FROM MY HEAD

This Blog

2011-06-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say Hello from this Blog.

WHAT DO I KNOW

2010-08-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Fresno State Athletics receiving an invitation to be apart of the Mountain West Conference and diving in head first. Also the same to the Nevada Wolf Pack Athletics.

To Fresno State Athletics,

Stop acting like the promiscuous girl who will go out with the first guy who asks. Let's not forget that these are the same teams who left you in the middle of the night just like the original Colts and Browns did in the pros. And then as a new league started to berate the WAC for being a conference of "1AA teams who couldn't hold their own". Then of course, the times when the MWC put out the proverbial carrot to dang out in front of you by saying we might expand and then snatch it back. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. They did it I don't know how many times but I got tired of it. The MWC is a tired up league that is lucky they have money and good television contracts. Maybe this is a good move for FSU Bulldogs, but you better be ready. And since this is mostly about football, Hill - your team better be ready for this season to go out with a bang or those players are not going to have the right mind set. Personally, I think they haven't had the right mind set since the loss to Reggie Bush & USC (I wanted to put something else but I'm afraid I would get sued, plus WHAT THE HELL DOES KIM KARDASHIAN SEE IN HIM?! [DELETE]) I hope the team has players who REALLY want to play and coaches who REALLY want to coach these players and come up with a better game plan.

I agree with the Nevada Wolfpack Athletic Director Cary Groth that expenses to travel to Hawaii and Louisiana Tech can be very costly. In this day and age of everybody tightening their belts and wallets, for both FSU and Nevada, I hope this works out. If not, anything can happen. Think positive.

THOUGHTS.......................................................

2010-08-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Making movies is hard.

Life gets in the way of Art.

[DELETE]

If I took out my earplugs, would I have played softer? (Maybe)

These are rock songs and they are meant to be played loud, even in the smallest of places. Okay, I know I'm nuts but "Sugar, Sugar" should be heard at 10,000 decibels just like "Pour Some Sugar On Me".

[DELETE], I need to practice more.

Man, it is hot.

Darkness surrounds my head, I need to get out of this funk.

Funk is cool music.

Tired, until next time...

THE BAND, QUEEN, WOULD BE PROUD OF ME

2010-08-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

For the last three months, I have been making an effort of taking a bike ride in the morning. Yes, that's right the pedal bike, not the motorized (not yet). So far, I'm only going around the neighborhood. The streets are still a ways away, even though, there are newly flesh painted bicycle lanes nearby, at the sacrifice of two driving lanes. But the streets receive a new middle turn lane, so that now driving morons can rejoice at the fact they can hit each in the front instead of in the back. And also what has resulted is the slow down of the speed limit even though the posted speed limit has stayed the same. Which is why I am really pissed off at the F'N Fresno City Counsel member who mandated this project and screwed up Dakota Ave. between the Chestnut Diagonal & Peach going pass the airport and Air National Guard. Every time, I see a big truck or worse, a local lawn mowing business truck and trailer getting in front of me either by the right turn off of Chestnut or the left turn off of the Chestnut Diagonal, I just dread it because they will drive super ass slow IN A 50 MILE PER HOUR LANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is all I ask is drive the speed limit when going through there. That simple. But I digress.....

Hey! I'm riding my bike for excercise, for fun, and Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, & Roger Taylor would be proud of me.

BICYCLE!
BICYCLE!
I want to ride my bicycle.
I want to ride my bike.
BICYCLE!
BICYCLE!

Current Update.....

2010-08-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

My drums were played on by one of the greats in rock history. Carmine Appice instructed a masters drum class at Bentley's Drum Shop. Carmine, as some of you know, played drums for some of the top names such as Rod Stewart, Cactus, Ozzy Osbourne, Lesley West, Blue Murder, & that reverse goldielocks 80's Hair Band, King Kobra and many many others. Plus he is the co-writer of one of the greatest disco/rock songs of the late 1970's, "Do You Think I'm Sexy?". That song was so popular, one of the teeny bopper mags (probably Tiger Beat) durning that time had a "Win a Date with Carmine Contest". But I digress.....Carmine put on a great class, he liked my drums and cymbals, especially the 22" Prototype Sabian Ride Cymbal, which I believe is a hybrid of AAX and HHX. Made me miss playing on them.

MY GIRLFRIENDS

2010-06-13T00:39:00.000-07:00

You caress them. You hold them. You clean them in the hard to reach places. You tell them sweet things like "Let me get dust that out of your crevice". You buff out their hardware. You buy them new things like heads. That's Right! I'm talkin about My DW Drums.
Just finished up polishing up the 14". Now all I have is the 16", 18" & the two 22" kick drums to finish up. A Big Thanks also goes out Dana, John & Cameron of Bentley's Drum Shop.

Maybe next time, I will write a real blog.

CHANGE LOOK

2010-06-12T00:11:00.000-07:00

Once again, blogging. And I decided to change the look of my blog because I was given the opportunity to by Blogger.com. Thank You.
Now, I'm going to criticize.
NONE OF THESE DAMN TEMPLATES ALLOW YOU TO MOVE THE IMAGE OR THE TITLE OR YOUR BLOG TO THE CENTER!!!!!!!!!!!!! AM I MISSING SOMETHING HERE?!?!?!
I use to have a picture of a drum set that looked like mine. Now, I can't adjust it to how I want it to look, so I just deleted it. Isn't technology wonderful?
If anyone from Blogger gets a chance to read this, Please tell the IMBECILES who came up these templates to find a way to allow us, the blogger, to move around image we want on our blogs. Thank You for your time and have a nice day.

I couldn't think of anything else.

FIRST BLOG OF 2010

2010-06-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

My DW Drums are receiving the King's treatment this week. Well actually, ever since they saw the light of day for a special gathering, about two weeks ago, and were ridiculed by a "respected expert" (and deservedly so). I am actually opening, taking apart, cleaning, polishing, checking, and putting back together each one so I can now feel they are like new again. This kit deserves the attention. Hopefully, it will help me out of this rut I'm in and inspire me to do more.
There are five more drums I need to work on, then I will work on the hardware, then cymbals.

MOVIE REVIEW: TRANSFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

2009-12-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Home

I liked it and was fully entertained by this overly cgi less story movie. HOORAY! The plot is simple to follow and the action makes you forget how simple it is. This was typed by a 38 year old who will grow up someday.

Goodbye Gen

2009-03-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here I am on Sunday at my parent's house doin laundry and watchin Todd Sucherman's Methods & Mechanics (For Useful Musical Drumming) DVD. And all of a sudden, I get a phone call on my cell. It's the guitarist of the cover band I play in and he tells me that he and the bass player won't be available to play tonight at a local open mic night because they are to busy with work and getting up early the next morning. Now believe me I understand. This is just a hobby to them.

One phenom guitarist friend of mine, who would like to be a working musician, recently told me he has to get up at four in the morning to get to his job at five and this was after he got off the stage at 11pm.

Now the first situation was an open mic night, the second was an actual gig. We all know which is more important: the gig. But the open mic night was going to be the last night we were going to be playing with a beautiful female lead singer who is heading off to Canada for work in her environmental field. You know hug a tree, blow up a bulldozer kind of thing (only kidding).

All I'm just sayin is, it would've been nice to do this with all of the spotlight on her so we could give her a proper goodbye send off. Thats all I'm sayin.

Plus I need to find more dedicated musicians to play with.

MOVIE REVIEW: WATCHMEN

2009-03-07T10:31:00.001-08:00

Edwards Theater Manchester Center 16 Location on Friday, March 6, 2009 7:30pm Showing

On this day, there was an awesome metal concert, headlined by Soilwork with Darkane, Warbringer and many cool bands I wouldn't mind seeing, down at The Dome in Bakersfield but I forgot all about it because Bakersfield's favorite son was in town, "Justice Man", for a collectible show (Don't worry The Adventures of Justice Man will see the light of day, hopefully more than his legs) and so we decided once again to go see a movie. The film this time was the highly anticipated (not by co-creator and writer Alan Moore, which I might go into later on) WATCHMEN! [Insert picture circle smiley face with a drop of blood on it].

To give you a little background, Watchmen is a comic book 12 issue series written and published in the mid 1980's by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons through DC Comics. When it came out, Watchmen was considered to be the most anti-superhero story at that time. Plus it also dealt with real issues of that time as well: nuclear holocaust, USA vs. Russia, Vietnam War, and President Richard Nixon's nose. But the best part was Alan Moore's interpretation of what a superhero's outside life was like and how they dealt with real life problems. His main goal was to try make these characters real as possible and to put the superhero world on its ear. Basically, a comic book for adults. The books themselves are graphic and so is the movie.

Watchmen is a story that begins with a murder of a retired superhero which is being investigated by Rorschach, well played by Jackie Earle Haley. Of all the characters, Rorschach is the one putting in time and giving merit to this killing because he finds clues along the way that eventually he wishes he didn't find out about. Along the way, Rorschach meets up with the other retired superheroes Dr. Manhatten (Billy Crudup), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), and Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson) to let them know what he has found and what might be coming down the pike. Plus we are introduced to the omnipotent and business minded Ozymandias, played by Mathew Goode. Believe me I would like to give more detail but it would give too much of the movie away. Oh and I can't forget Matt Frewer who plays Moloch the Mystic. I couldn't tell if it was him or not but I hope some of you remember him as "Max Headroom" plus he was on a great television show called "Doctor, Doctor" on CBS that only last three episodes. And can't forget The Comedian, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who this whole thing center on (damn it I gave it away)...but i digress.

All of the actors performances were great especially Jackie Earle Haley; the voice he used was very gritty and the look was like right out of the book. The special effects really helped the story along instead of become the story. And director Zack Snyder (300, Dawn Of The Dead) did a great job getting those performances out of the actors especially when they are talking to a green screen all day. The music in the film really set the tone and brought alive the time periods in the flashback sequences.

Overall, Watchmen is a good to great film best to be seen on the big screen with or without IMAX (if I go see it again that will be the way to go). BUT!!!!!!! It is Rated R, not for kids, HOORAY for the adults just like Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbons' book. By the way, Dave Gibbons, the artist for Watchmen the comic book, really liked how it came out, but Alan Moore didn't or he can almost live with it. Note to Alan: Get over yourself and be happy that people still care about your stories no matter how dated they might be. You should've had more creative control over these projects, instead of having DC Comics publish it. Maybe next time publish them all yourself or get a lawyer or get a better lawyer.

LAST NOTE ON WATCHMEN: For me, there were too many Dirk Diggler/Dewey Cox scenes. The ladies will love it. Happy Valentine's Day Honey!!!!

MOVIE REVIEW: UNDERWORLD - RISE OF THE LYCANS

2009-02-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

Edwards Theatre Manchester Center Location on Saturday, February 7,2009 7:30pm Showing

It was a dark and overcast night. The moisture and cold were dominating the air when we got our tickets at the movie theater. You thought I meant the movie, no silly. We, a friend of mine we will call "Justice Man" (We'll get into that story another time) and me, just arrived from a nice dinner of fish tacos and decided to see a movie of his choosing being the prequel in the Underworld movie storyline called Rise Of The Lycans.

This is the third movie to come from a story developed by Kate Beckinsale's husband, Les Wiseman. The first two films, Underworld and Underworld: Evolution, were directed by Wiseman, but the prequel was directed by Patrick Tatopoulos, who supervised over creature designs of the first two films.

The movie begins where Victor the Head Death Dealer or Vampire, played by Bill Nighy, spares the life of a baby crossbreed of warewolf (lycan) and human he named Lucian. As he gets older, Lucian, played by Michael Sheen, starts to realize his place in Victor's matriarch world while falls in love with Victor's daughter, Sonja, played by Rhona Mitra. The movie goes at a good pace by keeping a very good timeline and staying true to the story which gives credit to Tatopoulos directing skills and leads us to the first Underworld movie. The look of the film also stays true to the first two thanks to Tatopoulos which made me think while watching it when is the black metal band Dimmu Borgir going to pop out and play one of their songs praising satan. Not a great thought but that was all I could think about while watching it.

Overall, I enjoyed the film and wouldn't mind seeing the first two over again. Plus the Underworld series of movies are not like the typical horror films genre. You get to see more story than gore and reasons why certain actions happen. Its more like an action/horror film, not pop out and scare you every single blasted minute (which I personally hate). Go and see it without the kids. AND!!!!!!! TURN OFF OR PUT ON SILENT YOUR CELL PHONE!

A Change

2009-02-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

Since I have nothing better to do than to play with my blog, I decided put a picture of my favorite drums, DW Drums, in my title heading. Plus I made an addition to the title in case you don't notice. But I will change that picture to a good photo of my actual drumset made by DW Drums plus Sabian Cymbals, Ziljdian Hi-Hats, Evans Drum Heads, and Vater Stick Holders. Let me know what you think but then I don't care....ok I do.

Hey Look From My Head: Finding Ways To Waste My Time.

Practice Makes Perfect...Random Thoughts

2009-01-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

I am panicing. What about? My future. Right now, I don't have a job or career. No money is coming in and pills are coming. I meant bills are coming but they are pills. The economy as a whole has stopped. Everyone needs to re-evaluate the sitution and then put it in the right course. But who are those people? The government? The same government, at all three levels, we hire as voters to do our, YES OUR, biding? And yet, screw it up everytime? Too many people have their hands out for our money. And its mostly the government's hands reached out because we gave them too much power. Then we have lobbiest who cater to our, YES OUR, elected (HIRED) officials so they can ease whatever they are promoting or trying to stop from happening. I wouldn't doubt there are some noble causes but lobbiest find a way to screw it up for the rest of us somehow. And oh by the way...they are voters too. SO HEY!!! We are screwing ourselves. Isn't that grand?

I was told by a good friend of mine to try to write something everyday to get a hang of this blog. Mine is called From My Head. Quaint isn't it? I like it. Words pop into my head and I try to put them in this blog with my fingers (sometimes working) and a keyboard (hooked up into the computer). So far, in my opinion, I'm not really good at this.....YET. But I plan to work on it. Get to the computer as much as possible. I like to thank her...she knows who she is. I guess right now I'm in random thought mode. Whatever pops in my head, my fingers put it in the blog. Dogs are barking because they are lonely. They miss Mommy and Daddy. But I'm here.

You know who's really good at this, is a comic book writer and novelist named Peter David (while I chew on a finger nail). I discovered him through an aquaintance who recommended me to read the Incredible Hulk issue #416 (i think). The writing was very witty and funny; the Incredible Hulk as a character wasn't the usual monster. He was intelligent and funny, not "HULK SMASH!". It was fun to read. Then I found he wrote a Star Trek: The Next Generation novel called "Q-Squared". Peter's story should've been a movie; it was action packed and a very entertaining story. I wish I could into more detail about it but I read it so long ago. But here is my point: Peter David wrote a column, for the weekly publication Comic Buyers Guide, called "But I Digress....". It's a hotch, potch article of all of his dealings with, from writing comic books, novels, movies he's seen or pitched ideas for, television shows watched, and things going on in his personal life that he would allow. But he really used that column to answer his critics and bash them a good one. Plus to really give his view of the comic book industry as a whole. In my opinion, is a dying art. THANK YOU INTERNET!!!! WHO WANTS TO READ ON PAPER?!?!?!?!?! I do believe comic books will survive but not like before.

The same goes for the economy. Hey another random thought. This feels like I'm conversing with the computer. Yes, the computer, my friend. It warms me with the glow of the monitor.......but I digress........

Maybe I should do some research and type up a cool article about something none of you want to know. Like the adverse affects of chewing one's own finger nails. For some reason, the voice of Sheldon has popped into my head. He is a character, played by Jim Parsons, on the CBS television show "The Big Bang Theory". "The Big Bang Theory" is a great little half-hour show about how physicists, well ok nerds, deal in the real world. Watch it and you'll see what I mean. It is the only television show I will stop whatever I'm doing to go watch. Monday nights at 8 o'clock. I hope Jim Parsons doesn't get type casted because he plays "Sheldon" too well. (At this time I got distracted by youtube.com looking for something. Ok I'm done) I'm looking for a video of actor John Lithgow doing his acceptance speech when he won an Emmy. But I think he said this when he ended it "God Bless Television!". And so I will end this. If anyone wants to correct me on this John Lithgow quote please do so by leaving a comment. I tried to find the video on youtube.com by looking up "Third Rock From The Sun" videos but I had no luck. Until next time....but I digress.....

Hey Look From My Head: Thoughts of the Unemployed Man-boy.

If I Only Had A Brain

2009-01-29T19:37:00.000-08:00

This is only a test because to do this blog thing and attach it to Twitter and Facebook and whatever other technological feed I can torment with my bull.

Remembering A Good Day

2009-01-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a good day. And physically tiring mostly because I'm me like I put in the profile. But what I did was all worth it. I went to NAMM (National Association of Musical Merchandisers) Convention in Anaheim, California. This event for days long, starting on Thursday and ending late Sunday night. Of course, the best time for me to go is on Sunday because thats when a big group of us can go. And that group was three: Me, UFC Boy, & Man's Man. I really do wish a bigger group of us would go but they do have lives and well...I don't...but I digress (homage to Peter David)....

The driving was ok but crazy at times because I rented what I would consider a small car (I'm cheap) and traveling through "The Grapevine" can be a pain. Then there is actually being in LA. I-5 wasn't too bad at the time but we did vered off in the wrong direction away from the I-5. Yet we percivered and made it to our destination.

We were there for almost seven hours, looking at all the cool new things coming out. But my deal was the people I could meet like my musical heroes and musicians I currently respect and listen to. Met a lot of cool people and once again I realized I need a digital camera; my phone doesn't cut it. List of people I met: Gene Hoglan (drummer, Metalocalypse: Dethklok, Mechanism, Opeth, Testament, Dark Angel), Stanton Moore (drummer, Galatic, Corrosion of Conformity), Jean-François Dagenais (guitarist) & Stéphane Barbe (bassist) of the Canadian Death Metal Band KATAKLYSM!!! (it was really cool meeting them, being a metal geek), Ray Luzier (drummer, Korn, Army of Anyone), Johnny Rabb (drummer, Independant, U.S.S.A.). Meeting these people and getting to talk to them made all the difference. My feet didn't hurt, my abs didn't feel like cramping, my knees didn't swell up, so on and so forth. Man I'm getting old OR I need to really workout harder and eat smarter. Yes, this day was a good day. Politics suck.

The drive back you ask, well it was a little crazy because it was me behind the wheel with my eyes closed. But UFC Boy kept me in check and we made it home. Oh....we had a great dinner at the Carrows Kitchen in Bakersfield. Try the Mile High Roast Beef Sandwich; delicious. And the waitresses were cute and nice too.

Hey Look From My Head: My 2009 NAMM Experience.

Here is why I shouldn't have a blog

2009-01-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

"I AM.....SMELLIN' LIKE A ROSE THAT SOMEBODY GAVE ME ON MY BIRTHDAY DEATH BED" That's why. Because I would copy from Scott Weiland and he is a MORON!!!!!

Hey Look From My Head: I drew a blank.

Mitch Mitchell July 9,1947 - November 12,2008

2008-11-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

Mitch Mitchell was the last surviving member of the phenomenal '60's rock band The Jimi Hendrix Experience. He was a jazz drummer when the Jimi recruited him into the band so he brought in alot of those jazz chops that you hear on those great songs. If there was a drummer I want to play like it would be him. Mitch brought with him the best of both worlds into those songs.

The only difference between my drumming and Mitch Mitchell's drumming is the time spent on the kit. I really do consider him an inspiration. He switched to DW Drums before his passing which to me makes him even more special as did the late great Randy Castillo, who really inspired me to play DW Drums.

To whoever reads this, grab those vinyl records, cassettes, cd's, and yes now mp3 players And sink in The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Michael Nessmith and Peter Tork knew what they were talking about.

Hey Look From My Head: Remembering My Musical Greats

The Day After...

2008-11-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Still the same. Still Haven't What I'm Looking For (U2 for some of you youngins out there).

Maybe one day I will take the time to list all of the positive things going on in my life. And I will do it on here. Wouldn't that be cool? MORON!!!!! No wait-a-minute!! I think I will do that.

Hey look From My Head, Obnoxousness and Positive Thinking. BAH-HUMBUG!!!!

My Birthday

2008-11-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

The day was November 8, 1971. I was born. The End.

Depressing isn't it. Some days, I wish I could turn back the hands of time and stop that faithful day or nine months prior convince these two people (my now parents) to stop doing this gross horizontal mambo they were about to do. Why I bring this up? Because My Life SUCKS right now and I haven't found a way to get it to stop sucking.

Maybe it's because I'm not inspired anymore. Or I haven't found the positive things going on in my life.

Hey look From My Head Its Whinning. Richard Lewis would be proud.

Here We Go.....!

2008-11-06T17:27:00.001-08:00

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