Summer is here...
Help...
Friggin' Clefairy....
“You just want to walk the dogs because there are fucking PokeMAN out there!” - Jamie
Hate (or love) away. I have done it. I have joined the Pokemon Go community.
Earlier last week I downloaded the app, after much coaxing from my peers, friends, and randoms, and was immediately hooked. I found myself wandering the downtown streets of Nashville flicking Pokeballs are imaginary creatures along my route; more than likely looking like a friggin’ moron to any passerby. Scratch that, I know I looked like a friggin’ moron. I didn’t care. For whatever reason, I needed to ‘catch em all’ and become a Poke-master.
Over the next few days, all routines became consumed with opening my phone and finding Pokemon. See pics below. The market? Caught em. Gas station? Caught em. My neighborhood? Caught em. Random places I am driving or walking too? Caught em. I am that guy staring in bewilderment looking at my phone and walking into things. Help.
To be clear, I have no history with Pokemon. I did not watch it and only bought one pack of cards as a kid with my friends. I didn’t understand what the hell they were and lost interest immediately. But now, since it is on my phone and I check my phone 1,000 times a day, why not play.
Having played for over a week now, it is losing its luster, and I found myself walking our dogs this morning without bringing my phone to enjoy the simple act of walking. I would consider myself a beginner or hobbyist to the game at best. I saw people out this morning in fights after checking in at different Poke-stops over an unfair trade. I don’t know if I want to get that deep into it and become the Walter White of an imaginary game.
She walked right past it...
Friggin' Zubat...
She's yellin' at this Nidoran....what am I even doing?
Piss off Clefairy....
Still, GO TEAM INSTINCT!
-YourFriendMatt
Friday 6-Pack...
New groovy-vibing jams this week! We start with a new (very Ramones inspired) Taking Back Sunday track and finish with a new one from the indie-rock gods themselves, Dinosaur Jr. There are a few sprinkled in goodies from some new artist I found this week by Republican Hair and Sundressed, as well as one from one of my faves, The Early November. It may be weird, but this list drives and sets off the weekend right.
-YourFriendMatt
Friday 6-Pack...
Here is this weeks installment of the Friday 6-pack. You know I love the alternative jams (and Blink). This one starts out with something tasty from Pup, has a tasty jam from an unknown Jersey band Save Face, and ends smooth with a poppy, soothing sounds of a new band for me, Bad Suns.
-YourFriendMatt
Hate waking up to discontinued apps...
Not Downloading Messenger...
I am not downloading Messenger.
This week Facebook discontinued my Facebook work-around. In 2014, the Facebook team took away the ability to message your friends from within the Facebook app, forcing them to download the newly introduced Facebook Messenger. Me, being a stubborn prick, decided to delete the Facebook app from the phone because I thought it was stupid. Why should I have to download two apps to use the same Facebook?
At the same time, Facebook introduced Paper, which was a Flipboard-Type news app competitor. After doing some research, I found out it had all the benefits of the Facebook app, including the messaging aspect of it…and now I can get news updates for subjects that interested me. Perfect. Another happy Facebook user!
Well, they just discontinued Paper this week. Shit.
It looks like I am going back to the original idea…deleting it. I am not downloading two Apps to use all the benefits of Facebook.
C'mon, Mark.
Dick.
-YourFriendMatt
Friday Playlist...
Great few days for music for me...and everyone. New Descendents! New Blink! And a couple other older jams that I have been driving around to over the last week. This is a short 6-song power pack to get your Friday off, or ended, in an energetic place! Enjoy, listen & share!
-YourFriendMatt
Email...
Email. It is stupid. It is archaic. Stop using it. I hate it.
Recently I came across an article about how Generation Z, which, I just found out was a thing, thinks of email as something gross their parents do for work.
“The way I first perceived email was, it was something my parents did for work,” says Zach Kahn, a 21-year-old senior at George Washington University.
See. Couldn’t have said it better, Zach.
And I kind of align with them more that I do any other generation I work or interact with.
I have been dealing with the email bullshit a lot lately with moving, a new position at work and looking for a new home. The email chains can quickly turn into stream of confusing shit. Who needs to respond to this thread? Why am I BCC’ed on this? Or better yet, why am I even apart of this? Why do you need to send an email that says, “k?” For god sakes just call me if it is that important.
Everything gets lost in translation in email. People are more fearless when they don't see your face. You can craft the perfect response and just send it off. Communication is a art, and we are losing it. If you were talking to me I bet my bottom dollar no one would not be as sarcastic or bitchy as they are on email. If anything is that important it should wait for human interaction or at the very minimum a phone call. At least then if you are going to bullshit, try to lie or try to be a dick I can hear it from you. Not your shitty email.
-YourFriendMatt
It's Friday!
Playlist Friday...
Here is a list of uptempo alternative jams I have found over the last few weeks to set your Friday off. Listen, share and enjoy!
Track List:
Brand New - I am a Nightmare
With Confidence - Keeper
You Blew It! - Award of the Year Award
Muskets - Scranton
Beach Slang - Like a Daydream
Muskets - Tate Modern - Tate Modern
Twin Peaks - Holding Roses
Milk Teeth - Swear Jar (Again)
Tiny Moving Parts - Vacation Bible School
-YourFriendMatt
Just another day in the life and times of Matt Bates...
Make like a tree...
“Great Scott!” - Me.
We were out for a routine work luncheon. You know, the one’s full of awkward silences and half-jokes reaching for any topic of discussion like, “Man, look at that over there!” just to point at something random and hope anyone has a story about what you are pointing at. I’m good at awkward adulting.
We made our way back to work in our rental car and were looking for a spot to park. I heard a faint “Is that the car from Back to the Future” come from the back seat and my BTTF senses started tingling. Like, why the heck would the DeLorean be parked in a random spot in the mid-west…but, boom…there it was. Just parked in a random spot close to the entrance. I, being a huge BTTF fan, jumped out of our slow-moving SUV to immediately start inspecting the craftsmanship...and to snap a few selfies.
As it turns out, I had seen this exact DeLorean Time Machine a few years back at the Philadelphia Comic-Con. The team over at ToTheFuture.org have taken the DeLorean (that they built!) across all 50 states (including Hawaii) to raise awareness for Parkinsons. I never thought I would see it in the wild just driving around, but today was my lucky day. If you get a chance, check out the site, check them out at an event or donate whatever you have. I had the chance to chat with them today and they are good people with a great cause. It amazes me that they know more about BTTF than I do!
…Flux Capacitor…Fluxing…
Check out this quick video of us donating funds! If you drop any donation in Mr. Fusion talks to you!
-YourFriendMatt
Last day with Ole Trusty...Thanks for the memories old friend. I will see you soon.
One Week To Go...
“I did not think I would be this emotional over a car.” - Me.
Jamie and I are in our final week of the life we built for ourselves in California. When we moved from Pennsylvania all the way to Santa Monica we thought we were adults, but now I realize that we still had a lot to learn. This time around moving is more stressful than before. Our apartment is the place that protected us, was our roof and the constant when everything was falling apart around us. It is becoming surreal as we pack up boxes and take down the memories we put up on the walls.
This week I sold my car that I have had for 1/3 of my life. That car and I have been up and down both North American coasts and across the country. It was my home for a night when I moved out of my mom's house, and it was the car that took Jamie and me on our first date. Ole Trusty took me to countless band practices and shows. She was one of the most consistent things in my life as I went through adolescence and was a luxury I never took for granted. I have made many memories in the car, and I hope she is now making another family just as happy as she made me.
As we get up this morning, we may take one of our last trips together to the beach and possibly our last trip up the PCH to grab some Neptune’s Net. We can always come back, but you never realize how many routines you have or how some things we took for granted that were at our fingertips. I could not be more excited to start the next chapter in our lives together and take Nashville by the horns to see what she has to offer.
But for now…I am savoring every moment I have left in CA.
-YourFriendMatt
Where did we get all this shit?
Packing is no fun...
“Well. Packing sucks.” - Me.
We found out last week we are moving back across the country. I feel beyond blessed, lucky and excited to take our next steps in our adventure together. California has been an amazing ride and taught us more life lessons than I thought possible. Who know’s; maybe we even became adults here.
All that aside, packing is awful. Moving to California was much easier. We moved out of our parent’s houses. We did not have or already own anything. It was great! We moved with clothes, all my band t-shirts, and my record collection. Now? Completely different. I own a couch? I have a bed outfitted with memory foam pillows and rustic-Etsy style duvet? Holy hell, I know what a duvet is; and how to spell it correctly? When did I start caring about the condition and look of cookware? I have a hamper? And? I have to choose what stays and what goes before we haul it across the country?
Although this is a form of hell and taking up more time than I thought; it will be worth it. I plan on cutting my stuff down by at least 25%-50%. Which, if I stop complaining, will be a good thing. If I haven’t seen or used it in a year; it’s gone. But, no matter what Jamie says…I am not getting rid of any band t-shirts.
Hiking somewhere in Tennessee...
We're Moving...Again!
The time has come for us to wave goodbye to the clear sunny skies, incredible views and warm beach-bum days of California. We are very excited to announce that I accepted a promotion to Nashville, TN and we look forward to what is ahead. We could not be more thrilled to take our next steps in our adventure together. We have learned many lessons over the last few years in Santa Monica. We have had weeks living off ramen and air (and thank God the air was free), and we have also lived like kings adventuring up and down the coast. We went through 3 cars, adopted two dogs and ate more burritos that we would like to admit.
We have made lifelong friendships that will continue until I am an old man. And, to me that is priceless. Over the last few years, we have become honorary citizens at Disneyland and if we stayed just a few more years I would be running for Mayor there. I was lucky enough to play and create music with some amazing people all over the city and got to sit where my idols sat playing drums. It has been surreal. I saw Saves the Day play “Through Being Cool” in its entirety and chatted with Dan Aykroyd about how he thought I hit drums really hard. Yes, a ghostbusting, Blues Brother saw me play drums (life goal achieved). Jamie and I have seen Justin Beiber on a hover board on Sunset Blvd and Tim Robbins asked to use my phone because his died. “Here you go Mr. Dufresne.” We even got to see Back to the Future at the Hollywood Bowl on Back to the Future Day.
I got to go to Namm; Jamie went through a career change, and Adam Sandler and his mom hung out with us fishing off the Malibu pier one day. We got to see the Phillies beat the Dodgers, survived quakes, saw Stars Wars and I joined a soft ball league just for the free beer. I got stuck in LAX for two days, made in on The People’s Court on my lunch hour and drove to Vegas one time to shoot a short with friends.
We have celebrated birthdays, ups, downs, b-sides and made it out just fine. Reflecting this morning is very bittersweet. We did not plan too, but we may have laid some roots here, this was never permanent. I can not wait to take the next step in our lives together. The memories we have created with such great people in our time in California have changed our lives forever.
California - Thanks for keeping us safe. Keep the traffic and I’ll see you soon.
-YourFriendMatt
Art and such...
LACMA...
“Okay, we can crop that later. God, these are going to look great on Insty!” - Some very hip Angeleno.
We recently took the traitorous trip across the 10 to see some of the city we haven’t explored yet. Figuring we would fake being cultured and see some art; we decided to check out the LACMA. Our friends have been telling us we have to check it out for months now, and since we rarely have time off together, it seemed like a great day date. The sun started to come out when we arrived, and traffic was not as bad as we thought. I have written about how LA has taught me you can charge anyone for anything at any time. That aside parking was not bad, and general admission tickets were not expensive. Anyone looking to have a fun and enjoyable afternoon I would suggest it.
There are a few different building dedicated to various forms or time periods of art. Once inside I started to realize how uncultured I was. There are just some forms of art I will never get. But, hey, do you. As we progressed from piece to piece, I also started to notice a majority of the people taking in art were not there to take in art. They were there to take new Instagram photos. Not gonna lie, I snapped a few that will end up on my Instagram but, holy hell. Some of these folks just snapped photos and had no interest in checking out what was in front of them.
I love people watching, so my interest started to turn from checking out “Homage to the Square” to however girl there wanted a photo taken of them from behind as they stared at a piece of art. “Oh, the lighting in here is great! This is going on my Snap Story.” We walked through some The Sympathetic Imagination, which is reminiscent the tunnel boat ride scene from Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder variant). Everyone in there was posing as if they were doing a photo shoot for their next album. “No. Now, look at the camera but look like you don’t care! Okay, now stare out this orange window but, act like you don’t care!” A brief pause to review the photo just taken and then and excited, “Boom. Nailed it. You look like you really don’t care. Can’t wait to post this.”
“Jamie, take my picture! I want to act like I don’t care!” I yelled at Jamie as we continued our adventure through the museum. We snapped photos and had a great time pretending we knew what we were looking at. All in all great day and we even found 2 for 1 cocktails in Marina when we got back to the west side.
Be on the look out for my “I Don’t Care” selfies on social media soon.
Playlist Friday...
This weeks playlist is a mix of new pop-indie bands I have found over the last few weeks. Maybe you have heard of some or maybe you have not...crank up your vintage stereo, grab a Pabst and enjoy the weekend!
Finding Time To Read...
“Man, I have to take a speed reading class or something.” - Me.
It was brought to my attention that the average CEO reads about 4-5 books a month. If someone who runs a company, big or small, can cram hundreds of extra pages into 30 days, I think I can stop scrolling through Instagram to get a few pages in. I figured my goal would be to read at least one book a month this year. I know, not as aggressive as my entrepreneurial counterparts, but you have to start somewhere. So far I have been on track.
I started the year out with what I thought would be an easy read, absolutely biting off more than I could chew, with “Thinking, Fast and Slow” By Daniel Kahneman. This 512 page-turning thrill-ride (sarcasm intended) consumed my January, taking all my mental capabilities. I do not claim to be a smart man so, pretending I could understand the left and right side of the brain as my first read of the year was not smart. I will give it to me Kahneman though; it is written well, and I could tell he was trying his best to put it in layman terms. Once again, I am not a smart man.
As January turned into February, I wanted to turn to something a little lighter. “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki fit the mold. If you have not read this and have any plan of running your finances, life or want to make radical outside-the-box decisions, I would strongly suggest starting here. Even if you do not agree with some ideas throughout “Rich Dad Poor Dad” it will, at least, leave you thinking. And, I think that is a good thing.
My read this month is “Fierce Conversations” by Susan Scott and was recommended to me by a mentor/peer at work. We were having a conversation about the development of veteran teammate and discussed what would an area they could improve on before taking the next step in their career. I immediately pointed out that I have never seen them have a hard conversation with anyone and boom…a day later this book was in my hand for them to read. Instead of immediately passing it along I figured I would give it a go first to see what I could get out of it. Only a few chapters deep right now and like I said before, even if you do not agree with some ideas throughout the book it will, at least, leave you thinking…and that’s a good thing.
-YourFriendMatt
The Average CEO Reads 4-5 Books Per Month By Refreshed Leadership
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
-YourFriendMatt
Penelope...
Don’t let her adorable demeanor fool you. She is a nightmare.
Recently I came home to this 2 pound fluff ball staring at me. Yes, seriously, 2 pounds. She is the size of a Beanie Baby. I had a feeling we were getting another dog, and I was right. Jamie had been dropping hints and sending me puppy photos. I guess I should have paid more attention. After opening up a Instagram “name our dog” post, we decided to name this new addition, Penelope. For the first few days she was docile and we didn’t even know if she could bark. That quickly wore off and now she is proficient in jumping from our couch to our bed to the floor repeatedly until she passes out…but only for a minute or two and then its back racing in circles like the Indy 500 around our place. Did I mention she found her bark and let’s us know exactly where she is at every moment?
We are on full puppy training mode and I forgot how exhausting it can be. We have our other dog, Piper, effectively trained. She knows our sleep schedule and that barking will not be tolerated when the sun goes down. She has stopped begging at the table when we eat and understand that all poop belongs outside. Penelope on the other hand, is a shit machine doesn't understand, yet, that we need her to do that outside.
-YourFriendMatt
Friday Playlist...
Time for some fresh pop-punk on this glorious Friday! This list I curated were some favorite sugary jams I found this week through Apple Music. Its a short sweet list that keeps the tempo up! Enjoy here!
The awakening...I could run my own company...right?
Becoming my own boss...
“What the hell am I going to do with my life?” - Me.
Over the last year or so I have really focused in on what I want to do with my life, and I am coming up short. And honestly, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I am just happy to be motivated to change. This year I have committed to reading a least one book a month, replacing any wasted time I have scrolling on my phone checking out my friends photos, to see if I can find an answer. Someone recently told me that the average CEO has roughly 7 forms of income. My plan is to get there. Now...how?
Coming from and still being in the middle class I want to figure out how the wealthy got wealthy and how they continued to stay there. I have turned to multiple books, podcast and am continually doing research about how I can make my money work for me. I am finding myself in a classic ‘Where do I start’ scenario. Do I invest in property? And if so, what does that actually mean and where do I get started? What the hell is a bond and what stocks should I get involved in? Should I open a franchise? Where can I find a mentor to guide me?
Help.
-YourFriendMatt
Friday Playlist...
This one is not out of the usual for me. I love pop rock, pop puck, alternative-indie jams. This playlist has a few of my favorites and even some stuff I haven't heard yet...and better yet it's all about jumping in the car and hitting the road!
Enjoy!
-YourFriendMatt
First time on the west coast with my whole family...and we went to Disneyland!
29...
"Holy shit. It's my 29th birthday." - Me
When I was a kid, I thought my parents were old and wise beyond their years. By the time they were 29, I was 5 or 6. We live in different times now. I feel my generation is spending more time experiencing life and trying to plan a little more. We kind of have to…but that is a whole different conversation.
The last year of my 20's, and I am excited. I use to care about getting older. When I turned 23 or 24 I thought my life was over. I broke down in a diner 3 miles from my childhood home at 2am. I just stared at my Liberty Bell shaped waffle, “I am so old, what have I done with my life.” What the hell was I thinking?
As I get older now I realize I don't feel any different. I mean, sometimes, I think 2007 was last year and I haven't felt older than 16 for as long as I can remember. I feel I am more mature now, well sometimes, dick and fart jokes will never go out of style. I feel I have learned lessons and know how valuable a dollar is now more than ever (thanks LA…you have taught me you can change anyone for anything at anytime.).
I woke up on my 29th birthday surrounded by loved ones 3,000 miles where we all met. It is a great feeling. Waking up in Anaheim...about to hit Disneyland...this is a great day.
-YourFriendMatt