The Silver Turtle

instamatic fun

2009-02-02T00:22:00.000-05:00

Today I won a polaroid camera on ebay for $1.04. It includes 2 twin paks of expired film.
I also read about someone actually buying the company that used to make polaroid film, and it might not all disappear after all.

I'll be really stoked if this arrives before my birthday this weekend. Those will make some great photos.

I also just added this to my amazon wishlist. Apparently they are working on an all-in-one digital camera/printer deal, too.

so, i don't know if you guys heard, but...

2009-01-20T01:20:00.000-05:00

...there's this kinda big deal presidential thing ~~tomorrow~~ today. In a few hours.

Of course I made this cubee in honor of the big day. I'm excited, and annoyed I'll be @ work during his speech. If Obama can stay true to the principles + ideas he's spoken about + written about, change really is coming.

snowy bike ride

2008-11-17T20:13:00.000-05:00

I had my first snowy bike commute today.

Actually, when I road in it was pretty dry - most of the early morning snow had melted. On the way home I got a bit of snow, but that let up maybe 1/2 way through my ride.

I was bundled in:
two pairs of socks
tennis shoes
track pants
jeans over the track pants
a thermal long sleeve shirt
a t-shirt
a fleece pullover
a medium weight hoodie
medium weight gloves
wool bike cap (from Octopus Inc. - I *heart* this thing already).
bike helmet

On the way in I also had a fleece scarf to cover my face and ears. My glasses kept fogging up. So on the way home I pulled up the hoodie and did without the scarf.

I actually got a little toasty on both rides. I didn't completely hate it, and actually think it's probably easier to get around in crappy weather by bike. I still prefer summer, though.

it's just the beginning

2008-11-15T13:15:00.001-05:00

Just because the election's over, that doesn't give us permission to quit paying attention. I hope that Obama's effort to stay visible and involve the public is successful.

Obama's New Website - note that it's all about CHANGE.

VOTE

2008-11-04T16:21:00.001-05:00

YAY! Happy Voting Day! Now... GO. VOTE.

10 random things tag

2008-10-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks to "ks" over at the good part is coming I have to do this (and so do some of you)...

THE RULES:

The rules are: Once you have been tagged, you write a blog with 10 random things, facts, or habits about yourself. At the end you chose 10 people to be tagged, list their names and why you chose them. Don't forget to leave them a comment saying "you have been tagged" and tell them to read your latest blog. It sucks I know but what else ya got to do to people??? Isn't this gonna be fun? Now SHUT UP AND DO IT

1. I'm watching House right now.

2. I could have gone to Octubafest @ Capital. Because who doesn't love tubas?

3. I am equally excited + nervous for election day... and the subsequent results. I have turned into an Obama fangirl in the past two months or so.

4. I ~~think I~~ am addicted to Starbux Peppermint White Chocolate Mochas. I tried their cider today, and it was delicious. But I still had my Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha.

5. I do not like kids. (Exceptions are my niece, my nephew, and Nayson). When other people's kids are misbehaving in public, I have to really restrain myself from correcting them myself. I do not like ineffective parents even more. I also have to really restrain myself from correcting the parents.

6. My most prized possessions are my instruments + my ipod. Music, music, music = Happy, happy, happy. :)

7. I wish I could wear my t-shirts, hoodies, jeans, and sk8r style shoes (or flipflops) every day + to every event. I think the notion of "business" clothes, "formal" clothes, etc. is way to antiquated.

8. I find religion + politics fascinating. I could talk about them for hours. I've been known to talk about them a lot.

9. Plenty of people would call me "liberal". I'm a gigantic feminist. (I don't know how any woman couldn't b)e. I'm a fan of alternative energy + transportation. Biking, walking, public transit. Windpower, Solarpower, Hydropower.

10. I often grasp for the exact right word or phrase to express myself. I'm not satisfied with saying "I'm happy" when I mean "I'm ecstatic".

Ok, the end.

TAGGY-TAG-TAG:
Los Daddy, Freedom Girl, Shamus **I just realized how he spells "Shamus". I wonder if that was an intentional 'joke', John, Tomix, Peregrinus, Nutty, Young Raven, Copy Princess
Irish Dreams

(NO TAG BACKS!)

...Oh, and my reasoning is, with the exception of copy_princess, these are the people on my blog list that post the most frequently.

2008-10-23T17:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks 2 Kristin for sharing this. And remember *Your local elections are just as important. Do your research, get educated, and VOTE on EVERYTHING*.

want

2008-10-05T11:32:00.000-05:00

Available Here.

the photos

2008-09-28T23:15:00.003-05:00

As promised, some of the photos from the Brazen Brass DIY photoshoot.

My favorite group shot:

Some of me:

Our trombone player has a sweet camera + acquired a bunch of stage lights that she was able to set up for a makeshift studio. For the group shots, we used a self-timer. She shot the individuals of us. I shot the individuals of her. (A couple of which I think are ultra dope. So when I get copies I will post them).

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Also, tonight's bike ride was AMAZING.

Come see my ultra-geeky-rockster friends tonight!

2008-09-27T08:08:00.001-05:00

The Wet Darlings will be @ Rumba Cafe TONITE!

(No, I don't know why they can't come up with better band names.)

new bass...no toenail

2008-08-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

So on Tuesday STB + I were moving a couch. And my entire big toenail was ripped off in a giant, painful, bloody mess. OUCH. It still hurts. And the generic vicodin-looking pain meds aren't really helping much. Although it's better than it was Tuesday. And I have some antibiotics to keep it from getting all infected. Currently my toe is just exposed muscle tissue. The x-ray tech couldn't even look at it because she was so disgusted. I'm hoping I can make the Sunday Nite Ladies Ride tomorrow without it bothering my toe too much. Especially since I don't have to work Monday and can enjoy a late night.

Now on to the really important stuff. My new bass arrived Thursday! It's a (very slightly used) G+L Tribute. It's louder than my Ibanez SR400. The reach is just a bit longer. It's a lot more "live" sounding, and maybe a bit brighter. I'm happy that they have 2 different sounds so I can justify keeping both of them. It's also a subtle sparkly red. I'm gonna go play him in a few minutes after I finish watching Obama's speech on YouTube.

Here's some pics. And I felt like my other instruments were getting a little jealous, so I took photos of everything except my tuba. I'll have to do that later this week.

The new G+L:

My guitar family: G+L Tribute bass, Nameless Acoustic guitar, Ibanez SR400 bass:

The bodhrans: an 18" cheapy + a small Vignoles + a handful of tippers (many also from Michael Vignoles):

pimping the band merch

2008-08-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

The Brazen Brass have an official .com site!

www.brazenbrass.com

While you're there why don't you stop by the Skreened store to pick up some of our new merch?

awesome

2008-08-10T23:58:00.001-05:00

There's something quite addictive about bike riding all in itself.

But I've discovered the joy of riding in a group over the past couple weeks, thanks to the Sunday Nite Ladies Ride.

Large groups taking over the streets. Smaller groups stopping in the park to share wine. Taking in the unexpected with excitement, amusement.

I think I'm officially a bike addict.

little bodhran

2008-07-26T11:16:00.000-05:00

Julia dancing, Doug guitaring, me bodhraning

reasons to bike

2008-07-06T00:30:00.000-05:00

Riding a bicycle is the definition of freedom. Freedom from the oil companies. Freedom from monthly car payments. Freedom from expensive car maintenance. Freedom from monthly insurance payments. Freedom from obesity and all of its associated health risks. Freedom from bus schedules. Freedom to stop and admire the view any time you want. Freedom to choose your own route. Freedom to go at your own pace. Freedom to be yourself.

This was posted on a bike geek site among a list of reasons to ride a bike.

My other favorite reason posted is:

The wheeeeeeee" factor.

i like obama

2008-06-30T16:35:00.000-05:00

These guys are called Bop Du Fway. The background is some pretty great jazz. The spoken word + singing is generally pretty funny, even though the entire experience is a little weird. I do wish I would have recorded his little pre-song speech about endorsing a candidate, and how he used to actually like McCain. The chorus parts are cheesy, but the verses are good. Captured at ComFest 2008.

wow.

2008-06-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

This is an article about a Solar/Hydrogen powered househould. Built by a civil engineer with his own time and mostly his own money (although several grants were involved). It gives me hope for alternative fuel sources - but it also makes me sad that we're still so far away from these ideas being the "norm".

waiting...

2008-06-10T17:56:00.000-05:00

I'm waiting on STB so we can head out to one of our favorite parks & enjoy an evening of grilling food and hanging out.

I thought I'd post a few updates...

On the biking thing.... I've put just under 80 miles on my bike in the span of about 1 month. My longest ride was probably about 5 or 6 miles - so that's lots & lots of little rides. It also means that I reduced the mileage on my car by ~80 miles. Yay!

Only very minor updates on the music stuff... Brazen Brass will be performing @ the Clintonville Farmer's Market on Saturday, June 21. Ain't Misbehavin' has a private party gig this Saturday.

On job stuff...ugh, I'm so ready for a new job. But am still being choosy over where I apply. I've added to my criteria that it must be within biking distance of my residence. So my options are even more limited. I have a list of jobs to look through, just need to find the time to do that & then apply.

Alternate Transportation

2008-05-26T10:02:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to incorporate my biking into everyday activities as much as possible. My goal is to make the bike my primary method of transportation. (I ~~may~~ will almost definitely wuss out come winter, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it). I want to relegate the car to trips 10 or 15+ miles, events that require instruments, events where I can carpool, or as a back-up for really nasty weather. Right now I'm comfortable biking up to 8 miles roundtrip in a short period of time.

I have 4 reasons for this new way of thinking:

1. To save a little money on fuel

2. To be a little 'greener' in my everyday living

3. To get some exercise - I actually enjoy the gym, but I really love being outside in nice weather

4. I just enjoy riding a bike

I think #1 is going to become a huge issue for a lot of people over the next few months. What will be interesting is to watch how the majority of Americans change their lifestyles to adjust.

The first way of change would be to see more + more people using alternative fuels, hybrid or electric vehicles, walking, biking, using public transportation, etc. All positive changes to reduce our overall footprint, get more involved in local living (a byproduct of limiting your fuel consumption seems to be that you travel less for everything), and in many cases be a little healthier.

The second way of change would be to see people adjust to paying more for fuel by reducing their other expenses. While reducing your expenses is never a bad thing individually (it's typically a great thing!), it will affect the economy as large chunks of people stop spending money on entertainment and "extras". And/or use even more credit for purchases, which they then can't afford to pay off. And it will continue to deplete a limited resource, feed into the oil industry's grasp on our economy, limit research into alternative fuels, and drive up the cost of petroleum-based products EVEN MORE.

Sadly, I think it is more likely to go the way of the second option. It's promising to see a lot of people are starting to think 'green'. But Americans in general seem to be really, really in love with their big, gas guzzling vehicles. Usually with only 1 person in them.

I didn't intend this to turn into a rant, rather just a "I'm trying to bike more + more" post. So to lighten the mood: random comics to make you think about fuel consumption.

And a side note on the subject of being green: I am attending a BBQ later today (who isn't?) and checked Google Maps for directions. I was given the option of "driving directions" or "public transportation directions". Incredibly awesome. I was actually considering pushing myself to bike to the BBQ (10.6 miles each way) but I'm also going to be hauling at least 1 instrument and it's probably going to be nasty thunderstorms later. C'est la vie. Maybe the rain will pass tonight and I can bike to work all week.

helmet head

2008-05-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

I've always thought bike helmets a little on the lame side. I grew up in a motorcycle family, where you wouldn't even consider getting on a motorcycle sans helmet. But growing up with those heavy-duty lids just made me think the slight foam and lightweight plastic of bike helmets is kinda useless.

My commute takes me through a short stretch with not one, not two, but THREE highway exits. Those cars fly of the interstate. Often right at me. So I've done a bit of research and am reconsidering my previous position on bike helmets. At least for busy city biking. Especially because I found these: Nutcase Helmets.

The only problem? I can't decide which one I like the best! I was drawn to the clover design. But I learned my lesson on the motorcycles - black helmets get freakin' hot in the sun. Any dark colors, really. The candy swirl is weirdly whimsical. But there are several I really, really, really like. This one is a close match to my bike.

*Sigh*.... decisions, decisions...

music in the air

2008-05-18T11:59:00.001-05:00

Musicians and the (lack-of-)pay issue:

I don't mind playing some stuff for free - charity, donations, etc. Because I do enjoy it and I don't mind giving back a little to groups that deserve it. (Heck, Brazen Brass played a free benefit last night). But organizations, even non-profits, have budgets. That (should) include entertainment. They pay for other services, food, space rental, etc.

Musicians are offering a (good) service. The more they choose to play for free, the more people expect it. And playing for free devalues music in general. (I've heard professional musicians argue that amateur groups playing for free also drive down their prices, making it harder for them to compete and make a living).

Musicians put work into creating our product, collectively and individually, to bring an experience to our audience. We should be compensated for our work, our time, our talent. This goes for any musician or artist.

new bike!

2008-05-12T18:23:00.001-05:00

Yay! I got a new bike this weekend! It's a Schwinn Cimarron. Designed for women. Aluminum frame so it's lightweight. Shocks. Wide seat that is pretty comfy. Made for roads and light trails (which is where/what I ride). I think I'm in love!

(more photos)

(In case you're wondering, I sold my old bike to a friend).

May also happens to be National Bike Month. And this week is National Ride Your Bike to Work Week. I have stuff going on every night except Tuesday, so I'm planning on riding to work tomorrow (provided I wake myself up by 5:15am).

vacation suggestions?

2008-04-05T23:53:00.001-05:00

So I am planning an actual vacation in August with one of my very bestest friends. And her 4 year old son.

Our original plan was to take Skybus somewhere for cheap. That's not happening now, so we're looking at alternative options.

Preferably spots we can drive to within 8 or 9 hours, or even less. (Remember - there will be a 4 year old in the car). We're leaving from C-bus. We'd like a beach. I'd like more of a city than country.

And I'm ready for your suggestions...

st. patrick's day invite post '08!

2008-03-15T09:47:00.000-05:00

Hi Everybody! It's time for one of the best day's of the year - St. Patrick's Day!

**which is also my sister's birthday - so happy bday, sis!**

Here's the rundown on where I'll probably be, what I'll probably be doing, who I'll probably be seeing. You should stop out and join me in celebrating! My whereabouts are subject to change at the very last second so you might want to hit the cell to verify what I'm up to, first.

breakfast 9ish AM @ They Jury Room

Parade 11:30ish AM The Parade **note they have slightly altered route this year

Post-Parade possibly a few drink's @ Byrne's

Afternoon fun - 3ish pm - Rumour has it there's a celtic-type guitar player @ Grandview Cafe

Later afternoon fun - 5ish pm - Come see Julia dance! @ Fado

Evening entertainment 1 - 9ish pm - We'll still be @ Fado for the start of The Prodigals

Evening entertainment 2 10ish pm - After a little of The Prodigals I'll be heading out to Rude Dog's for the first time to see Punch the Monkey. It's likely this is where I'll close the night.

It should go without saying - but - SAFETY FIRST! Curb your drinkin' & drivin' by walking, biking, carpooling, taking a cab, a bus, etc. etc.

storm watch '08

2008-03-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

Our local news directors must be the happiest people on the planet right now. Nothing gets people's attention like the biggest blizzard to hit EVER. Even if the forecast is sunny, 68 degrees, with zero chance of rain - the weather is the big news story around here.

That's right, we got between 12-20" of snow throughout central Ohio from Friday-Saturday. So we topped records for the amount of snow and the speed at which it accumulated. I know - you're impressed.

Of course, STB & I found ourselves out driving in the snow briefly on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday it took about 30 minutes and the help of a neighbor to dig our car out of its parking spot, and then manage to get it into the alley behind our house, so we could go drive on Level 2 condition roads. We made it to the store okay.

Our big highlight @ the store was seeing a man in the checkout line holding his skiis. That's right, he skiid to the grocery store. As we left, we spotted a different man skiing down the road, amidst the few cars, the many walkers, and probably other skiiers, on his own mission.

There were quite a few people walking in the middle of the road. It was kind of like one of those post-apopolyptic movies where the worst of the attack has ended and people begin emerging from their homes, searching for loved ones. Except these people were searching for an open pizza shop.

We turned down a side road, and immediately realized our mistake. After about another 20 minutes, and the help of strangers, we made it back to the main street and safely home.

Sunday's trip was eventful, also. As soon as we pulled out of our parking spot, a giant SUV/Truck thing pulled out and got stuck in front of us. Out we hopped to help a stranger get on the road. We ran our errand, and on the way home saw a couple kids stuck on the side of the street. These are streets where people regularly park, and the snow plows just bury any cars left there during the storm. We stopped to help, and the girl that leaped out of the car recognized us - she works @ our gym. So after we determined the car was good and stuck, we gave her a ride to work (back from where we just came). We did see a city bus get stuck in snow. Exciting!

When we returned, her boyfriend was still out trying to move his car. We borrowed our neighbor's shovel and went back to help, and another stranger showed up with a metal shovel, and we got him out finally.

We're now back in our only sort-of warm house nice and safe.

I really, really hate snow

random ramblings

2008-01-19T17:17:00.000-05:00

Wow. 4 weeks since my last post. I find that I log in just long enough to skim over my blogroll, maybe comment once or twice, and then it's off to the next thing.

But I have managed to squeeze in some cool real life fun, at least:

1. I'm working on a couple submissions to the Great Crayon Experience. I'll have to drop my finished pieces in the mail by Monday. (Bonus: The exhibit is on my birthday). Yay Art!

2. I finally was able to rejoin my flickr meetup group for an event today. We toured the Southern Theatre. I have 95 photos to go through - I'll probably find about 5 worth posting.

3. My quintet has a couple weddings on the horizon for 2008 already, and we're talking about a demo by the end of March *fingers crossed*. My dixieland combo has a gig in a couple weeks which may include live recording. Yay Music!

4. Flogging Molly concert the day after my birthday - in a few short weeks

I'm off to see The Spikedrivers @ Rumba Cafe tonight - come out and join us!

music education

2007-12-20T18:54:00.000-05:00

Rock N Roll High School - a Washington Post article on rock music in music education.

This was posted by a friend of mine on facebook. She asked for input. I didn't think I had much to say. Then I started typing.

I can think of two band directors I know who actually teach a "history of rock" type music class in their high schools. From what they've said, the kids love it and really get into it.

When I was in high school (early 1990s) we had a drummer who loved all kinds of hard rock and metal, and spent HOURS trying to convince our band director (an old jazz cat) that Metallica was exactly like classical music.

Kids are already listening to rock and are interested in it. Incorporating it into existing curricula seems like a logical step. It is part of our musical heritage & culture. Teaching it alongside other forms of music makes sense.

When a field of science has a new discovery, they begin teaching it with their existing theories, discoveries, etc. They don't ignore it because it's new or different. Why is music different? Because we treat certain composers and time periods as the holiest untouchable pinnacles of music? (And major symphony orchestras wonder why they're in financial trouble?)

Have you seen the documentary Rock School? Those types of music schools are popping up across the country - some of those kids might also be involved in their high school bands, jazz bands, etc., but for a lot of them rock (metal, punk, pop, etc.) is where it's at. And I think I'd rather have them receive some music education as opposed to none.

My own musical education was pretty traditional from elementary school through what I studied @ university. Then I burnt out on music and barely touched my tuba for nearly a year. I all but quit listening to music. Towards the end of that period, I really got into some rock bands and jam bands that have jazz-roots, and that's when I picked up bass. I had to spend a lot of time (and should still be spending a lot of time!) learning an entirely different musical process. I started to learn to play by ear. Here I was, in my 20s, with at least 10 years of formal music education behind me, including a minor in music from a conservatory, and I was just learning to play an instrument by ear.

People who learn rock music on their own are typically learning by ear, learning song structure, learning to write parts, instrumentation, etc. I think there's actually a lot we can borrow from rock in teaching young and aspiring musicians of any genre - the basics of MUSIC. What makes a good song good? How do you orchestrate parts to make the whole sound good? How do you play together to sound like a cohesive unit?

The flip side, of course, is that rock (and it's derivatives) has a strong tradition of rebellion, do-it-yourself, anti-establishment, well, ROCKING. You might lose some of that fire in a formal setting. But, as someone else mentioned, that has happened in jazz, too. It doesn't mean you can't find great new jazz musicians.

Ultimately our goals as musicians and music educators should be developing great MUSICIANS. Regardless of genre or instrument, there are certain elements that make music good. It's about identifying those and applying them in new ways.

the annual tubachristmas post

2007-12-17T10:28:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year - TUBACHRISTMAS!

I played with my uncle again in Akron's TUBACHRISTMAS yesterday.

If you're in central Ohio, enjoy TUBACHRISTMAS tonight: Capital University, 5:30pm & 7:30pm, FREE!

If you're unfamiliar with TUBACHRISTMAS just click here

still here!

2007-12-01T23:31:00.000-05:00

I have not fallen off the face of the earth, or even the interwebs.

I have been prepping for loads of Christmas gigs this season.

My holiday music season kicked off this morning with a short performance at a school party. I spent 3 hours this evening out in the freezing cold playing at the Gallery Hop. It was a lot of fun, and we got a lot of great feedback, but not much cash.

This week has a couple rehearsals and then 4 performances.

The following week has a couple more rehearsals, a mall gig, and two TubaChristmases.

Then I think one more mall gig, possibly a retirement home gig, and then it's Christmas and my well-deserved vacation.

tain bo cuailgne

2007-11-03T10:41:00.000-05:00

I have several really talented friends. One of them is a guy named Brent who is an amazing artist. So I thought I'd quickly pimp a book he illustrated:

Tain bo Cuailgne

The Tain bo Cuailgne is an epic celtic tale. The illustrations are beautiful.

pandora

2007-10-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

One of my clients at work turned me on to this great music resource: Pandora. I think I'd heard of it before, but never played around with it.

Basically, you enter music you like (either an artist, a band, or a song) and it finds that music. Then it feeds you similar music. You tell the program if you like it or not, and it tailors the music to your tastes.

I also get a kick out of reading why it plays each song. Some reasons it's given me include "extended vamping", "acoustic guitars", "a great tenor sax solo", and "minor tonality".

Registration is required, but free. Enjoy!

slackin' & thinkin'

2007-10-09T11:28:00.000-05:00

I've been really terrible about bothering to update. It's not that I don't have great ideas, it's that they inevitably occur when I'm nowhere near a computer or blogger. Naturally I immediately forget these great ponderings and am left with the mundane details of life.

If they are too boring for me to post, they are way too boring for you to have to read.

Or they are still jumbled up thoughts in my head, and not coherent enough for me to post, and then by the time they are, I've forgotten them. It's really a vicious circle.

The current internal ramblings of my head include thoughts on music scenes. How participants in these scenes get involved, immerse themselves, view "outsiders", etc. How those of us outside these scenes interact with them, directly and indirectly. Why it matters in the scheme of popular culture. (Probably it doesn't matter much, I admit).

This is probably fueled by my recent binging on books by Chuck Klosterman. I saw him read last fall (my first - and to date - only - book reading I've attended) and enjoyed it. Oddly, my mom worked with him indirectly for a period of time. She told me she thought she "raised me better than to read anything Chuck wrote". She said he was weird, but she liked him, and he was generally nice.

ANYWAYS (<--- that's stolen from Klosterman) I am also reading a book titled My So Called Punk. And I'm struck by how entrenched the author is into the punk culture, particularly by his apparent lack of recognizing much value outside of the "punk" genre or scene. (I've read less than 100 pages, so maybe it'll change. The reviews on Amazon are not giving me that much hope).

I've always jumped around in my musical leanings. My favorite types of music include the following: bebop jazz, modern classical, early to mid 90s alternative/grunge, old school punk, 60s surf rock*, reggae, jam bands, 70s funk, and Celtic/Irish punk.

People identify verify personally with music. Most people, particularly from the approximate ages of 12-25, choose their personal clothing and hairstyles to match their taste in music (or maybe for a select few it's vice versa). I'm not sure why this is. But I would look pretty silly wearing bright orange bell-bottoms and a flannel shirt with safety pins sticking in it.

I think the idea of being a "true fan" of a band, a "poser", all of that is actually pretty interesting. It's a driving force in our social circles and, again, in others' interactions with us.

*I'm just getting into the surf rock stuff, but so far I'm in love.

information overload

2007-09-15T15:50:00.000-05:00

The problem with not updated regularly is that when I finally sit down to write something, my thoughts are all over the place.

I'll start with today. I decided at about 11 am to attend the Ohio Folk Life Festival. I primarily went to hear a bit of folk music and attend the bodhrán workshop. It was a beginners workshop, and started out with a decent turnout (especially considering no one really advertised the festival). Most of the people filtered out after 30 minutes, although a couple new faces showed up towards the end. I learned a bit, and got to play a few different drums. The workshop was led by Tim O'Neill, the bodranii who plays in Knot Fibb'n. He was a really easy-going guy, and you would never suspect how much he can rock on stage.

Thursday night I attended Bardic Circle, a local Irish music session. I was invited by a bodranii on one my music geek sites. There were ~10-12 other people there. Everyone was friendly and I had a great time. Thursday is often reserved for quintet rehearsals, but I'm going to try and attend more sessions in the future. Best way to learn is playing with others.

I've been doing a bit of bike riding lately. Here's the new bike:

You can see even more photos here. Holly and I have been trying to master the bike path at Sharon Woods Metropark. There are two hills, and one kills us every time. Well, the two or three times we've been there it's killed us.

We're heading out Sunday morning with 1 or 2 other bike newbies to see if we're finally able to conquer the whole trail.

I think that's enough of an update for one day...

bikes!

2007-09-10T18:15:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I forgot to mention my new bike! It's a vintage looking Schwinn from Target. It's also a men's bike, but whatever. It's fun and comfy. I've had it a few weeks. At the moment I'm waiting for a phone call to maybe go riding with my friend Holly.

I'll try to remember to post photos soon.

quote for the weekend

2007-09-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not we are pretty responsible with our alcohol decisions - we just make the decision to drink a whole lot of Guinness.

-Flogging Molly

(from an old interview on pUnk rOcks)

Some quotes just really speak to me. This is definately one of them.

Cheers!

Holy ASDFG@#$%^!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-08-27T18:27:00.000-05:00

So here I am in Columbus, Ohio. And who do I randomly get to meet today?

George Schwindt.

Ok... if you don't listen to celtic punk rock, he's the drummer of the amazing band Flogging Molly.

Most of the time my brain was going OMG It's George from Flogging Molly. No F'in Way!. He was a really nice guy. Surprisingly soft-spoken considering how hard he rocks on stage. Very down to earth.

I'm going to be a geek and post a copy of my autograph once I scan it. So probably tomorrow. I also went ahead and treated myself to their iTunes EP to celebrate.

I'm still a little in shock and completely elated at my luck.

irish festival

2007-08-09T20:42:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to attending the Dublin Irish Festival.

Highlights:

Purchased my first proper bodhran. It's a small (~14") traditional drum (non-tuneable) - nothing fancy - but sounds good. I got it directly from Michael Vignoles. He was kind enough to give me a few pointers, and even sent a follow up email. Great guy - great bodhrans! (He also makes other traditional Irish instruments). I got a new tipper, too, and absolutely love it!

Gaelic Storm - only saw a small portion of the set but good stuff

The Mickey Finns - yay for Celtic punk! (photo*)

The Prodigals - yay for more Celtic punk! (photo*)

Whiskey Asylum - The Mickey Finns & The Prodigals team up to rock your face off (photo*)

Flogging Molly - OMG it's MORE Celtic punk! I don't know what it is, but there's something about Flogging Molly that reaches that sweet spot for me - I revert to the reckless, joyful abandon of a 17 year old at her first punk rock concert, dancing around in exuberance. (Well, dancing around as much as possible without damaging my new bodhran).

There was even more great stuff, but those were the big ones for me. The finale consisted of musicians and dancers from the entire weekend getting up and performing together. Good stuff! (Finale Photo*)

*The photos are rather poor quality. I didn't get too close to any stages - partially to protect the new bodhran and partially because it was about 102 degrees and I didn't want to be smashed in too closely to sweaty, smelly strangers.

finito

2007-07-23T15:44:00.001-05:00

Finished reading Deathly Hallows this morning.

I also managed to lose my glasses between last night and this morning. And I always take them off and put them on top of my dresser right before getting into bed, so I'm really confused how that happened.

After I finish my mad search around the house, go grocery shopping, and cook dinner, I might have time to post my reaction to the book.

my life as i know it

2007-07-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

I've had a busy couple of weeks in real life.

STB was in a wedding, and then was the reception DJ. I've got some wedding photos posted. Most I think are pretty average, although there are a handful of shots I really like.

I also had another photo included on schmap.com
Aside: When I went to visit Boston Tony, I insisted that one of the very important destinations I needed to see was an authentic Boston Irish Pub. He had to go looking for them, as he didn't frequent any himself. In BOSTON. Of course, he discovered 3 or 4 within walking distance from his apartment.

I finally got around to getting some very basic maintenance done on my tuba, something I had been putting off for over a year because I never had the time to give my horn up for a week +. My tuba sounds great again, and I am very happy to have found a good repair guy.

I was also asked if I teach lessons, and a manager asked me to bring my resume by. I have zero time to devote to teaching right now. But I also really think I would enjoy it, and have really been trying to immerse myself more and more back into music.

So I'm working on my music resume right now, along with trying to figure out how many students I can reasonably handle.

This comes at a time when I am rethinking a lot of my career-life-self. I don't hate my job. There are parts of my job that I really enjoy very much, and could imagine doing for many years to come. There are parts of my job that I really do not enjoy, and those are the parts of the job that are expanding, and the things that increase as my position increases (paperwork, more bosses, more meaningless meetings, all of those management things I don't like).

I also happened to pick up a book from the library, Conquering Your Quarter Life Crises. I first read about this phenomenon in Douglas Coupland's Generation X - yes that book. The one that coined the phrase "Gen X", and led all of the baby boomers to label my generation as whiny slackers. Coupland referred to a "mid-twenties breakdown" long before John Mayer crooned the words "quarter-life crises".

Even though I'm 30 now (I can't believe it, and certainly don't feel 30), I still find the magic years of your 20s intriguing. And I've always enjoyed cultural studies, including (and recently, especially) generational differences.

So branching out and maybe teaching, and continuing to play, and network with other local musicians, that may just be what I need. Maybe in the future as my career, or maybe just as that one thing I'm passionate about no matter what.

Oh, and I attended my step sister's wedding yesterday (yep, one of those 7-7-07 weddings). I'll post photos some time this week, although I didn't get very many good ones.

inspiration moves on

2007-06-26T19:55:00.001-05:00

I just learned of Bill Barber's passing.

He was a super talented tuba player who did a great deal of work in the jazz realm. Possibly his most notable performances were with Miles Davis on The Birth of the Cool.

The tuba world, and musicians and people, lost a great talent.

another comfest in the books

2007-06-25T12:27:00.000-05:00

Another year, another ComFest.
Some highlights:
- Running into old friends
- Running into new friends
- Seeing someone with a pet goat
- Sitting in the park on a sunny afternoon, listening to great music and enjoying a giant mug of beer.
- Watching people dance with abandon to whatever style of music happens to be playing on the stage
- Seeing my friends rock out in their various bands
- Waking up every morning with sore, stiff muscles because I spent the previous day wandering about in the hot sun drinking beer, and eagerly heading out for another equally great day

Tom has some of his ComFest artwork posted, and his own highlights here.

Did I mention all of the bands I saw? There were 6 stages, running shows about 45 minutes to an hour in length, from 12 noon until 10 or 11 pm every day. And this is without the Blues Garage this year.

I didn't take many photos this year - intentionally opting to soak in the experiences rather than document them. But lots of other folks have already begun posting their photos on flickr.

I missed having Charlotte around this year, although I did wear the hemp bracelet she made me all weekend so a part of her could ComFest with the rest of us. If only every day was a ComFest day, the world would be a damn happy place.

misc. notes on my life at this very moment

2007-06-21T19:14:00.000-05:00

Some notes:

1. I have 845 new emails in my yahoo box. Since I checked yesterday. I'll bet less than 10 are not spam.

2. I just had to turn down a gig with one of my bands. I have another commitment with a group I volunteer with. This is a group that I'm passionate about, and have been involved with for several years. This past year, however, I've felt less than enthusiastic about my required involvement. I love the people. I love the organization. But I hate turning down fun, paying gigs doing what I love more than anything else. I'm not sure if my apathy is just a little burnout, or a legitimate sign that I should find other ways to work for the group.

3. STB was in a wedding last weekend, where I took a lot of photos. I still have over 100 photos to sort through and clean up in photoshop. In 2 weeks my stepsister is getting hitched, so I'll have even more photos, so I need to get on it.

6. I want to clean up my itunes. I'm rather picky about some things, but there are a few things that I've let go, and now my OCD is taking over. I'm just not sure where I want to start.

5. Did I already mention ...

IT'S COMFEST WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you're in town, I hope to run into you ComFest'ing it up in Goodale Park. Happy ComFest everyone!

2007-06-20T21:16:00.000-05:00

Only one more day before ComFest!

I'm taking a little mini-vacation for the event this year: Friday - Monday. Charlotte is maybe coming into town for the World's Best Festival, and to celebrate her recent birthday.

Time for the best weekend of the year!

new bag + it's contents

2007-06-11T21:03:00.000-05:00

I found a great bag at Old Navy this week. I've been sort-of looking around for something like it for awhile.

Here it is with all of the Monday morning contents (click the photo for descriptions if you want):

photoshop

2007-06-03T17:57:00.000-05:00

I'm waiting on a guy to call me back and hopefully change my brake pads tonight. So while I wait I'm toying around with photoshop. I took a couple really almost great photos of Nayson the other day.

Here's a little comparison of what I have so far:

This was my original photo, with a medium amount of Photoshop color correction:

This is the photo with more Photoshop color correction:

I like the richness of the first photo, but find it way too red and a little too dark. I think the second photo is too washed out from the brightness.

asian festival photos

2007-05-28T11:07:00.000-05:00

For STB & myself, festival season (our favorite season) kicks off with the annual Asian Festival. It's held in Franklin Park on Memorial Day weekend. This was the 13th year for the festival. It's one of our favorites, largely due to the delicious spicy Laotian sausages and amazing martial arts diplays.

This year's photos are all posted in a new set on my flickr site for your enjoyment.

aaaargh!

2007-05-24T12:38:00.000-05:00

I just put up a lengthy editorial on music sharing over @ Little Music Renegades. We all know everyone does it.

lame

2007-05-21T19:47:00.000-05:00

This is just one of those lame posts to say "hey I'm too busy to blog!".

I've had some really interesting conversations about quality of life and charity and all kinds of interesting things I'd love to write about on my little weblog. Maybe someday I'll get a chance to do that.

But right now it's almost time for the Heroes finale.

is it possible?

2007-05-10T12:18:00.000-05:00

Actual progress in Northern Ireland?

obligatory update

2007-05-03T17:18:00.000-05:00

It's amazing that a month ago I was updating every day, and I now I can't find time to update more than once a week. I offer some excuses:

Work is crazy busy. No - for real - my office is #1 in our company for our division.

Music stuff is getting busy. This is for real, too. For some reason warm weather = more playing. Not saying I mind. Just stating the facts. I've had gigs with both groups lately, and we're adding stuff all the time.

Sunshine! I love great weather. I've been outside every day. Walking, cooking out, photo-taking, etc. soaking up every bit of sunshine I can. When you live in Ohio you have to take advantage of the sun. It could start snowing at any minute.

And when I am on the computer lately it's for three reasons:

Coordinating band gigs, practices, myspace updates, etc.

Downloading even more music to my favorite toy, my ipod.

Obsessively making icons. Seriously, why do I find icon making so pleasing all of a sudden?

Also, I am in love with this:

predicting the future

2007-04-26T15:47:00.000-05:00

What kind of things do we dream of in our futures? What will come true?

Here's a little compilation that originally ran in Ladie's Home Journal in 1900.

It's equally interesting and amazing what they had right and what they had wrong.

fantastic grilled cheese

2007-04-12T12:43:00.000-05:00

Last night, after an extensive rehearsal, one of my band mates and myself went down to Victorian's Midnight Cafe to check out the open mike.

We hit the tail end, and being a Wednesday night, there wasn't much of an audience. But there was some talent; a young pianist who may or may not be named Dave, a couple guitar players who's names I didn't catch. And we scoped the area for the potential of our band (the brass quintet) playing there. It's a little odd to think of a traditionally classical chamber group hitting up open mics. But this is why I love music - it spans people and places and genres.

But this post is actually about the food at Vic's. Specifically, the most wonderful grilled concoction ever made. Not just a grilled cheese sandwich, but one with a name like "Connie's Grilled Cheese" (or maybe it was Carol or Annie or some other girl with great vision and taste).

The 9 grain bread was grilled perfectly. In between the two slices I found three cheeses; American, Swiss, and cream. Added to this were onions and sliced jalepenos*. Delectable doesn't begin to cover it.

My bottle of blueberry apple juice was a nice complement to the sandwich.

I did not expect to find such heaven in one little sandwich.

*It also comes with tomato, which I don't like.

that didn't take long

2007-04-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

Read Previous Post.

Now Click Here.

This is what happens when a geeky musicgeek like myself finds 20 minutes to spare. And coerces her friends into taking over the interwebs via a rad new music blog site.

music ramblings

2007-04-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

I was just reading an article on Iggy Pop in my Rolling Stone magazine (which I don't subscribe to and definately wouldn't pay for but for some reason receive every month) and thinking that a few of my friends and I should start a music blog/ezine thingy with good music news, and reviews of little-heard bands, and cover all of the vast styles of music we all love, and base it all on the goodness of the music, not the goodness of the marketing.

Between STB, Charlotte, and myself alone we would pretty much cover every possible genre except true country and death metal (and we'd probably still delve into those a little anyway). Utilizing friends in different parts of the country we would get a lot of local and regional coverage. I even know some people from different parts of the world who could share info on world music. You could be a guest writer. We could post conflicting opinions, promote the good stuff, turn people onto new music....

This crazy idea is also inspired by my new love - a 30gig ipod. I have a 1st generation shuffle, which has brought me much joy considering it is an inanimate object. I'm just beginning to tap into the full power of my shiny new ipod. (If you hate ipods, and prefer your digital audio player of choice - that's totally cool with me. The point is that little mp3 players = awesomeness.)

I just might coax some friends into this little project...

fuzzy

2007-04-01T08:54:00.000-05:00

Last week was weird - it was sort of like being on vacation and sort of completely overwhelming and exhausting and sort of surreal all at the same time. My brain feels a little fuzzy.

I put in 10+ hour days at work, and didn't really mind too much.

The weather was surprisingly gorgeous all week.

Charlotte, one of my BFFs, was in town all week, so I spent a lot of time playing with her.

I didn't really like the new episode of House all that much (relative to other episodes of House).

I finally ate at a Cameron Mitchell restaurant. I enjoyed it; it was a little different, the service was good, and the food was quite good.

My brass quintet confirmed our first gig. It's a volunteer thing and it's in front of a lot of people. So we really do need to decided on a name so we can use the opportunity to promote the heck out of ourselves.

Saturday Charlotte and I went to play in the apple store. My intention was to drool over the macbooks. I walked out with a 5th generation 30g ipod. Then 3 hours later I realized that I forgot I get a corporate discount. So maybe next week I'll go back and see if they'll apply it.

Saturday night we went to Mac's, one of our favorite local pubs, with some friends. Then Charlotte had a tattoo appointment (her second one - to celebrate turning 30 this year). We went to Fate Tattoo. Her artist was named Shannon. Her tattoo is an Innuit moon on her shoulder blade. (Her first tattoo was/is a sun). The tattoo is beautiful. The artist was super nice and funny and talented. The prices were reasonable. I know where I'm going to get my tattoo.

I'll probably see Charlotte off sometime this early afternoon. Then I have quintet rehearsal. Then it's back to life as normal. I think.

you know - stuff

2007-03-28T20:51:00.000-05:00

So my new office opens Monday. Five (5!!!!!)days from today. My shortest work day this week was 10 hours. But we're all excited.

The brass quintet probably has it's first gig - we just need to confirm we can all make it. It's a big fundraiser, so we're looking at playing to potentially over 2,000 people . Kind of an intimidating first gig. Can you say "exposure".

I actually took some photos - mostly on St. Patrick's Day. Now I just need to post them.

Have been doing lots of music stuff lately and am absolutely soaking it up.

My current state of being in three words: happy, busy, tired

one of those nights

2007-03-25T14:06:00.000-05:00

I don't usually do general recaps of my day. But Saturday night is just begging for it - there was too much weirdness.

I met some friends for a little session of working out some Irish tunes - me on bodhrán, Julia on whistle, Doug on guitar. Holly was supposed to join us on fiddle, but she couldn't make it. We had lots of fun. Of course. We were playing music.

After playing around for awhile, we headed off to Byrne's. Our intention was to check out the Glengarry Bhoys. There was no band. We heard they had to cancel because their vehicle with all of their equipment was stolen. As a musician, that's an absolutely horrifying thought. Sure, you can have insurance to cover the money lost, but sometimes you form weird bonds with certain instruments, and that's hard to replace.

Since there was no live entertainment, we decided to maybe go up to Flannagan's because Doug had a friend who was playing in a band there. On the way to that bar, we all got the early munchies. So we went to the Taco Bell drive-thru before the bar.

This is where we discovered that Julia can't order Taco Bell, because she doesn't understand the menu. Doug & I were quickly able to identify 2-3 items for ourselves, and after about 5 minutes Julia elected 1 chicken soft taco.

This led us to tease Julia about not knowing how to eat Taco Bell. She then pulled in to Wendy's to look over their menu, and decided against anything on it. Next in line was McDonald's. She decided on a grilled chicken wrap.

So with chicken soft taco and grilled chicken wrap in her hand, we pulled into Flannagan's parking lot. Julia then conducted quite the detailed analysis between the two chicken products. Surprisingly, no one had even a pint to drink before all of this.

Then we discovered that Doug's friend's set was already over. So instead we headed to this bar and pool place called Fats, to play Screw Your Neighbor/Survivor/3 Person Pool (all the same game). It was our luck that Fridnay night was karaoke night. They actually bill their karaoke night as "The Worst Karaoke in Town". At least the pool tables were on the opposite side of the building from the "singing".

After 3 games (we each won a game), we decided to go get bubble tea or something like that. The bubble tea place was closed, but in the parking lot was McDonald's, and who can resist a delicious ice cream cone around 12:30am? Not us!

So, um, The End.

why do middle class kids get such esoteric degrees?

2007-03-24T10:12:00.000-05:00

Helen posted a great comment on one of my recent posts about life.

I decided to just make a new post in response, because there's some good stuff in there.

So, "Why do middle class kids get such esoteric degrees?"

I think that was obvious - because that's what we were supposed to do. Especially my particular age bracket (I'm 30). Those of us from lower-middle-class families (there used to be such a thing) saw the future. And the future was with your degree. Our parents were stuck in jobs that paid the mortgage, but they couldn't move up in life because they lacked that magic degree. It didn't matter what the degree was in, it mattered that they (didn't) have one.

We didn't see the market flooding with other kids with degrees with little practical application. We didn't see the recession. We didn't see that we might actually have to pay our own mortgage someday.

Beyond that, I think there's something ingrained in Americans that makes us all dreamers some level. The most logical, realistic people I know still have dreams of doing exactly what they want in life, even when those things are "be a rock star" or "save the world", and they are 40 years old.

I also think this is why so many people have "mid-life-crisis". They have a hard time accepting that their life is as middle-class and mundane as their parents.

I read a line in a Douglas Coupland novel that talked about how middle-class people are doomed to be forgotten by history. If you're rich and/or famous you get to write history. If you're poor you will at least be discussed in history, and you have the opportunity to do something outrageous to change your situation.

When I talk about a day job (or night job, as the case often is), I'm not necessarily looking at it as "I'd rather make money playing music". I have played music as long as I can remember, and I will always play music. I'm looking at the day job sucking time away that I would rather be doing music. 40-50 hours a week at work I can't be practicing or performing. Plus all of those hours outside of work that still get spent thinking about work, instead of thinking about music. It's unintentional, but sometimes you just think "oh, crap, I forgot I have to do this tomorrow". You can replace "music" with whatever your real passion is in life. For my friend Helen, it's art (and she's damn good). For you it might be photography or cooking or skateboarding. I have the growing desire to spend much more of my time doing music than I am currently able to spend.

Ultimately, I believe that people are essentially the same people all of their lives. They say people don't change - and this is mostly true. Sure, you might have a life changing event, a religious experience, an epiphany, something that makes you look at life differently, or be nicer to people, or change some behaviors. But who you were at 5 years old - that's the real you.

At 5 I was fiddling around on the piano, just starting to get into music, I loved playing with friends, I was adventerous, and I didn't have much use for practical matters. At 30, I'm fiddling around with bodhrán, I'm playing music in a couple groups, I seek out opportunities for adventure, and I still hate dealing with most of the practical aspects of life.

We're all just trying to balance the reality of needing the day job with the drive to do what we love. Lately I've just been having more drive and less acceptance of reality.

goal!

2007-03-23T22:03:00.000-05:00

With the post, I officially completed one of my goals on 43 Things.

My mission was to blog every day for a month. I built in the week I was out of town, so that was 5 weeks. And I did it!

adrenaline rush

2007-03-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

STB and I just finished watching the movie Crank.

Mostly I liked it. The camera work was a little edgy without being obnoxious. There was a definate level of humor to several of the action scenes. There was some creative use with subtitles. It was fun. It moved fast.

The only thing holding back from really enjoying it was the filmakers' treatment of women in the film. Not that it was out-of-the-ordinary for an action movie with a gangster kind of storyline. But the women were ~~mostly~~ only there as pretty decorations, and maybe for sex. Almost the exact same movie could exist without the use of women at all.

I don't always mean to analyze everything against a feminist (or other) perspective - but it tends to just jump right out at me.

I will say, just watching the movie got me kind of keyed up.

full day

2007-03-21T23:36:00.000-05:00

This is what today looked like:

Took STB to get bloodwork done

Showed up at work, where I did lots of work-things, including training, supervising, managing, and driving around

Came home and cooked dinner from a Betty Crocker box and it sucked. So we made sandwiches instead.

4 minutes before I was supposed to leave for quintet rehearsal, our horn player called to ask if I wanted to bring my bodhrán over for after-rehearsal jamming.

Went to quintet rehearsal, where I played not too great and my lips decided to act like they could only play 3 notes all night.

We then hijacked our trombone player & a bottle of her wine, went to the horn players house, made a fire, drank wine, jammed on bodhrán & fiddle, roasted marshmallows, talked about music, music school, religions, and parapsychology.

My brain is too mushy to think of anything interesting to post tonight.

it's better than the bar scene, except there's no beer

2007-03-20T21:18:00.000-05:00

I didn't know what I was going to post about.

Until I saw my friend decided to expand his girl-seeking efforts by making an OkCupid! test to see who can rock his world.

Go on - you know you want to.

living life

2007-03-19T20:43:00.000-05:00

I met up with friends on St. Patrick's Day - and one them was actually just some guy that went to college with me, and was a few years behind me, and we never really knew each other except to say "oh, yeah, you were a (instrument) player".

(Although now we have spent several hours together, and will probably get together for music stuff in the near future thanks to our mutual friend).

I didn't just go to college - I went to a conservatory of music. I started playing tuba at age 12, and around age 14 started getting a little serious about music, and by age 15 I knew exactly what I wanted to do with life, and I fully expected that by this time (age 30) I would be a performing, sometimes-teaching, tuba-playing fool.

As the Smithwick's and our conversation flowed on St. Paddy's day, we talked about how our particular conservatoy of music (and probably lots of others) kill something in your musical creativity and development. So many students drop out completely, or transfer away, or at least change their major. (We call ourselves "ex-cons". I changed my major for these very reasons).

It can take several years to find yourself happy with playing music again, in situations you enjoy and find at least a little lucratively satisfying as well.

As you wind down this life path, you find yourself with some weird day job that you may or may not care much about - the steady paycheck and health benefits keep you there; that day job allows you to play music.

I realized that we all tell ourselves this- we are all on some level accepting of the reality that it's just easier and in several ways smarter to have a day job and benefits. But we are all also kidding ourselves when we think that we're okay with it - that we will be happy doing it for 40 years while we just do some music on the side.

I wonder at what point I'll finally break, and have to just take a giant plunge, and dedicate myself 100% to music. I know that when I do that, I'll be happier than ever, and probably poorer than ever, and I'll wonder why the hell I waited so long. Maybe I'll hold out until retirement, and have enough in my 401(k) to have made the waiting worthwhile.

bodhrán!

2007-03-18T21:14:00.000-05:00

It's official... I totally *heart* playing my bodhrán. It's the same kind of feeling I had when I finally got my hands on a bass - the moment of "wow... I should have done this years ago when I first wanted to...".

I think hitting something is also satisfying some weird primevil urge.

This kid has posted some better-than-decent bodhrán playing on YouTube - so if you keep seeing me post about the $%^&* thing and don't know what I'm talking about - check it out.

happy st. paddy's day!

2007-03-17T06:50:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

You can find me celebrating here

enneagram

2007-03-16T19:26:00.000-05:00

I can be a sucker for stupid online tests. So here we go:

(The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test)

7 - the Adventurer
Your Enneagram type is SEVEN (aka "The Enthusiast").

"I am happy and open to new things"

Adventurers are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

* Give me companionship, affection, and freedom. (especially freedom)
* Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter. (don't bore me)
* Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories. (people relate through stories)
* Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.
* Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.
* Don't tell me what to do. (seriously, i am the definition of independent).

What I Like About Being a Seven (this test needs to get out of my brain)

* being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down
* being spontaneous and free-spirited
* being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.
* being generous and trying to make the world a better place
* having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures
* having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Seven

* not having enough time to do all the things I want
* not completing things I start (I thought that was my ADHD)
* not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career (because my dream career is musician - and I play tuba and am learning bodhran - not exactly practical)
* having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies
* feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Sevens as Children Often

* are action oriented and adventuresome (I did spend a lot of time in the ER)
* drum up excitement
* prefer being with other children to being alone (I could play in groups or alone)
* finesse their way around adults (my friends parents' always adored me, and the friends would be allowed to do anything if I was involved)
* dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Sevens as Parents (completely not applicable as I will not be producing offspring)

* are often enthusiastic and generous
* want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life
* may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

I wonder how much of this relates to my being an ENTP?

saint patrick

2007-03-15T19:25:00.000-05:00

Two days until St. Patrick's Day!

I'm protestant (and don't recognize saints as some churches do), and really only 1/2 Irish, but I love the guy.
Why is St. Patrick so cool?

#1 He wasn't Irish, and actually spent his initial time in Ireland as a slave, and he still decided the Irish were worth saving.

#2 He wasn't a beaurocrat. He wasn't an evil priest taking advantage of his people. (He was never associated with any specific church).

#3 My favorite thing about St. Patrick is that he didn't try to eradicate the Irish culture or their rituals, even the pagan ones. Instead he incorporated much of their culture and beliefs in his teachings. The most common example of this is the "celtic cross".

quick music update

2007-03-14T18:04:00.001-05:00

My bodhran arrived today! I have to go study lots of websites on how to play it properly. And hope that my friend who is involved in some local Irish dance & music sessions can hook me up with an experienced player.

Yay! Music!

sonic adventures

2007-03-13T18:10:00.000-05:00

Today I had my first experience with Sonic.

For the past 2 years we've been enticed with commercials on television, showing off these impossibly tasty-looking burgers, dripping with cheese, and other good bad stuff to eat. Until this past February, there were no Sonics to be found anywhere near Columbus.

Today I had a training class nearby the new Sonic, and of course we had to eat lunch there.

One of our lunchmates unwrapped his burger, and of course we had to see if it looked nearly as good as on tv (because it never looks like it does on tv). Except - it looked exactly like the burgers on the commercial!

Cherry Limeade - yum.
Extra long chili cheese dog -yum.

It's a good thing I live on the other side of town.

the official st. patrick's day invite post

2007-03-12T22:01:00.000-05:00

St. Patrick's Day 2007:
the 4th (or maybe it's the 5th?) annual Columbus kick-off breakfast

Just because you're not as Irish as me doesn't mean you can't party with me. This year's celebrating of St. Patrick will commence:

Saturday morning Bailey's for Breakfast
March 17th
Claddaugh Irish Pub
(front street - in the brewery district*)
8am-11am - ish

Join us for breakfast, or just the Bailey's. It's the best way to make sure you're up and at the parade! After breakfast, we'll head up towards Broad St.

St. Patrick's Day Parade
11:45 am - Broad St.

After the parade, the party continues. Come out to Fado Irish Pub @ Easton to watch Julia perform Irish dance! She's on from 2-6pm.

While it's not definitive, I currently expect to end the evening at Byrne's Irish Pub in Grandview. Join me there to close out the great holiday!

If you need any more details, leave a comment, email me, or hit the cell.

*I do realize the humor in the Irish bar right in the heart of the German
brewery district.

**Be responsible. Designate a driver. Take a cab. COTA. Whatever. Just be smart.

happy day

2007-03-11T14:16:00.000-05:00

Apparently moving the time change back to March has confused the weather gods, and they think it's time for spring. Sweet. It's warm and sunny, and supposed to be 68 degrees tomorrow.

Today is STB's birthday. We started celebrating yesterday. (Saw good music from Megan Palmer).

I just ordered a bodhran. I've been saying I want to learn to play for months. What better time than the present, right? So I found a cheap one online and $50 later I should have one (and a case) in 2-3 days.

I have to go play outside now - the sunshine is calling my name.

the vinyl lovefest must end

2007-03-10T13:58:00.000-05:00

If you missed it, I'm a music geek. (And, also, just a regular geek). I'm the first to confess this: I spend more time thinking about, reading about, talking about, and playing music than anything else in my little universe. This includes reading several geeky online music boards. Lately, on every single one of them, the subject of records - good ol' vinyl - has come up. And several dozen people espouse their love for vinyl, and talk about searching out all kinds of rarities, and how great vinyl is.

This is a wake up call: vinyl is not great. Here are 5 reasons why you should get over the vinyl lovin':

#1 - Sound quality - This is the biggest reason. People who tell you that music sounds better on vinyl are nuts - or they're just trying too hard to be cool. It just sounds like music on vinyl, with those annoying scratchy record player sounds. And, if it's an old recording, you get the bonus of lots of detracting background noise. The only people who have any reason whatsoever to enjoy this sound are baby boomers, and that's for nostalgia and only nostalgia.

#2 - The album cover artwork is pretty. But it wasn't "killed" by CDs. There were these things that were quite popular for several years called cassette tapes. These little beauties have covers approximately 2x4" in size - try placing any overly artistic images on that. CDs also contain album art. Whether you like it or not is subjective, but I've seen more bad vinyl album covers than good ones in my lifetime, too.

#3 - Several of these vinyl-lovers buy records, and then use modern day technology to transfer the files to their mp3 libraries, for listening on their computers and/or mp3 players of choice. If you're telling me vinyl is superior sound quality (which it's not) then you should be anti-mp3, because that's completely compressed sound quality. And if you're looking for digital files, you're going to not only get better sound quality from a CD, but also you will save space and money, and not look like a pretentious poser.

#4 - Cost. Vinyl is usually more expensive than digital these days, because it's a novelty and harder to find. And because the people who think they're getting something special are suckers.

#5 - You don't even need vinyl to scratch anymore, if you're into that. You can get digital files and equipment that make all the neat sounds without tearing the crap out of the record you just spent way too much on.

The ONLY reason I can see buying anything on vinyl is if you collect music and it was ONLY released on vinyl. And even then, you should be able to download it from somewhere - this is the internet.

house icons

2007-03-09T19:07:00.000-05:00

So on some websites, there are these fabulously addicting things called icons. It's been a long while since I've made time for them. Color me inspired this week. Because I just made 5 in about 45 minutes.

I might as well post them here for your amusement. And I think this is the end of House posts for at least a couple weeks.

Standard LJ icon usage rules apply. All the cool kidz are doing it:
1. Comments are love - please comment if you take any
2. Credit if used
3. No hotlinking

1. 2.

3. 4. 5.

quote of the day

2007-03-08T23:27:00.000-05:00

"I never thought I'd say this, but I need to hire a white male. And I can't find one!"

- My African-American, female, sits on special diversity committees, boss.

I'm having flashbacks to college. I went to a small private university. My freshman year approximately 94% of the student body was white. As at just about every learning institution, everyone was required to take a cultural diversity course. My class was filled with upper-middleclass white boys who whined every week about how they were becoming the minority and how tough they had it and they wanted to know when we would address their issues. I wonder how many of those same boys are job searching and can't get hired now "because they're white".

now public

2007-03-07T18:38:00.001-05:00

Anyone familiar with NowPublic.com?

After a quick perusual of the site (like, maybe 1.5 minutes) I deduced it's a "news" reporting site that takes submissions from just about anyone who registers for an account. The stories are broken out much like in a traditional newspaper - world news, local news, areas of interest. The format is bloglike in that readers can leave comments. There are some citations.

I received a request today to post one of my photos along with this little story.

Thoughts, opinions, and general ramblings are welcome and encourged.

we all have a little fangirl inside

2007-03-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

I think my inner fangirl may cause my head to explode tonight.

House is new, which is usually enough to make Tuesday nights happy. Tonight guest stars both Kurtwood Smith and Dave Matthews.

Dave Matthews is of course THE Dave Matthews of Dave Matthews Band fame. If you're thinking that they are just frat-boy drinking music, then you're only partially right. I thought that, too, until a friend made me listen to Before These Crowded Streets. Then I saw them live. And then I signed up for DMB fangirl.

Kurtwood Smith has been in a lot of stuff for a lot of years. He's probably most known for his character of "Red" Foreman on That 70s Show. As Eric Foreman's dad, he was always threatening to kick everyone's collective asses. (personal favorite quote: Your ass has a "vacancy" sign and my foot is lookin' for a room!).

And, if my fangirlyness wasn't already satisfied, Gomez is featured at the end of the episode, too! I got into the band because of House.

Is it 9pm yet?

fried cheesecake brains

2007-03-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

My running streak with posting every single day was thwarted by evil computer gnomes last night. I sat down to blog, and the internet didn't want to work. Everything was connected and blinking away correctly, but after 4 or 5 minutes I gave up.

While I was on my travels, one of my colleagues and I tried this new dessert; fried cheesecake. Neither of us was impressed. The little nuggets of cheesecake were turned into a soft, mushy-melty, warm consistency from the deep-frying.

Yesterday my brain was about that same consistency, so you didn't miss any intelligent blogging. I promise to post something for real later tonight. Unless the little evil computer gnomes are back out...

book club

2007-03-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

Read This Book: Not for Ourselves Alone : The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

I'm a book lover, I enjoy history, and I count myself among educated feminists. It seems natural I would find the book interesting, but I'm surprised at how much I learned. The authors did a great job of focusing on the "woman suffrage" movement and balancing it with the culture and other events of the times. You will read about how the woman's movement begins through acts within the abolitionist movement, and then how and why the two paths divide after much time.

As I was reading the book I kept thinking that Americans need to read it. They need to know and understand what it took to simply give women the vote, much less any kind of equality in any simple aspect of their lives.

It's got biographical information on both Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, but also on lesser known heroines (and sometimes even heros) of the "woman suffrage" movement. It gives perspective to the culture and the battles women faced. It also contains excerpts from letters and speeches, as well as a number of photographs.

What I'm saying is, whether you're more interested in sociology, history, biography, or just good reading, you get it in this book... and it's IMPORTANT information.

the return

2007-03-03T13:11:00.000-05:00

I'm finally back from my whirlwind tour around the States. In the month of February I travelled to & from:

Cincinnati, Ohio (twice)
Florence/Newport, Kentucky (twice)
Dallas, Texas
Williamsburg/Newport News, Virginia

All of the trips were work-related so it's not like I had the opportunity to just relax and chill. Now I need a vacation from all my travels.

Anyways, I'm back and ready to resume my challenge of blogging every day for a month. I built in the week I would be internet-less, so March 23 is my last required day of blogging. The overall goal is to make my blogging much more regular, which I think will work - once I got into the habit pre-internet-less week, it was pretty easy.

carbon leaf 2.21.07

2007-02-23T00:20:00.000-05:00

I finally got to see Carbon Leaf again - it's been over a year since I drove all the way to Ann Arbor for one of their shows. The show was absolutely killer. Maybe because I hadn't seen them (or any great shows) in several months, or maybe because they really do put on a fabulous live show.

I took some decent photos, considering I wasn't using flash and had my little point & shoot that doesn't do too well in the dark, especially with bodies flailing across the stage as they rock out on their guitars or tin whistles or accordians.

This was my favorite photo after a smidge of color tweaking:

(click for big)

(click for all my show photos on flickr)

I also shot a few videos with the same camera. They are ultra-lo-fi but still get the Carbon Leaf vibe across. The entire playlist can be found here. Individual links to the YouTube videos follow, in recommended order:

1. American Tale - Carbon Leaf 2.21.07 - this is always one of my faves live

2. The War Was In Color - Carbon Leaf 2.21.07 - this is mellow and serious and beautiful

3. Learn to Fly (Acoustic) - Carbon Leaf 2.21.07 - this is mellow and peaceful and acoustic, and has some loud crowd noise in spots

4. Life Less Ordinary - Carbon Leaf 2.21.07 - probably one of their most popular songs, really strong lyrics

5. The Boxer - Carbon Leaf - STB's favorite and quite energetic

23

2007-02-21T16:17:00.000-05:00

I saw a sneak preview of The Number 23 last night.

I was anticipating something creepy, something that would make me leave the theatre and see "23" everywhere and be completely creeped out by it.

Instead it was just mediocre. It felt like it wanted really badly to be like Memento. But something about it didn't quite flow as well.

If you break it down into the classic 3 acts -

Act I was a little too long

Act II, which should have succeeded in creeping everyone out, was too short and not creep enough

Act III was entirely too long, and spent too much time "answering questions" that you could easily put together yourself

There were also a few things that didn't quite add up, but were glossed over so you're probably not supposed to care that much, but it bugged me.

When I left the theater, I thought it was an okay movie, but the more I think about it, the more I really don't care for it much.

3 things

2007-02-20T15:48:00.000-05:00

3 things tag--straight from Helen’s Homilies

things you should know about the no. 3
1. 3 looks like it should be ½ of 8 – but it’s not
2. The rule of thirds is one of the most basic & common in photography
3. 3 is common in religions as a divine number

3 things that scare me:
1. Mirrors in dark rooms
2. People who willingly hurt others (people or animals)
3. Zealots

3 people who make me laugh:
1. STB
2. Jon Stewart
3. Hugh Laurie

3 things I love:
1. Summer days when I have nothing I have to do
2. Making Music
3. My family & friends

3 things I hate:
1. Snow, Ice, Cold or any combination of
2. Hate
3. Really long conference calls

3 things I don't understand:
1. Calculus (seriously, I was great at math until I got to this stuff)
2. Intolerance
3. Many decisions made by politicians

3 things on my desk:

(my desk at home)
1. An old Mac G4 I can’t get to work
2. My photo printer
3. My ipod dock

(my desk at work)
1. My briefcase with all kinds of stuff from ipod and camera to scheduler and paperwork
2. My notary stuff
3. My now empty mug that held green tea this morning

3 things I'm doing right now:
1. Listening to a long conference call for work
2. Answering these questions
3. Text messaging STB

3 things I want to do before I die:
1. Travel more
2. Teach someone else music
3. Everything I list on 43 things

3 things I can do:
1. Play Tuba
2. Take pretty decent photographs
3. Bake (even though I rarely do)

3 things you should listen to:
1. As many different types of music as you can
2. The ocean
3. Your parents

3 things you should never listen to:
1. Hate speech
2. High pitched squeeling noises
3. The Man

3 things I'd like to learn:
1. To play bass better
2. More about various religions
3. More CSS / web design stuff

3 fave foods:
1. Pizza
2. Mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies
3. Depending on my mood: Thai, Mexican, Italian

3 beverages I drink regularly:
1. Water
2. Green Tea
3. Coffee (although I’ve cut this waaaaaaaaaaay down)

3 TV shows/Books I watched/read as a (little) kid:
1. Sesame Street
2. How to Eat Fried Worms
3. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

3 people I tag:

All the people who feel like filling this out.

marketing 101

2007-02-19T10:16:00.000-05:00

Today I'm working on marketing to prospective clients. I have a list of 7000+ businesses. The company that provided the list was kind enough to break out what they think are the top 200. Now I'm trying to narrow down my top 100 and then top 50.

So the first stop is Ye' Old Internet, where Google is your friend. I actually started Googling these companies last week.

If you're going into business, or maybe you're already in business, I have some advice:

Before you name your company, no matter how clever or catchy or original you think your name is, Google it. If you got an entire first page with other companies bearing that same name, think of something else. Be original. Stand out. Let people actually be able to find you.

Then, get a web presence. I don't care who you cater to, what you sell, whatever, you need a web site. People want to research you on the web. They don't want to have to talk to other people or look you up in journals or magazines or books. If they can't find you online, they ~~probably~~ won't try too hard to find you.

So my top 100 and top 50 potential clients aren't the top 100 from my list - they are the top 100 from my list with web sites I could find. And they are getting cool little gifts that probably have no bearing on whether or not they actually do business with me.

tow truck drivers & car thieves

2007-02-18T11:46:00.000-05:00

Saturday night I headed over to my friends' house. The plan was to watch a tuba cartoon DVD with their 3 year old kid, probably eat some junk food, and after he went to bed us grown ups were going to watch The Departed.

Upon my arrival I discovered that my friends were not having the best day. Earlier they had their car towed and spent over $800 fixing it. Then Dad went to pick up some food about a mile from the house, and was having an unrelated car problem that involved the ignition not working. At all. Mom couldn't go get him because she had Kid and the carseat was in the car Dad took.

So I drove back and forth, shuttling Mom & Dad between their home and their stranded car. After phone calls to every open locksmith in the vicinity, we discovered that none of them would touch the ignition lock because of liability. I offered up my AAA membership to save them paying for 2 tows in one day. After being told it was a 2 hour wait for a towtruck, we got a guy within about 15 minutes.

And this is where the story really begins. The tow truck driver (TTD) looked to be 18 years old. I might have believed he was 19, after he showed me his ID. But he was friendly and nice.

TTD asked us what the problem was, and my friend briefly described the issue. With super confidence, TTD offered to take a look, and of course the car wouldn't start for him, either.

Eagerly TTD announced: I know who to call -
and he called someone on his 2 way phone/walkie talkie device

TTD (into phone): Hey, did you ever steal a (year, make & model of friends' car)?

Mumbling girl on the other end: a response I didn't make out

TTD (to us): My girlfriend used to steal cars for a living...

US (to each other): This is crazy and hilarious stares at each other

TTD (still to us, with glowing pride in his voice): ...she's 17

My friend (the Mom): Man, I need to get some new friends

Me: Yeah, with some special skillz

Friend: I need to put their numbers in my phone

TTD: Yeah, under Car Thieves

All 3 Of Us: *mad laughter*

17 year old former car thief (over the talkie to TTD): Lots of really detailed questions and suggestions

Friend: Wow, she really knows what's she's talking about

TTD (gleefully): Yeah, that's my babymomma

17 year old former car thief and current babbymomma: You're going to have to mumble car stuff I don't catch

TTD (to us): She's hott

Us: laugh our freezing butts off

And from there, TTD hooked up the car and towed it the 1.1 miles to my friends' home. While he followed us in my car, we discussed the weird conversation we just had, and how many 17 year olds "make a living" and do so stealing cars, when they couldn't have been old enough to legally drive (although if you're stealing cars, you're obviously not real concerned with legalities). It didn't cost us anything, and that story alone makes up for giving up one of my free tows.

church

2007-02-17T17:43:00.000-05:00

My dad asked me today if I had been looking for a church. My dad is an überchurchgoer. He teaches Sunday School, teaches Awanas, ends up in church plays, counsels at a church camp, and socializes primarily with his churchgoing brethren. He's 100% † - just into church stuff.

He asked me if I didn't miss being involved in church. Of course I shrugged it off, sort of agreed with him, and dodged the subject as much as possible.

I don't miss being involved in church. Church is too time consuming, and if you don't participate in every event asked of you, you get accused of being a bad Christian. I do enjoy playing music at churches. But even after you've played regularly for awhile, people start expecting other things of you. And I just want to play music and maybe worship and sometimes hear some theological ideas, which I find intellectually interesting if nothing else.

I have a general belief that I would describe as Christian, with some Taoist life philosophy. It involves a lot of forgiveness and love and tolerance, and doesn't involve supporting war and death penalties; it just doesn't jive with traditional churches.

I understand my dad's concern is genuine - he wants to make sure my soul isn't damned - and we all want that for our loved ones, regardless of your views of damnation or salvation or just nothingness. I have a hard time communicating my situation and beliefs and disgust with the face of Christian religion and the average churchperson in general, because I don't want my dad to feel like I'm judging him, or that I've given up on God. I'm proud of all he does and the fact he lives such a positive life, but I just can't align myself with the average Christian organization.

Awhile ago I was going to write a bit about Studio 60 - the drama about the SNL-like sketch comedy show. There's a main character who is a Christian, but she's not crazy, and is her own person. Her character spends a good chunk of time explaining or defending (or disagreeing with extreme) Christian ideas and acts. But then I came across this article about Christians in Hollywood. I think it's one of the reasons I like the show. That and the banter between ~~Chandler~~ Matthew Perry & Bradley Whitford's characters. This paragraph doesn't really have much to do with the rest of the post, other than to show an example of the Christians that are tolerable, and in today's polarized world, too rare. And also to say that I'll be really happy if they don't cancel that show.

(Day 1 of 1).

memo to self: mini-blog challenge

2007-02-16T21:37:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to blog all of the random things I think of when I'm away from the internet, but I usually either forget all of the good, clever ideas or am just too tired and/or preoccupied to think of writing anything intelligent. To improve my quasi-blogging-talents, I decided to give myself a little challenge.

Today I added to my 43 things site (and yes, I do realize I currently only have 11 things) the mission of blogging every day for a month.

I will have a week hiatus where I'm out of town with limited, if any, internet access. So that puts a full month at March 23.

I'll do my best to put up decent posts of at least moderate interest.

Let the games begin!

pop...

2007-02-15T18:18:00.000-05:00

Our concert was cancelled last night, due to the weather. The weather had really stopped a couple hours prior to showtime, and the city was slowly trying to deal with the snow (just like every year when we get hit with a snowy blast). Wanting to do something, we decided to hit a movie, and what could be more cliche as a Valentine's Day movie than Music & Lyrics?

The movie was exactly what you expect... a cutesy little contrived but blossoming romance, with creative & other differences causing some friction, but it will all be puppies & roses by the end.

As a bonus, Hugh Grant's character is a hasbeen 80's pop star, from a band called "PoP", who's big hit was called something like "PoP! Goes My Heart", and featured lots of synthesizer and 80s hair. The actors all actually sang for their parts, which was surprisingly perfect for the music. The movie poked good fun at the music business, mimicking and mocking the 80s, but also commenting on the current pop stars. The "pop star" in the film is a combo of Britney, Shakira, and Christina, with weird ideas about music and religion.

STB went out today and bought the movie soundtrack, and is playing it right now. I'm going to have "Pop! Goes My Heart" stuck in my head for a week.

valentine's day

2007-02-14T12:02:00.000-05:00

I feel like I should post something Valentine's Day- ey.

So, yesterday was Part I of our 2-Day Valentine's Day extravaganza. You see, tonight we're going to see & hear New Edition. But since I had to work, that limits our time for dinner and other mushy Valentine's Day activities.

Also, Tuesday is New Release Day, and as it happens on every gift-giving holiday, STB received a Best Buy gift card, which he anticipated wanting to spend. He also received the 2 Disc Special Edition of The Departed. Because I am awesome. (For the record, I received a Gomez CD and the new Douglas Coupland novel, JPod).

But we got hit with nonstop snowy ice storms, and Best Buy closed early. So we went to dinner (the restaurant also closed early, but we made it in plenty of time).

Thankfully the snow is slowing, and the roads may actually be a little clearer tonight because we have a concert to go to for Part 2 of our Valentine's Day extravaganza.

birthday goodies

2007-02-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

I turned 30 last week. My mom knitted a matching hat & scarf (although my sister helped pick out the colors):

(bigger) | (biggest)

She also makes afghans, baby blankets, and anything else she feels like. Pretty, isn't it?

Since I've been whining about not taking any photos lately, I think I'm going to take photos of all the stuff she's made for me lately. And maybe the stuff my Granny has made, too. Both are really creative and if they wanted could probably sell their stuff. For some reason, knitting/sewing/related activities are fun for them.

saturday evening personality test

2007-02-10T19:40:00.000-05:00

We've all had to take personality tests. I think I was in high school the first time I took one. I also took a test in high school to determine good career matches, and I came back with "vending machine repairman" in the #1 spot. I'm not technical and don't like to fix things (I just like them to work), and I have no idea why it was specific to vending machines. I often get different results with the tests, because I never answer everything the same.

Tonight I took this test, which labeled me as ENTP. It actually seems to describe me quite well, from the loving to argue, to having no patience with stupid people, even to the appearing aloof with loved ones.

And this: Aside from those two areas, ENTPs tend to be oblivious of the rest of humanity, except as an audience -- good, bad, or potential. - well, maybe that explains why I blog.

photoless

2007-02-04T12:33:00.000-05:00

I haven't taken or even posted any photos since the holidays - and those were family photos, definately something I want to have a lot of, but not fullfilling in the sense the more artistic ones are.

The #1 reason for this is the weather; it rained forever, then snowed, then got really really cold. So I'm not about to voluntarily leave the warmth of my home to trek through muck and take photos, all the while freezing my toes off.

But it's been long enough that I'm getting the urge for creative photography, I just need a creative idea for indoor photography until the weather warms back up.

the state's newest notary public

2007-01-29T13:19:00.000-05:00

*(Ok, possibly not THE newest, but in the top 50 newest, at least)

Today I officially became a notary public. I sort of had to do it for my job. I don't know why anyone would bother with it if they didn't have a job that required/benefited from the position. The maximum fees you can charge are $2.00, so it's not like you could have this fabulous business as a career notary.

I leave tonight for Cincinnati. I have 3 days of "development" training for work. This whole month is crazy with travel and other commitments - I cannot wait until March.

music vs. ticketmaster

2007-01-27T10:31:00.000-05:00

SBT and I have a couple concerts to attend on our horizon. In February we're seeing New Edition and Carbon Leaf. In April we're seeing Joe Firstman.

Unfortunately, for two $10 tickets to Joe Firstman, we just paid a total of $34.05. That's a little steep for a concert in what is essentially a slightly-larger-than-your-typical-bar-venue. Did we pay so much because we bought our tickets from some shady guy on the street? Nope, just everyone's favorite Ticketmaster. Because I'm pretty sure the venue wasn't open at 10:00 am today for me to go buy tickets directly from them.

Remember when Pearl Jam was aggressively fighting Ticketmaster? And how just about no one joined forces with them? Back then, I think the service fees & ordering fees were around $4-$5 per ticket. That seemed pretty reasonable to fund their services and turn a profit (consider that just about every venue and every artist uses them).

I get that Ticketmaster has to make a profit. And they have that slick website, and phone service, and probably some customer sales reps in India or China they pay $50/week to answer the phones. So charging a service fee is reasonable. But I just paid almost 2x what the tickets cost, and that extra money isn't going anywhere near the actual artists, so I'm still a little bitter.

The good news is, we haven't seen either Carbon Leaf or Joe Firstman for a long while and therefore I'm very much looking forward to both shows. I'm hoping Joe Firstman has the same bass player he had last time we saw him, Darwin Johnson - that cat can play.

And speaking of concerts, if anyone has experience ripping audio tracks from a (homemade) DVD I could use some knowledge. My dixieland band has a DVD of one of their summer performances, and I'm trying to upload some songs to our MySpace page. I was trying to use the vcl media player, but it's just not working...

state of the union par-tay

2007-01-23T16:17:00.000-05:00

I'm as bummed as anyone that I can't view a new episode of House M.D. tonight. El Presidente has a speech to make, and I'm going to be annoyed listening to it. This little drinking game should take some of the edge off.

Enjoy!

of cars & cell phones

2007-01-20T12:40:00.000-05:00

of cars...

Today turned into Basic Car Maintenance Day (TM).

I have a birthday in a few weeks. In the Great State of Ohio, as a birthday present, you get to renew your vehicle registration ($54.50).

As I fired up the engine to visit the BMV I thought "Man, I'm overdue for an oil change, better add that to my list". I'm almost never overdue for an oil change, so being at 5,000+ miles since my last one is very, very bad. (Did I mention I drive a vehicle with 114,000 miles on it currently)? Then, as I peered out the windshield, I had another thought, "How did all that salt get on my car!? Did they seriously salt the roads for the 2 centimeters of snow? Guess I'd better wash that off after the oil change."

So, sparing you the details of the FasLube with the weird water problems (they were arguing with the city inspector when I arrived), my car is again, to my standards, fully roadworthy (well, except for the giant smashed in front thanks to that old lady that ran a stop sign a few years ago...).

Next time I go outside I'm taking the ArmorAll and a rag, because the inside of the car is covered in gross dust and other mystery particles. The dust & mystery particles were just creeping up on me, until I washed the outside of the car, and now they are just right there, gloating at the nearly 1/4" thick hold they have on my entire dashboard and steering column.

and cell phones

My wireless carrier is Virgin Mobile. I feel weird admitting it - it conjurs up pictures of:

1)stupid high school kids paying $.18 per minute for cell phones, because their parents won't buy them one on their plan

2)ghettofabulous individuals who can't keep their cell phones on for more than a month

3)crafty criminals who use these magic prepaid cell phones to dodge the hardworking law enforcement officers trying to track them down (ok, maybe that just happens on Law & Order)

It started a few years ago, about 5 minutes before everyone, even your grandma, had a cell phone. STB and I were in Best Buy (as often is the case with our shopping habits). The Virgin Mobile display was right there in the door. I started wondering if maybe I should get one in case of car trouble or other emergency. I figured it would be one of those things I used now and then. I chose a little phone - which turned out to be indestructible. That thing was dropped on cement, in puddles, whatever, and it never died.

Within a year, STB had also purchased his own phone and was using Virgin Mobile, and we disconnected our land line entirely.

You're probably thinking we pay an insane amount of money for our phones. STB actually still does the prepaid minutes, and spends $20-$40 month. I am on a monthly plan, and spend $40-$50 a month.

With my promotion, I can expense my business phone calls on my cell phone. "Crap," I started thinking, "I'm going to have to change carriers."

I've looked into other carries in the past, because it's weird that we're grown adults using these hip "kids & criminals" cell phones. But I never found a service that would save us any money.

I started reluctantly looking again, for work. I had narrowed it down to Spring vs. Cingular, but I hear about how Sprint nickels and dimes every little detail. So I was thinking Cingular (and I've spared you a geek post about Apple's iPhone. I will just say it's freakin' PRETTY and I have to keep reminding myself I don't need one and don't want the contract. But that would be my #1 reason for switching- that pretty phone) or T-Mobile, because, hello sim cards! (You can SAVE all of the crap you downloaded to your phone and SWITCH to another phone and KEEP it! Whey are these the only two companies using them?).

But today I discovered, with a little help from Virgin Mobile's incredibly friendly and useful customer service, that I CAN get monthly transaction statements. I don't have to switch to a "real" phone company. And I can access it all right online. Did I mention I LOVE MY PHONE COMPANY?

If you're thinking I'm just posting this to pimp Virgin Mobile, well, I am. They have the absolute best (and consistently best) service of any company I do business with. And also to tell you - and me - it's okay to go through life without a contract. You just have to use the awesomest company.

life updates

2007-01-13T17:21:00.000-05:00

Despite all of my recent discontent with my job, last week I accepted a promotion with my company. There will be a little more responsibility and occassional stress, but it's not really that much more than I have now. And yay! for a raise and small bonus. I'll have a lot of preparation - there's actually a 10-week plan to get me ready, and I'll be out of town a total of 2 weeks for training Once I get into the new position, it should be a welcome change. (And what do I have to lose? If I end up hating it, I'll just resume my job search...)

While I'm excited about the promotion, I'm still more excited about music stuff.

The dixieland band had our first rehearsal since November, (we had a little holiday hiatus) and it was fun as always. We've got a gig next weekend, with a guest keyboard player. He joined us for practice and was terrific. The caliber of all of the players in that band sometimes still surprises me; they are so casual about their talent, they pinpoint issues and work on them if necessary, but often everyone is just right on top of things.

The quintet is progressing; there's a big emphasis on perfecting the musicality of some 'simple' pieces. At times the horn player and I really want to move on (we've had a few conversations along those lines- mainly because our parts tend to be the ones most simplified), but it's really good to focus on those basics, and sometimes eye-opening to realize that it's still difficult to play 100% consistent half notes, or match the articulation between 4 other players. And when we ended Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral last week, one of our trumpet players actually cheered because it was so majestic and beautiful and exciting.

My biggest concern with my promotion at the day job is that it may sometimes interfere with the music stuff.

word, buddha

2007-01-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

Today's Daily Buddhist meditation:

But if you do not find an intelligent companion, a wise and well-behaved person going the same way as yourself, then go on your way alone, like a king abandoning a conquered kingdom, or like a great elephant in the deep forest.

- Buddha

lists...catalogs...organization...and the best albums all in one post

2007-01-03T19:13:00.000-05:00

I can have moments of OCDness. I really like certain things to stay very, very organized. I think one of the reasons I like web design is that I get to organize things, and they don't get messed up when I'm done.

In my quest for online organization, I have my:

online photo collection

online catalog of live music

online catalog of books

online catalog of DVDs

Now I'm looking for something similar to catalog my CDs. I realize that with itunes, etc. all of my digital playlists can be available, but I'd still like easy online access to those old fashioned CDs.

I was actually looking for a CD cataloging system when I found the DVD site. I'm on a big(ger than usual) music kick right now, and someone on one of my geeky music boards posted a list of Rollings Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and then listed the albums they own. I don't think Rolling Stone is the authority on music, but they sometimes are interesting, and I'm kind of bored, so here's my list of the albums I own that appear on the list (play along in your own blog or journal if you wish): *This only includes actual CDs I own; not, for example, the numerous downloads of Hendrix songs, greatest hits albums that contain most of the same material, or compilations that may include a lot of the songs, etc.:

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
8. London Calling, The Clash
14. Abbey Road, The Beatles
17. Nevermind, Nirvana
37. Hotel California, The Eagles
81. Graceland, Paul Simon
87. The Wall, Pink Floyd
131. Saturday Night Fever, Various Artists
187. So, Peter Gabriel
197. Murmur, R.E.M.
207. Ten, Pearl Jam
217. Licensed to Ill, Beastie Boys
247. Automatic for the People, R.E.M.
261. Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
315. Surfer Rosa, Pixies
326. Disintegration, The Cure
293. Greatest Hits, Simon and Garfunkel
327. Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette
341. Play, Moby
376. (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis
377. CrazySexyCool, TLC
455. Synchronicity, The Police
473. A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay

And stuff that I ~~need~~ want to get. In some cases I previously owned the albums, but they wandered off to CDville and never returned. And some I'll probably eventually just download. Anyways, this can be a reference list for me when I'm not in the mood for new music:

2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles
6. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
12. Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
15. Are You Experienced?, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
26. The Joshua Tree, U2
41. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Sex Pistols
43. The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
154. The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest
157. Closer, Joy Division
193. Dookie, Green Day
45. The Band, The Band
120. Raising Hell, Run-DMC
147. Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology, Otis Redding
49. At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers Band
94. Bitches Brew, Miles Davis
207. Ten, Pearl Jam
216. The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
252. Metallica, Metallica
258. American Beauty, Grateful Dead
290. Talking Heads: 77, Talking Heads
295. Meat Is Murder, The Smiths
303. Grace, Jeff Buckley
305. Odelay, Beck
310. BloodSugarSexMagik, Red Hot Chili Peppers
311. Unplugged in New York, Nirvana
314. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground
329. Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth
336. Superunknown, Soundgarden
338. Cheap Thrills, Big Brother and the Holding Company
345. Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads
360. Siamese Dream, The Smashing Pumpkins
368. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine
437. All Things Must Pass, George Harrison
478. Radio, LL Cool J
480. Faith, George Michael
481. The Smiths, The Smiths
487. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, The Smashing Pumpkins

sweet online dvd catalog

2006-12-30T18:34:00.000-05:00

I found this online DVD catalog earlier today. A few hours later, I've had dinner, cleaned the living room, spent time with STB*, and cataloged all 270 DVDs that we own.

If it's a sucky movie - for example, it features Jean Claude Van Damme - it belongs to STB. He's a fan of full screen while I prefer wide screen, so we have a mix of formats.

It's easy to use. The site lets you rate movies and recommend them to other users. You can even track the DVDs you've loaned out. It's not quite as sweet as Library Thing, but it's close enough for me.

If you're interested, my stuff is listed over there ---> under "silver turtle.goodies"

*I've decided to refer to Silver Turtle Boyfriend as STB from now on because I'm a lazy typist.

the all-knowing calvin & hobbes

2006-12-30T11:32:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes*. I was quite sad when Bill Waterson retired from the strip, and sometimes wish he was still writing/drawing it (even though it's been 11 years, exactly, tomorrow since it ended).

There's some definate truth and wisdom in the strip. And, I just realized, some visions of the future. Last Christmas Silver Turtle Boyfriend gave me (among other awesome gifts**) the Complete Calvin & Hobbes collection. Which I've read in it's entirety twice and now pick up at random. I also have an rss feed of daily Calvin & Hobbes. Today's feed gave me this:

A bleak look at our future under George W.

Calvin was always dreaming of being a dictator....

*Check out the Silver Turtle Goodies over there ---> for your own daily allowance of Calvin & Hobbes

**Silver Turtle Boyfriend gives really, really great gifts. Last year also included an ipod shuffle & docking station, DVDs, CDs, books, and Gameboy Advance games. This year it was a whole collection of DMB live trax, the original Chinese release of Fearless, some other DVDs, some music books, and this really awesome collection of autographed House stuff.