October 4, 2006

You know what's a bad sign? A bad sign is when you go to the bar, drink a bunch of beer, then forget about anything that has bothered you all day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not drinking to forget, it just happens that way by default.

Notes that all should know: Russ and Josh are the greatest. They'll hang with me at the bar, and they will melt faces off playing funky grooves beyond your belief. Rock on, boys.

Russ beat me at darts a bunch tonight. I am jaded. What will I ever do?

Patents rehearsal went well tonight. We learned three new tunes in two hours. I like the direction we're going in.

I signed myself up for a Facebook page. I'm now officially hopelessly addicted to this whole blog thing. There is no hope.

I sang with a Bon Jovi song on my way home from the bar. I have officially become completely unattractive to everyone because of that- especially due to the fact that I just admitted that I did so in the first place.

Something I thought about earlier today (before I was drinking): I wish I could apologize to the few that truly feel that I have wronged or hurt over the past seven years. I want to, but I fear that it's too late at this point, and would it matter to them at this point, anyhow? The thought of that makes the pain all the more worse.

I need to go to bed. More soon.

October 1, 2006

It's October. I guess that means that it's officially fall. I'm not sold, though- it was eighty degrees out here today. Of course, that just means that it could snow fifteen inches tomorrow. You can't life around this area without quite the sense of surprise, I guess.

It was a good weekend. It was most certainly laid back, which is great. It was my second in a row, which never happens. Now, looking forward into October, there will be no more weekends like that. My weekends will be filled with Patents shows, the NDSU Opera Theatre, and drill with the Guard Band. That pretty much take me through the second weekend of November. Being busy is good, though, keeps me out of trouble (generally). It also puts bread in the bank.

Friday night, I went and saw the first performance of the NDSU Jazz Ensemble and Lab Band for this school year. There were some good moments in there. The Lab Band played very well, continuing Matt Patnode's signs of massive improvement in the performance of that group. It helps that NDSU has some very dedicated non-majors who love music, and really want to play well. Of course, the Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Kyle Mack did pretty well overall. The lack of the strong comping player was the most noticable problem, along with the lack of a stright-up lead trumpet player. I was impressed with the new young rhythm section, which includes a pair of talented players that just came to NDSU this year. The bones were outstanding (as well they should be) with a very young group headed up by Dan Hinman. The saxes were also strong under the leadership of Jessy and Brian. It was a welcomed sight to see Rena back in the section, and she also soloed, showing that she's been listening and practicing. I was impressed with her style, and more so than anything, it's just good see her back on stage playing again.

A few of us went out to eat after the show, to include Jeremy Meinert and his wife Roxy, along with Erin and Jessy and several others. We had dinner at Chili's, and even though it makes no difference saying so, our waitress- who was Asian- was absolutely beautiful. It's probably creepy to really say so, now that I think about it. It spawned a conversation that explained that I had never dated an Asian woman before.

-PORTION EDITED-

Back to today...I worked at the hotel on Saturday morning, then came home and took a good nap before going out to dinner with Dano. Kirsten was going to come too, but she ended up having to babysit. So, Dano and I went to Ruby Tuesday's (thanks for dinner, by the way), then we went and had a few beers at the Doublewood. It was nice to catch up with Dano again. I think about five years ago how we used to hang out all of the time, so I kind of miss the old days from time to time. Nonetheless, Dano is doing well and it was good to hang out.

I went to see Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome later that night. They were playing at the Aquarium above Dempsey's. There, I drank quite a bit and generally had a good time. The band is quite good, and why shouldn't it- it's full of the best players in town. It was cool to be out with a bunch of friends and all, but as the night went along, I started to feel a strange sense of jealousy towards the band. While I didn't deny that they were good, I began to think about the fact that Patents was going to play there soon in November. While I'm very excited to play that show, I have a fear that people who see us play that have already seen PTFS play will think that we're simply trying to copy PTFS, when that's not the truth at all. Patents has been around for five years, and we've always tried to do what we do. I don't want to get beat based on timing, basically. I also don't want to be jealous of those guys. I think they do some things better than us, but also, I feel we do some things better than them. They are really good, and I send out lots of props to those guys. I guess we'll see. I just need to stop being so damned paranoid.

For the record, I bought Krista Bjornson and Brandon Aune their 21st birthday drinks. Happy Really Late Birthday, you guys kick ass for coming out on Saturday. Welcome to my world.

I'm watching Sunday night football, and at each break, they keep playing Chicago tunes. I like that.

I'm feeling kind of dark tonight. I'm not so sure why. Every now and then, I sit around and think about a lot of stuff, mostly about relationships and junk like that. It happens on weekends like this when I have time to myself. I think that's why I try to stay busy. It's not that I don't want to deal with things, because for the most part, I've taken care of that baggage. It's more about just wishing that things had gone right so that I wouldn't be in this funk to begin with. I just see other people, and I don't want their lives to be mine, but I want my life to be good like theirs. I'm also one of those guys who always looks back on my regrets of the past, and that's never good. You might call it my worst vice. I'm trying to make things right. I'm not so sure everyone would believe that, but I am. I guess thats just on my mind. I'm making things heavey.

Well, I should go. I've got some stuff to do, and I think I'm feeling like I should now go and get a beer or something. Have a good week, I'll try to get back with you all sometime shortly...

"I can't to figure out what's wrong with me so I can say this is the way that I used to be..."

September 28, 2006

Hey, how's it going? The week has kind of flown by quickly, which has been good since I seem to always be aiming for the weekend and all.  Some good things are going on with the new reading back coming along really nicely.  Jessy Klimpel and I are working hard to make it all work out, and things are looking cool. I've always wanted to get together a read band program, and it seems like we have the good balance of veteran players and young players who want to just make some music.  It doesn't get any better than that. Of course, if by chance that you're in the FM area and you're interested in playing in the reading band, you can go here to get more information.

I've been browsing through sites and blogs over the last week, and I've found all sorts of really cool stuff. I read two really good blog entries with great memorable quotes that I can most certainly relate to. The first came from Anne's site. It was a simple quote that sort of hit home to me, and probably hits home to others, too.

"People pop in and out of our lives and I wish I could have at least an ounce of knowing what was ahead of us on the journey."

Enough said.

The other one that I kind of got a kick out of was from Laura's site.  While it's not a life-changing thought, it's certainly something that a got a laugh out of while pretty much agreeing with it.

"Marching band is no fun and does not contribute to a music program, except as making musically-ignorant people happy."

Again, enough said...with a big smile on some of our faces.  I did enjoy marching band in my day, but to be completely truthful, I'm not so sure I learned anything incredibly useful musically. The other thing that I saw on one blog was an old picture from the aforementioned marching band.  Erin found it somewhere and posted it on her blog, and it kind of brought back some fun memories from my early days in the band.

I had a bit of a crazy Wednesday night.  I'm not going to go into detail about what was going on, but I will say that some people need to learn to understand that everyone is different from everyone else.  To assume that the way you think is the way that everyone else thinks is absurd.  Attempting to change the way others are on the spot in a ridiculously persistant manner will accomplish nothing, especially if that person is under an immense amount of pressure and stress.  Everyone is allowed to speak their minds, but whta ever happened to a little tact and sensitivity, especially when someone is having a rough time?  All of this seems so logical to me, how can it be so unclear to a small percentage of others?

But, thankfully a good portion of the people and friends that I know are not like that.  Unfortunatly, it only takes one to ruin a person's night.

Thankfully, the weekend is almost here.  I have another weekend off, basically.  I do work at the hotel on Saturday, but other than that, it should be a good weekend.  There's a NDSU Jazz Ensemble concert tomorrow night, and on Saturday, I plan on taking Dano and Kirsten to dinner.  The Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome is playing tomorrow night as well.  It should be a good weekend.  Maybe I'll see some of you, get a hold of me.  You know my number.  Have a good weekend...

September 24, 2006

It's Sunday at about 5:45pm, and I'm watching in complete disbelief as my fantasy football team is getting spanked. I'm also in disbelief as I watch the New York Giants getting spanked by the Seattle Seahawks. The two really do go hand in hand, as a good portion of fantasy team offense is made up of New York Giants players. Of those players, only Tiki Barber is doing anything closely resembling playing football. Oh, the pain. The funny part is that my opponent, Matt Boeser, is also having a rough day with fantasy football, and it appears that I could maybe still win this matchup. I will limp out with my victory while licking my wounds.

On better news in football, the NDSU Bison made an impressive showing at Ball State in Muncie, Indiana, where thhey defeated the Cardinals 29-24. Ball State was a big game, as the school is classified a Division I-A school. I watched a good portion of that game online, where the Bison bounced back and forth between being ahead and behind. In the end, the Bison prevailed, using an unexpected passing game, beating the Cardinals using their own methods. Steve Walker threw for an eye-boggling 451 yards. It was a big game that is certainly a big confidence-booster as they get closer to the big NDSU vs. U of M game in a matter of weeks.

Wow, Eli Manning has thrown for two touchdowns. My fantasy team is starting a big comeback. Hooray for me. Hooray for Eli.

I had an alright Saturday. Last night, I went down to Scheels and bought some clothes. I love the new Scheels. It's fun to hang out there, and I always find stuff that I like there. Anyhow, I went there and then to Best Buy to grab a couple of DVDs, then went and had some Chineese. Erin Ott and Amanda Leingang just happened to come in to eat Chineese as well, so I had some unexpected company. That was pretty cool. Somewhere in there, I got a call to inform me that Cathy Childs was no longer in town, which was a disappointment, I was hoping to see her this weekend. Anyhow, after dinner, I met up with Josh at Lauerman's, then headed next door to Fort Noks. I hated to leave Lauerman's, but that annual Drunk Dash or whatever they call is was going on, and they had just showed up at Lauerman's at about 120 strong. So, we went next door and enjoyed some Red Hook on tap. I love that stuff.

After that, I made a quick stop to see Jessy, Jess, and John at the Northern. I'm not the guy that goes to the Northern, well, really ever, but Jessy told me to come down since he was taking Brandon Aune out for his first time there. However, when I got there, I found no Brandon, he had left earlier, I guess. I spent just a little bit of time with them before getting over to the Empire to meet back up with Josh. Russ was there, too. We had a shot and a beer, then I headed home. I watched some TV, ate a pizza, and went to bed.

Today, all I did was get up and go to church, then went to a rehearsal for The Pirates of Pennzance. I came back home, and here I am watching football and playing around with my computer. I plan on going out to watch the Broncos game tonight. They're playing the New England Patriots, so I have to hope for a little bit of luck.

Well, this was a useless post, really. Hope you're having a good day, and hope that you had a good weekend.

September 22, 2006

It seems like I find myself saying this more and more, but I’ll say it again- I’m sorry for not updating for the past two weeks. Life has a way of getting really, really busy, and what do you do about it? Forge ahead, I guess. That’s all you can do. So, what have I been up as of late, you might ask? Work, gigs, and Guard. That’s about it. You’d be surprised how much time it really does take up.

About a week and a half ago, a handful of us from Patents Pending took Tanya Matthies out for her birthday. It was a good time. Many beers were consumed and we had a nice time with the members of the band. There are pictures located here if you want to take a look at some of the fun.

Last weekend was a real busy one. Friday consisted of a full day of work. At 4:30, Deann Hickel came in and I got out of the office for a little bit to have some dinner and a beer at Labby’s. Following that short break, I was back at the Armory to make sure that the band got out of town with all the information and gear that they needed. The 188th was on it’s way to Valley City for the annual 164th Infantry Association Reunion- a yearly gathering of WWII veterans and their families from that unit, which was a part of the North Dakota National Guard back in the 40’s. I was disappointed to miss it this year as a member of the band, but gigs here in Fargo kept me back. Anyhow, we got the band out of town without issue, then I went home for a little bit. I got a chance to talk with Jennifer Schwind. It was an incredibly good conversation that lasted nearly an hour. Following that, I made a trek over to Lauerman’s, where Russ and Josh had been for three and a half hours already. They were drinking beers and playing Big Buck Hunter. Later on, Jessy joined us, along with Eddie. Matt Tompkins was in town on his way from Arizona to Minot for a wedding, so I was able to catch up with him, along with Mike Pagan and his wife, Marcie. Good times were had, but by 12:45am, I had to get out of there. I was tired and kind of drunk, and I needed some rest before my busy Saturday.

Saturday morning came quickly, and at 10:00am, I found myself at Jazz Arts rehearsal at the Fargo Theatre. There, we played down our show with NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath. The rehearsal was long and in-depth, and we got a lot covered. Following the rehearsal, Eddie, Jessy, and Dan Johnson joined me at Denny’s for some delicious breakfast. It was nice all hanging out, just a bunch of the old guys from the NDSU Music Department. After that, I went and bought a new white dress shirt. I’m sure you’ll all be interested that I just stepped up to a size 18 neck size. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. Probably bad as far as me getting bigger (as opposed to smaller). However, it will prove well for my tape test in the Guard next month- I’ll be allowed more weight. Right on!

I played a gig with one of the NDSU Jazz Combos later that afternoon. It was for a “tailgating party” before the NDSU football game. I’m using the “tailgating” wording loosely, though. By party, I meant that there was a big fancy dinner under a big white tent for the rich Team Maker’s folks put on by the President of the university in the tailgating area. Besides, who has a jazz combo at a tailgating party, anyhow? But, I digress. The combo was pretty good, even despite the fact that I was playing piano (badly). The bass player (Mike) did pretty well, as did the drummer (I’m sorry, I just can’t remember his first name right now). Both are new to the school, and did very well. Jessy played some saxophone, and Zach Mathern, my former student, played trombone. It was a nice gig, and it was one of the only university gigs that I have ever done where I could have a beer (aside from the NDSU Gold Star Band Reunion, where I actually got kind of drunk). Anyhow, it was a good gig, although trying to get out of the tailgating area with my car was the true challenge. No one wants to get the hell out of the way. I stopped short of swearing out the window or honking my horn.

Saturday night was pretty fun playing the Jazz Arts show with Jimmy Heath. What a fine player, but even more so, what great compositions and arrangements. I felt a little bad because I didn’t feel that I played very well, but on the other hand, the crowd seemed to love the show. Also showcased on the show was some of Dr Allen Carter’s arrangements. Dr. Carter subbed on drums for Jimmy, and it was marvelous. He kicked the band like it was nobody’s business, much more so than Jimmy ever has, and the energy in the band was insane. I wish Allen could stay with us forever and ever, but that’s not the way it’s going to work for now, unfortunately. I talked to Allen for a little bit, and his energy continues over into his personality, and I have to tell you, it’s contagious.

After the show, a handful of us went over to the Radisson to enjoy beers and drinks. Beseler, Tanya, Jessy, Rena, and I started it all out. Russ and Eddie showed up as well, and we were joined by Joel, Michelle, Erika, Robin, and Ryan later on. It was a good night, and a handful of us closed the place down. Rena and I went and sobered up a little bit at the Fryin’ Pan, and with that, it was the end of a long but good Saturday.

This past Tuesday, me and my workmates with the 142nd Engineering Battalion enjoyed a day out in Milnor. This was the battalions annual end-of-the-fiscal year party, and it was a good time. Most of the soldiers did a golf scramble out there, but I opted to go visit Deann Hickel over at Milnor Public School. Deann teaches band and choir over there, so I chose to go check out her program. I ended up playing a little trombone and also accompanying one of her choirs. It was fun to watch her work. She does very good work, and as a first-year teacher, she’s got the signs of being a very successful teacher in the future with a bigger and more resourceful program. Anyhow, after she was done working, we had steaks with the battalion, then went to her apartment where we visited and had a few drinks. I finally took off at 9:30pm to make the hour-long drive back to Fargo. It was a very pleasant evening. Deann is really, really cool and is quickly becoming one of my very good close friends.

Congratulations are in order once again. First of all, happy birthday over the past few weeks to Ron Storhaug, Tanya Matthies, and Krista Bjornson. Also, congratulations to Amanda Leingang and Frank Clemens on their engagement.

In Patents Pending updates, we have three shows in October and one in November right now. See the Upcoming Events Page for more information on those shows, as well as information on other local shows of interest. Patents is getting better and tighter as time goes along, and our show is really growing. We have more new songs coming in, and I’m really excited to see what we have going on by the end of the year. Look for more things happening as time goes by. Bitzer Entertainment will hopefully have us playing lots and lots in the upcoming year.

I spoke of Jennifer Schwind a little bit ago. She took off for the Middle East on Monday, and she’ll be over there for some time. We expect her home somewhere in the range of July or August of next year. Everyone should think about Jennifer, as well as all of our troops deployed right now. If you know Jennifer, make sure you e-mail her or send her letters, if you need addresses, contact me. Also, we need to keep Eddie afloat for the next few months, so keep him in mind, too. And Eddie, if you’re reading this, I got my own set of darts now, so we can do that for the next six months, along with our many gigs. To Jennifer- be safe. To Eddie- we’re all here, so call us.

So, I’ve been bumming out a little bit about seeing some of my old crushes who are doing well in relationships. I wonder how many of those girls were interested, but I was too stupid, scared, and/or clueless to do anything about it. I’m not pissed off or anything, just dismayed thinking more about missed opportunities. I don’t even allow myself to complain about being single anymore knowing what I know now. It’s easy to complain, but it’s hard to just admit that you blew it a time or two (or more). I’m getting to an age where it’s going to be harder to get things started, and I’m also climbing up there where having a family someday is going to be more difficult. I’m not complaining, I’m just thinking out loud.

Well, that’s about it over the last few weeks. This weekend, rumor has it that my favorite and most loyal website watcher will be in town from Duluth, so hopefully I get a chance to see her tonight. I plan on dong the downtown thing tonight, and perhaps tomorrow night, too. This is one of those rare weekends where I don’t have any gigs or Guard or whatnot, so I plan on taking advantage of it. If you’re bored call me or e-mail me, let’s go get coffee or beer or dinner or something. More soon…

September 7, 2006

Went out to see Beat-Down for a little bit.  They sounded great and funky.  Caleb is my hero for his singing.  His bass playing is not too shabby, either.  Russ was kicking it all funky-like.  Eddie was cranking.  Chris was punching out the fat grooves and solos.  Josh was RIGHT ON.  I watched for a little less than an hour, then took off to grab one quiet beer at Lauerman's with Beseler and Tanya.  Andi and her friend also came along, and it had been a hell of a long time since I saw Andi.  Good to see her, it was nice to catch up a little bit.  And, I know I didn't say it, but damn, Andi, you're looking great these days!

I had a few beers quickly at Lauerman's, and I'm a little buzzed up right now.  I should go to bed.  I'm feeling kind of sad and a little lonley, and going to sleep is the best way of not meeting up with that stuff.  I hate those moments.  I'm going to have a few more brews here at home.  Why not, what could it hurt?

Talked to Ben a little tonight, we're planning a little hit-the-town deal on Saturday.  All participants welcome.  I want to burn things up that night.  Good beer, good friends, good times.  Join us...please?  I like weekends that make me feel welcomed and happy as a pig in s*&t.

More soon.  Going to watch some TV, then going to get to bed.  I have to work in the morning.  Thank God it's Friday, I need a weekend again.  Night night...

"I've seen a lot of good things die and I'm in an over emotional way..."

September 6, 2006

Well, it's been intersting, all sorts of people have been sounding off about my apparently controversial section Short Takes, Thoughts, and Complaints. Apparently everyone is trying to guess who or if some of those complaints were aimed at anyone in particular. Well, folks, I'll give you this much- a lot of those complaints and comments have been building up for months, if not years, so to say those things are aimed at one person is probably not accurate. For those of you who have read and kept up with my stuff for the past couple of years know that I write a lot of this stuff based on observation of the overall, not always based on one individual. There are times when I've aimed my thoughts at one particular person or a small group, but it's not what I normally do. So, stop guessing and wondering. All that stuff that I write is for what it's worth to anyone, which may mean it has no bearing whatsoever on anyone, or it may mean that some people think about it and keep it in mind. For me, it's just me thinking out loud, and there is no reward or punishment to myself if nothing happens. That's my take.

My phone is dead. I had to go out and get another one yesterday. Please e-mail your phone numbers back to me. I wasn't able to transfer any data from my old phone- that's how dead it really was. Again, folks- don't wash your phone in the clothes washer. It's no good...and kind of expensive.

I'm back here at work again, and things are going alright, though I'm kind of bored today, hence me typing stuff onto my website and/or blog during company time. We do have a lot of work to do, but most of that will go down tomorrow and Friday. The rest of my day is still kind of busy, though. I have Patents rehearsal tonight, which will be nice. I start to suffer withdrawl after a week of not playing with my girl and guys. It'll be good to make some music tonight, see you then.

Beseler = Donkey Kong. That's good stuff. I laughed, Beseler. A lot. It made the day and morning better.

Anyone want to go out drinking on Saturday night? Please say yes. I want to hit the downtown again. It's been a while since I've been out with a mission to get drunk. And, no, I don't have a drinking problem.

Well, I should get back to work. More to come shortly...

September 3, 2006

Happy Labor Day to all of you, I guess. I'm back home for the weekend in Minot, where I have pretty much done not a damned thing since I got here. It's been kind of nice, actually. I got out here yesterday afternoon at about four. I stuck around the house and visited with my family, took them out for dinner, then we came home and chilled at the house. Today, I slept in, got up, read the paper and drank a lot of coffee, played on my computer, and cooked my mom and dad steaks, potatoes, and mushrooms. We washed the dishes, watched some TV, and now it's getting close to ten o'clock here, almost bedtime for my folks. Tomorrow, I'll hang out until about one, then take off for Fargo.

I had an interesting and distressing Friday. First of all, I got up at 4:20am. Yeah, it sucked. I had to go into work at 5am to help transport some soldiers to the airport for the big Southwest Border Mission. I made a joke to one of the senior NCO's that we should just let the soldiers jump the fence behind the armory to get to the airport (the airport is just south of the armory, seperated by a field, the runway, and a fence) to see what it feels like to skip over the border. No one laughed. No one seemed impressed with my 5:30am effort. I hid.

Anyhow, we were done with that deal by 8:30am. I went to the office and worked a little while. Jesse Braunagel was making up a little more time. Kate came in after 9:00am. I was super-tired, but knew I had to work until at least one. So, that's what I did. At one, I took my car to the shop to have the exhaust fixed and to get an oil change before my trip home to Minot. That all ended up costing about $175.00. While they worked on my car, I laid down at home and took a nap. After the nap, Russ took me to pick up my car, then we went to Craig's for a band (Patents Pending) get-together. That's where my day got more interesting.

At Craig's, we enjoyed an evening with a few bumps here and there. Somewhere along the way, Craig spilled a brat on my pants and shorts. It got ketchup and grease all over me, to which I sort of freaked, as the shorts and shirt wesre pretty much brand new. In the confusion of it all, I managed to get the clothes under some cold water. Craig stain-sticked all of it, and we tossed it in the washer. Then, to my horror just fifteen minutes later, I realized that I had left my cell phone in one of the side pockets of my shorts. I reached into the washer, and sure enough, there was my cell phone. What a day. To this particular moment here in Minot, my cell phone is non-functional. That'll be an expensive mistake.

Yesterday morning, I got up and took off at 10am and met Dano in Bismarck, where we ate and caught up on his summer. He spent the summer in Indy doing an internship. Dano is the usual guy he always has been, and it was good to catch up with him. He's awfully busy and all, so the time I can catch with him is refreshing.

Anyhow, I've been kind of a bore the last few days. I head back to Fargo tomorrow, and maybe more exciting things will happen. I don't know, we'll see. More to come. To those of you coming back home tomorrow from the long weekend, drive safely. Later...

August 31, 2006

Just hanging out here at home tonight.  I have an early morning tomorrow.  I have to be at work by 5:15am.  Turns out that I've been tasked with the battalion to help transport troops to the airport to head out to Arizona to be a part of the Southwest Border Mission, aka the Bush plan to stop illegals from getting into America.  Not looking forward to getting up that damned early.  Not at all.  As a matter of fact, I tried going to bed about a half an hour ago, and had no luck.  It's almost 11:30pm.  Man, oh man, tomorrow is going to suck.

I went to the Bison game this evening with Beseler and Tanya.  We met up with Friedo, Erika, and Michelle there.  The game was a bit of a joke, we blew out Concordia- St. Paul by quite the margin.  66-7.  Good first game, though the Bison made all sorts of mistakes out on the field.  Concordia- St. Paul is a Division II team, so the blowout wasn't a surprise.  The Bison have a couple of weeks to get better.  I'm not too worried.

The Gold Star Marching Band looked alright out on the field.  Typical first game, really.  What kind of bothered me was how they sounded, though, especially in the stands.  It didn't sound so hot.  A lot of people didn't seem to care or pay much attention, and that was really noticable this time around.  I'm sure it'll get better as the year goes on, or at least I hope so, but I don't remember a band seeming that restless during my tenure in the GSMB.  We'll see in time.

Got a bit of a reminder of missed opportunities again tonight.  It's good to get a good kick in the ass once in a while, I guess.  Each situation like that is so different and memorable, however, and I don't know how great that is.  It's those situations that for some reason, I store in the back of my mind and torcher myself from time to time.  Now, that's not good.  But, again, it's good to learn.  Sometimes I wonder if I ever learn, though.  Wow.  Self discovery can be quite a bitch.  Wow.

Tim has been gone for almost three weeks.  He should come back.  It's just sinking in now that he's not around, and it sucks. 

I'm listening to some of the tracks off of Beat-Down's demo.  I really dig some of this stuff.  Caleb is a great singer, by the way.  His stylings on Never Been to Heaven are pleasing.  I love the song to start with.  His rendition is great.  Good stuff.  Go see them at the Nestor next Thursday.  It's cool.  I'll be there.

I'm going home this weekend.  Back to the old hometown of Minot.  I'm planning on heading out there on Saturday morning.  I miss my folks, it'll be nice to be back.  I want to cook them some sweet steaks.  I guess my dad got himself a new grill, so I want to see what I can do with that. Sad part of this trip is that it'll be the first time I've been home since out dog Johnny passed away.  I'm sure my mom still has his be and toys in the same place they were last time I was home and he was alive.  Mom is sentimental like that.  It'll make for a sad moment.  I miss our puppy.

Tomorrow night should be fun, it's a Patents Pending get together at Craig's place.  Brats, booze, and good times.  I'm looking forward to it.  Craig will be a good host.  All will have a good time.  Hopefully I'm not hung over on Saturday morning when I try to drive home.  That would make for quite a long day, as if the 4-hour trek wasn't enough.

Well, time to try to go to sleep again.  Wish me luck...

August 25, 2006

It's quarter to nine here at the Armed Forces Reserve Center, and I'm alone in the office doing not a whole lot. I'm actually doing some work to finish up the Blues in Greens books, which are now filled with a lot of new charts. I'm feeling incredibly annoyed and irritated at news that I got late last night that our gigs for this weekend are more than likely no longer happening. It seems that there was some sort of miscommunication between our agent and the club, and as it currently looks, there's no gig. I know it's not our fault, but still, I'm just so disappointed. This band has been working hard to pinpoint a sound and energy, and I, for one, was looking forward to playing this weekend. And when I say I was excited, I mean that I was really excited. I hate this disappointment. It's going to eat me up all day.

But, actually, there's still a chance that we might be able to play, but it's pretty slim. We'll get the call sometime before noon on the outcome. Our agent is stepping in and trying to salvage something. We'll see what happens. Hopefully we get it all figured out. Either way, what can you do?

Also, in somewhat dark news, trumpet great Maynard Ferguson passed away yesterday. He was 78-years old, and passed away from kidney and liver failure. Maynard has been an icon of jazz trumpet, mainly lead big band trumpet, over the past fifty years. He was a signature member of the Stan Kenton Big Band before heading out on his own to form his own big bands, sextets, and combos. He has been a leading authority on music education, and has used that as his main mission throughout his performing career. I am glad to say that I had the chance to see Maynard perform five times in my life, and each and every show was incredible. It is a sad day for the jazz world, but as Maynard's manager said in a statement after Ferguson's death, "Gabriel, move over to second trumpet, there's a new lead player in town..."

Nothing else to report at this time, I'm going to visit Craig for a little bit upstairs and try to lower my blood pressure. More shortly, I'm sure...

August 9, 2006

Well, it's been a while, and that pretty much says it all, doesn't it, now? Things have been insanely busy over the last month, and now things are sort of starting to slow down. Well, at least they're slower than they were a month ago. Where in the world do I start?

Well, the last time I left off, I was still in Germany. I had somehow found a wireless signal from my barracks room. While it was faint, I was still able to do everything I needed to do to keep up on the blogs and the site. However, after the 11th, I lost the signal and wasn't able to get it back, which really frustrated me. Not having the internet is one of those things that bugs me, especially since I have this laptop. But, what could I do?

To summarize the whole thing, Germany was an absolute blast. It was cool to be in another country, and it was somewhat undescribable how it was to roam around the area and discover how things can be so different when you're thousands of miles away from home. The temps out there in Germany were really, really hot- unseasonably hot, according to the locals and soldiers at Tompkins Barracks. Each day, it normally reached 95-105 degrees, which was hell on earth as we marched two-a-days a handful of times. The barracks we lived in were hot, too. It seemed that no one in Germany used any type of air conditioning. According to everyone over there, it was because energy prices are sky high in Europe.

It was interesting to be back at it in regular Army mode again. I hadn't forgotten about change of commands and marching in the heat, but it did take some getting used to once again. The marching engagements went alright overall, though mistakes seemed to increase as the annual training period went on. To keep things fair, though, no one fell out of the formation after the first change of command, which was a pleasent surprise.

The fest gigs are the shows that I'll always remember as my favorite. Blues in Green took the stage at one show, and it was one of the best times I've ever had on stage. Our rock and funk combo performed for probably about a thousand folks, who were giddy with excitement from the first note we played up until the final encore. We found that the Germans are in love with the 80's, and I'll never forget those people singing along with Centerfold and Mustang Sally. It really was something else. The energy of the band was at it's highest, and I was proud of my band that night. I've got nothing but love for those guys. Thanks to Paul, Tim, Aaron, Justen, Jesse, Brian, and Kevin. That was our night.

The biggest fest gig we played was right in Swetzengen at one of the castles. We played the Festival of Lights, or Lichterfest. The jazz band played for a little over an hour, then the USAEUR Chorus took over. While I wished dearly that it could've been BIG playing, it was cool just to be on stage with over 25,000 watching.

So, the Germany trip was great, aside from the many moments and situations of drama here and there. It's not worth bitching about on here, as I've already aired those stories a million times to others, it's probably not worth the time to do it again. But, I did have a great time, and I'd love to go back overseas real soon.

When I got back, I began work as a full-timer with the Army National Guard. My new job is to assist in the admin and operations sections of the 188th Army Band. I'm also doing some work with the 142nd Engineering Battalion, which is going through a huge change as of the new fiscal year. The job is only a temp job for now, and will expire at the end of September. I'm not sure what's going to happen after that, but I always have my job back at the Doublewood to fall back on. But for now, the new job is very good. Working with Justen and Kate is enjoyable, and the day goes by fast as we have a good time and get work done at the same time. Novel concept...especially for the Army.

Russ and I moved into a new apartment last Monday. It's a nice place on Broadway and 13th. Hardwood floors. We each have our own garage. Russ and I rock/paper/scissored for the big room, and for some unknown reason, I won. This is the first time I've ever gotten the big room, and I for one am very excited. In return, Russ for the big garage.

Jass went down this past weekend, and in many ways, it was a succcess. The band and the combo played extremely well. The players worked hard, and the concentration was extraordinary. I was in awe of that in rehearsals. Jessy did an outstanding job, and from what I saw, he's going to make some school really lucky someday. He'll be a great teaching and a wonderful director. Also, Chris wrote a couple of songs for the combo, which was really cool. The arrangements and the tunes that the combo did were done with ease and style, and I was seriously impressed. Also, Caleb is the best sound guy I've ever dealt with. He kicks so much ass.

And now, it's this week. This is it for Tim Stine and Jenny Thompson. Jenny is gone on Friday, and Tim is gone on Sunday. Emily Bair already took off for Bowling Green. Nina Shook will leave for UConn in a little over a week. It's crazy. Everyone is growing up and heading out to make a difference, and I'm excited to see them go and do just that, despite being sad to know that I won't be able to call them up to go get a beer any random night.

Patents Pending plays a couple times this week. If you're not doing anything on Friday, come to the Legion and check us out, we're doing a going away show for Tim Stine. We start around 10:00, and we'll play until probably 1:00 or so. Let's send Tim off with a bang, folks. On Saturday, the band heads west to Center, where we'll play a county fair. Sunday, I have Guard in Bismarck, then on Monday, I have a day off for travel and relaxation, which I'm most certainly looking forward to.

Well, not much else to say, I think I covered as much as could for now. It's getting late and I need to get to bed. I'm sure I'll think of more tomorrow. I'll add what I can remember then. It's good to be back on the site. It's good to be home. Now, it would just be nice to be able to relax. More shortly...

July 11, 2006

Well, today was our first official day on the job as the replacement band for the USAEUR Band in Heidelberg, Germany. We loaded up the buses at 5:00am and drove four hours to an Army base near the Czech border and performed a change of command ceremony as a stand-in-place ensemble. While some of the ceremony went pretty well, we did have several people fall out of the formation due to heat exhaustion, which is simply not good. Sure, it's not good because it's healthy, but it's also not good because it makes our band look not ready to carry out our musical mission while we're here taking over for one of the finest bands in the Army. I'm not saying that these things don't happen, but the fact of the matter is that falling out is usually preventable- but getting sleep before a gig like that, by drinking water, and by not partying all night. I know that if this sort of thing would've happened when I was on active duty, those six people would've been standing before the man in his office, and that wouldn't have been a good thing. But, all bitching aside, the ceremony did go off fairly well, and we survived our first day under extreme conditions. The temp rose as high as 101 degrees today, but as I add to this page, the temp has come down to a comfortable 75 for the time being.

Not a lot else went on today. When I got back from the gig, I was pretty tired, as were most people. A handful of my friends went out downtown, but I chose to stay back and relax a little. I had some dinner at the chow hall, then went to the band hall and practiced for a couple of hours. It was relaxing. Tomorrow night, I'll head to downtown Heidelberg for some food and German beer. We're going into day 5 of Annual Training, and things are going well for the most part. We're all settled in and getting used to how things are here. Hopefully things go well for the rest of the time.

I took this picture of the colors here at Tompkins Barracks where we're staying. I found the view of the colors of the US flag here in Germany to be kind of breathtaking. It was just something I was thinking about- having pride in our military forces and all that they do for others around the world. Maybe I was having a patriotic moment, which I tend to do from time to time when I get into uniform for more than two days in a row. It was a good feeling. and seeing the flag filled me with pride and optimism for a country that is in search of what direction to go in the future.

Well, not much else going on, more to come shortly, probably not tomorrow, but maybe the next day. Time to get to bed. Remember- I'm seven hours ahead of you all. More soon... July 10, 2006

Well, we made it to Germany. It's been an incredibly long last few days, but we've survived it to this point. It is currently 10:00pm local time here at Tompkins Barracks, just a few short miles from Heidelberg, Germany. That makes it about 3:00 back in Fargo.

Let's tail back a few days. Saturday was my first day of annual training. The fun started at about 5:00 with the APOE procedures, which was basically the administrative portion of pre-deployment. I was deemed "the special child" by the battalion, and therefor, got to go through all of the stations right away and as quickly as possible, as I had a gig that night playing for a wedding with Patents Pending. The team from Bismarck that was conducting the APOE got me out of there in two short hours, then I was out of the Armory and to the Radisson for the show.

The show went very, very well. The wedding reception crowd was a young and very drink-loving group, and we kept them on the floor all night, which was really cool. The band played well, and things are only getting better and better for the band. After the show, I bid my band goodbye, ran by my house for a quick shower, then headed back to the Armory at nearly 2:00am.

I slept out there on the worlds most uncomfortable military cot ever, then rose at 4:00am to get on a bus to the Cities. Once there, we boarded a flight to Chicago. We had a quick run to our next gate and boarded a United flight for Frankfurt. After being delayed for about an hour, we left the gate and began the long 7 hour trek to Germany. We left Chicago at about 4:30pm and arrived seven hours later and a few time zones east at 6:30am. I didn't get one lick of sleep on the flight, I just couldn't fall asleep. Not a good thing. Once on the ground, we cleared customs and bussed to Tompkins Barracks. The whole day we spent getting set up in the barracks, getting more briefings, and getting squared away in the band headquarters. And now, it's a little after 10:00, and I haven't slept in a lot of hours. I'm beat, and it's time to get to bed, as we have a formation for our first performance here in Germany at 5:00am.

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The first beer in Germany, with Paul Helfter and Tim Knabe...

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On the bright side of things, Germany is a nice place, though I haven't really seen anything yet. Tim Knabe, Paul Helfter, and I toasted our first beer in Germany at about 4:30pm today, but that was the only beer for me, I was just too tired, and I knew I needed to stay up for a while still. I got my Euros now, and I plan on getting some more beer tomorrow when I'm a little more rested up. The rest of the AT looks pretty good, though the barracks we're (seen below) are old WWII barracks. They're not such bad facilities, except there's no AC, and we're on the third floor. It's hot over here right now, and that's not so good for us. But, we'll make do. We'll have fun. We'll just sweat an awful lot while we do it.

The barracks...

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I expcet to be taking a million pictures over the next two weeks, so be looking for updates. I have a weak wireless connection in my barracks room, but it works, and that's what counts. I'm excited to be here and I'm really looking forward to checking out what this part of Germany has to offer. More coming real soon, at the most, within the next two days. Hope all is well back on the homeland...

July 5, 2006

Just hanging out at work with my computer.  This is a slow time of the year for hotels and conference centers, so it's a slow time for the employees, too.  I love this job, it almost sucks that I'll be taking pretty much a three-month break from it.  On the good side of things, I've secured a job for three months following the Germany deployment to work for the 142nd EB here in Fargo, which is really good news.  I stopped in at the Armory this morning and talked to my soon to be boss, MAJ Olson, and he seemed pretty excited to have me onboard, so that was good news.  I'll also get to work with Craig Hillig, who is a Captain up there, and that's cool, too.  I look forward to slipping for a brief time back into my active Army ways, it should be good for me.

Patents is playing a wedding this weekend, one for one of Alex's good friends from high school.  It should be a fun show, though that Saturday is going to be a mess for me.  I have to go to Guard for about three hours and do point of embarkation procedures in preperation to leave for Germany on Sunday, then shuffle out to the gig at the Radisson, then back to the Armory as soon as the gig is done to lockdown for a few hours before we bus out to Minneapolis for our flight to Chicago, then to Germany.  It'll be a hectic few days for me, but once we're settled down in Germany, life will be fine.  I look forward to the deployment, and I also look foward to coming back since Jass follows, my new job follows, a new place live follows, and a full month of Patents Pending shows in August follows.  Things look good from here.  I'm looking very forward to it all.

Had an uneventful Fourth of July. I worked from 7-3 and did absolutely nothing at all.  I brought my computer and completely updated the Patents Pending sight, which you should all take a look at (Click here for Patents Pending Online) right away.  Anyhow, besides doing that, I watched a Chuck Norris movie (Delta Force).  I listened to a lot of music on my i-Tunes.  Oh, and I made a kick-ass hot ham and cheese sandwich in the kitchen.  (The dining room staff had the day off and the dining room was closed...)  After work, I went home and took a two-hour long nap, then enjoyed a small gathering which included delicious steaks (thanks to Tim Smith) with Emily and Brian, along with Erin and Jessy.  Tim and Ruth also came by, and Tim Smith joined us later after work.  Good food, it was definately nice.  After that, Tim Smith and I went to the bar, drank beers, and threw darts.  I beat him three times- twice on Cricket (including an ass-whooping, 142-0) and once on 701.  Tim and Ruth came out with Lance and Cris after watching the fireworks in Moorhead.  Tim and I went home a little before one, and we found Jessy drinking Jagermeister straight out of the bottle.  It's probably no surprise that Jessy was really, really drunk.  I'm sure he's feeling it right now.

Not much else is going on, I guess.  I have a lot to do over the next few days before I leave for Germany.  We have an awful lot to bring with us, which sucks.  It all has to fit into two suitcases/garment bags and into two carry-ons.  I'm not sure how I'm going to do it.  Now that I think about it, I wonder how we're going to fit all of that luggage under a bus, which we're taking to the Cities for the flights.  I heard that the state spent a five digit number of dollars just to send our instruments over to Germany.  Thanks, North Dakota citizens, that's your tax money at work.  We'll have two weeks of duty over there which includes a lot of marching.  Hopefully that goes well.  This band has gotten quite a lot of training time in that area over the last three months, and thankfully, we do look and sound better than we did in April.  There are also a few rock band gigs slated, along with some brass quintet performances.  The way it looks, I'll be playing quite a bit over there, probably pretty much every gig.  That's fine, I love to play, we'll have some fun and hopefully make some good music.  Also, Dave and Dave, if you see this, know that I'm pretty excited about getting over there.  Be prepared to show me some of the good places drink.  (But then again, is there a bad place to drink?)

That's all I've got for now.  More soon...

July 2, 2006

Sunday night here in Fargo, I've had myself an incredibly uneventful weekend, seeing that everyone is either out of town, with a girl, or both. The two nights of the weekend, though, I'm happy to say that I was saved by what I now call, "The Lab Rats". By lab rats, I mean Al Berg and Kacie Hughes, since they both have or still do work in the lab at NDSU.

Anyhow, I had a delightful Friday evening at Monty's with Kacie, who is in town for the holiday weekend. We met over at Monty's, where Rick was already there hanging out waiting for a friend to stop in. Kacie and I caught up on all sorts of random stuff, and visited until nearly 1am. As Kacie put it as we left the bar, "I finally got my quality Christopher-time", which was nice. It's good to know that friends want to just visit, and it's even nicer to hear straight-up once in a while. Kacie kicks ass, hands down.

Saturday, I had to work at 7:00am (which I almost forgot about when I got home and went to bed Friday), but it wasn't a huge deal. The workplace was fairly slow except for a wedding that was getting set up in the Woodland Square. I was out of the Doublewood by 1pm, and I came home and met up with Al, who needed some media work done for Patents Pending, which I did quickly before he had to scoot out for a gig with the Jazz Arts Little Big Band. I spent the rest of the afternoon napping and watching TV. I watched the Twins kick ass (again) for the 9th game in a row, pulling out a victory against the Brewers. The Twins are hot, but more on that later.

Last night, I went down to the Aquarium where Josh Harty and Brooks West were back in town to play a show. Good show. Flatlands opened the show up, and I was sad to see that Tyler was not there. Apparently, Ty left already for Europe, and is reported to be in Spain at this moment. I think he'll end up in Poland for a while, too. Anyways, Flatlands was good, then Josh came up and did a set. He sounded very good, his guitar playing and singing has always been real good. Brooks followed, though I only stayed for a little bit, as my feet were getting really tired from standing, since there is little or no seating up there in the Aquarium. I love Brooks West's work, but my feet were telling me, "You have his CD's and you've seen him live before plenty", so I agreed after several beers and went over to the Legion to finish out my night. I called a few people, but no one was interested in coming out for an array of reasons. I went to the Legion, played video touch, and drank more beer. I felt kind of pathetic being out on a Saturday night by myself, espcially sitting at the Legion playing video games, but what could I do? Al called and showed up and saved the night, dropping in after his gig. We had some beers and conversation, shut the bar down, and then called it a night.

I went and played in church this morning, which was cool, though the church service kind of bugged me a little. They talk so much about going out and converting everyone to Christianity, which kind of bothers me. I'm one who thinks that religion should sort of be a private, personal thing, and going out and trying to change people from one to the other seems goofy to me. In a country where we have freedom of religion, why would anyone want other people trying to convert them? Now, if there are people who have no religion and are interested in finding faith, then fine, help them out, but must Christians go around actively trying to "recruit" for their faiths? I know the bible tells Christians to do just that, but that's one of those things I don't care for that much. It doesn't make me an awful Christian by my standards, but by many others, I'm quite a sinner. Perplexing stuff, really.

"Now, I find myself turning into the ever-critical adult that I never wanted to become- questioning everything and always looking for the negative consequences of situations. What happened to adventuresome me and what do I have to do to get her to come back? Have my negative experiences stomped by adventuresome spirit into the dirt? Is an adventuresome spirit machine washable?"

I read this on a friend's blog, and I have to tell you, I completely undertand it all. I often wonder the same thing. It's hard. I want to be focused and serious about making something out of my life, but I want to have fun and be myself. There is no fine line involved to me anymore, though, and that's where the conflict starts. The negative thoughts and feelings are always there, wondering only about what will happen upon failure while pushing so hard to make things happen, making potential disappointment a darker more difficult thing to unnderstand or accept. But, I do think things can change, and yes, I think that spirit is machine washable, as you put it. It's about the hope of finding the light, and while often I find it's seemingly impossible to even comprehend such a thought, time does it's job, usually much too slowly, but it does it job, and peace of mind is found around the corner. It can't rain all the time, and the sky can't fall forever.

Well, I should get a shower and stuff, I'm going to go out with Tim tonight for a little while. He's been gone for like a week, and we're going to get a beer and stuff at Tailgator's. More soon, sorry about the boring post. More soon...

June 26, 2006

Lots of you have been coming after me about my lack of updating, and for that, I should probably thank you for it. Things have been pretty busy as of late, though I've probably had some spare time that I've wasted on other things. At any rate, I am still alive, and I've updated the regular portion of my site (http://www.danoandchris.com), so that should make you all happy for the time being.

First off, the boys and I over here at the house have come to a decision to move out of the house. While we all love this place quite a bit, things are a little more expensive than we'd like them to be, so as of the upcoming August 1st, we'll all be out of here. It appears that John has found a place for himself, while Tim and Jessy will be getting place for themselves. As for me, Russ Pfaff and I will be moving in together soon. We've searched out a place or three, and we think we've found the place that will work the best. It's an apartment on 13th and Broadway North, and it's a nice place. The main deal is that they allow cats, which is cool since Russ will be bringing his cat along for the ride. I hope to have a lease taken care of within the next week or so. I leave for Germany in less than two weeks, and when I get back, I want to be able to start moving into the apartment as soon as my feet hit the ground. We're hoping that Russ can move in while I'm gone around the middle of July, and I'll get in there the last week of July.

Patents Pending played their first official show as a new band and as a Bitzer band last Saturday at the new Outer Limits in Detroit Lakes. It's the old Corner Cantina near the lake. The show went well and the band did a good job. We have two new members in there- Josh Maynard on guitar and Craig Hillig on bass, and they did very well for their first shows with the group. Eddie also handled the front man job, while I helped out the best that I could. The rest of the boys and girls of the band carried on with their usual deal, and as far as I'm concerned, Patents Pending is back to business as usual- making music and making people dance. We love what we do. What more could we ask for?

Happy Birthday, Mom. Happy Father's Day, Dad.

Keep supporting the troops overseas, especially our Guard troops deployed from North Dakota. It's been a month for them. Keep them in your thoughts.

Everyone in Fargo should boycott Taco Bell on 19th Avenue. They towed my car, along with three other soldier's cars while we were playing a public relations gig this past Friday. It was a complete crock. If you want to read more about it, go to Hanson and Beseler- Around the Horn and read more about it. I hope you'll understand what I talk about, and join me in boycotting those bastards.

Speaking of the 188th Army Band, we're leaving in less than two weeks for our deployment to Germany. I'm getting really excited about heading over there. We'll be there for about two weeks doing an active duty replacement of the band in Heidelberg. I'm excited to go there and play, and I'm excited to check out Germany. Also, as a neat deal, I'll also get the chance to catch up with a few of my old active duty buddies that I served with while I was at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. It'll be fun to reconnect with some of those guys, and I really hope I get a chance to play with and hang out with my old friend, David Burke. He taught me much of what I know about jazz now, and, as a matter of fact, my favorite jazz trombone of choice is one that I purchased from him some eight years ago. Anyhow, I'm bringing my computer with me to Germany, and I hope to have some time to update while overseas.

It's been kind of a strange last few weeks with me personally, as for some reason, a lot of old memories from way back in the day have sort of come back to haunt me. I'm not sure why, but I've found myself looking back on major decisions in my personal life, and lo and behold, I have begun to question a few of them. While I have no doubts that things have turned out great for her (as she is happilly married and has at least one child that I know of), I've found myself wondering if I just gave up too soon with her. I can't lie to you all- I really did love that girl a lot, and I do still miss her company and smile. It was kind of crazy, but a few weeks ago when I was driving back from a gig in Rugby, I pulled into Grand Forks and started heading south on I-29. Every time that I make that trip, I always drive by her old apartment. As I was catching that five-second view as I drove by, a song came on the radio that I used to listen to that would remind me of her and make me not miss her so much when I was living 2,000 miles away from her. I damn near broke into tears on that drive. It's amazing what memories can do to you. Anyhow, as I think about these strong feelings of lonliness when have spurned all of this in the first place, I think that perhaps it's just me confronting a lot of things that I didn't want to some six years ago, now. I realize that nothing is going to change what happened in the past, and again- she is happier now with someone else, and there's nothing I can do, nor would I want to do, to change any of that. I can't help feeling alone because that is just what my life is right now- walking alone without someone special like I had back then. It's even harder when I realize that most of my friends have found the same happy life that she did, but I have not to this point. But again, that's life. We roll with it. I'm rolling with it. No one said that stuff is easy. I concur with just that. I know I have a lot of life left to live, and you never know what might happen. I remain optimistic, though just a little blue for the time being.

Jennifer is going to be home for a night this week. I'm excited to see her for a little bit. She's got a little bit of time back here before she heads on down to Tampa where she'll be for some months before heading overseas. Can't wait to see you, Jennifer!

Well, not a lot else is coming to mind. I should eat. I should call Eddie. I should get a beer. I should get more sleep. Yada, yada, yada. If you're bored, call me. I'm around for a week and a half. You know the number...

June 6, 2006

Short and perhaps not so sweet entry tonight. I'm not feeling so well for some reason. I'm another year old, into another decade of life. I feel unusually alone these days. I feel like I'm some sort of jerk often, though I have no really changed the way I act around others. I feel as if there is less use for me these days. Of course, I might just be really paranoid with another year passing in my life story. I'm not sure. I just know that I can't sleep very well, and it's starting to get irritating as hell. Wow, now what?

Going to sleep. These things pass. Much more tomorrow, I have a lot of updating to do...

May 27, 2006

Saturday morning, my last official day of vacation. Jeremy just put Finley down for a mid-morning nap, after he wakes up, we'll be heading down to the Jacksonville Beach with the rest of the family. But, for now, Jeremy is cleaning house and I'm watching Ren and Stimpy on DVD. I've gotta get those things. I loved that show when I was younger. Even my dad thought it was funny. My sister hated it. Go figure.

The last couple of days have come and gone by here in sunny Florida. On Thursday afternoon after Jeremy got back from work, we went down to the richer part of town and checked out some of the shopping area. Jeremy needed to stop in at the Apple store, so that's what we did. I checked out a lot of computers (as if I need another new one), while Jeremy got what he needed there. Then, we walked about the load of stores that I have never shopped at (The Gap, Banana Republic, Pier One, etc.) Jenny Thompson would've had a field day here. Anyhow, we ended up stopping at a book shop, where I found Garrion Keilor's new book on sale, and purchased. Exciting. Then, we tried to find a restaraunt, but we were fighting the clock (Jeremy needed to get home and help give the children their baths), and we lost to the clock. So, we headed home with a few stops along the way, and ate pizza. I had my first chance to eat a pizza that had goat cheese and sausage on it. And, yes, it was quite delicious.

Yesterday, I went out to Naval Station Mayport. I had breakfast with Jeremy and some of his Navy friends, then he went to do a ceremony, and I went down to the Mayport Beach. I took some time and spent it walking up and down the beach. There's something about the ocean that I really do love, and this particular beach was pretty quiet, not busy at all. So, I just enjoyed the morning. It was deeply relaxing.

Jeremy finished up with his gig, and we took a few minutes to grab a few pictures, including one of the ship that Jeremy had just played on, the USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67). It had been a while since I had seen an aircraft carrier. In fact, I guess the last time I was near one was when I was onboard the USS Harry Truman (CVN 75) during an annual training session out in Virginia. Those ships amaze me. It's even more amazing when you're aboard, you realize just how huge those things really are.

We drove down to the Jacksonville Beach area and checked out some shops (you know, the touristy thing to do) and went down on the beach and down the pier. It was a pretty busy day out there, as you can probably see in the pictures. I took in quite a bit of sun, which constituted my first (and probably last) burn of the year. After hanging out down there for a few hours, we found some lunch at a local diner, which was a little more like home for me (eggs, hashbrowns, ham, cheese, toast). Then, we picked up Finley from daycare, went to Costco (a better version of Sams Club), then returned to the house, where we ate dinner. That night, Jeremy and I put the rest of his new playground together, which Addison and Finley were appreciative of. The night ended with some Shiner Bock.

In a little bit, we'll be heading down to the beach again, where I will hopefully get a chance to jump around in the ocean a little bit. I just realized that I've been wearing glasses for some time, and when I want to go into the ocean, I'm going to have to take them off, and I'm going to be blind. Here's to not getting swallowed by a shark or something. More soon...maybe...

May 25, 2006

Another morning of hanging around the house, Jeremy is out doing a ceremony somewhere. Not sure what's in store for the rest of the day, probably food and checking out some more of Jacksonville. This is an interesting trip for me, as it's the first time I've ever hung out with friends for a long amount of time while they had young children in their families. It's not a bad thing, Addison is the cutest little thing, and I'm having a good time out here. The spare time has been good, as it's given me some time to get some of the Jass 2006 work in order, and it's about damned time that I started doing that, afterall.

Yesterday, when Jeremy got home, we made our way down to Dave and Busters, perhaps one of my favorite places to hang out. Back in our San Antonio days, Jeremy and I spent a fair amount of time at this place. Dave and Busters is basically a big huge video game palace with a couple of bars and a very good restaraunt. You buy a card when you get there and put all the credits you want on it, then you go and play all sorts of games as long as you want. They have a great array of games, and it's a good place to bring the family, as there's something for everyone there. I turn into a big kid when I show up at places like that, and that's what I did yesterday. We were there for over five hours, and I got my moneys worth. Jeremy and I went down there in the afternoon, and later in the early evening, Courtney came down with the kids. I bought dinner and games for the family- it was the least I could do for them taking me in for the week. I should've bought Addison more games, after all, she did give up her pink bedroom for me. Anyhow, it was a good time. I played games, ate good food, and drank beer. They do have Newcastle on tap here, so life was good.

Just watching the news right now, I see that Kenneth Lay got convicted of everything in the Enron scandal. Good. He deserved it. Rich greedy bastard.

Jeremy has a cat here named Tanner. He's tan. Very original. Anyhow, he's the friendliest cat ever. He's taken quite a liking to me. He follows me around quite a bit, especially if it's only us two here. He jumps up in the chair right next to me when I'm working on my computer. He meows outside of the bedroom door at night if I shut it and he's not in the room with me. And, he sleeps on various parts of me. One night, I woke up because he was laying partially on my head. Now, that's the kind of cat I want (minus the cat sleeping on my head). I might have to get a cat when Russ and I get our place. We'll see. The thought is there.

Well, I'm a bit of a bore. I need a shower. More soon...

May 24, 2006

Just hanging out here at Jeremy's while he's at work for the morning, which is giving me time to update for a second day in a row- amazing stuff, huh? Things must be at a turn-around for the site. I've updated more than once during a week-long period, and Beseler actually proved that he was still a part of our current society by tossing a note or two in. It can only go uphill from here.

New news from the home some 2,000 miles away. News traveled to me quickly that Craig Hillig had been tapped as our new bass player in Patents Pending. I was relieved to hear about that news, as mounting pressure by both myself and indirectly from others was making me realize that I was probably holding the band back with my lack of bass precission. I really do think that this will remove yet another road block that is in the way of us going further. I also think that another horn and some assistance to Eddie on the front will do wonders in a show. I know there's some skeptacism about this route, but I think we can really make things happen, and I will be one of those who will try very hard to make that happen under the new mapped-out route.

God, I sound like a politician.

I had a fun day down here in Jacksonville yesterday. We made it a day to hang out with Addison, and that was cool, she's a sweet little kid, and I have re-found my joy for hanging out with kids on this trip. That joy had been lost since the ending days of my mom running day care some fifteen years ago. Anyhow, we went out for some pizza (at Ci Ci's, which we'll just say that the quantity outweighed the quality). After that, we fought to find the amusement park that Jeremy wanted to take Addi to. After a quick call to Courtney, we found the place. There, I got my video game fix, which was nice, though I was dismayed to see that there was no pinball, which seems to be the norm wherever I go.

After hanging out there for a while, we made the long trek back to Jeremy's place. Along the way, I saw the skyline and some of the beuatiful views of the city. I have to admit that a lot of Jacksonville looks sort of white-trash in some ways, but in the major metro areas and nearer to the coast, it's really something else. I hope to get downtown for a little bit to see what they have to offer, we'll see how the schedule pans out. I'm just happy to be out of Fargo for a few days, and especially happy to spend it here with the Middleton family.

Anyhow, we grabbed some Krystal's (which is a carbon copy of White Castle) and came home. We ate, then just bummed around. More delicious Shiner Bock was consumed. As a matter of fact, I just might need to make another trip to the liquor store for more, my 12-pack is going down fast. I missed my lovely Shiner Bock, brewed in Shiner, Texas. Dave Stordalen and I cry nightly for this stuff back north.

Rumor has it that we might be going to the beach today. I'm sure that would include picking Addi up from daycare, which would be fine, I've been hoping to get the sun and go back for my upcoming handful of gigs with some sweet color. I know, I know- I'm Asian, how much more color can I get? Well, you'd be surprised. I still remember how good I could look when I lived in Texas. Of course, I was also 50 lbs. lighter. And fit. And my head and face weren't were so damned fat. Oh, for depressing.

So, I'm about half-way through my time here. The vacation is going kind of fast, it needs to slow down. More to come soon...

May 23, 2006

I'm here in Jacksonville, Florida, and it's nice to be out of North Dakota. It's Tuesday, just a little after noon, and it's about 87 degrees outside. I had wondered if I was going to acclimate to the weather here, but as soon as I stepped out of the airport yesterday, I discovered that it was no big deal, and that it was a lot like I remembered it when I lived in San Antonio.

I've met both of Jeremy's kids as of yesterday evening. Addison is a sweetheart, just as I had figured she would be from all of the pictures I've seen of her, as well as the short phone conversations I've had with her over the past year or so. Finley, the younger of the two, is a little shy and won't let me hold him without crying. However, he hasn't really been able to stop looking at me since he saw me, which I will consider, for the time being, an OK thing. I hadn't seen Courtney, Jeremy's wife, since I left San Antonio some 6 1/2 years ago, so it was good to see her again. She's looking good as she was back then, and it was good to hear that southern voice live again.

We pretty much slummed all day yesterday for my first official day here. We slept in late, then went out for some lunch not too far from the house. We then came home and took a nap, you know- because the nine hours of sleep I got overnight wasn't enough and all. Then, we went out, bought some food, and came home. That's when I met the kids. Addison is a pretty active little girl. She showed me about half of her toys, which by the way, was a lot of toys. She also sang and danced and gave us a puppet show. She seems like a smart little thing, and I'm looking forward to her other surprises while down south.

After dinner, Jeremy and I watched some old videotape footage of our old country band in San Antonio, Eric Lynn. In this footage, I looked about ten years younger and fifty pounds lighter. My waist was smaller and my hair was in between military style and civilian style, so it just didn't look quite right. I was wearing some goofy Indian-head necklace, for which I have no reason to this day as to why I was wearing it. I was playing a five-string Warwick in the video, and my playing was at an intermediate-level at best. So, I was feeling a little dumb watching the video. Jeremy was wearing a punk/hardcore t-shirt and playing accoustic guitar while singing sky-high background country vocals. Ed Eberhart, our drummer, was wearing his usual NCAA t-shirt while playing drums...poorly. And, of course there was Eric, hitting on girls as he sang playing his key-tar, having a good time as he screamed "Go-Spurs-Go!" at random times while we played the show at a Texas drinking established named Double T's. The trip down memory lane documented with video, audio, and more. Priceless. It makes me realize that I've come a long ways musically, while I've gone the other direction physically. We call that a balancing act or sorts.

A day prior to yesterday, shortly after I got into town, I got to go see Jeremy play a graduation party at a country club. The band was comprised of his Navy band buddies. They were pretty good, especially since they were kind of flying by the seats of their pants. One thing that was a little uncharacteristic (for the situation or gig or venue), yet what I really did like, was the fact that they were loud as hell. Not bad vocals, ridiculous (but very fitting) guitar, and plenty of loud made for a show that I enjoyed, mostly from the bar since I felt kind of weird being at someone's graduation party that I had no idea who they were. No big deal, it was fun to hear Jeremy play. And, of course just like seven years ago, I'm still jealous of his bass playing. I quit.

Today, we're looking at going to the beach or going to some sort of amusement park or something. I'm up for anything outside, it would be fun. I want to get a ton of pictures while I'm out here, and I want to come home with some sun in my skin, you know- for the Patents Pending photo shoot. You know- since I'm always concerned about my image. More to come shortly, probably tomorrow. I'll have time to update in the mornings all this week. Hope things are well for you all in North Dakota and regions near and far...

May 14, 2006

Every few months or so, I have a period of time that sneaks in like a storm where I am forced to take a look at some things that I've either avoided or forgotten (sometimes by choice, sometimes not). These things could be thoughts, events, or feelings from less than a week ago. These things could be all of those things from more than five years ago. All it takes is a string of two or three incidents in my day that remind me of something so crystal clear, and then I'm off on a detour that is sometimes not so bad, while other times, is mind-numbing and emotion-crushing.

Ever have those moments/hours/days/weeks?

Big changes are on the horizon. Looks as if Russ and I will be looking for a place to live shortly. My wishes to attempt to draw a 6-month lease have ended at the house, and I just can't really afford to live here for another year. I'm almost paying $400 overall (rent and some bills), and I guess the realization that I could have my own place for $425 (including most of the bills) kind of opened my eyes a bit. I've had thoughts about leaving town once 2007 rolls around, but it's a big 'if' right now. But, I wanted to keep my options open, hence the six-month lease. But, if it isn't going to work out, I should probably opt out for cheaper rent in an attempt to save money for a future move. I have no qualms about my current living situation or roommates, but I guess times and situations change, and perhaps it's better for all of us to figure something else out. Russ and I have talked about getting a place for a while, and it appears that this should work out fine, with the exception of me having to pay double-rent for a month. Russ would be moving into a new place on July 1st. My lease is up on August 1st, but basically from June 29 until August 7, I'm busy as hell and will have no time to move. So, I'm going to have to move at the end of June. Not excited about the double-rent thing, which was another reason to stay here for six months, but I'll do what has to be done to make things happen and stuff.

I read up on some of my friend's blogs today. Took a brief stop in at Sarah Beck's site. She talked about some of her good friends that she had met while in the band, which they would dub themselves the Gold Star Band Beauties. It took me back to that era for a little while. Good memories. Regrets. All of those thoughts pouring around. The house. The band. All of those friends. The parties. Yeah- lots of good times, a handful of personal regrets that still beg forgiveness. That's life, I guess. There's never a 100% resolution guarantee.

I've also been following Raylene's blog for some time. Her posted thoughts over time about her grandmother have had more impact on me than anything as of late. I had a grandmother that I was incredibly close to all of my life. She was my last grandparent alive, and all the way through my high school days into my military days, she was always supportive and loving. She supported me as a musician, and loved to see me play when she could make the trips from Bottineau. The last time I saw her was at Jass 1997 in Minot. She would pass away a few short months later. The loss of her was an incredible void for me, and it took a lot of time to really get used to it. While Raylene and my situations differ in some ways, where I think I can really understand and connect is in the strong closeness and bond that one can miss when it's gone. It's almost been ten years now, and I still miss my grandma immensely.

Went out last night with Al and Russ. Josh and his brother also showed up later. We did the usual night at Lauerman's. Beer, darts, pool, and pinball. Lauerman's was pretty slow last night, although all of downtown was slow. Friday night was a party night for the grads, they apparently needed a night to recover. Fair enough. Anyhow, we had fun down there as we always do. Tim was supposed to come out, but no-showed on us. That's another tick-mark for him. He'll get his. Tim can earn some credit by coming out to Tailgator's tonight, though. We'll give him a fair shake.

Church was fun this morning. I play piano at Living Hope Baptist in a "sort-of worship band". That's the best way I can put it. We do a lot of jazz and take-offs of other songs to make the music sound different, and it's pretty fun. Chris Gould plays Hammond, along with Brian Bailly on drums. I play keyboards. Jesse Braunagel is usually playing guitar, though he wasn't there today. We pulled up Nature Boy for special music today, and played Polka Dots and Moonbeams as a postlude. I love playing there, even if it is only for a handful of dollars. We make some good music, and if we make a mistake, most people don't really notice, though Pastor John Flowers can usually tell. Thankfully, he's forgiving.

Six days to a vacation in Florida. I won't stop talking about it until I'm there. I'll be updating the site from Florida, which should be fun. Be watching for pictures and updates from the sunshine state.

Patents rehearsal tomorrow night, and I'm excited. The last rehearsal really got my blood flowing again. Exciting times. We've got new songs, we've got new energy, we just need to keep this going. I've always felt that these cats should be playing more. Perhaps it's almost the time to really make this happen. I'm ready...

I saw a professional billiards player on TV today that reminded me quite a bit of Robin (Childs) Fried. I kind of laughed a little at the association of Robin and pool. Took me back a little bit to a trip I took with her to Duluth. I learned a real lesson that trip- to never play pool against a girl again. If you're reading this, Robin, you at least better laugh a little bit, too.

See- it just takes two or three incidents in one day to remind me of the past, and you get where I am now. I'm content, though still a little strangely uncomfortable with the results, which make up who I am and where I am now. But, no one ever said life was going to be comfortable all of the time. I'm content. Live and learn. Life's a dance. Roll with it. All of those punchlines apply.

Until later, goodbye today, hello tomorrow...

May 13, 2006

The weekend is here, or at least as of 3:00 today, it was. I had to work at the hotel this morning, which is unusual since I normally have weekends off. However, with the busy weekend of graduations and weddings, I got put in on a Saturday, and it was not pretty. The hotel was a hole from the seven or eight graduation parties last night, which ranged from fairly messy to trashed. In addition to that, because two of the weddings for tonight were so huge, the hotel ran out of tables for the third reception, so they had to rent tables, which didn't come in this morning until 10. The bad thing about that is that the room was supposed to be ready for decoration at like 8. Sucky morning. I hate surprises at work. However, in the big picture, it looks like there's going to be a big shakeup as soon as this week in management, and if I'm lucky, whenn I come back from Florida, I'll have a raise and a promotion. Cross your fingers.

Last night was marvelous. Tim Stine got a booking to play at Dempsey's, and it went very, very well. The group was made up of Josh Argall on sax, Tim on guitar, Joel Thompson on drums, myself on bass, and Al Berg on keys. We played more modern and funky forms of jazz, and much to my surprise, the crowd loved it. I never had any doubt that we would play alright, I was just surprised to see people really digging it. Anyhow, the show was great, and four hours sailed by much too quickly. It sounds as if we'll be getting more bookings in there this summer until Tim moves away. Keep your eyes open, we'll be adding dates at Dempsey's, and you can come out and see what it's all about.

Not sure what's going on tonight. I want to go out, but I'm not sure if anyone else is game. Last night, as I mentioned earlier, was graduation, and the bars on Broadway were jumping. I kind of figure things will be a little slower tonight. It would be a nice night for some Newcastle's at the Ho-Do or at Monty's. We'll see.

To a select few...

If you think your life is as bad as you say it is in your blogs, life down the road when you're all grown up is going to be ten times worse.  Enjoy life, relax, show some maturity, don't blame everything on everyone else and the world, and most of all, realize that these current life difficulties are all a part of learning how to

GROW UP AND BE AN ADULT!

It's just that simple.

 

Just one week until I head to Florida. I'm absolutely amped about it. I need a break from here. I need a break from work. I need a break from thinking so much about how things are these days. It's going to be a much-needed vacation that I feel is somewhat deserved. Hanging with Jeremy will be the best, and seeing his wife again along with my first visit with his kids should be fun, and- well, hell, it's Florida, what's there not to like about that place (besides the hurricanes)? 

Well, I'm not much for excitement here (or length, apparently), so I'll sign off for now. More real soon, I hope...

May 8, 2006

Ok, I think I said something on my last post about promising to update more often. It's clear that I have no kept my promie, which is bogus of me and I apologize. I've gotten lazy and lax, and that's just no good. Here I have this new computer, and I've put it to no good use yet. The summer is upon us, so I'll have some more free time, I'll put that time to good use.

Well, it's Monday, and it's raining. Again. The wind just picked up and we're getting more rain. Fun. I really enjoyed the rain a few weeks ago, I love the smell of it, but now that's rained over half of the days since, it's starting to get a little old.

Today was a nice free day for me. I had the day off (so that I could work on Saturday since half of the crew is graduating) and I've spent it doing not very much. I did have a delightful lunch with Jenny and Nina, which was nice. We went to Johnny Corino's, and it was great. I had never eaten there before. Anyhow, after that, I came home, and I've been trying to update since.

I'll just jump around with some of my random thoughts, I guess. This past weekend was busy. On Friday night, I went out and enjoyed Cinco de Mayo downtown. Had some beers. It was cool. Rick was in town, and we did dinner at Juano's, considering the holiday. After that, we ran back to my house, had a few beers, then went downtown. We had some drinks at Lauerman's and the Ho-Do, then called it a night. Tim and the boys were having some fun over here at the house, so I came home and had some beers here. Tim drank some really tough martinis, and was bombed, which is always entertaining to watch.

Saturday night, I did dinner with Matt and Becky Tompkins and friends. Becky graduated from UND's medical school, and the dinner was a celebration of that. It was really fun, it got a bunch of my old classmates together. Mike Pagan, Chad O'Connell, and Matt and I were all together in the same room. Dinner was great, then we treked downtown to Fort Noks, which was also fun. I left there with Tim and Lance, and we took a trip out to the south and celebrated Al's birthday at Woody's. Happy 23rd, Alex.

Earlier in the week, Matt and I went out to have one last night on the town before he left town. Becky and Matt left yesterday for Phoenix, where Becky will be doing her residency. Matt and I started Tuesday night in West Fargo at the VFW. Along with Chad, we made a stop at O'Leary's to play some blackjack (where I lost all the money I put on the table) and some Golden Tee, which Chad is really good at, and Matt and I are not. Chad went home from there, and Matt and I went downtown and met up with Russ, Tim, and Eddie. A good last night with Matt.

I had Guard the previous weekend. It was a tech inspection weekend, and the commmander from Nebraska was here to check us out. The weekend was a much needed eye opener for the band. He pinpointed many of our playing problems. It was music to my ears to hear him point it all out. I'm not sure how much it affected most of the members of the band, but I was impressed. His job was to give us feedback about how we could be better. He did just that, and he wasn't afraid to hurt feelings.

Also, that weekend, our brass quintet rehearsed, and it was one of the most uplifting moments in my time in the Guard Band. The group played and read so well. It's an amazing group, probably a group of the best players in the band. With Tim Knabe and Jesse Braunagel on trumpet, along with Darren Olson on horn and Tom Janikowski on tuba, it was an uplifting experience. Blues and Green also rehearsed, and it was a good time. Having the chance to play some music and make some art with people who know what they're doing is incredible in that setting. It gave me a glimmer of hope of surviving with the band for another six years. Thanks to those cats, I'm feeling better about things there.

Also that weekend, the five-piece version of Patents played a graduation show. It went well. Groove was happening, and it was good. The crowd varied at time from lame to awesome, and as the night went on, they got more into it, which was a lifesaver. There were six dudes graduating that night, and I work with about half of them. I brought them all on stage and bought them shots of tequila- some were excited, some were not. Nonetheless, they took their shots, then I made them sing Piano Man as a group. It was actually really fun, and they did a pretty good job for being as completely intoxicated as they were. The band did well, and we functioned pretty well despite Eddie not being on the bandstand with us. Josh Argall did a great job filling in.

Even further back, the NDSU Jazz Ensemble played their final show of the year, and all things considered, it went pretty well. Wittkop wasted me on a solo/feature tune we did, but that's ok, he's really good. Things went alright and the energy was there, which is always a life saver. After the show, I thought about the glory days of that band, and I suddenly really missed those times.  I miss the Tim's, the Eddie's, the Russ's, the Greg's, the Jenn's, the Marquardt's, the Dau's...so on and so forth.  But then I thought about the potential in this current band, and I found comfort in that.   As for me, I think that was my last show with any NDSU group, it's been fun, but it's time to actually concentrate on getting out of here one of these days. I've put so much time and attention into playing, but not into all of the requirements it takes to leave. It's time for a change, and that includes leaving here someday.

Congratulations to Erin Ott on her selection as Drum Major of the Gold Star Marching Band.  Something new is always something good.

 

So, things are well. I have a vacation planned for less than two weeks from now. I'll be going to Jacksonville, Florida to hang out with my best buddy, Jeremy, and it's going to be great. It'll get me away from here for a few days, which I need, and it'll be time spent with someone I never get to see. I'll finally meet his two kids, and I'll see his wife for the first time since I left San Antonio. I'm looking very, very forward to the time there. Then, as soon as I get back, I have a number of gigs to play, which is also key. Life isn't so bad. Things are alright. I can live like this for now.

Seeing that the political process of the GSB has gotten to where it is, I wonder if anyone ever thought of proposing term limits.

My lawnmower won't work. Does anyone know how to fix those things? Mine keeps spraying gas out the side of the mower. I'm not even priming the thing. I don't know what's going on, but I do know that my lawn looks like a damned jungle, and that needs to be fixed.

Lots of people are graduating this weekend. Crazy. They're all heading off to the real world. Congratulations to you all.

Eric Schmidt got married this past weekend. Congratulations to him. Hopefully Beseler didn't get too hammered out there, though I have a feeling that he did. I know how he is at weddings and celebrations alike. As long as his eyes aren't anything like they were at Robin and Ryan's weekend, I guess we'd consider that a succesful and safe weekend.

Eddie was gone all weekend to Beaver Creek, where he was making sausage. C'mon- that's funny.

Well, I should go practice or something like that. I need to. I've been a little lax in the practice department as of late. More to come soon, I swear...

April 23, 2006

It's been some time since I updated- actually, over two weeks, which is pretty bad. Things have been crazy from jazz tour to a trip to Bismarck to Easter and more. I guess there's no excuse, still, but what can you do.

Well, let's start with jazz tour. Things went pretty well overall, or as well as could be expected. We made the program roll during our four concerts on the tour, and that's what the band needed to do. The tour took us to the Cities, which was really cool, too. I was able to spend some really good time with my old buddies Brad and Eric, and I was also able to catch up with my close friend Dawn, whom I knew from honor bands, music contests, and Music Camp. We spent our two nights in the Cities at a couple of bars, and it was a good time. My Cities friends are doing well. Dawn is still a nurse, Eric is still playing his bass, and Brad is moving up in corporate sales with Northwest Airlines.

When I got back to town, I re-packed up some clothes and headed out to Bismarck. There, I played Jennifer Schwind's send-off ceremony for her Guard unit, which is now deployed. After the ceremony, I spent the evening with Jennifer and Eddie. The evening included pizza, beer, ice cream, and gambling. What more does one need? The next morning, Eddie and I went computer shopping while Jennifer was at drill. I bought a brand new lap top there in Bismarck, which is what I am now updating my sites on. I love the thing. It's the first nice new thing I've bought in years, and it was well worth ever dollar I spent.

Later on that day, I went up north to Minot, where I spent the next few days for Easter. It was just mom, dad, and myself. It was good to catch up with the family and just rest my feet for a few days. I also spent a good chunk if time with my dog, Johnny, who isn't looking so hot these days. I asked mom if he was alright, and she told me that he was, though I suspect that he may be fighting the downward battle against old age. I made it a point to spend a lot of time with him since I don't know if I'll see him again by the time I get home next time. Johnny is a sweet dog, but he's over 16 years old in human years, and he's lived a good life.

After Easter dinner, I headed back toward Fargo, but made a quick stop in Bismarck to say goodbye to Jennifer. The trip back to Fargo felt like an eternity, more so than usual. I don't know if you've ever done that drive to Bismarck, then to Fargo, but it's one of the most boring trips you'll ever, ever take. If you take that trip, bring a lot of things to drink and your favorite music. It's the only way to make it.

This past week was just a bunch of little things every day. The biggest thing that happened was that I became a MSUM Dragon for one day. Tom Strait called from over at MSUM's music department and asked me if I was interested in subbing in the MSUM Jazz Ensemble on lead trombone. Apparently Tom felt that some disciplinary action was needed for a member who had missed a downbeat on a previous show. I had some reservations about doing the gig since I know the lead trombone player whom I was replacing, but Tom was in a tight spot, and I do understand his stand- the violation of the biggest cardinal rule of music, to never miss a downbeat.

I played the show on Thursday night. I played fair, though I didn't feel too comfortable in the ensemble, which was to be expected since I only rehearsed with them once. A few of the charts were really, really hard, but I trudged through it. As you can see above, I got to wear the MSUM polo shirt, which just looks strange on me. It's not my favorite yellow and green that NDSU has instilled into me, but again- it was a gig, and you do what you have to do when you play. Overall, it was cool to play with the band. It's good experiance to just walk in and do that sort of thing. I learned a lot.

Friday night, we had a get-together over here at the house. I bought about 110 bottles of beer, and we made a little beer bath. A good handful of folks stopped in and hung out, and by the end of the night, there were only 13 beers left over, which I would call a pretty succesful night. Bad thing is that I had to get up at about a quarter past six in the morning Saturday to drive to Valley City for a regional band contest. One of my best legit students was playing, and I really wanted to be there. The drive out was a little long for me since I was so tired, but being there for her was cool. She played pretty well, and she received the top rating, which qualifies her for state in about three weeks. It was great news, and I'm incredibly proud of her. Following her performance, I got back in the car, picked up some Burger King breakfast, and drove back to Fargo. I was asleep and napping by 10:00 in my favorite chair. Good deal.

Saturday evening, Eddie came over and we cooked up some steaks and shrimp on the grill. Good stuff. Especially the shrimp. We had a few beers and hung out for most of the evening. After Eddie retired for the night, I took a little trip downtown to Matt Boeser and Melody Thoreson's wedding reception, which was over at the Avalon. I'm not a huge fan of weddings and receptions if I'm not doing anything important (i.e. playing music, playing the dance, or being a member of the wedding party). Receptions kind of bug me because I don't dance. Weddings bug me because they just do. Many of you know why that is, but I'm not doing to talk about it a bunch on here right now. Anyhow, all it leaves me is the option to drink. Over the years, I've adopted a tradition to drink scotch and only scotch at weddings. So, that's what I did. I was there for about an hour and ten minutes, and I managed to put down five Glenlivits on the rocks in that time. The stuff goes down to easy, and that's not a good thing. After the reception ended, I tried to make it over to the Ho-Do, but they had already locked the doors. I made my way to Lauerman's where it seemed like a frat party in there. However, I made do and had a beer, then decided it would be best to get home before the alcohol processed it's way into my brain. I came home, had a pizza, the crashed.

Today, I had breakfast with Rick Gion, who was in town on business. I missed church, which I didn't intend on doing, but I slept right through the alarm. It's a good thing that the four of us at the church have the skill to pick up each other's slack when one misses, so no one really minds. I'm thankful for having good musicians to work with when things like that happen. Anyhow, I did breakfast, then came back home. All I've really done the rest of the day is work on the site, play some trombone with Dan Hinman, and eat dinner with Eddie. It's been a good lazy day. We all need it from time to time.

If you're bored on Monday night, come out to NDSU and watch the Jazz Band play their final show of the semester. Hopefully we can go out with a band of energy and enthusiasm. Inner turmoil in that band has gotten out of hand, and it's frustrating to hear (or read) about it all of the time. While I understand some of that frustration, I think some people have managed to express their feelings without understanding nor logical thought, and that's never good.

Now, a quick few sentences to rant on life. Some people need to understand that not everything in the world is someone else's fault. Laying blame on everyone else is not always right or correct. Look within yourself thoroughly before attacking somebody or everybody else. Have a moment of clarity before you let loose on the world with how everyone else has ruined your hopes, dreams, and life. After you have done that, then you can begin to look outward. I know a lot of things that have affected my life negatively have been my fault. Being able to admit that is step one.

And, a quick suggestion some musicians. While you may not enjoy the situations in some ensembles and groups, remember that no matter who you play with and no matter how awful things might happen to be musically or personally, remember that the one true thing that you need to keep in mind is that a drive to be a better musician comes from within, and if you want to succeed or excel in this form of art, one must keep personal growth, conviction, and personal musical goals at the forefront. Don't allow the petty situations and the drama of life get in the way. Keep playing and keep practicing, and you will see through the smoke that we call life that your musical drive and the hunger to become a better artist is stronger than any of that other stuff.

Well, it's getting late, and I've been updating for a couple of hours, so it's time to get to bed. Work comes much to early. More soon...

April 8, 2006

How are we all doing this lovely weekend? It's been an incredibly nice week with temps up in the sixties and more. There's a lot of flooding out here, but it's starting to go down as the Red River crested here in Fargo on Wednesday, so that's good news. But, you really should see it, the river has engulfed roads and parks, and it's pretty amazing overall.

Eddie spilled the beans a couple days early about the brass recording, but that's alright, it sounds like Jennifer really loved it. We had a super good time getting it all put together, and the recording did come off awfully well for one simple two-hour session. Special thanks should probably go out to Jeff Mooridian for his help in making things happen as far as engineering and mastering goes. Also, obviously much thanks should go out to the cats who played the recording. I know that Eddie and Jennifer appreciate it very much, as do I.

Speaking of Eddie and Jennifer, they had their anniversary party over at the Legion last night, and a bunch of provided the music for the night, which was a blast overall. I drank a little too much, or at least looking back now, 10 beers might be a bit much, but we did have a lot of fun. Patents played a dance, along with a bunch of guest players (Beseler, Jeff Mooridian, Brian Wittkop, and more). Good times. Took some pictures, though I see now that towards the end of the night, I was only interested in pictures of me with girls. Just trying to make sure you all know that I still like girls despite my lengthly time of lacking a signifigant other. Probably also trying to convince my mother that there's still a chance for me to give her grandchildren someday...

I don't often go for any person's individual head on my websites or blogs, but this simply can't be left alone, really. I was extremely bothered by a number of things posted on a blog pertaining to NDSU, the jazz ensemble, and it's members and musicians. While I won't get into the specifics (though one could assume that I was extremely upset by most of this entry), I will simply offer up a couple of thoughts. While I respect everyone's right to honest thoughts and blunt observations, I believe that the author of this blog is walking a thin line when they attack the convictions of others by their assumptions. The blatent generalizations and the form of blanketing an opinion over an entire group of people with no regard for specifics whatsoever is apalling, and I'm not going to lie about it- this blog entry was downright demeaning and offensive. I simply warn those people that their words define who they are, and I would hope that they keep this in mind. Being told that myself and some of my friends and fellow musicians (whom I have much respect for) have no drive to be professional musicians, and that a high school band has more drive than my musical partners is simply out of line. I can't believe I actually read what was written, but sadly, I did.

Next week will be a long week. We head out on NDSU Jazz Tour on Monday. We're going down to the Cities, and that should be really, really good. I've got a lot of friends there, and I've been dying to head downtown to the Dakota for some jazz. Dawn, Brad, and Eric- get ready, we're going to have a good time on your home turf. Anyhow, after tour, I head to Bismarck to do Jennifer's send-off ceremony for her upcoming deployment, then I head home to Minot for a few days to spend some time with the family and the dog. Looking forward to a lot of that stuff, it'll be a nice change, and best off, I don't have to work for over a week. I like my co-workers, but my job often sucks.

Doing anything tonight? If not, come see Allen Vizzutti with the Jazz Arts Big Band. Allen is an amazing trumpet player who has been famous in the jazz scene for years. He has been a major leader in music and jazz education, while also making a name for himself as a performer. He was a member of the Tonight Show band for a number of years, and is one of the finest and more well-rounded trumpet players in the business.

Jazz Arts Big Band
Featuring Allen Vizzutti
April 8, 2006 (Saturday)
The Ramada Plaza and Suites

Nothing more to say, I guess, more soon, probably after jazz tour. Take it easy, and we'll see you around...

April 2, 2006

It's Sunday, my day of rest. I like Sunday just for that. It's been an incredibly busy weekend, and having today is perfect. It's back to work and the regular grind tomorrow. The usual, inching towards another really busy weekend. That's the pattern. I'm getting used to it.

Friday was a long, long day. I worked at 7:00, did a quick trip to Kinko's to write and print set lists for the evening shows, went to jazz band, went to the Ramada and set for the shows, went home to shower and change, went back to the Ramada and played jazz from 6:00-9:00, played the dance from 10:00-1:00, tore down, then got home around 2:15. I went to bed with the thrilling thought that I would need to be getting up at 7:00 the next morning.

The show went pretty well over at the Ramada, though, we did have a lot of fun. The jazz portion felt really good, and I had a lot of good vibes about how my horn playing sounded. (Thanks for playing some bass, Al...) The quintet overall sounded pretty good, and it's just nice to make some good combo jazz music happen. The dance was good for the most part except for the fact that everyone left around 11:30. We still made the best out of it, though. It was a gig.

Saturday, I had a quintet playing a convention for The North Dakota Democratic- NPL Party over at the Civic. It was a long day of sitting around, then playing for 5-15 minutes here and there- music to fill the breaks and spaces. Again, I felt good about my horn playing, and that was nice. Jessy and Tim also soloed real well, and I was pretty glad that things went as well as they did. We were there from 9:00-4:00. We probably played a total of 90 minutes or so throughout the day. Aside from the music, there were some very fine speeches by the Dems, particularly from Max Cleeland, General Wes Clark, and Kent Conrad. They were all fired up, and I was impressed with what I heard. The Democratic platform seems to be standing for something that I can agree with, and I'm fired up, too. Is it time for a change? Absolutely. Let's forge ahead.

Later on Saturday evening, I went downtown and met up with Al and Tim at Lauerman's. Russ stopped in later with his cousin and friends. Eddie also showed up a little later on. We had some beers, then Eddie and I did the breakfast thing after.

Jazz band tour is in a week. That scares me. It should scare every single member of the band. Seriously.

Good Lord, are they EVER going to have a show at The Aquarium? Every show that has been scheduled for there has moved (on the day of the show, nonetheless) to the basement of the VFW. Somebody needs to screw their head on tighter and get things going, the independent music scene is depending on it.

The floodings situation out here in Fargo is getting to be a little more of a concern as the days go by. Most of the snow has melted away, and we've had a lot of rain south of here, so things are looking a little worse than we would've expected. We even made CNN last night as the Red River and it's surrounding arms begin to swell. I'm heading over to Eddie and Jennifer's in a little bit for dinner, and I imagine that if I hang out on their porch, I will see the river just a little higher and near it's bank than I saw the last time I was there.

I thought Owen Miller was an actor who did the voice for the character Bromley in the animated film The Swan Princess...

A tip for a few select people: Grow up, cut the cord, and learn how to survive on your own. It's called learning to be an adult. It doesn't mean stop being a part of your family. It means to live independantly of your family and learn how to make it on your own. It's not always easy, but each hard knock is a learning point, and that's what learning to live is all about. Just a thought, a suggestion based on a little observation.

Tim Stine cheated on the quiz.  I removed his score from atop the list.  Two people did somehow manage to score higher, though, one of them anonymous.  The other was Dan Hinman.  I've known the kid for three months.  He must be psychic.  If you haven't taken the quiz yet, it's still up. Click here to take it.

That's about it for now. More shortly...

March 29, 2006

It's Wednesday, I'm just hanging out at home right now. Getting ready to go back to work again. Not too excited about that. I have to go in and cover the front desk for a while. Hopefully done by nine. Maybe get a beer after that. I sort of feel like I need it. Well, just really want it, anyhow. I have a lot of random thoughts running around my mind, a lot of stuff that I need to think about and figure out soon. There's a lot of pressure surrounding some of these choices, and I just don't know what direction to go with these issues. The choices will affect a lot of stuff, and of course, it's up to me. I feel like a TV show could be made about me and put on the WB.

Who is Owen Miller?

I've got three gigs this weekend, which is all fine and well, and I'm looking forward to all of them. The first one is Friday evening, playing jazz with Al, Russ, Eddie, and Tim at the FMCT Days of Wine and Roses. The second is playing with all of those guys later in the night along with Tanya and Jessy for the same event, just the late night dance. That will also be quite fun, though tiring. Then, on Saturday morning, Tim, Jessy, Russ, and Jeff will join me for a day of jazz at the ND Democratic Convention, where we'll be providing the music for the daytime meetings. Matt Patnode passed on the gig, but I gladly picked it up. Should be lots of good playing. We need more of these kinds of weekends.

Rick Gion is in town. He surprised us at Lauerman's, though what other place would've made sense to be surprised by Rick Gion at? He's here for the convention, and hopefully he can get me some tickets to the Saturday night banquet for the Dems. I would love to go, General Wes Clark is one of the big guests at this thing, and I really want to hear him say what he has to say. So, Rick, hook me up...please?

Has anyone seen that video or heard that song Bad Day, by Daniel Powter? I would have to proclaim that as the "Feel Good Pop Song for 2006". I had never seen the video before until Monday. Naturally, I saw the video at least four times more that day, too. It's catchy. Not sure if I like it that much or not. It's upbeat and sports friendly lyrics, but it's on the border of annoying if you heard it too much in one day. His skull cap bugs me, too, but then again, most skull caps bother me. The girl in the video is extremely pretty, though. Not sure what I think. Not sure why I'm even talking about it.

I handed the keys over to Al to fun the business end of the band. I think it would be better for him to do it, he's more business-focused and knows the people in the town. I'm still in charge of the music and the general band banter. We'll see where we go from here.

Random, random, random thoughts. Tim Stine came in and tore up the quiz on the site. 87%. That's 13 of 15. I'm not surprised, I guess, we did live together for a really long time. That's my boy. I'm happy he's heading to Cincinatti, while I'm incredibly sad that he's going at the same time. Life without Tim. That, too, could be a TV show on the WB.

The NDSU Sax Quartet went to Austin and played in the big competition, bringing home a third place, which is incredible. I'm really excited for them. Brian, Emily, Matt, and Jessy are great players, and they have the chemistry to make things happen musically. I know how that is, and it doesn't come around all that often. Sure, we've all made some good music with others, but when you feel that chemistry, it's something special. Good job, you guys rock and stuff. Also, I was happy to hear that you partied hard on the 6th Street, I wish I could've been there, too. I miss Austin. Good stuff.

I really, really, really, really, really want to write a commentary in response to some of Cheryl Childs' work in The Spectrum, but the main piece that I wanted to talk about didn't get put on the website. It's the one where she judges every style of music that I like except classical. I found her article to be borderline offensive and incredibly judgemental to the artists and the people who listen to those styles of music. It was boneheaded and just way off base. Period. I guess I don't really need to wrtie a commentary, now. That was it in a nutshell. Random anger. Check that off the list.

Thanks for the e-mail, Keira, understood. Hopefully my words made sense, too, though I suspect that they were a little fragmented. But, you know me. You probably made something out of it. Let's get a beer or some coffee one of these days.

I got thinking a few days ago about some of my old friends that have sort of drifted off. I guess reading a certain blog sort of brought me to it. It made me sad. There are some people that were incredibly close to me three years ago that I barely see or have the chance to talk to anymore. I realize that a lot has changed in everyone's lives over those years, but the sadness still remains. In most of those cases, it seems to me that time's events sort of changed the way we did things, and to compliment our new ways of life, we lost that connection. Times change. People change. That's the breaks. It's sad, but I guess it's life.

Well, I've sort of floated around a lot in this episode, I should get out of here. Need to get ready for work for a second time today. Not excited. But, gotta pay the bills. More soon...

March 26, 2006

It was a good weekend, for jazz in particular. Both last night and today have proven that a worthy statement. Last night, I went down to the Ho-Do and enjoyed the jazz of The Simon Rowe Trio (Simon Rowe, Allen Carter, and Tpby Curtright) with special guests Glenn and Lisa Ginn, Russ Peterson, and Tom Strait. Good jazz, it was nice to see Glenn playing in Fargo again. He recently moved down to Moorhead, Kentucky where he's now teaching guitar after nearly a decade of work at MSUM. Tom also sounded great, but then again, he always does.

Today, Eddie, Tim, and I went down to MSUM and watched a big band perform Allen Carter's big band charts. Many of them were incredible. High energy work with some really nice technical ensemble portions. There was even one that featured a jazz choir, which was cool to see integrated into the program. Great solos were played by Russ Peterson, Simon Rowe, and Tom Strait. I was happy I went. It was super cool, and I had a chance to talk to Allen about his work after the show. Neat stuff. There were a lot of people there, though I was sad not to see even one other member of the NDSU Jazz Ensemble there- our rhythm section members, to be more specific. It was a great chance to see how a rhythm section functions together to support the band. It wouldn't also been a chance to see how Who's Bob? is supposed to be played and kicked. If our rhythm section cats don't take these outstanding chances to learn by example, God help us, what will help them? Just a thought.

I did some thinking about this, and this statement is going to sound really strange and out of this world, but you know what causes me great stress and fear? The telephone. No kidding. I got to thinking about how some of the most traumatic moments in my emotional life have been affected by a phone, and I got to thinking that phones are just awful things to have around. I thought about the phone call while I was in Texas that notified me that my Grandmother had passed away. I thought about how an after-thought six months after the fact that signified that a hopeful relationship was going no where ever, and it was signified by a phone ringing. I thought about how an emotional episode that would spiral out of control started with an angry phone call. I thought about a whole load of those situations, and I got to thinking about how much I suddenly didn't want my cell phone on me anymore. Call me crazy, even a little paranoid, but these are the things I end up thinking about. Enough...

Eddie and I have been hanging out all damned day. We had lunch at the OB Diner, went to the show, and now have been playing Bond and eating pizza. We just put in BaseKetball. Jennifer- if you're reading this, you know I'm taking very good care of your husband.

Enough for now, more soon...

March 24, 2006

A weekend of nothing. No gigs. No work. Nothing. I can breathe. Sleep in. Not worry...much. I love it.

Not a lot has been going on the last few days. Wednesday night, Russ, Tim, and I all went to the Ho-Do to watch Al play with Russ Peterson and the Funk Commission. I love Nick's playing on drums and Al's solos were kicking like it was nobody's business, but Jay's bass playing bored me (with the exception of wrong notes, which at least raised my eyebrows a little bit) and Russ's wanking damn near drove me nuts. It's all about the bass and drum players, I guess. They provided the funk. The others provided the cheese.

Thursday, I was in bed by ten. Pathetic.

Dan Hinman- call me this weekend.

Go down and listen to Glenn Ginn this weekend at the Ho-Do with the Simon Rowe group. They start at 9:30 and go until 11:30. It's an all-ages show, and it's only $5 to get in there. You won't regret it. It'll be the best $5 you've spent in a while.

I think I'm going to go to the MSUM Orchestra concert tonight, then down to the Bowler with Mike and Beseler along with Russ and anyone else who comes to have some beers and chuck a 10 pound ball as hard as I can down a wooden lane. It's always a good time, and I get better at bowling as I drink more beer. I should go professional.

Eric Solberg- you are a monster. I've been watching the LV Allstar videos for the last few days, and you're the best. I especially love the pink shirt you wear for the Beach Boys music. Oh, and you're singing face when you're doing some of that acapella work. Keep up the good work.

Oh, and last but not least, Matt Tintes is the man. Concgratulations of your full ride for your masters at UW- Madison.

More soon...

March 22, 2006

Tim Stine is the reason that I'm at what level I'm at now as a musician. His playing and his drive to create and expand has fueled my yearning and hunger as a musician, most notably in my jazz playing, but also in my bass playing, and for these reasons, I am incredibly thankful. He pushed me and I pushed him. Thank you for your help. Just thought he should know that.

Heard the NDSU Sax Quartet play a little bit last night, they sounded incredible. If you're not familiar with the style of contemporary music that saxophone groups play, let me simply say this- it's really, really difficult and it's really, really complicated. Much credit should be given to our current top quartet, which will be heading off to Austin this week to participate in the MTNA National Finals. The group includes Emily Bair, Brian Wittkop, Jessy Klimpel, and Matt Salzer. Only one other NDSU group has reached that level, and that was in 2003 (Brian Wittkop, Jennifer Braus, Rena Kuch, and Jeremy Marquardt). Best of luck to those cats, I think they're going to do well.

Not much else is really going on, I'm just sitting around wasting time and space. I'm really good at it. I spent about an hour checking out The Las Vegas Allstars, a variety band that my good friend Eric Solberg is in. They're very good. Their stage show is unbelievable, and I think that I need to go see it sometime in the future. Check it out, go to the site above and click on the demo section. Watch the video. It's very cool. And, if you know Eric, watch for his appearances in the video- it's worth it just for that.

Jazz band met today again with everyone there, and I have to admit, we're not sounding so hot. Our rhythm section is not sticking together at all, and the band is having a hard time with it. Not to say that the horns are playing perfectly, that's not the case either. However, when the foundation provided by the rhythm section is non-existant, it's pretty hard to get anywhere from there. Here's to some luck over the next three weeks, we're going to need it...

If you're 21, go to the Ho-Do tonight. Watch Al Berg play funky organ and keyboards. Watch some funky music. Watch Russ Peterson dance funny. You get the idea. No cover. Good drinks. Good atmosphere. I'll be there. Ok, disregard the last one...

Joel Thompson- you're a cheating cheater. Naughty boy. Shame on you. If you're going to cheat on the quiz, at least put in a fake name for your first attempt...

More soon...

March 21, 2006

Back again, it's Tuesday. Almost half way through the week. Funny how I always count those days down, isn't it? I think we all do, though. Not much eventful stuff has been going on. Went to the Sidestreet on Sunday with Eddie and Russ and his buddy Josh. Jenny came out later and we caught up, then a bunch of us played darts. I guess you can see it here if you want to.

Didn't do much of anything yesterday. Went to work, went to rehearsal, and went to Eddie's house to eat Chinese and talk about some music. I came home, laid down to take a nap, and didn't wake up until damned near 11:00. I ate a snack and went back to bed. Isn't that some exciting stuff?

Tonight, a few lessons, then JAG rehearsal, then I might try to go to that new Irish pub downtown, Dempsy's, I think it's called. I may have even spelled it incorrectly, I don't know. Anyhow, it was so damned busy last week with St. Patrick's Day that week, so I didn't even try to go. Might check it out tonight, we'll see.

Go see Al play with The Funk Commission tomorrow night. Al kicks ass.

I'm trying to dream up something fun and different to do this weekend. I have the whole weekend off. No gigs. No comittments. No nothing. Amazing. If you have a good idea, toss it my way. I'm always looking for new things to do. Take that however you like.

I'm amazed by the How Well Do You Know Christopher quiz that I put up just a few days ago. The best score so far is 60%, posted by Eddie. I thought people might do better than that. Anyhow, click here and take it if you haven't yet, I guess the questions are super hard. Take your chances, I promise not to be offended.

I now leave you with a nice gift that Jesse Braunagel left me at work today...

Nice, huh? I guess I own an Asian food business in St. Louis. Who would've known? More soon...

March 19, 2006

This weekend has most certainly become one the most fun ones I've had in a while. Last night, I played the Jazz Arts show at the Fargo Theatre. Ken Peplowski was our guest on clarinet and tenor sax, and he was outstanding to say the least. His control and sound on the clarinet was something else, and I was incredibly impressed. I was equally impressed and proud to see Al Berg, Tim Stine, and Eddie Schwind on stage, this is that the Fargo scene needs- a young breath of fresh air. Tim played a couple of fine solos, and Al blew me away with a piano solo on a combo tune on the first set of the show. I'm not kidding- I was so proud of those guys last night, it damn near brought tears to my eyes. It makes me think that while someday, I may move on to bigger and better places and gigs, my heart will always long for what I will consider "the old days", which is playing with my current colleagues and best friends. Sometimes I wish it would never stop being this way. I'll take incredible working and social friendships coupled with good professionalism over the overzealous trudgery of modern music management. That says a lot.

Anyhow, after the JAG show, we went over to the Ho-Do, where the Simon Rowe trio was performing. Ken came over there, along with many of the JAG members and quite a handful of the JAG patrons. Ken joined the group to play a handful, then myself and Harley Sommerfeld were brought onto the bandstand to finish out the night. It was really very fun to play with all of those cats, and it was pretty neat to play in a situation like that with Ken. It was an incredible time, and I was happy to have had the chance to do it, especially with some of my closest friends in the audience.

This morning, I made my way down to church and played a service. My bandmates there- Chris Gould and Brian Bailly- asked me if I might be interested in doing some blues festivals this summer. It sounds like kind of a cool idea. I like outdoor shows, they're the best. Good news to my ears. We'll see what comes of that.

Otherwise, not a whole lot going on now. I basically have the rest of the day off, which is good- I could use a little nap to catch up from the last two days of fun, gigs, and partying. Jennifer took off on a jet plane today to be at a two-week military school in preparation of her upcoming deployment, so I guess I can assume that Eddie will need some company for the next handful of days. I shall step up to the post. Anyhow, this Sunday should cap off a great weekend. Hope yours is going as well. More soon...

March 18, 2006

Last night was really fun, and yes, I did party pretty hard. That's what happens when we take a drinking holiday and couple it with a bar, lots of friends, Matt Tompkins, and a couple bottles of wine. We went down to Lauerman's for a little bit, then spent a bulk of the night over at Fort Noks, which was really delightful. We drank quite a lot and laughed and enjoyed the night, I really did have a good time. It was good to run into a lot friends again. I hadn't seen Robin or Ryan in a while, and Erika and Joel came out, as well. The usual suspects were all there, and we got a surprise from Ty Andrews and Jeff Williams. It was sort of neat, I had friends from all of my different sides of my life there, from high school friends to non-music friends to musician-types, it was cool.

We had a Jazz Arts rehearsal this morning, and it was probably one of the longest rehearsals we've had in a while. Ken Peplowski is a great clarinet player, though I sort of found him to be hard to work with. But, that's life. The show is tonight at 8:00 at the Fargo Theatre. Go if you can, you won't be disappointed.

Not sure what's going on after the show, probably a trip to the Ho-Do for a few drinks. I might take it a little easier tonight, last night was a pretty drunk night for me. I was embarassed at the end of the night, as Eddie and I went to the Fryin' Pan for late breakfast, and Carmen Gronfur was working. I was pretty out of it, but she laughed, so that made me feel better.

Not much else going on right now, John just bought a 360, so I doubt we'll see him for a while, he's getting ready to launch into a whole new world of video games. God help us all. More soon...

March 17, 2006

Don't party too hard. I certainly intend to...

March 16, 2006

Just home from work, happy for that. One more day this week, then it's time for a good weekend. St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow, and I plan on celebrating. A night of visiting the downtown bars and ticking off bars on The Hanson and Pfaff Bar Tour 2006. It's going to be a good night, much like many of my other St. Patrick's Day nights. Al plans on wearing his green suit jacket. When he puts it on, he looks like he just won the US Open. I tend to call him golfers names when he wears it. I'm sure I'll do the same tomorrow night, and he'll call me an ass hole. Fair trade, really.

No Tripp 40 show for me tomorrow night as originally planned. I called Sather last night, and he told me I wasn't playing as far as I knew. I called Nick, and he confirmed, saying that he was going to get around to telling me. I was kind of pissed, you don't call someone three weeks ago, ask them to play a gig, then a day before the show, call and tell them that they're not playing. It's just not real professional. On the good side of things, though, I now get Friday off, and therefor, I can party (as described above).

Went out to Fort Noks last night with Ben Cory. Had a handful of beers and some good conversation. I had not hung with that cat in some time, and it was good to catch up. We see eye to eye on a lot of things, and while our situations are different, we usually end up on the same page, and that's cool. Benny is still Benny, and that's alright with me.

Saw yet another Xanga post of someone who hated tour. All I can say is, "Wow". What in the world is happening? What has happened to that band? People seem so different from when I was in there, and sadly, that was only one year ago.

And, can someone fill me in on this so called "drama" that everyone is talking about?

Nothing big planned for tonight, maybe a few beers downtown tonight? I think it sounds like a good deal, anyone else in? If so, call me. More soon...

March 15, 2006

Beseler spoke today. Right on. I couldn't have said it better myself. Someone get that guy a Grammy or an Acadamy Award or an Oscar or Nobel Peace Prize or a free case of beer. You choose.

It's Wednesday. Half of the way through the week. I'm feeling pretty neutral these hours. I took a gander at Beseler's updates, they were worth reading, though I feel a little scared that perhaps I'm in trouble for something. Not sure. Am I in trouble?

I often write on this site with the intent to get whatever it is that's on my mind off of my mind in the hopes that by penning it on this blog or website, my mind might actually go at ease for while or so. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes things get a little direct or even harsh, sometimes they offend or piss people off. I consider those things sometimes understandable, and often, I consider those reactions consequences worth chancing in favor of clearing my head in the lack of one singular person to discuss the moment with. I know it seems a little out there to do things this way, but I guess that's just what I've settled into. So, if I ruffle feathers, normally it isn't personal. If I want it to be personal, you'll know, and I'll more than likely say it to one on one.

However, one thing I must respond to in Beseler's section is his take on the "forgive and forget" thought which he says is something some people are not strong enough to do sometimes. While I'm not arguing that this midset is wrong- I think it's perfectly valid for many- I have a different way of looking at it, and I've talked about it on the site before. I've always prefered to think of that situation as "forgive, but never forget", and it's something that I do believe fairly strongly in. I think I only reserve that sort of emotional and mental status to be held to situations that were considerably detrimental or time-stopping. It's my feeling that in a situation where someone may have been wronged in the worst kind of way which affects our minds and hearts to the highest emotional value, we must never forget what happened. How do we learn anything from what happened if we choose to just forget? I've learned a lot from the people who have wronged me, and while I take no joy in the scenerio at hand, those actions have become life lessons to me. In most cases, those situations have made me a better man, and in a few select others, they have come back around to do the opposite, bringing forth other life lessons. I forgive, but I almost never forget. I don't keep some sort of score sheet handy to set a standard, I'm beyond that sort of immaturity, but situations that I remember for better or worse stay with me in the back of my mind forever. Almost all of the people that have fallen into those situations are still my friends that have grown back to that level with me, and we all understand that a form of forgivness, understanding, and acceptance has been exercised. I guess it's just another way of looking at things, and every individual is most certaily allowed to go their own way in how they deal with and learn from any life lesson.

The rest of the week should be cake, I'm looking forward to my Friday gig with Tripp 40 and my Saturday gig with the FM Jazz Arts Group. It's always nice to say that I've got a fully booked weekend of playing. It makes me feel like all of those years of lessons and work have been worth it. They have been, believe me, I would never figure any other way.

Alright, that's enough for now, more soon...

March 13, 2006

Bored. Bored. Bored. Only worked until noon today for some reason, I work full days the rest of the week. Everyone is at work or on tour or on spring break. I'm bored. Not feeling very creative, either.

Feeling a little jealous, too, getting a little more frequent. Bad news. I need to work on that. Too much thinking while I'm bored leads to all those outward emotions. I need to figure all of this shit out, really.

I hate Mondays.

March 12, 2006

It's Sunday- and a lazy Sunday, at that. I'm glad for that. All I had to do today was get up and go to church. The worship band that I played with had a lot of fun today playing. We generally enjoy ourselves when we play there, but today, I had a lot more fun that usual. Chris Gould played piano instead of me doing so, and I played bass for the day instead. Jesse Braunagel was out of town for the weekend (hope you're having fun in warm California), so we were without guitar. Brian played drums. We did some different stuff today, which was cool. We took a stab at a fast-clipping samba tune called 500 Miles High, which went pretty well overall. We stayed after and jammed a little bit, and that was refreshing, as well. Chris and I talked some theory (the usage of locrian and locrian #2) and confused our drummer. Then, we called it a day, and I came home, where I've been since. I made myself a big lunch, and now here I am working on the site.

To anyone who took a look at my drunk entry from last night, well...I don't know. I was feeling a little down (just in case you didn't notice). Take it at face value, I guess, I tend to get a little more potent after a dozen and half beers. I'll keep with my consistant reputation of not removing anything from the site. I don't regret the post, but in some ways, I feel just a little burnt by what I wrote. Well, take it as it is, and go on with your day. I will.

This week is Spring Break for many, so I guess I won't see a lot of you for a while. Hopefully things are going well for you as of the moment. I look forward to a full work week, followed by a really, really busy weekend of gigs (Friday with Tripp 40, Saturday with the FM Jazz Arts Group). It's a good money week, though, and I like money. We all like money.

More shortly, keep posted...

March 11, 2006

I just want something beautiful. Something perfect. Hell, I just want something. Is this asking too much? I think it might be.

I wish I could claim that top quote as my own, but it's not. It does get the point across, though.

Went out tonight to the bar, met up with Keira, had a beer. Russ and Tim joined. Had a few more beers. I went to the Ho-Do, hung out with Tim and Joel. Went to Lauerman's, had a handful of beers. Tim was there for one. I spent the rest of the time there alone. Probably not good. Came home, here I am. I want to go to bed, but I'm not tired for some reason. Not a good thing, either. Having another beer. Can't think of anything else to do.

I'm lonley, and I hate it. At least on a night like this, I hate it. I don't know what puts me in this mood, nothing should have set this off. But, I guess just thinking about things after being triggered by the most random of sights does the job, and the mind does the rest. I'm getting too old for this, I feel like a damned kid. A high school kid. But, I'm most certainly not that.

Interesting thought posted by Beseler- While I’m thinking about it, there were a few things that really bothered me yesterday. The first is the uptight, abrasive manner in which certain individuals live their lives. That’s a character flaw I guess, though, so there’s nothing to be done about that. Not so sure that it was aimed at me (actually, I don't think it was written with me in mind at all, or at least I hope not), but it seems to fit me at times, and many others. I don't think it's a "character flaw", though, if it's based on the honest truth and the clear picture of how things really are, not a distorted personnal censored look at the world. See it for what it is, not what you think it is. I think there's a clear difference there, and it should not be ignored for what it may be worth to you, me, and others.

Keira keeps telling me that I need to get out of here. Never have I agreed more. But, in the morning, I'm sure I'll feel better and life will go on. That's it. More soon when I'm sober and in my own right mind...

March 9, 2006

Feeling a little bad about some of my last post, I kind of got a little emotional and carried away with it, at least with the portion about wanting to know what it meant to not support one of the big GSB traditions. I sent off a note to them and hopefully they're cool with it. I wouldn't say that I'm backing down from my thoughts, but my questions were most certainly answered, and that's what led to me feeling that I was a dick. Fair enough. I meant no disrespect to the other person. She's a very good musician and certainly seems to have a level head (which is nice to see for once), and we are on the same page, now. Thanks for your understanding...

Also, I got a really, really nice note from one of my former private students and eventually a bandmate at NDSU. He offered very kind and generous words to me as a person, a musician, and a friend, and I appreciated all of them. I only hope that I have never let him down in some ways, and I can think of a few. Thanks, Zach, I appreciate it, and it's most definately a pick-me-up during my uncertain days of wondering if being a musician is the right path for me. You gave me a couple of steps forward down the road. As for you, keep playing. Music is something you shouldn't lose your love for. I don't envision you doing that, either.

Getting ready to go down to the Legion for a beer with Kacie and Jennifer, along with Eddie and perhaps a few others. Fun stuff. I feel the need for a beer. Maybe two.

Tomorrow is Friday, and I'm grateful for it. This week has been traveling at the opposite of the speed of light, and I just want the weekend to be here. No night gigs this weekend, and I'm glad. I can sleep in on Saturday. I guess that's one things I probably wouldn't get to do on tour this weekend. Anyhow, I plan on going to see some shows and hear from music this weekend, or at least I hope so. It's a weekend for myself, and I'm going to love it, damn it...

More soon...

March 8, 2006

The overthinking mind struck again, but this time, on the eve of the GSB going on tour once again. I talked with a few of the vets today, and several of them told me that they were bummed that I wasn't going to be there. I told them that I was bummed as well. It got me thinking about the good times that I had on tour and how much I actually did indeed miss concert band. I made so many friends and established so many fond memories on that tour and in that band, it sort of just hit me this afternoon how much I did in fact miss it.

I got to thinking a little bit about how much has changed in the band since I started on my rookie year of Spring 2000. Much has indeed changed. While I wouldn't undermine the great bonds and friendships that are made each year on tour and in concert band, I would suggest to everyone that the band gotten much more cliqueish than it was in 2000. Back in the day, everyone was friends, and there was no breaking off because of differences in any aspect. Tour was our chance to get to know the new folks and the rookies while adding to the book of memories with our best friends and fellow vets. From 2002 and on, it just seemed to me that things were changing direction. It especially changed after I left the house on Sixth, as we lost yet one more major tool to socially integrating all the members of the Gold Star Band.

Another thing that has been taking a different direction is the concept of tradition. Over the past two years, I've heard so much banter about the way vets do "things" on tour, and yes, I the quotation marks are there to signify what you think it does. I can't believe the uproar that has occured from it. What in the world is going on? I actually saw someone state this on a blog:

"I will not be participating in a certain event, one including freshmen. It was too much like THE most traumatic experience of my life. I won't do it, and if you didn't like it either, I encourage you to join me..."

I don't know when this became such a terrible thing. I remember one case before 2005 where someone didn't participate, and I guess that wasn't a big deal. But, suddenly, this has become quite the issue for some people, and it just doesn't make sense. I'm not saying that anyone has to participate in it, and if you don't like it, that's fine. But, with the growing numbers, I ask this- why is this such a big deal? It's symbolic of a rich tradition of being a member of something special. What made it so traumatic? It's not like we're spanking people or forcing people to run naked through a crowded mall. Those things would be considered traumatic. This is not meant as an attack on who made the above statement, please understand that, I just wonder what the reasoning is, especially when you're trying to convince others to abandon a long-time and what I consider harmless tradition in my opinion.

I've also expressed some concern over how the officers duties have become too much of a concern. They're there to help with tour and keep some order, not start a new country and impliment explicit order and command. Don't take the fun out of the band. Don't screw the tradition. Keep in mind that the director of the band should always have the last say in things, not the officers. And, don't forget that the band is about playing music! Again, it's not an attack on anyone, it's just that I think we're getting too much into the politics and policies of the band and forgetting that it's about the music. The band is there to entertain and open eyes and minds. That's what bands do- make music that is pleasing to the ear and emotionally moving.

As of this year, there is only one person that was in the band with me when I did my rookie tour, and that is, of course, Aaron Beseler. He's heading out on another tour, and I am envious of him right now. I miss all of my good friends from my first tour, and wonder how they would feel about how the band is run now and how traditions are being changed. Imagine what Sara Dau would do. What about Erik Stordalen. Or Greg Dewhirst. What about Thea Tryon? Perhaps some thoughts from Mel Frasse. Jesse Braunagel would probably have a fit. Bryon Wirtz would probably begin to preach about it. Don't even ask Brad Jensen what he thought, it could turn to blows.

I don't want this all to sound negative because I've had so many great times. Two trips to Chicago, both over St. Patrick's Day were memorable. The first time around was with Brad Jensen along with youngsters at the time Jenny Thompson, Nina Shook, Dan Johnson, and Michelle Beyer to name just a few. I remember a couple tours to the Cities. There was the Winnipeg trip and the good night at the Roxy. There were tour songs that offended and scared people and banquets that were memorable both for fun and shock. There were long rides in buses, trucks, and vans. I drove the 6969 van and made Keira my good friend. I got a 5-ton stuck in a busy intersetcion on Michigan in Chicago. I played for a President.

We played some great music, though I'm still angry that we never played Lo Presti's Elegy for a Young American. (At least I'm not bitter...) Hanson's Chorale and Allejuia made me happy, as did my overblowing on Elsa, which was preserved on a CD thankfully.

And, of course, I made my best friends at NDSU in that band. We shared some great times as well as some awful times on those tours. From dealing with awkward situations to taking care of bad moments to trying to figure out why Tim Mattson alledgedly stole my luggage, there were interesting times. You make your best friends when you're dropped into a chance to be part of a membership that has been being built for over 100 years.

The future looks bright. I see a large amount of young talent what will carry this band on as the final old-timers leave for good. Watch our for some of those players. So many of them have the tools to really make it big and contribute much to the Gold Star Band. It's amazing to me to be grown up more since I got here and being able to see the untapped possibilities. It's exciting, and I'm sure Dr. Olfert will have a great deal of prosperity to work with as the years go by.

Best of luck, band, on tour. I'll be thinking of you.

March 5, 2006

I lived through another weekend of Guard. This one wasn't so bad, I guess. We weren't holed up in the Armory all weekend. We were actually out and around and performing. I can deal with that. Sad drill, though. Kelby Jacobson gave a pretty touching speech that damn near made me cry, too. Kelby is a really sweet and fun girl, I wish I wouldn't known her better while she was with us. It was also Jennifer's last drill (for a while). We'll be counting down the drills until you make your return.

Gigs went off without any serious problems last night. The Dixie band did well, though the crown was less than attentive. I played some good solos, though I need to stop using be-bop crap over Dixie. It's just not in character. The concert band played its usual cluster of marches. The jazz band survived and stomped its way through a couple of hours of dance music. I always like to say that we drove the crowd away even though it's probably not actually our fault. It's just fun to say. The night ended with a few beers at my house by myself, I couldn't get a hold of anyone Saturday night when I was done. That's ok. It's cheaper to be at home.

Actual quote from someone's blog: Give me an instrument and two days, and I'll give you virtuosity. These are the people we need to knock out and send into outerspace. That kind of cockiness and arrogance damn near offends me. It's not even an issue of not being humble or having tact, it's more of an issue of the impossible. Get over yourself, please.

Still listening to that James Blunt tune all of the time. I can't stop. The words just keep seeping into me. What in the world is causing this? The song isn't making me feel better or worse about life, all it's doing is making me think about a lot of stuff that has never resolved in my life- the fact that I can't forgive myself for my lack of judgement at points that could've made all of the difference. But, I'm not mad, I'm not sad, I'm not really evening accepting any of it, I'm just...thinking. A holding pattern, if you will. Where do we go from here? I'm getting just a little fearful...

Apologies to Dan Hinman for causing him to seek therapy. When I'm rich, I'll reimburse you some of the doctors fees.

Time to take a nap, I'm tired as can be. More soon.

March 4, 2006

It's a busy weekend. Another one. I'm in the middle of a weekend drill with the Guard Band. I played last night at the Civic Auditorium for the opening night social for the Combined Enlisted and Officers Association convention. Roughcut was missing their bass player, so I played. Kevin Kosiak was in there with me, too. Justen Reed played drums in place of Don Nagle, who played keys because the Hughster is sick in bed back in Devils Lake. We played for a couple of hours, it went alright. We got done in time for me to get home to be greeted by a few drunk folks at my house. Raylene was here, along with Emily Bair. Al and Annika stopped in. Drinks were had. Drama was light, but present. Sorry, Dan Hinman, for the late night calls. Disregard the messages. I'm ritarded as hell. I was probably a little drunk, too. Surprise?

Speaking of Dan Hinman, he played one of my favorite trombone pieces on Friday at the recital, and it sounded very good. Dan is the man. Pat used to be my boy. Move over, Real Deal, there's a new sheriff in town.

Tonight, I have to play with the Dixieland Band, the Concert Band, then the Jazz Band. Several hours of fun with the 188th Army Band. I guess I can look forward to six more years of this fun, as I just reenlisted today. I passed my PT test on Thursday (thanks for giving it, Jennifer, and thanks to Eddie for supporting) and qualified for my bonus, which is sweet and much needed beyond all belief. I feel like things are on the rebound in that catagory, and I couldn't be much more happy than that.

Sadly, this drill is the last for Kelby Jacobson, Jennifer Schwind, and Kari Sweeny, all clarinet players. Best of luck to all three, I know we'll see you other times, don't forget about us...as if you could.

I got a fortune cookie today, and it read as follows: Advice is like kissing, it costs nothing and is pleasant to do. Well worded.

Jazz band at NDSU is getting frustrating. We have all of our songs picked for tour, which is good, but in the rehearsals since we finished up festival, we have failed to truly establish groove- any groove of any sort. It's really, really frustrating. Something needs to be done, and if things don't change soon, I'm going to step in, and I don't think the people mentioned in this catagory want that to happen. I take music pretty seriously- it's my life. Don't screw with the most important things in my life.

Tim should be home today. Hopefully, anyhow. It's hard to go more than four days without his ranting, bad jokes, and sick dialogue. Drive safely, the weather us supposed to suck sometime soon.

I was planning to come to Winnipeg next Friday to meet the GSB there, but now I most definately can't, as I have two brass quintet gigs here in Fargo on Saturday morning and afternoon. I think it might be better to not to north, anyhow. I need to get this sentimental feeling of wanting to still be a part of the band out of my head. It's not that I don't feel that way, it's just that I need to accept that it's time to move on. I'm one of those people who gets attached to something that's comfortable much too easily. Something to look into. Something else to think about, as if I needed that.

Ruth and Tim are now more definately going to Cincinatti in the near future. What will life be without Tim and Ruth around? I hate to think about it. We should start to prepare soon. At any rate, they are bound to be very succesful, and I look forward to seeing it happen over the years. Remember, Tim- I want to be a guest on your first jazz album on Bluenote. Don't forget that.

I got to visit with Jenny yesterday for a little bit. I miss visiting with her. I also talked with Keira for a little bit last night (perhaps she got my blog posting note...) I miss a lot of people these days.

I've been listening to that James Blunt song a lot lately, You're Beautiful. The words of the song haunt me, sometimes to the point to where I don't want to hear it anymore, but for some reason, I have an inexplainable urge to hear it again. I just think the song was well writen and well produced, and the lyrics are having an effect on me. It's nothing monumental, it's nothing that's changing my life, it just seems like a theme that paralells a repetative pattern in my life over the past five years. They say that you learn your lessons from past experiences. Apparently I have a hard-ass head.

That's all for now, more soon...

March 1, 2006

Good Wednesday, all. Actually, it's Ash Wednesday, now that I think about it. I should know this since I played Fat Tuesday last night at Monty's. It was a good time, though playing that Dixieland music for two hours is really, really hard work. I was completely wiped out by the time we were done playing, but not too tired out to drink, that's for sure. While at Monty's, I only had four, but after the show, I made my way to Lauerman's for four from our buddy Jeremy. Russ tagged along to hang out. When we got to the bar, we were surprised to find that the bar was completely empty, and Russ and I were the only patrons. It's cool that way, though, you feel like the bar is your bar.

Thanks to those of you who came out on a Tuesday night to see us play, mainly Erika, Robin, Jenny, Ruth, Morgan, Jennifer, Woody, Mo, Russ, Dan, and any other friends I may have missed. It's good to have that support, even on a weekend past your bedtime.

PT test tomorrow. Wish me luck.

I took the whole day off today. No work. No lessons. No nothing. I love it. It's nice to just sit around the house and do what you want for once. I cleaned a little. I've worked on the sites and the blogs quite a bit. I took a long shower. I slept in. Good stuff. No bitching coming from this corner.

Congratulations to Ruth, you're going to Cincinatti!

BEGIN RANTING Just a note to some of you out there who utilize the question and answer section on the main website: while I have a lot of fun answering 99% of the questions, please don't send questions such as the following (edited for content, nonetheless): What's the difference between 'cornholing' and 'buttf*****g'? Use a little judgement, you know that I'm not going to answer that. Don't waste my time with shit like that. Thanks. END RANTING

I think that Dan Hinman is weirded out by me. But then again, can you really blame the lad?

I think everyone at NDSU should join me in demanding that the editor of The Spectrum be hung by his toes naked in front of the Union. I'm not kidding. In a matter of five years, that paper has gone from cool to downright awful. Nothing has been the same since Chamberlin left a handful of years ago. I just want to poke my eyes out when I read some of that stuff- the opinion section in particular. Just when I thought nothing could get worse than the old stuff by Melissa Redlin (The Spectrum2004-2005), we somehow got worse with the newest edition of opinion writers. Do these guys get paid? I hope not. I should get paid to read that paper. You know- mental anguish. I'll have a commentary soon on this, watch out...

Keira- if you're reading this, you should call me. It's been too long.

Well, not much else to talk about, I should wrap this up. Things are going alright, the week has been fine, though things get real busy now for the next few days. I have the Jazz Arts fundraiser tomorrow night, then Guard Friday night, all day Saturday, and half of the day Sunday. I'll be begging for sleep by the end of the weekend. I'll try to hang in there. It's nothing a few beers and a straight shot of whiskey won't aid. More soon...

February 26, 2006

A summary of Saturday, if I may...

I slept in for once, which was great. I guess by definition, I didn't really 'sleep in' so much, I got up at 9:00, but I guess that's about three hours later than I've been getting up for the last three months, so that was nice. I cleaned up the kitchen, then got ready for winter show at the Fargo Theatre. Al and Russ came over a little past noon, and we all headed down around 1:00. We were able to set up and sound check right away since we were the opening band of the day. Things were looking good. At 2:00, we played the show. It was a simple 25 minute set, and we played really, really well in my opinion. We did a contemporary jazz version of Beautiful Love, a Schofield tune called Jeep on 35, and one of our favorite tunes of all time, Rudy's Way by Soulive. The crowd seemed really receptive to it, and that pleased me. The only thing I couldn't wished for is that there would've been more people there, but that's the curse of being the first act on a show like that.

After we played, we got some free lunch over at Zandbroz. I had no idea that they had food there. Or coffee for that matter. Anyhow, the food was great, I highly recoomend the Fargo Turkey Melt, good stuff. The malts are also great. I came home for a little while after than, then made my way back down to the theatre. The rumor on the street was that there were kegs for the performers in the show. The rumor was correct. I met Russ, Al, and Eddie, and there, we began our journey into beer consuming bliss.

Al stuck around for a little bit before heading to a party. Tim joined us around 9:30. Eddie and I were about four or five beers into the fun when we decided to leave and head down to Fort Noks. My buddy Matt, his wife, and Matt's dad, Chuck, were hanging out there. We went down there and had a really good time catching up. Beers were on Chuck. We stayed there until nearly one.

Our last bar stop was at Lauerman's. Russ came and met us there, and we had more beers and played some pinball. Eddie and Russ almost got into a fight with some frat-boy morons who took our table while we were playing pinball. When we went back to our table, everything that we had left there was gone, which included smokes, lighters, gloves, and a beer. Eddie was pretty pissed, and one of the guys at the table stood up to the moment. Seeing that it wasn't really worth it, we all left and went to the always convenient Fryin' Pan. Nothing is better than a 2:30am breakfast after a good night downtown. When I got home, I marveled in the fact that I had paid for one beer all night, and I was pretty drunk. Thanks Ruth Meberg, Eddie Schwind, and Chuck Tompkins.

Oh, and Emma- why didn't you call me last night? I was hoping that you would. I'm sure you were having fun somewhere else, though, and that's cool too...

Today, I managed to get up for church, where I played piano with the boys (Chris Gould, Jesse Braunagel, and Brian Bailly). After that, I met up with Eddie and Rick Gion. I managed to lock my car keys inside my car, which was stupid. So, there my car sat on Broadway because I suck. We were planning on going to the OB Diner, but the place had a 45-minute wait, so we went north to the Shack and ate there. Good food. I'd say the second best breakfast in town (only second to OB Grill, though the pancakes kick ass at the Shack). After lunch (or breakfast, whatever), Eddie and I went to his place, then back downtown to get the car open. I'm now at home, but I'm going to head back over to Eddie's for dinner with Jennifer and her brother. I think Russ is coming, too. We're all trying to spend more time with Jenn if we can since she'll be taking off for fifteen months soon. We'll miss her, you know- because she kicks ass. I promised her that I would babysit Eddie while she was gone. I also promised her that I would make sure that her condo wouldn't fall apart while she was gone. Now, that's a friend, damnit...

And so, tomorrow, I will go back to work again, I bet you tell how excited I am about that. I need a vacation sometime in the next while or I might go out of my mind. I keep promising Jeremy down in Florida that I'll come soon. I plan on keeping that promise for sometime in late March or early April. I've gotta get out of here.

Well, I guess I should get ready to go back to Eddie's and eat more. It's been a good weekend. There's nothing better than spending time with what you consider your best friends. We made some music and then we hung out and had some fun. There's so very much to be said about the loyalty involved in it. Just thought I would mention it. Everyone knows about it, but it's not widely noted. I just figured it was good to say. More soon...

February 25, 2006

I'm so glad that this weekend is here, it's Saturday morning, and I actually got to sleep in for once. It's been a long time. And, in addition to all of that, it gives me some time to actually get some updating done on my blogs and my website. Amazing. This alone puts me in a pretty good mood, which is also sort of amazing in it's own right.

It's been a busy week. Thursday night, we played the jazz thing over at the Doublewood. Eddie, Tim, and Russ joined me there and we played some pretty good jazz overall. The place needs to start advertising more or something. We had a flow of people in and out, but nothing real exciting. Jeff Mooridian came out and played and sang a few, which is cool, then offered to record us in his studio for free, which is huge. The boys played well, and we got a recording of it. I'll try to get some of that up on the site as soon as I can, be patient.

Last night, I went and saw the Gold Star Band play at NDSU. It was a strange deal for me. This was the first time I had ever watched them from the crowd, and I have to say that it was met with mixed emotions. I was proud of them for playing well. I was happy to see their efforts rewarded. I was sad to know that I wasn't in the band anymore. I was a little bit angry at some of the circumstances that led me to not being in the band anymore.

At any rate, the band was good and the concert went well. I'm going to miss being on tour, I realized just how much fun I've had on those tours, and it's going to be a large missing part in my spring. But, that's alright, I'm getting lots of playing in the real world now, and that's what I ultimately wanted in the first place. Having the chance to play is a blessing in itself, and I can thank the GSB (and the other groups I was in during school) for keeping me on my toes.

Later today, a few of us will play the winter show at the theatre downtown. I'm excited to do it. It's a new fan base that I think we can probably impress with our work, we'll see. The boys will be here in less than an hour, I should probably get a shower and get off this damned computer.

Tonight, the plan is to go out and have a good time. It's nearly a weekend off, and I must enjoy it. I plan on doing me old routine of heading downtown and spending time at Lauermans, Montys, and perhaps the HoDo. I might start adding Fort Noks into the mix, as I like quieter bars that I can actually have conversation in. I miss having the time to do all of this stuff, and I'll make the most out of the chance tonight.

Well, I guess things are alright. I've been a little restless as of late with a lot on my mind, but I did share a little bit with a friend last night, and I guess just those few moments helped out a little bit. I don't know if I'm in need of the answers right now, but I do know that I'm in need of someone to just listen to it. I'm just like any other sane human being in that way, I guess. But, I have to admit that when the late night comes and I come home from wherever I've been, that's when the lonliness attacks, and I hate the hell out of that. I just want to fall asleep as quick as possible, not dream, and wake up in the morning to a new day. Time must go on, routines must not get stale. Day by day, folks, how else are you going to do it?

Well, time to jump in the shower and get ready for the 2:00 show. Have a good day, and more to come shortly...

February 20, 2006

Whats's new? Well, we finally concluded (and survived) A Chorus Line. For the most part, it went pretty well with the exception of me missing a huge trombone solo on Saturday night because I was too busy screwing around and dancing in my seat during the show. Dr. Weber's "look of death" was impressive, and I felt really stupid for that, but I guess these things happen even when they're not supposed to. At any rate, the shows went well, and I was satisfied with how we did. Check some of the pictures of us out, they're posted on the site as of today.

I also made it through another weekend of Guard. We did some rehearsals and whatnot, though I felt as though we didn't accomplish a damned thing there once again. My frustration for how some of those drills go is overwhelming at times. I sometimes wonder if anyone there takes their job seriously (as in making music- good music). Also, it was publically announced that my two favorite Guard Band girls are preparing to move on to other military goals. Jennifer Schwind will be deploying shorty for the Middle East with a Public Affairs unit. She'll be gone for about 15 months on this deployment. Also, Kelby Jacobson will be leaving us to pursue a new military job in aviation. They'll be with us in March, then we won't be seeing them for a while. Jennifer will return to us when she gets back, while Kelby will be assigned somewhere where she can fly. I'm incredibly proud of both of them, and they'll be terribly missed by myself and numerous others in the unit.

The Fargo Winter Carnivale (http://www.fargotheatre.org/winter.html) show that I'm playing on Saturday has changed directions a little bit, and we'll be putting the modern jazz group up there instead of Patents Pending. While I'm a little disappointed about this change, as I wanted to get Patents more playing time in the public, I'm still excited to be on stage with this group instead. We want to open eyes and showcase great music, and that's our job. That's what we'll do. Come out and check it out.

Otherwise, life is good for the most part. The group mentioned above will be playing at the Doublewood this Thursday. Come out and have a drink and listen to the tunes. I encourage everyone to go to Beth Chaussé's recital that night as well. We play until 10:00, so come out after the recital to wind down your night.

It's been busy, so my mind hasn't been wandering off anywhere dark as of the late, which is good. Those things just come and go, though, it seems, and I'm sure my brain will stay in remission for now. I don't have time to think about that stuff, anyhow.

You know what I did yesterday that I hadn't done in a while- I slept for over six hours. I was completely wiped out after the Chorus Line show yesterday, and when I got home, I laid down for a nap. I woke up at 9pm, then went to bed because I was still tired. With the exception of a phone call around 10:30, I slept until I got up for work this morning. It really was glorious. I'm sorry, Ruth, that I missed your get together last night, but I just couldn't stay awake to go over. Hopefully you can forgive me, please?

You know what Tim Smith and I have been watching a lot of lately as far as the Olympics go? Curling. No kidding. The women's team has been eliminated from medal competition, but the men are still alive and kicking. The sport is interesting and fun to watch. Tim has taken a special interest in it, and has really studied up on the rules and such. It's a fascinating game, believe it or not. Watch it for a while, and you might agree.

Not much else to report, more to come when something fun or notable happens...

February 15, 2006

It's Wednesday, officially half way through the week. I get so damned antsy about this time of the week. I'm not so sure why, since my weekends are normally hectic and busy, too, and once the weekend is over, it's time to start yet another long week of work, playing, practicing, and whatever else happens to be on the schedule. I guess they call this 'consistency in life', or a pattern. Being a grown-up totally sucks sometimes.

It's funny hat night in the pit tonight. I'm excited for that. No kidding. I'm most curious as to what Beth Chaussé will wear for a funny hat. She seemed pretty interested in participating in the theme. Should be fun. I think tomorrow night might be pajama night. Hopefully no one sleeps in the nude.

Picked up a promotional show through my good friend, Ruth Meberg. She's got Patents Pending on for Fargo Winter Carnivale, which should be really fun. It's at the Fargo Theatre on February 25th (Saturday). We play at 2:00 to open the event. For more information, go here:

http://www.fargotheatre.org/winter.html

Went out last night after the show, drank some beers at Lauermans, my favorite watering hole of all time. Tim and Ruth came out along with Russ and Tim "The Sheepdog" Smith. It was my normal way of sticking it to Valentine's Day. Actually, that's where I've been the past handful of Valentine's Days. Perhaps next year will be different. I think I say that every year, we'll see. You never, never know, right?

I stopped over at Schmidt's Music today, looked at pianos and keyboards. I'm thinking about getting one or the other sometime over the next year. I really enjoy playing piano for fun, I guess I always have. I used to be able to play when I lived with Tim Stine. Now, I have to go over to NDSU when I want to play, but I seldom have time to do that. Anyhow, they have a number of pianos there for under two grand, so we'll see sometime in the next six months or so.

-Begin Rant- To all of you out there who have a blog or a site, much like myself, please THINK REALLY HARD about some of the things you put on the net. A very tiny small fraction of you (I'd estimate that at 1/25th of you) are making a number of enemies VERY, VERY quickly. For the other 24/25th of you out there who have sites and blogs that rock, keep up the good work. Keep it real, keep it honest, and keep it yourself. -End Rant-

Al Berg called today. He apparently is indeed still alive, but hanging by a thread. He leaves for Utah tonight. He'll return in a week, hopefully in one piece. I promised him three scooners of cold beer when he's back. Others should join the crusade.

Well, nothing else to do or say, and I'm tired. Time for a nap. Talk to you all soon...

PS...Hey, Dan Hinman- sorry for omitting you from the list of Chours Line people, I'm embarassed.

February 14, 2006

It's Tuesday. I'm feeling better, though I still have a nasty cough that attacks from time to time throughout the day. My nose is still running, but I don't look like I've been dead for the last three months anymore, so that's a good start. Good thing, since I start playing the run of a musical tonight that goes on through Sunday. And, speaking of that...

A Chorus Line
A Musical Presented by the Little Country Theatre
February 15-18, 2006 (Wednesday-Saturday), 7:30pm
February 19, 2006 (Sunday), 2:00pm
Festival Concert Hall, NDSU

I still haven't found any resolution to some of the stuff I've been thinking about for the last week or so. I haven't had that dream since the last time I reported, either. But, life is life- we take it day by day, and what else can you do? I don't feel better and I don't feel worse. I'm in a holding pattern.

Otherwise, things are busy as usual. Tonight, we do the show, then a few of us are going to the bar for a while, probably Lauermans since I love the damned place so much. There, I will enjoy as many beers as I can put down in a two hour period to "celebrate" Valentine's Day. This is pretty much what I do every year. It's been three years since I celebrated Valentine's Day with a signifigant other. Pretty sad, actually. Each and every holiday since, I've spent it in the bar with other friends, some single and some who just don't think Valentine's Day is important. I admit that I always have a good time, though I would admit that I would trade all of those bottles and scooners of beer for a nice night a special someone. But, until then, keep those beers coming...

Word has it that Al Berg has been pulling all-nighters in the lab at NDSU working to get his stuff done for a pharmacy convention on Thursday. Good luck, bud, if you're reading this at all. We all with we were half as smart as you. Stay strong...and stuff.

Ever heard the song Melissa before? One of the most sad songs I've ever heard, yet one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard at the same time. I love to hear it. It's on the radio once in a while, and it's always a treat. I just like the structure of the tune, which makes it unique and kind of hard to copy. The words haunt me like there's no tomorrow, too. The Allman Brother's could do that to you- with words or insanely laid out forms in music. Melissa is a ballad, but keeps it's intensity through it's melodic configuration and it's emotional message. There's nothing better.

Well, time to get ready to teach some lessons. More coming soon...

February 12, 2006

Busy, busy weekend.

I'm getting sick as we speak. Throat feels weird. I have quite the cough. The nose is running. My neck is getting tense. Perfect.

Bud Shank was great this weekend, he's a legend, second one I've had the chance to play with in the last three weeks. I'm spoiled. If you missed it, you should regret it.

Things are slowing down, and now I have more time to reflect on that I wrote about the other day. Probably not a good thing. Somebody say a prayer or something. I can't believe I'm strung out on all of that right now, it sort of seems random, but I can't stop thinking about it right now. Maybe it's because Tuesday is Valentine's Day. I don't know. I just know that I'm bummed out and not sure what to do about it. Damn.

Chours Line at NDSU this week, come and see it. Good music, be prepared for adult content, though. It opens on Wednesday, runs through Sunday. Eddie, Tim, Beseler, and I are playing. So is Krista, Dano, and others. Come out, throw roses at the pit.

I'm going to bed. Hopefully I can tame my mind. More soon...

February 11, 2006

It's Saturday, and I just got home from JAG rehearsal and lunch with Eddie. I got a fair amount of sleep last night, though I have to admit that I did go out to the bar last night and I did it up pretty good. I had such a strange feeling of apprehension in my mind last night, and I thought that going out would maybe make me feel better. It was a good time, I spent it with Matt and Becky Tompkins and Mike and Marcie Pagan. We were over at Fort Noks, a delightful smokeless bar on Broadway, and we enjoyed many beers and some conversation. I had a really nice time, as I don't get to hang out with those cats too often, but my feelings of apprehension seemed to increase with time and observation of couples, married ones in particular, and it just didn't help much. I hate being alone, and I don't know what to do anymore about it. It all comes down to three things anymore: I either wait too long to do something about it, I wait it out for the wrong person, or I get blindsided by a person, place, or thing. What it all adds up to is that I don't want to be lonely, but I'm too damned scared to do anything about it anymore. Risk is not something I feel that I can take any longer, and as I get older, I become more alarmed by the thought. Everyone tells me that I need to do something for myself and not everyone else, but what I want to do involves risk, and, well...there you have it. I need to get a good kick in the ass sometime over all of this. I feel so pathetic because I know what the problem is, I know what to do about it, but yet, I can't bring myself to do anything to resolve the situation. What the hell, what to do? I hang in there and I take it day by day. I can't be this way forever.

I keep having a dream, I guess maybe a couple of times a week for the past month, and it's starting to freak me out just a little. In this dream, I picture myself with a girl that I can't identify or remember when I wake up. She is holding my hand and tells me that she's happy to have married me. In the dream, we move into a new apartment, then we go to church. The last thing I ever remember from these dreams is us sitting in church holding hands smiling. But, for the life of me, I have no idea who the hell that girl is. Is this some sort of goofy sign, does the dream mean anything? I get more freaked out by it as the dreams continue to come and go. In a way, I feel like there's hope suddenly. But, also I feel desperation and impatience, and those are things I need less of right now.

Well, sorry about the heavy entry today. I'm just feeling jaded. I'm not angry or upset with anyone, I just feel down on my luck in some ways, but so lucky in others. Thank goodness for music and my friends. What would happen if I didn't have them around? I shiver at the thought. More soon, hopefully happier thoughts and words.

Come to the JAG show tonight if you can, Bud sounds really, really good. Show is at 8:00 at the Fargo Theatre. It'll be worth your time and money.

February 8, 2006

Just sitting around here listening to the song that Dave Ferreria apparently wants to re-write (along with about 75% of the other big band charts in the world). I love his playing a lot, but sometimes in rehearsals, I just want to shoot a tranquilizer dart at his head. Any of you out there who have ever worked with the Jazz Arts Group probably understand. Don't get me wrong- he is a great musician. He just needs to let Kyle Mack direct the band once in a while...you know, since Kyle Mack is the musical director of the band. Oh, and he's the man, too, never forget that.

Another JAG show is approaching, second one in the last three weeks, and it's shaping up to be pretty good, actually. Bud Shank's charts are kind of bland right now, but with him playing, it'll be a completely different story. Come out and see the show at the Fargo Theatre this weekend, Saturday night to be exact.

What else is going on? Nothing. Half way through the week. Looking forward to the weekend except for the fact that it's going to be busy as hell. I'm kind of getting tired of busy weekends and busy weekdays and no time to just relax. I'm not kidding, I'm going crazy, here.

Begin dramatic thought: why is it that the little things (good or bad) that happen to others become the huge things that bother me even though I have no right to be bothered? I feel like such a creep for feeling hurt or upset by something that is only remotely related to me and/or the other person involved, and therefor, can not really talk to anyone about it. At the particular moment and within the particular context, the remote link is my fault for not doing something about something. That part should be familiar to most everyone, though. What in the hell is wrong with my brain? I think it's time for a transplant, anyone giving theirs up anytime soon? End dramatic thought. Also, end vague ranting about a subject no one will understand. Now serving #26...

Not much else to talk of at this time, just clawing my way to the end of the week. More soon...

February 6, 2006

The weekend has come and gone, and things went by, for the most part, well. We survived yet one more Jazz Festival at NDSU, and the show went off pretty well, all things considered. Our guests arrived a day late, and we weren't able to get a full dress rehearsal with the artists, which made for a rushed and hurried sound check on Saturday. However, things came together on stage as they always seem to, and we performed a pretty good show as well as I could tell. We had what I would consider a record crowd at the show, and it was just nice to see that. The guest artists, all from New Orleans (Mark Braud, Lawrence Sieberth, and Gerald French) played well. I especially enjoyed their combo version of Do You Know What it Means (to Miss New Orleans), which simply felt appropriate for what they had gone through with Hurricane Katrina. We did well, and we can now turn our attention on tour.

We also had a party over here at the house after the show, which was a blast. I had kind of forgotten how much fun it was to host a shindig like that, but it all came back to me pretty quickly once we got a bunch of people over. Although I wouldn't want to do this weekly like I once did as the Marching Band's self-appointed "social chair", I have to say that more social events should be in order. They will be special occasions, though. Lots of people came by, and lots of pictures at the party were taken. Good times. It was nice to celebrate the success of our work at the festival once again.

Watched the Super Bowl at Al Berg's place, which was fun. We sort of turned it into a Super Bowl party and a birthday party for Eddie. I was pleased to see that the Steelers won the game. Bill Cowher deserved the win, as did Jerome Bettis. I do feel bad for the Seahawks, though. Better luck next year, Matt Hasselbeck.

I have a fairly busy week ahead of me. We have some JAG rehearsal this week, then the show with Bud Shank this coming Saturday. Three weekends in a row of big band shows, I wish it could be this way all of the time.

Not much else to report, I'm just happy to have some time to update the site (thanks, Dr. Mack, for giving us the day off). More to come soon...

February 3, 2006

Jessy is getting tickets for a KISS concert (with Poison and Warrent) in Wisconsin at some Rock Fest in Wisconsin. Jessy is a loser. A fat loser. A fat loser who plays out of tune. A fat loser who plays out of tune and lives on government money. Oh, I just found out that Puddle of Mudd is going to be there, too. Goodie.

Come to Jazz Fest. It's free. 7:00. Saturday. Come see me solo. Don't come to see Jessy solo.

Also, there's a little party at my house after. Come and eat free food. Come and watch Jessy eat most of the free food.

I feel a little bad about bashing Jessy. I guess I should mention that Tim is STILL a fat annoying sheepdog.

Remember, Jessy, we only nake fun of you because we love you...just like your dad only beats you because he loves you. (Eddie told me to say that...)

Tim is at work cutting meat. At least that what he says he's doing. Finish the thought yourself.

Ok, I'm done making fun of all of my roommates. Oh, wait, I forgot John, but he gets a free pass because he makes more money than any of us.

January 29, 2006

Man, I've been such a damned slacker. I promised to keep updating, and I have not kept up my end of the deal. This month has been a monster, but I'm still kicking. Lots of good gigs and lots of work, though I can't seem to get enough money. More and more things to pay for, no way to stay over the cut, that's what's really dragging me down these days. Still, I keep trying to find a way to make ends meet. Making rent is the one thing I can always do, but the bills are flooding and often, I think I'm drowning. It sucks, but I keep moving along. I can't wait for things to get better. All I need to do is get my ass in shape and get my bonus in March, and life will be fine. Staying positive until then is the challenge.

Had some good gigs this weekend. Patents Pending made it's first stray back into the bar with a full band in well over a couple of years. We've had work in weddings and parties and whatnot, but not back at the bar, where we really belong. I was pleased with our shows this weekend, though they didn't come without stress. Tanya has mono, and that threw a screw into things on Thursday when she made the call that she couldn't play the weekend shows. No big deal, we all get sick sometimes, but the timing couldn't have been worse. I made a hard surge to find a trumpet player to come in and play the weekend, but found no bites. I asked Wittkop to play alto in place of trumpet, and he told me just didn't want to. I told him he would make $150, but he showed no intrest in playing, which was really disappointing to me. I was actually a little pissed, but it's his call, and what can you do, anyhow? Finally, Eddie made a call to our buddy, Josh Argall, and he said yes right away. I had forgotten all about Josh, and I was glad that Eddie remembered. The Friday show went pretty well overall. Russ's folks and some friends came out and had a real good time, and I got some nice feedback from the bar manager and other patrons. Saturday night's show was a blast. All sorts of younger folks came out, and it was good to see. A handful of friends came, though I was a little disappointed in turnout from that side. Thanks to Emily Bair, Jenny, Derek, Tintes, Real Deal, Nate, and all the others who came out. This meant a lot to me on this gig, to have the support from them. Seeing those guys out on the dance floor and watching us from the sides makes everything really worth it. The strangers in the bar who were there were a bonus. Good times. I hope this is a sign of things to come.

Also, I played the JAG show on Saturday night, which was one of the biggest eye-opening events and gigs of my life. Slide Hampton, a NEA Jazzmaster, was playing with us, and I had the rare opportunity to play a solo with him and play off fours. There was nothing better than getting the chance to do just that, then bask in the crowd's energetic applause for my efforts with Slide. I had a big grin on my face for about ten minutes following that opportunity. The chance to play with Slide and win some admiration from my peers, friends, and the community really highlighted a lot of things in my mind that I had casted some doubts on over the past years- mainly whether music was simply becoming a hobby to me or not. Doubts about whether the past twenty years of playing my horn had begun fo creep up on me, and as I came into the end of 2005, I felt that the fact that a majority of my real gigging for the past two years had been on bass might've been a sign that my horn was not to be. But, not now- I feel alive, and I'm excited about the possibility of bigger and better things to come in my music career.

I have a busy few weekends coming up now. Jazz Festival at NDSU is in less than a week, and we have our work cut out for us. Also, the following weekend is another JAG show, this time with saxophone great Bud Shank. I can't wait to get on the stage with another great jazz artist.

February is almost here, and I'm glad to see it. I just need a little time to relax, and things slow down quite a bit for me, though there are busy streaks in there. I play the Doublewood next month, along with a week fun of A Chorus Line over at NDSU, which is actually paying this year. There's the JAG show, too. I can deal with all of this. Most of my gigs are on my horn, and that's reason enough to be really fired up. Patents planning and whatnot come into play next month as well, and I look forward to things really heating up. It's a great new feeling of optimism that I haven't felt in years. Here's to the only direction that we should be going- straight to the top.

More soon...

January 5, 2005

I can't believe I'm starting my fifth chapter into my journal here on the site. It just doesn't seem like it's been that long, at least not in terms of the time I've had this site. In terms of how long my life actually feels and how I old I feel...well, maybe things are comparable.

Things are alright around here. I've been busy with lessons, work, and recording, and life shows no signs of slowing down this month. I have about a dozen gigs with various group and whatnot, and things will remain hectic for the rest of this month, which is fine. The gigs will be nice, I need to be playing and I need the bread, so life is the usual, I guess. I haven't had a chance to update in great detail for about two weeks or a little over that, so it's nice to be back.

The trip to Denver was good. The drive there was greaet, the drive back not so great, but I made it in one piece. I had the chance to catch up with my family and some of my folk's friends from Hawaii back in the day. There was good food and good conversation, and that was all fine. Of course, all has to be balanced, and some bad news came in here and there throughout the vacation. The first was that my Uncle Jack had a heart attack or something like it, and he and the family were unable to make it down to Denver, which was a bummer. It turned out that he needed a pacemaker, which they put in, and he's doing better now. I also got word that my Uncle Jim, who is divorced from my aunt, has a brain tumor that will not be operatable, and he will probably pass away within the next six months to a year. The tumor has worked it's way into the stems and such of his brain, and there's no way to take care of that. It was crazy news to me, although most of my family apparently already knew about it, which kind of angered me. I don't like not being in the loop, especially when it comes to family and whatnot.

Of course, the last of the sad news came with the news that Walter Beseler had passed away. We had all knew that his health had deteriorated over the past year, but the news still came as a shock. I wanted to make it back to Bismarck from Denver for the wake, but the awful weather prevented me from being able to do so, which I regret. He was laid to rest last week on Friday. Walter was a very nice man. I didn't know him well, but had talked to him many times at various music events that he was in attendance at with Erika and Aaron. It sounds like he will missed by many, and I wish to send out my condoloences and thoughts to Erika, Aaron, and the family. I've lost a lot of family over the years, and I know that it's difficult, though I obviously have not lost a parent at this point. Nonetheless, losing anyone who is close to you is difficult, and I'm here to help out in any way I can with the feelings that come with losing someone such as Walter. For those of you reading, you should read the sections and tributes that Aaron put up by clicking here or here.

Over the last few days, a few of us have some together here in Fargo to start a project of recording a series of nights. We're doing up some jazz, and after two sessions, things are coming along well. We have four songs on the book at this time, and I'm excited to see what else we can do over the next month. Eddie, Tim, Al, and Russ all contributed to the recording, as well as a guest stop from Caleb Mott.

Well, not a lot more to talk of at this time, I have much more updating to do, keep your eyes open for more of that. I didn't make any new years resolutions, but I do promise to update more and keep things fresh here on the site. More soon...