quite annoying...

so i log on a few mintues ago to see that my previous post has been completely removed.
THANK YOU BLOGGER.COM FOR SCREWING UP YET AGAIN.
I sorta almost feel bad for being pissed off that i cant get that 10 min of my life back that i spent spewing up my life and thoughts onto this blog. I know its a free service here folks but please do your very best not to make someones effort feel meaningless.
Anyways.
Last night I had a bizarre dream (aren't most of them?) about me being in a special task force of some branch of the u.s. military serving with an old neighbor that i grew up in anaheim with. we did our mission, and after it was all said and done we were pretty shook up and had seen alot of gore and violence. when we got back my old neighbors parents were there to greet me and welcome me back. after that i went back to my house across the street and made it just in time for dinner. crazy.
hopefully this post wont be deleted.
see ya.

regrettably late...

regrettably late...

I am disappointed in myself to see that over a month has lapsed between my last posting. In the beginning of this I had hoped to post through most of the week but it seems that I'm far from it.
so there was the fire, then an engine threw a connecting rod, and then yet another engine has taken a dump all-the-while consuming me immensely @ work.
I am going to try to attempt to make a slideshow of the fire and post is soon (ha!) here on my blog.
until the next one....

mb

where to begin...

fire.

work.

family.

friends.

appointments.

concerts.

summer.

LIFE!!!

sooo.... all i can say is that I thank the good Lord above in heaven i still can call this shack a home, and that no lives were lost. i definately now know a line between "important" stuff, and "material" crap that can be replaced. also....... word on the streets is that renters insurance only runs about $6 per month... maybe i will look into that.

so anyways... im here @ home during in what 'normally' is a working time for me, and out of any time im to work for edison this would be the time for them to get their 'bang for their buck' so-to-speak. crazy, crazy amounts of work and OT are there for us. most of it mandatory.... but not when you are summoned to jury duty. argh. so i get there and guess who is the LAST name picked????? .........."Matthew Burch" do we have a "Matthew Burch here???"

so i take my seat....this should be interesting. i am not legally supposed to talk about the case... but its known that here in the town of avalon everybody knows everybody so the best canidates are those who know the prosecuter (fish & game) and the defendant (a local fisherman) the least. anyhow. Lord help me in this one...

gotta go.

matt

chaos quickly approaching...

so tool - being the best band in the entire universe blew my socks off yet again. i went down to san diego with a good buddy of mine... joe taylor. he and his fam reside up in portland. it was awesome spending some time with him. it makes me remember just how much i miss hanging out with him. anyways. just got a pair of tix to the kroq weenie roast @ the irvine amp. should be fun. normally cassie and i go with a couple other folks but this time around it looks like it will be a date with me and the mrs. should be good.
i am really looking forward to this summer. i am happy at work. (exept for the politics) cassie should be home alot more. descanso beach. spearfishing. bbqs with the scanlans & co. vena's boat??? overall i couldnt ever imagine that we would end up here... thank you Lord. now give me a home to own...

-mb

smells like summer...

more and more tourists are lining the streets as I try to go downtown to the grocery store or the mole. its great to know that spearfishing along pebbly beach is just around the corner. yee-haw.
so when cassie comes back from the mainland on thursdays we tend to go over our seperate agendas and mesh them together. between work, friends, and mainland trips sometimes our calendars have a few conflicts. lately its been a headache with a concert (tool!), birthdays, mothers day, a wedding, + all of the other goolosh that normally happens.
Lord help me.
anyhow... I have a million other things that are floating around in my head that I just want to vomit out right now, but I have dishes to do now... yeah for me.
-insanely yours,

Matthew

thank God its done...

...the last night I spent the night in my own bed was 6 very long days ago. I am so happy to be home. Cali Haz. Waste school in San Diego filled with nights of the Barona Casino, a long night trying to stay awake for Hot Fuzz (Hilarious), another tattoo session, a bday night back again in San Diego, a day with the family & friends today... and then finally the 5:45 back to Avalon... home sweet home.
so during my tattoo session I was introduced to "Blaqk Audio". Fans of AFI? you know you are if you are now trendy, or you were a fan from the beginning. (omg, they have other albums???)
anyhow... check them out on the cult/myspace. its really good electronic/synth rock with Daveys vocals. I think the guy is talented and im happy to see another creative side of jade & davey.
until the next one...
mb

San Diegoooooo.........

So at work we generate alot of Hazardous waste and I have been asked to attend a "California Hazardous Waste Generators Compliance school"... basically I learn alot of goolosh about not dumping oil on the road or into the ocean and where to send our drums, yada yada yada...
This will be my second time around doing this particular class. Last time it was in Manhattan beach. I stayed at a nice Marriott there. This time its @ the Handlery hotel in San Diego. From the internet photos it seems like its a neato place. I hope to go to Harrahs in Rincon for the nightly poker tounaments! Boo-yah! Im leaving tomorrow on the 11:45 and wont be back until Saturday the 21st. Its going to be a long one... hopefully I will come back with more money, more knowledge of Haz. waste, and another tat from Dave Quiggle. The only downside to all of this is that its yet again more time away from the wife... not to thrilled about that one.
Anyhow... peace out

-mb

MUSE!

boo-ya, mo-fo's!
time for some great beef & broccoli & knights of cydonia!
on the 3:45 to the LBC then off to Inglewood, where I will put on my bullet-proof vest, then see the show.
My mom is having reconstructive breast surgery tomorrow morning (since her double masectomy last year due to breast cancer) All prayers are appreciated.
Back tomorrow on one of the last couple boast to Avalon. Peace!

-mb

HE HAS RISEN!

Its Easter Sunday, and I havent been to a church service in a few weeks now. I had major conviction come over me yesterday when a good friend of mine told me he went to church with his girlfriend and was really moved by the presence of God. My buddy has good character, and yet I havent really shared God with him. I know he needs a personal relationship with the Lord. I have known him for years between two jobs that we share together and now years later its his new girl that takes him to a service. Why am I so selfish? It so much easier to tell jokes than to talk about wether or not you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. I need to clean my act up. I swear. Its not right. I drop a wrench, and then *bleep*. I spill a glass of milk, and then again... its really getting old. I remember exactly when and where I accepted God into my life. Its so fufilling. He quenches. I thought to myself yesterday that I hadn't attended a service in awhile so why would I want to go on Easter Sunday- just like the people who I DIDNT want to be like; a "Sunday Christian". (Anybody remember Value Pac?). Nonetheless... a dude who shows up twice a year- for Christmas and Easter. Lame!!! But guess what? Im turning into that. I wish so much that I could own a personal helicopter and fly over on Sunday mornings to Calvary Costa Mesa for service. I need to get my crap together.
On a lighter note... MUSE on tuesday!!! Im really exited for this. A little PF Changs action before, then some Knights of Cydonia for dessert... cant get any better.
keep it real!!!
-matthew

off-roading, gambling, and a wedding...

so here I am back home safely (thank GOD), broke, and tired. I spent way too much money. Sean had a wild hair up his anus to go off-roading right before the casino- intersting town there in San Diego of Rincon. If you are passing by it, then dont stop. Its pretty much a couple casinos, a few llamas, and rednecks.
It was all a good time though. I need to post some pics... soon, very soon...
mb

maylene and the sons of disaster

so I arrived on the mainland yesterday afternoon to head to pomona for a concert with a band Ive really been taking a liking to: Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. The concert was good. Now its thursday morning & I should be driving Cassie to her class soon. I will then go to Sam Ash music and hopefully redeem a gift certificate that I've held onto for a couple years now. After that, I take the wife to the boat and then Sean's bachelor party begins. San Diego here we come! After that Im going to try to catch a showing of "Blades of Glory". Looks funny. I have to say that I have been a fan of almost every movie Will Ferrell has been in. Good laughs. Check out Stranger than Fiction. It was his last movie released on DVD. Its a "Dramedy". Dont ask me. I didnt make up the word, it fits the movie great though. Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) seems like he is given a script these days, and will just take it. I loved Napoleon D. but Jon, why do you take every offer given to you???
Anyways, until the next time...
-mb

teeth on fire

this is my first attempt of whitening my teeth and I am now feeling a little tingle in my gums. my teeth are kinda burning. has anyone else felt this same thing?
yikes

mb

chemistry of a car crash

I am currently listening to the new album released by "Shiny Toy Guns". The song spinning now is "chemistry of a car crash". Great stuff. Definately something that is growing on me more and more lately. Pick it up, worth the $10 @ best buy.
So March is pretty much flying by. Actually it seems this year has really been going a million miles an hour. I have had so many random events & things I have packed my weekends with. This weekend I am dragging Cassie to the Facedown Fest held @ the Glasshouse in Pomona. Should be fun. The following week I am going again to the Glasshouse for yet another show with a band Im really exited to see, "Maylene and the Sons of Disaster". They are like a redneck hardcore band meets underground speed metal. Good enough description? Check 'em out.
My brother is going with me to this gig. Im glad, we need some bonding time.
The next day Is a bachelor party for a buddy of mine, Sean. He is getting married on the 31st of this month. Congrats dude! We are going down to San Diego to eat some good Steak and gamble down @ Harrahs. Heck yes for food and gambling!
Anyways... keep on keepin on.
MB

bachelor cooking

Im amazed at what I think will be my "dinner" tonight:
chicken teriyaki meatballs from costco
broccoli florets from vons
garlic naan bread from trader joes

healthy?
problably not if I am eating it.

k, bye.


mb

denver/broberg!

so this past weekend I along with my amigo, Steve Jewell flew out of LAX (yuck) to Denver, (yeah!) Colorado. It was a long overdue trip to go see a close friend of mine, Steve Broberg. He has known me since I was 12 when my voice was cracking due to the wonderful time of puberty. Upon our arrival we found out that just that day he was laid off from work. It wasnt as bad as I thought it to be as he told me it was almost a weight lifted off of his shoulders. A new season seems to be coming for him. I met alot of his new Coloroidian friends at his new church (Evangelical Free Church of Castle Rock, I believe). They were super friendly and assured Steve his new job is in the works. They sent out his resume to CEO's of various local companies, and of course word of mouth looks promising as well. I pray the best for a new job for him.
Anyways, It was a great trip out there. Beautiful country. A sunny weekend with a little snow left on the ground. We went hiking through Roxbourough State park, Garden of the Gods, and a brief hike up to what his city is named after; Castle Rock. All held beautiful scenery & wildlife. I got to see Groundhogs for the first time. They immediately reminded me of that game I used to play at Chucky Chesses' with the little gophers sticking out thier heads from holes and you bop them on the head with a soft hammer. HA! There were also magpies, a pretty black & white bird almost resembling a crow. Lots of mule deer, and a ton of cattle. Colorado offers a great scene of the Rocky mountains with a foreground of rolling hills. I was fourtunate enough to see the grass just beggining to turn a new green for spring. It was all postcard worthy.
And now here I am, back home safely (Thank you Lord) on the little island where we call home. Nothing exiting @ work. Another day, another dollar, right?
Cait wait to go back to Colorado.

-MB

over a week???

I didnt realize just how fast time is flying... In the beginning of creating this blog I had all intentions of posting the majority of the week. Oh well, I will try a little harder.
Just got back from the mainland. Had a dentist appointment yesterday and then got to see the best movie ever created by mankind... "300"
See it. Love it. Feel it. Then, do it all over again. Cassie cant handle much violence so she opted out of this flick based upon the incredible previews on television. I saw it on the IMAX @ the irvine spectrum. Good choice. It was kinda funny having to read some credits on the screen over hundreds of feet of screen. I also had the opportunity to catch the Jim Carrey thriller, "The number 23". I have to say that Jim Carrey is a great actor, outside of the normal comedy pigeon-hole he is usually put in. I overall thought the movie was good. Some slow parts, some intense parts... but in the end you will either love it or hate it. I dont want to give much away but I cant seem to be on the love it side. Anyhow... got plants for the garden to put in tomorrow. Hopefully a good productive/relaxing Sunday.
-mb

dear weekend coming; I long for you...

Im glad its friday night, and I have the upcoming weekend 100% free. No work. No expensive mainland trips. Nothing but sleeping in and doing projects around the house for me. I hope to accomplish a few things in the home & garden. Got lots of weeds to pull, and a new medicine cabinet that has been waiting to be put in since last year, no joke.
Cassie left on the 3:45 today to go see a Snow Patrol/OK GO/Silversun Pickups concert. Sounds like fun. I cant wait to see Muse. Heard nothing but good things about their live performance.
Anyhow, off to El Galleon for some Hefeweizen and food with a few buddies from work.
MB

either/or

so in my gambling selfish state of my mind I am really hoping to go to a big poker game here in Avalon tonight. I usually go with a buddy from work and I pick him up just down the street and head on over to a long night of cards and trash-talking. Its alot of fun most of the time (unless I lost all of my chips and have no more cash to re-buy).
Then I realize something; just how much I need to hear the word of God. My loving neighbors have taken both Cassie and I into their house and fed us countless times and the least I can do now is to go next door and hear a study. A few years back when Cassie and I were living in the interior of the island @ Whites we would almost make the study every week. We moved into town, none-the-less right next door to them and it was that much easier to walk out the door and over to their home for the Wednesday night study & hotdog dinner/cake afterwards. After a year or two I started really missing the worship we had been accustomed to for so many years back at (old) calvary chapel of anaheim. I love the guy who teaches without question. I know he is a man of God and lives it honestly everyday. He truly cares for my wife and I as if we were his own blood. I overall felt that I personally wasnt being fed by the word of God. I pray I have a better craving for the bible that what exists. Its so low now, it disgusts me. I dont know if it was just for traditional purposes, or to please him but I kept going. Time passed and I started working for Edison with a starting time of 0700hrs... blech... I eventually grew used to these hours and found out that I was having an earlier bed-time as the months passed by. I had to stop going to the study. I dont know if I am spewing out all of this onto this blog for personal closure or to see the very words that I hope to justify my actions with. I just dont know. God help me.

So tonight, Poker & Bible Study Wednesday maybe I will just be productive @ home and wash my dirty dishes.

-MB

overtime, schmover-time...

we have been working on a semi-big job on one of our diesel engines @ work over the last 6 weeks or so and there has been alot of overtime offered. I have taken up on almost all of it but everyday after 3pm I look up at the clock and long to go home and just be lazy. Then immediately following my lathargic state of mind I have the conviction of debt. I need the money, and I know that if I go home I will be unproductive. The combination of those two make me stay for another couple of hours. Its really not that grueling anyways. I am now home, shoes off, music on (Team Sleep), and I will crack open a cold beer and enjoy the evening.
On a separate note; I want to go see a seminar on Creation vs. Evolution. A buddy of mine that once lived here on the island was really into a dude by the name of "Dr. Dino" Crazy name but I remember seeing a few of his sermons/seminars and he really knows his stuff. Note to self: get off your arse, and look into this guy for upcoming performances.

until next time...

a. schwab

read the book "its all downhill from here" by andrew schwab.
good author, good perspective on life on the road/music scene

thee mainland...

so as commuter books rise in price I am taking each and every ticket as gold. I had a random wild inkling to go overtown yesterday afternoon sparked by my wifes 25th birthday and the fact that I really just didnt want to work at all. So I begged my foreman and explained to him that I NEEDED to leave... he is usually pretty cool about short notices and such but there definately was some crap from him "needing my expertise" and blah blah blah. I guess my trip to LaGrange, IL has its pros and cons... argh...
anyhow... back home on the island... two more days of work and then I am yet again on a catalina express boat traveling back to America for Reno 911: The movie and a tattoo, heck yes!!!!!!!!!!
-MB

a weekend to remember:

I just got back from a 3 day weekend with Cass from up North. We got a small cottage in Carmel, just south of Monterey. We also got to visit the garlic capital of the world, Gilroy, CA. Cassie got garlic flavored ice cream... Im usually up for trying anything but I can tell you with just it touching the tip of my tounge I was immediately repulsed. We managed to squeeze a short-stint up to Santa Cruz and visit their famous beach boardwalk. Good times in all. Glad Im home, back on the island. Time to rest and get back into the swing of things... argh!

Life, Love, and everything in between...

Its now official. I am establishing my first real blog. I hope to update as much as humanly possible. My beautiful spouse, Cassandra is now doing school full time, and holding a part-time job here on the island. Catalina Island has been such a life-changing event in my life. Not only did I get married here but I hope to raise our kids here. Living here has given me such a different perspective on life. I cant thank my good God above for the friends I have made here. Being on this rock has opened me to quite a few different experiences. I want to jot down a quick timetable to lay out my thoughts:
September 28th 2001 - Cassandra Rose Cota and Matthew Allen Burch wed
October 2001 - November/December 2002 Whites Landing Cove
2002-2004 - moved into Avalon/worked @ Island Express Helicopters
2004- present - started career @ *Southern California Edison, Catalina Island
(* Thank you Ron Hoefs/Sean Turnbaugh/Josh Bove)
Cassie and I have known each other since elementary school. We met at church - Calvary Chapel of Anaheim. Our relationship grew over the years and it eventually led to an engagement during my senior year in high school. (she was a grade ahead at the time). Short story: We loved each other, we didnt have the finances to fund our own wedding of our dreams, we eloped to Catalina Island where my good friend/Pastor married us with a 24 hour notice.
Whites Landing is truly one of the best memories for me that God has allowed me to experience. i got married there. I made some of the closest friends of my life there. Bonfires filled with worship, the Sugar-shack that my father and I built, the little overworked honda 90 quad that us guys tortured, the dirty bathrooms, the Sysco camp food, the leopard sharks, the trips to Avalon to see the Scanlans/eat @ Antonios/see movies... I would never trade it for the world. Have you ever associated songs with certain events? I have three albums that always raise the hair on my neck during certain tunes that arise:
FewLeftStanding - Wormwood
Dashboard Confessional - The Places you have come to fear the most
Further Seems Forever - The Moon is Down

until my next entry...
-MB