It felt pretty good to sleep in this morning. I got up a little before 9:45 and was a little sad that sleeping in now means anything past 9. I remember the days when sleeping in meant anything past 11. Whenever I get sad about things like that though, I just remember my poor wife who gets up before 7 almost every day. I am so grateful she doesn't mind that I don't wake up with her.
After I woke up I went straight outside to get some yard work done. I brought Lucy along with me and put her on the cable in the front yard, but she seemed really tired and like she wasn't having too much fun. I put her back inside and continued. First I planted 3 Firepower Nandina in the front of the mulch bed. I'm pretty sure the name of that plant is just a marketing scheme. Sure it turns red, but how can you not buy a plant with "Firepower" in the name? I'm sure if it was "Red Nandina" or "Cherry Nandina" I would have gotten something else. But "Firepower"...that'll sell.
I next moved on to the other pansy bed. It is straight across from the other one. Everything looks really good, but I refrained from taking pictures because this Saturday we are going to mulch, and I would rather wait until then. It's kind of like suspense for those of you who read my blog. You thought you could skip a few days, but now you have to come back on Saturday just to see the progress. I need all the help I can get.
By time I was done planting, and after I watered all the other plants, it was time for lunch. I came inside and got Lucy some food and then had a Jose Ole chimichanga. These things are delicious. They don't sell them at Wal-Mart, just Publix, so every now and then I go to Publix and buy an entire box. I hadn't had one since we moved to Simpsonville, so it was especially good.
After lunch Lucy kept pesting me to talk her on her w-a-l-k, so I went ahead and did that. It was a beautiful day, so I let her romp around a little more than usual. I think she appreciated it, because she left me alone for the rest of the day.
When we got back I went ahead and cleaned some. Cleaning our bathroom is much more of a pain than our bathroom in Columbia was, so I kind of dread it each week. I got that done though, and also cleaned the other bathroom as well as vacuumed. I was going to dust, but nothing seemed very dusty, so I decided to wait until next week.
I decided to work on my guitar body after I finished. I have slowly been making progress, and am really close to finishing spraying so I can let it cure. Last time I put some coats on another Mosquito flew into the lacquer, so I waited until it cured a little to continue. Today I got the mosquito out and smoothed the entire body with some fine steel wool. I am putting the last can of lacquer on, so I want as little "orange peel" as possible. This makes buffing alot easier (or so I read). Today I sprayed lacquer on the back, and then as I was turning it over my arm brushed where I had just sprayed...awesome. So now I am letting it cure some again so I can go over the back with steel wool again. This whole process is teaching me alot of patience at least. I think I've probably been working on it for something like 8 or 9 months now.
I was thinking today that maybe since I'm almost done with the body I should buy a neck instead of a snare drum. Then I also thought about my snowboard boots and bindings which need replacing. I have some vouchers for lift tickets to Beech, so I will definitely be going sometime this year, and my boots are just not up to the task. Last time I used them it hurt, and I had huge blisters when I was done. I would rather not repeat that experience. Originally I was thinking I would wait for my birthday to get a guitar neck, but now I'm thinking I might be done a good bit before that. And then of course, I would really like to start replacing my drums, but that could definitely be put on hold. Who's got an opinion? Someone leave a comment or something.
After I finished working on the guitar I watched some ESPN and updated my facebook profile. I decided I didn't need the "Interested In" part and the "Looking For" part anymore so I took those off. I guess facebook couldn't tell what sex I was after that because when I signed back on it said something like; "Your profile could be confusing, how should facebook be listing your updates?" And then it had a choice between "Andrew just updated his profile" and "Andrew just updated her profile." Talk about demoralizing. Come on facebook, don't we know each other by now? Anyways, I made sure to clear that up right away...I can only imagine the comments I would get on my wall.
I started making dinner right before Kristi got home. I made the pan seared chicken I like so much and then just some buttered noodles and broccoli. Any time I make dinner it reminds me how unhealthy eating out generally is. I feel so much better afterwards than when I eat a bunch of fried food out somewhere. Unfortunately my life right now kind of dictates that. Oh well, at least I'm back to cooking sometimes now.
After dinner Kristi and I went to get some dessert at Starbucks (for her) and Chik-fil-A (for me). Man do I love icedreams. We watched tv when we got back and then headed to bed.
Tomorrow should be a good day. I think I am meeting my friend Daniel for lunch, and then tomorrow night I think Kristi and I are going to find something fun to do. I hope tomorrow is fun, because Saturday I will be doing my second least favorite yard chore...mulching.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
I think I might like to interview for jobs again just so I can travel for free...
I woke up this morning not really excited that it was Wednesday. I laid in bed as long as I possibly could and then took a quick shower before heading to my parents' house to drop Lucy off. My mom and I got to talk for a few minutes and then I went to Psychology. Have I mentioned that isn't my favorite class?
I went to lab but skipped lecture for Micro. My friend Nate told me that he was leaving after lab to go to Texas. His friend was picking up some huge trailer, so he was helping him by driving some. They were going to take 3 hour shifts and make a straight trip there and back. That sounded completely crazy to me. I cannot drive in the wee hours of the morning. I can make it comfortably to about 2 o'clock, and then after that there is just no way I'm gonna stay awake. I remember my senior year of college a church flew me to Chicago to interview for a job. I had to wake up before 5 Saturday to make it to Charlotte to leave. Then I woke up before 7 on Sunday also. THEN I didn't get back to Charlotte until after 12:30 and I had to drive all the way back to Clemson. Once I hit Greenville around 2 I was about to pass out. It was cold outside, so I rolled down the windows, screamed every 10 seconds, and blared the music. I still wasn't sure I was going to make it...but hey, I had a class at 9 or something the next morning that I had already used all my absences in.
So anyways, I wanted to skip Micro lecture just to give myself a little quiet free time at home. It was really nice. I made a sanwich and watched a little Sportscenter before heading to work. Kristi also left me a little left over fried rice from MiMi's. I am thinking about treating myself to some house fried rice from a random chinese restaurant in Simpsonville tomorrow for lunch. I definitely deserve it.
Work was pretty good today. I spent the beginning part of the day cleaning up the stage and closet from last night. It was a mess. After that I played around with the EQ for James Brush's guitar. He just got a new pickup to replace his Taylor Expression System. I think that's a good move. The expression system is alright, but it's got this real distinct sound that I am not sold on. It is also really problematic, and his had a huge grounding problem. I haven't like the system ever since they moved to it, and I really think they should go back to the Fishman stuff. Although...Fishman has been making theirs a little too fancy too these days. I don't want anything special on my pickup. I just want a mic and a piezo, and I want it to accurately represent my great sounding guitar. I thought James's new one sounded great, but I think he is a little dissatisfied with it.
Around 5:30 Joe and I went to Sonic to eat some dinner. I really like the fries at Sonic, but I am not really into their sandwiches. I need to find one that I like. Joe was pretty tired today and seemed a little down. He's got a tough job and has had a long week, so I felt bad for him. Too bad he doesn't have an assistant to help him...wait...
I'm not running sound this week, and it felt nice to have a break. I just ran slides during rehearsal and then headed out around 9. I talked to my parents for a while when I picked up Lucy and then headed home and straight to bed. I am really tired, and really excited that I get to sleep in some tomorrow. I hope Lucy lets me!
On a closing note, Joe asked me why I didn't add a link to the guitar head I am selling. I had not really thought of it, but just in case you are interesed here it is: Marshall AVT150H. No one's bidding on it so it might be cheap! That snare I wanted sold already anyways, but don't worry, I'll find a good one eventually...
I went to lab but skipped lecture for Micro. My friend Nate told me that he was leaving after lab to go to Texas. His friend was picking up some huge trailer, so he was helping him by driving some. They were going to take 3 hour shifts and make a straight trip there and back. That sounded completely crazy to me. I cannot drive in the wee hours of the morning. I can make it comfortably to about 2 o'clock, and then after that there is just no way I'm gonna stay awake. I remember my senior year of college a church flew me to Chicago to interview for a job. I had to wake up before 5 Saturday to make it to Charlotte to leave. Then I woke up before 7 on Sunday also. THEN I didn't get back to Charlotte until after 12:30 and I had to drive all the way back to Clemson. Once I hit Greenville around 2 I was about to pass out. It was cold outside, so I rolled down the windows, screamed every 10 seconds, and blared the music. I still wasn't sure I was going to make it...but hey, I had a class at 9 or something the next morning that I had already used all my absences in.
So anyways, I wanted to skip Micro lecture just to give myself a little quiet free time at home. It was really nice. I made a sanwich and watched a little Sportscenter before heading to work. Kristi also left me a little left over fried rice from MiMi's. I am thinking about treating myself to some house fried rice from a random chinese restaurant in Simpsonville tomorrow for lunch. I definitely deserve it.
Work was pretty good today. I spent the beginning part of the day cleaning up the stage and closet from last night. It was a mess. After that I played around with the EQ for James Brush's guitar. He just got a new pickup to replace his Taylor Expression System. I think that's a good move. The expression system is alright, but it's got this real distinct sound that I am not sold on. It is also really problematic, and his had a huge grounding problem. I haven't like the system ever since they moved to it, and I really think they should go back to the Fishman stuff. Although...Fishman has been making theirs a little too fancy too these days. I don't want anything special on my pickup. I just want a mic and a piezo, and I want it to accurately represent my great sounding guitar. I thought James's new one sounded great, but I think he is a little dissatisfied with it.
Around 5:30 Joe and I went to Sonic to eat some dinner. I really like the fries at Sonic, but I am not really into their sandwiches. I need to find one that I like. Joe was pretty tired today and seemed a little down. He's got a tough job and has had a long week, so I felt bad for him. Too bad he doesn't have an assistant to help him...wait...
I'm not running sound this week, and it felt nice to have a break. I just ran slides during rehearsal and then headed out around 9. I talked to my parents for a while when I picked up Lucy and then headed home and straight to bed. I am really tired, and really excited that I get to sleep in some tomorrow. I hope Lucy lets me!
On a closing note, Joe asked me why I didn't add a link to the guitar head I am selling. I had not really thought of it, but just in case you are interesed here it is: Marshall AVT150H. No one's bidding on it so it might be cheap! That snare I wanted sold already anyways, but don't worry, I'll find a good one eventually...
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I think I am just glad the election is finally over...
What a day. I woke up this morning and I decided to drive to Columbia to vote. Kristi and I through a variety of circumstances did not get our address changed in time, and so if I wanted to vote I had to drive to Columbia. I have spent many hours becoming informed about today's election and felt like I really wanted to take advantage of my right to have a say, or voice my opinion. I timed it so that I would get there a little after 10. I read that this would be the least busy time, so I figured I would wait in line less than an hour and still be able to run back by the house and get to work by 1. Man was I wrong. I ended up waiting in line for almost 2 hours, which meant I had to drive straight to work from Columbia. The even more ridiculous thing is that I ended up voting for Bob Barr, so my vote didn't really even matter. If you want to know why I did that I would be happy to tell you in person...the short story is I felt like I could vote for him with a clear conscience, unlike the main two candidates. That said, unlike most people I know, I think it will be interesting to see how things go with Obama (I've been calling a landslide forever, while my friends remained in denial), and I think he has the potential to make some good decisions for the country. One thing's for sure, things are going to get done, good or bad, because the Democrats are going to have alot of control.
So I got to work a little after 1 and waited for Joe to get back from lunch. Tonight the youth had an event in the sanctuary (is that what we call it?), and so I ran sound for rehearsal and the event, which took up my whole time at work. The event was a cool idea. It was a "red carpet" event, so they parked a Limo outside and had all the kids come out of the Limo, get interviewed, and then walk in. Almost all of the kids dressed up very fancy. After that they had a movie theme inside. People passed out soft drinks, popcorn, and candy and they played 3 trailers for upcoming events (previews), and then a 1 hour feature which was a recap of their Woodlands Camp retreat entitled "Epic." I love creativity in general, especially when encouraged by the church, and so I really enjoyed the evening.
Everything made for a really long day. I was away from the house for about 13 hours straight, which stinks because tomorrow I will be away from the house for over 12 hours again. I may skip Micro lecture just to buy some free time. By the way, I got a 99 on my statistics test...amazing. I don't know how I pulled that out, but I'm glad I did.
On another note, I put my Marshall AVT150H head on Ebay yesterday. It made me sad to do so, but I am starting to implement my new musical equipment policy. I have decided that I am going to start collecting only high quality, really useful equipment that I won't ever get rid of. The Marshall head did not meet the criteria, and so I am selling it. It is actually the first piece of serious musical equipment I have sold. I can't ever bring myself to sell guitars, and I think the most expensive piece I actually have sold was a Digitech effects processor. I am not too sad, because I plan on getting the Fender Tweed Blues Jr. with my gift cards I get for Christmas, plus the ones I've been saving all year. Also if my head sells for enough money, I will buy this snare. My drums are my weakest musical instruments, and so I am slowly going to replace them in pieces. I plan on getting a snare first, then cymbals and hardware one by one, and then the shell pack. I assume this will take many years, because pro quality drum equipment is super expensive. I have liked the Mapex Saturns I have heard, and that snare is over 350$ from Musician's Friend, so I would really like to buy it if my head sells for enough. I am also a sucker for sparkly drums...my favorite finish is white cream pearloid.
I am pretty tired but I plan on watching election results for a good bit longer. I figure as long as I make it to Thursday I will be fine, since I can sleep in. I think it's good to remember that God ordained whoever becomes president, and as Joe said, I'm going to have to find new friends because a bunch of mine are apparently moving to Canada.
So I got to work a little after 1 and waited for Joe to get back from lunch. Tonight the youth had an event in the sanctuary (is that what we call it?), and so I ran sound for rehearsal and the event, which took up my whole time at work. The event was a cool idea. It was a "red carpet" event, so they parked a Limo outside and had all the kids come out of the Limo, get interviewed, and then walk in. Almost all of the kids dressed up very fancy. After that they had a movie theme inside. People passed out soft drinks, popcorn, and candy and they played 3 trailers for upcoming events (previews), and then a 1 hour feature which was a recap of their Woodlands Camp retreat entitled "Epic." I love creativity in general, especially when encouraged by the church, and so I really enjoyed the evening.
Everything made for a really long day. I was away from the house for about 13 hours straight, which stinks because tomorrow I will be away from the house for over 12 hours again. I may skip Micro lecture just to buy some free time. By the way, I got a 99 on my statistics test...amazing. I don't know how I pulled that out, but I'm glad I did.
On another note, I put my Marshall AVT150H head on Ebay yesterday. It made me sad to do so, but I am starting to implement my new musical equipment policy. I have decided that I am going to start collecting only high quality, really useful equipment that I won't ever get rid of. The Marshall head did not meet the criteria, and so I am selling it. It is actually the first piece of serious musical equipment I have sold. I can't ever bring myself to sell guitars, and I think the most expensive piece I actually have sold was a Digitech effects processor. I am not too sad, because I plan on getting the Fender Tweed Blues Jr. with my gift cards I get for Christmas, plus the ones I've been saving all year. Also if my head sells for enough money, I will buy this snare. My drums are my weakest musical instruments, and so I am slowly going to replace them in pieces. I plan on getting a snare first, then cymbals and hardware one by one, and then the shell pack. I assume this will take many years, because pro quality drum equipment is super expensive. I have liked the Mapex Saturns I have heard, and that snare is over 350$ from Musician's Friend, so I would really like to buy it if my head sells for enough. I am also a sucker for sparkly drums...my favorite finish is white cream pearloid.
I am pretty tired but I plan on watching election results for a good bit longer. I figure as long as I make it to Thursday I will be fine, since I can sleep in. I think it's good to remember that God ordained whoever becomes president, and as Joe said, I'm going to have to find new friends because a bunch of mine are apparently moving to Canada.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
People complain about the BCS system, but I kind of like the consistency it demands...
There is just not that much to write about today. I got up at 5:45, and then after a few minutes of laying in bed and feeling sorry for myself I headed to work. I got there a little before Joe and read up on the days football games until he got there.
The conference was pretty uneventful. Running sound wasn't very exciting because 99% of it was just someone talking. I did read through a little bit of the manual for the Yamaha DM2000 (our console), and I know where a few more things are now. Other than that my day consisted of sitting at the board and trying to pay attention as much as possible.
I got home around 5 and kept track of the Clemson game online. I guess it's fine that I had to work, because the game was on ESPN-U, which we don't have. By the way, being a Charter customer has made me realize how good my Time Warner was in Columbia. We left to eat during the fourth quarter, because Boston College was making a comeback, which is excruciating when all you are watching is a text recap of each play.
We went to O'Charley's for dinner, which was delicious. I like to get the pick two thing there, where you get soup, rolls, a side, and two main items all for 12.00. Tonight I picked the steak and chicken fingers with steamed broccoli and loaded potato soup. Kristi just had soup, which seemed like way too little to me, but I guess whatever floats your boat...
On the way home I listened to an interview with Dabo on the radio and confirmed that we did in fact win. I was pretty excited. It's not like BC is the greatest team ever or anything, but we needed a win badly. I had some friends who were predicting we would lose out, but I told them we would beat BC, Virginia, Duke, and either USC or FSU. I like to be optimistic. At least I got the BC part correct.
After we got home I watched USC dominate Tennessee and then the Texas vs. TT game (which I'm still watching). It was sad to see USC win so big, but I guess Tennessee was real bad so I'm not completely worried yet. We'll see how they do the next few games.
Yup, that was pretty much my entire day. Tomorrow I have to get up early again, which I am not looking forward to. At least I get an extra hour!
The conference was pretty uneventful. Running sound wasn't very exciting because 99% of it was just someone talking. I did read through a little bit of the manual for the Yamaha DM2000 (our console), and I know where a few more things are now. Other than that my day consisted of sitting at the board and trying to pay attention as much as possible.
I got home around 5 and kept track of the Clemson game online. I guess it's fine that I had to work, because the game was on ESPN-U, which we don't have. By the way, being a Charter customer has made me realize how good my Time Warner was in Columbia. We left to eat during the fourth quarter, because Boston College was making a comeback, which is excruciating when all you are watching is a text recap of each play.
We went to O'Charley's for dinner, which was delicious. I like to get the pick two thing there, where you get soup, rolls, a side, and two main items all for 12.00. Tonight I picked the steak and chicken fingers with steamed broccoli and loaded potato soup. Kristi just had soup, which seemed like way too little to me, but I guess whatever floats your boat...
On the way home I listened to an interview with Dabo on the radio and confirmed that we did in fact win. I was pretty excited. It's not like BC is the greatest team ever or anything, but we needed a win badly. I had some friends who were predicting we would lose out, but I told them we would beat BC, Virginia, Duke, and either USC or FSU. I like to be optimistic. At least I got the BC part correct.
After we got home I watched USC dominate Tennessee and then the Texas vs. TT game (which I'm still watching). It was sad to see USC win so big, but I guess Tennessee was real bad so I'm not completely worried yet. We'll see how they do the next few games.
Yup, that was pretty much my entire day. Tomorrow I have to get up early again, which I am not looking forward to. At least I get an extra hour!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
