6.29.2006

Bikers, Birthday parties and Baseball.

this post goes out to hub, one of the few and faithful bloggers out there that always seems to come up with some worthwhile stuff.

she had a post with five things she had recently discovered about herself, one of which struck a chord with me because of it's relevance to popular music. i'll expand on that later, for right now i'm going to go back to an old tradition on my blog, the top ten list. without further ado, here are my...

TOP TEN RECENT SELF DISCOVERIES

10. i can handle country music if it's really really old and makes modern nashville fans squirm. the cuz bought an old buck owens cd the other day and i've been rocking out to some old country for the past few days. i'm not sure why i like it, but it does get me some crazy looks from my kiddos and my neighbors when i roll up blaring some country twang.

9. newton's first law is true for me as well; an object at rest tends to stay at rest until acted upon by an other object. if i don't accomplish something constructive in the first hour of my day, the likeliness of me completing everything i wanted to do the rest of the day is pretty low. on the other hand, if i get up and get moving the second i'm at work i tend to get some crazy stuff done.

8. i'm a bi-polar neat freak. i think i've actually known this for a while, but never really put it into words. there are times where i go on a cleaning rampage and keep things in all kinds of order, and the there are times where its just good to see stuff all over the place.

7. my hobby is finding new hobbies. i have a long list of things that i would consider hobbies: guitar, songwriting, drawing, stenciling, painting, sculpting, photography, graphic design, baseball, golf, bike riding, hiking, snowboarding, watching movies, reading... the list goes on. here's the thing, i may not be the best at any one of those hobbies, but i have a legitimate interest in all of them. i think my hobby is going back and forth between all of them.

6. i feed off of my friends. not in a bad way, but i really get most of my inspiration and energy when i'm around my friends that kind of spur me on.

5. i can't handle when a picture isn't level. if i see something that isn't level i go right over and fix it without saying a word. lawdog is the biggest victim of this because i am constantly adjusting the pictures in his office.

4. i really really really really don't care about soccer. i tried to be open minded and watch a few of the world cup games and i think i like soccer less now. how can a game end in a tie? and anyone who says baseball is boring to watch and then tries to tell me that 75 minutes of a 0-0 game where guys kick a ball back and forth is exciting has lost their mind. seriously, i tried, i don't get it. soccer is lame.

3. i'm a flake. i need to learn the difference between i would like to do something vs. i can do something. i have a feeling that if you know me then i don't really need to explain this one. sorry.

2. recently, i am much more aware of the spiritual presence in seemingly mundane situations.

1. i still have a lot to figure out.


so going back to hub's post, she mentioned how she preferred bob dylan songs to be covered, rather than actually listening to bob dylan. i couldn't agree more. i think bob dylan is way overrated, and just happened to be the right band in the right place at the right time (see nirvana). call me a traitor to my generation, but there are several bands/ pop culture events that i just don't get, and/or think are way overrated. and because i'm always a fan of a good deal, i'm going to give you a second top ten list for free.

TOP TEN OVERRATED/ I DON"T GET IT POP CULTURE THINGS/PEOPLE
10. Reality TV. If survival is real, then so is wrestling. sidenote: why do they need writers for a reality tv show?
9. Horror/ Vampire movies. one makes it big, thirty more will follow.
8. Celebrity Babies. ugh, i feel stupid for having typed those letters together.
7. Computer animation movies. i think the magic wore off after shrek. i'm just not really impressed anymore.
6. Prince. quick, name three people you know that own a prince album.
5. Neil Young. is it just me or does he look like every police sketch of a deadbeat dad? and do you actually know anyone outside of the pacific northwest that lists him as a favorite? art teachers don't count.
4. American Idol. although i do like watching the would-be karaoke tryouts, i have an issue with forcing the public to recognize someone as famous. also, do you really need to win to get a record contract? not really. it's a pointless competition.
3. Entertainment news. "All the entertainment news you need to know". really? click.
2. (tie) Radiohead/White Stripes. It's going to be tough to explain to our kids how this was the music for our generation supposedly.
1. Soccer. Read previous notes.

what else is there...

oh yeah, so i finally got my record player up and going so i can now listen to all of my old records. i feel like a real musical elitist now. i can say that some stuff does sound way better on a vinyl than cd or mp3, but im not sold on all types of music. jazz: yes. ska: yes. captain and tenille (yes my dad actually bought that record) a definite no. i do have to say that it was cool last night to throw on some old duke ellington records and just chill for a few minutes before i went to bed. last night was def a peaceful night's sleep until the plant lady's car alarm went off at 3am. but as far as vinyl goes, i'm sold. i'm taking inventory of the records i have soon (for insurance purposes) i'll post what i have sometime in the future, it's a pretty impressive list, mainly because dad had an awesome collection from back in the day.

and speaking of music...
anyone who has actually read my blog for a while might remember that i've been working off and on for a while on writing music with the hope that eventually i can record my own cd.

well, i've ranted enough today. the kiddos are calling and my lunch break is up. to all the bloggers out there, feel free to vent on whatever.

one love, one heart.

6.12.2006

You could use a little churching up. Slide on down to the Triple Rock and catch the Reverend Cleophus James.

Como estas blogworld.

So my last few posts have been pretty serious, or at the very least very pointed, so I decided to take a break this post and go back to my old stream-of-consciousness style that we all hold near and dear. So without further ado, here are the latest ramblings…

The sounds of driving. I love driving with the windows down. Chalk it up as one of life’s simple pleasures, but I love listening to things fly by as I speed down the freeway. I was out driving today and I realized that there is an almost soothing musical quality to the sound of the highway. I actually did a lot of driving this week, which is prob not the cheapest of hobbies, but I find the more I drive, the more calm and relaxed I am, and the more I have my thoughts together. On Wednesday, I had to drive down to pepperdine, then up the pch to Oxnard and back to simi, and while I was out I had some awesome thoughts I was able to put together for my sermon today. Yesterday I was out driving with a friend, which is how we end up spending most of our time hanging out, and we had one of the greatest conversations ever. Today, I was driving down south, and I didn’t even bother turning on the radio for the entire time I was on the road. In a world where it is really hard to get find silence, I guess having an audio getaway is truly a blessing.

Speaking of sounds, I’ve been in a bit of a musical slump lately. Any of you that know me, know that I’m always finding new music, and kind of recycling through my old stuff to make it new again. Anyways, I was looking through itunes this week for some new music, and I really wasn’t interested in any of my typical punk, reggae, ska or whatever else I listen to. So I decided to go old school and I ran across my new favorite artist, james brown. You know how when you watch a Jackie chan movie, you leave the theater feeling like you know karate? That’s kind of like james brown and dancing. I dare you to listen to james brown for a while and not get up and move around. It’s unreal. So much energy and passion, I should have been listening to him years ago. Anyways, it was a fun week for me musically, and I’m really glad no one has caught me in my office sliding around on the pergo with my socks on.

I thought this was kind of funny, so I would like to point out the train of thought that brought me to my next paragraph: james brown>funk>soundtracks>movies>car wash>…

Getting my car washed. I love going to the car wash. Tyra is the first vehicle I’ve owned that I actually cared about keeping clean. Not only that, but socal is kind of a funny place when it comes to car washes. It’s almost like regular maintenance for your vehicle, but it really is taken to an extreme out here. You really don’t see a lot of dirty cars out here, and there are so many gas stations out here that have car washes. In a two block radius from one of the main intersections by my house, there are three gas station car washes, and two full service car washes. By full service I am of course referring to the places where you have a seating area where you can watch your car go through the automated washing process, and then be hand dried, waxed and detailed by a whole platoon of attendants. At my favorite place, lenny dykstra’s auto center, they even have a baseball memorabilia section to occupy your attention. So I can relax, have a pepsi, check out some 86 mets memorabilia and leave with a ride that smells of coconut. Anyways, it’s one of those things about socal that we take very seriously, and I have def been sucked into that desire to have a clean ride.

Sundays are tough for me from a sleeping standpoint. I am a big fan of the Sunday afternoon nap, however those naps tend to lead to late night think-sessions where you’re not really tired enough to go to sleep when you should, kind of like the one I am currently smack dab in the middle of.

Is it just me, or is it really easy to embarrass yourself playing volleyball?

We were talking about fair-food tonite at dinner, and I had to ask the question, “who was the first guy that looked at a twinkie and decided it needed to be fried?”

I was looking for a new pair of jeans the other day, and I found a pair that cost over a hundred bucks. I immediately set them down because I assumed there would be a charge for looking at them, or some sort of ‘re-folding’ fee. Seriously, I would love for someone to explain to me the justification for spending that much on a pair of jeans.

By the way, I think the employees of stores that offer hundred dollar plus jeans have to pass some sort of service test to prove they can instantly recognize and ignore customers like me who laugh at their prices.

I was wondering what those things at the end of shoelaces are called. The official name is ‘aglet’. Totally random information, but you know the next time you look at your shoelaces, you are going to try and remember what they are called.

I was reading this book ‘freakonomics’ the other day and this particular chapter really captured my attention. It was talking about how the KKK used the control of information to perpetuate fear. They had a whole system of code words and secret handshakes that allowed them to communicate without giving themselves away. One man infiltrated the KKK and learned all of their secret code words and handshakes, with the sole purpose of taking down the entire organization. In a genius move, he gave all of his notes to the producers of the old superman tv show, and they did an entire episode on the klan, and exposed all of their secrets. Some of the terms were so laughable that it all but destroyed the entire group, and they have (fortunately) never recovered from the exposure.

Going back to the lighter stuff, I always wonder how much people that work at those little kiosks in the middle of the mall hate their jobs. Seriously, who wants to work at a fake hair stand in the middle of the mall?

And to end these ramblings, I want to share with you a dream I had the other night. For anyone that has read this blog for a while, you know that I can’t stand tim mccarver, one of the announcers for fox baseball that I have to endure every postseason. Seriously, the guy is easily the worst broadcaster on the air. Here are a few of his gems:

"In the time it's taken to play this game you could have flown from Baltimore to Iceland."

"Watch Darren Daulton use his mitt like a glove."

"He wears his hat like a left hander!"

"There is a world of difference between a count of one ball and two strikes is a lot different situation than hitting with two strikes and one ball."

"As a new day begins in New York, the sun sets in Hawaii."

I think you get the picture. Anyways, I had this dream that I was on a sports gameshow, and tim mccarver was the host. I got an answer right, and he said I got it wrong, we started yelling at each other and then the judges finally stepped in and gave me the answer. I then told mccarver he sucked as an announcer. I soon became a celebrity making the rounds on different news channels and sports shows as the guy who told off tim mccarver. Fox news refered to me as ‘the voice of a generation’, and I even got interviewed by the guys from baseball tonight. When all was said and done I was offered a job as a sports broadcaster/ analyst. Pretty sweet dream.

Well, speaking of dreams, it’s time for me to hit the sack. One love, one heart.