4 Things To Do On Hiatus (from Blogger)

Welcome to the reboot of Rocking Awesome life. If you've stumbled across this then congratulations, you've reached the end of the internet. I've been busy the last couple of years so blogging went on the wayside. Like the name implies, I think quite highly of my life. I think light is pretty great by default. Just think about it. You, at this moment are looking at information that is being shared over a interconnected web of computers and servers. Not only that, but its so easy to access this information that some people have no idea how to function without it, and some businesses wouldn't even be able to function. That's great right? Well it get even better! Not only can you pretty much find any answer to any  question ever, but you can do it with that rectangular bulge in your pants that's giving you hip-cancer. (To clarify, the cancer is not hip. No cancer is hip, not even boob-cancer) Another thing that has changed is that blogs are not cool. they just aren't. Not even this one... That's right. I'm calling you a nerd. You know what is cool? List! Lists are super cool. Everyone has lists now, "10 ways to eat healthy, but will actually kill you!". Crazypants right? Super crazypants, I know. Well, not to be outdone, here is a list. You're welcome.

4. Move.

There's nothing more exciting than finding a new place to live. It's exciting like being mugged or being in a car wreck. Finding a bigger/better place to pile all of your junk is great, but it is the relocating of all said stuff that makes the job all the harder. If you are married it's twice as hard. Don't even get me started on moving with kids speaking of children...

3. Make Babies.

Yes. With all that free time on your hands you're going to find something to do, and that thing just might be It. Yes, that It. The dirty It. The It that makes babies. The fondness that I have for the aforementioned It, I have love for my two babies that I have made in the last few year. If you have children, or know anyone who does, you know that free time is not in abundance when these little crib-midgets are about. These little bundles of uncontroled bowel moments and drool cost load of money. So in that case you might...

2. Start A New Career.

Moving, Babies, life-in-general, you know what all these have in common? They cost money. Lots of money. Mad money in fact. So unless you make mad money, then you need to make some more cash. You could start selling drugs, but you'd have to build a street-cred, maybe bust some caps. You could start a blog, because that just rolls in the dough. I took the easy way out, I joined the military. I know, slacker.

1. Join You Favorite Military Branch.

Yes. The uniformed armed services have a lot to offer a person looking to start a career. There are hundreds of jobs in the military. Doctors, lawyers, PR, mechanics, and the occasional shooter-shooter McKiller-guy (or whatever they do in the army).

WII blogging...

this is the slowest form of blogging ever!

Road Trip: St. Judes

So I just got to St. Judes Children's Hospital with my wife, brother, and mother. We took the 6 hour drive from Shreveport Louisiana to Memphis Tennessee to see my niece Abby. Abby was diagnosed with leukemia over a month ago and has been staying at the Ronald McDonald house. This was the first time that my wife and I have been able to get away from work. I'm proud of my niece for handling all these changes so well. It's so impressive to see such a young girl to handle this grown-up situation. Its also great to see so many people helping Abby and her mother, my sister. I'm actually typing on a computer that her teachers from her home gave her. My church gave a gift card to help living expenses. There is a facebook group with hundreds of members for Abby. There is even a local restaurant donating 20% of their make to help Abby.

So why am I blogging while I'm here? Because shortly after we arrived my wife, mother, sister and niece all left to go shopping. They left us here to figure out why this computer was not connecting to the Internet. Obviously we fixed that problem. On the plus side, Abby computer has Photoshop Elements 8. I might have some fun knocking around with that. 

Oh well, I guess me and my brother will just wait here watching John Wayne movies. I have to say, I didn't expect to be watching old westerns at St. Jude's this weekend.

Steady as She Goes...

I know that I haven't been the most frequent blogger as of late but I'll try to do better.

Back to work today. I'm not looking forward to it, but its how I make the money these days. If anyone know how to make money without work then feel free to let me know. Even when you do something that you enjoy it is still work. For right now I will take the job that I can stand and pays the bills over enjoying myself until I'm homeless. I'm actually avoiding going to work right now.

Its amazing how much blogging will increase the traffic to your blog. I mean, I've been getting 1 hit a day maybe, then I blogged and I got 10, go figure...

Man, Do I Suck As A Blogger

Sorry to anyone who reads this blog on the regular. I don't know what happened. Ever since I've become a professional blogger (the title of this blog now seems extremely ironic) for place of employment my personal blogging has all but stopped. There is so much that has gone on since the last time I blogged. Oh yeah, I'm a professional blogger. I mean, I guess I am. I get paid to blog, so doesn't that make me a pro. I also do other things at my job, so does that mean I'm semi-pro. Still, I like that fact that my job now requires to do the things I do on my day off. I don't think I should mix business with pressure so I am not going to post a link to my "job-blogs", although if you're crafty I bet you can find my other blogs.

Let me get you up to speed with what's happened. I now have dates to go to basic training. It took long enough. I'm cutting it close to the birth of my baby girl, Caroline, but it should be fine. My wife is more and more mentioning how much she will miss me when I am away. I tell her to enjoy the time we have before I leave, but I know that its tough for her. I have to be the tough one and reassure her, but it will be tough for me to be away as well. My wife and I plan to take a trip to memphis. My 11-year-old niece has recently been diagnosed with leukemia. She's been in St.Jude's Hospital for about a month now. The whole family was shocked. I never thought that our family would have something like this happen, but I guess there is no predicting something tragic like this. She is receiving the best treatment and care. I just hope that she gets well and this all becomes a memory of a hard time very soon.

Today is a welcome retreat. I have a weekday off. I am supposed to take one saturday a month but this month has been very mixed up. I now get to take my tuesday off and although my wife still works, I enjoy a day of rest.  I honestly have mixed feeling about these days. I know that it might sound selfish but I like the quiet time that I can have by myself. I can do things that I can't always do when we are together. I have played my guitars for hours already this morning. But after a while I always find myself waiting for my wife to get home. I start to miss the conversation and the attention that I get from her. I know that if I had to choose between a lifetime of singlehood and "freedom" to do whatever whenever, or one where I have my wife by my side always, I would most certainly choose the one with my wife. All the guitars, time, and quiet in the world are no substitute for the close, intimate relationship I have with my wife.

Frustration and Neglect.

Sorry to all the people that got used to the idea of my blog being a regular thing. This is just like most other things in my life. I start and then my interests wains. Obviously I have not blogged in about a month and for that apologize.

So what has been going on in the silence? A lot. I can't really break down everything thats been going on but there are some highlights. Something that I've been missing is church. I hate missing, but I have managed to miss three weeks in a row. Inventory at my work place, Family matters (not the TV show), and my friend wedding (in which I was a groomsmen) have all taken me away from my regular place of worship. I miss meeting with that particular body of believers and playing with the band. My guitars have been all scattered about our extra room, but I haven't given them much attention. I'm looking forward to this Saturday and breaking the streak.

Me and the Misses have also began enjoy watching TV Series via our Wii. We should be spokespeople for Netflix. We don't have Cable here at the apartment so that means we don't get to watch episodes of new show, but that leaves time for us to enjoy the shows that we've neglected to watch when they were aired. We started with Arrested Development. Most recently we've started watching Pushing Daises. I've saddened by the fact that PD only ran 2 seasons. I guess a murder mystery with a supernatural twist has a limited lifespan, but I wouldn't mind another season or two. I hear that there is going to be a comic book or graphic novel.

So I have been struggling with a pedal and a modification of said pedal. Its been a long struggle with no avail. I'm struggling to find something that I did wrong. The most frustration thing is that it worked before I messed with it and now its nothing but a bunch of frustration. Not to mention the fact that I paid $30 for the mod. Frustration.

I'm Obsessed.

So me and Jen are sitting here eating our frozen sorbet treats when I jump on the computer to look at my new hobby, ebay. I am not a newcomer to the world of online auctions. I have had bouts with ebay several times. I don't use it very often but I'm trying to locate some good deals on some pedals. I want to round out my pedalboard with a reverb and eq, but I don't want to spend the big bucks. Actually I wouldn't mind spend a little bit of money on some nice effects, but I have a tight budget since being married means sharing everything, even fiscal responsibilities. I'm trying to make anything I purchase a "minor" purchase. The definition of minor is under $50. Any major purchase is discussed and agreed upon before execution.




Ever since I was alive there has been a piano in my house. My mother learned piano as a young girl, and her father bought her a piano and she has kept a center piece of our home since I can remember. I've always had a fascination with the keyboard. Its so simple to play yet amazingly difficult to master. I'd like to devote more time to learning this instrument further, but as I don't have one, (or the time) this is very difficult. As you may know, I have chosen to develop my guitar skills, but the keyboard still nags at my consciences. It may be some dumb whim, but its an amazing breed of instrument that I know about as well as I know spanish.

Side 2:

I have moved around as a young boy. My father in the Air Force, we got stationed several places growing up. My mother piano came with us of corse, and every time I believe it got heavier. I do want to a keyboard but I think if I were to have one it would not be a piano. If you were to ask someone who knows what type of guitar I play then they would tell you, Fender Telecaster. Well, Fender just may be the best musical instrument maker in the world. If I were to have any type of keyboard, it would be a Fender Rhodes. Possible the most imitated piano sound in the world. It would be amazing to own the genuine thing

Look What I Did...

So I like to make pretty pictures. I spend a lot of time in photoshop for my job. I like to sharpen my skills and deepen my knowledge of the far reaches of photoshop. This tutorial I got from hongkiat.com. Its a pretty good place to find anything you need to know about PS. The tutorials are easy to follow and they have pictures.

When I came home tonight me and my wife cooked some healthy dinner. That's a salad we had for dinner. On top are some onion rings and a jalapeno. We also fried up some squash. We've been on a frying  spree. Everything just tastes better when its dipped in batter then put into boiling hot grease.

My Life Thus Far.

... is a bit anticlimactic.

I just got done watching the movie "W." The one about George W. Bush. I was prepared for a all out attack on the man, but it was a little more far that I imagined. You can't take everything you see in a movie for the truth, but it did play to both sides. It ended in an unexpected way. It actually paralleled his terms in office. I enjoyed the first half. The explanation of  Bush's past and relationship with father, and troubles that he faced were acted in a way that, if not factual, seemed believable. The administration did make mistakes and was very unpopular at the end, but the movie emphasized a key point that I admire about George W. He was not a politician. Had he been one, then he would have done better in the rating and probable would have done a impudent effort in the middle east. I'm a happy with the how, why, when and where the war has taken place? As an airman in the Air Force, I can say I'm not exactly thrilled. I can't help but to think about all the men and women that have paid for this war with their life. The war has cost untold billions of dollars but my thoughts always drift to the fact that before a decision to go to war is made, the cost in lives is estimated. Thats why I don't want to be the president.

I'm actually really encouraged in my workout. I ran a mile and a half in 11:30. That is my best time yet, not to mention that it is also within graduation req's. My push-ups are the only thing that I haven't gotten there yet. 25 Seems to be my wall. That is in a minute. I've gotten 35 in two minute, which is what I need to do before going to basic, but 45 is the number to do in a minute for graduation. I've grown complacent with set-ups. After fulfilling the 50 in a minute in only a few tries, I let that become a back burner issue. These are the lowest standards for graduation. Lately I've been entertaining the thought that I could bump up to the next level of graduation. I have no idea if there is any real incentive to do so, but It would be some great bragging rights.

I have tomorrow off. Man, do I need it. It really doesn't feel like a day off. It really took me by surprise. I usually have a plan for the day, but tomorrow is a little void. I may go to the gym, or take my guitar to the shop. I need to restring one. I also planned to do a little DIY work on a pedal. Me and the wife actually have this mid-week day off together. Neither of us knew till this afternoon when she called in to her work. Evidently the kindergarden is still ironing out their summer schedule.

Oh well, my woodchuck is about gone and its getting about that time.

Laters

The Bike.

... otherwise know as my butts worst nightmare.

I know that the exercise bike is suppose to work the legs but I'm not sure if it works the but muscles or if 20 minutes of sitting on a near rigid piece of plastic makes your bum ache. I found myself sitting every-which-way you can on the seat. That wasn't the worst part. I try my best not to look like a total novice when I go to the gym. I most likely fail measurably at this, but I try. I climb on the bike and start a program. I know that these are designed to give you a good workout but never really give them much thought until now. I selected "hills" and as I thought, it simulated going up and down a series of hill. The parts that were "up hill" nearly killed my. My only saving grace was the fact that there is a manual level selector. I was able to dial down the grade if I found my self too in-over-my-head. The levels were 1-20. I started at 15. I spent most my time at 10. Those hills were tough!

I was starting my cool down when my father showed up. He got on a treadmill so I joined him. I didn't anticipate this part of the workout. I planned to just bike. My dad doesn't run much. So I matched his speed and walked briskly beside him, trying to maintain a conversation. I walked a mile, jogged a mile, and then when for another mile and a half or so. I'm trying to keep it low-impact and work on endurance and stamina.

I made one important mistake today. I didn't tell my wife that I was going to the gym. I did mention it, but not as firm plans. Sorry Jen.

Kind of a boring workout blog, sorry guys.

later

The Base Gym

So I finial went. My father has been wanting to go with me for a while. For those of you who don;t know, my father was an officer an the Air Force for 20+ years. I think he is kind of excited about doing "air force" stuff together. Me and my father went after work. It was rather spur of the moment but it worked out. The gym was about the same it has been for the last five years. I went some right after I got out of high school. The only thing that my father and I did was run on the treadmills. I had planned to run so thats what I did. I was actually excited about have an accurate measurement of my run times. 1.5 miles in 13:30. I wonder if I'm that fast on the street now. That was about the time I ran right before I took a break for my legs. Pretty stoked about going to the gym more. I like the fact that the treadmill doesn't pound on my legs as much.

Cutting it short, I have to go hang out with the wife and friends. Actually excited about having a night out.

Later

Love, Say it with Magnetic Decals.

So me and the Mrs. went down to the base today. We were getting are military ID's. This is pretty exciting and actually a little against the rules. See they don't really let you have one of these until just before you leave for basic, but I have no basic dates (I won't be leaving until after july most likely) and I still got one. I didn't do anything backhanded or anything. I need an ID to be able to enroll in Tri-Care. I need to enroll in that cause there is a baby on the way. I had to shave and put on a BDU Jacket for the photo. I miss my beard. We ran around the office building going up and down the stair trying to find the place, and when we did we had to go back up stair to print a document out. (super awesome fun.) But we did it. We are now card carrying members of the Air Force. Well, Jen isn't in the Air Force like I am, but really it is a commitment that we have both made.

We also went to the BX and did a little shopping while we where there. We also had our first meal as a military couple right there in the food court. I was surprised to find that the base had a starbucks. The only thing better than a tall moca latte is a tax free moca latte.

Utterly and Completely Shameful...

... I'd like to take a break from blogging about babies and take this opportunity to update you on something.

If you've read my blogs before now, then you know that I'm joining the Air Force Reserves. Thats all fine and dandy, but in order for me to graduate basic I have to do something that I have no talent for. I most display strong displays of athleticism. I must do 50 set-ups and 45 push-ups in a minute, and run 1.5 miles in 12 minutes. Running is the biggest obstacle facing me at this point. I've just come off a break from running. I know that it is not good for progress to take time away from running, but I had such great pains in my legs I thought that I may have stress fractures. The only way to get better was to take time off. So after my break I went back to running. My first times were unmentionable. Over 20 minute for two miles. Today I was able to get under 20 minutes, and my 1.5 miles time was 13:30. Not great, but closer to the times I was putting down before the break. I was closer to  12 minutes three weeks ago. I am gaining in leaps and bounds now, but I'm still struggling, and the familiar pain is back in the legs. Oh well, no pain no gain. I have to go finish up the workout.

Laters

Newborns...

... are really small.

I recently had a chance to hold a newborn baby. (is a baby still a newborn when its a week old?) A couple of my friends have been trying to adopt and just a few day ago they were able to bring their new baby home. Being brand new parents, they stay home most of the time and they were wanting visitors. So me and Jen, and two or our other friends went to see them yesterday. The baby was so tiny. I was afraid to hold it. I guess I need to get comfortable with baby holding because I'm going to be doing a lot of it come december. Little baby Jaden was pretty calm for the entire visit. I think he just slept though most everything. Every now and then he was stretch or yawn, but then he would nestle down and go back to sleep. I hope our baby is that passive. Adoption is a long and hard process and we will be praying for that whole family.

...man, I'm going to have one of those...

This Is The Latest I've Been Up Since...

...my bachelor party. Which was actually just me and my groomsmen at the apartment playing video games and drink a bunch of Mountain Dew.

So why so late tonight. If your mind has gone to the gutter, then you should you should be ashamed. My darling, beautiful, and pregnant wife has been in bed since we got home from dinner with our friends. It takes a lot out of you when you're grow another person. What was I doing?

Me and Jen have a spare room the houses, for the most part, the extra junk that we've brought with us to our home. My musical things live in the guest room, as does Jen's crafty (and other assorted) things.  Lately, and frequently that particular room is a particular mess. I pull things out and play around while Jen adds to her assortment. Other than more space, that room was in much need of some organization. Hopefully I accomplished some of that. I basically just separated our things. Musical things here, and crafty-ish things there. Jen will most likely hate it. Oh well, I tried. In addition to cleaning, I also worked on a guitar, rearranged my pedalboard, and wrote a lullaby for my soon-to-be born baby.

Night has come, look where we are

I just want to say that I love you

1000 times brighter than a star

and so close I can hug you

Go to Sleep my baby

Go to sleep my baby

Close your eyes and sleep tight

You are in good arms tonight

Go to sleep my baby

Go to sleep my baby

Everything is gonna be alright

When  you close your eyes and sleep tonight

Not ground breaking or anything, but I want to write some simple lullabies and record them. When we find out if we are having a girl or boy I want to use our baby's name in the songs. I want them to have some unique and personal. I can't wait for this little kid of ours.

The DEP Call

So for all those that don't know, I've enlisted into the Air Force Reserves. Although, right now I am in the Delayed Entry Program (or DEP). Basically I'm waiting to go to basic, but I get called out to the base on things called DEP Calls every month so I can sit in a room with others in DEP and listen to people talk about whatever. So Tuesday I go to one of these things. I was actually looking forward to it because it meant that I didn't have to go straight into work that day. The catch is that now I have to make up those hours. But anyway, I sat in a room with five other recruits and I found out something, I was the oldest one. Having just turned 24, I felt like grandpaw. The two other guys there were right out of high school. I listened to a guy explain that even if I "decided to eat a bullet", my life insurance would still pay. So that was great. Then there was the imposing, yet sensitive, black man that told us how he cried when he was in basic. I find out however that apposed to what I've recently learned, I will be able to get an ID and enjoy the benefits of actually being in the Air Force before I go to basic. Which reminds me, I need to talk to my recruiter.

Later guys

Is The Hammer and Sickle Turning Into the Apple and Sickle?

I'm not much for conspiracy theories but it seems to me that Apple, the newly reborn computer giant, is pushing a liberal agenda...?

First off, let me say I hate politics, and I don't really know what to think. It seems that all streams of media preach one extreme or the other. To tell you the truth, I'm sick of it. I actually have no cable at my apartment and it's great. The longer I spent without it the more other people idea's about "trending topics" seemed to be amazingly strange. I'll be honest, I grew up in a conservative home. My father watches Fox News and likes O'Reily. I can't stand anyone who thinks by raising their voice and spouting one sided facts can change anyone's opinion on anything.

Down here in the south you get a lot of Johnny Reb Republicans that think Jesus must be coming back soon because there a democrat in the White House and low and behold, he is a black man. That man is the Whitest "Black Man" I've ever seen. All that aside, I know there are lots of differences between the Right and the Left, but all you see and hear about is Abortion and Gay Marriage. I hate abortion. I wince when I say it, I also hate to bring it up in a blog that hardly anyone will see. It is a point that has many opinions, but I found it hard to find any reason to knowingly end a life thou be it dependent on another person. I've heard it agued that as Christians we should be against abortion, but law is not based on morals, it is based on justice, therefore we are not charged to make the act illegal, but to care for the ones that have the abortion, or want one. To be honest I don't see how it could become illegal. It would take would take an amazing turn of direction for this country. I guess the same could be said for Gay Marriage. That the act is still a perversion, but the person is still loved by God and we are compelled to Love people no matter our differences.

I have friends that think very different than me. One in particular is a very liberal thinker. If gay marriage were legalized by federal law then I could imagine her smiling, clapping and giggling while saying "Yay gay people!" And if Pot was Legalized, again she would say, "Yay, Pot-heads!" She'd be thrilled that these people would no longer have to be suppressed by laws. But what if it were drunk driving that was legalized, or robbery, or arson. But I guess that some issues are not moral absolutes. That was kind of a skewed point.

Back to Apple. Apple is a company that has an image. One that is attracting many people. They have rose from the ashes to once again be major competitors in the computer and technology market. I'm thrilled that there is a platform that is pressing forward in a new direction. It gives hope that we will not have limited technology monopoly. Apple is seeing huge favoritism from younger consumers. Younger consumers are typically more liberal thinkers and swing more to the Left. So, Apple tends to promote a more Liberal image and please their customer base. Apple wants to be cool and hip, but they really just want your money. So all the image is a thin guise to cover up the truth. They want to sell more product to make more money. Capitalism... hmm maybe they're Right-winged...

(sorry for the lame graphic, i hate gimp)

Blogs Have Taken Over My Life

... no really.

I have three blogs. And maybe some of you out there have more. Well congratulations to you, you win. For me, one blog is enough to post on regularly, but I decided to branch out. I have this one of corse and it is my main one. I just post my random thoughts on here, you basic everyday stuff. Then you have my music blog. I like to post about my gear that I use and what I'm doing and listening to musically. Then there is a story I'm writing. I'm doing that bit by bit (or post by post) on another blog. Thats a project all on its own, because I want people to input and make suggestion of how things should happen in the story, kind of like a collective effort. I've made links to all the other blogs, plus my wife's blog, other on the right. Feel free to check them out if you'd like. Three blog really don't take over a life.

It's everything else that takes over your life. My wife started blogging first. I just went with the flow. Started posting stuff on my own blog just to practice my creative writing and whatever. After a little while my wife asked me how does she know if anyone is reading her blog. No one had left any comments. So I looked into it. Google and there many tools came to the rescue. There is Google Analytics for keeping track of the visitors to your sight. It tells you how many visits you have and how many clicks on different pages you get. It keeps track of it so you can see how well you are doing compared to yesterday or the week before and so on. So that was good enough for her, but then I found Google Adsence. That puts ads on you blog (or website) and when visitor click on it you get a small monetary compensation. Then there is Google Webmaster Tools. Oh my, that is a beast in it's self. It tells you how google sees your blog (or site) and tells you what keywords or showing up the most and other useful, although boring and time wasting.

But even then there is more. You can use services such as dlvr.it to post to all your social media outlets. When I blog here it shows up on twitter, Facebook, and tumblr, and something called linkedin. So I have a lot of plates spinning with this whole blog thing. But you want to know something that just blows my mind. I do all this and my wife, who doesn't use any of this crap, still blows my blog away in visits.

(Mind Blowing Image)

Its My Birthday!

B-Day quote, "Super-Size that jumbo mofo".

My dear wife got me a wii for my birthday. I've mentioned this before, but today we got it set up with netflix. Its pretty much awesome. You can watch movie online on your TV. We actually watched some of season 6 of King of the Hill. Its was pretty exciting. We watch a ton of movies at the Apt. This is mostly due to the fact that we don't have cable. Netflix is amazing and even more so now that we're aren't stuck watching movies on our tiny laptop. I recommend Netflix for anyone not wanting to get cable but still wanting to enjoy movies and even some TV shows. Not to mention the fact that you can receive movies by mail.

Now that the shameless plug is over. I'm a little nervous about going back to work tomorrow. I got into a little altercation with a "boss" and it may have long lived consequences. I'm not terribly worried, but the co-worker is rather unreasonable at times. Its a good thing she really doesn't have much authority over me.

My wife found these guys and I have to hand it to them. They are pretty cool.

Manchester Orchestra

So my friend showed me this band. It changed my life. I haven't heard the entire album, but I'm pretty sure it's amazing. I'm buying it on Itunes because of one song. "The River" in my opinion is the best track. He's folky but there is electric guitar and some pretty grungy parts mixed with some heartful lyrics and sweet melodies. Full review later. Put I'm pretty stoked about the CD.

Laters

(I've listened to most of the CD now. I can't recommend for all ages. Some lyrics may be offensive.)