Gym Class Heroes

They are coming to town on October 21st and Gabe (SweetFeet) and I are so going to be there! I am the biggest fan in D-Town and I can't wait! I truly admire how these guys bridged the gap between the the rapper and the band. I am so syked!!

2 Quarters Are Useless Now

So I found this video and I had to share it with you. I really don't care for the rapper known as "50 Cent" and in my opinion he hasn't produced anything really good since "Robbing the Industry" so when I saw this I knew I had to make a big deal about it.

I see no need for the Money Grubbing, Sexiest , Gangsta mentality that is going on with the youth nowadays. If you are going to rap about something try to make it original. I have noticed a trend with the sales of cds made by Common, Gym Class Heroes, and Kanye....They don't suck! If you like the useless rap......Please, sit back and enjoy this youtube clip.



If you like your music to entertaining and about something that has not been rapped about over and over again....Then please sit back and enjoy!

Buffalo Exchange This.....

In case you all don't know, I love my thrift store scores. I don't know if I got that from my father's side because that man can bargain hunt better than most women ( Which is really sexist, I know......but I'll get over it). Seriously! My father and I used to rummage through trash in Japan because they would throw away perfectly good stuff because service men were always leaving and couldn't afford to take everything with them........SCORE!!!
Anyways, I usually don't like to give out the spots in which I shop but this is to good of deal and I am always ready to support the underdog so here goes. I love to shop at Buffalo Exchange! There you go I said it.
I always bring in a bag of clothes that I no longer want or filled with clothes that I found at ARC for 99 cents so that that they can give me in store credit to shop around their place. The cool thing is that they have fashion police at the desk that you drop all this stuff off at and they determine what stuff is cool or not.....that being said, most of my stuff doesn't make it. I do love their selection of clothes though. I can walk in any day and find at least 8-10 items that I think I cannot live with out, they are that good.
When you get a chance and you happen to be in the downtown area of Denver, make sure that you stop by this place. I will post the image below and I hope you click on it to find the closest Buffalo Exchange near you. PEACE!!!

New Realization.........

I remember the exact day that I told myself "No More!". I have so many stories of absolute crap that happened to me while I was growing up but what I am going to share with you is the day I said " I am no longer going to be that person".

I was 19 and it was three days after my birthday and it left me knowing it was the right choice. I woke up in my room that I rented (I guess you could say that)from my friend in St. Joseph Missouri which was a dump of a town and I liked it. Feeling hungry I rolled out of bed and headed for the stairs, as I was doing the morning stumble I smelt the bacon cooking which meant Bruce (my house mate and the guy I rented from) was already awake and it probably meant that he was awake because his back was causing problems. That should of been the key indicator that my day was going to go rocky........ See Bruce (my roommate) was naturally a asshole and it didn't take much to push him over the edge. That mixed with his drug habit........Oh, I didn't tell you that Bruce was the "Numero Uno" drug dealer in St. Joseph MO, did I? Well, I met him because my friend used to get deals through Bruce and one day I went along on the ride and we just clicked, I mainly think it was because Bruce was gay and fancied me but I didn't even know........and if only that did for me. Anyways, Bruce and I kind of ran an operation between KC and St. Joe and made good money doing it but the stress of constantly being worried that someone would find out was taking it's toll on him. So anyways, He had a lot to worry about.

There we were in the kitchen just trying to enjoy breakfast when he said "Hey, I've got a friend coming over and you may want to leave for a little bit" and I knew what that meant. See Bruce like most of the gay men that I have met in my life did not have a stable relationship and did casual hook ups to meet his needs and he was basically telling me to get out so he could have his fun. I got done with breakfast and made a call to a friend of mine and asked if he wanted to make some money and just hang out.......What person wouldn't?

I got dressed for the day and went out into the world with my buddy and tried to bring in some cash because rent was due and I wanted some new gear. We hit up some places and made some money but in the back of my mind all I could think of was Bruce's back. Bruce has had chronic back pain the whole time I knew him and was on social security because of it and also was prescribed morphine ( not the huge pills filled with extra crap and looked like footballs but the small ones that were almost pure)to deal with the pain. Sometimes I would come back to the house and he would of either sold all his pain pills so he would be in pain till he got a new prescription or he would dope himself out on them.......I feared the latter.

When I was done doing my business and hanging out my friend dropped me back off at my house. I walked in and I knew something was funny because all the lights were out, so I was extra quite because I thought Bruce might be sleeping because of the crazy love making he did. I was wrong.

As I got half way up the stairs and about two steps away from my bedroom door I heard a sob. Instead of turning around and going into my room I decided to investigate ( I knew it was Bruce and since we were friends, I had to comfort him). As I walked into his doorway I saw him in his bed with a shotgun at his head and plastic all on the wall behind his bed. I froze and said the only thing that came to mind "WTF?! What are you doing......Dude, everything is going to be okay...Put the gun down!" he looked at me with his drugged out (Damn that morphine) and said " How am I ever going to find love?! Look at me?! No one cares about me and my only friends are friends because I sell weed!.....The only friend I have is you." I took a couple steps towards him and was letting him know that I didn't want him holding that gun. He glared at me and then said "Don't!" followed with "The only reason it hasn't happened yet is because I had to put the plastic on the wall so I didn't make a mess!" and then he did something I didn't expect. He looked at me as if he was no longer depressed but now his eyes were filled with anger. I took a step back and said "What?" knowing that things were going to get crazy. He took the gun that he was cradling and slowly aimed it towards me, at that same moment I realized that this was not going to end up how I thought, and jumped he hell out the bedroom door and did a tuck and roll. That is when I heard the first "Boom!" so I picked my heavy ass up with my hands and military crawled towards the stairs which was about six feet away from where I rolled to. As I started to crawl I heard Bruce get up off his bed. I made it to the stairs and instead of getting up I slid my body down the stairs like a flat board and that is when I heard the second "Boom!". When I got to the bottom I ran out the front door and all the way down the block before I even thought to breathe.

As I sit about two blocks down from the house trying to get some air in my lungs. I see Bruce get into his truck and drive off in the opposite direction. I knowing that there was going to be a problem called my friend and asked him to meet me about three blocks down from where I was to pick me up. I just wanted to get somewhere safe and I knew my friend had a gun so at least Bruce and I could play waterguns fair then.......If the situation showed itself again.

I got picked up and my friend dropped me off at my parent's house, where Bruce would never think to go because he knew my parents and I were not on speaking terms and knew that my dad was ex-military and that he might have a gun. I got home and explain what happened to my parents and knew that they would listen, which they didn't but they did care that I was home and wanted me to be safe.

Weeks went by and I kept my nose clean and just played safe around my family and tried to be a better role model for my brothers, because those kids wanna be just like big brother. Nothing seemed to be out of place until my mother and father decided to move. It was a couple of days after we got into our house in Platte City when we got a knock on the door by two men in suites with badges asking me all kinds of questions about " Did I know Bruce?" ......"Did you live with him?"......."Did I know he was selling drugs?"......It didn't matter I wasn't telling them anything. They made their threats and said that they would return, they never did. ( They were with the Drug Strike Force in St. Joe Missouri). Bruce got himself into some big trouble. After he took off in the truck some neighbor called the cops and they picked him up down the block. The neighbor reported hearing gunshots and so the cops walked inside.....They, found the two holes in the walls that were right in places where I was a target at one time. While going through his house they found drugs and plants that he had stashed. They also found articles of clothing and some paperwork that had my name on it. I don't think Bruce ever mentioned my name and I think that is why I never got in trouble but I wasn't going to help him out since he tried to kill me.
After all of that I knew that my life was going to have to change. I loved the money and respect that I got but I don't think it was worth my life. I got a little worried going out and parting at college because of the DSF but no one ever showed. All in all, I had to leave everything I knew behind and live life like it never happened and I know some people would be like "Why?!" and all I can say is........ I love my life too much to risk it over something as stupid as man who can't hold his cool.

-Patch

My Girlie

How do you blog about someone who means so much to you? I have been sitting her all day writing this blog trying to think of how to put what she means to me in words and I can't. I think this is now the eight time I have tried to write this........What do I say?

I know that without her I would be a mess and probably go back to being a useless turd that sells drugs on the side and hangs out with his loser friends to try and make a shitty beat to have some second hand hack rap to. In other words she in invaluable to me and I can't be me (a better man) without her.

She does make me better and she does it all without asking me for anything. Yes, we have our ups and downs just like every couple out there but we work through it. Life with her isn't a work in progress (Like I always say) but it's where I want to be at that moment........with her!

Anyways, I love my girlie so much that when I get done with work I want to squeeze her with a hug till she is blue. I am the happiest man alive because I get to wake up next to her and know that I am the only man she loves. This one is for you baby!

I Got A Steal!! Literally!!

I woke up this morning hot as hell because my girlfriend was trying to cut down on energy cost and she turned of the AC. I having grown up in Japan usually sleep fully clothed because it only takes one embarrassing jog to a earthquake safety zone for that to change. Plus, I couldn't go back to sleep because Bailey (my pet poodle) was crying for me to let him out. It had to be 3:00 in the morning because it was still really dark out.
I got up and took Bailey out and stumbled around for about two minutes until I noticed something in the rain gutter by my house. There were bags of what appeared to be clothing and movies everywhere. Me being who I am decided to go investigate, it had appeared that someone had pissed off their girlfriend and she threw all of his clothes in the rain ditch.
I ran back inside totally wanting to get this gear but the better part of me was like "No! Don't do it! What if that was your stuff?" and it made me pause......So I woke up Mimi (my girlie-that I promise I will blog about later) and asked her would it be okay to grab that stuff? She mumbled and spoke what I though was Sioux and then shook her head up and down, and for those who don't know what the means....It means YES!!
I ran back outside totally forgetting that I left my dog out there too and starting grabbing trash bags of whatever because I didn't want anyone to see me. I removed anything of what I though was of value from the lawn and then hid inside to go over my winnings.I had collected some awesome gear.
I now have three Calvin Klein Tees, an express shirt, two new belt buckles, a couple other band tees, a X-Box system with controller, about thirteen new dvds, and a pair of guess jeans that are too small for me but I will hock at the Buffalo Exchange. Seriously, what a steal! The best part is that it is completely legal. I looked it up on the web and it says the law is in my favor. Muahahaha!!
The only problem now is that I have to wear jackets over these shirts because I now know who the gear belongs to and it's the people across the street from me. I know the girlfriend threw this guy's stuff out because he was cheating on him because a couple of the dvds that Mimi and I cleaned had a couple of four letter words scraped into them that would make Richard Pryor proud. I still think that is such a small price to pay for scoring such wonderful stuff though....Don't you think? Hit me back, I want to hear what you all think about this.

Live From Daryl's House

Daryl Hall and John Oates have got to be the most inspirational jam musicians in my book at this moment. I knew very little about them before I saw Daryl's website referenced on Travis McCoys blog and now I have to say that I am a huge fan of their music. They have been throwing out tunes since the 70's and have made it platinum with songs like "Rich Girl" and "Man Eater".

Anyways, The main reason I bring this up is because they have some amazing jam sessions with some of my favorite musicians and I think it's either each month or each week he has someone new over, which keeps it fresh. I personally love the "Be Thankful for What You Got" on episode 10 with Travis McCoy, that song is so crazy and the lyrics in that song are just amazing. Check it out sometime.

My Brother

So where to start........He's my brother. I remember the day we went to go get him. I was playing kind of like a "star wars shoot'em up hide and go seek" outside with my nerdy friends in Japan when my friends mother yelled out of her house window and said "Patrick! Go Home! Your mother wants you to go with her to pick up your new brother!"............'What?" is what I thought to myself. My mother didn't mention any of this to me.I know why now, it was because I was ten and couldn't keep a secret to save my life and I probably would of annoyed the crap out of my mom.

I got home and we immediately took off for the train station. I remember asking my mom the normal "Who? What? Where? How old?" but I can't remember the answers. I also remember the train ride being short but I don't recall where we went to get him. Wierd,huh!

We arrived to the adoption agency that was like the top floor of a six floor building.I remember waiting in this dingy grey room talking to a Japanese lady who kept on asking me "Are you ready to meet your new brother"......I really was like "Lady, I just found out about this four hours ago...Give me a chance to catch up". Anyways, the lady disappeared and I remember her coming back into the room first and what was holding her hand I did not expect.
He walked in holding the hand of the Japanese social worker with this scared look on his pudgy face. I don't recall much after that but I have the image etched in the back of my mind of him being so scared and frightened, so I picked him up.I know he latched on to me and wouldn't let go because we sat down to talk to the social worker and I looked over and he was asleep with his head on my shoulder, still latched on. We road the whole way home with him asleep on my shoulder and I didn't let a soul touch him. As far as I was concerned he was my brother the moment I stepped in to help make him feel comfortable, That's what brothers do. I just knew on that ride on the subway home that I was supposed to take care of this little guy and that he needed me as much as I needed him ( It was weird how instantaneous it was).

We got home and got him to pass out on the bed, very carefully though because the kid was still clinging to me. When he finally got done napping and relaxed a little he opened door to his room and saw me standing there. Instead of freaking out like most kids would (especially with me, being this tall white gangly kid), he walked up to me and held my hand. It has now been sixteen years since that day and I remember those parts like they just happened.

Here is a pic of my brother:
(Gabriel Toepel)

The Artic Monkeys

I love the fact that they are nothing that I have heard before. It is like a breath of fresh air in smoke filled room, they're just refreshing. You should check them out when you get a chance. They have anything from punk,hip hop, rock, smooth acoustic, and Gregorian chant........Well, everything but the last. I add their link to my link stash on the side of the screen so check them out!

The Boys in Blue Handing Out Autographs

Sweet! I got a ticket! I can't believe it! I was just doing my usual route to my house from work and he snagged me. I was thirty feet past a school zone sign too so I can tag another hundred dollars onto the ticket. Nice! I was cited for going 45 in a 30......Which I guess if I was doing it I deserve the whole deal but he could of just let me go. Seriously though, he could of just said "Hey! What the hell are you doing going so fast in a school zone!" and it would of clicked for me. Nope, instead I am here bitching because now I have to magically make some 300 dollars appear out of no where. I hope they take payment plans.......Geesh!

Travis McCoy

I think I found someone or at least what he believes in, that is similar to me. I defiantly do not have the artist talent but there are some things their that match up. Anyways, what I am trying to get at is I found the blog of Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes and I thought that I would add it to my links and post his blog on my to show some love.




If you haven't listened to any of Travie's stuff or any of Gym Class Heroes music you've got to stop what you are doing and just listen to what they have to say! Your world will change.

Who is Eugene Montross.......I Got A Shirt!!

I just bought my first Eugene Montrose shirt through Karmaloop and I can't wait for it to arrive. Should be here in 3-5 days and I am already counting the seconds. It's like Christmas!!!

My Pup Hates Me

My dog is hating me right now. For all of you that don't know Mimi and I have a pet poodle who's name is Bailey. He is the most adorable poodle in the world and a cool enough dog to where I still can be masculine when I walk him around the block. Anyways,he just recently got nutted because he was spraying in the house and since we didn't need him to be a stud later on down the line we figured we should snip him. Needless to say, he hates me right now.
I went to PETCO to get him a plastic guard to keep him from licking his wound but the problem was they only had one left and it was smaller than we thought. Mimi, with all of her expertise in the field decided to attach two plastic cutting mats to the gaurd to give more length. Now we have a pet Satellite Dish. It was a little rough in the beginning for him......but hell, we get some clear channels now on the T.V.

What I wear

I am a big fan of new school fashion. I will rock the tight pants until you see the bulge and were v neck shirts because no one else does. I find humor in everything and I love it. I also like supporting the little guy coming up and that is why I thought I would share these companies with you.

I own three of his shirts and a hoodie and I have to say these are the most comfortable shirts I have ever had. I also like the fact that only my brother,girlie, and I are the only people that have these in all of Denver. Check out the site below by clicking on the pic.


I own one shirt and one hat from this company and I have to say they are very unique. They have a little bit of funky fresh 80's style to everything.The appear to have an underground LA style and you usually cannot find anything that is still good quality on the web.



This is the place to find anything new on the streets. You can find all kinds of cool kids clothes here.

Done Moving

I am finally done! It only took us forever to lug everything down four flights of stairs and into our little cars but Mimi and I did it. We are in our new apartment and we love it. It is just the right size for our little family.
I still have to get my puppy and cat from my parent's house because they were so kind to watch him while Mimi and I moved ( no one wanted them to get hurt while moving). The cat will love her new home (Sunday Cat is her name) and Bailey (my poodle-don't worry he is still a manly poodle) will be pissed because I am taking him away from the other dogs at my parents. In the end I think they both will like it because I can get one of those play houses for Sunday and Bailey and I can run around in the grass out front. It's going to be sweet!
During all this moving we had some awesome out of towner's staying with Mimi and I at both houses. At first I was like "Who the hell would want to stay with us during this move and why" but after I got to know them, I was like "Are you all comfortable? Do you need anything else?" singing a different tune. We all attended Lindy On The Rocks while all this was happening (Boy! Did I take some crazy photos) with our guests and I can't wait to post those.
Anyways, until we are finally unpacked and have access to the Internet at the house I am going to post blogs about things about my family and about my fashion. I think these thinks will keep me busy and hopefully, keep you all reading. Anywho, I am still at work and I will be sure to get back to this first thing tomorrow.

Tomorrow Is The Last Day

We officially move into our new apartment tomorrow but today is packing day. It is also clean the carpet day......I have been waiting since 10:00am for this guy to show and he still isn't here yet. Anywho, I just thought I would keep the world informed as to what I am currently up to.

Moving To A New Aparment

Allrighty, Here is the situation. I want to blog and keep you all informed about my crazy life but I am moving right now. Mimi and I are trying to get into our new apartment by August 9th. What a hot mess.....
Anyways, I just thought I would keep you all up to date as to why I am not blogging so much. The main reason is I have been taking pictures and going out I just can't find the power cords and other things to charge the camera, computer, and what-nots because they are all packed up. Please forgive me and I swear after the 9th everything will be back to the way it was.......REALLY AWESOME!!

This Weekend was Hot!!

Despite all of the fun I still managed to torch my skin. Now as many of you know I have that nice Irish bog completion so when you add sun to it you get this nice rock lobster look, crazy!. Even with all the heat though I managed to get some videos and pictures of what I did.
We back to the Renaissance Festival again. This time was a little less exciting and more of a shop till you drop session but it's the Renaissance Festival non the less. My favorite spot is watching the elephants lug people around on their backs, not really. I love the elephants and it hurts me a little to know that they are "rescued" but still locked up. I don't know maybe it's just me but it gets under my skin a little.
We moved out of my family's house and back into our old house. This should only be for a week and then it's the new crib. The place that we have been trying to get because it is closer to both of our work places and it also contains a in unit washer and dryer (Yahhh!!!). I know that seems simple to you but to me it's amazing. You don't know how hard it is to find a decently priced apartment in Denver.
I went dancing on Sunday and had a blast because there were all these out of towners at the club. One couple in particular were people I met on the circuit and just happen to be there for a family members wedding (Nice!). I got to practice on our new swing dance performance team.......which right now is really hush hush. I also had a load of great dances which I think I am going to load on my new blog ( my new blog has to do with my dancing career).
Busy, busy, busy! I have to go to work now and I just thought I would throw this up before I headed out. Keep in contact and let me know what you think.


Until later........
Patch "The Ginger Bandit"

Best Day At Work........ Ever!

Today was AWESOME!! I did get a lot of work done and I totally had to be prepared for Monday's workload because that is when Patti ( the organizer of our team) comes back from vacation. That being said though, we (Cory, Jim, My Boss : Doug, and myself) had a blast shooting each other with rubber bands, playing the circle game (we like to call it Skidoosh), and just goofing off. Don't worry I got a majority of it on my camera and it should all be up tomorrow.
I also went to see the movie called "The Mummy : Curse of the Dragon Emperor" or something like that. I don't know what it is about movies with Brendan Frasier in it but they just scream corny. The movie was okay and was teetering on the line of "Cute". I could go on and on about things wrong with the movie so I won't but if I could say one positive thing about the movie it would be that the special effects were cool. I am a fan of watching someone's face sizzle from acid or the machine gun shuffle from the Tommy gun is always a favorite of mine.
All in all, today was a good day. I know you are starting to think "Hey! This guy isn't normal! He never has a shitty day" and all I can say to that is "Wait......something is always bound to pop up." So until tomorrow then............


Here are the videos I promised:

Cory playing with the fan.


Here is a clip of Jim crying to sneak up on me with the cam.




I shoot Cory in the back with a rubber band gun.





Patch "The Ginger Bandit"