When it Rains, it Pours

Hey there.  I'm one upbeat guy.  For those of you that know me on a more personal level, you know that it can be pretty tough to bring me down.  Despite a lot of negativity and bad luck, I tend to pick up the pieces and pull forward with optimism.  But something happened yesterday.  A recent string of unfornate events have damaged my armor and may finally be getting to me.  I won't go into much details but I will say that my vehicle was missing after work.  Yup....  Gone.  Living in Los Angeles, something to get around on is a MUST.  I was upset, I was frustrated, I was angry, but in the end, I was down.  Not so much because of this one instance, but more because of what my daughter said to my wife after I told them the news:

Happy Valentine's Day, My Love

Hey there.  In years past, I've written a small something for my wife on my blog.  This time around, I decided to try something different.  I've been wanting to do video posts and this may be the one to jump start that idea.  Babe... this is for you.  =o*

As My Guitar Lies Bleeding in my Arms

Music... poetry without any words

Hey there. I love music. I've always been into music since as far back as I can remember. From my early days playing on a recorder to my later years jamming on a guitar. I strongly believe that music can transcend words.  A beautifully crafted piece of music can saw much, much more than any words can.  As a kid, I would spend more than enough time playing the recorder.  I still remember how to play the thing too.  lol  That seed led to me play more instruments throughout my years:  flute, trumpet, keyboard, bass, guitar...  When I was feeling a little upbeat, I would grab the flute and play.  When I was feeling tense, I would grab my guitar and play.  Guitar...  I'm particularly proud of being to play guitar.  Not because it's "cool" or anything of that sort, but because it was a new instrument for me to learn to play.  The guitar that I learned on  was a 20 fret Fender Stratocaster that was gifted to me by my uncle from Minnesota (which I, in turned, gifted to my son).  Soon after, I picked up an "easy" to learn guitar book with Metallica songs in it and got to work.

My ASUS Laptop Screen is Busted... but It's OK

NOOOOOOOOO!!! NOT LUCY!!!!!!!!!!  =o(

Hey there.  You know what happened after recording an episode of the Get a Life Podcast?  My laptop screen broke.  Literally, minutes after the show.  I set my laptop down, went to grab something to drink, came back to a broken screen.  My 2 youngest (3 and 7) were running around, near my laptop, so when I questioned them about it, naturally, they pointed the finger at each other.  lol  I held it in.  I'll admit that I was pretty upset and I probably reacted a lot better than what was expected.  The kids know that the laptop is Daddy's life.  lol  Accidents happen, though.  I'm not mad... not anymore, lol,  but man was I feeling down.  I practically live off the damn thing.  I do all of my online work on my laptop and to have a busted screen was a huge bummer.  Especially since I feel pretty good about the work that I've recently done.  It pained me to think that my computer could be out of commission until I got it fixed!!!  But never fear!  A replacement screen is on it's way!  YAY!!!  I'm thinking of creating a "how to replace your screen" type post.  Create a video and all that good stuff.  I'm thinking about it.  The screen gets here tomorrow and if I'm up for it, I'll do a quick how to replace tutorial.  It'll be the first one I do so bare with me if it sucks.  lol

Donating to Locks of Love

Hey there.  About 15 years or so, when I was in Jr. High School, I decided that I was going to let my hair grow out.  Once the hair grew out, I was one of those guys with long hair.  It was most in a pony tail or "bunny tail" as some of my band mates would call it, and I rocked that style for years at a time.  When I graduated high school in the year 2000, I decided that it was time to start the new millenium with a different hair style.  At that point, I haven't had a hair cut in years so it felt odd going into a barber/hair salon to get it cut off.  While in the chair, I remember the woman complimenting me on my hair (soft, long, beautiful, etc. etc.) and that I should seriously consider donating it.  Donating my hair... now there's an idea.  I asked about what organizations I can donate to and she promptly stated that if I wanted to, they can donate my hair for me to Locks of Love.  I wasn't all that familiar with the organization so I asked questions.  What do they do?  Who do they benefit?  Is the organization reputable?  Once she explained it to me, my mind was made up.  I was donating my hair to Locks of Love.

Nintendo: The Gift of Gaming

Real life picture of me at age 5

Hey there.  Quick!  Think back at your most fondest, earliest gaming memory!  For those in my generation (I'm 30, by the way), the answer is going to be playing Atari or Nintendo at home.  Atari may have been in homes before Nintendo and I remember playing them both, but the fondest memories come from playing Nintendo.  I remember my cousin getting his before I did and I remember sneaking over to his place to play. We lived in an apartment building and his apartment was right below mine.  We would play into the wee hours of the night.  Whether it was Super Mario Bros., Contra, Bubble Bobble (which I've introduced to the kids on the Wii) or The Legend of Kage we simply could not get enough, but my most fondest memory in my gaming history has to be when my Dad handed me my Nintendo.

Mud Factor 5K Obstacle Course

Hey there.  The year of fitness continues!  I came out of the Gladiator Rock'n Run a little bruised up and sore as hell but felt extremely good and proud of myself.  Now, the next challenge awaits!  The Mud Factor 5K Obstacle course!  Only this time, the wife will also participate.  It's going to be her first mud run so I'm making sure that she'll be ready to handle the course and I'll help her where I can.  I can't wait for this one to go down!  The only problem???  It's in San Bernadino...  That's about an hour drive away from Los Angeles.  I don't mind driving... but when I know it's a long trip I turn into a little kid and wonder when we'll get there.  lol  Anyways, I'm looking forward to going out there and earning my third medal of the year!  I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Any of you Southern California friends going to be at the Mud Factor mud run?  Time to turn up the workouts to 11 and get ready for another mud filled day of obstacles!!!  Later!

The World's Hottest Chicken Wings

How spicy can they be?  I mean, they are only made with
chile peppers with skull faces on them!

Hey there. This weekend, I took the family to the Los Angeles County Fair (I'll have a post on our trip real soon) and while there, I stumbled across the hottest chicken wings in the world.  Hmmm...  I know that many of these fairs boast some pretty outrageous claims, but you know what... I love chicken wings and when it comes to spicy food, I don't mind trying new things.  We first passed by the sign shortly after we arrived at the fair and as we enjoyed the fair, I mulled over whether or not I would like to take on that challenge.  As our day came close to an end, we walked by the sign once again.  As we were walking towards the parking lot, it was the wife that mentioned the chicken wings and whether or not I wanted to try them.  At that point, I knew I was going to dive in.  Here is my story told by pictures!

Gladiator Rock'n Run is Less Than a 2 Weeks Away

I'd be really proud of myself if I can anywhere close to the top 10!

Hey there.  The Gladiator Rock'n Run a little over a week away and I'm on the home stretch of my training.  I've been hitting the gym to gain endurance and work on my upper strength.  There's going to be some climbing going on so I want to make sure I'll be able to get over those obstacles.  My question, though, is whether I should push myself this final week or if I should cut it down so that I'm well rested for the run.  I want to push myself, there has been instances where I push myself during workouts and I can't even support myself with my arms, they are that sore.  Should I risk being too sore to finish the run?  Or do you believe that adrenaline will push me through?  I'm a pretty competitve guy so I don't just want to finish the run, I want to finish with a great time.  I want one of these awesome trophies that are given out to top finishers!

When training for an event, do you train up until the event or do you give yourself a few days of down time?  With the run just 9 days away, I'm curious to know which training method would work best.  Later!

Time to Push My Body, My Vehicle, to it's Limit

My cousin and his family pushed their vehicles to the limit
during the 2012 Survivor Mud Run.  Now, it's my turn!

Hey there.  I feel rugged.  I'm continuing down that path of fitness and I have the Gladiator Rock'n Run in just a few short weeks.  Aside from the obstacle course that I will have to power through, there will be the mud to contend with.  And lots of it.  A cousin of mine participated in the Survivor Mud Run earlier today I was going through his pictures.  All I could think of was the mud all over their bodies.  Almost as if they went off road and gave themselves a mud bath.  I told myself that in 2 short weeks, it will be me in muddy clothes standing victorious at the finish line.  It will be me with a muddy smile on my face and feeling of accomplishment, very similar to that of my cousin and his family.

The Day I Became a Flute Player

Hey there.  This weekend, while I was relaxing at home, I decided to play some music.  Not on the iPod or radio, but play a musical instrument.  Most of you already know that I play guitar.  I have both an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar.  Both are pretty special to me.  The acoustic was given to me by wife (girlfriend at the time she gave it to me) and my electric is a Kirk Hammet "Skully" (KH-602) guitar.  But I'm not here to talk about guitar, I'm here to talk about my flute playing.  That's right, I play flute.  From time to time, I managed to eek out some time to play.  Last weekend was one of those times.  I grabbed the book that I would practice out of in JR. high and high school and test out my skills.  No doubt that they've diminshed some, but after 18 years of first picking up the instrument, they have yet to completely erode.

September Photo a Day - Self Portrait

Hey there.  We're going to give this photo a day thing another try.  I was doing fairly well during the month of August but the death of my baby cousin practically destroyed my picture taking mood.  I told myself that I wanted to complete a full month of pictures and since this is the first of the month, we're going to start off the month with a picture.  The whole list for the month is above and today's picture is a self portrait.

Training for the Gladiator Rock'n Run

Hey there.  Training has begun!  Well... actually, I've been doing some exercises on and off for quite some time so it's not like I've been sitting on my butt doing nothing, but today marks the official day that training starts.  The Gladiator Rock'n Run is on Oct. 6th at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and I have a little over a month to build my endurance.  That's the one area where I know I lack.  I'm not the biggest of guys, I'm not the fastest, I'm not the most athletic, but I do have an OK build and I'm not a push over.  I was able to complete all of the challenges during the Hero Rush but I did notice that during the jogging parts of the run, other runners ran by me.  The challenges were tough and I was able to power through it, but I could tell that my body slowed down to recuperate during the jog.  I even stopped to walk at some points.  Not good.  So I want to make sure that I can build that endurance.  I need to able to finish through obstacles AND still have enough in my tank to jog to the next obstacle.   So tonight, my endurance levels up!

The Loss of a Baby Cousin

Hey there.  I've been kind of missing this past week.  I found out this Monday that my baby cousin (2nd gen cousin) passed away recently.  It devastated me.  Especially since my little baby cousin's dad (1st gen cousin) and I grew up together and I've always felt close to him.  It's tough to have to bury a child.  It is the most devastating thing that a parent would ever have to endure.  While at the viewing, I couldn't but to get choked up.  A small angel... lying there motionless is not what a baby should be.  A child is the epitome of life, the essence of joy, and the very definition of a growing family.  To have a young one be taken away from you before he had a chance to experience the outside world, shattered those thoughts for my cousin, his wife, and the whole family.

August Photo a Day - Something You Hate

Hey there.  Today's picture is something that I hate.  That's pretty easy.  I hate hate.  I hate it when people discriminate against others.  Why hate?  Why not embrace?  Why not learn from our differences?  You know, the world would be such a better place without hate.  No wars, no violence, no stupid racist tweets from Olympic athletes (yeah, that happened).  My motto is "make pride universal."  I stole that from a Pantera song.  When I first heard it, I hit me.  No matter what, be who you be and that's it.  No envy, no greed, no jealousy, and no hate.  Hate is something that we can use a lot less of and I can't wait until it happens.  Later!

August Photo a Day - Sibling

Hey there.  You see that guy up there?  Yup, that's my brother.  He posted this pic on Instagram not too long ago and I thought it was hilarious.  Not so much the pose or any thing like that.  It's the fact that we were at the same place, The Downey Brewery, earlier that week my brother was irked that he wasn't invited.  lol  So in retaliation, he sent this pic to show my friends and I, "how he does it."  lol  Yeah, we're awesome like that.  The last time my brother and I were both at The Downey Brewery at the same time, we each had about 6 boots (28 ounces of beer per boot!) and the wife had banned me from setting foot at the Brewery again.  lol  Yeah, that happened.

Anyways, it's always a fun time when I'm hanging with my bro so here's a little shout out to the only sibling I have, my lil brother.  *Cheers*  Later!

August Photo a Day - Heart

Hey there.  Today's photo is supposed to be of a heart.  I decided that I would do a quick sketch of a heart with the names of my wife and kids surrounding it.  In essence, that is my heart.  The wife and kids will always be in my heart and they always come first.  The sketch is not one of my best hearts ever drawn, but it's something that I wanted to share with you.  Later!

August Photo A Day - Your Pet

Hey there.  Today's picture is our pet tarantula, Vixin.  I tried to take a picture of our dogs, Odin, Lucy, and Lacy, but they weren't having it.  They were too active to sit and have their picture taken so I decided to take a picutre of our tarantula.  We've had Vixin for well over 5 years now.  A coworker handed her to us when her daughter was "done" with it for a school project.  lol  I've seen Vixin molt twice already and if you have never seen a taratula molt, it's definitely something to check out.  You can see Vixin molting here.  The pictures in that post were taken with a camera instead of a camera phone so you'll see way better pictures of Vixin there.  So what pets do you have at your place?  Later!

August Photo A Day - A Favorite Part of Your Day

Hey there. One of my favorite parts of the day is having my morning coffee.  It's a daily thing for me and it pretty much signals my body to wake up and get going.  lol  I'll admit that it's better during the weekend though.  I get to have my cup of coffee with the wife but since today is Thursday, I'll have it at my desk at work.  If you haven't already, you should definitely check out my Ode to Coffee.  I'm sure it'll bring a smile to your face.  lol  So what's your favorite part of the day?  Later!

August Photo A Day - Yourself

Hey there.  I don't usually do the photo a day thing.  I've seen many friends go out and about and participate in them and they have all sorts of pictures that they have posted on Instagram, Facebook, or thier blogs.  Well, today is the start of a new month and once again I have seen the photo of the day posts go up.  The difference this time around is that I saw a schedule as to what you are to post that day.  That alone intrigued me so I went ahead and took the plunge.  Why not, right?  So here you go, the August 1st picture a day.  A  pic of me.  Enjoy.  lol  Later!

Early morning pic.  Getting ready for work.