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

Dallas, Duke Jose, Etc......

So tomorrow morning I jump on a plane to Dallas, Texas. Yee Haw! Not too many people know but I secretly love the state of Texas. There's just some weird charm to it. This is my first time to a city other than Lubbock or Matador. I've been in the airport in El Paso, San Antonio, and Dallas....but never got a chance to check out the cities themselves. Amy (my wife) and I are flying out to have an early Christmas with her mom, sis, niece, aunt, Mamaw and Papa, and dad. We're both very much looking forward to this trip.

On the music side, my writing partner and crime and I have come up with a name for our musical venture. Whether or not he will remember (the beers were flowing) agreeing to this name remains to be seen....haha! Anyway, we're gonna keep it simple and going with.......Duke Jose...yup....that's it. If you know us/our names, you get it. We demo'd two songs the other night and I'm very excited. So far only one of our songs has an actually title...that would be "Vatican 3"....and the others don't even have working titles yet. Vatican 3 is the conclusion the the Vatican trilogy started with my old band Studded Infant. So this song is 10 years in the making so I'm gonna take extra care with this one.

As for etc......I don't really have any etc to talk about......Texas Tech blew it against OU so they'll have to settle for second in the south and playing the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Alright.....I'm off to finish packing.............

VATICAN 3

Oh yes....it's finally coming......10 years in the making.....Vatican III is in the works.....not even Jose Del knows about this....but he....and you...will know soon enough................

Survey?!?! Why the fuck not?!

Would you ever date anyone with tattoos?
I have

What was the last item you bought?
This kick ass fruit punch drink...best fuckin fruit punch you've ever had.

Did anything brighten up your week?
yup...."soup extravaganza" at work today and having dinner with Marcello

If a stranger looked in your closet, what would they think ?
"Goddamn"

Do you have unlimited texting?
I do

Does it take a lot to make you cry?
Not as much as you think

Do you keep a planner?
Nope

Do you watch "The Hills"?
Sometimes

The last song you listened to?
"Dam The River" by Alice in Chains

Who do you trust with your life?
Amy, Mike, my mom dad and sisters

Who was your last missed call?
My dad

When is your birthday?
March 27

When was the last time you had a headache?
few weeks ago

Do you ever think about stuff and start crying?
Not really....although I did about 3 weeks ago.....but I'll keep the details to myself.

Are you stubborn?
Holy shit yes I am

Is there someone you will never forget?
A few people

Who was the first person to wish you a happy birthday on your last birthday?
Your mom I believe

Who do you tell the most to?
Amy and Mike

When you leave your house what do you always have with you?
Wallet and phone

Have you ever cried and not known what for?
Nope

Would you ever become a vegetarian?
Muthafuckin Hippies....no way!

Do you prefer warm or cold weather?
Cold

Do you think love is real for young people?
Not at all

Are you a forgiving person?
I forgive but never forget

How has this past week been for you?
The usual

Do you have any piercings?
nope

How many kids do you want to have?
3 or 4

What are you doing tomorrow?
Getting off of work early and going to a kick ass sushi place

What was the weather like today?
bullshit

Do you have a ringtone for your parents?
No

How many pillows on your bed?
4....2 for me....2 for my wife

Did you laugh a lot at something today?
I find time to laugh at something everyday

How do you feel about the last person that texted you?
My sister? Love her

CHAMPS!!!

Not that anyone else really cares, but if you know me, you know that I love NASCAR. Well in anycase....my 2nd favorite driver, Jimmie Johnson(my first being Jeff Gordon) won his 3rd straight championship tonight. Congrats Jimmie! I also enjoy me some college football and next weekend #2 Texas Tech plays #5 Oklahoma on their way to their first ever BCS championship! Guns Up!!! Go Red Raiders!!! ok....that's it for now.

People Piss Me Off.............

yup....that's it....people piss me off...people with their bullshit problems/concerns/whatever! Bah! yup....that's it >;)

AS THE GREAT J.V. REEKO WOULD SAY.......

.......WHAT THE FUCK IS UP?!?!?!?!?! with corporate records that is.......

So I realize things have been very quiet on the Corporate Records front the past few months. I thought long and hard about how I was going to explain the "absence" until I figured I'll just be short and sweet with the explanation..........

The economy sucks! Period.....that on top of some pretty major things that have gone on in my personal life the past year....and the ever changing face of the music industry......all of these things make it too difficult and too expensive to run the label to it's fullest extent. So what does this mean? It means I won't be accepting any new bands for the forseeable future. I've had 5 good years and released 3 great albums. I want to thank everyone I've ever worked with that has made this a truly enjoyable experience. I especially want to thank the band Pariaus for keeping this label alive an extra couple of years. You're an awesome fuckin band and an even cooler bunch of guys. You made it exciting for me again and my only regret is that I couldn't help you guys more. Most importantly I have to thank my wife Amy for sticking by me and putting up with me and the label. None of this would have been possible without her.


So with all of that said....I am not shutting down the label completely....I will continue to support Pariaus and South Bay Metal.....but what I'm most excited about is being a musician again....that's right....I'm currently writing and recording material with my good friend Jose Del Montegrande and I hope to release an album on Corporate Records sometime next year. So there! Continue to stay tuned....check out my other blog if you have yet to do so yet....you can find the link in my last post..............Until next time!!!

Election Day

So....I'm voting for Obama....even if it means Diddy might show up at my house and throw me on a train.......... >;)

Answers??!!?!?!?

You want answers do you?!?! Well.....I'll have them soon........sooner than you think......stay tuned!!!

Uhhh....yeah.....about that blogging thing.....

So I noticed that just about everyone and their mother was blogging nowadays.....Now I know no one is going to really give two shits about my personal opinions so I'll try to keep those posts to a minimum....but I can't promise that they won't sneak in there once in awhile. I'm going to use this primarily for my music. If you haven't read my "about me" section, I've been a musician since I was 8 years old. I started on the accordion, switched to the recorder (as most 10 year olds play) and have settled nicely in drums and guitar. I sing a little here and there and dabble in bass and keys when I have to. I spent nearly 10 years playing in bands, recording albums, doing the whole Hollywood club thing....and then I thought I'd give the whole business side of music a shot. I started my own record label, corporate records, 5 years ago.....we released 3 solid albums....ok, 2 solid ones and one shitty one until the economy caught up with me. I had to sadly stop taking new submissions a few months ago....however I started to get the itch to start writing and playing again....which brings me to this blog.....over the next few months I'm going to team up with an ex-band mate and very good friend, Jose Del Montegrande and begin work on some music that should hopefully end up in album form sometime next year. So that's that....talk to ya'll soon...........

-Duke