complicatedly simple...

2 Weeks Later

2011-11-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

I now have 14 posts up on hitRECord. Well, I have more posts, but only 14 that I would consider a part of my hitRECord365 project... A post a day for a full year!! Here's to possibly letting myself down! (But hopefully, not)...

I'm still swimming. And my sights are set on the Seal Sprint in Coronado, CA on March 18th. 500m swim, 20k bike, 6k run... which will be a beast of a day unless I train and focus and perform how I know I can.

Chase turns 2 in a week. Wait... what!?! I love you, little Man.

I turn 30 in 15 days. Wait... huh!?! Sa-weet.

hitRECord

2011-10-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

hitRECord is an amazing idea. And from the looks of it, it is being executed beautifully, which takes it from the realm of idea floating in ether to fully functional entity capable of growing and affecting lives.

I'll let the website speak for itself: www.hitRECord.org

I joined today and would love to collaborate with you!!! Check out my records at http://hitrecord.org/users/glynngm.

Just Keep Swimming...

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Head down.

Rotate.

Exhale.

Rotate.

Don't lift your head to breathe.

Focus.

Rotate.

Head down.

...
...
...

There's a lot to think about while you're swimming. Technique and what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong and how it feels when it's correct and all the minute changes that lead to more/less drag and keeping a high elbow and working on the catch and the recovery and a crap load of other stuff, too...

There are 3 triathlons that look promising: Seal Sprint in Coronado on March 18th, Carlsbad Triathlon on July 8th, and the Long Beach Triathlon some time in September.

I just need to keep swimming and running and jump back on my bike again and have fun and focus and keep it light and set goals and take it a step, stroke, pedal turn at a time...

Keep going, Glynn!!!

When do we lose our curiosity?

2011-10-17T00:13:00.000-07:00

My son Chase turns 2 next month. On November 11th to be exact. Nine days before I turn 30. Wow... that's a trip.

Anyways, there are moments when I look at Chase and realize that he has learned something since the last time I "really" looked at him and consciously observed him and actually processed what I was seeing, mannerisms, eye contact, demeanor, body language... Sometimes I recognize the fact that he is a different person than the last time I spent time with him. Whether it's after a day at work or from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon or even from when we get to Grandma and Grandpa's house to when we leave... there are definite moments when I witness the progression of human development. And I'm sure it's exaggerated, heightened, concentrated at this point in his life because he is evolving and growing and learning at such a prodigious rate (relative to the rest of his life)...

And it's exciting. To see the learning, the growth, the evolution of a human being. And also to see how curious he is, how much he wants to figure out how things work, "the hunger that a child feels for everything they're shown"...

And I can't help but wonder... when do we lose that? The curiosity and hunger for knowledge? Not just knowledge to help on a test or to provide insight into a job or to start a new hobby... but genuine curiosity for everything we're exposed to because it's all new...

I don't know how taxes work. Or how a car engine works. Or how wireless internet works. Or why the internet doesn't run out of space or why we can't combine hydrogen and oxygen to create water or why a million other things work. And I spend almost every day of my life completely okay with that.

But not Chase. If he doesn't know how to buckle a seat, he wants to figure it out. If he sees a wheel, he wants to spin it. If he sees a hammer and nail toy, he wants to play with it and familiarize himself with why it works.

Okay. Maybe he isn't concerned with the inner workings... maybe he just touches stuff and runs after things because they look cool and he's a toddler and it truly is brand new and why not chase that shopping cart? But even if that is the case and he's just reacting on instinct... isn't that effing cool? And why can't I be more like that? Why can't I figure out how taxes work or pick apart the inner workings of a car engine or study hydrogen and oxygen and mashing the elements together to create water?

When did I become so... not curious...?

Are we just too bogged down with everyday responsibilities and tasks and nagging chores that we forget to seek out what we don't know and learn about it? Or is it just because the world is so big and there are so many things that it's essential for our own survival to not be caught up in non-essential learning...?

Why can't we all just live with the curiosity of a child? The reckless abandon? The naive point of view?

Why do we all become so cynical, skeptical, guarded, responsible, lethargic, complacent, adult...?

I'm a Nerd

2011-10-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

Genuinely.

I just became super bummed when I realized my Timex Ironman Watch only had 30 lap recall because my swim session last night consisted of 60 "laps" (actual swum laps and rest intervals are tracked using the lap function). So I lost half of a session of data... which is a bummer and made me look up watches that have at least 100 lap recall and I found one that's rad and pretty similar to my existing watch and not too expensive and I'm probably going to buy it after my next paycheck and be supremely happy because then I can accurately measure my workouts and compile date which will help me adjust training methods and plans so as to achieve my goal of finishing a sprint triathlon next year.

Yep, I'm a nerd. And I absolutely love it...

People are genuinely friendly

2011-10-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

But are rarely rewarded for being friendly. They get taken advantage of. They get ridiculed. They realize that it makes more sense to be cold and selfish and only concerned with number one.

Or maybe... just maybe... they realize that being friendly is not a character flaw but one of the fundamental and communal aspects of humanity.

It would be nice if that were true...

Technique

2011-10-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

It's so true. Don't work harder. Work smarter.

Swim session number one went okay. I can feel how uncoordinated I am in the pool. Inefficiencies in my stroke, difficulty breathing, no rotation, weak kick, weak arm stroke...

Working on my technique will make things better.

The good news is I have plenty of time to get better.

The better news is swimming is a lot of fun.

Looking forward to the next session. Still a long way to go, but at least I'm getting started.

Swimming

2011-10-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

I started running last June. And it was really difficult at the beginning. I was tremendously out of shape, could barely ~~run~~ jog continuously for 10 minutes, struggled for weeks before finding a groove. But eventually it became easier, and I've grown to love running as a way to stay in shape, be alone with my thoughts, share time with my son while he's in his jogger, push myself past self-imposed limits, inject discipline into my lifestyle.

I start swimming tomorrow. The end goal is to eventually finish a sprint triathlon, but I know that the swimming portion will be the most difficult. But my experience with running has prepared me somewhat for the hurdles, physical and mental, that will be in front of me.

Stay patient. Focus on proper form. Don't get discouraged. Go at your own pace. Have fun.

Can't wait to spend some time with you tomorrow, Swimming.

... On the Shoulders of Giants (and rambling)

2011-10-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

We are all standing on the shoulders of giants. Those who came before us paved the way for all of our lives. Even their failures have helped us. Without their contributions, we wouldn't be where we are today.

Sometimes I think that I can't fully communicate the thoughts in my head. And I'm sad. Not because I feel like what's in my head is so brilliant, but because not being fully understood is frustrating. Only in this case the not being fully understood is my fault because it arises out of my own inability to put my thoughts on the page (screen).

I have hopes and dreams and plans and goals and things I want to do. Looking out for yourself is not a bad thing.

Planning and doing are two completely separate things.

Falling short can be better than standing tall.

My self-importance knows no bounds sometimes.

I want to play a show soon.

I can totally be in 5 bands that are successful with completely different audiences for each band. There are enough people in the world and enough ideas in my head and enough talent in these fingers but not necessarily enough time in the day or will in the heart or drive in the head.

Straightforward is nice but not necessarily interesting. Simple and clean and concise and to the point and genuine always genuine with good intentions to entertain to make people think to make people feel.

Make people feel. In 2 minutes or less. Have an opinion. Don't ride the fence (too much). Tell stories. Universal stories. Stories for us all. Stories for one person. Stories that alienate. Stories that invite. A song about everything. A song about nothing. Have fun. Be yourself. Poke fun. Poke and prod and search for the truth. In 2 minutes or less. Force the boundaries to shape your work. Work within the box. Allow the box to push you farther. The box is good and horrible. Be a contradiction. Occupy the grey. No right, no wrong, no war, no peace, no truth, no lie, no god, no devil, nothing to believe in. Lazy, lazy, lazy. Apathetic. Caring too much. Faux british accent. Faux hipster chic. Trucker hat. Fixed gear. Vegan hot dog.

ADD...

We are all disappointments. We are all successful beyond our wildest dreams.

We're All in a Blender

2011-10-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

There are lots of things that would be interesting if you could combine them in a blender.

Genres of music. Sports. Political philosophies. Parenting methods. Religious beliefs. Ethnicities. Cultural traditions.

Our world is an ever evolving blender. People try to keep things from being mixed, but, without fail, ever more complex combinations occur.

One day we will all be the same. If we aren't already...

Woodshed: Have Fun

2011-10-02T23:47:00.000-07:00

You can practice all you want and get better and develop good technique and pile on more and more exercises and eventually become an amazing musician...

But it's all for nothing if you're not having fun.

Accumulation

2011-10-02T01:10:00.000-07:00

I watched the Martinez vs. Barker fight on HBO tonight.

Barker was a 15-1 underdog, but he outperformed and stretched Martinez to the 11th round when a right hook buckled Barker, and he couldn't beat the count. Emmanuel Steward hit the nail on the head when he commented that the knockout seemed to come out of nowhere, the punch was partially blocked, but due to the accumulated punishment over the entire fight (especially the last 2 rounds), Barker folded and couldn't continue.

Much to be learned from watching a fight and a performance like Martinez's...

- Sometimes you need to keep plugging away. For all intents and purposes, an 11th round knockout of a 15-1 underdog is a disappointment for Martinez... BUT... he won, and only because he didn't become frustrated and stuck to his game plan and was able to adapt to the circumstances. He kept his eye on the prize and left the ring victorious.

- Slow and steady wins the ~~race~~ fight... If you watched just the knockout, it looked like it couldn't have possibly been legit. Barker had to have been paid off to take a dive like that!!! He blocked the punch and still went down?!?! Impossible!! But not if you watched the entire fight, saw the body punches, and the numerous right hooks that took their toll and eventually led to Barker's demise. It was 11 rounds of accumulated punishment that won the fight for Martinez, not one punch but hundreds that slowly whittled down his opponent.

Take your time. Baby steps. Little by little. Patience. Focus... It takes time, and there will be failures, stumbles, hurdles. But keep punching and dodging and accumulating punishment against your opponent. Eventually you'll get the KO...

How badly do you want it?

2011-09-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

Went running again today. I'm not training for anything. Running sessions are now focused on having fun and maintaining my fitness. I can take it easy. I don't need to push. I can just cruise and have a good time and forget about sticking to a hard edged training regiment...

Yet I still find myself running hard on mile 4... I still push myself occasionally just to make sure I can.

It's not necessary. But I'm hoping (and banking on the fact that) it will make a difference when I actually have a training goal.

Sometimes you learn more about yourself when there's nothing else pushing you but your own subconscious.

I need to carry that mentality over into my real life. Because there isn't really an "off-season". Sure, there are periods of time where certain actions crystallize into actual forward movement and growth and development, but even when the stars don't align, you're still progressing. It's just a matter of if that progression is forwards or backwards. Are you setting yourself up for success or failure...?

How badly do you want it? You get a glimpse of how much during these "for fun" sessions... in running, in working, in your career, in your passion, in your life.

Prove it to yourself, Glynn. You know how badly you want it.

Want/ Need

2011-09-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

Want:

Laptop
Lockout space to keep all instruments and recording equipment
Gym Membership
3 Bed/ 2.5 Bath House with a 2 Car Garage
More Guitars
New Drumset
New Cymbals
More Amps
Triathlon Wetsuit
Triathlon Speedskin
New Road Bike
New Wardrobe
iPad
More Money
More...

Need:

Health
Family
Friends
Patience
Awareness
Artistic Release

Which list is more important? Which list do I focus my energy on?

My Wedding Ring

2011-09-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

Gets taken off when I take a shower.

Clinks when I do the dishes.

Still fits.

Feels amazing.

Is a part of me.

...

Happily around
my finger. Slid it on six
months ago today.

...

I love you, Rachel Pupa Montemayor.

Woodshed: Drumsticks

2011-09-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

Is there such a thing as too easy?

Tonight I took the "pepsi challenge" with two different sets of drumsticks, both from Vic Firth, the SD1 and the Extreme 5B. The SD1s felt good, nice and lightweight, and rudiments were easy with them. The Extreme 5Bs had a little more weight to them, it was a little more difficult, but there was a comfort in the difficulty. The SD1s almost felt like they would slip out of my hands; the Extreme 5Bs forced me to grip them a little more forcefully, but there wasn't added tension from the firm-ness.

I might be reading too much into it, but it felt good to play with the less not difficult sticks. It reminded me of something Jack White said in the documentary about the White Stripes where they tour Canada. He was continuously looking for ways to make things more difficult because it sparked his creative flow, forced him out of his comfort zone, led to new stylistic discoveries that kept the music fresh and evolutionary. I can appreciate that.

Extreme 5Bs might be the ticket... plenty of time to make a decision.

Drumming is really effin' fun.

Cooking

2011-09-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

I made teriyaki meat using my Mom's recipe tonight. I will never forget this recipe, and I take comfort in the fact that whenever I make it, I will be reminded of my mom and how much she means to me. There are plenty of other recipes of hers I need to learn and perfect, too: chicken adobo, roast beef, garlic shrimp, bbq chicken, lumpia...

I'm beginning to enjoy cooking more and more. There's something about taking ingredients and combining them to create a dish that will provide you with happiness and fuel and pride. You tend to eat more slowly if you've cooked your own dinner, too. I mean, who wants to rush through such a wonderful meal that was prepared with such love and care?

I made pancakes, too. Then froze them for future use. Just exposition, I know, but sometimes it's necessary.

Cooking requires patience and attention to detail and time management and organization. Good thing I'm starting to enjoy cooking because hopefully this means that I'll improve in all four of those categories.

I wish I had started cooking earlier in life. I hadn't really started cooking and learning the nuance of culinary dabbery until about a year or so ago. And there's still so much to learn.

You know, sometimes it's nice to just write for the sake of writing and not have a grandiose and earth-moving point...

I ~~really lik~~e love my blog...

For Fun

2011-09-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

I ran a 5K and a 10K this year. And I trained for both races, which was rad because it meant devising and sticking to a plan and checking off intermediate goals and taking it one day at a time, always with the end goal in mind, always focusing on the pace and the distance, taking steps each training session towards achieving the set goals. Training went well, and I achieved my goal pace in each race. Actually, I went faster than expected in each race, which is even more rad.

The 5K was on July 4th, and the 10K was a week ago on September 17th. I haven't signed up for another race yet, and in all honesty, I probably won't run another actual race till 2012. I'd also like to complete a sprint triathlon some time next summer, which will require even more training.

So it's the "offseason". I don't have any upcoming events, and for all intents and purposes, I can take a break for a bit and lay off the accumulation of fitness.

That being said, I really wanted to go for a run today. Schedules permitted and I had a chunk of time and Chase was with me and I love running with him because he's such great company, glancing up at me every once in a while or throwing both arms behind his head and chillaxing or making noises when airplanes take off from John Wayne and fly over the back bay trail we've run together a couple times.

And in the middle of that run... I realized how much fun I was having.

Yes, I was keeping track of time, and yes, there were people that I had in my sights to pass, and yes, there was still a target pace to be had. But it was fun. And not because I was training for something. It was just fun to be out and about in southern California on an overcast day running a beautiful back bay trail in Newport Beach with my almost 2 year old son and it started to drizzle and Chase fell asleep and it was a pretty dreary day actually... but it was a lot of fun.

I really enjoy running. Not just for fitness or to achieve health and race goals... it's genuinely fun for me.

And it's completely mine. I have about 3 or 4 activities that are truly mine and that had very little outside influence (relatively): golf, a genuine love of sports, music, and now running. These are the things I do for fun, the things that fill my day when I have extra time, the things I will stop to witness while channel surfing, the things I search for while I'm on the internet, the topics of conversation with my family, the interests I hope to share with my son.

Why can't what we do for fun be what we do for a living?

Woodshed: Developing my Drumming "Vocabulary"

2011-09-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

As soon as we learn how to talk, we spend the rest of our lives doing it. As a species, talking is our primary form of communication. Sure, there's writing and non-verbal communication like body language or facial expressions, but we do our most specific and explicit communication through talking.

When you first start talking, it's not very intelligible. There are lots of monosyllables and nonsensical phrases. I should know because I'm in the midst of an almost two year old boy who is beginning to find his voice. Lots of "um"s and "qwijybo"s... Gibberish, basically.

But then, after a while, after you've been talking for a bit, actual words start to take shape. "Mama", "Da-dee", "Pa-pa", "up", "eeree" (really)... You begin to convey actual thoughts through these words. These words are the first part of your vocabulary. Then further down the line there are phrases, then sentences, then full paragraphs, then you start to tell actual stories.

When you think about it, people start telling stories the moment they start talking. It's just we don't have the control over language, the vocabulary that is necessary to be understood. It's not until several years of talking that we actually communicate these stories more effectively. And even then, it will be even more years until those stories are nuanced and subtle and communicate even more complicated thoughts. When we reach our teenage years, our language and vocabulary has evolved and we might even be able to hold someone's attention long enough to tell them a really good story... even if it's not as sophisticated as the story we'll tell as young adults and then even further into our wisdom gaining years...

What's my point...?

Well, I'm a veritable teenager... when it comes to drumming. I can tell a pretty good story, but it's not as refined as I'd like it to be. The story doesn't live up to the expectations that my idealistic and impressionable mind have set for myself. And it's because my vocabulary isn't up to par... I have much to learn before I can articulately speak while I'm sitting at a drumset. I've got some pretty impressive "words" to use, but there's plenty more to say and ever more eloquent ways to say it.

Wow. What a long winded way of saying that I'm woodshedding so I can increase my drum vocabulary...

Inspiration- Drummer- Jonas Holmberg

2011-09-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

Komeda rocks my socks. They're Swedish. They're pop. They opened for Beck. They have a chick singer.

Sock rockage commence...

They're drummer Jonas Holmberg drums how I want to drum: simple, tasteful, complex, complementary, swingy, jazzy, rocky, powerful, for the song.

Their album What Makes It Go? is one of my favorites. "Curious" is so laid back and cool and swung. "Flabbergast" is literally one of the songs that made me want to get on a drumkit. It's super easy. The parts are straightforward, but there's a presence to the simplicity. You can zone on the drums then drift to the other parts in the arrangement but the drums hold it all together. There are 4 basic themes and it's all about the dynamics and the movement that's created by the interplay between hat, snare, kick, toms, tambourine, ride... God... I love the drums in this song. And as if all that weren't enough, the kick-snare pattern morphs during the coda... ahhhhhhh... so good...

Jonas is one of those drummers that makes it easy to focus on the drum part but not because it's flashy, actually just the opposite. You marvel at how he can make something sound easy that's so complex, he makes it sound full while keeping it simple, he completes the song, which is the goal of any good drummer.

Taking a Day Off

2011-09-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, you need to take a day off.

Rest. Review. Internalize. Remember why you're on the journey in the first place. Remind yourself that it's going to take a long time, that even as you achieve mini-goals the end will always be just over the next hill, that you're in this for the long haul so you can afford to take your time. Realize that you're not the type of person that benefits from beating yourself over the head over and over again. You need to step back and see the big picture, which is a beautiful montage of a series of tiny, all important pictures...

The day off is just as important as the days on. Because the day off for one journey is the day on for another one.

Focus

2011-09-19T23:57:00.000-07:00

I use a rad iPhone app called Runkeeper to keep track of all my running stats. I can see my pace, mile split times, running routes, and a host of other statistics from all of my runs. For a slightly OCD detail freak like myself, it's pretty much a dream come true.

Another facet of the app that I love is the ability to write a little summary and attach it to each running activity. Synopsis, how you're feeling, successes, failures... you can write whatever you like. And I end all of my notes with "Focus". It's just a quick reminder... kind of like "What you've just done is great and has gotten you one step closer to your goal, but you need to remember to always push forward and take it one step at a time and not get ahead of yourself"...

Focus. One the positives. On the little things. On the singular existence of your goal.

Focus. Then go and get it...

Focus...

10K

2011-09-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

Killed it today. 8:33 a mile, which is 12 seconds a mile faster than the pace I had set as a goal. And this was after taking 9 days off before the race and coming off a sickness that had me unable to talk from sores in my mouth...

But I know I can do better. If I train smarter and work in some speed work, I can do better. And that's the key to doing better: staying hungry. Pushing yourself, testing your boundaries, pushing up against your own personal walls, and breaking through them...

Let's achieve that triathlon goal next year, Glynn..

Ugh... I have to write about the Mayweather-Ortiz fight because it's bugging me so much. Yes, Ortiz was probably going to lose, get knocked out even. Yes, he headbutted Mayweather, which was a punk, chump, idiot, classless move. Yes, he should have been protecting himself at all times. But, damn... what a horrible way to end the fight. Pacquiao-Mayweather will probably never happen now because the next fight will probably be a rematch... and Floyd will win because aside from the fact that he's detestable... he's really, really good.

Ugh...

Drumming tonight felt good, tho. Yeah. Let's end this post on a positive note. Drumming definitely felt good. Starting to get a controlled bounce going. Power and lightness and coordination... Keep it up, Glynn...

Sour and Sweet

2011-09-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

Some say you need the sour to appreciate the sweet.

MJ needed those 6 seasons of heartbreak to truly appreciate threepeating... and then the brief descent into retirement fueled his desire for that second threepeat... and I guarantee you it was that much sweeter.

Lance needed to go through cancer and reach the lowest of his lows in order to rebuild himself into a cyclist that would win the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times.

I hope that the pain and shame that LeBron feels right now will fuel the fire that will lead to multiple championships.

I pray that Tiger powers through this valley and finds a way to catapult himself back into golf's elite.

It's such an easy way to explain the hardship, pain, hurdles, setbacks, mistakes, failures...

But it's a lie. We don't need the sour to appreciate the sweet. You just need the patience, the humility, the self-awareness to not take things for granted. But it's difficult to have those things, to conduct oneself with grace and poise, to be content and realize how good you have it.

So when things are going badly, we delude ourselves.

"You need the sour to appreciate the sweet!"

Why can't we just look around and realize that everyday is filled with both so why not focus on the sweet and enjoy what we already have?

*NOTE: Is it ironic that all four athletes I mention in this blog are sponsored by Nike?

Unlearning

2011-09-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

Ugh. It's time for a stream of consciousness blog...

6 days down. Drum technique is tedious. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? How do I know if I'm making progress? And tonight I realized that the hill is even more steep because I have to "unlearn" over 16 years of incorrect technique... Oh well... I guess I should just keep going till I'm a bomb drummer...

Running has been replaced by drumming. The endorphins are the same. The attention to detail and the OCD and the focus on technique and the incremental improvement and the ultimate goal to become better are the same. But I like drumming more... not to say I don't like running, I just like drumming more...

My mouth effing hurts. Stupid canker sores. I need to stop eating so much spicy food. Or maybe drink milk more...

Dodger game tomorrow!

We won the scavenger hunt last Saturday!!

Mayweather/ Ortiz on Saturday!!

NFL season has started!!

MLB playoffs really soon!!

NBA lockout this season...

Primus next month! Maybe Ozma the month after that!

September is essentially halfway done...

Chase is almost 2...

I'm almost 30...

I love my life...

I should sleep.

But probably...

won't...

Woodshed: The Beginning

2011-09-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

I've tried woodshedding before, unsuccessfully. I think it was because I didn't have a set time, a set routine, or even an actual woodshed...

Times. They are a-changin'...

I just finished day number 4 of my current attempt at woodshedding. Drum woodshedding. Tools include a practice pad on a snare stand, sticks, kick drum practice pad, single kick pedal, hi-hat stand (just added tonight), and the Tempo Advance app on my iPhone. Oh yeah, the book Stick Control, too...

I'm not gonna lie. Running has partially groomed me for woodshedding. They're both solitary activities, and you get a lot of thinking done during both activities. You can't quite zone out the same way while drumming... or maybe it's a different type of zoning out... I already feel more connected, more "zen" while doing the drum exercises. I'm incorporating 4 limb coordination with the hat on the quarters and the kick on 2 and 4 and tonight it felt as if I was really connected, truly actually physically and rhythmically connected... It's not about being pretty, I could feel my eyes closed and grimaces and frowns and funny faces, but the groove was happening. It's only the beginning and I have a long way to go, but I feel like I'm on the right track and I can't wait to see if I can be patient and stick to the plan and put in the work and start to see results just like running...

You can do it, Glynn. You can do it. You. Can. Do. It...

Oh yeah... I also love my woodshed. It's our garage. Actually it's the little nook that is supposed to be a storage space in our garage. But I get to climb a little ladder to get up there and it's super hot and the neighbors can't hear but I can hear when cars go by and it just feels... like a woodshed. A private place to devote to the development of musical skill... And I love it...

Inspiration- Drummer- John Stanier

2011-09-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

I was a freshman in high school and had played on an actual drumset a handful of times. My brother-in-law had given my sister some CDs of music that he liked. One of these CDs was Helmet's In the Meantime. I listened to that CD on the way to and from every single football game I went to that year. It was a truly awesome year and a turning point in my life.

Unsung is one of the reasons I wanted to become a drummer. John Stanier absolutely kills it in this song. The variations on the ride at the beginning, the kick drum- snare interplay throughout the whole song, the half time feel that complements the guitars, the quick groove between the 1st chorus and 2nd verse... there are so many things I love about this song. And He Feels Bad is a perfect example of not playing too much. And Better with its straight ahead groove underneath the syncopated guitars. Stanier always has that pocket groove.

Then the intro of I Know off of their album Betty... so heavy yet musical and always complementary to the song. And the triplets at 2:15... I always hit rewind and just sit back...

Stanier has gone on to drum in several other bands including Tomahawk with Mike Patton and his current gig with Battles. Drool at the chance to see him on October 16th at the Glasshouse... might have to make that happen...

Running and Drumming

2011-09-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

There are so many common themes between running and drumming.

Physical activities. Coordination (hand eye, between limbs). Timing. Technique. Dedication. Muscle memory...

I ran for 4 months last year and have been running for the past 4 months this year. Today was day 2 of my most recent dedication to developing better (or actual) drum technique.

I'm in the best shape of my life after 4 months of running. I'm interested to see how I'll be doing after 4 months of drum exercises...

I just need to take everything that I've gained from running and the development I've seen and the fitness I've experienced and relate it to drumming. Because right now I'm slow and not so coordinated and nowhere near where I want to be. But it was the same at the beginning of my run training. Just stick with it and develop a program and realize there will be ups and downs and stick to the program and have fun and keep track of goals and have fun and integrate the exercises into your actual drumming...

See. Easy. Now get to it...

The Beginning

2011-09-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

I started working on drum rudiments today. And it was tedious and boring and not super fun and it's only the beginning so I know I have plenty of work to do before I start to see the results but then I thought about how difficult running was when I first started and now I'm almost done training for a 10K and I'm in the best shape of my life and if I can just apply that to drumming I wonder how far I can go?

Baby steps. Focus. Don't cut corners. It's just the beginning, but you have to start somewhere.

In other news, Primus is awesome. Seeing them in October!!!

Chemistry

2011-09-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

It's so difficult to come by.

Chemistry. Communicating without speaking. Finishing each other's sentences (or musical phrases). Sharing a bond that goes beyond time spent and experience shared, transcends gaps in time, occurs naturally and without motive or artifice.

I've been lucky to share chemistry with some tremendously amazing and awesome and giving and downright rad people.

My wife. My brothers in music.

A new chapter is beginning. And current chapters are in full swing. It's an exciting time. And I can't wait to keep putting in the work...

I Just Didn't Feel Like Running...

2011-09-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

And now I feel guilty.

But I've earned a rest day, right? I've been training so well and have upped my mileage every month and have put in the time to achieve my 10K goal and have gotten into much better shape and pretty much done almost everything I've set out to do when I started running again back in May...

But I still feel guilty.

Which is good because it means I'm still hungry, still not satisfied, still pushing to do better, still aware that improvements can be made.

I'm still ready to achieve my peak on September 17th.

The guilt is good. I'd be worried if I didn't feel guilty...

Just start typing...

2011-09-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

... especially if you can't think of anything to type.

Just start typing. Something will eventually happen.

Can't think of a good song. Just start playing. Any random chords, any random notes, hum something then try to pluck it out on the guitar, sing nonsensical phrases, stream of consciousness, sing about something you did today or yesterday or seven years ago, play one chord and sing over it for 10 minutes, vary the meter, vary the strum pattern., remember to hit record on your iphone, because genius might happen, or it might not, but it sure is fun to try, isn't it?

If you're stuck, if it feels like you have no plan, if you don't know the next step... just go, start, write, play, go, go, go... better to be active than just sit there waiting...

Second Impression...

2011-08-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

You don't get a second chance to leave a first impression...

True. But you do get a second chance to screw up your first impression.

Adrian is one of my best friends and the drummer of Oh Girl. Back in 2009, we saw a band at the Viper Room in Hollywood, and they were amazing (I'm leaving the band unnamed for reasons you'll soon see). The songs were good, the energy was good, the vibe was good, the banter was good... they nailed their set to the wall and had everyone in the crowd eating out of the palm of their hand... Amazing first impression for Adrian (I had seen the band once before).

A couple months ago, Adrian came across this same band at a festival somewhere in the middle of the US. And he texted me asking, "What the heck happened? They sucked!" Amazing first impression completely nullified by a lackluster second impression. A potential lifelong fan had been delegated to a passerby wondering what happened...

Yes. First impressions are important. But the second impression is just as important. And the third, fourth, fifth... You have to make sure you're always leaving a lasting impression and earning trust and changing lives and making fans get goosebumps. If you're not, you might be leaving a "final impression"... and losing fans at the same time...

180...

2011-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

A change in course from what you were doing to the complete opposite...

There have been moments in my life that can be characterized as "180 degree turn" moments...

September 2002
November 2006
September 2008
January 2009
July 2009
March 2011
May 2011

It's an interesting exercise in self-assessment to look back so candidly at your own life. Fantomas is the perfect soundtrack for such a retrospective examination. Lots of 180 degree turns, thematically, instrumentally, vocally...

This blog does not come out of left field. It is my 180th post...

Time to throw out a desk, play some guitar, and, hopefully, watch a documentary on intelligent design...

Good night...

I Post Blog Quickly

2011-08-29T20:43:00.001-07:00

So I can watch Limitless with my wife!!!

DONE!!!

Why Baseball? Why not Football...?

2011-08-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

The fam and I were at Rachel's parents' house for dinner tonight, and Rachel's mom asked me if I wanted baseball (Angels at Rangers) or football (preseason Saints at Raiders) on the television. I thought quickly, didn't really have a preference, but responded with "Baseball's fine."

A couple different things...

Baseball was my Malcolm Gladwell Blink choice. In case you haven't read the book, Blink talks about how your first instinctual decision is more than likely your true preference and is therefore the "correct" decision. The book also delves into being more aware of your "blink decision making process" and also the notion that you can develop it, nourish it, help it evolve into a lean, mean, correct decision-making machine. But I digress...

So... baseball was my Malcolm Gladwell Blink choice. And as I analyzed the choice, I came to the following conclusions.

1. I didn't choose baseball because I enjoy it more. If anything, I enjoy football way more than baseball. Baseball on TV has essentially been the same since the 1960s. Football television broadcasts have evolved tremendously: telestrator, sideline commentary, mics on coaches, mics on players, enhanced instant replay, sky cams that follow the action... Football is a better television product.

2. I didn't choose baseball because I wanted to watch the local team. I'm a Dodger fan, through and through. I'd much rather watch a game in Chavez Ravine than down the street from Disneyland. And blue's a better color on me than red...

3. I didn't choose baseball because of the star power. Jared Weaver? Josh Hamilton? Other players that I don't know or care about? Nope... not the reason. If anything I would have rather watched the third string Saints quarterback trying to impress the coaches so he wouldn't have to plunge any further down the depth chart...

So why did I choose baseball? I'm more of a fan of football, baseball isn't as interesting, more interesting players are on the football field...

And then it dawned on me...

I chose baseball because the game counted.

The Angels are two games back of the Rangers (now three because they lost. hehehe). There are less than 35 games left in the season. The playoff picture is beginning to truly crystallize. The game matters, the players will be giving their all, the winner will be psyched, the loser will have a long night...

And the football game is just a preseason jaunt, who will get cut, are we in regular season shape, let's pull the starters so they can rest, let's see how the draft pick is developing, let's pan to the crowd and see how many Saints fans are in the Oakland Coliseum... womp womp womp...

It's more fun when it counts. Just like shows are more fun than rehearsal. Just like the playoffs are more fun than the 12th game of the season. Just like the customer service call with the pissed off patron is more fun than reading the training manual...

Life is more fun when it counts. Which is interesting because it counts everyday. But sometimes we somehow convince ourselves that it's only the preseason...

Making It...

2011-08-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

I used to want to be a rock star.

Be in a rock band and record music and play shows and start buzz and create groundswell and get fans and play more shows and open for huge bands and capture their fans and record more music and release through an indie and then capture the attention of the majors and sign with one and get a huge bonus and record a major label debut and tour the country and go platinum and win a grammy and be a rock star...

Now I'm older and wiser and still want to be a rock star...

But now "making it" as a rock star has a different meaning.

Write music and record it and play shows and connect with fans and give music away for free and work with artists to create a unique and authentic and one-of-a-kind crowd experience for every show and connect with fans and tell stories and play shows and record more music and give it away for free and play shows and maybe some day have 1000 true fans and treat each and every one of them with respect and love and ask them to pay money for what I've created but only because I assume responsibility for providing them with something from the heart, from my heart, from my heart to theirs, and if I don't live up that responsibility, I lose their fandom so it's up to me to earn it with each and every song written and each and every show played and each and every chord strummed so that I can make a living, a true 9-5 every day, 60 grand a year living playing music and being an entertainer.

That's attainable. Hard work but attainable. And the right steps need to be taken now. And at a certain point there can no longer be a plan B. Otherwise, I'll be 75 and a bitter, bitter old man with the faintest memory of a dream that burned out a long time ago...

Put in the work and pay the dues and do what you know you can, Glynn...

Guitar Shopping- First Time Actually Looking

2011-08-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

I got out of work early today. 4pm instead of 5pm. So I went down to every musician's favorite place (note the sarcasm)... Guitar Center. I was in the mood to play some acoustics.

I sat down with an Ibanez Acoustic Electric for a little bit. My first three guitars were from Ibanez, so I felt like going back to my roots. Nothing special.

Picked up a used Martin that was pretty rad. Then migrated to the "more expensive" section and tried out a couple more Martins. Pretty cool. Still couldn't really feel anything that would justify an $800 to $1200 investment.

Then I played a couple Taylors. The Taylor 110ce felt very good. Nice action, no fret buzz, good weight. Yes, I've been playing guitar for almost 11 years, but I still don't know exactly what I like in a guitar. I just know when it feels good. After picking up the various Taylors, I can honestly say that I felt a noticeable difference and that I would feel comfortable investing in one of their guitars. But I can also say that I'm pretty fickle and what felt good today might feel "meh" tomorrow.

It was fun to go guitar shopping, though. I haven't made a "real" guitar purchase in almost 10 years, so I feel like the next guitar purchase I make should be a special one... one with which I take my time.

Even the mundane...

2011-08-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

... can have meaning.

I walked to go get the mail today. Probably about 300 yards. Through the long driveway that leads in and out of our apartment complex. There was a cloud in the sky that reminded me of the "First Born Death Plague" in The Ten Commandments. Headlights from the Southbound 405 were reflecting off of a streetlight that had gone out above the complex garages. I sang a song idea into my iPhone recorder on the way back. There was a Trader Joe's insert in the mail. And Rachel's paycheck stub. And the Pennysaver. And our utilities bill. And a credit card offer from Capital One (What's in your wallet?)...

And I remember all of these details because...

I have no idea. Just another mundane Thursday night after a typical Thursday day that consisted of waking up and dropping Chase off at Kindercare and going to work and driving home and greeting Rachel and Chase when they got home and feeding Chase dinner (mac and cheese) and going for a run with Chase in the jogging stroller that Rachel got me for Father's Day and coming home and delaying my shower to coincide with Chase's sleep routine and then getting Pho for Rachel and Alerto's for me then watching Project Runway while reading Competitor and Triathlete magazine then watching other meaningless TV shows and coming upstairs to get ready for bed and realizing Kathy Griffin tickets are really expensive and seeing that movie times won't fit in our babysitter schedule on Saturday (thanks, Gretchen!!) then coming to the computer and starting this blog post...

Nothing special. Just another mundane Thursday.

But that's not true. It's not just another mundane Thursday. Because I choose to not label it mundane. Because a lot of rad stuff happened today if I just push aside all the boring stuff and get down to the meat and bones and sinew and organs of it all.

Mundane happens because we let it happen. For a day to be truly mundane, you would have to make a lot of little decisions (or not make them)...

What does it mean? Not really sure. But I know that it isn't mundane...

I don't know why, but I feel like this blog is a good example of how I should be writing the lyrical content for my songs...

Stream of consciousness

2011-08-24T23:02:00.000-07:00

... is a bitch please thank you know that it was the best thing you ever had to go and do such a stupid thing mother fucker looks just like the thing of a whatchamacallit chocolate bar no this bar oh good cuz i'm awful thirsty like your shoes dog fighting is illegal kind of like look at me now karmin covers and chris brown ain't got nothing on that white chick but busta straight killed it killing it in orlando bloom is such a woman in his movies better off sticking to being an elf keebler cookies are the best but i haven't had one in a long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

Not too bad.

I can do better, though...

Routines...

2011-08-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

... have their pros and cons.

Training routines help you achieve a fitness goal by breaking the physical journey into smaller chunks that are more easily completed.

Daily office routines help you finish your work and mark items off your to do list.

Routines can also make you complacent. You get used to the monotony of a routine, and it can swallow you up or make you feel comfortable enough to cruise or keep you from doing the actual hard work that the routine was initially created to help you do...

I've been in a blogging routine the last couple days. Blog when you get on the computer at night, about running, about music, about family, about what you've learned, about success, about failure. I like this blogging routine. But I can see how it would make me complacent.

I'm starting to think about blogging topics throughout the day. "I saw 'subprime' on a billboard, which made me think about Sublime, and wouldn't you know it, I'm seeing 311 and Sublime tonight!" or "I almost got hit by a car today. That would be an interesting story." And it's fun to think about blogging topics and have that be a part of the routine, except I'm realizing that I prefer spontaneity and not being so planned and not falling into a routine.

I've been on a pretty consistent running routine for the last couple months. Except now I'm starting to plateau and there's only so much you can do before your body gets used to the rigors of running and you have to switch it up in order to throw your body for a loop and force it to adapt and maximize your physical results....

On another note, I guess P-Rest of your Life- X isn't as marketable...

But yeah... routines. Can be boring. Can be exhilarating. Can help. Can hurt.

Funny how almost everything has two sides... (that will be a good topic for a blog... but don't make it so routine, Glynn...)

It's all mental...

2011-08-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

A wise man recently said to me, "It's all mental."

Mind over matter. If you think you can, you have a fighting chance. If you think you can't, might as well not even try.

I ran today. Faster than I expected or planned. 8:50 a mile for 4.5 miles. 10 seconds faster than my planned pace for the 10K I'll be running next month.

It hurt. A lot. There were moments when I felt like I couldn't keep up the pace. I went out at 8:39 for the first mile, then tapered to 9:07 and 9:08 for miles 2 and 3. But then for the 4th mile, when I should have slowed down more, when I was more fatigued and my lungs were burning and my legs were filling with lactic acid and I should have continued to slow... I ran an 8:16 mile. Which for me is smoking fast...

"It's all mental."

I played a trick on myself. I knew I was supposed to be going more slowly. But I told myself that I was going to run an 8:30 mile. No. Wait. It wasn't even that I told myself I was going to do it. I told myself I could do it. It was possible. Yes, it would hurt. Yes, it would hurt. Yes, it would hurt. But I could do it. I knew that if I convinced myself I could do it, I was halfway home. I just needed to believe that I could do it.

"It's all mental."

And I didn't run an 8:30 mile. I ran an 8:16 mile.

I wonder what else I can convince myself is possible...

Strengths and Weaknesses

2011-08-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

We all have them: strengths and weaknesses. I have a good sense of humor. I procrastinate. I'm articulate. I'm selfish. And plenty of other pros and cons, sweet and sour details, peaks and valleys...

All we can hope for is to be self-aware and play to our strengths and work on our weaknesses and surround ourselves with friends that complement us and help us through our weak points and appreciate our good points.

My wife complements me. My best friends complement me. And I'm hopefully taking steps towards bettering myself and becoming a more well-rounded person.

And now for the veiled, generalized, yet supremely poignant in my own eyes blog moment...

You can't do it by yourself. And even if you could, it wouldn't be as fulfilling. But, in all honesty, you can't do it by yourself... get to work, Glynn...

The cliche...

2011-08-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

... is easier to believe than the truth.

Montages in movies are a cliche. They're not the truth. The passage of time is never more blatantly misrepresented than in a movie montage... Really...? The protagonist betters herself that quickly...? Right...

The truth is there are no movie montages but in order to feed the narrative device of exposition in an expedient and proficient manner, the montage is employed.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd... pretention level red. Abort blog... abort blog...

100...

2011-08-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Goal: 100 true fans.

TRUE fans.

People that will come to the show and watch and interact and sing along and clamor for the setlist and wait outside the stage door. Except it will be a coffee shop, so there will be no stage door. But they'll want to show up early to have a cup of joe and chat about life and love and pain and joy and the mundane and the amazing.

There are some constraints...

1. Fans are NOT friends. Your wife, your mom, your son, your best friend, your co-workers, your acquaintances... they're not fans. They can love your stuff, but they're not fans because they're biased. Unless they would love your stuff regardless of the fact that it came from you... then they're fans. But they're also family and friends, which means that as fans, they're afforded special privileges. Which, again, feeds into their bias. They're like "sponsored" folk. People don't normally honestly evaluate that which has strings attached...

2. Fans are NOT fleeting. A fan is someone that is there because you've earned their trust and the right to monopolize their attention. A fan does not latch on to you because you are a trend. A fan is not fairweather. A fan should be appeased and placed first.

3. Fans mean nothing... if you're not being true to yourself. If you're being cheap, relying on gimmicks, shunning the paying of dues and the building of something authentic... your fans will stick like painter's tape.

4. In all reality, 100 is not that difficult... and supremely difficult. When you cut out friends and family... when you need to convert 100 strangers through your craft... when you need to cut through the noise and reach down into someone's being and change the path of their life... 100 times... it won't be easy. It shouldn't be easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

5. Fans mean everything. They're your lifeblood. They're an extension of yourself. You are your fans. And in that regard, even though friends can't be fans... fans can most definitely be friends...

6. 100 begins with 1...

It started a long time ago... and it never ends... get to work, Glynn.

Say It Ain't So...

2011-08-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

I saw Weezer last October. And I screamed along to every song... except for this one. When they started this one, I was like an altar boy in church on Sunday... silent...

The bar...

2011-08-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

... should not be the goal.

"Above the bar" should be the goal. "Way above the bar" should be the goal. "So high that you have to squint to see the bar" should be the goal.

If you reach "the bar" and it was easy..., you just cheated yourself out of being remarkable, which is one step away from "might as well have not reached the bar".

Yes, this is me trying to push myself. Yes, this is me hoping that I don't settle for "good enough". Yes, this will take weeks and months and years of training and reminders and effort and slip-ups. And, yes... it feels good to acknowledge the fact that I'm hoping to fly past the bar and straight into outer space...

Happening overnight...

2011-08-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

... never happens.

It takes time and effort and blood and sweat and falling down and getting up and running slowly while completely out of breath for such a short amount of time that you feel useless and barely being able to finger a barre chord and writing horrible horrible horrible songs and effort and concentration and focus and never giving up and giving up a little bit and sacrifice and re-prioritizing and planning and unplanning and forgetting to be on schedule and rigorously sticking to a routine and ingraining muscle memory and learning and unlearning and flexibility and agility and time and effort and time and blood and effort and tears and reaching goals and realizing your goal is the wrong one and dreaming big and aiming high and missing and waking up to reality and thick skin and tears and pain and the love and support of your family and patience and time and effort and humility and luck and time and effort and...

If it actually happens overnight... it will be gone even more quickly...

The anticipation...

2011-08-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

... is greater than the acquisition (or the execution).

I may or may not have blogged about this already...

Catalogs are rad. I am addicted to leafing through them and picturing how amazingly awesome it would be to have a vinyl player that converts vinyls to mp3s or a smaller mixer for live acoustic shows that doubles as a recording mixer straight to Firepod straight to laptop or a credit card reader app that would allow me to capture sales of merchandise or another guitar or another pair of running shoes or another book about triathlons or a swim-specific wetsuit or a new car or a computer desk or... (ad infinitum... ad nauseum...)

As Conor Oberst once said:
My mind races with all my longings
But can't keep up with what I've got

And it's not just about possessions. Ideas and plans and goals, too. Do I actually want to do a triathlon or do I just like the planning? Is it about finishing or is it about planning to finish? Am I really going to pursue an acoustic project that incorporates improv and live artists or is it just about what a great idea it is?

It's all just anticipation until you actually get that whammy pedal or compressor or microkorg... and have no idea how to utilize it... (off to the collecting dust pile)...

I'ts all just anticipation until you actually start training for that half-marathon.. and burn out after a couple months... (off to the "hey, weren't you...?" pile)...

Stop getting off on the anticipation, Glynn.

Work on the acquisition. Work on the execution. And remember that it's not about a moment in time when everything is finished. It's about staying hungry, staying focused, checking things off the to-do list, and building a more extensive to-do list to work on tomorrow...

It's easy to use gimmicks...

2011-08-14T22:58:00.000-07:00

... to get noticed. To generate cheap traffic. To sucker people into paying attention.

A lot harder to be genuine, authentic, from the heart, truthful, honest, hard working, dues paying, actually good enough to be worth people's time and attention and affection (or apathy)...

Do you want to be a gimmick? Or do you want to be an artist? Or, like the White Stripes... both?

So much to be passionate about...

2011-08-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

Rachel. Chase. Running. Oh Girl. Guitar. Acoustic. Battles. Seinfeld. Amy Winehouse. Tribe Called Quest. Finishing... The journey. Getting pulled in lots of different directions. I'd forgotten what this was supposed to be about. It's for me. Not anyone else. Not for approval (unless it's mine). Just for me. Me, me, me. Selfish. Read if you want to. Finish if you can stomach the self-aggrandizing completely selfish meanderings of a self-involved individualistic narcissist.

Mind explosion. Mind blank. Try to control it and find it escape your grasp. Let it roam freely and watch it return with even stronger fervor...

What? Is this what it's come to? Is this the result of being too overstimulated? 3 second sound bites? A lack of vision? An intense craving for now now now now now not later now?

What do you want to focus on? What do you need to focus on? What is more important than anything else in the world? What leads to the attainment of the maintenance of the pedestal position of that importance?

Why does it need to be so well organized? What is the message? Is having no message a message?

Who do you want to be? What do you want to do? Will who you are and what you do be connected?

Socratic method...

Who am I?

Husband, father, musician, athlete, employee...

You can make a difference, but it starts with remembering to make a difference.

There are moments I remember from the day. Moments that stick to my brain. Some worth remembering, most worth forgetting. Is anything truly worth forgetting? Should we forget anything? Why do we remember? How do we remember?

If it's not worth an opinion, it's not worth doing.

If it's not worth an opinion, it's not worth doing.

ADD

2011-08-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

I start blog posts and then feel as if they're not worth finishing...

... so I don't.

Balance

2011-07-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

I'm full on training for my first 10k, but I have to wonder if I would be as focused on training if Oh Girl was booking shows. It's hard to balance all the things you love. I'm lucky enough to have a wife that is understanding and a job that allows me to have enough energy to still train. I'm also lucky that when it comes to running, I'm a bit of a morning person...

Focus, Glynn. Not just on training, but on maintaining balance. Family, music, training, work... it's all important and it all takes time and you can do it if you set your mind to it.

Amy Winehouse

2011-07-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

... was a phenomenally gifted talent.

... had serious issues, which eventually led to her tragic and relatively early death.

... will hopefully be remembered for her life instead of her death.

You will be missed...

Goals...

2011-07-06T00:59:00.000-07:00

Weigh 150 lbs by 30...

Solo acoustic album by the end of the year

Oh Girl Singles Party done and either digitally released or pressed on vinyl...

10K at 9:30 a mile...

All these goals can be attained by the end of the year...

Another goal is to complete a sprint triathlon. I think I can nab that one by the end of next year...

The funny thing about goals... The more you talk about them with other people, the more likely you are to achieve them.

These are all realistic. These are all attainable. These will all require lots of work. These mean nothing without the love and support of my family.

It's not always about you.

GOAL: Family first.

One day, hour, minute, second at a time, Glynn.

5K tomorrow morning...

2011-07-03T00:12:00.000-07:00

I've run 3.1 miles before. I've run farther than 3.1 miles before.

But there's something about putting the word "official" in front of 3.1 miles (5K) that makes it a little more nerve-racking... and exciting... and, well... official.

Just like there's a difference between playing in a garage in front of your girlfriends... and playing in a bar in front of people you don't know.

Just like there's a difference between reciting your lines to an empty house... and giving a performance for a sold out crowd.

My first "official" 5K is tomorrow morning. I hope I get the same high from it that I get from playing in a bar or performing on stage. If I do... man...

... game on.

7 Pounds in a Month

2011-06-30T00:43:00.000-07:00

I've lost 7 pounds in a month. Thanks to running and portion control. Now I just need to keep it up for another... well... I just need to maintain this lifestyle change, and I should be good.

I never really understood what "slow and steady wins the race" meant until just now...

Been a while since I've blogged...

2011-06-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

I think I've come to the realization that the more I have going on in my life, the less I blog...

That being said, there's a lot going on in my life.

Chase is almost 20 months old.

I've been married for almost 3 months.

I've been at a new (old) job for almost a month.

My first official 5K is in 10 days.

The third Oh Girl release is only weeks away.

Yep. Lots of stuff. Hence, not much blogging, which I am completely okay with.

Wordddd...

Basketball, running, music, sunglasses

2011-06-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

In no particular order.

Running means training for a 5k and a 10k and losing weight and generally feeling better and more healthy and able to have energy for the whole work day which is once again working with sunglasses and making sure people are taken care of and minimizing repair costs and processing warranty claims and importing internet orders and devising more efficient processes and keeping up office morale and earning the right to write music and thinking really sucks sometimes...

But yeah. Basketball, running, music, sunglasses... They're all connected a whole bunch. And not at all...

wow...

Running again...

2011-05-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

I'm running again.

And I have a more realistic goal in mind this time. A little over a month to train to run a 5k in less than 30 minutes. Essentially 9:40 per mile. And the 5k is on July 4th with my very good friend, Kris. (eat a bag...)

I had started running last July. To get back in shape. To train for a marathon. I thought that I could wrap my head (and my life) around training for a marathon. That proved to be too challenging, so I hit the brakes and downgraded to a half-marathon. I even signed up for the Carlsbad Half-Marathon in January... I even got up to an 8 mile run at 10:00 per mile at the end of last October...

... But ultimately, I fell off my training. November was a huge month in my life. My son turned one. Oh Girl had two really successful shows including my 29th birthday show. And it was all just too hectic to keep running and maintain my eating habits and keep everything rolling at work and stay on top of band stuff and continue to plan a wedding and then Thanksgiving and a crap load of food and then the holiday season (not a stressful time at all...) and then Christmas and more eating and New Year's and more eating and... wow... the half marathon is in a week and I haven't run since Halloween...

I didn't run the half-marathon. I didn't even walk it. I just plain didn't show up... which was probably a good idea because I most likely would have seriously injured myself...

But now I'm running again. And I'm keeping the goal manageable. Ugh... even reading that sentence I'm realizing I should make the goal a little more ambitious. 27:54 5k... 9:00 per mile...

Yeah. That's what it should be. Stretch yourself. Push yourself. Set a goal that scares you a bit...

No one got anywhere by setting goals they knew they would achieve...

Ok. Time to sleep so I can get up in 6 hours and run. 35 days away from pushing and scaring myself...

I'm a Lover not a Hater...

2011-05-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

It's so easy to hate...

On Justin Bieber.

On Lebron James.

On Rebecca Black.

On this guy...

I think Dave Chappelle put it best...

"Haters wanna hate. Lovers wanna love. I don't even want none of the above. I want to piss on you..."

But, seriously, the collective blood pressure of the world would go down if people stopped hating...

Brought to you by Dr. Oz...

Workspace...

2011-05-24T01:01:00.000-07:00

I start a (new?) job next week.

My first focus will be on my workspace. It will be ergonomically arranged to enhance productivity and efficiency. Phone and keyboard and mouse and monitor placement are paramount. Filing areas must be kept clean and well-labeled. Audio speakers must be placed for optimal aural pleasure. Kitsch and nostalgic items will provide a sense of home and inspiration...

Wow. I'm a nerd.

Sweet. Wouldn't have it any other way...

It's gonna be good to be back, Kaenon Polarized.

It's not a chess match...

2011-05-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

... and you're not a computer.

The only thing you get by trying to guess everyone's move three turns in advance is paralysis by analysis.

Don't worry so much. People's feelings get hurt, but life goes on. It's not your responsibility to make sure everyone else is okay.

It's okay to put yourself first.

It's okay to put yourself first.

It's okay to put yourself first.

*This attempt at self-motivation has been brought to you by the letters "O" and "K"...

I don't know what's worse...

2011-05-10T00:11:00.000-07:00

The fact that this website exists...

OR

The fact that I typed something into google that made that website the number one entry...

Sorry, Kurt, but I have a feeling that somewhere deep down inside, you actually would have approved...

A Homeless Guy Flipped Me Off Today

2011-05-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

It was during minute number 7 of my run, just past the Huntington Beach Sport Chalet entrance. Right around 6:12pm (18:12 for all you military timers).

He had just come out from a corner of the lot. Maybe he had just woken up/ been rooting through garbage for food/ stopped to rest for a bit/ decided to move on to the place where he was going to sleep that night...

I turned the corner, and we made eye contact, and he flipped me off. Very matter of fact-ly. Almost like the instinctual wave that we make when we see someone we know across a parking lot.

The thing I'll remember most was how young he looked. Younger than me for sure. Early to mid-20s maybe.

The second thing I'll remember is how he glanced over his shoulder when I continued past him. He was almost... frightened. Like a squirrel who keeps you in his peripheral vision as he eats the potato chips out of the bag you left on your golf cart bench...

The third thing I'll remember is how I thought to myself, "Yeah. It hurts to breathe while you're running because you're out of shape. But at least you get to go home and take a shower after this run. At least you don't have to worry about where you're going to eat or sleep tonight."

Sobering experience. I wish I had a way to capture it more completely with my words...

Running... and Planning for a 5K on 7/4

2011-05-07T00:17:00.000-07:00

... feels good.

It's been a solid 3 months since my last real run. 12:43 a mile for 20 minutes isn't too shabby. The goal is a sub 30 minute 5k on July 4th which is 3.1 miles in less than 30 minutes which breaks down to about 9:40 a mile...

On October 13, 2010, I ran 3.12 miles in about 28 minutes which was 9:00 a mile... This was about 3 and a half months after I started running. And I never really did any speed work...

I can get back there.

There are essentially 57 days until July 4th. If I run every other day... 28 run sessions to get ready... about 3-4 sessions a week for the next 8 weeks. 2 weeks will be getting back up to speed. In that time I can probably get back up to 30 minutes of 10:00 pace...

And I apologize for the running numbers geek fest that this post has turned into...

2 weeks of base training, 2 weeks of speed work, 3 weeks of endurance, 1 week to taper down and make sure I'm fully rested and peaking for the race.

July 4th is a Monday. So my "long runs" will be on Monday mornings. That will be a nice way to start off the week. I always had more energy when I was running regularly...

Next week:

Sunday, 5/8: 20 minutes
Wednesday, 5/11: 25 minutes
Friday 5/13: 30 minutes

Stick to the plan, Glynn...

Some things happen for a reason...

2011-04-29T00:56:00.000-07:00

Mid-June 2000.

I had just graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles.

There were lots of memories made that summer. My first actual job at The AMC Theaters at the Block, which meant plenty of free movies. SPOP at UC Irvine. Watching Bee in Pageant of the Masters. And purchasing three different guitars...

My dad had a guitar lying around the house for as long as I could remember. Occasionally he'd pick it up and play the same chord progressions and the national anthem and some songs he had learned from a one armed guitarist in the Philippines. I never took much interest in guitar, which, looking back, doesn't really make much sense. You would think that every adolescent boy at some point wants to play guitar, but I never had that moment. At least not until I was 18, graduated from high school, and in the midst of my last summer vacation in my parents' home.

My dad's guitar was in its spot next to the fireplace. And I guess I was bored. Or maybe I had just been listening to the Presidents of the United States of America or Offspring or Blink 182 or the Foo Fighters. Or maybe it was a watershed moment which was forever destined to happen...

Most likely I was bored.

So I pick up the guitar... and it literally breaks in my hands. Folds in half. Neck separates from body. Whoops.

Well, that just won't do. So I take what money I have and go to the Guitar Center in Covina. A couple hours later and most likely after having been talked into a guitar that is out of my price range, I walk out with an Ibanez acoustic guitar, a guitar bag, a Korg tuner, some picks, and a chord book. The salesman tells me that I can choose three chords a week and make up songs all by myself...

I go home and proceed to learn the open chords: A, C, D, E, G. I teach myself a poor man's version of Stairway to Heaven. I discover tabs and learn the finger picking intro to Metallica's Nothing Else Matters (all the way up to the point where there are hammer ons and string bends).

A couple weeks later I decide it's time for an electric guitar. I have a couple paychecks from my aforementioned job at AMC, and I take that money to the Sam Ash in Cerritos. A couple hours later I walk out with an Ibanez Electric Guitar starter kit, which includes a 10 watt amp and a sparkly purple strat-style electric guitar. Before I walk out, a girl takes a look at me and asks her beau, "Why don't you get a set-up like that?"

"Because that shit's for kids."

Ouch...

I go home and play distorted stuff. Somewhere along the line, I learn how to play barre chords...

A couple weeks later I find myself back in the Guitar Center in Covina. This time I'm there to buy turntables. I'm pricing the equipment, and I realize that it's a little more expensive than I thought. A couple hours later I walk out with another Ibanez guitar (brand loyalty much?) only this time it's an acoustic-electric.

I still play this guitar a lot, and I've written most of my songs on it. It's been onstage with me and even traveled to Nashville with me.

Proof-reading this blog got me to thinking... "What's the point of this blog?" And I've come to several conclusions.

- You don't always need a point.
- Some things happen for a reason...
- I love playing guitar
- I loved learning how to play guitar
- I love this blog...

It's easy to get angry

2011-04-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

When you've done something wrong, when you've failed miserably, when you've dropped the ball, when you've completely and utterly blown it...

It's easy to get angry. To point the finger. To lash out and make excuses and blame everybody and everything but yourself.

And then, once you've wasted all that energy on anger, you still haven't learned anything. And the cycle repeats. And you end up in a position that makes you angry again.

Anger doesn't really solve anything, but it feels good because it resembles action. But there is something much more productive than anger. It's patience and ownership and analysis and internalization. Or, more simply put, it's shutting up, owning your shit, and making sure you never do it again.

No one never makes mistakes. Some learn, some don't.

Now go forget about all of this meaningless shit for 6 hours and cuddle with your wife and get some sleep... You're a lucky, lucky man...

I turn 30 this year...

2011-04-26T23:43:00.000-07:00

There are 207 days until my birthday. My 30th birthday. The not so imaginary bridge between my 20s and my 30s.

It's kind of funny listing the major milestones that have occurred in my life before my 30th birthday.

I'm married.

I have a son.

There really isn't anything else that I'm more proud of.

I would like to get some things done before turning 30, though.

Release Volumes 2 through 5 of the Oh Girl Singles Party.

Getting back down to 150.

Running a 5k.

Releasing a solo acoustic album.

Here's to setting my sights on tangible goals and taking baby steps every day until I get there. On November 19, 2011 I hope to have an extremely boring look back at this blog. And I hope to realize that it was the beginning of the push towards reaching those pre-30 goals...

Writing songs

2011-04-26T00:53:00.000-07:00

It can take me anywhere from 10 minutes to over a year to write a song. But even the songs that take over a year, typically only take around 30 minutes to an hour. It's just that it will be 10 minutes and 20 minutes and 15 minutes and 8 minutes... separated by over a year of space...

I read somewhere that Rivers Cuomo said the best instrument for songwriting is the piano. I think Daniel Brummel from Ozma said that in an interview, too. Most of my songs are written on guitar. I almost always write melodies first, and use basic chord structures as the backing arrangements. I have yet to write down actual chord structures or even tablature for any of my songs.

I've written a couple songs on piano, but they've since gone the way of the dodo. For whatever reason, I can never remember the songs I've written on piano, most likely because I play the instrument to infrequently to internalize anything. Also, it's a lot easier to remember barre chord placement on a guitar than actual chord placement on piano. The voicings of chords on a piano are much more numerous than on guitar. Or maybe I just think that because I only use barre chords and a couple open chord structures...

Lyrics tend to come second. Although lately, especially since starting Oh Girl with Adrian, auto-writing is the lyric writing method of choice. I didn't even know that Rick Rubin had been using auto-writing during his production sessions until Linkin Park talked about making their last album with him. Not gonna lie. Part of me is bummed that I share a lyric writing process with Linkin Park. (oh, you wannabe music elitist, you...)

In a perfect world, I'd post a video of one of my latest songs here as evidence of my songwriting style. Alas, it's an imperfect world, and I'll have to settle for the faint promise of a youtube video of a new song some time in the not too distant future.

"Would that I could write like this more often"- Calvin...

It doesn't have to be poignant (but maybe it could be)...

2011-04-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

I feel like writing today. About nothing in particular. Birds chirping maybe. Or sunsets on the beach. Or baby wrestling.

I feel like playing guitar today. Already have for a little bit, but I never play enough. Hopefully, no one ever says, "You know, that thing I love doing, I've done enough."

It's a lot easier to make things up on the fly than to take the time to actually develop ideas. Especially when you're impatient. Especially when you could care less what people think about you. Especially since you can always fall back on "yeah, it sucked, but we made it up on the fly"...

My wedding and honeymoon didn't really happen. They were dreams that are now drifting off into the ether of struggling to accurately remember-ville. In fact, all of our lives are not really happening. It's all just a representation of a symbolic allusion to how things might have, will have, could never have been.

I understand why Tralfamadorians are so worthy of our envy...

The cocktail party is more like a speed dating with benefits session.

The people that have truly influenced my life: mom, dad, brother, sisters, Mrs. Reinert, Tim Nelson, Perry Como, Miss Running, Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Goeppel, Rivers Cuomo, Daniel Brummel, Ryen Slegr, Todd Simmons, Chris Duncan, Terry Trebilcock, Adrian Noack, Ben Hammond, Rachel Pupa Montemayor, Chase Pupa Montemayor...

Do you honestly believe that you've worked hard enough to deserve it?

This time we live in is exciting, terrifying, dangerous, fleeting...

Sometimes...

2011-04-23T00:16:00.000-07:00

... I think about things I shouldn't think about.
Sometimes I think about things like getting punched in the head.
That's what she said to me.

I can tell if it's good cuz you start nodding.
I can tell if it's bad cuz you wander back to the bar for another drink.
So that's what you think?

And I say, "Hey! It's good to know your expectations of me are low. I know a girl. This much is true. And I'm in love. In love with her."

Black, White, and Grey (Gray?)

2011-04-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

Black and white sells.

Democrat or Republican. Pro-Life or Pro-Choice. Christian or Catholic or Muslim or Buddhist or Atheist.

Right or wrong.

Everyone understands black and white. Wait. Clarification. Everyone can instantaneously relate to black and white. It feels good to have an "us" and a "them". When you think about it, that's all the marketing really is. "Us" is the group "you" are a part of, and "them" is happier than "us" so you should buy the shit that "them" has because it will make you happier.

It hurts to even try to read that last sentence, but I know that it makes sense.

Black and white sells and spurs people into action and is how politicians gain voters and ministers gain followers and parents try to convince their kids that they're not mature or wise enough to know what's best for them.

But black and white is not reality.

There are so many shades of grey, levels of nuance, complications, points of view, frames of reference, varying starting points, personal prejudices, ulterior motives...

I hope I can be there to provide a starting point for Chase, give him an educated guess as to how I think things will play out, offer him advice based on my own personal experience...

But I also hope that if there comes a time when I can't do that for him that I'll have raised him well enough that I can trust his own thoughts and his own judgment.

Black and white sells, but grey is what I'm buying...

Recap

2011-04-16T00:31:00.000-07:00

So...

I'm now married. Can't type, read, digest that sentence without smiling. The wedding was amazing. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful day, ceremony, reception, gathering of friends and family, celebration. Rachel's dress was stunning, and she was as beautiful as I've ever seen her. Which is saying a lot because she's beautiful right out of bed with poofy hair and no make-up. (If you're reading this, babe, I'm simultaneously sorry and not sorry at all. I love you.)

Honeymoon exceeded all of our expectations, too. 9 day Mexican Riviera cruise. 4 days at sea and 5 days onshore along the way: Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, 2 days in Cabo San Lucas, and Ensenada. At sea, we were definitely "that couple": the newlywed couple in the "Game of Love", which was videotaped and played on repeat (ad nauseum) on "cruise channel" on every passengers TV; multiple onstage appearances including the "Game Show" and the "60 Second Challenge"; amazing shows with our friend David Marchesano as one of the featured singers; many minutes spent in the Casino (we were actually up on the slots, but the tables evened everything out).

We also had a blast onshore: cruising through local markets, horseback riding, learning about small villages, snorkeling, having lunch cooked for us by villagers on a secluded beach only accessible by boat, learning how to make 7 salsas including guacamole and a dessert salsa, learning how to salsa dance and taking home a lime press for being the best dancing couple, taking a relaxing boat ride to another snorkeling spot then proceeding to drink the day away on the way back to the cruise ship, and scoping La Bufadora before walking through more markets and having tacos at a restaurant in the fish market in Ensenada.

Man, just reminiscing about the trip... it really was the best vacation we've ever had...

Also, a new job. Loved my time with Kaenon Polarized. Have since moved on to a special events production company called McNally Enterprises.

The parallels are interesting. Family owned businesses. Core employees wear several hats. Passionate owners with distinct visions.

The transition has been pretty smooth.

Hopefully, my next blog post isn't a boring recap and will have some actual thought provoking shenanigans coursing through its digital veins... wait... what?

Apology to Blog: Some Haikus

2011-03-14T02:24:00.000-07:00

I neglect you, blog
For that I am so sorry
You deserve much more

But time runs away
Much more quickly nowadays
And so my mind strays

I have time to waste
At least I wish that I did
Some wishes wither

But now as I type
This lonesome lonesome blog post
Light at tunnel's end

It's only fleeting
Band-aids across broken bones
Set incorrectly

And so goodbye, blog
Until our next sweet meeting
I'll dream about you

Over a month...

2011-02-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

Epic fail...

That's all...

Epic continuation of fail...

I'd like to write a song today
But everything gets in the way
Epic songwriting fail...

Because I Can...

2011-01-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

Quick stylee lunch post!!! Stream of consciousness... Starting now no going back for typos type about whatever the hell you want like oh girl and getting married and oh shite i'm getting married and why would anyone want to read write experience this and lots of ands up in these paragraphs excpet its just one paragraph its lonely island up in this piece of pie against the wall of apples and hives and trees orchards bunches of oats honey licking bees all over your face and stinging the shite what the hell...?

Ok...

That is so not oaaykk...

and scene...

set to music it would be an oh girl song...

not having ypos is difficult

mine mine mine

yours yours mine

duck duck goose swan black fail succeed inspired embarassed wholly shite oh wholly shite the stars are brightly shining...

and scene...

in three minutes...

My son is about 3 weeks away from vocabularious explosion...

My wedding is less than 3 months away...

My band is releasing its first A side/ B side single next month...

My time is almost up... then back to work...

Sorry. Thanks. You're welcome...

Time suck...

2010-12-30T01:46:00.000-08:00

I wonder how much time I wasted on the internet, tweeting, trolling facebook, watching TV this year...

Enough time to:
- learn how to do a proper drum roll?
- figure out how to format the metadata of an mp3 with album arwork and track details?
- write 30 more songs?
- read Chase 100 more books?
- take Rachel out to dinner 26 more times?
- write 50 more blog posts?
- see 15 more instances of live theater?

...

I should rethink the next time I want to use the excuse, "I didn't have enough time"...

Christmas Shopping

2010-12-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

'I have only been to the mall once this holiday shopping season. And it definitely felt different than years past: not as crowded, no urgency, more people just looking instead of ponying up and buying. Times are tight. And it shows...

The thing I love the most about Christmas shopping is people watching. There's a desperation to Christmas shoppers. Is this the right gift? I hope they have the right size. Man, my kid is gonna hate this toy. Crap, they don't have the earrings my girlfriend wants. I never get the right gift for my husband...

I'll be in the thick of it again later tonight. Christmas shopping on the 22nd is going to be pretty rad...

Hopefully, I won't have the deer in the headlights look that a lot of other shoppers have...

And hopefully, I remember that it really is the thought that counts. If you have a story behind your gift, then it's the right gift. If you're just going off a list, you might as well just get gift cards. Gifts should have personal touch and love all over them. I don't want to know what you want for Christmas. I want to come up with it myself. Because you're my friend, brother, sister, mom, dad, son, fiance... and I love you and want this gift to be a symbol of that love.

Sure, you can tell me what you want. But, if we're really as close as I hope we are, I should already have a pretty good idea...

Oh Girl is recording soon...

2010-12-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

The stars have aligned. The planets are in all of their correct houses. And adulthood has opened a tiny window of opportunity...

Oh Girl is tracking drums on Saturday.

And I'm very excited to finally start doing more work on the singles we'll be releasing next year. Like everything else Oh Girl, it's happening when it can, we're not forcing it, organic, organic, organic, "Hey, you wanna record?", "Sure, I'm down", "Sweet, let's make it happen"...

Oh yeah, we have a show, too. With this band, when it rains, it pours. And it literally might be pouring on Sunday. So say the meteorologists...

Goals for Saturday's tracking session:

- Focus on the feel not the technique
- Have fun
- Document for posterity (not just the tracks, but the actual recording experience)
- Lots of pictures

That is all. I'm so excited. I can barely contain myself... ;alsfkhgpaoisrhgpoadjnbaowripghpaowt120389tru

Just Do It

2010-12-14T13:14:00.001-08:00

Sometimes the hardest piece of advice to follow...

The Beginning...

2010-12-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

... is always fun.

The puppy love stage. The making up the band name phase. The learning everyone's name in the office time period...

It's easy to stay motivated during the beginning, too. You need to impress your new love. Shit, I've gotta make sure all these songs that I introduce are good. I better double and triple check these emails so I don't sound like an idiot.

But then, the beginning turns into... everyday life. And that's when it gets hard, when you need to focus, when you pass or fail.

You don't succeed in the beginning. You succeed when you realize that everything after the beginning still needs the emotional investment you made in the beginning.

That being said I love my job, my band, my fiance, my son, and my family. Even more than I did "in the beginning"...

Patience

2010-12-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

I have a lot... and at times, none at all...

Now, now, now, not later, just now, no waiting, stop stalling, get off your ass, get it now, don't wait, don't put in the time, just win the lottery, just get the raise, don't pay your dues, stop practicing, stop paying attention to details, fly by the seat of your pants, now, now, now...

Easy to say when you're 19 and living in the dorms and getting a check from financial aid for books and food and housing and all you have to worry about is finishing the paper and learning the lines and remembering the choreography and the directions to the party...

Not so much when you're 29 and living with your fiance and 1 year old son and driving to work and trying to write music and chase a dream and put food on the table and keep the apartment clean and not drive your love crazy and keep your love safe and still get up in the morning and live up to your own expectations...

Patience. Because it gets easier, but only if you put in the time. And nothing worth having ever comes easily (or quickly)...

Wow... a profound quick stylee lunch post... (smirk)

Weezer...

2010-12-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

8 days ago I saw Weezer's first of two nights at the Gibson Amphitheater. It was an absolutely amazing show. I hadn't seen Weezer for 9 years (the last time I saw them was in 2001 down at UC San Diego). I remember them being very, very boring. Not this time around, though. Rivers was non-stop energy. For their greatest hits set, all four members were up front with Josh Freese drumming... so eggin' food. And their blue album set was just like being able to worship at the altars of all things I enjoy in an album. I was transported to 1994, and I didn't want to leave at the end of the night...

Here are some pics from the show:

Best Coast was great. Solid set, no frills, just good rockin'...

Rock for the masses

The crowd in the palm of her hand

Right before Weezer hit the stage

Light show, rock show, please no, don't go

Rivers a couple yards from me. I shoulda ran up for a high five...

Making his way back to the stage. Give the man a hand

Webmaster and Weezer guru Karl treated everyone to a killer slide show in between sets. Here's an early Weezer flyer. Karl explained that Club Dump went on to notoriety as the Viper Room.

Kiss Medallions but for Weezer as made by Mykel and Carli back in the day

Larry David is a genius...

2010-12-02T00:41:00.000-08:00

Curb Your Enthusiasm is on in the background, and all I can think is that Larry David is a genius. I don't even watch this show... I've never seen an episode... I don't know the characters or any of the plotlines... but there's something about Larry David yelling at kids selling lemonade because their lemonade sucks that lets me know that he's a genius...

Is genius learned or are you born with it? My educated guess is a little bit of both. And a lot of luck. And good timing. And plenty of desire, latent or obvious...

I'm a genius. You're a genius, too. The only problem is that our brand of genius isn't popular yet...

I'm tired. This genius is tired... Larry David probably never gets tired.

It's Already December?!?

2010-11-30T19:10:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of November. The cliche "Where has the time gone?" holds particularly true for me this year...

I have a one year old son. I'm engaged to get married in 4 months. I'm beginning to enjoy when things slow down as opposed to always trying to keep things at light speed. But I'm also pleased with the knowledge that when I need and want to get things going, I still can. Just not every weekend...

December is always a bittersweet month. One year ending and another beginning. Relaxing in the excess of the holiday season before the eventual countdown to the youthful rush of spring and summer. "This portion of Glynn's blog has been brought to you by schmaltz (and it's connotation not denotation)..."

I'm wearing my Weezer t-shirt.

Chase is crying downstairs while Rachel is working on origami flowers for the wedding.

Glee is on in 52 minutes and Sean and Candace will be over soon to watch it with us.

I like facts. They're easier to make up than interesting stories and far more entertaining, too...

"What's the point?"

"... there's supposed to be a point...?"

Cleaning...

2010-11-29T00:29:00.000-08:00

... is very tiring.

Especially when done correctly.

Rachel and I don't clean very often, which is a bad habit I'm hoping to break.

It's amazing how many old memories you come across while cleaning. Receipts that take you back to a specific time in your life. Old mail that jogs your cranium into nostalgia. Knick knacks that you acquire without even thinking about it. In my case, there are plenty of guitar picks and old show tickets and memorabilia from Chase's first couple weeks that send me strolling down memory lane...

The guitar pick that I used for the OC Music Magazine showcase at the Yost in Santa Ana while I was playing with Gregory Brock...

My ticket for the Pixies Doolittle show at the Palladium last November...

Chase's pictures from the newborn photoshoot we had while we were still at Hoag over a year ago...

I guess that's one of the positives of cleaning so infrequently. All those memories lying around, just waiting to have the dust swept off of them...

*sidenote: When the heck did it become almost DECEMBER!?!?!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

The giving of thanks. To whom are we giving said "thanks"...?

I'm thankful for:

- Rachel and Chase and my family.
- Oh Girl
- My health
- My job
- My friends
- Being alive during an age of such amazing opportunity
- Everything I have, everything I want, and everything I'm working for
- The moments when I stop and realize how lucky we really are...
- You. Thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving...

Stuck on the 405...

2010-11-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

Mike saved me.

Okay, maybe that's too dramatic. Too hyperbolic. Too Hollywood...

Mike helped me out a whole lot.

My car broke down on the southbound 405 just north of Fairview. And I tried to get over but the closest I got was 3 lanes from the shoulder (which in the grand scheme of things might as well have been the fast lane). I called my Dad to see if we still had triple A. I called Rachel to let her know what was going on. I called a tow truck service.

"30 to 45 minutes."

Rad.

30 to 45 minutes of dirty looks, near accidents, whizzing cars, Colin Cowherd (not a bad thing)... 30 to 45 minutes of being "that guy" and inconveniencing everyone's morning commute.

Then Mike showed up. And stopped on the shoulder. And got out of his truck and stopped traffic and walked over to my car and helped me push it over to the shoulder.

What's your name?

"Mike."

Thank you so much. Do you have a card?

"No. Don't worry about it. Just do something nice for someone else."

Rad... Pretty much left me speechless.

So yeah. Mike helped me out a whole lot. And, hopefully, I can make someone else's day some time soon...

Slow Down... and Manny Pacquiao... and Oh Girl...

2010-11-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

My dad is a genius.

He has always maintained that the usefulness of going to Church on Sundays is not to celebrate religion or rack up spirit points or even socialize with all the other Joneses. The usefulness of going to Church on Sunday is that you get to slow down.

We all clip along at a mile a minute throughout the week. Deadlines, homework, babysitters, clocking in, lunch break, traffic, road rage, groceries, dinner, dishes, diapers, meetings, outlook reminders, post it messages, voicemail, away messages, to do lists, newsletters, bosses, managers, employees, co-workers, coffee, Kings run... head spin, head spin, head spin, soul fatigue, head spin, head spin...

Then...

Sunday. And Church. And slowing down...

I don't go to Church much anymore. At all, really. And I don't feel as if my life is any less complete from all the missed sermons and readings and Our Father's... But I do feel like I could use a gentle weekly reminder to slooooooooooooooooow down...

Oh yeah. Pacquiao beat the shit out of Margarito last night. I watched the fight replay tonight, and it was very entertaining. Manny got hurt in the 6th but still won the round with a flurry at the end. Margarito almost went down in the 4th and the 11th, but the man has a crazy strong chin. They're showing the Clottey-Margarito fight later this week on ESPN Classic... I need to record it so I can study it over and over. Thank you, sweet sports fan OCD...

Oh yeah. Another Oh Girl show this Friday, which is also my 29th birthday.

Oh yeah. I plan on having my cake and eating it, too. You know, American Dream styleeeeeeee...

Oh yeah. Wait. That's it...

Where do I even begin?

2010-11-14T00:44:00.000-08:00

Chase turned one on Thursday. That was 2 days ago. Already, I'm thinking to myself, "He's only 363 days away from turning two." And he realizes I'm typing about him... so he just woke up and is now crying... 12:17am

Now it's 12:26am. Pretty good, all things considered. Chase is starting to wake up a lot more throughout the night. Part of this is probably my fault for always holding him till he goes to sleep. I need to break that habit...

Anyways, here are my 10 favorite pics from the last couple days... all courtesy of Hipstamatic... in no particular order...

This picture captures so much... curious, whatcha doin?, almost in Disneyland!

I like the wood grain in the foreground and "Birthday" barely peeking over the tray...

The little smirk on Jane's face says it all, "It doesn't get much better than holding my grandson."

So staged, it's almost too contrived, but it's still a great picture...

This was taken while Rachel and her parents were on Soarin'. I'll always remember this time of the day for how much Chase walked around. He literally grew right in front of me...

I love my family so much...

Couldn't decide between the two feeding pictures...

Three generations of Montemayors on one couch...

Just a good effin' pic. Diggin' how in focus the toy table is in the foreground...

He went from barely crawling 10 weeks ago to being able to navigate a party and still have the wherewithal to stop and watch Sesame Street...

Happy Birthday, Chase. I love you so much...

1:53 am...

2010-11-09T01:58:00.000-08:00

... and I'm up.

Chopping up Oh Girl videos from our show at the Blue Cafe in HB.

Possibly booking another show there soon...?

Oh Girl is rock, improv, funny, accessible, clever, unique, fearless, rude, careless, carefree, careful, honest, contrived, fast, slow, soft, loud, easy, difficult, probably crazy, definitely crazy...

Chase turns one in 2 days. He's asleep in his crib right now. The last couple weeks he's been getting up much more frequently throughout the night. And I used to just go pick him up and sit in the rocker with him on my lap till he fell asleep again and I could place him back in his crib. Which isn't good because he shouldn't get used to being held to fall asleep. Apparently, it's a hard habit to break.

Great.

I'm already having trouble letting go...

12 Minutes Left on my Lunch Break...

2010-11-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

Capitalization confuses me sometimes...

I can already tell I'm gonna love this post.

Oh Girl show at the Blue Cafe in HB last night. Rousing success. Much fun had by all. Songs about Dr. Rockzo, Pee Wee Herman, Bun Crumbs, Combovers, Sesame Street...

MUCH fun was had by ALL...

Turkey chili was very fulfilling.

There are 2 guitars trapped in my trunk. They'll escape soon, but I'm sure they're both sweating bullets...

I have a long drive ahead of me after work to pick up Chase from my parent's house. I think I'm going to listen to... Death from Above 1979...

...and MSTRKRFT...

...and Mastodon...

...and, hopefully, Muse...

Lotsa "M's" going on up there...

pausing tends to make you think too much which can't always be a bad thing but sometimes you get interrupted and need to push through in order to make it worth your while instead of waiting you could just get up off your ass and make things happen instead of waiting you could have an iota of bravery and be the impulse that starts the pattern of change...

Or not...

Don't go back and read it or you'll never post it...

Fall Back

2010-11-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

It's 8:57... on the clock, but in my head and to my body, it's really 9:57...

Fall always reminds me of certain things:

- my birthday
- meeting Rachel
- doing community theater shows with Tim Nelson
- Hockey and Basketball seasons starting
- the beginning of the holiday season
- wearing pants everyday instead of shorts

Now, fall will remind me of even more things:

- Chase's birthday
- when Oh Girl started

It's weird, but it never really occurred to me that Chase's and my birthday were so close together. And now that I think about it... I wouldn't want it any other way.

Oh Girl show tonight. Our 13th show in 13 months. We've come a long way, but we've done it right this time. Just let things happen. There are too many things to try to bottle up and control and keep on a leash. Would that we could all be so lucky to have something so out of control and fun in our lives...

Chase turns one in 4 days...

I've been a dad for 51 weeks...

2010-11-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

My son Chase turns one a week from today.

Howzabout a recap of some things I've learned in the last 51 weeks...?

- Sleep can wait.
- The days you want to wake up early are typically after the nights that end up being difficult.
- Every parent becomes "that parent". You know, the "let me show you the latest picture/ video of my kid because he/she is the cutest thing ever and can do no wrong" parent.
- I love Rachel more than anything.
- Chase is a closer than close second. I'm talking billionths of a percentage point... (It hurts to admit that)
- Every child bruises the heck out of himself/herself within the first couple weeks of walking.
- My best songs are about my family.
- I totally get why my dad would just let my brother, sisters, and I cry some times when we were younger.
- It's really hard to not hold Chase until he falls asleep...
- Time flies... so fast...

You're almost one, bud... I love you...

It strikes at the strangest moments

2010-11-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

And you just have to hope and pray that you're in the position to capture it...

Now is not one of those "strangest moments".... (or maybe it is...)

Now is the middle of a workday in the middle of a work week in the middle of a season that urges us to be aware of everything we shouldn't take for granted.

So in honor of that season...

This is what I'm thankful for...

Lack of running but not of moving

2010-10-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

Oh Girl is chugging along. 2 shows booked for the next 2 months. That will be 14 shows in the last 15 months. Not bad for a total fly by the seat of our pants throw shit at a wall and see what sticks take things as they come maybe we should practice more band...

I have not been running as much as I should. I'll be ready, though.

Chase turns 1 in 2 weeks. Chase turns 1 in 2 weeks. Chase turns 1 in 2 weeks. Chase turns 1 in 2 weeks. Chase turns 1 in 2 weeks. Chase turns 1 in 2 weeks. I wrote it 6 times, and it still blows me away every time...

Okay. Time to go pick up my guitar...

OC Weekly

2010-10-24T00:10:00.000-07:00

Oh Girl is in the latest issue of the OC Weekly...

It's funny how the one project I've taken the least seriously has cruised along the most easily.

It works because we're having fun...

It works because there's no pressure...

It works because we can take it or leave it...

It works because not working is no big deal...

It just works...

Recording will be an ongoing process and will happen when it happens...

10000 hours... We're not quite there yet...

I Used to Hate Rain...

2010-10-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

And I still kinda do. I don't like getting my clothes wet and having wet socks and having to sit in a car while being all wet and driving to the next place where I'm just gonna get wet all over again...

In short, I'm a baby.

But I appreciate rain now. Everything feels more fresh after a good rainfall. And it's easier to dress nicely when it's colder. Sweaters and hoodies and jeans and shoes and scarves and beanies.

In short, I'm a wannabe fashionista.

Blogging on the lunch break is fun.

Running tomorrow morning in the rain? Hopefully, not full blow rain, just misty kind of get you wet but not really because you're already wet from sweating kind of rain...

Checking out laptops at Fry's after work? Sure, even though I'm not even sure I need a laptop, I should just fix my existing computer, but where's the fun in that and it would be nice to not have to share Rachel's computer at home...

And mobile recording would be sweet...

And I should get an acoustic open mic night performance off my back sooner rather than later...

Lots has happened in the last 2 years. A lifetime of changes in 24 months...

Hey, 2008 Glynn... meet 2010 Glynn and how much cooler/ less cool he is than you...

Song title ideas:

sleep and dream
g is for dad
lucky than good
what can you do

I forgot what I started this blog for. Which is okay because some times you need to forget to remember...

Gear Slut

2010-10-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

I love looking at new gear.

Gear related to any of my interests. Guitar stuff. Recording gear. Golf clubs. Running shoes. Vans for touring. Lockouts within which to put gear. Drum hardware. Computers. Video games...

Ok. Maybe I just like looking at... stuff...

Craigslist gets me in trouble. Especially since I've found out how easy it is to trade stuff on there...

I like this guitar...

And this one...

And I really, really like this one. Especially since I've been wanting an acoustic that plays more like an electric...

In other news, I haven't written a new song in a while. Or posted an acoustic video on YouTube in a while. Methinks this is an issue...