Voices From The Street

It's been a while since I've read a new Philip K. Dick novel. I guess the only things that have been holding me back is the fact that A) I've read about 85% of his books already, and B) I prefer to read his books in their vintage form (with the super bugged out sci-fi covers), so those can be kind of pricey and hard to track down. I actually bought Voices From The Street when it first came out about a year ago, but was a bit hesitant to read it since it wasn't sci if. I guess I was worried that my opinion of my favorite author might be tarnished if I read a sub-par work in a genre that isn't his forte. So far I love the book. I guess it all depends on the way that an author writes. It seems that whatever genre Philip K. Dick writes in he still incorporates the vivid descriptions of people (low lifes, or borderline schizos mainly) and places that make his books so enjoyable and thought provoking. Although this book doesn't have any weird mind readers, time traveling scenarios, androids, or alien life forms in it, its still pretty darn good.
Best Author Ever

Wembley Is One Lucky Pooch

So after one of the worst weekends my fiancee and I have experienced in a long long time, we got some great news. Wembley went to a followup visit at his regular veterinarian's office, they looked over his X-Rays, examined him and determined that he should heal even quicker than we expected, and should make a full recovery. He was however EXTREMELY fortunate on all of his broken bones. If the breaks in his pelvis would have been a bit higher... SURGERY. If the break in his hip/ leg would have been in the joint... SURGERY. If he would have needed surgery we would have been in the hole for 5 grand MINIMUM! Dang that would have been rough, but we would have had no other option. So I guess the moral of the story is that every black cloud does have a silver lining. Despite all the bad things that happened in the last 2 days, everything worked out unbelievably well, and Wembley should be as good as new in no time at all. Also thank goodness that my Dad is retired and that my Mom only works a couple of days a week, they are going to help out as much as possible in watching Wembley during the day time while we are at work, and for that we are extremely grateful. THANKS DAD & MOM!!!
Da Pea In His Basket Resting

One Of The Worst Weekends Ever

After a day of torturous waiting we finally got the results back on Wembley's X-Rays. Thank God we got THE BEST possible news back from the specialist. Although Wembley does have some broken bones, he will not need surgery! Unfortunately, he will still be confined to his bed/ carrier for the next 8-12 weeks while he heals up. The doctor said he is supposed to make a full recovery, which we are so thankful for. Wembley is a little trooper though, and is showing a lot of spirit being in the worst pain he has ever been in. He still barks when he hears noises outside our place, and is as "lickey" and playful as ever despite being severely hobbled at the moment. GOOD BOY WEMBLEY!!! We love you!
Wembley In Much Better Spirits With His Alfalfa Cowlick

:(

Our beloved dog Wembley got in a horrible accident today. So far he has been diagnosed with a fractured pelvis, hip, and possibly a broken leg... We are hoping for the best.
Wembley In The Doctors Office

PBR + Biking = A Great Combo

No I don't mean drinking and biking! I mean bikes that are covered in your favorite beer's logo. So here's the scoop, for about $1200 you can get your very own limited edition Pabst Blue Ribbon/ Traitor fixed gear bike. There are only 75 of them in existence so act now if you want to get one!
Hey What Are Those Designs On The White Paint?
PBR!?!?! Freakin' Awesome!

Skate 2

A buddy of mine at work has an insane hook up on video games. I don't know how he does it but he can get brand new games for less than half price! I think I'm going to have to use his services more often...
I Got This Brand New For Only $17!!!

Austin Here We Come

We just got an insane deal on tickets to fly out to Austin and visit our good friend Winchell Manson. This is going to be one super fun trip!
Meet Ghallager's Number one Fan... Winchell Manson

Timeless 4 of 4 - CANCELLED!

I was super bummed this morning when I got an email notifying me that the grand finale Timeless show had been cancelled. Out of all the concerts, this was BY FAR, the one I was looking forward to THE MOST. It would have been the first live show by David Axelrod in Los Angeles (his home town) EVER, as far as I know, so it's pretty dissapointing to have this series go out on a sour note like this, after the prior 3 shows being simply amazing. Here is what the email said...

A few words from B+...

It is with saddened hearts that we must announce today that Timeless, the extraordinary musical series, has ended without its fourth installment.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the David Axelrod concert scheduled to take place on April 5, 2009 is now canceled. Pre-concert ticket purchasers for the show will be automatically refunded via credit/debit cards. Patrons who purchased tickets at the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex box office should return to the theater for a refund.

On a personal note, I don't really know what to say - my arduous attempts to make this event a reality did not work out as planned. We had luminaries from as far away as Ethiopia and Brazil grace the Timeless stage; and to have to cancel a local legend in the end has been very difficult. Those of you who know me and know my personal relationship to David will know the enormity of my disappointment. Though we are unable to present our series in its entirety, it was still an undeniable success. From the composer-arrangers to our special guests to the incredible orchestra, we made history and breathtaking magic.

I would like to extend our complete gratitude to VTech - more personally Tom Bacon for taking this chance with us and sticking with it. Tom isn't one to want to be in the limelight but I can say that none of this would have been possible without him, his wisdom and patience.

Oh well, what can you do? At least I got to see the other 3 shows!

What A BUMMER!

Back Spasms Strike Again

Of course just as things in the world of sports and physical fitness are going great for me I get struck with a severe case of back spasms! If you've been lucky enough to have them, then I'm sure you know how awful it is!
That's Me RIght Now

Pasadena Marathon Redux 2009

The Starting Line - 5:45am
Me And My RIg
My Lady WIth Her Brand New Bike, Bike Lights, and Jacket
In Front Of Us
Us
In Back Of Us
Action Shot Of My Fiancee
Look Ma No Hands!
Huffin' And Puffin' After Crossing The Finish Line

Summer Road Trip Vacation 2009

For a summer vacation this year, my fiancee and I decided to do a Southwest Road Trip. It will be cheap, fun, and very relaxing to be in such awesome places like The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Moab, Arches National Park, Zion National Park, etc, over the course of 11 days... The pictures below are just a basic outline of where we plan to go. As for what we shall do in each place, that remains to be seen. I imagine a bunch of mind blowing hikes, some scenic bike rides, some amazing sunsets, a day of white water rafting, and consumption of a bunch of low percentage Utah Beer will most likely be on the menu for this trip. Summer can't come soon enough!
Stop 1 - Las Vegas, Nevada
Stop 2 - North Rim Lodge, Grand Canyon, Nevada
Stop 3 - Monument Valley, Arizona/ Utah
Stop 4 - Moab, Utah
Stop 5 - Zion National Park, Utah

La Cabanita

We went to a new Mexican Restaurant tonight after I discovered it on Yelp. The funny thing about it was that La Cabanita was a mere 5 minutes away from where I grew up, and has been there for 20 years, but somehow I never even knew about it. DOH! So anyways to make up for lost time we went there, chowed down, and it was AMAZING! The menu had so much diversity on it, we felt like kids in a candy store. I had heard that the Mole Enchiladas were the bomb, as were the Enchiladas Verde, so I ordered one and my fiancee ordered the other so we could share. I also ordered a Cactus Taco and scarfed that down like I hadn't eaten in years. It was so delicious we probably finished our meals in about 10 minutes and then had some margaritas. A few minutes after that, food coma began to set in so we called it a night and went home.

I Really Need To Finish My Posts On Cancun...

It's been almost 9 months since we went to Cancun and I only have 3 of the 9 days posted so far! In the mean time, enjoy this ridiculous video of me that was taken on the Isla De Mujeres...

Underwater Breakin' from brandN on Vimeo.

Off The Wall

Since I keep on losing this "sacred" card of mine, and then freak out and frantically search my office for it at least a few times a year, I've decided that a scan of it would be perfect since it will survive on the internet forever. Anyways, this is my membership card to the OG Mother Of All Skateparks, The Upland Pipeline. Someday I will get around to digitizing my VHS footage of me skating it back in the day. Until then, this will have to suffice.
Proof That I Rode The Monsterbowl And The Full Pipe

Black Cat Squadron

I've recently re-discovered the fun of scanning things into the computer. I'm not sure why I haven't done this sooner for the blog, but expect more "Blast's From The Past" posts that contain scans of "found" items that I have lying around the house in the near future. First up is a patch my Grandfather gave me a long time ago. This is the patch from his flight jacket from World War 2, and he was a member of the Black Cat Squadron. For those of you who have played Call of Duty 5: World At War, you basically get to play a level as a member of his squad on the PBY Plane mission. Yeah thats the mission where its super hectic and you are fighting Kamikaze Pilots and rescuing fools from the water. Crazy to even think that my Gramps was involved in all that... If Only I Could Get This Logo On Some New Era Caps!

Get Da GU

Just got 3 cases of GU in the mail today. It's official, I am a GU crackhead!
Get Yer Own GU Damnit!

Timeless 3 of 4

THIS SHOW WAS THE BOMB! I HOPE YOU DIDN"T SLEEP ON THIS ONE! NOW YOU ONBLY HAVE ONE CHANCE LEFT SUCKAS!!!
You Know I Was There
This Album Is A Must Own!
Somewhere In Brazil
The Menu For Timeless Part 3
They Had These Posters For Sale There

La Tuna Canyon Loop - A Classic!

Today Blowtar and I decided to go with an oldie but goodie. In fact, La Tuna Canyon is pretty much the first real Mountain Bike Ride I ever went on. Its about a 10 mile loop if you take the main route, which is basically up the fire road to the summit by the radio towers, hang a right, bomb a few miles of primo fire road, and then hang another right at the plastic bench to drop into the single track. This of course is immediately followed by a shitty ride back to the parking lot which is all uphill. Anyways, today I killed La Tuna in a feat of endurance I'm not sure I will ever be able to top. I rode to the top, non-stop, without any water in 39 minutes. I'm not trying to brag, but i do want a record of it on this blog so I can see how far I fall off next time I attempt to blast it like that. Blowtar did awesome as well, clocking in around 45 minutes. After we took a breather, the real fun began, and we began our descent. The pictures below tell the rest of the story...
The Climb To The Top Is Pure Fire Road
A Wider Shot Of The Fireroad
Blowtar Flying By Me
Look At All That Ridge Top Singletrack!
Now It's My Turn
What Are You Waiting For BRO!
Look Out Below!
This Is The Steepest Hill You Get To Bomb That's Not A Bandit Trail
A Closer Look At The Shot Above
Blowtar Livin' On The Edge
Bird's Eye View Of Blowtar

My One And Only Album Cover

A few years back when I was shooting the "soon-to-be/ never-to-be" released Kool Keith Documentary, I had the privaledge of hanging out with some of Keith's Los Angeles counterparts. One such person who I happened to see quite often was H-Bomb aka Jacky Jasper, the foul mouthed Canadian MC who had an awesome guest spot on the legendary Dr. Dooom "First Come First Served" album. Being that I needed to interview people like Jacky, I always tried to help out in whatever small way I could in the world of Audio and Video. One such instance led to me being "hired" to shoot all of the photos for Jacky's new album, Jacky Who? We shot all of the photos in one night while walking around the Miracle Mile/ Mid WIlshire district. Despite being a total rookie at photography, I still think the album shots came out kind of cool, and despite not earning one cent for my help, I still look back on this as a fond memory. As you've probably already guessed, I was going for the low life/ street hustler vibe...
Jacky Jaspers Classic Album - Jacky Who?
The Original Photo That Graced The Cover
The Back Cover
The Original Photo For The Back Side

R.I.P. Gay & Larry's

In honor of starting up a Yelp account to review restaurants, I am posting the only 2 pictures I ever took, of my all time favorite place in the history of the world, when it came to eating food, Gay & Larry's. Maybe sometime I will gather my thoughts and write a posthumous review of this beloved Mexican Restaurant.
I'm Getting Hungry Just Seeing The Sign
I Took This Pic The Last Time I Ever Ate There

Yelp Yourself To My Reviews

Quite often when my fiancee and I are trying to check out a new restaurant or store we turn to the trusty review site Yelp.com to see what other people have said. After yet another review steering us in the right direction, I decided that I would join the ranks of Yelpers worldwide and start posting some reviews of my own. Especially since the economy is so bad right now, I figure the more positive reviews of places I love to eat at and patronize, can only help their chances of survival, which works out great for all of us. So if you are ever wondering what "Mr. B", the sole proprietor and founder of Crumdirt.blogspot.com thinks of a place, or if you just need some ideas of where to go in Los Angeles check out my Yelp Profile at Crumdirt.yelp.com. I promise I won't steer you wrong!
Pretty Self Explanitory Picture