Got a project done!
I've been wanting to straighten out the garage, especially since we have so many bins of things that have items that we haven't touched since we packed it. The bins were just chillin on the side, inside the garage, stacked to kingdom come. I went to Costco and they were selling those ceiling racks, picked up three of them, took them home and then got to work. Unfortunately, if took me partly two days. The toughest part was having to screw the anchors into the studs. The screws were three inches long and I could only get them screwed in half way with the drill. That meant having to use a ratchet to do the rest. So that's three racks, twelve anchors, with two screws for each anchors. My arms were dead tired. After completing all three racks I then lifted the bins up to the racks. I made sure to go through the bins and then label them as well. I labeled some bins "kalat" since really, that's what they were. I then went through the rest of the items in the garage, swept the floors, vacuumed the carpet I laid out for our little workout area, and threw away all of the new junk I created. The garage looks great and I can actually have legitimate garage parties in it like back in the old days. I have another project that I'll start tomorrow, wish me luck. This is inside the house so I think I'll have a little easier time.
Congrats to Likha
We just had a huge weekend with the dance troupe and I have to say I was very surprised at how well the show went. It really didn't look too promising after friday's dress rehearsal and since we were dancing with the Bayanihan USA Alumni things could have gone really south for Likha. Let me just lay this out for you.
The show was a tribute to the four national artist for dance of the Philippines. This was not the way to honor them when every dance had issues.
With the Bayanihan Alumni performing with us, the difference could have been night and day, especially since we're sharing the same stage. You can really embarrass yourself out there, not to mention all of Likha.
After all of the hoopla about touring in Europe and having success out there, if we couldn't pull it off in front of our own audience, what worth do we really have in our own community. It reminds me of Michael Jackson now, how he is ignored her in the US but loved all over the rest of the world.
Our dance director, Rudi, had a lot on the line for this show as well. He was on stage, directing his old friends, as well as putting his own group, almost in comparison with them. Was the torch ready to be passed to us?
After all of the build-up, both shows were amazing. It really was the difference between night and day, friday to saturday. Dancers hit their marks, musicians hit their notes, the lighting was magnificent and the crowd was into the whole thing. After friday's practice, your first feeling is that we dodged a huge bullet. But when you look at the big picture, after everything Likha has gone through this past year, I feel like we had our cake and ate it too. We seized the opportunity, made the big shot, hit the big home run, scored the winning touchdown. That is the way to finish the season and I am proud to have been a part of it. And yes, I would have loved to have been on the stage with them instead of with the tech crew, a part of my own torch has been passed to the newer generation of Likha. I'll be back next year, but it's going to definitely be on the stage, with a rejuvination and a desire to continue to keep Likha at the top of our game, and still continuing it's mission.
Real quick, it was great to see all of the "oldies" in the audience (especially you, Rpaul! We miss you!) For those of you that plan on coming back, it can feel weird at that first rehearsal, but it's really like riding a bike, you never forget. Also, next year is our 15th year anniversary, pretty amazing! Oh yeah, and if you were at the show and from another troupe, now you know why people come to see us...
Ramblings of an out of work dj/techie
The job search is going. It's hard when you weigh what you get from unemployment checks compared to what's out there. All the money I'd spend on traveling to work would almost come out in the wash compared to just staying home.
I'm getting more phone calls for gigs out of the Napa area. I put an add in the Smart Yellow pages and although most people will call just to get a quote they always seem pleasantly surprised at the price. But I know that region can afford a little more than the usual.
Sometimes it's hard to get out of bed. I have all the premium channels on cable and there's always something on. I just saw/heard a line that always makes me laugh. "They're always after me lucky charms..." Anyone?
Damn, gas is expensive. Since we don't have the Matrix right now, we're having to fill up a little more often with a much larger tank. I'm still looking at the Fit although I'm seeing the Yaris may be a little less expensive. Even the Corolla which gets great gas mileage is around the same price as the Fit but a little bigger.
My Mac has become a really good friend of mine. I leave it on, checking mail, reading articles, doing research. I think I'll rarely touch a PC from here on out except for work purposes. At least, when I start work again.
I setup my turntables and CDJs in the garage so whoever wants to come by and spin Serato, CDs, or even real vinyl come on by. Next sunday, Sept 3, we're having a party for Likha. I think I'm going to setup the garage like an old school garage party. Time to get hyphy...
It's good to see the wife moving about a little better. It was painful to see her struggle here and there. Now you know why they ask you "... in sickness and in health..."
The days just roll on by...
Since my last post I've been busy with a couple things. Namely, I had a big gig on saturday with a lot of high expectations. Also, we've got just one week till the big show for Likha and I've got things to do there also. Friday, I went back to Akita's in Walnut Creek for the wedding rehearsal dinner. I ate and ate and ate. I met a lot of nice people as well as met people who were acquaintances of other friends. It's always a small world with weddings. I also picked up a couple new pieces of equipment. I got two new lights that really give off a "club feel". They're solidly made, heavy but not too expensive since I got them used. I also got a pair of Pioneer CDJ-1000s with cases. I really couldn't pass that up since they are the industry standard. And although I really like the Denon decks that we have I'll be able to do more promotional and pro audio gigs for other types of events like battles or showcases. At the wedding in beautiful San Ramon, I met more and more people since I was the main emcee. There was a really good vibe but it was a little intimidating knowing that you're around people who were: Berkeley or UC Davis grads, lawyers, doctors and the like. I even met someone who is going to clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stevens in D.C. Really nice guy too, top of his class at Boalt Law school.
This week I'm busy getting tech stuff ready for our show on saturday. Since I'm not working and am pretty much available whenever needed, I've put myself out there to get things taken care of. There's also a party at Zebulon on saturday for a friend who is being deputized. We're spinning that night so I'll be shooting over there after the show. Come by and have a drink or three.
All by myself...
So here I am at home, by myself as the rest of the family is off to CCC. I've been multi-tasking, cleaning the house, checking email, watching different tv shows (the Giants had a day game and won!). I want to make sure our house is clean for when we have our Likha party on Sept 3. We're going to make a couple changes to the house which I think will make the house roomier as well. Still, there's a ton of work to be done. If anyone needs a couch and a matching love seat, it's all yours. Also, although Nala, our pet hamster, has left us, her presence is still felt. While cleaning behind the couch, I saw some "treats" as well as torn-up carpet. If and when we change the carpets, it might have to be hardwood floors instead.
Dog Days of Summer
I'm counting the days until the boys start school again. Not that I don't want to spend time with them but when they're home I can barely get anything done. I just want to sit there and watch them play, make them something to eat or put on a dvd and watch with them. I'm hoping to do some serious job searching, finish my house projects and even find time to start a workout. I've been half-heartedly looking for work, sending my resumes here and there but I do believe it's not what you know but who you know. I still have an iching to try something completely new but it's going to take a whole-hearted commitment if I go that route. So these are my dog days of summer where I'm slogging along, looking for something new to shake up the norm. I sense that I myself will need to do the shaking up. I know for sure though that I will miss them once they do start school which is just this thursday.
Happy Birthday to me...
I usually don't make a big fuss about my birthdays when they come around. After I turned 25 the years just seemed to pile on and on. Now that I've reached 36, yes 36, I look back and see all the people who kept me on the right track. Not to say that I've done everything in life the right way, but let's just say they've guided me through the path that doesn't lead to being in jail. Because after all is said and done, you just want to make sure you don't end up there. I think for the ladies, you just don't want to end up on the stripper pole. Make sense? I didn't think so, but if you know me you know where I'm coming from. Not to say that all strippers are jacked up, but I'm sure the majority of them would rather be somewhere that doesn't involve trying to get me to put dollars in their thongs. Anyways, thanks to all of you who came to eat with us at Fuddrucker's. Thank you also to those who wished me happy birthday as well. One of my favorite places because of the easy menu it offers, I had to get my rib-eye steak sandwich. I was also treated to an amazing sundae with coffee ice cream (thanks Bryan and Manok!)
Now that I have kids of my own I just want to share this one birthday memory of mine when I was young. For Christmas when I was 10 my parents bought me an awesome ten-speed bike and I rode that thing all over Vallejo. When my birthday came around I bragged to all my friends that I was going to have a party at Chuck Cheese. I would have been the first of my buddies to do that. We used to go to Round Table pizza just to play video games and right before my birthday I when their and left my bike there without locking it up. You know where I'm going with this so to make a long story short, the bike got stolen, my parents were pissed, they cancelled my party and a couple of weeks later my other buddy had his party at Chucky Cheese. The birthday party that wasn't has stuck with me so much that I can remember vividly the day my bike was stolen. Hopefully, Andres and Emilio will be smarter than their daddy was, or wasn't for that matter.
Keeping busy
I took the wife and kids to Q-Cup out in Sac thursday so that they could try out their crepes filled with ice cream. We also tried their chow-fun which was delicious. Q-cup has a ton of different dishes for the empty stomach and the sweet tooth. They also have wireless internet which I used to buy 2 tickets for a show in Reno this saturday. We're going to watch Wayne Brady. Should be a good time, plus we'll be in Reno while I'm turning 36. Maybe I'll try my luck on the "Wheel of Fortune" slot machine or at the craps table. I'm doing a gig friday for a 21st b-day in Benicia. It's gonna be a white chick party so I'm putting together some white chick music. If you have any suggestions on what I should play, let me know. I also met with a couple whose wedding I'll be deejaying on the 19th. Their reception is in San Ramon at a beautiful golf course. They really keep stroking my ego saying really nice things about what they've heard about our skills. They even fed my stomach with some good Japanese all-you-can-eat in Walnut Creek. I know I've got my work cut out for me with all of the things they'd like done that night. Oh yeah, did you know that Lionel Richie has a song out? Apparently he signed with P Diddy and Bad Boy. It sounds like a punch line, I know, but the song I've heard is pretty cool, "I Call It Love". Check it out if you haven't heard it yet.
Cars
So if you haven't read or heard, the wife was in an accident last thursday which threw this family for a loop for a couple days. It's a blessing that it was not as bad as it could have been. The after-effects will be felt for awhile. The Matrix looked pretty bad but after sending it to the shop, they feel they can fix it and maybe even make some minor improvements. We're going to look for another car as well since she's too afraid to drive it again. Also, we're probably going to have to wait 3 weeks till we get it back. We have the van to use but it was having an electrical problem. The lights inside and the parking lights were not working so we're in the dark after dusk. The problem stems from our previous radio problem. The boys, specifically Mio, were putting coins, poker chips, and whatever fits in there, inside the CD slot. I sent it to Honda of Vacaville and they fixed the problem. I just got my front brake pads changed as well but by someone else. I hate car issues. It's sad because it can really bring you down to your knees with the amount of money you may end up spending. Luckily, the Matrix is covered by insurance but the van's warranty is up. I'll be in the market for a new radio for the van. I'm thinking of getting some kind of dvd player for the van but only if I get a deal of a lifetime.
The Beat Was Brought
We did a gig in Napa last night. They found us in the phone book from an ad that I had purchased specifically for Napa. Let's face it, there's money to be found in them their grapes. We need to spread out to different clientele and it seems to be working. The wedding we did was at a restaurant called Bay Leaf Restaurant. It was really nice, less than 100 peeps, really intimate and slightly outdoors with a tent overhead. We actually didn't have to do much work. There was no money dance, no special performances, no slide show. It was just dinner, speeches, cake cutting and party. If they could all be that easy. When we started the dancing it was really basic: the Celebration mix, Come on Eileen, Jump by Van Halen, Abba's Dancing Queen... I'm looking forward to more gigs like this although the one drawback is the limited old school hip hop that is requested. We've got some bigger gigs coming up soon that will call for it so I'll be prepared for. Until then I'll just be practicing my hyphy mixes...
Go Giants!
I went to the baseball game today to see the Giants play the Nationals and end their NINE GAME LOSING STREAK!!!! Geez, that would be like going on tour and crapping out on every dance every night you performed. Also, it would be like playing nine songs in a row and everyone just sitting down and not dancing. I brought the boys and my firefighter buddy met us out there since he put out the invite. One suggestion, bring lots of cash. It cost 25 bucks to park and I bought scalped tickets for the boys, 2 for $20. Generously, my buddy gave me his extra ticket and he also paid for all of our lunches. We both got the pulled-pork plate and the boys got hot dogs. We walked around the yard, checking the sites so that the boys could get a feel for what goes on around the baseball park. Every little souvenier Andres saw he wanted. I ended up buying both of them Lou Seal stuffed animals made by "Build-A-Bear". We watched some of the game and saw back-to-back home runs and when the game seemed in hand we left. The boys were getting a little tired. All in all, great weather, a nice breeze with the sunshine.
Old School buddies
An old friend from high school (actually, even grammar school) came by the other day and hung out with us on Sunday and even most of Monday. He came down to get some music and just shoot the breeze. It's been awhile since he'd seen the house, from the day we moved in, and it was a chance to take advantage of his firefighter's schedule of one day on, three days off. I need that schedule too! It's a big lifestyle change to pursuit firefighting, even just to train as one. Anyways, it was good to see him and shoot the breeze and catch up on life in general. Although you'd like to be able to speak with someone that you're close to more often, the catch up time is really nice because there are so many things to talk about and even rehash. I'm blessed to have so many friends because they aren't just acquaintances. These are people that as soon as the conversation starts it's almost as if you've just seen them the other day and you haven't skipped a beat. I've really held my old school buddies close to my heart as well because they were like brothers that I didn't have, growing up as an only child. So here's to you, Old School Buddies, wherever you may be...
