Haiti Music Needs

Many of you know that I recently went to Haiti with the 1013 Mission Team. At the One Family church, where we stayed, all of their worship music and sermons are LOUD. As in, very LOUD. And the services aren’t just Sunday mornings either. They take place at various times of the week. On the Friday night we were there, they started a service at around 10pm and it lasted until 3 am! Much of that church is open to the outside so you would definitely hear it in the compound, but also far out into the village. I discovered that there is a reason for that: advertisement and battle. They are tied together. You see, voodoo is very prevalent in Haiti. From my understanding, it carries with it a very dark, evil, sinister air to it. And from a distance on certain nights, you would hear the voodoo drums beating to the voodoo practices that would go on. Very chilling. And so, the church battles that with worship music played loud. So the people hear it. The music rises in the air against that which is dark and sinister. And you know what? The people come. Many new people every time. Lives and souls being saved. The spiritual warfare, in many ways, is fought through music. And that music is played through the sound gear and instruments available to the church. Many of them have fallen to disrepair. Some are simply broken. Some things they simply don’t have. Believe it or not, those items are like the swords and shields needed for battle. And we are going to help in that fight.

Attached below is a link to the items that they need at One Family. Think of the list as similar to a wedding registry: simply pick what you would want to buy (could be one or more items. For example, you only need order one of the 3 microphones listed – or you could order 2 or all 3) and then call Austin Bazaar who is working with us to provide the items in need. Jeff Ekblad will be handling all the orders.  You can check out their website (www.austinbazaar.com) but you have to call to get the special pricing and ordering. Here is what you do:

1)  Contact Austinbazaar at: 800-511-1322 ext 202 and ask for Jeff

                            OR

2)   Email Jeff:  jeff@austinbazaar.com

3)  Place your order and use reference number 38193 or just ask for Jeff and let him know you want to order something for Haiti, he will know what it is for. When we have a complete order it will be sent to me. I will, in turn, get it to the next Haiti 1013 Mission team that makes the trip (sometime in February) They will deliver it to the church.

Here is the list:

CODE	ITEMS	QTY.	PRICE (ea)
SHR-SM58LC	Shure SM58-LC Vocal Microphone	3	$99.00
GLX-JX100	Gearlux Adjustable Height Boom Mic Stand - Black	3	$24.99
STA-MUSC5T	Stagg Orchestral Music Stand - Black	4	$39.99
STA-SG-50-BK	Stagg Tripod Folding Guitar Stand - Black	2	$24.99
IBA-STC20L	Ibanez STC20L 20-Foot Series STC Guitar Cable with Straight and Right Angle Plugs	4	$17.99
DUN-DEN1046	Dunlop DEN1046 EG-NKL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings - Medium	2	$3.99
ERN-P02832	Ernie Ball 2832 Regular Slinky Nickel Bass Strings (.050-.105)	2	$32.95
STA-SMC6	Stagg XLR-XLR Standard Microphone Cable - 20 Foot	8	$9.99
FEN-310760525	Squier by Fender Affinity Jazz Electric Bass Guitar, Rosewood Fretboard - Metallic Red	1	$179.99
zil-5awn	Zildjian 5A Wood Drumsticks, Single Pair - Natural	6	$10.95

Clockwork Angels - Review

So, it has been a number of years since Rush has come out with a new CD. My guess is that of those of you who are reading this you either: have it already and have an opinion; don't care; or, are still gonna buy it one day. Since this is my blog (which I haven't updated in like forever), I'm going to offer my review anyway!

The CD is definitely their best in years. And by years I mean many, many albums. Personally, I have to go back to Moving Pictures and Signals to find an album that resonated so quickly with me. To top it off, we have a new "concept" album or more accurately, a story. The story is the entire CD which, believe it or not, they have never done before. Yeah, you got it, the entire CD. The famous epics like 2112 and Hemispheres were only one side (ok, Hemispheres did start with one song (Cygnus X1) on their previous album but it still was never an entire album towards a story). I think that the story added a lot of weight to the songs when I listened to them. Even Caravan and BU2B, which have been out a while, had a different meaning to me when I listened to them. For the first time in I don't know how long, I found myself sitting on the couch reading the lyrics and liner notes as the songs played on. Now that's quite a rarity in this day of iTunes where it is only about downloading a handful of songs and that's it. I'm thinking that the idea of an "album" is going to one day be obsolete - except in a case like this where they are all connected via concept or story.

The production on many of these songs is exceptional. I found that on many of the songs I was smiling over the use of the various forms of instrumentation they used (most notable were the use of strings).  Also, and this is a big one for me, I found that Geddy was more creative in his use of lyrical melodies. Let's face it, you can go as far back as the days of Power Windows where his melodies became much more predictable and cliche. As musicians they are always gonna come up with killer riffs (although sometimes even they would get predictable). However, on this CD the vast majority of songs (though not all) possessed some vocal melodies that were very refreshing.

I have many songs that stuck out to me and I will mention them below. Let's start with the three favorites of mine: Clockwork Angels, The Garden, Headlong Flight:

Clockwork Angels: Loved it when I first heard it. There is nothing about this song that I dislike. It is frequently the case where their songs need to grow on me a little. I loved it the first time I heard it - and still don't get sick of it, even after so many plays! It is so much like the epics that they excel at. I love, love, love the arrangements! Each part flows almost seamlessly to the other. The vocal lines just shine through. And, some cool riffs to boot. Overall, the production of this song is among the highlights. One of my faves of all time, and that is saying alot!

The Garden: Oh my, I can't get enough of this song. You can't say this too much about a Rush tune but this one is absolutely beautiful. It might be because of the challenges I am now facing in my life but this song strikes an emotion in me every time I hear it; especially the section that goes from the piano bridge with Geddy singing to Alex's guitar solo. And the solo fits so perfectly. It is so well written, well produced, and well played. Lyrically, it has some of the best lines Neil has penned:

The future disappears into memory

With only a moment between

Forever dwells in that moment

Hope is what remains to be seen 

and

The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect

They don't write many of songs in this style, but this song (along with CA) is among my favorites of their entire song catalog. And what's more, since we now know they are bringing a string section on tour, it looks very likely that this song will be done live. I can't wait to hear how they play it! Bravo!

Headlong Flight: Does this song rock or what! Yeah, the Bastille Day nod is there (Rush even admits it is so) but it really works well! I've already learned this one on guitar and it is so much fun to play! The instrumental break is totally killer (in a good way!). And, here's one for ya, it is nice to hear Geddy hitting some of those high notes but singing more proper! A classic Rush rocker!

Caravan: The song has been out for a couple years already so no need to really review it. However, like I wrote earlier, knowing the story of the song makes a greater impact in listening to the tune. It is the beginning of the story. The start of a person's pursuit of their dreams. I dunno but this whole CD seems to be almost semi-autobiographical about Neil's life. I haven't read all the interviews and reviews but I bet that isn't too far from the truth.

BU2B: A great heavy song that has been out a while too; but I will add that I really liked the added 30 sec intro. It makes for a great transition from Caravan. BU2B2 is a kind of mellow reprise (that comes later in the album) but has to be one of the shortest songs of theirs on record (1:28)!

Seven Cities of Gold: Although not as quickly as some of the others, I liked this song after hearing it a couple times. What was even more cool was the picture to the song in the lyrics book. It was a winter scene of Mesa Arch in Utah, a place I was just at a few weeks earlier! BTW, if you get the CD (or download the digital booklet), you will see some great artwork within the pages.

There were some other songs that did have to grow on me but I am now hooked on listening to them too. The Wreckers has a great arrangement that is a little different for them. I do find myself listening to that one a lot. Wish Them Well is a song that I find plays on that radio in my head! And that's a good thing. Halo Effect is a great acoustic based song.

I'm still trying to get used to The Anarchist and Carnies. There seems to be a little more of that "predictability" about them that I mentioned earlier. However, I will say that Carnies does have some cool heavy riffs. I'm gonna give it a little more time with them.

I only have a couple of criticisms that don't really affect my listening to the CD. There are a few songs where it seems that Ged's vocals are buried a little in the mix. I would like to hear them come out front a bit more. It can sometimes be hard to hear the words he is singing. Also, the entire CD could have had the lows brought up a bit more. A lot of their albums are like that and while it isn't as midrange heavy like the Power Windows/Hold Your Fire days, I wouldn't have minded the bass tones turned up a bit. I'm wondering if that was part of the mastering.

So there you have it. Even if you are a casual Rush listener, at least give some of the songs a listen to. Of course if you don't like them, I can't help you (and seriously wonder why you read this! lol). This was just one man's thoughts and review on a band that I consider my favorite, Rush.

Naperville Sprint Triathlon

Today I finally did something I haven't done: do a triathlon. It was a sprint triathlon which is shorter than normal: 400m swim, 22k bike, 5k run. It was a great experience, one that I would definitely do again. There were also a number of things that I learned. My total time was 1:34:48 which was roughly what I thought it would be. However, well, let's break it down:

On a scale of 1-10, here is how I would rate my personal performance, based on what I know I am realistically capable of:

Swim: 2
Bike: 8
Run: 7

Pre-race: It was amazing how it was an orderly chaos. There were a lot of people there but finding my way around seemed pretty good. When I got to the bike area to get all set up, I realized that there was one thing I did forget: goggles for the swim. Oh boy. Well, you have to make the best of it. Someone did lend me their second pair but the strap was in bad shape and kept breaking. I figured I would just have to wing it without one.

Swim (12:36): Wow, real ugly for me. If I had just done an average swim I think my overall time would have improved alot. This was brutal. You are lined up based on what you think your time would be, which placed me towards the back. We waited about 50 minutes before our turn. Any warmups done before the race start pretty much became useless. One MAJOR thing I learned: never do all your training in a lap pool if the swim is in a lake. In a lake there are no push-offs every 25m, you can't get an extra breath every 25m, and there are lots of people sloshing around. I did good the first 100m or so, then lost it. I think I started way too fast for my ability. Freestyle turned into swimming on my back. I had to walk the shallow parts. Just really bad. I think I got overwhelmed and even had some brief panic. I kept wondering if I was going to finish the swim! Then I'm thinking how in the world I was going to do the rest! I did get through it though, then moved to the next phase...

Bike (46:17): I knew I would make up ground here and I sure did! Here is where the tide turned and I was feeling better about what I was doing! I averaged 17.7mph which isn't bad. What I learned is that I could have pushed it harder (I think 19mph could have been a realisic pace). This being my first time I wasn't sure how much I would have left for the run (considering how much energy I spent in the swim). I played it conservatively, which may have been too much. I found out later that I think I could have sped that up quite a bit. Next time I will get this right. Nonetheless, this part was real fun. I felt I was in a real good groove. I also had a couple of these chocolate energy gels. They were real good, believe it or not. I'm sure they helped!

Run (28:47): During my training, this was one I was struggling with. I couldn't get that time down to where I know I could be. However, during this race I did feel good about it. The average was 9:18/mi. Not long ago I was hovering around 8-8:15. However, during my training I was struggling to get below 10/mi, so there was some progress in this race. What was interesting during this run was that I felt I was getting stronger as I went along. That was interesting and encouraging to me. I think that I probably could have done a faster pace. Again, chalk it up to a learning experience: I now have a better feel on how to pace my run.

Transitions:
T1 (4:50) - I did end up going the wrong direction out of the transition area! The time could have been cut in half had I known. Being in the back of the pack at the swim, there weren't many people to see where they were going! Next time I need to survey the transition area better to know where to go! My bike location was indeed quite far from the exit. Otherwise, this was fine. T2 (2:19) - yeah, I knew where to go! :) I was also very close to the exit!

I am really glad I did it! It was an awesome feeling to finish. I have been meaning to do something like this for a while. The goal was to finish, and that I did! Time to find the next race...

Happy Birthday Mary

Happy birthday to the person with greatest meaning in my life. One who is my best friend, my love, Mary. God clearly put her in front of me to complete us. She is one terrific woman if you haven't met her yet. I am so happy that she is in my life. Beyond happy, really. I don't know if a word exists for that. All I know is that she makes me smile and for me to always want to be a better person.

Mary, I love you with all my heart. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Psalm 31

It has been a troublesome time in my life. If the saying "it is always darkest before the dawn" held any truth, than a very bright day must be coming up. God only gives us what we can handle? Well, He knows something about me that I don't because I'm not feeling that at the moment. Challenges with kids and finances have escalated in recent weeks. I have so much more admiration for Mary (like, I never did, ha!) who is dealing with the same stuff I am but in a much better way. I am so thankful (as I am every day), that God put her into my life.

Today I read Psalm 31. Except for the parts about the people that were after David's life (and stuff related to that), this fits things now:

1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends— those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the LORD, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city.
22 In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Happy Birthday Alec!

Today my son Alec turns 15! Way cool! No matter what has gone on in the past, I will always be proud of my son who is a good kid. He is growing up to be a young man that his father will always be there for. He has many great qualities and gifts that God has blessed him with: intelligence, athleticism, artistry come to mind right away.

Happy birthday my son, I love you very much!

Happy Birthday Katrina!

Today, October 18th our little girl turns 18 leaving behind kidhood and entering young adulthood. I am so happy for her. She is growing up to be an awesome young woman. I am very proud to see what she has become. I am excited for what exciting and cool things await her future. Her dad and mom will always be there for her. I love Kat so much and hope it is a great birthday! We are going to Bengstons pumpkin farm then to Aodake for her birthday dinner.



Happy birthday sunshine! I love you!

Al was right

I actually heard this today on the radio that was beyond lunacy. Before I say what it was, bear in mind that I am not a liberal nor conservative. However, every so often it is amusing to journey to the liberal FM radio stations and hear some real wacked out stuff. On the other side you can really hear some goofy stuff on conservative radio too. Conservative radio people are easier to be made fun of - maybe because they do have more colorful and popular personalities. Rush Limbaugh is the king of the conservative idiots. I was scanning the radio and arrived to his show hoping to hear his amusing take on Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize (which I don't get). Instead, he had this bizarre topic on the subject of global warming, which he doesn't believe in. Well, I am not sure about it either. However, I do know that putting chemicals in the air that come from man made sources can't always be good. He was actually quoting some science guy, who is supposed to be repudable (maybe he is, maybe he isn't), that said that putting the carbon dioxide/monoxide emissions in the air actually helps the environment. And further, that by reducing the emissions it is actually harmful to the environment! What?? If he was tongue-in-cheek here he did a good job of hiding it because it was a real enough rant he had on the show. It helps the environment??? Wow, so, I guess we can tell God: hey Lord, you really messed up creation the last few billion years (or 6000 years - depending on your point of view) by not creating cars and factories,etc. from the beginning. Turns out God was hurting the environment by not having all that crap go into the air since the beginning of time. Yeah, right.

And Limbaugh was using this as just another piece of evidence to back up his opposition to environmental causes that come up in Washington. Look, a lot of those Democrats are screwed up (so are Republicans) but that doesn't justify that stupid statement he made. And what is more scary is that the Limbaugh faithful who believe everything he says (which is scary and bizarre in its own right) will go right along and support this crap.

C'mon Limbaugh. Get real. You really are one big fat idiot.

Muse - the Resistance

Anyone who knows me also knows that my favorite band is Rush. Even through years when I left the prog rock scene (late 80’s – 90’s), Rush has always been there with their music. Also ranking up on my Top Bands' list are artists like U2, Pete Yorn, Triumph, Collective Soul, and Stereophonics. However, I think my most favorite band of this era is Muse. I just love their diversity in styles and how they constantly take new avenues with each new CD (not too different from Rush in many ways). I just picked up their latest, The Resistance, and am really digging it. This one has a bit more orchestrations than in some of their past CD’s, most notably the concluding trilogy, “Exogenesis”. Their Queen influences really come through in many of the tracks. You will pick it up right away in “The United States of Eurasia” and in the guitar solo (in style, not sound – no one can imitate Brian May’s sound!), of “Guiding Light”. I also really like how “MK Ultra” moves as well as the opening track of “Uprising”. I don’t know how many Muse fans are reading this but even if you aren’t, check it out!

Chumbawumba

Heading to Summerfest today. I'm going to be seeing Animation play at about 6:15. They are opening for Heart. I will have backstage passes so this should be real cool! Probably meet the ladies from Heart too. Nancy has been holding up pretty good for her age. But, she was never just the hot chick playing guitar. She was, and still is, one of the better female rock guitar players around. Funny how there just aren't that many. We were talking about that at church the other day. Almost our entire instrumental musician pool are men; while the vast majority of vocalists are female. It is like that on the club circuit too. Interesting...

I plan on leaving at 1 and am not 100% sure who is coming with. I will know at 1! I am pretty sure Katrina is going and if Alec gets home in time from Watseka, he will go too (yes, he was there on his friend's grandmother's farm doing some work). New Orleans was a great thing for him. Time will tell how much he got out of it.

Running Updates...

Before I go out for my 5k jog on this awesome warm, humid day, I thought I would update y'all on what is going on here. Sorry for the long time between posts, so much has been occupying my head space that I haven't made it to the blog. I'm going to summarize:

The Plainfield school district is NOT the great district it was always touted to be. I won't entirely elaborate but they have no concept on dealing with each kid's issues on an individual basis. The decision they made was completely unreasonable and excessive. In essence by making their decision they did NOTHING. They only go and penalize the family. I feel for low income families that are put in to a position to continue their child's education by having to take a financial hit (losing work time to home school or to find a private school). Plainfield East is now not the school of choice for the upcoming school year. In fact, no where within the district can he go. Home schooling (what they are recommending) is not an option here at home. We are all in agreement that a fresh start needs to be made. There is no need to prolong this any further. By going the district's route, it would continue for a while. Whatever happened to "No Child Left Behind"? I better stop or this rant will really ramble!

Perhaps it is for the better. We are looking at 3 private schools (there aren't many in the area out here in Will County): JCA, Providence, and Christ Lutheran. We are in the process of scheduling and visiting each. Christ Lutheran is very intriguing. It is a very small school located in Plainfield that just might be the place. We visited today. Mary and I like it so far. How about this: since I work for a church it is HALF off the tuition! $7000 - 8000 + fees (which is about the norm at all the schools) is WAY out of our price range. Half (which would be around $4000) helps for sure but we still don't have the money for it. We will have to find it and pray that God leads the way because we are clearly decided on having him go to a real school for his freshman year. Next week we hope to visit the other two, larger schools.

Meanwhile, Alec has been on a STUCO mission trip to help with the cleanup in New Orleans (hard to believe that it is STILL going on!). I have been hearing great stories from there. If you are Dan Vallaro's friend on Facebook he has some great ongoing pictures of the team that Alec is on. Sending Alec was one of those very clear directions from God. I know that it will be good. I can't say what the changes and results will be in his life, but I just have faith that it will be good. I am already hearing some great stories about him. One day I will share.

Rush stuff continues. Rehearsals will start in about 3 weeks or so. Stay tuned!

Gotta run...literally.

And then...

Almost done with the Rush songs! Getting closer. The only thing is that some of the ones that I learned a month or two ago I have to revisit. I am sure I forgot some parts already!

Peaks and valleys. That is how the course of each day goes. We have good moments and challenging ones. I am learning a lot about parenting! I am also learning a lot about how you can only do so much. You just have to let them go sometimes. Let them burn their hand if need be. That is very hard to accept but feels to be the right choice. Oh, there are still rules to be followed and expectations to be met. I just can't have a tracking device to monitor every movement (do I REALLY want to know everything? seriously, think about it).

The days do get more manageable as time moves along. Tomorrow we hear from the school on a decision. I have a feeling I know what it will be but we will wait and see.

Later gaters, got guitar lessons to give...

Yesterday was interesting. Apparently some virus or trojan sent out some nasty videos to friends on Facebook. The inbox was reeling with everyone either notifying me, making funny jokes, or settling in to panic mode (like I did it - right). There wasn't really any way to send out one general notice via Facebook. It just went about and happened. It was kind of a frustrating and helpless experience. The worse part about it was that our home computer was really messed up. I went through about 12 hours of clean up on that computer. There was a ton of things on there. Probably from a long time ago. Check this out: there were over 1500 things that it found! Granted, much of it was adware but there ended up being several trojans and worms gobbling around in there. That explains why it has been real sluggish in recent times! Thanks to my friend Larry Hummerich (from Answermaxx), I got some software to clean it all out. It is amazing how much better that computer is running. One interesting part of the process was to initially do a 'system restore'. It is basically like a flux capacitor for computers. You send it back to the state it was in a week ago (before the latest trojan hit it) and then start cleaning from there. Very interesting...and it worked!

Last night we had a GREAT time at dinner with the Carrolls and Eichelbergers. It was kind of a farewell dinner for Bill and Rachel. We were at Mon Ami Gabi in Oak Brook. There is nothing like spending and evening with some great friends. I don't know, we were there maybe 3 hours or so.

Good times...

The 300th Post

I just discovered that this is my 300th post! Is that good or bad? I don't know. I am a bit tired right now. Just learned another Rush tune that isn't particularly hard (Time Stand Still). Today was the kids last day of school. Yeah, even for Alec! His diploma is getting mailed like they always do. So he made it! Katrina is a senior now. Yikes! She is really getting in to her plans for going to Greece next summer. She has been saving and planning and doing a great job of it. Today we sent our child back into the wild with the hopes that lessons have been learned and absorbed. I can only hope and pray that they have. For me, today has been a much better day too. Let's keep it that way!

Mary and I went to see Star Trek at the new Joliet Mall theatre. It was our second time seeing it but the first at that place. A very comfortable experience with cushy seats and lots of leg room! Check it out over there whenever you can. Naturally we are trekkies so it was fun seeing all the characters again. I am really happy with how the new actors kept many of the nuances and quirks of their characters. The first time around, I really caught the McCoy and Scottie character similarities with the previous actors. Today, I really caught on with the Kirk and Spock characters. And yes, the guys in the red uniforms still always get killed. We really saw it when the 3 guys were preparing for the space jump (how fun!). You just knew the guy in the red uniform was going to get it!

Maybe it is because I am so wrapped up in Rush but I couldn't help but see a strong connection with their song "Red Barchetta" early on in the movie (when they are set in Iowa when Kirk was a kid). If you know the song and see the movie, tell me if you see it too. The song isn't played but the scene is close to the lyrics.

Rush and things...

So amidst all this insanity (which is slightly improving each day), I have been adding to my library of Rush songs for Animation. It really has helped me get through some of this a lot. I now have 26 songs down; 2 that are almost there (I have to figure the 2nd weird solo to La Villa and all the weird intro stuff to Xanadu); 3 that I have to remember again (shouldn't take long); and 3 that I haven't done before (Time Stand Still, Losing It, and Bytor). The song, Losing It, is of particular interest. It is on the Signals album (the one that has New World Man and Subdivisions). They had a guest violinist, Ben Mink play. He really did a lot. I am not sure yet how in the world I am going to cover it. I'm saving it for last I think.

Also, through all this, I have been practicing my new Roland PK-5A midi pedals with Reason software on the computer. Ok, many of you not musically inclined probably thought I just spoke a foreign language. Basically, I have some killer sounds for some of the songs that I control with these pedals. I'll have to upload a picture of them someday.

Today was a better day for me. I felt I have to get on with my life (much of the difficulties were just running in my head). It was good. I feel like I can laugh a little again. That is a big step. It was hard to for a while. Later y'all...

Michigan

Alec and I drove up to Michigan yesterday to check out these small cottages at Lake of the Woods. It is in SW Michigan near the town of Decatur (very close to Sister Lakes which is a hot spot for Chicagoans). They are small but good enough for the price. We will have it for 5 days in July. I don't think that everyone will be there for the entire 5 days (schedules and such get in the way). Although, I think that I, for one, will take full advantage! I am wondering how much the kids will take before the "I am bored" thing comes up. But, you never know, they just might surprise us! We had to keep it to a reasonable price and some place that would accept our dog, Dixi. We originally anticipated a bigger family vacation but a quick series of major car repairs (like $2000 worth) last January put the kabosh on that. I think this will be fine. Yesterday's trip was one of those were it might have been a better idea not to take Alec. I don't think he was ever really in to going. To be fair to him, I probably should have spotted that right away. Oh well, it was still ok. I just need to be a bit more observant with regards to noticing when to give my children the space they need. They are teenagers after all!

Matt. 6:25-34

Check out Matthew 6:25-34: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:25-34;&version=31. I know much of my personal tumoil over stuff happening the past couple weeks is self-inflicted. Then I read this passage. The last line is the most relevant: "therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I get concerned over my son's future almost 24/7. This "oh my gosh what would happen..." complex. I am going to start by just dealing with today and today's concerns. It is hard to break such a cycle. But, it can and will be done. It's time to go back to finding joy in life again.

Is it over yet?

Is American Idol over yet?

It is? did someone "win"?

How.....riveting....

Well?

Doh! Missed a day. Yesterday was the hearing. It went well - all things considering. We will hear of a decision by June 9. It looks like probably an alternative school for the first semester next year. Don't know what that looks like yet. We will see then. It was about what I expected. This has been the longest couple weeks of my life. Very hard. And we have at least 4 more years of this. I don't know how I am going to hang on. I hope things settle soon. Now we are having the battle of getting homework done during this suspension. Ouch. He only has a couple more days of it from the school. I am thankful to have a lot of people to talk to and help out. This is really tough on me. Let's see how today goes. I did get some bike riding in yesterday since Mary was home then. That felt good. However, it looks I will have to be the "jailer" for a couple more days.

Yeah, that stinks...

Gettin' Through It

I have great empathy for single parents raising kids. I really do. I can't possibly imagine going through all this without Mary. Somehow, thinking about things tonight, I believe we will. For the first time in a couple weeks I really do. Oh, we may still be in for some tough results tomorrow and next week. But we will get through it. Our home is not a broken home. It is a loving one. Yep, we got problems. Who doesn't? (If you say you don't, you be fibbin' you fool!). But with God in our house and with our family, we will persevere.

Amen.

Status for the Day

I am actually looking forward to being able to get Alec back some freedom. It has been taxing on me for sure. At some point we will have to. That will be the only true way to see how he has taken everything in. Thursday is the hearing. It should be interesting. We are all a bit nervous about what may come out of it. We will just have to trust in God to guide us through.

I did pick up a couple fishing poles today. I think that he and I might do some fishing at the local pond tomorrow. I haven't fished in like forever. It should be interesting...

On another note, I have caught myself up on a lot of Rush songs for Animation. The first gig is official: Saturday, November 21st at Bobby McGee's in Chicago Ridge (around 104th and Harlem). Why so far off? There is a lot to do. First off, they are now working on the Milwaukee Summerfest gig (June 29) with the guitarist who is leaving. Then we do a few rehearsals in July. I will then take notes from them and then tweak various things with regards to what I have to play and settings I will use. Then some intensive rehearsals starting probably in September. To be a Rush tribute band, and play a lot like the studio recordings, is not like playing AC/DC with a few chords!

Whoo-boy, what a night

After a previous evening of anger, frustration, feelings of betrayal, etc., I had absolute insomnia the entire night. I don't ever remember having such a thing. I spent the whole day just laying around watching old war movies. I think I managed a little shut eye. There is so much on my mind. However, tonight I experienced something tremendous and awesome. With the help of some of my awesome Christian brothers from CCC (Carlos and JR), there was some GREAT conversation with them, my son, and I. I am so much better tonight. I am not naive enough to expect that the magic fairy dust was spread and everything becomes instantly better. However, I am hopeful that at least a seed was planted. It is now up to us and our community to help nourish it.

All I can say is...

whup, whup, I'm still here! Life at home is a challenge to say the least. We are in a crises of sorts with one of our kids. Yeah, it has the potential to be a big problem. Not good. Things are a bit uneasy here. Thursday is a big day, amongst others. If anyone is really reading this, all I can ask is to pray for our family and that we work things out together. Outside forces will be making some decisions on him. Let's hope that it will be hard enough of a hurt to change some things but still reasonable and helpful. Some progress has been made but it is baby steps right now: 2 steps forward, 1 step back. I have tremendous admiration for those who have survived raising teens. The end just seems so far out there. God help us all.

Other than that, things have been just...awesome.

See you tomorrow.

I was Reminded

Mary reminded me today that it has been over a month since my last post! Has it been that long??? Ouch! I guess now it remains to be seen: will I have something more tomorrow? Wait and see...:)

A New Gig

Whoa, man it has been a while since I have been here! Is anyone out there reading this?!? A couple days ago I successfully got the part as the guitar player in the long-running Rush tribute band. I am so looking forward to it! It will be a challenge to really nail it all down. The band is really a stickler for the details (you really have to be in a tribute band like this). The guitar stuff I really don't concern myself with, many of the songs that they do I have at least jammed to (in my room) in the past. Getting the sounds down, well, that is something to work on! What is going to be cool is finally getting down to using a lot of the software out there. I plan on using a lot of samples, synth sounds, and loops throughout the show. I will be getting the Roland PK5a MIDI controller which resembles the old Moog Taurus pedals. It will control the stuff that i will be using on Reason within the laptop. I think that it will be time to invest in a Mac to run all that. I really don't trust the PC with all the music.

One other great byproduct is how it will help my job as an Arts Director within the tech area. I have never been intimidated or dismissed a lot of the software out there - I just never got to it! Now, this kind of forces me to enter that world. I think that, as time moves on, one will see tremendous advances out at the Romeoville campus - at least in terms of the music production. The band also provides me for a great diversion. Learning and reviewing the 12 songs I needed to get during the Easter season actually helped me! It is amazing how you can get your mind off of your job once in a while and actually do better at it! I would be in my practice room for hours jamming on Rush songs. Then I come back fresh to everything I have to encounter at CCC. It is great. I find myself working much more efficiently and clear-headed as a Director. It also doesn't hurt that both guys know Christ: Jim even drums at Shorewood and just got baptized on Easter! It was a good test for me to see how things will be in the future with them. They only do about 5 gigs a year - perfect for me. So there are a lot of benefits for me in all aspects of my life. When I think of more I will post them!

Right now we are picking the songs for when I play with them in late fall: probably in mid-November. Meanwhile, I have to get working on the material. They are finishing the last gig with the guitarist who is leaving in late June: opening for Heart at Milwaukee's Summerfest. That is a great sendoff for him. He sounds like a cool dude (he is even willing to help me out with all the samples/sequences I need to get to - an offer I am definitely taking up on).

More updates later...

Earth Hour

Earth hour was yesterday. Did you miss it? I think it was a cool idea to turn all the lights off for an hour. We just spent some time at the fireplace with a glass of wine. What would life be like without electricity? I bet most out there would have no idea what to do with themselves! That picture is of our fireplace raging yesterday.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Saturday night was so much fun! I got to take my daughter on a date to the Daddy Daughter Dance over at the Arts Center. It was an awesome production put on by some volunteers from the church along with Highpoint Community. The room was amazingly decorated to match a medeval theme. Most importantly, Katrina and I spent time together. I know it isn't true, but sometimes I feel like I don't get in enough daddy time with her. We always want more, don't we? But we do spend time (actually, we are overdue for our Starbucks day). We started the evening with a spaghetti dinner I made at home to candlelight. Then it was off to the event. It was fun dancing the night away. It was even more fun than either of us thought it would be. True, it was mostly little girls with their dads out there but there were some her age. To be honest, it didn't matter. We enjoyed the time! It seemed to go by all too fast. It's funny, in this picture I look so much older and distinguished - not the crazy rock dude like I normally am. Katrina looks great doesn't she? Just like her mom. I love her so much.

Alec's Day

That's our son! A picture tells a thousand words. I am proud of him and love him dearly. We have two great kids: Katrina and Alec - our greatest gifts from God.

Happy pi Day!

Happy pi day! Yes pi. For those of you not mathematically inclined, pi=3.14 (plus an infinite number of decimal points - but who's counting?). Today the date is 3-14. How many times a century does that happen?

Seriously, you had to think about that?

So right now, I am eating apple pi(e).

Mmmmm....

It's Not Square Root Day

Today is not square root day.

Just thought you would want to know.

I'm so sad...

Today is Square Root Day!

huh? Well, this is something that only happens a handful of times in a century. It's 3/3/09, right? Well, 3x3=9, right? And the square root of 9 is...3! How many more times in a century does that happen?

Thank you for your attention to this riveting piece of news. I think that today I am declaring a boycott on the rash of dismal news out there. I think we all get it by now. Stuff like Square Root day makes for a more interesting life.

I don't know what to call this post so I will just create a run on sentence because I can and it is my blog that I can do anything with, you see? Yeah

Hmmm, guess what tomorrow is? Yeah, one year ago...Oh, never mind. You can check last year's March 3rd post if you want to find out. Most of that junk is long past. However, I guess the date will always stick in my mind. One year later we now find ourselves in a much better spot than many others. Although, getting hit with a $500 car repair bill and another, oh...about $300 more, for another repair doesn't make life any easier. I think that we have to put on hold our family vacation plans for the moment. Note: on "hold" and not "cancelled". We will see. However, we have a roof over our heads (we are one of the millions seeking a loan modification, though) and can put food on the table and can pay the bills. That is much more than most. In fact, I think that we are in a unique position of responsibility. A year ago I was put in the "have-nots" category. This year, at least for the moment, we are in the "haves" category. It is a precarious one though (see car bill above contributing to dwindling savings - wonder if I hang on to the guitar?). Nonetheless, we are in a spot to not only look after but also help those in need. It could be financial - it could be something completely different. Whatever it is, we need to seek to emulate the God's generosity towards all of us. That is something that gets us through all of this.

So, a year ago tonight, I remember being very worried about what was to eventually become a reality. It has been quite a journey since then. It will be cool to see where that journey takes us next year at this time.