Habits

It takes 2 weeks for something to become a habit.

How long does it take for something to un-become a habit?

Exercising, running, eating right, drumming.

Three of these four things are lacking in my life right now.

Well, four of the four if you consider the fact that I'm only drumming on practice pads and not on an actual kit.

Good habits always feel like they're so hard to reinforce, whereas bad habits propagate and intensify with little to no effort.

If the first step towards a solution is admitting you have a problem, then I'm on the right track.

Go reinforce a good habit, Glynn. Then do it again and again and again.

What habits will I have 2 weeks from now...?

...

Oh yeah, the Vater Manhattan 7A is out dueling the Vic Firth X8D at the moment.

I'm Excited About...

... a website that will hopefully make some waves in how music business is conducted: backsta.gr/

Well... damn...

I just read a thread about the website on Reddit, and now the only thing I'm excited about is not being a lawyer... Seriously, though. Red tape and the rabbit hole and compliance and legalese make me... so sad...

I'm really excited about going to my first Dodgers game of the season.

And about recording more music with Lexy Baeza.

And about posting my "Making of" video for the song "Be Boring" based on a chapter from Austin Kleon's Steal Like an Artist.

And about doing the RW Summer Running Streak 2012, which basically means I'm going to be running at least a mile a day from Memorial Day to Independence Day.

Yep... lots to be excited about!!!

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...

Slowly But Surely

My room is dirty. I don't know how to play guitar. I can't run a mile without stopping.

I picked up a sock. I picked up a guitar. I picked out a pair of running shoes.

I turned on the TV. Wow, drums are cool. I'm too tired to get out there today.

I picked up my clothes and did some dusting. Hm, this tab is getting easier. Another slow run, but I'm feeling better.

More arranging. I just wrote another song. Going for a personal best in my 5K tomorrow.

...

It seems like things happen all at once, but they really happen slowly. As long as I take the right steps towards my goals, I can achieve them.

Yes, it's cheesy. No, it's not sexy. Yes, it takes a lot of hard work. No, it's not easy.

Yes, slowly... but surely.

Progress

I started running on 7/1/2010.

1.13 miles in 11:31... a numerical symmetry that's almost poetic.

At the time, I remember being slightly disappointed. It was a pretty brutal wake up call. I was 28 years old and really out of shape. It felt like I would never be able to run a 5k in under 30 minutes, never consider a 2 mile run to be short,  never contemplate a sprint triathlon as a realistic goal.

Well... it's almost 21 months later... my 5k personal best is 24:57, a 2 mile run is shorter than my "normal" run (3 miles), and a sprint triathlon is very much a goal for me (this one on 10/21/2012). And all this with two different extended "off" periods (6 months from 11/2010 to 5/2011 and 3 months from 12/2011 to 2/2012).

I'm proud of the progress I've made, but I have to work to stay hungry, work to push myself to get out there and hit the pavement, work to stay focused and find fun races to keep me motivated.

Keep it going, Glynn. Let's see where you are in another 21 months...

... can't be a bad thing, right?

I can already tell this is gonna be a good one...

Good is an entirely subjective term. For example, when I say "good" I mean that I'll probably be ping ponging around from subject to subject to the predicate, you let me go-oo-oh-oo-oh, you're leaving Connecticut first flight tomo-oo-row-oo-oh...

The Impossibles were a good band. Were? Are they still a band? I have no idea.

I ran on a treadmill today. Which was boring, but fun, but functional, but I got to listen to the first Miniature Tigers album in its entirety, which can't be a bad thing, right?

I did a load of Chase's laundry.

Are blogs just supposed to be a way to lay out the minutes of the day? Methinks that's a big fat "NO!"

The play from my last post is Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. I should purchase it and read it soon.

I finished writing a song tonight? Question mark because I'm sure I'll revisit it tomorrow and make some tweaks, which can't be a bad thing, right?

Teams really are as good as their weakest player. Which says a lot about any championship team. Minimizing mistakes. Maximizing strengths. Yes, it's okay that it's simple. Simple is better than complicated sometimes.

I write a lot of songs about Chase, which can't be a bad thing, right?

Throwback bands are good. I don't hate on them for being born in the wrong decade or for standing on the shoulders of giants. Sure, it would be nice to push the limits of music and try something new, but I'm all for rehashing as long as you're good and you can make my head nod and my arms air drum and my foot tap.

Is it a bad thing to be liked?

Sometimes when you want something so badly, it gets in the way, and you'll be better off taking a step back, letting it breathe, being patient, because things take time...

Is it a bad thing to be accessible?

(delete) (delete) (delete)

Band of Skulls must really like Jack White...

Man, when did it become 23:10???

Go to sleep, Glynn, which means lie in bed looking at Facebook and watching Sportscenter and eating Samoas or Caramel Delites or whatever the eff they're called now... which can't be a bad thing, right?

*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...

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.

Just Keep Swimming...

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!!!

Swimming

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.

How badly do you want it?

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.

For Fun

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?

Focus

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

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...

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...

Woodshed: The Beginning

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...

Running and Drumming

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

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!!!

I Just Didn't Feel Like Running...

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...

Routines...

... 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...)