Weakends of Summer

This summer flew by. In fact, fall too. While there have certainly been busy moments, there haven’t been enough to warrant breaking a goal of one post (minimum) per blog per month. It’s just staying on top of it. Motivation, spark, whatever you want to call it, we need more of it. Not just for small readership blogs, but to truly be happy with everything around. This person kinda does that pretty well. Even just by his name, No Matter Whatness. It’s hard to run past that tag and feel less inspired. Run more. Hike. Learn about this city. Play music. See the stars.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of instinctual laziness Instagram, it’s been difficult to discern which pictures should be saved for the blog or which should be uploaded almost as soon as they’re taken, to be shared with the world. No, I’m not private. @alexandercandia.

But there are a couple keepers. This will be a pretty thorough rundown, through pictures, of the summer that was 2013. Next step… Real camera…

 

Hanni El Khatib

World’s smallest backyard

At least you got that…

La Taqueria in Mission, SF

Chicago Strong, London Song

Rocks in a field

Rockin’ a field

Limited edition, as in, I don’t have one and I want

Every couple years I get the chance to see Trent. I cherish these.

Spent 10 years pining for this. Worth it.

30 years of hits

FRAN-CIS!

Dog in Grass Skirt Alert

New Music from The Dead Ships soon

We will return and the patina will be further

JMT/KU4

Don’t fear the Japanese, It’s Mongolians that do the damage…

Katie Hampton… In her little lullaby…

Remember this and you can’t lose

Watts goin’ on

The worst feeling is missing 2 minutes, sprinting to the bathroom, during the series finale of Breaking Bad with the cast in a cemetery

fall from the sky 18K feet high

Michelle’s great aunt’s waterfall in Big Sur

Serious piece of work

Sidesmile, Legohead, Biggrin

Now we’re pretty much up to speed. Check out the other blogs in the next few days for more updates and pics.

Oh and thanks, Chase.

Permanent Escrow

Being in a 30-day escrow is a lot like being on a waterslide that has dry spots. You’re flying down the shoot in the beginning, probably too fast for the 3ft drop zone at the bottom. Then you hit the dry spot and completely stop. You can’t really climb back to the top. Well, you could try and succeed but it’d be a giant pain in the ass. So you gimp along waiting for some more water. You start moving again and then right as you seen the splash pool, it drys up and you have to walk down the rest of the way and plop into the water. This is all simply because no one told you about those parts. They just told you there was a waterslide.

Glad it’s all happening now when I’m young and full of piss and vinegar instead of old and still full of that same piss and vinegar. There’s a whole lot to look forward to next year so here’s a small list:

• New Dead Ships
• New Local Natives
• New home
• First half marathon
• New AMC Tv
• Lollapalooza

As usual, here’s some pictures to end off the year.

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Thankstaking

As I learn to take what I believe to be subtly sarcastic remarks made to spark my real creativity/smarts/ingenuity compliments, and seriously, I’m working on it, I always try to remain thankful. I look very forward to my annual list of thankfulness. There’s a lot.

As Israel and Gaza try to blow each other up, think of what it would be like to run the entIre boarder of the Gaza Strip or kiteboard the Dead Sea. Both things many people will never accomplish. But maybe one day the next generation might be able to succeed in peace and awesomeness. We could be that generation.

Joined Instagram and Twitter to join the conversation of stream of conscious that lives on in perpetuity or at least until the server space runs out. I’ll continue posting here, of course, but with more editorial leisure. Probably a bit more quality too.

Here are a few pictures.

Reedus not into temptation

A few back I had the chance to shoot an interview with Norman Reedus. Really nice guy. Like guy that lives 2 doors over and waves when you drive by and has a beer on the steps with you.

Just after the last post, I actually went to the tribute show for Sir Paul McCartney. It was unreal. Walking in behind David Crosby. Hearing Dave Grohl chat people up. Seeing Elvis Costello eat cherry candy pinwheels. Oh, and checking out my girlfriend on the same stage as all these folks. Pretty neat.

New pho place opened down the street. I could actually skateboard right into it if I wanted to. Down a mega-hill that 2 major bus lines(4/704) go through. I know because I almost hit one of them… But it’s really good pho and a great lounge vibe.

Wanted to see it when it came out but didn’t get the chance until recently. Beginners is another wonderful Focus Feature where you know people cannot actually do these things in this reality but you sometimes slip into thinking that it just might be possible. Plus it has the Oscar winning performance of Christopher Plummer and another stellar actor Ewan McGregor.

Also finished my first triathlon. It went well. I did better than expected but left PLENTY of room for improvement. Swims and transitions will be a bit smoother next time. 1:39:17.

Speaking of firsts, we went skeet shooting and discovered a whole new way to have a great time blowing money. Great way to spend a Saturday morning; Shooting at clay targets with shotguns.

Saw the end of an era at Sushi Nozawa. The Sushi Nazi is finished.

Vegas, Oscars, Mt. Whitney, Philippe’s, Vivian wake-up calls in Oakland,Underground Rebel Bingo Club, Levitated Mass, Comedian art show, Monte Mar… and plenty more that I could mention but just don’t have enough time for… So here’s some pix instead.

Wanna see Flea, come by me

Over the past 8 years I’ve had sort of a spirit animal that I see from time to time.

I was not born on third and thought I hit a triple. I’ve spent the majority of my life living in the suburbs. But my parents gave me some great batting gloves and some good advice: Work hard, take chances and aim for the fences. Which brings me to my first notion.

I moved to CA without knowing a soul out here and made the best of it. That was the chance I took. I worked hard to afford a modest place in Silverlake. That was the effort I put in. And my reward is being able to walk, bike and metro my way around LA. So in all of those great adventures, I always see my spirit animal.

My spirit animal isn’t a coyote, snake or California condor. It’s a flea. Or rather, it is Flea. I see him everywhere I go. When I surf (same break I surf), at the Dodger game, in Silverlake(mere blocks from his music conservatory), riding his motorcycle(same bike I’ve been eyeing for years), etc.

So I’m stoked knowing that an international rock star and I have so much in common. It also inspires me to work harder, which means more rewards and better life.

So thanks, Mike. Thanks for being around.

I change shapes just hide in this place.

Well it’s been an eventful year, that’s for damn sure. Trying to get organized and regularly blog was the intention. Looks like that good intention will continue in the new year.

And now I’ll have 3 times the responsibility. here and here too. Not to mention the tumblr. Crap I set high expectations…

One Year(ish) Later

Here’s a little something for your viewing pleasure… It’s been my pleasure to continue to make these little reminders of all of the fun things I get to do.

 

repulsively impulsive

Groupon is the new online shopping. Everybody knows this. $15 for $30. $100 for $396 value. It has sucked my life in for the past 2 months. I am rather frustrated because I don’t really have much of a savings or retirement plan the proud owner of a guitar set-up, SCUBA lessons, heart rate monitor, etc. etc.

Maybe someday when I impulsively read a book about money I’ll immediately impulsively start saving it. Or instead, I’ll impulsively go to Bali (Now that I can SCUBA dive, of course)

Just impulsively downed a beer. It’s a weekday. I have work tomorrow. I don’t even (gasp) like IPAs that much.

I love speaking Spanish. I love bouncy balls. What I am not so fond of are hispanic eleven year old girls that weigh as much or more than me overweight girls who throw bouncy balls everywhere in a laundromat inches from a poor guy’s face, just trying to read a book. Her advantage was that her father looked like Tobias Fünke. Him or Ghandi.

2 beers. Who knows? Maybe I was thirsty.

The positive side of all this impulsiveness is that I tend to take a lot of pictures and videos. Sometimes I even post those pictures and videos. Sometimes I even get so impulsive that I buy a domain name and start a tumblr and try to self-publish those things. That lasts about 25 minutes and then I realize I’m late for work or something in the kitchen/bathroom/bedroom/window is beckoning me. Then I’m lost. Completely derailed from my train of thought. Completely led askew from my visions of grandeur.

But then.

For a brief, fleeting moment, I decide. I’ll push through. I’ll post those pictures. I’ll write a few sentences. I’ll put those videos on my computer and create folders to store them in.

That moment…

…Just happened.

Three beers.

Never thought I’d say this before but my printer makes an excellent coaster.

This is the IFB Circuit…

Last week I got a lot of music in.

Some really good improv jazz at Kneebody. The Blue Whale is an excellent venue as well. Top left corner, in case you were searching for it.

A sweet little start up called Montë Mar. Good mix of California/Phoenix(band)/Two Door Cinema Club/Local Natives sound. I know the guy who engineered their EP, so he let me in on this secret.

And always a classic, Steel Panther. They have a new song, 17 Girls in a Row. They also had Corey Feldman on stage. Things got a bit touchy when they started in on some MJ jokes. “You know, someone died recently…” Feldman said, agitated and shrinking.

Be on the lookout for a new video and a tumblr called Normal Burns; a photoessay dedicated to Normal Avenue and Burns Avenue and the junk left on both streets.

a few bucks later, it was mine

So I officially purchased boycaughtlove.com.

I don’t think I’ve had a better week in a long time. Jalama, running, guitar, domains… Way too much fun.

Not sure if I’m going to register a bowl ethereal yet, but I think it has the potential of a Japanese jockey.

Gonna revive this blog. You. Just. Watch.

Getting pretty stoked for the Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park again this year. Last year was a blast. And there was a magician in a strait jacket with an astronaut helmet on stilts. Yeah, pretty mindblowing.

GO SEE JOHN LEGUIZAMO. I don’t think I could have any other better advice for anyone. Got the blues? Go see Johnny Legs. Out of work? Go see Johnny Legs. Got terminal cancer? Go see Johnny Legs. If you absolutely love theater and broadway, don’t see this. If you can’t stand theater and consider broadway when you take the long route and ask for directions just another street, go see this.

Getting it together. One post at a time.