Ugggh

Working the evening shift has its ups and downs. I get to sleep late...well, that's about all i can think of right now for the ups. The downs are draining me. I don't know why i'm so tired after these evening shifts. Tonight's shift was a bit more normal...much better than the previous two. But i think tomorrow and Friday's shift will be just as chaotic as the first two this week. Perhaps that's why i'm so tired. This week has been somewhat unusual.

I was hoping to see LTS on Friday night, but i don't think that'll happen. I hope to salvage the late evening though.

I did have a post topic in mind, but that thought got lost in head full of things...and nothing at all.

Two Years

I got home so late last night from work that i didn't have a chance to post. My two year anniversary as a certified ADCO has come and gone (Jan 27). It seems like i've been certified for 10 years...well, that's what it feels like. I keep a "flight log" of my console hours, much like we pilots keep of our flight time. That's where i got the idea...i wasn't flying airplanes anymore, so i figured i'd start a flight log of my other vehicle, the ISS. I don't have my ISS flight log in front of me, but the last time i updated it, i had nearly 2000 hours. Of that total, a couple of hundred hours are from my backroom certified support (HawkI). I think i was backroom certified somewhere around July 2004.

I don't know how many more hours i have left in me, but i'll keep going until it's time for a career change.

Studio Lazy

I had a short studio session tonight. Thought i'd share some pictures from that session. As you can see, i was a little lazy. But that's what the love seat is for...relaxin'. I'll hit the studio in full force tomorrow before work.

The Fedora

So, the parents came into town today and mom cooked a wonderful lunch. Dad was sporting his new fedora that he got for his birthday. I'm diggin' the new look...the fedora and the new facial hair. I wonder if i could pull off the fedora??



Here is dad with the new fedora...



Here are mom and dad about to head home...

On the music front...well, there was no practice this morning. Personal emergency got in the way...but last i heard everyone is okay. Some just a little stressed out. I should hit the studio tonight to make up for the loss of jam time.

Hope you had a good Sunday...

Just Got Home...

I've been gone most of the day. Got out and ran around on a rain soaked football field. It wasn't nearly as cold this week as it was last week. Following a quick trip home to clean up and get some lunch, i spent the rest of the day at Josh & Lisa's to help Josh with a home project. Lisa was at work so we were left up to our own devices. The home project was somewhat of a test run...we'll do it again at my house in a few weeks, maybe.

Well, i must turn in now...the rockstars have another early morning practice tomorrow. I'll need to get up a little earlier since i have an additional guitar to bring and laptop to pack. Uggh...i hate lugging around all that equipment...shouldn't i have a roadie or something?

Happy Birthday, Dad!

It's that time of year when the life clock rolls through to the next number.



Happy Birthday Dad. Ok, so this is a Christmas picture, but it was the most recent one that i have.
Hope it was a good one...
I'll see ya tomorrow.
Love ya.

Horelica House of Music -- Edition 22

This is the Finding Reason cover edition. These two bands are the choice bands for Finding Reason's first two covers.



The Smashing Pumpkins are making their third appearance here on Horelica House of Music. No secret here that i'm a crazed Pumpkins fan. So, i was pretty excited when Ben mentioned he wanted to do a song off of this album. I've given you enough hints on what song we're doing in previous posts. If you didn't get it, then you'll just have to see it live...



Alice in Chains make their second appearance here on Horelica House of Music. When Ben, Greg, and I got together we cited Alice in Chains as one of our influences. I think it says so on our garageband website. Wow...i haven't been to this website in a while...perhaps we should update it.
I've also left a hint lying around about which song we're doing from this album.

Tonight i had dinner with Josh and Lisa. While waiting for our table, i ran into my hair stylist, Ashley and her boyfriend. I think that was the first time i've seen her outside of the mall. I'll be seeing her in the next week or so.

After dinner it was time to hit the studio. I ran through the 6 songs and i'm getting more and more comfortable with each. I hope i don't lose the touch when i go off to Moscow again.

Tomorrow morning is another round of soggy football. I'm sure there will be some more studio work...since there is another Finding Reason practice on Sunday morning, followed by a short visit by the parents...

Have a good weekend.

Draw a Blank

Ha...the last post was classic Todd. I did have a thought, but i lost it. So, well...i left the post blank.

I think i was going to say something like...Sometimes the things you are looking for are right where you left them...

honestly, i had a glimpse through the window of life and had a rather nifty post in my head. Not sure where it went though. But as with most things, it looks better in my head than it does on paper, or coming out of my mouth. I have a unique mind. i just wish you could see what's in there.

Deep Thoughts by Todd

The Moment of Truth

Ok...i had to see what this was all about. This is the new show where one is asked questions for money. The higher the value the more difficult or more personal the question. I wasn't sure how this all worked...were you hooked up to the lie-detector while being asked random questions in front of all of America? Well, not exactly. The contestant is asked over 50 questions prior to the show. (So, the contestant knows all the questions that have been asked.) What i didn't get was the contestant knows how he/she answered, so where does the truth or lie come from. Well, it turns out the contestant doesn't know the results of the lie detector test...so if they really told the truth, then there shouldn't be any issues. But if they lied...that's where it gets tricky...so the contestant can change his/her answer during the show and still win money, if they can remember how they answered that question...

Once the contestant is caught not telling the truth the game is over for them...and they lose all the money they have won.

To make it interesting, members/friends of the contestant are sitting on the stage with them. And as one would expect, some of the questions are related to the those friends. Man, the intense looks that some of the contestants received from their family/friends...i have a feeling there are going to be some turmoil in families and such. I'm sure that a waiver must be signed, to prevent the contestant from suing the makers of the show for "ruining" their personal lives.

Ok, i kinda liked it...i guess i want to know everyone's dirty little secrets...

What is your dirty little secret?
Now back to the studio...

Don't Sweat It

Don't you love Texas weather? Don't answer that...it was a rhetorical question. Today's warming trend made my house a little warmer. So, i broke a sweat workin' out in the studio. It was almost miserable in there. It wasn't my best day in the studio. I was just a bit off on everything. At least i was consistent.

Along the same lines as sweating, i've been thinkin' about getting a Wii. I think some Wii parties would be fun. But, i must be careful...cause i know if get a Wii, my studio time will dwindle far below what i would like. So, it's probably a good thing that the Wii is hard to get ahold of...I'm sure i'll get the Wii at some point...

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions/goals?

Needs the Polish

After an early morning grocery shopping spree, i did a little house cleaning. But the majority of the day was set aside to work in the studio. Accomplishments were made. All i need to do is apply a little polish on the songs and i'm ready to go. I learned the chorus for the second cover and that song is done. Just some repetition with the guys and we should have 6 songs in rotation. Three times the amount we had last year at this time. Ugh...it's almost been a year since the show. I'm sorry.

As the music becomes ingrained in my mind and muscle memory, i can go back to experimenting with new music. I've been concentrating on learning new music lately and so the experimentation has been kept to a minimum.

This musical journey has been fun and it's getting better. There are still some discouraging times, but must keep pressing forward. The next level almost seems within reach now. I'm getting excited.

Wax on...Wax off...

Sunday Rockstars

This morning's rockstar practice went pretty well. It could've been better, but we all felt pretty satisfied with our performance. The one thing i'm not satisfied with yet is my sound through the PA system. My effects pedal is set up for the studio sound, so things sound much different (often horrible sounding even) through a PA system. I'll be headed back to Groovy B studios later this week to work my sound through the PA system.

This week we're concentrating on "Ghost". That'll give us 4 good originals to polish up. With the 2 covers almost ready...we'll have 6 songs available in our arsenal. It seems i get a little better with each additional song we work on. I hope that trend continues...

On another note...the Superbowl contenders are the New England Patriots (no surprise there) and the New York Giants. I'm not sure which team i'll be going for yet...it'd be kinda funny if the Patriots lost the most important game of the season...at the same time it'd be neat for them to pull off the greatest season in all of football.

Tomorrow i think i'll take advantage of my day off and do some grocery shopping and try to clean up the house a bit. Of course i'll work on some music too. For those that have to work...i hope you make the best of it...

Random

Yes, we played football this morning. Yes, it was cold...at first. I think the temperature was around 45 degrees F this morning...but the wind, the wind is what sucked. It was incredibly cold with the wind. But once we all got moving around it wasn't so bad. Two hours later we were done for the day.

Following football some of us headed over to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. I have never had good service at that establishment...and i'm not the only one that has had that experience. It's a shame too, cause the food is pretty good. Well, i don't visit that establishment that much so i guess i can put up with horrible service for the good food.

Didn't work a whole lot on music today. I know...i was bad. I did put in half an hour's worth of music though. Tomorrow morning, too early for me on a Sunday (8:30am), Finding Reason will have a weekly jam session. We'll work on our our material as well as our cover material. i think i may have stumbled across some new music in my 15 minutes of work. But i didn't plug in the electric to see how it sounds...i'll try it out tomorrow.

Hope you had a good Saturday. Stay warm...

Favorite Time?

I don't have anything of relevance to report tonight. So, i thought i'd share something with you. Time. Time seems to be a recurring theme in some of my blogs. I thought i'd tell you my favorite time. It's kind of a trick question. I have a weird fascination with sequential numbers. So, it stands to reason that my favorite time is one that has sequential numbers, but only in increasing order. Of course, this only works on digital clocks. Those with actual hands just don't offer as much enjoyment. I get all giddy when i look at the computer or a digital clock and see 12:34 or 1:23 or 2:34...and so on. So, i don't really have a favorite time...i have favorite times. But they are only favorites because they represent my weird sequential fascination...they hold no other significance. I know, i'm weird like that.
What is your favorite time?

I barely picked up the guitar tonight. Tonight was one of those nights where going anywhere wasn't going to be fun (on account of the weather). I should sleep well tonight...the slow rain makes todd sleepy.

Do you have any big plans for the 3 day weekend? My only plans are to play football tomorrow morning (weather permitting) and Finding Reason practice on sunday. I'm sure i'll fill in the rest of the time with some studio work and lots of tv watching.

Enjoy the long weekend...stay dry...and stay warm...

Therapy

This afternoon, i was in a melancholy mood. Not sure why...maybe it was the weather? Anyway...i really didn't feel like doing much tonight. I really didn't even feel like going into the studio. But after grabbing a bite to eat i wandered into the studio to try to work on some music. I worked on the cover some more. After a few run throughs and some studying, my mood lifted. My spirits were lifted and i had a smile on my face. I think i have the whole song down now. I just need to polish the dull spots. But i think i could fake it for one more show. Ok, that's enough with the hints.

I don't know what it was, but i saw the song differently than before. The part that i was struggling with came quite easily for me tonight. After two more times through the song i decided i'd put that song down and work on another one. I made a little more progress on the other cover and was satisfied with that so i left the studio feeling accomplished.

So, it seems that playing music is therapeutic for me. I think i always knew that...

Wednesday Wind Down...

First of all, i got up an hour earlier than my what i set my alarm for this morning...how disappointing. I missed out on a great hour...at least that is what i'm telling myself.

After work, a few ADCOs went to Boondoggles for a little celebration. Today was the 100 day celebration for Peggy and Yuri. We also celebrated Dan's Around the World in 80 Days. The crew was nice and bought those of us that attended some tasty beverages to take the edge off of our daily grind. We had a good time with some good conversation. I also saw Mike LA there...not only did he recognize me, but he remembered my name too. Pretty cool, huh?

I didn't get chance to work on music tonight. I was way too tired to get into the studio. And the sad part is that i had been jonesing to work on stuff all day. I still have 3 days left before FR gets together, so i can get in some more music time.

Happy Hump Day to ya...

Spy X3

Remember late last year when i posted this?

In a weird bout of predictability, i called this one.
Today, my new Spy sunglasses arrived in the mail. And as i was getting ready for work this morning, i grabbed my jacket to head out the door. And wouldn't you know it, my old pair of sunglasses were in the pocket. Great!

Now, back to the new arrivals. Earlier this year, i was perusing ebay for a new pair of Spy sunglasses. I saw an auction for a pair of aviator style Spy sunglasses for about $45 off of retail as the opening bid. I thought to myself, sure, i'll bid on this. There's no way i'll win at this low price. And that was the last i thought of that.

Later in the week i went shopping of a pair of Spy sunglasses and found a pair that i liked. So, i bought them...and since they were on clearance they weren't refundable.

Turns out i won that auction...and they arrived today...the day i found my old pair. Again, my poor timing strikes again. I wonder how many times my poor timing will affect me this year?

Anyway, i am now the owner of 3 pair of Spy sunglasses. I should be set with sunglasses for several years to come.

See...i don't lose many things...just misplace them.

Now, on to the music front. I worked on the cover again tonight. I know i keep calling it the cover...perhaps in the near future i'll let you in on what that cover song is. I'm getting more comfortable on that song, although there are a few places where i need a lot of work. I shall continue to work...i want this to happen.

I did a little more work on Ghost tonight too. the good news is i really haven't worked on Ghost for 2 days now, and i did fairly well on the parts i've already learned. A few mistakes here and there, but overall, i was pleased.

We'll see how FR practice goes on Sunday morning...

An Audience

The studio got an audience today. Frances Ethel Gumm, aka Judy Garland, arrived today. I ordered this fabulous print from art.com with a nice 20% coupon for a reasonable price. I'm fairly pleased with the outcome. I didn't order an anti-glare glass for it...but i thought i did...oh well.





Judy is a nice addition. She doesn't scrutinize...she doesn't wince when i strike the wrong note...she listens contently...she gazes in awe...she is...my...audience. Well, for now. I guess Bowie is my audience too...but he sometimes runs away (on account that he is neurotic).

Practice continues to go well. I didn't get in as much practice today as i wanted. But i did learn some more material...so i consider today's practice a success. I find that some things are just coming easier to me...and i like that. Unfortunately, i didn't get to work on FR material...hopefully i'll get a chance to work on some FR material tomorrow.

The world is your audience...let them hear you...

F&F of FR

Hello Friends and Fans of Finding Reason.

Before i get to the heart of this post, i want to congratulate all the runners of today's Houston Marathon. I've heard nothing but good reports from those that participated today...most setting personal bests for themselves. Some are gearing up for an even longer race...all i have to say is..."Run, Forest, Run". Seriously, though, congratulations for your success!!

Now...Finding Reason had a practice session this morning/afternoon. We moved from the recording studio to the practice studio at Groovy B studios. This is good news. We worked through our cover song, and while we still have a way to go on that one, it sounded pretty good...at least the parts we new together. I must admit, I didn't concentrate on the cover as much as FR material. But that's okay. We added a second cover to work on for homework for next week. Luckily i started working on the second cover this past week, so i have a little head start on that on.

We worked through all our the FR material (Delusion of Trust, Blue Devils, Love-Hate, and Ghost of a Man)...and while we didn't have a drummer, we didn't do too bad. Once we add that drummer in the mix, things should be a lot smoother.

Following the practice session, we started talking about the future. We started talking about some of the equipment that we (Greg and I) need to acquire for gigs and we got a crash course in some of the equipment that is already available to us. All this talk is exciting, yet scary, all at the same time. We still have lots of work to do before we're there, but we continue to progress and improve.

So, today was a great day for a lot of people. I hope your day was great!

Absolutely Gorgeous!

Her name would be weather. Wow...the weather is absolutely gorgeous today. I hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy it. This morning i got out and got some exercise. We played football for a little over 2 hours. It was great!!

I hope the weather holds out for all the marathon runners tomorrow. This is where i wish all the marathon runners good luck tomorrow. I'm sure i'm gonna forget some people but here it goes: The 26 milers: Charlie M. and Erin. H. The 13 milers: Erin R. and Branelle C. The 5Kers: Melissa W. and Lisa P. I seem to have drawn a blank, but i think there are more people that i know that are running the marathon.

If you ask me, all of you runners are psycho. I just don't get it...which leads me to my next question. Why do you run?

At any rate...have a good run and enjoy the weather! Good luck!

Night Off

After a long week on console, flying this nation's space station, i decided to take the night off; the night off from working on music. I know i have a lot of music work coming up this weekend. Sometimes you just need a break.

I just curled up on the couch and watched a movie. Bowie decided to join me, but he just mostly slept...but that's what cats do...

Tomorrow morning, i'm gonna try to get out and play some football. We haven't played football in months. I also hope to catch up on a little sleep. I can get an extra 2 hours of sleep tomorrow morning...woohoo. But knowing me...i'll be up by 7:30am.

I hope you have an awesome weekend!!

Must Be Tired

Today wasn't the greatest day in the studio. My timing wasn't all that great and my fingers just didn't want to cooperate. But i trudged on...determined to go a little further. I'm right around the 3 minute mark in Ghost. I'll probably be here for a few days as i'm getting into the tricky part of the song. I still stumble on some of the parts...but continued practice will hopefully cure that issue.

I am really feeling tired today...i think the week is catching up with me. The last few days on console have been quite hectic too. Good thing tomorrow is my last day on console for at least a week.

How are you feeling...?

Roaring Case of ...

I have a roaring case of carpal tunnel in my left wrist. Don't worry, i'm not contagious. I had another successful day in the studio. I'm now up to about 2.5 minutes on Ghost. I'll add a little more time every session until i have the complete song down. But things are building nicely. I get a little better each time. I think that is how it is supposed to work.

I had quite the clever post in my head, but now i can't remember it. My brain must be getting full again...

The Tuesday That Didn't Suck

Today was a good day, nay, a great day in the studio. I spent a great deal of time on "Ghost". Ghost is gonna be one of our better liked songs i believe. There are a lot of changes and timing issues that we'll have to nail down. Tonight i found it best to not try to work through the whole song, but rather to put a section of the song on a loop. I started with the first 45 or 50 seconds of the song and just put it on a loop. I played that over and over for what seemed like 30 minutes straight. I wasn't perfect on any of the takes...but that's okay. I'm working on the muscle memory, pattern work, and timing. I worked so much tonight that my fingers and forearms hurt from the constant power chords. But that's good...i'm building up my stamina and endurance. At some point we'll be playing 45 minute, 60 minute, 90 minute sets. My wrists do hurt a bit though...most likely due to all fractures and sprains that i've had...stupid, stupid coffee table.

After my first hour or so in the studio i fixed me some grub...tonight was manwich night. After supper and a few episodes of Scrubs...i returned to the studio to work on Ghost a little more. Basically, i wanted to see how much i remembered after an hour break. I didn't perform horribly...and i even added another 30 or 40 seconds to the loop. I think if i continue this menthod, i might have this song down in a relatively short time. Practice makes better...

I also briefly worked on one of the other covers. I hope that i can pull this one off. I think i'll be the only guitar on this one. And I admire this band's complexity in their rhythm and sequencing. Great stuff...i'd love to pull that one off...

I also worked on yet another cover. For this cover i will use my acoustic/electric guitar...(secretly, i've been wanting to find a song to use this guitar on). Actually, my acoustic was used for the last part of Blue Devils. We can't use the acoustic live though...the switch from electric to acoustic is too fast...therefore i must use an acoustic simulator to get the desired sound.

At any rate...i felt quite accomplished tonight. I haven't felt this accomplished in quite some time. But there is a ton of work yet to be done. And a very long road to trek. Hope to see you along the way...

A Lot of Work

Finding Reason met for a few hours today. We didn't do a lot of jamming (like i thought we would). Instead we came up with a few more covers that we'd like to do. Primarily, the covers are there for us to play together as a band. This will keep us fresh while we ever so slowly write our songs. We came up with 8 covers...some of which i'm sure will get discarded. You may never see us play these covers. Some of the best bands i've seen always played one cover in their set. So, it is conceivable that you'll hear one cover in our set. Perhaps more than one as we try to expand our set list.

As reported in a previous post, i have the newest FR song pieced out. I just need to get the song memorized. This song should be easier to learn than Blue Devils...i still need to polish my blue devils skills, but i think i'm ready to play that one. FR songs will take priority over the covers, of course. And with that, for the near term, we are going to concentrate on "Ghost" and the one cover we decided on a few days ago.

So, in summary...we've got a lot of work to do. We hope that you can enjoy the fruits of our labor at some point this year. Stay tuned...

Ghost

Well, i managed to get in a short nap before the studio work. It was nice. Although i know that come next week, i'll be hurting for a nap.
I studied "Ghost of a Man" today. I worked through the different parts. I think from a technical standpoint, i have the parts down. Now it's just putting all the little pieces together in the right order for the right amount of time and we'll have 4 songs ready (or nearly ready) for public performance.
We'll see tomorrow whether i'll have a good day or a bad day...
Hope you have a wonderful day!

Lunch Break

In keeping true to my new year's goals, i did some interior detailing on Petey. Actually there is an ulterior motive behind the interior cleaning. I hope to draw a bigger trade-in value or sale price when i get the nerve to buy the Infiniti. I did take care of Petey for the last 7+ years. Of course over the last few years, the time in which i devoted to the cleaning declined. I only spent a few hours on cleaning the interior today....i didn't do a thorough cleaning though...there is a point at which getting it any cleaner would not yield any more return.

Now that my lunch break is over...i think i'll either take a nap...or go into the studio and work on some music. I think i'm done with the cruiser for today. I need to polish the chromies at some point prior to taking it in...perhaps next weekend?

See ya later...

The Friday That Sucked

Ok...it's not really that bad. Turns out that going back to work proved to be a little more difficult to do than originally thought. After about 3 or 4 hours at work today, i couldn't take it any more. I had to get out of there.

I went by Aaron Brothers on my way home to take advantage of their buy-one-get-one-for-a-cent-sale. I felt as though i spent over an hour in there...trying to decided what i needed. I have these ideas in my head, but i couldn't resolve the size that i needed. So, i just bought some simple frames for some of my certificates/awards at work. Luckily, the sale lasts another 3 weeks...so i should have plenty of time to find the frames i want (but there is a shortage on square frames). That is a topic all in itself...why are nearly all frames rectangular?? I digress...

I swung by Freebirds on my way home...Yummy. Once my tummy was full, i couldn't stay awake...nap-nap time.

This is one of those days where i would've rather been out doing something rather than holed up here in the house. But...that's where i spent my time...here in the house...watched a little TV...got into the studio to start working on "Ghost". Tomorrow will be more studio work. I need to work on the new cover, "Ghost" and "Dark Road"...so much to do...

Sunday will be a Finding Reason jam session (i think). Greg had some last minute issues crop up...but i'd still like to get together.

So, it wasn't all that bad...just a little lonely.

New Year Pictures

Ok, i finally got around to getting these pictures and the time lapse movie posted to the web. I didn't have time to weed through the pictures so here are all the pictures that were taken with my camera...Enjoy.




Remember that old card game War? Melissa and Josh demonstrate it for you in rapid fashion...

No One Wanted

You could tell it was the day after a holiday. No one wanted to be there. Some people had the right idea and weren't back yet. The rest of us reluctantly trudged back into work. Once there, though, most just traded stories of their wonderful holidays. I did have an agenda to accomplish at work and i did get it done.

Post work agenda suffered a bit now that i'm back at work. I was able to get some things done though. Just not at the rate at which i was accomplishing things while not at work. I must figure out how to manufacture time...i could make billions.

Snuggle up tonight...it's gonna be cold.

On a Roll

I decided that day one is a good place to start on getting some of the clutter removed from this house. I thought i'd start small...no need to get it all done in a day (which would be impossible in itself). I started cleaning out the spare bedroom closet and my hall linen closet. Between the two small closets, i was able to fill two garbage bags up with junk. I re-arranged some boxes and re-washed all the linens. More room and a nice neat closet. I declare victory today.

I didn't get any studio work done today, but i am in the studio listening to some music...studying, if you will...

Tomorrow, i return to work. I must say that it's been wonderful to be off of work for 9 straight days. I was able to accomplish quite a bit over those 9 days. Too bad I don't get an opportunity to do that more often.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring....?

Well, Hello There 2008!

Welcome to 2008! I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! May this year bring you all your dreams and desires...

If i could look into my crystal ball, i'd tell you what the new year will bring...but since i'm not that talented, i can tell you some of the things that i'd like to get done in the next 365 days.

• Complete the studio (minus a few pieces of wall art here and there)
• Buy that new vehicle
• Clean out the clutter from around the house
• Maybe get me a girlfriend
• Help take Finding Reason to that next level
• And some other things…

I have a few other things in mind, but no need to spill the beans on my evil plans...hehe
I won't give you the priority of which i'd like to accomplish first...you'll have to come back here to find out what happens this year.

Again, hope you have a good year! Enjoy it while it lasts...i'll be gone before you know it...