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Originally uploaded by bugbiteme

1.2.3.

I've been meaning to post more candid shots from Mazatlan, but for some reason I keep leaving my phone back in the room. Just close your eyes and visualize me, constantly shirtless, in speedos, wearing a big straw hat and my trade-mark aviator shades, guzzeling mass quantities of Patron at Senior Frogs while house music  constantly thumps in the background, along with the rising chants of "go go go" from a crowd as I down a beer-bong after beer-bong of Pacifico in record time. I'll visualize you, bored at work, checking Facebook, waiting for the clock to hit 5 so you can go home and watch some Television.

Blog Blog Get-a-blog I Got a Blog OOOweeeeOOO-OOOOOO!

I've been so obsessed with the Beach Boys lately. It's been ridiculous.

"Beach Boys? HUH?"

That's usually the response I get when I bring this up. It's also the response I used to give. I never even bothered to listen to Pet Sounds when it got popular again in the late 90's or gave Brian Wilson's SMiLE a chance when he finally finished it in 2004, since I figure the Beach Boys would always be a cliché. I don't really regret waiting so long to get into my Beach Boys phase, since I have always been into uncovering old gems when current music gets boring, revisiting the past, making old bands and music trends part of my foundation. It was only a matter of time before Beach Boys came into the mix.

So many people blow them off, since they were never perceived to be much more than a "fun in the sun with pretty girls in your car on your surfboard" kind of band, only to be knocked out of relevance by the British Invasion of the mid 60's. But yes, I did love "Surfin' USA" and "California Girls" when I was a kid. What child with baby-boomer parents from LA/OC didn't?

Anyhow, the Beach Boys are blowing my mind right now. It all started when Baby Grand was invited to play a Beach Boys tribute show at Old Ironsides (which will be happening on June 20th, btw). When trying to decide what songs to cover, I let the band know that I really didn't care what songs we did, but I had one request, which was to do the unreleased version of Fallin' in Love (Lady). I originally discovered the song a few years ago when listening to my iPod on shuffle and a version of the song came on. It was a cover done by Sambassadeur and it's great. I thought it was an original, but I later found out it was a cover of a song by Dennis Wilson. I later found the unreleased Beach Boys version of the song and it rocks....especially to a sappy guy like me. Anyhow, we all got together one Sunday afternoon and started playing each other possible songs to cover. The rest of my band mates were playing all these beach Boys tunes that I had never even heard before that were blowing my mind. Cory burned a DVD of most of the Beach Boys catalog for me which sent me off the deep end (the DVD is missing MIU Album and L.A...CORY!!!). I've been trying to spend a week or two on each album. I also checked out The Dennis Wilson biography from the library which has caused me to never look at the Beach Boys the same again.

I can't get enough right now! It's driving Niki crazy.

Here are some of my favorite tracks that are in heavy rotation at the moment:






This one is really moody, but I love it:


This will lift you up after the last one:

First Real Post in Like 2 Flippin' Years (or) How Facebook Killed the Blogger in me

(update** fixed some formatting issues)

Seriously, WTF happened?

One day I'm going on and on about how much fun I had trying delicious brew and food at the Sierra Nevada brewery, next thing you know...poof... nuthin'.

I've come to realized that Facebook is to blame and I apologize. I fought off the urge to sign up for years, worrying about my privacy, or not wanting to plague the world with vague snippets of my life that come into my head throughout the day:

Leon is what a ho hum day *sigh*

Oh yeah? Could you please elaborate? If not, why the fuck did you post that to begin with?

After enough poking and prodding from some friends who use Facebook, I finally caved in, and for the last two years I've been lurking, liking, being vague, following, but really not saying much. It was cool with a few friends, but now I got family, coworkers and long lost high school acquaintances in my list of "friends" and FB is beginning to creep me out. I've even had weird anxiety dreams about it.

I find that I can easily offend people even more so on Facebook than here with my reactionary quips. Here I can at least explain myself and make a funny story out of it. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be won over in the end...most of the time.

Facebook does come in handy at times, for instance, the Mrs and I are planning a weekend getaway that involves visiting one of my favorite breweries in Santa Rosa. Besides drinking cold frosty brew, I wanted to see if the area had more to offer. I hadn't a clue. All I had to do was post "what is there to do in Santa Rosa?" on my status, and before I knew it, blam, I had my whole weekend planned out for me thanks to a handful of helpful individuals: some friends, some acquaintance as well as some people who I haven't talked to in person for 10 plus years who I probably wouldn't say much to if I actually did see them in person. It was great!

So anyhow, time to dust off the ol' keyboard and get back at the ol' blog. I hope all three or four of you will enjoy it...and please...send all hate mail to my actuall email account, not through Facebook. Thanks.

Anyone out there?!?!?!?!



Is anyone watching? Should I revive this blog?