Welcome back, rockers! Today we’ll discuss one of the few consistent hobbies I’ve had since making it big in the biz: golf!
I don’t usually like talking about this because I get the impression that most people think golf is for rich old guys with too much time on their hands – all of which is true. That being said, I like being outdoors, I enjoy day drinking, and I enjoy yacking people’s ears off, and golf lets me check all those boxes. Win-win!
Since the pandemic started, I’ve been dead set on trying out all the courses within driving distance of my sunny southern California residence. Doing what you do at home in some exotic locale is pretty lame anyway, and I get to meet and make some good contacts with local bigwigs that can help grease wheels when needed. Yet another win!
My latest trip took me to a small Orange County community called Lake Forest, a little piece of suburbia I would usually pass right by. The course was fairly standard, though well maintained, and it was a great day for golf. I even met an old acquaintance of mine who had driven up from a ritzy little community called Coto de Caza, and we got to drinking like we were in our 20’s again.
After the 9th hole, we determined we were a little too sloshed to continue the game once we both got a bogey with half the course left to play. My acquaintance mentioned he had recently gotten a putting green with a couple of holes installed on his property, and we decided to take a taxi back to his place to continue the party.
We putted (and drank) until about 10 in the evening, studiously ignoring his wife’s hints about him needing to stop and help with the kids’ homework. Even in my revelry, I was seriously impressed with the little course he had installed in the yard. Well-placed obstacles, perfectly manicured grass, and tasteful elevation changes-it was like a classy miniature golf course.
After sleeping it off in the pool house, I sauntered into the kitchen at around 11 in the morning and treated myself to some waffles that my acquaintance’s scowling wife said she had planned to only make for herself and the kids. He stumbled in shortly afterward, and we went to the backyard so he could get some air.
As it turned out, he had worked with a Lake Forest local company-NoMow Turf-to design and install the fake grass putting green. He and I marveled at the craftsmanship of the installation a little more as I waited for the taxi to get me away from the cold, unwelcoming stare of his wife.
Safe to say, I’m now considering getting my own putting green installed, if only because I’d like to invite my acquaintance to hang out and get a break from his henpecked existence. If you’re considering something similar in the Orange County area, I can’t recommend NoMow Turf more than I do. Seriously, their turf installations have to be seen to be believed. Call today:
As a guy who has been a sponsor of every environmentalist organization you can imagine over the last four decades, it shouldn’t be too much of a shock to say I’ve never been a fan of exterminators. The chemicals they spray, the way the poisons work themselves up the food chain…for an old tree hugger like myself, it represented pretty much what I hate.
Then I became a business owner whose establishment was raided by a particularly nasty colony of termites. My objection to using exterminators quickly began melting away as evidence of their spread throughout my building started mounting. I needed a solid exterminator and fast.
Luckily, in this day and age there’s no reason to have to choose between being an environmentalist and a pragmatic business owner in need of pest control, thanks to companies like Natural Science Exterminating. The company uses naturally occurring substances to eliminate ongoing infestations and prevent the critters from coming back later on.
The company doesn’t just have an advantage in methodology – they also have impeccable customer service. Check out what their clients are saying:
I could not be happier with this company. We have pets and I did not want to have to move out during termite treatment. I was hesitant try this method but it works. The areas that I could see now have no termite evidence. Fast forward to August we had flying ants coming in through our bedroom window sash in the evening. Brian identified them and treated them. He said they’d be gone by a week. They haven’t appeared since he sprayed. I highly recommend this company. They are reachable, friendly and professional. Their prices good also. Win-win
I really appreciated the honesty and upfront nature of this company. We had a bad ant problem all throughout our home that we need to bring professionals in for. We wanted something that would work but that was nontoxic or eco friendly as we have 2 little people living with us that can help but put everything in there mouths (children ). From first contact I felt taken care of. I explained our situation and was given options that would best suit us. They let us know that the product they’d be using inside may not be as effective but would still work. They even came back out at no cost to spot treat a few areas for us (within 30 days). All and all it’s been a little over a month and we haven’t seen a single ant. It’s such a relief since ants were in the little ones cribs upstairs. I’d highly recommend them.
Wild K., Yelp Review
If you’re like me and are a big fan of the environment but still need some pesky bugs or rodents removed from your property, get in contact with Natural Science Exterminating. They’ll ensure the problem is taken care of without the need to release industrial poisons into the local food chain. Win-Win!
Hello and welcome back to the rockin’ retirement blog! Well, that’s a bit of a lame name – I’m still workshopping it. Anywho, it’s been a while!
Since the last update, I’ve gone on yet another home renovation spree, this time targeting the backyard of my little La Jolla rental property. The home doesn’t have a ton of room, which means it’s perfect for a little tropical-themed getaway where the cityscape can disappear after entering the yard.
I know from experience it’s really easy to go too far with a jungle theme, so I enlisted the help of a landscaping company with some experience in creating similar arrangements. Here in La Jolla, the best company around for this kind of work by a fair mile is Torrey Pines Landscape Company.
At this point, TPLC should need no introduction – I’ve mentioned them on the blog before, and they have won many awards for their work here in San Diego. Their designs aren’t all that’s top-notch – the team has some insane customer service skills as well, as evidenced by their customer reviews. Here, check out a couple:
We had Torrey Pines Landscape completely renovate our “tired” little backyard into an “outdoor paradise” for us, with outdoor built-in grill area, fire pit, new sprinkler system complete with French drains, outdoor lighting, bushes, plants, etc. A few years later we had them put in a succulent garden in the front area of our home. Recently, we were working on our own backyard project and hit/broke a sprinkler line and called TPL for help with it.
Regarding the backyard project: We had a specific deadline as we were planning to use it for a wedding reception. Harry and his landscape professionals assisted GREATLY with plant selection and design. TPL went above and beyond by completing this major project on time, and were friendly, professional, and respectful at all times. Regarding the succulent garden: It turned out beautiful and we have been very happy with it. Regarding the sprinkle line repair: We called TPL for a reference or to see if they would be able to schedule a repair. They sent Ian out within 3 days, who repaired it within an hour and they did not charge us for the repair. WOW. We were not expecting that, but this is the kind of company TPL is. They truly care about their customers. We would highly recommend them to anyone wanting a quality landscape project managed by a very professional crew.
I can’t wait to see what they can do with the limited space available in my rental property – no doubt they’re going to blow my mind yet again. If your La Jolla property needs a landscape redesign, do yourself a favor and get in touch with Torrey Pines Landscape Company:
Hello again, world! It’s been quite a while since my last report, and I don’t have much of an excuse. Old age hasn’t slowed down my mind much at all, which means I always have to keep busy or else I start getting a little crazy.
The recent supply crunches have been causing a lot of unplanned downtime, and it got me thinking about what I could do to fill up time and what I did before my career took off and my band got big. While I was still just a young stud playing nightly gigs at clubs and venues all over town, I took a ton of different jobs to help pay for my cruddy apartment and party-filled lifestyle.
As it happens, one of those jobs was working as a local, last-mile truck driver for a local logistics company delivering anything from food to grocery stores to furniture for big retailers. This was in ancient history when laws and expectations for truck drivers were a little more…lax, let’s call it.
I had worked at a moving company for a little while and had some experience driving medium-sized trucks around town, which was really all the trucking company needed to hire me on the spot. This was despite the fact that my work history was a little questionable, to say the least, but they were glad for the extra help and I was glad for the money.
As it turned out, it was a really well-paying gig. I made nearly $30 an hour, which back in the day was the equivalent of making well over six figures for a full-time driver. I’m fairly certain my eyes turned into giant, cartoon dollar signs after receiving my first paycheck.
I started driving longer and longer hours, even missing band practice a few times to get in just an extra run for the extra cash. With the paychecks rolling in, I seriously considered giving up the career in music that had barely begun but didn’t seem to be going anywhere – after all, I could easily get out of my roach-filled apartment and start seriously considering buying a nice McMansion in the suburbs with the kind of money I was making.
Luckily for me and my many fans, that line of thinking came to an end one fateful day when one of my driver compatriots was involved in a crash while drunk as a skunk. The rules were laxer in those days, but the injuries caused by that dummy were severe enough to create one bonanza of a lawsuit.
Unfortunately for the little family-owned trucking company I worked for, they had been seriously skimping on the insurance policies for their fleet. The lawsuit completely cleaned them out, and before long the company was forced to shut its doors and my career as a trucker came to a premature end.
When I retired from touring and was looking for new enterprises to start, logistics actually was one of the first ideas that came to mind. When I looked into what went into creating and maintaining a fleet of trucks, however, I quickly backed down from the intense wall of insurance policies required and went looking for greener pastures.
The interest remained, however, and I recently was talking to a friend in the industry who chided me for running scared rather than turning to the experts to help me through it. They talked up their insurance company – S.W.A.N. Insurance – and how they walked them through the various insurance policies they’d need and gave them some of the best rates around.
If you’re in the market for last mile insurance in San Diego, or any other policy needed to protect your logistics company, take my friend’s advice and get in contact with S.W.A.N. Insurance. They’ll walk you through the process and hook you up with all the protection you need to keep your business safe from the same fate that befell my previous employers.
It’s a sad day today, my friends. The first recording studio I ever used with my band has shuttered its doors and the building is set for demolition in the coming weeks.
I have a lot of fond memories of the place, despite how grody and dingy it always was. The first track we ever managed to get picked up and played on the radio was recorded there, as well as every demo tape we made before we got picked up by a record label.
Ever since I heard the news, I’ve been looking back fondly on the things I used to find disgusting about the place. How the faulty air conditioning vents would drip all over the place, making the carpet always kind of damp and everything smell of mildew. The drops on your skin would even leave a track of black dirt picked up along the filthy metal.
The strongest memory is of the thing they got closed down over: the bug problem. When I say you could not sit down for more than a couple of minutes without some fresh new horror climbing up your pant leg, I am not exaggerating.
I remember falling asleep during a late night recording session and waking up to a slight tickle on my nose. I sneezed, and what would I feel as I covered my mouth but the squirming of a huge, fat roach now desperately trying to escape.
Needless to say, I freaked. I got in a screaming match with the guy who owned the place, called it a dump straight to his face and said I’d never be back. Ah, memories!
Well, apparently I wasn’t the only one who had an uncomfortable run-in with the resident insect population. A local official came in with his son who complained about the conditions of the studio and slapped the owner with a health code violation, a fine, and a mandatory inspection for any other creepy crawlies.
Unfortunately for the owner (and my nostalgia), the inspection turned up a massive termite infestation that was bad enough that the building needed to be condemned. For the life of me I can’t think of why he didn’t have a Pasadena termite exterminator come out sooner, but he was a real skinflint in my youth and I suppose old habits die hard.
Something I was surprised to find out is that the old recording studio is situated pretty close to the HQ of the company I usually use for my own pest control issues, Grand Oaks Termite Control. They’re some of the best in the biz, and if he had just listened to some of the Yelp reviews, he’d have saved himself one heck of a headache:
This is the third time we’ve used Justin and Gary and they always continue to exceed our expectations. From thoroughly and thoughtfully answering all of the questions we bombarded them with, to leaving the worksite better than when they arrived, they are always so polite, courteous, and professionally. Definitely one of the few businesses we’ve grown to trust even though we don’t have the need to use them very often. Would recommend them without any hesitation. – Amy P.
I highly recommended Grand Oaks Termite Control. I had an unusual situation where there were many areas of my wood paneling and roof that were affected by termites and wood rot. I have a decorative tree growing through the front part of my home which makes it very difficult to treat without damaging the tree. When Jason came for the preliminary inspection, he knew exactly how to effectively treat my home without harming my favorite tree. His estimate was very reasonable and his communication was top notch. He kept me appraised of all the curve balls and never stuck me with any unexpected cost. I was very impressed with the workmanship of his teammate Gary who took care of all the woodwork, a true craftsman.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Grand Oaks without any hesitation. – John B.
Don’t let yourself become like the hardheaded owner of my favorite old, dingy recording studio. If you’re having pest problems, get the best professional help in the area.
Recent Comments