Everyone else did...why not?

5 things for halloween week

2011-10-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

FYI - this post has nothing to do with halloween at all, but I WILL be carving a pumpkin and roasting pumpkin seeds with my bride tomorrow!

1. I don't know what exactly to say that I'm thankful for but - I just played with the Jacksonville Symphony - and it is the best orchestra I have ever played with. It was exhilarating!! Sure we weren't playing huge staples of the literature (it was a halloween concert complete with Harry Potter and Hall of the Mountain King) but it was AWESOME. To get technical - it was amazing to be a part of an orchestra where I didn't have to wonder if the strings were going to be able to play the music, the woodwinds would be in tune, the principal trumpet would actually lead the brass section, and whether or not the horns would actually be able to hit the high notes (much less in tune). It was truly humbling and enlightening experience. So....I'm thankful for it.

2. Passion - without it, #1 wouldn't have been possible. Musicians do a unique thing, and when there is passion behind it, it's just that much better.

3. Dave - my friend dave myslinski came down - he's a suit who works for ALEC as the director of their educational task force. We were school mates together at rutgers and he had a conference down here, and just decided to make it a week-long vacation to visit me and keep me company while Ashley is in Dallas. He's a fun pal and we went gun shopping. He's also my go to guy for when I don't understand what's going on in politics, or I need to know the dirt on a particular candidate.

4. US Navy - as far as I know (and I may have already been thankful for this via blog), I make more than probably 80% of my colleagues in the professional trombonist realm (and probably more than most of my colleagues my age).

5. The sermon that I heard on tithing - 10% of the first fruits. God says test Him - so we are doing it. My car sold after this decision and our first action regarding it - allowing me to fix the tinting on the mustang, and do other maintenance things needed and pay off another credit card.

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow....

no matter how big or small.

long time - no 5 things

2011-10-20T15:14:00.001-07:00

I know that I'm WAY over due. like possibly a month. My apologies so here to make up for it...I'll do 6 things!

1. I may have already been bloggoly thankful for him - but Brian Neal - THIS time for keeping me accountable to keep up with this so that I can continue to look for contentment instead of something that darkens life. And for playing halo whenever I want to :-)

2. For beautiful music. My audition circuit buddy Sarah Paradis who is the new trombone teacher at Bemidji State University in Minnesota wrote a blog about why she does what she does, pointing out several instances that give her inspiration, motivation and reinforces the passion for what we do. I decided to open my ears to find something that would do the same thing to remind myself of my love for playing music. Go figure...it starts with a quartet arrangement of a showtune :-) One Hand, One Heart - from West Side Story

3. Dave Ramsey - for the inspiration to get rid of debt and showing the evidence of the benefits of it. And for telling morons that they're morons when they need to be told that.

4. Hope - nothing better to lift your spirits than that. In the smallest things. And in the biggest things. You can always have it if you choose.

5. Matthew 6:34 - "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Kenji reminded me of this the other day by laughing about the fact that he's never stressed out because he doesn't think about tomorrow (except which uniform to show up in). It's a beautiful concept. Thanks Jesus! :-)

6. Per Diem for out of town trips - which means I'm ordering the steak!

5 things

2011-09-10T04:30:00.000-07:00

1. Twitter - cause i don't feel the need to accept everyone as my friend...and i can be more honest there. and then go and get a good laugh by re-reading old tweets.

2. New Jersey - never did I think that I would be thankful for my time there. But lets be honest - I made great friends there, played great music with even greater musicians there, I got a terminal degree there (well...almost). And I got fat on AWESOME food :-)

3. CFL - aka Command Fitness Leader (not Canadian Football League...sorry Ed). The chief who is charge of this is very down to earth, knowledgable, and is probably 1% body fat, IF that. I can ask him anything about food, diet, exercise and he is always willing to help.

4. Chris Sanchez - My tough, cuban-italian, sometimes vulgar, foul-mouthed friend who has a friggin' heart of gold. Just don't tell anyone.

5. RTC - cause now I have a reference point to look back at when I think things aren't going well...and I can say that I've definitely had it worse.

this weeks 5 things i'm thankful for

2011-08-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

1. Dillon Music - The whole team at Dillon music is AWESOME. Some very good friends and musicians there help to keep me up with the latest and greatest gear, and advice on all sorts of things related to music. My time there was invaluable and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

2. Anthony Wise - New Lesson teacher. Young, hip, killer player, and it's looking like he's going to be good for me as far as tromboning goes.

3. Iphone - Call me shallow if you want, the iphone is a phenomenal tool that helps me keep in touch with friends, schedule work, remind me of things I would most certainly forget otherwise, and it keeps me entertained with things like Coindozer and I do not apologize for that.

3b. Facetime - AWESOME way to keep in touch with friends/family and see their bright and shining faces!

4. I'm thankful for my desire to workout more and get rid of some of this tummy tum tum.

5. I'm thankful to have an aggressive horn player as part of my quintet. They are usually not. Or if not that, it's always something.

So many things I want to type now!! But I must go. It's time to learn.

5 things

2011-08-17T04:36:00.001-07:00

In a recent study (that my mom ran across) - some researchers found that those who wrote down 5 things they were thankful for each week during a 12 week survey, were more successful at achieving their goals that they had set at the beginning of the study, and were also healthier during the course of it. So here goes:

1. I'm thankful for my wife. She takes care of me, organizes my mess that I manage to create for us, and does all this while staying fit, and working on her own fashion line.

2. I'm thankful for the Navy band. I have a job where I play trombone, and that's about it. I have better benefits than any civillian performing job out there, and my salary is greater than most of them also.

3. I'm thankful for realizing that finance was not the field I wanted to go into, and heading back into music. I think i'm much happier because of it.

4. I'm thankful for the finance job I DID have when we first got married, cause it gave me a good wake up call to get my finances in order.

5. I'm thankful for XBOX live. Laugh all you want, this helps keep me connected and enjoy a past time with a few of my very best friends.

Till next time!

I found where cuts should be made....

2011-08-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

Salary of retired US Presidents .............$180,000 FOR LIFE
Salary of House/Senate ........................$174,000 FOR LIFE
Salary of Speaker of the House ............$223,500 FOR LIFE
Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders ......$193,400 FOR LIFE
Average Salary of a teacher ..................$40,065
Average Salary of Soldier DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN $38,000
I think we found where the cuts should be made!

Now you may say - that's not comparing apples to apples, that's not a soldiers/sailors retirement. Yeah - it'll never be that much until they reach flag officer level...and that takes more than 4 years. try at least 5 times as long.

And also - their job is no more serious or important to our national safety/advancement/integrity. It's BULL.

And they will not point the finger at themselves first. They point it at military retirement. At medicaid. At welfare. At hard-working, high-earning Americans.

dave

2011-06-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Partying with dave this weekend. We make it a semi-tradition to have a cigar every now and then when he's around. So I will be doing that. Don't worry people - i'm not a big time smoker. In fact...i'll probably be looking for something like a vanilla flavored cigar. I'm a man. wanna fight about it?

Got assigned to Brass Quintet for the navy band here (which I may have mentioned in the last post) I'm REALLY excited. I feel back at home, and also a need to practice now. So that should make the monotony easier! I am loving this job. LOVING it.

Also - iPhone 4 + facetime = FANTASMIC.

Post bootcamp

2011-06-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since the last blog. SO much has changed. First of all i'm in the Navy now. Good ol MUSN (Musician Seaman) Garcia is my official title and I literally play "full time" for a living. Let us look back....

Bootcamp was miserable. My friend Jim Watkins can attest to this - Watkins was my protege at Rutgers, but went into the navy to play bone 1 month before I did. He said the day we saw each other in the galley was the worst he'd ever seen me. I will not disagree with him. I was absolutely disheveled emotionally and physically. My head was shaved (full heads of hair help hide fat faces apparently), my clothes were too big, and I looked like a scared 18 year-old. Which wasn't that far off...just a decade. Long story short - I DID get "beat" (a navy term for intense working out in full camos and boots....pain.) for the stupid antics of dumb teenagers just like I was afraid I would. I hated life for about 4 weeks straight. I know...it sounds dramatic. I'm dramatic. Whatever. The only thing 2 things that I look forward to, was getting in my rack at night...and the letters from Ashley, family and friends. But I made it through. Passed the PT tests, lost 22 lbs overall, and graduated. It sucked.

I almost got set back in training because of a misunderstanding AFTER I had graduated bootcamp (but that's another story) - but I didn't, and on december 1st, I flew to Norfolk, Virginia and reported to the Musician A-school at Little Creek Joint Expeditionary Base in Virginia Beach. Ash moved down from jersey the following week and we got an awesome 3 bdr/1 bath house right up the road from the base.

A-school was interesting. It was easy. Time consuming - and sometimes stupid. But easy and beneficial to my military knowledge and to my chops. I got just enough phone signal in the practice rooms to stream netflix, so I would watch "Scrubs" while I was doing long tones or whatever monotonous exercises I could think of that were good for the chops, but boring to the mind. Made some GOOD friends that I miss very much already. And learned alot from my teacher - Ssgt. Ebo (USMC). He's a KILLIN Jazz player that is rivaled by few as far as I'm concerned. I also got to witness the "hurry up and wait" that people talk about the military being about. I can do that. That's what smartphones are for. I got the 4th highest overall score in the past decade from the school - which I do attribute to my good friend Diane informing that I should take the academic portion seriously (thanks Diane!) and because of that I'll be getting an advanced promotion to E4 in mid-August.

I received emailed word that I would get stationed in Jacksonville, which was our first choice for duty station. Imagine my surprise when I received orders stating I was going to Rhode Island. Well, this was apparently a surprise to the masterchief who writes our orders...and he informed me that that was a mistake and I was definitely going to Jacksonville. And that is where I write to you from now.

We have a condo on the river, with a porch that overlooks the complex's pool. I'm 5 minutes from base, driving against traffic. I was assigned as the trombonist for the brass quintet. My wife is happy, my dogs are happy. I paid off my car and we are aggressively paying off debt, which in turn makes my bank account happy. We are close to finding a church home. And I was home by 12:30 today. God is good. Look how far He's brought me.

4 days

2010-10-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

Remember that time I started to blog about doing P90X? Hahahahahahahahahahahahmmm....

I just spent about an hour reading my friend Tim Wylie's blog - he's a buddy that I met when we moved to Searcy and I started going to the Westside Church of Christ. I was in his brother's wedding, we used to go over and jam at his house. He always had girlfriends and guitars. We actually lived together one summer too, it was a party. If you knew him - he hasn't changed (other than maturity and brain size...oh family size too), or at least that what it seems like after reading his blog for an hour, catching up on a year of his life.

In 4 days, I'll be chillin at home, and my Navy Recruiter will roll up to my house in a government car, and pick me up. I'll go to MEPS in Brooklyn, where they will give me hotel briefing. I was informed this basically is them telling us not to do it with anyone while at the hotel, and not to leave. The following morning I'll go back to MEPS (Military Enlistment Processing Station?) at the buttcrack of dawn, and pee in a cup as well as get measured again. Then they'll give me a plane ticket and I'll go to an oath ceremony. There I'll swear in - and say goodbye for 2 months to the sweetest, most beautiful woman I know. This is by far, the hardest thing about the military, and I literally thank God it's only for 2 months. Oh, i'll also say goodbye to best friend/roommate Ed (which will stink too...but not as much, love you Ed). I know God will take care of her, and us - but that certainly doesn't completely alleviate the human emotions.

Basic Training - 8 weeks of doing EXACTLY what I'm told to do. No more. No less. I've been in touch with my friend Jim Watkins' mom recently - he's a rutgers grad who joined the navy after I did, to do the same thing (play trombone), but somehow managed to get to leave sooner. She is saying he's had a lot of downtime for the first few weeks of basic. Now, Jim is an alumni of the Cadets of Bergen County of DCI fame. So his version of a summer and mine are quite different, and his version of a "walk in the park" is also, I'm certain, quite different than mine. I'm expecting it to be bad. I can do the pushups I need to, I can do the situps I need to...but the running. I'm sure I'll get better at it. Especially with someone forcing me to do it.

Everyone who has been there is telling me to go for some sort of leadership position while I'm there among my division. Not a bad idea because I think it goes towards promotion. The quicker I can get to E-4 - the quicker I can get to my test for E-6 (see previous post).

In Wylie style - i'll talk about something else. I polished all my nice mouthpieces at the shop yesterday and got a DB-90 Metronome. The most awesomest ever. Everyone at dillon's has been nice and kind and sorry to see me go, and I do appreciate it. Makes me feel good.

I will miss my two babies. Even though bubble still poops randomly and sometimes without any warning at all. I think Kiko likes his eyes rubbed - probably because they stick out so far from his head.

Write me letters while I'm at basic. I'll need it to keep the sanity I have from being destroyed by uninformed and immature 18-year-olds. :-)

5 year goal

2010-09-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

1. Become the best trombonist among the US Navy Fleet Bands

2. Become debt free

3. Be ready to take the E-6 Test by the end of my first enlistment

4. Finish my Doctorate

5. Be a legitimate improviser

Title

2010-09-08T20:35:00.001-07:00

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God"

I should get back to that - that title is SWEET.

run

2010-08-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

1.5 miles in exactly 12:53. Good enough for a "Good - Low" pass on the US Navy scale.

I'm not stopping there though. i'll bet I can at least get down to 210.

practice time

2010-08-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Practice time! Sat in and watched the book for Damn Yankees out in Northport the other night. Then played the following night. Gaps in fundamental abilities. Not good.

But fixable.

Tired of Waiting

2010-07-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

I'll admit - this post is being written in a semi-copycat manner thanks to a recent blog by my friend Alice-Anne. She and her husband are in transition time in life, as am I. Or rather I will be. Her outlook on the whole thing is encouraging and so right as far as the treatment of the unknown. She knows now where she will be going, though she didn't always. And knows how they will make ends meet, though they hadn't figured it out still up until very recently. She also knows that her future is in the hands of the Creator, which basically means - She's set.

The title of the post is actually pretty amusing the more I think about it. I've known about my entry date into the US Navy for about 3 months now, and I'm excited and so ready to get to it. I'm tired of the state of limbo i'm in, and yet I press on knowing I have a good thing waiting for me at the end of this 5 month "rainbow". And I really am tired of waiting - BUT the irony lies in the fact that so many people who I talk to say how the military (particularly basic training) is a bunch of "hurry up and wait." I can attest to that - MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) seemed to be the epitome of this. Hurry and get to the next physical test....now wait until we call you...then hurry up to the next...etc.

The only sucky thing that I can see about joining the Navy is the fact that I actually am getting used to New Jersey. I kind of like it here, Ashley and I have a blessed life here, with a few very good friends. Some think the fact that I have to go and join the military I might get sent off to war. To that I say this - if the country becomes so desperate for soldiers that they are sending bandsmen? Chances are that I already would have volunteered to protect and fight. Or they may start up the draft again. Who knows.

The way I look at it is this: I will have a job that will pay me to play daily, practice, stay in shape, and be part of something with a great long-standing tradition. Not to mention the perks like housing allowance, Loan Repayment, and did I mention they are paying me to play?

Bring it on.

(in a couple months that is...i guess I can wait till then)

overlooked

2010-06-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

Finally have found a place we can dig into (as far as church is concerned) that isn't a struggle to get to everyweek because of distance and ambiance (for lack of a better word). During the sermon ran across a verse which basically stated to be kind to everyone.

This is INCREDIBLY hard. and yet incredibly simple.

and I've become increasingly sucky at it. Guess I should work on that.

day "3"

2010-06-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

HOY. Plyometrics kicked my tail. It literally took me 3 days for my legs to recover - I suppose this is due to the fact that i've been working my upper body lately, but haven't done anything but run for my lower body which is muccccch different than jump training.

Ate some things I wish I hadn't over the week, but back on track now. Its amazing how after eating right for awhile, that one night of fish tacos and a brownie sunday can send your body into revolt.

day 3 was shoulders and arms. Glamour workout he called it! I feel like i didn't actually get the hang of all the moves and though I can feel the work today, i think next time i can definitely go harder.

On a side note - Jim Pugh wants me to take a lesson with him over Skype. :-)

P90X - day 2

2010-06-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was probably the hardest i've ever worked my self in the last 3 years. It felt good, and there is a twinge of not wanting to do it again buttttttttttt I will.

Ed did last night's workout with me - today he may or may not do it we'll see, but eitherway, it's nice to have a video because it distracts my mind from wandering and keeps me focused on the task at hand. I'm gonna go do it now.

In a completely vain statement - the sweat was running along the "Y" shape of the top of my chest and bottom of my neck and I looked ripped. And I think that gets me excited about the fact that I could get ripped up again, even though I know I'm not right now. hahahaha! BRING IT!!

Anchors Away!

2010-05-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed that it's not spelled as above? The song for the US Navy, my future employer, is spelled "Anchors Aweigh". Weird.

Ship date - 20101006

My recruiter said it's still possible I could get an earlier ship date, which would be fantastic financially...but I'm still not sure that it will happen.

It's been along time since I've used this.

Work = drama

I'm going to need to sloooowly get used to writing on here again. Don't want to give away all the fun at once.

Deal

2009-09-26T14:21:00.001-07:00

Ash and I made a deal.

She spent her life as an athlete, training, practicing, working out. And she wants to get back into it - however, the thought of doing what is necessary to get the result she wants is daunting because of the AMOUNT of work that has to go into it.

I feel the EXACT same way about trombone. I know what I have to do to win a job. But I am also well aware of my current state of ability.

We both want results now, and we both know that won't happen. Thus begins the accountability. She works out, I have to go practice. I practice, she has to go work out. This could work.

Workin

2009-09-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

It seems like it finally has happened. I am having to actually WORK for my DMA. Who woulda thunk right? Apparently, outside the lovely state of New Jersey, Rutgers has a stellar reputation as far as academics are concerned so I guess it only fits that the work is hard now.

I am taking an "intro to music research" class, which is required before I can take performance practice and my history courses. We read a long excerpt out of an article called "A Critique of Textual Criticism." I read a criticism of criticism. Sometimes I don't get academia.

Trombone is going well - i've realized that this is probably the last year I can afford to really spend the time practicing like I want to. Time to buckle down. I made an excerpt book. and am scheduling a lesson with Joe Alessi. zoikes. He is going to own me.

Y

2009-05-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace Micah. May you fly with the angels. You were my acquaintance and yet my sister. You are now where we long to be, where our final goal is. Why is not a question that anyone can necessarily answer, for His ways our not our ways. But one day we'll meet. We'll talk. We'll worship. And that day is the day that "why" will not matter anymore.

hidden

2009-04-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

Only a few people read this blog - so it's confession time. For those of you who may not know toooo much about me - here we go.

1. Since moving here (again) it seems as though my mouth has become dirtier. I can't blame this on my surroundings, but only on my lack of resolve to stand my ground. Never did I think that was going to be a slippery slope for me.

2. I'm in the arts, and though surrounded by it, I do not think homosexuality is right or even OK. But let me add this as a suffix. I am a Christian, believe it or not (my deepest apologies to those who don't know, that means I'm not living how I should). Christ's gospel is a message of love, not the judgement with which so many people associate Christianity. The Miss California of 2009 stood her ground on national television. I agree with her. BUT - this doesn't mean that she and I are any different in regards to Sin(see #4). Do I do wrong things? On a daily basis. Am I any different as far as Sin is concerned? Absolutely not. No one is perfect, not even one. And that provides the basis for a realization the God's Grace is amazing and simultaneously sufficient.

3. Even though I thought I grew out of having a "pleaser" mentality - I definitely haven't.

4. I believe in absolute right and wrong. Sin is a reality. Unless you believe that there is such a thing as absolute truth, you can't fully understand the gravity of sin. It weighs heavy on the heart, and eats at the soul. And that sucks.

5. Tolerance is not a virtue I strive for. If you want to ride the fence - be my guest, but the wedgie is a pain to pick out. Compassion is what I will strive for.

Part of me feels like this is a huge post. Part of me feels like all of this should be a given. Ugh.

a little late - but good nonetheless

2009-04-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

Christmas Poem by an Old Friend Melissa "Daniel" Orr
written December 24th, 2008

A bright and shining proclamation
Waited for since the fall of creation
The shepherds at first full of freight
Then joyfully followed and found Messiah in the night
You came to us by the light of a morning star

From up on high to a world full of danger
The fate of mankind lay swaddled in a manger
Men from the East came searching for a king
Guided by a light as they were traveling
All who will see must look to the morning star

We, too, were once full of fear
Coming from afar and wanting to be near
Looking up in the heights we have found a truth to engage
It is shining on us in the night of this age
And now you are the morning star

Cut down and stripped, this dying tree
A cross for the man from Galilee
And cursed he was hanging there on Calvary
That guilty men might go free
Now blessed, that hill, where stood the tree of life

O worship Messiah! Even so gentile
No longer do we roam in exile
For we have been grafted in and die to our selfishness
That abiding in Christ we may become oaks of righteousness
Now we belong to the tree of life

Gather all, ye cedars of Lebanon
Come and see, you cypresses from Hirom
There planted by the river, ancient and true
With healing for the nations and life anew
Away, oh curse! Triumphant is the tree of life!

the line

2009-02-08T16:19:00.001-08:00

This is hard. I don't know whether to launch in headfirst, or refrain as I always have done. Unfortunately, I'm starting to actually care about some of it.

UGH. Come on phone. RING dangit.

Interesting Thought on a daily activity

2009-01-20T07:19:00.000-08:00

Practice

It is a privilege—
to have a situation
where you can practice

It is a joy—
it was in the beginning
and it must remain a joy

It is improvement—
one must strive to improve
with each practice session

It is relaxed—
in the arms, in the face,
and in the breathing process

It is beautiful—
settle for nothing less
than your most beautiful tone always

It is expressive
show something of yourself
in everything you play

It is forever—
if you wish to improve and grow as an artist

--Buddy Baker, March 1995

up we go

2009-01-11T13:46:00.000-08:00

The airforce has by-far my favorite military anthem. Ever since I was a little kid I've wanted to be a fighter pilot. I used to have this dark-blue jumpsuit that said airforce on it, and I can remember wanting to wear that to Church because I thought it was dressy enough. I also had a red jumper but it was to be a firefighter which I didn't think was as cool as flying planes. I do however remember when I discovered that the airforce wouldn't allow you to be a fighter pilot if you had the need for corrective lenses, which I had. It was a sad day. Today on the other hand is a happy day - because tomorrow I get a chance to join the airforce! Of course I have to wade through 2 - 4 rounds of stiff competition...but!...the positive news is that they will allow a trombonist with corrective lenses to be in the airforce band. yahoo! Prayers please. thanks!

T-minus 16 hours.

CHRIMAS

2008-12-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

It was brought to my attention today that when I say "Merry Chrimas!" that I'm essentially quoting Brian Neal. This is a relief to me. The abbreviated holiday greeting is something that I find hilarious, and usually more fun to say than regular December exclamations. But the other day I did indeed find myself thinking,"Where the freak did that come from anyway?..." Now, thanks to AJP I do know where, indeed, it came from. So...in the vain of Brian Neal (is that a proper way to use that?) MERRY CHRIMAS!

Here I go again on my ooooooown

2008-12-14T20:12:00.001-08:00

Air Force or Bust*

bust = continue school. win - win situation. yahoo.

Teaser

2008-11-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

I just saw something neat on the internet. Thanks old friend.

SO - when I was at harding, there was this lil "club" of us who at some point decided that living at the music building every night was a desirable thing to do. Many reasons for this, for one, now all of a sudden we had a group to belong to within major that didn't allow us to do much else. (I'm not asking for pity, I wouldn't change that for the world) For 2 - being at the music building among those people allowed me to practice, cause they were practicing. And it was in a relaxed environment that didn't make you feel isolated from the rest of the world. For 3...well...friends and practice. And it was like our little place to be.

When I moved to memphis, I didn't realize how important that was to me. I had good friends in memphis, but no one that just inspired me to practice, no one who's energy and determination I could leach off of, which was fine, because at that point I learned to practice on my own. Now - as I read that, it just sounds like I have no self-sustaining drive. And to a point that is true, I'll be the first to admit that if there are other people around that practice, I practice.

So enter the Rutgers Period a few years later (present), I'm talking to a friend who is almost finished here, and I say," Hey Smiles McGuillicutty (that's not his name...but we'll say it is), how much do you practice?" Now smiles is a VERY accomplished player, and makes a great living freelancing in NYC doing alot of what I would like to do. He said to me,"Not much...just like 3 hours a day." As Scott broke it down for me last night, Smiles practices 1/8th of his entire day, everyday, and that's including sleep time. We'll say - 1/5th of his day is spent practicing. at THIS POINT I realize, it's time to get my butt in gear. So I say," Tough balls - get in the practice room and practice even if you don't know anyone else who is practicing." So I do.

Anthony Williams is a DMA trombonist at Memphis right now, and a general Bad-A trombonist, and he told me about his routine at UNI where he would get up and get into the practice room early in the morning for a good 3 hours and get it all in, a good "workout" if you will. So I thought I would try that, half the time Ashley gets up to go to work by 6:30 anyways, why not go to school and put in some good time?!

Lo and behold. I found a group of people who like to get to the practice room early, and practice like crazy. Meet Mika, Todd, Greg, and Sam (sam is usually in the other building, but she's ALWAYS there...I can count on that)

I'm excited. I live for this stuff!

Things I miss

2008-10-21T06:30:00.001-07:00

-Harding University Marching Band
-Late nights in the Reynolds Center with a trombone and my good friends
-A Time with no Credit Cards and Student Loans
-Homecoming festivities (being a part of them, not attending)
-David Pietzman spending more time at my apartment than his own dorm
-Trips to Troy, MO to see crazy show choir action (granted I only did that once)
-Faculty that care about more than whether or not you are practicing
-The CAF
-Joshua Lundin being the best roommate ever (pre-Ashley of course!)
-Jon Schallert and I getting on Dr. Casey's bad list...and then removing ourselves somehow
-the "cheers" environment (think the theme song to the TV show)
-Wal-marts that aren't filthy.
-Cheap, clean and safe apartments
-Brian Neal's antics, whatever they may have been
-Rees Jones and his casual pronunciation of "Sicut Cervus"
-Stupid bear, Dumb bear, and fat bear
-CHORUS
-Sycamore View Church in Memphis
-My Hondas
-Searcy at Christmas Time
-DASH
-Scott's Fro
-Serenading the entire campus with a polka band
-Performing with Abby Smith
-8-part O Holy Night.
-Holiday parties at the house of the man formerly known as "Mr." Chance
-Bible Study at the Murray's.
-My family and my lil sister being 5 minutes away

It's good to go back and think about this stuff sometimes. :-)

NYC

2008-09-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

New York City. Greatest city in the world!

BULL Crap.

New Post because of DASH

2008-09-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

First to explain:

DASH - You'll notice that when I spell the name "Alice-Anne Murray" there is a small symbol that is not a letter. This can be called a hyphen, or in some cases a dash. Ergo - Dash = Alice-anne murray-soon-to-be-Light.

So...the last post was saying that we need an apartment in NYC. Oh how things have changed. Ashley's job is very stressful and fast-paced. We didn't want to live in a hole-in-the-wall in the same sort of environment so I struck a deal after something. "Ashley...(i said to her), if we live in New Brunswick (where rutgers is)...I'll buy you a new chihuahua puppy named bubble." To which she replied,"Done." So there you have it.

We live very close to the cook douglass campus, which is where I work and have rehearsals and class. Also - only about 5 minutes from the train station, which ash takes in to work everyday. The train...not the station...just in case anyone needed clarification. OH! And we shipped the mustang up here! But I forgot my bike. Boooooooo.

I'm taking 2 classes: Instrumental Lit & Study of Musical Analysis. Let me break it down for you

Instrumental Lit - historical and contextual study of instrumental literature
actually - A holistic approach to the humanities using liberal generalities and worldviews. But in all honesty - I think I'm going to REALLY like the class. It's not a normal "memorize and regurgitate" history class. The professor is quirky, but knowledgeable and it's gonna be good I think.

Study of Musical Analysis - exactly what is says. But it's taught by a young professor, who, as far as I can tell, is fresh out of Columbia University with his PhD (WITH distinction even!). He is brilliant, the class is engaging, and is probably gonna be hard as butt.

They seem to be interaction based classes which is nice because lectures get boring, the student to teacher ratio allows it to be a very engaging class. Yesterday was my first time in the analysis class (i was in a different one before...that's a whole other post), and they discussed an article they had read for yesterday for about 2 hours. I had no idea what the article said, but was interested and didn't fall asleep! It's gonna be a good class!

On the playing front - Orchestra, Jazz 'Bones, Brass Quintet, Trombone group of some sort
We are playing sibelius 2 which I did when I was at memphis. I had forgotten what an amazing piece of music that is. Go and listen to the 4th movement, and then the 2nd, and then the 1st, and then the 3rd leading to the 4th again. GO NOW! It's greatness. Or don't...whatever, I don't care. Punk.

I got recruited to play in Jazz Bones which I'm VERY excited about, I want to play underneath Conrad Herwig's direction. It's gonna be awesome.

I'm playing the show "The Secret Garden" in october! Small world - Billy Nobel, who is the piano player from the Carnival Ship I worked on, went to school with a girl named Meg. Shayne Mims auditioned for Secret Garden and was cast in it, the musical director really liked him, her name is Meg. They are one in the same - anyway - so I talked to shayne, found out about the show, employed the power of google to find out who the MD was, emailed her, only to realize that she was in the same piano studio at Carnegie-Mellon as my dear friend billy. Small World, eh?

*OH! and if you like country music, listen to the song "So do you believe me now" by Jimmy Wayne. It's currently No. 1 on the billboard C&W chart. Billy is Jimmy's pianist. And while he may not be on the actual recording...if you go see Jimmy Wayne in concert - there you will find billy. Proud of that boy!*

Hmm...time to analyze the first song of Dichterliebe. Wahoo.

Apartment

2008-08-05T16:17:00.001-07:00

And now I need an apartment in NYC. Help!!!!!!!!!

and I still need to sell the washer, dryer, and mustang. ugh.

for sale

2008-08-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

Anyone want a 2005 mustang?

or perhaps a washer and dryer? I can deliver it as far as philadelphia...

DDS

2008-06-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

6.16.08 - Comprehensive Exam, X-rays, Deep Scaling on left side
6.19.08 - Deep Scaling on Right side.
6.27.08 - Upper Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Kids - don't forget to floss.

Believe it or not - one can grow tired of milkshakes. They do NOT bring this boy to the yard.

small town america IS small

2008-06-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

So the perp in the previous entry - just happens to be the high school ex-boyfriend of a coworker's sister. HA.

Searcy, Arkansas. Town of around 45,000. Though that could be a city. A city, according to merriam-webster's online dictionary is "an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village." So then I guess I would call Searcy a city and not a town. Ok, so start over.

Searcy, Arkansas. CITY of around 45,000. Harding student population makes up almost 10 percent, but I'm not sure if the population on the sign reflects that. I love that place. Yes, I was ready to go when I left to start my Master's at memphis, but Searcy was a good time. Brandon edwards and I drove my old iron box on wheels out to a house at CW Road, and scraped paint off of the ceiling, while blasting the theme song to Friends. Soccer - every tuesday, thursday, and sunday night after church during the summer. I was in the best shape of my life. There is a picture somewhere on my facebook, and it was from my senior year of high school. My abs were ripped! Now they are as ripped as a memory foam pillow. WAHOO!! That's ok, someone told me that that's just a sign that marriage is agreeing with me. I'd agree with that also.

I worked in the video services department at Harding for one of the kindest, smartest, and Godly men I have ever known. David Hurd was Incredible. He gave me a chance, and I paid him back! He taught me about hard work, and what it takes, and about videos, and about doing something right the first time so you don't have to go back and fix it later. His wife and daughters adopted me as a family member after he passed away. And then an unnamed ogre and moron took advantage of mine and daniel evan's work...so we quit :-)

Acapella group, youth group stuff, soccer, band, the edwards house, cree-mee drive thru, the library, james wylie's awesome grand prix. Good times had by all. Wahoo.

It seems as though I've been saying Wahoo lately. Well - future update: Ash and I will be moving out of our apartment at the end of this month and staying with the in-laws for just a bit. We're moving northeast this summer! It's Doctorate time at Rutgers. And it's bigtime fashion design time in the Big Apple...or perhaps the city of Brotherly love. I've been researching housing, and jobs, and places that we can live, and utilize public transportation. I think what I have figured out is that in the apple (or close by) we can do it with just 1 car. But...it looks like in philly, we're gonna need 2 cars. I don't think there's a way to get around it. Ian is gonna help me look into that...though I don't think he knows that yet. Ian? whatcha think? I guess I should get back to my last day of work now. and again - WaHoo.

have I mentioned I love small town america?

2008-05-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

I am currently working out in the Weatherford, TX branch of EECU, my job I held for about 8 months prior to the Little Women tour. One of the tellers just brought me in the local paper which is warm from the sun, and is already showing the wear of the weather. A front page article has to do with a man caught in a theft attempt by an off-duty officer. The man, 27-year-old Ray Earl Penkert, was observed stealing, and then apprehended. Rightfully, this article is on the front page! Do you know what he was stealing? Paper Lunch Bags.

I love it - Keep it classy, Weatherford!

Legend

2008-05-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

DUDE. I met Slide Hampton today.

i like most of this. even though we know how i feel about cliche.

2008-05-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

THE INVITATION..

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love, for your dream,
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own,
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic,
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself;
if you can hear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul;
if you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty,
even when it's not pretty, every day,
and if you can source your own life
from it's presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"YES!"

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up,
after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone,
and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or
what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you, from the inside,
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

the 90's

2008-05-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

So I think that I am going to play bass in a 90's cover band this summer. It's gonna be rad. See?? I'm already catching on to the lingo. We went over to Jason and Erica's house last night and hung out, and had pizza and listened to the tunes that'll be on the set list. I haven't seen erica in Forever - and now she's 7 1/2 months pregnant! She's a really cute pregnant lady :-)

We had this pizza from a place called pizza patron - which is a skich name, but nevertheless, the pizza was great. Jason stopped by and ordered it after work, and told the guy he wanted pepperoni on one, and then every vegetable they had on the other. The guys response was,"Even pineapple?" Which I don't usually consider a veggie, but what the heck. Jason said yes. And that pizza in all of it's jalapeno-bellpepper-onion-mushroom-pineapple-olive glory, was one of the best pieces of pizza I've had in a long time!

Back to the 90's band - old skool maroon 5, Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind, Vertical Horizon, All the stuff that people my age listened to in High School - early college. When he was playing through the list, nostalgia ran rampant. Brandon Edwards and I used to drive around in my gargantuan beast of an SUV listening to this stuff and harmonizing on the fly. It was a trick to see who could ACTUALLY get all the words to "One Week" or "Semi-Charmed Kind of Life." If the songs were too high - he'd just scream, if it was too low, I would sound like a dying cow as I exhaled hoping to hit the notes. These were the songs that would play as we drove out to play soccer on tues/thurs/sunday nights during the summers. It was an amazing time. James Wylie would drive out and visit me when I lived slightly out of town, and we would sit in his car and chat and listen to the radio, or come in and do the same thing in my room. Life was simple then. Ahh...Nostalgia you double-edged blade.

The Circumference of the earth

2008-04-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

SO - I am sitting here at the Pittsburgh Airport about to try and get on a flight to Dallas via Atlanta.

Today the bus driver informed us of a few facts that I found extremely interesting.

1. We spent a good 460 hours on that bus. That is over 2 weeks out of 3.5 months spent on a bus.
2. We spent over 18K on fuel alone.
3. We drove over 26,000 miles...the circumference of the earth is around 24,500 miles.

We practically drove around the world.

Dallas here I come - and i've never been more excited about it. :-)

The final stretch

2008-04-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

10 days left. I can not WAIT to get home to my apartment, my wife, my dog, my own bed, even my awesome minivan. Things learned thus far.

1. Having amazing talent can get you very far, but if you've got connections and a moderate amount of skill, you'll probably go further.

2. I've learned alot about how to search for work in my field.

3. There will always be someone who is gonna make it difficult to just exist in your everyday life.

4. I've learned how to deal with that person.

5. Did I mention that connections are important?

Currently I am in Muncie, Indiana, home of Ball State University. Yesterday the propsmaster for our show flaked out and left, and also attempted to sabotage the crew. Petty man. The crew is resilient, and big props to Jon and the rest of them for calling a great show yesterday.

I will be working at EECU again this summer, happy day for having a job! Thank you Lord.

And now....back to the "grindstone!" Showtime.

You're Arrogant! You're Aloof!

2008-03-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

The title is a quote from the musical that I am touring with. Jo March says this to Professor Bhaer before their relationship turns into a loving one, after Professor Bhaer speaks his mind to her, which she asked him to.

As unfortunate and as embarrassing as this may be - I have a problem.
I can be an arrogant moron. I've always had a problem with it. Sometimes it has been under control, and other times, Pride's ugly head seems to look very much like me when I look in the mirror. I know that I am with people in saying that the 2 hardest lessons for me to learn are lessons of patience and humility.

There is a stereotype within the musical world.
Sopranos and Trumpet players = Arrogant/cocky/condescending.
This is not always true, but sometimes I wonder if perhaps I should've played trumpet...and then I am reminded that my lips are WAY to big for all that. The trombone sounds better anyway ;-)

Forgive me if you've ever had to put up with this side of me. *Cue jokes* (I can take em!)

dilemma

2008-03-10T14:08:00.001-07:00

My first thought as I started writing this blog was whether or not I spelled Dilemma correctly.

I am currently listening to an mp3 of Glenn Dodson - he was Joe Alessi's teacher, and the recording is of him performing Pryor's Fantastic Polka with an ol' skool US Marine band. He's extremely impressive.

Well I have 2 offers on the table now, and I'm not exactly sure which one HE will have me take. Lots of factors: Commute, Chamber Music, Orchestra, Class Schedule, MOOLAH.

Still shooting for the Coast Guard.

I was on Joe Alessi's website today and i copied all of his playing tips that he has on there. I'm always looking for more advice. And sometimes I wonder what goes on in the juilliard school. So I thought I'd find out. I did find out that his son is in a glee-club-esque group called the Alley Cats at yale.

I'm looking forward to school. I am NOT looking forward to moving.

reminders

2008-02-28T00:28:00.000-08:00

Let's never forget - life is a gift. I knew him, not well, but I knew him well enough to feel this.

Let the small things roll off, and remember what matters when the big ones come.

Once More

2008-02-27T09:15:00.000-08:00

United States Coast Guard Band
Principal Trombone
June 9th, 2008 - New London, CT.

Here we go again.

Has anyone heard of J.C. Heed's Storm and Sunshine? Cause apparently I need to play it.

Lessons Learned

2008-02-25T10:19:00.000-08:00

A few things that I have learned on tour:

1. No matter what, in this biz - there will ALWAYS be at least one diva.

2. There will always be something that is going to bother you, the tough part is knowing how to keep your trap shut about it.

3. More than likely - there will also be somethings wrong, and something has to be said to prevent further damage.

4. Suprisingly enough - the trumpet player is NOT always the one with the biggest head in the band. hahaha!

5. Love can be hard. But I love her more and more everyday.

New picture posts on my picasa site.

I talked to Jon Schallert today - that was splended, he seems to be doing well, and living a wonderful dream! It made me miss school - he was on his way to a quintet rehearsal. Why is a good horn player always so freaking hard to find when you want a quintet. Maybe I should go to Michigan.

Next Stop - Gulf Shores, AL. Be jealous.

AFM

2008-02-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

So - I think that it has been decided. If I want to be able to make a pretty penny in NYC - or ANY penny - I'll be joining AFM. For those of you who don't know - that's the American Federation of Musicians. That's the union. Local 802 for Manhattan and the Five Boroughs. Thoughts?

Union, NJ

2008-02-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

The theater house in Union, NJ at Kean College was very dry inside, but i played a great show. However, that is minimal in relation to this news.

TANK HAS A SUPERBOWL RING!!! WOO HOO!!!!

Franklin, PA

2008-01-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

Today we had a travel day, and then the band was off for the rest of the evening! It was great - a couple of band guys and I went and met up with some of the actors at a local coffee house. That mocha was FABULOUS. We are here in Franklin, PA - this is a fantastic picture of small america. I'll post a picture of the main drag tomorrow. It's great. I'm reading a book by bill bryson that reflects upon his travels in small town america. The tour I'm on isn't an equity/union scale tour - and the nice thing about that is that it is shorter, and I'm going to see so much of America (and a bit of Canada!)...and it will be the small town america that I love and adore so much.

Shout out to a few people - NICK O'SULLIVAN - you rock! Bonnie's parents came too - holla.

And joe!! You rock dude - but I killed you in Foosball ;-)

Hiking

2008-01-25T12:40:00.000-08:00

Hiking inLaVale, MD

careers

2008-01-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

If you're a musician - you can relate to this - You're sitting in a rehearsal, things are going well, very well infact. But you're continuing to have to repeat something over and over and over again, despite the fact that the ensemble is playing (or singing) well. And you get this feeling of,"Man...I'm so ready to be done with rehearsal. Ugh." - or at least some variant of that. Well, I started feeling that last night around 10...We had been playing practically since 9 that morning. My lips are chapping and my face is drying out. And I had such a thought as the one described above. And then I had another thought - "this sure beats the heck out sitting in a cubicle having someone yell at you about how they can't control their checkbooks, and that you're taking money from them." So I smile and think how blessed I am that I play for a living right now. Even though a small payroll fiasco threatened the whole pay thing yesterday - that has been cleared up, and now things are cool again.

In other things - guilt is unfortunately a double edged sword. On one hand - it has the benefit of sometimes being the media through which our conscience speaks to us. On the other hand it can be used as a manipulative tool by human or spirit. I guess the hard part is distinguishing which one it is at the time it hits you.

For anyone curious - the show schedule is posted a few posts below this! Come and see it! The show is really good!

Coming soon: Pictures of Frostburg State University

jopaige

2008-01-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

Paige Faure is Jo March in the Windwood productions tour of "Little Women."
Hands down - she is better than the recording.

Yesterday we had a run through with the assistant M.D. - the music is fantastic. If any of you are able to some see the show, you should. We watched the run through with piano yesterday - it was AMAZING. The staging is fantastic - the music is great - the actor/singers are off the chain.

My roommated is Professor Bhaer - his German accent is really cool :-)

day one

2008-01-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

Well - here's the scoop:

First of all - I forgot my camera, so I'm going to be ganking my friend bonnie's for at least the first half of the tour.

We're staying for 8 days in this best western here in La Vale, Maryland. When I looked up the hotel name before we left, it said it was the braddock motor inn. I thought..."motor inn? sounds cheapish...." but it's actually really nice. Apparently it's a hotspot for winter birthday parties for kids because of the very large indoor pool. Don't you just want to jump in there?!?!

My roommate is Shane - he plays professor Bhaer in the musical women. He's 31, and married with two puppies. And very cool - and if i snored last night (which I warned him about) he said it didn't bother him. :-)

Off to rehearsal - two 3-hour practices today. I love it.

I love ashley, my darling wife, miss her like crazy. check out her blog

adgcount.blogspot.com

Little Women Itinerary

2008-01-18T17:52:00.001-08:00

here's the itinerary for the tour folks. Tell your friends!

Lessons Learned

2008-01-11T08:43:00.001-08:00

Well - I guess the number of posts can be expected to decrease. This is my last day at EECU - so the time that I have to just chill WITH access to the internet is about to decrease. Though the drive was long at times, and sometimes people come in and are completely incompetent at large aspects of life, and sometimes I get cursed at with multiple instances of the F-bomb...and sometimes I get fussed at for dancing on the job...(I'm listing these things for humor...), and I have to tell people who really need a loan that they can't get one...this has been a good job!

Things I have learned while working for EECU - Your Community Credit Union

1. Keep a freaking Check register and write down your DEBIT CARD PURCHASES ALSO. I can't tell you how many people get charged overdraft fees because they simply don't keep track of there purchases chronologically. NEWS FLASH - you can't spend 50 bucks on your debit card one day when you only have 25, and then expect to deposit 100 bucks the next day hoping that you won't be charged. That's just dumb. No e-commerce, e-banking, or e-anything can take the place of writing down what you spend.

2. Your credit score is all-important in like...everything. It's AMAZING how much the simple 3 numbers making up your equifax, experian, or transunion credit score can affect what you can and can't get in life. For example - first year in memphis - I had to pay rent with money orders, what a freaking pain, having to go to the post office, or kroger and buy a money order just so I could pay rent, because I had limited credit. 2nd year - I got to write a personal check!! WOOHOO! That's not the same every where...but you know...

3. Health Insurance and Dental Insurance don't cover near as much everyone wants them to, including me.

4. Did I mention that it's important to keep a check book register? Unless of course you are rolling in it beyond belief and don't know what to do with all the money.

5. Be on your boss's good side.

6. My wife would be a hott teller.

Ian - I would like your lessons learned - since you are a fellow credit union employee.

M.A.S.H.

2008-01-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

Love is a good thing. Painful in a good way at times. I LOOOVE my ashley :-)

We were watching MASH last night, season 4 I believe where Col. Sherman Potter and Captain B.J. Honeycutt arrive on the scene. I have made a MASH fan out of Ashley, it took some patience and forcing her to watch it...but now she really enjoys it. I think that it's an aquired taste.

I was reading in a friends blog the other day about a literal spiritual healer. And yes I do believe that on occasion, the spirit is manifested in this way. Just perhaps not as often as back in bible times (if you will. haha!)

I'm playing the waiting game at this point with Grad Schools - the two that seem to be working are Stonybrook University (a part of the State University of New York system - located on long island) and my former institution Rutgers University. Temple has also been a option, but it has been terrible to try and get any contact with them. I guess they aren't willing to work with me as far as auditioning is concerned. Or perhaps I just have the wrong person, or wrong email...or maybe both.

vision

2008-01-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

I just went to the eyedoctor - and apparently my vision has gotten worse. from -3.25 to -4.25. This is fairly encouraging - because it means my perscription hasn't changed in about 5-6 years.
Weird thing though - I only actually sat with the eye doctor for about 5 minutes. He checked the fit of my contact lens - and then proceeded to charge me 89 dollars for it. That essentially means that he's making about $1068 per hour on me alone. Why the heck am I getting my degree in music???

I miss small town america. I could get out of the eye doctor for 100 bucks. that INCLUDED boxes of contacts. I just spent 114 - and I don't even have a box of contacts to show for it. And I have a headache from my eyeballs bein' dialated.

*END RANT*

the future

2008-01-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Coming Soon - Itinerary for Little Women. Unfortunately for places I have lived the most - being Texas, Arkansas and Memphis, TN....we aren't coming there. BOOO.

I love bein married.

New Horizons - and black Chihuahuas

2008-01-04T08:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates (to all 5 of you who read :-p ) but here I am again. My last day at work is in exactly 7 days. It has been a great job - but I supposed it's time to start on that path again.

I'm wondering why I haven't utilized the beauty of the world wide web as a tool for promoting my playing. Not that I would want to now - but it could be a good thing to do. I know alot of people use myspace for that - but I think that I want something that looks a little snappier. Anyone know of a good webhosting service? Kelly Neill has one. I like it - and he's spectacular. I was reminded the other day that every one is human. This wasn't a profound thought, it was a funny, encouraging observance. Apparently - a VERY famous principal trombonist for a premier orchestra Kacked the most notable note in the trombone solo for Bolero. 2 things about that - 1. I still respect that man incredibly, because 1 out of 2000 high Db's is not bad, it's excellent... 2. Makes me feel better about the times I screw up huge! I'm gonna be that caliber of a player one day. I think i'm gonna keep a log of how many times I botch something in the Show. Expect an update on that every now and then - but don't be dissapointed if I forget!

So I auditioned at Rutgers last month. Apparently, there is competition for the one trombone fellowship slot. We'll see what comes of that. Stonybrook application is almost done - just trying to find an old term paper to send them, and hopefully that will come to fruition. I'm just praying for God's will, and i'm gonna let that be that. Sound good?

Cirque de Soleil is looking for musicians for a stationary 2 year show in Macau, China and Tokyo, Japan. Thoughts anyone?

I love being at home with my wife. And when we're somewhere where it's feasible - I'm gonna buy her a lil black Chihuahua puppy named Bubble.

Connect 4

2007-12-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-11-06T18:05:00.000-08:00

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...

2007-10-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-10-21T11:09:00.001-07:00

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

The radio

2007-10-14T11:56:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-10-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-09-14T19:33:00.001-07:00

GRAPEFEST IS COOL. Yo.

it's time.

2007-09-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

I can't do this forever.

It's time to clean off the rust.

Kidd

2007-08-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-12T07:07:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-30T11:57:00.001-07:00

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.