The Next Great American Band?

Really? I think Denver and the Mile High Orchestra and Sixwire are both more talented. I guess this, like American Idol, eventually becomes a popularity contest. Hopefully, like Idol, the runner-ups will have great careers.

Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting

Actually it's TaeKwonDo and Robbie's kicks are becoming extremely powerful and well-executed. It wasn't long ago that he was losing his balance every time he tried to kick even half this high. Chuck Norris, watch your back!

Scanner Funnies

Here is a conversation I heard on my scanner last night. I got a good laugh from it.

Dispatch: Adam 239, report of 415 verbal (disturbing the peace) at Orange Terrace Park. RP (reporting party) says her boyfriend's eyes are rolling into the back of his head and he's growling. RP thinks boyfriend sold his soul to the devil. Possible 5150 (crazy).

(Slight Pause)

Officer: Which one is possibly 5150?

Dispatch: Take your pick!

The Collision

After Sarah commented on my blog that Doritos Collisions sound disgusting, I took an impersonal poll of friends and the employee at CVS who sold me my first bag today. Without fail, all the males that I asked said a combination of Buffalo Wing and Bleu Cheese sound great. Every female said it seemed like the worst idea ever. I thought the ones I bought today were wonderful. Let me know what you think. Doritos Collisions Buffalo Wing and Bleu Cheese: Out of Sight or Just Not Right? (Notice they spell "bleu" wrong on the packaging.)

The Standard Bet

Ken and I have a standard bet that we frequently make in order to keep things interesting. The bet is $1.00 and a bag of Doritos. It has been employed on football games, hockey games, length of time it takes to get service at a restaurant, and just about anything else. When USC played Michigan last year, we added the stipulation that if Michigan won, I'd have to buy Ken Cool Ranch. If USC won, Ken had to buy Nacho Cheese. That way they matched our respective team's colors. Needless to say the Nacho Cheese were delicious. Our most recent bet is: When will Scott Niedermayer return to the Ducks? I say December. Ken says January. What kind of Doritos should I get this time?

19 Days Until...

The Suit

Tomorrow I'm making my debut with Big Papa & the TCB wearing this suit.

Sarah sent this picture to her mom. Mama Sue replied, "Is he in your front yard? Get him in before the neighbors see!"

Bass (and Life) Lessons

Today, like most Tuesdays, I have a lesson with Rick Shaw. He is an amazing bass player who graduated from Eastman. His playing credits include: Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Johnny Mathis, Buddy Rich, Julio Iglesias, Aaron Neville, etc. It means a lot to me that he takes time out of his busy schedule every week to come to Riverside to teach lessons at R.C.C. He has helped me break out of the box that I've built around myself over several years and changed the way I approach the instrument.

Perhaps my favorite part of our lessons is when we just talk about life. He frequently reminds me of the role I play in the lives of two wonderful boys and to not take those relationships for granted. We talk about how you can get away with doing certain things simply beacause children are present. When was the last time those of you without children ran through the sprinklers in the front yard or made chin people? I made chin people about two weeks ago and ran through the sprinklers several time when it was warmer. Robbie and Cameron allow my inner child to show his face without fear of scrutiny. Talking with Rick every week helps reinforce the importance of the role I play in Robbie and Cameron's lives and the role they play in mine. Thank you, Rick, musically and personally.

The Winter Cold

Like clockwork my annual sore throat and congestion showed up just in time for Thanksgiving. Having just one symptom wouldn't be good enough. Without congestion, I'd be able to actually taste the turkey. Without the sore throat, every swallow wouldn't be painful. Force swallowing food you can't really taste is not the best way to spend a holiday. At least this cold hasn't gone into serious "kick my butt" mode. Maybe it will spare me this year. At least the orange juice is delicious.

Another Reason For Me To Not Like the Kings

They hired Adolph Hitler as an assistant coach!!

Silly Charter

As soon as I learned that ESPN was on 6, ESPN2 on 76, FSW on 15, FSW on 16, not to mention the channels for newer faves like the Food Network (I love Ace of Cakes), they change everything on me. I can't find anything. Some of my faves moved into the 100's. Who watches the 100's? Some channels I'm pretty sure have an audience of 8 are now wedged between the big networks (2,4,5,7,9,11,13). Way to go Charter. I know I will eventually learn where the channels are.... just in time for you to move them again. {Exasperated sigh}

Urinetown

This weekend I'm playing bass for a production of Urinetown right here in Riverside. That's right, it's called Urinetown. A brief synopsis from the ad: "In a Gotham-like city a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets." Blah, blah, blah. Really it's Les Miserables but instead of fighting a miltary revolution, they are fighting for the right to pee in private. It's a very campy show with songs like "It's a Privilege to Pee," "Snuff That Girl" (yes, about murder), and the very tongue in cheek title of "I See a River." The performers a quite good. They are R.C.C. drama students and pull it off quite nicely. Tickets are $15.00 and the show is Oct. 25, 26, and 27 at 8:00 p.m. and Oct. 27 and 28 at 2:00p.m. For more info: http://landispac.com/

Let's Jazz Trio (sometimes Quartet)

A little shameless self-promotion. Let's Jazz, a group that I play bass for, performs every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month at Napa 29 in Corona. It's a semi-swanky joint where dinner could easily run $50 per person. Thankfully we play on the bar side which features a full bar and a good, if seafood heavy bar menu with most items in the $10 - $15 dollar range. For you near-beer drinkers (Adam) they have O'Douls and can make most cocktails "virgin." There is no cover. We play from 7:30-10:30. The group consists of Nichole Preuss on vocals, Al Meyers on guitar, sometimes Brent Levine on saxophone, and me on bass and last night I made my debut on vocals. Come check it on and enjoy some jazz standards performed in a fairly intimate setting. Here is a video of us with Frank Wilson on drums:

Another Good Day

Today was another good day. I went shopping at Best Buy and bought a new Palm Pilot (my last one got left on the roof of my van and was last seen mid-air near the corner of Alessandro and Trautwein) and a case for my camera. This evening while Sarah was at church with her mom, I went to 3 Day Suit Broker and bought a suit. I got a jacket, pants, tailoring, 2 ties, and a shirt for $160. Finally, I picked up some heavy cream so I could drink the iced coffee I made earlier (iced coffee straight is pretty foul). To quote Ice Cube: "I have to say it was a good day."

The View From Up There

Have you have ever been to a sporting event and thought, "I wonder what the view is like from way up there?" Well, here is a picture from my seats at the Honda Center for Anaheim Ducks games (The optical zoom is maxed.) There is only one row higher than mine. I think they are some of the best seats in the house. I sat eight rows from the glass. Guess what? There's a bunch of plexiglass in front of you distorting the view. In Anaheim when you sit in the expensive seats, you are surrounded by the people who are sitting close because that's the place to be, not because they love hockey. Real fans sit in the nosebleeds. Long Live Section 423 Row T!

My Dirty Little Geekret 1

(Concept inspired {stolen} by {from} Sue Johnson)
I frequently listen to Riverside Police Dept., Riverside Fire, Riv. Co. Sherrif, SB Co. Sherrif, and SB Police Dept. I just got frequencies for AMR/CDF (thanks Jason). Yesterday before the hockey game, I listened to the various conversations taking place in the Honda Center and tonight found out I get the Honda Center channels all the way in Riverside. Currently the stage crew is setting up for the Marc Anthony/Jennifer Lopez concert.
(Picture taken with new camera. Megapixel setting lowered to speed upload.)

Cameron and Quick Before Sinking

He sure had a good time!

The best part is when he runs around and says, "Can I see?" That's Cam for ya!

Hockey Day

It's Hockey Day! Tonight I'm going to my first of 10 regular season games of the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks. My best friend, Ken, and I are celebrating his birthday by doing all his favorite things: Fry's Electronics, dinner, and hockey. Hopefully the Ducks can continue their winning ways tonight against the Nashville Predators and build off the success of Monday's 6-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. GO DUCKS!!!!!!!

The Search Is Over

After looking at exactly 6 different stores, I found a camera to replace my last one. It is the Olympus FE-280. For you tech-heads, it is an 8.0 mp point and shoot with 3x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom (which is not that important) and uses a 2gb XD memory card which allows me to do panoramic photographs. For the normal people, it is a pocket-sized camera that takes really great pictures. I ended up buying it from OfficeMax because they had the best price. If you need customer service, go somewhere else.

Anyone Selling a Camera?

Yesterday as I was getting ready to see Victor, I got out my camera to see if it needed new batteries. I turned it on and noticed the LCD screen was shot. It wasn't cracked or otherwise broken but had been ruined internally. I'm now in the market for a new point and shoot digital camera. Nothing fancy. Anyone have one they want to get rid of?

Carry-over from MySpace

I wrote this a while ago and just re-read it and still enjoy it. It's a bit of a rant but makes a good point.

The other day I was watching one of those t.v. shows like Maximum Exposure where people send in video clips of people doing stupid things. This particular episode had a man standing in a tree wearing a skateboard helmet. He announced to the camera that he planned to jump from the tree he was in, about 40 feet off the ground, into an adjacent tree that was about 35 feet tall, falling about 10 feet until he reached some branches that would support his weight. At this point the announcer interrupted with the warning, "Please, do not try this at home!" My only thought was, "No one in their right mind would try this at home." They return to the action and they are now showing the view from his helmet camera. The idiot in the tree is now demonstrating how weak the branches are that he's standing on and explaining how this means he will get a very strong jump. Once again the announcer said, "Please, do not try this at home." "What moron would try this at home?!!!!!!!!!!" The loser in the tree now jumps and comes about two feet short of his target tree. What a shocker there! As they show him in a pile on the ground the announcer says (say it with me), "Please, do not try this at home." You know what? I say,"Please try this at home!" If you are that stupid to think trying to jump from one tree to another while 40 feet off the ground is a good idea, JUST DO IT! The gene pool needs some chlorine. And to you t.v. producers, I realize you need to give the warning or else the tree-hopping moron would sue you. But wouldn't it be nice to not have to say that? Survival of the smartest. And I'm using the term smartest VERY loosely. Your I.Q. barely has to be greater than you shoe size to not try most of this stuff. If you see something on Maximum Exposure, Jackass, or any of these other shows that cater to the least common denominator, that seems like fun, by all means, do it. Just don't cry when your shattered pelvis means you are going to be in a body cast for 6 months.Instead, try it again until it is guaranteed you will never be able to reproduce. Do all of us a favor. Thank You!

Victor Wooten

Today I had the amazing opportunity to see my favorite bass player, Victor Wooten, give a clinic right here in Riverside. After playing and taking questions for about an hour he asked, "Who wants to come up here and play my bass?" No one took him up on the offer. Playing bass in front of arguably the greatest electric bass player in the world can be a bit intimidating to say the least. Victor warned us that we would all kick ourselves in the butt later tonight if we didn't take him up on the offer. Finally a brave soul got on stage and started playing. Victor then gave him a private lesson for a few minutes right on stage in front of us. After a few other players, I got up there and got to play my idol's instrument and get a private lesson from him. What an amazing experience. The few minutes on stage with Victor reignited that passion for music that sometimes gets lessened by the rigors of being a working musician (nasty load-ins, bad charts, questionable meals, etc.). Search Youtube for "Victor Wooten Norwegian Wood" to get a taste of how amazing this man is.