Valencia - Flaco, yo

My full name is Daniel Paulo Valencia-Moody Banegas-Rivera, but you can call me Flaco.

I was raised in New Orleans but have lived in Honduras and Spain.

I think one word to describe me would be diverse.
For example, here's some of the stuff I enjoy.
-Welding
-Car restoration
-Boxing
-Printmaking
-Drawing
-Guitar (from flamenco to classic rock, you name it)
-Sewing
-Making baked goods
-Spelunking
-Carpentry
-Automotive Design

I grew up in a very musically inclined family, everyone plays at least one instrument. My musical tastes are very broad. I'm not lying when I say I listen to pretty much everything. My favorite music is the kind you can drive to with the windows rolled down with one hand on the steering wheel. Favorite genre is classic rock though, from about early 60s to mid 70s. Favorite record label is Community Records.

Movies, I'm not much of a modern Hollywood blockbuster fan, it's kinda like talking to a very pretty girl who doesn't have too much in the upper room. Although very visually appealing with explosions and tons of CGI, where's the story? It may be in 3D, but I can probably predict the entire plot within the first 5 minutes.

Cars have always been a big part of my family and my life. Pretty much every guy in my family speaks car and owns or has owned a nice ride. My father got me into restoring cars. He owned a 68 Impala which he restored himself and was supposed to be passed down to me, however it was stolen. So I went out, bought a rust bucket 64 Chevy Nova which I named Nadia, and restored it from the ground up. Still working on it here and there though.

A few years ago my father gave me the best advice I've heard.
Afterwords he proceeded to pack his bag and ride off on his motorcycle.

This was his advice:
"You're gonna die."

He paused for about 5 seconds.

"So have some fun, and it's better to live with regrets of having done something than not doing anything."

My biggest hero in life is my grandma for many reasons. First off she is nothing short of a bad ass.
She lived through the air force (where she actually met my grandpa) , as a Vietnam protester, Woodstock, sneaking draft dodgers over the border, being a missionary in Honduras (where she currently lives), you name it. She's even owned a muscle car. It was known as the "Wildcat" and she said she used to get from one end of LA to the other in 5 minutes. She knows a thing or two.

There's a bunch of other stuff but that's what conversation is for, plus I don't really feel like writing something that sounds anything more like a Myspace "about me" section from middle school. OH YEAH