2006 Notes by Christopher
2005 Notes by Christopher
2004 Notes by Christopher
2003 Notes by Christopher
2002 Notes by Christopher
2001 Notes by Christopher

Christopher also posts these thoughts on...

My two Guard Band sweethearts, Kelby Jacobson and Jennifer Schwind...

December 25, 2007

Once again, I am updating from the warm comfortable home of my Mother's place in Minot. Christmas has come once again, and it has been a nice one overall. It was a little strange to not have Dad with us while we were opening gifts and doing our normal routine for Christmas, but we know he was here in spirit. We do miss him an awful lot, though.

Things have been really busy as of late. The weekends in December have been filled with holiday events and such. The first weekend of the month was normal Guard Drill with the 188th. The main focus for us that weekend was to play a Christmas show in Wahpeton for the 188th Engineer Company. The party was a blast overall. They fed us and gave us a lot of booze, and it was a good night overall. Blues in Green played fairly well, though there were a few hicups here and there throughout the night. Nonetheless, the mission was carried out- to play the show and entertain the troops and their families. We couldn't complain too much about that.

The following weekend was another Christmas party, this time for HHD, 231st Brigade Support Battalion in Valley City. Again, we went out that way and had a lot of fun. This show went much better than the previous one, and we had a really good time that night giving ourselves our own little private Christmas Party for BIG. Lots of beer, schnapps, and Old Crow (or the Dirty Bird as David calls it) were consumed. It was a good night to remember (or not to remember for some of us).

The next weekend was graduation weekend. Big old congratulations go out to Eddie Schwind and Rena Vacha for reaching the milestone of graduation. Eddie has himself a job lined up here in Fargo (much to my relief since I didn't want to have to find another sax player to play with in Fargo) while Rena is looking at grad school somewhere. It was awesome to know that my two favorite saxophone players from NDSU had finally reached the peak. Of my three favorites, only Jessy needs to finish, and he should be done shortly.

Last week was filled with a lot of work for the Jazz Arts Group/FM Ballet Christmas Show. On this show, we collaborated to put together a bunch of the classic Severson Christmas charts along with a cool setup doing the Ellington/Strayhorn 'Harlem Nutcracker'. The shows went alright and we all survived about 30 hours of each other over the entire week (which was a maracle of sorts). The show went well, though I think we may have been a little short of ticket sales. Nonetheless, it was fun for the most part. I'd like to send a huge compliment out to the dancers in the FM Ballet and the Gasper Studio- they did an outstanding job with the show.

Of course, I have returned home for the holidays for the week. I got in on Sunday. That night, a handful of us went out and had a good time with Matt Tompkins and his wife, Becky. Becky is about 5 months pregnant, but she was a good sport and came out to drink coffee and such. Matt's big sister was also there along with DeAnn and my old buddy Chad. It was a good night and ended with the classic stop to the Truckstop. Thanks to Matt and Becky for coming out. It was good to see them.

Christmas has been good. My sister and Mom and I ushered at the 10pm service last night for our church. We opened gifts after, and we all made out very well. I got some clothing and some new linens (so that I don't have to wash them every Thursday anymore). I also got some DVD's and whatnot. I was pleased with the stash. Moreso, though, I'm glad to be home and to see my sister, who I usually see only once or twice a year.

I hope that your Christmas is going well wherever you are. Best wishes to all of you for the new year rolling up on us, and I hope that you keep checking back with the sites and the blogs and such. Again, thanks for keeping up with us!

November 26, 2007

I'm back from a long weekend in Minot. It's nice to be home, though I found myself wishing I could stay around a little more once I left. I worry about Mom sometimes. December is going to be an increasingly difficult month for all of in the Hanson family as we prepare to go through our first Christmas without Dad with us. Not only is December bad for that, but it's also bad for the fact that his birthday is on December 6th and my parents anniversary is on December 30th. But, we will forge ahead and deal with these situations as they come and go. Mom is pretty strong, and so is most of the Hanson family, and we'll get by just fine in the end.

Last Wednesday, Russ and Josh met up with me at the Armory for some jam time. After an incident involving me being unable to get the gate open for a while to let Josh and Russ in, we finally got rocking and rolling. We ate pizza and drank beer and run some tunes. In the end, we had a pretty good working version of 'Wonderful Tonight' in a new and much more intersting (to put it lightly) punk taste. I can't wait to perform it. Anyhow, when we got done, we had another episode with being locked inside the gates, and I had to call the Air Guard MP's to come and let us out. It was a little embarassing, but what can you do? We managed to get out eventually and head to the bar for a few beers before retiring for the night.

I left for Minot at 7:30 on Thursday. The drive was uneventful for the most part. I drove through some snow and wind, but overall, the drive was peaceful and safe. I got home at noon and spent the day eating, visiting with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin from Bismarck and with my Mom, and watching football. I did manage to go for a run later in the evening, which was probably good considering how much food I had eaten. It was a good day. I spent the rest of the evening catching up with Mom.

On Friday, I did a bunch of odd jobs around the house while Mom was at work and also worked out a little bit before Mom got home. We had dinner and did a couple of things around the house, and then I went out for beers with DeAnn and Eli.

Saturday was more work around the house. We also went out and bought a new Christmas tree (the other one had lights didn't work on it). We got that thing together, and then just relaxed around the house. That evening, I met up once again with DeAnn and Eli, and we also ran into Robin and Ryan who were visiting Minot. Jessy Klimpel was also out and around. We spent time at the Grand International Bar, Sports on Tap, and finally at The Udder Place, where Methusela was playing incredibly loudly.

Sunday, we went to church and came home and had lunch, and I left Minot. Once again, it was a fairly uneventful trip. When I got home, I watched the Broncos lose to the Bears, which was upsetting. I then watched my fantasy football team lose to Mike Vacha's team. I went for a short run, but my shin splints were killing me, so I cut the run a little short. Feeling defeated by everything, I went to bed. I woke up this morning, showed up here to work, and here I am now. As you can see, it's a little slow this morning in the office, so I'm updating a little on the site. Whatever works...

This week will be pretty busy with work and rehearsals, and then this weekend, it's drill with the 188th Army Band. Blues in Green is performing for a Christmas Party in Wahpeton, and that should be fun. We'll see how it all works out. Not much else is really going on that needs to be talked about, so I'll get out of here for the moment. More soon- hopefully there will be some exciting or interesting thoughts to follow. For now...I've got nothing...

November 21, 2007

I just had a couple of things for the site today... Congratulations to Kelby and Kevin, who just got engaged. My other former Guard Band sweetheart is now leaving my side! Just kidding. Really, congratulations on the news. I look forward to rocking out your wedding in March of 2008!

It was snowing again this morning. Please stop.

And, of course, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there wherever you are. Drive safely if you are traveling, and enjoy your time at home with your friends and family.

More soon. Next update will be from the Magic City...

November 20, 2007

Happy Twelve Years in the Army, Christopher Hanson.

Not much is going on here at work, so I thought I would do a little bit of updating. I'm looking forward to getting home in a few days. I'll be in Minot from Thursday through Sunday. Thanksgiving will be at my Mom's place with some assorted aunts and uncles from here and there. I'm taking off on Thursday early morning to get home by noon. It will be a few days away from the usual here in Fargo, and I look forward to it.

Wednesday before I leave, however, Russ and Josh will meet me out at the Armory. We're going to drink beer and jam and hopefully learn some new music. It should be nice. There won't be anyone else here in the Armory that night, and we can rock out as hard as we want to. Hopefully when it's all said and done, we'll have a few more tunes on the books for Helena Handbasket.

I cracked the hell out of my oil pan on my car on Saturday night (apparently), and I took my car to the shop today to get it fixed. With parts, labor, and an oil change, I'm looking at spending about $300. That sucks. Cars are stupid.

My fantasy team squeeked by with a victory over Dan Childs' team. I got lucky on that one, but it was a much needed win. There's a big battle at the top of the standings right now for the lead. The leader is only ahead by one game at this time with a three-way tie for second. Only one team is really mathmatically eliminated at this time, so it's still anyone's league. I'm excited for my first positive percentage season ever!

The Broncos won last night, thankfully, and are now tied for the lead in their division, which is kind of funny since they're a 5-5. There's still hope for my team, and I consider that a good thing.

The Bison finished the season 10-1 after a final game loss to South Dakota State University. It was a heartbreaking loss. The loss crushed several goals- an undefeated season, a conference championship, and being able to take home the Dakota Marker once again. It was a good game, but NDSU made several key mistakes, mostly on special teams. They had chances to come back and win, but in the end, it wasn't enough. Nonetheless, it was a good season, and I was proud of how well they did. The Bison end the season 10-1 ranked #8 in the polls.

Not much else is going on to speak of at the moment. I just want the day to be over and my car to be fixed. I want to go home, work out, watch Scrubs, and have a beer. I think I can achieve that much. More soon...

November 14, 2007

As time has gone by, I have begun to wonder just how many people really read this site anymore. I generally keep this thing up as a hobby and as a way for me to go back and recall things from the past. I've been doing the site since early 2001, and this fall marks the 6th year of this site being in existance. I have had a great deal of fun working on the site with my co-webmasters and contributors (Beseler, Benny, Dano, and Robin most notably). While I sit here and wonder if the site really makes any difference to anyone, I don't have any plans on halting my spaced updates. And, now that Beseler has hopped back on the bus for a little bit and updated, I think that's further motivation to keep rolling. So, what I'm really trying to say is thank you to the folks who have kept up with the site over the years. Hopefully you can go back and check out old pictures and old sections and get a laugh, or at least be reminded of the old days. Throughout the years, I have talked about things that happened in my life, things that humored me, and things that bothered me or made me think. Many have been entertained. Some people have been angered. Some of understood and related. Thanks to all of you who have done any of those things whether you love me or loathe me. You are all the people who keep Beseler and me working on the site...

Anyhow...a few things have happened here and there since the last update on the site. This past weekend was a pretty busy weekend overall, and that should cover a lot of it. First of all, Matt Chaussee got married. He married a lovely lady by the name of Nichole. It was a nice Methodist wedding in Fargo, followed by a quiet reception at the church, and then a sweet party at The Workzone in West Fargo. In a strange connection of worlds, as well, Josh Maynard's lovely lady friend was a bridesmaid in the wedding. Connecting the other side of the circle is the fact that Matt was a member of the original Patents Pending, which was the precursor to our current band, Helena Handbasket of which Josh plays guitar in. It's a small world, isn't it, folks? Anyhow, the party was awesome and I had a blast. The Blue Moon flowed throughout the night for me, and I had a good time hanging with old friends and new friends alike. See the pictures if you need any proof!

Jazz Arts played a show on Saturday night with Denis DiBlasio. I was pretty disappointed with how the show turned out. The band didn't play especially great. Denis is a really fine famous musician that deserved a better backing-up, but nonetheless, he put on a great show. I was disappointed in my lack of endurance to survive a long day of playing which saw me through 3 hours of rehearsal between two rehearsals and two hours of performance through two gigs. I also had a funeral that afternoon between rehearsals and performances. Anyhow, Denis was great, though things could've been better. After the show, there was a reception at The Green Market, which was somewhat poorly attended. The beer was good and the appetizers were fancy, but it was pretty quiet in there and the place cleared out rather quickly.

Veterans Day was peaceful and kind of nice. I watched a lot of football and relaxed from my long Saturday. I went for a run with DeAnn that evening. A few of us enjoyed some Veterans Day beers at The Sidestreet. We watched the Colts piss it away on the big screen much to Josh's dismay.

Did you thank a veteran on Sunday or Monday for their service? If you didn't, make sure you do that sometime in the near future. You don't have to agree with the war, but you should never forget to support the troops.

Otherwise, it's basically been work and Guard the last month or so. The job is going well. I'm working out more and eating a little better, and I have made some better health choices over the last month that have me feeling a little bit better. I did manage to fight off the flu or whatever has been going around as of late. I'm still kind of in the recovering stage of what could have easilly developed into something worse. Plenty of my friends have been pretty sick. I don't want to be like them!

Anyhow, not much else to say. I kind of sound boring, but I guess that's how things are these days. I work. I play. I have a few beers. I hang out with a few friends. I'm cool with it and I don't think I would have it any other way for the time being. Have a safe and enjoyable next couple of weeks, and don't forget to cheer for the Bison this weekend as they take on South Dakota State University in defense of the Dakota Marker, the Great West championship, and an undefeated record as the #1 FCS team in the nation. GO BISON! Oh, and one more thing that Dave Stordalen passed on to me. If you do holiday cards or Christmas cards, you should consider sending cards to random servicemen who have served overseas and in OIF or OEF. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

Be safe. More soon...

October 15, 2007

How are things going on in your world. I've been sad on the front of keeping this site kept up to date once again. When things get busy, it's hard to find time to spend working on the site, and while that's a poor excuse, that's about all I've got.

Things have been generally moving right along. Since my list posting, I have played a number of gigs here and there and done quite a bit at work. My new band has taken some big steps over the past month, and they will continue to move forward as we head into a couple of very important weeks for that group. I've managed to make it to one football game (Homecoming), and I will get to one more this season and possibly the SDSU game if I can make it happen. I've had the chance to catch to catch up with a lot of old friends at two seperate events (Homecoming and Dano and Kirsten's wedding), so that's been really nice, too. A pair of JAG gigs have come and gone, and they have been pretty good ones. One of them was interupted by a bomb threat, but that didn't stop us from making some good music at the same time.

I know it's a little bit lame, but I can't really come up with a lot to say in this section. I guess I just wanted to get on here and let everyone know that I'm alive and kicking still. Things have been generally good in my life, and I can't complain a lot about it. Each day is a new challenge, so it would seem, and I just take it as it comes at me. I've fallen into that groove over the last handful of months, and I'm very content with it for the time being.

It's been a month since Lauerman's closed, and we have all but deemed the Sidestreet as our new hangout. We've gone there after most gigs and rehearsals, and it seems to be a good fit overall. One can not fight with over twenty beers on tap. I have shifted my beer love to Sunset Wheat after many years of Honey Weiss at Lauerman's. We still miss that bar, but we do see a lot of the old crew from there at the Sidestreet, and things are feeling normal again. However, everytime I drive by the old Lauerman's building, I find myself feeling just a little bit sad.

Well, not much else to report at this time. I'm just hanging out and watching the Monday Night Football game. Life is good. I hope that yours is as well...

September 11, 2007

Once again, I'm at work and it's really boring, so here I am updating the site again. That's your taxpayer money at work right there. This afternoon should be a little more busy, with a funeral on the books for Steve and I to go and do. Other than that, I will go home, eat some dinner, and go to the first Jazz Arts Group rehearsal of the new season. Perhaps Eddie and I will get a beer later, but the question is where will we do that?

I'm sure if you've looked at any of the site today, you have obviously figured out that Lauerman's closed it doors forever to the public on Saturday night. I was able to go in with some friends on Sunday night for a private farewell party where we enjoyed beer in our scooners for the final time while doing all of the things we had always done at Lauerman's- play pool, throw darts, drink beer, and visit with good friends. Everyone from the old band minus Eddie showed up that night and we looked back at some good times.

I can't lie, and the website doesn't lie either- I spent a lot of time over there. It was just a nice place to hang out. It wasn't always loud and you could usually have friends there and be able to visit. The staff was always cool and they knew your name and your drink after you had been in a few times or so. I spent a lot of my best and worst moments in that bar, whether it was going there to celebrate something or going there to forget about a bad day temporarily. All of my times there were usually very pleasent, and I'm going to miss that bar quite a bit. It still hasn't hit me that it's closed yet, but in time, it will, and it will be sad.

In other news, this past weekend, I did a DJ gig for Dan and Mallory Hestdalen. That was Saturday night. As much as I dislike DJ's and whatnot being that I am a musician, it wasn't so bad. People danced and had a good time, and I spun the music and drank a lot of beer throughout the night. The crowd was polite, and the kids were probably the most fun to work with. It was a good time overall.

In Fantasy Football news, my team got absolutely killed. I didn't even check my scores yesteday or this morning despite having a player playing last night. I don't think I even scored 70 points. I am the laughing stock of our league, and it really pisses me off. So, that's what I think of that. I'll wait a few days to make any changes because every time I think about my "Asian Sensations", I get immediately angry.

This week is pretty much all about Jazz Arts. We have four rehearsals this week and a show on Saturday. I'm not excited to be honest. I'm missing drill this weekend for this show because I've missed the last two JAG shows and I don't want to miss anymore. This show is with a vocalist, and I guess that's cool, but this is the show to miss if you consider who's all playing on the rest of the season. I'll be happy when this show is over with.

Well, I need to go because I have a funeral to do in about an hour. More to come shortly...

August 23, 2007

I'm just hanging out at work with not a lot to do. Today is my last day of work this week, and I'm damn near celebrating. I'm taking leave tomorrow and just busting out of town for a while. I'm not sure what I'm doing, exactly where I'm going, and when I'm going to come back, but I just look forward to not having a big schedule tomorrow except for my Fantasy Draft, which I believe is still on. If anyone has sighted Aaron Beseler in the last few months, please let him know that I'm curious.

Saturday night is the big Wallace Hartley reunion show here in Fargo. I'm pretty amped up about it. These guys were the original horn band here in the Fargo-Moorhead area. If the rumor is right, a great deal of the original members will be back and they will rock hard. For sure, I know that Russ and Josh are coming to the show as well as Jessy and DeAnn. If you're not doing anything on Saturday night, come to the Teamsters. I don't know how much the cover is, but the money made is going to Marvin Vetter who is suffering from serious health problems. It's a good donation.

Sunday, I'm going to Bismarck to see Matt Tompkins and his wife Becky. They're in Minot this weekend from Arizona for a cousins wedding. They're flying in and out of Bismarck, though, so I'm going to visit them on their departure from North Dakota. I'm sure I won't see them until Christmas, so I need to get out there. It should be a good time.

And, of course, it will be back to work again on Monday, which I'm sure will be delightful or something like that. I hope that everyone is getting used to things again back in college or back at school. Lots of my friends are teaching now, and I know that they appreciate their summer just as much as their students do. Hang in there- you'll get back on track.

More soon, I should be working...

August 21, 2007

I'm going to try to write as much as I can since I seem to end up gapping on the site. Over the years, I have enjoyed putting some thoughts up here as much as possible mostly so that I could look back and know what I did in the past. I often go back and look over some of my entry work from five and six years ago, and it usually reminds me of two or three great times or a few not so great times that eventuallly gave me perspective on life at a later (or a much later) time.

A few people asked me about the little "reality" blurb in my random thoughts. I guess that sometimes I need to remind myself of reality from time to time. I get carried away often in a day dream that lasts much longer than one day. I have to ground myself and remind myself of how life really is sometimes, and sometimes the landings are not so graceful, you know? I think everyone has had a few situations in their lives that were like that. This whole year has been a series of times that I have had to face reality in each situation. A lot of life-changing events have come and passed since February, and facing reality has not been an easy task in a lot of those cases. Some of them have been crash landings of sorts. Taking that moment to look in the mirror at myself has produced less than desireable time spans, but that's part of life. So many times over my life, I have taken those situations and tucked them far away to deal with later. I have told myself that things were fine when they really were not. I have promised myself a certain outcome when I knew in my heart that things were going to be drastically different. There's wishful thinking and then there's simply painting a pleasent picture knowing what's really coming, and then bracing for impact as the time passes.

Reality is not a bad thing. Reality is what is real. Looking at it for what it truly is is the best method, though we don't always know that. But, through it all, we learn a lot of things and hopefully put it into play eventually. And, through it all, good things happen, too. Through much of the turmoil in 2007, I have made good bonds and great friends. They keep my afloat.

Thanks.

August 20, 2007

Busy times, busy times, busy times, I guess. It's been two weeks since the last update, and I haven't had much time to just hang out since. Nonetheless, all is moving along as God intended, I suppose.

The weekdays that followed after my last update were busy with doing press work and getting things ready for the upcoming Jass Festival. I was filing off and sending about 50 press releases to the local media in the hopes of grabbing some air time to promote the festival. As the week went by, the job turned to ensuring that all planning and coordination was on track to best provide the festival with a timeline for success in the upcoming weekends activities. Once Friday came around, we hit the ground running at an amazing pace.

Friday morning began with an appearance on the WDAY Morning Show with Paul Tracy. Following that, I was able to view some of the other promotional material that had been printed to include The Jass Festival being put up as the #1 Best Bet for the weekend in the Fargo Forum. The High Plains Reader also ran a small spot for the festival in their paper. I was pleased with these three promotional spots. Following all of that, I did a bunch of logistical errands and then got the band and choir room set up at NDSU, which was the sight for all rehearsals and most meals. We brought the thirteenth Jass Festival to order around 6:00 that night and went directly into rehearsals where the first signs of success emerged almost immediately as the Big Band read through their tunes. A great sense of optimism was immediately felt through the music.

Saturday started with breakfast in the band room followed by more rehearsal. The Combo met for the first time that morning and began their challenging work as well, rearranging and composing charts on the run. The Big Band picked up where they left off on their progress as well. Lunch was a cookout at Oak Grove. Jennifer Schwind and I cooked up burgets and brats, and a nice lunch was enjoyed by all in the park. Rehearsals and final touches continued into the afternoon as the grueling sessions continued. We had dinner catered in by Oven Door that afternoon, and then called it a day around 6:00pm. Everyone was exhausted, but seemed satisfied with what they had done that day.

Sunday began with setup of all the sound gear in the park. Clouds were everywhere as we did that, but the forecast had called for no rain and great weather. We were not let down when the afternoon came as the clouds moved out, the wind was non-existant, and the players arrived for sound checks, rehearsal, and lunch. I ordered four 30" pizzas which turned out to be way too much pizza, but it was still good. Sound checks went off without a hitch.

The show began at 4:00pm, and the Combo came out throwing punches with a progressive mix of fusion, rock, and traditional jazz. The group played extremely technical work arranged by the group as a whole including an original piece by director Chris Gould. We knew things were getting crazy when Chris stood up from his stool and pushed it away to better prepare himself for a blazing Hammond solo. I was incredibly happy with how they played and was intrigued by their program. Overall, they had a fabulous performance.

Jessy Klimpel kicked off the Big Band, and I can't even begin to tell you how hard they were swinging right from the get-go. The wall of sound that they put up was amazing and the selections that Jessy picked were nothing but the best. The varying styles of jazz and big band music worked out very well, and the crowd was treated to quite the show. I was able to come up and talk to the crowd a little bit about the festival. The most special moments for me were to note Kevin Kosiak in the crowd, who was home on leave as he prepared to deply to OIF in the Middle East. Kevin was a two-year Jass member from the Big Band in 2005 and 2006. It was an honor to have him at the show during his time home, and we wish him nothing but the best during his one-year deployment overseas. Be safe, Kevin.

Also, I had the privilage of dedicating the show to my father during that time. It was extremely hard to do it, but music was something that he really supported, and music is what I do. It was strange to not have him in the crowd for the show, but I know he heard it from somewhere, and I most certainly hope that he was pleased with what he saw and heard.

Jass 2007 was a definate success. We had, at my best guess, about 175-225 in attendance out there. The day was perfect- sunny, 75 degrees, and nearly no wind whatsoever. The guys and girls played really well. The crowd enjoyed it. We raised about $250 for the Honor Flight. We got a lot of media support. And, we continued to raise the awareness of the great talent the Fargo-Moorhead area has to offer. These young musicians are the future of Fargo if we give them the chance to be just that. We can't waste our resources. I sincerely hope that the folks who hold the reigns in Fargo saw and heard that.

Last week didn't slow down a whole for me. At work, the Military Funeral Honors Team was putting on a week-long training course for many of our traditional and full-time soldiers, reserve sailors, and Air Guard personnel. I helped plan the course, but was in charge of the office during the course. During my time in the office, we had six funerals come in, and I was happy to be the guy putting everything together. I did four flag folds last week, and most of them went very well, though I was a little upset with our last one on Friday. But, we made it work and the family was grateful for what we did, so that works for me. I just hate to see anything wrong with the flag. I survived the week, and went directly into a busy weekend.

DeAnn came to town on Friday and we hung out for a while that night. We had dinner and then met up with some of our Guard Band friends at the hotel for a few beers. Later on, we joined up with Jessy, Russ, and Josh at Lauerman's. It was a good night overall. There was beer, friends, and very valuable and important conversation that night. Through my three weeks of tension and stress that had followed me into that night, I was able to shed some of it and be more at ease.

Saturday, the 188th Army Band had drill. We went to Camp Grafton and performed for the OCS Graduation with the Concert Band. Following that, we checked into the barracks. TTR and Blues in Green set up for their dance at the Military Service Club, and then enjoyed a little down time. DeAnn and I recruited our usual bunch and had some fun with Big Buck Hunter. DeAnn defeated me at BBH, Air Hockey, and Ping Pong. She has brought out my competitive side by exposing hers, and losing makes me want to scream. I scream a lot, I guess.

The BIG show was one of our best that night. Brent Rider made his debut with the band and put up a splendid effort. Everyone put their A-game on for that show, and it showed very much. We had good stage presence and it was a blast for all of us. Thanks to all of those cats who work hard and trudge through the long day to make those late-night shows a success.

Yesterday was a travel day back to Fargo. We did a few things once we got back and dismissed early. I took a long nap and then had dinner with DeAnn before she headed back to Milnor. I also joined her and her friends Paige and Ashley at Bennigans for a few drinks. A mouse came running through the bar which was amusing to put it lightly. I'm not sure which was more fun- watching customers react to the mouse or watching the staff react to the mouse.

And so today is Monday. I'm at work and it's slow, and that's why I'm updating this stuff. I hope you all have a good week. I plan on working most of this week, but taking Friday off to give myself a long weekend. I need it. I haven't really truly had a day off to do anything I wanted for nearly a month and a half. Anyhow, be well. Let me know if you're bored and want to get out of the house. Until next time...

August 6, 2007

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? It's not so much that I haven't had anything to say or whatever, but rather that I've had not much time to do so. Well, today is kind of my free day before I have to jump back into being busy, so I should take advantage of it. I haven't done anything in the "Chris Speaks" section since, well, I guess the end of May. The entire summer has come and damned near almost gone. Anyhow, I better get on with the happenings as of late, at least. I'm not going to go in order of time, I'm just going to outline the basics in catagories...

Weddings

The boys of Patents Pending made the trek to Worthington, Minnesota to celebrate the marriage of Tanya Matthies and Aaron Beseler. The drive was kind of long and even a bit boring, but we made it out there braving our way through some questionable weather. Once there, the band set up in a seed farm on flatbed trailers. Jessy and I were able to get to the wedding on time along with DeAnn, who accompanied the band as their number one groupie. The wedding took place despite the rain outdoors. Tents and umbrellas took care of those conditions, and all in all, the ceremony went very well despite the damp conditions. The dinner was nice, and the dance was fun. Patents, with a little help from guests Al Berg, Dan Hinman, and Nate Mattison, put on a great show. A lot of alcohol was consumed that night, though how else would you want to do an old-fashioned wedding dance out on the farm? The one additional thing that I did add to it all was a stress fracture in my leg when I decided that it would be a good idea to leap off of a subwoofer to cut off the band. The jump and the scissor kick were kick-ass. The landing- not so much. I'm still waiting to see the video.

Most recently, a fair portion of the band made it's way up to Minot to my hometown for the wedding of DeAnn Hickel and Eli Fylling. While the band wasn't playing this dance, we still wanted to be there for the moment. Justen Reed and I made our way up there a day early to be a part of the wedding party as ushers, as did Kate (bridesmaid) and a few of our other friends (musicians). The ceremony was very nice at a new church. My mom even did some of the flowers for the wedding. Following the wedding, the wedding party made it's way to a waiting party bus which took us around town and helped us have some prelude drinks en route to more pictures and then later, the actual reception. Once my mom left the reception, I went hard and furious on the drinking, which is my trademark at weddings, anyhow. The dance was fun, though I didn't really dance (which should not be surprising to any one). The party was good. I consumed until I was basically stupid. But, any of you who know me well understand my "history", and knowing my displeasure of weddings is well accepted. I note, however, that it's just weddings in general that I dislike. I don't hate the idea of them, and I most certainly don't hate the people who are being honored at them. Weddings just remind me of the past, and that's about all you need to know.

Nonetheless, congratulations to both couples on their weddings. I look forward to the many good things that will come of these unions.

Patents Pending

As noted above, Patents has done a show or three over the last few months. While the blow from losing two members may have brought us out of the scene in Fargo, we were able to continue to do a few things here and there. Al Berg, Dan Hinman, Nate Mattison, Brandon Aune, and Ben Cory all came out of the wood work to help us out on shows. We played the show at Tanya and Aaron's wedding in Worthington, and also did two shows in July. The first was part of the Third Thursday (Downtown Partnership) series, which was during the Fargo Street Fair, and the other was down in the basement lounge at The American Legion. Thanks to all of you who came out and supported us. We love playing, and we would never say that we were defeated as a band. Expect to see us doing a few gigs ever other month of so. I would never let a band of friends die based on the circumstances.

Work

Work has generally been going well. I'm still with the North Dakota National Guard Military Funeral Honors Team (East). Things have come along and the program is being accepted more around the area. Our Fargo and Grand Forks teams are cranking well, and we've been able to put teams out at funerals in the area. Working with Steve Hoikkala has been good along with our third full-time, Kayla Staub. I think we're all still learning a thing or two, but as each day goes by, we get a little better at what we do. The MFH concept is new in the state, and it's going to take time to get it up to full strength. I have no doubts that we will indeed take it to that level.

As for my regular Guard unit, the 188th Army Band has kept pretty busy overall. June took us to Annual Training at Camp Grafton where we were sentenced to a week of annoyance. Our battalion (our upper headquarters) pissed on us for a good portion of the time, setting strange training ideas and concepts while having us live in old tin hooches. Well, actually, some of the unit WANTED to stay in those things. But, I'm not complaining (anymore). The most annoying part of the training period was the crazy curfew that we had. No kidding- we had to be back to our area of operations each night no later than 11:00pm. In addition to that, if we left base, we actually had to sign in and out with the Charge of Quarters. On the bright side of things, we did well with our military training, and after five days, we were able to pick up our instruments and play. The band really wanted to play, and therefor, we presented an awesome concert at the International Music Camp later that week. Also, on the good side of things, Blues in Green got the chance to play three shows at the Military Service Club, and it was really fun. The only part that wasn't so great was DeAnn getting two of her fingers broken playing catch with a football. Tom Jankowski apparently has a Tom Brady-like throw, and he put DeAnn on the injury report. We considered our return to Fargo a good thing, and once it was all over, another AT was in the books.

Jass

http://www.danoandchris.com/jassfest.html

I had pretty much written Jass off for 2007 back in late May. I couldn't seem to find a date to put the festival on, and I was just tired of worrying about it, so I told myself that I would take a year off and come back to it next year. Jass takes a great deal of work to do, and I could see myself maybe enjoying a summer off from it. However, as we got into June, more and more people started asking if I was going to do it again, and finally, I put a feeler out there and found that there were quite a few people who were excited to do it again. So, after AT, I began the planning, and now we're looking Jass straight in the eye. The festival starts this Friday, and we play our final show on Sunday at Island Park. Click on the above link for more information.

Our Friends and Soldiers

We welcomed Jennifer Schwind home after a fifteen month long deployment that took her from here to Wisconsin to Florida to the Middle East and back through all of those places to Fargo once again. She was deployed with the MPAD out of Bismarck and did an awesome job over there. I'm sure no one was more excited to see her than my good friend Eddie Schwind- her husband. Since she has returned, she has already come back to work as the Readiness NCO for the 188th Army Band, and we're happy to have her back.

In early June, we sent off one of our own from the band, Kevin Kosiak, to Camp Shelby, Mississippi. He's been down there since getting trained up on all the weapons and combat skills that he needs to keep him and other soldiers safe with the 164th ECB (Security Forces). Kevin was pulled from our unit to be an administration NCO over there with the unit, but has since been reassigned as a SECFOR platoon member. Kevin will be home later on this week on leave, and we look forward to seeing him at the Jass concert on Sunday. When his leave is over, he will be heading over to Iraq. In this picture, you see him playing a brand new guitar that the members of Blues in Green purchased for him to take with him. We want him to keep playing, and we want him to share his musical talent and gifts with his fellow soldiers. I have a feeling that it will mean a lot to all of them by the end of the deployment.

Also, in June, a former Patents Pending member and friend left him home and family behind in Fargo to take command of an Engineering unit that is heading overseas to Iraq to take care of convoys and locate and possibly disarm IED's. Craig Hillig, a marvelous bass player, will be commanding a company of these soldiers. I haven't heard much from him at all since he left, but he's been spending time at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin preparing for his dangerous mission. Craig had only one wish for me- to save some gigs for him when he gets back. I'm more than certain we will play some sweet jazz when he returns home.

And Then...

Otherwise, things have been busy with little things here and little things there. While Patents Pending has come and passed, a new project is in the works, and you'll hear more about it in the future. Songs are being arranged and set lists are being figured. Hell, we're still trying to name the band. After Jass is done and whatnot, I think we'll be working harder on this project.

Other than all of that, I would pause to say that life has been stressful and life has been confusing, but find me someone out there who tells you that their's isn't, and you can call them a liar. I've found that dealing with a lot of different thoughts and situations as of late has maybe signaled another one of those turning points in life. I don't really know, I guess. Things are always soaking in, are they not? But, that's how life works. Life is what you do from day to day- sort of like a game, and the happy moments or long runs of it are the reward for making the right calls and decisions. I'm trying. We're all trying. Keep your chin up. Some days, weeks, or months are better than others. I know. Keeping one's mind in check is the challenge. You win some, you lose a lot. But, I guess we learn a thing or two from it...generally speaking...

But, to sum it all up, I have work, music, the Guard, and my friendss- that's what keeps me busy and content, but you all already knew that. Safety in numbers is the way to go. It's the alone time that brings the challenges. I hope all is well in your world...

---

May 27, 2007

People have been bugging me to update for a while, and for good reason, I have to admit. I didn't update anything for over a month, and I apologize for that. Times have been busy, but I guess that's not an excuse. Anyhow, as I already said, I've been pretty tied up as of late, and I'll update you on a thing or two that has happened since mid-April.

I spent two weeks at Camp Grafton at the Leadership Development Course. The course is put on by the North Dakota National Guard, and emcompasses a number of aspects of leadership. Understanding different personalities, facilitating meetings and classes, and learning the best ways to function and work as a team with different personalities were just a few of the objectives that the course attempts to cover. During the two weeks, I met and got to know a number of great people from the Air Guard, the Army Guard, and the Department of Transportation. Each day, we were put into new groups and were taught to facilitate together. We learned to prepare for classes and facilitations on a daily basis, and much was learned amoungst all of us. I had a great time while I was there, and I learned a lot that I will apply to not just my military career, but also to my personal life and my music career here in Fargo.

After the course, I went on to Minot where I participated in Jim and Terri Duchsherer's wedding. I played piano for the ceremony, and then met up with DeAnn, who functioned as my date at the reception. (She also functioned as my page turner while I was playing piano!) Several of my old high school friends were around for the wedding, and the reception was a wild time for all of us. Matt Tompkins made the trip from Arizona. Mike Pagan came up from Fargo with his wife, Marcie. It was a long night of partying, drinking, and dancing. We had a really great time, and while I won't forget that for a while, I think we will all forget about consuming Jack Daniels for a while.

Upon my return to Fargo, I started my new job in Military Funeral Honors. The job has been a little boring so far, but will pick up once everything is in place and things are rolling along a little more smoothly. I've learned a lot about honors since I started, and there's a lot more to learn in a short amount of time. My first funeral is this coming Tuesday. Once October rolls around, I will funtcion hopefully more in the Operations area of things. We'll see how it all works out, though. I have a positive outlook on what the future has to offer, both with the honors group and with the North Dakota Army National Guard, for whom I would like to make a career out of.

On Friday, the 18th of May, my family and some of our family friends made the trek out to Bismarck. That afternoon, we held a short memorial service for my father, and then buried him at the Veterans Cemetery outside of Mandan. It was an emotional time once again for my mom and our closest relatives, but it went well and I felt that we penned his last chapter very honorably. I miss my father very much each day. He was a good man, and I don't want to cover a lot of this here on this page, but I miss him a lot and love him dearly.

After the burial, we had a little social at Perkins in Bismarck where we caught up and talked for quite some time. Following that, I made my way back to Fargo for weekend drill with the 188th Army Band.

This past week was mostly work and some rehearsal. Patents Pending got back together again for a long rehearsal to prepare for Tanya and Aaron's wedding, which is less than a week out as I type this. I'm excited for it, though. It's going to be a blast. Everytime Patents Pending goes on the road to a wedding, wild things happen, and this will be no different, I suspect. Most of us plan on camping out on the Matthies farm after the show. Keep in mind, also, that it's my birthday at midnight, too. If you're coming to the wedding, be ready for a great after-party. I know that I'm pretty excited for it all! Patents Pending will conquor Worthington, Minnesota, and we will kick it's ass!

This weekend has been relaxing. I haven't done much, and it's been nice to be a little lazy. Friday night, I watched TV and didn't step out of the apartment. Saturday, I cleaned the entire apartment and had lunch with DeAnn, Eli, Justen, Susan, Nick, and Kate. Last night, I went to Lauerman's for a few beers. Today I played at church. I've basically been working on the site all day, too, which has been nice since I never have time to do it anymore. Tonight, DeAnn is coming to town, and I think we might cook out since it's acutally nice out for once. Tomorrow, we will go to Bismarck for the Memorial Day ceremony at the Veterans Cemetery. My mom is coming down from Minot. We'll go to that, and then have a late lunch. I'm looking forward to it.

Anyhow, I think we're up to date at this point. I will try to update more over the next month, but June will be a busy one again. Annual Training is upon me, and that takes 11 days out of my month right away. For those of you coming out for the Matthies/Beseler Wedding, prepare for a party. Patents Pending along with our musical guests will kick your ass this way and that way. Be prepared!

Tomorrow, take some time to remember our veterans. That's what Memorial Day is all about. More soon...

April 17, 2007

What's up in your neck of the woods, all? Things are alright here in Fargo in the life of Christopher for the most part. Not a lot of huge things have been happening, but that's ok. Low-key is good for the time being.

Easter weekend was nice for the most part. Actually, it was sort of an extended-weekend for me. DeAnn came to town on Wednesday night, and we went out and painted up the town a little bit that night. There has to be a party when we're together in Fargo, so that's what we did. We met up at the bar and had some drinks and played some BBH. So, what else is new, right? I have no answer for that question.

We road-tripped back to Minot on Thursday night. Jesse Braunagel joined us for that ride back. It was an interesting ride to say the least. Upon getting home, we all hung out with my Mom and her puppy, Tico. It was a low-key night overall, and that was alright. I went to bed early and loved it.

Friday, I hung out at the house most of the day. I had lunch with Mom and then went home and did some cleaning. That evening, DeAnn and I went out and ate fish (it was Good Friday). Later on that night, we get together with Jessy and reformed out usual Minot Tri-Fecta. Together, we did it up pretty good as we always seem to do. We made a trip to the usual- The Lucky Strike, and we drank some beers and threw some darts. Later on, we headed to the International Inn, where we realized that bars closed at 1am (which we always seem to realize while in Minot). We decided we needed to complete the mission, and we drank everything we could find in an hour. The result was a $122 bar tab. Following that, we wobbled to Primo and ate breakfast. It was a good night. Below is the proof that we could each put down five drinks and five shots in 45 minutes. And, it also proves that when I get drunk, I get charitable- that's my credit card we paid for those drinks on! Also, note the $30 tip.

Saturday was a quiet day at the house for the most part. I headed over to my buddy Jim's and discussed wedding stuff with him since I'm playing piano in his wedding in a few weeks. We watched the Avalance piss their playoff hopes away, also, which didn't make Jimmy too happy, I have to admit. Following all of that, DeAnn and Jessy picked me up and we went to the bar (again). We made the stop at the Udder Place and found out that the bar closed at midnight due to Easter. 24 Seven was playing on stage, and they put on a good show. I watched Jessy amazingly put down two pitchers of beer and a shot in less than 40 minutes. Now, that was something else!

Sunday was Easter in Bismarck with some of my relatives. It was good to catch up, and the food was great. We then watched 'Little Miss Sunshine', which my Aunt innocently rented thinking it was about something else. I really enjoyed the movie, though. My Aunt looked like she was going to cry from all of the f-bombs being dropped in the show. But, I'm sure she recovered just fine.

Since Easter, not much has been going on. I had rehearsals all last week for different gigs. Friday night, I went out for a few beers, which turned into a lot of beers. Haley Walsky, Chris Chapman, Emma Aavang, and Chris Neu stopped out at the bar, and I bought a round of beers. It sort of turned into my celebration for Haley, who just turned 21 not too long ago. It was a good time, and I was glad to get to see those cats. I don't get to see too many of the old GSB and GSMB people anymore. Oh, and Happy Birthday once again, Haley.

Saturday, the final JAG show of this subscription was performed. It was a good show, and I had a good time playing. Eddie and I were featured on one of Eddie's arrangements, and I thought it was great of JAG to program it. Eddie deserves much more musical credit than he is given in this town. Perhaps that was a start of things to come.

We had a little shin-dig out at the bars in honor of Craig Hillig, who is mobilizing to Iraq in May. He and his wife came to the show, and then we took them out for some drinks downtown. We started at The Radisson and ended at Lauerman's. Many drinks and beers were drank, and a good time was had. We'll miss Craig when he heads to the big sand box. But, he's a good soldier, and he will do great work and come back to Fargo so that we can start gigging together once again.

This week, I'm working my last week with the 188th Army Band. At the same time, I'm in the running for a new job doing operations work for the Honor Guard. It could turn into a very good long lasting job with the Guard, and I'm excited to jump into it. I have a second interview on Friday morning, and I think I have a very good chance at getting the job. Wish me luck.

Anyhow, a busy weekend is coming up. We have Guard on Saturday and Sunday. Blues in Green is playing for the JLENS Homecoming Dance. I'm pretty excited except for the fact that I'll have to spend several hours on the UND campus. But, I'll take a good shower when I get home, and all will be fine.

Alright, not much else to report. I'm sure I'll have pictures from the weekend to post next week. And, I'm sure they won't be crazy...

April 3, 2007

It's been nearly one month now since I have updated, and while I feel bad about it, I guess things have really not been all that normal for me as of late. Things are starting to get back into a routine again, but there was a lot of disruption that most of you probably know about.

Most of you already know about my father passing away on the 1st of March. The news hit the family very hard, as this was so very sudden. From what we know, he may have had a massive heart attack, and more than likely did not suffer at all. While there is some peace in that thought, it most certainly didn't make it any easier for all of us. After waiting out the weather, I made the trek to Minot to be with the family. It was amazing how things happen when all of your family bands together. My Mom had the support of all of her family along with all of us and our family from the Hanson side. It was acually quite amazing. Again, this didn't make everything easier on us, but it most certainly helped a bunch.

The funeral was very well put together. The pastor at Vincent United Methodist, whom I didn't know until that week, presided over the funeral, and with great elegance and respect, recapped my fathers life flawlessly. An honor gaurd made up of soldiers from the 164th ECB provided a flag folding ceremony that brought great honor to my father in the shadows of a military career that spanned twenty-five years and included tours of duty in Vietnam (during the Vietnam Conflict) and Saudi Arabia (during Operation Desert Shield and Storm). Dan Johnson provided a perfect rendition of Taps during honors. A full church of family and friends were present for the funeral. As far as I was concerned, it could not have been done better than that. There was nothing fancy about the funeral, and that's exactly what Dad would've wanted.

The gathering of my family, especially from my Dad's side was nothing short of amazing. It had been over twenty years since many of us had been all together. The cousins from the Hanson side were all around each other, and it was really nice to catch up with all of them. They're all over the place these days- some in North Dakota, some in California, some in Arizona, and some in Colorado.

Along with the massive gathering of our family, I was also incredibly grateful for a number of friends who came out from Fargo and Bismarck. They drove through some rough weather to get to Minot. Their presence there was comforting, and I was glad to see them.

I stayed another day in Minot, and then returned home to Fargo. I wanted to get back on track again, and for the most part, things have returned to normal. I talk to Mom quite a bit to make sure she's doing alright. It seems that after a month, she is getting along on her own just fine. I do look forward to getting home for a few days over this upcoming Easter break to be with her again and to make sure that the house is in order and such.

Since I got back, there have been a few gigs here and there that have been fun and uplifting. Work was good for the month, and my technician job ended on the 31st. I am now in a temporary duty status basically for the next month and a half. The state chose not to renew my job due to what we can only assume were budget problems since I was getting rave reviews from my company and battalion regarding my job performance. While it has been stressful to worry about this job situation, I am confident that we'll be able to work something out by mid-May, and I can stay on with the Guard longer.

The best gig of the month came just a few days ago with Eddie's combo. We played for the annual Days of Wine and Roses, which is the FMCT fundraiser. This was our fifth year of performing for the event, and this one just seemed really great. Eddie, Russ, Craig, Al, and I played, and things felt great on stage. There's something about playing jazz in a combo setting that really does it for me. I think everyone else in the group agreed. Also worth noting is that that gig was probably our last one with Craig before he heads to Iraq. Craig will be missed as a soldier, a musician, and a friend. But he's a good soldier, and we'll see him on the high ground...hopefully pinning on the rank of Major!

We've had some fun get-togethers through the month. Spring Break brought a handful of friends home. One weekend, Jenny and Nina were around, along with Kacie. St. Patrick's Day was a riot of sorts, with lots of funny stories that we'll remember for a while, even if they were second-hand accounts.

Things are going good, though. With my music and my friends, I forge ahead. I hope that things are good for all of you wherever you are. Thank you to all of you who have been there for me through the rough times. Thank you to all of you who have sent cards and called to make sure everything was fine. Thank you to all of you who have taken care of Mom back in Minot. She needs all the support she can get in these times. Most of all, thank you for your thoughts and support. You are all appreciated, and if there's ever anything I can do for all of you, don't hesitate to ask.

It's a new month. I have high hopes. We'll see...

March 4, 2007

I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you my good friends in Fargo and everywhere else for their incredible support over the last few days. Things here in Minot are moving along, and the details are all being taken care of the best that we do. Dealing with the loss of my father has gotten much more difficult, especially since I finally got home and with my family. But, time will go by and I know I have my friends to take care of me when I need it. Thanks again to all of you for your e-mails, phone calls, and personal visits. I'll see you all in Fargo when I get back on Wednesday.

Thank you all again...

February 26, 2007

It's nearly the end of February already. Time is kind of passing by quickly. I have a lot of things to do before the end of March, now that I think about it. It makes me realize that I may not have a job anymore at the end of the month. My technician job here with the Army National Guard is never guranteed to last past a new quarter due to money and such, so taking a good look at the calendar, I need to figure what the hell I'm going to do in 31 days. That's a stressful thought. However, life is stressful, so game on...

I spent the past weekend in Bismarck and Mandan with the 188th Army Band performing for the Annual Enlisted and Officers Convention. I performed with Blues in Green, our rock and roll horn band, and we had ourselves a very good show. It was strange because Jesse wasn't there (he was missing drill for a trip to California). However, Matt Aaland stepped up in his second performance with us, and did some very cool things. I'm pretty excited about how things could go with him on our team. Anyhow, the show went quite well, and we kept a lot of people on the dance floor, including the AG, our commanding genereal. He seemed to enjoy our work. I'm proud of our guys. It's the best part of being in the 188th as far as I'm concerned. Being able to play with my best friends in the Guard kicks so much ass.

The folks up above decided to remind us that it's not spring just yet by dropping rain and snow on us. Then, just to make it interesting, they put a bunch of wind into the mix and made the roads pure hell. It certainly made the trip back to Fargo interesting. I hate it when things like that happen, but then I stop and remember that I live in North Dakota, and then I realize that I have nothing to bitch about. It's not like I haven't lived here over three-quarters of my life, and I didn't know what to expect...

Not much else is really cracking around here. Jazz Arts starts again this week, and we have a performance at the JAG Springin' for Jazz fund raiser on Thursday. Other than that, my weekend is completely open, and I'm looking forward to it. I need a little rest and relaxation. March gets a little bit busy with numerous Guard performances, a few jazz things, and a JAG concert. I guess most of all, though, is that I need a little time to get better. I've been sick for the last week or so, and I even lost my voice on Saturday, which was a big deal since I was supposed to sing a lot of songs at the Saturday night gig. Thank goodness for Kacie, Kevin, and Justen, who stepped it up and took over all of my singing responsibilities. They are true life savers!

Well, more to come shortly...

February 23, 2007

It's 7:00am. I'm getting ready for work. Each day is getting a little bit better. I'll be heading out of town tonight for a weekend in Bismarck with the North Dakota Army National Guard. It's Enlisted Convention time, and I'm going and play a little bit. Maybe getting out of town is something that I need this weekend. This whole past week has been such shit, and while the sour feelings that linger are not going away soon, each passing day seems just a little bit better, and over time, the sting of defeat will fade just as it has before.

One bad thing about being out of town this weekend is that I will miss out on the final Beat-Down show at Lauerman's tomorrow night. That doesn't mean that you should miss it, though. Beat-Down goes on at 9:00pm. There's no cover, though it is a 21 and over show. Go out there and support my buddies. Their band is ending much too soon, so don't miss out on the chance to hear their true funkiness.

Anyhow, this is a short post. I need to jump in the shower and then get out of here. I need to find some good drugs to help me through this bad sickness that is flowing through me and causing me to be sore and to cough up some of the ugliest shit I've ever seen. I assume that part of the reason I'm sick is because I've been so stupidly stressed all week, but hopefully that stress will ease shortly, and then perhaps so will this this stupid flu-like outrage. To all of you who have been good shits this week when the world was busy tossing it's best at some of us- thanks. You guys rock. What more can be said?

Have a great weekend, and I'll be back with you all shortly...

February 21, 2007

Patents Pending is no longer as of today. After an hour of discussion amoungst the six remaining members, the overall feeling was that Patents Pending should go into the good night. The agreed upon notion was that a band can only rebuild, work hard, but fall victim to the elements and circumstance so many times before the willl to continue is destroyed. The incredible disappointment to go from playing great shows (our last one being a short three weeks ago) and moving in the right direction over a years time to the moment that we ended things after losing two members in less than a week is something that is beyond my comprehension at this time. This band has filled a void in my life over the past six years in good times and in bad, and accepting that it's no longer is difficult. I'm sure new projects will follow, but my faith in making things work (musical projects) has been dealt another tremendous blow. The reasons for this all happening have been attributed to numerous reasons ranging from the market being saturated (by one band) to time committments to other numerous reasons. But, no matter what the reason may have been, my beloved Patents Pending has finally suffered it's final detrimental blow, and I am honestly sick with sadness.

But, life goes on, and I'm not a quitter, so new projects are already being thought through. Music is all I have, and without it, I am no one. So, there really is no choice but to keep on moving. Where things are going from here, I don't know, but with the help of my fellow musicians and friends, we're going to make things happen. I offer no possibilities at this time, but keep looking out for us. We're going to beat the system, and you're all going to notice...

February 20, 2007

What in the hell happened today?

As the minutes ticked by, the day got worse.

I'm lost for words, really.

The end.

February 18, 2007

How are things? I'm sitting here at home on an early Sunday evening. I feel so weird today. I guess it wasn't just today. It was all weekend. Maybe even a few days before it. But, the point is that I don't feel normal, but I can't really identify what it is that I feel and why I feel that way. Strange to say, I'm not trying to be vague here. I don't know how to describe it, really. Damn, this sucks.

I really liked this. It was on Jeremy's blog. It's good stuff.

I just got done watching the Daytona 500, where the race ended in a huge accident, which included one ccar coming across the finish line on fire and on it's roof. Kevin Harvick won the race by inches, beating out Mark Martin, who has never won the big one throughout his long and brilliant NASCAR career. It was a good race.

DeAnn and Eli were in town with a bunch of their wedding party, and we all went out last night. It started with an awful experience due to the poor service at The Outback Steakhouse, but once we got by that, we were off to the bar, where we drank, tossed darts, and played Big Buck Hunter. Ben Cory also joined us later in the evening, which was super-cool since we don't get many opportunities to hang out these days. Ben and I even showed DeAnn and her friends our choreographed These Days routine. Anyhow, it was a fun night, and I look forward to the pictures which were taken throughout the night on DeAnn's camera.

Looking back to Valentine's Day, I went to the bar and drank a lot of beer. It's not often that I have the mission to get plowed, but I did on Wednesday, and when I'm met with a challenge, I'm very good at accomplishing that mission. That evening, I put down 9 Lauerman's scooners. Doing the math, a scooner is 18 oz. 18 oz. X 9 scooners = 162 oz. of beer. 162 oz. / 12 oz. = 13 1/2 beers. It was a good night. It was not a good morning on Thursday. I was late by over two hours, and when I did get there, I looked like a zombie. It was great. I recovered, but it was a long day.

Well, that's about it for now. More to come shortly, I need to get out of here and go get some dinner with Eddie.

February 14, 2007

You know what I did for about three hours at work today? I updated the website. That's no joke. I just didn't feel like working too hard here today. You can call that the fleecing of America if you want. But, really, I normally work really hard here in the US Army, but today just wasn't the day. Anyhow, I know that it's been one month since I've done anything exciting as far as updating goes. So, here's my contribution on Valentine's Day...which I despise, by the way.

I'll try to cover some of the highlights of the last month.

Musically, there have been some good things going on both personally and as part of the crowd. The biggest deal for me during that month was having the opportunity to play a feature piece with jazz trombone legend Andy Martin. Andy is presently a top-call trombonist in LA. His most notable gig at this moment is performing lead bone with the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band. The guy is insane as a trombonist, and having the chance to play with him was something else. We played a Tom Kubis chart called Fahn and Andy- Fine and Dandy, which was written for Mike Fahn, a great valve trombonist, and Andy himself. It was a be-bop tune based on the changes of Autumn Leaves. It was a complete rush to be on stage playing back and forth with him. It was a lot like my opportunity to play with Slide Hampton last year, but what made it all the more special with Andy was the fact that it was a feature duet. Anyhow, I don't know if I'll ever get the opportunity to do that again. Andy Martin is my new trombone hero, and I'll be grabbing up as many of his albums as possible. His be-bop playing is incredible, and I want to play just like Andy Martin.

We had a good Patents Pending show at Dempsey's a couple of weeks ago. There, we tried out a few new tunes, most notably our ska rendition of 'Sweet Home Alabama'. It went over very well there. There was a good crowd there, and we got a lot of cool feedback. DeAnn and Kate became our groupies that night when they showed up wearing homemade Patents Pending shirts. They're my Patents Pending sweethearts. When Jennifer Schwind gets back, that will complete the trio of our favorite fans. Anyhow, I saw a lot of you at the show, but many of you, I didn't get to say hello to. So, here's a quick shout-out to a handful of you that were there- thanks to Sara Egge, Emma Aavang, Chris Neu, Megan Dickey, Logan Oscarson, Nick Pratt, DeAnn Hickel, Kate Naujokas, Brad and Sheila Reed, Aaron Beseler, Ryan Fried, Raylene DeMontigney, Kevin Teigen, Brian Very, Annika Berg, and anyone else I forgot to mention...

As far as listening goes, I was present at the NDSU Jazz Festival the following night. The band played very well overall. Jessy blew a kick-ass solo with Monty Cole, who was featured as a guest soloist. Monty used to teach at Minot State back in the day, and even once directed a big band at the Jass Festival when it was in Minot still. As always, Brian Wittkop did some good work on his tenor saxophone, and Al Berg made a guest appearance with the band, cranking out a nice solo or two. The other two guests were also great. "Slammin" Sammy K. was there on the skins. He kicked the band well. He came out to Fargo from his studio world in LA. It was good stuff. Kyle Mack's former professor from Ball State, Larry McWilliams, also came out and played some trumpet and flugelhorn. He and Dr. Mack also teamed up and did a duet on Stella, which was cool to see. It was a good show, and I enjoyed it very much. That was the first jazz fest that I sat in the crowd to watch, and I was proud of the band. Good work, cats.

A handful of weeks ago, DeAnn, Jessy, and I went to the Cities for a night of fun. Eddie was out there visiting his best friend, so we all linked up and watched some really sweet jazz at The Artist's Quarter in St. Paul. The X-Tet was playing there, and it was really good music. After a couple of hours of that, Jessy, DeAnn, and I went to McGovern's just down the street and met up with my old classmates, Brad Jensen and Eric Solberg. There, we drank a lot and had a lot of fun. I miss those guys. But it was really cool to have all those Minot people together in the Cities. I hope to do it again soon.

Not a lot else has been going on overall. The job here with the 188th and the 231st is going well, but it looks as though the temporary technician position I currently occupy is going away. Apparently, the AG needs a secretery, and they're going to rob this position away. I can't really be mad, though- it was a job in temporary status, and I always needed to be ready for it to go away. My last day is presently set at the end of March. There's still a chance they could somehow extend the job, but we'll see. Many of my peers here at the band have put together letters and memos that went to our higher command. I don't know if they're going to do much for me, but I do appreciate the support that I've received from my fellow soldiers. I'm just happy that I was able to do good things in the Operations, Training, and Planning department of the band. With how busy this band is these days, I think it's been a good thing to have the third soldier on board, and hopefully someone higher up in the command will see it the same way. We'll see.

Patents Pending has suffered a couple of setbacks as of late. First of all, the market has become a bit of an enemy to us, and finding gigs has become a tougher and more difficult hill to climb. With the emergence of Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome, there apparently just isn't enough room for two horn bands in town. I don't know what Russ does to get his gigs, but whatever it is, it works well. I know that they're a great band and they have most of the top-call cats in town in their band. It's just frustrating as hell because of my fight over the years to get people to notice the young cats trying to claw through and show what they have. Time and time again, they get smothered. Of course, it doesn't help that the market in this area is easily comforted by living in a simple structured world when it comes to bands. I don't know what else we can do, but I'm thinking more about it as time goes by. We're going to make our group heard, and it's only a matter of time. Young musicians will somehow prevail in this setup, and we're going to figure out what it is that makes those wheels turn.

Also, I got word today that Caleb will be leaving the band. He's leaving town in a couple of weeks to head out west to a new job. I'm happy for him in that respect. It sounds like his new job is right up his alley, and I'm sure he'll find some work playing. He's much too good of a bass player to not have a gig wherever he goes. Best of luck to Caleb in his future endeavors. As far at the band here goes, we're reeling a little bit at the moment, but we'll work on it and figure out what to do about it soon. This band has gone through tough times before, and I'm not about to stop fighting now. Patents means to much to me for me to just roll over, and I think most of the other cats in the band feel the same.

Anyhow, I have to go and teach a trombone lesson now. I'm going out to the bar tonight to drown my Valentine's Day hatred away, which is traditional for me, anyhow. Eddie will join me to make sure I don't die, and Russ will come along in the same boat as me, I suppose. Darts, Big Buck Hunter, and beer is all I need to live through a day like this. For those of you who are celebrating this 'holiday', have a good time. For the rest of you- we feel your pain. More soon, I promise...

January 15, 2007

Well then, it's 2007. Another year has come and gone. A lot happened in 2006, but nothing that has left an incredible impact on me, I guess. Well, I shouldn't say that- there were lots of little things that I will never forget. But when it was all said and done and I slammed the door shut on 2006, I was still the same guy I was at the end of 2005. But, I'm alive and kicking. I'm working and I can afford my rent and the food that keeps me moving. I still play gigs. I still have good friends. That's the skeleton of life, and I guess the sky is still the limit.

You can take a look at the year's highlights in my final For What It's Worth section on the front page. I'm a little tardy in getting this out, but it's better late than never.

This past weekend was a non-eventful weekend for me. It was one of the first non-eventful weekends I've had in months. No gigs. No Guard. No engagements of any sort. I spent the weekend listening to bands downtown. I visited with friends. I ate too much and spent too much money. I drank a lot of beer. But, there were no expectations for me to be anywhere at any particular time, and I really enjoyed it. January is a really slow month for me as far as music goes, and I took care of the busy stuff the first week of the month with Annual Training with the 188th Army Band, which went incredibly well. Pictures are going up today with some explanations of what we did. More on that real soon.

It's Martin Luther King Day, and it's a government holiday, which is nice. I got a three-day weekend. This week should be cake. I work tomorrow, have Wednesday off from work to play three JAG shows at Fargo South, work Thursday and Friday, and have fun plans for the weekend. It looks like we'll have a night downtown on Friday here in Fargo, then a bunch of us (including Eddie, Jessy, DeAnn, myself, and maybe Russell) are heading to the Cities for a night on the town for some live music and good drinks. I'm looking forward to getting out of here for a night with my best friends, and we're going to have a kick ass time. I hope to find some sweet jazz somewhere. I also hope to have a really good dinner somewhere. It'll be good. Minneapolis- prepare yourself.

The jazz world was dealt another tough blow this weekend with the passing of Michael Brecker. He passed away after a two-year battle with a rare bone-marrow disease. In my opinion, Brecker was one of the finest and most recognizable and unique tenor saxophonists since Coltrane himself. A day doesn't go by where I don't listen to Delta City Blues and find myself just flipping out to the sound and feel of it all. In his 58 years, he did so much for the modern saxophone and style of America's music, while never forgetting the basics and backbone of jazz burned into the past. We will miss you, Michael Brecker, but you will live on in the recordings that we listen to each and every day.

I just realized that I haven't updated since the 26th. I'm really starting to suck at this. I want to keep things rolling on here, but finding the time has been such a pain in the ass. Well, for this month, I should have plenty of time to get things done. I'll keep working away at it. I'm not going to promise to update, though. I'll do what I can with what I can dream up.

Alright, I have a lot to get done on the site. More shortly...