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saturday, november 11
the weather in november
feeling: kinda warm and fuzzy
wondering: about our san diego weather
realizing: that 100% acrylic keeps me warm at night!!!
Well, the weather here in San Diego has been pretty lame lately. For starters, it's been downright COLD at nights. And the rains have been coming down since yesterday and most of last night. It was cold enough last night to produce hail.
So, we've been trying to conserve on our gas & electric bill by not using our central heating. I mean, it's not like we live in one of the northern cities where they REALLY experience the cold. But San Diego has a desert climate and that means it can be nice and warm during the day, but at night the temperatures can drop significantly.
I've been sleeping in this acrylic warm-up suit my parents gave me for x-mas years ago. It's supposed to be for jogging, but it's kinda hokey looking to wear in public, but it's oh so warm for cold nights such as last night. It's a very, very bright blue, and my wife can't stand to see me in this outfit, but lemme tell you it's oh soooo warm and comfortable, especially during these cold nights.
My two boys were supposed to have soccer playoffs today, but because of the rain the fields are just way too wet. And we also heard that last night during the rains, someone decided to go OFF-ROADING on the soccer fields!!! That is awful. As whoever did this caused thousands of dollars worth of damage as they literally destroyed the fields. So, the fields will be out of commission for the rest of the year.
I really wasn't looking forward to these soccer playoffs because my two boys had 3 games each, scheduled for today! Wow, that's a lot. I wondered who scheduled all this stuff in one day? Well, even though the games were cancelled, I'm rather sad that the fields were ruined.
Anyway, I need to reply to several emails from you nice folks out there. I've been making the transition from Netscape Messenger to Outlook Express, so I need to consolidate the stuff from Netscape Messenger. My apologies to you if I haven't replied in a timely manner.
Everyone, enjoy your Saturday!
11:15 AM
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friday, november 10
Eyeblog: This is a really cool design! [ link via becky ]
4:38 PM
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Joe's San Fransisco Scribbles is an exceptional documentation of his visit to the Bay Area. I'm amazed at his photography and what he manages to capture that many people probably miss, or don't notice. He's got a good eye!
4:32 PM
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it rains, it's sunny, then it rains again
feeling: rested, happy and energetic.
wondering: about being vegetarian again.
realizing: the healing power of food
Actually, it's been raining pretty steady now for most of the day. And I'm beginning to doubt that there'll be any soccer playoff games tomorrow. The field will most likely be too soaked and mushy.
Well, because of Veterans Day (which is actually tomorrow), my wife, kids and I are at home having a restful day (no school, no work, no karate, no soccer, no stress). Actually, I've been hit by the cleaning bug today. We have relatives coming into town for Thanksgiving and I'm already getting a head start on the cleaning. There's a lot to clean, so I'm glad I started now.
I've also been rummaging through the room that's been turned into an office and throwing out stuff, and sorting and cleaning. I've been wanting to do this for months.
So, Thanksgiving is quickly coming. And I'm thinking of becoming vegetarian again. I remember past Thanksgivings when the whole family would keep pestering me. "C'mon, have some turkey!" "You're not going to have some of this delicious turkey?" "You look pale and thin, have some turkey" -or- "You're not getting enough PROTEIN, so have some turkey!!!"
It's funny when someone becomes a vegetarian, and everyone now has some sort of mission, to say something about it or to question it, or to cause some debate in favor of eating meat. It seems to be automatic, and it's hard for the vegetarian person to really be inconspicuous about it at parties. But during my prior years when I was a vegan*, I managed to hone my skills at not making myself stand out at parties and functions. I feel there's a whole art to that. Because I don't want to always get into a debate with someone about the whole vegetarian thing... it's a waste of time and energy for me.
Anyway, I'm going to go and clean the upstairs bathroom. Such excitement, I know... but I keep thinking about Zen and the art of "cleaning", and also about setting up the home in a feng shui manner. Sometimes the subtle changes in our lives are the most important for our well-being.
I looked up another quote from my favortie jazz artist, pianist Keith Jarrett, and he says:
"You're never in a secure position. You're never at a point where you have it all sewn up. You have to choose to be secure like a stone, or insecure but able to FLOW."
---Keith Jarrett
Hmmm... more food for thought...
*vegan: a diet consisting of only grains, seeds, legumes, vegetables and fruits. no dairy, eggs, fish or meat of any kind is allowed.
1:49 PM
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Cami, I luv that pic of your Mom making that lizard face. That is so classic. Now I know where you got your in-front-of-the-camera sense of humor.
1:39 PM
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Pat's job is such that he gets to travel all around the country and sometimes outside of the country. Wow! He just got back from NYC, then did a stint in Long Beach staying at a place overlooking the Queen Mary, and he emailed me today saying he's going to Las Vegas for Comdex, and then to New Orleans after Thanksgiving? Wow. What a jetsetter. And all these business dinners in between. Nice, Pat!
1:34 PM
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Hehe... Kaycee gets the big "karaoke" treatment. What a surprise!
1:30 PM
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Becky has one cute and awesome baby. Ah, the miracle of life.
11:14 AM
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thursday, november 9
ramblings from the monastery
feeling:
very spiritual with a sense of hope
wondering:
about my sense of purpose
realizing:
that whoever you are, people need you
"One word is enough, while a thousand words are
meaningless. A significant word creates strong trust,
and strong trust is very meaningful."
---Venerable Master Cheng Yen
I'd been reading one of my older books, one that I used to read a lot back in college, when I minored in World Religions. This book, Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines, had always appealed to me because of its general sense of wisdom in dealing with the mundane world. I was also fascinated by the pictures of the gurus and their disciples. They looked so strange, as if they were from another planet. I wondered if they were actually aliens. Look at the above photo of the guru and his disciple and tell me that doesn't look rather strange.
There were several sayings that I thought were profound, and I'd aspired to attaining this sort of wisdom at one point in my life:
1. The disciple must regain the child state that he hath lost, ere the first sound can fall upon his ears.
2. The smallest good deed done unselfishly is more precious than innumerable good deeds done selfishly.
3. To have but little pride and envy is the sign of a superior person.
4. To have but few desires and satisfaction with simple things is the sign of a superior person.
Well, there is more and the book goes on and on about these secret doctrines. They reminded me of the sayings of Confuscious. Like, "the wise man [ does this ] and so on...
Today is a cold and dreary day in San Diego. I noticed this morning that the sun had appeared but that only lasted a few minutes. Now there's a slight drizzle of rain.
Someone had emailed me, mentioning that they thought the best feature of my site were the pictures of me during the 70's and 80's, and although I'm flattered, well... y'know how the story goes... of course, back then I was youthful, newly independent, and newly enthusiastic about life in general. And I think that's what is appealing about those older photos.
Hmmm... I was also a very strict vegetarian back in my younger days. And I fasted a lot on juices and vegetable broths. And I meditated more than I do now. But I felt rather weak when playing drums, and I'm currently a much better drummer now than back when I was 20, maybe 10 times better. I just probably looked better back then because I was so skinny. I was around 145 in those earlier pictures. Now that's skinny for a guy.
Just recently I read about the need for "meat" in our diets because humans have essentially been hunters as well as gatherers all this time. It's been in our biology for the last 10,000 years at least. Well, that's what this one book had said.
I'm seriously considering going back to being a vegetarian again, seriously. We'll see if this holds water in the near future.
But nowadays, although I'm not so young AND I'm more of a realist. I'm holding on to the notion that it's very important to regain that "child state", that sense of youthfulness internally. I remember being passed up one day while running a 10K, by an old timer who I later found out was 70 years old!!! See... being young is a state of mind.
Never lose that child within you
Anyway, what is the length of our lives compared to the time that has passed and the time that has not yet passed? We are a fleeting image in the cosmos, therefore we are eternally youthful, whether we are 19 or 91.
I'm still obsessing over that Sarah McLachlan song. I'm a big Sarah McLachlan fan of course. When I saw her in concert a few years ago it was embarrassing. I had to fight off the tears the whole time and I tried not to let others around me notice. But maybe others around me felt the same way.
I think she has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. She sings like an angel. I first heard her on the radio while traveling back to San Diego from Las Vegas. The song, "I Will Remember You", just wouldn't leave my head and I bought the soundtrack to The Brothers McMullen as soon as I got back. I read an interesting article about her once. She's one of the very few artists out there who'd been signed on to a major label, and had been allowed to nurture her music for a rather lengthy period of time (around 10 years) until she made it big. Most record companies don't have that kind of faith in a musical artist. I guess her talents are undeniable.
I've been really studying Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring"... listening to it every single day in the car... what a very disturbing, utterly violent work of art, but I'm liking it more and more every time I listen to it.
I've ordered the score from the downtown public library and I should get a call soon when it comes into my library. I know, I know... what could I possibly want with that? Well, it's sort of a secret hobby of mine. I like to listen to a certain classical composition that I'm currently obsessed with, and then I like to conduct when no one's looking. It's amazing to pretend-conduct while listening to the music and follow along with the actual score... I'm definitely no conductor but I can definitely read the parts sort of "hack-conduct"... but it's my own way of having fun... kind of like a secret hobby...
I heard my youngest son sing that Chumbawumba song the other day, but I think he was singing it wrong. He was singing:
I get knocked down
in the millenium
in the millenium
I get knocked down
I know those aren't the right lyrics, but I'm not sure what the right lyrics are. Does anyone know?
And the one part where the woman is singing sounds like, "Pissing the night away..."
Okay, something to ponder... like a Zen koan.
9:02 AM
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wednesday, november 8
Hey Pat! Nice pix of Long Beach... pretty close to the Queen Mary too.
11:51 PM
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Kissing may spread Kaposiās sarcoma: Okay, if we can't even kiss for fear that we will get this new aids-related skin cancer thing, then what's next? Fear of holding hands?
6:36 PM
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I agree with glenda. That song performed by Sarah McLachlan on Toy Story 2 is an exceptional melody. Now I can't get it out of my head either...
3:15 PM
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I'm just hangin' out at the home right now, paying bills, waiting for this appliance guy to come and fix our oven, and checking out the status of the presidential election.
I'm also looking for work. Well, I'm always looking for work. Supposedly, networking is the key. I've been working with a photographer, trying to help him with his website. We've agreed on a barter exchange. I'll help him launch his new website and he'll get our band into the studio for some band photos.
I hope everyone is having a great day. The weather is beautiful right now in sunny San Diego.
10:42 AM
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tuesday, november 7
understanding true patriotism
In anticipation of the election results and the news coverage all over the United States tonight, I wanted to sidetrack a bit and talk about patriotism and my father-in-law's experiences during World War II.
Incidently, to bring you all up-to-date with my father-in-law's condition, he's been at home for more than two weeks since his emergency trip to the hospital. He seems fully-recovered and in good spirits, especially with all the election hoopla going on... he voted for Bush and it looks like he will be happy with the results.
Anyway, my father-in-law once related his WWII war stories to me, how he was just nineteen when he was freshly recruited into the Philippine Army to fight alongside the American soldiers on Corregidor Island, a small island in Manila Bay near the Bataan Peninsula.
One thing that struck me as odd was the fact that before actual fighting began, everyone passed out these big chunks of chocolate. I guess this was to get the soldiers hyper and ready for fighting.
On Corregidor Island they were fighting the Japanese from afar. At night my father-in-law said you could see the flashes from the enemy guns. This continued for days, until one day they were told that U.S. and Philippine troops had surrendered to the Japanese. No hand-to-hand combat, no fighting at close range, just a radio dispatch saying that they surrendered.
My father-in-law said that he was not a part of the Bataan Death March
, but his older brother (also a soldier in the Philippine Army) was in the march but managed to escape and hide away in the wilderness. Others who were caught were beaten to death. Today, he is alive and well and living in Victorville, California, well into his 70's.
My father-in-law told me that he had volunteered for graveyard duty. And after the Death March when all POW's were placed in the concentration camps, that's when both American and Filipino soldiers began to die in large numbers. He said approximately 500 died each day, mostly from malaria and dysentary, along with filthy living conditions. And he was wise to keep healthy by volunteering for graveyard duty. It kept him physically strong and took his mind off of the situation he was in. And the Japanese generally fed the grave diggers better food than the other POW's because of the work they did.
He said you'd know when someone was going to die, because the night before they'd be calling out for their mothers, all delirious from the malaria and dysentary. He said most of the soldiers that were going to die soon did this, call out for their mothers for some reason, especially the very young soldiers.
They would bury the dead in rows, and then start another row on top of an existing row of dead soldiers. And the work was backbreaking but it kept my father-in-law alive.
He said that the bodies that had been dead for three or four days were hard to handle, because when you grabbed them the skin would peel off, exposing the bare flesh. They had no gloves and you had to get used to handling the dead with your bare hands. Many of the dead were naked or semi-naked. Afflicted with malaria and dysentary, they had to continually go to the bathroom because of the severe diarrhea, and many of these soldiers just stopped wearing pants and underwear altogether.
There are more stories that my father-in-law told me of his firsthand accounts in a Japanese POW camp. He kept emphasizing how cruel the Japanese soldiers were. I guess for a soldier to admit defeat and surrender was dishonorable and meant "losing face". And therefore POW's were treated very badly.
I can't begin to comprehend what those soldiers had gone through. It was definitely a living hell, that's for sure. But there was a real sense of patriotism and love for country. I guess that's what got many through the HELL, aside from the will to just survive.
After my father-in-law told me his stories, I felt a greater appreciation for the many sacrifices our fathers and forefathers made to keep freedom in this land. There was much blood that was shed so we could all enjoy the freedom and peace that we sometimes take for granted. And I just pray that we will continue to experience peace and freedom for many years to come.
11:53 PM
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Riothero is living up to his name tonight. His commentary on this whole presidential election thing IS a total riot!!! You should go check it out! But be forwarned... he recommends voting for Nader!
8:32 PM
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my experience at the polls
[ upon signing in... ]
elderly lady: name please?
carlos: carlos rull
elderly lady: car-less ruse?
carlos: no m'am, carlos rull, r - u - l - l
elderly lady: how do you spell you're last name?
carlos: R...U...L...L...
elderly lady: got it! what's your street address?
carlos: Weatherwood Terrace
elderly lady: redwood forest??? (puzzled look)
carlos: no m'am, Weather and wood, which is one word, and Terrace. (sigh)
elderly lady: I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time hearing you... it's been a LONG day!!! (smile)
[ everyone breaks out in laughter ]
carlos: Well, I must apologize too. My lips are soooo chapped right now that I'm afraid to really pronounce the words for fear of cracking my lips.
[ more laughter ]
elderly lady: OH, it's those darned Santa Ana winds again! (smile)
[ five minutes later, carlos leaves the polls happy as a lark, and proud that he voted ]
Well, the voting experience is all over and done with. I did my duty as a U.S. citizen... and I even placed the little "I Voted" sticker on my shirt. Cool!!!
Anyway, I just wish I'd voted via mail like last time. But I just plain forgot. And for those of you who haven't tried voting by mail? Try it, it's great. You get your ballot via mail with all the necessary stuff, even the "hole puncher", and it arrives at your house a week or two before the actual election day. I've made a promise to myself that next time I'll remember to vote via mail. Now THAT'S a convenient way of voting.
Now, someone should set it up so that we have the option to vote ONLINE, on the Web! Now that would be awesome!
8:04 PM
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the voting booth
Needless to say, I'm going to head on down to the local polls and vote today. It's my right and privilege of being a U.S. Citizen.
As far as who to vote for... Gore? Bush?
I'm going to be subtle and say, head on over to riothero's weblog and see what he has to say. He's very firm with his stance and he's a little more opinionated about it. Too bad he's only sixteen and can't vote yet.
12:23 PM
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search words found in my site stats
bellagio
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masturbation stories
explanation of Dr. Seuss' "one fish two fish"
robin tunney photos
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san diego blogger
porn websites san diego
1:12 AM
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monday, november 6
random thoughts and reflections
"We should frequently wish ourselves luck, and we should
relax and be happy."
---venerable master cheng yen
I love Kaycee's "blue ice" entry, it's right on... and her poem "reflections" is simply beautiful. The parts in her poem about "soaring freely", "reflecting", and "mirror" reminded me of another poem I really liked. So, I spent a little time this evening looking for that poem and wondering where I'd seen it. And I found it! Words set to an English choir... the Cambridge Singers from England singing a turn-of-the-century vocal work entitled "The Blue Bird":
the lake lay blue below the hill
o'er it, as i looked, there flew
across the waters, cold and still
a bird whose wings were palest blue
the sky above was blue at last
the sky beneath me blue in blue
a moment, ere the bird had passed
it caught his image as he flew
---Mary Coleridge, (1861-1907)
Sometimes moments like these are fleeting... yet they are the most memorable!
Anyway, I'd been really getting into this Steely Dan obsession. I only have two CDs by them, "Aja" and "Gaucho", but these two are arguably their best works. Especially "Aja" which is a true "gem" of a concept album. For one, some of the best "first call" studio musicians from L.A. and NYC are on this album, but just songs like "Black Cow", "Aja", "Deacon Blues", "Josie", and "Peg" are such classic tunes.
I've been really obsessing over "Hey Nineteen" on the Gaucho CD lately:
hey nineteen
that's 'retha franklin
she don't remember
the queen of soul
it's hard times befallen
the sole survivors
she thinks i'm crazy
but i'm just growing old
But I know Pat's fave is this one:
I've seen your picture
your name in lights above it
this is your big debut
it's like a dream come true
and when you smile for the camera
I know they're gonna love it
Hmmm... these tunes remind me of someone. I wonder who could that be....?
[ a memory from about 4 years prior ]
I believe it was an August or September night in 1996, I can't remember which month, but it was a warm evening at Croce's Jazz Bar. I was performing this latin-jazz gig that Sunday night.
The place was packed and jumpin' and some people were dancing salsa to our "mambo" grooves... but in walked an entourage of people, and right away I could tell they were involved in something artistic. And we found out they were some of the cast from the musical "Play On!" which was going to open at the Old Globe Theatre! "Hmm... this is exciting", I thought to myself. "Play On!" is the musical that features the music of Duke Ellington.
Among the group was none other than THE Carl Anderson, the man who has played Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar for many years, and who's still doing it right now (touring in Italy).
Well, Carl wanted to sit in with the band! And he asked us if we could do "Round Midnight" by Thelonius Monk, and of course we could. And as soon as he got to singing, we knew right away that he was in "total control".... I've never backed anyone like that before. He totally knew where to go in his performance, and his musicianship was such that it was easy for us musicians to follow him wherever he wanted to go with the music, and that we did. What a great artist and entertainer! Very gifted, and it was like an honor to perform with him that night at Croce's.
Then, we had another singer come up to sing. And after a mezmerizing performance by Carl Anderson, who had captured the audiences complete attention with some wondrous applause, this young beautiful black woman came onstage and requested us to do "My Funny Valentine".
Well, already the audience was waiting in eager anticipation. Everyone knew this was a special treat... and here we had part of the Tony nominated cast and there was some real excitement here. Of course, we didn't know that this was a Tony nominated cast just yet, as they had just come from a rehearsal and the musical hadn't opened yet.
But this young black woman, and it's unfortunate that I'd forgotten her name, wanted to sing "My Funny Valentine" and she was going to start it off all on her own.
Well, it's hard for me to describe in words what actually took place. But I can say that the energy was in the air, this woman was in the zone, and she had a very powerful, gospel influenced voice that just reached up into the heavens! We were all like with jaws dropped, and the crowd was going ecstatic! And everything she did with her voice was just so sure, that the band came in at the right time, built up her crescendo, broke things down, and then built it all back up one more time for a nice climax to the song! And at the beginning of the tune I was thinking of how overplayed "My Funny Valentine" was, that who could pull off a song like this, unless they really belted the tune out and gave it their all, and that she did! Well, this woman did it in a beautiful, re-defining moment.
All in all, that experience was probably the most amazing impromptu performance I'd ever been honored to really be a part of, it was truly a gratifying experience. And it was one of those things that just happened, and wasn't planned. Thus going back to that quote:
Sometimes moments like these are fleeting... yet they are the most memorable!
9:24 PM
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this is the night
of the expanding man
I take one last drag
as I approach the stand
I cried when I wrote this song
sue me if I play too long
this brother is free
I'll be what I want to be
---steely dan
3:16 PM
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sunday, november 5
when aj croce performs, people listen
I just remembered something, while loading my drums into the Croce's Jazz Bar one Sunday evening, Ingrid Croce (the owner and widow of the late Jim Croce) stopped us just before entering, and the conversation went something like this:
Ingrid: I'm sorry, you can't come in just yet. A.J.'s going to perform for a little bit.
Me: Yes, mam! No problem at all. (no questions asked)
So, we had to park our stuff outside of the Jazz Bar and wait for what seemed like half and hour to 45 minutes.
And A.J. proceeded to wow the audience (mostly girls it seemed) doing a solo act on piano and vocal. Everyone was impressed, and people outside began to peek in to watch him, and inside it was totally packed.
He gave a stunning performance, playing some exceptional boogie woogie on piano, and singing it this souful, bluesy voice. He definitely got the crowd going in a frenzy, and when he was done he left the Croce's Jazz Bar to go out for some air. And he was sweating profusely, as if he gave the performance of his life. Then he was called in to give an encore performance.
When it was all done, we finally were able to set up. We started late. But I was thinking that it was a tough night having to follow A.J. Croce after he gave this stunning performance, what with the crowd going wild and all...
8:55 PM
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more on last night's juke joint gig
I forgot to mention that "Florence", well... the actress that plays Florence on the Jefferson's sitcom, she was there last night at the Juke Joint!!!
I make a point to be careful about celebrities and all.
I didn't want to approach her and make a fool out of myself. Y'know... celebrities are people too and they need their space.
I'm reminded of a gig my former band did at Johnny Depp's "Viper Room" in West Hollywood. One of the bandmembers saw that Bruce Willis was in the audience... at the bar, actually.
He came up to Bruce and said hello, googley eyed and all, and he probably said some pretty dumb things to Bruce... and so HE made a fool out of himself because Bruce wasn't too kind to having some stranger come up to him like that. And Bruce said some unkind words (don't mess with Bruce Willis on his night off)... anyway, our bandmember said something like, "oh that Bruce Willis is such an asshole in real life"... well, maybe he is, but I'd be pissed off too if I had people bugging me when I just wanted to chill out after a hard days work on the set!
Anyway, Florence was there when I did my Sing, Sing, Sing drum solo, so maybe knowing that she was there... in the back of my mind... I was thinking I'd better try to give her a good drum solo, just because "Florence" was in the house!
6:36 PM
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Well, guess who got a loobylu mug before I did? (and I'm soooo jealous *smirk*) hi teri
4:22 PM
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coping in a fantasy world
A young child says to his mother, "Mom, when I grow up I think I'd
like to be a musician." She replies, "Well honey, you know you can't
do both."
A fellow musician sent this joke to me, and although I get a chuckle out of it, I'm sadly reminded of how true this is in reality.
It seems a lot of my musician friends whom I grew up with had abandoned their dreams of becoming successful musicians for jobs in computer science, accounting... something that would ensure a safe, comfortable life. And myself, I pretty much have always been a musician, sometimes feeling like I've never grown up. But driven to continue on with music because I believed I had a real talent for it.
And here I am back down to earth again, cleaning out my garage like a normal guy, back to the mundane living that normal people are accustomed to... in suburbia... after basking in the afterglow of a fulfilling performance last night at one of the premiere jazz clubs in San Diego!
What is normal anyway? Well, I haven't lived normally in years. I've been a full-time musician earning little money for the amount of practice and effort invested into it. And coming from an Asian culture, it really goes against the grain. I feel ALL asian parents try to influence their children to become engineers, doctors and lawyers... it's something that's built into the culture. And here I stand, forever caught between these two worlds.
The musician's life is somewhat based on fantasy. Unless you're an entertainer who's "made it to the top", so to speak, then there's no real sense of financial compensation for all your efforts. But the problem is, entertainers that are popular today don't have the security of continuing with their fame and fortune for any length of time. The entertainers that are truly fortunate are those who have continually basked in the limelight, while the majority of them become last year's big hit or craze.
I've tried to straddle the fence of mundane living, while carrying on the torch of inspiration in my music. It seems I've realized that I can't just totally give up music, because I AM an accomplished musician. But in order to continue being an accomplished musician, I need to keep practicing and THAT takes time... "use it or lose it" is such a realistic statement for a musician. In reality, I need to practice 4 to 6 hours a day in order to continue seeing some improvement. I need to find a better method of managing my time and my resources. Then I feel I'll truly be successful in a general sense.
I'm still thinking about what Kaycee had emailed me early last week. She's a smart kid, a good kid with a good heart. She basically told me not to give up on my dreams, and I won't give up on my dreams... I'll find a way to be successful with my fantasy life as a musician and my mundane life as a husband and father... if there's a will there's a way... now where have I heard THAT before?
2:39 PM
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This news about the Amtrak train derailing is pretty scary. My wife and two boys take this route a couple of times a year to visit my sister-in-law in Santa Barbara.
11:27 AM
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so tired, but a successful night
The Uptown Boys really had a great show last night. Everyone played beautifully. And I somehow did what I predicted might happen. We played Sing, Sing, Sing and this rather organic, well executed drum solo came out of nowhere on my drums. Just when I thought I would be too tired to play, I somehow managed to pull off a very exciting solo, which scared the hell out of me because I really didn't know what I was doing, as if someone or something were playing through me, and I was sitting back watching myself in this surreal moment.
Hmmm... that may sound a little freaky, but it's true. When I have my very best moments on the drums it's as if my mind is on auto-pilot and I'm not really too worried about details and all the mechanics of playing drums. I just sort of let it out... let it happen naturally. That's when I play the best, and being so tired last night maybe helped a great deal because I was so relaxed on stage .
Anyway, that was probably the biggest crowd for us ever at the Juke Joint. But for some reason it was an extremely busy night in the Gaslamp Quarter in general. I was trying to figure that one out. Just the other night we were talking about the state of "live music" in the San Diego local scene. That it was in a slump for musicians. Well, it didn't show last night, as people were all over the streets. They could've been "dancing in the streets" for that matter. That's how crowded it seemed.
11:08 AM
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