New News

Sorry for the blog-neglect. I have been ultra busy as of late. Was in Moscow for early April. Dodging volcanoes. Off buying new computers in late April (new super laptop and a netbook). Started seeing Claudia in March. TAMU yesterday. Rockstar practice. Three Finding Reason shows currently booked with a hope for more. I have been busy, but it's been a good busy. Although, I do feel as though I am falling behind on some other necessary tasks. Must catch up. See ya soon...

Hazel

You know those silly forms that you have to fill out every once in a while? You know, those forms that ask personal questions. How often do your answers change? With the exception of your age and weight, not much changes. The next time I get to fill out one of those forms, i'll get to change something. My eye color.

Today, i had an eye appointment. My peepers are healthy although my vision changed a bit. And officially my eye color changed from brown to hazel. For 33 years my eyes have been brown...although i always suspected that they weren't just brown. Depending on my mood or my clothing my eyes go from brown to green.

So, i somewhat look forward to that next form which asks for eye color...hazel it is.

Updates Coming Soon

Maybe. I have some posts in mind that i hope to get up here soon...perhaps as early as today. I have a synopsis of my Russian trip. I haven't even looked at the pictures i took yet. I've been busy trying to recoup from the Russian variant of the swine flu (not really...it was just a cold) and getting ready for Finding Reason's next gig (which was last night).

I hope to have something up here for you to review...but to be safe, don't hold your breath...

40 Years!

I haven't the time to write a full blog on this subject for i am involved in my own little space mission. And i'm not sure that i could do very much justice. I have a difficult time expressing my feelings (especially for things i am passionate about), so the words could never do justice to my feelings. But this is what fuels my heart for my career.

Do you recall this date in history 40 years ago? Where were you?

Hug a Mom Today

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Go out and hug a mom...

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Ok...here's a fun one for you.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words.

I know you are wondering how the heck i stumbled across this word? Well, it started out in a very long meeting at work. Several of my co-workers noticed the lady across the table was wearing some sort of clown broach. It was a little disturbing. And we somehow got on the topic of phobias...fear of clowns (Coulrophobia, by the way). Well, Melissa G. went searching for a phobia list...and this is what we found:

www.phobialist.com

I can't vouch for the accuracy of some of these fears...cause some sound completely made up.

So, what is your fear?

Imprisoned

Confined. Trapped. Restricted. Stuck.

This is how i felt this morning. On my way to work, i must go through the garage. I do my usual routine and the garage door only lifted about 6 inches. Odd. WTH? Second attempt yielded the same results. Nada. I disconnected the door from the automatic opener and tried to open the door myself. Didn't budge. I look up to see this:



A closer look:



What you are looking at, folks, is a torsional spring...a broken torsional spring to be exact. The torsional spring helps lift the door. The door is incredibly heavy and the spring helps the garage door opener (whether a machine or man) open the garage door.

As soon as i saw the broken spring, i knew i was trapped. And, inside the garage was Delilah. She wouldn't budge until this was fixed. Straight to the internet to find some garage repair service to save me from my imprisonment. I support local when possible and i just picked a local Friendswood company, Allied Garage Doors.

The gentleman on the other side of the line said that he could have a repair man fix that no problem. However, he may be able to get to it before lunch, but after lunch is more likely. I was supposed to give a student a checkout this morning...sent a few emails to let my management and the student know my plight.

Now, what to do with my time. Well, i finally got around to doing some chores that i have been putting off. But luckily, George the garage door repair man was able to get here in the morning.

George was friendly and knowledgeable. He made some recommendations and without hesitation i accepted those recommendations. I enjoyed talking with George and he gave me some hints to keep the garage door operating smoothly for many years to come. Once a month or every other month spray some WD40 on the tosion rod bearings and roller bearings.

My garage door now has a stealth mode...it is nearly silent. I was very pleased with George's workmanship and kindness. If you are looking for some garage door repair work, i recommend Allied Garage Doors. Make sure you ask for George to be your repair man.

Freedom...

Various

I was able to get some things done this past weekend that i've been wanting to get done for some time now. Although, those things are too mundane and boring for me to list here. Just know that i got some things done. Unfortunately, i still have a lot i need to do. When push comes to shove, i'll get it done.

Of course to those things done, i had to put down the guitars. I hope to pick those up soon...cause i've got some new stuff to learn.

The city of Friendswood made their final debris pickup this week. All the debris has been removed. I still have some things to get rid of, but that's much easier to get rid of than fences.

The insurance adjuster came out this weekend too. I don't have the final tally on the damage and how much i'll get...but that should come through in the next few days. So, life is pretty much back to normal...just a few things missing.

Well, that's about all i have for you at this time...just thought i'd give you some thing new to read.

7 Miles, Baby!

Somehow, i managed to run 7 miles today. The weather was beautiful...maybe that had something to do with it? Pace was just over 10 minutes/mile. It was pretty painful that last half mile. My body is hating me right now. I'm quite certain that i'll be sore tomorrow.

Benefit concert preparations are coming along smoothly. Although, one thing to note is that i don't believe the Blood Bank is participating like the flyer indicates. But please donate blood if you wish...there just won't be a way to do it at the concert.

I believe tomorrow night, i'm going to check out the venue since LTS is playing there. I need to find inconspicuous places to purge before the set(haha)...Anyone is welcomed to join me.

I think i'm going to lay down...my legs are like wet noodles...

It's Alive...ALIVE!!

I'm finally home. The Horelica House of All things is nearly back to normal. All of my utilities are functional. Now all i have to do is some cleaning...I also need to contact the insurance company about my roof and fence...mow the lawn...wash Delilah...restock the refrigerator..and GET INTO THE STUDIO!

I'll keep this post short since i have much to do. I hope that you are doing well. I hope that you have power back. I hope that your life has been restored to some state of calm and content.

Call on me if you need me. Peace.

Delilah Stretches Her Legs...

Yesterday, I took Delilah on a road trip to San Antonio. I've been wanting to take her out for some time now. She only gets to do short sprints and really hasn't been tested in the long road trip category.

She performed marvelously. The total trip was around 450 miles and there is still about 50 miles of range left in her. Although that range will come down with city driving. I didn't feel any discomfort during the trip. Because Delilah isn't out of gas just yet, i don't have the numbers on her gas mileage, but i estimate them to be around 26 mpg.

I got to see my brother yesterday...even if for only a few hours.



He was stuck at work all day, so i spent some time there. And of course, i bought some righteous kicks.



Today, i rewarded Delilah by giving her a much needed TLC. She was due for a good detailing. Unfortunately, when you clean a car, you reveal the imperfections and battle scars. I found a few new nicks on Delilah that hadn't been there before. Annoyed...yes. But there isn't much you can do about that...other than keep her garaged. Delilah needs a little more TLC though. I'll finish that tomorrow.

I'm quite tired...with yesterday being a very long (but oh so enjoyable) day, and this morning's gym workout...followed by some lawn work...

I intend on relaxing a bit...you should too...

While you Sleep...

...this weekend...i'll be flying space stations. ok, just one space station. Nonetheless, i'll be trying to stay awake and flying the ISS. This is probably the worst part of the job...the overnight shifts. It puts a little more money in my pocket...the only incentive.

So, sleep for me. And enjoy your weekend for me...
Sometimes i must live vicariously through others...

When Work Doesn't Get in the Way

I was able to accomplish a lot today. You see, i accumulated 26 hours worth of work over the weekend and that allowed me to play hooky from work.
I had intended to sleep late, but the neighbor who only mows his yard once every month and a half decided today, this morning, was the day to mow the lawn. At 7am he was making noise. So much for that idea.

I finally got around to dropping off some of my work clothes at the cleaners. Then i decided i would finally drop off the large bag of clothes i set aside for donation. And that i did. I did go to work for about 3 hours to take care of some nuisance type work. Following the 3 hours at work, i came home to get ready for a workout at the gym. A nice 45 minute workout wore me out, since it had been nearly a week since my last lifting workout. But i wasn't done yet.

I came home to get some laundry started. I waited for the mail man in hopes that my pouch for my Nike+ sensor would come in. But it never came. I decided to run anyway. Today's goal was 3 miles. I decided to place the sensor in a slightly different location. That location changed the output of the sensor (and i wasn't really surprised). This time the sensor was measuring a slightly longer distance traveled that what i actually did. I think this time the sensor was slightly more horizontal to the ground. At any rate, i won't be getting consistent results until i get that pouch and keep my sensor placement in the same location.

Following the run i went to get a smoothie...a chocolate monkey to be exact. That was pretty yummy. Picked up some other food too and headed home.

The plan was to get into the studio tonight to do some additional work. I wanted to print some music out, but i fought with what appears to be a dying or dead printer. Ugh. So, i got frustrated and walked out. I'll get in the studio tomorrow.

So, i finished the laundry instead.

So many things get done when work doesn't get in the way...what could you get accomplished?

Missing Distance

I went for another run today. I did a short 1/2 mile for a calibration run. I stopped only long enough to reset the Nike+ device. Then i kept going. About a mile and a half in, i noticed that the distance just wasn't tickin' off like it had been. I thought to myself, "i know i've run further than that." I started thinking about possible issues and then it donned on me. The sensor is askew.

So i stopped to check it out...and sure enough the sensor was sideways. You see, Nike had this grand scheme to get you to buy their shoes. We'll put a little pocket in the bottom of the shoe for the sensor...that way you'll have to buy our shoe if you want to use our nifty sportband or iPod nano device. Well, you don't have to buy their shoe, but you must understand that the sensor must be a certain way for the unit to work correctly. I was aware of this and tried to keep the sensor in the right orientation. But without a little pocket in my shoe, i just had to wedge the sensor between my shoe and foot. I have ordered a special pouch that goes on top of the shoe which will fix this sideways sensor issue...but in the meantime, i have to improvise.

My improvisation cost me about 1/2 mile of distance. The sideways sensor is probably also the cause for a loss of about 1/10 of a mile per mile ran on my first run. So, my first few runs will be slightly off in distance, which sucks, cause i actually ran more than what the sensor picked up. Such is life i guess.

Today i made 5 miles. However, i won't lie, it wasn't in one continuous stretch. After mile number 3, i walked a 1/2 mile. My legs were hurtin'. I wanted to get to that 5 mile mark, so i put in two additional miles. The Nike+ sports band only got 3.86 (+0.49 ran on the calibration run). The other 1/2 mile or so was due to a sideways sensor. The good news is that on the calibration run, the Nike+ was only 1/100 off. Not too far off.

I borrowed Carla's pedometer to do a comparison between the Nike+ and the marked trail. Turns out that the pedometer was further off than the Nike+. But in the end, I ran 5 miles, and walked a mile.

And, if that weren't enough, i came home to mow the backyard. Since i was working all weekend, i didn't get a chance to mow my lawn on its regularly scheduled day. That wasn't fun.

I paid some bills and loaded the dishwasher. Now, i'm gonna relax the last 2 hours or so before bed.

Other things i need to do this week include: take clothes to the cleaners, hit the gym to lift and swim, HIT THE STUDIO, do some laundry, get a haircut, do some general house chores, go grocery shopping...i'm sure there are more things for me to do...it's a busy week.

Tech and Repair

This evening i spent a little time playing guitar tech. My silver beauty had a loose strap button. It's been bugging me for quite some time now. So, today, i took care of that little problem...hopefully for good.

I also performed a repair job on my garage door. One of the hinges more or less shattered the other day. I didn't want the garage door to come crashing down on Delilah, so i replaced the garage door hinge. Pretty simple repair. Although it was insanely hot in the garage.

I was hoping to get a short run in...(ugh...i bet you'd never thought you'd hear me say that...) But my garage repair took me slightly longer than i wanted.

Instead, i'm trying to catch up on laundry.

Oh, if i only had the money to pay people to do these things...perhaps one day?!?

With Authority

Guitar Hero is a pretty fun game to play. Even when you get beat as badly as i do, it's still fun to play. Carla proudly displays her dominance. She continues to beat me with authority on this game. Her hand-eye coordination is much much better than mine. She can't beat me in boxing though.


Carla points out her dominance...with authority!

"You are Doing WHAT?"

The title of the blog is what you'll be saying once i let you in on some things that i've been doing lately.
First it started with a little weight lifting. Then i started swimming. And for crying out loud, i'm actually running now. No, not running from the police, like in my younger days, but running. I won't say running for fun...cause that would just suck the "fun" out of it.
Actually, the reason i'm doing all these things is that i get to spend time with Carla. This morning we had a 4 mile run. Four miles is the farthest i have ever run continuously. I guess i'm trying to see if i have the stamina to complete a 6.2 mile run. Next month is the Nike Human Race. Carla and Lisa have signed up for it...and today's test was to determine if i could possibly make it. I think i can...with a bit more training...i think i can make 6.2 miles.
So, yes, i have been lifting weights, swimming, and running. I'm pretty sure it's the company that keeps me going... ;)

Black Ops

Last night Carla and I took part in some black ops. Unlike the government, we aren't shy about disclosing the evening's activities.

First, a little back story: An inside joke got started when we were in Moscow for the shuttle mission between me, Carla, and Al. Al is a shuttle planner who was on part of my shift for that mission. Anyway, the sheep thing started and has traveled to the US. Al bought a sheep for Carla, and that sheep made it to the hands of Carla prior to the last Clandestine show. (All has a celtic band that we've been too a couple of times now).

Now what to do with it? Carla and I came up with an idea to TP Al's bushes. We found out that Al lives one street over from Carla. Last night...we struck, er, i mean the sheep struck.



Here's what the sheep looked like before deployment.



Here we are...pre-black ops.



Here's the sheep's handiwork. The sheep has a firm grasp on the TP. The sheep has been passed...

I wonder where it will pop up next?

There will be some videos that follow...

Busy, Busy, Busy

I know, i've been neglecting this little part of the world lately. I've been busy. I've been swimming, lifting weights, and even running. Yes, i think i'm sick in the head. I still spend time in the studio...in fact that is where this post comes to you from. I have a new girl. I don't have pictures of her yet, but when i find some free time, i'll get them posted here.

Not too much new news on the Finding Reason front. We're adding two more covers to our set list...where yours truly gets to do the guitar work. We have another original being developed with another original about to hit the practice rotation. I'm making some headway on the new material, but still have a ways to go.

I need a vacation. I think i might actually plan one here for the future.
Sorry this is so short, but i have things to do...
Hope to see you soon...

Have You Ever...

Have you ever been shit on? I mean, not the "I-feel-like-i've-been-shit-on-cause-my-
coworker-dumped-a-load-of-work-on-me" shit on, but literally been shit on? Wait...don't answer that.
Well, i know what it's like to be shit on. Carla and I worked out tonight. We hit the Smoothie joint next door to enjoy a tasty smoothie. We chatted for a bit and then I walked Carla back to her car. On that trek, a friggin' pigeon dropped a dollop of butt pudding right on my shoulder. Although, the first 3 seconds i didn't realize that. I thought it was one of the flying insects that were buzzing the lights that night. But when it didn't move, i tilted my head to the left to see a tri-colored plop of the freshest bird poop in the local Friendswood area.
Carla just burst into uncontrollable laughter...in fact, i'm willing to bet she's still laughing right now. You see, she saw the whole tragic episode unfold in the proverbial slow motion. She laughed and laughed and cried and nearly snarfed and nearly peed her pants. I don't think she could even breathe.
Ok, so, yeah, it was really that funny.

Have you ever...