IlloFriday....Heroes...

heroes

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well as you can see, i decided to go with the patriotic approach to the illofriday topic of Heroes. with the 4th of july coming up and all this war stuff going on, i figured it was a good time for me to take a second out of my busy day and to salute, if you will, all the men and women who fight for our country. with my sister living up in massachusetts and hanging with alot of folks on the military base, i have had some time to meet and chill with them, man those were good times!! even some of my own friends have joined the forces and are taking care of business. you guys rock. so instead of putting up a picture of my parents or even doing my interpretation of the most delicious hero of them all, a sandwich, i decided to put up one of my favorite art pieces in my collection and put a little patriotism into this illustration friday. not only do i hope all you guys enjoy my artwork and have a very fun and safe 4th of july, but i hope you take a second to appreciate the hard work our troops are doing, no matter how you feel on the whole situation. enjoy.

Also, as cheryl simply stated in her quick comment on here, this piece was painted on a piece of wood. like she said, it doesnt show through on this picture and i wish i could make it a bit bigger, but you get the idea of it on here. and i just thought i would add that to show that ive been using different mediums and using different materials for various outcomes with my art.

I win...why...because I win....

my little red

Posted by Hello

placida pier

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well sorry curtis, but i won at fishing yesterday. curtis decided to take me out to a pier i hadnt fished on before, the pier down in Placida. we got down there around 2.30 or so and fished for about 2 or so hours. curtis thought he was being slick and decided to use 2 poles at once while i just stuck to my one all afternoon. boy were the fish biting and there sure were plenty of them swimming around. i started out by catching a little jack at the same time curtis was pulling up a nice sized lady fish. so the games began, with the score at 1 to 1. then i got another, a good sized sea trout, 1-2 chachas in the lead. then i pulled in another sea trout, 1-3. curtis getting a few bites here and there was trying to snag a huge snook he saw taunting him down below the waves, but didnt pull anything up. then i get a bite, this was a big guy. i reeled in to see that it was a big ol jack. this guy was pritty big, and very heavy. having a light test line and a light pole, he broke off and got away. man i would have liked to have taken a pic with that guy. oh well. but it counted on my score which was now 1-4. so then i hit a patch of fish, getting little reds and another good sized sea trout. one of my catches is in the pic with me up above. i finally had a huge one on the end of my line and it broke off all my goodies, so i was done for the day. the score was at 1-7 and i gave curtis some time to catch up. well he wanted to beat me so he was going to cast right into the school of fish i had been picking from. all of a sudden he gets a nibble and hooks one.....only to pull up that little guy you see in the picture above. sorry hun, but i won this day. you always get the biggest catch of the day and bring in the most fish, but sunday was my day and i kicked your butt. hmm wonder what new pier we will fish off of next time.

did you get your tickets??.....to the 311 show!!!....

311 seats

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HOLLA!!! i got us some kickin seats for the 311 show at the Tampa Bay Ford Amphitheatre on September 3rd. Cheryl, Jordan, and Curtis, I will be ever so pleased to announce that I have scored us some general admission pit area 'seats'. well standing area of course but dude how awesome is that?!? i scored us seats in the pit, right down where that little yellow oval is. i added that and a little note 'we are here' in paint, but it didnt come out as large as i thought it would. i guess it paid to wake up at 6pm from being sick all afternoon and having a huge migrane, to log onto the presale 311 site at 5.59 and hit buy tickets!! i ended up getting charged for 8 pit tickets, but after leaving some emails and messages to the ticket seller right after that happened, I am down to just one order of 4 pit tickets. i am sooo stoked not only to be going, but to have cheryl and jordan coming down and now getting pit tickets!! i have never been closer than the 3rd section at an amphitheatre show before. my first 311 show was at the House of Blues down here which is still my fave venue. that is the only show where i got up pritty close with a good view, from right behind the light and sound board. man can their light guy kick some tail during the show. he really gets into it and you can just feel the energy bursting off of him. hopefully this show will be a memerable one. and not to mention i believe this will be 311 show #7 for me. different cities, different states, different venues, different friends i went with all of that has made each show its own special one! cant wait to add this one to my list!
oh yeah one more thing before i got, i hope to see my Gabe there. ive missed him at the last couple shows and its just not a 311 show until gabe comes over just to let me know hes there and to look out for him in the pit.

311 Ticket Presale TODAY!!....

311 & Unwritten Law 2005

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so as you can all see by my beautiful new post, the 311 ticket presale for the Florida shows is tonite at 6pm standard eastern time. i am sooo stoked to be getting some good seats tonite for the September 3rd show at the Tampa Ford Amphitheatre. also, not only is 311 coming close to my city, but my sister Cheryl and our good buddy Jordan are flying in from Boston and California to attend this awesome Labor Day weekend show with curtis and i. sooo excited not only for them to be coming down and visiting us, but this will be the first time that cheryl flies down here to florida to attend a 311 show with me. the last couple years i have planned my vacation time around the 311 dates and i would fly up to boston, mass and attend the show with cheryl and jmg up there at either the fleetcenter or tweeter center. what a diehard fan arent i?!? well this year is a change and im soo excited that the tampa show is not only on a saturday nite, which calls for some ultimate partying, but it is also labor day weekend. itll be an awesome 3 day weekend, that i can go to the show and not worry about using any of my vacation time from work. how awesome is that?!?!? so go and check out if 311 is coming to a town near you, and if so get your tickets!!!!

IlloFriday...Black & White....

black & white

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okay guys, here it is. the long awaited black and white contribution to the site that we all know and love...illustration friday. i finished this one up last nite around 10.30 and boy am i proud of the outcome. it came out better than the original sketch, which is a rarity. i like it soo much its up there with my other fave pieces that ive done in the past. you guys gotta let me know what you think, and im sure you will. oh by the way, there was a bit of inspiration behind this piece, besides the ever obvious topic of black and white. cheryl would be proud to know that i have had the lyrics to one of her fave songs by her fave band for a while and i finally decided to use them as an art piece. the song is...drum roll please. The beauty of gray by her boys Live. i went and saw them last year, and i was lucky enough to hear them play this song. it quickly became one of those songs i cant stop listening to and im glad i could use it to create a piece of art, and not to mention a piece that fit the illofriday topic perfectly. you can check out the lyrics of the song here!....you should read em, they are pritty inspiring. also, i realized there was another song that i love to blast from my car stereo that would also fit this topic. that song is The gray race from one of my fave bands Bad Religion. check out those lyrics here! so thats that. not only am i proud of my new masterpiece, but i found the perfect idea that fits the topic, and im early!!!! man its only wednesday and im done. this could be an illofriday record for chacha. well back to work now. enjoy!

On a lighter note...a family guy movie...

boy oh boy the fans will be thrilled....check this out from AOL News......
"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane is preparing his long-awaited direct-to-DVD movie based on the exploits of his cartoon clan for a Sept. 27 release. "It's been an enormous undertaking to juggle this with doing 35 new episodes of the show, but we think it turned out great," MacFarlane said of the film, his first full-length feature, and the first direct-to-video ever made off a television franchise. The 83-minute, unrated "Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" ($29.98) is based on the animated series MacFarlane created for Fox Television in the late 1990s. The irreverent series, aimed at adults rather than kids, went on the air in early 1999 and was canceled in 2003, only to be resurrected last month after an overwhelming demand for the show on DVD. The first DVD set sold more than 2.5 million units, the second-highest sales tally of any TV-DVD release behind the first season of "Chappelle's Show," and two subsequent packages lifted the "Family Guy" franchise's total sales to about 4.5 million units. That prompted Fox to take the unprecedented step of bringing back the show. The new season debuted in May and has since featured a bevy of guest voices, including Drew Barrymore, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Tilly and Adam West. "Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin" is something of a thank you to the show's fans who bought so many DVDs, MacFarlane said. "Fox had such a great amount of success with the previous DVD releases that I think they felt there was a built-in, surefire market for a 'Family Guy' DVD," he said. "It's also a lot easier to put out a DVD release than it is a theatrical film while you're doing a television series." The movie finds Stewie, the maniacal baby genius, having a near-death experience that prompts him to change his ways. Instead of seeking to dominate the world, he sets out on a road trip to find his real father. Guest vocal talent includes Barrymore and Ron Livingston, as well as three cast members of "Beverly Hills, 90210" -- Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling -- "in a special gag," MacFarlane said. The DVD will include several special features, including deleted scenes, still galleries, animatics and a commentary from MacFarlane. "We also sandwiched special features around the movie," he said. "It begins with an animated movie premiere, with the family arriving to watch it, and then there's an after-party at the end." 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is planning the biggest marketing campaign ever for a TV-spawned release, according to division worldwide president Mike Dunn. Plans include national print and TV advertising as well as a viral marketing campaign targeting college students at bars, clubs and fraternity parties; special screenings will be held for college students."....
im sure this will be a must have in our home...im sure you guys will agree...that little stewie cracks me up...especially sunday nites episode when they shot to a clip of him starring in his own ipod commercial.....hilarious!!!!!.....if you missed it you definately missed out!!....i think it would be alot more successful if they released it into the theaters....how awesome would that be?!?!....

sad soul asylum news....

this just in from AOL News....sad times for our old rock favorite Soul Asylum....read on....
"Karl Mueller, bassist and founding member of the Minneapolis-based rock act Soul Asylum, died Friday at his home, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. He was 41.
Diagnosed with throat cancer in May 2004, Mueller underwent radiation treatment and was said to have been in and out of the hospital in recent months. In the early 1980s, Mueller formed Loud Fast Rules with singer/guitarist Dave Pirner and drummer Dan Murphy, a band that became Soul Asylum three years later. After a period of underground notoriety, the band achieved mainstream success with its 1992 breakthrough, "Grave Dancers Union" (Columbia). Mueller's cancer was in remission in October when such veterans of the Minneapolis music scene as the Replacements' Paul Westerberg and Husker Du's Bob Mould staged a benefit concert to help with spiraling medical costs. Mueller also joined his bandmates for a Soul Asylum performance at the show.The Star Tribune reports that Mueller, Pirner and Murphy recorded a new Soul Asylum album earlier this year and had been "negotiating with a major label" for its release. A memorial service will be held at noon Wednesday at Lakewood Cemetery Chapel in Minneapolis. In Mueller's paid obituary in the Star Tribune, Pirner, Murphy and former Soul Asylum road manager Bill Sullivan are listed as "bandmates and brothers," even though the bassist was an only child. He is survived by his wife, Mary Beth, and his mother, Mary."

Its all about the Cha-Cha Bowls....

so jmg and cheryl have both emailed me about this Bill Simmons and how he does a column that they always check out...well i guess in one of his columns, he wrote about his experience with chacha bowls...pritty crazy how they would name a food after me but for everyone to go soley for this purpose, nearly blew my mind...here check out what he wrote about it....
'6. The Cha Cha Bowls (Pac Bell Stadium) When I went to a Giants game five years ago, my friend Mikey dragged me to a BBQ place in the center-field bleachers for Cha-Cha bowls, saying, "It's all about the Cha-Cha bowls." You tend to trust the opinion of someone who once owned a mammoth Traci Lords video collection. At least I do. Anyway, he wasn't kidding – it was all about the Cha Cha bowls: Caribbean jerk chicken, beans, rice, BBQ sauce, other goodies … all in a big plastic bowl for just $8.50. Best ballpark food ever. '
wow now how bizarre would it be for chacha to go to the pac bell stadium to check out the chacha bowls?!?, sounds like a kodak moment to me!! hopefully i would like them although it sounds kinda hot...but if they say it is the best ballpark food ever well then i guess we will definately have to believe them....just the name alone makes it sound like a must have! and i should definately become the next chacha bowl spokesperson and add model, talk about a good marketing strategy!

IlloFriday....Summer...

summer

Posted by Hello
so i almost missed it again. yup im such an illofriday slacker. but i cranked this one out tonite and just finished it. everytime i think of the summertime i think of huge sunflowers. dozens and dozens and dozens, just fields and fields full of them. so here is a little collage/marker/crayon/pen/pastel creation. its different and im still not sure how i feel bout it but i guess ill see what you guys think. lemme know. im sure you guys that visit my blog frequently have recognized my style and my approach to things, so with all that in mind you can make a good educated opinion on this one. i told myself that i was gonna start working on illofridays on the weekend so all i have to do during the week is put on the finishing touches. guess ill have to start that with next weeks illofriday. i did have alot going on this week though, including my grandmas 92nd birthday. yup thats right 92 and i guess what i bought her?!? a cute little blue and red betta fish, whose name is Sam. hes really kool and easy to take care of. hopefully he doesnt die within the next few days. anywho, leave me your criticism and enjoy my randition of summer.

Hooray for Texas, it’s… The Epitaph Weekly Newsletter!...

'The History channel is doing a show where they take a nation-wide phone poll on who is the greatest American, ever? Well, most states have the same three at the top: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King; but Texas – yeah, good old Texas – has George W. Bush first with Elvis running a close second! That pretty much answers all the questions I had about Texas… Congratulations Texas: you made yourselves look dumb as hell on national television - but then again your native President does that all the time! Sorry if I pissed any Texans off, but too bad.'

well there you have it. another high note from the man at the epitaph. i dont really know if anyone actually enjoys reading these things, but they kinda make laugh and sometimes he comes out with some things that just need to be said, but no one ever has the gall to say it. anywho. lighten up, laugh a little, and enjoy. im getting back to work now and i must work on my illofriday tonite or i will be a failure this week for sure.

Fergies makeover.

Posted by Hello
so i just got an email from my sister cheryl a few minutes ago and she solved the mystery that has been puzzling me for a long long time! i knew Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas looked sooo familiar to me and i knew i had seen her somewhere before on tv or music or something. well cheryl told me that she was stacy ferguson from kids incorporated. yeah that crazy show where they sang and danced, man i remember watching that all the time! theres a picture above of her transformation. man now when i see her all im going to hear is that damn theme song in my head, 'kids incorporated, K-I-D-S'. boy oh boy, the mystery is solved but the weirdness has just begun. glad that has been figured out and that mystery put to rest. thanks cheryl, what other kind of interesting tid bits can you find out and email to me??? by the way, does anyone else notice how ripped she is....geez im jealous!

Illofriday...digital....

robotic hand

Posted by Hello.

so i think this is the first time that i actually remembered how to comment below a picture instead of putting a whole new post on there. sorry i missed out on last weeks, but there were circumstances that couldnt be helped. things are going better now and everythings pritty much back to normal. as for this piece, it was one that i had from my high school days, but i really love it and it seems to fit the topic. kinda reminds me of a robotic hand as i like to call it. what started out as a small doodle in my sketchbook turned out to be this piece that i loved creating and loved seeing the finished product. very pleased with this one and maybe like cheryl had suggested, i should try making another body part like a foot or something or maybe making a whole robotic body in this style. i know this illofriday thing was suppose to get me to do more art and start getting more ideas for my artstuck mind, but i want to get some of my older pieces on here that i really enjoy and are very proud of. i still have alot more i want to put up but none of them seem to fit the topics as of yet. i just want my art to be seen by anyone who appreciates and get some constructive feedback on them. i will try harder with the weeks to come in creating new pieces. i have taken some old pieces and made some new ones out of them so i have been working, just not on original pieces. hope you like this one as much as i do and enjoy. man just as i was rereading this for errors, i realized that this took on 2 different variations of digital. digital as in the robotic technilogical side and digital as related to fingers, also known as digits. wow how crazy to have this one in my portfolio and not only have it fit a topic but fit it perfectly in more than one way. geez i must have esp or something and knew this piece would come in use for a topic someday.

Coldplay - X&Y

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with a much anticipated arrival, the new Coldplay cd is out....X&Y. soooooo completely stoked about this one. i own all the previous coldplay cds (Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and the Live cd/dvd disc set....thanks jmg!) and loved every single one of them. im very excited to hear what this cd holds in store for us coldplay fans. i have only heard the new single 'Speed of Sound,' but it has that ever familiar coldplay sound to it, instantly making it a very awesome tune in my mind. i cant wait to get this one today, along with the new BEP cd featured below. im still debating on whether i should rush out on my lunch break or if i should just wait a little longer and get these after work. oh and want to know something funny, my cd player in my car hasnt been reading cds, only the radio works. so i had to let them take it out and ship it off to sony, thank you curtis for warranties!! so now im riding around all ghetto-fied...i got cords hangin from the gaping hole where my deck used to be, and ive decided i cant buy the new cds and not hear them on my way home or back to work, so ive borrowed a boombox from my rents and bought some batteries so i can sit it in my front seat and jam out to my new music! man if that isnt a true music fan i dont know what is. go out and get this cd today...you will not be dissapointed.

Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business

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so here it is. the new one from BEP, Monkey Business. With the new single 'Don't Phunk with my Heart,' it should be a pritty jammin cd. I know Cheryl loves that song already and will definately have to check this one out. Not to mention, Cheryl, Curtis, Charlie, and I will be partaking in a great adventure to the city that never sleeps....NYC!! we are going to be attending the Island Getaway festival on Randall's Island on July 31st to see Jem, Mike Doughty, Ray Lamontagne, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Black Eyed Peas, and last but not least.....Dave Matthews Band, who will be headlining. soooo glad that curtis has decided to fly up there with me...its going to be an awesome trip and an awesome show!! go out and get this one, i know i will be. if its anything like their last one, ill be all about it. Much love for BEP.

Absent Blogger...

sorry everyone. i havent been posting lately and i missed an illofriday, which you might say is unlike me especially for an interesting topic such as envy, i even had a piece i could have used what do ya know. anywho, i just wanted to give you a little insight on why ive been so absent from my blog. last week, my grandma came down with a really bad cold. little by little it got worse, so we had to take her to the ER on Tuesday nite, May 31st. they diagnosed her with pnemonia and very high blood pressure and admitted her over night. she has been there ever since. well, this morning we received a call stating that we could pick her up this morning and that she could finally go home. i will find out all the details around noon time when i go home for lunch.
on another note.....
i just wanted to send my prayers to jmg for all that he has gone through this past week. chin up kiddo...