Tabula Rasa

We are, of course, on the cusp of a new year. Is the glass half-full or half-empty? How we answer this question will impact our lives in tangible ways. What is on your horizon this coming year? What would you like to achieve? Where would you like to go? What would you like to be? Be it. Do it. Go there.

Merry Christmas

WAR

"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."
Albert Einstein

RAIN

It's raining here this morning. I love the sound of the rain. I enjoy a rainy day. It makes me introspective and hopeful for some reason. It brings out my creativity. It's the kind of day that I would like to spend writing, reading, or recording. I have to go to work today, so I guess that's not going to happen. It will probably be a bit slow this morning at the store.

Tomorrow night my brother's band, Sick Stooges, is having a Christmas bash at a club called the Venue. I am going to play a short set in support of new album, Well Enough Alone. My brother Roger will be kind enough to back me up on keyboards, so technically the Yale Brothers are playing. My brother is doing double duty, because Sick Stooges are playing as well. I don't play cover tunes (I have, but I choose not to as a rule anymore), and they are a classic rock act, so there should be a nice mix of music going on. Folky, country-rock from me, and classic rock from them.

FAINTING GOATS

This is strange.....

MBHS ORCHESTRA HOLIDAY CONCERT 2007

Tonight was the 2007 Christmas concert for the Myrtle Beach High School Orchestra. Actually, there are three levels of the orchestra. Sixth grade, Seventh and Eighth Grade, and High School. Every level does its own little set, and then they all play a couple of songs together. This will be the last one for my daughter Katie and her senior friends, because of course they are on their way to bigger and better things.

Katie got accepted by Boston College today. That makes four schools so far (a few more are still not heard from yet);

• Boston College (scholarship info to come)
  
• Tulane (with some scholarship)
• Clemson (With some scholarship)
• College of Charleston Honors College (scholarships not awarded yet)

I can't tell you how proud I am of Katie. She has worked so hard, and has always been self-motivated; nobody is pushing her, but the girl is driven to excellence. She is well balanced as a young adult, and she has a wonderful, compassionate spirit. I think her future will be bright, indeed. She is up for valedictorian if she stays the course. I have every reason to believe that she will.

My niece, Taylor is in the orchestra as well. She is in eighth grade, and she is another brain! This kid is amazing too.

Interview

Sean McGaughey, a wonderful Canadian songwriter and host of the For The Sake Of The Song podcast interviewed me last night for his show. We had a great conversation.
We talked about songwriting, the state of the music industry, and new media. I guess we have known each other about six months via the web, but this was the first time we actually spoke to one another ear to ear. Sean has got quite a few episodes ready to go, so it will be a little while before he posts my interview. I can't wait to hear his Trout Fishing In America episode. I have liked those guys for quite some time. Check him out. He's got a great show, and he is an excellent songwriter, and it goes without saying that he is a really nice guy.

Sublime Tuesday

It is an absolutely beautiful day here in Myrtle Beach. It's 75 degrees and clear and sunny. Not too shabby for mid-December. I rode my bike to work today and it was a wonderful ride in, and I look forward to the ride home, soaking up the scenery as I go.

A sublime Cigar

This is what I chose from my humidor this evening. It's a lovely night, so how about a sublime Montecristo from that small island south of Miami?

Generally Cubans are too strong for me, but this one is perfect in flavor, construction and draw. It's one of the best rolled and capped cigars I have seen in a while.

Quote:

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.
- Charles Wadsworth

Lappy Issues

I have been having issues with my Compaq laptop, but I think I might have resolved them. If for some reason I am incorrect I think I shall reinstall XP, wipe this baby clean, and start from scratch. I want a Mac, but I am fond of this little machine and I think the money should be better spent towards Katie’s education if the truth were told. If this machine stays stable, I am perfectly content to live with it for as long as it is serving its purpose. I am completely grateful for the service this little machine has given me. I want to upgrade only if absolutely necessary. Also, my car is in need of repair as well, so I think I need to be prudent and as frugal as possible here. It has been a learning experience anyway. I dig the adventure and the learning.

Right now I am updating iTunes. I am going to make it. I truly have my life on this machine.

Thanks Dave!

A quick shout out to my buddy Dave Slusher for playing my song, Just No Way, on the Dec 2 Evil Genius Chronicles Clambake! Those of you who know me know that I am a long time fan of Dave and his show, and I am glad that we're friends. As a matter of fact, he's one of the three guys that got me interested in new media in the first place. Go check out his Blog and his Podcast. You will not be disappointed.

Two Dollar Pistols

Betsy and I met up with Dave Slusher
at the SXSE to see the Two Dollar Pistols. It was an awesome night. After the fantastic potluck, my friend Ed Dennis opened the show with Darryl High with their new duo project Truckstop Daredevils. After them, the Two Dollar Pistols came on and rocked the house. There were a ton of people I knew there last night, and it was great to see everyone. This concert series is by far the best thing going in Myrtle Beach music-wise. People are there to listen and to have a good time. The music takes a front seat. It will certainly spoil any artist to play this room, I have no doubt.
I enjoyed talking to John Howie, Jr. for a few minutes and we swapped CD's. I gotta tell you. Their new record, Here Tomorrow, Gone Today, is nothing short of excellent. Do yourself a favor and pick one up.

Thanks to Jeff Roberts and everyone who keeps this train on the rails!

Pics in descending order...

1. Two Dollar Pistols
2. Jeff Roberts
3. Dave Slusher, Betsy, Me
4. Ed Dennis and I
5. Darryl High, Ed Dennis
6. John Howie, Jr.

Grand Strand Bloggers

A Myrtle Beach New Media conference is in the works! A few of us got together this evening and hashed around a few ideas. I have taken the liberty of copying Dave Slusher's post from our Grand Strand Bloggers site, as he very eloquently summed up where we're at so far...

Take it away Dave.......

The Conference is On and We Need a Name November 29th, 2007 by dave

A group of us Grand Strand bloggers got together tonight to discuss whether or not to pursue a new media conference in Myrtle Beach this spring. We kicked around the pros and cons, best and worst cases and decided we can live with them all. In other words, it is on! We’re looking at April 2008 with an exact date to be pinned down shortly and tentative space to be secured. We’re not sure what to expect on turnout and are building in mechanisms to allow us to scale up if we exceed our attendance predictions, etc etc. All details will start to take shape soon. Further updates will be posted to this blog so subscribing will be the best way to find out what is happening.

The first order of business is to pick a name for this conference so that we can register a domain and go forward. We are accepting nominations until midnight EST on Wednesday December 6th. After that, we’ll put up a poll for voting until the following Sunday. Whatever wins we will roll forward with. Please leave your nominations in comments, second other suggestions and make your opinions known. For those of you with your own blogs, please publicize our current nomination process and that fact we are going for it. Everyone is welcome, but we are particularly focusing on the magic circle of about 3ish hours driving distance, which includes roughly south to Savannah, west to Augusta and north to Raleigh or so.

Thanks to everyone whose enthusiasm and interest made us decide to go forward. We’ll do our best to have a shindig everyone learns from and everyone is proud of.

Jaynie Trudell's Birthday Bash/Jam

My friend Jaynie Trudell is having a birthday bash/jam tonight at The Tavrne, downtown Myrtle Beach from 6-9PM. This is a great room with great food and happy hour specials, etc. If you're free, stop by and wish Jaynie a Happy Birthday, and listen to some music.

The Tavrne

531 Broadway St, Myrtle Beach, SC

(843) 839-9798

GO Played on Accident Hash Podcast #249

GO Played on Accident Hash Podcast #249

Thu, Nov. 15 2007

C.C. Chapman of Accident Hash was cool enough to play my song, GO, from my new album, Well Enough Alone. If you are unfamiliar with this fantastic Podcast, I highly encourage you to check it out. C.C. is a new media and marketing guru, and a forerunner of the Podcast medium. Check him out.

South By Southeast Music Feast

My brother and I went to see a great show Saturday night, at the old Train Depot in downtown Myrtle Beach. It was David Olney and Sergio Webb with Myrtle Beach favorite Jaynie Trudell opening the show. It was a blast. They have a wonderful pot luck before the show, which I thought created a nice, comfortable vibe. I saw a lot of old friends there, and met some cool new ones as well.

The fine folks from New South Brewery are co-sponsors of the event, and as much as I enjoyed their beers, they really must be stronger than I am used to. Those suckers snuck up on me big time. Note to self - Go a bit easier next time!

On another note, Jeff Roberts was nice enough to play my CD at the end of the evening. Thanks Jeff!

365 Posts

This post marks my 365th post on this blog. It has taken me three years to get here. There have been lots of dry places and lack of communications. Procrastination, waffling and vacillation. I have been even worse on my Podcasting track record. As much as I love these activities I have a tendency to either get lazy or second-guess myself into thinking that what I had to say wasn't worth saying at that time or ever. The sound of my babbling is frequently intolerable to my own ears. But striving to stay current is not without its blessings. A clean slate, for starters, and the fact that the decks are clear opens the way for a fresher creative mindset. Of course I am speaking for myself.

Got CDs?

My CDs have arrived and are available in Myrtle Beach at either Tinder Box location (Broadway at the Beach, or Barefoot Landing). Online sales via CD Baby, Snocap on MySpace and directly from my website will be coming shortly. I'm figuring this out as I go people, so thanks for your patience....

New Look

Obviously I have changed the look of this blog. I am going to do some experimenting. My links have been deleted, but I will be restoring them and more over the next few days. I just wanted to make the blog look more like my main website for better integration. Hopefully, this will be a nice improvement. Let me know what you think?

Rainy Night Thoughts On Exercise

It's a stormy night as I write this. Thunder is booming and rolling. and the rain pattering on my bedroom window. This region is badly in need of rain, so I don't care if it was the first day I decided to get back on my bike and start riding to work again! Despite the scattered storms today, I somehow managed to escape getting rained on, which was a minor miracle. It feels good to get the blood circulating again, and resuming some sort of exercise program. The benefits to body, mind and spirit are known to everyone. I have been so lazy about this area of my life, but every time I do something about it, positive results in terms of energy, vitality, and clearer thinking and well-being always manifest themselves.

I am grateful that I am healthy enough and actually able to get off my butt and bust a move.

Homecoming Pics

Here are some pics from the homecoming. I was honored to escort my daughter Katharine. I had never done anything like this, and I had an absolute blast!

Goodnight, my lovely Willoughby

Our beloved 19 year old female cat, Willie, died this morning at about 11:40. She was a dear friend for a very long time, and she will be sorely missed. We were fortunate to have her for as long as we did. She started going downhill sharply a few days ago, and lost interest in eating, and became very weak. We had an appointment to take her to the vet on Monday, but she had a bad night and through the efforts of my Mother-in-Law we found a wonderful place that took us today. Despite my attempts to keep her hydrated, she was indeed dehydrated and had lost a lot of weight. Her body temperature was very low as well. The doctor told us that it was pretty much hopeless, and that it was a metabolic issue (kidneys, liver, etc), very common to older cats that live to this very old age. Her body was shutting down, and she was pretty much oblivious to everything.

She was put to sleep peacefully while Betsy and I were by her side, loving her and kissing her little head as she slipped away.

No more pain now, my little angel. You will never, ever be forgotten.

Goodbye darling Willie.

Grand Strand Bloggers

Yesterday's blogger meetup was a blast. It was great re-connecting with friends, and meeting new ones. The attendance about tripled from the initial meetup, which was cool. It will be interesting to see what happens next time. There is truly a sense of community brewing, and the brews at Liberty Taproom were outsanding as well! It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon.

In Distress

sending out a message i'm in distress
the little devils think that heaven bless them
my eyes are open but i see no solution
we waste our efforts on a mass revolution
i see the trouble and it's lying within
you play the game but you just can't win
i got a book off a dusty shelf
it said you can't change the world 'till you change yourself

i can feel myself changing isn't that what you told her
and i can't hear what you're saying 'cause you're saying it backwards

sending out a message i'm in distress...

tides are turning it's a question of power
people change with the needs of the hour
the situation's blown all out of proportion
the sea of life is in a state of abortion
i see the rupture at the base of the tower
it's gonna crumble like the actors in power
i'd like to talk to you for one more minute
the boat is sinking and we're dying in it

i can feel myself changing isn't that what you told her
and i can't hear what your saying 'cause you're saying it backwards

sending out a message i'm in distress...


From an old song of mine by the same title. I'll have to dig up the old tapes. Seems kind of appropriate now as it was then. To me, anyway.

CKY Podcast 7 - Walking My Bike

Episode 7

Get this episode here.

Walking my bike to the gas station for some air. I thought I'd check in and say Hi.

Sneak Preview of my song, Matter Of Time, from my upcoming new CD, Well Enough Alone.

Babbling and walking around Myrtle Beach.

DiscMakers

The Power Of Intention

Be There Or Be Square

Grand Strand Blogger Meetup, Sat October 13th at Liberty Taproom

Click the link for more info, but if you are a blogger, a podcaster, or thinking of doing anything like that you should definitely consider dropping by. Meet some awesome people and hang at the Taproom for a while. It'll do you good!

Starts at 3PM.

Be there or be square.

The Power Of Intention

I'm reading Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book, The Power Of Intention. There is a lot to be learned from this volume.

Currently reading : The Power of Intention By Wayne W. Dyer Release date: 15 December, 2005

Scholastic Rumination

It's a rainy Saturday morning. It's a little cool, I wouldn't mind it a little cooler. Katie got up early to take the SAT this morning. She is trying to beat her previous scores and make this one her personal best. That kid is the most self-motivated person I have ever known. She's got the self-discipline of fifteen people. Way more than I ever had. I was a bit of a slacker in School. As a matter of fact, I didn't even go to college, per se. I took the California State Proficiency Exam (similar to the GED) in eleventh grade and, after passing, ditched the rest of high school. I did take a few semesters at L.A. City College. Mostly real practical stuff like Philosophy, Logic, Psychology, Film. The typical Jim Morrison influenced acid head/stoner classes.

Those Philosophy classes were wonderful, though. I had a professor named Dr. Richards, who was the greatest teacher I ever had. I was a monster in his classes, scoring well above anyone else in the exams and essays, and I attribute that to the inspiration and tuition of Dr. Richards. He was brilliant, yet he could relate to just about anyone, and he never lost his cool. He was surprising not only in his depth of knowledge, but his breadth of experience and street smart hipness as well. My friend Steve Kobashigawa and I were frequently astonished by the guy. He was the kind of guy you'd want to take out to the pub and have awesome conversations with. Unfortunately the only guys at the pub were Steve and I, but that was cool enough. We had some staggering conversations ourselves, figuratively and literally! Truth be told, I probably only took those classes to be able to hang with Steve, and talk some heavy topics together. Those were great times. They will stay with me forever.

Times Square

Incoming Train

Here's a short video of a subway train coming in to a station in Midtown Manhattan I filmed on our trip about a month ago. I liked the vibe. I'm also testing out this new Blogger app for videos.

Sometimes

Sometimes I get in such a funk that it's hard for me to see the beauty of the moment before me.

Sometimes I allow my emotions to get control of me, and I forget to be thankful.

Sometimes my dark imaginings threaten to undermine the good things.

Sometimes I know that I am doing this, but cannot seem to stop.

Sometimes I stop the flow of love in my life, and feel cold and empty.

Always, the grace of God pulls me through, and enables me to see clearly again.

Hopefully I will listen to the voice of the Spirit more and more, and the pull to sadness less and less.

Hanging with Phu

This picture was taken by my friend Phu Graham. He was kind enough to take a few shots of me yesterday as I played him an advance copy of my CD, Well Enough Alone.

It was fantastic to hang out for a while and listen to music and shoot the breeze....

Phu is one hell of an artist. Check out his stuff.

Nice Night

Had a lovely dinner with my family tonight. My sister Maria took us all out to the Red Lobster. Maria and her daughter, my niece Julie, are in town to visit. Ten of us were at dinner. Myself, Betsy, Katie, Roger, Mom, Maria, Brenda, Julie, Taylor, and Wesley.

It was a good time.

Shameless Promotion (Thanks Bob!)

Weird Video

Check out this odd video.

John Lydon On The Meaning Of Life

Check out this video of John Lydon on the meaning of life. I may not agree with all he says, but I love his candor.

NYC JOURNAL ENTRIES

Here are some journal entries from our NYC visit...

7:30PM

We got to the Hotel about 1:30, but the room wasn’t ready yet so we just went out and walked around Times Square and the area. It was fun, but I had flip-flops on and my feet are killing me. The energy in this town is intense.

8-19-07

It’s Betsy’s Birthday. We are in NYC, and having a great time. We all slept in last night after a long day yesterday. Today the girls are shopping, and I’m going to wander around and possibly go to MOMA. Tonight we are taking Betsy and the girls to Ruth's Chris steakhouse, which is just around the corner.

8-20-07

Betsy’s Birthday dinner was nice. Betsy had filet, and I had Sea Bass. It was a wonderful dinner, but I must say that New York Prime in Myrtle Beach has Ruth's Chris beat, in my humble opinion.

Today was a very busy day. We went to Columbia University, the World Trade Center site, and SoHo. We spent a lot of time hanging out in SoHo and the girls did some shopping. We ate at a crappy restaurant that we just went to at random, as we were starving at the time. The service sucked and the food was ok at best.

Anyway, we saw a lot of the city today, and got very adept at riding the trains. It’s amazing how quickly you can get around on the subway system. Tomorrow we are going to the Village in the evening. In the day the girls are doing a bit more shopping, but I don’t want to hang with them. I may duck into a museum or something.

8-21-07

It’s our last night here in the City. Betsy and I spent the whole afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was absolutely incredible, and I wish I had another entire day to check it out in greater detail. We also got to drop by the Dakota and pay my respects. I convinced the girls to go to Greenwich Village this evening and we wandered around and took it all in. We bought some books at Shakespeare and Company, the famous bookstore in the Village. We then took the subway back to the hotel and had a bite to eat at the Cosmic Diner across from the hotel. We had breakfast there on Sunday and like it so much we decided to go back. Now we are packing. We have to leave the hotel by 9am at the very latest. The plane leaves at 11am.

8-22-07

We are actually at the airport early for a change. We thought the flight departed at 11:00, but actually it leaves at 11:50! That’s not much of a problem, because I don’t want to spend any more money in the city! Right now I’m trying to get on the net. It’s spotty at best. I’m a bit tired. I have a lot to do when I get home. I need to get my project in to Disc Makers.

I really enjoyed this trip. I know that I want to return fairly soon. I’d like to check out some music next time. Next time Betsy and I will come on our own. Possibly I can tie in some kind of performance or music business oriented activity.

NYC

It's been a whirlwind of activity, and lets face it, we'd need a whole lot more time to see it all. Today is our last full day. We leave tomorrow at 11am. We have become a bit familiar with the trains, which is always a plus, and that knowledge will come in handy next time around. I won't be able to post any pics until I get back home. I just haven't had the time.

I will say that Betsy had a wonderful Birthday. We went down the street to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Dinner was very nice indeed.

I have never walked this much in my life, but I'm enjoying every minute of it. The sights and sounds, even the smells. I'm taking it all in.

This afternoon we are headed to the Village. Right now the girls are going to finish up some shopping (Katie and Ivana. Betsy and I are out of money!). Betsy and I might check out MOMA while the girls shop.

4:24AM

I'm up, showered, and ready to roll. Our flight leaves at 7AM, but they now have this rule that you have to be checked in a minimum of a half an hour before the flight to guarantee seating. How do I know this? When we went to Boston in April we got to the airport about twenty five minutes before takeoff and they wouldn't let us board. They put us on the next flight. I'm going to do everything in my power to be the ogre in the family this time. Plus, we have to pick up Ivana. Yikes. I'm outnumbered by chicks.

Wish me luck.

I'll be posting pics later this evening from day one in NYC.

MASTERING COMPLETED

Mastering of my CD, Matter Of Time has been completed. It was mastered by my friend Ronny Morris at Digitak Mastering. I eagerly await the reference disc. Next stop is manufacturing.
I'm moving along on this one, and it will be available very soon.

New York State Of Mind

Betsy, Katie and I are going to New York City for a few days. We leave Saturday morning. Katie's friend Ivana is coming with us as well. She's a cool kid, and we should have an awesome time. Katie want to check out Columbia University while we are there, so I am calling this a College exploratory trip. I am only kidding myself, because I know that's only an excuse for the girls to do some shopping in the city!

I have never been to NYC. I am quite excited to finally be going. It should prove to be a nice overview for me. I'm pretty sure I'm going to fall in love with the place. I have no doubt that it is a totally different experience from my old stomping grounds of Los Angeles. I look forward to meeting some new friends, soaking up some energy, and some awesome scenery, and making some cool memories. I hope we get a chance to see some music while we are in town.

Betsy's birthday is on Sunday. That should be a great place to celebrate, don't you think?

CONCERT T-SHIRTS LOSE THEIR COOL

I don’t know about you, but I think the fact that you can get concert t-shirts at places like Wal-Mart and Target cheapens the rock n’ roll experience. This is yet another example of a corporate fueled and superficial marketplace. I used to take great pride in obtaining a concert tee at a concert I attended. It was a rite of passage. Now the very same vintage tees are available too readily. The charm is gone and the glory has definitely departed. Now every yuppie from here to Hong Kong has got the same damn shirt! It’s kind of like tattoos; everyone has one. Now don’t get me wrong. I like my tattoos; it’s just that now that everyone has one it seems like a herd experience. I once wrote that conformity was inevitable.

Conformity is inevitable

So why fight

To try to be yourself

No matter what you try to do to be unique and original, you can be sure it has been done many, many times before. There is clearly no way around it. How about this? Just do your thing, and don’t worry about what every other skin bag is up to.

Live it people. This gig is most certainly not going to last forever. I suggest that you try to enjoy the moment. If you cannot enjoy the moment, at least live it and experience it fully. Keep in mind how fleeting the past was and hold on loosely and enjoy. Don’t worry about things so much. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Live your life in a truly present fashion.

Dinner With Mom

It's a beautiful, sunny Sunday. The humidity has dropped considerably, but it is sunny with a slight breeze. My mom is settling in nicely. Visiting family members have departed today, after helping get my mom moved in. We are joining her for dinner this evening.

10:28 PM
We went over to my mom's for dinner. It was a nice time. It's so cool to have her around. She has a great new apartment in a retirement community right around the corner. The last couple of days we have been meeting some great people. A guy named Jacob joined us at our table for dinner in the dining room. He is from Holland, and he had some amazing stories to tell. He's eighty-four, speaks about four languages, has been to about forty countries in his lifetime, and is an excellent Chess player. So good, in fact, that some people in the community don't want to play him anymore. He even played a game with Bobby Fischer.

I can tell you that it's going to be great going over for dinner on a regular basis. Not only is the food excellent, but the people are awesome, and I think my mom will be happy and make all sorts of interesting new friends. So will I.

My Mom's Birthday

It's my mom's 82nd Birthday today. She has also moved to town just two days ago. This represents a big change for her. It will be nice to have her around. We are all going out for dinner this evening. It looks like about ten of us will be in attendance. Then we will all convene at my house for some cake and coffee. It should be a nice time.

Man, it just started raining like the dickens. It got all dark and windy, and before you knew it, it was just gushing down. As hot as it is, I hope it gets rid of some of this dreadful humidity.

Immersed In Music

I'm going through some music files, and getting organized to send a batch of songs to mastering. I can say that mixing is done, which is quite a relief. I did all of this myself, so it has had some fits and starts to say the least. I've pretty much done the best I could do, and now it's time to move this thing to the next level. These songs are what they are. I can't wait to share them with you.

Fried

My ears are fried this evening due to listening to a mix repeatedly last night. I have a bit more work to do on this particular mix, and then I am done mixing the CD. I intended to be done on this song tonight, but I think it would be counter-productive to the mix and also to my hearing health.

Grand Strand Blogger Meetup

The meetup was a lot of fun. It was a nice, warm day, and we met down at Bummz Beach Cafe. My brother Roger (standing, left) and I (standing, right) met up with Dave Slusher, seated, right) and Andre Pope (seated, left), and hung out for almost a couple hours. It was super cool hanging out with these guys. For you folks that missed this go-round, there's always next time, but you missed a good time. It was awesome to meet Dave and Andre. Dave is one of the original podcasters, if you don't know that already. He is one of the guys that got me interested in the podcasting thing when I read an article in the Charleston Post and Courier about podcasting almost three years ago. It's hard to imagine it's been that long. It's mind boggling to think of the changes that the podcasting medium has gone through in the last couple of years. It's interesting to see it evolve. The media playing field has been leveled in multi-faceted ways. Every aspect of content production and delivery has experienced a major paradigm shift. And the keys to the kingdom have been given to each and every one of us.

Dave is a catalyst, and I appreciate his efforts on behalf of this community.

Thanks to Andre for his generosity this afternoon. You shouldn't have man!

Seeing's Believing on Evil Genius Chronicles

Dave Slusher was kind enough to play my song, Seeing's Believing on his podcast, EGC Clambake for June 23, 2007. Thanks so much Dave!

Happy Summer

I just wanted to say Happy Summer to everyone! Today was the official first day of summer.

Grand Strand Blogger Meetup

I copied this from Dave's blog, Evil Genius Chronicles. Be there or be square!


Grand Strand Blogger Meetup

from Evil Genius Chronicles by dave

I pulled the plug on the original date for the Grand Strand Blogger meetup because for one I had dog care issues and for another, it was unbearably poor form to hold it on Father’s Day. Even though no one seemed to mind, I just didn’t like the idea so we scooched it one week back. If you are driving distance and want to come, please do and invite your friends. You need not blog or podcast or videoblog, even having a vague interest that you might want to one day is enough. Just come.

Here again is the announcement:
—–

In the spirit of ongoing attempts to crystallize a blogger community here in the Grand Strand, I’m organizing a get together. If you are a blogger, podcaster, videoblogger or interested in any of the above, come and hang out with us. Here are the specifics:

Sunday June 24th at 3 PM, Bummz at 2003 N. Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC
Phone number of the joint: 843-916-9111
Google Map to the restaurant

We’ll be at a table outside as close to the beach as we can get. If you are interested in coming, please send me a non-binding RSVP via email just so I can keep you abreast of logistics and make sure we have enough table space reserved. Feel free to forward this information around, tell your friends, tell your neighbors, blog about it yourself. Bloggers now do this kind of thing all the time in Charleston, and we’re as good as those people. Just like they found out in Charleston that when they got together they had a critical mass they didn’t realize existed, let’s try to get the same thing going in our part of the state. Let’s rock!

Podcast 6 - Shrimp And Grits

Listen Here.

This is a quick ramble down in Charleston this morning.

Shrimp and Grits. MMMMM!

Tommy Condon's

I was saddened to hear of the tragedy that occurred there last night. I didn't hear about it until I got home. My heart and prayers go out to the families of the fallen firemen that died in the line of duty. May God bless them and be with them in this horrible time.

YAHOO

I just found out that I now have unlimited storage on my Yahoo email account. That's awesome! I suppose gmail will soon follow suit. I have had my yahoo mail account for years. I also have a gmail account, but I prefer yahoo so far. Maybe it's a question of what I'm used to. I have everything set to forward to Yahoo anyway, so I suppose I have the best of both worlds. I do not use a desktop mail app. I don't see a need for it. Maybe there's something I don't know. If anyone can give me some advice about outlook or Thunderbird, please let me know the benefits. I have never used Outlook. Is it worth the time? Is it better than a web-based account?

Unlimited storage. Wow. Things have really changed.

Tangent

Wandering thoughts have always been my undoing. They sometimes take me where I don't want to go, and once there, I am sucked in by the undertow. Many times I go off on some kind of tangent and get all worked up for all kinds of useless and insignificant reasons. Despite the best of intentions, I seem to get muddled up somehow. I am truly my worst enemy. Of course, when in the depth of such thoughts, one can mine the ore of lyrical vision at the storehouse of imagery. Might as well bring something back if you're down there anyway.

Cool Comic strip!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day all you dads out there!

My daughter surprised me on Thursday with an early Father's Day gift. She got us a pair of tickets to the Ben Harper show at House Of Blues. It was absolutely awesome. Tom Morello, who billed himself as The Nightwatchman, opened the show, which was a great surprise. The place was packed, and the energy and love between the artists and the fans was incredible.

Great show! But the best part of it all was being there and experiencing it with Katie. Thanks Peanut!

Sopranos?

What am I to gather from the ending Sopranos scene?
Is it open ended?
Or is the blackness at the end to symbolize finality?
Happily never after?
Did the entire family get it?
Or Tony only?
I'm thinking everyone.
What do you think?

Upgrade

In lieu of being impulsive and ordering a MacBook Pro on credit, I decided to go ahead and give my little Compaq Presario a little makeover. I bought an extra 1g of ram, a high capacity battery to replace my old and defective one, and a wireless mouse. I am happy to report that the memory is installed without a hitch, the battery is in place and receiving its initial charge, and the mouse is ready to go and performing very well. I think I've made a fiscally responsible choice and I am glad I did.

I still want to get a Mac, but I have decided to wait until Leopard comes out and gets its bugs out. This gives me time to actually save some money. It is my intention (like my car) to run this little lappy into the ground. I've only had it for a year and a half, but gear lust gets a hold of me pretty bad.

This little pc has really been a good little machine. There's a lot of life left in it, and storage concerns are nothing that my external drive can't remedy.

Dave Ramsey would be proud!

Friday Afternoon

It's Friday afternoon. I'm home and blogging while sitting at the kitchen table and looking out the patio doors. It's really hot and humid outside, but it's nice. I am listening to Dave Slusher's Evil Genius Chronicles podcast. I love Dave. You should check him out.

I am looking forward to a nice weekend. Time to relax, and to do some music work. I need to get some mixes done. I have two songs left to mix for my CD project. Everything seems to be coming together nicely.

Tonight is Graduation at Myrtle Beach High School. Next year will be Katie's turn. Tonight she is there as a Junior Marshal. The kid amazes me. She's got a serious brain. Must run in the family!

Betsy and I have gotten in to the habit of renting a movie on Fridays. I don't know what we'll be seeing tonight, but I'll let you know tomorrow.

My Mom Is Moving To The Beach

My mom came to town today with my sister and niece. My mom came to look at a beautiful retirement community here in town called Eagle Crest. She will be moving to town in a month or so, and I am looking forward to having her close by. We haven't lived in the same city for a very long time, many years, to give you an idea. It will be lovely to hang out together and just be close again.

Time goes by way too fast. I aspire to live every moment in the now, and to cherish the people that I love.

Light and Shadow

Sometimes the world bums me out. When I see and understand how money is the motivating factor for just about everything it brings me down. Money, acclaim, fame, success. A glimpse in to the darkness of striving and envy and revenge. It all boils down to being noticed, loved, and affirmed as a human being.

Sometimes the sadness is a real crusher when I see what people go through. The things we all see on the same scale. The little heroics of day to day. The rising above the mundane. And all the silly things we do to numb ourselves or distract ourselves. Sometimes it's hard to face the cold light of day; the stinging glare of a reality gone so desperately wrong.

And then I see a flower...Or hear the laughter of a child, and I am reminded again of joy.

SAND SCULPTURE

Check out this cool sand sculpture. It was made in front of the newly renovated Imax Theater here in Myrtle Beach...