Juan Lemus. a years thought

Before going any further I would like you to just a take 10 seconds and think about a year. What a year means. 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours..
Now think about how fast it takes to stop it…
One year ago I lost a part of my extended family. Someone, that don’t get me wrong, we didn’t hang out all that much. But we did bullshit and talk online everyday at least. I turned to for advice and inspiration in a portion of my life that I hold close to my heart because what it means to me.
Juan you will be missed but we celebrate your life by us growing upon our paths till the day we rejoin to drive again.





Rev Run Wisom
“Promise me u'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, & stronger than you seem, & smarter than you think.

Congratulations Nick!

Lets talk about he most important issue to me and that would be my little big brothers graduation from Sacramento State University with a Bachelor in Business Marketing. Of course I’m upset that he beat me but I couldn’t be ay more proud of the guy. He has to be the biggest person that I miss in my life living in Las Vegas as he now finishes up living in that Nor Cal area…. Maybe. But you never know were your going to go from here. I mean you closed one chapter f you life and now you opened up a whole new exciting book in your life. You get to finally go out there and throw your ideas at the world and see what you can create. You have always been very gifted with placement of words and ideas. Especially the way that something should look and should be put in its place.

I would have remembered a couple of quotes from your graduation but there was a fucking Quickie Mart behind me and I couldn’t hear shit past there fucking chatter and annoying ass kid. I do know for a fact though that I haven’t seen moms eye glow with emotion like that in a very long time and I’m so happy that you gave her back this gift. While you won’t look at it like that she couldn’t stop saying how proud of you she was. And I think that is a shared feeling across the board in this family.

Lastly Nick I’m going to end this I held you the day you were born. Of course with a little supervision because you were already a big person and I was only three. And I have had the privilege of being with you for most of your life. But over these last three years as you got be get out of So Cal and off on your own. You have grown. Not necessary any taller then the six foot four that you already are. But as a person, your maturity and your creativity with ideas has only become more enlightening and entertaining. I’m very upset with myself for not visiting you more and making a true effect to come up there and hang out with you. I love you and always will. I’m so proud of you.
Love you and Congrats!

Some Old, Some New, But Living Changes Daily

Finally

Well Finally I'm going to sit down and do this again..
Get back into the swing of things and get in touch with how I'm doing as a person and maybe some one will learn something along the way. So lets break some things down since the last time that I wrote something about nothing. AKA the last time that I went back to Cali.. So I'll try and beak it down as what has happened in the last month.

- I bought a Cherokee
- My car is still in the shop
- Work is still workin and I've been working
- I'm playing soccer again
- I got a couple of new shoes
- Lastly I think would be that fact that I got back to writing in my best place. What I call the porcelain throne.


But really I just haven't taken the time to sit down and reflect as to what is goin on in my life and were I am. Funny how I started working on this the day the Jesus was resurrected.. What a great day to make a come back. So I guess I'll break down the quick notes of everything I just listed on top.

The Cherokee, well as you all know I went down on my "daily" ride in January and have been relying on the sol to take on both duties for a while now. Longer then I wanted, I was in the market for a truck. But that just kept falling threw, either I didn't like what I saw or it was just not the piece for me. Anyways I was perusing the net like I always do and came upon a '92 Cherokee. Well its easier to just this..
Say Hello Ruby


This would Ruby the GhettoBlaster.
Haha. And I know your all going in your minds. I wonder what he is going to do with this?
Well yes those of you that are wondering if she will stay stock. NOPE!
It's going to take time of course, and she comes second to the sol. But she will have things done to her overtime.


Speaking of the sol.
Engine is out and bay is being shaved. For those that don't understand, its one of them there things better understood with pictures. Those will not be released until the 15 of May. Then there will be flood of them. Well hopefully it turns enough heads to be a flood of them.


But I guess lastly really I haven't sat down, read a bit, listened to my sermons (Beauty and the Beast Podcast), and just taken a look as to what the fuck am I doing. And while I don't owe it to anyone to write anything or do anything, I feel bad when i don't put together a piece or say my morning "Hello's" to the Sol owners and FB kiddo's. Lets just say it was a month of ups and downs very neutral when I break it all down. I should have done in some categories like always. Taking that extra step to wish people good fortune on there days of birth and other special moments. But really I'm kickin myself because I know I can do more but I'm just being a total lazy ass and just not pulling the trigger with things that I want and need to do.
But enough of my fuckin pitty party.
I'm looking forward to this month to come and I hope that I have alot to share. Good things are coming up in my family, and I should be taking my first vacation in what 2 years.. God damn! So all I can really say is that I hope change is around the corner



Of corse i can't leave you with some weekly shit though

Video's:
Epic Meal Time
Baby Say Fish?
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's 'Star Wars'


Music:
I'm still stuck on Dr. Dre's - I need a Dr.
Secondly Lupe Fiasco's - The Show Must Go On
and like always
iClub Mashed and EDM. If you still havn't checked them out. Seriously you need to

Reading
Joey Diaz's blog




Oh yeah the Shoes as I said..
No I did not buy them all in the last month I had some pairs on the way, but I realized I hadn't posted pictures of them I got them.. So I decided to finally share..



And if you ever wondered if I ever wore them..



Till next time

Maiden Voyage home..

Well I think its time that I finally say something on a two week hiatus from saying a word and expressing a view or feeling.
Honestly the last couple of weeks there was no way in the right mind to say anything. My mind was running in circles about everything and just worrying about things that didn't even deal with me. It felt like I was a bipolar mess. One moment smiling and laughing to the next just filled with absolute hate and fear. Not a good feeling and honestly I would hate to be that way full time. But some things have happened, good and bad, that I just need to put down for my own timeline. So lets get into it...

This weekend I finally got a chance to go home since Christmas and honestly I really needed it. First off sorry to the people that I didn't see or get a chance while it was planned to come home that weekend, there was unexpected change to how long I was going to be able to stay. But those that I did get to see it just proves how much I miss home and the family unit of people that I have thankfully created over the years of life. One thing I'm proud of now as I get older is my mothers and mine's relationship and the corners that it is turning and just that its getting stronger as I mature and grow up. And theres nothing like going for an odd ball walk to find some geocaches on a random hill. But honestly that's when we have our best talks. So that's always a good time.

The main reason I went down there was it was time for the sol to have a make over. Yes I know that she was painted only a couple of years ago, but within that time she has been stolen twice and is on her second engine. While I'm so happy that she is running right and running good, I really want her to look her best and for once be mad at myself for putting a dent or scratch in her. Not some rapist thief. So these two photos are the last two I'm going to be releasing for a good while, well more like May 16th when Eibach rolls around, if she is done ofcorse.


Sean(Miata) you'll be happy that lip is finally going to make it on the car. What was it almost 3 or 4 years ago I bought that off of you.

The orange marks in this are the things leaving or being filled. Honestly in person it looked like something out of Nip/Tuck, the precision and the attention to detail that this is going to represent.
And yes even after this is done I do plan on taking this out to the track!





Lastly I'm going to say this. Never in a millions year did I think that this

Would be a place that my little brother Kevin would want to go eat at. The little kid that was nothing but burgers and fries is actually starting to gain testbeds and enjoy them

Oh and were else you gonna get this besides LA... In the club.. haha




Hopefully everyone has a good rest of the week and what not..
I need to get back on that horse more and write more.. but yeah final thought

Lessons Learned

Finally back to white!


Well I know I'm a day late on even starting this but there was no way I was going to finish or being this thing intoxicated and after being up for ever volunteering at NASCAR and then watching the race

But lets break this week down and give some thoughts about it.

This week really felt like a weight had been lifted off of me the fear of the unknown was finally answered in the ways of work. While it's always a negative to get in trouble but at least now ii can learn and grow from my wrongs. And i mean hat has to be half of the battle learning from your mistakes. I would think that if you didn't take the time to think about what you have done and how your going to improve and move forward, your not growing and your not even caring about what you did or especially were you going to go from that. But it is one thing to tlak and think about it and finally act. So I guess well see how this goes and what actions I can create as I move on.

Other then that I really didn't take any time to refelect this week. Which is kinda upsetting if you think about it. I'm sure that there was something that reached me but I didn't bother to take the time to understand it. I finish Beneath the Neon and have been slacking on finishing up that post as well. Funny imediatly after finishing it I went out and picked up another book by Mathew O'Brein, My Week at the Blue Angel.



Hopefully I can keep on finding books that I enjoy to read and actually learn some things from the written verbiage. Other then that nothing really happend during the work week. I mean you get to the point were it slowly becomes the same thing day after day. sure your doing different things within the job and the days aren't completly the same but the mothions that you go threw are close to it. I really need to take a wek off and go home just to break it up and get some othe things rolling as well. And I know I have been promising people that it will be soon. So I'm hoping to hold myself to that and make sure that I make it down there this month. I looked at my leave and man I really don't take time off of work.
But the weekend.
Lets just say it was noice to finally see people, especially people who are harder then shit to get ahold of, get out of my room, and actually do something. I think the only thing that could have made it better was Tony Stewart actually winning and not coming in second. But I need to try and have more weekends like them, especially Friday night!


Just to show off were I sat on Sunday.


Till next week! This is my last week I'm giving myself to be injured.
Some weekly items that I used to get threw

Read - A wonderful Craigslist add... Dog Food?


Music - I finally got back into Pandora.com and listening to my stations. But something for the masses is get ready.. Lupe Fiasco's ablum is dropping on the 8th. I have heard a couple of the track and there on repeat when I'm not on pandora

Netflix this week has mostly been focused around Robin Hood. I threw the link up last week to it's IMDB.com profile so I would hunt back there for that one. But I continued the theme actually further this week:
The old classic.. Robin Hood Men in Tights

Youtube again didn't seem to fail this week, while some of these things were on the news, and I don't know why, but here we go
Cat's with Thumbs!
I mean what would this week without a Charlie Sheen refrence Winning!
This is when you know something is wrong with you Dubsteppers! DogStep?
and lastly something that shows drinking can be productive
Flight of the Bumblebee on 101 Bottles!



Well see what this week turns up, and how I even get around.
One Love.

Beneath the Neon

First off it's even interesting that I'm writing something about a book. Anyone who knows me knows I really don't read all that much unless there are pictures or it's about something that I already know as a shape or look. So in completing this hopefully there is some growth that comes with it.
Anyways

Beneath the Neon.
I bought this book originally trying to find the one tunnel in this town that I had heard about were all the graffiti artist go. Boy was I in for another trip by the time that I was even done with chapter one. I was completely drawn in by the what even layed right next to the Vegas welcome sign. Only living Las Vegas for the little time I vaguely even know about the storm drain entrances by the ones that I see when I drive on the freeway and streets. Never would I have thought that one there were storm drains that ran directly under the strip, and that so many people took refuge down there. Not just for a night or two, but were talking years and years. But this book wasn't about a awareness, like look there is a population down here, there was an understanding a want to know why, a story. The people depicted and spoken to to do this book were of such a wide variety with different stories to go right along with each person the author interviewed. From Vets to just your average junky they all had a fascinating tale to tell.

For those of you that are quick reader this book with fly by. I mean most of the writing is conversational pieces and short descriptions about camps, walls, and general surroundings. But these conversations are make the story. I mean who would ever come to think that a Las Vegas Chef (yes a Chef) lived down under the strip. Of course, it was never disclosed were he worked but just think of that one. A trucker who's wife threw him out of the truck and just took off. A husband and wife who lost everything and just ended up on the street. Run away teenagers... I think the most interesting interview came when he visited Phllip, a man would lived in his deemed Valley View drain, and ran into Tyrone and his mother, Gwen. Yes that is right his mother came to visit him from Atlanta. I'm not going to disclose how she found him and what not, but the unconditional love that this mother showed for her son. Of course the shamefulness of the the son having his mother come and visit him and having to have her stay in a hotel and not his place of residence, seeing how he doesn't have a physical address or a front door. More of a gypsy type camp that has nothing but the bare amenities. All in all just a well written piece, and to think it falls under a travel guide. I wanna see you go down there..

Lastly a poem found on a wall

"There never was a child
In your head
Never born, Never dead
Maybe when I'm done
I'll mourn
Now I'll come with fire and scorn
With lust for life
Under hood and horn
Black-Flamed
Lament and forlorn
Breathe in life
I gasp river reed
Logos manifest
I am, I said
There was never a child
In your head
Self-Born, Self-Dead
Believe what you read
One-Third will all be bled."

Adjusting within the Slump

Well another week has gone by and as I lay here ready to to go bed and begin a new week I have a slightly more positive look on things at the moment.
This last week was rough on the mind and that is for sure. My mind has really been taking a toll over these weeks that I have been on the disabled list. Not seeing or even speaking to friends and family is the biggest factor amongst this. I mean sure staying in some nights and watching TV and Netflix is alright and good for the soul. Especially with someone like me who loves to have there personal space and time ( Funny thing is every time that I talk about personal space I remember what Street told me in the desert. How I love my personal space so much but how could I go to a club and do nothing but love to be surrounded by people literally on top of me. I never had a good awnser, but it's just a weird switch or something that gets flipped). But at this point in my healing I must say it's not healthy how much I'm avoiding people. I don't take my best friends calls, I'm not answering peoples texts that I know care about me. It's like I'm doing everything possible to make myself feel alone in my room. While this week really didn't have a traumatic day were I just wanted to run and hide. I think the repetition of being back at work is starting to set in and noticing still how much free time and being frustrated with were I am at the moment. It really just gets to me.
I'm tired of living were I work. I mean shit I walk to work. Yeah great I save money, but fuck I would rather waste that fuckin money on gas and have a story in the morning or evening some days I see something different. Isn't that the point of life is seeing new things. The only thing I see different at the moment is the ThunderChickens is taking off in a different formation. It just sucks that you deploy and come back and your back were you were. No growth in some areas. But enough of that rant, I could go for days on that one.
and enough of these downward thoughts.

Were just gonna skip to Saturday.
Sean came to town. And man did I need to see a friendly face. Oh and if your wondering and can't put two and two together Sean is on the right. And if your using your deductive reasoning. Yes that is his car on the right.
Anyways.
Great night, got some pictures of our dirty as fuck beauty's
Went to a baggin punk bar. Oh yeah, visitors be warned you will be trying the ass juice when you come to town.
Decent punk bands playing, Mosh pits (Now that is a sight)
But that best part was it was something to break me out of my slump of really feeling alone out here.
Thank you Sean, see yah in a couple months



Weekly insight

For a weekly read right now
If you in the car community and don't know about this ouch! But for the rest of yah's.
There was car gathering in Northern Cali this past weekend. What started off as a Honda meet has branched off into the premiere Nor Cal meet of the year bringing people out from across the nation. Anyways as for the read I'm putting Joey (writer, photographer, and other things) on blast on this one. His blog THE CHRONICLES and his coverage..

Oh and I know I promised the write up for Beneath the Neon and that will be coming this week as I'm down to the last little piece of the book! So expect that around Wednesday, Thursday....


My suggestion this week for Netflix
Robin Hood - Another BBC thing that I stumbled upon. Not the greatest but I always loved that story and they did a pretty good job with it. Currently in Season 2 of 3 available on Netflix. IMBD link
and my #1
Exit Through the Gift Shop - If you like graffiti art, or art period you need to check this out. Totally worth the watch. Weird and beautiful at the same time. A documentary about Banksy well in sorts... Ends up more about the narrator and his quest. Must watch for sure IMBD link

And my Youtube
If you haven't subscribed to Epic Meal Time yet well you just missing out on great weekly content..
Other then that it was a real weak week for my finds on youtube. So I'm just gonna leave you with one.. That I love and is driving me to get another one.
4TheRiders
What just because you think I fall once that I'm not gonna get back up and back on..


Finally I'm gonna leave you with some shots of Seans and myselfs car.
Photos done by a new friend Marcos Ricon (schooled me on my own camera)













I know there weren't any shoes in this weeks addition and even I'm sad about that one..
But there should be a pair next week.
Anyways
Hopefully I'll have some more controlled thoughts about what to write about. I need to start thinking of a subject for the week.
Hope yall have a good week!