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friday, september 15
seeking refuge
Do you ever feel the need to seek a place of refuge or sanctuary? Sometimes I do.
Sometimes I have a need for inner-reflection, to go to that place inside my mind where I can hide from the realities of life, if just for a moment... lost in the reverie.
Sometimes I pray, within my own definition of what I believe prayer is. And I visit those landscapes and vistas that bring me peace.
I need this.
I don't know if others do the same. But I do this to keep sane. A form of damage control... escapism, pure and simple.
I've been thinking lately that most of my life I've lived the nightlife. I'm a night person by nature. A musician for more than twenty-five years, working clubs, parties, little concerts, some big concerts and festivals. The majority of them have been at night, and into the wee hours of the morning.
That's how it's always been for me.
4:42 PM
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falling into familiar patterns
I just got word that our former bassist will do the Borders show with us tomorrow. I am so grateful that he was able to step in and do the gig at the last minute. Thank you, Don! So, we have a bass player for tomorrow! It'll be like old times.
We celebrated my older son's birthday yesterday. Just a little get together at our house with family. Lots of food, and I took the opportunity to indulge in cake and ice cream. For dinner we had a combination of Chinese Szechuan and Filipino dishes. The "birthday boy" is into Chinese culture and wanted Chinese food on the menu.
Click here for more birthday pix.
My son's into astronomy and physics, and so we had someone make a cake with a space theme. He says he wants to be an astro-physicist when he grows up. One thing's for sure... he doesn't seem to be interested in music like his Dad.
I wanted to put more photos up on the site of more cloud formations that occurred during the stormy day not too long ago. Here's another one I liked:
11:42 AM
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thursday, september 14
ego searching
Teri mentioned something in her blog, wondering if actors and actresses did ego searches, searching for themselves online to see what they come up with.
Well I did one on myself and found some pretty interesting results.
One link took me to a local band's website and I found out the drummer is a big admirer of my drumming. I was pretty flattered with what he had to say about me:
favorite jazz artist?
...The Uptown Boys...Everytime I see Carlos Rull drum it makes me want to go home and burn my set. There is just no use in trying, I will never be that good...
Okay now... don't worry about me. I usually don't get a big head about this type of flattery, but it sure feels good to be complimented. But I think he shouldn't be so hard on himself. I've never heard him play before, but I'm sure he's a great drummer himself.
As my colleagues will tell you. I'm one of the most humble guys around when it comes to my drumming skills. And I think this is because of my attitude and approach to the art of drumming.
I think the secret is to approach the drums like it was the very first time you played ever. Then that positive energy is always there.
12:59 PM
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a sip of illumination
I finally found myself at the front of the counter at Starbucks. The guy behind the counter took my order (yes, another double espresso). He pulled out a card from a box of trivia cards, and then rattled off a trivia question my way:
True or false --- Elvis Presley was a big admirer of singer Robert Goulet.
Well, just as I mouthed the word, "true?", the other worker behind the counter was shaking her head... ugh...
FALSE!!! Elvis Presley HATED Robert Goulet and would go so far as to make it publicly known!
Okay! I know there's some kind of hidden meaning here, a message that's deeper in scope than what I hadn't realized. I felt I was having a ZEN moment, lost in the internal reverie.
I took a sip of my double espresso and headed out the door, knowing that I was once again at peace with the world around me.
11:59 AM
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happy birthday to you...
Today is my oldest son's birthday. He turned twelve today and I was thinking that in a few short years he'll be taking drivers education and obtaining a learners permit to drive!
Geez, where does the time go?
Anyway, he received his birthday present in the mail the other day from his aunt, four Harry Potter books, and so we let him open the package early and he and his younger brother have been enthusiastically reading away!
Lately, I've been reading those Dr. Seuss books to my eight year old son at bed time. He was sort of snickering at me, since he's much too old for me to be reading him books at bedtime, especially those Dr. Seuss books. But we both realized how fun they are to read. And I sort of get these warm, fuzzy feelings while reading them, since I had so much fun reading them as a kid.
We pretty much have most of the Dr. Seuss books, and so we'll go through one each night until we finish them all. My all-time favorites are "Green Eggs and Ham", "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", and "Go, Dog, Go" which actually isn't by Dr. Seuss (it's by P.D. Eastman), but it's part of the family of Dr. Seuss books.
I guess it's fun reading these books at any age!
9:16 AM
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resisting temptation
I'm such a sorry case this morning. I'm debating whether or not to make the trip down to Starbucks to get me another one of those double espressos!
Am I bad or what?
Those beverages kick arse... such a strong drink. One of these days (perhaps sooner than I think) I'm going to buy me one of those espresso machines. And it would have to be a good quality machine. The generic brands won't do! The problem is that those better quality machines cost two to three hundred dollars, maybe more.
Well, I've been eyeing this one for some time. Now this looks like a top-notch machine! But at four hundred dollars? I don't know... maybe I'll check eBay to see if someone's "unloading" one there.
9:01 AM
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wednesday, september 13
mission to mars
Heather beat me to the punchline! I was just going to do a little review about the latest movie I'd seen, Mission To Mars.
It was pretty bad in my opinion. We actually were falling asleep during the first half of the movie, and then when things somewhat got exciting... another let down. Anyway, I agree with what Heather wrote:
I rented Mission to Mars. Paying for it in the theatre was bad
enough, but, why, oh why, did I bother to rent it? Why is it
that any movie that involves a journey to Mars is such a dog?
So don't rent this movie. And if you're so inclined, if you have this undeniable urge, don't blame me if you find out it's a "dog" too!
10:57 PM
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finding a bass player
The problem with having one of the busiest bass players in town performing in your band is that, well... he's busy! So, right now we're more or less scrambling for a bass player to do the Borders show.
Anyone out there know of any bass players?
At this point in time, with no time to rehearse another bass player, we'd pretty much need someone who can walk in and do the gig.
Oh, and he's got to "swing" too. Well, we have a couple of other options, but such is the case of being bandleader. The bandleader has to deal with all the "headaches" that pop up. I'm finally getting settled into the responsibility, but it's still a tough job.
3:55 PM
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adventures in the caffeine jungle
I once again staggered into another Starbucks Coffee shop this morning, intending to order ONLY a single espresso, as opposed to the double. The double espresso I had yesterday was a bit strong. And I was buzzing like a live wire all day yesterday!
Well, I compared the price of a single espresso ($1.45) to the double espresso ($1.75), and it was a difference of only 30 freakin' cents! So, I ended up getting ANOTHER double espresso!
Hey, it's an issue of price versus value... And so I rationalized that I would always get the double espresso in that particular situation. It's that "more-bang-for-your-buck" type philosophy.
The Uptown Boys have another gig at the Borders Books and Music in Carmel Mountain. It's this coming Saturday at 1pm, so I've been practicing a little more diligently than usual to prepare for it. Although the band doesn't have a CD out yet, I still like playing at Borders. It's a fun gig and the acoustics are great in there... must be all those books!
2:36 PM
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tuesday, september 12
zen and the art of scented candles
Okay, don't laugh, please! But I've been getting into scented candles lately. Y'know, the kind that you buy at the local drug store or supermarket.
Yes, my wife thinks I'm weird. She doesn't say anything, but she gives me this look like, "I don't know about you..." And my two boys think I'm strange too!
But there you have it! I dig SCENTED CANDLES!
Is it a Martha Stewart thing? I don't look at it that way. I approach it more from the viewpoint of "incense burning", which I used to do for years, but for some reason stopped.
Anyway, I just happen to have one of those "scented candles" burning right this very minute! Very aromatic, and pleasant. It puts me in a warm, fuzzy mood.
Okay, call me whatever you like... but I dig them "scented candles"!!!
11:20 PM
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dreaming of the energizer bunny
Okay, this title isn't right because I don't really dream, or at least I don't remember what I dream.
Well, this morning I struggled into the local "watering hole", the Starbucks near my home. Feeling brave I asked for a double espresso... "No problem, I can handle it", I told myself. Okay, folks. I've been "flying" ever since. No wonder I can't get to sleep at night... I feel like the energizer bunny!
Needless to say, I got A LOT of work done today. Check out my THINGS TO DO LIST! Well, most of the items were checked off.
Do other people do this? I mean, work off of a TO DO list? I guess I'm that way. I have to have a list of things to do in order to organize my day. Otherwise, I feel like I've rambled all day.
And people don't know this, not even my wife. But I practice drums every single day. At least one to two hours a day is spent practicing on my rudiments!
And if you've really been reading all along, you know that I study the old film footage of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, as well as a handful of contemporary drummers. That's my homework. People wonder why I'm good and all, but it's because I practice everyday and study the drum videos like I was studying last week's NFL football game!
Well, an explanation is in order here. I don't normally talk drums in this weblog, but maybe I should... I just feel that maybe my readers would be bored stiff. So I don't really get into the technical side of being a drummer. But just to remind everyone...
I am a drummer.
And I've played in some places other drummers would drool over... like Disneyland or Caesar's Palace. I've been around... and for that, I am ever so thankful to have had those opportunities.
But getting back to my workaholic frenzies... I guess I assume everyone's a workaholic. I always see everyone else running around in this "rat race"! Lots of times I feel like a lazy bum, and I'm not working enough... thus, the endless list of THINGS TO DO. It's never over. There's always another list, but then again that's another day!
10:55 PM
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[ Boy, it was a scorcher today in San Diego. It was HOT! My son's 3rd grade class measured the temperature at school and came up with 105 degrees Fahrenheit! ]
6:57 PM
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copyright law
Derek has an interesting post regarding copyright basics. In this day and age, what with the Internet and all, it's an important issue to all of us who create web pages.
I guess it's nice to know for sure where all these issues of copyright fall. But it's basically the same as any work created, from sound recordings to screenplays... once something is created it is automatically copyrighted, "even the scribble you made on a napkin at lunch"!
3:18 PM
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that in-and-out urge
Last Saturday, after the wedding reception, I had this sudden urge for a burger. I don't know why, since I had already eaten at the wedding reception. I must admit however that I didn't eat that much at the reception. I was too busy mingling and just being in bandleader mode. Needless to say, I hadn't had an In-And-Out burger in months, and so it was a nice change of pace.
1:32 PM
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sleepless in seattle
Those that know me are aware that Sleepless In Seattle is one of my favorite movies. Anyway, I was pretty sleepless last night and so I watched the DVD. I felt better afterwards and was able to get to bed. But before doing that I surfed the web and found a link to the original script to Sleepless...
It's interesting to note that the screenplay is by Jeff Arch, and re-written by Nora and Delia Ephron. I tend to agree with the revisions. For one, the original script has Annie also living in Chicago at the beginning of the story.
1:27 PM
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yosemite trip -- day two
The first view of the Yosemite Valley was simply breathtaking. It was my first time in Yosemite, so the experience was pretty amazing.
We covered a lot of ground on day two, so I was dead tired by nightfall. The house we rented was nestled in the mountainside, so we had 50 steps from the driveway to the front door! It was rough, given the higher elevations (6,000 feet above sea level).
[ click the photo ]
1:44 AM
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monday, september 11
the weekend in pictures
Now this is very creative. Rachel relayed her story about her weekend in pictures. Very nice!
11:42 PM
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friends of jezebel's mirror
Yeeeee haaahhhh!!!
I just got an email from Heather telling me that my mirror photo was added to the Friends of Jezebel's Mirror (FOJM) site. Yeah!!!
4:57 PM
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racing to catch the sunset
We raced to catch the sunset yesterday. No such luck. The sun had already set and night was quickly descending upon us. Oh well, maybe next time.
We traveled to La Jolla Cove and walked around, ending up at Children's Beach. It was a nice, cool stroll. Afterwards we ordered Chinese takeout consisting of Lomaine and Orange Chicken.
11:14 AM
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yosemite trip -- day one
The first day of our Yosemite trip was actually spent traveling to Santa Barbara. We spent the rest of the day at my sister-in-law's house. We rested and made sure we had everything we needed for our trip the following morning.
Here are the photos from the first day.
1:21 AM
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sunday, september 10
a sunday with keith jarrett
It's such a beautiful day out there. I think I will piddle in the garden or something. But right now I'm in music heaven just listening to Keith Jarrett's The Koln Concert.
I'm finally working on the yosemite pictures today! So there's no excuse for not having them done by tomorrow sometime.
12:53 PM
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george clinton and parliament/funkadelic
Pat won tickets to see George Clinton, Parliament, Funkadelic and Fishbone in concert!
12:47 PM
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bass and drums need to be tight
Here I am with bassist Ken Dow. Ken graduated with a music degree from UCSD. He's a very accomplished bassist, and his playing is very solid and so is his soloing. We're glad to have him performing with us. He's also a very busy musician, and has been performing with Forever Plaid, the longest running musical in San Diego history.
4:10 AM
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frogs from the heavens
There's a scene toward the end of the movie "Magnolia", where it begins to rain frogs! I mean, thousands of frogs start to fall from the sky. I found that scene quite hilarious.
3:44 AM
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michael and elizabeth's wedding
At 5:30pm yesterday, we played for mike and elizabeth's wedding ceremony at the ZLAC Rowing Club in Pacific Beach. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, and the ceremony took place in the club's garden area, adorned with beautiful flowers, green foliage and waterfall. We played a romantic, jazzy rendition of "When I Fall In Love", with snare, hi-hat, acoustic bass, guitar and trumpet... very nice!
The bride had this beautiful, off-white summer wedding dress... very stunning. And the groom wore this great looking, black tuxedo. The reception was in the ZLAC hall and I have to tell you that the room acoustics were excellent. Lots of natural wood and a beautiful wood floor. Great for jazz and great for swing dancers! Because of the acoustical advantage the band kicked arse and everyone knew it. Sorry for the cockiness but when musicians have a great room to play in, the whole world falls into place.
3:21 AM
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