Hey there, rockers! Normally you’d start the New Year with some New Year’s resolutions, but I thought I’d change it up. Instead of New Year’s resolutions, let’s talk about New Year’s renovations! Over the holidays I felt like my backyard was missing a bit of spice. The backyard is where I spend time with my family and pals to relax in the incredible South California weather.
With my music blasting and a few cold ones, I decided that my new project would be an incredible outdoor kitchen with pizzazz, perfect for family get-togethers or band reunions.
It’s great having company around, but too often, this means my wife or I have to pause a conversation to grab food or drinks from the kitchen. So, picture this: a kitchen where you can unleash your inner grill master, right in the middle of the party. Or, channel your inner bartender and shake up a perfectly mixed drink for your guests. It’s no wonder outdoor kitchens are becoming so popular. I could never pass up the opportunity to entertain guests while grooving under the sun.
Before I dove headfirst into the shenanigans, I drew my ideal layout. A grill is a no-brainer—there would be no point in having a separate one since we’re going all-in with this. An oven is also a staple, but I stepped it up and decided to add a wood-fired oven pizza because you never know when you will crave that perfect slice (a great hangover cure!).
A drink cooler is perfect to keep the alcohol flowing, and a sink to help with any unexpected messes. Last but not least, for rain or shine, I knew I had to revamp the patio to make it fit for the best of wining and dining with some shade from the sun and some shielding from any rain.
While I would love to have you believe I did this whole project by myself, and without breaking a sweat, the heavy lifting was done by my trusted friends at Torrey Pines San Diego Landscape Company. The folks at Torrey Pines are an incredible group of hardworking and detail-oriented landscapers. They’ve helped me before with similar projects, and with their expertise, this project was completed quickly, and with quality.
Did the outdoor kitchen live up to my expectations? Honestly, no—it surpassed them. Everything turned out exactly as I had envisioned it in my head. I can’t sing praises about these guys enough! If you decide to do any landscaping this year, don’t hesitate to call the professionals to design and build your dream outdoor space. The architects and contractors clearly understood my preferences and needs and completed a backyard landscape remodel with excellent communication and attention to detail, from beginning to end.
My experience with my new outdoor kitchen has been filled with joy. I didn’t have to hop in and out of conversations just to get hotdogs and hamburgers off the grill. The pizza oven was the talk of the night. The only problem with this of my new, fully-equipped outdoor kitchen is that I’ve started cooking a lot more than usual. Woe is me!
Some of the best recording artists of all time produced their greatest works right at home.
And I have as well—scrawling lyrical ideas on the back of a napkin at the kitchen table and belting out my lungs in the shower.
In all seriousness, I have toyed with the idea of getting back on the horse. The thing is that I’m no spring chicken. The kids these days would much rather listen to Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish. But hey, I also know that I have nothing to prove, nothing to lose. My love for music transcends any desire or need for external validation through fame, money, or status.
As passionate as I am about music, any time I sat down to write or practice, I struggled to focus on getting into the zone. I realized that I needed to integrate music into my home office somehow. The songwriting process is like a flowing meditation—you need a space where your mind can wander, where you can let loose and express your innermost, deepest thoughts without losing momentum.
I have always had a dedicated room in my house that serves as a casual office. But I could never really get into a flow state there. I guess it just never inspired me.
To get inspired, I decided to convert the space into a recording studio. But what was I going to do with the rest of the office? There needed to be some separation between the musical space and office space, but how would that all fit together? I did some digging on the web apparently the open office is out and cubicles are in! I even discovered that businesses in my area are installing cubicles to redesign and maximize their office space to improve worker productivity.
It turns out that one of the fastest cubicle suppliers is located right here in Orange County. My cubicles were delivered soon after I ordered them. Awesome and sturdy, they were surprisingly easy to install! Without these cubicles, I would have had to spend loads of time and money on remodeling to get the musical space and office space configured the way I envisioned. If I ever do want to change the layout, I can easily reconfigure the cubicles by moving them around.
I can’t believe I didn’t think of this solution sooner, but I sure am glad that I eventually stumbled upon it. I am happy that I now have a space that inspires me to spend more time on what I love. And the whole project was a breeze from start to finish. Cubicles have helped to elevate the space so much that my creativity and productivity are heightened. I find it easy to focus without being interrupted or distracted.
I also look forward to having friends and family join me in jam sessions or as a multi-use, multi-functional hybrid co-working space. I am thrilled with my new office and studio. Why didn’t anyone tell me about cubicles sooner? Well, I guess it’s better that I learned about the solution sooner rather than later. And I lived to tell the tale!
The summer of love of the sixties was all about self-expression, experimentation, non-conformity, and, of course, love.
Despite the age of my old bones, I am still a wild child and a flower child at heart. I do not trust the government or corporate America and I never have. I do not support bigotry or violence and the like. I support peace and unity, and I hope that our collective will one day awaken to realize and end the harm that humans have inflicted upon each other and our planet.
I have many fond memories of exploring and experiencing the expansion of my consciousness. That said, I could style myself as a cool dude and tell you that drugs are amazing, awesome, and exciting, or I can be honest with you about the dangers and consequences of consuming potent, mind-altering substances.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have enjoyed the life that I have lived. If you ask me, I would certainly do it again. But that is not to say that my life has been without suffering.
All of my most profound transformations and chapters of growth were brought on by quite painful experiences of heartbreak, loss, tragedy, or failure. Life is a rollercoaster. You go up. You go down. You never stop screaming.
But what if that rollercoaster ride is scarier than it is fun, time and time again? And what if it is so frightening and troubling that we’re left with scars—physical and emotional?
I know of many, myself included, who have struggled with post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression.
Medical cannabis and CBD have quite literally saved my mind and body from mental and physical pain. I learned about these solutions from a few friends I practice yoga with.
Unlike in my younger days, my curiosity led me to obtain these products legally, following medical guidance and my own research. My own personal experiences with the bud lit a spark within me. I thought about starting a grow facility and dispensary to offer safe and legal access to cannabis products. What seemed like a crazy idea led me down a research rabbit hole on marijuana security.
The unregulated illicit market is not safe for consumers or legal businesses. Cannabis facilities are often targeted for their stores of cash and product, which can be easily resold on the black market.
My new knowledge of security risks was quite a tough pill to swallow. I kept digging until I discovered a cannabis grower and dispensary security expert here. Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions specializes in security plans, security staff training, and security auditing and optimization. Guidance from security experts who understand compliance is crucial when considering and implementing risk management for cannabis growing or retail.
Cannabis can be consumed through smoke, edibles, topical application, and more. I do not miss the days in which marijuana was such a taboo and feared substance that neither the government nor mainstream society clearly understood. I expect more questions to arise across the industry as it evolves and adapts to the laws.
If you have questions about cannabis security management, you can give Cannabis Compliant Security Solutions a call today.
I saw a tweet from Elon Musk the other day; it was a drawing by artist Dadara (Daniel Rozenberg). The drawing was an encapsulation of the life of an artist. In the eighties, artists would spend most of their time on s*x, drugs, and rock and roll…and a little bit of time on making art. Today, artists spend the majority of their time on social media…and a little bit of time on making art.
Having lived the life myself, I will attest to the accuracy of the drawing.
Dadara (Daniel Rozenberg)
I do wonder what young people are up to these days. I guess things haven’t changed much. We’re always trying to escape our obligations. Making art is rewarding, especially at the end, but the process itself isn’t always a thrilling ride through and through.
Being hit by a stroke of inspiration is fleeting. Inspiration is unpredictable, and it gives you a feeling you want to constantly experience, even though it is impossible to constantly live in a creative high. I think this is why so many artists are prone to falling into substance abuse as well as other distractions and coping mechanisms.
I wouldn’t say I’m an avid user of social media. But I have heard that social media gives you that rush, elation, and “high” that everyone these days seems to be chasing after.
Euphoria.
It’s something we experience in moments of transcendence.
But life isn’t always euphoric. And even if we are to live in a state of pure bliss, that state must be found within us, not through external factors.
Since dopamine is so pleasurable, we can become addicted to the objects and behaviors that increase our dopamine.
Life will always have its ups and downs, and many of us have trauma from the past. If you refuse to heal your wounds, those wounds will keep festering until they rot your insides.
I had to finally take a real look at how much was rotting in my home when I realized that it was in serious danger of collapsing. I had previously seen but ignored all the signs: wings, mud tubes, and hollowing wood. I would ignore everything and pray that it would go away on its own. On the surface, my house looked like a 5-star hotel, but behind the walls and underneath the floors, everything was being eaten away.
Any issue in your mind or in your home needs to be addressed immediately. I now have annual inspections and organic termite treatments in Orange County in order to save my home from long-term termite damage. If you don’t remove them, these termites will relentlessly chew at anything made of wood, and they’ll even start new colonies in your home.
As a former wild child, I’ve retired to the hippie lifestyle. I like that my termite exterminator offers what I call “extermination for hippies”—an environmentally-friendly plant-based solution that removes termites using orange oil. Regular inspections and natural spot treatments have done wonders to help me avoid a situation where tent fumigation is necessary. PEACE AND LOVE!
The sunny state of California is well-known for beaches, surfing, and stunning natural landmarks.
And it’s no secret that California is home to something else:
Hot bodies and Hollywood.
You’ve seen them on the internet—ripped, muscular, and tanned people training on Muscle Beach at the Santa Monica Pier. California is so synonymous with celebrity fitness that our governor is Hollywood superstar and former Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Champion, Arnold Schwarzenegger. You can’t make this stuff up!
Gold’s Gym in Venice, Los Angeles, California is one of the most popular destinations in the world for fitness and bodybuilding enthusiasts. Unfortunately, Gold’s Gym had to close down many of its locations. These past few years haven’t been easy for the businesses in our country.
In my youth, I preferred physical activity in the form of crazy concerts and parties. Just thinking about those days gets my heart pumping and blood flowing through my veins.
I’m not a huge gym goer and I’ve never been into fitness and lifting weights. In fact, I’d rather not lock myself in a room surrounded by heavy metal equipment—the only heavy metal I like is the type that musically caresses your eardrums!
That said, these last few years have really made me focus on taking care of my health. I mean seriously, I have realized how lucky I am that my family and I are healthy and happy.
I’m not too worried about how my body looks—in fact, I think I look great for my age and all the experimentative stuff I used to do—but I do care about my health and longevity.
So instead of getting a gym membership, I decided to start working out at home with a combination of high-intensity interval training and yoga. With high-intensity interval training, you can train without equipment or use a handful of kettlebells or dumbbells. Yoga doesn’t require much equipment either—just a mat and maybe some foam blocks.
I did procrastinate just a little when I started my fitness journey. I wasn’t motivated to go outside to exercise when I saw that the grass wasn’t looking so green. I had just given up at some point with all the lawn maintenance. Pushing around a lawnmower, pulling out weeds, and carrying around a water hose was both a chore and a workout—and not a fun one at that.
One of my friends told me about artificial grass and how easy the installation was. I booked my appointment with NoMow Turf after seeing the transformations on their site. I was highly impressed by the quality and durability of the synthetic grass that they offered. Had I known about synthetic turf sooner, I wouldn’t have had to spend so much time tending to my lawn all these years!
Thanks to my fitness journey, both my lawn and I have experienced a makeover—and my wife couldn’t be happier!
As for me, I can’t stress enough how much I love exercising in the privacy of my own backyard, breathing in the fresh outdoor air, and bathing under the sunlight. I used to be sore from all the lawn care I had to do with natural grass, but now the back pain is gone and the only soreness I get is from doing exercises I actually enjoy.
I wonder if I’ll ever look good enough to become super fit and famous.
Just kidding.
If your lawn needs a makeover, you can give NoMow Turf, Inc. a call today.
NoMow Turf, Inc. – Synthetic Lawns & Putting Greens 26774 Vista Terrace, Lake Forest, CA 92630
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