Friday, May 31, 2013

Two Years and Moving Forward

Today is my 2 year anniversary at my employer. I am happy. I am moving forward with my eyes focused on the future as that is the only way to progress. If you had told me three years ago that I would be employed where I am now, making what I do, working with whom I work, playing drums in a rock band, and enjoying my life in so many ways, I would not have believed you. I am smiling.

And, just as housekeeping, 
  • The Pacers lost by 11 last night so Miami now has a 3-2 advantage. I think they play Saturday night in Indy.
  • Scary Robots is rehearsing in my basement from noon-ish to 2:30-ish, then I am picking up Karen from work, and then, later, I am going with Matthew to see Rattlebox tonight at J&A Tap in North Liberty.
  • Tomorrow is the Sax Extravaganza, Sunday is a baseball game and, somewhere in there, loading the camper is a priority.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Got a Call from an Old Friend, We used to be real Close...

Megan and I went to NorthTowne Schwinn on Blairs Ferry Road tonight to get her back tire on her new bike fixed. It was leaking air. As we went down Blairs Ferry Road towards Edgewood Road, I realized that we were going to drive past BSS's house. I called him and his cell phone was off. We continued on our way to visit my mother on F Avenue and then, after visiting for a while and driving  home, BSS called. I ended up talking to him for nearly 25 minutes as I drove home.I talked about my 2 year anniversary tomorrow at my job; he talked about opportunities in his life.

Come to think of it, I even was talking to him after I had parked the van in the garage. I miss talking to him on a daily basis. It has been just over 6 years since we worked for the same company. There was a lot of time connecting when we were working together. Neither of us regret where our careers have taken us.

The only reason Megan and I went to Cedar Rapids tonight was because there was a storm that went through and, for a brief period of time, it was rainy and there was a heavy downpour. During the rain, Alex's baseball game was cancelled. It's too bad. Tomorrow night's game was cancelled and the possible game on Saturday is not going to happen. That means his next game is on Sunday at West Branch at 1 PM.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Pacers Baby!

Out of the woodwork, there will be a lot of Indiana Pacers "longtime fans" who, after defeating the Miami Heat last night in the Eastern division of the NBA finals, will begin filling the Internet with their long-suppressed love for the team that has tied their series at 2-2. While I don't walk around with Indiana Pacers t-shirts or talk relentlessly about the merits of Paul George, West, and others, I have been a fan for quite a few years. At least back to when Reggie Miller was playing and lighting up the court with Jamaal Tinsley. I remember, distinctly, wearing my Indiana Pacers hat to Memphis in May 2003 and, distinctly, how that was going to ensure I would never be forgotten in a business that rotates hundreds, if not thousands of people, a year in Memphis. The waitress told me she would never forget me because I had an Indiana Pacers hat on while she served me on one of the nights during that Memphis in May trip.

Fast forward to 2013 and the Indiana Pacers rebounded from being blown out on their home court in game 3. They also had suffered a heartbreaking OT loss when their defense fell apart and LeBron James easily cake walked through the lane to slam dunk the ball with time expiring. They had terrible help defense and awful decision-making in that game.

Last night, I watched the game laying on our bed, toggling between "The Karate Kid" (remake) and the game. At one point, Indiana had built a huge lead, only to watch James nail some shots that were nothing short of outlandishly impressive. There were two terrible calls where the ball, clearly, touched the rim, but the shot clock did not reset, which resulted in a shot clock violation, as well as when the officials said an Indiana player touched the ball, even though (of course) he could be seen on television saying "I didn't touch it!" His pleas to the officials fell on deaf ears.

Anyways, Indiana did find a way to win. LeBron James fouled out for the first time in nearly a year - who knew he was that clean of a player? - and he had to watch the game from the bench during the last few plays of the game. Indiana won the game and today, it feels good.

Now, however, the series goes to game 5 and Miami, without checking, I think game 6 is in Miami as well. It's entirely likely that the Miami Heat will regroup and be ready to play.

Schedule for the remaining days of May 2013:
  • 5/29
    • Alex's final band concert. 
  • 5/30
    • Alex baseball game (if the rain holds off)
    • Megan works 5-10
  • 5/31
    • Work 7-11 (I LOVE SUMMER HOURS!!!)
    • Scary Robots rehearsal from noon-ish to 2:30ish
    • Going to go see Rattlebox at the J&A Tap in North Liberty with Matthew & possibly Brian
  • 6/1
    • Potentially, Alex baseball game (if the rain holds off)
    • Megan's Saxophone Extravaganza at 6. She will be at rehearsal, literally, all day.
  • 6/2
    • 11 AM Mass
    • Alex baseball game at 1 in West Branch (if the rain holds off)

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Loosely Ending the Tie

Saturday night, with the college group, was a lot of fun. Any preoccupation with sobriety melted away way before I was on the deck with the other four guys at Kevin's house. I had a good time. I think there's a lot to be said for the way the five of us are, as a group. It's special. It hasn't been about being the husbands of the wives that are friends for a long time - at least a dozen or so years. I wish we lived closer together so we could do more stuff more often.
I'm not sure what the title of this post means. It sounds like a 90s alternative band song title.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Surpassed the Goal!

Back on March 15, 2013, I published a schedule of milestones for the conversion to MP3s.
Goal:    52356.
Actual: 57074
Full data: 57074 File(s) 428,604,099,340 bytes

In other news, today was crazy. What should be a holiday was anything but relaxing. It was chaos, pure and simple.

We picked up the camper in Zhwingle but:
  1. I forgot to pack the battery for the camper (and Karen didn't think of it either until we were looking at the camper)
  2. One of the tires was low so a valve stem had to be replaced.
  3. The valve stem was replaced while I was on the road back to Theissen's in Dubuque to get a battery. However, I learned that the space on our camper fits a "24" battery and I did not know that. I bought a 27 so it was too big for the space. We had to use bungee cords to secure it for the ride home.
  4. On the way home, it rained, but was not nearly as terrible as it could have been.
  5. After getting home, we unhooked the camper.
  6. On my 'to do' list was to return the 27 battery to the Coralville Theissen's so I left to do that. Alex and Karen went with me.
  7. When I got home, I showered and went with Megan to her final private saxophone lesson with Jane. After her lesson, we picked up Wendy's. Megan and I had a really good conversation about music and her future with playing the saxophone. 
  8. After supper, it had not rained yet, so I started to mow. After our yard was done, I realized that if the lady behind us waited until the next time it wasn't raining before mowing again, she would have a mess. I mowed her yard.
  9. Her neighbor was putting down hay for some new grass seed and I talked to him about the deer meeting his mini-van. We talked about camping and storing campers.
  10. At home, the kids were shooed off to bed and now, at 11:55 PM, it's damn near time for me to go to bed as well.
The upcoming week is really crazy and full of things we have to get done. Without a doubt, it is officially camping season in my world as what was done prior to camping season is unlikely to happen until after camping season. It's the way life is when you're who I am. Nothing changes - year after year, day after day in the camping season, life progresses.

Anyways, pleasant thoughts.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Life Slips Forward

It's really pouring outside. It's 2 PM and I don't think my nephew's game in North Liberty is going to happen. We are leaving around 3 PM to go to Manchester. One of the sons of one of the MMC College Group graduates from high school and we are going to the graduation party. Rumor is that after the party, which is not at their house, the MMC College Group is going to the house.

When I think about this, I smile. Prior to 12/31/10, I might have been apprehensive about remaining sober. My track record with the MMC College Group is not very good as without a doubt, I have acted inappropriately easily more often than acting appropriately. I would have good reason to question if I would be appropriate at this gathering tonight or not. There would be a discussion, at some point, about who is going to drive and not drink booze. More often than not, I would drive. I admit I would resent being sober. I would not like being sober and I would not like being the fuddy-dud in the group that wasn't drunk and having a ball.

I have progressed, though. I like being sober. Am I more mature? Possibly. Am I smarter than I have been in the past? I think so. I think I've learned that there are important things in life and there are unimportant things in life. Being drunk, being hung over, being unable to remember what I said the morning after . . .  I get it. Now. I get now who I am and what is important to me. I envision myself as a better person now, sober, than who I was when I drank booze. Am I perfect? Of course not. Absolutely not.

I am happier. 

I am more aware of what is important to me.

And the most important piece of me - who I am - is being sober.

I want to be clear about something.

I never have considered myself the A word and I have never considered myself as crazy as those that drink an insane amount each night. I drank mainly on the weekends after college and mainly just Friday and Saturday nights. Lots of my friends, family, and others I know do that. I don't begrudge them.

I don't look down on them either. I want to be clear.

My sobriety is my choice. It is about being in control of who I am as a father, son, and husband and not doing what makes me a poor father, son, and husband. It's really that simple. When I drank, I lost control. Now, I don't drink and I have as much control as I can in life. I know that God controls more.

There's no specific reason for ranting about being sober today. Truly, this is just free writing. We are going to be leaving soon and I am not taking my laptop with me. I won't write a blog entry until Monday night, if then.

We are pulling the camper home either Sunday or Monday, depending upon which day is better weather. I am hoping for Sunday, personally, because I don't look forward to the pull home. I would much rather go from Zhwingle directly to Elkader. I don't like that we have to pull it to North Liberty. That said, I don't know if the spring will pass without the Turkey River that passes through Elkader rising to flood stage. If the camper were up in Elkader, we might have to deal with that.

Anyways, I'm done.

I Was There!

Without a doubt, the only song I skip past when I listen to Metallica's Black release is "Of Wolf and Man." I don't like the song. I just don't think it's their finest work.

That said, I like the song when it is the only youtube.com video I can find of the Iowa City gig 20 plus years ago...

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Everybody Loves Raymond

By far, my favorite clips in the "Everybody Loves Raymond" series.

Unexpected

Last night, we were nearly on the way to Wellman for Alex's baseball game when we got the word that the game had been cancelled. Yes, it was rainy, but the game was cancelled because the field was double-booked. It was a good thing we found out before we drove around 1 hour to the game.

Instead, Karen, Alex, and I went to Culver's for supper (Megan was working) and, during supper, it was determined that we would go to Lowe's to pick up some mulch, patching seed, and plants. Spent $__ at Lowe's. Upon returning home, we went to work with the stuff we had bought and got that all done.

Then, unexpectedly, the night was open. While I watched the Indiana Pacers lose to the Miami Heat on our bed, Karen watched television in the living room.

I was asleep almost instantly.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Recap of Last Night's Scary Robots Rehearsal

We had Scary Robots rehearsal at 8 and, overall, I was happy with how we sounded. It was a work session as we spent a lot of time working hard to nail the ending of "Saturday Night". The fact that we were now working on the ending of the song is kind of funny - we haven't actually made it through to the end of that song as many times as you'd think for it being on our list!

We also talked about playing our first gig in August and some logistics of that as well as confirming we are not going to rehearse this coming Friday (Joe is going to Chicago for his mother's 90th birthday party / Matthew has out of town guests). I think this actually will work out good for me. We still got our 'weekly quota' fulfilled because we rehearsed last night. There was a good conversation about a couple of other gigs - even though after checking the calendar when I got home, I can't commit to one of them - and the need for us to just go out and play in front of people. There was talk of playing in a backyard on a cement pad that is being poured for a basketball court.

Playing in front of people is increasingly shaping up to being a task that we need to complete. I think we are getting serious about finding the best way to complete it. We have been rehearsing fairly regularly for about a year. Matthew pointed out that we could do a hour now (I think he used the adjective "sloppy") and that with our regular rehearsals, by August, we would be even more polished. I am totally on-board with that.

Personally, I have some things I need to work on:
  • Practicing. I played the Yamaha set for a solid 1/2 hour prior to leaving for rehearsal last night. I think the electronic set is really good for loosening up the muscles. I also took 600 mg of ibuprofen before I left because, after 30 straight minutes of playing, I could feel my shoulders tensing up. I need to get myself to the peak of my drumming potential. I need to be able to play the songs on our set list and, frankly, be able to play even more in case we have the time remaining in our time slot.

Right now, there are three songs on our list that I need to continue to internalize and the best way to do that is to spend time on the Yamaha set on a nightly basis. The fact remains that my time is not a metronome anymore. As the drummer, it's my duty and responsibility to nail the tempo and keep it consistent. That is an issue with these songs:
  1. "Saturday Night"
    • This song is fast and my endurance is challenged. I talk about this song being at the beginning of a set because it's a hard song for me to play. We haven't pounded through it enough times for me to settle on when I'm going to nail the snare on 2 and 4 and when I'm going to nail the snare on 1, 2 3, 4.  I simply need to spend more time with it
  2. "American Girl" 
    • While I can play it better than when we started to polish the tune, it's still very mechanical when I play. Without listening to the recording from last night, I think I was decent. It's not especially a 'fun' song for me to play. I can now play the drum beat and hit the open hi-hat on the 3 of the second bar in the 2 bar phrase. At the same time, if I am not concentrating 'really hard', I don't play it correctly. Though I am not in the same league as Metallica's Lars Ulrich, I remember reading an interview with Ulrich where he talked about playing their complicated parts when they would play songs from the "And Justice for All" release in concert. He described those songs with the complicated parts as not being as fun to play because he had to concentrate instead of relying on the 'feel' of the song. Looking back on this idea, it makes sense that their next release was the "Black" album, which were definitely more straight-forward songs than what they had done on the "Justice" release. This relates to me because I like playing "Break Up Song" and "What I Like About You" - two of the simpler songs on our list - more than "American Girl."
  3. "Cheap Sunglasses" 
    • continues to have me baffled. Back in 1999 / 2000, when I was in "Free Beer" with Steve on guitar  / vocals, Ralph on bass / vocals, and Jon on guitar / vocals, we would play this tune and it had a much different feel and groove. I know that Brian Guitar, Joe, and Matthew are different musicians - totally get it - but I just can't put my finger on what is so different between the way the song was played then and the way the song is played now. I am convinced I need to listen to our rehearsal recording from last night as well as going back to the recording of the Free Beer version and pick apart the differences.

Songs we did at rehearsal - though not in order:
  1. Break Up Song
  2. Saturday Night
  3. For What It's Worth
  4. Sunshine of Your Love
  5. American Girl
  6. Rocking in the Free World
  7. Cheap Sunglasses
  8. What I Like About You
  9. Dead Flowers
  10. Lonely Boy
  11. Sweet Jane

  12. Songs we didn't do that are on our list:
  13. Hey Joe
  14. Big River
  15. Stuck in the Middle
  16. Key to the Highway
  17. Foghat

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

All Fired Up

After Matthew volunteered to sing "Hit Me With your Best Shot", it reminded me of my favorite Pat Benatar song of all time. These are the lyrics that speak to me in "All Fired Up":

Now I believe there comes a time
When everything just falls in line
We live an' learn from our mistakes
The deepest cuts are healed by faith


Monday, May 20, 2013

Iowa Hawkeye Sports Update

I like the direction of the Iowa men's basketball team. The 2012-13 team ended the season as the runner-up in the NIT tournament and were set to return 9 of the 10 players that saw the most playing time. Recently, though, on May 14, it was announced that Patrick Ingram was going to transfer, which drops the top 10 from 90% returning to 80% returning. However, the fact that Iowa has transfer Jarrod Uthoff coming in and Kyle Meyer, who sat out as a red shirt freshman coming into the mix, makes up for the loss of senior Eric May and Ingram's transfer.

And I know a lot will be written between now and the fall about Iowa basketball and there will be a lot of hype and excitement. It will be a packed team, just like the season that just ended. My hope is that the excitement translates into sold out games, victories, and the end of my biggest pet peeves - fans leaving before the end of the game and fans not standing up and cheering throughout the game. I can't believe that other Big 10 school fans leave just to beat the traffic.

Just a side note, I don't blame anyone for transferring out of any college basketball program. It's sad and it's distressful when it's not the right match and the only resolution is to do so, but frankly, college basketball is about preparing for the next step as well as having fun doing it. If you are on the bench and you are not able to compete at the level of your teammates, then that's the way it goes. I saw a lot of promise in Ingram as a player - it's too bad he won't end his career as an Iowa Hawkeye.

As far as the football team goes, it remains to be seen. The season was disappointing and I'm not overly excited about the upcoming season.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Conversion Update

56304 File(s) 400,072,787,321 bytes

Bob's Your Uncle Provides a Brief Pause before Chaos of a Busy Life!

One of the best times in life is going to eat with co-workers at lunch time. Erica, Carol, Joe, Matthew, and I went to Bob's Your Uncle for lunch. I had the sliders and they were really good. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed good conversation. That said, I'm looking forward to summer hours beginning and working 7-4 M-R, 7-11 Friday.

The current thought is Scary Robots will rehearse on Fridays from noon - 230-ish. We are awaiting confirmation for what we hope is a first gig. I hope for more details soon.

Speaking of Scary Robots, we rehearse on Tuesday from 8-10.

This week is chaos.
  • Saturday
    • Megan works at Fareway
    • Alex's baseball game in Riverside
    • Racing back to get ready for a wedding
    • Wedding
    • Megan / Alex to the Ped Mall for a jazz band concert
    • Possibly, a graduation party
  • Sunday
    • Early shift (9 AM) at the NCYC Pancake Breakfast
    • Drums @ 11 AM Mass
    • Possibly, a meeting about the Iowa Ambassadors of Music Europe trip in summer 2014
  • Monday
    • Lessons
  • Tuesday
    • Megan is on the interview committee at church
    • Karen out with friends for supper
    • Scary Robots 8 - 10 
  • Wednesday
    • Alex baseball game in Wellman
  • Thursday
    • Karen to Riverside Casino
  • Friday
    • Scary Robots rehearsal noon - 230ish
    • Alex baseball game in Waco
  • Saturday
    • Graduation party in Manchester
    • Then Balltown
  • Sunday
    • It had better be great weather b/c I think we're pulling the camper home
  • Monday
    • Relax?
  • Tuesday
    • Couch guy
  • Wednesday
    • not sure
  • Thursday
    • Alex baseball game @ 6
  • Friday 
    • Scary Robots rehearsal noon - 230ish
    • Alex baseball game @ 6
    • Rattlebox at J & A Tap - guitarist is a co-worker and the band plays material similar to Scary Robots
And then it's June, which does not get any slower. The calendar is pretty full already, but I don't really want to write about June when nearly half of May has to pass.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Not Open-Minded

Here's what the guitarist says about "Heritage" and Opeth fans:












The problem is not that fans are not open-minded - the problem is that "Heritage" is not a good release. Opeth needed to experiment, branch out, try something new. Fine. I get it. Metallica did it with "Load", "Re-Load", and "Lulu" - all of which are not good releases. Frankly, I still argue "Load" and "Reload" could have been combined into a single good release, but that's beyond the scope of this post.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Progress

Brent Smith, lead singer of Shine Down, has really made a drastic change in his life. He gave up his vices and is a new man. I was thoroughly impressed when I saw Shine Down in concert. He looks fantastic. I will probably never meet the guy, but his ability to put aside what makes him weak - as a man, as a father, as a human - and to end up in a much better place is inspiring to me. I don't want to say I will model my life after his, but I will say I hope I can continue making progress in setting aside the things in my life that I want to set aside.

Link:
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=189924

L.O. - boom boom - V.E. - boom boom - LOVE Machine!

In 1984, when this release came out, I remember it being played during gym class at Harding while we ran / jogged around the gym. 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Crossed 56000!

Just ran the DOS batch file to update the conversion status: 56087 File(s) 393,765,719,084 bytes

Still have a lot of work to do and, frankly, with summer rapidly approaching, I am trying to work on this project as much as I can. Once summer hits, I will be surprised if I continue to see progress.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Next

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/13/1208788/-Obama-says-IRS-actions-are-outrageous-calls-GOP-Benghazi-investigation-a-political-circus

Worst Bands

From the magazine that had the gall to put Justin Beiber on its cover, Rolling Stone now names these bands as the worst bands of the 1990s:
  1. Dave Matthews Band
  2. Ace of Base
  3. Spin Doctors
  4. Bush
  5. Hootie and the Blowfish
  6. Nirvana
  7. Hanson
  8. Limp Bizkit
  9. Nickelback
  10. Creed

My Comments

  1. Dave Matthews Band - drummer is awesome & I love "What Would You Say."
  2. Ace of Base - I'm not really familiar with them - can't name their 'famous' tune
  3. Spin Doctors - drummer is awesome & I do not believe they belong on this list
  4. Bush - I do not believe they belong on this list
  5. Hootie and the Blowfish - I do not believe they belong on this list
  6. Nirvana - it's really funny how the band that changed the music industry is placed on this list...
  7. Hanson - I know that "Mmmm-Bop!" was annoying so maybe?
  8. Limp Bizkit - they really went out of their way to fuse rap & metal ... only to find their way onto this list...
  9. Nickelback - honestly, I don't get why this band gets all the hate...
  10. Creed - this is cliche. No one likes Creed . . . but yet they sold a lot of albums... Go figure...
Source: Creed Named Worst Band of the 90s

Try Not to Get any On your Shoes

Benghazi has exploded. It's suddenly a mainstream media story. Some thing that it is all about smearing Hilary Clinton's reputation so that she doesn't win in 2016. You get comments on youtube.com like this:


This clip is "fact v. politics" and you can decide if it is biased or not.


NO!! That's not it! I don't agree with it. This is it. Terrorism was the cause, it was always the cause, and yet, Susan Rice blamed a video, Hilary Clinton blamed a video, and Obama blamed a video. If it was terrorism and everyone knew it was terrorism, why did it get repeated for several weeks that a video caused it? Why?

What is the end game to all of this? Do I think this will have any impact in the 2014 elections? In the 2016 elections?
Only time will tell.

Two Survivors

  1. The 2013 edition of Survivor has wrapped up and the winner was Cochran, the guy with the Harvard law degree and who looks like a nerd. He now has $1,000,000 and wow. That's awesome.
  2. The second survivor that has my attention tonight, thanks to a "Behind the Music" episode about Pat Benatar. I didn't realize that she had been singing opera and ready to go to college to study singing.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Stepping Up?

Sorry, more Benghazi stuff. With a big scary headline too.

Exclusive: Benghazi Talking Points Underwent 12 Revisions, Scrubbed of Terror Reference


Link:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/exclusive-benghazi-talking-points-underwent-12-revisions-scrubbed-of-terror-references/

Rehearsing Again

Like our previous rehearsal on 4/26/13, the ones we’re working on tonight include:
  1. Lonely Boy
  2. Big River
  3. Stuck in the Middle
  4. Break Up Song
  5. Sunshine of Your Love
  6. Key to the Highway
  7. Foghat
  8. American Girl
  9. Rocking in the Free World
  10. Cheap Sunglasses
  11. What I Like About You
  12. Saturday Night
  13. Dead Flowers
  14. Hey Joe
  15. Sweet Jane

Republicans lead a witch hunt on Benghazi

I had every intention of not writing another word about Benghazi. Then I saw Eugene Robinson's article called:

Republicans lead a witch hunt on Benghazi


I smirked a little, then came across Michael Gerson's article called:

Incompetence, not criminality, in Benghazi investigation


Slightly amused, I went on to find Dan Gainor's article called:

Liberal media spin Benghazi scandal to protect Team Obama

The links to the articles are at the bottom of this post.

One of the questions I wanted to have answered was who altered the talking points memo. Who changed the comments that Susan Rice delivered on five separate Sunday talk shows?

While Eugene Robinson's article doesn't have a 'hit' when you search for "talking points", Michael Gerson mentions the talking points memo twice. In context, he wrote:

"Information on the true nature of the attack had traveled the 5,000 miles to CIA headquarters and was incorporated into the agency’s initial talking points. But somewhere in the final few miles between Langley, Foggy Bottom and the White House, the attack was called a “demonstration” and then, according to U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, the “direct result of a heinous and offensive video.” The administration’s characterizations became more emphatic as they became less accurate.
In pinning the blame for Benghazi on a crude, anti-Muslim video, confusion moved along the contours of convenience. For the State Department, it shifted attention away from careless security practices in an obviously dangerous place. For the White House, it avoided pre-election discussion of the war on terror that was supposed to be largely won. For whoever made the military decisions on that night, it obscured the timidity of their response when Americans came under attack."

There. The President of the United States made a political decision. There it is. Thank you. It was a political decision to talk about a heinous video being the reason four Americans are dead. Robinson points out that in the past, Republicans called for unity and criticized the politicizing of American deaths for gain. I agree with him. And that's why I want to know, quite frankly, on what basis was it decided to blame the anti-Muslim video on the Benghazi attack. Who said, more or less, "Get rid of all the terrorism stuff and blame the video." Who approved it? Was President Obama in the room? Did he sign off?

Yesterday, I wrote that I didn't want to write about this anymore. I will say the same thing again. I don't. I'm not a Conservative crazy. I actually (gasp!) agreed with Rachel Maddow the other night when she talked about how the legislature in one state passed a bill that allowed
  • hunting with silencers
  • teaching kids to write in cursive
She thought it was crazy that two unrelated ideas could be in the same bill. I agree - the two issues have nothing to do with each other. If you listen to Ann Coulter enough, you realize that Coulter is about as 'out there' as Al Sharpton, Chris Matthews, and the new poster boy that seems to be everywhere now, Chris Hayes, among others on MSNBC.

I'll listen to any idea that attempts to solve the problems in the country. I'm not going to be around forever. My kids are going to inherit the trillions in deficits. My kids are going to inherit a world that is much different. Different is good. I like different as long as it's not change. (wink wink)

Eugene Robinson's article: Republicans lead a witch hunt on Benghazi
Michael Gerson's article: Incompetence, not criminality, in Benghazi investigation
Dan Gainor's article: Liberal media spin Benghazi scandal to protect Team Obama

Thursday, May 9, 2013

My Take on Benghazi

I don't really know how long this whole crappy Benghazi situation is going to fester. I don't know if this controversy lives another six months. When it happened, in September 2012, I sincerely believe the mainstream media wanted to downplay the situation and that idea is true now. I watched, in disbelief, as ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer spent more time on finding three girls in Cleveland, OH, and spent a short blip (in comparison) about the implications the hearing about this attack will have in the future. This story somewhat summarizes what I think:  
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/8/hurt-benghazi-shows-democrats-most-desperate/?page=all#pagebreak

But the big thing that gets me is that the Democrats have no answer for Hilary Clinton's often replayed "what does it matter" defensive comment. They can't answer why she is so defensive about this event. I mean, seriously, if it doesn't matter what happened, why the hell didn't she present a clear, comprehensive, and reasonable explanation? Why? And it's not, as some think, that those like me who have Republican tendencies are out to get Clinton. It's not. Really. I just want to know two things:
  1. Why didn't we know what to do when the Libyan embassy was attack? Why did four Americans have to die? What could we have done better?
  2. Why were the talking points changed? Who changed them? Why?
Despite all the mainstream media would have you believe, if my President really wasn't concerned about these hearings, why, oh, why would he go waaayyyy far away from Washington, DC, on the day of the hearings? Why didn't he stand in the Rose Garden after the hearings? He's certainly been in town when there are hearings. He often comments about them when he asked by reporters.

My impression is that my president knows this is bad. There is unlikely a scenario where his legacy is untarnished. It is unclear life will never be the same.

I will probably not write about Benghazi in the near future. Maybe a month from now, I'll wipe the egg from my face and look back at this and smirk. I hope there is a clear, concise, and reasonable answers are given to the answers above.

Regression, Not Progression

  1. I'm not making progress on the conversion:55849 File(s) 389,338,746,483 bytes
  2. I haven't finished a Huey Lewis & the News CD review
  3. I haven't finished a Slayer CD review
  4. I played the Yamaha set for about 1 hour last night
  5. Scary Robots is rehearsing tomorrow night
  6. Alex's baseball game was cancelled last night
  7. I watched too much television, including an episode of "How to Live with your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)" and "Tool Guys" - both new shows, both not really my style, but they were on after The Middle and Modern Family.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Who are You to wave your finger?

This guy is not flashy but damn, he nails this song.

College

I used to watch Home Improvement a lot. I always consider it one of the best situation comedies that has ever been on television. I know that a lot of the show's contents focused solely on the Tim Allen character, Tim Taylor, getting hurt and being unable to stay out of the hospital. As I get older, though, I think the show's appeal to me is more about Tim Taylor growing as a father. The following episode is my all-time favorite. It focuses on Tim meeting up with Stu, his former college buddy. Stu lives in the past and wants Tim to join him in reliving 'all the great times' which leaves Tim torn. This all takes place on the backdrop of family night and spending time with his family.

It doesn't help that his wife is not Stu's advocate. Jill asks Tim if Stu would still be his friend and Tim says yes. Later, Wilson and Tim talk. Wilson uses the Bible quote about setting aside childish things and becoming an adult. Wilson also asks Tim is Stu your best friend or was he your best friend twenty years ago?

That statement resonates within me. I have friends like Stu. Treasured friends. Friends I would go through hell for. Friends I have been through hell with. Friends I don't talk to nearly enough. Friends that are never far from my thoughts.

I heard a story about two cousins over the weekend. "Misty" said that she missed "Kristina" and that she was sad they weren't close. As I listened to other details about the situation, not recorded here to protect Misty's privacy, I picked up the phone and gave it to her. "Call her."

When I reflect on that advice I so easily handed out, I realize that I often do not take my own advice. It is very easy for me to look at a situation I have no vested interest in - it really makes no difference in my life whether Misty and Kristina ever reconnect - but very difficult to act upon that advice in the relationships that are close to me. Is that because the habits, the tendencies, the expectations, that were formed a long time ago, are too difficult to overcome and act as barriers to a different phase of my relationships? I'm not going to find out today.

That all said, this episode is speaks volumes about the way I exist in this world.

Just Another Day

It's Wednesday. Alex has a baseball game tonight, there's new episodes of the shows I like (The Middle, Modern Family, Survivor, Real World - Portland), and I'm enjoying life. I need to accomplish a few things.
  1. Finish up a review for dailyvault.com
  2. Practice drums for Scary Robots rehearsal on Friday night
That's not a lot so I hope to accomplish them with relative ease.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Glitch in the System

"It is also expected that newly hired resources into the Global Business Services U.S. practice live within a reasonable commuting distance (generally 50 miles) of the following cities: Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Cleveland, OH; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; Hartford, CT; Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York City, NY and surrounding area; Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, DC."

You have to live within 50 miles of all those cities? Good luck with that!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Fighting the Urge

Drummer Steven Adler used to play drums for Guns-n-Roses. Long story short, he drank too much, did too many drugs, and, ultimately, was fired. Since then, it is well-documented that he has been battling his addictions to alcohol and drugs. He was on the Celebrity Rehab show and, for all intents and purposes, seemed to have it under control. More recently, though, his band Adler has been forced to cancel a tour because he started drinking again. I hope he figures out how to get his life back on track. He seemed to have been making good progress.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

I Don't Like a Sniffle

We had Susie's 40th surprise party Saturday night. She was surprised.

I spent the majority of the party on a recliner in their basement, alternately napping and blowing my nose. The cold hit me Friday night and I have been miserable since.

We came home later than I expected, ordered Pizza Hut for supper, and now, at 10:45 PM, I'm cashing in. I hope I sleep well tonight.

Friday, May 3, 2013

ObamaCare

There is a renewed anger in the Conservative world about ObamaCare. 
http://www.redstate.com/2013/05/02/obamacare-is-not-living-up-to-its-promises-and-even-the-media-knows-it/

RIP Jeff Hanneman

I learned about his death on Blabbermouth.net and I was floored. The metal community is buzzing with reaction to the passing of one of the guitarists in Slayer, Jeff Hanneman. I didn't know the guy - obviously - but from reading the reactions from the other 3 bands in the Big Four - Anthrax, Metallica, and Megadeth -I get a sense of what he was like. I am putting on some Slayer today as my way of paying tribute to the man. I send my condolences and sympathy to his family as they go on in life without him.

Top 10 Slayer songs from Loudwire.

Yesterday, at work, I had a great 1:1 meeting with my manager. I smile when I think about where I am and where I have been, as documented on this blog. I appreciate the progress that has been made and the progress that will be made prior to the end of 2013.

I just came across the journal for Machine Head's lead singer. He writes an online journal / diary and in the few moments I spent browsing it, I got a sense that I have a daily visit to his site in my future. Eddie Murphy style language but seems worth reading. http://machinehead1.com/topics/journal

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Working Hard on Removing Duplicate Files

Yesterday was 55905 File(s) and today is 55901 File(s). Don't work too hard there!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

More Pruning

The DOS Batch file says I have 55905 File(s) 389,317,914,997 bytes now, which is 28 less than yesterday. As I've mentioned, there is some pruning of duplicate files happening. This entire project of converting CDs to MP3 is a slow process. Last night, I saw:
  • in the sump pump room, the boxes of cassettes that have not been converted. 
  • in the den
    • the 400 CD-Rs on 4 spindles that have not been converted
    • the CDs in cases that I have not been converted
  • in our bedroom, the video tapes that have not been converted
At some point, all of these will be done. It just seems like I will be working on these conversions FOREVER! I'm not sad or depressed or even overwhelmed. I know that, eventually, I will be done.