Wait... What?

Have you ever heard about something that was so mind bogglingly weird you couldn't help but try to find every single thing on the internet about it? You know, something like watermelon flavored oreos, or the Michael Richards racist rant, or Megan Fox's toe thumb? Well I think I found another one of those weird, yet can't possible get anymore interesting, things. So a couple of days ago I was skimming through the funny pictures section on Reddit during one of my writer's block procrastination moments and came across what I assume is another, creative I might add, attempt by the Coca-Cola company to differentiate themselves from the competition. I'm not talking about a brand new product here guys. Take a look for yourselves. I'm a little late with this as it's been available since early this year. I'm sorry, I'm not an avid reader of Cosmo. But I can only imagine how well this is going to work. First of all, If its not my magazine and I come across it at my dentist's waiting room for example, I'm not touching it. I don't know where it has been or who has touched it. Even if it is my magazine and it comes to me through the mail, I think the possibility of that piece of paper being touched by someone other than myself is still pretty high. I will give the Coca-Cola company kudos however, it is extremely creative and it hasn't diminished my interest in trying it. I just had to share. Till next time. Peace and Love People!

Albums on my current Playlist

As i sit here and try to fight the every growing feeling of what I can only assume is an anxiety attack from not know what it is I'm doing with my life (I really don't know i can blame it on caffeine, not having anything to do, or a combination of both), one of the things I do to calm my nerves is listen to music. Today is no different. I really don't have a go-to genre preference of music I listen to. I think I'm the only person who can listen to slow jams and go workout or for a run. I guess it just depends on my mood. Today for example I listened to nothing but old school hip-hop. Yesterday, i listened to nothing but folk singers and song writers, James Taylor more specifically. So here are just a few of my favorite albums right now.

Aloe Blacc's Wake Me Up EP is probably my favorite album right now. Although it is just an EP (Only 4 songs) I don't really have anything bad to say about it except that I wish it was a full album. You probably have already heard his "Wake Me Up" single that was made popular by Avicii's more up-beat club friendly remix. If you haven't, first of all slap yourself, then I suggest you turn on the radio because its getting a ton of air play. The original version on his EP however is done in a slower acoustic style, but sounds just as good.

I just want to take this time to say that I've been a Drake aficionado for a long time now. Every since I heard Comeback Season, one of his very first mix-tapes to go viral, I've been hooked. Nothing Was The Same does not disappoint. I honestly have not stopped listening to it since it was released a couple weeks ago. Some people complain about how soft his music is starting to sound, but what do you expect?? Its Drake not Jay-Z! We're talking about Lil Wayne here with an actual singing voice. He does however have a few head nodding "hard-shit" type songs on here including tracks like "The Language," "All Me," "Worst Behavior," "Wu-Tang Forever," and of course his single "Started From The Bottom" that was released earlier this year. There are also the tracks where we hear Drake using more of his vocal skills in tracks like "Come Thru," "305 To My City," and of course the hit single "Hold-On, We're Going Home," which I think could be mistaken for a Sade track if you didn't know it was Drake.

Who doesn't love TLC? "Creep," "Red Light Special," "Diggin' On You," "No Scrubs," plus 10 more of their greatest hits. Do I need to go on? Oh and S/O to all the people in their 30s, early 40s, and late 20s that grew up during the 90s. I know this album is gonna bring back a ton of memories. Dammit time needs to slow down!

I stumbled on this album by accident. I didn't know John Mayer had released a new album in August, but when I found out, I popped it in one night while I was cleaning my room. I was not disappointed at all. This is more of the relaxing type music that you listen to unwind. What am I saying???, its John Mayer! I think that's what he aims for. This ladies man, no matter how much the tabloids call him a douche, makes pretty good music. This albums sounds a lot more country than anything he's ever made. Oh and there's a track on here called "Wildfire" (not track 1) with Frank Ocean singing a little snippet. If you don't already know who Frank is, all I have to say is that dude is one talented mofo. Enjoy! Til next time! Peace and Love people!

The Coffee House Blog

Right off the bat I want to say that I love coffee houses. There is something that I can't personally explain about a hot cup of coffee, a good book or a blank page on a computer, and an environment that welcomes it all. This in no way means that I won't at least try. I had specific plans today. I wanted to wake up, go to the gym, eat breakfast and then head to one of my favorite coffee spots to write for a few hours. As I sit here now, I can't help but feel roused to write something different. I was going to work on my little story that (I'm still afraid to even call it a novel) I had been working on for the past couple of weeks. I was, I guess you can say, inspired by my surroundings that I put it on hold at least for the next thirty minutes or so as I write this blog. It's a bright sun lit room with big windows surrounding two of the four walls of the shop. The walls are colored with orange paint that I can't really decide whether to classify as bright, dark, or even both if that's even a possibility. It smells, of course, like coffee and pastries. Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" plays in the background. If you don't know who Tracy Chapman is, 1. You're too young to be reading this, 2. You probably know who she is and what she sounds like, but don't know her name, or 3. You're way too cool to be reading this blog of mine and I should be reading yours. I'm kidding of course. I think of myself as pretty cool and so does my mother. I am interested to read your blog as well if you have one. Anyways, Its a song that I think was written especially for coffee shops, if that makes any sense. The walls are decorated with pottery and pictures that look like they could have come from Egypt or some other ancient civilization, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were bought from various garage sales judging by a tag hanging from what looks like a lamp displayed on one of the walls. Its not for sale either, I've already asked.

If you haven't noticed already, I'm not talking about those big name coffee shops that, although can provide a great environment for working, can stifle a persons imaginative ideas by being so... common. I'm looking directly at you Starbucks. It seems almost strange to me that someone can go into a place like Starbucks, Peet's, or any other of the numerously over abundant carbon copy coffee shops not just in this city, but every city, and sit down to write. I guess reading or doing homework would be doable because of the lack of function from the right cerebral cortex of the brain (the imaginative side) or so I've read. But something as creatively rich as writing, drawing, or coming up with ideas for anything requires places more inspiring. Places like this. Places where the colors or decor could arouse feelings, emotions, and sentiments. Places where the employees, customers, or interactions could inspire possible character names, personalities, or story lines. Places that aren't just gloomy, dark, brown (which seems to be a common color for coffee shops, I get it ok... you sell coffee), and hipster-ish barista with "too cool for you" and couldn't possible give less than two shits about me being there type attitudes. My point is, there should be more places like this. And don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing on Starbucks or Peet's or any of the other big name coffee shops at all. I'm a customer of them as well. There's really no competition to Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte. All I'm saying is that where I am now, sitting here, sipping my coffee, no matter how stupid it may sound to some of you, has inspired this rant of mine. The inspiration can come almost effortlessly in a place like this. So, if it seems like your at a standstill in whatever it is you're doing whether it be writing, drawing, or coming up with ideas for anything, come by Java on Ocean. Buy a cup of joe, sit down, enjoy the ambiance, and let imagination come to you. I also urge you to support other local businesses :P Peace and Love people!

The food blog and shit (Chicken Spinach Wrap)

Hello. Hi There. You’re looking tremendously lovely today, how are you? You did!? No fucking way! That is fucking awesome. Me? Well I’m doing pretty good too. We’re almost at the midway point of the week and I couldn’t feel any better. To be honest I feel like the week is moving way faster than I would like. Matter of fact, I’ve been feeling that way about every week. But I don’t want to bore you with my alarming and increasing awareness of how short life is. Not on this specific blog entry at least. Let’s save that for another time. What I wanted to write about was what I had for dinner. I know, I know, how creative right? Well, suck it buddy my dinner was awesome and I wanted to share it with you guys. It wasn’t only delicious, but also super easy to make (or so I’m told.) Below are a couple pictures. I tried to be as artistic as possible to make it look good, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t do justice to how good it actually was.

Here is what you'll need: Roasted Chicken (can be substituted w/ animal friendly products), Spinach Wrap (or any wrap of your choosing), Hummus, Tomatoes, Portobello Mushrooms, A Salad Mix of your choosing (Kale, feta cheese, and lemon was used on this one), Sprouts, onions and Avocado. Layer the wrap wit hummus and so everything sticks together. Then continue to add the other ingredients as you wish keeping in mind that the more you put, the more difficult it’ll be to wrap it up. If you don’t know how to wrap a wrap, do what anybody would do in this day and age. Youtube it. Hope you like it folks, til’ next time. Peace and Love.

Return of the Mack

What the fuuuuccccck is going on MFers??? I know what you’re thinking, “where the hell have you been?” I know, I know, you guys missed me. I can tell by the staggering (and humorous) 113 views since 2010. I appreciate all the love and I missed you guys too. You can make speculations all you like, but the truth is I have legitimate reasons why I haven’t been on here. I was on a journey, I’ve been searching for myself, or just plain I was a lazy piece of shit that didn’t want to come back here and blog to you fuckers. But that’s all behind us. There's a ton of shit that's happened since I've been on here. President Obama was re-elected. Another cowardly attack happened on US soil. Justin Bieber grew up before our very eyes from a pop princess to a straight gangster superstar. I’m back better than ever. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say “better than ever.” I really don’t know how good this blog was to begin with. I had two maybe three entries? Eh who’s counting right? Am I right? The important thing is I’m back. I have big plans and huge aspirations for this blog. My goal is to not only update this blog with as many entries as I can with not only the views and experiences of other peoples as well as my own, but also enjoy the fuck out of it while I’m doing it while entertaining you. It’s probably going to be just me bantering about what I like and dislike with some reviews of foods and alcohol I’ve consumed on this journey. Throw a little bit of shit talking here and there and we’ll have a good time. And if you’re lucky, I’ll throw some pictures in there as well for you visual fuckers. Stay tuned. Peace and love.

Chan Chan Cafe Cubano

Cuba. A country that bring up thoughts of cigars, Tony Montana, Communism, and pretty dam cool accents. Me? No no I've never been there, but I like to sometimes imagine that I have. Yeah a little pathetic, but after trying out one of the city's very few (if any to my knowledge) Cuban restaurants, I have to admit that it would be a nice place to one day visit. Chan Chan Cafe Cubano, located in a little corner on the outskirts of (ironically) the Castro district, made me a believer that Cuban is not only a food choice but an experience all together. As I walked in the first thing I noticed was the sense of artistic appeal the restaurant had. Mismatched chairs, colorful postcard like decorated table tops, bright and dark painted walls with Cuban art and photographs accompanied by blazing music filled with conga drum beats and trumpets, all of which complemented the vibe. And to top it all off, (and the highlight of the room) a couple of clothes lines stretching from one side of the room to the other complete with hanging trousers, shirts, and undies. Pretty dam cool if I must say so myself.


The wait wasn't long, but still quite a few minutes before we were actually approached by what seemed like the only employee in the restaurant. Mitchelle, we learned his name was, looked like the Cuban Adam Levine (lead singer of Maroon 5) if i had to describe him. Surprisingly enough, he was also the cook. We decided to start out with a pitcher of Sangria not knowing what to order. Mitchelle was more than oblige to point out that Chan Chan does a special "surprise" menu for newcomers in which he chooses what to bring out based on popularity. If we like what we see, we keep it and he adds it on the bill. If we don't, he brings it back to the kitchen and brings on another plate. Game! bring it on Adam!.. I mean Mitchelle. The Sangria came and I was pleasantly surprised that it included a wide array of different fruits instead of just the typical apples and oranges, one of which was blueberry (my favorite!). After a good while and a couple glasses of Sangria later, our first two plates arrived: Bocadito (sun dried tomato smeared heavily on crostini bread) and Delicias de Hongos (Cremini Mushrooms sauteed in garlic, red pepper flake, and brandy). The verdict turned out to be absolutely delicious! The Bocadito was insanely good. A crostini slice of bread with a delicious crunchy outer crust, soft center, and topped with a sweet, tangy, and smoky sun dried tomato paste was a good way to start the meal. I'm a big fan of mushrooms, so naturally the Delicias de Hongos was incredible to me. I, along with my brother-in-law, honestly could have drank the brandy, garlic, and red pepper based sauce and would have been satisfied, but to add mushrooms to the mix was just completely unfair to the other tapas on the menu. A short while later our next plate arrived which turned out to be Antojo (sweet plantains on top of a mild cornmeal). Like the first two plates, the Antojo did not disappoint. The sweet fried plantains drizzled with sour cream worked very well with the lightly spicy cornmeal, tasting almost like an after meal dessert. Our fourth plate was classified as a "big tappa" and having already three tremendously delicious regular tapas in our bellies, it was hard not to get excited. The Ropa Vieja is tender and juicy beef sauteed in wine and herbs and served with black beans, rice, and yucca. I need say no more, the description says it all.
No mas senior. We were officially stuffed. So focused on our food, we hardly noticed that the small restaurant/cafe had quietly gotten packed, mostly locals from around the neighborhood I suppose. With a little bit of the Sangria left, my brother-in-law and I split and we clicked our glasses together (my sister had had enough). "To the only two straight guys in here" he said jokingly. Honestly... I wouldn't want to be anywhere else...
Peace and love

Albums on the my current playlist

I listen to all kinds of music but these are consistently in and out of my top 25 most played list. These dudes go hard...