PAUL'S PSYCHO CIRCUS

Hello?

2010-12-30T12:48:00.001-06:00

Well it's been almost a year since I posted on here. I wonder if anybody even sees this anymore. Leave me a note if you see this. Happy new year to everyone who might run across this post.

Cccolddd

2010-01-08T21:21:00.002-06:00

Man it's cold here. I don't mean that wimpy 40 degree stuff...I mean the high today was 27 degrees. The low tonight will be about 8 degrees. To make matters worse, it's been this way for a day already and will not warm up significantly until Monday.

I've been in Wichita for about 12 years and this winter has been the worst by far. I shouldn't whine too much though, because this summer will probably bring triple digit temps. C'mon spring...

My friend Perri's amazing purple hull pea recipe

2010-01-01T19:06:00.005-06:00

One pound of frozen purple hull (black eye) peas makes 6 servings

1. Fry 4 strips of thick cut peppered bacon. Remove and cut/crumble to size you like.

2. Chop about 1 cup of yellow onion

3. Finely chop about 1/2 tblsp of fresh Rosemary

4. Open small can of Southwestern corn (or shoe peg)

5. Cook purple hull peas (black eyed) according to their directions.

Add cooked bacon pieces, onion and corn to cast iron skillet on med heat. Once mixed, add peas and Rosemary. Use sea salt (to taste) and simmer on low for about 15 minutes.

This dish makes a great hearty cold weather meal. It's filling without making you feel bloated.

Happy B-Day T-Man

2009-10-10T13:00:00.003-05:00

The 30th of Sept was my middle sons 13th birthday. Here are a couple pics of him with his present...

all about me Justin

2009-09-02T20:55:00.003-05:00

Hello world... My name is Justin. I'm the baby of the family. What I like to do is watch tv with my dad and mom and play out side with my friends. Sometimes inside its fun. I am in 3rd grade. I love pizza its my favorite food its good. I like the Teas Rangers, they're good.

Just roll with it...

2009-08-29T21:35:00.002-05:00

First off, yours truly went to have my eyes examined. A year ago while I was getting a physical for my job, they told me that my eye sight wasn't great. Since then, my wife has informed me on several occasions that she wished I'd go get glasses. Well, i broke down and did that yesterday. Come to find out, I need bi-focals. Sooo, I chose to wear contacts and reading glasses for the time being. Let's just say that putting contacts in my eyes is NOT one of my favorite things to do. I just took my contacts out and now my eyes feel all scratchy. I don't know how long I can keep this up. I may just end up wearing my old man glasses (bi-focals) exclusively. We'll see.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend..
Peace

Does anybody still come here?????

2009-08-22T11:26:00.003-05:00

So it been awhile, huh? I haven't posted here in about 6 months due in part to Face book. I seem to have shifted my attention to my FB page. I've kept up with most of the "regulars" who used to visit here though.

Well the first thing I should mention is that my affiliation with the BFMC has run its course and terminated. The short answer to "why" it didn't work out is because I just didn't have the time to devote to the club. They state it a little differently...that I didn't have the "heart" to follow through. I'm ok with that position too. The bottom line is that I still respect those guys in a big way. I cant begin to paint the picture of the process it takes to earn the right to become a patch holder.

Second subject: I'm enjoying my role as a father to my kids. My oldest is 18, graduated from high school and trying to learn the ways of the world. He has it in his head that he's joining the USMC and has been in touch with the local recruiter. As of now, he's working two jobs to make ends meet. We are trying to be patient with him as he tries to live like a rock star on a minimum wage budget. My other two kids are growing fast too. "T-Man" starts Jr high Monday and "Little-Bit" starts the 3rd grade. T-Man turns 13 on Sept 30th. We've bought him a dirt bike which is being hidden until that day. He asked for one awhile back and we told him that he must continue to be an excellent kid in order to earn it. We bought him a helmet last weekend, so he's really excited.

My wife looks incredible. I love just hanging out with her and the kids on the weekends. The time I spent away from her when I was with the club began to take a toll on our relationship, so I try to spend more time with her now. I traded in my Dyna when I left the club and now I'm riding a 2008 HD Street Glide. This bike is more comfortable for her. To be honest though...I'm about ready to turn this bike in and quit riding on the street all together. I might buy me a dirt bike and start riding with T-Man. I don't know, we'll see.

So that's it for now. I gotta go let folks know that I'm back.
Peace

Thank you to all who wear the BFMC patch

2009-03-22T11:42:00.003-05:00

It has been said that you cant teach an old dog new tricks...well I disagree. I continue to learn about love and respect each time I am in the company of a Boozefighter. I can already tell that this relationship has changed me.

At first, I was attracted to the image and mystique that goes along with a club. However, now it is becoming more and more about the person wearing the patch. Whether it is a discussion about proper brisket cooking methods or about how to respectfully introduce myself to a patch holder, so many great men have extended their hand and their knowledge to me. I am truly thankful for all of the information. There are still times I still feel so uncomfortable that I want to give my eyeball patch back and run away, but those occasions are becoming further and further apart. I've developed more love and respect for these men in a few short months than I did for military co-workers over a 20 yr period. That may sound cold, but it's the truth.

I am not a brother (YET). But with the continued guidance of patch holders and my determination, I hope to be. I will continue to keep my mouth shut and my eyes/ears open in hopes to one day be a brother so that I can help the next guy.

What we've got here...is failure to communicate

2009-02-16T21:35:00.005-06:00

Hello,

First and foremost, I want to say thank you to everyone who still comes here to see if there's anything new. The tracker thingiee shows there's still a couple of folks out there who still come by.

So I've been around. I have associated myself with a motorcycle club (MC) who has been gracious enough to befriend me. For allot of years I wanted to see what it's like to be a part of a true brotherhood. I'm not talking about the local HOG riders or the church riders club, but a true, world-wide-3 piece-earn your colors type of club.

Before I go further, let me state that I am not "in" the club. I have simply been invited to their clubhouse on several occasions. I have had a chance to "hang out" and enjoy some good company and see some of the "sights" that happen late on a weekend night. Let me also state that I have not seen one illegal action take place. I've seen just about every stereotypical biker scene play out, but I have NOT seen any drugs, guns or rapes.

This whole fascination with the club culture started for me back in the mid 70's while on a trip from MS to TX to visit my relatives. There was a group of Hells Angels that passed our car. I remember looking out the back window as they approached us and my mom saying to wave at them as they passed. I remember that most of the guys didn't wave back (their old ladies did) but the dudes smiled, and their smiles spoke to me. I remember the smell of the exhaust after they rumbled past us filled our car. To this day, when I get close to an old shovel head engine, that smell takes me back to that day.

Well I don't think I have what it takes to prospect with this club, so I will just continue to "hang around" as long as they let me. On a related note, I have found an old Shovel head (a 1980 FLH) that I sold years ago. The guy I sold it to has agreed to sell it back to me. I had to sell this old scooter because I needed the money. He always knew that I didn't really want to sell it, so because he's getting to old to ride, he's going to let me have her for the same price that I sold her to him for (you gotta love real bikers). The bike is worth double what I'm going to give for it. I'll post pics of my baby once I get her back...

Again, I want to thank everyone who has been checking in on me. I'm back now...

A two part bog

2009-01-04T11:42:00.006-06:00

Good morning,
I haven't blogged for awhile because I didn't feel like I had anything interesting to say. I have been checking on all of you guys though. Well, as the title states, I'd like to cover two extremely different topics on one post. So....here goes:

PART I: I'm really going through some weird stuff. I think it may be the "middle aged thing" that guys go through. On a positive note, I am really enjoying volunteering at the homeless shelter. It gives me a chance to "get out of me" and focus on others.

However, I'm not finding my job fulfilling at all. The pay is great, but I'm just not into it. Standing in front of teenagers and trying to teach them a trade that they don't really care to learn gets old after awhile. I want to do something that inspires me. I'm trying to get a local bail bondsman to take me on, part time and show me the ropes, but they wont bring me in. I'd also like to explore the repo business, but that is such a closed mouth business that I cant get introduced to anyone in that arena. I promised myself that I wasn't going to be a slave to my job after I retired from the AF but alas, it seems that I'm chasing the all mighty dollar and continuing to be a slave. With the economy like it is, I know I shouldn't complain about my job. I just cant help feeling uninspired.

PART II: I read a headline this morning that infuriated me. You can click here to see it. It kills me that G.W. has gotten our country into bed with Israel. This headline is just another example of the "bed mate" relationship. Why Israel would seek U.S. approval to carry out any action on their land is preposterous. I'm not sure if Cheney was pissed because Israel didn't ask for approval or if he was just stating the fact that they didn't. Either way, it aggravates that it's even an issue that Israel didn't "ask for approval".

Additionally, in my opinion, our military shouldn't be in S.W. Asia either. The fact that we're still propping up the Iraqi government is ridiculous. We are still kicking in doors and our convoys are still being attacked just like BEFORE Saddam was taken out. We had better keep our eyes on Russia as well. The recent events in Georgia is an indication that perhaps the Cold War isn't really over.

Back to the Israel rant...I'm not pro-Hamas, but I'm also not a fan of Zionism. Both groups are doing what they believe is right...and quite frankly, I don't care which one wins as long as their battle is fought on the Gaza strip.

OK, I've done enough griping. Happy New Year.

Whew, what a week...

2008-12-21T20:12:00.002-06:00

Well the events of this past week have really left me exhausted. On Friday I attended my neighbors funeral, on Saturday I turned 43 yrs old and I also went to the local homeless shelter and worked for 3 hours.

While I was working at the shelter, I ran across a former young Airman who I used to work with. He was involuntarily separated from the Air Force a couple of years ago for alcohol abuse. He stayed in Wichita Falls and tried to make a go at it and just went down due to his addictions. The kid is now living at the shelter and is going through their "Genesis" program. From the little I know about the program, is that it is a year long program where the students learn how to get re-introduced into society as productive members. It is a faith based program that gives the student the "tools" needed to deal with life on life's terms.

I spent about 3 hours working in the receiving room sorting clothes. There were literally piles of bags of clothes that have been stacked up. The shelter has a clothing store that is staffed by two ladies during the week, but for some reason the ladies haven't been able to keep up with the influx of donated clothes. Since it is winter here, my job was to sort through all the clothes and only keep winter type clothing. Everything else was bagged up to be sent to Dallas to be sold for rags.

I made a pretty good dent in the receiving room, but I was supposed to go back today to finish...but I didn't make it because my wife and I had to finish our Christmas shopping. I plan to go back this Friday and Saturday to work.

Although the past week has been stressful, I now have had a chance to take it all in and I have a renewed appreciation for my life.

Hey Bro!

2008-12-16T19:26:00.000-06:00

My younger brother has now joined the ranks of Blogger. I've got him listed over in my fave blogs or you can just click here to visit him. He makes sure he points out that he is the YOUNGER one, but what he doesn't ever mention is that I'm the better looking one.

Chris shares my passion for riding and owns a 2007 Dyna-Low-Rider. He's got that thing souped up and running great. So give him a look-see and tell him the good looking one sent ya.

Why does God involve me?...I cant take this stress in my life

2008-12-15T20:02:00.006-06:00

I am a recovering alcoholic. My life is very fragile even after 6 yrs of sobriety. I don't bother people, and I don't want to be bothered. Just when I think I've seen it all, God sees fit to push me further. I wish he'd back off a little:

This evening at about 5:30 the doorbell rings and I'm in my usual position surfing the net. I don't get up because the door (or phone) is never for me. A few seconds go by and it rings again. My 12 year old opens the door and I hear an adult female voice telling my son to dial 911 because she just got home from work and found her husband down in the garage. We have a free standing fireplace that blocks the front door view from the middle of our living room, so when I hear this voice I jump up and walk to the door. It's the lady across the street and she is frantic.

My 12 yr old immediately gives me his cell phone as I ran out the front door to go see whats going on. My mind was racing a million miles an hour and as I approached the gentleman, the 911 operator comes on and I ask her to send an ambulance. He had no pulse and he wasn't breathing.

I began CPR and got through about 4 repetitions before the paramedics arrived and took over. It was a very different experience than the training I've received throughout my military career. I did not have a pocket mask and had to provide rescue breaths without any type of barrier. That part was the weirdest experience I've ever had.

Several neighbors just stood there and watched me without even asking to help. That pisses me off to no end. My senses were heightened so much that I heard every word that was spoken. It was like an out of body experience.

I'm sad to report that my neighbor didn't make it. My wife and I went to the hospital to check on him and we visited with his wife for a second. She said the docs told her that he had been down for quite awhile. I hope God helps her through her grief. My heart goes out to her and her family.

It's a couple of hours after the fact and now my body hurts and my head hurts. I did CPR on the concrete and my knee caps are screaming now. I feel like shit and I just want to sleep. I cant take this kind of stress in my life.

RIP James

But I'm just an old man now...covered with scars...

2008-12-09T21:12:00.002-06:00

Well, the tracker thingiee on the right side of my page says people are still coming here, so I best get off my buttocks and write something, huh?

To be honest, I don't really feel like saying much. I am in such a funk and have had a generally bad disposition as of late. I really don't have a legitimate reason to feel like this, but it is what it is. I think my distress is caused by several things. The first being that I'm a whiny-ass. I actually enjoy basking in own self pity. That's a common trait of alcoholics/addicts. It's kind of our own little tarnished badge of honor. Let me break it down for you:

1. I'm out of shape and pounding on the weight. I wont get off my butt and go to the gym because I'd rather come home after work and surf the net till I hit my slumber time. I do this every single week day.

2. I want to join a local chapter of the Boozefighters MC. I've always wanted to become a member of a motorcycle club. The 3 piece patch kind, not the local HOG chapter or a christian type thing...I want to earn my patch. I don't want to join the hard core 1% clubs because I ain't signing the title to my bike over to nobody but I hate the local "buy your patch" clubs. The Boozefighters are well respected by the outlaw clubs because they have the same prospecting principles that the hardcore clubs have...they just don't have the amount of criminals that the 1%-ers have. They also have a decent reputation with the local authorities. My problem is that I don't know if I have the discipline to make it through the prospecting period. At times I still have the fire that I had years ago...other times I feel too old to be an active patch holding biker.

3. My job is making me soft. This seems to be a bur under my saddle because I'm afraid of getting old. I get daily praise from the students, and the military management, but in my mind, the more praise I receive, the softer I get.

4. I want to hit the road on my bike and go on another retirement run. I logged 3,000 miles two summers ago in a couple of weeks with my brother who rode his bike. We hit several states and just rode all day and stopped at night. We saw St. Louis, Memphis, and made it down home to the MS gulf coast where we stayed with our parents and just rode and rode and rode. It was one of the best times of my life. Just flying down the highway doing 80, side by side with my brother. I miss that and hate that winter is keeping me down...

OK...enough bitching. This will pass. Watch the video and listen to the words. Dave ain't pretty to look at but man can he tell a story.

Peace,

I can't put the weed down (Live even)

2008-11-21T19:42:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful week. Not much happing around these parts. The weather is crazy here. One day the high is 80, the next day it's 40, and two days later back to 80.

No news is good news. Do yourself a favor and hit the weed above...

Got Weed?!

2008-11-18T22:43:00.004-06:00

I missed the boys when they came back home this year. This is Carney Man, from their first album, so it isn't as polished and refined as their stuff now. If y'all get a chance to see Cross Canadian Ragweed, do yourself a favor and check them out.

God bless Texas!!!

C'mon people, knock it off

2008-11-16T14:22:00.006-06:00

It aggrivates me when I read stories like this one. This story describes recent accounts where death threats and racial slurs against President-Elect Obama are taking place. It is happening everywhere from California to New York City.

I am a proud white conservative who didnt support the election of Obama at all. However, the people have spoken and I am still a loyal American, so I will take whatever the next 4 years has to offer. I dont know for sure that the people performing these acts are white, but it's kind of a "no brainer." Having said that, I'd like to kick the shit out of the people who are responsible for doing these things.

IT IS NOT ALRIGHT TO TREAD ON OTHER PEOPLES LIVES LIKE THESE MORONS HAVE. I'm kinda pissed at whitey right now...
--Out

She's got a ticket to ride...

2008-11-11T09:08:00.005-06:00

I warned everyone that voted for "change" to be careful what you asked for because you just might get it. I submit for your viewing...a proclamation that she wont have to worry about paying for gas or paying her mortgage any more... "Cause he's gonna help me".

So my question is this. Do we consider what's on the horizon socialism? Of course not, my liberal friends will trumpet back at me. Ok, Ok. How about the dumbing down of America?

Either way...Do you have YOUR ticket to ride?

Working day and night

2008-11-10T20:34:00.003-06:00

Do yourself a favor and jam the song above. It's circa 79' and I remember skating to this song like it was yesterday. Yes, I know it's Michael Jackson. This was when MJ was awesome, before all the weirdness that he now evokes. I was a closet MJ fan. I grew up on the J-5 so it was a natural progression for me. However, it all went down hill after this album (just my opinion).

The second reason I posted the video is because of it's lyrical content. Listen for the message. I wish we as a society would do what the song suggests.

--Peace

Race isnt an issue in the election you say?

2008-11-04T19:22:00.010-06:00

A month ago, VN8 and I were chastised by liberal bloggers because we made a couple of sarcastic remarks eluding to us owning KKK paraphernalia. I apologized and listened to liberals that have their heads in the clouds about race (racism) not being an issue in this election.

Well folks, I submit the above video for your viewing. For the liberals who will continue to bury their heads in the sand, let me paraphrase the videos verbally for ya... Two Black Panthers blocking the doors to the polling place. One Panther has a night stick and tells a white voter to, "Not vote, because we are tired of white supremacy and we're gonna win this".

I've held my tongue for awhile trying to be hospitable to my liberal friends. However, I cannot do it any longer. If my thoughts offend you, then it's been nice knowing you:

THE WORLD IS A HARD PLACE. RACISM EXISTS...AT THIS POINT YOU'RE EITHER DOMINANT OR SUBMISSIVE. I AM PROUD TO BE PART OF THE WHITE (DOMINANT) MAJORITY AND IT PISSES ME OFF THAT I HAVE TO WATCH A VIDEO LIKE THE ONES ABOVE. DO YOU SEE THE KLAN DOING THIS? NO! WILL THIS BE NEWS ON THE LIBERAL CRYING TOWEL NETWORKS? NO!

Now... I'm sure at least one liberal is going to leave a comment about how this isn't right and blah, blah blah... Well I say save your patronizing drivel. All I can say is that you want change?...well, momma always said to be careful what you ask for...you just might get it.

--Out

A little music for Saturday night

2008-11-01T21:00:00.003-05:00

I love this old Jerry Lee number. From the first time I heard it in the early 70's, it hasnt lost the ability to excite me. I dont care if you're a Dem or Repub... Just enjoy the video and take a break from the mud slinging.

--Peace

Who is Obama

2008-10-28T17:44:00.002-05:00

I believe this to be fair and balanced. The gentleman at the helm of the lawsuit is a life long Democrat.

Let the chips fall where they may-- A day of contrasts

2008-10-24T21:53:00.005-05:00

Right up front I want to say hey to my fave blog buddy, Momthatsnuts. I may have some new friends on here, but you my lady, will always hold the title of, "My fave blog buddy". We've been kicking it for a long time now.

Secondly, I want to acknowledge my Blogger buddy Solie. I thoroughly enjoyed your post today. I think those of us that have served our country have a tendency to be super-sensitive to the state of the union...more so than our civilian counter parts. This is strictly just my "2 cents worth" on the subject.

So, I voted today, via the early voting polls. The entire experience was very unusual for me, as opposed to my past voting experiences. I believe this is because of my new association with my new blogging buddies. All of the political jousting that I've participated in lately has really been weighing on my mind.

Anyway, From the minute I arrived at the courthouse, the contrasts of my voting experience stood out to me. First, although I am permitted by the great state of Texas to carry a concealed weapon, I could not enter the county courthouse with it. It was no biggie, I knew the law beforehand, but it struck me as odd when I read the sign as I emptied my pockets and entered the metal detectors. Next, I met two elderly black women who were casting their ballots as I was signing in. They were having trouble using the computerized voting machines and had to have a poll worker explain things. For a one split second, the cynical part of me, wondered who they were voting for. Then I got a proud feeling to be witnessing them exercise their right. I'm sure there was a time in their lives when they couldn't simply walk in and announce that they were there to vote. It was truly touching to watch them. They smiled at me as they passed me to leave.

I touched the screen and configured my ballot the way I saw fit, then I stood there for a minute and just soaked in the whole ordeal. I reflected back to all of the conversations that I've had with each of you...the good, the bad and the really bad. I literally envisioned each of y'alls pictures and certain comments that we've exchanged. Then I hit the "cast my ballot" button.

On the elevator ride back down, I got emotional. I didn't boo-hoo, but I did get a little watery-eyed. I got a rush of pride thinking about what I had just done. I'm still recently retired from the USAF (about one year ago) and my service to this great country was acknowledged today. I didn't have to worry about being executed as I exited the polls, I didn't have to explain myself to anyone and in my mind, those elderly black ladies just thumbed their nose to all the people that may have tried to intimidate them many years ago.

So that's it...my day of contrasts.

My Sunday sermon (READ: RANT)

2008-10-19T11:28:00.007-05:00

"JANITORS AND WAITRESSES DO PAY TAXES....THEY MAY NOT PAY FEDERAL INCOME TAXES, BUT THEY PAY TAXES." -- Senator Claire McCaskill

The above is an EXACT quote that I watched the good senator say to Wolfe Blitzer this morning. This was the jittery response to the question Wolfe asked about Obama's idea for spreading the wealth to people who don't pay taxes. Basically it will turn into more welfare. And you know my philosophy about welfare perpetuating laziness. I'm not speaking against, waitresses or janitors, the above skillset's were the two the senator used .

Her response is absurd. Just because you pay SALES TAX doesn't give you a right to qualify for a hand out. Jesus H. Christ, this liberal mouth piece needs to think before she speaks. Now listen, I know some of my new liberal friends are going to flame me for my harsh criticism on this post. I've already had to apologize for a notion I made about being affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan a week or so ago (mine and VN8's joking rant).

So, I would like to give my new friends my bio so they know exactly where I came from and this may give them a glimpse into why I am such a staunch conservative. I may appear to have an "ivory tower" attitude, but I can assure you that I worked to build my ivory tower, and it infuriates me to think B.O. could undermine my hard work to give some of my "stuff" to others who haven't worked like I have. Here's the story:

I was born in South Ms. to a blue collar family. My biological father was (is) an alcoholic so mom left him when I was an infant. I had stereotypical redneck family on both sides (Klan members, etc). Mom met USAF guy, got married and he adopted me (for military benefits). New dad taught me manners, treated me like his son my entire life. Basically raised me with morals.

I joined military in 1988, got married right away and started my own family. As an E-2 thru E-4, we qualified for food stamps but didn't apply (Even when we could have used it, we never took a handout if we didnt need it). Instead of leeching off Uncle Sam we would buy hamburger meat and cut the pound in half and add noodles or rice with our portion. My wife and I learned how to stretch a dollar to it's tearing point, but we never did without. We did take advantage of WIC but only for the formula and cereal for the kids). My kids all wore hand-me-downs and Walmart brand stuff. My wife worked many different jobs and even took a job as a secretary at the local college so that I could get my college education at a reduced price (a perk of her job).

We bounced a couple of checks, and I wrecked a couple of Harley's in drunken stupors over the last 20-something years, but we stuck with each other and worked at this marriage because we didn't agree with the disposable families we watched fall apart around us. We both have skeletons in our closets (I have 2 closets worth) and we don't pretend to be a perfect couple in public. We have stashed a dollar away here and there over the years (when we could afford it) and now don't have to cut packs of hamburger meat in half. We aint rich, but we aint poor anymore. We are living the American dream because we have built our own dream. Nothing was given to us and we like it that way.

The point of this is that if an alcoholic redneck and a Southern girl who couldn't boil a pot of water can end up like we have, then anyone can...and if you choose not too, then don't come whining to me looking for a handout. And that my friends is exactly what Mr. Obama wants to do.

Please pray for me

2008-10-18T16:59:00.003-05:00

There is seven 6-9 year olds in my house for a birthday party/sleep over. I'll post more later to let you know I'm still alive.
--Out

Dedicated to G.W., Congress and Wall Street

2008-10-17T22:14:00.004-05:00

Oh man...where to start... Well first off, I'd like to say how honored I am to have a few new folks who have listed me as a blog that they now follow. Angie, Solie, VN8, Martha and Susannah are just a few of the folks I've recently met via Jim's blog. Some are on the right, some are on the left, but in my opinion, ALL are very sharp and respect each others opinions. Personally speaking, I am honored that anyone would listen to what I think about politics or care about what I have to say in general. I'm not a well spoken person and I often struggle to get my point across without sounding like a Mississippi redneck (which I am). So welcome to the Psycho Circus.

Next topic: Joe the plumber...I bet this poor guy wishes he could build a flux capacitor and drive a Delorean time machine back a week or so. I cant only blame the Dem-liberals for shining the negative spotlight on him...nope, Johnny Mac focused on him the other night when he and Obama were going at it. I only hope Joe can salvage what's left of his name and continue to work in his city without incident.

The economy continues to tank and I continue to thumb my nose at G.W., congress and the liberals and say, "See...I told you so." Even throwing $700 billion at a problem doesn't fix it. I believe it would have righted itself eventually without the big government intervention. But I guess we'll never know now, huh? And instead of BO's spreading the wealth, we'll be spreading the taxes to recoup the "investment."

We're gonna party like it's 1989...

2008-10-05T09:38:00.008-05:00

So I'm taking a break from the political crap for a post (or two). I want to talk about a comeback of sorts. I recently discovered that the guy in the pictures above is about to release a book about his life dealing with addiction and how it affected his NFL career. I was (and still am) a HUGE fan of Tony Mandarich.

You see in 1989 I was a young man of 24 who was just starting a career in the USAF. I was a cocky hard worker who partied even harder than I worked. When this guy came on the scene, I tried to emulate him by working out, acting out and generally showing my ass like I was someone I wasn't. Needless to say that my bosses weren't real happy with my attitude, but they didn't bust my chops because I was a hard charging worker who never said no to a challenge. Heck, I envied this guy so much I even had his rookie card taped to the outside of my locker at work.

What I didn't know then, but recently discovered, is that I had more in common with Tony Mandarich than I really cared to. Most of you reading this know that I'm a recovering alcoholic and that throughout the 80's and the 90's I was out of control. Apparently this is true for Tony Mandarich also. He will be releasing a book called, "My dirty little secrets-Steroids, Alcohol and God", set to release in March of 09. The release is set to coincide with the 20th anniversary of his draft into the NFL.

You can visit Tony's website by clicking here. I'm excited about the book, because I was/am a huge Mandarich fan. Yes, he was a bust in the pro's, but I don't care. He impacted me and inspired me to be an aggressive Airman and I built my Air Force reputation on his foundation.

Plus, he appears to be clean and sober for many years now and I always love to see one of "us" doing good in life.

So that's that. This has been a pleasant break from the political crap of late. Oh, and Tony, if you read this, how about leaving me a comment.

-- Peace

Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail--Donald Fagen

2008-10-03T19:21:00.008-05:00

This song is dedicated to G.W., our congress and all the liberals in the world. I am pissed off that our government is propping up our economy with this bailout. Let me say upfront that I don't know the details of the bill/law, but I don't want to know them. I don't agree with ANY ANY ANY government intervention in this fashion. I believe we should shoulder the good AND the bad. HEY YOU! Mr and Ms. Dem liberal, it's called capitalism, not socialism.

Now before anyone flames me with the "possibilities" of gloom and doom if "something" wasn't done...just hold your horses:

First of all, you cant speculate the outcome of a situation like the one we're experiencing. Secondly, see my comment about taking the bad with the good. It would do us just fine to get knocked down a peg or two and live like we did 30 or 40 years ago.

Now society will be looking for Uncle Sam's tit to suck on ANY time something happens and every minority group will be bitching because their group isn't getting the attention that the last group got and I'll have to feel guilty about being a white male who got the opportunity to go to college and become successful and I dont know the plight of the minority race and Blah blah blah. Damn it, I'm pissed. Way to go G.W. you just got cut from my Christmas card list.

--Out

It's a tie

2008-10-02T21:36:00.003-05:00

The VP debate was a nice "warm up" to what is coming. Both candidates were cordial and the gloves didn't really come off. I thought Sara really shined. I was worried she might get blown out, but I was happy she did well. I'm a conservative and I'd rather see her gorgeous face for the next 4 yrs instead of Joe..

My blog buddy Jim hosted a live chat while the debate happened. There were a handful of us that chatted and rooted while things unfolded. There was only 2 of us conservatives and about 4 or 5 liberal Dems. We poked at each other but we played very well together. It was fun, and Jim, if you read this, thanks again for hosting the deal.

For anyone else reading this, please visit Jim's blog called,"Country comes to town" Check my fave blogs for a link to him.
--Peace

Long time no see...

2008-09-25T22:09:00.002-05:00

Where to start... Well, I'm starting another new job. Well...sort of. I've been a DOD contractor teaching Heating and AC (HVAC). Well, starting Monday, I will be a Civil Service GS-09 doing the same thing. And I must admit that the timing couldn't be better. The contractor I was working for lost the contract and the new contractor is reducing their pay scale. I don't have to worry about any of that crap any more.

I've started playing guitar a little bit again but as of yet, I haven't returned to the gym. Mom, I know you've tried to motivate me several times, but I'm just a lazy old fart. The kicker in all this is that I have a smoking hot wife. I gotta get to doing something.

The reason I haven't been posting much is because I've been lurking on myspace. Click on my link to the right and check out my Myspace page.

Take care and I'll post on Sunday....
--Peace

My new favorite place

2008-09-07T19:31:00.002-05:00

Let me preface today's post by saying that I'm secure in my masculinity. Of course I'm being sarcastic because today's post is about my new found love of visiting a store we have in town. The store is called Bed Bath and Beyond. I love this place. It is very clean, it smells good and it has a bunch of neat stuff. And here's the kicker. The employees are very very friendly and helpful.

I have been subjected to the ho-hum experience of Walley-World (#1 largest retail chain) for far too long. Don't get me wrong, Walley-World provides goods for a great price, but there is no atmosphere to the place and most of the employees act like zombies just going through a bunch of motions. Each and every employee I've encountered at BB&B has been upbeat, cheerful and extremely helpful.

My latest purchase from my new found most favorite shopping place is an air revitalizer made by Homedics. Here's some cat on youtube talking about it. I saw one on display in the store and liked what I saw, so now I have one. If you have pets or kids, you should get one of these.

Labor Day happenings (or lack there of)

2008-08-30T08:56:00.003-05:00

Not much happening around here. Enjoying the Saturday morning of a 3 day weekend. D-Wreck is now able to walk on crutches and begins post-op rehab next week. Thanks Momthatsnuts for checking in on me.

Enjoy the video. It'd from the best group ever... It's a damn shame they cant all get along and stay together. Drugs, booze and ego's just don't mix well...

Round here

2008-08-24T11:07:00.004-05:00

I usually don't care for songs that discuss social issues. However, this song is awesome and Counting Crows is a great band. Do yourself a favor and really listen to the lyrics, then watch the video a second time and look at the props they used to convey the message. Just a kick ass song all around.

Things around the W-family camp have been a little rough lately. Last week, I attended the funeral of my old boss who was also my friend. Also, last Thursday, my son had reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus. What was supposed to take 2.5 hrs turned into a 5 hr operation and then as my son was preparing to go home, he couldn't straighten out his "good" leg. In fact, it was numb. So the doc says let him stay overnight in the hospital, he probably pinched a nerve while laying on the OR table...so he stayed. The next morning was no better. So they say sometimes it may take a few days or even weeks for a pinched nerve to return to 100%. So they loaded him into my wife's SUV and discharged him. My wife calls me at work and informs me of all of this and says she needs me to come home and help get my son out of the truck and into his wheel-chair. After 30 minutes of struggling with that, we got him into his bed where he's been for the last two days. I just checked on him and am happy to report that he is regaining use of his good leg.

So that's my week. So go watch the video and like me, try to remember that there are people walking around in life who have things a hell of a lot worse that me. This song is a great reminder of that.

--Peace

Has anyone seen my crying towel?

2008-08-17T11:06:00.004-05:00

The video is of Monte Montgomery who is the most amazing guitar player to hit the scene since Edward Van Halen. The song he's doing is an old Hall and Oats song that is one of my favorites from a different time in my life. Back before I was married and my drinking was out of control, on mornings "after", I would wake up and begin to try to clear my head. I would put on a Hall and Oats tape and as I sat in my apartment alone, this song would come on and I'd get lost in the lyrics. I wondered if I'd ever find my "Sara" or if alcohol was my Sara.

This past week has been a bad week for me. I've been sick, busy at work and a friend of mine passed away from lung cancer. Overall, I just feel like shit. I'm pounding on weight because I haven't been to the gym in a month. On an up note, I started going back to AA meetings. That has given me a little gratitude for the things I have.

Anyway, I'm done whining. Peace out...

Another Saturday night

2008-08-09T17:05:00.003-05:00

Well, it's Saturday night and the video above reminds me of my Saturday nights at the skating rink. If you're in your 40's or so, you probably spent some of the late 70's and early 80's in the skating rink. Do you remember hanging out all day at the mall, lake, river or just cruising the strip? For me, Friday nights were spent at the football game or some school event, but Saturday's were reserved for the "Golden Gate Skating Rink" in D'Iberville, Ms. Here's how a Saturday night in 1980ish would have gone for me:

About 6:00 pm or so, I'd come home and eat a quick supper with my family, visit just long enough to appease the parents, then go get cleaned up in preparation to make the scene at the skating rink. My attire would consist of a pair of Levis bell bottoms (must be faded), a black concert t-shirt and canvas Nike tennis shoes with the light blue swish (must be canvas with light blue swish). Accouterments consisted of big plastic afro comb with handle sticking out of back pocket and a pack of dynteene gum.

Me, Steve Douglas, and Tim Fossee all lived within 30 minutes walking distance (if you cut through the woods) from each other and we'd meet up at the corner Majik Market (A southern convenience store). We'd usually get a wino in the woods to buy us a 6 pack of beer to split and slam 2 beers each, then we'd head off for the rink.

Once inside, we'd play video games and hang out until we got bored and then we'd skate. About 10:00pm would end the "first session" of skating, and all the little kids (uncool kids too) would leave. About 10:15pm would start the "second session" and that's when the fun would happen. The refs would let you speed skate, they would play some of the more "adult" type of music and the skate games would be awesome. If you've never played in a round of "paddle skate", you aint lived... The refs would give a wooden paddle to one of the regular hottie girls and she would get on one end of the rink. All of the guys would get on the opposite end of the rink, in a pack. Then she would take off and chase the pack. If she caught you, she would tap you on the butt with the paddle and you were out. The last guy out usually won a free pass and would get to couple skate with her.... If memory serves me, I actually won one time and got to couple skate with some hot older chick.

Man, all these memories make me want to load the family up and go skating... Hell, I have free medical insurance...

Have a groovy night...

Another Sunday morning

2008-08-03T10:18:00.008-05:00

I've once again found myself at the best time of the week, Sunday morning. Yes, I've posted this song before, but it's such an awesome song, it's worthy of a re post. Do yourself a favor and listen to the song with no distractions.

It's 10:30 and already hotter than hell outside. Today's high will be 108. We've had triple digit temps consecutively for the past two weeks. We even made national news last week when we were the hot spot in the nation with 112.

It's times like this I'm glad that I'm teaching heating and AC rather than doing it. I spent 20 yrs being a technician and working in the heat. I grew accustomed to it and it didn't bother me too much. However, now that I'm retired, I get zapped by the heat in a short period of time.

Mom, tell your son Cadet that I said good luck in his new career. When does he leave for boot camp? As a "tech school" instructor, it amazes me how young the "kids" are when they come through. Some of these young men and women are only a year older than my son. Sometimes when I see them struggle or get in trouble, the dad in me tries to come out and I want to treat them as one of my kids and be soft with them.

So I haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks and I feel like poop. I've been eating like crap too. It seems like all I do is go to work, come home and get on the computer and eat...that's it. Tomorrow will be back to the grindstone at the gym and back on somewhat of a disciplined eating schedule...

So that's that. --Peace

The american dream or nightmare depending on your point of view

2008-07-25T21:34:00.013-05:00

Another work week has come and gone...It's Friday night and here I sit in suburbia living the "American Dream". I'm sitting in my recliner with the after taste of pizza in my throat and my bloated stomach hanging over my waist band. My wife is asleep on the couch next to me while the 52" plasma TV radiates a tremendous amount of heat in its effort to deliver the movie "The Bucket List" in high definition. As I'm typing this post, I'm listening to my frinends band, Beautiful Creatures on my new I-Pod. The video above was shot when my friend Kenny's band was on tour in Japan. Kenny and I were high school buddies back in the 80's before he changed his name and became a big rock star. That's him on bass guitar. I guess you could say that my friend and I are both truly living up to the stereotypical image of the Western infidel.

Anyway...back to the movie. The movie itself sucks, but the premise of it is interesting. Two old geezers are told that they have terminal illnesses and they only have so much time left. They set out to do things on a list they call a bucket list. Basically it's a list of off the wall things they each want to do before they kick the bucket...get it, "a bucket list". So I decided I'd scratch my balding head and rub my fat belly then sit down here and write about my bucket list. I've actually done several things that I'd want to do before taking the big dirt nap. Here's what I've done:

1. Been married to someone who didn't judge me and run for the hills while I self destructed. She has stuck by my side for over 20 yrs.

2. Jumped out of an airplane - The rush was better than sex.

3. Owned a Harley Davidson - I've actually owned 5. I've also done the Easy Rider type thing riding 3000 miles with my brother on a two week long excursion.

4. Stumbled onto a Buddhist village deep in the woods of South Korea- It was truly the most serene experience I've ever had. We didn't understand a word each other tried to say, but they were very courteous while we were there. We civilized Americans should be so lucky to learn to live like those people (I'd spend the day there again in a heart beat).

There are a couple of things that I've yet to do:

1. Ride a bull- I just want to say I've done it.

2. Watch my children grow up to be productive members of society.

3. Speak my peace with my biological father.

I ain't in a hurry to finish the list just yet. However, if i don't quit getting soft and living the American nightmare, I may end up not being able to complete my bucket list.

On a different note...There's news on the job front but I'm not at liberty to discuss yet. Stay tuned...

It's a mad mad MAD world

2008-07-22T21:21:00.005-05:00

I just finished submitting my subscription to the best publication to ever be printed. That's right...MAD MAGAZINE! I had no idea this mag was still in circulation. I was just sitting in my recliner reminiscing about my youth, and one of the good memories was I remembered going to my grandparents house in San Antonio throughout the 70's. One of my uncle's still lived at home and I would sleep in his room when we visited.

There was always a copy of Mad laying around his room. Us kids would get sent to bed at night and I would climb in bed and look at this cool, weird magazine that I only really understood half of its content. I would force myself to look through the entire mag before enjoying the grand finale'...the fold in on the back cover. I loved this mag and for many years after the 70's, if I saw a copy on the news stand, I instantly reflected back to my childhood.

So you can imagine my delight tonight when I typed the magazine into a search engine and discovered it still existed. And it's not a bad deal 16 issues for $20. I cant wait to get my first copy.

P.S. Thanks to Wendy and Momthatsnuts for checking in on me.

--Peace

Like that burning sensation you had once...It's hard to get rid of me too

2008-07-20T09:58:00.011-05:00

Hello...Is this thing on? Every time I blog I am consistent for a short period of time. Usually just long enough to have my blog buddies start visiting me on a regular basis, then I get lazy and poof, I'm gone again. I don't know why I do that...I suppose it's a "character-flaw".

I have a few blog buddies that I check in on from time to time even when I'm not writing. Specifically I talking about the folks on my recommended reading list. My fave of which is "Mom that's Nuts". If you happen to have stumbled onto my blog, check out my friends. I even have a link to Mr Michael Anthony's (from Van Halen fame) blog. Speaking of my blog...I've sent an email to everyone in my address book telling them that I'm firing this thing back up. Perhaps now I will be more diligent with regular postings.

So not much happening with me since my last blog in April. I have a very well paying job as a DOD contractor teaching Heating and AC to young Airmen and Navy troops. I'm not enthused about the job, but the pay is so great, so I'll hang around awhile. Truth be told, I don't really know what would make me happy on the job front. I've had 4 jobs since I retired from the USAF. I just quit one and go to the next. I've applied to be a substitute school teacher and am thinking about getting my state certificate to be a full time teacher. I enjoy teaching, but teaching the age group of the new military recruits is a pain in the ass. They are smart asses who think the world owes them something. So I'm thinking elementary aged kids might be more my forte'.

We went home to the MS gulf coast for a week vacation the week after the 4th of July. It was AWESOME to get away for a stress free visit to my home. My lovely parents hosted not only my crew of 5, but also my brothers crew of 5 and a girlfriend of my nephew. All of us fit nicely in a 3 bedroom house. I got to have dinner with an old military boss who I havent seen in about 15 yrs. My brother and I trailered our Harley's down and we got in some great riding. I cant express the joy I get whenever I get to ride with my brother. The affects of Katrina are still very evident, but I must admit that the coast looks much better than it did a year ago when I was there. The people of the coast are very resilient and they will build it back. My one complaint is that there is so many high rise condos going up that it will detract from the "Southern charm" that is notorious down home. Also, the cost of living will be higher because of all the new wealthy investors. I'm concerned for the typical coastian who may not be able to adapt to the new economic impact. The only downside to the trip is that I didnt get to see some of my family from my biological dad's side.

So thats that.

New guitar

2008-04-13T19:37:00.007-05:00

My blogger friend phil has pics up of his new 12 string Epiphone guitar. So after seeing his eye candy, I decided to post some pics of my new Epiphone acoustic/electric. It sports a solid spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides. It's one of the upper end Epi acoustics called the "Masterbuilt" series. It's made in China, but the attention to detail is outstanding. In my opinion, this guitar sounds every bit as good as a Taylor 310 for only half of the price. I spent about 5hrs playing it yesterday and my finger tips are SORE today...I love this thing.

Guitar faux-pa (or however you spell it)

2008-03-31T21:01:00.003-05:00

So we loaded the kids up Saturday for the two hour trek to Guitar Center in Arlington (Dallas metroplex). I went to pick up a sweet guitar that has been on order for me since December. This was GC's second attempt to get the exact model and color that I wanted. They called me about a month ago and told me my guitar was in. I asked the guy to open the box and verify that everything was ok. I'm glad I did, because it was the wrong color.

The guy told me that he could have the right guitar in a week or two. So he calls in the middle of last week and left a voice mail saying the right guitar was in. I returned his call, but he was tied up, so I left a message for him to check everything out and call me if there were any problems. The guy I left the message with typed an email as I was talking, and notified me he sent it. I didn't receive any further messages so I assumed everything was ok.

So we trekked 2 hrs down and once I got there, waited about 15-20 for my guy. He suddenly appears with a box and we go over to a counter. He opens the box and the guitar inside has NO wrap or packaging. It's just a guitar in a box. Wait...there's more. It's the wrong friggen guitar. I ordered this guitar in December for $700. and have been making payments on a guitar I don't even have.

The guy was upset and so was I. I said look, we're gonna get this squared away right now or I want my money refunded on the payments I've made. The guy apologizes and says that instead of shuffling guitars between stores, he is going to order the guitar directly from the manufacturer and drop ship it to my house. I say ok, but what if it arrives damaged, etc. He says no worries, just call him when it gets in either way. So today I received an email confirming the order has been placed and my guitar should arrive at my door Thursday.

Guitar Center has a very bad rap for poor customer service. They are known to make multiple mistakes and sometimes leave the customer hanging. Not so this time. Although there have been multiple mistake, I am a patient man and as long as the end result is a good one, I will continue to support GC. For those of you not familiar with Guitar Center, it is the equivalent of a Wal-Mart for musicians. It literally has every guitar in every color you could ever want. Same for drums and most instruments. GC has driven many mom and pop music stores out of business. I try to support my local shops, but if they are very much higher, I will order off the Internet.

hang tight for pics on Thursday....

Saturday

2008-03-29T11:25:00.002-05:00

Well, it's 11:25 Saturday morning and copious amounts of coffee has been consumed, I've showered and am trying to get the rest of the crew going. My oldest son is preparing for day 2 of his new job at the mall theater and once he is dropped off, the rest of us will be heading to Dallas on a two hour trip to Guitar Center.

I'm going to get me a new acoustic/electric guitar and try to get back into playing music (thanks Mom for prodding me to start playing again). Phil, if you're reading this, I really enjoyed listening to the clip of you and your son jamming.

So the guitar I'm going after is an Epiphone Masterbuilt AJ 500. It's a nice guitar made of all solid woods. It's not a low end guitar but it also isn't a top of the line. I'll post a pic or two of it tonight once I get it home and broken in...
Peace,

The voices in my head

2008-03-25T22:07:00.008-05:00

I love Cheap Trick and this song applies.... Let me preach on it:

As you may know, I've been in a real funk for awhile. I believe it's a result of a bunch of causes. Before I get too far into this, I want to dedicate this video to Momthatsnuts too. Mom, I know you have also been going through your own rough times, so I hope you enjoy the song.

So, I went to the gym tonight with my beautiful wife and climbed my fat butt on a treadmill. I was able to run on speed "#5" for 30 minutes without keeling over of a heart attack. When I got done with my workout, I sat at a table and waited my wife to finish her routine. While I sat there listening to my MP3 player I began to think about why I've been in such a rut lately. One reason is because I've let myself go and am now weighing 215. I eat like shit and have no one to blame but me. I am now going to start watching what I eat. I'll stop short of saying I'm on a diet, but rather I am going to try not to eat a bunch of fattening ass shit in huge portions. I will continue to do a gym routine of some sort 3-5 days a week.

Secondly, I have no gratitude for the things in my life. I bitch about this and that and criticize my wife and kids instead of enjoying and appreciating their company. My ego gets the best of me and I expect my family to be as good as I think they should be. I will do my best to try to be more appreciative of them and not yell so much at my kids. I said that when I retired, I was going to "chill out" more. That has yet to happen. Furthermore, I will try to connect more with my children. My concern here is that it may be a little late, but I'm still going to try.

Lastly, I've been stressing about my job. I cant seem to get any satisfaction from it and at the same time, I'm stressing because I've had 5 jobs since I left the Air Force. This teaching gig pays extremely well and I really love teaching. I think I need to chill the hell out and just enjoy the job instead of bitching about it. I am very fortunate to have a good paying job in these times. Once again, Paul needs to have some gratitude about having a well paying job.

The moment of clarity about all of this hit me tonight while I was sitting in the gym blaring Metallica. Who says metal music is bad???

I feel really good (and tired) after tonight's workout and new frame of mind. Stay tuned to see if I'm blowing smoke or this is the beginning of the climb out of a deeeeep rut...

Peace

If that aint country, I'll kiss your ass... oh, and Happy Easter.

2008-03-22T21:20:00.003-05:00

So how is everyone? And by everyone, I mean anyone who happens to stumble across this blog. I believe I may have run off the few "regulars" who were still around. I think my whining was such a buzz kill that everyone split.

So the video above is special to me. I've seen David Allan Coe several times over the years and this has always been my favorite song. It reminds me of me. I am definitely an "old man now who's covered in scars".

I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter. Enjoy the video...

Someone help me off my pity pot

2008-03-16T11:06:00.003-05:00

Happy Sunday morning.. Not alot going on here. The new job is OK and things are motoring right along here under the big top at the psycho circus.

The down side to all of this that I continue to not have gratitude for everything. My attitude is shit and I cant stand to be around me. My job doesn't really interest me, my motorcycle doesn't relieve my stress and my personal motivation is non existent.

I have become physically weak, un-motivated and clearly lazy. I haven't picked up a guitar in months and I've only seen the inside of a gym one time in the past 4 months. I MUST SHAKE THIS FUCKING PATHETIC "WHOA IS ME" ATTITUDE.

I just don't understand why I feel this way. I have NOTHING in my life that should make me feel this way. I have a great wife who takes care of me and my family, I have 3 healthy kids, I have a well paying job and we are doing well financially. There is just no reason for me to feel like this.

I want to go to Vegas. I don't know why, but I have an urge to take my wife to Vegas. Maybe a weekend there will boost my spirit.
Stay tuned....

For everyone

2008-03-09T18:55:00.001-05:00

Just enjoy the video...

WTF?!!!

2008-03-01T12:30:00.002-06:00

Weird shit is happening all around. I think it may be me going through "the mid life thing". Let me preach on it a minute.

1. I'm starting yet another job Monday. Thank you to the few who gave me input on my job delima on a previous post. All of you said I should take the teaching gig, and I did. However, this is another job change (#5 since I left the Air Force in July). I feel all fucked up for changing jobs so often after staying in the USAF for 20 yrs.

2. My personal life is crazy. My marriage is good and all, but I'm finding it hard to slow down and appreciate things. I used to enjoy evening rides on the Harley but now, I cant get satisfaction from that. I ride aggressive and I'm finding myself provoking cage drivers when they pull out in front of me or cut me off. It's almost like I'm trying to be anti social.

There is one spot in town that I've visited that allows me to relax and I've been going there alot... Most people go to a bar or to a gym to get rid of stress. I've been going to a cemetery. I know, that's weird shit. But I cant help it. I've been going to this local cemetery and walking around and looking at all the grave markers. There is this one mausoleum that faces East and has a stained glass window that faces West and when the sun sets, looking inside the room is the most beautiful, serene vision I have ever seen. The oldest grave I've found had a birth date of 1855. I was told that this cemetery was a paupers burial ground in the 30's thru the 60's, so there are quite a few of small plain headstones about the size of a cinder block. Weeds have overgrown them, so I've been pulling the grass away and exposing the marker. I know this is weird, but being in that cemetery really calms my mind....

I dunno...I gotta get my lazy ass moving. I slept in till 10:00am and it felt fucking great..
Out

Help!!!!

2008-02-16T11:20:00.005-06:00

This video kicks so much ass... I miss the hair metal days like nobody's business. During that time my life was so out of control with drugs and alcohol, but man was it a great time.

So I'm gonna pull out the crying towel and I expect whoever reads this to tell me it's gonna be okay. I want someone to tell me what to do and make the decision for me. I spent 20 yrs making decisions in my military career and now my brain wont allow me to make a life changing decision. So here goes:

I'm currently working on the base as an HVAC technician with the civil service. I make about $40K a year. Additionally I've been working with a fellow retireee who owns his own heating and AC company. He has asked me to leave my $40K a year job and come work with him making about $32K a year. Here's the catch. He's guarenteed me $640 a week regardless of if I work 40hrs a week or 2 hrs a week. He has promised me a partnership down the road after some time with him. There are also other incentive based chances for more money if I bring customers to our business. He usually begins work about 9 in the morning as opposed to the 7:30 I have to report at now.

Now...Friday I received a phone call from a Navy contractor on base who I applied with back when I retired in July. They are looking for an HVAC instructor for the young troops who are in our careerfield. I spent 4 yrs being an instructor at this same schoolhouse from 98-2002. This job starts at $50K and my hours will be the same that they are now.

My business partner is really upset at the possibility that I may not be joining him. My current employer understands that I'm going to be leaving him either way. But I'm really torn about all of this. I'm looking for someone to tell me what I should do. I'm too tired to decide.

DID I MENTION THAT THIS VIDEO KICKS ASS!!???

Easy like a Sunday morning

2008-01-27T10:24:00.000-06:00

I love Sundays. More specifically, Sunday mornings. My wife let me sleep in (till 9:30) and when I got up, she had pancakes and coffee ready to go. All of my kids are here and we have no company.

As a society, our lives are so hectic these days and I really miss the lifestyle of the 70's. Do yourself a favor and click on the video above and take a few minutes to escape back to an easier time.

As I woke up this morning and began to move my sore joints, I wondered why I feel the need to work so much over time. Of course it's for the money. But why do I feel the need to do it. We aren't hurting for money. My kids have nice clothes, and some of the newest toys. Is it greed, is it my ego (I'm 42 but refuse to think I cant keep the same intensity I had 20 yrs ago).

Anyway, I like Sundays because it allows me to slow down. Yup...I'm easy like a Sunday Morning.

The 3 biggest things in my life at the moment

2008-01-22T19:35:00.000-06:00

The economy is tanking, the presidential primaries are sucking and Van Halen is touring to some less than stellar reviews (yes, all 3 are equally important in my book). The video above is from a happier time in VH history. For people who dont know whats going on with Van Halen because you're too busy with your careers and such, I say shame on you. I'll bring you up to speed. The original members of VH minus Michael Anthony (bassist) are touring for the first time in over 20 yrs. Eddie's 16 yr old son is playing bass. David Lee Roth is trying to act like it's 1980 again and he's coming off like an imbecile. Also, alot of hard core fans are hating on Wolfie. To them I say ask yourself if you were 16 and had the chance to tour with the original members of VH, Would you say, "no thanks dad?"

Next topic: None of the presidential candidates really stand out to me. I guess it will come down to me voting for the lesser of evils.

Final Topic: On the economic front... I'm not terribly affected. I dont play the stock market. I have a few CD's and a savings account with ING-Direct.

So that's that. Work is work and life is life.

Money money money money.....Monnnneeeyyy

2008-01-19T08:36:00.000-06:00

Man I'm glad this week is over. It was a long one. OK, so I have a new business venture that I've begun with a fellow retiree from my AF days. He owns his own heating and AC company. I approached him with an idea to partner with me to establish maintenance agreements with businesses in town. I am beating the bushes and already have our first customer...the local Harley dealership. What we will do for these businesses is contract with them to change their AC filters and make adjustments to the belts that operate their fans for the AC equipment. The maintenance agreement will last for one year.

You and I usually only have one filter to change in our home and the filter is usually in a very easy spot to reach so it's no big deal. But commercial businesses often have very large units with multiple filters and belts that require thorough maintenance. Plus with all the foot traffic, it is very important that they keep good indoor air quality to keep their employees and customers from getting sick. Oh and did I mention that the units are typically on the roof?

In my 20 yrs of heating and AC experience, I've run across two types of thoughts from business owners when it comes to investing in a maintenance program for their equipment:

1. They don't understand the benefits of preventing breakdowns of equipment so they wont invest in services like we can provide and they don't do anything until the unit breaks. At that point they will pay a huge service call fee and replacement parts fee.

2. Like the owner of the Harley shop...they understand that for a nominal fee (investment) they will have filters and belts changed and coils cleaned on a regular basis which in turn, prolongs the life of their equipment, and more importantly, provides a consistent comfortable (and clean) environment for their employees and customers throughout the year. This is one less thing that a business owner has to worry about.

So that's that. Have you changed your AC filter lately?????

The kids are gone...what do we do?

2008-01-12T20:34:00.000-06:00

Man the house is quiet. My oldest is at work and the two young ones are spending the night with friends. So what are wifey and I doing? Well, after 18 yrs of marriage, we aint doing the hokey-pokey like newly weds. Nope...she's sitting next to me in her new flannel PJ's and we're watching the Pat's and Jag's go toe to toe.

Instead of piddling on here, I should be practicing my guitar scales, but I digress. It's nice to have some alone time, but I don't like it when my kids aren't around.

Well, on second thought I'm gonna jam some guitar.... see ya....

Which way is up?

2008-01-10T21:05:00.000-06:00

So after firing this blog back up and swearing to post faithfully, I have not been true to my word. Well, the truth is because I've been working overtime. $27.00 bucks an hour kicks butt, but the 12 hrs shifts are wearing on me. I finished my last one tonight.

I'm off to shower and then bed. 5:30 comes mighty early. See y'all Saturday...

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T22:14:00.000-06:00

I welcomed in 08' at home with my wife and a couple of her co-workers. We all pigged out on junk food and board games. Sounds exciting you say? That's about all the fun I can take anymore.

Well I'm going to start taking guitar lessons again beginning this Saturday. I'm excited about taking from this instructor. He is the guitar teacher at the local high school and he has a really good reputation for his methods. I know how to play chords and play a few songs, but I want to know the theory of chord structures and why some chords work with others and some don't.

So winter is here...which sucks. The low tonight will be 15-18. Luckily, I don't have to work tomorrow. It has been declared a "family day" which means the military doesn't have to work and we civilians can take a day of leave.

I hope everyone's 08 is a great one...

Nothing in particular

2007-12-29T08:41:00.000-06:00

So I don't have anything in particular to say, but I feel obliged to post something...so here goes:

On the job front:
It's very odd being a civilian back in my old shop. It's not bad, but just odd. The Airmen don't quite know how to act around me yet. They still call me "Sergeant W". I've had to tell them on several occasions to call me Paul. It's kinda funny too because I'm now working for the guy that used to work for me. Also, during the weekly safety meetings, the military bosses will complain about the stupid things going on, and I just smile. I just go to work and put a good 8 hours in and at 4:30 I leave it all behind. It is sooo nice to not have the stress of the military on me any more.

My phone doesn't ring in the middle of the night anymore, I don't have to get up at 5am and go to the gym to listen to some idiot scream because I'm not "sounding off" and I don't have to listen to any body's bullshit about "how it's gonna be". The best part of my military career was the day I retired.

On the home front:
My kids made out like bandits for Christmas. I think this was the best Christmas ever. My wife and I bought them everything they asked for. X-box 360, a pro skateboard, PSP, Rip-Stick...just everything. Every one's healthy and we have a good bit of money in the bank. I need to do some home repairs, but it's too cold for that, so I'll be shifting it into high gear when spring hits.

On the age front:
I turned 42 on Dec 20th. In my mind I feel like I did 10 years ago. However, my body is sore in the mornings after a hard day of work. I have difficulty pulling myself up at work if I have to jump on top of piping in a mechanical room, and overall I feel sluggish. It very well could be the 15 pounds that I've gained since July. I'm now up to 215lbs.

So that's about it. I'm really happy to be blogging again. I've even made contact with two of my old blogging buddies Mom and Wendy. So take it easy...

Where have I been ya ask???

2007-12-23T10:12:00.000-06:00

Alot has happened in the past 9 months since I quit posting on here. I retired from the Air Force, my brother and I rode our Harley's 3,200 miles on my "Retirement Run", I've been through 3 different jobs since July and I've put on 15 pounds already since I left the AF.

Mom, I suppose you are the only one that may be reading this. I'll be adding a link to your blog soon. I had to update my template and it wiped everything out.

So anyway, as I was setting my Blogspot back up I was thinking about why I quit using it almost a year ago. The short answer is.....Myspace. I was spending more and more time on my MS profile and less time here. Well, I kinda got out of control with the Myspace thing, and finally shut it down.

On the job front:
I left the Air Force in July because I had about 90 days of leave saved up. I collected an active duty paycheck until the end of October. I immediately took a job in July as a customer service rep for a local branch of the Carrier Corp. I was making a nice salary, but I was also putting in 12hrs a day. The phone NEVER stopped ringing and the emails NEVER stopped coming. I felt trapped and chained to a desk. That was a far cry from the service call work I had done for the past 20 yrs in the AF. So...I quit.

Next, I went to work for the local Harley dealership as the Safety officer, the Riders Edge program manager and I also got trained to be a service writer. Within my first month, I was sent to Milwaukee to the Harley Davidson "mother ship" for training. Now I loved working for the dealership. The only problem was that they didn't pay well at all. Well, about a month ago, I got a phone call from my civilian boss at the Air Force base. He was able to add a civilian slot to his manning document and offered me the job. So, I reluctantly gave my notice at the Harley shop and have been a WG-10 for about 2 weeks now.

I just had my 42nd birthday on Dec 20th. I'm an old man who doesn't really know where I'm going in life now. I just keep working, riding my Harley and putting money in the bank so that one day when I figure out what it's all about, I'll be able to enjoy life.

Well, that's about it for now. Mom that's nuts will probably be the only person to read this far, so hiya mom......
Peace

Helloooo...Is this thing on?

2007-12-21T20:12:00.000-06:00

Long time no "see", huh? I dont know if anyone will see this, but I'll post anyway. I'm gonna go lurk around some of my old friends pages. See ya...

Long time no see...

2007-02-01T21:32:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile, huh? I don't even know if anyone still visits here. I haven't been intentionally avoiding this blog, it's just that I've been in a rut and haven't been inspired to do write.

Much has happened in my life over the past two months. The interview for the manager position at the store didn't happen. In fact, I've given my notice. The 8th of Feb will be my last day. The owners named our road salesman as store manager due to the absence of the original manager. I didn't have a problem with that decision one bit. It needed to be done. The problem I have is that the owners were e-mailing me and telling me that they wanted me to come interview. I don't understand why they would not let me know that they were no longer interested in talking to me. I was completely caught off guard by the announcement.

So I just didn't like the way things were handled. I went looking for another job and found one, making double what I make now.

What's the happs???

2006-12-17T10:55:00.000-06:00

So it has been awhile.. It's Sunday morning and I'm drinking coffee and jamming Van Halen's Live without a Net DVD on surround sound. I love Sundays and I'm happy to be alive and healthy.

A lot has happened lately. I went in to meet with my commander two weeks ago and asked to be replaced in my new position. Back in Oct I blogged that I was the new Emergency management NCO for Sheppard AFB. I was asked to step up by the out going manager and against my better judgment, I accepted the position.

Well I have 7 months left before I retire and the day to day stress is killing me. This position is more suited for a person with the next higher rank than I hold, but I thought my strong personality would make up for the lack of rank. Nope, didn't happen...and the day to day dealings with commanders and management from outside agencies was eating my lunch. So I did what I've never done in my 20 year career. I walked in to my commander and said sir, "I quit". He wasn't real happy but he understood my frustrations. So as you can imagine, the whole ordeal was a blow to my ego. I moped around on my pity pot because I quit something. However, the other part of me was saying look dude...you cant leave the military with ulcers and stress.

So the 20th is my 41st birthday. I'm bummed out because I'm 20 lbs overweight going bald and I cant get any ladies to smile at me anymore. I'm happily married and such, but I think I should still be able to catch an eye of a hot chick now and then. Although if I did get some play, I wouldn't know how to react. All I want to do anymore is play guitar play drums or surf the net for music stuff. I don't even surf for porn any more.

And Christmas.....I haven't finished my shopping yet. I put lights up last weekend and it took an act of congress to get me to do that. Bahh friggen humbug.

On an upnote, I interview for a management position at the store in January. I'll be traveling to Amarillo to meet with our owners, to talk things over. Keep your fingers crossed...

That's enough whining for now. See ya.....

It's hard to believe it has been two years

2006-12-08T17:55:00.000-06:00

RIP

Happy Thanksgiving day and stuff

2006-11-23T09:55:00.000-06:00

First off I want to wish EVERYONE a very Happy Thanksgiving. I've been neglecting my blogger duties because I've been lurking on Myspace too much. I've been checking on you guys but haven't been diligent on my posting duties. I've noticed that some of my old friends seem to have abandoned their blogs too. Princess Lo and MPD if you guys see this, I hope you are ok.

I'm excited to say that I have a new link to a blog over at the top of my recommended reading column. It's ironic that I found him today, because two posts ago I commented on how much his former band, Van Halen, influenced me as a kid. Ladies and Gentlemen...check out the blog of the best bassist and harmony vocalist in the world...Mr. Michael Anthony.

Anyway, it is great hearing from who's left of my blogger buddies. Phil, Gil, Wendy, and the ever sexy Mom that's nuts. I even had a comment from a new friend, Geek. Welcome to the Circus Geek.

Have a great day!

Men and our toys...

2006-11-19T11:40:00.000-06:00

I was up till almost 3:00am playing with this stuff. Technology these days is absolutely amazing. My laptop goes to a web site called Guitar-port Online. I type in any artist under the sun. We're talking everything from Conway Twitty to Metallica. A list of songs pop up and I click on a particular song. The website sends the artists guitar sound, amp settings and any special effects the artist used while recording the original song to my processor on the floor via my lap top.

After all the guitar settings load I can play the song as you hear it on the CD, or I can play it without the original guitar parts (I supply them). All of this is done instantly. I'm digging my toys like nobody's business.

What's up y'all??

2006-11-17T10:46:00.000-06:00

OK Lets try this again. I had made a post and somehow before I saved it, my laptop decided it was going to shut down and reboot.

Anyway, I'm off from work because wifey had her galbladder removed on Wed. X-rays showed it was full of stones. They do surgery much different now. We were in at 8:00am and out by 1:00pm. She's at home recovering nicely for the next two weeks.

As you can see, I posted a new video. I saw VH on this tour wayy back in 1980. I thought these guys were the coolest. I used to dress like Eddie and Dave. Keep in mind that I went to a Redneck South Mississippi highschool. So showing up dressed in anything other than bluejeans resulted in weekly pummelings. I didn't care. Me and select few were going to be rock stars like Van Halen. If you saw the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, I was exactly like Demone.

Anywho...I thought VH was the coolest. When I watched this video, I had to laugh at how hokey they were. It's amazing how 26 years can change your perspective on things. Wow..26 years. Holy crap. Ok I'm old and I gotta go take some Geirtol or something (no Viagra needed though).

New toys

2006-11-03T20:39:00.000-06:00

Well awhile back I posted a guitar I wanted, but alas I just couldn't justify paying the price the manufacturer wanted for it. Even with my employee discount it was still over a thousand dollars. So I found these two on ebay and still have money in the bank.

The white one is an original Kramer Focus from around 1983-85. It is in perfect shape and plays just as good as it did 20 years ago. The red, white and black one is a beater that someone put together from a bunch of parts. It has a Kramer decal on the headstock but I'm skeptical of its authenticity. It doesn't matter. I bought it for a project guitar anyway. I'm going to strip it down and re-do the Eddie Van Halen paint job.

So I've been away for awhile. How's everyone been?

You thought you could get rid of me...HAAA!!!!

2006-10-09T10:43:00.000-05:00

So I'm back. The last month or so has been a bit hectic. The base just finished it Operational Readiness Inspection, and I've found myself in a another new job. Let me elaborate:

For all of my civilian tax paying friends, an ORI happens about every two years. It is a compliance inspection to ensure that a base isn't running amuck. There are "regulations" for everything, and as a base does its day to day business, they should be following these regs.

During an ORI a team of highly trained military members comes to a base and inspects every single process of every single unit on the base. No stone is left un-turned. It is a very stressful time for the base. After the week-long inspection. The inspection team assembles as much of the base population in a large auditorium for and announces grades for each unit and those grades factor into an overall grade for the entire base. The overall atmosphere is like a pep rally in high school. The only down side to this is that your dirty laundry is aired to the entire base if your unit gets a bad mark. Well our unit got an excellent rating which contributed to the base also getting an excellent rating. I should mention that the ratings range from Outstanding, Excellent, Satisfactory, Marginal and Poor. So all in all, we kicked butt.

This should be my last ORI. I drop my retirement paperwork in about 20 days, and my last day in uniform should be around the 14th of August. Now...

I think I mentioned awhile back that I had changed jobs. By trade I'm a heating and AC guy. Since April, I've been the Unit Deployment Manager. I'm a travel agent sending people in my unit to war. Well, last week, I was "promoted" to being in Sheppard AFB. Definitely not a position I jockeyed for, but my bosses think I can handle it. So here I am.

The last year of a military career should be stress free. We train NATO pilot's here and they crash from time to time. If that happens, yours truly will have his team of experts set up a mobile command post for the NTSB and all the big dogs on base. You think that is stress free??? I think not...

Anyway, I'm done ranting. I'm back now, so check in often.

2006-08-22T21:34:00.000-05:00

Hiya,
How's everyone? And by everyone I mean the only two people who seem to still lurk around here (Wendy and MOM). I think all my other regular blog buddies have given up on me. I dont know if it's cause I have the video thing going on or maybe cause I only post once a month or so... Oh well it could be worse. Instead of having two hot chicks as my only visitors, I could have two hard leg middle aged guys visiting with me.

So, I'm selling off some of my drum stuff to finance a guitar purchase. I want an American made Jackson guitar with Bengal yellow finish. Below are pictures of it.

This guitar is capable of delivering the pinch harmonics and high screaming notes of any 80's hair metal song. This thing is gonna set me back about a grand. Keep in mind I'm a drummer and only know about 5 guitar chords. I'm taking guitar lessons right now, so this will be my motivation to practice. I just friken love this guitar.

OK, I gotta get to bed. G'night...

And I say welcome to the show!!!!!!!!!

2006-08-06T17:59:00.000-05:00

Not much happening here. I went up to the music store today to do some re-arranging and accidentally set off the alarm. Man that thing is loud. The alarm company called and after some questioning as to who I was, they decided I wasn't trying to rob the place. They couldn't find my name on any of their lists, so needless to say this week, I'll be asking Bob to send my name in. Oh well, that's it. My life is pretty mundane huh??? Oh yea, dig the new video...

Back in TX....

2006-07-28T16:32:00.000-05:00

We left the coast yesterday at 10:00am and got home last night about 10:30. We stopped in Shreveport for an hour to eat. Doing a 720 mile trip with 3 kids in 12 hrs is pretty good. So now we're back in the oven of Wichita Falls TX. After being around all of the nice green foliage of Memphis and the coast, the scortched brown area of North TX is just plain dreary.

The pic below is the legendary Sun Recording Studios on Union St. in Memphis. This is where Elvis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash began their recording careers. It was very cool (but crowded) going in here. The lady who made the famous fried peanut butter sandwiches that Elvis liked still works in the cafe here.

And of course no trip to Memphis would be complete without visiting Graceland. Below is yours truly at the gates to E's mansion. I didnt take the tour inside because I found out that Priscilla and Lisa Marie sold most of their interest in the Elvis estate.

So thats it for now. I'm back in hell...err Texas. Oh yea...I got a notice that I have jury duty starting this Monday. I havent been to work at my military job for the last 3 weeks, so lets make it an even one month.

Memphis to Mississippi....aka The Vacation Blues

2006-07-26T14:10:00.000-05:00

So we've been back in our hometown on the MS. gulf coast since last Friday. It has been a year since Katrina and this place still looks like a war zone. The people have changed. I'm not placing blame, I'm just making a statement. The people and places of my childhood are forever gone or changed. My maw maws house where I grew up has not been touched by my biological father since the day of the hurricane. Now it is beyond repair with holes in the ceilings and floors. Black mold has taken over the once beautiful knotty pine, tongue and groove paneling. My uncle told me that my father refuses to sign a right of entry which would have allowed the city to bull doze the house and remove it at no cost. My father lives in a FEMA trailer and drinks his life away. He has some grand illusion that somehow he will return the house to its once condition that it was in when my maw maw and paw paw were still alive. Anyway, enough of that....

I think my wife and I have decided to move to Bartlett TN when we retire next year. We loved the neighborhoods we drove through while we were there. Bartlett seems to be a city nicer than where we live in TX now. It's close enough to Memphis that we can be in the city within 30 minutes, but far enough away that the crime is not there. I just have to make the decision to follow through with it. We are already established in TX and I love working at the music store. I have a year to make a decision.

So anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Memphis. We visited Beale St, Sun Records (where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins recorded). We visited Graceland and we visited The Lorrianne Motel where Dr. MLK was assassinated. While at the Lorraine, I met a lady across the street who has been protesting what the Civil Rights Museum has become.

This incredible lady's name is Jacqueline Smith. She has been outside protesting the Civil Rights Museum since the day she was physically thrown out of the Lorraine over 14 yrs ago. Her belief's are extremely different than those of the money making people that run the museum. Although she is technically homeless, Miss Jackie was one of the nicest and smartest people I have ever met. From this time forward I will have a link to her web site over in my links area. Please take a second and click here to visit her web page.

Well...I wanted to post some pics of me being a tourist in Memphis, but Blogger has other ideas I guess. I'll try again later.

Hello from Memphis!!!!!

2006-07-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

So we made it to Bartlett last night about 7:00pm. I The trip was uneventful with the exception of my wife being a little bit of a pain in the ass. Today we will check out Bartlett and look at a few neighborhoods. We will probably go see Graceland and take a stroll own Beale St. I'll post some pictures tonight.....

Ladies and gentlemen...Elvis has left the building

2006-07-18T21:18:00.000-05:00

So I just polished off 1/4 of a gallon of ice cream. I ate the first half last night. Now I feel like crap. I don't know why I binge eat, but I do. Anyway, tomorrow we leave for our family vacation. We are heading to Memphis for a couple of days to scope out the town of Bartlett. We are looking at possibly moving there when I retire.

From Memphis, we are going back to our home town on the MS gulf coast. I;ll take lots of pictures and I'm sure I'll have lots to post about when I get back on the 28th. To all my regular visitors, I'll be checking in on you guys while I'm away.

See ya in a few........

Insomnia reigns

2006-07-16T01:23:00.000-05:00

It's 1:15 am and I'm wide awake. I've been on leave for this past week and I've stayed up late and slept till 8:30 every day. It's going to be rough getting up at 5:15 on Monday so I can make roll call at the gym. I'm only going in for 2 days and then I'm on leave again for 2 weeks. I worked this schedule out a couple of weeks ago because I was supposed to brief my Commander about stuff on the 18th. Well that fell through and I never changed my projected leave dates.

Anyway, I went to the music store at 10:30 tonight. We are really short handed now and the store is a mess. I clocked in and opened a couple of amps we got in this week. I ran the vacuum cleaner and straightened up a bit. The electric guitar room looks better than it did when we left at 6. I will probably put in a couple of hours tomorrow doing some more cleaning. I'm glad the lazy ass quit. He was a nice guy, but he never got off his butt to do anything. The store is better off without him. So as long as the store mgr is ok with me clocking in late at night, I'll continue to do this. It's so nice getting things in order without the phone ringing off the hook and without customers cranking up amps.

Oh well... I'm outta here.

Ahh...Civilian life

2006-07-13T20:17:00.000-05:00

I've been on leave all week and working at the music store. My sales are well for the month and I'm really liking the "civilian life". I cannot wait to retire. I closed the store tonight for the manager and balanced the books. I now have a key to the store so I'll be helping Bob (store mgr) out more often.

Bob broke the news to me this week that he's been diagnosed with throat cancer. That really sucks. Bob is like my mentor. He's a very cool older man. I've talked about him before on here. Back in the 60's and 70's he provided voice overs for one of the characters on the "Banana Splits" comedy show. He also played Bass guitar on the LeAnn Rhymes album that has the song Blue on it. He's a very cool guy that has stories from the road. He's an all around nice guy who is very down to earth...

So we are going to Bartlett TN next week to start our vacation. From there, we are going home to the MS gulf coast. It will be my wifes first time returning home since the hurricane. So that's that.

Dig the new video... Of course it's from the hottest band in the world...

4th of July thoughts

2006-07-02T21:48:00.000-05:00

Well my city has imposed a ban on fireworks because this place is like a tinder box. So...I posted this video from the hottest band in the world because it's full of pyro and fireworks. I hope everyone has a safe holiday.

Not much to talk about. It's hot here, my AF job is sucking my life force from me and I cant devote time to the music store. I can't wait to retire. I haven't played drums in weeks and I cant find time to meditate. I am eating like a pig and packing the pounds on...

OK, I just needed to get all the whining out of me. I really don't have much to bitch about. My family is healthy, my wife and I are gainfully employed and aside from a house payment, we are $3,000 from being totally debt free. When I returned from Korea 3 yrs ago we were $16,000 in credit card debt. We made a commitment that on the day I retired we would be totally debt free (except for house payment). We should be done very shortly and will start socking money away for my retirement. I want to be able to take a month off before I begin the next phase of my life.
Well, I hope everyone has a great holiday.....

What's the happs???

2006-06-25T15:45:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in awhile... I started devoting more time to my MY-SPACE page. Well, I'm back. This blog is more personal and aside from family and a few close friends, not a lot of people I work with know about this blog. I feel I can come here and purge all the shit I'm dealing with, and not have to worry about repercussions from co-workers.

So the video is a song that I have loved since I first heard it in the 90's. I identify with it on so many levels. I hated the whole "grunge" movement, but Nirvana and these guy's made awesome music.

Well, lets see... A lot has been happening lately. My new AF job is going well. I'm putting in about 10hrs a day on average though. I've also put on 6 pounds since I started being a desk jockey. That is not good for me. I took my physical fitness last week, and scored in the "marginal" category. That's like just scraping by. I ran my 1.5 miles in 14min, 9sec which is respectable for a 40yr old guy. My problem is my waist is 40 inches and I only did like 36 pushups and 22 sit ups. That killed my score. I've always been a big dude, so my waist isn't gonna shrink. The only way I can improve my overall score is to improve my pushups and sit ups... Oh well. I retire in 16 months...

The music store job is going ok. I'm only working Saturday's now because of my AF job. One of the lazy guys gave his 2 week notice Saturday. I'm glad his lazy ass is leaving. He is so smart when it comes to pro audio but he is just lazy as hell. The boss is going to hire a girl in his place. Supposedly she is an ex band director. We rent and sell school band equipment so she should work out nicely.

So we'll see. Anyway...I hope all of my regular friends are still around... I'm checking in on all of you.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

2006-06-18T14:15:00.000-05:00

I haven't been here in awhile. Looks like some of the regulars haven't updated their blogs either. What's up with that???? Not much been happening around here. The USAF is plodding along. We are gearing up for a huge inspection called an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI).

It will last a week. A large team of inspectors will roll in and inspect every nook and cranny of how we do business. The base will receive a "grade" and heads will roll if the base doesn't do well. My job will be looked at heavily since I'm the focal point for deploying troops. The ORI is the first week of October. We are beginning to prepare now.

Some good things I'm going to do before that.... The middle of July I'll be attending the NAMM convention in Austin. I am so stoked about going. Then towards the end of July we are going back to the MS coast for a summer visit.

So that's it. Hope everyone hasn't quit checking in on me. Drop me a line to let me know you were here.
Peace

Finally...The weekend is here

2006-06-09T23:37:00.000-05:00

So this week was busy as hell at work. We are in the process of moving operations into a brand new "Readiness" facility. I hate moving, but it had to get done. My kids will be back on Sunday. My wife and I are going down to Dallas tomorrow night and go out to dinner and see what trouble we can get into. I booked us a room up high at the Hyatt Regency too. Kind of a romantic hoorah before the kids come home.

Well tonight was the first time I've gone to play my drums in about a month. I got together with a guitar player who I used to jam with. We were rusty as hell but we had a good time. We played hard and I must have sweated off 5 pounds...

Well it's almost midnight and I have to be at the music store at 9:30am. Hope you all have a great weekend.

PS. A HUGE thank you to Mom for the advice on how to change videos on here without screwing up my template. Yay Mom. OK, I'm out...

I'm lost

2006-06-04T21:50:00.000-05:00

My wife and I drove all 3 of our boys to DFW today to fly them off for a week with my mom and dad. It was the first time the 5 yr old flew and we didn't know for sure if he would follow through with the trip so my wife and I didn't make any plans this week to do anything special (like fly to Vegas).

Now the house is quiet and I feel lost. My wife is in bed sick and I'm watching TV wide awake at 10:00 pm. Tomorrow morning is a PT day which means I'll be up at 5am so I can get to the gym in time for roll call. It's going to be rough in the morning because I've been on leave for the last week. I've been sleeping late and eating like shit. I've eaten nothing but junk food all week and I feel like crap. Tomorrow we will be running 3 miles. My fat ass will be going on a strict salad, tuna and canned chicken diet starting tomorrow so I can get back down below 200lbs.

I worked 2 days last week at the music store and had really good sales numbers. In the first 3 days of June I've sold $3,400. My sales numbers have slumped a bit since I cut back to Saturdays only. I talked with my boss about that because I was concerned that if my bottom is only a fraction of the rest of the employees that the owners might question the need for my position. My boss told me not to worry that even though my bottom line is way off, the number of transactions I ring up show are very close to the guys that work 40hrs a week. That shows that I'm getting face time with customers.

So that's about it. Back to the grindstone tomorrow....UUGGHHH..

Memorial day thoughts

2006-05-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has a great memorial day. Please take a second to think of troops from every war that paid the ultimate price.

So this video is from the best rock group ever (I'm biased)... However it's from a time in their career when times were tough. The makeup had been removed and MTV was hot. They followed other bands trends and did hokey over produced videos. But the lyrics were great and the band was tight. Ace and Peter had left and Eric Carr (RIP) and Bruce were better musicians. I saw this line up in Biloxi, and there were only about 1500 people in attendance. I swear that was one of the best concerts ever. I love this song cause it described my party hard lifestyle back then. It still describes my life today, but not due to partying...now it's due to LIFE!

Hey Mom, get Drum to check this video out. Tell him to try to sit through the whole thing without laughing (it's really hokey). Tell him this was the type of video that MTV used run in the early 80's.

To all my blog friends...I hope you are all having a great weekend. To anyone who stumbles onto this blog. WELCOME TO THE SHOW!!!!

You thought you could get rid of me...HAAA!!!!

2006-05-28T08:56:00.000-05:00

Long time no "see", huh??? I've been lazy with blogging, but have been keeping up with all of you. So my new Air Force job is going ok. I have been very busy with deploying people to various points in the world. We seem to be getting a bunch of "short notice" deployments. It's a bit stressful trying to make sure these guys make all of their appointments and have all their equipment before they leave.

We sent a kid out of here awhile back who got notified on a Monday, and I hauled him to DFW at 4 am on Friday in order to meet his arrival suspense. This would be plenty of time if it were a "normal" deployment. However, his reporting requirements dictated that he posses a passport AND and international drivers license.

If you've ever applied for a passport, you know it takes about 2 months to acquire one. To make a long story short, we sent him without either. So when people arrive at their deployed location, they "in-process" to their gaining unit and if they are missing anything that the official tasking letter called for, the deploying base gets a "write up" and the general of the base has to answer why the troop arrived without required items.

So my commander provides the response to the general, and if the general blesses it, it goes up the chain. I wrote the response and my commander edited it Friday and I sent it up Friday.

So you may remember the I've cut my hours back at the music store to Saturday's only. I've been putting in extra time at the AF job, so it's no big difference to me, but it is nice to come home and spend time with my family. But since I've cut back, another guy quit and we've been getting a bunch of stock in. With only 4 guys working Mon-Fri, the store is starting to get a bit cluttered.

We cant sell it if it's in a box not assembled. I wanted to get these drums assembled and on display. But they are still sitting in the same spot right now.

I'm on leave this week from the AF. I'm going to work at the music store Thursday and Friday, so I'll get to it then if the guys don't get to it before.

Anyway, I hope all of you guys have a great memorial day weekend.

Sunday Blues

2006-05-14T12:42:00.000-05:00

The new video is in memory of Dime. I was up at 2:00am this morning watching "Behind the music" of Pantera. There is a bunch of hostility between vinnie Paul (Dimes brother/the drummer) and Phil Anselmo (Singer). Even after Dime's death, these two guys are still going at it. This is my favorite Pantera song. It's sad that this song kind of predicted the whole deal surrounding Dimes death.

Anyway....Sunday's are usually my most favorite day of the week. Today is different. I'm not sure what's going on with me, but I am all fouled up. It started Friday when I had to get up at 3:00am so I could get a kid who is deploying to DFW. I'm just out of sync.

Well, I told my boss at the music store that I needed a break for awhile and that I only wanted to work on Saturdays till August or so. With my new AF job and family situations, I'm starting to get a bit burnt with my present schedule.

Last night I went to jam with a couple of friends and couldn't get into it because I was so tired. I feel kind of guilty for having to ask for the cutback, but I don't know what else I can do. On a positive note, I am starting guitar lessons this week.

Well, that's enough whining for one day.
Peace

No news is good news...

2006-05-07T17:33:00.000-05:00

So not too much happening in my life... That's good... So as you can see, I've got a new video post here. Yep, it's my Blog's namesake being performed by the hottest band in the world!!!

Also, you should check out my My Space page over in my links section. Check out some of my "friends". You've heard of a couple of them. So that's all for now...Short, sweet and to the point huh?

Very cool stuff from my friend Michael L.

2006-04-29T21:09:00.000-05:00

You may remember me posting awhile back about my friend Michael L. Michael collects Neil Peart drum sticks and he has a kick ass website dedicated to his hobby. Well he sent me an email this morning telling me to check out his updated page. He received the first pair of NP signature sticks that rolled off the line for 06'.

Not only did the nice folks at Pro Mark send Michael the sticks, they took pictures of the sticks getting the final touches on the assembly line. The president of Promark sticks also hand wrote a note to Michael explaining that the sticks were the #1 set.

Now for the folks who don't know the "411" on endorsed artists music items, the artist usually receives the "first item" every year. Michael relayed to me that Neil Peart gave the knod to ProMark to go ahead and send the first pair of NP signature sticks to Michael. How friggen cool is that..?

Click here or his link over in my links section to go to Michael's web page to check out the cool pictures of his new sticks. Once his page loads, click on "special ProMark pictures".

I'm Baaaaaaaaaccckkk

2006-04-28T10:08:00.000-05:00

I flew back a day early yesterday. I'm glad I did. I missed my wife and kids. My Paw Paw's service and funeral were very nice. While I was down there I rode along the coast and was very upset by the devastation caused by Katrina. Seven months have passed and the coast still looks like a war zone.

I spent about 30 years of my life on the coast and even I couldn't remember where some landmarks used to be. Everything around those places has been swept away, so there are no points of reference. I went to every place I lived on the coast throughout my life to see if they were still standing. Some were, some were not. These first pictures are of my grandmothers house. This is the house where I rode out hurricane Camille in 69'. In 69 the only water that got in was from the rain blowing in. During Katrina I had family who thought it would be safe to stay (we all made it just fine in 69). During Katrina, my family had to swim out and go to neighbors on higher ground. After the hurricane, the water line on the walls was about 6 feet.

The pics above looks like everything is ok, huh? Well, the pics below are what it look likes on the inside of my Maw Maw's. This is why her and my Paw Paw have been living with my mom and dad.

The pic above is looking into the kitchen/dining room from the car port entrance. Notice the slats of frosted glass on the door on your immediate left. My relatives couldn't get the door open by the time they realized the water was too high in the house. They had to "crank" the glass slats open to let the water out of the house.

The pic above is from the living room looking through one bedroom and into my maw maws and paw paw's room in the back. A bunch of great childhood memories came back to me while I stood there taking these pictures.

The pic above is the house that my mom and I lived in when Camille hit. Notice the red markings on the door. The markings let authorities know it's been searched for casualties. My mom and I were reported as casualties after Camille because the neighbors told authorities we had stayed in the house.

This pic above is where my wife and I lived in a military duplex while stationed at Keesler AFB. I spent the first 9 yrs of my career at home in Biloxi. There was a large military housing neighborhood that was actually off base and on the back bay of Biloxi. The entire neighborhood was flooded or destroyed.

This was a place where my dad would take us to breakfast after church on Sunday's when we were kids. Notice how the road is washed out. This was on the beach about 100 yards off the water.

The hotel above is where I was a part time maintenance man when I was a young Airman. Notice the second pic shows the asphalt comes out further than the building. That's because the entire lobby and adjoining restaurant were washed away. This building is also only about 100 yards off the gulf.

The pics above are of the Biloxi/Ocean Springs Bridge. I stood in O.S. at the point where the bridge joins land and looked back into Biloxi (West). The second pic shows how thick the concrete and rebar were. The force of the water broke the bridge like a piece of thin plywood.

I don't know if I will take my wife and kids back there when I retire in 18 months. These pictures don't begin to show the full impact on the coast. The people are different now. My whole trip was bizarre.

The above picture was sent to me by my aunt a couple of weeks after the hurricane. The house has not been touched since (almost 8 months have passed). It is the house my biological father was living in. It belonged to my grand pa and grand ma. After my mom and father divorced, I would go visit my grand parents on weekends. This old house also holds many great childhood memories. The front porch of the house is blown in. My father doesn't even have a tarp to try to keep the rain out. Unbelievable...I spoke to him for a minute. He looked horrible. I believe he had the shakes from not drinking that day. I don't expect him to live much longer. I was so pissed at him that I didn't even engage him about getting help with the house or anything else. I try not to pass judgment because it took me a long time to get sober. I could very easily forget my roots and let my ego get the better of me. That would get me back to taking a drink, and I'd be fucked for life.
Anyway, that's my story for now. I'm sad for my family on the coast for the loss of my paw paw, and for the state of the coast. I'm happy to be back in TX with my wife and kids.
Peace

RIP Paw Paw

2006-04-23T17:34:00.000-05:00

I got a call from my dad last night at 10:00pm to tell me that my Paw Paw (mom's dad) passed away about 8pm. I knew this was going to happen soon because Hospice got involved awhile back. My mom has been tending to both her mom and dad for months.

To add to moms stress, my uncle, and his wife and their daughter moved in with my parents and grand parents after the hurricane flooded their house. My mom and dad have had a total of 7 people in their 3 bed room house for 8 months.

I love my mom very much, but she tries too hard to be the worlds savior. She has always been like that. When I was growing up, we'd have this friend and that friend living with us for a period of time. I know everyone on the coast is still being affected by the hurricane, but I have other family that could help my mom out with things. I wont go there.....

So I'm flying out of DFW tomorrow, headed towards New Orleans. I'll land there at noon and get a rental car and head home to the coast. It will be my first trip home since the hurricane. I need to be home for my mom as she deals with the closure of losing her dad. We all know he had a good life. I believe he was 85. His service will be Tuesday, but I'm not leaving the coast untill Friday. I want to check on some more of my family up and down the coast who have been affected by the hurricane...

I'm specifically talking about my biological father who seems to think it's ok to live in a FEMA trailer and drink his life away instead of getting off his drunk ass and trying to repair the old house I grew up in. Dont get me started on him. Suffice it to say that several in my family are your stereotypical southern "white trash". I love them, but they really piss me the fuck off.

Anywho...I gotta pack and get my shit together for my trip.
Peace

PS. I may be out of pocket for awhile, but I'll try to check in on all of you while I'm down in MS.

Be careful what you ask for...

2006-04-18T20:50:00.000-05:00

Holy Crap! My new job is kicking my ass up one side and down the other. A 12 hour day today and have to be back at 6 am (It's 9pm and I just walked in and ate). After careful consideration and several briefings, I've arrived at the conclusion that my commander is a shit head.

It is going to take me every ounce of self control to not have my mouth get me in trouble with him. I understand my role and that I work for him, but his arrogance fucking kills me...

Enough whining... I asked to be placed in this position , I have some good news to report. I got a call today from my jam pad landlord (where I keep my drums). He called to say he was reducing our rent from $200 a month to $150. It seems that he has noticed no increase in the electric bill since we've been there. He's already a millionaire, so our rent doesn't affect him much anyway. He likes the fact that we are renting this storefront anyway because the locals know someone could be there all hours of the night. He has a large warehouse in the back with all types of stuff for his hotels that he owns.

So anyway, I gotta split. 5am comes pretty early.
Peace

Happy Easter and stuff.

2006-04-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

I hope all my regular visitors have a very Happy Easter. Mine will be spent hanging out with my wife and kids. I think we will be taking my two youngest rug rats to the movies to see Ice Age. I dont have to do my weekly chores today because my wife and oldest son did the lawn work yesterday.

So with the new job and all, I haven't had the time or energy to drive across town at night to play drums. This is a dilemma that kind of has me bummed out. So I've been kicking around the idea of taking up the guitar again. I've toyed around with the guitar for a few years. I know a handful of chords, but that's about it.

We have some excellent guitar instructors at the music store. We have a guy named Mike McAdoo who teaches. Mike used to be the lead guitarist for the Osmonds at Branson Mo. He has been featured in guitar player magazine and was voted best lead guitarist in Branson 3 yrs in a row back in the late 90's. Click here if you want to read up on Mike.

Anyway, I own a few guitars, but just want a new one to get me back into playing, so I'm going to get me this one.

Yep, a Gothic Explorer. We just started carrying Epiphone again. Most 40 yr old guys would go for a nice acoustic guitar. Not me, Give me drop D tuning on this guitar and teach me some Metallica songs...

So...I hope all of you have a great Easter.
Peace

Sup?

2006-04-14T21:24:00.000-05:00

OMG! My new job is so F'n intense. Unit Deployment Manager (UDM for short) is a computer geeks wet dream. But I'm a heating and AC guy by trade, so it's my hell. I've done more Microsoft excell stuff, filing papers, and briefing the big wigs this past week. I've slept like a baby every night. Oh yea, dont forget I have to be at the gym by 6 am for PT 3 days a week.

Just wanted to let you all know I'm still kicking...

Has anyone seen my weekend? I seem to have misplaced it...

2006-04-02T13:03:00.000-05:00

Wow!!! This weekend has flown by. Yesterday was not a stellar day at the music store. I think I only had about 200 dollars total in sales. I also had words with one of my lazy co-workers. Anyway, I dont wanna blog-whine. Let me chnage the subject.

I recieved an email yesterday from a guy I met a couple of months ago who is a Neil Peart fan (drummer for RUSH). His name is Michael Lowe. Michael is a very cool fan who collects Neil Peart drumsticks and has built quite a website to enhance his hobby. He has worked with the people at Pro Mark sticks (Neils endorsed supplier) to help him develop this very cool web site. Michael has been kind enough to include me on his web site's "Special Thanks" page. Click here to check out Michael's website.

I am also going to include Michaels web site over in my links section. If you know anyone who is a RUSH memorabillia collector, tell them about my Blog and that they can get ahold of Michael via my page.

OK, one last thing.... I gotta give momthatsnuts props for her video post on her blog. I saw this Shakira chick on American Idol the other night and I was instantly a fan. WOW, HOLY CRAP she is a hottie. I know Mom is gonna give me shit for improving on my pig status, but WOW, HOLY CRAP. Click on Mom's name to check out this Latina hottie.. WOW, HOLY CRAP..
Peace

Man...I dunno....

2006-03-30T19:50:00.000-06:00

So my military job will change the week after next. Awhile back I blogged about being asked if I was interested in becoming our Unit Deployment Manager. I got the word today that it will happen.

I have been very unhappy in a shop environment for quite some time and had tried to "stuff" my feelings. There are 40 military and 15 civilians in my shop. I run a crew of 8, 1 civilin and the rest military. My civilian and a couple of young Airmen are really great at taking care of business. However, as a whole, our enitre shop is not on the same page. When you have 55 people and only half are focused and caring, as a whole, the shop suffers.

I've been in this shop for 3 years. I've got 18.5 years in the USAF. I'm old and ver set in my ways. I am finding it very hard to accept the "new" Air Force. A few years ago, the AF promotion rate was so fast that troops could put on sergeant efore 4 yrs. This was good for recruitment, but now the low level supervisors never had the chance to be "groomed" into their positions. Now those sergeants are expected to be incharge of young Airmen. For the most part they are not ready to handle the youth of today. These new Airmen are quite the handfull.

Anyway...enough whining. I'm looking forward to my new duties and the much smaller, more defined tasks.
Out

2006-03-26T10:54:00.000-06:00

As I sit here typing, I'm listening to cemetery gates by Pantera. It's hard to believe a year has passed since this guy was murdered. The words of this song fit like a glove to the circumstances that took Dime...Almost like a self fulfilling prophesy. RIP DIME......

We practiced for 2.5 hrs last night and had great fun. I'm a bit tired and sore this morning. I beat the shit out of my kit last night. I was a bit concerned that I might crack one of my new cymbals because I was playing so hard. But it was such a blast. Of course I wasn't wearing ear plugs so my ears rang till about 3 this morning. We've also lost 2 guys. We've exiled one guitar player, and the bass player is also gone as of last night. He's on his way to Iraq. The other guitarist (Jeff) and I seem to be the only ones who were interested in doing the more heavier stuff anyway.

I gotta tell you guys about the day I had at the music store had yesterday. I sold $4,300 worth of merchandise in about 7hrs. It was absolutely nuts. I would be helping one customer and have two others waiting on me. Every employee had the same situation. The whole month has been stellar for our store. I hope the man upstairs will allow continued good fortune for our industry. Drum sets and home recording studios seem to be the hot items.

Well I gotta get off my lazy butt and do some yard work. I live on a cul de sac where everyone keeps their lawn immaculate. Mine is kind of an eyesore.
Out for now...

I got TAGGED, so you get TAGGED

2006-03-22T21:17:00.000-06:00

Mom Thats Nuts tagged me... Here were her instructions. List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to. Here's mine:

1. Step Back-- Henry Rollins
2. Liar--Henry Rollins
3. Tomorrow--Silver Chair
4. Cemetary Gates--Pantera (RIP Dimebag)
5. 5 Minutes Alone--Pantera
6. Sick and tired of being sick and tired--Cross Canadian Ragweed
7. Anywhere but here--Cross Canadian Ragweed

Like Mom said in her post...I dont even know if 7 people READ this blog.....I tag MPD, Princess Lo and whoever else reads this. If you're reading, you gotta post...
Peace

BUMMER MAN!!!

2006-03-21T21:17:00.000-06:00

Well you may remember me posting the other day that I hope to be going to the summer NAMM trade show in July. There are always celebrities in attendance promoting companies who endorse them. So I thought I'd email a couple of my fave celeb drummers and ask if they will be there.

I received an email from Eric Singer saying that he wont be there because he'll be on tour. DAMN! I was really hoping to meet him.

The situation gets worse. Frankie Banali confirmed that he wont be making it either. Double Damnit! However, he was kind enough to post my email to him on his web page and answer it. You can click on his name and it will take you to the fan mail section of his site if you'd like to read my letter to him.

This internet thingiee is so cool. 30 yrs ago if you would have told me that I'd be able to communicate with celebrities without stalking them, I'd have laughed at ya. This is so cool.

And the winner is......

2006-03-20T21:33:00.000-06:00

MPD! Yep that hardcore Canadian rocker dude has once again displayed his heavy metal knowledge by naming this weeks celeb drummer. Franki Banali has played with Billy Idol, Gary Hoey, WASP and is best recognized as the drummer for Quiet Riot.

Click here to visit Frankie's website. This guy is not only a hell of a drummer, but he seems to be a very nice, down to earth guy. Check out the open letter to System Of A Down's drummer who apparently shot his mouth off about Quiet Riot in an interview. Come to find out the guy didnt have all his facts straight, and Frankie makes that point very clear. The whole time, FB doesnt lower himself to this guys level. Check it out...

So thats it for now. OUT....

Name that Celeb drummer...and other stuff

2006-03-18T08:22:00.000-06:00

Lets get right to this weeks installment of NTCD. This guy has played with many bands and celebrity singers. He is the main drummer for an 80 hair metal band that had a hit with an old song called "Cum on feel the noise".

He is a great drummer who isn't flashy, but is rock solid. He is very well spoken and is a collector of vintage Ludwig drums. After this installment is over, I'll post a link to his web site so you can read about him. So...Name That Celebrity Drummer...

Speaking of this guy, I hope to meet him in July at The NAMM trade show in Austin TX. Thats right ladies and gentlemen, tentatively speaking, it looks like yours truly could be one of the lucky ones from the store that will be attending the event over the weekend. For those that don't know, NAMM is the music industry's bi-annual event where all the new stuff is on display for buyers/owners to see. It is a huge ordeal because every company big-wig is there for owners to network with and million dollar deals are struck in a single handshake.

Here's the cool part for me. Celebrity musicians are always in attendance promoting the companies that they endorse. You might see Alex VanHalen in the Ludwig booth chatting it up with attendees and the next booth over you might see Jimmy Vaughn in the Fender booth signing autographs and promoting his signature guitar.

My favorite drummer (Eric Singer)is a well known feature at the Pearl Drums Booth, so I'm hoping to meet him. This Celeb drummer is usually there as well, and I'd consider it a great honor to meet him as well. The show is in July, so I still have a ways to go. My manager said that I'm on his list, so as long as the owners allow him to take 2 people with him, I'm in there....

Hope everyone has a great Saturday......

How did you spend your Saturday?

2006-03-11T19:09:00.000-06:00

I got to the music store at 9:15 this morning and the boss man was nowhere to be found. The boss is usually there when I roll in. I got into the store and turned the lights on and kinda picked up the place. So I decided to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the quietness of the empty store. However at 9:40 he still wasn't in. We open our doors at 10:00 so I started to get a bit nervous at 9:45.

The boss got in about 9:45 and appreciated me getting the coffee made. We made some small talk and he went to get the cash drawers ready. I made one more pass through the quiet store admiring the arranging and re-stocking we've done since inventory. I gotta say...our store looks great.

All of us have worked to take care of the store as a whole. Usually we have a tendency to take care of our own dept first (mine is the drum dept) but lately we have really worked in the guitar room and the front main area where customers enter.

We got our inventory done a month ago and now the warehouse has filled our stock back to good levels. For awhile it looked really thin in the store. We got the fluorescent lights working in the display cases and the cases filled with all types of gadgets. I love all the different colors of the pedals and stuff. We got a large shipment of PA equipment and speakers too. And drums... We've got more drum sets than you can shake a stick at.

So today was a good day. I had one sale that was about $1600. Recording equipment and speakers... So that was my Saturday. How was yours?

The 411

2006-03-05T13:30:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Right off the bat I want to let Mom that's Nuts know that she has been in my thoughts. It's hard to lose a close family member. I hope she can get through this and have some closure.

I may have some significant changes going on with me too. I was contacted at work last week and asked if I would be interested in changing jobs. My unit is in search of a Unit Deployment Manager and the powers that be are interested in me to do it. I'm not at liberty to say too much about the job other than the UDM is the focal point for anything to do with deploying members. If selected, it will be my responsibility to make sure troops get from here to anywhere they are needed in the world.

The powers that be told me that they chose me because of my "anal-retentive" personality. It's very difficult to make sure everyone takes care of all the small details. A missed detail can prevent a person from being able to deploy.

So I did an interview and both me and the powers that be are in favor of the deal. Now the unit commander has to bless the thing and it'll be a done deal. Stay tuned....

I just added a new link over in my links section. It's for a local metal band that a friend of mine plays guitar in. Standing Hollow is being resurrected and I like the new stuff. I had the opportunity to crash one of their reherals recently and I gotta say...damn it was LOUD. I like the new drummer and the energy he brings to the mix. So if ya get a chance, visit their site. If you ever get to this area and get the chance to see them...do it.

How can the chicks not dig me?

2006-02-26T18:45:00.000-06:00

So as of yet not a single guess on this weeks game of NTCD...Check the post below and give it a shot.

Ayway, check this picture out. As some of you (and my local friends) know, I go out late at night to play drums and jam with others at the jam pad.

Some of my friends ask if my wife ever gets jealous or may not believe me when I tell her I'm going out late at night to go play music. I tell them that my wife trusts me because I believe we have a strong marriage. Plus, where else would I go dressed like this. If I have my way, I'll be buried in sweats and an old concert T-shirt. If we ever start gigging, it's gonna be hard to play in street clothes.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Name that Celeb drummer

2006-02-25T07:53:00.000-06:00

OK boys and girls, I think this is gonna be a bit of a hard one unless you are a hippie from way back when.

This guy is one half of the Rythm Devils (a nickname for the percussionist duo of this super group). This drummers band is not your average band. No, in fact, this band had such a huge impact on society that fans actually "went on tour" with the band following them from city to city.

This drummer is not only a top notch musician, but I've learned that he is really into digital art. At the end of this weeks game, I'll post a link to his web site where you can view (and purchase) some of his amazing artwork.

I'm honored to say that this drummers son has dropped in here at my blog from time to time. So I must put this disclaimer in here... J if your reading this, I'm sorry, you are not eligible to play in this weeks NTCD. Of course I'm kidding... You are just as welcome to play as anyone.

The whole deal is to promote music knowledge and to have fun. So let the fun begin... Name That Celebrity Drummer.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaccckkk

2006-02-23T20:12:00.000-06:00

So the maneuvers were uneventful (that's a good thing). No one got hurt, got bit by anything or wrecked anything. Sleeping on a cot for two nights has kinda fouled up my back, but a couple of nights in my own bed should fix that. It was a bit cold and damp, but I've been in the field in worse weather. The highlight of the whole thing was us getting ambushed by "aggressors". The base security police got all decked out in their cammo faces and jungle suites. They had some really cool new state of the art sub machine guns, and shot us up with a whole shit load of blanks.

I want to send out a very special cyber "hug" to Mom that's Nuts. She's dealing with some very stressful times right now. Please click on her name and stop by to wish her well.

On a different note, I'd also like you guys to check out another cyber buddy of mine who is an awesome photographer. Gil R. Trust me, Gil captures some of the most amazing shots of NYC. I come home every day in hopes that he has updated his blog. Do yourself a favor and click on his name to see some amazing pics.