I cannot believe I am already writing a new one of these. I was told I pretty much make the same explanations
and resolutions year-in & year-out. BUT isn't that what we all strive to do?? Make ourselves better and happier.
To grow and expand. I know I live a very charmed life and that I am so lucky you cannot imagine. That's what I
attempt to do and some years I actually can say "YES, I am a better man".
So to say I am "Thankful" doesn't really express how lucky I am, but these are some of the things that make
me smile, grateful, and able to have an excellent 2011.
• Being Creative Day-In and Day-Out
• Great Live Shows, including 3 Foo Fighters shows!
• New Friends, New Love, and Keeping the Old Relationships Strong
• Eliminating Negative Things and People from my Life
• Celebrated my 25th Anniversary attending Comic-Con
• Another great year of Music Shows
• Knowing that I have my Friend's Backs, and they have mine (no matter what)
What to expect in 2011 -
Be MORE Creative, Shoot MORE Photos, Draw, Listen better and not brushing things off so easily,
Exercise More - Eat better, Experience Life, Travel More, Pay off Bills, and Move up in my Position at Work.
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Like everyday in my life, I feel lucky for my career, friends, family, job, love, car, cat, creativity, and life.
Good Night and Good Luck.
Best Albums of 2011 / My Top 5
#1 Wasting Light / Foo Fighters
Another great album by the Foo. Starting last December I got a sneak preview of what was to
come from the new CD at the Paladino's show I attended. Then having them play the complete album
at the Roxy was awesome!! Including the 3 times I got to see them in 2011, I call it a great year!
After hearing the songs fully mixed and on a CD, I was blown away!! Kicking you in the face with
"Bridge Burning", then the first single "Walk" and continuing to take you on a magical 43 minute
journey. Recording to tape made the album that much stronger and having Butch Vig producing and
mixing it, gave it very heavy sound. Something that has been lacking in music in a long time.
The FF have done it again. Here's to hoping they win big at the Grammys.
#2 El Camino / Black Keys
Over the years I have liked little pieces of the Black Keys and parts of their 7 previous albums.
BUT their latest album that hit at the beginning of December was phenomenal - from start to finish!!
It almost beat out the Foo for the top spot. I haven't found a weakness with this album.
I highly recommend it to everyone looking for something "New and GREAT".
#3 Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2 / Beastie Boys
Another one of my staples of great bands and great albums - the Beastie Boys. This CD and songs
have been floating around for almost 2 years. It is really an homage to everything they have
done up until this point . It is very funky, loud, happy, bouncy, with great beats and rhymes.
Looking forward to seeing them next year.
#4 Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes / Social Distortion
Listening to the latest from SD reminded me why I love that band so much!! Hard Rock, mixed with Punk,
Country & Blues. Some of the honky tonk and female back up singers were a turn off to some fans, but I
thought they were great! It has a Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Rolling Stones feel to it. This album
is true Americana at it's best.
#5 Bon Iver / Bon Iver
I never would have listened to Bon Iver if not for Tasia and Stephen Colbert. Justin Vernon is a beautiful
songwriter and composer, with a very clean sound and melodic feel. After seeing them live, it blew me
away and changed my opinion of their music (like Arcade Fire the year before).
Upcoming Albums of 2012 -
Queens of the Stone Age, Band of Skulls (February!, Soundgarden, The National, MGMT, Rancid,
Green Day (if it's any good), and the Stone Roses!!!
A wish of Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, to all my Family & Friends!!!
I hope everyone has a great XMas and a very Happy New Year. I know I will.
I was reading back through my old posts and I read this one from last year
and remembered how much I liked it. So I decided to re-post and update it.
50 Things that make me smile
01. Friends 02. Family 03. Laughing 04. Kissing 05. Mister Surly 06. Music & Live Shows 07. Art
08. Sex 09. Eating great food 10. Making others Smile 11. The way other people smell (in a good way)
12. Honesty 13. Flirting 14. Hugs 15. Accomplishing Goals 16. Great Design 17. A Stiff Drink
18. Great Company 19. YOU 20. Listening to Rain 21. My Career 22. Christmas 23. Sleep
24. Inside Jokes 25. Compliments 26. Travel 27. Talking 28. Hearing a Tree Fall in the Woods
29. Being in the Sun 30. Writing 31. Confidence 32. Cuddling 33. A Clean House 34. My Career
35. Having a Plan 36. Morning Texts 37. Football 38. Hot Showers 39. Appreciative People
40. Holding Hands 41. Handwritten Notes 42. A Clean Car 43. The way she smells 44. Photography
45. Movie Quotes 46. Looking into your eyes 47. Waking up from a Nap 48. Knowing someone cares
49. Knowing I am loved by my Family 50. Knowing my Friends are Happy
Start spending time with the right people
These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve
in healthy and exciting ways. They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only
embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.
Start facing your problems head on
It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them.
Problems will not disappear unless you take action. Do what you can, when you can, and
acknowledge what you’ve done. It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction,
inch by inch. These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in the long run.
Start being honest with yourself about everything
Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed. Be honest about what you
want to achieve and who you want to become. Be honest with every aspect of your life, always.
Because you are the one person you can forever count on. Search your soul, for the truth, so that
you truly know who you are. Once you do, you’ll have a better understanding of where you are now
and how you got here, and you’ll be better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to
get there.
Start making your own happiness a priority
Your needs matter. If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself,
you’re sabotaging yourself. Remember, it IS possible to take care of your own needs while
simultaneously caring for those around you. And once your needs are met, you will likely be
far more capable of helping those who need you most.
Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly
Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are. Be yourself. Embrace that individual
inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else. Be the person you know yourself
to be – the best version of you – on your terms. Above all, be true to YOU, and if you cannot put
your heart in it, take yourself out of it.
Start noticing and living in the present
Right now is a miracle. Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you. Right now is life.
So stop thinking about how great things will be in the future. Stop dwelling on what did or
didn’t happen in the past. Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and experience life as it’s happening.
Appreciate the world for the beauty that it holds, right now.
Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you
Mistakes are okay; they’re the stepping stones of progress. If you’re not failing from time to time,
you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning. Take risks, stumble, fall, and then get up
and try again. Appreciate that you are pushing yourself, learning, growing and improving.
Significant achievements are almost invariably realized at the end of a long road of failures.
One of the ‘mistakes’ you fear might just be the link to your greatest achievement yet.
Start being more polite to yourself
If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how
long would you allow that person to be your friend? The way you treat yourself sets the standard
for others. You must love who you are or no one else will.
Start enjoying the things you already have
The problem with many of us is that we think we’ll be happy when we reach a certain level in life –
a level we see others operating at – your boss with her corner office, that friend of a friend who
owns a mansion on the beach, etc. Unfortunately, it takes awhile before you get there, and when
you get there you’ll likely have a new destination in mind. You’ll end up spending your whole life
working toward something new without ever stopping to enjoy the things you have now. So take a
quiet moment every morning when you first awake to appreciate where you are and what you
already have.
Start creating your own happiness
If you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you’re missing out. Smile because you can.
Choose happiness. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be happy with who you are now,
and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow. Happiness is often found when and
where you decide to seek it. If you look for happiness within the opportunities you have, you will
eventually find it. But if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you’ll find
that too.
Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance
In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance. You’ll never be 100% sure
it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Most of the time you just
have to go for it! And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.
Either you succeed or you learn something. Win-Win.
Start believing that you’re ready for the next step
You are ready! Think about it. You have everything you need right now to take the next small, realistic
step forward. So embrace the opportunities that come your way, and accept the challenges –
they’re gifts that will help you to grow.
Start entering new relationships for the right reasons
Enter new relationships with dependable, honest people who reflect the person you are and the person
you want to be. Choose friends you are proud to know, people you admire, who show you love and respect –
people who reciprocate your kindness and commitment. And pay attention to what people do, because
a person’s actions are much more important than their words or how others represent them.
Start giving new people you meet a chance
It sounds harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you’ve ever made. People and priorities change.
As some relationships fade others will grow. Appreciate the possibility of new relationships as
you naturally let go of old ones that no longer work. Trust your judgment. Embrace new relationships,
knowing that you are entering into unfamiliar territory. Be ready to learn, be ready for a challenge,
and be ready to meet someone that might just change your life forever.
Start competing against an earlier version of yourself
Be inspired by others, appreciate others, learn from others, but know that competing against them
is a waste of time. You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself.
You are competing to be the best you can be. Aim to break your own personal records.
Start cheering for other people’s victories
Start noticing what you like about others and tell them. Having an appreciation for how amazing the people
around you are leads to good places – productive, fulfilling, peaceful places. So be happy for those who
are making progress. Cheer for their victories. Be thankful for their blessings, openly. What goes around
comes around, and sooner or later the people you’re cheering for will start cheering for you.
Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations
When things are hard, and you feel down, take a few deep breaths and look for the silver lining –
the small glimmers of hope. Remind yourself that you can and will grow stronger from these hard times.
And remain conscious of your blessings and victories – all the things in your life that are right.
Focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t.
Start forgiving yourself and others
We’ve all been hurt by our own decisions and by others. And while the pain of these experiences is normal,
sometimes it lingers for too long. We relive the pain over and over and have a hard time letting go. Forgiveness
is the remedy. It doesn’t mean you’re erasing the past, or forgetting what happened. It means you’re
letting go of the resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move on
with your life.
Start helping those around you
Care about people. Guide them if you know a better way. The more you help others, the more they will
want to help you. Love and kindness begets love and kindness. And so on and so forth.
Start listening to your own inner voice
If it helps, discuss your ideas with those closest to you, but give yourself enough room to follow your
own intuition. Be true to yourself. Say what you need to say. Do what you know in your heart is right.
Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks
Slow down. Breath. Give yourself permission to pause, regroup and move forward with clarity and purpose.
When you’re at your busiest, a brief recess can rejuvenate your mind and increase your productivity.
These short breaks will help you regain your sanity and reflect on your recent actions so you can
be sure they’re in line with your goals.
Start noticing the beauty of small moments
Instead of waiting for the big things to happen – marriage, kids, big promotion, winning the lottery –
find happiness in the small things that happen every day. Little things like having a quiet cup of coffee
in the early morning, or the delicious taste and smell of a homemade meal, or the pleasure of sharing
something you enjoy with someone else, or holding hands with your partner. Noticing these small
pleasures on a daily basis makes a big difference in the quality of your life.
Start accepting things when they are less than perfect
Remember,‘perfect’ is the enemy of ‘good.’ One of the biggest challenges for people who want to improve
themselves and improve the world is learning to accept things as they are. Sometimes it’s better to
accept and appreciate the world as it is, and people as they are, rather than to trying to make everything
and everyone conform to an impossible ideal. No, you shouldn’t accept a life of mediocrity, but learn
to love and value things when they are less than perfect.
Start working toward your goals every single day
Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Whatever it is you dream about,
start taking small, logical steps every day to make it happen. Get out there and DO something!!!
The harder you work the luckier you will become. While many of us decide at some point during the
course of our lives that we want to answer our calling, only an astute few of us actually work
on it. By ‘working on it,’ I mean consistently devoting oneself to the end result.
Start being more open about how you feel
If you’re hurting, give yourself the necessary space and time to hurt, but be open about it.
Talk to those closest to you. Tell them the truth about how you feel. Let them listen. The simple
act of getting things off your chest and into the open is your first step toward feeling good again.
Start taking full accountability for your own life
Own your choices and mistakes, and be willing to take the necessary steps to improve upon them.
Either you take accountability for your life or someone else will. And when they do, you’ll become
a slave to their ideas and dreams instead of a pioneer of your own. You are the only one who can
directly control the outcome of your life. And no, it won’t always be easy. Every person has a
stack of obstacles in front of them. But you must take accountability for your situation and
overcome these obstacles. Choosing not to is choosing a lifetime of mere existence.
Start actively nurturing your most important relationships
Bring real, honest joy into your life and the lives of those you love by simply telling them how
much they mean to you on a regular basis. You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can be
everything to a few people. Decide who these people are in your life and treat them like royalty.
Remember, you don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends you can be
certain of.
Start concentrating on the things you can control
You can’t change everything, but you can always change something. Wasting your time, talent and
emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, misery and
stagnation. Invest your energy in the things you can control, and act on them now.
Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes
The mind must believe it CAN do something before it is capable of actually doing it. The way to
overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that
are stronger and more powerful. Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on what you DO WANT to happen, and then take the next
positive step forward. No, you can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you
react to things. Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether or not you’re happy
and successful in the long run depends greatly on which aspects you focus on.
Start noticing how wealthy you are right now
“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” Even when times are tough, it’s always important to
keep things in perspective. You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night. You didn’t go to sleep outside.
You had a choice of what clothes to wear this morning. You hardly broke a sweat today. You didn’t
spend a minute in fear. You have access to clean drinking water. You have access to medical care.
You have access to the Internet. You can read. Some might say you are incredibly wealthy, so
remember to be grateful for all the things you do have.
Last January I put together my list of TOP 10 Foo Fighters Song that ROCK. This year with the
release of WASTING LIGHT, I went back and listened to all the albums again and have re-compiled
and updated my list:
01. Bridge Burning
02. All My Life
03. Breakout
04. The Pretender
05. Stacked Actors
06. Everlong
07. This is a Call
08. Generator
09. Enough Space
10. Monkeywrench
Went to the Chargers vs the Bills on Sunday. FINALLY a game I could be proud of, in more than one way.
Not only did the Chargers look like themselves, they took it to the Buffalo Chips - 37-10, with a royal
ass-whooping!! It didn't hurt that I was at the game and pre-game tailgate with T-Dub and all of her
Bills friends. Great time at both!!!
[ PIX ]
Had our annual "Friends XMas Party" on Saturday. This year Shasta was kind enough to offer up her house
& co-host with me. Not all our friend s could make it but we had a lot of fun none-the-less. We played a
couple of games, ate a ton of food that Shasta cooked (a FULL Ham dinner) along with some drinking and
merriment. I am very thankful for my friends. Even with our different opinions and shortcomings, most of
us have been friends for more than 20 YEARS. I feel extremely lucky for all that I have in my life.
Party Pixs [ HERE ]
I cannot believe we are looking at Christmas (CHRISTMAS for F@#K sake!!!) in a
couple of weeks. Between shopping, being gluttonous in more ways than one, parties,
drinking, more shopping, dinners out, more parties…. I see why we as a country is
looked at in horror and disbelief. I know I am no better than most people.. Hell, I
know I am probably worse than most of my friends. We are out there shopping while
people starve, can't pay rent, freeze without a home, have waaaaaay worse lives than
I do. I have to kick and remind myself that my life is pretty great!! No worries as
far as "Real Life" problems or ones that change your life, and not in the good way.
So, I guess what I am saying is… Be happy with what you got. That most likely your
life isn't that bad. That you aren't at the end of the road. And if you aren't happy
with your life, job, relationship, friends, or whatever it is that holding you back
- CHANGE IT. Sure, Change is hard. VERY HARD. So I ask myself, what am I
willing to change...
In life and through your work you learn lessons of the business you are in, as well as life lessons,
these are some of what I know...
01. Sweat the Details
02. Play Nice
03. Don't Fear Type; Become it's Master
04. Define your Audience
05. Be Yourself
06. Learn to say "NO"
07. Collect and Share Everything
08. Research, Research & more Research
09. Observe Trends
10. Content is Still King
11. Become Indispensable
12. Build Relationships
13. Seek Criticism, Accept Praise
14. Never Compromise
15. Value your Work
16. Make Mistakes, Learn from Them
17. Some people are Toxic; Avoid them.
18. How you live changes your brain.
19. Doubt is better than certainty.
20. Age gracefully.
So after watching the Chargers completely self-destruct with six losses in a row, the last
being the Broncos, the Bolts showed a little life and actually kicked a team in the teeth 38 -14…
be it, it was the Jacksonville Jags. A team in waaaaaay worse shape than the Chargers.
The team looked pretty good. Got a lot of people back from IR. Matthews had a HUGE game.
I still don't think he's out premiere RB but between him, Tolbert and the platoon of runners, we
have the ability to run. We still had giant holes in the O-Line but by picking up some great veterans,
we were able to plug some holes.
The receivers looked good. Gates and Malcolm Floyd had a big game. VJ is still not being utilized.
And then there is Rivers. He looked better. Played better. BUT… I feel he's just not on his game.
Still not the guy we are used to seeing. Something is still wrong.
From the media frenzy, it sounds like Norv and AJ might be looking for new jobs after the season.
I can't say I would be sad to see them go. I don't think either of them have lived up to anything
we expected out of them.
With 4 games to go, Bills / Ravens / Lions / Raiders, we are not mathematically out of it, been if
it feels like we are. The heart left this team mid-season. Sure they are still fighting but fighting
for what? I feel we will be lucky to go 2 - 2 the final 4 games, finishing with a 7 - 9 record.
So sad. I like most had high-hopes for the Chargers this season, but I think the door has closed
on the current team. Time to look to the future and start rebuilding.
I will be attending the Bills game (another let down team), which looks like WIN for the Chargers
but we will see.
