Last weekend was supposed to rule. I was playing a Friday night show with Randy, whose birthday it was, Joe was in town, and I had gotten Saturday off from work. Party time! Well...not quite. Friday night rolled around and I headed out to Canter's for the gig with Thuy and Joe in tow. The plan was to play the set, then head home to change and shower, and then be dropped off at Randy's for the after-party by Thuy on her way home. Joe had dropped off our bikes there earlier, so we could ride home drunk after the festivities. Sounds like the makings of an awesome evening, right? We sure thought so.

The gig itself was pretty lackluster at best and a few songs into the second set, Randy was clearly not enjoying himself. He announced to the band in a surly tone that this next song was the last one and he just wanted to go home. No after-party. Lame. Joe had come down semi-specifically to rock Randy's birthday and some lengths had been gone to in anticipation of the post show celebrations at Randy's house. This was not welcome news, not to mention the fact I was really looking forward to playing some of the songs that were being skipped. Oh well...

Randy was heading home, and seeing as how our bikes were there and we would have to drop by to get them anyway, we figured we could finagle a little mirth and merriment out of him before we left and then enjoy the ride back to Playa Del Rey from Santa Monica. So we picked up some beers and headed over. After some drinking and jamming and whatnot, Randy declared it was time to leave so he could jump his girlfriend and we happily obliged, looking forward to our ride. We hopped on our bikes and headed into the night and got about a half a block before I realized my phone and keys were still in my pocket. Not wanting to lose them while riding I quickly stowed them in the bag behind my saddle on my bike.

It was an awesome night out and it felt great to be riding - I had the iPod blasting and a smile on my face. We were looking for a good spot to share the last beer in Joe's pack, and as we turned off Washington onto the dark bike path that circumnavigates the Marina, we found our spot. I reached for my saddle bag to grab the bottle opener on my keychain and, to my extreme dissatisfaction, found that it was wide open - in my drunken excitement I had forgotten to zip it closed. My keys were there, but my phone was nowhere to be found. Fuck! We drank the beer there and then headed back towards Santa Monica to see if we could find the phone.

In retrospect it seems foolish to have thought for even a second that two drunk assholes could find a phone in the dark that could be anywhere along a 5 mile stretch. Being drunk assholes, we tried anyway. Needless to say, our search came up with a big goose-egg, and after riding all the way back to Randy's, we turned around to ride home, feeling completely defeated. We were somewhere around the Venice-Santa Monica border when injury met with insult and decided to mate - I ran over a broken beer bottle on the bike-path and my back tire was slowly losing air. I figured I could make it all the way home before it completely deflated, but I was wrong.

Riding on a soft tire is slow going and takes a lot more effort, and by the time we got to Fiji Way, most of the way around the marina, my tire was too flat to continue. At this point it was 6:30am...I was exhausted and extremely upset, and I just wanted to go home. Sound familiar? After being turned down and passed up by several cabs, we finally caught a ride home. I crawled into bad at around 7am and collapsed.

Crappy night, right? Well, as crappy as that night was, my morning was no better. Only 2 hours after I had finally gotten into my amazingly comfortable bed (9am), I was awoken by the unmistakable and unsleepable sound of the floor being replaced in the bathroom directly above my bedroom. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep under that cacophony from above, so I gave up and went into the kitchen to eat some cereal and share my horror story with my housemates. After a bit, I went into my room to use the computer, when I noticed there was a gaping hole in my ceiling, and the large metal access panel that usually covers said hole was lying right where my sleeping head normally rests, with large amounts of plaster and debris strewn all about my bed and floor. Thank god I'm not a ridiculously heavy sleeper.

My landlady came quickly to clean up the mess and I ended up spending most of my afternoon drinking beer on the beach, so my weekend definitely got much better. But man, sometimes the universe can be a real asshole.

Sometimes you're the fly...sometimes you're the windshield. Fuck you, windshield.

Oh yeah, I have a new phone now, so you can once again call me. Yay.

Ahh, it’s so nice to have my road bike up and running again; I don’t know how I did without it for over a year and a half. Don’t get me wrong, the Schwinn Cruiser has been really good to me and I love tooling around Venice and Santa Monica on such a styley bike, but the weight of it and the limitations of it only having 3 gears make it not the best bike for long rides or for the climb back up my hill.

So yeah, the Bianchi is back and I had totally forgotten how fast it likes to go and how much fun it is to ride. It’s only been a week since I had the new shifters put on and I’ve already put over 50 miles on it. Also, I started using it to get to and from school, thereby getting some good exercise and also avoiding the atrocious parking situation at SMC, all while saving gas money($3.50 a gallon? WTF?). Seeing as how I’m putting some serious miles on it again and I named my Schwinn already, I feel the need to name the Bianchi too. Any suggestions?



The only thing I’m not liking about the roadie right now is the seat I currently have on it. I plan on getting a nice Brooks leather saddle for it soon, but they’re not cheap and I’m kinda strapped for cash right now, especially with my car’s brakes needing work, so I’ll have to wait a little longer. Here’s the saddle I want:


And just so Billy won’t get jealous, here’s a pic of him again:


Yay! I have both of my bikes running again!

So this year for New Year's Eve, Thuy and I decided to skip all the usual parties and rowdy celebrations (which seemed few and lackluster anyway), and instead opted for something much more intimate and romantic.

We walked down to the beach in here in Playa Del Rey with a sleeping bag, a few blankets, some excellent champagne, cheese and crackers, and my iPod, which I had loaded with a special playlist for the evening, with a splitter-jack for two sets of headphones. Fireworks were to be set off the south jetty of Marina Del Rey, just across Balona Creek from PDR, at the mouth of the harbor, so we claimed the northernmost lifegaurd station in PDR and set out the blankets, sleeping bag, champagne and snacks at the top of the ramp, facing the ocean. There were surprisingly few others out along the beach.

Even though I was anticipating an enjoyable evening, I couldn't have imagined a more special and meaningful time. There we were, all snuggled up in my bag, saying sweet things and drinking champagne, as the waves crashed thunderously on the beach and the stars twinkled brightly above. It was magical.

And that was before midnight struck. At 11:59 the fireworks display started and we were extremely excited to discover that our lifegaurd station was only about 300 yards away! The display was amazing and being so close was really intense! Super-awesome, to say the least. :)

We lay there for a while longer, basking in the moment and grinning(among other things...ahem!). Then, a little before 1am, we started packing up to leave when they started releasing another onslaught of fireworks! Maybe it was the leftovers that hadn't fired initially? I'm not sure, but it was also pretty spectacular. We stayed to watch and smile, then made our way back up the hill towards my place, all the while glowing from the amazingness of our little excursion, as we talked and took turns swigging tasty champagne.

I can't think of a more enjoyable evening or a better way to ring in the new year. It was easily and by far the best NYE I have ever had. Yay for awesomeness!

And don't you dare try to steal out spot for next year!

Happy 2008 everyone!

Today was a milestone for me. I rode my bike for the first time since I injured my ankle, about seven weeks ago.

That may not seem like a big deal to many, but it is a HUGE deal to me. I went from being probably the most physically active I have ever been, before injuring myself (I was surfing 2-3 hours, 3-4 days a week and riding my bike for 1-2 hours, 4 days a week), to being easily the least active and the most sedentary I have EVER been.

That shift has been extremely hard on me and has been a source of great depression, as of late. Not being able to surf has probably been the hardest thing to swallow about all of this, but not being able to ride my bike to watch sunsets and generally get around my area and surrounding neighborhoods was the crippling blow to my sense of usefulness and self-sufficiency. I've been hiding it from everyone, but I have been really miserable these past few weeks, with the obvious exception of select moments of joy and wonderment.

So yeah, today was a big deal to me. I only rode a few miles and I kept it fairly low-impact, but I saw the first sunset I've seen in weeks and I had a smile on my face from ear to ear the whole time. I was literally almost crying I was so happy to be out on my bike again, close to the sea. I felt alive again. I FEEL alive again. That may sound a little dramatic, but I don't think it is.

That said, I'm still probably a couple of months from being well enough to surf again. I miss being in the water dearly and not a day goes by that I don't dream of feeling that feeling again of being in the curl, but at least I have my bike rides back to help center me and keep me from getting love handles. Once again I have my friend Billy to have adventures and travel with. Yay.

And yes, if you were wondering, my ankle is a little stiff and sore, but not any more than it is after a long day on my feet at work. Okay, maybe it hurts a little worse, but that is a small price to pay for a little joy, and it's nothing that can't be healed by an ice pack and a smile. :)

Can anyone say November 2nd Santa Monica Critical Mass? Yeah? Good, 'cause I'm going in costume. Who's with me?

Has anyone else out there heard of Great Lake Swimmers? I stumbled across them on MySpace a few days ago and I am fucking in LOVE! Hauntingly beautiful melodies with gorgeous lyrics over a dreamy alt-country-ish sound. I can't stop listening to them, especially their latest record "Ongiara."

They very conveniently happened to be in town, playing at Spaceland this last Saturday, and I have to say it was one of the most emotionally stirring shows I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing. I was totally blown away. I hope they don't wait too long to come back.

So yeah, if you're into beautiful music at all, you have to check these guys out. Wow.

Four days late, but making good time...

So this is not a new song, but it is a fair amount faster in this recording than I usually play it and in a higher key as well. Haven't decided yet if I like it more in the new key, or in the older, lower key... Enjoy!

Here's the new tune. Finally got the arrangement and feel down for the most part. It's still a bit rough around the edges, but here it is..

Just finished the lyrics to this one...we'll see if they "stick".

Billy, come out riding
We’ll take the road that winds down to the sea
We’ll watch the waves together
As they wash away our anger and our jealousy

As an ocean flows from within…and without

Lost in contemplation
I dream of all the love that could’ve been
If I walked with my arms open
Looked them in the eyes and let them in

‘Cause an ocean flows from without…and within

Fading and falling away
There’s no one I know who I really know
Always out of range
Let down your hair for a change
Lay down your guard, show me who you are
Take away the gray

Find a way to let yourself be free
Follow me…

I know a secret place
We can go
To dance and play and lose our way
Find our glow

Early in the morning
The sun comes up and warms my winter skin
And I’m bathing in its beauty
As the softest voice echoes above the din…

“The loudest light shines without…and burns within.”

So laugh all your laughter
Cry all your tears
Let all your fear go
And glow

So, in the continuing story of my glass ankle, I haven't noticed much improvement in the two weeks since I injured it. I know the one ligament in particular that I injured is supposed to take some time to heal, but I had been hoping for some sort of noticeable improvement.

Enter Jim Platts...

Jim Platts is a body healer/bodyworker that my mother goes to from time to time and she swears by him. He gets to the root of where your pain is and works on that. Apparently he helps a lot of post-surgery folks regain joint mobility, among other things. Anyway, for my birthday my mother bought me a session with him in the form of a gift certificate. I sat on for some time and eventually forgot about it. After my injury, my mother suggested going to see him to see what he could do for me, so I made an appointment for this past Friday.

So off to Westwood I went to see the fabled Jim Platts. My mother had warned me that the session would be painful and she was right. He was applying steady, firm pressure directly where the most pain was, as well as on the other tendons and nodes around it. At times it was all I could do not to cry out in pain, but I gritted my teeth and took deep breaths. I knew the pain was towards a beneficial end, so I soldiered through it the best I could. Amazingly, throughout this process at various points, I felt the hardening cartilage in those areas soften and give way, releasing all kinds of rushes of circulation to my foot region, and the white hot pain slowly gave way to a much more bearable, dull, fading pain.

He did some other work on my lower back - which has been bothering me due to the height difference between my left shoe and the boot I've been wearing on my right foot/ankle - and worked on the area where my spine meets my skull that had been the source of a few migraines as of late. He informed me that I could work on those same ares as he was myself and that I should regularly do gentle ankle stretches to keep my joint mobility up and help speed recovery. I left his office feeling so relaxed and empowered.

I have to say...as much as I was amazed at how much the pain from applied pressure in the area had decreased during the session, I was still not noticing much improvement, as far as walking on it was concerned. I went about my activities for the rest of Friday and then slept.

I woke up yesterday and I couldn't believe it. My ankle felt noticeably better! This was the first time I has felt any substantial improvement since I injured it. I went to work and was on it for 12 hours in the boot and it gave me very little guff throughout the day. Of course it still hurts a lot to move it in the direction of the injury motion, but that's not going away for some weeks to come, I'm sure. I'm definitely going to keep working the tendons in that area and regularly do gentle ankle and foot stretches.

Thanks, Jim Platts! You rock!

Now if I could only afford the $95 an hour he charges, I would go him often. Maybe every once in a while...

Just to preface this, I might not be the best person to write a review of this album, as I am in love with this band. On the other hand, after their last album I was hoping for nothing less than supreme awesomeness, and was prepared and half-expecting to be disappointed. Moving on...

"Asleep at Heaven's Gate" is Rogue Wave's third studio album, released on Tuesday, September 11th. It is pure, unadulterated sonic-joy from start to finish. As I mentioned before I was prepared to hate this album, but less than 30 seconds into the first track I knew the opposite was going to be true. The album opens beautifully and switches gears effortlessly and smoothly from happy to dreamy to contemplative to bittersweet and back again.

Zach Rogue's distinctive vocals are mellifluous and catchy as always, yet the songwriting has hit a high mark, with more depth than before. The band is more cohesive than ever and finds itself in a much stronger role than on the two previous recordings. While it has always been obvious that Zach Rogue is the driving force behind Rogue Wave's music, the other band members' increased involvement on this record not only works well, but pushes the songs to new heights. The end result is arguably their best album to date.

Having been such an avid fan of the last album (Descended Like Vultures), it took about three listens to fully hook me on this one. After the first listen I was relieved. After the second I was ecstatic. And after the third I was head over heels in love. This is easily my favorite album of 2007 so far. :)

How this band continues to fly under the radar is a mystery to me.

You can hear a couple tunes from "Asleep at Heaven's Gate" on their MySpace page, but the album really has to be listened to from start to finish to be truly appreciated.

And please, buy the album, if possible (as opposed to downloading it for free off the net). These guys are anything but rich and deserve to be paid for their art. :)

I saw the sunrise over the wetlands of Playa Del Rey as I was driving to work this morning. Breathtaking. The morning mist was hovering just above the reeds and grass in the soft twilight, and then..Bam! The sun exploded over the hills in the distance in splashes of orange and red. I was beaming...I love sunrises. Something about that burst of beauty to start the day just inspires me and keeps me smiling.

Every morning for the past couple weeks, Ive noticed the sun at lower and lower positions in the sky as I leave my house, waiting for the day it lies in wait for me, hiding behind the horizon. Today was the first such day. Unfortunately, I'll probably only get maybe a couple weeks or so of that before my morning drive is completely shrouded in darkness. The seasons are changing and while I welcome Fall, I will definitely miss the long, warm days of Summer.

Shorts and tees will soon give way to hoodies and jeans. That's okay though, I like those cool, windy autumn nights. There's nothing like biking home, a little buzzed, from a local bar with a cool wind in my face. Yeah, I guess I'm looking forward to Fall, as much as I love the Summer. :)

Now, if only my leg would heal so I could take some of those rides...

As you may already know, I messed up my ankle surfing last Friday. Unfortunately, my job has been lax about sending my my benefits packet, so I still don't have insurance. I had just assumed it was your run-of-the-mill ankle sprain and just needed to be iced, braced and babied for a couple weeks and it would be fine. After about five days of non-improvement I realized it may be more serious.

Lucky for me, my friend Wei Ching is a resident doctor, specializing in sports medicine, so I called her up and asked her to take a look at it. After a short informal examination, she told me I needed to get some x-rays because I was experiencing pain in the bony regions. "I can't," I said. "I have no insurance." She seemed more than a little troubled by this and made a call to a doctor for whom she had worked a while back who owned his own x-ray machine. He said she could bring me by. Sweet! Thanks, Wei Ching! :)

So after a few x-rays it was determined that I have what is commonly referred to as a high ankle sprain or trauma to the syndesmosis. To put it briefly, I injured the ligament that holds my tibia(shin bone) to my fibula, which is called the syndesmosis. This is much more serious than your average ankle sprain and I have to wear a "boot" for about 6 weeks, followed by a stirrup brace for an additional 6 weeks. I'm not supposed to surf or bike for at least 3 months. Shit!!!!

Das BOOT!


I am so much more than a little upset about this. Usually on my 4 days off(I work three 12's a week) I surf for two hours in the morning and bike for 2 hours in the afternoon/early evening. I've really grown accustomed to this level of activity and find that it really does wonders for my physical state and my general disposition. The idea of being a layabout for an extended period of time is pretty upsetting. I am not a couch potato and I am not happy about any of this. I guess it will give me more time to write music and be creative, but that thought isn't giving me much solace at the moment.

All in all, I am glad I know what's wrong with my ankle. Otherwise I may have complicated the injury through ignorance and extended my recovery time by a lot, possibly even doing permanent damage to the area. I just wish it didn't mean giving up on some of my favorite activities for such a long time. And yes, three months of no surfing is a long time for me. It's only been 6 days and it already feels like an eternity.