New posters for our little home. The Devendra Banhart one is for our living room and the other was a gift from El Jefe for our little Kenny. Adding color to the place, that’s what’s up.

Explosions In The Sky - San Antonio, TX Poster

The folks over at DKNG Studios put out a lot of really cool stuff. Check it out.

Two Rabbits Studios - “Wu-Sciples” Wu-Tang Clan 20th Year Anniversary Print - Artist: Adam Hathorn aka Honkey Kong

Check out the process here. Looks like their team put a lot of time and effort into this one. Looks really good. Sale info also on that page.

Follow their Tumblr.

The building next to us is the new HQ for Dj Skee and Skee TV. They’re having a party today to premiere the Skee Lodge and they’ve hired artist Aaron Axelrod to decorate their building for the party and for who knows how long after that. We’ve got the “pleasure” of seeing this thing unfold from the early “What the fuck are they doing?” stages to what you see here. If you’re gonna have tons of guests and a nice little party to go along with it, makes sense to pimp out the building.

When I attended the Street Art exhibit here in L.A. I saw some similar artwork and while I can’t confirm it 100%, this might be the same dude who had displays there pretty damn reminiscent of this work you see here. I thought it was cool and I still think it is. Unfortunately, while I held high regards for the artist featured in that exhibit I no longer do for this dude.

Throughout their project (which I’m not knocking off cause from this view it actually looks pretty cool) these dudes, as far having common courtesy for their neighbors have been pathetic. I understand their hustle (to paint this building rad) but they gotta understand our hustle too. With my other coworkers, the inconvenience hasn’t been much. My coworkers show up, they go upstairs and start chipping away at their desks hustling in their own way over emails and on the phone. My work consists of the same as well as deliveries and shipping stuff so I’m always on the look outside our door to make sure pallets of CDs/LPs/Shirts/Posters/etc get delivered and shipped out every day. Given the type of activity we have, right outside my door is a commercial loading yellow zone for deliveries/pickups and people who want to get away with parking there for 30 minutes.

It’s taken about some 2+ weeks for this mural to be completed by which time those dudes (having been outside all the time) should have noticed our daily ins and outs right in front of our building so while a lot of people (including myself) would ignore a yellow zone for a small amount of time, the idea that they don’t think that zone is useful to us is bullshit. This artist and his crew would park there for hours and hours if not for the majority of the most busiest part of the day. Even after them seeing us (me) hauling stock in and out of our building to the Chevron station next door cause that’s where our delivery dudes would have to park they still didn’t move their vans/trucks/asses. I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t really confront them about it because I’m not a confrontational dude and I rather just give them the “Are you kidding me?” look. That obviously didn’t work cause nothing changed. Even when my boss had to ask them to move their stuff out the way of our driveway so he can bail, they half-assed it and I had to go help move their shit cause they were taking their sweet time. Now, I don’t know this artist personally but I smell a fuckin jerk if you ask me.

Yesterday was the first time I asked them to move anything as I heard our UPS truck pull up and since I’m expecting a lot of stuff these days I normally open the door before he gets a chance to knock on it. Aaron (the artist) and some dude with buckets were leaving their van which was parked in our yellow zone and I asked if they were going to leave their van there all day there cause we have deliveries in and out all day and I even pointed to our UPS guy who was right behind their van with half the truck’s ass in the middle of the street because he didn’t fit. They simply replied “We’re just painting the building.” I thought in my head “yeah, I’ve noticed. For almost 2 weeks, asshole.” But being the cool guy I said “Yeah, but we got deliveries all day. Can you guys park it somewhere else?” They both reminded me that they’re just painting which is true but just like they have work to do, I do to and their ethic or way of doing their work is inconveniencing me. And let’s face it buddy, I’ve been here for 6+ years and he’s only been there 2 some weeks, have a little courtesy or respect for your neighbors as you’ve noticed in this picture we even granted them permission to hang a “tagger” on our side of the building. The moment you are clearly inconveniencing us and you act like WE are inconveniencing YOU, you become a dick. Fact.

This kind of comes off as when you find out your favorite musician is an asshole in real life. No matter how hard you try and you love a person’s music or a band’s music, once you know they are kind of a jerk, you can’t help but have that take a toll on how you perceive them from then on. Same thing with this dude. Cool art. Much respect but then you’re a jerk? You ain’t as rad as you think you are, buddy. I thought I was kind of being an ass thinking all this and I said “Well let me look the dude up and maybe he’s really nice and legit” so I came across this video. Needless to say I wasn’t impressed.

Now I should mention that the owner of the building or whoever is running DJ Skee TV here at DJ Skee Headquarters has been cool and has come looking for our bosses to introduce themselves and even extend an invite to all of us here to the party tonight. That is totally cool and super nice of them. My issue is with the hired artist not with the people who hustle day in and day out next door. The people next door have been cool aside from the random visitor who parks in this yellow zone.

This building has a phrase tagged on it that reads “Greatness doesn’t ask permission.” I guess with greatness comes being a dick as well. Great piece though. I always appreciate a little color added to the city of Los Angeles.

I needed a little makeover at work so I took down some stuff that I was tired of staring at and put up new things to stare at. My favorites: the Rocky poster, my Marvin Gaye computer wallpaper and the portrait of me drawn by my Nappy’ed Lissette right in the middle of everything. I’m diggin’ my new scene.

Jimi Hendrix mural on the corner of Denker and 48th Street in South Central Los Angeles.

Frida Kahlo and George Carlin.

Icons of their own respective fields.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Out The Blue / John Lennon / Mind Games

John Lennon - Out The Blue

Today is Lissette’s birthday. We spent a nice morning having coffee and sharing pastries before we headed off to work. This song is for her. I wish I could say that her and I are doing 100% amazing right now but who said relationships are meant to be easy? We love each other, of that there is no doubt. That’s always a good start.

Out the blue you came to me
And blew away life’s misery
Out the blue life’s energy
Out the blue you came to me

Everyday I thank the Lord and Lady
For the way that you came to me
Anyway it had to be two minds one destiny

Her artwork is featured in a local artists gallery this week. Pretty neat and excited for her.

I haven’t been posting much on here lately. I’ve been a little behind on posting things that have been going on and things on my mind for myself (I reflect on my blog a lot), my followers and then all the family members that secretly keep themselves updated on my blog. So here are a few things I want to share on here. Enjoy.

• I’ve reached the last work week for the year 2010. After the 17th, work will not be on my mind until January 3rd, 2011. Our company dinner is Tuesday at the always tasty (and FREE) Roy’s in Downtown Los Angelizzle. 
• I’ve been listening to Lucero a lot these days.
• I’m excited for my brother and his wife and baby Nicholas to visit us for the holidays. It’s really REALLY up there in things I’m looking forward to this holiday season. They recently moved to Seattle and I’m hoping that in January I get to visit them and that city.

I took this picture with my lady’s new family dog. She’s been lurking and peeing on their carpet for close to 2 weeks and they still can’t decide on a name. We had another picture with flash but she got a bad case of laser eyes and this one is funnier with her cute little “take the fuckin picture already” eyes.

• I need a new book to read. My life feels incomplete without one (not really, but I really really want something to read). 
• I’m growing out my hair and beard for two reasons. #1) I’m too lazy to go get a haircut. I have to be in the mood for that shit and lately I haven’t been. #2) I’m secretly enjoying it and want to see how long it gets. GPOYW “Is This Dude Trying To Grow a Mullet?” Edition?
• I got pulled over yesterday. After evaluating the situation, it was best that I did that morning than the night before. A ticket for not having a current insurance card with me is way way less painful that what I would have gotten had I gotten pulled over the night before. Diosito me guia veinti-cuatro/siete.

My mother returned from Cancun a few weeks ago and she just shared these pictures with me. I thought they were so rad that she decided to let these parrots just chill on her shoulder and hands like that. I can already picture her saying “Ah no, no voy a dejar que esos bolados me toquen.” So kudos to my momma for doing this. I forgive her for putting red/green/yellow pepper christmas lights on the tree (she really did, I was like “Are you kidding me?”)

• I got new duties at SideOneDummy starting in 2011. New challenges, new responsibilities, new opportunities to fail or succeed at. I say “Briiiing it oooon.”

On December 8th, my boss, Joe Sib, along with our company SideOneDummy Records but on the 5th Annual Rock To Roll benefit show. The headlining bands were Anti-Flag, Black Pacific and Punk Rock Karaoke. We mustered enough to donate $13K+ to Wheel For Humanity which is a company that refurbishes old and used wheelchairs and pimps them out to hand them out to people who need them all over the world. It’s nice to lend a helping hand to a good cause. You seeing this, Jesus?

The concert poster.

My grainy iPhone picture of Black Pacific probably performing Feliz Navidad.

• Today, one of my favorite bros went back home to London. Guy is a good guy. He is someone whose company I extremely enjoy and he’s a great great dude that I’m bummed is going back home. He’s going back with his REAL bro for the holidays and hopefully works it out to come back out and give this “Guy Is Looking For a Job in Los Angeles” a 3rd spin.

I took this picture of Guy as we went home after the benefit show. He’s an angry little Brit with a legit accent but he’s gangsta as shit. Come back soon, BROrrissey.

• After a great night of drinking on Friday, my awesome cousin Irma and her friend Karla, picked me up and made sure I got home safely. It was cold as shit and 3-4 in the morning yet we somehow had time to talk outside my house for a good solid hour and we had a way too long yet very in depth conversation about pimples and the proper etiquette on how to attack them. It got serious. “You gotta ninja those muthafuckers and creep up on them sometimes.”
• I didn’t get to see Jerry this weekend so that will change tomorrow. 

Last Monday was Johnny B’s birthday so of course he required a penis piñata with a beard on it. Good job, Taylor.

• Do you listen to Morphine? You really should. 
• I really enjoy Sunday mornings. It’s basketball time with the fellas. I’ve mentioned this before but I really do enjoy it. It’s my time to put all the Kobe moves I see on TV to the test. All my basketball moves/skills can supply Fail.blog with plenty of material but every once in a while I’ll bust some rad shit. One thing I’m not looking forward to is the day some territorial cholos roll up on us at that park. We’re 25-30 years old, there’s no need to hit us up about where we are from but we all know it’s coming. We still play. 8am on the dot. 
• Me and the ol’ lady have decided to hit up as many hiking trails in Los Angeles. We’ve done the Observatory trail. We’ve hit up the bat caves in Griffith Park. The Korean Friendship Bell trail in San Pedro is next. It’s great to get out, explore and breathe in a fresh batch of clean green deer-urine infested mother nature air. 
• Today, we went to Long Beach to check out the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) to check out the David Alfaro Siqueiros exhibit. Museum invites are always Lisette’s idea but I always enjoy them. It’s good to stimulate the mind to pictures/art that isn’t adult rated material. I ain’t lyin, dawg. 

“Antenas estratosfericas” (Stratospheric Antennas) - Siqueiros (1949) This was one of my favorite pieces. It was Siqueiros’ take on satellites in space before satellites were up in space. Pretty neat.

• My cousin and his rockabilly band The Scoundrels are playing the Viper Room in Hollywood on January 23rd. I can’t wait to hang with that dude soon. It’s ok to tell another grown ass man that you love him. I love him. 
• I’m really looking forward to spoiling myself this Xmas and upgrading to the new iPhone 4. My current phone has a gnarly annoying lag that I feel I’ve dealt with it long enough. Shits driving me crazy, son. 

And last but not least…

On our hike to the bat caves, we thought it’d be fun to get all silly and get all 127 hours for a second. Sorry, Aron.

And this next picture is a picture we took together as we wrapped up and went on home for the day. I really really like this picture a lot. It was taken with her new fancy shmancy camera. I’m glad we had it that day to take this. Ta chingona esa Cannon.

Cheers to a start of a great week. Hopefully the last work week for many of you. Until next time.

“I have never known
The likes of this, I’ve been alone
And I have missed things and kept out of sight
But other girls were never quite like this”

La Little Eyelashes. Or La Onion Ring Ears.

Los Angeles - Broadway & 54th Street.

My quick drive-by picture of a new MAC mural on Hollywood and Wilton. 

Trash bin Art in Downtown L.A. Arts District next to the Wurstkuche or as we called it today, “Worst Coochie.”

Listen to the winds chime

It’s telling you that your time is more than wasted

More than chasing dreams

Dream that big dream

For all streams flow

So follow that which seems to flutter your soul

El Mac and Retna. New Piece. “Collige, Virgo, Rosas”

Collige, virgo, rosas dum flos novas et nova pubes et memor esto aevumsic properare tuum.

Pick, girl, the flowers while they are still fresh and the youth is new, remembering that the time goes by.