Wine tasting in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

- 1 December 2012 -  

Valle de Guadalupe is the valley between Ensenada and Tecate Mexico.  We had been planning a trip out there to check it out.  Halfway into planning we saw that Turista Libre was planning the same trip, so that seemed to work out easier.  We started out at the US/Mexico border and piled into the van.  After a mild parking detour we were on our way.  Heading down highway 1 we got to take in all the sites of the baja coast.  Somewhere near Rosarito we stopped for tamales.  There was a choice of something like 6 different kind of tamales.  I went with one pineapple and 3 wildcards.  My gamble paid off because the food was amazing.  We walked around a bit and scored some hand made margarita glasses.  Once we regrouped it was time to head to the first winery which was called Hacienda La Lomita.  This was my favorite of the three wineries.  We had one white and three reds are this place.  If my memory serves me correctly this was the order:  First a 50/50 Sauvignon Blanc / Chenin Blanc.  Second was a Grenache, Syrah, Merlot blend.  Third was a pure Grenache which was amazing this was worth the 400 paseos to take home.  Last one was a Caberinet Sauvignon (I think).  This place was amazing and I’d definitely go back if I was in the area.  Next winery was Baron Balch’e which had an actual cellar that was interesting to see.  I don’t recall the wine order or selection as much from this place.  They did however have lovely scenery and we managed to take a group photo.  The last winery on the tour was Emeve which had a Rosa that Charlene liked and for 100 paseos it was a no brainer to take home.  I ordered a cheese plate here that was delicious and well needed at this point.  I had been sneaking beers in the back of the van most of the trip and food was inevitable.  Luckily Derrick the tour guide had planned for this and took us to one of the best pizza joints that I have ever been too.  A couple of pitchers of Sangria and a few pies later I was full, drunk, and happy.  It was dark by the time we headed home.  We got stopped a couple times by the federales which I think is pretty routine.  However, there was an accident ahead of us on the 1 and we ran into some debri causing the van to crack the oil pan and flatten the rear tire.  Bummer but what can you do?  We had to wait for awhile for another car to take us back to the border.  It was quite amusing watching people try to interact without cell phones because the US phones didn’t work in Mexico.  A couple hours of chit chat and we were headed back to the border.  We missed the last trolley to get home and got stuck in San Yisdro, CA for a bit but we got a ride home.  I had a blast.  The trip was amazing even with the Van mishap.  We all now have a Mexico story to tell.  Cheers to all that came and Cheers to Turista Libre for an awesome trip

Blair's Headbangin' Birthday Bonanza

- 17 November 2012 - 

Not sure how but we always seem to make it to Blair’s Birthday.  When she mentioned “Metal” I was way in.  Heavy Metal, Booze, and Old friends what more could you ask for?  We headed up to LA for the weekend and raged our tiny faces off.  

Happy Birthday Blair!!!  We love you.

San Diego Zoo

-11 November 2012 - 

Sunny day at the San Diego Zoo

Wine tasting in Temecula

- 10 November 2012 -

I've lived in San Diego for close to 5 years now and I had never been to Temecula for wine tasting.  Sure enough a Living Social deal came up and we decided to go.  Temecula is about an hour drive north of us so we figured a day trip would be nice.  We got picked up by the trolley at the embassy suites (too bad the place was booked).  The driver kindly handed us a full glass of Champagne (I refuse to call it sparkling wine) and we were off.  Our first stop was Bel Vino.  This was my favorite tasting room of the trip.  The dark lighting and display of barrels made this place seem quite cozy.  We started with the whites and moved up to the reds.  The best white I thought here was the Viognier.  There was a loud group of surly women claiming to be the Fletcher park house wives up at the bar.  I had no choice but to mingle in order to get to the bar and so I did.  Luckily these women had some inside tips and suggested we try the 2006 Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon that wasn’t on the menu.  Or bartender Spencer was happy to pour us a couple glasses of this delicious wine.  By far the best wine of the trip.  So good that we ended our tasting experience on this one even though we had two more samples.  The next winery was Churon.  This tasting room was less about ambiance and more about selling overpriced knick knacks.  I believe the Syrah was my favorite wine here.  The building and landscape at Churon however was quite beautiful.  This is where we had lunch.  One of the best Tri-tip sandwiches I've ever had.  After lunch it was time to move on.  Masia De Yabar was next on the list.  Here people started getting annoying.  A bachelorette party and a mustache / wig party showed up at the same time.  Luckily the ruckus remained inside.  Out in the courtyard was one of the most amazing views I've seen.  I set up shop here listening to the violinist playing romantic covers of ‘Tequila’.  All I could think about was Pee Wee Herman slow dancing on the table.  For about 10-15 minutes I was perfectly at peace here.  I don’t really know how to relax but, this place did the trick.  Sitting there with a nice glass of Champagne listening to the violinist taking in the gorgeous vineyards all in with a Prosciutto sandwich in my pocket and a Compton hat on my head.  My thoughts were interrupted with a five minute warning before we were off to Robert Renzoni.  This place was as Independent as it possibly could be.  I enjoyed the vibe here.  We gathered our last tasting’s and awaited our departure home.  All in all it was a really cool trip.  I’d do it again in a heartbeat.  Cheers!!!

Halloween - Pre Party

- 27 October 2012 -

Halloween Fell on a Wednesday this year which add's confusion to what day to actually celebrate Halloween.  We went for Saturday the 27th because it was the Saturday prior to Halloween and also Rumi's Birthday.  We decided to set up a backdrop and do a little photo shoot early in the evening before going out on the town.  Some goofy photos, some laughs, some booze, and a Birthday girl.  Turned out to be a great night.  We Hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

Drinking outta cups w/ Dan Deacon

- 20 October 2012 - 

Not being a huge fan of electronic music, I didn't really know what to expect going to a Dan Deacon show. What I got was one of the most intense shows I've seen in awhile. It started out with an almost hip-hop like crowd jumping up and down with hands up in the air. At this point I got comfortable and thought the vibe would remain the same but, it was anything but comfortable. This would not be a good place for psychedelics for a guy like me because the vibe and mood changed almost like a bad case of ADHD. Let me start over, this wasn't at a bar. This was at an ex-7th Day Adventist Korean Church which is now an Evangelical Church. There was a courtyard called the "Sacred Grounds" which was the only place to smoke. Yes they sold booze; PBR or Serra Nevada in a can. I was hanging out in the sacred grounds drinking and chatting to the venue host about the scene. Suddenly people starting coming downstairs from a room I hadn't yet noticed. My buddy Spencer asked one of the guys "What's going on up there? Something cool?" The response we got was a very sad "No." OK that was weird so I asked the venue host what that was about. Turns out it was an AA meeting. What sick fuck would sell booze let alone host a Dan Deacon show during an AA meeting in an Evangelical Church? Shit got weird for me at this point. OK relax you've dealt with weirder shit, lets just go in an watch the show. What I get is a set of instructions by Reverend Deacon parting the crowd like the fucking red sea. Some sort of tag team dance off. From what I recall the crowd had to copy the person dancing in the middle until they tagged out. I didn't realize it was a contest but somehow tiny man with a big van Spencer won the fucking thing. Jesus Christ why am I at church taking orders from Dan Deacon? Some other shit happened in the middle that I'm forgetting but, as my memory serves me the next thing that happened was more instructions from Reverend Deacon. Half the crowd was to form a tunnel by holding their hands together in the air all the way from the dance floor out the door through the sacred grounds back into the entrance of the building. The other half was to run through the tunnel. Super uncomfortable about all this crazy weird shit I ran through the human tunnel, through the sacred grounds, and straight to the bar. I needed a drink for this bullshit. As I'm getting my drink Reverend Deacon himself comes in the entrance from the human tunnel. I missed the photo opt. So this demented fuck masterminded human tunnels for his own amusement? What the fuck? I needed a breather from the nonsense so I went back to the sacred grounds to rethink my decision. I am greeted but two people openly snorting Ketamine. Wow I wasn't ready for this. I've done Ketamine in the past and it almost seemed like the right thing to do at the time. No, fuck these people I just need more booze. OK back inside I'm ready for this again. I decided to explore the space and get a bit closer. In the middle it was a pseudo mosh pit. I got comfortable immediately and my heart rate slowed. I was finally comfortable. There was only about 20 minutes left of the show at this point and holy fuck was the crescendo intense. More intense than a Pelican show without the deep seeded feeling of relevance. Not saying it didn't mean anything but I couldn't grasp the message. I guess all I can say was that it was awesome in every way. If you get chance to see him bring ear plugs because dude loves wattage. 

Midget Wrestling

- 05 October 2012 -

Low lighting and shitty photos, but hey it's still midget wrestling.