Impatient.
Anxious.
Angry.
Happy.
Embarrassed.
Content.
Rushed.
Overwhelmed.
Unsure.
Impatient.
Doubtful.
Unsure.
Hungry.
What's the point?
Does it mean anything?
Does what we do mean ANYTHING...?
What am I doing with my life? What's the greater purpose? Why am I writing this here? Why can't I talk about this with my wife? What am I hiding? What is the point...
What is the point...
What is the point...
Selfish.
Lazy.
Driven.
Embarrassed.
It's a chess game, and I think I know what the next move should be, but I have no idea.
This blog is bullshit. This post is BULLSHIT.
Would geniuses exist without dunces?
What the hell am I writing?
There's a cat staring at me. He's swiped at me and drawn blood before. I can't help but think he enjoyed it, which is why he continues to swipe. And draw blood. I'm going to throw him off the bed at some point tonight. I know because I can see into the future.
Once you have the idea, it's already been done. I want to be one of those people that has undoneable ideas. Maybe those are the people that walk up and down Figueroa while talking to himself.
If she's empirically attractive but doesn't do anything for you does that mean you have bad taste? Or is this post just getting more bullshitty by the syllable?
Cat, don' t test me...
Showing posts with label ramble. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ramble. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Going Out on a Limb
You've got to put yourself out there.
Stick your head out.
Flirt with the possibility of falling off the cliff.
Take the low percentage shot because you feel in your gut that you can clear the water hazard and have that putt for eagle.
Go for the harder riff while you're tracking guitars (even though this has been your most solid take) because you know people will wonder how it all came together.
Start a two piece band that takes song suggestions from the crowd and makes up the music and lyrics on the spot because you can't wait to feel the sensation of being inches from falling flat on your face... or achieving sonic brilliance.
Take a chance.
What have you got to lose?
Stick your head out.
Flirt with the possibility of falling off the cliff.
Take the low percentage shot because you feel in your gut that you can clear the water hazard and have that putt for eagle.
Go for the harder riff while you're tracking guitars (even though this has been your most solid take) because you know people will wonder how it all came together.
Start a two piece band that takes song suggestions from the crowd and makes up the music and lyrics on the spot because you can't wait to feel the sensation of being inches from falling flat on your face... or achieving sonic brilliance.
Take a chance.
What have you got to lose?
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Things That Aren't Worth a Second Thought
Self-doubt, any types of doubt, living in the past, second-guessing yourself, making mistakes, falling flat on your face, breaking your diet, eating that burger, killing those fries, bigoted ideologies, haters, hatred, following trends, taking yourself too seriously, the Kings absolutely demolishing in the playoffs (begrudging congrats, Kings fans...), Kobe or Jordan, Brady or Manning, Tebow or Sanchez, Pacquiao or Mayweather, Kemp or Pujols, Lebron or Wade, Jared or Jeff, Battleship...
Oh, yeah.
The title of this post could also be: These Things Keep Glynn Awake Until 1:48am
Oh, yeah.
The title of this post could also be: These Things Keep Glynn Awake Until 1:48am
Emo... Isn't Good for Anybody...
I've been emo a bit lately. So, let's change it up with a good old fashioned ramble...
Matt Kemp's on the 15 day DL for the Dodgers. But I'm happy to have read this article, which outlines why the Dodgers won't be that too badly out of shape without him.
Spotify is the best $10 I spend every month. I've been exposed to so much good music... older albums like the Miniature Tigers' masterpiece Tell It to the Volcano... newer jams like Schoolboy Q's Habits and Contradictions. I finally feel like I'm able to keep my promise to myself to constantly listen to new (and old!) music, and it's all thanks to Spotify.
Dropped off on running for the past 9 days. And I can feel it. I'm antsy. But with Rachel at the 3DT Box Office on the weekends and trying to play more guitar and keeping the house clean and cooking more instead of eating out... well, running was bound to take a hit. Wait... this post was supposed to avoid being emo... oh yeah...
I love going to Disneyland with my family. Chase is at an age where everything is interesting and he's curious and energetic and feisty and has opinions and Disneyland is the perfect place to keep him engaged and satiate that need for exposure to new things. And he loves the Monorail, which is a plus.
Word. Sweet. Holla. Play guitar more and so on and so forth...
Matt Kemp's on the 15 day DL for the Dodgers. But I'm happy to have read this article, which outlines why the Dodgers won't be that too badly out of shape without him.
Spotify is the best $10 I spend every month. I've been exposed to so much good music... older albums like the Miniature Tigers' masterpiece Tell It to the Volcano... newer jams like Schoolboy Q's Habits and Contradictions. I finally feel like I'm able to keep my promise to myself to constantly listen to new (and old!) music, and it's all thanks to Spotify.
Dropped off on running for the past 9 days. And I can feel it. I'm antsy. But with Rachel at the 3DT Box Office on the weekends and trying to play more guitar and keeping the house clean and cooking more instead of eating out... well, running was bound to take a hit. Wait... this post was supposed to avoid being emo... oh yeah...
I love going to Disneyland with my family. Chase is at an age where everything is interesting and he's curious and energetic and feisty and has opinions and Disneyland is the perfect place to keep him engaged and satiate that need for exposure to new things. And he loves the Monorail, which is a plus.
Word. Sweet. Holla. Play guitar more and so on and so forth...
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Every Once in a While...
I just get tired.
Of working. Of sitting at a desk and worrying about other people's problems.
And that's the truth. It's not my problem. It's your problem. It's not something I can get behind. It's something I appreciate, but it's not something that I go to bed wondering about, at least not for the right reasons.
I want something to believe in. And I have something to believe in.
I just want to take away the safety net...
Of working. Of sitting at a desk and worrying about other people's problems.
And that's the truth. It's not my problem. It's your problem. It's not something I can get behind. It's something I appreciate, but it's not something that I go to bed wondering about, at least not for the right reasons.
I want something to believe in. And I have something to believe in.
I just want to take away the safety net...
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Ramble, Young Man, Ramble...
This blog is totes a ramble.
Writing a couple songs about a horrible, horrible situation right now. Empathy certainly makes better artists.
One liners are completely under(over)rated.
Sometimes it really is best to just shut your damn mouth.
How does my typing always wake her up?
Make time for friends.
A laundry list of to do something with your life time is a funny channel the energy and let it flow down the mountain top that you filthy animal animal animal!!!
Not quite stream of consciousness, but it'll do.
I remember waiting to do the pledge of allegiance and announcements when I was the president of ASB at St. Bruno's. Such a random memory to have while blogging. I'll bet I can remember the exact smell of that little room if I tried hard enough. That seems like a lifetime ago, seems like I might be making it all up, seems like it might never have happened... Funny how memories work. The actual items within and the container of...
I got nervous a lot when I was a kid. Nervous to read during mass. Nervous about which items to bring to the altar when I was an altar server. Nervous about going up to bat. Nervous about having a cool enough outfit on 70s day during spirit week. Where did all that nervousness come from? And why don't I feel it as strongly now as I did then? Everything seemed like it could be the end of the world when I was a kid. Maybe it feels like that for my son Chase. Maybe I should remember that the next time he's screaming for his Lightning McQueen...
I think the best part about blogging is thinking about the times in the future when you'll read your posts and either think, "Yeah. That's so true" OR "Ummm... what's wrong with me?"
Time to sleep...
Writing a couple songs about a horrible, horrible situation right now. Empathy certainly makes better artists.
One liners are completely under(over)rated.
Sometimes it really is best to just shut your damn mouth.
How does my typing always wake her up?
Make time for friends.
A laundry list of to do something with your life time is a funny channel the energy and let it flow down the mountain top that you filthy animal animal animal!!!
Not quite stream of consciousness, but it'll do.
I remember waiting to do the pledge of allegiance and announcements when I was the president of ASB at St. Bruno's. Such a random memory to have while blogging. I'll bet I can remember the exact smell of that little room if I tried hard enough. That seems like a lifetime ago, seems like I might be making it all up, seems like it might never have happened... Funny how memories work. The actual items within and the container of...
I got nervous a lot when I was a kid. Nervous to read during mass. Nervous about which items to bring to the altar when I was an altar server. Nervous about going up to bat. Nervous about having a cool enough outfit on 70s day during spirit week. Where did all that nervousness come from? And why don't I feel it as strongly now as I did then? Everything seemed like it could be the end of the world when I was a kid. Maybe it feels like that for my son Chase. Maybe I should remember that the next time he's screaming for his Lightning McQueen...
I think the best part about blogging is thinking about the times in the future when you'll read your posts and either think, "Yeah. That's so true" OR "Ummm... what's wrong with me?"
Time to sleep...
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Plateau and other Stuff
In the beginning, things are difficult. You can barely run for 10 minutes straight without feeling completely winded. Your form isn't the most efficient, you're still trying to figure out what's comfortable, there is plenty of trial and error, you are motivated to get out there and run and train, but you might become impatient, anxious to see results, to see some sort of evidence that your effort isn't all for naught.
Then you fall into a groove. 2 miles in 20 minutes? No problem. Bring on some speed training. I'm gonna finish that 5K in under 30 minutes. Man, make it 29 minutes. No, 28 minutes. My goal's will be reached. I've lost some weight. Yeah! Clothes are fitting me again!
Then... plateau...
Damn. I can't just run for 40 minutes and continue to lose weight. I have to watch what I eat and add some strength training and maybe swimming would be a good idea and shouldn't I hop on the bike, too, yeah, that would be good and keep me well-rounded and motivated and I can fight through this plateau.
And that's the secret. You have to realize that you need to fight through. That there will be times when you see minimal gains, but you have to recognize that a baby step forward is still a step forward. Fight through the plateau, keep your legs moving, keep your spirits up, stick to the plan, keep your goals in your sights, because once you fight through the plateau, you'll be that much stronger, that much more ready to fight even harder and soar even higher.
Hmmm... when did I become a motivational speaker? :)
Dodgers are 13-4. Yeah, it's a long season, but you gotta take the easy ones when you can get them, and if Ethier and Kemp keep it up and the pitching staff holds it together, this could be a fun season. Hell, it will be fun anyways.
I think the Camp Pendleton Triathlon might be smarter because it's less expensive and saving money is always a good thing. It's in August, too, which might mean I can get a sleeveless wetsuit, which will also be less expensive.
NFL coaches are cheating. Athletes are reverting to their old ways.
And I still want these shoes.
Then you fall into a groove. 2 miles in 20 minutes? No problem. Bring on some speed training. I'm gonna finish that 5K in under 30 minutes. Man, make it 29 minutes. No, 28 minutes. My goal's will be reached. I've lost some weight. Yeah! Clothes are fitting me again!
Then... plateau...
Damn. I can't just run for 40 minutes and continue to lose weight. I have to watch what I eat and add some strength training and maybe swimming would be a good idea and shouldn't I hop on the bike, too, yeah, that would be good and keep me well-rounded and motivated and I can fight through this plateau.
And that's the secret. You have to realize that you need to fight through. That there will be times when you see minimal gains, but you have to recognize that a baby step forward is still a step forward. Fight through the plateau, keep your legs moving, keep your spirits up, stick to the plan, keep your goals in your sights, because once you fight through the plateau, you'll be that much stronger, that much more ready to fight even harder and soar even higher.
Hmmm... when did I become a motivational speaker? :)
Dodgers are 13-4. Yeah, it's a long season, but you gotta take the easy ones when you can get them, and if Ethier and Kemp keep it up and the pitching staff holds it together, this could be a fun season. Hell, it will be fun anyways.
I think the Camp Pendleton Triathlon might be smarter because it's less expensive and saving money is always a good thing. It's in August, too, which might mean I can get a sleeveless wetsuit, which will also be less expensive.
NFL coaches are cheating. Athletes are reverting to their old ways.
And I still want these shoes.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Items On A Desk
An iPhone box. Hand sanitizer. A clip of three of my business cards. Burt's Bees lip balm. A bag of personalized guitar picks with my son's face on them. A FedEx branded chocolate mint. A SanDisk 2GB memory card. A 2010 nickel. An Eric Karros Upper Deck rookie card.
These are all items sitting in a cubby hole. The cubby hole is part of my wife's computer desk. The computer desk houses the computer upon which I type this blog post. The blog post is part of the internet. I'm not sure where that progression was going, but it appears to have gone to wherever that is.
Unrelated items? Yeah. Or maybe not so unrelated.
After all, they occupy the same space now. They're all neighbors. Some of the items are touching. I'm sure some of the items were probably manufactured in the same country.
They all cost money. To produce. To purchase. They're all commodities. Well, except the nickel. But isn't money a commodity nowadays, too?
Why am I writing about items on a desk? Am I that lazy? Or am I that genius...?
Unrelated and unimportant and uninteresting are the new related, important, and interesting, are they not? If they're not, they should be. Because I say so.
It's a pattern, you know. Starting with some sort of vague intention and then devolving into a nonsensical BLob Of Gibberish. You're frustrated. You're annoyed. You're bored. Reading what you've written has made you bored. Listening to the songs you've written... bored. Or unintentionally entertained because you're biased. Bias is not good. Bias blinds you...
Bias can blind you
Especially when you are
Creator and crowd
Why do you like haikus so much? Because they're easy? You like a lot of things that are easy, don't you? Don't you ever want to push yourself? Don't you ever want to set out to do something where you expect to fail... so you can prove that expectation wrong? Aren't you capable of that? Can you answer that question without pushing yourself to that uncomfortable place? Is this paragraph of questions Socratic or another symptom of you liking things that are easy...?
Pretentious. Lable this... pretentious...
I used the French spelling of label because I'm feeling cultured tonight. Fine dining at classy joints can do that to a man... make him feel cultured.
I figured it out. Why this blog feels forced. It's because I can't see the ending. Because I couldn't see the beginning, and the middle is definitely out of sight. Because I can't see the moves. Am I even making moves or am I just treading water, waiting for a lifeboat, taking in water and gasping for air and endlessly moving my arms and legs to barely keep afloat.
I need to learn the moves. Which I guess is the whole point of this blog, this job, this life.
I just wonder... when do you stop learning and start doing?
All this from items on a desk? Am I that lazy? Or am I that... genius...?
These are all items sitting in a cubby hole. The cubby hole is part of my wife's computer desk. The computer desk houses the computer upon which I type this blog post. The blog post is part of the internet. I'm not sure where that progression was going, but it appears to have gone to wherever that is.
Unrelated items? Yeah. Or maybe not so unrelated.
After all, they occupy the same space now. They're all neighbors. Some of the items are touching. I'm sure some of the items were probably manufactured in the same country.
They all cost money. To produce. To purchase. They're all commodities. Well, except the nickel. But isn't money a commodity nowadays, too?
Why am I writing about items on a desk? Am I that lazy? Or am I that genius...?
Unrelated and unimportant and uninteresting are the new related, important, and interesting, are they not? If they're not, they should be. Because I say so.
It's a pattern, you know. Starting with some sort of vague intention and then devolving into a nonsensical BLob Of Gibberish. You're frustrated. You're annoyed. You're bored. Reading what you've written has made you bored. Listening to the songs you've written... bored. Or unintentionally entertained because you're biased. Bias is not good. Bias blinds you...
Bias can blind you
Especially when you are
Creator and crowd
Why do you like haikus so much? Because they're easy? You like a lot of things that are easy, don't you? Don't you ever want to push yourself? Don't you ever want to set out to do something where you expect to fail... so you can prove that expectation wrong? Aren't you capable of that? Can you answer that question without pushing yourself to that uncomfortable place? Is this paragraph of questions Socratic or another symptom of you liking things that are easy...?
Pretentious. Lable this... pretentious...
I used the French spelling of label because I'm feeling cultured tonight. Fine dining at classy joints can do that to a man... make him feel cultured.
I figured it out. Why this blog feels forced. It's because I can't see the ending. Because I couldn't see the beginning, and the middle is definitely out of sight. Because I can't see the moves. Am I even making moves or am I just treading water, waiting for a lifeboat, taking in water and gasping for air and endlessly moving my arms and legs to barely keep afloat.
I need to learn the moves. Which I guess is the whole point of this blog, this job, this life.
I just wonder... when do you stop learning and start doing?
All this from items on a desk? Am I that lazy? Or am I that... genius...?
Friday, April 13, 2012
Write About What's Important
About staying up until 1 in the morning playing guitar.
About trying to comfort your son after he's hit the back of his head and there's a huge bump and he doesn't want to keep the bag of frozen vegetables on the bump because it hurts and there are tears streaming down his face and chewed up bits of peanut butter and jelly sandwich oozing out of his mouth and he still has the wherewithal to laugh at Lightning McQueen.
About how much you love watching your wife while she's sleeping...
About how your tiny cat can take up what feels like the entire queen mattress.
About how the big swedish fish are better than the smaller ones.
About how there are people in the world that argue for the sake of arguing, people who take pride in cutting down others, people who feed off of negative energy and can't wait to nay-say and criticize and poke holes in everything you hold dear.
About how there are people that are nothing like that.
About how when your son was born it made you realize how much your parents love you. And it made you feel sad, guilty, humbled, loved, happy, proud, amazing all at the same time.
About how you hope your typing won't wake her up...
It did...
Damn...
Good night.
About trying to comfort your son after he's hit the back of his head and there's a huge bump and he doesn't want to keep the bag of frozen vegetables on the bump because it hurts and there are tears streaming down his face and chewed up bits of peanut butter and jelly sandwich oozing out of his mouth and he still has the wherewithal to laugh at Lightning McQueen.
About how much you love watching your wife while she's sleeping...
About how your tiny cat can take up what feels like the entire queen mattress.
About how the big swedish fish are better than the smaller ones.
About how there are people in the world that argue for the sake of arguing, people who take pride in cutting down others, people who feed off of negative energy and can't wait to nay-say and criticize and poke holes in everything you hold dear.
About how there are people that are nothing like that.
About how when your son was born it made you realize how much your parents love you. And it made you feel sad, guilty, humbled, loved, happy, proud, amazing all at the same time.
About how you hope your typing won't wake her up...
It did...
Damn...
Good night.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
How Do You Know What You Like?.... Nope... RAMBLE
What is the science behind the brain "liking" something?
Nope. It's going to be impossible to write this post while Meshuggah's Koloss blares in my headphones.
Screw it. RAMBLE!!!
I ran the first official 5K of 2012 this morning. Didn't too horribly considering I didn't train very much for it, especially in the last 2 and a half weeks. About 8:34 a mile. I'm of the belief that if I truly focused on training and gave it a good 10 weeks, I could get down to about 7:50 a mile.
Man, I love running because you can either be completely detail oriented and geeky and mull over split times and personal records and the type of fuel you take in before and after running and the different shoes that you could be wearing and what about minimalist shoes or socks or no socks and would you ever truly want to train for an endurance run of over 100 miles or you can just run for the hell of it and not give a shit about anything but the burn in your lungs and the barriers placed in front of you by your own mind.
2 weeks away from recording. I'm pretty sure I know which songs I'm going to do, but it will probably change about 7 or 8 times before that day. Acoustic recordings!! Can't wait!!!
Been reading a lot of the @AdviceToWriters tweets. Good stuff. But I really just need to drop all that stuff sometimes and remember that above all else, writing is supposed to be fun.
This Meshuggah album is blowing my mind. It reminds me of math class and listening to Helmet on the way to football games and recording at the Wall with Tracey Brown and a whole bunch of other stuff and sometimes my brain hurts because I can't keep up with the time signature changes or the athleticism of the drumming...
Dodgers won again today! 3-0, baby!! Best start in 13 years I read somewhere... Long season, but it's a good start, boys. Keep it going!!
I'm sleepy. And will probably end up staying awake for at least another hour...
Or not...
Nope. It's going to be impossible to write this post while Meshuggah's Koloss blares in my headphones.
Screw it. RAMBLE!!!
I ran the first official 5K of 2012 this morning. Didn't too horribly considering I didn't train very much for it, especially in the last 2 and a half weeks. About 8:34 a mile. I'm of the belief that if I truly focused on training and gave it a good 10 weeks, I could get down to about 7:50 a mile.
Man, I love running because you can either be completely detail oriented and geeky and mull over split times and personal records and the type of fuel you take in before and after running and the different shoes that you could be wearing and what about minimalist shoes or socks or no socks and would you ever truly want to train for an endurance run of over 100 miles or you can just run for the hell of it and not give a shit about anything but the burn in your lungs and the barriers placed in front of you by your own mind.
2 weeks away from recording. I'm pretty sure I know which songs I'm going to do, but it will probably change about 7 or 8 times before that day. Acoustic recordings!! Can't wait!!!
Been reading a lot of the @AdviceToWriters tweets. Good stuff. But I really just need to drop all that stuff sometimes and remember that above all else, writing is supposed to be fun.
This Meshuggah album is blowing my mind. It reminds me of math class and listening to Helmet on the way to football games and recording at the Wall with Tracey Brown and a whole bunch of other stuff and sometimes my brain hurts because I can't keep up with the time signature changes or the athleticism of the drumming...
Dodgers won again today! 3-0, baby!! Best start in 13 years I read somewhere... Long season, but it's a good start, boys. Keep it going!!
I'm sleepy. And will probably end up staying awake for at least another hour...
Or not...
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Is Mediocre Enough?
This post is going to be mediocre. Yes, I have set the bar low enough to be vaulted with little to no effort. Already, I have exceeded expectations...
Maybe we expect too much? Maybe our goals are too lofty, our standards are too high, our scorecards are too strict...
Or maybe we just want spectacular. We want to feel the backs of our necks tingle, the hairs on our arms stand up... we want to feel goosebumps and have trouble catching our breath because what we've witnessed is so amazing, beautiful, life-changing...
It starts with aiming high on paper, hitting low in reality, and eventually matching paper to reality.
Mediocre now becomes amazing later... but only if you push yourself through the times you feel mediocre. Only if you learn from your mistakes. Attempt, evaluate, adjust, rinse, repeat.
But even mediocre is better than nothing. Nothing might as well be... well, it really isn't anything so nothing can go fuck itself...
Maybe we expect too much? Maybe our goals are too lofty, our standards are too high, our scorecards are too strict...
Or maybe we just want spectacular. We want to feel the backs of our necks tingle, the hairs on our arms stand up... we want to feel goosebumps and have trouble catching our breath because what we've witnessed is so amazing, beautiful, life-changing...
It starts with aiming high on paper, hitting low in reality, and eventually matching paper to reality.
Mediocre now becomes amazing later... but only if you push yourself through the times you feel mediocre. Only if you learn from your mistakes. Attempt, evaluate, adjust, rinse, repeat.
But even mediocre is better than nothing. Nothing might as well be... well, it really isn't anything so nothing can go fuck itself...
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
I Don't Want to Use Someone Else's Words
I want to use mine.
Maybe I'm selfish or naive or think really, really highly of myself.
But I've also learned that I am the only person that has seen the world with my eyes (scroll down to number 9). Glynn is the only person that has seen the world through Glynn's eyes, and Glynn has something to say about the human experience.
It's easy to share a someone else's video or picture or blog post or meme or screencap or song or idea... This act is what drives so much of the internet today.
But I want to have my own idea. And I want to share it with the world. And I want it to last forever.
I want to touch people's lives. I want to sit in a coffee house or a club or a bar or a theater or a concert hall and play and sing and tell stories so that when people leave they go, "Wow. I'm going to remember this moment in time for the rest of my life."
I want to be this motivated and excited and inspired and aligned every moment of everyday.
Keep going, Glynn. Keep going...
Maybe I'm selfish or naive or think really, really highly of myself.
But I've also learned that I am the only person that has seen the world with my eyes (scroll down to number 9). Glynn is the only person that has seen the world through Glynn's eyes, and Glynn has something to say about the human experience.
It's easy to share a someone else's video or picture or blog post or meme or screencap or song or idea... This act is what drives so much of the internet today.
But I want to have my own idea. And I want to share it with the world. And I want it to last forever.
I want to touch people's lives. I want to sit in a coffee house or a club or a bar or a theater or a concert hall and play and sing and tell stories so that when people leave they go, "Wow. I'm going to remember this moment in time for the rest of my life."
I want to be this motivated and excited and inspired and aligned every moment of everyday.
Keep going, Glynn. Keep going...
Saturday, March 3, 2012
*sidenote
Winter is winding down.
*sidenote: I live in California, so saying that "winter is winding down" is purely chronological and has nothing to do with the actual season. It's 77 degrees outside and sunny and beautiful and why would anyone want to live anywhere else in the world? Oh... people live in a bubble out here, which can make it difficult to find something "real"? Hmmm... I didn't know you were so pretentiously judgmental, Glynn.
Winter is winding down. We'll be losing an hour in 8 days.
*sidenote: Sure. We lose an hour in the morning, but you gain that hour in the evening because the sun will still be out when you leave work, so if you want to, say, go for a run or walk to the store or cruise to the beach for an hour, you can because there will be glorious daylight until 7:00pm. So quite yer complaining.
Winter is winding down. We'll be losing an hour in 8 days. I can't wait to start a whole bunch of projects.
*sidenote: By "whole bunch" I mean three. 1) Record my acoustic stuff. A split EP with the wonderfully talented Lexy Baeza. A solo album. Literally, cannot wait. 2) Run. 1st 5K of 2012 is in 5 weeks. And running also means I'll shed some poundage, which is always good for the old heart. 3) Blog more regularly. I need to write more. Not just songs or emails to angry customers but creative bursts of intellectually stimulating (or not) prose.
Winter is winding down. We'll be losing an hour in 8 days. I can't wait to start a whole bunch of projects. And now it's time to go play guitar...
*sidenote: Thanks for reading this...
*sidenote: I live in California, so saying that "winter is winding down" is purely chronological and has nothing to do with the actual season. It's 77 degrees outside and sunny and beautiful and why would anyone want to live anywhere else in the world? Oh... people live in a bubble out here, which can make it difficult to find something "real"? Hmmm... I didn't know you were so pretentiously judgmental, Glynn.
Winter is winding down. We'll be losing an hour in 8 days.
*sidenote: Sure. We lose an hour in the morning, but you gain that hour in the evening because the sun will still be out when you leave work, so if you want to, say, go for a run or walk to the store or cruise to the beach for an hour, you can because there will be glorious daylight until 7:00pm. So quite yer complaining.
Winter is winding down. We'll be losing an hour in 8 days. I can't wait to start a whole bunch of projects.
*sidenote: By "whole bunch" I mean three. 1) Record my acoustic stuff. A split EP with the wonderfully talented Lexy Baeza. A solo album. Literally, cannot wait. 2) Run. 1st 5K of 2012 is in 5 weeks. And running also means I'll shed some poundage, which is always good for the old heart. 3) Blog more regularly. I need to write more. Not just songs or emails to angry customers but creative bursts of intellectually stimulating (or not) prose.
Winter is winding down. We'll be losing an hour in 8 days. I can't wait to start a whole bunch of projects. And now it's time to go play guitar...
*sidenote: Thanks for reading this...
Friday, March 2, 2012
Go Do
Seriously... slowly... moving... is this day...
But soon I'll be at a Ducks game, amongst the (semi-)masses, enjoying Bro Hymn (which means we've scored), stomach full of Bruxie (awesome waffle sandwiches), and possibly cheesecake (but only if it's not too expensive)...
Hopefully, some guitar tonight, too. Played last night (review of old stuff, some new stuff, mostly getting ready to record, filtering, picking out songs, second-guessing [which I hate, it's so counterproductive, why must it occur?], perfecting, making mistakes, learning, getting better), but I should always play more... NEED to play more.
Running tomorrow morning. First time since November. 30 minutes at a nice easy pace. 5 weeks away from the first official race of the season, which will be a 5K down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I still want to hit up a triathlon by the end of the year. I just need to start swimming more.
I miss regularly blogging. I guess I have no one to blame but myself.
All it takes is a decision... a firmly made decision. Be a better husband. Be a better dad. Play more guitar. Blog more. Clean. Cook. Run. Be healthy. A firmly made decision. And slipping is okay, as long as you right yourself and keep moving forward. Slipping is okay. We're all human. We all make mistakes. We all lose sight of our goals. But our goals are always there. A firmly made decision.
But soon I'll be at a Ducks game, amongst the (semi-)masses, enjoying Bro Hymn (which means we've scored), stomach full of Bruxie (awesome waffle sandwiches), and possibly cheesecake (but only if it's not too expensive)...
Hopefully, some guitar tonight, too. Played last night (review of old stuff, some new stuff, mostly getting ready to record, filtering, picking out songs, second-guessing [which I hate, it's so counterproductive, why must it occur?], perfecting, making mistakes, learning, getting better), but I should always play more... NEED to play more.
Running tomorrow morning. First time since November. 30 minutes at a nice easy pace. 5 weeks away from the first official race of the season, which will be a 5K down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I still want to hit up a triathlon by the end of the year. I just need to start swimming more.
I miss regularly blogging. I guess I have no one to blame but myself.
All it takes is a decision... a firmly made decision. Be a better husband. Be a better dad. Play more guitar. Blog more. Clean. Cook. Run. Be healthy. A firmly made decision. And slipping is okay, as long as you right yourself and keep moving forward. Slipping is okay. We're all human. We all make mistakes. We all lose sight of our goals. But our goals are always there. A firmly made decision.
Monday, October 17, 2011
When do we lose our curiosity?
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...?
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...?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
People are genuinely friendly
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...
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...
Saturday, October 8, 2011
... On the Shoulders of Giants (and rambling)
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.
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.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Cooking
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...
Ireally like love my blog...
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
Monday, September 12, 2011
Unlearning
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...
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...
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Even the mundane...
... 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...
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...
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