Life So Far - Take Two

NSAI

2012-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you probably already know that I joined NSAI - Nashville Songwriters Association International - http://www.nashvillesongwriters.com/

When I double checked the requirements for the audition at Bluebird that I'm wanting to sign up for, I read that you must live within 100 miles of Nashville OR be an active member of NSAI. Since I'm not part of the former, I became part of the latter. :-)

I had a moment when I was signing up where I had to stop and question myself... It's $200 to join (I opted for the $50 today and $50 over the next three months) so it's not a whim. I had to stop and make a commitment to myself. Actually I already made a commitment to "go to the next level," I just had to stop and confirm with myself that I was serious about this. Since I am, I did. :-)

I also linked my YouTube video to my ReverbNation page. I had intentions of recording the two songs I wrote this past weekend and posting them on ReverbNation as well, but didn't get around to it. Maybe tomorrow. :-)

I also want to get an EPK (electronic press kit) going to share with the wineries and such that I want to do some solo acoustic stuff with. I figure I can record a line or two (or a chorus) of several appropriate songs and string that together as a demo of sorts. Any suggestions on appropriate songs?

Thanks for reading...

contest entered

2012-01-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

Okay - I finished the song at lunch today at my favorite writing spot - a booth at Pizza Hut. :-)

As I said yesterday, I had the hook and I had a ton of notes. Today I looked back over them and kinda "saw something..." I really have no way of explaining it - it just happened.

Anyway, I finished the song and even had the tune. I grabbed my iPhone and mumbled the song into the voice recorder so I wouldn't lose the tune to it. :-) When I got home I worked on the key and the timing and such, and even tweaked the words a bit. I recorded it simply with PhotoBooth on a MacBook Air - nothing fancy. It's sitting on YouTube now waiting on Martin to add it officially to the site.

At that point, I'll be asking you to vote for my video. Thank you in advance. :-)

This post is more than just about that though... I also had two other things music related happen today... First, I noticed after I'd practiced the song and then recorded it that I even sound to myself after the fact that I was putting everything into it... I realized that I really DO "feel" the words. The song was inspired by the contest, but I didn't write a Martin advertisement at all... I wrote a song that I would want to hear. That's something that Don Schlitz told me last week at the Bluebird - "write what you want to hear."

Speaking of Bluebird Cafe - that's the other thing I wanted to mention. I kinda got goose bumps this morning when I got their email newsletter... They only have auditions a few times a year for their Sunday writer's night. They announced that they'll be taking registration on January 20 and then the audition will be on a Sunday in February. I'm going to go online FIRST THING after the window opens and try my best to get in line for an audition... I have about five songs that I would feel comfortable performing for others, and I plan to have several more by the time February gets here. :-)

I'll keep you posted... Thanks for reading!

another songwriting contest

2012-01-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

I'm planning to ask you, gentle reader, for your help on this one... Seems Martin Guitar Company is giving away a very nice D-28 to the winner of a songwriting contest. I'll share a link below to the full rules, but the short story is that it must be an ORIGINAL song posted to YouTube and using the lyric "lifespan" somewhere inside. The top three videos per viewer vote will go into the finals.

First - I'd like to win, just because I'm always happy to win a $3,000 MSRP guitar. :-) I've never owned a Martin before...

Second - I see it as a challenge, and I've already started on my song. I have the 'hook' - I just have to finish it and get it posted.

Here's the link - http://lifespan.venturaassociates.net/

I'll post again when my video is live and you can vote on it. :-)

Also - just a quick note - I took my old Alvarez into the shop today... The guy in Dyersburg made me a good price for the repair, and he says he's done similar repairs, so I took it to him... Keeping my fingers crossed...

Yes, I was going to do it myself, and I'd still like to say that I did, but at this point I'd rather know it's done "correct" than to just say that I did it myself.

Good night all!

Happy New Year !!!

2012-01-01T09:34:00.000-08:00

I didn't write in my blog yesterday because I was doing a different type of writing... I awoke yesterday to a quiet house and decided to pull out some notes from a previous attempt at writing a song. I am so very glad that I now write down my ideas as they happen and I don't throw anything away. :-)

I pulled out a song that started from an exercise that Adam Levy mentioned in his blog post that I quoted before. This was the exercise where you take a picture and just write all you can about it. Well the picture was a pairing in a co-workers office. It was a barn with a stump in the foreground. This intrigued me, so I started making notes. I ended up taking a picture of it with my phone so I'd be able to refer back to it.

Anyway, I had some ideas, but my subconscious took it another direction. I sat down several weeks ago and tried to write the song, but I couldn't really "finish" it, you know? That was the night I stopped working on it and went back to my "Paradise Exercise" and finished that song about daddy.

So anyway, I "finish" the song yesterday, then go to my notes. The very first (hence oldest) note that had not been acted on turned into a fast write of a simple 3/4 time bluegrass tune. It's one of those that I don't see being a "hit" on the radio (wrong genre, wrong hook, etc.) but I can see it being played around a jam circle where different people take turns with the musical breaks. Very "classic bluegrass" in that sense. :-)

So that's why I didn't blog yesterday. This morning, though, I'd like to say Happy New Year to all my friends out there! I pray that this year is the VERY best one so far for you!!!

By the way, do you do resolutions? I don't technically do "new year's resolutions." I think that ANYTIME you decide to do something better with your life that it's okay to do it right then - you don't have to wait till January 1. But, I also know that some people need a trigger, and if the first day of the year is that trigger then good luck and more power to you. ;-)

So, that being said, I still intend to do more with my music this year - to move to the "next level," whatever that may be... Last night I successfully sat in with another group and played bass and sang a few songs. It was a "new years eve" gig so it was VERY late when it was over and very late when I got home. I do NOT want to do that every week... :-)

But anyway, it felt good to be able to sit in and play and not be lost. :-) It helped to reinforce my confidence and give me the push to keep doing more. Also - I'm planning to look into doing more "home town" gigs in an acoustic sense. We had a steak at Dusty Joe's yesterday and I asked them if they ever had live music. The waitress said they had had a band just the night before, so I left my card for her to give the owners...

That's all for now...

Heading into to the new year

2011-12-30T07:53:00.001-08:00

Howdy. I see it's been a while since I last posted, and I have SEVERAL things to talk about, so I think I'll use this post as a teaser or maybe a table of contents. Of course the real reason is so I don't forget to mention some things... :-)

So - in no particular order...

Few days in Nashville
New stage shirts
New boots for Vanessa
Joes crab shack
Don Schlitz at bluebird cafe
Yamaha FG-180 from pawn shop
Helping a young songwriter
Woodie Guthrie & his new years notes
My personal music goals
Writers nights in Dyersburg
Jimmy Hopper

As usual, comments are appreciated and if you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know!

Riding With Daddy

2011-12-11T15:19:00.001-08:00

I know it's been a long time since I've posted, and I do apologize. I've ben busy with music (as well as business stuff) and have done some exciting things!

I wanted to post a link to another song that I wrote, but I wanted to take more than 140 characters to talk about it, hence this here blog post. :-)

First, I want to mention that I was fortunate enough to be in Nashville on a Monday night and got to play open mic night at the Bluebird Cafe. I was honored to just be there, then to share the microphone, but then to get a good response to my song and to make some new 'music friends...' It was truly awesome!

At any rate, I had this song written before then, but had not taken time to put in on tape, so to speak. This is, like my others, just a rough recording with a snowball microphone into GarageBand on my laptop. Nothing fancy, and I even had to stop for a minute while Vanessa's Halls pager went through it's 5 PM test cycle. :-)

I wanted to talk just a little about the creation of this song. I want to specifically thank Mr. Adam Levy - a wonderful singer/songwriter/guitarist who I've mentioned here before. I was going through one of the exercises that he mentioned in a blog post when I just started getting these words out and on paper - I almost couldn't stop, but at the same time it touched me so deep down inside that I had to step away from it...

The exercise? Take a song that you like and write the first line, then let your imagination (and subconscious) go wild and just write down as many lines as you can that match the tempo, etc. and just see where it goes. Well it went in about three different directions but when it kept coming back to my dad, who's now deceased, it was just a little too much for me, so I had to stop and put it aside. I then tried to change gears in my mind and that's when I literally wrote "the Pepsi song" in about 25 minutes. I really think my creative juices were flowing and that's what came out.

Anyway - fast forward a couple of months. I am trying another exercise that Adam (@stringjuggler on Twitter) mentioned and I wasn't really getting anything, but I pulled the notes to THIS song back out and it just started popping into place. I actually wrote probably two pages worth of "dialogue" and this is what it condensed to.

You'll probably notice right away that the song sounds a little like Paradise by John Prine. That's the song I started with on the exercise. I really feel that my melody (and especially the chord progression) changes drastically enough to not be a "copy" or even a "version," but that it still pays tribute to the song that influenced it. Family members, and long time readers, will remember that Vanessa and I sang Paradise for daddy's memorial service.

So - that's this song in a nutshell. It's all true (except one line, but I won't tell you which one and you'll never guess it anyway - and per Mr. Levy it's "close enough" to be true - it's true in spirit) and it's all from the heart. Hope you enjoy...

Follow the link below to my ReverbNation page - the name of the song is "Riding With Daddy"

http://www.reverbnation.com/jimmyanderson

Comments appreciated, and feel free to repost...

next level

2011-10-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking long and hard about this subject, and I've come to a conclusion... I'm ready for the next level (nod to Bobby Jack here).

As I've said before, I pour everything into it when I'm performing. As I've learned to sing, I've learned that it's the best way to relate to the song, to the dancers, etc. The more I put into it the more it shows and comes out.

Well, part of my singing has been to stretch myself. I've already expanded my singing range, and I've also expanded my repertoire. I have expanded my playing, as I said in the last post, as well, and am proud of that. I don't want to stop growing and learning, but at the same time I feel like there's only so much I can do with the group at Halls.

Now let me make this clear. I am not taking anything away from the musicians there or their abilities, but at the same time I don't think there's a lot more they can do. I've done this enough lately to realize that I still have a lot of maturing and growing, but the upside is that I'm still improving. To do so, though, you have to be challenged.

I feel like I've challenged myself with some newer songs and such, but I feel like the crowd is paying the price for it. If the band would get together and practice from the to time I think we could do so much more. But at the same time I don't know that they really care if they do more or not. And if the crowd is happy with the same songs, etc. then perhaps I need to back off of trying to push TOO hard too much and too fast...

So, I think for the near future I'm going to work on doing the songs that I've been doing and try to do them to the best of my ability. I want to still do my best but I think I'm going to go easy on the "new" stuff on Fridays. I'm still going to work on them for myself, of course, and keep doing stuff and trying to improve. Maybe one day we'll get a chance to work on some things, or I may get a chance to move on to another group of pickers and be able to continue to grow.

Either way - I refuse to limit myself, but at the same time I have to think of the crowd. :-)

Sorry - it's late and I'm tired and I feel like I'm rambling, but I wanted to record these thoughts... G'night!

reflections on an off night

2011-10-18T04:45:00.000-07:00

Attention - this is a post about Music. Big surprise huh? :-)

I want to record some feelings I've been having when reflecting on this past Friday night...

First, most of the people there that night probably didn't notice (even a couple of the musicians didn't seem to notice I was struggling, which is a good sign I guess) but I was really struggling. My timing felt off, I was having a little issue with some vocals, I was not "hearing" it while playing some songs that Jimmy Skiles was singing... It was really an off night.

At first I attributed it to being tired as well as being out of my normal groove. I even wondered if it was because my uncle was there, but that wasn't it. I don't get nervous any more and it was a JOY to see Uncle Ronald, so if anything I feel like that would have made it better.

But - having said all that - I've come to the conclusion that the reason I was "off" is because I wasn't feeling it... We usually start with Jimmy Skiles singing a two-step number, then I'll follow with Swingin' Doors. Since I want to continue to expand, I had chosen a new song to do for "number 2" - Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound. It was the first time I'd performed it with the band and it just didn't feel right... So, since I wasn't "feeling it" it didn't come out good enough (to me, it didn't - no one else seemed to notice).

I tried a couple of other songs during the night that I'd been wanting to try and they also didn't sound good to me. I could blame it on the fact that the band hasn't been able to "practice" so if a key is wrong or a beat is wrong you're just kinda stuck with it for that time, then it's a full week before you try it again. I don't work that way - I like to hone my craft. :-)

Anyway, to finish this thought, there were two songs that I felt like pulled me back on track - Bartenders Blues was NOT the best I've ever done it, but it flowed. The one that I feel like I could really look back on and feel good about was The Grand Tour. And the reason? I FELT it... As I've said before, I pour everything into my performances, but I felt like I wasn't able to connect with the songs or the music until that song.

Whew - okay - got that out of my system. :-)

While I have your attention, a quick note (for my own records) that this past week was a time I noticed I've started expanding my guitar picking in a particular way... A few weeks ago on Dueling Banjos I added a couple of notes (16th notes?) to a particular lick in the song. Well I started playing around with Down Yonder and Red Wing and adding some extra 8th & 16th notes to them.

Not a big deal to someone that picks guitar for a living, but I felt like it was a big step for me and helped to reinforce with myself that though I consider myself an "accomplished" player that I still have the ability to learn and raise that ceiling. It also helps to think back on that fact and know that Friday night was a fluke... :-)

Have a great day everyone!

old post - sunday night journal

2011-10-16T15:04:00.001-07:00

Last old post for today... This one from October 25, 2009.

Just a quick note - trying to get back into a daily routine here. :-)

Yesterday’s competition went great! It was a “first year” for that school. We made some decent money to cover our time and they sold many more “extras” than I thought they would! We cut them in for a bigger cut because so many were sold and I’ve already started burning those to mail.

Big week ahead... Tomorrow is Colton’s 16th birthday! He’s getting his license tomorrow, barring any catastrophe. :-) Kyle has some “issues” with his bank that I have to follow up on. Vanessa is studying for her First Responder’s Certification as well. It’s also “denim day” at work. :-)

Tuesday promises to be a more normal day.

Wednesday will be... “different” We’re working on our presentation for TETC so I’ll be out of the office doing that at least for the morning. I’m traveling to Nashville that night for an ENA meeting Thursday and Friday.

Here’s hoping I can keep this blogging thing up... :-)

old post - band geeks

2011-10-16T15:02:00.001-07:00

This is a VERY short one from October 24, 2009.

Getting ready to head out to do a side job. Vanessa and I are video taping another school’s band competition. Putting the computer skills to work... :-)

old post - we're going to jackson

2011-10-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

Looks like this one is also from the same date - October 23, 2009. I see that I note some parodies I had written before, but I don't remember ever going back and noting the words to them... Perhaps one day I will find them and post them...

Another offline update... Remember, these are as much for me a journal as they are for others to read. :-)

Had a great time while at Summer Institute performing a surprise song... :-) Next year it will be at Liberty High School in Jackson, so we decided to have the promo be something... a little different.

Tangent #1 of ??? - for the past several years I’ve written a song toward the end of the school year. I don’t know all the old words, so I’m recording this one here, and will add the others as I remember.

Cat 5 Cable
Paradise (the Lauderdale version)
White Collar Hollar

Anyway - Lynn Tucker started a BORING Power Point showing details about Jackson. Slides said 1 of 87, 2 of 87, etc. while Vanessa and I were backstage waiting. Finally he said, “you know, there’s a better way to tell you about Jackson...” At this point I start in on the opening notes of Johnny Cash’s Jackson. Vanessa and I come out from behind the curtain and sing...

We got computers for our teachers, bought a bunch of servers too,
We've been needin' Summer Institute, gotta learn just what to do.
I'm goin' to Jackson, not gonna mess around,
Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson,
Look out Jackson town.

Well, go on down to Jackson; go ahead to Liberty.
Go see your friends you big-talkin' man, learn all about technology,
Yeah, go to Jackson; go comb your hair!
Honey, I'm gonna firewall Jackson.
See if I care.

When I breeze into that city, vendors gonna stoop and bow. (Hah!)
All them technicians gonna make me, teach 'em what they don't know how,
I'm goin' to Jackson, get my wi-fi on.
'Cos I'm goin' to Jackson.
"Liberty here I come."

Well they'll teach you things in Jackson, and I'll be learnin' right by your side.
They'll lead you 'round town like a fast learnin' hound,
They'll take us both for a ride,
Yeah, go to Jackson, you big-talkin' man.
And I'll be waitin' in Jackson, laptop in my hand,

Well now, we got computers for our teachers, bought a bunch of servers too,
We've been needin' Summer Institute, gotta learn just what to do.
We're goin' to Jackson, and that's a fact,
Yeah, we're goin' to Jackson, be smarter comin' back.

The pic above is the handout, plus this address - www.twitter.com/SI_2010

old post - music is a muscle

2011-10-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

Since I've not posted in a couple of days (not because I've had nothing to say, just haven't stopped to type) I thought I'd post some more "old posts" that need to be archived... This one is from October 23, 2009. Yep - almost 2 years ago. :-)

I would like to comment, first, that I've actually thought back on this post (or at least the meaning behind it) many times lately, especially as I've grown as a vocalist. It's like the more I push myself the more I am able to do.

Anyway - here's the old pic and the old post...

I finally have my inbox under control. For the geeks among you, you might be interested to know that Snow Leopard has some issues with Apple Mail. For a time, I kept getting the same messages downloaded over and over and over and over and... yep - that’s how I felt too. :-)

Anyway - workorders and such are under control at work. Stress (at work anyway) is down somewhat. Things are getting back to the normal level of hecticity.

So - I’m in my inbox just now, working offline and looking through some things, when I see a note I wrote to myself on July 19th - “blog post - music is a muscle”

First, I’m waaaay behind on blog postings, but I’ve decided I’m NOT going to let that be a point of stress in my life. It ain’t worth it. :-)

Second, here’s what I wanted to say about this subject...

Playing music, like an instrument, is apparently much like using muscles in your body. If you don’t use them, they start to atrophy. When you do use them, they grow stronger and you can do even more with them. I experienced something like that at Summer Institute this year I believe...

When we went for our WTETA Picnic/Meeting in May, I took my guitar. Darbin brought his mandolin and Jason brought his bass. We played for a while after the meeting and had a good time, so I took my guitar with me to Summer Institute in July. Two different nights we played in the lobby of the hotel and one day we played during the day.

Now - how is this a muscle? The more I did that week, the more I COULD do. I was playing guitar, but I also played more banjo than I have in a long time and even played the standup bass on a couple of songs. I also felt I could do things that I normally would not be able to do. No, not be an overnight Chet Akins, but it felt natural doing things I would normally back off and say, “no thanks” to.

Bottom line - it felt great! :-)

dressing and chords shapes

2011-10-14T04:41:00.000-07:00

My mother commented on my post from two days ago. She reminded me of the dressing at school. :-)

When I was in Grammer School (what they call Elementary now), I was going through the lunch line and Mrs. Melba asked me if I liked the dressing. I told her it was good, but not as good as my mama's. She NEVER forgot that and even told my mom one day, so that's been a running joke between the three of us.

This past Sunday, we got out to do some errands and since it wasn't too busy at DJ's in Halls, we stopped to see what their hot lunch was. Chicken & Dressing. When I took a bite, I told Vanessa it was good, but wasn't mama's. :-)

Also - I never did go back and tell where I found that Joe Diffe song... People that know my listening habits know I tend to not listen to the plain radio. I prefer podcasts, so I can pause, rewind, etc. There's one I stumbled on that I can't find right now, so I can't tell you the name of it, but it was a "live" thing recorded somewhere in Nashville. It started out pretty good with lots of Bluegrass but after a few episodes it started dropping off. I got to where I'd just skim it. But when Joe was there and talking about "Homecoming" (his new bluegrass album) he did that song. WOW.

Last night Vanessa and I met James & Phyllis and Steve & Elaine for some music making. We had a good time with me on picking rhythm, Vanessa on bass, Steve on rhythm and James on mandolin. James chooses not to sing, the other three of us carried the vocals while Phyllis & Elaine talked quilt making.

I wanted to touch on two specific things... First, it was almost like old times having another guitar to carry that part of the rhythm while I did some picking. In other venues, there might be another guitar, but mine is still so strong that it carries the rhythm. Not with Steve! He's a great strummer and had no problem carrying it and letting me do some extra picking or even experimenting with chord shapes...

Which leads me to number 2 - I played around on a song that was in D... I made a normal D but when it came to the A, I made it as if it were an F on the 5th fret, only I left the bottom string open. I liked the "ring" that it gave, so I tried it on the G on the 3rd fret, only this time leaving the third string open. It had a good "ring" to it I thought, and felt good to experiment.

Looking forward to the next time!!!

old friends and being available

2011-10-12T05:18:00.000-07:00

Okay - now that the song is posted (yesterday's blog), I have some other things to talk about...

First, we're on Fall Break this week. While Kyle was at work yesterday and Colton was with his friends, Vanessa and I went to town to pick up a few things. We stopped at Taco Bell to grab a bite before hitting Wal-Mart and were just about ready to leave when I saw her smile, then someone behind me covered my eyes. My first thought? Okay - this must be someone special, but who?

My eyes were uncovered and it was Jean Tittle ! I look around and there's Hershell at the counter. What a site for sore eyes! (that line reminds me of another song - gotta make sure to add it too...) This was the first time we'd seen them in AGES! We had already finished but moved to their table to sit and talk while they ate. We ended up staying for what had to be an hour or more just talking about old times and what we're all doing now. They talked about their great grandkid and Vanessa talked about our dogs. :-) They've recently lost two pets, which was sad. :-(

We talked about music, of course. When we were with Heaven's Echos years and years ago (more than 20, at the beginning), they were a big part of our lives! They weren't like a father and mother to us, but were more like an aunt and uncle that you really loved spending time with. And those of you that know how much I valued my aunts and uncles will know how large of a statement that is to me.

Anyway, I started by asking Hershell if he was offended by Country music. He said no, and I proceeded to tell him about my Friday night gig... I played his bass some back in the day (when he'd want to concentrate on singing a slow song, usually) so I wanted him to know that I was playing bass all the time and I showed him my callus on my right hand. :-) I also asked him if he'd ever thought he'd think of me as a vocalist. :-)

He said more than once he wished I'd come play with them. They have a piano player only and he said they'd like to have a bass, guitar, mandolin, whatever. I told him I didn't feel led to do that anymore, but that I'd love to sit in and just see what happens. We made sure we had each other's numbers and he said he'd talk to the keyboard player and see what happens.

After we left, I told Vanessa I can see three 'issues' with this... First, if I'm not called into that ministry, it's not the right thing to do - I firmly believe that. Second, I feel like I've really come a long way as a vocalist and I don't think I'm ready to give that up and go back to just being a musician. :-) Third, I'm afraid that it would come down to that OR Country and that they wouldn't 'let' me do both. Now I'm not saying that God won't call me back into that ministry - He did it once before, and He can do whatever He wants of course - but until such a time as that, I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing and having all the fun I can with it.

So - this begs the question - why even pursue that? I've decided that if I'm going to progress in my music that I have to make myself available. I don't believe in coincidences - the fact that we ran into them yesterday means that something bigger is at work here, and I'm not going to turn my back on that. Will something come out of it? I don't know, but I do know that if I close doors I'm cutting myself off, so I'll strive NOT to do that.

Before I go - I found a couple of old scanned pictures of them on their granddaughter's Facebook page. These were, of course, before we met them, but there is no doubt it's them!

Route 5 Box 109

2011-10-11T05:38:00.000-07:00

I'm typing this on Sunday afternoon. We attended a surprise birthday party for a friend last night, and got to spend some quality time with a great group of people. They are collectively known as "TUS" - the usual suspects. Had a great time with some great fellowship. There was a fire built and we roasted hotdogs and just enjoyed each other's company. Before the night was over, though, I had taken my little "travel" guitar out and some of us did some singing. I also added some songs to my "songbook" that I use on Friday nights, so it was relaxing and expanding as well.

Okay - Tuesday morning early. Just didn't feel like I had much to say, so the draft above didn't get added to over the last 48 hours, but now I feel like I'm going to bust if I don't share what's on my mind...

I don't want to get too deep in 'catch up' to miss this moment, so I'm going to share this, and THEN I'll do the catch up thing...

Joe Diffe has a song that really struck a chord with me (no pun intended) so I wanted to add it to my repertoire if possible... It's not noted on any of the lyrics sites that I've searched, so I just used Spotify to listen to it and type the lyrics. I still have to go back and flesh out the chord progression, but here's what I'm hearing...

INTRO -

Somewhere outside of Gadsden I saw mama standing in the kitchen
And along about Decatur I started smelling taters and fried chicken
And then a Trooper pulled me over, said if I drive any slower
He was gonna lock me up for killing time.
He said, "boy have you been drinking?" I said, "no sir I's just thinking,
Bout Route 5 Box 109."

I was thinking about red wigglers and a stringer full of brim.
And the sound the king of spades made in the spokes of my old Schwinn.
I was racing Richie Coleman for a Grape Nehi.
Yeah lately I've been thinking 'bout Route 5 Box 109.

I pulled back on the freeway - found a country deejay out of Huntsville.
I called him up just hoping he'd keep my tired eyes open till I reached Nashville.
I talked and he just listened bout the place that I was missing,
Then he left, when he came back on the line.
Said son the switchboard's blinking, you got half of Alabama thinking,
About Route 5, Box 109.

Bout mama's cathead biscuits, Martha White Self Rising Flour.
And getting rabbit ears positioned for Glen Campbell's Good Time Hour.
And the sound of daddy snoring playing Gentle on My Mind.
Yeah lately I've been thinking,
Bout Route 5, Box 109.

And that bed of black eyed susans in a white washed tractor tire.
And a set of threadbare sheets hanging on a clothesline wire.
Mama's bucket full of Pine Sol making sure that we had shine.
Yeah lately I've been thinking,
Bout Route 5, Box 109.

Yeah lately I've been thinking,
Bout Route 5, Box 109.

OUTRO -

Okay. This song REALLY gets to me - not sure why, unless it's just the nostalgia factor, but as I was listening and typing the words I kept having to stop and wipe a tear or just flat out stop and sob. This is one of those songs that make me realize why people that don't sing can sit and listen over and over to someone else singing... It really reaches into your heart and pulls at something DEEP down in our souls.

No, not everything in the song is from my memory, but there's enough there that it hits home... We walked the dogs down the road last night and I had to go into the yard where I did a lot of my growing up. You can still see the basketball hoop in the tree (boy it looks closer to the ground now than it did when I was 8) and the bank going up to the road doesn't seem as steep either. :-)

So - looking at the song - my mama spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and some days I'd come home from school and she'd have made tater logs and fried chicken, just like Q-Mart, only better! And as far as a Route, anyone from the South knows that before numbers on roads (for 911 purposes) it was just Rural Route 1, or 2 or 3, etc. - and a box number if you had to.

I didn't do a lot of fishing, so the wigglers and the brim don't mean as much to me, but I can still relate. I didn't do the playing card in the bicycle tire, but some of my friends did. And yeah, we'd race, but it wasn't for Grape Nehi - it was just for fun because sodas were expensive... Sometimes we'd find bottles to sell back to the grocery store for some candy, but we went home to get our drinks... Lots of time it was red kool-aid.

And then the whole thing about calling the DJ and getting the people thinking... It chokes me up to just think about that part, I guess because I tend to take my music and my feelings (and my words on this blog) and throw them out there hoping people can relate.

Cathead biscuits... We called them that at home, and they were truly home made. Mama would take the leftover dough after rolling it out, cutting round pieces with a glass dipped in flour, then rolling what's left - etc. Anyway, the leftover was just kinda folded up and was the 'runt' on the pan. That's the one I'd go for. I remember a few year's ago we all went to her house to eat and she said she had saved that one for me. :-)

I didn't listen to the Opry growing up, but I understand the importance and the significance of Martha White... And we didn't watch Glen Campbell, but we did have to turn the antenna if we wanted to get UHF or maybe wrestling on Channel 6 out of Kentucky.

And I can't think of Gentle on My Mind without remembering Travis Davison, Sr. kicking into (in the same tune) - "It's knowing that your door is always open and your furniture is gone..."

We didn't have a tractor tire flower bed that I remember, but I think I had a sandbox made from one... And of course clothes on the line were common back then, especially the sheets.

"Yeah this song has got me thinking - bout Route 1, 38034"

Carson, Angels and new pic

2011-10-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Okay - trying out the "draft" function of blogger... I'm actually typing this right after publishing "yesterday's" post about my week in pics. I started out wanting to do a quick catch up and, as is normal for me, I had more to say than I thought I did. :-) I really must blog more often... I'm not even sure now what all I've said recently. :-)

At any rate, before I get to last night, I want to mention that as I was driving back from Murfreesboro I was listening to different things on my iPhone. I have one old podcast episode saved from a podcast that is no longer even being published. It's a song by someone called "Carsonator" and I've googled that many times in the past with no luck. Well, yesterday I had some luck... All of the google searches I did brought up the same old links with no info - except one... It listed a twitter address, which is interesting because Twitter didn't even exist back when this podcast was published.

At any rate, I found that it's a guy named Jason Carson and I have started following him on twitter - http://twitter.com/carsonator I sent him a message to ask if I could have permission to perform the song locally, and of course he agreed right away. It's not the standard "Haggard and Jones," but I think it's a GREAT song with a great story & message behind it, and I'm looking forward to working it in.

So while I'm on his Twitter page I see that he's part of a group called Angels Landing - http://angelslandingmusic.com/ (geek side note here - while exploring their website I see they're using iWeb to create their site). I have several friends in the Nashville area and I implore you to find where these folks are playing and GO LISTEN TO THEM! I make several trips to that area each year and I look forward to seeing them in person. As you know, gentle reader, I was in their neighborhood just this week, but at the time I had no idea where this guy was from that did this song. Small world, eh?

Oh - quick insert here - while grabbing the links to share on this page I find this one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOe02iPvKkg

So - about last night (finally). At the risk of sounding like I'm bragging, I nailed it. I know people come to dance and you have to play dance music for that to happen, but it was a smaller crowd and they were mostly two steppers, so that's what we keyed on, but I think they got bored of it because there was a point that they'd only dance to slow songs. And I noticed more than once that they weren't dancing, but they were having a good time anyway!

There's a particular couple that dance almost every song and I was singing a song I'd not done there before (Tennessee Whiskey, maybe? no - that came later - it was Wanted, by Alan Jackson) and they didn't get up to dance, but I noticed that they stopped talking and turned around and listened to the song. It seemed that everyone was paying attention to the music and the singing - and I got the vibe that they liked what they heard, which made me put even more into it. Well the applause after the song told me they were enjoying it, and not just tolerating it. :-)

One last thing - Vanessa took this pic of me before the show. I have my new shirt along with the collar tips she gave me, and my hat. We decided it looked okay untucked, so I wore it that way. I wanted an updated pic for blogger, twitter, etc. so she took this one for me to use...

my week in pics

2011-10-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

First, a bit of journaling housekeeping... Has been almost a week since I posted here, and the last posts were "old posts" I was archiving. Monday Kyle had his ear surgery. This is, hopefully, the last surgery due to his car wreck on New Year's Day. They went in and repaired some bone damage under the ear drum. He goes back Tuesday to get the "packing" removed. It was a 45 minute procedure, but he was in Pre-op for over three hours, then the actual procedure took about 20 minutes. The doctor said it went off without a hitch! Since he'd not had anything to eat since before midnight, we went to one of his favorite places...

I also want to mention that a dear friend actually drove to the surgery center to see us and make sure we didn't need anything. Thank you, David, for taking your lunch break and coming to see us! Very cool of you!

Spent a couple of days in Murfreesboro meeting with the TETA Board of Directors. Good stuff, but very tiring. Took some pics along the way. This was at a truck stop that had a "western" corner. The only shirt they had that was big enough was this one, though, and not "vintage" enough...

I thought it was encouraging to even find them though! For those that might not know (and I don't know if I've put it in blog form or not), I've been looking for something in vintage style for my stage clothes. When I started with NashVegas it was on a trial basis - to make sure they were comfortable with me, but more so that I could have an "out" if I didn't want to stay. Well, once I made the decision to stay I bought a new hat, started wearing my boots on stage, started doing my best to look "western," like I used to.

The next pit stop saw this shirt...

This next pic was taken as I checked in (on Foursquare) to a little town that me & daddy used to drive to. It's right on Hwy 96 between Franklin and Murfreesboro. This building used to be a retread plant where we'd take truck tires to and sell them. Brings back memories for sure...

So, while I'm in Murfreesboro, I stop at this specific store to get Vanessa something. I was going to find a Charming Charlies no matter how far I had to drive. Turns out there was one RIGHT BEHIND the hotel.

While I'm there I ask one of the helpful sales staff if she knew where I might find a place that sells western shirts - vintage, retro, etc. She tells me of French's Boot & Shoe, so I drive out. WOW! They had several of shirts that were EXACTLY what I was looking for.

I'm not good at taking those mirror shots like you see, but here's the one I finally settled on... Took this shot so I could send it to Vanessa to see what she thought...

The two ladies working the register were nice enough to give me their opinion as well, and I asked one of them to take a pic so I could send it to Vanessa, who approved. I know the pics don't do it justice, but it's a very nice black shirt with gold toned embroidery.

Okay - was going to talk about last night, but that's enough for one day's post. :-)

old post - prayer

2011-10-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

And here's the next "old post" - I shared a prayer request on August 24, 2009. The SPECIFIC request mentioned has not materialized yet, but there have been MANY small miracles (monetary and otherwise) along the way...

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted. School is back in session so things are more than busy.

Here’s an email I sent earlier to a Christian mailing list I’m a member of. Feel free to join in as well. :-)

Okay, calling all prayer warriors...

I have a specific amount of money (no, not "a million" or anything like that) that I have asked God for. It is NOT an arbitrary number. I have added up some specific things that I need to pay for plus a specific item I need to buy without financing, so I have a legitimate, nice round number.

Just for sake of discussion, there are some specific things I'm keeping in mind...

1) we have not because we ask not

2) if a father who is evil knows how to give good things to his son, what about our Heavenly Father? How much better can he give?

3) during revival services last week, the preacher said this during an alter call - "what is your need? Whatever it is, God can supply it. It may be health, it may be relationship, it may be money - it may be because of something you yourself caused. Just because you're suffering from your own bad decisions doesn't mean God doesn't love you and doesn't want to meet that need.

4) I am bringing this up here because I want HIM to get the glory.

5) when Jesus was asked about paying the tax, he told his disciple to catch a fish and it would have the money in it.

6) the amount I'm asking for is GREAT to someone like me, but there are people out there that this would be a SMALL amount.

So - I covet your prayers.

Peace and Blessings to you all...

old post - dozen

2011-10-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here's today's "old post" - from July 13, 2009.

My son is driving us to a conference so I’m assisting from the passenger seat. My imaginary break is not working as well as I’d like... I’m trying hard to let him listen to what he wants - but -

Anyway, I’m sitting here going through some emails and found one from a few days ago that was “too long” for a quick read. Boy am I glad I didn’t skim it and go on! I would have missed something big!

From my Bible verses emails - Sunday, July 12, 2009

Blessed Beyond Resources

Late that afternoon, the followers came to Jesus and said,
"No people live in this place. And it is already late. Send
the people away so they can go to the towns and buy food for
themselves." Jesus answered, "The people don't need to go
away. You give them some food to eat." The followers
answered, "But we have only five loaves of bread and two
fish." Jesus said, "Bring the bread and the fish to me." Then
Jesus told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took
the five loaves of bread and the two fish. Jesus looked into
the sky and thanked God for the food. Then Jesus divided the
loaves of bread. Jesus gave the bread to the followers, and
the followers gave the bread to the people. All the people
ate and were filled. After the people finished eating, the
followers filled twelve baskets with the pieces of food that
were not eaten. There were about 5,000 men there that ate.
There were also women and children that ate.

-- Matthew 14:15-21 (ERV)

Now - me again - I’ve heard that passage spoken, taught, preached, etc., but here’s a key point I’ve never caught before...

KEY THOUGHT:
Don't you just love it that the disciples who didn't think they could
do anything to feed the whole crowd each got to pick up a basket full of pieces that were left over!

Wow! I’ve always just caught the fact that it was not only “enough” but that there was extra as well - more “extra” than He started with. But to look at it as “each one had a basket as a reminder...” Wow - that hits home...

Lord - may I recognize the blessings you bestow and not be so quick to assume it’s impossible. I don’t want a basket to remind me of my unfaithfulness, but if that’s what it takes...

old post - home or work ?

2011-10-01T06:07:00.001-07:00

Last old post of the morning - this one also from July 9, 2009.

Sitting here learning more about iWeb, I wonder when the line between home and work was made so small... I guess it happened when I started using a laptop for day to day business stuff. I have a separate email address for work and home, but I check them both at the same time. I check them both at my desk; I check them both at home in the recliner.

The question is now - do we “turn on” iWeb for the teachers at school? We’re using a CMS site at work - http://www.dyersburgcityschools.org - and it’s of course cross platform (browser based). Some teachers are really using it like we want - most are not. Would they use iWeb like we’d like or would it be simply another thing that sits there and is only used by the people that would do it anyway.

Pros: iWeb is “free” if we host it locally
Cons: can’t update from home (I don’t think - have to check on that)

old post - iSummit 09

2011-10-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

Next old one if from July 9, 2009. Yep - over a month since the last "old post..."

I’m in a colleague’s session on iWeb and we’re “practicing” so I’m taking a moment to make an update.

Twitter has been my friend the last couple of days... I don’t normally “hang out” on Twitter, but I’ve kept Tweetdeck open with #iSummit and #iSummt09. There has been lots of conversations going and I’m sure my “friendly” Twitter followers have been wondering “what the heck!?!” :-)

BTW - I’m jimmylogan on Twitter as well...

old post - saturday morning

2011-10-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

Another old one - this one from May 30, 2009.

We have a cache called “A Drop of Water.” I felt that way last night when the new pump was installed (thanks Uncle Tommy!). After being without water for a couple of days, I had forgotten how good it felt to simply turn on the faucet and get good, clean, clear water. :)

Woke up this morning to a couple of new caches on my phone. I have “instant notification” for a 50 mile radius setup to go to my phone. That way I know when new stuff pops up and we can grab the FTF. :)

Anyway, they were both in Caruthersville, which is just across the Mississippi River from here, and ALMOST close enough to run grab. Vanessa worked on the yard last night and she wants to finish it today, so I knew it was out of the question. So, like all “new” caches, I added them to my watchlist. Less than five minutes later there’s a log on them. :)

I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m fussing, because I’m not, just talking about my morning. :)

Oh - I’m also reminded of something Jimmy Minelli used to say (I worked with him at Riggs a LOOONG time ago - he loaned me the book “IT” and got me started reading King), “Gumbies, gumbies everywhere and not a one can think.”

old post - doctor's office again

2011-09-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Another old post - this one a quick recap of 'upcoming things' from more than two years ago. :-)

I’m writing this offline in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. We are winding WAY down to the end of a school year and trying to get Kyle graduated. Colton and I are here about his finger - he hurt it yesterday in P.E., but we didn’t think it was that bad. This morning it’s swollen badly, so we’re here to get it checked out.

The pic above *IS* by permission of the subject, though he wants me to point out, “you know that’s like from the 7th grade, right?”

Okay - finger not broke. Off to school for Colton and off to work for me. Did some business via cell phone already.

Also planning a trip to iSummit - an Apple thing to be held in Memphis sometime this summer. Summer is always busy but this looks to be a VERY busy one.

1)Summer Institute to attend (and present at)
2)Summer Institute 2010 to plan and present a promo for
3)Apple Summit to attend
4)Possibly attending Laptop Institute in Memphis
5)New server to install
6)Three servers to upgrade
7)Nine mobile carts to setup and roll out

Fun, eh? :)

old post - quick update

2011-09-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

A quickie - from May 28, 2009.

Just a quick note - work is busy this time of year as we’re getting closer to the end of the school year. Not much to report for now, other than it’s almost midnight and I’m tired. :)

Big initiative coming up at the middle school next year. I’m making plans to upgrade all the servers to Leopard and we’re rolling out more laptops every week. Busy time, but fun!

I was also elected to be President-Elect for our regional tech group, which will give me the pleasure of serving on the TETA Board for the next three years.

We’re planning our Summer Institute as well and I’m on the committee to present the promotion for SI-10. This year it’s in Dickson and next year it will be in Jackson.

And one comment - from me - Forgot to change the default iWeb pic - changed it this morning to one of us at Geowoodstock.

old post - geowoodstock vii

2011-09-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

Another old post and an album - this one from May 25, 2009. Post is first, then the album below.

There is an associated album that goes with this post - same name - find it on the “albums” page above...

We had a GREAT time at our first GeoWoodstock. When we found out it was only 3-1/2 hours away, we made the effort to go. Some last minute “issues” meant we wouldn’t get to go the night before and stay the whole weekend, but we changed our plans and got up EXTRA early Saturday morning so we could travel up. We are SO glad we did!

As its namesake implies, it’s a MEGA gathering of geocachers from around the world. Though we met several new cachers and had some interesting conversations, the ones we already knew were the ones we had the most fun with - the JAG crew. Roger, Damon, John - the wives :) - we all had a great time visiting. Got to see Sonny & Sandy again (haven’t seen them in person since NECC a few years ago), met a cacher from Kentucky that we’ve had the pleasure of hunting his hides, etc.

We wound up staying one night because we were so exhausted, and did some caching Sunday with Yogi & BDD before heading home. WHEW - now we’re resting on a school holiday.

One last note - all the pics have the incorrect date. Sorry. I need to change my camera’s date. :) It was actually the 23rd of May, 2009.

And here's the album that's mentioned...

me & Vanessa

John

The Don

Diane & Mrs. T

Mrs T & Bashful

that's me

petting zoo

main stage

crowd shot

GeoWoodstock Store

me & TB

oversize TB's

more parking duty

parking

mural

here lies...

signs

this little piggy

baaaaa

reviewers

BDD

BDD again

reviewers on stage

stage ver 2

reviewers 3

BDD & Dolphin

Mrs T BDD and Dolphin

water bottle

country posing

hunting beaver

me in scenic

old post - fruit checking

2011-09-27T05:21:00.000-07:00

And the third "old post" for the morning - this one from May 14, 2009. This one still rings as true, or truer, today than it did then... BTW - Vanessa worked EMS at the Air Show in Halls on Sunday while I tried out a new church... We'll see what happens...

This is another post on the mailing list I’m on from heartlight.org -

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Fruit Checking

"Be careful of false prophets. They come to you and look {gentle} like sheep. But they are really dangerous {like} wolves. You will know these people because of the things they do. Good things don't come from bad people, the same as grapes don't come from thorn bushes. And figs don't come from thorny weeds. In the same way, every good tree makes good fruit. And bad trees make bad fruit. A good tree cannot make bad fruit. And a bad tree cannot make good fruit. Every tree that does not make good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. You will know these false people by the fruit they make (things they do)."
-- Matthew 7:15-20 (ERV)

I’m catching up on my backlog of email (probably won’t ever reach zero inbox status, but I don’t want it to grow TOO big) and ran across this one. It’s long, but I forced myself to slow down and read it. Go ahead - read it again...

Sounds like a warning, right? Be careful of others. Watch out for a wolf in sheep’s clothing, etc. I read it another way... What kind of fruit am I producing? I must say that I don’t feel like I’m producing anything tasty right now. The last few weeks have seen me at church less than I’d like. Sure I can blame it on a late night visit to the ER, not feeling well, having an ox in the ditch, etc. But the truth is I’ve not felt the burning desire to be there. With everything that’s been going on, I don’t feel like I have anything to offer. I know that’s not the right attitude though, and I am making the commitment to myself right now to trust Him to lead me, guide me and most of all direct my actions and how I use my energy.

Comment from rcyork - Jim, I know what you mean. I can count on my fingers the number of times I've been in church since Thanksgiving. Oh have reasons, but they are sounding more like excuses.

Comment from Brent - It's been really tough for me, too, particularly since I was invited not to contribute musically anymore last year. It's good that the Lord has given me a family to keep me from straying too far.

old post - pandora

2011-09-27T05:15:00.000-07:00

Another old one - this one from May 12, 2009 along with a comment. I'll also note here that I've been using Spotify lately instead of Pandora...

I am really getting into Pandora.com

Though I listen to podcasts, sometimes I don’t want to have to concentrate on “talk” while I’m working. So, I turn to Pandora. I use it on my computer when I’m needing music or white noise while I’m working. I also use it occasionally on my iPod while walking around the schools, but my SkullCandy noise canceling earbuds keep me from hearing people when they talk. Hmm... Maybe that’s not such a bad thing sometimes. :)

My favorite way to use it is with my iPod and iHome that Vanessa bought me. It sits on my desk and charges my iPod while I’m listening to it. Talk about convenience. :)

Well, today I made a channel called “Mr. Shorty.” This is an old Marty Robbins song that I remember my dad enjoying when I was very little. I’ve always liked the song too but didn’t know till a few months ago that there were words that I’d never heard. I found them and have listened to the song and substituted the “extra” words in my mind, but that’s not the same. Well, three times today I’ve heard the full song.

I know - congratulations for being a geek. Hey, you take the victories where you can. :)

I also heard “Feleena” - a song I never knew existed. It’s the story of the dancing girl from “El Paso” from her birth till the end of the other song and beyond.

Comment from rcyork - I listen to Pandora on my computer at work and at home and on my Windows Mobile phone. It makes the commute to and from work much more interesting. I'm hearing artists I would never hear otherwise. After listening to Pandora on the stereo in my car while driving to Atlanta and back a few weeks ago, I am convinced that it and other streaming services will be the end of Satellite radio.

old post - cribbage again

2011-09-27T05:09:00.000-07:00

Another old post archived here - this one from May 12, 2009.

We went to my mother’s house for mother’s day. After a great lunch (she really is a good cook, not just because she’s my mom), I sat down to teach my brother Johnny how to play Cribbage. Turns out several others wanted to play, so we had a four-man game in which Colton started out behind but came ahead to win.

Deb sat down to join us and we played a 5-man game (Jed made up the last spot). Lead went back and forth and we ALL had a good time.

The verdict? Cribbage was NOT just another card game. It has enough rules and strategy to satisfy the gamer in me, but is easy and quick enough to play that it doesn’t require a lot of time or setup.

Do it again? You bet! Colton and I played a quick 2-man game after the group broke up. We both agreed it wasn’t as much fun as the party style. :)

old post - picking' and dancin'

2011-09-26T04:02:00.000-07:00

Another old post - this one takes up where the last one left off and is from May 9, 2009.

Okay, picking (no pun intended) up where I left off last post...

The pic above is my guitar, or at least a pic of the same model from Takamine’s website. The band was impressed with the sound and quality of it. (tangent warning...) I’ve had it since the early 90’s. Bought it new and have been VERY happy with it. I used it when I was playing gospel music, did studio work with it, home studio work, used it in church, sitting around the campfire, etc. It has served me well.

Anyway, I was an instant fit, like I said. I play by ear as well as note, Nashville Number System, etc. Bar chords are no problem and I only capo to change the sound, NOT to make it easier to play a song.

Kenton - we have a place we dance occasionally on Saturday nights in Kenton, Tennessee. The band that was there is definitely a #2 - they play to be heard, not as a dance band. So, anyway, the band from Friday night “gets the gig,” so to speak, and they ask me to sit in for the entire three hours there. I am very honored to do so, so I agree. It goes great. Tony is very uptight about everything sounding good, but it goes great. Vanessa did sound for the gospel group we were with (New Heaven’s Echos) so she knows her stuff. She helped get the sound balanced and all was well.

So this went well. Everyone seemed happy - I had a good time - etc.

Brian has to be “on call” every third week, so no lead guitar the next week. I took both a lead and a rhythm, just in case they needed me to do some fill in work. Friday night, Tony wasn’t sure, but Donny said “yes.” Max seemed to enjoy it as well as we played off of each other. I’ve never claimed to be a full blown lead guitar player, but I can hold my own with fill in licks, etc. So, needless to say, Friday was fun. :)

Saturday, Tony said they didn’t really need “lead” so I offered to play the rhythm or not at all. He made a big deal about “no it’s okay to play along - let’s see how it goes.” After the first song, he said the acoustic would be better, so Vanessa went to the car and got it. The next three songs I noticed Robert doing “fill in lead” and realized I was stepping on his toes.

That’s okay - I’m already on stage and not going to just walk away. I’m not that type. :) So I continue to play along. Every couple of songs I get “a look” from either Tony or Robert. Again, I notice that Robert is “doing more” than he normally does. That’s fine - I’m cool with that. I’m not an actual member of the band and I’m not being paid. After a couple of songs, though, I’m told to “turn down” and “that sounds harsh” and “it’s not blending well.” Okay - I can take a hint. By the time it’s over I’ve decided in my own mind that I’m done. It felt good playing again and I was pleased that I was able to just “sit in” with no practice whatsoever and play every song they did. However, and this is a big part of all of this, I don’t need them to feel validated.

Is that clear? I was a musician before I met them, was one with them (and acted in a professional manner, I believe) and am still one today. I do not need them to validate me as a musician. I was able to sit in and blend and enhance. Period. It wasn’t what they wanted, so I went my own way.

Anyway, Tony comes to me after it’s over and says, “it’s nothing personal, we’re just not used to the extra instrument.” I assure him I am not offended. I remind him that I offered to back off at the very beginning. I go to dance - picking is just a bonus for me. If I’m not adding to, then I’m obviously taking away from and I’ll gladly back off. No hard feelings - no offense taken.

The next week we were supposed to be camping, but we weren’t able to stay all night. I did take my guitar to the campground bonfire, like I always do, and had a great time. The guitar was still in my car on Saturday (rain set in, so the campers packed up) and we decided to go to Kenton at the last minute. While putting my boots on, Tony comes to the parking lot and tells me “nothing personal” (he said that over a dozen times I know) and if I want to play “daddy’s guitar” while he takes a break that I was welcome to, but that they had a meeting and it was decided that they didn’t need the extra instrument. I assured him I was there to pay my $5 and dance like always. Sure the guitar was there, but that’s from where I’d had it with friends, not where I could play it that night.

So, the band met and decided they didn’t need me, huh? That’s what he told me, but I was differently by other people. No names, as I don’t want to start anything, and believe me it was obvious to me from the body language who was really offended and who was proud to have me join them. I hold my head up proudly as someone who has proven to himself that he can still jump in and not only follow along but add to and blend in with people that play together all the time.

One last word - I’ve been “invited” to join them onstage so “daddy” can take a break and mingle. So far I’ve declined in lieu of dancing with my soul mate. There may come a time/night that I want to - I may hurt my foot or leg and can’t dance like I do now, or can’t hold out for three hours and need a break. Until then, though, I remember that they came to me, I was able to fit, and they decided they didn’t need me “full time.” I’m cool with that.

Know what else I’m cool with? Getting this off my chest... I have had several people ask me, “why aren’t you playing with the band?” and I just smile and say, “I’d rather dance.” Yes, it’s the truth. Dancing is much more fun without the added drama of hurt feelings and squashed toes. :)

Will they read any of this? I don’t know, and frankly I don’t care. This has been more for me to get it off my chest than anything, and I assure you, gentle reader, that there’s not one word I wouldn’t repeat to them in person. They haven’t asked and I’m not one to stir the pot. I’m content and still have a friendly relationship with all of the band. Tony and Robert? Maybe not as much as the others. Okay, not at all as much as the others. I lost a little respect for them as musicians after all this, but they’re still a decent band to dance to.

And Max & Donny? GREAT musicians. :)

Thanks for reading...

old post - another friday night

2011-09-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

After posting that last "old post," I looked at the next one. Since it's some of the stuff that I was really wanting to "not lose," I thought I'd go ahead and post it... What's ironic, of sorts, is that the band I speak of is a previous incarnation of the band I'm now a member of. To be fair, though, only Jimmy (on keys) and Max are still there - the rest are all different guys.

This one is also from May 8, 2009...

I am typing this while headed to dance. Colton just went to a party and Kyle is also with friends, so it’s just Vanessa and me again for Friday night stress relief (aka dancing).

Like I had said before, part of this blog is to be a journal of sorts, to help me remember stuff in my old age. So, please keep that in mind if you choose to read on. If these are the kind of insights you are more interested in, gentle reader, let me know and I’ll not hesitate next time.

We’ve been dancing in Halls on Friday nights (wave to Craig for coming by one night). The band is pretty good, for a local band. There’s Tony, the lead singer/bassist, his dad Robert (rhythm guitar on a Stratocaster), keyboarder Jimmy, Brian on lead and Max Winchester on steel guitar (easily the most talented one of the bunch, Max used to play professionally at Gilly’s in Texas as well as other national venues). They do decent work. They play a fairly good mix of slow & fast as long as Tony is calling the songs. When Robert or Jimmy do one, it’s a slow one.

Tangent #1 here - I’ve come to find that there are bands that play for dancers, bands that play to be heard, bands that try to mix it and bands that try to mix it and fail. This is #3 for the most part, but is sometimes the latter (by now we’ve left the dancehall early as it was clearly a #4 night). I’m a dancer, not someone that goes to hear the band. Given a choice I’ll take CD’s or MP3’s any day. The beat never changes, you know what to expect and you can start over whenever you like.

Back to this band in particular. They are friendly to the line dancers as well as the two steppers and slow dancers. They let “us” play some songs during their breaks. We don’t do stuff that they do, though, so as not to step on any toes. I have a cable that I plug into Robert’s amplifier and we play from my iPod.

Now, the part I’ve been hesitant to journal for fear of sounding negative is this... Several weeks ago when we finally had a warming trend, Vanessa and I decided to go early and enjoy the parking lot. We took a couple of lawn chairs and my guitar and we just relaxed outside in the sunshine. The band started coming in and Robert approaches and listens and seems impressed. He knew I could dance, but had no idea I could play. He asked if I’d take his guitar and play during the last set. I said sure.

This went on for a couple of weeks. I’d come in and we’d dance for two hours straight, then he’d mingle and I’d play his guitar. The drummer (forgot to mention him above - sorry Donny) and I seemed to have some good chemistry. My style of rhythm is not “strum/strum/strum” or even “pluck/strum/pluck/strum.” It’s more of a beat keeper than anything. Depending on the song, my strumming is different.

Tangent #2 - my early days of guitar were mostly bluegrass, so I learned early on to have a “picking rhythm” in which you keep the beat by strumming but also add runs, licks, alternative strumming, etc., depending on the song. This style of play has also gotten me shunned. It’s a combination rhythm & lead, so if someone else is playing either of those parts I’m “stepping on their toes.” If someone needs a filler for the band, though, it’s a great combination.

So anyway, Donny and I were not just playing, we were playing together. My fill in rhythm filled the gaps that his drum rolls left and allowed him to do more. I also helped keep the beat with him so he didn’t have to only follow the couple of people that were jumping time. Again, a good mesh.

So, again, this went on for a couple of weeks and then Tony asked if my acoustic would “plug in.” Acoustic Electric? Why yes, it is. So the next week I brought it and used my own guitar for the last set. They loved it.

Next chapter - Kenton. Enough for this post. :)

old post - cribbage

2011-09-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

Another old one (BTW - yesterday's post was NOT an old one - I really did play with some professionals YESTERDAY). This one is from May 8, 2009.

I download different free apps for my iPod Touch so I can have something to do with my brain and hands while waiting in line, sitting in waiting rooms, etc. One I downloaded the other day was Cribbage Lite (I stick with the free versions on almost everything). No, I’ve never played Cribbage, as I’ve never “understood” it. This tells you how to play, but obviously doesn’t give you examples to follow. Wikipedia to the rescue (yes Brent, I used it, and I liked it - LQTM).

So now I’m wanting to try it “live.” I’m still playing the iPhone version, but I’m covering up the score and scoring on my own to learn how.

I’ve also enjoyed Backgammon on a Palm Pilot before I migrated to an iPod Touch. I haven’t found a BG game that I really like, though, but it’s cool that Colton has started playing it and enjoying it. :)

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=301152770&mt=8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbage

professional pickers

2011-09-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

Today I had the pleasure of sitting in with a band that performs on Friday nights. Yes, the same night that I play in Halls. A very dear friend from years ago invited me to come sit in with them during a special set at a BBQ benefit. He wanted me to meet his band mates, and I was looking forward to it. Well, I got there and was thoroughly impressed with both their exceptional talent and their professional attitude. I was honored to share the stage with them.

I've retyped this part three times... I don't want to sound like a braggart, but I want to record something... I was impressed with them and, like I said, I was honored to get to play with them. Vanessa put it in perspective for me though when she said, "and you held your own with them just fine, didn't you." I hadn't thought of it that way, but said, "yes, I did." She told me that she wanted me to make sure that I noted that. Wow. Hadn't thought of it that way, but it made me feel good inside.

Thank you, Steve, for the invite. Thank you Lord, for the gift.

old post - the final frontier

2011-09-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

Okay - third "old post" this morning. This one is from May 7, 2009 and has four comments as well. And I think "spoiler time" is WAAAY past on this one, if you want to comment. :-)

I attended the premier of the new Star Trek movie earlier tonight. Thankfully it wasn’t a midnight showing, as I wouldn’t have been able to stay awake I’m sure. As I get older, later nights are NOT the norm anymore.

Anyway, I despise spoilers, so I refuse to truly discuss this movie for a little while. I had a quick Twitter conversation about it earlier and I remained very closed mouth. (sorry, rcyork)

Comment #1 - rcyork - I didn't want any spoilers. I was just making sure it wasn't a bomb before I spend my money regardless.

Comment #2 - Chris - Aw you "dog"--you got to see before I did! I'm anxious to see it. It may be Monday before I can though.

Comment #3 - Jimmy - rc - not a bomb in my mind, but I know some people that might not like it... Guess that's always a risk when you "prequel," but this is pretty serious.

chris - was a last minute thing I assure you. :) Went by the theater to see if it was playing, expecting a midnight showing. Nothing. Checked the website and there was a 7 PM showing ONLY. Sat through the ads, etc., then the movie started. Wasn't what I expected, but looked familiar. Turns out it was Wolverine. :) They'd forgotten to change the movie. One of the other geeks in the theater went to tell them.

Yes, we were all guys in the room. :)

Comment #4 - Jimmy - Okay - after having some twitter, FB, forum & face2face conversations, it seems that everyone that's seen the new Star Trek likes it. That's very refreshing! It seems my anxiety about die hard fans may have been for naught...

Please - feel free to comment with a yay or nay. Try to stay spoiler free, at least for several more days. :)

old post - monday night dance class

2011-09-23T04:58:00.000-07:00

Another short one from May 4, 2009. It mentions having these to read back on as a journal in years to come. Guess that not only shows that *I* care about them but also that my wanting to preserve these is even more important...

I am typing this while Vanessa teaches Cupid Shuffle (psst - I don’t care for that dance). We have a total of 17 people here tonight! It’s the biggest crowd I remember us having. Nice to see some old faces back [wave to Skip & Jolyn]. Plus we have three very nice ladies that have been coming for a few weeks now. They call themselves beginners, and I guess they are, but they are excited about what they can do already with just a few weeks worth of coaching.

It may only be a few lines at a time, but I truly do want this to be a journal. I will attempt to do it in such a way that it’s hopefully entertaining, but more so I want it to be insightful. I intend to be able to look back on this in the years to come and hopefully have it serve as a reminder.

Make it 18 - someone else just came in... One of the lady’s husband I think...

Okay - back out of the chair and off to show one of the new ones we’ve been doing...

old post - yet another delay

2011-09-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

Another old post - still no where near "the present." :-) This one from May 4, 2009. Seems I went several weeks with not post - and this one was only "filler."

No, not a new pic, but a new entry...

I have failed in my attempt to use this as an actual journal, but am still trying. :) Come back in the next few days for...

1)dancing update

2)my guitar playing

3)business trip to Indiana

4)whatever else I think of... :)

songwriting & visit

2011-09-21T22:00:00.001-07:00

Spent some time tonight with an old friend. He had shared some lyrics with me on a private Facebook conversation and we met tonight to work out a melody. Turns out we had similar ideas for it. I added a couple of minors and created a bridge in the music, but otherwise it's what he had already created.

Well - turns out he had several things he's written over the years and another one was 99% ready for performance! It has a nice 2-step beat and I *will* be bringing it out at Halls...

Thanks, Bobby, for letting me collaborate with you, and for bringing out the Missouri Nine String!

To everyone else - stay tuned... I dozed off when I got home, so they are not recorded yet, but you'll hear them soon...

(the pic above is one I pulled from the Internet - I wish I had grabbed a shot of his before leaving)

old post - busy busy busy

2011-09-21T04:28:00.001-07:00

Early morning here - knowing it will take a while to get caught up on the old posts, and knowing I don't want to lose them when MobileMe goes away... Here's one from April 15, 2009.

WOW! Lots going on lately. So much that I’ve been remiss at updating my blog like I promised myself I would.

So, rather than have one long post, I’ll break this up. A quick update since the last post...

More dancing with some playing along with the band, laptops for [most] all of the teachers at school, and we made our 1000th find in Geocaching!

I’ve been listening to a new podcast as well as not updating my own . Several new pieces of software have been brought to my attention. Which ones? You’ll have to come back for a future post... :)

Back to the virtual treadmill...

old post - closed doors

2011-09-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

I'm VERY tired tonight, so nothing new to talk about yet (still have another original song to link to) so I'll re-post another old one. This one is from March 27, 2009.

I get emails on a daily basis from a co-worker. They are usually of the “forwarded joke” variety, but he also sends along a weekly message that’s apparently from the Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay. This one was not necessarily something I needed today, but at the same time this is something I agree with and something we need to hear every now and again...

Chaplain's Compass: God is the keeper of the Doors to our lives. Thanks to Connie Schiltz for this one! PWOC meets tonight at 6:30 in the Fellowship Hall. Fireproof the movie will be shown Saturday at 4 pm in the Fellowship Hall.

Have a GRRREAT GTMO day!

Chaplain Dave Mowbray

USNB Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

OPENED AND CLOSED DOORS

We need to learn to thank the Lord for closed doors just as much as we do for open doors. The reason God closes doors is because He has Not prepared anything over there for us.

If he didn't close the wrong door we would never find our way to the right door. Even when we don't realize it, God directs our paths through the closing and opening of doors . When one door closes, it forces us to change our course. Another door closes; it forces us to change our course yet again.

Then finally, we find the open door and walk right into our

Blessing. But instead of praising God for the closed door (which kept us out of trouble), we get upset because we 'judge by the appearances.' And in our own arrogance, or ignorance, we insist that we know what is Right.

We have a very present help in the time of need that is always

standing guard. Because He walks ahead of us, He can see trouble down the road and HE sets up road blocks and detours accordingly. But through our lack of wisdom we try to tear down the roadblocks or push aside the detour signs. Then the minute we get into trouble, we start crying, 'Lord how could this happen to me?'

We have got to realize that the closed door was a blessing. Didn't He say that 'No good thing will He withhold from them that love Him?'

If you get terminated from your job - don't be down, instead thank God for the new opportunities that will manifest themselves - it might be a better job, or an opportunity to go to school. If that man or woman won't return your call - it might not be them, it might be the Lord setting up a roadblock (just let it go).

One time a person had a bank he had been doing business with for many years tell him 'NO' for a $10,000 loan. The Lord led him to call another bank.

That bank approved a $40,000 loan for him at a lower interest rate

than his own bank had advertised.

I'm so grateful, for the many times God has closed doors to me, just to open them in the most unexpected places. 'The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.' (Psalms 37:23)

The Mountain top is glorious, but it is in the Valley that I will Grow!

love song

2011-09-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Okay - sat down tonight and recorded the song I wrote for Vanessa. Would love your feedback...

http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_10290600

For those that don't know, we sang the Statler Brothers song "My Only Love" to each other during our wedding. I wrote this song to commemorate our 25th Anniversary. I surprised her with it by performing it FOR HER at the Friday night dance in Halls.

I love you babe!

song writing

2011-09-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

I was about to post another old post, since I didn't get any posted over the weekend, but I've had some interesting stuff happen in the song writing area...

First, I wrote Vanessa a love song - very personal and very special - for our Anniversary a few weeks ago. I still have not put it online, because I've not recorded it yet. I've been fighting a cold the last week or so, but intend to get it recorded and shared very soon.

Meanwhile, I went to lunch a few weeks ago to Pizza Hut and took a legal pad with me. I started making some notes just to see what would happen when inspiration struck. It was almost like I couldn't get the words on paper fast enough. I wrote a song while sitting there - just a 'cute' little thing, not a love song (in the traditional sense) but one I thought was worth pursuing. I've worked on the words a little more and the chord progression. I'll be recording it to share as well.

So - the other day I'm reading my Twitter posts and there's a link to an article by @stringjuggler - Adam Levy. It's about songwriting. He mentions some different techniques to help get the conscious mind out of the way and let the inspiration flow. Here's a link to the article.

http://acousticguitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=26826

The first thing I tried - last night - was the "write for seven minutes non stop" technique. I have the ability to type at hight speed and not even look at the keyboard. This lets me truly go 'stream of consciousness' and not even look at what I'm 'writing.' I did this last night with one of the many, many notes I've made on things that MIGHT have a song buried in there. I typed over a page full, but I didn't really see a song in the middle of it. Of course I've saved all of this so maybe I can get something out of it another day.

Right behind that I took the suggestion #3 - which paraphrased says to take the first line of one of your favorite songs and write it down. Then write as many new lines as you can, matching the tone, rhythm and rhyming of the first. I did this and only rhymed maybe three lines, but at the same time I felt myself really open up and pull a TON of stuff from down deep somewhere that I didn't even know about. It was an interesting feeling, but one that left me a little emotionally drained. I stopped at that point and went to sleep.

Today, I was in another office down the hall and I noticed a picture on the wall. This reminded me of suggestion #1. There was one particular feature in the painting that drew my eye. I had some quick ideas about it and how it would fit into a story and song. I couldn't get to a legal pad fast enough... Someone started talking to me as I was writing, so I know I had more I could have recorded, but had to stop and get back to work, but I have a kick start on the next idea...

Thanks, Adam, for the help! :-)

old post - Flip Video Camera

2011-09-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

This one is from March 26, 2009 -

This is unedited video shot with my wife’s Flip video camera. It was too big to email, so I thought I’d pop in on here...

old post - and the trend continues

2011-09-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

Another VERY short post from March 25, 2009, but it also links to the albums page. I've put all the pics below the post...

On the 24th we decided to head toward Union City to try and get a few more off our map. More info on the Albums page...

Heading to Union City, we detoured outside of Troy for a nice hike with some interesting sites to see. Vanessa talks more about it on the cache page...

retrieving the cache

hidden pond

another shot

family members?

makes your heart saddened and feel good too

in Union City - trying to avenge an after dark DNF

hmm... not there

and of course Bashful finds it

old post - more caching on break

2011-09-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

This is a short post from March 25, 2009. It references an album over on Mobile Me, but I've put those pics in the post below...

Two days later, on the 23rd, we decided to grab a few more caches before heading out to dance. I took more pictures than normal, so you’ll find the full write up over on the Albums page.

And of course the Album was prefaced with - As mentioned over on the blog page, I decided to post here so I can chronicle the photos better.

Vanessa getting ready to take pictures of her own

The tire didn’t want to come back out...

Equipment at the parking coords

cool looking bridge

yep, it’ll hold us

Bashful with the cache

Because of Winn Dixie

Bubbles...

More bubbles...

she had fun and I had fun snapping the pics

almost done...

one more...

time to save the rest for the next finder

interesting bird’s nest we found on the way out

another shot - much smaller than it appears here

last one - couldn’t get a good focus - too small

making our way back out

where to next?

grabbing shots of a baby horse on the way out

wanted a place like this as a kid to play in

Conan came to mind

Mississippi River Bridge

part of our caching gear

another shot of the bridge

unusual view

chain link wire?

they were hanging the wire

stopped at the rest area for hotel info

cute arrangement on the mantle

old post - caching on break

2011-09-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Here's another old post - this one from March 25, 2009, back when we were a lot more serious about the sport/hobby called Geocaching. We don't do much of it anymore, as other interests have taken its place. I do miss the riding around at all hours of the night with my sweetie though. :-) I will say that we still do that some, just not caching along the way. :-)

Anyway - here you go...

On the 21st, we decided to run to the store to pick something up and found we were close to a cache, so we made our way to GC19HR6. The pic above is Bashful logging the cache. There was also an interesting marker (which was the reason for the cache location) -

I picked up some CO2 cartridges at the cache site to use possibly down the road with modeling.

We headed on to Jackson to pick up a few others. Vanessa grabbed this shot of me finding a PNG.

old post - wrestlin' or 'raslin'

2011-09-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

Another old one - this one from March 25, 2009...

Last night Colton and I headed out to the Armory in Alamo for Memphis Wrestling. Jerry “The King” Lawler was there for autographs and to fight in the main event. Colton and I had a good ole redneck time of it.

I am not a Wrestling fan. I don’t watch RAW or WWE or Smackdown or any of that. I did, however, grow up watching ‘rastlin’ on Saturday mornings. This was before cable TV & Satellite stations and such. We learned years later that when someone would lose a “loser leave town” match that they would go off somewhere else and be a guest coming in to that market. This was first made known to me when TBS was the first “outside” station available locally and Jerry Lawler himself would come in there and be a bad guy.

Anyway, last night reminded me more of the old style promotion. These were “local guys” in training, basically. The heels were obvious & unknown, but they captured the hatred of the crowd VERY quickly. The good guys were beaten down but somehow found the strength to come back and surprise the bad guy at the end.

It was all very typical and nothing new, but that did NOT take away from the fun. A couple of times I predicted what would happen and I was close, but they’d put a little twist on it. I told Colton at one point that this was MUCH more fun than watching the scripted stuff on TV.

Lawler’s son was there as well - Grand Master Sexay. The crowd loved him as well and he managed to smile and draw their attention. He seemed more “open” to the crowd than some of the others. I know they’re all actors to a degree, but he seemed to be more comfortable in his role.

Another guy was there that I found out later was a known “rising star” from ECW - Matt Bryce. He was a little more athletic than the others and could really fall hard and jump around a little more. I’ve always enjoyed that athletic side of it.

Speaking of which... I remember seeing Leaping Lanny and his brother Randy Savage on Channel 6 out of Kentucky. We couldn’t get it EVERY week, but if the weather was good we enjoyed that too. When Randy Savage “made it big” it was no surprise to us because we’d been watching him all along.

I found out from a flyer last night that Memphis Wrestling is still being aired every Saturday morning at 11, just like in the old days. I set the DVR to start catching it for me...

And one comment from Bec -

If you liked the small town show you should go to a big Pay-per-View event. There's nothing like it! Jarrod is going to Wrestlemania in Texas this weekend! :)

Promised Land

2011-09-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Been meaning to upload this video for a while now... Finally got it processed and uploaded to YouTube.

This is for some friends overseas that wanted to see me make some music. Next up I'll be recording the song I wrote for Vanessa, and then the song I wrote this week...

So - enjoy. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMvFjD_gzjs

old post - in response to Info overload

2011-09-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Whew - been busy with "data" stuff - so I'm getting sleepy... Thought I'd stop and archive another "old post." This one is from March 23, 2009 and was a blog response to a friend's blog post, along with his comments. :-)

Over on a friend’s blog, I have been responding via comments with my thoughts about this topic. Pop on over and read that. I’ll wait...

Back? Okay. The next response I would have made would have been to say that you are saying you don’t want “truth” defined, but quality. Who is to determine what is quality and what is noise? Please don’t presume to know what I would find useful. It sounds to me like you’re looking for a service to determine what Brent wants to know and what Brent wants to ignore. I think that’s a valid thing for you to consider, but I don’t want it for me.

It sounds to me like you’re talking about a news service... One of the big things to come out of Hurricane Katrina was the instant news being reported via Twitter & blog postings. I’m sure to a lot of people much of that was considered noise, but to some people it was not enough information. Did the NY Times report everything that was blogged? No. Those that bought the paper paid them to give them what was relevant. Did they do a good job? Probably. Was it complete? No. Was it complete enough? Probably. :)

I still maintain that something like you’re talking about should be opt in only, then I can decide if I want to take your word for it or not.

As for my comment about Wikipedia vs Britannica or World Book... Yes, I trust Wikipedia more for the very reason that a lot of people say they don’t trust it - because it can be changed by just anyone. Vandalism is dealt with quickly, for one thing, and I’d MUCH rather read about a medical procedure from something that’s updated frequently by the very professionals that engage in the activity than from a book that is only updated every few years and only then by a committee of “experts” that are only looking at information that other people submit, so they are also trusting others.

Thoughts? Comments?

Comment by CJ -

One of the good things about blogging is that it opens up opportunities to discuss issues like this, and disagreement is often a good thing as we all learn from it. To be honest J, I think tend to agree with B on this more, all in all. I work in a collegiate setting as you know and professors here would never take Wikipedia as an allowable source, but they would something along the lines of Britannica in certain situations. And it generates controversies of bias (on political or social issues) sometimes.

So again, I think the issue is all about what one wants to DO with Wikipedia. It's great for a quick way to get a light overview of an issue one doesn't really know much about already. And the biggest thing Wikipedia has going for it is accessibility--anyone can get to it anytime, for most any topic. The problem with the 'anyone-can-update' model is that it can avoid professional peer-review a little too much. I've seen a number of sloppily written entries on there and have sometimes seen information that presents opinion as if it were fact.

Also, from an academic standpoint though, the *search* for knowledge can be as important as the knowledge itself, and Wikipedia is almost *too* easy, to both find info and edit it. that's my 2 cents, which may be about all it's worth! :-)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - 09:54 AM

Comment by Brent -

Wow. I didn't realize I'd touched such a sensitive nerve here. Let me try to explain a bit more clearly.

1. I never suggested that I should dictate to you what you should read. That's what we call "censorship."

2. Who said the Internet had to cater to *my* whims? Who said I wanted to force my opinions on anyone? Where did you get the idea you might not be able to choose to "opt in" to any sort of quality rating system I made up? If you think I personally have some control over the Internet and the world in general, then you have a much higher opinion of me than anyone else does. :-)

3. Perhaps my mention of "Verisign" in my original post scared you off. All I meant by that reference was that there's a need for a sort of verifiable "stamp" -- but the community would provide the associated "quality rating," not a small outfit like Verisign. (Without something verifiable, anyone could just rate their own content and claim it was rated by the community.) Good analogue: RottenTomatoes.com. You might not agree with the results, but they're there for you to consult as you see fit. Apply that paradigm across the web. You don't think that would be useful?

4. "Who is to determine what is quality and what is noise?" Not me. I'll state it once again: the community. This is exactly what goes on now in the "real world," but the 'Net has such low barriers to entry that there are virtually no controls on content at the moment. Ex.: Say I decide to be a stand-up comedian. My success or failure will depend on how many people I can get to pay for the privilege of listening to me. If I'm no good (decided by the community, not by any individual authority), then I'll be "weeded out." Now, you'll say maybe *you* might think I'm funny, and you wouldn't want to be denied the opportunity to make that choice yourself. Really? Are you willing to do that for the 245,987 other people out there who think they're funny, too? Do you actually have that kind of time?

5. As for Wikipedia, we'll have to agree to disagree. II think you're giving up authenticity for immediacy. There's value in the latter, but never at the expense of the former. And honestly, I don't see much new happening in Millard Fillmore's life (for example) at the moment, so I think I'm safer consulting a vetted, professionally edited source for research rather than the Wikipedia article which as likely as not will have a curse word inserted somewhere by a bored 15-year-old.

Dude, this isn't about censorship. It's about trying to make the best use of my limited time. In reading my blog, you've probably already picked up on my obsession with that goal. If you don't want the community's collected opinion on the utility of information...then ignore it. But I would value such a resource, as a means to optimize my life and be able to get other stuff done...like posting overlong replies to blog entries. :-)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - 09:56 AM

Jimmy

Wow - can't believe I missed these comments till now. Sorry guys!

CJ - Disagreement is VERY healthy, IMHO. As for the professors dismissing it, I totally disagree with that mentality, but I can't say that I don't understand it. I think it requires a total mind shift.

RE: Wikipedia - yes, opinion is discouraged and is usually flagged after the fact, but I can see that it would keep you from trusting it 100% (which, BTW, I don't do, but it's "another" source I use). And I like the fact that it's easy to edit... If it were not, I think we'd lose a plethora of input from professionals.

Brent - sorry if I came across as sensitive. This has been an ongoing debate in my professional life as well. :)

1) Dictate - no, didn't mean to imply that.

2) Opt in SHOULD be the norm, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be, or at least it could be semi-forced. Buy anything online? Can you use Cash? No, you're forced to use Credit Cards - or PayPal if you want it faster. And no e-checks on PayPal - instant transfer or backed up with credit/debit only.

3) Verisign makes me run screaming, so yes I'm afraid. :) I think the community provides the stamp already, you just have to learn how to use it. To shortcut that could undermine freedom of use.

Bad analogy for me - I don't use RottenTomatoes.com or their rating system. I learned a long time ago FOR ME that the critics and I don't tend to agree. I even have a CW & DW friend that can't believe I enjoyed the latest Death Race movie. :) - okay, tangent here - just went to RT & they gave Death Race a 42% - again, I disagree. :)

4) No, I don't have that kind of time, but just denying me that access by "an authority" and not by "normal weeding out" is wrong, IMO.

5) Agreed. :)

On your last paragraph - to me Wikipedia IS the community's collected opinion. :) I'm not saying I wouldn't use a resource at all, but would possibly look at it first if it were condensed, then "look further" like I do now for more of the story (story includes facts, opinions, debate, etc.).

Again - sorry guys for the delayed response... It wasn't because I was mad. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

Now you know I can't be 100% wordless - I don't think it's in my DNA to be silent, but I wanted to share something I've been seeing on Twitter for several weeks now

Another blog...

This is one that is a picture only - no words, as you can tell from his description. I'm not going to make a promise that I'll start doing that, but I do like the fact that blogger lets me publish MORE than one picture per blog post, so I hope to publish more pics here (12 of 12, for example).

Anyway - today's pic is of a little ornament I received in our interoffice mail system. I have a feeling I know who it came from...

old post - life on mars

2011-08-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Another old post - just catching up on reposting... This one is from March 22, 2009 when Life on Mars was still not finished yet. It was a GREAT show that I really enjoyed...

Sam Tyler is a detective on a cop show called Life on Mars. I won’t expound past that because if you’re not already watching this show then you probably won’t stick around for the rest of this post. :)

Still here? Ah - good. :)

If you’ve been watching the show, then you know that it COULD be time travel... or near death hallucinations... or alien abduction... etc. Me? I’m holding out for the biggie - time travel! Tyler is not the first “Sam” to leap back in time...

Those of you that know me know I’m nuts for time travel stories, so needless to say when Life on Mars started being previewed, I was all over it. Like last year’s Journeyman, I thought, “finally, a dramatic time travel show.” What I got in the bargain was much more. Each week we get a little better look at Detective Tyler and his life, both as an adult and his history. In addition to that, the shows are very entertaining in themselves. Add in the time travel strand and you have built in cliffhangers.

But enough about the background. This post assumes you already know all that. What I want to discuss is MY thoughts on what’s happening to Sam and what we might be finding out in the next two weeks (the last two episodes, supposedly). First, you know I *want* it to be time travel, but that’s not good enough. We have to have evidence to support it. So far all the things that could be attributed to time travel could also be attributed to an hallucination. If we assume that what we see on the screen is really happening in 1973, then we can only assume it’s time travel.

WOW - I just realized this will be harder than I thought... Rather than try to convince you that it is time travel, let me just give you my thoughts on some things and how they might play out.

1)Sam has confided in Annie. So far Annie hasn’t totally dismissed him. Is it because she likes him? Or does she believe him? I think she believes that HE believes it, so she’s willing to appease him. She also can’t deny that Sam saved her life when she wore the red dress. Unless he could see the future some other way, that was a BIG step toward belief in her mind. Putting myself in her shoes, I can see how it would be hard to accept this.

2)Sam has ONLY confided in Annie. He’s not told anyone else, so he’s not a threat to whoever/whatever sent him here. I’m referring of course to Project Aries. What is it? Who is it? The folder looked to me like a joint venture between the Soviets and Americans. Did they send him back in time or are they looking for travelers or something else?

3)In the episode where there was the accountant being pursued, he indicated to Sam that he arrived in 1973 with an apartment, a history, papers, etc. Sam thought he was from 2008, but instead he was from 2009 (our time, basically) and said Obama had won the election (news to Sam, since he leaped before November). He was also talking about it and apparently being silenced.

4)Sam gets a mysterious phone call from someone that apparently knows about him being an immigrant to 1973. Looking for answers, Sam follows the caller’s instructions, which lead him to a house where, in the next episode, he finds a dead body. Internal Affairs interviews Sam, Ray, Chris, Gene, etc., but they destroy the tapes of everyone except Sam. My theory is that they were checking to see if he would talk about what had happened to him. Either they concluded that he is unaware (doubtful, since they called him again after the interview) or that he can be trusted not to talk. Either way, the question still remains - did they do this to him?

This is so circular that it’s hard to put it out in a linear fashion. I think that Sam’s memories from when he was a kid are because he’s there now. In other words, it’s a closed loop. But is it a loop that can be changed? Did he cause his mother to come home crying and wake him up as a kid? If so, then did it happen to his younger self because of the same events or not? If slightly different, but same outcome, then he can change the past. If the same, then it’s a closed loop.

The thing that puzzles me, though, is why did Sam have a job, apartment, clothes, identification, a car, etc. in 1973? If it’s an act of GFTW (God/Fate/Time/Whatever from QL), then there’s the answer. If the government did this to him, then they could have set all that up. His hair was different enough that they would have had a hard time faking a photo ID of him before the change.

Actually, the more you try to find answers, the more questions you discover. ABC promises that “after next week, all questions will be answered,” but I don’t believe it. Unless he wakes up from a coma and it was all a dream (perhaps Annie is the nurse that’s taking care of him, and she’s become part of the hallucination; perhaps Gene is the surgeon or head doctor; Ray & Chris the orderlies), how else is it explained? I will say that I will be sorely disappointed if that is the answer...

This week’s show saw him promise Annie that he’d take her out when he gets home. I hope he can follow through with that...

old post - fasting

2011-08-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

Here's another post from March 15, 2009 - along with a comment...

I subscribe to heartlight.org’s biblical passages - kinda like a VOTD (verse of the day). While reading some old email, I ran across the entry for Friday the 13th -

The Hidden Fast

"When you fast, don't make yourselves look sad. The hypocrites do that. Don't be like the hypocrites. They make their faces look strange to show people that they are fasting. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward. So when you fast, make yourself look nice. Wash your face. Then people will not know that you are fasting. But your Father that you cannot see will see you. Your Father sees the things that are done in secret. And he will reward you."

-- Matthew 6:16-18 (ERV)

My take on this...

This should apply to much more than just fasting. Besides, anyone that’s seen me in person knows I’m not a faster. Faster eater, maybe, but let’s just say that I did NOT give up fried food for Lent...

At any rate, I’ve always loved the quote, “Share the Gospel daily. Use words if necessary.” I feel like if we’re fasting for the proper reasons, we should NOT show it. Does this mean that I should hide the fact that I’m saying Grace at lunch? No. I see that as a point of witnessing, but I’m not going to stand up and ask everyone around me to be quiet while I say my prayer, and I’m not going to say it where everyone else can hear me (I’m not talking to them anyway - ask me if you haven’t heard that old joke ;) ). I think if I did either of those things that I would like those hypocrites.

Anyway, just wanted to share that with you...

Comment from Chris -

Hey Jim! Thanks for sharing that. I tend to feel the same way. Unfortunately, for me I don't have much to be hidden over to begin with when it comes to fasting! (meaning I don't do it enough)

Hey thanks for the call at work the other day; great to talk with you. Hope it works out for us to do lunch sometime ... (oops, we were talking about fasting :-)

My Only Love

2011-08-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Silver Anniversary - that's what tomorrow is. Vanessa and I were married 25 years ago tomorrow. She just gave me my card for this year and it really touched me. It was as if she had written it herself. THANK YOU!!!

I gave her her gift Friday night. I surprised her with a song I had written just for her and to commemorate this time. I'll be recording it and putting it online very soon, but wanted to keep it a secret until it was time to reveal it.

A special thank you to those that had a hand in helping me pull it off, and a thank you to those that knew but still helped to keep the secret. A BIG thank you to Vanessa - for the years she's given me as well as the support and the love.

You have always been my only love...

old post - i watched the watchmen

2011-08-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Another old one - this one from March 15, 2009

i watched the watchmen

First, I hate that I went two full days with no update... Both days were kinda out of the ordinary though, so I’ll use that as an explanation.

Yesterday, I found myself alone with a few hours, so I went to see Watchmen. I was VERY impressed with the characterization as well as the cinematography. Was it 100% with the graphic novel? No. Did it remain true to the original? Yes! I was very satisfied with the adaptation and in some ways it surpassed it... All of the dark, gritty drama of the graphic novel was there, PLUS the fight scenes were brought “alive” with bullet time and superhuman speed. I text my nephew right afterward and told him that if it had been made pre-Matrix, it would not have had the punch that it did.

If you’ve seen screen shots, pics or the trailer (or read the novel), then you know it’s an alternative history piece with some nostalgia thrown in. But I must say the costumes do not look dated and it does NOT have the flow of a comic book movie. If you liked the novel but were afraid this would not be “close enough” to make you happy, go see it anyway. If you are squeamish, though, be warned. Just like the novel, there’s more than a little blood, and it is NOT done comic book style...

I was a fan of Alan Moore (who has nothing to do with the film, BTW - I even noticed his name NOT appearing in the credits even as inspiration) back in the late 80’s/early 90’s when I got back into comic books. He was writing for Batman at the time and his stories were more gritty and dramatic than campy. This is especially true of Watchmen and it carries over nicely to the film.

Please feel free to add a comment, but try to remain spoiler free, at least for the next few months. :)

old post - our friend Dan

2011-08-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here's another old post - from March 12, 2009. This will serve as my daily post as it's already late and time for bed. :-)

Making an early entry today while it’s still fresh information. :)

Our buddy Dan Meyer has been traveling Europe these past few days and sending us Twitter updates on his travels. He mentioned the incident in the picture on Twitter and my first thought was, “man - I’d like to visit there too.” Then I open my email this morning and here’s this pic, making it even more real. Very cool, Dan!

Before I do my usual tangent jumping, let me say that Dan can be found at www.DanMeyer.org among other places. If you get a chance to meet him in person, DO IT! He’s a dynamic individual and a dedicated Christian. You won’t find a finer person out there.

Now, for the tangent... Some of you know I like Stephen King. Right now I’m reading “Just After Sunset.” One of the stories I just finished last week is “N.” An awesome read, as usual, and Stonehenge was mentioned.

Jimmy

Comments - Greg

Glad to see what you're up to these days! I hope to see Dan again sometime as well. He's quite an interesting guy. I was voting like mad to get him along on "America's Got Talent".

I miss talking to you guys! I haven't been into caching for a while, and the last I heard you were into other things as well.

I have had a MobileMe account for years, (well it used to be .Mac) but haven't ever done too much with it other than have a place to upload stuff I want to post and use the .mac email address. I have iWeb now but have never messed with it much. Guess I need to learn!

Jimmy

Hey Greg! Asked about you the other day but you were in B'ville. We've done SOME caching, but not a lot. And iWeb is too easy NOT to use. ;) - Good to hear from you!

Anonymous

I remember when he came to Frog Jump and performed at Archers Chapel.

It was awesome. Looks like he is moving up in the world!!!!!!!

Paradise Video

2011-08-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

I am uploading a video to YouTube that was shot at Paradise Boat Ramp in Kentucky. If you read my old blog, you know I did this song at my dad's memorial service. Well, a couple of months ago we were traveling through the area on the way to Indiana. We knew we would be close, so we decided to make a detour. Here's the first sign that we were getting close...

We turned off the parkway and made our way toward what was left of Paradise. We passed this cafe -

Then we drove on down and saw this "personal ad" -

We turned around and went back to the crossroads at the cafe and realized what street we were on...

We drove on down to the big Paradise TVA plant. MAN! I could NOT believe how massive this thing was!

So we made our way past the plant and tried to get to the Green River. I saw a sign that said "Boat Ramp" so we headed that way. I had no idea it was the very same spot I had found on the Internet months ago... Literally. Here's a screen shot of my phone showing where we were...

So we get down there and it's very emotional for both of us... We look up the river and see the plant and we look beside the boat ramp a see a little peaceful waterfall...

So Vanessa gets her flip cam out and records me doing "daddy's song" on the banks of the Green River. Again, it was very emotional, and I'm just now taking time to upload the video. Hope you enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGxJladh20I

Old Post - Every Moment Before

2011-08-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

(forgot to include the original pic...)

This post originally appeared on March 11, 2009.

What am I going to talk about in this blog? Everything. :)

I’ve heard it said that we are the product of EVERY moment that has come before this one. That being said, this blog will NOT be about one aspect of my life, but will vary depending on what I want to discuss. Does this mean it’s an excuse to essay ? Maybe... I love to communicate and especially enjoy emailing friends. What if the topic is not what I’m wanting to discuss though? Well, here you are!

That being said, comments are welcome! I would love for this to be a dialogue of sorts...

Now, why am I posting here and not on Facebook? Because that’s for my “friends” only, but this is for the world also. Plus I have some friends that are not on Facebook and I want to include them as well.

Let’s derail this train of thought and jump on Facebook... What’s it for? For me, it’s a way of communicating with others. I’ve posted some pics there (my 12 of 12, for example) but I don’t necessarily take pictures with the intent of including them on Facebook. By the same token, I don’t usually “browse” Facebook for pictures or other things. I have my friends’ updates set to be forwarded to my phone so I can see them real time as well as comment on the fly. Same thing for Twitter - it is rarely visited via the web and the people I really want to stay in contact with are set to forward to my phone as well.

Okay - don’t want to discuss it all in one sitting. More later...

Original Comments -

Twitter?........Facebook?..........HUH?what?

I thought I only got DW on this G4!

Jimmy

No man - you can do so much more, but I can see where you'd not want to. ;)

Chris

While I've personally managed to avoid Facebook so far, it's definitely getting to be more and more of a Facebook world, so I may only be able to hold out only so long! Hey, I like your blog, Jim! Looks great. I may have to try out the MobileMe thing.

Brent

Hey Jim, good to see some updates! :-) And even a new Car Wars podcast, woohoo!

I steadfastly refuse the Facebook. In fact, in the novel I'm working on now, it's implied by one of the characters that the downfall of an ancient civilization was the direct result of social networking over a massive interstellar network. So there you are: Facebook use leads to Armageddon. Hey, I didn't say it, Kirin did (one of my characters).

CJ, didn't you have a character named Kirin once...? If so...hey thanks for the name...

Craig

I'm sorry, I would have commented sooner, but I was on Facebook

from March 10, 2009

2011-08-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

Originally posted 3/10/09 - titled Another Year Older...

Here I am another year older and another year’s worth of water under the bridge and another dance complete and... Well, you get the picture...

Yes, this is the first entry of yet ANOTHER blog I’ve started. I think I’ve found my home now though. I intend to use this more as a journal of sorts and less of a promotional outlet. The others things I’ve done have either been centered around work, updating a PBEM game I used to run or as a podcast for our son’s band. I’ll be glad to supply links, if they’re wanted, but suffice it to say that this is going to be my presence.

Why here? Well, for one, I like Apple. :) I’m using iWeb and am actually typing this offline with intentions of posting when I get home. Now that I have a MobileMe account, I have the website as a bonus, so I figured I’d use it. Could I tie work in here? Yes, I could, but I have a blog there and our policy is to use the provided website. If I can’t let the teachers do it, why should I try?

Okay - before this gets out of hand and WAAAY too long, I’ll sign off. More next time...

Two comments -

Anonymous

dang baby brother!! yeah, I let your birthday slip by me....sorry about that....no excuses, but I hardly ever know what day of the month I'm currently enjoying. lots of times I don't know the day of the week either! anyway...HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and remind me to tell you about what I ran across Tuesday that you will remember when you see it...actually kinda ironic, since that was your birthday.......hmmmmmmmmm

Joy

Man....... I sure had forgotten that your birthday was in March. Hope you had a good one. You may be as old as I am now!!!!!

Moving Day

2011-08-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

It's official - iWeb is no longer a part of iLife and Apple is doing away with their MobileMe service. Because of this, I've not blogged in a LONG time, and I've missed it. After looking at different options for a new web site, I've decided to come here for my blog and to share pictures on Facebook in public albums and link to them from here. The rest of the old web site will just sit stagnant until it finally disappears.

Just so you know, I will be reposting all my old posts from the old site. It started out as a public blog, then turned into a personal journal with public discussion. At one point it was a GREAT form of therapy, allowing me to express feelings and get things off my chest, as well as to reflect on things. I don't want to lose all that. Feel free to read the old stuff and of course commits are always welcome.

thinking of coming back here...

2011-07-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

I use MobileMe for my personal blog, but it is going away next year... I don't want to lose my old posts, so I'm planning to move them. Yes, that's a lot of stuff to move. No, I don't want to "not" do it - a lot of it was good self therapy and it was designed to be an ongoing journal for me as well.

I've used this site before, so thinking of coming back. Any other good sites I can use? I want to be able to add posts from my iPhone or a browser as well... That's the DIS-advantage to the MobileMe one... Had to use iWeb ONLY...

Anyway - feedback would be GREAT!

Moving my home...

2009-03-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Just the web one - new permanent home:

http://web.me.com/jimmylogan

Wow - didn't know it had been that long...

2008-11-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'll admit it - I started this blog to have a place for people to "go to" when they were looking for me. At the time, my MADHAT site was down so I was looking for a place to host my games until it could be brought back up from a hardware failure. When it did, I kind of abandoned this place except for the band videos. Now I find out someone actually looked for me here? :-)

Anyway, this will be my ramble spot from now on... I was running a tech blog on my employer's website (I'm a tech coordinator at a local school system) but that's fallen away too, so this will be where my writing goes to.

What about MADHAT? Sorry - found Darkwind (dark-wind.com) so Car Wars is now in my past... If you try out the game, use me as a reference please - user 8949

More rambles later...

Tech Blog is live

2007-10-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

The URL will be changing soon, but here's the link for now:

Tech Blog

First Post - does everyone say that?

2007-10-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I have several blog sites set up, but wanted to snag this one as the center of the hub, so to speak.

I'll link off to my other blogs and websites as they are built - added to.

Thanks for looking and I'll hear from you soon!