insomniakz

Tracy - First Film Festival

2009-06-15T20:57:00.001-07:00

I'm happy to say that my friend Dan's film Tracy, one who I helped in the making has been accepted to it's first film festival. So if you are in the Detroit region June 27, definitely make it a point to see it.. Congrats Dan and the entire crew of Tracy! This is the first of many festivals yet to come.
Detroit Windsor International Film Festival

Royale Fam

2009-06-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

I've always had a fascination with skulls.. Dia de los Muertos type skulls. And when I saw this Royal Fam Skate Decks I had to have them. Took a few weeks go get here from Singapore. Now I just have to figure out where to hang them.

Many cool things going on in the Insomniakz World

2009-06-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

Lately I've had the amazing opportunity to get connected with some very cool events. I'll post them up starting with The Dream. A good friend of mine works in the radio business and connected me with some passes to check out his private concert. It took place at The Mezzanine in SF. The Brutha's and Electrik Red. First time hearing The Brutha's.. good stuff. The Dream was good live except he only played a few songs which kinda sucked.. But what he did play was great! Radio Killlllllla!

Talk about Calories

2009-05-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

The other day I wasn't in a cooking mood so I just picked up this beauty at the store. It was kinda tasty for what it was.. but then I looked and it had a whopping 840 calories. Insane.. I think this was the first and last time I have the pleasure of eating one of these.. and it came with it's own desert, a brownie..

Congrats to DJit

2009-01-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

Wanted to congratulate my cousin Manuel aka "DJit" on his latest endeavor, this music video for the band "A Red Cup Affair". A few members of the band have been by the house and they are some real cool peeps. Keep up the good work primo. Just don't forget about us little people when you guys hit it big. This is only the beginning...

Don Draper

2009-01-06T20:51:00.001-08:00

This video is pretty funny if you are a Mad Men fan. If you ever wanted to be a big pimp daddy like Don he tells you how to make it happen.

8 Years Ago

2009-01-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that 8 years have passed since the beloved "Wassssssup" Bud Light commercials aired. The gag got old pretty quick with everyone jumping on the bandwagon (remember the skits from Scary Movie) but it's still pretty funny to see the old gang again. Waaassssssup!!!

Over A Year

2008-12-08T23:49:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's been over a year since I've posted anything. Work has kept me busy with Wall E and Cars Toons. There are a few blogs that I'd like to share and have added to the Connections.
My boy Daniel Arriaga has one showcasing his cool artwork.
Definitely check out my friend Josh Cooley's Blog, some funny shit on there.
On the music side check out Mike Shinoda from LP / Fort Minor and Kanye has a good one as well.
On the food front my boy JJ has a cool Blog devoted to all good things food.
And one that my brother turned me on for the fine things in life is Luxury4Play. Don't forget your checkbook.
And last but not least check out my cousin Rigo's Blog for some cool and collected insight.
Definitely will be posting more in the coming days.

Enjoy this clip from the Simpsons =-)

Pretty Cool

2007-11-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

Someone must of had a lot of time on their hands to put this together but it's pretty cool. It's a bit long but it's worth the wait. Enjoy.

Jay.. You're the Man!

2007-11-17T18:23:00.001-08:00

Check out this great article on my friend Jay Ward.
It's up on Jalopy Journal's site: Click Here

Winery Video

2007-11-17T17:34:00.000-08:00

This year I was asked again to produce a Christmas video for the wineries that my cousin works for. I've been doing it for the past few years but mostly just editing footage that they've shot during the year and it was up to me to come up with something creative and entertaining. But I have to say that year after year their skits have gotten much better and funnier.
So this year I actually took the day off and spent the day down at the wineries shooting footage for this years party. It was great meeting a lot of the people that I've seen over the years but haven't actually met. Everyone was super nice and willing to get in front of the camera. Now I just have to make it look good! =-)

Wall-E

2007-10-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

The first poster for the film that I'm currently working on is finally out. I'm not saying anything else about the film so don't ask... But it is amazing! =-)

Where have I been?

2007-09-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a few months since I posted anything so my apologies. Let's see what's been going on. I finally moved into a new pad with my brother, still working on the VW (got it repainted, pin striped and got the real white walls on there) and just working on a few side projects. This weekend was Billetproof in Antioch which is a great car show. I highly recommend it if you can make it. Checked out some awesome cars. Here is a pict of my friend Gilbert's new ride and his new car club. I'm still hoping he'll let me join even though my car is one year past the cut off, but to be honest, my rag top is from a 63. =-)

Exciting Week

2007-04-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

This week has been exciting in a number of ways... First the new Linkin Park single has finally dropped, "What I've Done". You can listen to it being streamed at Linkin Park. They've hooked up with Rick Rubin on this one and the first track sounds promising. I like the Halloween sounding hook.

Secondly, Grindhouse opens on Friday. Two of my favorite directors collaborating on one project, bringing it back to "B" Movie Mayhem.

And last but certainly not least, The Soprano's premieres on Sunday on HBO. Counting down the last 8 episodes of this great saga. But let's not forget what we've all been waiting for, new episodes of Entourage. About freaking time, one of my favorite shows, Let's hug it out Bitch!

Tracy Trailer Online

2007-03-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

My friends Dan and Brian have been working on this independent film for the past few years and I've had the privilege to help out on a few shoots. It's one of the funniest and most original films to come out (and I'm not just saying that because I worked on it). Here is the first trailer for your enjoyment. Sundance, here we come!
Tracy Movie Page

Joe Rogan confronts Carlos Mencia

2007-02-17T11:57:00.001-08:00

I love this video. Shows how much Carlos Mencia sucks. The first time I saw him perform was at a Wild 94.9 Comedy Jam years ago. Yeah, he was funny the first 5 minutes then he would get real political. If I wanted politics I would of stayed home and watched MSNBC. Just because your loud and obnoxious doesn't make you funny. And if you're going to steal jokes, steal some funny ones!

Old Ads

2007-01-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

I like checking out advertisements from the past. While searching Flickr I came upon this gem. I haven't seen many VW ads but this one is quite cool. I'm not sure what year this came out but from the headlights I'm guessing early 60's?

Disneyland

2007-01-13T19:11:00.000-08:00

It has been close to 13 years since I've been to Disneyland. The last time I was there was for Grad Night back in 94 celebrating the end of High School. I was amazed at how cool Disneyland still is (my early re-collections of Disneyland is taking pictures with Donald Duck and being afraid of the Whale from Pinochhio and running for my mom) but I was 4 so you can't blame me.
From old classics from Space Mountain to newer rides like Indiana Jones were a blast. I think it brought out the inner kid in me again that no other amusement park can do. Even though it was packed beyond capacity since it was New Years, just being in the park that Walt built was great.
Since it was packed I only got to ride Space Mountain and the Buzz ride during the day. At night we went to California Adventures and got a bite to eat along with a few beers (judging by the line I'd suggest that Disney add a few more beer stations scattered throughout). It was so packed that they weren't letting people into Disneyland around 10p.
After celebrating New Years and drinking a few glasses of wine and bubbly, we rushed back into Disneyland Amazing Race style. We rode Indiana Jones, the redone Nightmare Haunted Mansion (talk about attention to details) and of course Pirates of the Carribean. I can't wait to go back!

Happy New Years

2007-01-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Wishing everybody a Happy New Year. I headed down to LA and went to Disneyland. Disneyland is amazing... Will write more later.

Dual Kadrons

2006-12-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

So after my VW broke down again, I decided to upgrade the engine up a bit. Added an electronic ignition for those cold mornings and a set of dual Kadrons (carbs).
Runs a lot better now than it used to. Still quite a bit left to do but little by little it's getting there. I also had to add the DC sticker!

Wii Adventures

2006-11-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

I've been holding out to get a new system for a while now. Nintendo has always been my first choice and this time has been no different. I still want to get a PS3 but I'm going to wait til the price goes down, but little did I know it was going to be this hard to get a Wii. After going to store after store on launch date (excluding the overnight camp out in front of the store) at the crack of dawn I came home empty handed. Wave number two came around on Black Friday. My brother and I showed up at 1a at Best Buy and people were camping out in front since 10p. The line was outrageous. Our next bet was Target down the street. After going home to get a few hours of sleep there we are at 5:20a in line for Target to open. I never imagined waiting in line before sunrise to shop. Doors opened and people rushed in, Supermarket Sweep style. We rushed to the Electronics section only to discover that their shipment hadn't arrived. While we waited to confirm there were no Wii's people were picking up DVD players and PSP's like their life depended on it. Bumping, shouting "I got one" and attitudes were aplenty "I was here first". And this is in the first five minutes.
Once home yet again emtpy handed our drive to find a Wii turned to Craigslist. Yeah, I know it takes the adventure away from your own story of how you found one. But let me tell you, that Wii drug style deal at the parking lot of B of A when money exchanged hands and we got a brand new box out of the trunk made up for it. And yes, we did check that there were no bricks in the box. The guys that we bought it from had bought two on launch date after waiting in line 20 hours. And was all the trouble worth it?
Yes, the Wii has got to be one of the most funnest things that we've purchased in a while. While the graphics are a tad bit better than the GameCube, while there are no HD connections or BlueRay DVD, it makes up for it with the game play. So if you don't yet have one now, hit up Craiglist or eBay because you can't afford to wait to have this much fun.

Julieta Venegas and Los Abandoned

2006-11-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

I went to go see Julieta Venegas at the Fillmore on Sunday, 11/19. The opening act was a band from LA called Los Abandoned. Wow, they rocked the house. Definitely check them out if you can. Can't wait for them to come back to town. I can't get "Van Nuys is Very Nice" out of my head. Julieta was amazing as ever. Overall a great concert. One of the best I've been to.

More Upgrades

2006-11-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

As you can see my VW broke down again. I just decided to upgrade the engine while I was at it. I ended up getting a new electronic ignition and I went and put on those dual Kadron carbs. I'll post some picts of the engine upgrade once I take the car back out. There are still a few details I want to add (new mirrors, European license plate) but it's running sweet. The only major work still needed is re-sanding the car and re-shooting it flat black, getting it pinstriped, getting new whitewalls and re-doing the entire interior. Hmmm. Maybe there is still quite a bit to do.

Delirium

2006-10-11T22:50:00.000-07:00

I recently went to see Delirium, Cirque du Soleil's newest creation. As a performance show it is good, but if you were expecting the acrobatics that make the other shows so great, it was a disappointment. I had seen Corteo last year and it blew me away, it was one of the most amazing shows I had ever seen. I was real excited to see Delirium, I even invited my parents, grandma and uncle. Visually, it was stunning. The way they use the stage as a projector was cool, but it was a novelty that got old fast. And the acrobatics were few. So if you love live music and cool costumes, you can either go to Carnaval in Brazil, or see this. If you want to see some amazing stunning acrobatics, save your money and see one of Cirque's other shows.

What's been going on?

2006-09-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've disappeared for a quick minute.. Still trying to get my VW back on the road. After getting a decent stereo in there to bump the oldies it started giving me starting problems. After much trouble shooting, the starter bearing was replaced. Much rejoice followed but then the gears started slipping. Just got the transmission rebuilt and with a new clutch, I was bracing for the worst.. But it was actually my brake drum.
Here is a pict.. Pretty grinded down. My mechanic wants to raise it since the back tires are cambering so much, but I'll still be low enough to cruise.

Price is Right...

2006-08-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of the Price is Right, and I recently stumbled upon this site. Price is Right . It has some great old videos of the early shows, cool facts, etc. But there is one video in particular that has Bob Barker saying that they've been partying too much, followed by some clips that look like they've been hitting the bottle pretty good.

On that note, you have to check out this clip. Talk about luck!
I hope she is not an accountant.

Amazing Comics

2006-08-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

If you were at Comic Con this year, I'm sure you heard all the hype surrounding these comics. If you weren't, then you are definitely missing out and have to pick up a copy of these comics ASAP. I'm fortunate enough to call these guys (and gals) my friends, but I guarantee these comics are definitely a must have. Jamie Baker compiled a list of the hottest comics at the Con. It includes comics by Enrico Casarosa, Scott Morse, Derek Thomson, and many others. You definitely won't regret it. Enjoy!

Pixar Motorama 2006

2006-07-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

The good thing about summer is all the car shows that take place. I was at Asphalt last week, and this week was the Pixar Motorama. Lots of great employee cars, even Jay Leno had a car there. Audi had a new S8 and Ford had a GT. Good times.

Asphalt Invitational 2006

2006-07-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to check out Asphalt International hosted by my friend Jay Ward's Car Club - The Vultures. Some amazing cars were out there. Enjoy some of the picts. You can see more on Insomniakz's Photos.

Little Miss Sunshine

2006-06-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to see this film and it is one of the best films I've seen all year (besides Cars of course). The writer and directors were there presenting the film, and afterwards had a Q and A, but I had to dash out at the end because I was late to a review, but I highly recommend it.

Cartoon Alley

2006-06-11T15:56:00.001-07:00

If you love old cartoons, you have to check out this show on TCM. Every week they showcase different cartoons, from the early Warner Brothers, Popeye, Tom and Jerry, and forgotten shows like David Hand's Animaland shorts. There have been a few Tex Avery shorts that were hilarious!

Entourage Season 3

2006-06-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

I hope you have your Tivo's ready for Sunday. Season 3 of Entourage starts on HBO.
If you still haven't seen this show, I suggest you go and buy both Season 1 and 2. One of my favorite shows of all time.

And check out this student film from CalArts. One of the better ones I've seen in a while.

Good ol' Fashioned Radio

2006-05-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

A few years ago my friend Gerardo told me about this radio show that he listened to every once in a while. It was called the Art Bell show and it dealt with different topics every night. UFO's, Bigfoot, ghosts, etc... What I enjoyed most about it is that it is on A.M, so it sounds like an old radio show from the 50's. Eventually that show became Coast to Coast now hosted by George Noory. I enjoy it because they have guest speakers that range from different topics, and a part of me goes "What if?" Are there UFO's? Is Loch Ness real? I don't know, but it makes for some good late night listening.. Here is the web site: Coast to Coast , and if you're in the Bay Area, you can listen to 560 AM, starting at 10p. Don't get too spooked out!

As Cars approaches

2006-05-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

It's cool to work on a film for so long and to finally see the public embrace the magic of a great film.
Check out these images that my friend Jay Ward found on a Hot Rod message board. Cars-Mania is hitting the nation.

And speaking of Jay Ward, check him out on the Cars Podcasts. He truly is a genius of automotive culture.

Michael, what happened?

2006-05-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

We all know Michael Jackson as the weirdo that dangles his kids off a balcony living in Bahrain dealing with tons of problems that we all know about. But remember when Michael Jackson was the guy we all wanted to imitate, from his moonwalk to his glove?
Check out this video that shows a time when Michael had all the moves.. wow.

What's the latest?

2006-05-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

What's the latest you ask? Well, still trying to find a new pad to call home. Still trying to find that one that catches my eye. Went to Vegas for a few days and didn't win nutin man, nutin. But the good news is that my VW Bug is almost done. Just had the transmission rebuilt but there is a small leak that still needs to be fixed. After I get it back from Art's Auto Point Motors (in Pt. Richmond), It's going to LaVere's in Concord to get the 1963 Ragtop Clip installed. Then it's on to Rolling Thunder in Marin to get the stereo and alarm installed. Stay tuned on picts on this restoration.

Time to move on

2006-04-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well, about two years ago I bought a house with my uncle. The way housing prices are in the Bay Area, it was the most logical thing to do at the time. But the time has come to move on. So we're starting the process of selling and buying another home, this time just me and my brother. So if you know anyone interested in buying an awesome pad, lemme know! =-)

Not feeling so well

2006-03-31T18:37:00.000-08:00

So I finally took a vacation day from work, so much to do, etc. etc. and low and behold, I wake up at 6a freezing and with the worst stomach ache ever. So much for an action packed day off. =-(
For some odd reason my stomach is in a twirl and my entire body aches. I've taken Pepto and Tylenol but they've just minimized the symptons.
In other news, the one good thing about having a day off during the week is The Price is Right. I grew up watching this show and what's great about it is that it hasn't changed. Same host, same games, same deco. But different models. ow, ow.. Bob you ol rascal! =-)

Weekend is here!

2006-03-24T20:12:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen Wonder Showzen on MTV2, you got to check it out. It's like Sesame Street, with all the puppets, kids and animations, but for adults. Funny stuff.
In other news, 12 more weeks for Cars to be unleashed into the world. Can't wait!

And if you still haven't seen the Juggernaut!

Neon

2006-03-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

I need to get one of these for my house!

Agustin Victor Casasola

2006-03-16T22:12:00.000-08:00

Mexican Independence Day - 1906

Soldier during the Mexican Revolution - 1914

Francisco "Pancho" Villa and Emiliano Zapata - Dec. 6, 1914

Assasination of Pancho Villa - July 30, 1923

Assasination of Emiliano Zapata - April 10, 1919

I was looking at some photo exhibits online and stumbled upon this great photographer, Agustin Victor Casasola. I've always been intrigued by Mexican History, and his photos offer a glimpse into that time of turmoil. There are a few books with collections of his photos but some are not in print. There is one called Mexico: The Revolution and Beyond, that you can pick up on Amazon.

More Cool Toys

2006-03-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some more picts of some really detailed models. The X-Wing I made with the help of my friend, and the other model is one that my friend has, which is pretty much self explanatory for all you Star Trek peeps. Notice how detailed this thing is.
And can you believe that I found the exact interior I want to get for my 64 VW in a Rat Rod toy.

Awesome Toys

2006-03-02T20:02:00.000-08:00

The other day I took these photos from my co-workers office. The Indiana Jones Idol was made from the same mold as the one used in the film. The Starship Destroyer he made from scratch. That's right.. No kits.. From scratch. And the AT-AT is one of only a thousand created by Master Replica's... It's a thing of beauty..

Another weekend

2006-02-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

Has came and gone, but a productive one. Finally finished the Leo True Hollywood Story DVD, and designed some new business cards for my uncles Body Shop. Take a look.
Also, I got the new spiffy Motorola SLVR, this phone is cool. And it has iTunes.. =p
And it wouldn't be a weekend without drinking.. Here's a shot of one of my favorite bars in the city, The Tunnel Top.

2006-02-13T22:10:00.000-08:00

Not much is new, just can't believe it's February already. Sheesh. Our wrap party for Cars is less than a month away and I still need to find a nice pin stripped suit.
Here is a pict for you to enjoy. Alessandro Carloni took the pict, and it's posted on his blog but I just had to share. Really cool!

It's Friday!

2006-01-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

Still waiting for my Bug to leave the shop, but have been ordering parts for it. In the mean time, check out this new image from the upcoming movie Cars, which I spent the last 4 years of my life helping an amazing creative and technical team bring it to life. It's going to be an amazing movie.

On Vacation

2005-12-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

It feels great to have a few days off to catch up on everything you don't normally have time for.
Here's a pict of me and of my Southpark character. Enjoy!

It's been a while

2005-12-27T20:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while since I last posted up. Lots has been going on. Christmas came and went and 2006 is nipping at our toes.
Hope everyone had a safe holiday season, and to an amazing 2006!

Here are some picts.. I got rid of my 99 Eclipse (sniff, sniff) and now I'm going to start fixing up my 76 280 Z, and my new project, a 1964 VW Bug.. Keep checking for updates as this car is going to be awesome.

Happy Turkey Day

2005-11-27T23:02:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I'm still working on my uncles project for his bday with only a few more interviews to go. Christmas is right around the corner, so hit me up so I can tell you all what I want this year! =-)

It's about time

2005-11-17T01:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the late post.. Let's see. We went to go see Dave Chappelle in SF, had some Sushi with some amazing Oyster shooters in Marin, and of couse, drank large amounts of Guinness.

It's Friday!

2005-11-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's Friday, started off the day with a Bloody Mary (we had a great review at work)...
Here are a few picts. Enjoy!

PeaNUT Extravaganza!

2005-11-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

Get paid to drink beer!

2005-11-01T23:45:00.000-08:00

Check this.. Today we were part of a Marketing group for Beer. We got paid to drink beer and answer a few questions.
Afterwards we drank the rest of the twelve packs and played some shuffle board.
Pretty cool.
Afterwards all the animators had filled up my co-workers office with packing peanuts, and had created a pool of nuts. Ha.
Here we are jumping in!

Old Photos

2005-10-31T20:43:00.000-08:00

While going through old photos for my uncles "E! True Hollywood Story" project I'm currently working on, I stumbled upon these old picts.
Explains quite a bit! The pict on the top is me, the one at the bottom is my brother.

Happy Halloween

2005-10-31T20:02:00.000-08:00

Wishing everybody a great Halloween.