Bicycle Lust....

if there's one thing I don't need its hobbies.  Especially hobbies that involve buying stuff.  Why can't I get into any "free" hobbies, like, lets see, umm.....playing in the dirt? or running?  or maybe making rubber band balls?.

nope, I like stuff.  I love things.  products!  I work with bicycles.  I ride 2 wheeled vehicles everyday for work and pleasure, and now I need a new road bike.  NEED.  not really need, like I will fail an important mission if I don't successfully obtain a secret road bike by 0800 hours, but Need like I am obsessing over it.

So many amazing options with carbon fiber now, its hard to start and narrow it down.  

Bikes I'm digging though:

Ibis Silk SL - smaller company, nobody has em, painted carbon frames

Bianchi c2c 928 - super rad slightly relaxed shape and downtube - Bianchi

Masi 3VC - classic Italian bikes with a modern twist

Wilier Izoard - turned on to these by Ray Boshold.  all I can say is WOW.

Laguna Fuckin' Beach

"he's not my kid....he's my wife's kid...."

ahhhh my monday morning commute.  monday is car day.

That's the only thing I could think that would explain how you'd put your kid in the back seat of your jeep when you have the plastic windscreen in place straight up separating the front cabin from the back.  poor kid.  all he could do was look left or right and occasionally look down.  can't look straight when there's a wall in your face....

and here's a shot getting closer to the jeep

....Leigh Anne said it was okay...

so for the past few weeks, I've been living a sort of double life.  well not really, but sort of.  One part of me is the newly working man (well new full time job, at least).  the other part is biker gang member, motorcycle commuter, weekend warrior, harley owner etc...wait, what? Harley owner, this can't be?  could it?  well, yes.

dad don't be mad, I still love vintage Hondas, but as I started on my quest for a new bike, the sportster beat out the triumph bonneville this time around.

I made a fair deal with Leigh, I get a consistent paying job and I get to buy a new motorcycle.  little did I think that I would be using the motorcycle everyday to commute on the highway, but with gas prices the way they are and 45 miles between 'rancho santa vista' and the new job in Laguna Beach, the moto is the only way to go!

so, now I can post about the ride that the crew went on this weekend up to the mountains east of LA to the Chop Meet....

I'm a believer

great night....had some band practice and then headed over to the Belly Up in Solana Beach to catch the Nightmarchers.

http://www.myspace.com/thenightmarchers

I didn't know what to expect, but I gotta say that they blew me away live.  I've been a long time fan of Dramarama and these guys are like a modern day incarnation of them.  Of course being an OG Rocket From the Crypt fan also helped me to like the Night Marchers sound/show.

I've been slacking on my postings, but I will get better again.  just busy, which is dumb.  Work is keeping me busy = dumb.  work, ugh.....man, if I could figure out how to make updating the blog be my job, that would be fantastico.

Oh, and this week's foregin language-ness.  For italians, just added the letter "a" (soft pronunciation) to the end of any word and you are italian'a.  

comp is here and then gone

chris is a man of mystery.  an american turned world traveller.  a stony point local turned brooklyn socialite.  a pimp turned, well, pimper.....i love this guy.  love in a brotherly way of course.  In fact, today, at Boomers in Vista, we were asked if we are brothers and of course the answer was "yes"....."but different fathers...." and that answer seemed to satisfy.

Here's some pictures from our adventures.  the rest are on the flickr page.

vegas, baby

I love this place.  We love this place.  Leigh Anne and I both.  So when our great friends decided to renew their vows 'vegas style' we were booking out tickets and hotel room.  Now they are a bit more of ballers than us, but we managed to keep up.

Pics to come later today/tonight....!

add another title onto my resume

so, I've secretly been working on a new profession.  Late at night, during travel, any freetime on the weekends, during commuting, etc....I've learned how to edit multimedia projects.  Below you will find my very first masterpiece, for your viewing pleasure.  Just kidding, sort of....Here's the skinny:

I just used iMovie and I'm not really sure how it works still

I wrote/recorded the song while I was in the city of Bassano in Italy last week at 3 in the morning

The pictures were taken with my digital camera accidentally with the zoom in effect

But, please, I give no excuses because really, its a fine example of modern art.  the only word that comes to mind is "thinkpiece".  enjoy the video of Casa Camper.

you gotta learn your lesson

well, its been a long time since I've partied so hard (read:drink alcohol) that I get sick the next day, but Barcelona brought out the best (read:worst) in me.  The first night in Barcelona I headed to Shoko to meet up with some of the Nixon crew.  Most of them had no idea that I was in town on business for my new job so it was a great surprise when they saw me.....had a great time, some great loud dance music and the best part was Dustin telling me that no matter what was playing, all he was hearing was Justice.

In particular, this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsmzNB_eXek was playing on repeat through his head the whole time he was dancing.  That's probably not good, but not bad either.

to continue to the next day, my head was pounding, room spinning and I was feeling pretty ill for about an hour.  Then I went back to bed for another 5 hours and finally got up and had breakfast at 6:30PM.  Yes, that's right PM.  

So let me fill you in on the adjustment we had to make this day:::::

6:30PM Breakfast - feels like 10am

8:00PM Shopping - sun starts to set but feels like sun should be starting to rise

10:00PM Walking - sun is setting feels like 5PM

Midnight Dinner - go to restaurant feels like 8PM

Eat Dinner at 2AM - feels like 9PM

Go to sleep at7AM - feels like 2AM

Wake up the next day - feels like hell

I'm not proud of getting sick or even my ability to party or anything like that.  I'm not claiming to be a partier.  What I am proud of is my ability to adjust my day/life to this short term sleep screw up.

Barcelona....with a TH

First 10 minutes in Barcelona.  Dustin and I share a moment admiring some great colored Vans for sale in a local shop.  (Dustin's foot and shoe [left] appear courtesy of OrangeYoYo).

There's nothing quite like the welcoming greeting of "hola, bienvenidoth a barthelona" that the cab drivers just naturally greet you with when getting on your way to your hotel in this city.  now to fully understand this crazy Spanish accent, you must replace all things that make the sound 's' with a TH.

OK, here we go....

There'th nothing quite like the welcoming greeting of "hola, beinvenidoth a barthelona" that the cab driverth jutht naturally greet you with when getting on your way to your hotel in thith thity...

not bad, but you are still a beginner.  I challenge you to spend one full day thpeaking with this acthent and you'll see, it really really, i mean really annoyth americanth.  WE HATE THITH ACTHENT!  But i do love this city.  good times as always.

Ok, lastly for this post I want to give you some info....I have met up with some of my great friends (we are staying at the same hotel here in barcelona).  Dustin and Carter are great guys and work together doing the art thing at Nixon amongst other amazing projects.  Well we've been having a great time from shopping to exploring to partying a bit too hard, we're living it Euro.  more to come in the following day or two.