Entry #1
2003 recap
What a great year it�s been all year long!
The music, the trips, the parties, holy crap! We�ve been having so much fun that we sometimes forget what the hell we actually did!
I am going to write this stuff down because I think I am getting alzheimers already and I am only in my 20�s! Maybe it�s A.D.D. or something like that. I don�t know, anyways�
Windsor started off the year with some excellent recordings working with producer/engineer Mike Busbee. Working with him, we were able to finish two excellent tracks �El Mundo� and �Miss You�. Mixed and mastered to perfection, these became the first two kick off tracks on the new album Melting Highway and are bound to get your juices flowing when you get a chance to listen to the new album.
Kristen and I celebrated our 2 year relationship anniversary in February and began adventuring on a series of inspirational trips.
We went to Las Vegas in March and I lost $20 in about 5 minutes at roulette. Luckily I only gave myself $20 to bet so I didn�t lose any more than that and I actually had enough gas money to get home. We had drinks at the Ghost Bar which had a 50 story balcony over looking Vegas. The balcony had a section of glass floor so you could stand on it and look straight down below you some 50 stories down. Drunk friends would freak people out by jumping on the glass. It definitely freaked me out but was a cool rush at the same time if you know the feeling.
At the beginning of the summer we drove to Lake Powell for a two-week trip on a houseboat. Thanks to Chris Hogan who led the trip it was completely awesome! Twelve of us took two jet skis, a ski boat, and a houseboat out on the lake for a week of drinking, wakeboarding, and relaxation. We explored the excellent rock formations, partied on top of the house boat with bikini girls, blasted the stereo, jumped off of rocks, and played acoustic guitars around camp fires outside under the stars in the evenings where the sounds would echo off of the rocks. This place is a must-see- for-yourself.
After Lake Powell we cruised over to Catalina for a while to enjoy the sun and eat ice cream. Catalina is a great place to relax because it is just far enough away from the main land to allow you to forget any main land worries you might have.
Then it was off to Lake Arrowhead to help refinish and paint Kristen�s Dad�s new dock. We had a great two weeks at the cabin working on the dock in the morning and wake boarding in the afternoon with friends. My bro and I learned how to do some crazy fun airs and we have some cool and funny video footage straight off the back of the boat!
I don�t know what is more fun to watch: a perfect air or a pathetic fall. The more hurt someone gets always seems to be the funniest footage. Sad but true.
During a spurt of creativity I managed to write and illustrate my first children�s book somewhere between trips. It�s called The Painted Zebra and it came out really cool. It�s a feel good story and my smart funny uncle quoted it as �A page turner!� That quote for my book is probably more funny in itself than good for the book but anyway I like it. It supports the underdog. I was always inspired by the works of Shel Silverstein and Dr. Suess growing up and if you haven�t read their books, well you should. I am going to figure out how to put The Painted Zebra online sometime soon so I can further my quest towards polluting young minds.
Due to another spurt of creativity and thanks to the new toys that Jaime collected, (such as a great XR1 video camera, lighting, a fog machine, a bubble machine, and other equipment), during his endless motivation to be involved in the entertainment biz, Windsor managed to create two music videos which came out impressive considering the $20 budget. So far everyone who has seen it has been pleasantly entertained by its rockness.
Accidentily, a cell phone was sacrificed in the making during a fully clothed pool jump.
Anyways, after Lake Arrowhead it was off to the mother load of all places. Hawaii. I don�t think many would argue with me. Hawaii simply rules. Due to the generosity of my aunt, Mary, and my uncle Matt, 50 Chambers family members were flown to Maui for an excellent week of paradise. There we caught up with our mass of relatives (It�s kind of like the Brady Bunch goes to Hawaii X 10). We celebrated my grandfathers 80th birthday, surfed the 80 degree water, and sipped pina coladas by the pool with our 20+ cousins and our 20+ aunts and uncles. More of which are always on the way�
After a week in Maui (I hate to rub it in because it really was an unbelievable summer) but we went for another week in Kauai. There my immediate family, including me and my bro�s girlfriends, Kristen and Julie, stayed at a peaceful house on the beach with an excellent hot tub. Pierce Brosnan happened to move in next door so it was extra cool having the presence of James Bond around. The place fit his style perfectly so you can kind of imagine what it would be like if you haven�t been there.
Blue water, white sand� warm air and water� tropical everything� pretty much exactly what you would hope Hawaii would be if you�ve never been there but dreamed about it. There we jumped off waterfalls hiked through guava jungles and found this great rope swing which we used to swing out off of a ledge and let go for a nice 20ft jump into a refreshing lake.
When we got back home from Hawaii we found out some incredible news. Three things actually all having to do with my brother. 1st my brother got hired to be a reporter on KTLA news channel 5.(you can watch him almost every night now on the ten o�clock news!) 2nd my brother and his girlfriend Julie decided to get married! 3rd My brother and Julie were going to have a new baby girl next year!
Three life changers in less than a month! Holy crap! Anyways everyone was happy for them and the stars had seemed to align for their new life together. We all couldn�t be happier.
Windsor managed to sneak in a good number of rock shows along the way during the year. Great shows at The Belly Up in San Diego, The Whisky, The Knitting Factory, The GigX3 and The Cat Club in LA and The Wild CatX3 in Santa Barbara. Those were some very fun memorable nights of music and friends to add to our memory banks.
October brought an amazing engagement party in Santa Barbara hosted by Kristen and a kick ass bachelor party hosted by me. At the bachelor party we partied in LA and spent the rest of the weekend in Catalina with the boys drinking, playing football, miniature golf, playing guitars, watching the world series, eating, and more drinking.
November came around very fast bringing the wedding. It was an excellent event to say the least held in San Diego at a wonderful spot at the Fair Banks Ranch Club House. Julie looked amazing, Jaime was overjoyed, Kristen was a stunning bridesmaid, and I got to be the best man and give a toast along with my grandfathers. It was really great. We are all so proud of the little schmuck.
Christmas was crazy cool! I actually had 4 Christmas�s in less than 24 hours. Holy crap again is right. Presents are always good. I never buy clothes so it�s always nice to get some new things to wear. Usually my brother, my dad, and I just seem to rotate clothes to keep it interesting.
A couple of days after Christmas we went down to San Diego to watch my friend�s band Friends For Heroes play a great show.
We were happy to be back in Solana Beach with all of our friends who were in town for the holidays.
Well I left a ton out of last year but I can�t blab on forever. Thanks for checking out the new website and check back for new creative endeavors during 2004.
-Willie