Hi, I'm Matt. - Made on iPad Pro - Santa Monica, Ca - 2018
Santa Monica CA - February 2018 - Shot on iPhone X
Friday 6-Pack...
We did it! It’s Friday! Here are six tracks that got me through the week I found on Apple Music! I have been a HUGE fan of Can't Swim for a while now, and I love how they keep putting out incredible albums and singles! 'In Between' is their new track and I am in love. Give it a listen! We also have some new tracks from bands I discovered this week including Summer Wars, At Face Value, a punk rock track from A Shell Corporation, and another long time favorite of mine from Jersey; Young Statues! If that wasn't enough this week's list also has a new driving track from Moose Blood!
Music saves.
Listen, share, and enjoy!
-YourFriendMatt
Shot on iPhone X - February 2018 - Santa Monica CA
Photo Walk...
Recently I took a photo walk with some friends through the streets and scenic ocean views of Santa Monica. It is always great taking photos with your iPhone when you come across an opportunity to take a picture, but intentionally going out with that as your primary objective changes it up a bit. I would absolutely recommend hitting up a Photo Walk at your local Apple Store to get started. They provide you with all the accessories and knowledge to get out there and get started. Included some of the shots I took over a 90-minute session below. These are all completely unedited and turned out incredible.
Redondo Beach, CA - Winter 2018
Friday 6-Pack...
We did it. We finished the week! Another Friday and another six poppy jams to send us into the weekend!
We got a new track from TX power pop trio, Waterparks. We also have a newly released single from UK rockers, Milestones. Their new album will be out shortly. This list also includes the pop-punk stylings of Yearbooks, Frontside, Household and one of my new favorites out of the mighty Chicago rock scene, Cup Check. This weeks list is packed with catchy hooks, somber lyrics and will get your toes tapping throughout the day.
Music saves.
-YourFriendMatt
6 books - Every page filled - Los Angeles, CA - 2018
One Year of Journaling...
“For the last time, no. No, I don’t want to read about the last year of my life?” - Jamie.
Over a year ago I committed to journal every morning before starting my day. This month marks the one year anniversary of writing at least a page a day and clearing my mind daily. I am happy to report that I believe journaling has helped me stay organized, departmentalize and prioritize what is most important; as well as helping me to clean my minds slate every day.
Benefit: Getting Rid of Problems
Journaling has helped me get over silly issues. I feel as if once it is on the page and out of my head, the issue is gone. There is no reason to give it any more attention. I have often gone back to specific dates throughout the year to see my progress or what I was doing in a specific timeframe. Going back in time makes me giggle about how concern I was about something that does not currently matter anymore. It gives me a sense of affirmation that I was right about the issue in the first place. Journal has given me a sense of reassurance.
Benefit: Staying Organized
I have gone through a different version of how I have set up my journal. A piece that has helped me stay on target has been dedicating a section to tasks that need my attention now and what can wait. I have been working on prioritization for a while now and know that keeping a daily log of what I need to get done has helped me. It feels great to go back through the week or month and see what I have accomplished. If there are things I haven’t done, I can see them and decided if they are still important and if I need to accomplish them.
Benefit: Staying Thankful
We have a lot to be thankful for. My incredible friend told me about something that he does every morning before getting the day started. He thinks of three things that he is grateful for and tries to think if he did not have them. These are simple things like a coffee mug. Imagine if you did not have a great coffee mug, it would suck, wouldn’t it? There can also be incredible things to be grateful for like clean running water whenever you want it. Now, imagine if you couldn’t get up right now, go to the faucet and turn on the water. How bad would that suck? Starting your day with a thankful headspace gives you perspective on the day and has helped me deal with some crazy situations like our cross-country move to LA to planning our wedding.
If you have ever wondered about journaling, I have included some great resources below to help get you started and some links to the journals I find the most useful. Give it a try. Write something every day no matter what it is and see how you feel at the end of the week. If you hate it stop, but if you find value at picking your own brain than it may be a useful tool for you to change your life.
Or not. Either way.
-YourFriendMatt
Have a beer and relax - Ventura County Line, CA - Early 2018 - Shot of iPhone
Friday 6-Pack...
Can’t enough the new catchy Dashboard album! We also have a slew of tracks pop punk newbies that I found this week including Spanish Love Songs, Rally Cap, Hungover, The Happy Alright, and my new personal favorite, CUP CHECK! Check it out!
This week's list is PACKED with driving, up-tempo, incredible poppy tracks that will power your work day and send you dancing into the weekend! Check it out now!
Music Saves.
-YourFriendMatt
It this together - Marfa, TX - 2017
Vegan February...
“My colon has never felt better.” - Me.
My birthday falls on January 31st. Having a birthday on the last day of January lines me up perfectly for a reset in February. I like the idea of leaving one age with a bang, and starting a new year, and a new era, with a sense of purpose. Last year, I challenged myself to an alcohol-free February. Cutting back on beer had its challenges, especially on weekends when Jamie and I would explore Nashville finding new restaurants we wanted to try, and their drink menu. I read a meme that I related to throughout the month that went something along the lines of “you don’t need alcohol to have fun,” and someone replied to it stating, “you also don’t need a car to get places, but it helps.”
Last years alcohol-free February was not as bad as I thought, so I decided to keep the February challenge going in 2018, and now Jamie is joining in. This February we have we have cut back on alcohol during the week, so we can still enjoy an adult beverage with each other on the weekends. This years main challenge is to go completely vegan. Gasp. This February we have cut out all meats, dairy, eggs, and CHEESE! You get the picture, not animal products.
I thought the process would be way harder than expected but as it turns out with a little prep and research, it really isn’t that hard. There are a ton of books, blogs, and apps that help you find your way through making simple changes to a plant-based diet. We are trying all kind of foods that we would have never checked out before and feeling incredible. We are on a culinary adventure. I didn’t even know what a jackfruit was, but now it’s one of my new favorite foundations for meat replacements.
We are getting married this year, and both kinds of wanted to tighten up our bodies. Doing this meat-free-vegan February has shown us that we can lose extra weight, get more energy and feel less bloated. I am sure cutting back on unnecessary alcohol after work on a weekday helps too. With this plant-based diet, I have lost over 7 pounds since starting at the beginning of the month and feel, for lack of better words, clean. (See title quote). Who knew? We have both also committed to making simple changes in our weekly work out routines like riding bikes to work, taking the stairs or an extra walk after meals, etc. I have been running consistently a few times a week since October, and since switching to a plant-based diet, I have been crushing my old run times and going further and faster than I used to.
Who knows if switching to a plant-based diet will be something we commit entirely to as a lifestyle change, but I would not be opposed. We feel great, are fueling our bodies with whole foods and seeing results, both physically in mentally. I will get off my pedestal for a minute and completely align and recognize that anyone pushing an agenda or lifestyle change is completely annoying. Nobody want’s to hang out with that guy, but if you were at all interested in trying a plant-based diet, even for a short time, I would recommend it. I am from Philadelphia, and there we live on cheese steaks and hoagies. And they are delicious. It’s in my blood to want to hang with my friends with a beer and sandwich. That will never change. I was just ready to try something new and trying a plant-based-vegan diet has been great to me. Check out some additional resources I have been using below.
Give it a try and if you feel the same after, awesome!
And if not, that’s cool too.
-YourFriendMatt
Fun Land - Hollywood, CA 2018 - Shot on iPhone X
Friday 6-Pack...
Finally! New Young Statues! I was beginning to think we would never hear from them again! We also have some new Turnstile, who have an album up for pre-order. Story Untold, who just released their new album Waves this week. We also have a poppy new track from Dashboard Confessional and brand spanking new The Wonder Years! Check it out!
Music saves.
-YourFriendMatt
Hogwarts Dropout...
“Yes, I am a 31-year-old man. And no, I will not take off my Harry Potter robe.” - Me.
For my birthday this year, my family surprised me with tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood. Jamie and I are huge theme park people. I never knew I was until we moved to Southern California and we became Passholders at Disneyland. If you are at all interested to see how addicted we are to Disneyland, please see my personal Instagram account, we basically live there. I jumped for joy and threw on the robes that they presented me with along with the tickets to the park. They even got me a wand and glasses to match.
Jamie and I got to the park as the staff opened the gates for the day. It was a gorgeous and sunny Saturday morning. When the gates open, we ran like eight-year-olds to the entrance of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We turned a corner and there it was; a snow-capped English town in the middle of Hollywood, CA. We just stood there speechless gazing upon Hogsmeade, Three Broomsticks, and Hogwarts. We couldn’t be stopped. We darted towards the parks main attraction, Harry Potter, and the Forbidden Journey. We heard the lines for it get out of hand later in the day, and we are not line people, so we figured we should hit this ride first before it got bonkers, and it did not disappoint.
Jamie and I know Disneyland like the back of our hands, but this was new territory. After we checked the ride with the longest wait time off our list, we were unsure of what to do next. We have never been here before and wanted to ensure we would get the full experience. Luckily, Universal Studios has an app, so we loaded it and started to plan it out. Universal’s layout is essentially two parks, an upper level, and a lower level. We figured we’d start at the lower level and make our way back up.
The plan seemed to work because we checked off Jurassic Park, The Mummy, and Transformers in under 30 minutes. These rides also get packed as the day goes on, so we were pumped to have a lot of the major stuff out of the way early. Getting to and from the upper and lower level took us about 5-10 minutes, without crowds. I can’t imagine what that experience would be in peak season. Side-note - Transformers is incredible.
We decided to save the Studio Tour for last and figured it was time for lunch and a beer; Duff Beer! The Simpson’s side of the park is another major highlight for me. I grew up loving everything The Simpson’s offered and being able to go to Moe’s as an adult and have a beer is a dream come true. As it turns out, Fox brought in a brewmaster to Trademark them a Duff Beer recipe. For real, I swear. Google it.
The rest of the afternoon we hung out at the Duff Beer Brewery for a while, jumped on The Simpson virtual roller coaster, meandered around stopping by Mulligan’s Irish Pub for another brew. From there we grabbed some dinner at Three Broomsticks, and of course, Butterbeer! I tend to stay away from sugary drinks, but holy hell. Butterbeer. Butterbeer is incredible. I had at least two of them. It’s just that incredible.
From there we just hung around Hogsmeade, shopped and had a few beers while people-watching. All in all, it was an incredible way to spend my 31st birthday. As I am not reading back through this, it sounds like an eight-year-olds birthday, but I am totally cool with that.
Expecto Patronum!
-YourFriendMatt
Santa Monica, CA - January 2018 - Shot on iPhone X
Friday 6-Pack...
Another Friday and another fast-paced six song power pack! I feel like 2018 is doing a great job of turning out some tremendous pop-rock jams! I have fallen in love with Spanish Love Songs; they have a very Menzinger type sound. We have some new Woes and Senses Fail, as well as some driving new tracks from Graywater, Homebound, and Letdown! This list is ready to take on the weekend and party.
-YourFriendMatt
Clear your mind...
Meditation with YourFriendMatt...
"Damn, I feel better." - Me.
I spent the last 90 days carving out at least 10 minutes a day to sit quietly while trying to clear my mind. I have tried meditating on and off for the last few years, but when we decided to move back to Santa Monica, I wanted to give it my best shot. We had a ton on our plates with the move, new routines, and the logistics of our new life back on the West Coast. I have found that meditation has helped me prioritize and tackle my day.
Finding the best time was hard, but I feel that meditating early, especially in the morning before doing anything, helps me wipe my mental slate clean, so I can start to load it back up again with all the different choices, decisions, and potentially tricky interactions I will have throughout my day.
I was a little nervous to get into meditation because of the reaction I thought my family and friends would give me, but they all turned out to be pretty supportive. Now and then I get the, "what a hippie" look from them, but that's no big deal. Meditation helps me with stress and aligns my focus on what I need to get done. Taking a few minutes out for yourself every day to reset, breath and clear your mind has become critical to ensuring I give very day my all.
If you are ever at all interested in meditation or new to meditation, I would suggest getting a coach or app, like Headspace. They are an app that walks you through meditations and helps you understand that it is okay to have a mind that runs a million miles an hour, but finding the time to reel it back it helps. At least it has helped me.
Stress kills and life is too short. I will gladly take the "what a hippie" glares from my family and friends rather than going gray early.
If you want to try the App I use, Headspace, click here!
-YourFriendMatt
Santa Monica, CA - January 2018 - Shot on iPhone X
Friday 6-Pack...
We did it! We made it to another Friday! Time to enjoy some energetic new catchy-emo-pop punk-rock jams! This weeks list includes some new tracks from The Dangerous Summer, Senses Fail, and Hot Mulligan! We also have new tracks from Moose Blood, Gardenside and Till I Fall!
I will be listening to this and riding my bike all day with nothing but good vibes! I suggest you do the same if you can!
Music saves.
-YourFriendMatt
Swingers - Santa Monica, CA - January 2018 - Shot on iPhone X
Friday 6-Pack...
This weeks list gets a little crazy. We have some new Senses Fail, then some chill tracks from Better Love and Toy Cars, then to a Punk/Metal mood before listening to new Good Old War with Anthony Green. Stay with me; this list is worth it. Listen now!
Music saves.
-YourFriendMatt
Santa Monica, CA - January 2018 - Shot on iPhone X
Just in time...
"Sorry kid, I need your scooter to get to work!" - Me.
I ride my bike to work. Standard maintenance is pretty low, and it gets me a good cardio workout before and after work, which is some of the times you need the most endorphins. My route too and from work is pretty flat, which makes for an enjoyable, unstressful ride. Plus, it’s southern California, so the weather is top notch.
But, this week I got a flat on my way into work. I was crunched for time and had limited options. Go back to the house? Out of the question. Be late? Call out? Out of the question. I was already halfway to work. Should I call a Lyft? Walk? Run? Nah. Lyft would take too long to get to me, I checked. Walking or running would leave me nice and sweaty. Being sweaty and smelly for an entire shift at work is not a good look.
Luckily living in Silicon Beach, there is always a new startup doing something unusual that challenges the conventional ways we have become accustomed too for convenient travel. Bird, a new app-based electric scooter company, had just infiltrated the Venice and Santa Monica area with a billion electric scooters littered around the neighborhoods. Essentially, any user can walk up to any of these parked scooters, open their app, unlock the scooter, pay to ride it and then leave it wherever when the user gets to their destination. Once the ride is ended with the app, the scooter locks back up. It’s wild. I open the app and found one close by up for grabs. As I approached a little girl ran right by me to claim the scooter; her dad trailed behind her. I got snaked! I was just a few feet away from my easy and inexpensive way to work, and I watched as someone else stole it from under me.
What was my move? Try to find another? The next closest scooter was seven blocks away; there was no way I was going to make it. Push her out of the way and take it? Harsh, but it just might work. I hung around for a minute to see if they were going to take it. They bumbled with the app trying to figure out how to unlock the scooter and get going. My only advantage was that I knew how to use the app.
I let them attempt a few times to get going and then couldn’t wait any longer. I was about to go with the push them out of the way option, but as I loaded the app, another user had just parked one on the same block. Since the daughter-dad combo couldn't figure out the app on this one, I saw them eyeing the other one, as if they were going to figure it out with the new scooter on the block. The little girl and I locked eyes; it was a showdown. The race was on! We both darted towards the new scooter, and I won.
“Sorry kid, I need to get to work!” I screamed as I scooted away into the sunset. Well, kinda. I mean technically the sun was out but not setting. And it was sweltering out. And I was on my way to work, not really a sunset situation.
I made it with a minute to spare.
On a good note, later that day I saw the daughter-dad combo scooting around Santa Monica, so all ended well.
Don't get in my way when I need to get to work.
-YourFriendMatt
January 2018 - Santa Monica, CA
Friday 6-Pack...
Over a week into the new year. Where is time going?
So happy to share this weeks playlist. My very good friends Gold Coast FINALLY put out some new music! We also have an emotional track from Gleemer and a b-side from Hundreth, check it out!
Music saves.
-YourFriendMatt
Valentine, TX - 10/17/17 - Shot on iPhone 7 Plus
Take me back to the road...
"Man, there ain't nothing out here." - Me.
We complained so much and stressed out over the last few weeks. Packing, unpacking, packing back up and unpacking it all again. At the time we were not the biggest fans of surviving on an endless amount of roadside snacks or take out gas station foods for our meals, but, we both agree that we would do it again in a heartbeat; and again. And again.
Jamie and I are settling down down and getting a routine for the first time since Fall. It is great to have an address and know where you are going to be end up at the end of the day, but we both agree the excitement, and even stress, of traveling is some of the most fun we have together. There is something about waking up in the middle of nowhere, getting a crappy cup of motel coffee and planning out the adventure that lies ahead in your day.
Are we nomads? Are we destined to drive around the country with our dogs to find forgotten towns strewn across the nation and discover what's there? How can we make money doing that? How can we make a living doing that?
-YourFriendMatt
Friday 6-Pack...
The holidays are over and we are all back to work, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have great music to listen too. This week's playlist starts off with the pop-punk stylings of Belmont and Original Sharks. We also have a new Brian Fallon off his new record 'Sleepwalkers." This list ends with a very weird tune by Bilmuri that reminds me of both NIN and The Cure. Very odd!
Music Saves.
-YourFriendMatt
Social media. For poop. 2018 is looking up.
The Things We Do With Technology...
This should be short and sweet. The name of the app says it all. Surprisingly I have told a few people about this app, they downloaded it, and are still currently tracking, as well as sharing, their poop.
The things we do with technology.
-YourFriendMatt
Anaheim, CA - Shot on iPhone X
Friday 6-Pack...
It is always a good week when there is new Somos to listen too. I have been a long time listener of the moody and steady paced quartet and I hope you enjoy their new track "Permanently Lost". We also have driving and poignant new tracks form Tiny Moving Parts and No Better!
Plus a few extras!
Music saves.
-YourFriendMatt
When you gotta go...
The Things We Do With Technology...
You get to the movie theatre. You're excited to see the next seasonal blockbuster. You down your over-priced, gallon-sized soft drink, the movie starts and boom, you have to pee. You think to yourself, "Damn it." Don't worry. There's an app for this. Obviously, its 2017.
RunPee lets you know when the best time during the movie is to hit the restroom. Even better, RunPee makes sure these pee breaks don't take away from the plot or awesome fight scenes you "must see."
Remember, theaters don't have a pause button. Pee on my friends.
-YourFriendMatt