• Tag Archives Guitar

  • “If only there were a longer time between epiphany and epitaph” David Glaser

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    I’m being a good boy. I’m sticking around the house rather than going out. I need to plow through a few Netflix discs and practice some guitar…..I already finished most of my homework, enough that I’m satisfied.

    I had to update because it’s been a pretty roller-coaster couple of days. While those closest to me have been riding the front and back cars, and I myself have been solidly in the middle, the days have definitely spun me for a loop (or loop-de-loop or loop-loop-de-loop). There have been a few things that have struck me recently (much like an epiphany) but that I have not quite yet acted on yet.

    I’ve heard recently something that resonated with me, it was said, “I’d rather regret the things I did do, rather than the things I didn’t do”. Which of course I think is totally applicable except for that incident of public nudity on a baseball diamond and possibly the charge of illegal animal husbandry. Regardless, life is short. Extremely short when you look at the long term survival rate of any one human being. (At some point, EVERYONE has a zero survival rate)
    A lot of decisions in my life have been so logic based that I ended up not doing whatever it was because the end result wasn’t something I was entirely comfortable with. These days, I’m finding that to be a pretty limiting decision making process. Always the “what ifs?” held me back. What if? What if? What if?

    Henceforth (yes – I said “henceforth”), I’m going to attempt to head into directions that I haven’t been, do some things I haven’t done, try something I haven’t tried, talk like I haven’t talked, act like I haven’t acted. I’ve come a long way, but there’s a long way to go (and a short time to get there, I’m eastbound just to watch ole bandit run)

    In reality based news, the probate hearing was yesterday. Long story short, it’s probably a good thing I didn’t have some oddly colored hair – because it could have been disastrous. It’s good to act like a completely sane responsible human – some of the time. Ha! Tequila (again) is not my friend – but I’ll know better next time. I still managed to get up, go to school – unfortunately dehydration meant my calves were cramping up so I couldn’t do much. My hair has freedom now – I’m not sure where I should go with it. Most sane people say, “Do what YOU want to with it”. I was going to waffle on it, but I know what I’m going to do now.

    Life is short – remember?


    📂This entry was posted in Guitar School 📎and tagged

  • “It is dainty to be sick, if you have leisure and convenience for it” Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    Bleah.

    Just to prove that I have something else to write about besides coffee, guitars and school, I think I have caught a cold of some sort.

    It’s the groggy, don’t feel like getting up kind.

    Haven’t gotten much done except sleep – and I’ve got some tests coming up this week.

    *sigh*


    📂This entry was posted in Guitar School 📎and tagged

  • “Laziness begets nothing but failures and lost opportunities. ” Rig Veda

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    Ahhh crap.

    Because I didn’t pull my guitar apart myself first, and relied only on a quick question/answer, I got the wrong part.

    I’m upgrading the block inside the Ibanez on the Floyd Rose.

    Sustain = good.

    The gaping wound:

    floyd1

    Side by side comparison (somewhat – since it’s the wrong block. The correct block will be on it’s way once I mail this one back):

    floyd2

    Floyd Roses are complicated? What? What do you mean? (Humpty Dumpty Pt 12):

    floyd3


    📂This entry was posted in Guitar 📎and tagged

  • “You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline – it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer” Frank Zappa

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    As a child growing up in the 70’s, in Texas, football was a majorly oppressive force for those of us who didn’t give a crap about sports.

    I was recently sitting in an establishment that was showing Steelers highlights, and reflected back to a recent get-together at my brother’s house. Everyone there seemed to have an opinion about their favorite football team. Ross loves the Steelers, Nancy loves the Redskins, and everyone else seemed to be a Cowboys fan. When it comes to football, I’m less atheist and more agnostic. I just “doubt” that football really exists. Actually I don’t really actively think about it.

    For what purpose does organized sports – much like organized religion play? I would hazard a guess they are actually one in the same.

    I digress.

    Now that I’ve gotten further into my school planning, I’m realizing that this is actually going to be work. WORK! I know I can do it, and if it’s something I’m interested in doing for the remainder of my years, then it’s the “right thing to do”. I guess I just feel a little behind since I imagine that most of the kids that will be in the program for a Music degree will have been reading music all their lives (since grade school anyway) and I never really sat down and learned it. I’ve had to start learning recently as my students are reading music, so I have to do it too.

    I’ve set a goal of practicing 30-45min daily on my guitar and see how far I can get before I have to audition at the school *shudder*

    This should be interesting.


    📂This entry was posted in Guitar School 📎and tagged

  • “Whenever I feel like exercise I lie down until the feeling passes” Robert Maynard Hutchins

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    Ow. Ow. Ow.

    I’m not really in that much pain, but my lower legs are definitely sore. Yesterday, in my “Concepts of Physical Fitness” class, we were baselining our VO2max and had to walk (1mile) or run (1.5miles) to get this baseline. Of the thirty person class, two of us chose to run. I was supposed to only run around the building about five and a half times, but I think I ran six and a half. Oops. Lost track. Even so, with the time I ran, my fitness is considered “good” – of which I’m pretty glad. I haven’t been running at all, so to be able to complete this I felt good about my physical fitness (for my age *cough* *cough*).

    That being said, I was more or less stoned from exhaustion yesterday. I didn’t realize it until I made it over to Guitar Center to buy more strings. When I had gotten home, I had immediately tried to complete stringing up the J. I quickly realized that I had cut three of the strings wrong, and that is what was causing my intonation problems. But, I had no strings left. So, to Guitar Center I went. One of the GC guys attempted to strike up a conversation about Reverend Horton Heat (I was wearing a RHH shirt) but I was so exhausted that I could barely do more than nod and shrug my shoulders. From there I went to Whole Foods around the corner and found this:

    monty_ale

    Came home and finished stringing up the J. Around seven thirty, I laid down and attempted to sleep. So I slept until about eight forty five this morning. That’s a lot of sleep for me.

    Oddly, this will be the first true holiday weekend that I’ve had in about five years. My Saturday class is cancelled, and so are my Monday classes. Time for more coffee. Need to read some Chemistry – maybe later.

    Forgot – I’m supposed to be getting a *free* treadmill tomorrow from my ex-mother-in-law.


    📂This entry was posted in Guitar School 📎and tagged

  • “Ambition is a lust that is never quenched, but grows more inflamed and madder by enjoyment.” Thomas Otway

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    I had my Endoscopy (follow up) today – the Dr says that there’s no inflammation, and didn’t even stretch (dilate) my esophagus. He said there’s enough room, and things are looking good.

    Still have to puff on Flovent twice daily and still taking Nexium. Feeling good. The anesthesiologist gave me propofol, so of course I was obliged to make jokes about touching small boys and being able to do the moonwalk. That’s pretty trippy. It burns, then you sleep. Then you wake up in another room.

    You’re not supposed to drive after you’ve taken it and while I can’t say that I was foggy, things would slip my memory. Like what I said last to the anesthesiologist before passing out….

    The Iceman is just an absolute killer guitar. It’s an all around player. I’m not even afraid to mess with the Floyd – I understand it now (and have a book to help me out) so I need to change the strings on the guitar. Need to study first.

    This school thing is turning out well. It’s nice to have Labor Day weekend off – I’ve got a quiz tomorrow in Government. We’ll see how that goes……


    📂This entry was posted in Guitar School 📎and tagged

  • “I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.” Frank Sinatra

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    As I am slowing recovering from my two hour nap – and waking up, I’m going to update this page rather than clean my desk, do homework, practice guitar, feed the cats or any of the other mindless things I “should” be doing. Tuesdays are the only days that I have that I don’t have to wake up early to do anything – so essentially, Monday night is my Friday night. I can study late tonight (should I choose) and sleep late tomorrow…..and study tomorrow.

    School is going well. Until the first test anyway….then we’ll see how well I’m understanding my commitment to the process.

    My Iceman is on its way – and technically I should receive it tomorrow, but there was a shipping error, so it may be another day. I’m not sure how I always manage to fall into these “pay well below market” situations. It’s always “right place right time” with me and guitars. I have too many, way, waaaay too many now. I’d feel bad, but I’m not going to. I’ve paid the price in other ways. >wicked<

    I’m supposed to get my upper GI scoped on Thursday (again) and it’s going to be expensive without insurance. I set up COBRA, but the gears of bureaucracy turn sloooowly. I’ll have to pay out-of-pocket and then be re-imbursed for it.


    📂This entry was posted in Guitar 📎and tagged

  • “The reactions from people when they see our stuff is always positive. Wherever we go, people seem to be drawn to us. It feels so good. It makes me feel like maybe I’ve made the right choice,” Sharon Hill

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    I picked up my Chemistry book today – again, I’m relieved that I made the right choice.

    Reading through it, it’s more “interesting” and I don’t have that sinking feeling.

    I’m still waiting for three books that were ordered from a separate campus last week – and have yet to be delivered. I’ve already ordered them at textbooks.com, so I should get the remainder in tomorrow.

    My guitar shipped today, and I should be getting it in a few days. Hopefully I can request a pickup at the UPS hub on Tuesday. *crosses fingers*

    I need to update my guitar page – I’ve acquired a bit of gear.


    📂This entry was posted in Guitar School 📎and tagged

  • “Before you try to convince anyone else, be sure you are convinced, and if you cannot convince yourself, drop the subject.” John H. Patterson

    Posted on by The Thousand Yard Stare Comment

    Alright – my first class dropped.
    I was able to sneak into a Saturday Chemistry class (one of my core requirements) and drop the logic class. The logic class was probably going to be interesting, but I could tell that from the first two chapters that I would be pretty buried. It didn’t help at all that the teacher was not tremendously orgainized. Quote, “I’m not going to be a teacher, but more of a coach…..well, I’ll teach also but….”  Nothing was really laid out too well (at least not to my liking) so that I could expect relatively what was going to happen.  After experiencing this, my history and government classes seem very easy. So, I did manage to find the Chemistry class – while I’m not super excited about it being on a Saturday, it just means that I only have to take four more classes for my Associate’s degree – then I can transfer into University of Texas Arlington.

    Having had the previous experience of bombing classes, I know better now when to cut and run. There’s a difference between sighing because of the workload, and having a horrendous sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that you’ve made a terrible, terrible mistake.  Last night was one of those nights in the Logic class. Since I was taking it to fill an elective spot (foolish me), I did visit with the academic counselor yesterday so that I could fully understand what I was doing.  I pretty much just jumped into it all without looking too closely, but that logic class was a little too close to the edge.

    Maybe if I had been in school more recently, I could have handled it, but having not been in school in about thirteen years,  overwhelming myself is not a good plan.
    All in all, I’m very happy with the choice I made – I did it before it was too late, and I’m still on my way.
    The music class should be fun.


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