Today is my brother’s birthday. For reasons obvious, I won’t tell you how old he is. I’m respectful to my elders.

I remembered to send him a card this year. Most years, I try to call him on his birthday. We normally end up talking a good hour, mostly catching up with life since he’s “off the grid” [I think he had an email address, but not sure if he checks it that often] as I’m so used to texting, emailing, tweeting or leaving a post on a Facebook wall for birthday wishes to pretty much anyone, the phone call is the best option for wishing him a happy birthday.

Memories Growing Up

Family portrait from December 1965

Memories I have from my childhood were filled with my brother hanging out with me. He was from my mom’s first marriage. I came a good many years later. Growing up without a father was never an issue for me, since my brother was around. He was my male role model. He taught me many things, one of which was about cars. All kinds of cars. My brother loved Mustangs and even at the age of 5, I could tell them apart by year. He had a 1967 green Mustang that I would ride in with him. Another thing he taught me was locations and how to find my way around Orange County. And to this day, that trait has stuck with me, although I admit GPS does help for those places I’ve not been to before.

I don’t see my brother much. He lives in California and I live in Utah. Not too far apart, but enough to where even my visits to California don’t always include a drive up to his house.

When our mom passed away in 2006, we spent some time together, mostly going through my mom’s apartment and finding things like photos. He’s been to my house once with his wife (in 2006) and it was nice to hang out for the day. We have our differences as all siblings do, but we find enough in common to talk about, when we do.

I need to find some time soon to visit him again. And with today being his birthday, there’s nothing that weighs heavier on my mind that to have some time to catch up again.

Happy Birthday, Greg!

Hope your day is great.

Today marks five years since my mom died. It’s a very melancholy day for me as each year this date approaches, I go back and remember the times I had with my mom – good, bad, indifferent, fun, boring, relaxing, regretful and memorable.

My mom in front of her apartment in Garden Grove, CA – September 02, 2002

I was 42 when she died, so I had at least a good many years to spend with her. She had just turned 83 in January 2006 and started to have some serious health issues related to melanoma. I was kind of oblivious to some of it, because even though I knew almost 2 years sooner that she had contracted melanoma, I thought she had beat it.

Marty, Tiffany and my mom – Christmas Day 2002 in Utah

But after taking a nasty spill at work just a couple weeks after her 83rd birthday, the cancer had returned after her doctor ran some tests. I visited and called her often, making weekend trips from Utah to Orange County and talking to her on my way to work and on my way home almost every day.

One of the last photos I have of my mom, inside her apartment – March 15, 2006

I took a trip with my wife and her family in March 2006 to Disneyland, where each morning, I went to see my mom and spend some time with her. It was then I had realized that she was not well. And then on the evening of April 4, 2006, I got the call from my sister to make the trek back to California. And at 7:31pm on April 6th, she passed on. I was able to be there when it happened and will be forever grateful to have those last hours with her, some alone and some surrounded by family.

My mom’s senior photo from high school – 1941

Thanks to a second cousin and many pictures stored in boxes, I was able to get quite a few photos of my mom and found many that reminded me of her times of growing up. I still have a lot to scan and digitize, but at least I have them now to remind me of her life.

RIP, Mom

I have visited my mom’s grave a few times over the years, most recently last October. As a final resting place, it’s a reminder to me of someone who lived a long life, even battling cancer at the very end.

So as this 5th year approaches and passes, I am left with many memories of my mom. And I hope those memories continue with each year.

I kept this to nine movies. I could have added more, but I wanted to go into some detail of why I picked each movie.

Here is my list, in no particular order.

• Mulholland Dr. [2001]
  
  David Lynch is one of those filmmakers that is hard to wrap your hands around. His works are so diverse, that you can’t really tell if he has a style or not. I saw this film in the theater and it was so bizarre… so odd… so fucking out there, that I expected to hate it and never want to see it again. Instead, I wanted to watch it again. Maybe I missed something that I need to see if I can figure it out. And sure enough, after the 5th viewing of this movie, I started to connect the dots. Mind you, the lines between the dots are very wavy and squiggly, but they are connected at both ends. This story of an aspiring actress [Naomi Watts] and a confused and delusional woman [Laura Elena Harring] who intertwine their lives in finding answers to a curious situation should have been something of a pass. Instead, the way the movie is put together [the DVD has no chapters stops - it's intended to be watched from start to finish] has made it one of my favorites of the last ten years. Only Lynch’s Lost Highway tops this as my favorite from this quirky director.
• Sideways [2004]
  
  Ever since I sam him in “Private Parts”, I’ve been a fan of Paul Giamatti. He’s a great character actor and has done some incredible work over the year. His work in this movie proves that. This is the story of a wine connoisseur who, along with a friend [played very well by Thomas Haden Church], take a week long trip to vineyard country in California. Along the way, they meet a couple of women [Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen] who turn their world a bit sideways. There’s some very clever over the top scenes in the film, but the performances of the entire cast, both leading and supporting, is nothing short of stellar. You will laugh, cry and bust a gut with each and every viewing.
• Adaptation [2000]
  
  This is a movie that tells the story about making a movie while another movie is being made. The pure brilliance of this film is evident when you have two characters that are essentially the same. Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman [who is to date, the only fictional character nominated for an Oscar] are brothers. One is a screenwriter and the other is one that eventually becomes a screenwriter, both played by Nicolas Cage. Meryl Streep gives one of her best on-screen performances, as the two brothers lives mingle and unravel in their quest to get their works on the big screen. Spike Jonze made it on my list of creative directors to watch.
• Inglourious Basterds [2009]
  
  The most recent of Quentin Tarentino’s films, it’s the most different of his films. This was the top film on my Best of 2009 list of films. It’s a story about war. It’s a story about control. It’s a story that rewrote history in the most brutal, entertaining and hilarious way that only Tarantino could have. Add to this list the lead role by Brad Pitt and you have a movie that pleases every step of the way.
• Iron Man [2008]
  
  There were two films that competed for the top spot on my list in 2008 [which I never dedicated a blog post to]. One was The Dark Knight and the other was Iron Man. Both were adapted from the comic book characters, but it was Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Tony Stark that felt more real to me. His position in life that was made into a superhero was very well directed by Jon Favreau. His sputters and faults as a crime fighter while being a rich entrepreneur showed up well on the big screen. I am anticipating Iron Man 2, which comes out in May, to match or exceed my expectations.
• Ratatouille [2007]
  
  My reason for picking Ratatouille over the other Disney/Pixar films is how the story is told. [I've liked almost all of them, with the exception of Cars, which I own, but have yet to watch more than a few five minute segments of] There is something that touches me different than any other Disney/Pixar film that was released during the decade. It was the mix of real vs. underground worlds that made this film tops. The many moments of on screen character building, leading up to the food critic reflecting back in time, was the key element to this movie. The action and animation just cemented an already deep-seated love of this film.
• Almost Famous [2000]
  
  I saw this film in the theater on opening weekend. Three weeks previous, I had just been to New York City for the first time in my life. I started dating someone new after a serious breakup. I was in a good place, but still had some fragile sides to mend. Add to all that the fact that Cameron Crowe was not only one of favorite directors, but that I knew this story having researched his life. William Miller [played by Salt Lake City native Patrick Fugit], was the on-screen version of Cameron Crowe, who was one of the youngest writers for Rolling Stone. And even though my date may not have liked the movie, I did. It gave this budding writer something to shoot for in my love of writing and music [I'm still shooting]. The story that unfolded on the screen was to be viewed over and over in multiple theater showings, as well as on the smaller screen when the DVD was finally released. This film was in my Top Nine List of favorite movies.
• The Departed [2006]
  
  Since Raging Bull and Good Fellas, Martin Scorsese has made films I like. True, they are violent, but they are well directed. The Departed is no different, even though it’s a remake of a Hong Kong film. It brings the magic of Good Fellas and tells a very good mob story, with a cast that rivals other gangster films. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson star in this twist and turns tale of revenge and deceit. It may not have Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta, but that doesn’t matter. It stands on it’s own quite well.
• Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 [2003/2004]
  
  Another Quentin Taratino movie on my best of decade list? Sure, I’m a bit biased, but when it comes to his films, they are unmatched in how they appeal to me. This is the true story of revenge, broken up into two films [it would be hard to have people sit through a single four-hour film] and flows ever so nicely though the characters like The Bride [Uma Thurman] and Bill [the late David Carradine], lovers and former assassins that are estranged. Since the events that took place at her wedding to another man, she has vowed to kill Bill. What follows are fights, more fights and lots and lots of blood, mostly distributed with a large dose of humor. This is an epic film and one that even critics have to admit will stand the test of time.

What movie would have been my 10th favorite film of the decade?

• The Bourne Series [2002/2004/2007]
  
  Matt Damon as an action hero? Really? Are you serious?. Well, someone was willing to take a chance on him and it proved to be successful. In the starring role as Jason Bourne, a rogue CIA operative, Matt Damon is amazing as he carries out the title role of the Robert Ludlum series of best selling books. The three movies tell an entertaining and believable story that left me entertained after each viewing in the theater. They equally stand up on Blu-ray/DVD where the action scenes jump out at you every step of the way.

Sometime in late 2004, Jane’s Addiction broke up. After a successful tour in 2003 with Lollapalooza [which came through Utah, but due to a previous commitment attending a friend's wedding - who notably have since broken up - I didn't attend this concert], tensions grew in the band [Perry Farrell is one demanding mother fucker] and they called it quits.

Given this new arrangement, the remaining members: Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins and Chris Chaney decided to put together a band. Adding into the mix a lead singer – Steve Isaacs – they formed The Panic Channel and released an album “(One)” in 2006.

Anyone that has ever heard Dave Navarro’s guitar work will attest that he’s an axeman extraordinaire. Add to that the pounding drum machine known at Stephen Perkins, the bass lines of Chris Chaney and the flowing vocals of Steve Isaacs and this album quickly grows on you.

The album contains 13 tracks, of which 9 are ones that I can listen to each and every time without getting tired of them. “Teahouse of the Spirits”, “Bloody Mary”, “She Won’t Last”, “Said You’d Be”, “Outsider”, “Blue Bruises”, “Awake” and “Listen” are rocking and smooth. They speak to me in a sort of way that music speaks to someone, flowing each and every note, lyric and drum hit into my ears.

The biggest hit on this album was “Why Cry”, which is not a bad song, but it just doesn’t stick with me. When tracking the entire album, I’ll usually skip past this song. As for the songs that I felt are weak moments, “Night One (from Planchette)”, “Lie Next to Me” and “Untitled” just seem like fillers. They are not horrible, but after multiple listens, they wear thin pretty quickly.

I’ve ignored the critics and the low sales figures for this album and just let the music and vocals speak to me. Over the course of the almost three years since the release of this album, it’s permanently grown on me. And while I didn’t include it in my Top 25 list of favorite albums, it’s still one of my favorites I like to play often.

The band is no longer together since Jane’s Addiction reformed it’s original line up in 2008, so this single album is all that the group produced. There were a few tours, including being the opening band for the touring band Supernova [from the TV show "Rockstar: Supernova"]. I had the opportunity to see them live in June 2006 here in Salt Lake City at Urban Lounge. Here’s a couple of pics I took [taken from my cell phone, so I apologize for the poor quality] from that show.

the entire band from L to R: Chris Chaney, Stephen Perkins, Dave Navarro, Steve Isaacs

Dave Navarro shredding as he always does

If you get a chance to hear this album, do so. If it’s not one you end up liking, that’s cool. But for this music fan, it’s found a place in my regular playlists.

A very somber day for me that Tuesday. So sad of the destruction and lives lost. Today is a day to remember.

First Trip to NYC

Part of my memory goes back to August 2000. A good friend of mine was living and working in Lower Manhattan at the time. My current girlfriend at the time had just broken up with me. Our plan was to go to NYC for her birthday. Obviously, she didn’t go. I had contemplated not going at all, but my friend called me multiple times and told me that I needed to still make the trip. So I did. And thanks to his encouragement and hosting me at his apartment, I now have a trip that I will never regret. A few photos to remind me how very happy I was to have experienced the World Trade Center.

 

view of both WTC towers from Hudson Park
 

on top of the Observation Deck on the WTC South Tower – a view of Manhattan
 

That’s me in front of the WTC Globe, with the North Tower behind it.
 
 
Most Recent Trip to NYC

My wife and I visited New York during the first week of November in 2006. She had never been there before. Of course, one of our stops was the WTC site to see the progress and the memorial. I can tell you my visit was very full of memories, walking around the site and remembering what was once there.

Me standing inside the entrance to the WTC Memorial Site
 

We also visited Battery Park, where the remains of the Globe resides. As you can see, I had my picture taken in front of it, similar to the one taken in 2000, minus the towers.

Me standing in front of the Globe in Battery Park
 
 
Not To Take Away…

My intention of this post was to pay respect to a great city that 7 years ago today, survived one of the worst experiences any city could go through. My thoughts are with anyone who lost a loved one, a close friend, a co-worker or someone they knew.

My hope is that the spirit of what the WTC was will live inside the future WTC, when all of the rebuilding is completed. And at that time, I plan to visit and once again relive those memories.