[11.5.2007] New Official Blog

I miss having a real journal. Now that I'm finally feeling back to "normal" I really want to get back to having a presence online (what little presence that would be).

With a new start it seemed necessary to restart my journaling. I had a past account on Livejournal that I updated often. When I got on Myspace I started cross-posting into both blogs. Cross-posting seemed pretty pointless so I decided to just start a new blog at Livejournal. So, if anyone has any interest in what I am up to just bookmark and check out my new journal. Comments can be left by non Livejournal users. Just remember to leave your name, screen name, alias, whatever so I know who you are when you comment.

 I'm going to attempt to update the new journal at least every other day even if it's a simple "Today I did this and that" type of entry. Those who are used to my past journal know that I can get very in depth when I write so that will happen too, naturally.

My new journal can be found here:

http://mexichrist.livejournal.com/

Currently listening : Killing Joke By Killing Joke Release date: 05 August, 2003

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[9.30.2007] New Contact Info

Hey everyone

I have a new e-mail address and yahoo messenger screen name.

I will be abandoning my previous one soon so if anyone wants to keep in contact and chat regularly send me a message and I'll give you my new screen name and e-mail address.

Thanks,
Chris

Currently watching : The Toxic Avenger (21st Anniversary Edition) Release date: 29 March, 2005

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[5.13.2007] It Wont Fade

Wow, a real update. I really didn't expect to go this long without updating this thing. Sometimes I start writing a blog, stop somewhere around the second paragraph, read it and delete it. I start to realize that I'm saying too much in a blog that's available to people who either know me only through this stupid website or don't know me at all when the people who I'd feel most comfortable with knowing such things about me are the ones who actually care enough to talk to me in real life.

After a year of being a bitter, apathetic, cynical, and all around unpleasant person I feel like I am back to my old self again and it feels good. I don't ever want to become the person I was for the past year again. Sometimes I felt like a zombie going through the day just to get it over with so I could start the next one and continue the cycle. I really hated that person but thankfully I think that person is finally gone. I guess I just realized that there is no point dwelling on something longer than a year.

Being in a city where I have no family or any real close friends doesn't help much sometimes. B and K are great people and really good friends but I need a social life in Houston. I guess I just get lonely a lot in Houston. I feel like most people out there in the world don't really care about making real long lasting friendships or relationships. I feel like the only things people care about these days are looking good, surrounding themselves with good looking people, screwing good looking people, money, social status and expensive cars, and getting drunk or being addicted to some sort of vice.

Whoa, I'm getting too personal there.

I'm in San Antonio for the weekend. It has been a fun and relaxing visit so far.

ET, my good friend and (as declared by me) 3rd brother, and his fiancée, A, picked by me up from the Greyhound station around 2.30 pm. We went to Chris Madrid's for a very delicious lunch. Afterwards, they gave me a lift home because A was graduating from college that night. My niece, Jadey-Bug, was dropped off at the house a couple of hours after I got home. She slept till 11 pm and woke up a little grumpy but after I brought her to my room and put a movie on my laptop for her she quickly changed from being grumpy to being happy and jumpy (oh god, that rhymed). We were up till 5.30 am watching movies and cartoons.

I slept in on Saturday after my long night playing with Jadey-Bug. A family member went back into the hospital. Unfortunately, this person is not doing so well and we're all pretty worried about him right now. ET and I went to the movies later in the afternoon to see 28 Weeks Later. The movie did not disappoint in any way and I can't wait to see it again.

Other than that nothing else is going on. Dnevnoy Dozor (Day Watch) finally hits the big screen in the US on June 1st and I am ridiculously excited!!!!! I have been waiting so long to see this movie. I'll be in San Antonio for Mother's Day then I head back to Houston on Monday morning. I'm also going to try and come back to San Antonio in another two weeks. I miss home too much these days. Thankfully, I have a two week vacation coming in late July. It'll be nice to be home for such a lengthy amount of time. I can't wait.

Currently listening : Unia By Sonata Arctica Release date: 22 May, 2007

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[11.5.2006] KMFDM Texas Tour (Pix Added)

Hey everyone. Here is my experience of 4 days on the road with KMFDM during their tour through Texas. It's a long read so I hope you all have the patience to get through it and enjoy it. Pictures from the 4 days in this blog can be seen here:
My Online Photo Album

+Houston 10.18.2006+
We had all been cleaning up the house getting ready for KMFDM to come over and visit when they got into Houston. We had a bit of a scare because we were told that KMFDM were going to get into town a night early but in the end we were expecting them around 1 pm today. The night before we had a delivery of 12 boxes full of tour merch so as everyone else did their cleaning I was sitting in the living room watching Puppet Master 4 & 5 counting merch. We were all up till about 3 am working so we didn't get much sleep. I woke up at 9.30 am and as soon as I walk out of my room BZ informs me that KMFDM are already in Houston…..4 hours ahead of schedule. So everyone is panicking and trying to get the last minute cleaning and errands finished.

About an hour later BZ tells me that I should get dressed because PV is on his way to pick up Sascha & Lucia (of KMFDM) and bring them to the house. I hop into the shower, get dressed wait for them to get to the house. PV, Sascha and Lucia get to the house around 11.30 pm and greet us with big smiles and hugs. We give them a tour of the house, of the KMFDM Store and hang out for a bit chatting. It comes time for Sascha to do some work on his Mac so we all get back to doing preparations for the night while Lucia hangs out with BZ's wife, KB. BZ and PV head to their offices and I go to mine so I can count the rest of the merch we got the night before.

I spent the next few hours watching Nochnoi Dozor on my laptop while I counted the tour merch. I headed downstairs to the kitchen to get a drink and snack. Lucia was sitting in the kitchen going through her purse and invited me to sit down for a bit and chat with her. We talked about the tour, Texas weather, and laughed about how similar our phones were. I had to get back to work so I asked her if she needed anything else before I left. She offered to help me count merch but I told her there was no need and for her to enjoy the house and relax. I went into the dining room were Sascha was working and asked him if he needed anything to which he declined for the time being.

Lucia came into my office to sign some CDs we had for the Store. She decided to sit on the floor even though I offered her my desk and laughed about how it makes her feel "at home". When she was finished she went downstairs and Sascha sat at my desk. BZ was helping me finish up with the merch so all three of us talked about the merch quality and Nochnoi Dozor. We finally finished the merch count and everyone met in the dinning room to decide where we'll be having our early dinner. In the end we decided to go to Jenny's Noodle House. Sascha and I stood outside waiting for the van to pull out and from there we closed the gate to the house and piled into the van.

Jenny's Noodle House ended up being the perfect place for everyone. We were the only people in the restaurant which made the experience much more personal and honestly more enjoyable. PV came to the restaurant with the Combichrist guys who took a table behind us. BZ, PV, KB, Sascha, Lucia and I passed around dumplings and filled ourselves up on our plates of food and bowls of soups. By the end of the meal everyone was stuffed and very satisfied. Andy (of Combichrist) complimented my Nochnoi Dozor shirt, which led into a small conversation about the movie and the sequel Dnevnoy Dozor. I offered to make him a copy of the sequel that I had on my computer (but refuse to watch till it hits theatres) to which he enthusiastically accepted. We all left Jenny's to drop Lucia off at the venue where the tour bus was and to give Sascha a ride to the UPS Store. I went to the house to get some supplies ready for the show.

It was already 5 pm and time was closing in on us. Joe the tour merch guy needed merch and doors for the show were opening at 7. BZ came and in the course of the next hour we brought over 20 boxes of tour merch downstairs and loaded into the van. By this time BZ and I were exhausted and aching from the past couple of days of work. We took the merch to the Meridian and unloaded it for Joe. BZ left back to the house to get the rest of the merch for us. Joe and I got our greetings out of the way and started getting merch into the trailer. I gave him the master list which included everything we were brining him.

By this time I really needed a break so I headed into the Meridian to find a place to sit down and rest. As I walked to the Meridian I ran into Jules, Andy and Steve (of KMFDM) who were quick to enthusiastically greet me by my new nickname, Mexichrist (as dubbed by Sascha). We all said our hellos to each other and went on our way as we were all pretty busy. When I got into the Meridian I ran into Sascha who asked me to join him on the tour bus to relax. The tour bus was nice as always and very cool inside. Sascha turned on the TV (which was tuned to the BBC which was showing Benny Hill haha), grabbed his mac and sat across from me to adjust a lyric sheet for "Mini Mini Mini" (a song that they would be playing). I rested my head and started dozing off until Jacob (the tour manager) came in to talk to Sascha. At this time BZ had came back with the rest of the merch so I excused myself from the bus, ran into Paul Raven (of Killing Joke and Prong) who gave me a very happy "It's good to see you again" (we last met in Houston during the Ministry/Revolting Cocks Tour), and met back up with Joe to get the rest of the merch ready for the show.

It was time for the doors to open and start letting the kids in for the show. I went into the stage area where Combichrist were setting up and doing their sound check. I walked up to the stage and held up the copy of Dnevnoy Dozor I made for Andy. He got really excited and showed the rest of the band. He popped the CD in his pocket and they got back to sound check.

The doors were open and the kids were let in for the shows. I mostly walked around to see how the crowd was for the night and hung around the merch booth to see if Joe needed help with anything. I also worked the merch booth while Joe stepped out to change for the night. While I was working the merch booth I was greeted by Mr. Revolution15 himself, Anthony. It was good to see him at the show. We chatted for a bit and hung out for a while. We also watched some of Combichrist's set which was pretty cool. Those guys can put on a show.

It was finally time for the show. I managed to find my way to the front/right of the stage sine this was the first show for me and for the Texas Tour I was very excited. The change over from Combichrist to KMFDM seemed to take forever but as soon as the classical music began I knew it wouldn't be too much longer. Finally, the lights dimmed and the band came out on stage. The show was a blast and everyone looked like they were having a great time on stage. Definite song highlights were D.I.Y. (of course), MORE & FASTER, SON OF A GUN, TERROR, ADIOS, 6 Feet Below (www.myspace.com/KGCMusic), LAST THINGS, and READY TO BLOW. I took plenty of pix and filmed 6 songs. After the show I left for the merch booth to see if I was needed as the merch booth is always the place to be after a show.

Lucia came out for a while to hang out with fans. I took some pix for the site and for fans who were patient enough to hang out. Lucia asked me to go backstage and see if anyone else was coming. When I got backstage everyone was hanging out with friends and business associates who were based out of Houston. I helped take down the merch table and get stuff packed away for the night. As the night went on everyone eventually came out to hang with fans outside in the warm, humid and muggy air. Steve, Andy, PV, and Anthony left to the after party at the Jet Lounge but I decided to hang out on the tour bus since I was tired from carrying around boxes all day.

BZ, Sascha, Lucia, Jules and I were all in the bus hanging out, chatting, joking around and having a good time. It was then that the KMFDM Texas Tour tradition of Pepper Vodka shots began. BZ had made a bottle of Pepper Vodka out of a bottle of Stoli and many red peppers that sat and soaked for days. To commemorate the first show in Texas Sascha opened the bottle for all of us to take a drink. Those of you who really know me know that I don't drink at all, but I figured that this was a good occasion and I would keep it very minimal. We all passed around the bottle of pepper vodka and took a drink. Man, was that stuff strong and hot, but not as bad as I thought it would be. It was getting late and BZ and I had to get back to the house so we can get ready for the next show in Austin. We all exchanged our goodbyes (including Sascha kissing me right on the head haha) and parted ways for the night.

+Austin 10.19.2006+
We all woke up the next morning in time to get some extra work done before we left to Austin. PV mentioned that Steve and Andy were asking for me at the KMFDM after party at the Elysium. We finally got on the road around 3.30 pm (a little later than expected). I spent most of the ride to Austin working on this blog and trying to get in touch with my cousins AV and LV so I can find out if they were going to make it to the show or not. BZ and I spent a good amount of time chatting and listening to "The Flower Lady" which is quite possibly one of the funniest Jerky Boys pranks ever.


We hung around for about an hour until it was time for me to start getting our stuff ready for the merch booth. I started getting our boxes of posters and supplies and started bringing them into Emo's. On the way in I saw greeted by a familiar and smiling face. It was the lovely Miss Lindsey (a.k.a. Catbitch). I started putting up posters and making signs for while. By the time I was finished I was tired and needed something to drink. I stepped out to call my cousins to see if they were going to make it. As it turns out they were going to come out and see the show they were just waiting for the babysitter to arrive so they could head out.

I ran into BZ who told me that he was going to get a bite t eat with KB, Sascha, Steve and Duncan (one of the coolest guys on the KMFDM crew) and asked me if I wanted to join them. I agreed mostly because I needed some time to relax. We all met up by the tour bus and started walking down the street to some crawfish place. This place was pretty wacky. It had crayons on the table and drawings all over the walls. Our waitress spread some white paper across our table and took our orders. I wasn't having anything because I wasn't too hungry and because seafood isn't really my thing. Sascha and I started coloring on our paper. I started drawing some "classic" looking black and white cartoon type character that looked like it came from one of those old silent cartoon serials. I stopped for a bit to film the restaurant and all the stuff all over the walls. As I was filming I looked over at Sascha's paper and saw what he was writing, "MEXICHRIST 8 HERE".

There was plenty of chat about my newfound adventurousness including different types of food. Sascha and I both agreed that we weren't fans of Indian food. By this time everyone's food was arriving. Sascha asked me if I was having anything but I told him I wasn't very hungry and that this type of food wasn't preference of mine. I mostly just wanted to relax and have a chat with everyone. After some more chat about different types of food Sascha asked me if I'd like to try some crawfish. I decided to go ahead and try it and surprisingly it wasn't all that bad. Sascha shared about 5 crawfish with me. He even found a crawfish head with antenna so long that he used it as a puppet. You haven't laughed till you've seen Sascha's crawfish head marionette walking/hopping around the table.

As we walked back to the tour bus (which was parked outside of Emo's we heard loud music coming from inside. Sascha asked if Combichrist were already doing their set. I told him they were but it was only their first song which is "Get Your Body Beat". Reassured, we all went into the tour bus where Lucia and Jules were hanging out. Everyone sat around chatting and joking around for a bit. Sascha whipped out the bottle of pepper vodka and suggested that we take a pre show pepper vodka shot. At first I declined to participate but after a little bit of convincing I decided to join the fun. Sascha, Jules, BZ, KB and I tossed back two shots of pepper vodka which were served to us in little plastic salt cups since no shot glasses could be found anywhere on the bus.

After the shots were taken I decided to excuse myself from the tour bus to check on the merch booth and try to get in touch with my cousins. My cousins were finally on their way to Emo's for the show. Joe the merch guy left to go to the sushi place we all hung out at earlier to place an order. I took over the merch booth while he was gone. When he came back he asked me if I could pick up his food for him in a few minutes. I decided to go to the sushi place to relax and wait for my cousins. I had a very enjoyable chat with the waitress at the sushi place. She had waited on all of us early on in the night and was curious about who we were and what we were up to for the night. After chatting with her for a bit the food was finally ready. I took it to Joe and finally my cousins AV and LV had arrived.

I met AV and LV outside of Emo's with big hugs and big smiles. I told them that it was great to see them and that they were just in time because the crew was already in the middle of the changeover from Combichrist to KMFDM. I was very happy that they made it and that they were finally going to see the band that I have been a big fan of for so long. I asked them if they wanted to join me in the audience but they chose to watch from the seats that were along the walls of the venue. I told them I'd meet them after the show and headed into the audience.

Once again the show was a lot of fun. I was a couple of rows from the stage to the right and right behind Lindsey who greeted me with a heart she made with her hands. I took plenty of photos but no video this time due to sub par lighting. Plus, as Lucia had stated earlier in the night at the sushi restaurant this was more punk rock show than the night before in Houston and it would have been difficult for me to shoot decent video with out having a lot of camera shakes and jerks. The highlight of the whole show had to be a very special "shout out" from Sascha on stage before the start of the first encore. In Sascha's own words he declared, "This show is dedicated to BZ, PV, and Chris".

I met up with my cousins during the last encore of GODLIKE and asked them how they were enjoying the show. They both were having a lot of fun. I showed them pictures of what I shot that night and they showed me some new pictures of their kids on their camera phones. The show ended and everyone started wandering around to the merch booth and socializing. I introduced my cousins to BZ, KB and PV and also met up with Lindsey who had a great time at her first KMFDM show. Sascha, Lucia, Andy, Jules and Steve all came out to hang out with fans very quickly. Everyone was having a great time hanging out and taking photos. Andy (of Combichrist) and the very sweet Lauren (Combichrist's merch girl) gave me a free Combichrist shirt as thanks for the movie I gave him the night before. After the crew took down everything from the show it seemed that almost everyone was going to the after party at the Elysium. I decided to go since I didn't go to the one in Houston.

The after party was just ok. It was actually kind of boring…..for me anyway. PV was socializing and Lindsey was out on the dance floor. I mostly wandered around and checked out the crowd which wasn't very big. Lindsey took a sit with me for a bit and we spent some time talking. I really tried o convince her to come to the San Antonio show since it was not far, it would be well worth it and she'd be all hooked up for the show. She really seemed interested in coming so I gave her my cell in case she needed anything in case she did decide to go. I said a quick hello and goodbye to Paul Raven and Phil Owen (of Revolting Cocks) and headed out. On my way to the tour bus I was me half way by BZ and KB who had some bad news. A little bit of drama (which will not be mentioned here or anywhere else) went on and it was doubtful we would continue on with the KMFDM Texas Tour. The night had ended with uncertainty and sadness. We all got a hotel and decided to see what the next morning had in store for us.

+Ft. Worth 10.20.2006+
Everyone woke up the next morning with questions on what we were going to do after what had happened the night before. After some conversation and debating on what (and how) we were going to make our next decisions we finally decided that we were going to continue one. BZ, however, would not attend tonight's show because he needed to catch up on his rest after the few days of nonstop work we had been doing. We hopped in the car and headed to Ft. Worth.

The ride to Ft. Worth was a very quiet one as everyone was exhausted and worried about how things would be when we arrived. I really wanted to wear the belt Sascha had made me for my birthday so I spent some time making holes for the belt so I could attach the belt buckle to it. I finally managed to get it as good as it was going to get for the day. It still needed some work but at least I could wear it.

We finally made it to Ft. Worth in the late afternoon. KMFDM were on stage doing their sound check so there was plenty of time for me and BZ to get some new counts on the tour merch. We went into the tour bus' trailer and did some new counts. When we finished we went inside to check our master list with our new list everything was looking fine for the most part. From that point on BZ had disappeared for a while only to reappear with some good news.

Since we had arrived early enough to get our merch set up I had plenty of free time. I called home and spoke to my niece for a bit which really made me miss her because she is talking so much now. Afterwards I got in touch with Lindsey (Catbitch) to find out if she was going to make it to San Antonio for the next show. Luckily, enough it seemed that she was going to make it after all. I also spent some time chatting with Lauren (Combichrist's merch girl).

The doors finally opened and the kids were let in. Combichrist had finally taken the stage but I decided to hang out in the lobby of the theatre where I ran into Lucia who greeted me with a big smile and "Hello". She told me to join her on the tour bus so we made our way through some of the audience, walked past security past the stage and out into the tour bus. PV was already on the bus and everyone killed some time chatting and enjoying each others company.

The changeover from Combichrist to KMFDM was already beginning so I was going to head off the bus and into the venue so I could get a good spot. Before I left everyone kept talking about this "special" bathroom in the theatre. Sascha and I decided to go on a little trip to find it. After we had found it I wished Sascha a good show and headed downstairs for the show.

I managed to get myself to the front/left of the stage just in time for the change over. During the changeover I noticed that a girl, Jennifer, standing next to me was wearing a fan made shirt with Sascha's head on it. I had to get a picture of it for the Fan Section of the site. I asked her if she would mind if I took a picture of her. She didn't mind at all and posed for my picture and even got her boyfriend, Chris, in one as well. We introduced ourselves to each other and chatted for a bit before the show started. As it turns out it was their first KMFDM show and because they were so nice (probably the nicest and only new people I have met in the last two days) I did what I could to make it more enjoyable for them.

The show began and I have to say that it was the most fun, best sounding and best lit show so far. Everyone on stage looked like they were giving fun and the audience was having a blast as well singing along and chanting for both encores. Jennifer and Chris were making it through their first show very well even though by the last few songs they were beginning to get very tired. Regardless, they stuck it out and made it too the end. After the show the three of us hung around. I grabbed some waters for Jennifer and Chris and hung out with them for a bit as the crowds died down. As I waited I saw BZ walking around the venue. Apparently, he had some last minute work he needed to get cleared up.

After a little while of waiting Sascha, Lucia, Steve, Andy and Jules all came out to greet fans, sign autographs and take pictures with the fans. Jennifer and Chris were both able to meet everyone and get some pictures. Lucia and Sascha both enjoyed Jennifer's home made Sascha shirt. Sascha enjoyed it so much he got on his knee and signed it for Jennifer. Jennifer and Chris left for the night and soon enough everyone else was clearing out of the venue. In the meantime everyone was having a fun time after the show. Lucia and I showed off our matching belts, Sascha wanted to see if his head would fit into my lanyard (as I wore it), Jules and I were the "badass" brothers, and there was a battle for the baldest head between PV, Steve, and Khristian.

The fun moved from inside the Ridglea Theater to the front of the tour buses where members of the KMFDM and Combichrist camps were scattered around drinking and having a good time with each other and the few fans that were still hanging out. After a while everyone hopped onto the tour buses. In the KMFDM bus everyone was sharing drinks and laughs. Andy from Combichrist even hopped in for some drunken fun. That dreaded bottle of pepper vodka showed up again and everyone passed the bottle around. PV was finally around to witness me drink some, and to commemorate the occasion he attempted to take my picture in the act. Unfortunately for me he could not get my camera to take the picture causing my mouth to slowly fill with pepper vodka. I couldn't take anymore so I had no choice but to swallow a mouthful of pepper vodka resulting in a burning mouth/lips, (from my best assumption) a very hilarious gag face, and my very first "buzz" (I'm very ashamed haha).

The fun continued on for a couple of hours. Somehow in the midst of the conversations the movie Heathers came up leading to a few shouted catch phrases. I coincidentally had bought the movie a couple of weeks before and offered Lucia a copy to which she excitedly accepted. The time was finally coming for the bus to head out back on the road. It seemed at the time that BZ and PV were not going to go to the San Antonio show after all so Sascha and Lucia inquired as to how I would be going to San Antonio (my hometown). I told them I'd hop a Greyhound bus to the next stop but upon hearing that everyone on the bus decided that they wanted me to ride with them on the tour bus to San Antonio. I could not turn down that offer so I grabbed my bag from BZ's car and BZ assured me that he and PV would be in San Antonio for the show.

I hopped on the bus and we left for the hotel KMFDM were staying at so they could all shower for the night and get relaxed. Andy, Steve, Duncan, Khristian and I met Lucia in the hotel room. We all hung out for a bit as everyone relaxed. Andy and I had a long chatted about the last couple of days and later Steve had a very nice chat with me about being a part of the KMFDM family. I felt very honored to be there with everyone. We all got back in the bus around 4 am and hit the road to San Antonio. Everyone was a little more calm and relaxed now. Sascha and Jules were already asleep in their bunks so Lucia and I sat together talking till 5.30 am while Andy and Steve had their own conversation nearby. It was finally time to get some rest. Lucia showed me around the bus and got me set up in the back and from there we shared our good nights and hugs and went to bed.

+San Antonio 10.21.2006+
I slept very well and comfortably on the bus ride home to San Antonio. I woke up at 11.30 am and took a peak out of the window. I saw a very familiar area and realized that we were very close to San Antonio College and it wouldn't be long till we were at the White Rabbit. I called home and checked to see if anyone would be able to pick me up from the White Rabbit. When we finally parked I gathered up my things and walked out of the bus. Everyone was still asleep but I ran into Jules outside of the bus. I let him know that I was going to spend a few hours with my family and that I'd be back in the afternoon. My ride picked me up and I went home where I had some breakfast and showed the family some pictures and video from the night before. I also made some calls to see who would be coming to the show and who wouldn't because I planned to have a small gathering of friends and family to attend the KMFDM show. I also made a quick stop at Target to get some clothes and finally finished fixing the belt that Sascha made me. My little niece Jade even stopped by the house before I left. It was good to see her because I had missed her so much. She was even wearing a KMFDM baby doll shirt I gave her.

I left back to the White Rabbit at 5.30 pm. When I got there I called BZ and asked if he had made it into town. He said he was on the KMFDM bus with Sascha and Lucia and for me to join them. When I walked in BZ was sitting watching TV with Sascha and Lucia was cooking on the trusty George Foreman grill. BZ showed Sascha and Lucia the picture I took of Jade in her KMFDM shirt and had a conversation about the workings of Target. I decided I should step out and get the tour merch set up at the merch booth. BZ joined me, as we needed to decide how much merch we were going to bring out for the night.

We went inside the White Rabbit and decided to make whatever was left of the Poster Bundles. As we were making them I got a call from Lindsey (Catbitch) who informed me that she made it to the White Rabbit already. I met her very briefly outside where we exchange a big hug and hello. I had to run back inside so we promised to meet up later. Khristian and Sascha both kept BZ and I company as we made the last of the 20 Poster Bundles. Afterwards, I went outside to set up our merch display at the merch booth. When that was done I joined BZ and Sascha at the nearest picnic table and joined the chat of shoes and KMFDM music archives.

By this time the sun was already setting and I was starting to get very hungry. BZ and I went out to go searching for a place to eat. We went to a nearby Mexican restaurant which turned out to be reserved for the night for a birthday party, we went to a pizza place that didn't seem to have any workers around, and finally to a Greek restaurant that luckily was available for us to eat at. As BZ and I searched for a place to eat my two brothers, sister in law, friends (ET & R, N & J) had already arrived at the White Rabbit for the show. After dinner I met them all in the open area of the White Rabbit and introduced everyone to each other. A little while later my two cousins AV and AV made it to the White Rabbit and joined us. At this point (for me) the night was going well and everyone was having a good time together.

The night quickly turned for the worse for me personally. I knew the time was coming for me to come face to face with someone I just wasn't ready to see again…..not because I didn't want to see them only because I didn't realize how unprepared I was to see them and how much it hurt to see them. I also felt bad because I felt like I wasn't giving everyone (especially JS) enough time as most of my guests for the show did end up coming to the show. People were misbehaving at the show and it was really making me feel bad because I had invited them and gave them the V.I.P. treatment for the show. Not only that the show wasn't going very well including some moron in the audience messing with Sascha's riggy during the show causing Sascha to get upset during the middle of the show.

The show ended and everyone who came to the show hung around for a bit but as the night went on things only got worse. I won't explain what but I feel like I caused the night to be ruined for a couple of my guests. I said my goodbyes to Sascha and Lucia for the night and told them I would see them in a week in Los Angeles. Lucia reminded me of the Heathers copy I promised her. I didn't end up having time to make it or the means to make it since my laptop was in BZ's car. Luckily, the dvd of Heathers I bought was in BZ's car with my laptop. I hopped on the tour bus one last time and gave it to Lucia who insisted she'd return it to me in Los Angeles. I told her to keep it as a gift from me and said one last good bye to everyone and left for the night.

The one uplifting thing from the roughness of the rest of the night was having a very late bite to eat with my good friend RS who couldn't make it to the show due to work.

Currently watching : Monster House (Widescreen Edition) Release date: 24 October, 2006

12:43 AM - 4 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

[10.15.2006] Deep Sleep

Hey everyone. So, starting on the 18th I will be heading out on the road with KMFDM for four days while they tour through Texas and I thought I'd give a quick update before I head out. It's been nothing but work lately especially with the tour going on. The rush is fun and it helps me temporarily keep my mind off of things so I don't mind.

BZ and I did a couple of days of promotion for a couple of days here in Houston. We mostly spent those days going to various places to leave promotional postcards, stickers and putting up posters anywhere we can. I think the best places we hit were the shops up and down Westheimer Street (even though it started to bring back some painful memories).

Regardless of some worries I've been having lately I'm really looking forward to the next couple of weeks. As I mentioned already, I will be out with KMFDM from the 18th through the 21st. We will be in Houston, Austin, Ft. Worth, and San Antonio (my hometown). I'm especially excited about the San Antonio show as I am expecting plenty of friends and family to be at the show. After I get back from the Texas shows I will be in Houston for a few days to get some extra work done. Afterwards, I will be flying out to Los Angeles to see KMFDM on the 27th. I will be staying with my friend, MA, in Los Angeles from the 26th till the 29th. When I get back from Los Angeles I will stay in Houston for a day and go home to San Antonio for a day so I can spend Halloween with my niece, Jade. I've never spent Halloween with her due to work so it will be a lot of fun trick or treating with her.

There will be some lengthy new blogs and tons of new photos coming in the next couple of weeks. I hope to see all my Texas friends at the KMFDM shows.

Currently listening : Deep Sleep By Real Life Release date: 18 March, 1998

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[9.25.2006] Charles Band's Horror Roadshow 2006

Since the beginning of September I have not been in the very best of spirits. Too many thoughts have been running through my mind lately and it's been seriously bumming me out. This weekend was a nice change for me though.

Last year Charles Band, the creator of Full Moon Pictures and the Puppet Master movie series, held a touring horror road show that featured previews for his movies, toys, on stage audience participation and auctions for props from his movies. This year he decided to do it again. Unfortunately, he wasn't making a stop in Houston this year. As luck would have it one of his Texas shows landed on the same date as a concert my boss, BZ, wanted to go to. We both decided to go to Dallas on the 22nd where he would spend the night at his concert and I would spend it at the horror show. As the day got closer BZ realized that he would not be able to make the show in Dallas. I was all set to meet up with a friend from high school and her husband, T and K, in Dallas. They had purchased tickets online and I definitely did not want to miss the show so my only option was to hop on the greyhound bus to Dallas.

I arrived in Dallas on schedule and after a short wait T and K arrived to pick me up. We were running a little late so we had to head straight to the Lakewood Theatre for the horror show. There didn't seem to be too many people waiting outside but inside there were about 200 people in the audience already seated. As we walked into the theatre we saw the merch tables and Puppet props from various Full Moon movies that would be auctioned for the night. The Puppets they had at this show were a full size Evil Bong prop, the cat ghoulie from "Ghoulies", Dr. Death and Cyclops from "Retro Puppet Master", a Radu figure from the Subspecies series, Pinhead from the "Puppet Master" series, and Blade (my favorite puppet) from the "Puppet Master" series. We headed into the seating room to find a seat. As we walked in we saw a projection of Full Moon Characters on the big screen while the theatre played music from various Full Moon movies. There were so many people we had to take a few seats on the side of the room instead of front and center.

We didn't have to wait long for the show to start. The show began as it did last year with a montage of clips from many Full Moon movies. Charles Band came out and began the show by telling an amusing story about what happened to him after last years Houston show. The rest of the show was pretty routine as last years show which included previews of some new movies, a montage of Full Moon clips featuring some of today's famous actors and actresses who were at the time unknowns, the audience participation horror scene directed by Charles on stage, and the puppet auctions. This year did include a couple of new elements including a guest appearance by actress Kristyn Green ("Doll Graveyard" and "Evil Bong") and an onstage beheading.

The audience participation had to be, by far, the most entertaining element of the show. Just like last year Charles Band was going to direct a scene that involves a woman in distress, a monster, and the handsome dashing hero. Charles called up volunteers for the handsome hero, who in the end was chosen by either a very cruel audience or a very cool audience, the monster, played by a guy with "big hair", and the woman in distress spontaneously became three lesbians in distress. The gag last year was that the woman in distress, who has been captured by the monster, is chained up to a pole. The dashing hero is to come and save her but is knocked unconscious by the monster who appears out of nowhere. At that moment the monster rips off the woman's clothes revealing a shirt with a woman's body in a bikini. This year (or at least this show) was a bit different. The premise was the same but instead of one woman in distress there were three, each of whom became lesbians, and instead of the bikini shirt gag there was nudity…..by all three woman.

Soon after the horror scene was the onstage beheading. During the "auditions" for the woman in distress Charles set aside the "hottest" girl, as declared by the audience, to be the beheading victim. The hot girl, Brittany, removed her jacket and got in to guillotine and from there was beheaded. Charles looked into the box where her head had fallen and tossed the head into a screaming audience. After the beheading were the auctions for the puppets. At this point I hung around in the merch section taking a look at what I'd like to pick up and also because I knew I wouldn't be able to bid on Blade which sold for $800. T did win the Radu figure for $100. While I hung around I got about 6 compliments on my Nochnoi Dozor (Night Watch) shirt, which was one of the coolest parts of the evening.

T, K and I hung around after the show and spoke to some of the people at the show and later hung out with Charles Band and Kristyn Green. Charles signed some posters and all 7 of the sleeves in the Puppet Master dvd box set I bought. I also asked Charles about the supposed new Puppet Master movie. He told me it would be out next year and also informed me it would take place a couple of years after the events of Puppet Master 3 which I told him was my favorite of the series. He agreed and said it was his favorite as well. The crew began closing down the merch tables and packing up. T, K and I left back to their apartment to eat and watch some Hard Gay (see my blog entry titled Replica).

It was definitely a fun weekend. It was great to see T and meet her husband K. the road show was a blast and I can't wait for next years. Not too much is going on for now…..mostly work and maybe a quick visit to San Antonio. Check out pix from the Road show at my online photo album which can be found here:
My Online Photo Album

Currently watching : Puppet Master III Toulon's Revenge

12:51 AM - 6 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

[9.10.2006] San Antonio, Re-Releases & Pix.....

Well, here I am back in Houston. I had a very relaxing and enjoyable visit home in San Antonio. Thanks to the very few of you who visited and spent time with me and my family while I was back. I left for San Antonio on august 11th. I spent most of my time at home with my family and my niece, Jade. She finally knows my name and calls me by it. It was very refreshing to have her come over to the house and hear her call for me by name. I tried to get her to say uncle in front of my name but no luck this time. We spent a lot of time either running around the house playing or watching movies/cartoons. It's funny to see my influence on her when she actually wants to watch, enjoys and laughs at Mr. Bean with me. She also loves to watch the first two Ninja Turtles movies as well. She also has this strange fascination with superhero movies (Spiderman, Superman, and Batman). Unfortunately, the only Batman movie we actually own is Batman Forever directed by Joel "Schmuck"er. I must have had to watch that movie about 15 times. Dear god was it awful each and every time. How is it that the man responsible for Carwash, The Lost Boys, and 8MM could do such a crappy job at Batman? Granted, I'm no Batman fan but still.....

When I wasn't with my family or my niece I was doing another one of my favorite things in the world.....eating, of course. I ate very well while I was home. Home made soup, enchiladas, rice, beans, fideo con carne, various tacos, spaghetti, roast, cut up turkey legs in gravy, mashed potatoes, chicken and gravy.....my stomach is growling just thinking about all the food I ate. Not to mention eating at two of my favorite Mexican restaurants in San Antonio, Mary Lou's and Patty's. I also ate a ridiculous amount of watermelon and paletas.

I celebrated my 23rd birthday in San Antonio with my gremo whose birthday is the day before mine. I always enjoy the fact that we share birthdays because we have so much fun together. It was a very nice and quiet birthday at the house with my family. That weekend we all went out to Medina Lake to spend the day cooking out and enjoying the lake. I spent most of the time filming and taking pictures of Jade during her first time in a lake. Later, Jade and I played in the lake and went fish hunting with our trusty styrofoam cup. We caught a tiny frog and the tiniest fish ever (both were set free back into the lake before we left).

My youngest brother also started his first day of high school. I went with him the morning of his first day to show him around and help him find his first classes. While I was there I began to get very nostalgic and realized that I didn't have anything very memorable from my highschool years. I visited my radio, television, and film teacher, RB, who was very surprised to see me. We had a brief catching up due to an unexpected staff meeting he had to run too. I asked him if he still had masters of the video yearbook and graduation for my class. He coincidentally had a spare video yearbook and made me a copy of the graduation a few days later. I was a little sad while viewing the video yearbook because I realized that I didn't really get to enjoy my highschool years. I never went to school events or had many friends in highschool due to my passive/quiet nature. I even missed my senior prom due to the fact that I graduated in the middle of my senior year and spent the other half of it college where I completely forgot about the last main events of highschool such as my prom.

While i was in San Antonio I also got to hang out with most of my good friends. JS and I hung out a couple of times. She gave me a lift from the bus station to my house because at that time my family was in Uvalde visiting my uncle. We also went to see Little Miss Sunshine, which was a very good movie. RS came over to visit me as always. She treated me to a 4 am birthday dinner at Ihop where I jokingly had daughter obsessing over broccoli. ET and I spent our time going to Best Buy, joking around, watching South Park and eating pizza with his sis VT, and playing Super Puzzle Fighter.

I had such a good time being home in San Antonio. I had a lot of time to think about certain aspects of my life. There has always been one part of my life that has always been unfulfilled and very unhappy. There has always been a void and although I had once believed that part of my life was finally filled with happiness and that I had finally felt whole it was all torn away from me. Unfortunately, I have finally come to accept the fact that that's how that aspect of my life has always been and that's probably how it will always be. Not because I want it to be but because that is just how that part of my life has always been for me. I'm not happy about it but, sadly and pathetically, I'm used to it. Maybe it will change for me someday but until then I will continue to live with that unhappy, empty and unfulfilled part of my life. This video usually lifts my spirits somehow:



Now that I am back in Houston it's been nothing but work which has been very tiring but fun as well. When I walked into my office I was greeted by tons of new merch (cds, posters, stickers, postcards, etc). The KMFDM re-releases are available everywhere on September 12th and I have been doing a lot of work to do to ensure that the fans get their music and merch. I had a great first night back though. BZ, PV, and KB treated me to a late birthday dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Houston. We had a good night filled with talk of movies, Thor, and novelty toys. Afterwards we went back to the house where they gave me a couple of gifts including "Creature From the Black Lagoon" jammies, sharpies, wacky straws, and an eye ball whoopie cushion. My favorite gift was from (and made by) Kapt'n K. He made me a wicked belt similar to the one he's been making and wearing for many many years. Kapt'n K also dropped our names in an interview in the newest issue of Fiend Magazine. Thanks Kapt'n.



It's been an interesting few weeks and the next two months will hopefully promise the same. I'm going to Dallas for the next Charles Band Horror Roadshow in a couple of weeks and the KMFDM tour is right around the corner where I'll be at every show in TX with the band (and maybe fly to Los Angeles for a 5th and maybe 6th show.....fingers crossed).

Till then take a look at my online photo album where I have added 3 new photos in the Jade and Misc Folders which include pics of Jade and I at the lake and my gift from the Kapt'n. More pix to come in a couple of weeks.....for those of you who care. My online photo album can be found here:
My Online Photo Album

Take care everyone.....

4:53 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

[Updated 8.8.2006] Replica
Current mood: anxious

I seem to have been procrastinating too much lately when it comes to updating this pesky thing.

BZ and I took a trip to Austin to see the last show on the American Revolting Cocks/Ministry tour (7.20.2006). The trip was fun. We left early (for once) and had some extra time to kill. We hung around La Zona Rosa for a little while to see if we could spot anyone we knew from the Revolting Cocks, Ministry, or the crew to find out what was going on regarding the shows expected attendance. After a while we learned that no one from the bands were going to show up until an hour before doors open. We left to make our prerequisite visit to Cheapos which has been a staple in all of our Austin visits. Cheapos is a great used cd/dvd store. We all always come out with plenty of great finds every time we go and this time was no exception. After killing a couple of hours in cheapos we decided to go back to La Zona Rosa to see if anyone was there yet. As it turns out the show was sold out leaving BZ and I to figure out what we were going to do if we werent going to be able to catch the show. Luckily, BZ heard from John Bechdel (Ministry and Fear Factory), who had some good news for us. John was going to put b and I on his guest list so we could get into the show. BZ and I headed to the near by whole food market while the first opening band, Pitbull Daycare (from my hometown of San Antonio), played their set. I wasnt so much interested in seeing Ministry as they failed to impress me at their first show of the tour in Houston on (see 5.10.2006 - Fiesta, Rock Stars, RUCK ZUCK). I was more excited to see the Revolting Cocks again. Their show was much more fun and entertaining. By the time we got back to La Zona Rosa Pitbull Daycare was almost done with their set. BZ and I had a little trouble getting into the venue as the box office and door people didnt know what happened to the all access passes BZ and I were supposed to be given. Then, John Bechdel (of all people) comes walking out of the venues front doors and spots us.We all exchange our hello its good to see you again and chat for a bit. By this time the Revolting Cocks had hit the stage. I was still out chatting with BZ and John while the Revolting Cocks played their first song, Beers, Steers and Queers. The three of us walked in to see the rest of the show. I decided to try and find a better spot to see the show and managed to get pretty close to the stage. The band was having a great time on stage even after this long tour. After the Revolting Cocks finished their set Ministry came on and played the same set. Again, I wasnt blown away but I guess my mind was also preoccupied at the time as well. After the show we hung around to hang out with John. John stumbled out completely drunk but happy to see us again. He was so drunk he was already going to leave to his hotel room to sleep it off at the request of Al Jourgensen. A little bit later Luke Van Acker came out and greeted us. BZ had a gift for Luke who was thrilled. The local goth/industrial club in Austin, The Elysium, was holding an after-party at their club and had dropped by the venue to see who they would be bringing back for the after-party. Luke seemed to be the only person available at the time so he invited us to join him. We hopped in the shuttle van and headed t the Elysium. The three of us hung out, had drinks (water for me of course), and chatted the rest of the hour. It came time for Luke to get back so we all hopped back into the shuttle and left the club. We said our goodbyes to Luke and left to get a hotel room for the night.

Since work has been so slow lately I managed to take an unexpectedly lengthy trip back home to San Antonio. My family seemed to still be going through a little bit of a rough time. Luckily, while I was there I was able to help them with whatever problems they were having. I also got to see some friends and take my niece to see superman. The trip seemed as though it was going to end roughly but in the end the whole family came together. We shared a big lunch at my favorite restaurant, Mary Lous and I was off to Houston. Things seem to be getting much better with them from what they have told me recently.

Life in Houston is going well. Work is still a bit slow but everyone around the office is excited as the date for the re-releases of the first KMFDM albums and upcoming tour draw near. Since work has been slow I am going to spend some time back in San Antonio. I will be in San Antonio for two weeks, but I will return back to Houston in time to get ready for the re-release date. I look forward to my visit. Im going to spend plenty of time with my family visit with some friends and maybe even a couple from my past (well see what happens). I head off to San Antonio on Saturday (the 12th). If anyone wants to meet up let me know.

The greatest character to come out of Japan:
Hard Gay, HOOOOO!!!!!

Yahoo! - Hard Gay invades the Japanese offices of Yahoo.com


The Ramen Shop - Hard Gay tries to help an unsuccessfull Ramen Shop gain more customers


Cupid - Hard Gay tries to help a guy confess his love to a girl


Hiromi Go (Part 1 - 4) - Hard Gay secretly tries to get a famous Japanese singer to be in a Hard Gay music video (funniest of the series!!!!!)





Father's Day - Hard Gay tries to get kids to show their fathers some appreciation on Father's Day


Sakura Viewing - Hard Gay tries to get the visitors of a park to pick up their trash


TOMY - Hard Gay tries to get a popular Japanese toy modelled after himself


The Television - Hard Gay tries to get himself on the cover of a popular Japanese magazine


The Social Improvement Series (Part 1 - 4) - Hard Gay attempts t