Connect 4

Last night - I was totally dominated in a fierce game of connect 4. Paul Schappert, a minor league pitcher for one of the Chicago Cubs feeder teams, absolutely destroyed me. Now I know I must be a little rusty on strategy...but wow. I need to brush up on my Connect 4 skills.

Speaking of connecting - here is another example of how small the world is. I grew up in texas, went to school in Arkansas/Tennessee/N.J. - and then moved back to texas and married a lovely redhead named ashley. Ashley used to go shopping at a small boutique in Southlake where she went to high school. The store owner was a friend of her's named Melissa, hence the store name "Charmed by Melissa." She and melissa got to be very close and now melissa actually works with Ashley at Anthropologie. Melissa married Paul, of recent Connect 4 fame, who also happened to grow up in Southlake. Paul, in 8th and 9th grade was really good friends with a guy who played soccer in Southlake named Andrew Rivas. Andrew Rivas has been one of my best friends since I was old enough to comprehend the concept of friendship. In this case - it's connect 5. heh.

Good story!

Tagged

I got tagged.
here we go -

20 years ago....
I was 5 - this was around the time I decided that playing basketball in the cast iron BBQ grill was a good idea. If anyone has ever looked closely at my two middle fingers and seen how one is misshapen...then you know why it wasn't a good idea. I was best friends with Andrew Rivas, who was an usher in my wedding, and is a very successful business man now.

10 years ago.....
In texas, you can get your permit at 15 (or at least when i was that age). I remember the happy day - we lived at 12203 Old Stage Trail out in Northwest austin. The drivers license place was just around the corner, and I remember going and getting my permit the day I turned 15. I also remember dad taking me out for a drive that night to go and get a fountain drink from a nearby gas station. It was then that I realized that a 1979 Plymouth trailduster does not take 90-degree turns at 45 m.p.h. very well. I haven't done that since. This was also around the time that I made all-state band in Texas. As geeky as you may think it is/was - i was/am proud of it.

5 years ago.....
Junior year at harding. This year came on the heels of one of the best in my life. AJP and I had quit bickering by now and we were friends - previously (unbeknownst to most) for some reason we only got along under forced pretenses...moving along - I really started to get serious about trombone and preparation for the future. I had goals, dreams, and a steady group of friends who loved to practice and hang out in the music building like i did. Mandy, Eric and Misty Curry (now Colgrove), Of course Brian, AJP. I lived with brian and bryant in the back room of the edwards house. Brian and I decided we would probably be better friends if we weren't roommates after this year. And perhaps it was better - because we are good friends still to this day :-). I gave my first trombone recital.

1 year ago...
I had been engaged to the beautiful Ash for a few months. I was studying with one of the most amazing trombonists. It was cold, but good. I made friends with some of the nicest, most genuine people. My musicianship was challenged and I grew. Powell put me back on the Greg Black 5G. I gave a recital that I was finally proud of after 2 years of struggling at Memphis.

tag....Brian?

Amusing, yes.

I can't win a job in the "New Philharmonic of Irving" - but I can win a job for a Touring production of the Broadway Musical of Little Women. I can win a job based on my resume and a recording for a show that is going to tour 30 states and 3 Canadian provinces...but I can't seem to play for a non-paying orchestra that meets around the corner from my apartment in the suberban metroplex. I am not upset about that, i think it's freakin hilarious. And the playing scene in Dallas sucks.

Oh the light...

down below, about 3 posts, you'll see a 7 things list. Scott drew attention in his comments to number 6. he stated that it's not gonna happen. I am more than ok with that. And I laughed out loud, while at work, at the blutness of the statement. It just means he knows me. I don't see the point. I'm grown up enough for whatever I need to do. I pay bills, have insurance, have a "real" job, make financial decisions for the family. blah blah blah blah. I still play video games (WITH my wife, we both enjoy Halo 3 thank you very much), like to hang with the guys and do kid stuff like have dart gun wars every now and then in the house. So yes - there it is. I guess in most ways, or at least some, I will never grow up.

I talked to Ryan Rice last night - he's deciding between staying in midland - playing and teaching, or moving to Louisiana to pursue his Certified Flight Instructor position and practice for upcoming auditions, and actually finish up his DMA stuff so he can get the fancy starchy piece of paper that dictates his new title of DR. Rice. As much as I say,"Dude - you don't know what you have till it's gone, keep playing!!!" I also know he has a love for aviation, so that's a tough call.

I might get to tour. With a Broadway show. Holy Moly.

Can you even begin to imagine the sound of the Angel of the Lord sheathing his sword?

The radio

As much as I may adore Kidd Kraddick in the morning, I have decided after sitting in front of my own computer for awhile - that I think that current radio and hits of today are a big, fat, waste of my time. The songs are lacking in any substantial material, some lacking in material period.

7 things

Thank alice anne for this one - 7 random facts! about yours truly.

1. I have eaten thai food 3 times in the past week. for no apparent reason at all.

2. Despite however long I may study him, I still hate Mozart(those last 2 were for you AA, fight the beast, don't give in to Mozarts cunningly boring yet intellect-building structured forms!!!)

3. I have a birth mark on the inside of my right elbow, and i used to be afraid people would think i don't use soap when i shower, because it looked like I didn't wash there.

4. I have 3 trombones, one of which cost 30 bucks on eBay.

5. I met a man today, who was Bulgarian and didn't believe that I had been to Sophia, Bulgaria. But no really, I've been.

6. I'm not sure, nor is probably anyone else who knows me, when exactly I will grow up.

7. I like track lighting, and black, chrome, and maroon interior decor. Modernesque if you will.


Ahh. that was enjoyable, if I do say so myself!

Tony...are you a camel?

Gwahhhhhh!!!!

That sound is funny when I try to produce it with my throat. It reminds me of Katie Barker Frazier!

mmm - Good things: I talked to Jon Schallert today and he sounds like he's doin great, and I talked to Scott yesterday or the day before. I miss those guys, I need to plan a trip to searcy to hang with them. I'm excited about going back to school, and eventually teaching College. The thought of that entices me, and i follow! The new phone is working out quite well...but i'm missing LOTS of phone numbers, which leads me to "bad things"...

Bad things: No XBOX 360 just quite yet. Krank and I cannot seem to beat ANYTHING on legendary, demonstrating that we are either just THAT bad, or it's just THAT hard. Credit Card Debt. oh, and that i'm missing lots of phone numbers

quandry

I'm not sure if I spelled my title right...


The serious part:

Why is it so hard to read the bible everyday. Why is it so hard to take the time to pray enough to develop the relationship with God that not-so-deep down I know I want. It's not that I don't know He's there or that I'm just blatantly living in sin...It's just that I'm not where I could be or where I should be. Suggestions and advice from the 2 or 3 of you that read? haha.

The not-so-serious part:

EECU has been a really amazing job. I have learned SO much from it, and the people I work with are great. But I teach 15 kids on tuesdays, nothing but trombone, and it is splended. I'm going to Austin this weekend to see UT play Kansas State, and to play Halo 3. WOOO! Ash and I are considering forgoing Christmas presents and buying ourselves an XBOX 360. I had dinner with Andrew Rivas last night and it was great to catch up. And i'm paying off dem bills! I'm going back to school.

GRAPEFEST IS COOL. Yo.

it's time.

I can't do this forever.

It's time to clean off the rust.

Kidd

Kidd Kraddick in the morning absolutely MAKES my morning. If you have him in your area, listen, if not, go here and listen to him. Absolutely hilarious, entertaining and all that jazz. A step above everything else on the station for sure.

Rant coming - Contemporary Christian artists need to get more creative. I thouroughly enjoy listening to the Christian station here, and listening to the praise music during the middle of the day is great, but not when it's just rehashed old songs that should have been left alone. I also heard a Christian singer redo a Sting song. THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT BETTER. I'm not sure if the Contemporary Christian world thinks that all of a sudden, because it's been redone (and poorly at that) that makes it ok to play on "our" stations or what, and that's just silly. God works through anything that He sees fit. If that's Sting, so be it. And from a completely musical standpoint - if you don't have anything fresh and new to add to a song, don't make a lame remake. COME ON. That is all.

OH - and I'm going to see Mahler 1 tonight with Dave. Sweet.

blogging

I just read a note by someone who doesn't blog because of the comments that she gets that are very spiteful. Sad day. When one human exploits another human's insecurities, for what reason, who knows. But after the blog she had so many "you go girl" comments, so hopefully that has helped the negative be countered. I'm not really sure why i just started out with this.

I feel like sometimes my serious blogs always come back to the same issue. And it seems like that issue is always something to do with coming back to God and how things just "work" better if you do. For instance - if you root your self-worth in God, your eyes are clear when you look inside yourself to see your worth. That isn't to say that it's not hard, or that the crap of the world doesn't exploit your insecurities (as mentioned above), but the fact is if you understand your worth in the eyes of God, then you see the truth. Status and material stuff, I would venture to say, are the leaders of the worldy worth-measurers. I can relate to that, it's nice to be the one that people come to because you know what they want to know, it's nice to be a person who is looked to for leadership. It's nice to be the one that people want to hang out with cause you have all the fancy toys. And there's nothing wrong with that, and I am grateful to those people with all the cool toys, cause I get to play with them ;-) But going beyond that, and realizing that it's just stuff, or that the fact you are the know it all...is NOTHING....if you don't have the love of God in your heart. Cliche? The part of I Corinthians 13 talks about having certain gifts, but if you don't have love, it's worth Jack Squat. I have been, and am arrogant, this is not love. Humility is something i view as a by product of a true compassionate love. I used to say a prayer every morning asking for that. The problem - is that the previous sentence contains the words "used to."

Jennie Gay is getting married soon, I'm glad that they are finally going to settle down, and start their lives together. Love those guys.

I miss my trombone. I've been contemplating the possibility of going back to school. And I have started to lean toward wanting to get my doctorate. Before - I was 100% against it. And I'm not sure right now if I want it just to be called "Dr. Garcia" cause it sounds cool...even though there are many benefits to going back and getting that degree. DMA's help when you want to actually get a college teaching job. Sometimes, the scholarship money is better for a DMA as opposed to the Diploma or Certificate that I was after, though that is definitely a SOMETIMES argument. But where to do that at.....

I'll tell you where. Wherever ashley get's a job - she is excelling beyond her own, and everyone else's expectations. This is her niche, and I wonder why God didn't lead her to this path before now. (that question actually just came into my head, and begs wondrance) I'm excited for her, and she is PUMPED about this field. She has already been told she has all the qualifications and the eye to be a fashion merchandiser...and she also has the skill and creative mind for fashion design. She JUST started sewing this year, and you should she the kind of stuff she can make. It's amazing. I'm ready for fall - Ash and I both have great fall wardrobes, and I can't wait to bust it out.

Good Ol Rich

And if you listen to my songs I hope you hear the water falling
I hope you feel the oceans crashing on the coast of north New England
I wish I could be there just to see them, two summers past I was
And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America

- Rich Mullins


it's always nice to think about escaping. When I listen to rich - I do that, his way of bringing you out of your own life and placing you somewhere within his God-focused life. Wierd? Maybe so. But cool - definitely.

the gayborhood

Hope no one is alarmed or startled by the title. Not that anyone is really reading this yet, but i did just put it on my facebook site.

I just wrote a huge long story about our experience in the gayborhood in dallas....and then decided it was funnier if you were there. so....just imagine you were.

Today at work I got a 15,000 Home Improvement loan rollin! WOOT! Very excited about that, my first big loan, and the first one for the month of august. They should be approved so that's that. Opened some checking accounts, and savings accounts - tried to get into one of our programs too many times, so then it locked me out, and my boss and others had to make my debit cards for me for the rest of the day. booo.

Talked to scott today. VERY excited about that. Working in a finance place has done amazing things for my own personal finances. if anyone has any questions.....email me. And if you live in dallas, come see me for all your financial needs *cue cheesy smile*

Why not

I've been sitting here in front of a computer in a Hotel in Washington D.C. for about an hour now. I just auditioned for the second time for the U.S. Navy Band and according to them, did worse (however I thought It was actually better). No advance, no problem. I've never seen the buildings that make up our nation's capital before, so I'm going to fix that today. I've also decided to start up this blog because it looks better than xanga, though I doubt I'll be able to keep up with it. I haven't exactly been good at keeping up with the last one. All my names I wanted to use were used already. Even bobtheelephant, WHO uses that?!? Such is life I guess.

This business of auditioning is absurred. Musicians (and I am not bragging by any means) must have some sort of fierce drive within them to hit the audition circuit. How else do you explain spending 400 bucks everytime you want the chance to audition under incredibly unfair odds? Ask them, and they'll probably just give you the same answer I would - something along the lines of "you just have to" or something akin to "paying your dues" or "you have to lose 99 before you win 1." Cliche but true. I could tell you the story of the associate principal trombone of the L.A. Phil who literally took 99 before he won an audition. I don't know if he was fudging the figures abit when he told that story or not, but that just means I have...90 more to go. Here I come ASO.

Ryan Rice is coming to visit before he goes on a date up here in D.C. I miss my jersey friends, and my searcy friends, but I can't really complain. I have a good job back in Arlington, TX and I have a wonderful wife. I have a God that refuses to give up on me, thank Him. I have no idea what he has in store for us. I guess we'll see.