post a few more of my favorites. Some are from movies or tv....some are from everyday life.........The first quote is my favorite....it's such a seemingly innocent quote but if you were there when I adopted it, you'd get it...hell, it's my quote in my yearbook my senior year of high school......

"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye." -James Hetfield

"To conquer death you only have to die" -Jesus

"Badger my ass! It's probably Milhouse..." -Homer J. Simpson

"If you can't work late...I can't work late....If I can't work late....I can't work late!" -Frank Cross from Scrooged

"Ludicrous speed! GO!" -Spaceballs

"When this baby hits 88 mph...you're gonna see some serious shit" -Dr. Emmett Brown

"That's a big twinkie" -Ghostbusters

"You're not beating nobody's ass!" -Chris Sowers

and lastly....one of my favorite exchanges between myself and my buddy Joe.....let me set this up. Joe used to like to step on the back of my shoes and give me the proverbial "flat tire". Sometimes he'd do it by accident, but most of the time I'm sure it was on purpose. Well, he'd do it....I'd get mad....he'd laugh...so it finally boiled over and lead to this.....

*Joe steps on my shoe for the billionth time.....

"Goddamit Joe!"
*Joe laughs "What?!"
"If you're gonna keep doing that at least act like you're sorry and say sorry or damn it or something!"
"OK, sorry man"
*We continue walking and Joe steps on my shoe again
"Damn it! Sorry"

When did 2009 get here?!

Ok...so it's been a month since I've entered the blogosphere....I suppose I should take time to reflect on 2008 yada yada, talk about my ambitions for '09 yada yada...so here goes....2008 for the most part sucked....it had it's ups, but it had way too many downs. It started off bad, literally, 12:01 am 2008 was not a good time for me. It certainly set the tone for the year. This year has definitely started off better....it's still a tad wobbly, but there's room for improvement. Inspired by my dear friend Jose Del, I too am going to take time to rediscover my "old self". I'm falling in love with music again, both writing and listening to it. I plan on completing a musical project I've started with Senor Montegrande that has been years in the making. Other than getting healthier, music is going to be my main focus. That and exploring some future opportunities presented to me by my wife Amy. So, I don't have a whole lot else to talk about right now. I should by the end of the weekend or hell...maybe the end of today. So I'm going to end this entry with a quote I heard from one of my new favorite shows, The Tudors. As soon as I heard this quote I instantly thought that it embodied who I am........

"I don't think anything, but I imagine everything."

Take from that what you will.......stay tuned