The Blah Blah Blog is dead...
The Blah Blah Blog is dead...
The Blah Blah Blog is dead...
The Blah Blah Blog is dead...

Long live the Blah Blah Blog!
After almost 5 years, we are closing down the Villarrubia journal known as the Blah Blah Blog, and are re-starting in a whole new way of documenting the adventures of the 3 Libertines in love. We hope you take the time to join us on these ongoing adventures through our eternal love affair, and keep up with all that is us and our lives.

Reset your links and bookmarks to:
http://gabrea.tumblr.com/
now known as...

A Libertine's Journal
A Libertine's Journal
A Libertine's Journal

The Yachting life...
The Yachting life...

It's a Sea-man's life for me!

A simple list of things I love...
A simple list of things I love...

I have been critiqued for writing ad-nauseum about how great my life is, non-stop about all the things I love, blah-wonderful-fucking-blah over and over again. To the haters, I offer this post.

I love My Family. So awesome they are! I'll eat them up, I love them so.

I love My Wife. She looked so hot tonight, just a shade hotter than yesterday, and a notch below tomorrow...

I love My Son, the Outsider. Get used to it boy. It looks good on you...

I love My friends. Lucky am I.

I love the Mosh Pit in my house. My Son. My Drums. My Life. So fucking awesome...'nuff said.

Santo!
Santo!


Every doggy needs a name! Santo means "Saint". He has suffered like one, and is sweet as can be. Santo he is!

Puppy!
Puppy!

Andrea said I look like a little boy with his new puppy in this picture...

...and the literal little boy, with his first puppy, Charlie, circa way-the-fuck-back.

This is our new yet-to-be-named Puppy! "Amfi" (previously named by the foster family very lovingly"another mother fucker" because of how many foster dogs they had - a.k.a. Amfi ) was found starving, beaten, eating garbage and in bad shape with its 2 other family members by a wonderful girl named Kadri, who has fostered him for the last 3 months (i'll share pics of his original sorry state when i get them...). Our story started when I saw a picture of him on the Sayulita Life/Sayulitanimals page and honestly felt like I made a connection with this little dog through that picture. That may not sound so odd, but Andrea and I are proud "puppy/kitty pure-bred buyers" , never really wanted to adopt, and feel no shame about this. Most of our pets in our life have been bought from breeders, and assured were pure of blood, if not of attitude. While we recently adopted a tiny kitten (Puff, y'all - see below!) we have never adopted a dog that looks grown, even though its only 6 months old. Just seems odd, not normal, and took a few days to decide. Love made the decision, and we knew it would be a maturing thing for us, and a great gift for the dog. 10 minutes after Amfi was in our house, we knew we did the right thing. He is so calm, loving, and while a little sad, he is perfect. Even when Dulce (our Weinerdog/Chihuahua) went nuts over the fireworks outside, Amfi just sat there. calmly loving where he was. He is nervous, but knows we mean well. This is a special night. We have a menagerie. We have a big family of all breeds, and we are happy to have a new family member, who needs us, and we need him. Now he just needs his real name.

Super-Max, and his new buddy... minutes after arrival.

...and a great pic of Puff, just for shits and giggles. She is SO cute, dammit!!

Rock n Roll Hurts....

So does love, and i love this kid so much!! My boy loves our new drums, and spends mucho time just sitting on them jamming. He repeats everything I say, and when I was saying Rock n Roll hurts the other day due to my new blisters on my hands, he has made of habit of repeating this. He also loves the song "Coin Operated Boy" which is what he is "playing" for me. The kid has rhythm, style and he is only 2. The Superman shirt and striped leg warmers don't hurt.

Christmas time is here!
Christmas time is here!

I love Christmas. I love my family. Andrea and I have always made a big deal of putting up our X-mas tree, and this year, Maxxi being 2.3 years old, is extra special. He gets it. He knows who Santa is, and is totally stoked there is yet another person who will bring him presents. While the whole family was a little under the weather, our spirits were lifted by the joy of Christmas in our lives yet again...

The finished product - the Loteria Christmas Tree deluxe!

Long live Los Gatos Negros!
Long live Los Gatos Negros!

Today, Los Gatos Negros de Sayulita were born. Today, I am the luckiest cat in town, as I get to start a new band with some loco-locals, and really start annoying the neighbors con ganas (with pleasure, amigos!) My friends Treva and Ernesto were in a band...they broke up...I got a drum kit whose power was fueled by ancient dreams of rocking... we got together today to fill the gaps... and it was....AWESOME. Silly pictures and posters to follow...


It looked like this.

And a little like this...kinda....sorta...(i.e. second self-indulgent photoshop poster)


Andrea shot some video. It sounded way better than this, in fact you can only hear Treva's awesome voice and most the guitars when I stop playing drums, as you can't expect much from a Canon Sure shot-camera-thingee...Trust me, it sounded awesome, and you know it looked great. Very Sexy. The song is "Fell in Love with a Girl" by the White Stripes, and we do it Awesomely-lee. eeeee.



I am happy tonight.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

It's Thanksgiving today! While being a long time resident of Mexico may make you forget the big day as it sneaks up on you, I must celebrate it loudly, as I have so much to be thankful for!!


My Son holding his new kitten. Carrying little "Puff" across the house, to her litter box, saying "I love her, Dad!". I am thankful for that.

Him hugging both his magic "familiars" Dulce and Puff, and saying "I love you guysssss!!" is pretty awesome too...

My Son going "balls out" literally for my drum kit. He loves it, wants me to play it, dances to my punk rock beats, and is the sing-song-sidekick to my super-hero-drum-dad. He shines around music, and I am thankful for that, so much.

My Wife, and My Son.. My best friends. No one knows me like Andrea, and my boy knows me like no one has ever known me...as a son, to a father. I am thankful for that...ah..Lot.

My Family! Oh my, this picture makes me happy! The amazing wife/best-friend/super-freak of a baby-momma, the 2 cyborg pets...of doom!...and my little demon-seed, Maximo. Also, all our parents, brothers and loved ones not near by but always in our hearts.

We love our home and are so thankful to have a place to call our own, that smells, looks and loves like us, and we give thanks for the friends we are surrounded by in Sayulita, and all the love and power we receive from every one.

Thank you Dark Lords, for all of this!

Maurice Sendak, Carole King, the Dresden Dolls, and cartoons about rebellious kids eaten by lions, backed by tragically upbeat Goth music about seeking love - another Thursday morning in my world...

It All starts here.....with Pierre and Carole King. We always lean towards vintage kids viddy when we can, and a favorite is a collection of animated films from the mind of Maurice Sendak, godlike in our house, and this disc full of animated versions of his books includes his classic "Where the wild things are", as well as some gems you wouldn't know about unless you are a tad bit older than I am (41, bitches!). Anyhoo, the second part of this collection is backed by an all Carole King soundtrack of amazing kids songs that many 70's kids grooved on, and as adults many new fans love. After many watchings and listenings, today we bought the album and I know it will be listened to and watched throughout Maxxi's life. So great. Below is one of our fave stories, "Pierre" about a boy who just doesn't care (like me many days) but learns that it's always best to CARE (not totally sold on that idea....but its a good thought for my kid) after being eaten by a Lion. This awesome version of the animation I found has the Carole King soundtrack removed, and replaced by a cover version played by a band close to my heart, the Dresden Dolls. The band I just joined (fun!) is doing a cover of another one of their songs (see below) so they rock. Enjoy this stoney thread of musical and cartoon consciousness....


Maurice Sendak's "Pierre" - music by Carole King, performed by the Dresden Dolls

The Dresden Dolls playing it live... great music transcends genre and time...may bore non fans...

And lastly, my fave Dresden Dolls song, which as through a dream come true (my life is full of those, by the way...) the band I am jamming with is going to play! So great. This is Coin-Operated-Boy, very awesome song and viddy.

Kitty!!!!


We got a kitten today. "Puff" the magic cat-dragon, as she has been dubbed, has many roles in our world - she is the first kitten to Maxxi (he still loves his doggy better...), arch enemy-slash-best friend to Dulce (said dog), and future "Ratera" or mouse killer for us! We love kittens and used to be actual "Cat people" before we realized how much better dogs were, but mostly we are gonna be stoked when little Puff becomes Puffy the mice slayer. Sure, sure, we will fall in love with her, but we hope in the future she does not let her cuteness make her lazy, as it does for many people. For today, we have an awesome new family member, who happens to be incredibly tiny and cute, and we already love her.

Saul Bass, Star Wars and the future of the Blah Blah Blog

After almost 5 years of blogging in this journal, started right before we left the states for Mexico, the Blah Blog is getting a face lift! I am pretty stoked as I have become bored of it's look and lack of features - such as easy wandering back through back posts, links to sites I follow, and more. Keep an eye for the big change hopefully before the new year. The visual direction I am taking it in is based around the art of Saul Bass, an American graphic designer and Academy Award winner that worked with many of the movie greats on such opening sequences design as Psycho, North by Northwest, and my fave, The Man with the Golden Arm.

Here are the opening credits for the latter, a movie about a jazz drummer who is addicted to Heroin. Love the subject matter, and love that Frank Sinatra played the drummer. The movie by Otto Preminger is pretty awesome as well, as you can see in the above trailer link.

There are alot of Saul Bass homages to modern movies out there, but here is my fave, no suprise to me or those who know me. Enjoy.

More Revolution!

La Familia mas Enamorada, Revolution Day Centennial, Nov 20 2010

Always great photos by Donna Day, friend and role model in photography!

They grow up so Quick

Maximo is sleeping in his big boy bed for the first time tonight. 10 minutes ago, we left him in his room, in his big bed, surrounded by plush friends and dreams of goat cheese (he had it for dinner, and really really liked it. I am sure he is dreaming of it right now... ). He seemed very open to the new bed, seemed to appreciate the amount of room he had, and we think felt generally safe. Mom and Dad (and his beloved Dulce) are across the hall, and as soon as we start to leave the door open to his room, he will surely have his doggie partner in crime sleeping with him. This is a special night, but its true, he is growing up too quick. We need a new baby ASAP!

Mom putting little Maxxi down for his first big boy sleep... so sad yet happy at the same time... and proud of our little man.

A family that drums together... rocks together!

Day 2 with the cherry bomb drum kit! Hangin' out with awesome soul brother Jess and Maxxi - bangin' drums and making music in a family way!

the Cherry bomb casually changing a spare room into a rehearsal space...with style!

Talkin' bout a Revolution (day)

Father and Son revolutionaries - Mexican Revolution day 2010

Yesterday, November 20th 2010 was the celebration of the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution, always a fun time every year. On this day, in the year 1910, the Revolutionary war began. While this was a time of political stability and general growth for the country, things were not good for the people's well being - thus, political unrest reared its lovely head as it's known to do in our lovely adopted country. Some of the more famous faces to come from this uprising were the revolutionaries Pancho Villa and Emilio Zapata, awesome cabrones on many fronts.

We celebrate Revolution day in Mexico with parades and small children (and some adults) dressing as revolutionaries and other traditional Mexican characters. Horses dance, Bands play, and many of us (Me!) drink much of the day. We started our day wandering the festivities, and then moving on to mid day naps right after. My kind of revolution.

If you want to know more about Sayulita's history, Revolution and the formation of it's Ejido , check out this great story from El Sayulero by Yesica Doreli Ramos Gomez HERE!

Viva la Revolution, Mexico!!

Horses dance in the streets of Sayulita

Locals check their heads out in the campo where the festivities were held this year...

More locals rocking vintage wear

My little revolutionary with his rebellious Auntie Treva

...and his big sister Astrid, looking all beautiful in Mexican garb

Drums!

Little Gab - circa 1986, new set, the Villarrubia family living room. Hair quite feathered...

I used to play drums when I was a few (many) years younger. For some time, I dreamed of being a famous drummer in some awesome Punk / Goth / Rock n Roll band - while I did join many an awesome band, I never did get famous outside local scenes and west coast tours. I gave it my all for a long time, had a fucking good time in my late teens/early 20's ...and then around 27 I gave up that dream for other dreams in film, video games and general wonderfulness - all to come true. While I always missed playing live and being in a band, I did not miss the challenges of being married to 4-5 guys, most of everyone on drugs, in bad relationships, long drives in vans across states... you get it - shit always going wrong just when it was right. Anyway, I always looked forward to getting a kit some time again and rocking out with good people. Now I am 41, and today I bought a drum kit again! So stoked. Not only do i get to share this with my son, who absolutely loves music and the drums I'd say by tonight's first-time chaos party we had setting them up, but I also have some great friends/fiends I am going to get to jam with - and if they like my vintage rusty skills, its an insta-band! Like minded freaks, soul-sisters and brothers. Awesome. I got the music related high I haven't had in years, and it feels goooood...

Big Daddy Gab - circa Today, November 2010 - new kit, Villarrubia family spare bedroom/new rehearsal spot in Sayulita, Hair thinning... smile wide.

Little Maxxi - My biggest fan, the little drummer boy to be.



Taking the new steed out for a ride...

I've not forgotten them...

I've stopped my dreaming,
I won't do too much scheming
These days, these days.
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten.
Please don't confront me with my failures,
I had not forgotten them.

"These days..." by Nico and the Velvet Underground

The Good Shit

Lots of great stuff in our lives right now. Season has started in Sayulita, the sun is out, the nights are (very) cool, and things feel a bit back to normal after a long summer. So much awesome... here are few things that strike me as extra awesome this morning...

Affection from my Son

Maxxi started being extremely affectionate this last week. He is a lover of a kid anyway, but started handing out hugs like candy, and not wanting to take a pic unless he was hugging one or both of us in the picture. He is constantly, without provocation, telling us we are his best friends, that he loves us, and asking "Do you love me Mommy/Daddy?". These are special times.

My Love of Sayulita

I love my town, and without floods and all the other natural disasters of late, plus the weather evening out, its easier to love. Above is a pic of some horses I took on the way to "work" yesterday. Maxxi loves horses, and these horses were clearly in love. This is an everyday sight for us, and we never take for granted the rustic-ness of our world. Below is a pic taken on Day of the Dead by our friend and amazing photog Donna Day. It captured the feeling and the look of our graveyard in the best way possible. I was and continue to be fascinated by this picture, and am glad to have it in my world. The last pic below is a foto I found online of our town. Don't know who took it, but it sings and shows a lovely side of our town. Glad to live here.

SupermaX

My Kid rocking super hero outfits. Wether Superman, Batman or Darth Vader, its all a dream come true for me... and for him!

Sunday Mornings taste awesome again - Rollie's makes us fat and happy!

If you have visited Sayulita, you most likely have eaten at Rollie's. A local legend and wonderful long-time establishment, Rollie Dick and his wife Jeannie (and a wonderful cast of community members) run this breakfast (and dinner) joint by treating their guests like family, and feeding them till they need to be rolled home! Andrea and I feel season has started and ended with the opening and closing of Rollie's. Lucky for us, season just started! Rollie is famous for singing the "Rollie's song" with his son taped over the stereo. It's something we all love, never tire of, and makes us feel like we are home. Here it is, in it's entirety, with the man at the mike.

Life is good! Get me some more pancakes, stat!