most movies completely suck these days…right? because of this fact i stream all my movies online just cos it’s bullshit paying for this shit…which is exactly what the motion picture association asks the consumer to do – pay high prices for zero quality. anyway, the apes movie was pretty decent given the competition. if you can suspend “some” of your disbelief – like how the guy kept a full grown chimp at his house for 3 years before anyone noticed, then it’s good. the end was particularly satisfying…humans suck and i’m sure we would learn so much more as people if we all had to walk a day in their shoes…ie with a leash or a collar. i’m not talking about the sexual leash and collar stuff btw. all hail ceaser…ruler, of the world. FYI click on the pic to stream this movie
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rise of the planet of the apes
caught red handed – the thief in my kitchen
i can’t believe that i forgot to mention this but a couple weeks ago some guy tried to steal this bag from my kitchen.
around 9:00 pm this guy (african american male in late 30-40′s, about 5’11″, heavy set but not fat) walked up my back steps, opened the back door that is attached to my kitchen and grabbed my onitsuka tiger bag. luckily i was able to catch (confront) him while he was still in my kitchen! I think I yelled the obvious “wtf are you doing!” and he dropped the bag and ran down the steps.
i was pretty stunned cos it was so surreal. i kept yelling at him while he was sort of running away and but said he was looking for a place to sleep – which obviously explains why he would take this bag. i’m assuming he thought a lap top was inside and that’s why he tried to take it. i called the cops and to their credit they showed up fast.
this is now the second time i have had someone try to break in. the first time it was a tweeked out white guy in a cowboy hat with his dog of all things. people are weird but i live near an alley so it’s not always the creme de le creme walking by. honestly this could have been way worse if he was intent on violence. my mistake – i have learned my lesson and will always lock that door. i also had my landlord install a motion sensor light.
contents of the bag….cables and pedals and picks for my bass. i would have been bummed if he took it.
i like scanning stuff on my phone
I had to log in to linkedin (not a big part of my web identity for some reason) today and actually read a good article that ended up in a 60 minute rabbit hole adventure. It had to do with quick response codes of which i happen to be a big fan of even though it’s going to take a while before they become “everyday”. There are some cool designer codes out there…i actually tried screwing with the graphics on the coma code but couldnt quite get it to work. anyway, my thoughts – unless they make the reader a standard part of a smart phone operating system it’s gonna take a while.
passive aggressive people are little bitches
i have the unfortunate pleasure of having to deal with a few passive aggressive people in my life. questions: do you know you’re passive aggressive? does it take more energy to actually be that much more of a bigger douche or is it just built into your daily being?
being passive aggressive to someone that you know is passive aggressive is rather satisfying albeit in an emotionally wasted way wouldn’t you say?. nevertheless it’s funny watching them get a taste of their own medicine.
i was gonna put some sort of picture on this post but when i googled passive aggressive i got lost on this wonderful site….PASSIVEAGGRESSIVENOTES.COM – genius right? i actually have a note on my fridge that i saved which i’m now going to scan and submit to this site. awesome.
mobile rehearsing in action
i was just talking about the irig the other day so here’s a pic of me actually rehearsing with it. i was sitting on my friends couch with just my bass headphones and phone and i was totally jammin (quietly) in my own world. it was great. you will note that i’m sitting on planks of wood because it makes my ass feel better as a result of that nasty sciatic nerve damage that i’m working on. soft couches that you sink into are not my friend right now…normally yes but now…no. the 67 vox bass is the best thing i have as far as an easy to travel with bass. it’s small light and i don’t even put it in a case sometimes. i don’t ever use it to play live with although it did make the first west indian girl record…the distorted end section of the song “dream” was played with this bass. it’s got flat wounds on it too in case you were wondering – it also has a built in g-tuner and distortion switch – yes this bass is italian and unique. it’s a sentimental favorite of mine…i got it in the attic part of tucson joe’s in arizona.
bass gear for tech heads 2: the iRig
one of my good friends in the inner circle of bass players whose name shall be referred to only by the initials DTM got me hooked on this puppy. the iRig is awesome. it’s really a stripped down version of the tascam mp-gt1 which i’m already a big fan of. what makes the iRig so nice is that it’s convenient – one less piece of gear to roll around with. you can rehearse a whole set on your own, anytime, anywhere with just a bass, headphones, the little connector and a cable. you can also rehearse in a very loud studio without bothering anyone cos you become a little self contained studio. it’s got tons of fx and crap like that on it but i purely use it to jam along with songs in the playlist function (you can load songs into it from your phone). the tuner is good too. i whole heartedly endorse this product.the it will keep you sharp and well rehearsed. what would make this even better is if i had a small bass to go with it….there is such a thing as a Ubass which i will get to in a later post.
i miss my buddy kris
yo kris – it sucks not having you around to go grab drinks with at places i would never ever normally go grab drinks at …ie marie callenders, the counter and maggianos and a variety of irish pubs. good times buddy – have fun in denver i’m gonna miss ya.
7 hours in a waiting room
7 hours in one place can seem like a very long time but you don’t need much to get you thru it. not only does a companion help to talk to but the real big winner is the ipad2. praise the lord amen. armed with a great ebook on tournament poker called “kill everyone” i was able to pass the time away quite easily. fyi my blood pressure was 114/80 which from what i understand is pretty f’n awesome.
universal pain ASSessment tool
guess where i spent my friday night -not just a little tiny bit of my friday night but ALL of my friday night. answer: at the olive view medical center emergency room. remember that sciatic nerve damage i was talking about a few posts ago – well, the pain in my ass and leg finally hit such new highs that i pretty much had no choice but to see seek drugs and an mri. after a 7 hour wait i walked out with a rx for a steroid (to reduce the inflammation around the nerve) and vicodin to reduce the pain but no mri.
i’m not really into narcotics but i can see why lots of people love vicodin – i’ve been taking half doses and still waking up super groggy. groggy slows down an already busy schedule so i’m not super psyched about the mound of pills i have on my counter although i have plenty of friends that would be. before i saw the dr on call i had to meet/chat with 3 different nurses to describe the pain i was feeling. i found it helpful that the UPA TOOL aka wong baker facial grimace scale (pictured) was at my disposal in every room. after careful study i felt i wasnt being over dramatic and can confidently say im a 9 — technically i’m a 10 sans tears. i’m just crying on the inside.
downtown julie brown is ballin’
the story goes like this – a couple months ago i was at my friend’s house warming party (in the hills overlooking the republic of silver lake). it was there where i had the unexpected pleasure of meeting one julie brown aka downtown julie brown. needless to say we hit it off. she’s a true believer in bringing back the reality of a music television show that actually plays music and not reality.
presently she is working with billboard and recently had me on her radio show as a guest co-host. needless to say (yet again) our rapport and on air chemistry was great…funny and flowing. i have been interviewed and on air with some great radio personalities and i would easily lump her into that group. she’s a bona fide pro at what she does and knows how to roll with it when the mics on. that’s not an easy task my friends. if she doesn’t end up with a new tv show i will be shocked – i have witnessed how much that woman is still loved by fans. she always leaves people with a smile on her face – she’s one of the good ones – nice to fans and people in general – refreshingly awesome.
here’s a clip from back in the day…what was trendsetting about her show was that it didn’t just deal with dance music and live acts but incorporated designers, stylists and fashion shows etc etc. many of those budding designers she had on are now mega-famous. how does present day mtv wake up and not puke all over itself now?
bass gear for tech heads
a couple weeks ago we had our first rehearsals for coma. forget the fact that they were flat out amazing — this band is going to destroy everything in it’s path. more on that in upcoming posts though. let’s get to the tech stuff that only bass players are going to geek out at with me.
the hipshot bass xtender…wow where have you been all my life? this tuning peg replaces your E string tuner and allows you with the flick of a little lever to immediately drop tune. fucking awesome. for coma i’m dropping from a D to a C and now, instead of having to quickly tune with a tuner, i just move that lever down towards the ground and i’m there. it’s a wonderful thing and will give any bass player an instant boner.
thank you rick torres (supreme beings of leisure – english beat) for cluing me in on this as well as setting up my bass. you, my friend…are the mf’n man.
sports injuries – the worst
i had the unlucky pleasure to hurt myself a month ago while at the gym. this was only the second ever sports related injury i have every had. here’s a view of my spine after i crawled into the chiropractic school to get an x-ray. thank god it wasnt anything that you could see in the x-ray…that’s the good news. the bad news is that i have been rehab’ing sciatic nerve damage since. i’m not sure how many of you have ever experienced this type of pain but it’s intense and easily not an injury i would wish on my worst enemy…well, i obviously take that last one back. i would wish it on my worst enemy actually.
thanks to the best chiro in the world (adam yoser) i have gone from not being able to walk at all to being able to run again. i just can’t tie my shoes or put on my socks yet without a burning pain going thru the middle of my calf into the middle of my left butt check. fuck – it really brings new meaning to the word pain in my ass.
how many of you have had this and what helped?
kill city – my favorite jeans
without a doubt kill city makes the best jeans i have ever tried on. i have a penchant for tight black jeans and these are the best around – feel and fit perfectly. i own 5 pair and it’s pretty much the only brand i wear. the world’s best kept secret. do you own a pair?
i’m going to buy one of their t-shirts now…they’re sick
tony’s back on twitter
wow just when you thought you’ve seen it all the kid rises up again. click here to love tony.
the walk of shame – poker isn’t easy
over the past year i have developed an addiction to poker. not sure how it happened…well yeah i do – i was invited to a home game and that was it. it was pretty much insto-addiction. sort of reminds me of why i played chess so much except that it’s more social and more popular. with chess it was difficult just finding people that could play at an amateur level.
if i could get a poker sponsor i would move to vegas for a while and just play tournaments and cash games for a year. the combination of psychology, skill, luck and cash appeal to my senses in a surprisingly wonderful way. it’s like taking your brain to the gym.
anyway, last night i was invited to a game in la. 2 russian dudes cleaned me out. for some reason i wasn’t that bummed out when i walked back to my car. overall i learned a few things about my play which will end up making me better in the long run. it’s all about decisions…you have no one to blame but yourself…not even the cards.
if anyone knows of any good home games drop me a line. i’m down.
pictured above is a friend of mine, andrew cohen, who used to bartend at my favorite bar in la. he moved to vegas 7 years ago and is now a pro – how great is that? he sort of looks like pacino a little bit.
seriously would love to be a professional poker player — sometimes even more so than anything else. one day …. i’m gonna go buy some sunglasses this week.
like the rarely seen albino gorilla – i’m back
could that last posting date be correct? last october?! shit…time flies when you go offline, pursue other interests, have a life and take a much needed social media break. it’s been rather nice not having to deal with everything “social”.
that said, i’m looking forward to updating and sharing thoughts about where i am musically these days as well as the other interests that have creeped into my life. i’m not sure what has gotten into me but i feel like blogging again…i was after all one of the best musical bloggers on the web so this should be fun for however long it lasts this time.
i don’t think i will be restarting my twitter account though – at least not for now. i got out when the gettin was good. was it ultimately a wasted experiment on how to attract stalkers 101? not sure…probably. i wish that gorilla was still alive and could blog – he would have been pissed about being stuck in a zoo.
loud guitars and #84
these two things made my week.
1. jamming in a band that had 3 guitars…the new version of the bangkok five is going to be fun. it’s always a nice thing walking into a room of musicians that are fun to be around.
2. the fact that the patriots might trade randy moss back to the vikings. that would be like when the giants traded back fran tarkenton to the vikings.
i havent been posting much lately as i’ve been on a spiritual journey…as well as working on my golf game
hotel cafe show the other night
oh wow, west indian girl played a show on sunday…i almost forgot it happened so fast (that’s what she said). sunday night at 11:00 pm isnt exactly the best time for people to come out but it turned out to not suck. we played this show for our front of house sound man adam. it was his birthday and his last night working at the hc. adam really wanted us to be the last band he mixed there –sort of touching in a way. in sort of an ironic twist it happened to be the first time we ever played there. i actually liked it wayyyyy more than i thought it would.
in my opinion, hotel cafe is a singer songwriter mecca and it’s no big newsflash that i have a personal boredom issue attached to having to sit through any type of singer songwriter. just not my thing…like fingernails on the chalk board…cant get into it. ugggg remember largo? one of the only places people would actually get mad at u for talking while some noodle is singer songwritering. no…that’s not a typo. singer songwritering is a word.
our show…it was good although there were brief moments when i wasnt exactly sure who i was up on stage with. they were all good though. hahah. jesper and i play quite well together. jesper likes ants and so do i. highlights of the night would be a few things:
not having to bring a bass amp
their back line sounds amazing
having dino and dylan there
no hassles from anyone that worked at the club
playing northern sky for the first time in years. the version we came up with was really good. i havent felt that good playing a west indian girl song in a long time
parking…not so much
mutineer magazine will get u wasted if ur not careful
i just got the sept/oct issue of mutineer mag in the mail today and was honored to see my pic all up in it. a few months ago i was lucky enough to be invited to a wine tasting at gordon ramsay’s london. gotta tell ya….it was fun. im not a huge wine drinker (read tequila, vodka soda, beer) but it’s always nice to explore the complex world of wine. i especially enjoyed sitting next to and spitting and talking to karl wente. no better way to get the fast track on wine than by tasting it every step of the way with a wine maker. good damn times. extra special thanx to heidi richman for securing my place at this grape round table! thanx to alan and jj from mutineer for having me. these guys also threw an amazing party a couple months ago that was beyond a drinker’s paradise. can’t wait to go to their next one. anyway, their mag…mutineer — has a blog and i love blogs.
documentaries about things that will ruin ur life – role playing and cocaine
a friend of mine recommended a couple of docs to watch the other day and i must say….good call. yes – these both came out a few years ago but i had never heard of them so maybe u havent either. the first was second skin. not sure how many of u guys have ever dabbled in the world online role playing games but this one was an eye opener. it was neither pro nor con and after watching it im glad that the directors didnt paint it as such a negative thing. for some people this works – just like everything in life moderation is the operative word. everything in moderation…even moderation.
the second doc was called cocaine cowboys. this was about the rise of the cocaine industry in miami. i think i enjoyed this one a bit better just because i learned about what really happened rather than relying on scarface for the story. real life is stranger than fiction. totally worth netflixing before u go to bed. a sequel called cocaine cowboys 2 was equally entertaining and in some ways more bizarre. watch it and learn about coke, oakland and the godmother.