I fell In love with a girl named Lacey :)

I was like most 20 yr. olds, immature. I had no money, no car, no goals but was good at partying. I Had just moved down to the Gas lamp district to take over an apartment my brother had been living in. I was working at Hooters, as a cook, and at T.G.I.Fridays as a busser. I remember it like yesterday me and my main man William Smith were sitting in the restaurant filling out an application. I looked up for a minute to see this very attractive bleached blonde girl walk past. She had extremely large and sexy ...... glasses, a light linen toned Roxy purse that said "I Love Boys" and tight black spandex pants ;) I was intrigued.

I continued spending most of my days skating through down town, burning my fingers on buffalo wing grease and playing the corners for pocket change. The first day at TGIF sucked, I had coleslaw and dishwasher duty. I spent the first week dreading my job hoping for some abrupt change of pace to override these feelings of mediocrity. Then she walked in. That one girl I saw a few weeks ago was leaning over the cooks counter to place an order. She cracked a joke, smiled and made eye contact. I must admit I felt that she was way out of my league. She had every guy in that place wrapped around her finger. Then here I am... the only thing I owned was a skateboard I stole from my freind. I had a shaved head, plugs, I was timid and was way to easy to pass by. Later down the road my wife would say she wasn't even that attracted to me at first. I wasnt her type...hmmm ok, lol. She had it all man, she was gorgeous, funny, she had tattoos!!, big boobs, nice butt and she was so approachable. Everything that matters to a man. By walking over and saying "hey" she made every part of my body tingle, it was like a fire started in my bones and my heart trying to put it out by beating faster. It was hard to be confident wearing those cattle poop scooping gloves and being elbow deep in coleslaw but I managed to make basic conversation. We chatted a bit, she asked "where ya from" and I responded "from an indian reservation up north, u?" "I'm from washington state but I was living in orange county. I just moved down here because of the MTV show Real World San Diego!" I then answered "awesome...".

This was going to be a hard catch for me, she had her pick of any guy in there and I didn't have much to offer. So I started to strategize first i have to get to know her. I started hanging out with the guys she was friends with. She was a waitress and I was a busser so I figured that I could start to bus only her tables to make small talk....brand recognition. Some call this stalking but I call it persistence. Once we got to a comfortable acquaintance level. I made my move. I approached her " Hey Lacey can I ask a favor, do you have a minute?" " not right now I am taking a phone order, give me one sec..." She said " no stress" I replied. The thing was I didn't have a good question to ask, so if she gave me her undivided attention I would have to make it good. So I panicked and went with plan b... I wrote my number on a piece of paper and with one hand I held it up to her. I made eye contact and a mouthed the words "call me". She could have just ignored that paper but I was hoping I had charmed her enough to get her curiosity sparked. After all I had spent that whole day dropping bits of info about me like how I was awesome, I knew stuff and I had cool friends. There is a total art to selling yourself and I nailed it!

And wouldn't you know she called that night. I still remember the voicemail "Hey Paul this is Lacey from work, sorry I couldn't talk earlier. I tried finding you but you took off. You said you had a favor to ask so I figured it had to be about sex, drugs or rock and roll...just kidding!! give me a call back" When I called back I came clean and said it was my brilliant attempt to hang out with her. She said she was at her aunt's with her cat and she had to stay in that night. I said "if it makes it easier just bring your cat with you and she can stay in my place?" From that night we never left each others side. She moved in shortly after, I quit Hooters and A few months later we tattooed each others names on our ring fingers. We have been together for 8 yrs and will be married for 7 in March. We have a 4 yr old child and I am so glad she decided to see the potential in me. Stay tuned for her version of the story!! lol.

HOW ART HEALS

I remember my first encounter with art, It was 1989 and I was in Kindergarten. My mom had set me up with construction paper, macaroni, acorns and glue. I was stoked!! My second significant encounter was years later. I actually got stoked on art based off of my oldest brother Mel. I watched as he drew cartoon ants with helmets on their heads..."Army Ants" which also plagued our property. From this point I was obsessed with drawling skulls and boobies (.)(.)

There were never any musical instruments in my house growing up or any other type of artistic options for that matter. When I started painting ostrich eggs with native American themes my mom was like " Oh...thats nice" and when I started making rough recordings my mom said "Oh...thats nice" Even as an adult when I'm like "I got on American Idol!!!" she says" Oh...thats nice" or "I got the call back from a Bravo reality show and I'm top 3 songwriters and they are going to start filming me in Holly Wood!!!" she says " cool..." I have accepted peoples response to my lifestyle choices and I guess you can't expect people to have the same vision as you. Like how people respond when my wife tells them "my husbands a musician" :/ Oh well! :) Speaking of lifestyle choices...The other night my father asked me if I was happy to get my Tattoos at such a young age (I was fifteen when I got my last name tatted across my back) I said "I knew there was only one path for me and I accepted that at a young age." Also getting tattoos back then on your wrists was social and career suicide.

In elementary school I was always that cool kid that wore cartoon graphics on my t-shirts and (I mean the ones that take up the whole shirt) "hand me down" men's XL fluorescent green parachute pants.

Like most of us I felt out of place, insecure and timid as a teenager. I was always fighting with my parents/ kids at school. I was always in trouble: getting kicked out of school and in 'n' out of court. I was trying to be cool any way I could and that meant doing whatever it took to prove myself. See the problem was I wanted to be cool so bad. Once I realized that certain people weren't worth impressing then I changed route. I used art to make my own path, I started using art to vent, to express my abstract thoughts and to attract a different breed of friends.

In middle school I was well know for my sketches ... this lasted all the

way to high school. I even used my sketches for trade!! drugs, school supplies, favors and even kisses and hugs from the popular girls ;) I was a typical boy. At one point a girl that I was in love with told her dad of my art and he asked me to illustrate a book for him which was published and can still be purchased in Barnes and Nobel

http://www.quickchills.com/bh_bt_ai.htm.

Art was my voice... it has opened so many doors in my life now that I couldn't have even imagined.

To me everything has the ability to be art. Anything can be taken from its original state to be made to sooth your soul and those souls around you. I would be lost without the impressions from people that gave their time and vision without any strings attached. In return, for all that have had an influence in young peoples lives, I have dedicated my journey to giving in that same light. It's like building a fire on the coast so others can stay warm and see through the darkness. This isn't about radio play or unit sales this is about opening a young persons mind to a world of hope and possibilities.

I went from taking risks as a youth, to impress friends, to taking financial and business risks to make my own

path. You could ask me to " jump off this,

make this or paddle out into that!" and I would say "Sure!" Now the tone of questions have changed but the vibe remains. You can ask me "help with this, volunteer for that, make this happen." and I would say " Sure!" Getting older allows me to reflect and appreciate having "balls" as a child. Now when they say " you'll never make it...the odds are slim" I say " I'm not afraid of failing, I know my limits but I'm also not afraid of working hard to get what I want. Most importantly I believe in my dreams"

-Paul

"If you asked people what they want, they would of said faster horses." - Henry Ford

I Love Trees!

There is something about tress that I fell in love with as a young child. You could climb them, build shelter from them, jump on or swing from them and of course pick fruit from them. They provide shade when it's hot and oxygen for all the earth. Have you ever walked through a redwood forest? wow, what a peaceful trip. When I was in middle school we had an avocado grove in our agriculture class where we would sneak off to smoke weed (out of the avocados) and then throw them at each other...good times :) I used to stand-stare and be dazzled by the sunlight streaming through these richly colored green leaves. For some reason I always took comfort in the fact that no matter what happens in life these tree would still be here. Even after being attacked by fire they would still stand their ground with what little they had left. I believe we are what we eat and I would like to be healthy, oily, green and rich.

Trees are living. They might not have a brain or be as complex as us but they are living. They have unique fingerprints, like us, they have fluid that is vital to their existence, like our blood, they breath and need sunlight, like us, and when they get wounded they heal them selves by regrowing in different directions. The healing powers of plants, shrubs and trees are endless. The fruit that comes form trees are no accident to the human body. In fact an orange contains a fiber, in the pulp, that when it's digested (by a human) it can regulate the amount of sugar that the body accepts. Meaning when you go to the grocery store and buy " Orange Juice" make sure it has pulp in it otherwise your getting way to much sugar that just turns to fat. The omega oil's and fatty acids that are in avocados help the brain to function properly. They are as important to the brain as oil is to an engine of a car. They have proven that by eating all greens you can cure cancer and all other types of life threatening illness, some studies show that you wouldn't even have to brush your teeth as much if at all. Only when "man made" sugar and chemicals came on the scene did we have to start aggressively pursuing our dental hygiene. Point being that fruits, nuts and vegetables have everything you need to thrive and be healthy.

Look into it, once you find a bit of the truth you will start craving the realness that is nature. This is what we are and what we need... with nature any thing that is plaguing you can be healed, not just suppressed by western medicine. If the tree can't heal you then go to the ocean. One Love!

Paully-wog, Pablo, Paulito...

From looking at me you wouldn't think that I have such an ethnic background or such an ethnic looking family, but I do. What is funny is that all through my brothers school career they were respected as Native Americans, all through my school career I was respected as white... what ever that is. I don't even know what the rest of my bloodline is because I only had one grandparent growing up and she barely spoke english. The bummer is that most of my folks past was very unpleasant so getting any info out of them is like pulling teeth at the indian health clinic.

At age 14 I had my first hit of Crystal meth at 16 I dropped out of school and started working full time with my father, at 18 I was your run of the mill alcoholic and drug addict thief. When I looked forward all I could see was grey when I closed my eyes all I could see was Chaos. I had already began my relentless journey into no where.

With my father's family being from Georgia, but all passed away, and my mother being Native American and living in the same area as her family... I had been exposed to more of the Native American/ Hispanic traditions and addictions rather then being exposed to traditions of Georgia (and what ever my fathers back round is). My mother had lost her sister to a car accident, her father to cirrhosis of the liver, her brother to bad drug deal and her older sister to lupus. When my mother and father first met they realized that there was one big thing in common, they both had been running for a long time.

My grandma Lupe was the sweetest old lady who had the strongest accent and the best cooking. She passed a few years ago to blood cancer...F-cancer. She would call me paully-wog for what ever reason while my uncles would call me Pablo. Most of my cousins would call me Paulito meaning little stick of the tribe and from that my buddys called my Lito which until this day is how I signature most of my canvas art work...oh and it is how my wife calls me to fix stuff. My Uncle Johnny was a huge influence in my life and showed me how deep the river ran from our blood line and how it was filled with art, music and dancing. He would speak of the practices he would participate in and this really allowed me to take pride in my past. As a young man I was taught to fish, hunt and how to skin animals for the use of their hide. I remember once I was on a job in Fallbrook, Ca. and I had a hispanic man working for me who didn't speak english. He was jumping around and waving his hand toward the floor. When I walked over I noticed a snake by his feet. He was frightened so I stepped on the snakes head, grabbed my razor blade and cut it off. I pinned the body to a 2x4 and gutted the snake spreading the skin and removing the spine, then I took a package of salt from lunch and spread it over the skin. Once dry I wrapped it around a piece of hide and made a belt that went around a cowboy hat.

Growing up my father had a short temper, I remember getting in trouble at school and my dad taking bamboo, extension chords, or fig branches and whipping my ass. I was always doing something wrong at school or foolish things like the time I blew my older brother up on accident. I threw a spray paint can in the fire and my bro tried to get it out but was to late. They had to skin graph his face...maybe that's why he's a deuche to me. Just kidding...I'm good with my brothers.

When I was 10 years old I went on vacation with my little brother and father. At the time I didn't realize my dad was meeting his mistress at the same place we were going. My little brother actually told my mom about the girl (he was like 7) and until this day (he's like 24?) he doesn't speak to my dad. This would begin the ending of an 18 year marriage to my mother. See my dad had lost both of his parents at the age of 14, Father to colon cancer, his sister died of AIDs, brother died form heroin and only other brother is a junkie in georgia somewhere. He had lived most of his life running away and this was no exception.

After years of running (myself), I finally have come to a place where I felt I had the strength to let go and make peace with my past. I wrote a song about these experiences called "Man On Fire" which talks about my struggle with addictions. On my guitar strap I have put the letters SPR to show that I have made peace and that I have much love for my reservation.

From the good vibes put into my life from others I was able to reach a point of peace and self confidence. I am a long way from where I once was and I have plenty of family and friends to thank for that. From a young age my Aunt Angie investing her positive perspective into my life. From her and my uncle Tom I was exposed to the "Surfer" lifestyle. I remember being given old surf magazines and being told old surf war stories that sparked interest in this whole other "natural" world. There was something about the ocean... I recall arriving at the shore and just feeling peace.... For once in my life when negative emotion came in I could feel it leave with the ever changing salt water and sea weed.

Everyone knows they need healing but people are afraid to admit that they were powerless and that they couldn't help from being hurt. Some think that making peace shows weakness but in fact it shows great strength. It is hard to forgive and control your mind but by doing this It brings the ability to free your mind and free up your life. It is much easier to hate then it is to love it is much easier to be angry then it is to let go.

I know there is healing in the ocean and that there is healing in this earth and for me living in the mountains was what I needed healing from. Now it is my turn to be a positive influence for the broken.

We are of One Love.

-Lito

How I became owner of Bunny Wailer's guitar...from Bob Marley& the Wailers!

First of all Bunny Wailer is a legend and was an original member of "The Wailers" with Bob Marley& Peter Tosh. Did you know that they use to sit outside the radio station, in Kingston, to wait for the DJ to come outside so they could beat the shat out of him. They did this in order to get him to play there music on the radio. I wish it was that easy these days.

2005 I was living in Santa Cruz, Ca. playing the local scene with my Beach Rock band "Don't Bother to Knock". Aside from being a huge reggae fan and opening for beach rock bands like Ribsys Nickel who were on tour with Slightly Stoopid and signed to Stoopid Records, we were regulars to the local clubs putting out the vibe!

At the time I had a friend that worked at a hotel down by the skate park and on the night Bunny Wailer came to town to play the Catalyst, he ended up staying at my friends hotel! The next morning she came to my place to tell me that she had went into Bunny wailers room after he left and found an acoustic guitar lying on the floor. It had been thrown against the wall and the neck was snapped, but it was all mine... I was stoked! It's just one of those things you hold on to, like the hat I was given while being an extra on the movie Sea Biscuit.