On a Tangent

Puget Sound Guitar Workshop 2007

2007-08-06T13:12:00.000-04:00

I just got back from my first trip to the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, where I spent an entire week learning from extremely talented people, playing guitar, eating, sleeping and partying. I'll never forget this trip! Please check out my photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/michaelrossanderson/PSGW2007

Ryan Sporting His Croks

2007-05-30T13:01:00.000-04:00

I can't forget Ryan. He got to leave school early to join Adam's graduation celebration.

Cute Spectator

2007-05-30T12:58:00.000-04:00

Daisy has a couple of years left at Montessori School, but she still had fun at Adam's graduation.

Celebration

2007-05-30T12:56:00.000-04:00

After their graduation ceremony, we gathered for refreshments and cake. Adam rubbed elbows with everyone.

Adam's Graduation

2007-05-30T12:55:00.000-04:00

My Boy, Adam, graduated from Montessori school this morning. We're so proud of him. They had a really nice ceremony. Now, we only have one more child at the school. When Daisy graduates, I think Kesley and I will be in total withdrawal.

Rebuilding My Deck

2007-05-21T09:15:00.000-04:00

I spent the weekend removing rails and stairs from my old, rotting deck. The picture of the railing and stairs is before. You can see how the wood is all gray and splintery. The picture with the kids is after.

Now I need a couple of days at work to rest up. My entire body aches from two 12 hour days of lifting, pulling, hammering, and screwing (screws). I'm so tired I don't even have the strength to finish this

Moving the Old Oakton Schoolhouse

2007-01-24T17:52:00.000-05:00

There's an historic building in my hometown, that sits on the corner of Chain Bridge Road and Hunter Mill Road, which is right next door to my father's office building. It was built in 1897 as a one-room schoolhouse for Oakton, Virginia.

Part of the property was used for a camping equipment store for a long time. As a kid, since I was in charge of cleaning my father's office (now my office too) on Saturdays, I visited it on my way to "work", checking out the Swiss Army knives, tents, canteens, etc.

I feel even more connected to it because I rented, and subsequently bought my first peice of commercial property from the Dan Couch, who must've owned it from the early 70's. Interestingly, Dan's daughter used to babysit me as a kid.

Anyway, Dan sold the property to Chevy Chase Bank last year for 3 and a half million smackeroos, and they prepared to build a branch there, to compliment the other 92 bank branches lining Chain Bridge Road. But they had a small problem; a bunch of do-gooders who didn't want them to tear down such an historic building. So, after months of haggling, Chevy Chase did an honorable thing and moved the building from that corner down to the site of a new park in Oakton.

I filmed the video on the morning of the move. Some of it is a little boring (I need to edit a minute or two from the actual moving of the building, because it moved so darn slow).

79th Academy Awards

2007-01-24T13:18:00.000-05:00

Every year, Kesley and I, along with a couple of our best friends, make a point of watching every Best Picture nominated movie, so that on awards night we can intelligently make our picks in an online chatroom. This will be our fifth year, I believe.

This year, the nominations are:

The Departed

Little Miss Sunshine

The Queen

Letters from Iwo Jima

Babel

We've seen the first two, leaving only three to see over the course of the next 4 weeks. Since we have young children, we often will go out individually on weeknights to catch a movie every week or so in order to get them all in.

Watching a movie on a Wednesday night by yourself in a theater is an experience worth having. When the Pianist was nominated a couple of years ago I was the only one in the theater during the 10 o'clock showing. Halfway through, thinking the theater was empty, they shut off the film on me. I stood up in protest, and the guy had to restart it for me.

My New Haircut

2007-01-22T13:07:00.001-05:00

I've been growing my hair out for quite a while, in an attempt to match Dr. McDreamy's sex appeal with an equally astonishing red mane. Unfortunately, I work in a professional office and am a bit self-conscious about it. Above is a recent picture.

Here's my new haircut. Honest opinions, PLEASE!

The Weatherman

2007-01-18T08:47:00.000-05:00

My oldest, Ryan, has become somewhat of an internet junkie, even though he's only seven years old. He loves visiting www.wikipedia.org and learning things Mom and Dad don't know.

Lately, he's been looking up the local weather and writing the forecast on a whiteboard that we gave him. He proudly displays his forecast in the kitchen every morning so we know how to dress. Two days ago, after he had left for school, we noticed he had written the following:

"I don't have time to do the weather today"

Kinda tells you how our morning went, huh?

1 Week, 12 Miles Exactly

2007-01-10T13:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I had to run/walk a mile, just so I didn't have a mountain to climb in the evening. After putting the kids to bed I put together a very nice 3 mile run, where my fastest mile was 10:03. Not quite back to my old speeds, but I feel like if I keep it up I'll be there in a month or so.

Total time for week 1 was 156:22:00, or 2 hours, 36 minutes and 22 seconds. That is an average of 13 minutes per mile. This week, I must do it faster.

Another Day, Another 3 Miles

2007-01-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

So far, so good. I've logged 6 miles over the past two days, totalling 76 minutes. I'm halfway to my weekly goal, with 5 days remaining.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I last posted on this blog. I know nobody reads it anymore; who would bother checking on my life if I'm not reporting on it regularly? Well, here goes again.

Kesley and I both resolved to run or walk at least 12 miles per week every week in 2007. The kicker is that we have to beat each previous week by at least one second. Last night I ran/walked 3 miles for the first time in over a year, and, embarrassingly, did it in 40 minutes flat. I remember a 5k (which is just over 3 miles) that I ran in 23 minutes when I was 27 years old.

I have to shave 17 minutes off last night's time. How in the Hell?

Anyway, first post is short, but you have to take that step, right?

The Day

2006-10-22T20:53:00.000-04:00

In your shoes!! Ryan decided today that he would like to have his name on the sidewalk in Hollywood. We looked at sidewalk stars of Bugs Bunny and Big Bird, Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog (poor Miss. Piggy).

At the end of the day, Ryan just likes to go hang out at the pool and go for a swim in the hot tub and the cold tub!! What a cutie!

We Miss Adam, Daisy and Daddy so much, so much, so much
Love, Kesley and Mommy and Ryan

Hollywood Here Comes Ryan

2006-10-22T20:45:00.000-04:00

In the morning Ryan worked on Knitting and Drawing. He has taken an interest in the street portrait people and talked to an artist about how he can learn to draw.
Here is Ryan in front of the Hollywood sign! This is the spot where we nearly had a heart attack because mommy realized she did not have the car keys -YIKES!!! We ran down the mountain towards the car and stopped at the spot where we had this picture taken to find the keys on the ground - big sigh of relief!!! Sadly, someone had picked up the $20 that dropped out with the keys. This picture shows how easily the keys slipped out of my pocket!

Here we are at the El Capitain Movie Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. The Disney theatre! We saw The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D!! That is why we are wearing these funny glasses. Ryan loved the movie, the special doors that took jack to the Christmas Town!

I don't get this thing!!

2006-10-22T20:37:00.000-04:00

Okay - I just don't grab Mike's blog often enough to really know what I am doing. My pictures are all mixed up and random. But, I do have some random thoughts about L.A...

Random Thougt #1 - why would anyone move here?? It is smoggy up on the mountain and down in the valley. When we were up on the mountain the city was covered in a haze. And when on the highway, the mountain looked covered in goo.

Random Thought #2 - why does it take 1 hour to go 5 miles?? Because people around here don't care!

Random Thought #3 - It was odd seeing celebrity names in front of stores that they would probably not want anything to do with. Like Harrison Ford's star in front of a sex toys shop or Henry Fonda in front of a smoke shop where they sold bongs - for what???

Random Thought #4 - Why don't you go out after 6pm?? Bad drivers..Ryan and I almost got smooshed yesterday at 6:05 and for the next 15 minutes it was crazy drivers

Random Thought #5 - I don't really think there are any celebrities here...just people who are acting like celebrities with big sunglasses

L.A. is an experience, glad to be here but man, the politics and antics of D.C are really looking good.

Love, Kesley

Ryan's Second Day in L.A.

2006-10-22T20:17:00.000-04:00

Ryan had a great time exploring all of the exhibits - we blew smoke and looked at funny colors. Ryan even made a spider!

We woke up excited to be here and ready to go do something! So, we found two great things to explore Exposition Park and Griffith Park. At Exposition Park we went to the Science Museum we both learned about air pressure and hemotosis -

Ryan's Trip to L.A

2006-10-22T20:08:00.000-04:00

We left on Thursday, Ryan and Mommy to head to sunny L.A. for Ryan's star debut with TriCoast Studios.

Ryan was a super traveler. Before we got on the plain, we made a pit stop at Dunkin Donuts. It was a good thing because we did not get dinner on the plane. Ryan's favorite part of the plane ride out was the "little TV's on the back of the seat".

first chance

2006-09-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

This is the first chance I have had to blog! - sorry

Germany is beautiful. The cities are all clumped together so, when you are in a city the buildings surround you. When you are not in the city there is beautiful green plush looking land.

The convention is HUGE and I mean huge. Kodak, Fuji, Epson have booths that are bigger than a single convention. You can imagine how much there is to see.

It is difficult to see through the smoke though. People here smoke everywhere - even right in the booth. I have come to very much appreciate the American attitude towards smoking. I feel like I should wear a button that says "thank you for not smoking!".

I will blog more as time permits.

Kesley

Ryan's Knitting

2006-09-07T07:22:00.000-04:00

This is my son, Ryan, who seems to be a master of all he attempts. He and Kesley learned how to knit together this summer, and he's pretty good at it. The movie is about 4 minutes, probably needs to be shortened just a bit, but if you can make it through you'll see how uncomfortable I am (all in good fun) over the whole knitting thing.

On a side note, Kesley sent the video to some people in the craft industry, and they loved Ryan. They want to have him do a book or a video for children's knitting. Kesley's so excited about it.

Little Swimmers

2006-09-07T07:19:00.000-04:00

This is a video I put together with our new video camera during our 2 week vacation at the beach in Mt. Pleasant, SC. Daisy, who only turned 3 years old last month, has learned how to swim. I have another version of the movie where she swims the width of this pool without rising for air.

I love iMovie! I seriously did this video in about 3 hours. The song is sung by Faith Hill, written by the incredible Lori McKenna (who I lay claim to knowing personally).

Back from Vacation

2006-09-07T07:14:00.000-04:00

The family got back from 2 weeks of vacation on Sunday. We collectively must have gained 30 pounds while there; beer, chips, "Island Treats" (which are frozen Snickers, 3 Musketeers, etc), and more beer.

Kesley and I started the South Beach Diet on Sunday and our taste buds are miserable. However, we've dropped almost 10 pounds already combined. That's just 4 days of suffering. I'd like to lose another 10 for myself, so I guess it's another couple of weeks of meat, eggs, sugar free jello, cheese, vegetables (I've never eaten so much celery in my life), and Diet Coke.

2006-08-11T07:45:00.000-04:00

Endless Road

This is the next song I'll tackle. This guy is amazing!

Moviestar Look

2006-07-27T10:39:00.000-04:00

Don't Name Your Kid Wayne

2006-07-20T20:35:00.000-04:00

Is it me, or does the name Wayne show up a lot in criminals. Usually as a middle name. Usually as murderers.

Convicted murderer Brandon Wayne Hedrick is scheduled to be electrocuted in the death chamber at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt at 9 p.m.

John Wayne Gacy, Jr., (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer. He was convicted and later executed for the rape and murder of 33 boys and young men, 29 of whom he buried in the crawl space under his house, between 1972 and his arrest in December 1978.

Alton Wayne Roberts was the triggerman who killed Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney on Rock Cut Road on the night of June 21, 1964. Roberts was a rough and rowdy twenty-six-year-old ex-marine in 1964. He was dishonorably discharged from the marines for fighting, drunkenness, and being absent without leave. He was, by many accounts, "as mean as a junkyard dog.' He worked in Meridian as a window salesman.

Wayne Williams (born May 27, 1958) was identified as the key suspect in the Atlanta Child Murders that occurred between 1979 and 1981, and in January 1982, he was found guilty of the murder of two adult men. After his conviction, the Atlanta police declared an additional 22 of the 29 child murders solved.

John Wayne Glover (1932-September 9, 2005) was a serial killer responsible for the North Shore Granny Murders in Australia. He was nicknamed "The Granny Killer" for his trademark murders that involved attacking older woman by beating them on the head with a hammer until they collapsed, then by strangling them with their underwear.

Michael Wayne McGray was a Canadian serial killer who has killed at least four people (and claims to have killed 16) in Halifax, Saint John, Montreal, Newfoundland, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Seattle.

Jimmie Wayne Jeffers executed in 1995 for the murder of Penelope Cheney.

Robert Wayne Vickers executed in 1999 for the murder of Wilmar Holsinger.

Wayne Felde executed in 1988 for the murder of Glen Thompkins.

Dennis Wayne Stockton executed in 1995 for the murders of Kenneth Arnde and Ronnie Lee Tate

Mickey Wayne Davidson executed in 1995 for the murders of Doris Davidson, Mamie Clatterbuck, and Tammy Clatterbuck.

Coleman Wayne Gray 1997 for the murder of Richard McClelland.

Dennis Wayne Eaton executed in 1998 for the murders of state trooper Jerry Hines, Walter Custer, Jr., Ripley Marston, Sr. and Judith MacDonald.

Thomas Wayne Akers executed in 2001 for the murder of Wesley Brant Smith.

Bobby Wayne Swisher executed in 2003 for the murder of Dawn McNees Snyder.

Ellis Wayne Felker executed in 1996 for the murder of Evelyn Joy Ludlam.

I'm not joking. This list was compiled in less than 10 minutes. There were plenty more, but I felt my point was made back at Mickey Wayne Davidson!

Chance of a Lifetime

2006-07-05T14:48:00.000-04:00

Thursday I got to watch Jack Nicklaus play golf in Delaware. He walked The Penninsula and described each and every shot; where he was aiming and why, whether he hit it fat or thin, etc. What was so cool is he walked with the crowd, so everyone got to ask questions, get pictures, etc. Here's a shot I'll have printed for behind my bar!

2006-06-16T14:01:00.000-04:00

Evolution of Dance

Whatever you do today, spend 6 minutes watching this video. It will make you happy!

Adam's Birthday

2006-06-13T11:36:00.000-04:00

My Adam-Oates turned five today. It's truly unbelievable how fast time can fly by. I remember a time when I'd mentally subract 7 weeks from his birthdate to make up for his being born so early. I remember carrying him almost upside down over my shoulder because that's the only way I could get him to stop crying, and how we used to go through a bottle of Mylicon every week.

He's definitely my most "spirited" child. He can be incredibly difficult sometimes, but, WOW, is he loveable. He's truly a charmer.

This is him at Ryan's graduation from Kindergarten last week. He's ready for that challenge, himself.

Happy Birthday buddy!

Kelly's Flag

2006-06-09T13:44:00.000-04:00

I used to be rather anti-gay.

I told hateful jokes. I sneered, laughed, ranted. I used many of the pejorative labels like faggot and queer. I can recall a time nearly 10 years ago where I argued the point that gay people have chosen to be gay because they enjoy the attention.

Boy was I a jerk.

I recently got back in touch with my fraternity brother, Kelly Stern, who came out of the closet since I had last spoken to him. I remember him as a kind, interesting, fun person who everyone wanted to be around, yet he was always rather private. I'd almost call him shy. All the college women thought he was dreamy (imagine that). I genuinly liked him back then, and although we haven't been in touch much over the past 13 years, I still do.

When I found out that Kelly was gay, I remembered regretfully those old, immature opinions I once so loudly and ignorantly proclaimed. I would have never said them to Kelly.

I've grown up, and in the process have come to realize that one doesn't have to be gay to empathize with and relate to gay people. I understand now that people don't choose to be gay, but rather choose whether or not to live truthfully. I'm glad Kelly is living his life happily and truthfully, and I'm happy he's found someone he loves to share it with.

I visit Kelly's blog often to see what he's up to. He kindly frequents my blog as well. Kelly recently posted a challenge to readers of his blog to post this picture in as many places as possible in support of Gay Pride Month. This is something he cares a lot about, so, for you, Kelly; here is my support!

Things Change

2006-05-31T14:01:00.000-04:00

In two years my son has changed so much. Look how cute he was (and is). Don't worry, he didn't get shorter; the sign got taller!

Ryan's Graduation

2006-05-31T13:43:00.000-04:00

Today was Ryan's graduation from Hunter Mill Montessori School. I love this photo of Kesley, with Ryan in the background. He's the only kid I know that sits cross-legged like that. Kesley looks hot :)

Dad's Shed

2006-05-30T09:56:00.000-04:00

Dad's Shed
Posted by Picasa
My dad and I spent the last 5 days building a shed for him in his backyard. We did this thing from scratch...got the plans, ordered the supplies, etc. Now, my entire body aches, and I'm psyched to be back at work in the AC, sitting on my butt. This picture was taken right after we got the walls up...with a little help from my friend Rick.

I Need a Furniture Repair Technician

2006-05-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry, I'm just not blogging enough nowadays. I'll try to be more diligent.

We got our Pottery Barn recliners this morning, and I love them. However, they reclie too easily! I can't simply sit with my feet up without the back falling to full recline position. I'm afraid it will drive me crazy when trying to watch tv.

Any suggestions? I've left emails with both Pottery Barn and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, which is the manufacturer. Both chairs are like this, so I don't think it's a defect. The one at Pottery Barn certainly didn't do this, though. There must be a bolt I can tighten somewhere.

Update on Mr. Snaggletooth

2006-05-03T13:40:00.000-04:00

I saw my normal dentist today who assured me that all will be well, after a couple thousand dollars worth of dentistry. He'll need to perform a root canal, install a post and crown, and then do a veneer on another tooth to restore me to my natural beauty. I'm going to wait until late next week to give the stitches some time to heal. Thanks are in order for everyone's well-wishes!

Reclaiming My Blog

2006-05-03T08:07:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess it's time to reclaim my blog. I had loaned it to Kesley for a week while she travelled to far off lands and did things much more interesting and worthy of the blogosphere.

We picked her up at Dulles Airport last night around 5:30 and proceeded home to enjoy each other's company once again. Mommy brought gifts that everyone was very excited for, including...you got it, BOOMERANGS!

Ryan and I trapsed outside to try our hand at throwing these little wooden weapons. I threw first and was very surprised to chuck the thing 40 yards to the top of a pretty tall tree. It wasn't a heave, really, more of a light frisbee (but overhand) throw. These things can move surprisingly fast.

Ryan took a shot at it, not really throwing very hard, and it travelled across the lawn. I told him he had to throw harder, AND HERE'S WHERE THE FUN STARTS:

You see, he actually threw it BACKWARDS at me. I was standing to the right, and a little behind him when he tried a frisbee-type throw with all his might. The boomerange hung in his hand instead of flying forward, whipped around and took an incredibly fast 3 foot flight right into my mouth. That's right, I took a full-blown, hard as he could throw it, boomerang shot to the grill.

I immediately saw stars and felt broken teeth and blood. I turned without saying a thing and walked to the house, confusing Ryan because he didn't even know he had hit me. He just picked up his new toy and said something about not being done. But I was gone, thinking, for some crazy reason, that I didn't want to spit out my teeth because I needed to keep them (like doctors would somehow sew them back on, and with years of physical therapy I could miraculously chew again).

I reached the house and called for Kesley, trying not to sound too freaked out so I wouldn't upset the entire household. She looked, and then went into high gear. Luckily we found a dentist and an oral surgeon to look at my teeth and my split lip.

I needed several stitches (I think 8) to my lip, and will need some dental work to correct 3 of my severely damaged teeth, including a root canal and crowns.

I'm trying to figure out just why I'm bothering to write about this in this blog, remembering the conversation I had this weekend with my Sister-In-Law. She didn't understand why anyone would ever want to have a blog like I do. I tried to explain it as a journal, a diary, even a scrapbook for my extended family, but in the end I think she was unimpressed with the idea.

Well, I have to get to work. Be good, and watch out for boomerangs.

my day - yesterday which is actually today for you

2006-04-29T16:33:00.000-04:00

Pretty quite day here.

I spent most of my day here at the convention, walking around and speaking with vendors and stores.

My second class – digital technology went pretty well. EXCEPT that I could not get my technology to work. For some reason (I still don’t know why) when it comes to putting the Luci software on a projector it gets distorted and becomes panoramic! I was so embarrassed, I blew my cover as a technology expert! But, they loved Luci (of course). I had some good objections to the idea and was able to easily overcome them. Out of the people in my class, I think that about half of them “got it” and will adapt to digital. The other half did not get it right away or they got it but, did not think that it was for them. Hopefully within 6 months they will get it and be ready for Luci. When talking about other kiosks, the race is on and scrapbooking is it, As far as Whitech and Fuji and Kodak go.

I have another class to teach about sales goals! It always kind of cracks me up that I speak about things that I did not practice. Here I am a person who gets disgusted when the computer does not do what I think it should do (usually because what I think it should do is impossible to do), shuns the techno world and would rather stay with a manual type writer or even better pen and pad – speaking about technology and grasping it and embracing it and bringing it into your world!! Then speaking about budgeting – if there was money in the kitty than I could afford the new paper line or sticker line. A budget is a grid with numbers that makes someone feel that their time was well spent – not something to actually follow. What do you mean I can only spend $50,000 at CHA?? Oh well! As my mom always says “do as I say not as I do”!!

I have breakfast scheduled again with Kris. I am really interested to hear what he has to say about the show and how things are going. I am eager to speak with him about Luci and how he sees a program like that working for him.

Then I have a second breakfast with Bill! He is SOOO tall, I did not realize how small I am compared to him. He said to me today that my eyes twinkled when I talked about Luci, I had to smile about that. If he thinks my eyes twinkle when I talk about Luci, they must go crazy when I talk about my kids

In the class room, they have these little dishes with Mentos in them. They are so cute! Every time I see someone pop it in their mouths, I want them to take a sip of soda, tilt their head back and watch the soda shoot out of their mouth! I can’t wait to get home and do the diet coke and mentos experiment with the kids. Before I left we watched this on the google videos, how people take a stack of mentos and put them in a 2 litre of diet coke and the coke explodes out of the top. Ryan and Adam loved watching this – we were amazed at everyone’s technique.

At Jeanne’s booth today, I met a very interesting man named Nik. We had lunch together with Jeanne and it was, profound. He took a photo of me that I think turned out pretty cute, he is a professional photographer. Right before he snapped the photo he said “OK big eyes!” and it worked. My eyes are usually squinty (one of my least favorite features) and in this shot, not so bad!

I have really taken to shooting myself with the camera. I may have to get a new camera with the flip view but, I kind of like experimenting with my camera for now. Anyway, I took this photo as I was walking into the convention this morning. That’s me standing just in front of the pillar. The glass windows are up about 3 stories and reflect the ground in them. I looked up to see myself and thought it was an interesting shot.

Here are photos of my room. I think I have a photo of the hotel from the outside that shows the window up the fourth floor.

One thing I have just started getting used to is walking on the left hand side. Sometimes I will be walking along on the right, minding my own business and I look up and see a crush of people coming at me. I have to quickly skoot over to the left side to avoid being crushed. In my best American I say “sorry” so that they know I am an American and not an idiot, although to some Australians, I don’t think it makes much of a difference!

The other thing about opposites are the escalators, here you go up the down side and down the up side. Very confusing!!

This was our scene at lunch on Darling harbour

Okay,
I am going to run to the gym, if it is lame I might run around Darling Harbour

more random shots

2006-04-28T19:08:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the Kangaroo Porno!! This guy was cracking me up, he was going after all of the other kangaroos and we couldn't figure out why and then, we figured out why!!!!

I just loved this display! It would make a great scrapbook page.

funny shots around Aussie

2006-04-28T18:50:00.000-04:00

Talk about job satisfaction. This is the guide that took us up the climb for the bridge. At the top she says "welcome to my office"! She is so passionate about her job and enjoying what she was doing - it really showed. She never stopped smiling, never once faltered or questioned what she was doing.

Yesterday when I left my hotel in the morning, there were 3 workers STANDING around a manhole, much lilke they do in the US obviously one guy is down in the hole working and the other three are up top! When I came back in the afternoon to change my clothes, this is the scene that I saw!! It cracked me up - where did they go????

This is marketing at its worst. This guy who was entertaining and doing a magic show, had a captive audience and was able to communicate the point of his show....that Sandisc would not try and trick you, they were a trustworthy company....the sales guys stood around and watched him. There must have been about 10. So it worked in getting a crowd of people to the booth but, after the show everyone turns on their heels and walks away...the 10 sales guys, still standing there!!!

They do have a cool new product that is a flip memory card that folds in half and becomes a USB - no adapters for your computer!

Russ gave me some great advice before I left about where to go and what to do, I think I have done alot of his suggestions. i love this picture because even though the corn is out of focus you can see my shadow! This picture also reminds me of an ear of corn from when Adam was little, he was an adventurous eater and had takend this ear of corn and demolished it, Mike took a photo of the corn on the table afterwards and had it as his screen saver for a while.

song in my head

2006-04-28T18:43:00.000-04:00

"woke up this morning, feeling fine" That is all I can remember from this song but, it keeps spinnng through my brain.

it is a first here in sydney, a cloudy day and bummers I can't find Mike to say good morning so, I will have to say it here first!!

2 things that are great about Australia:
1. A rainy day in Australia hasn't dampened my spirits :) and it looks as though the sun might come out today after all
2. they have a carafe of hot tea along with the coffee at breakfast and it was brewed to perfection! Sometimes with my own tea bag I get distracted and leave it in the water too long and the tea tastes so horrible - there is not enough splenda to make it better!

While I was at breakfast I was thinking about the kids - I totally miss them. THere was a little girl picking out fruit with her "mum" and she kept saying "and that one, and that one and that one" It just reminded me of Daisy!!

Well, I do have some blogging to catch up on and more pictures to share so, I will "get on with that" but, YOU won't read this unitl you have seen the pictures - so, hope you enjoy them! I am sending everyone a cyber huggie and big kisses - especially for the kids, that little spot on their left neck under their ear just before they shrug up their shoulders, yeah that's its!

final thoughts

2006-04-28T09:53:00.000-04:00

What a day! You will read about it in my posts below. I am soooo tired and ready to crash! What a great day, I am in love with Sydney, even the corn on the cob on a stick!! I hope I get a bit more sleep tonioght but, i am a little anzious about my classes tomorrow. Have a great day in the US! Let me know what you think of my blog that I have stolen from Mike.

Ryan - congrats on your report card! I am so proud of you:)

Adam - did you find a new shooter? They have bommer rangs here that you would love. Maybe Daddy can tell you about them.

Hugs and Kisses to everyone - please have a hugging moment for me and send me your squeeze! I love Ya

Mommy and Kesley

this morning in Aussie

2006-04-28T09:43:00.000-04:00

Another gorgeous day in Sydney – even better than yesterday. The temperature is warmer. I was up super early but, got to talk with Mike and that was great.

Made it over to the convention center with time to spare to get set up for my class. Bad news, 35 people signed up! Yikes, quick make copies and get set up. HUH? Need to get the IT guy to hook up your mac. Okay

8:35 – no IT guy and only about 6 people in class. Relax Relax Relax. They speak engilsh and one is even smiling. Okay – Here I go!!

Well, about 10 minutes into the class, I do a quick recovery because I was crashing. I had visions of being cut off at my knees by the boomerang I had seen at the gift shop yesterday. No one was nodding their head like my comments were hitting home. I did not have my power point to relie on so, I relied on honesty and my smile! Thank GOD for my smile!

I had sufficiently revcovered and was able to talk about stuff they could relate to, I relied on the attendiees to share information and I think all in all it went well. The reviews were satisfied, not like the 100% I got from my Orlando class but, I’ll take it. I still have 2 classes to nail.

I have 15 minutes before the show opens and I ran to starbucks for a taste of home. But, being the adventuraous gal that I am I had to try the banana frap. The monkeys would have loved this. After a few sips, I have to pinch myself. I am in AUSTRALIA sipping a Frappe in Darling Harbour!! I am going to go jogging tomorrow around Darling Harbour!

The one bright spot of my class was Lance from Rusty Pickle – happy to be here! We are going to meet up later, talk a little business and then walk the bridge for twilight or at dusk! Tonight just might be perfect for weather, it is not as windy as yesterday so, I am not as nervous!

A little tid bit of information that I learned was that it is 24 hour flight to Europe from here. And this lady told me this morning that she would never go!! Can you imagine??

I am off to call Mike and the kids, I hope they are awake!!

today

2006-04-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

The rest of the show went well. I had a chance to walk around and talk with people about scrapbooking and the kiosk. I have some ideas.

The most powerful part of the show was a photo gallery that was set up. I am not sure if it was to show off the camera, photographer or film process because I was so drawn into the photos. The first aisle just seemed so tragic. I felt like such a dork crying over the photos but, they were SO amazing. It is truly an aspiration to take photos like these professionals, they truly captured the emotion.

The first group was about a little 12 year old that died because of the Tsunami and how she was laid to rest. Another group was about an area that is affected by Agent Orange and how it has affected the generations since and lastly the straw that broke my gushers was of a little boy tying on his fathers tie. Pretty classic type of photo. Except the dad's arms are gone and the child's look is so worshipful of his father. How can circumstances and humanity be so harsh? I know how I feel about just viewing the photos, what must the photographer feel?

Here are some photos of the show

something to do tonight

2006-04-28T09:21:00.000-04:00

What else do you do when you are in australia at night? Scare the pants off yourself and go for a night time stroll over the Bridge that is over 400 feet high!

I met Lance from Rusty Pickle after his class was finished and we raced for a taxi. We had a few minutes to take photos of ourselves before we climbed over and took our first steps to fulfill our destiny!

First you pay about $130 dollars to climb across a bridge and then you sign your life away!

Just before you go over the bridge you have to change into these tight suits and get geared up with a geek light, headphones fuzzy hat etc. and you have to hand over your camera!

oops! here are the pictures

2006-04-28T09:16:00.000-04:00

OMG can you believe this???

2006-04-28T09:01:00.000-04:00

I did it! I walked the bridge and I have pictures to prove it!

Darling Harbour

2006-04-27T05:51:00.000-04:00

I can't remember which pictures I picked - maybe just shots around the harbor

Yes, it is amazing. Not Grand Canyon amazing but, National Monument amazing. The man who designed it has actually never set foot inside! I hope I have time to get closer.

You can walk across this bridge for $150! It is 87 stories high and I honestly would tackle it. The view of the harbour is beautiful on the ground, I can only imagine what it would look like atop that bridge!

I am babbling and can't type properly. I have so much more to blog about and I will get it all out tomorrow!

Kesley

off to explore

2006-04-27T05:38:00.000-04:00

Jeanne and I went to the Torango Zoo across the harbor. You can walk in with the red kangaroos and the Emu's - very cool. We saw the Koala bears, the Nemo sea gull and wallabies. I was constantly reminded of the beauty of our surroundings.

Around the harbour are water taxis, this is how we got back from the Taragon Zoo!

Exhausted but, trying to stay awake, Jeanne and I walke through China Town. Australia China town is not different than any other China town I have been to.

On my way to the hotel, I realized that in Australia, they drive on the different side of the road!!

I am getting too tired to write too much more so, I will leave you with snip-its from my day!

In Australia

2006-04-27T05:28:00.000-04:00

Okay, I just realized that my blog was going backwards. I am too tired to fix it but, maybe Mike can tomorrow:) or today.

These are the pictures from when I first arrived. Customs went smooth (except for later when I thought I had lost my driver's lic.- quite a scare!) my driver was there to meet me, Mahammed Ali!! He was from Pakistan and was a great ride!

I got right to my hotel, was able to check in, take a shower, IM the kids and meet Jeanne Reed, the only other person I know in Australia! All this before 11:00 AM!

What a day

My first impressions were that Australia was beautiful and the people are as lovely as their accents! I love it here and could not wait to explore!

I was amazed at how similar it Australia was to America. There are so many differences but so many similarities. Imagine if you will San Francisco but, so much greener and better and newer!

Onto Australia

2006-04-27T05:12:00.000-04:00

After a couple hours wait, they begin boarding the airplane to Australia. I had powered up my laptop at an outlet and I was ready. I had a little sleeping pill and was prepared to move my seat if I had to. Well, I did move my seat. The plane had a lot of extra space so, I moved from my two seater window seat to an aisle seat with 4 seats. Another guy came and sat on the aisle. He and I chatted for a while, from Brisbane (sp?) and over here for "Holiday", going rafting down the Grand Canyon with his dad! How cool - that is on my to-do list before I turn 40. He was a real nice guy and once he saw me curled on my two seats, he offered to let me use the third as he was not able to curl as well as me! I told him I would only slip my toes over the line!

So, I snuggled in and thought I would snooze before dinner was served. I slpet through dinner and woke up about 2 hours later. That would be 5:00 AM east coast time. I took my sleeping pill to ensure that I would sleep and I did for about 8 hours!! Imagine 8 hours curled up on two seats (with my toes hanging over to the third). It worked out just great.

The rest of the flight, I watched a movie called Southern Belles by Bansi's son. It has the potential to be a 16 Candles type of classic movie, worth the watch if you grew up in the 80's and liked Napolean Dynamite. Worked and planned my classes for tomorrow, had breakfast and prepared to land. Here are pictures on the plane.

on my way

2006-04-27T05:05:00.000-04:00

Thank you Mike for sharing your blog with me while I am in Australia. I can't believe that i am actually here. I also can't believe that I am on this adventure without you! This picture was the last I saw of my family before heading into the airport. I was nervous about having all of my documents and my luggage making it with me. I made it through OK and went to my gate to wait for my turn to enter the sardine can that would take me to LA.

I was not the only one waiting. The airlines are all trying new ways to load the planes - American loaded from the front to the back! I was in the back so, it was a wait. I was happy to have a lady sit next to me who was more nervous about flying than I was. So, I landed in LA just fine and was gearing up for my 3 hour wait.

Ryan is Fascinated by the 1906 Earthquake

2006-04-26T16:13:00.000-04:00

Now Blogging Kesley's Phone

2006-04-25T17:17:00.000-04:00

I added Kesley's camera phone to my blog on our way to the airport last night, so she can take snapshots during her trip to Sidney, Australia this week. This is Daisy on the way to the airport. Kesley promosed to send random pictures throughout her trip.

Last night at midnight, Kes called from L.A. and asked that I call for a driver in Sidney to pick her up when she gets there. It took me 30 minutes just to figure out how to dial the number; there's like 25 digits! Got some Aussie in Melbourne who was very helpful, but I could only understand about 10% of what he was trying to say, what with the long distance distortion and the accent (and my groggyness).

She gets to Australia at around 6pm tonight, which amounts to nearly 24 hours of traveling. Essentially, she loses a day with the timechange, only to gain it back when she returns. She loses Wednesday, and gets two Tuesdays on her return.

Anyway, check back often to see if she's fulfilling that promise to take pictures and send them to my blog. I will be looking too.

Green Green Grass

2006-04-24T08:58:00.000-04:00

Last summer I had the worst, weed ridden grass ever. I ended up killing every square inch of it with Roundup. I reseeded, watered like crazy, put down lime, fertilizer and other goodies, and voila! A lawn I'm happy to have the kids play on. Look how Daisy just sinks down into it like a fine sofa cushion.

Daisy's New Bedroom

2006-04-17T07:42:00.000-04:00

While the kids are away in Charleston, Kesley and I put Daisy's bed together and decorated her room. It's going to be a great surprise. No more crib, and she's going to be beaming tonight.

Jumping on the Bed Will Cost You

2006-04-12T15:33:00.000-04:00

My kids love to jump on my bed, but it drives me nuts. I'm convinced one of them's gonna crack their skull open...on my day off! Anyway, Ryan offered me two dollars the other day to jump on my bed. He had opened his piggy bank, counted out the change, and was holding it in front of me with a satisfied, hopeful look on his face.

I couldn't resist, so I upped the ante. "Five fifty", I said.

"What?"

"Five-fifty.

"What?" he repeated, not quite understanding yet how to haggle.

"Well, that's how much I want if your gonna jump on my bed. Take it or leave it."

So he went back in his room and counted out the rest. I let him jump as long as he wanted.

Adam was jealous, so I offered the same deal. Poor kid was left with only about eight cents, but he was certain that it was going to be worth it. I could tell it was tough for both of them when I put the money in my own piggy bank (yes, I have one), but I think it was the right thing to do.

Teaches them the value of money. Or maybe just that Dad's a chump.

Les

2006-04-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

2006-04-05T06:30:00.000-04:00

Mobile Blogging

2006-04-04T19:35:00.000-04:00

Blogger has a new tool that allows you to blog directly from your camera phone. All you have to do is snap a picture and send it to go@blogger.com. It automatically posts within a minute or so. I think that's pretty cool, so I'm going to randomly snap photos for my next several blogs and see how they turn out.

6 weeks and still alive

2006-04-04T19:26:00.000-04:00

The Squid & the Whale

2006-04-04T07:02:00.000-04:00

I started watching the Squid & The Whale last night with Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney. It is an incredible movie, not unlike Sideways in the way it portrays real characters with real flaws trying to relate to people with their own problems.

Somewhere between getting out of my chair and getting in bed, I wrenched my neck something aweful. All night long I laid in pain. I even got up and took some serious pain medication, but it didn't help. Usually these stupid neck problems last for 3 or 4 days, so I got that going for me.

What an Idea!

2006-03-31T10:39:00.000-05:00

I know how I'm going to get rich.

I'm going to build a prototype of a window cling that has the image of a dreary, crappy, rainy day. You cut it to the exact size of your office windows and stick it up there when the weather is beautiful, like today.

Then, when you've got your nose burried in a tax return, you can just look up, smile, and say "Yuck, I'm glad I'm not out there!"

2006-03-31T08:06:00.000-05:00

This is Adam in the waiting room, happy as can be. He actually got a little happier with the drugs they gave him before the procedure.
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2006-03-31T08:04:00.000-05:00

OK, I have an excuse. I haven't blogged for a week because I'm just too friggen busy. Adam had a follow-up VCUG for his bladder/kidney reflux last Friday. We fully expected it to be completely outgrown by now, but no, he's still a 5/5 in severity. This is him all goofed up on Versed, pronounced "Verse-Ed".
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Washington Post Scare Tactics

2006-03-23T06:49:00.000-05:00

Albert Crenshaw wrote an article in the Washington Post this morning that has me remembering the movie "Bowling for Columbine".

The movie showed how the media (and others) presents only the frightening, salacious news to the public, and that this constant presentation of the bad world creates an understandable fear of the world. That fear results in racism, anti-semitism, homophobia, you name it. I imagine everyone bug-eyed, peering out their curtains at their empty streets, afraid some black man is going to come rape and kill them.

The article is not about violent crime, but white crime. The auther describes how the IRS is attempting to tighten the rules relating to the sharing (selling) of private information related to your taxes, and describes how the most likely culprit of this is the tax preparer. He quotes people who describe tax preparers as "surrepticious". He points out the potential for tax preparers to make money selling your personal information, but never really gives an example. He describes how a tax preparer could spread a bunch of papers out in front of you and ask you to sign them, "surrepticiously" including one that gives him permission to sell your info.

Here are some articles I expect to see next week:

Locksmiths are the most likely to break into your house and steal your tv!

Massage Therapists are the most likely to videotape you naked!

Postal workers are the most likely to steal your Social Security check!

After reading this article, any rational taxpayer would ask themselves the following question; "I wonder if my tax accountant is going to sell my personal information?"

Now, don't get me wrong, privacy protection is a valid concern. However, it's a statement, not an article. Mr. Crenshaw builds an article around this statement that is irresponsible and, frankly, disgusting. It's an unwarranted attack on a profession that is currently unprepared to defend itself because it is otherwise occupied with your tax returns.

Read Mr. Crenshaw's article here; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032202190.html, and then please send him an email pointing him to my blog. You can do so by clicking on his name under the title of the article.

Where's My Lollypop?

2006-03-22T06:44:00.000-05:00

Daisy was looking everywhere. Under the table, on the stairs, in my pocket. She just couldn't figure out where she put her lollypop. I snapped this picture and showed it to her on the back of my camera. Her response?

"Oh".

So I waited to see if she really understood, and she did. She reached back after a few seconds and found it. Of course, it still tasted good.

Just Obnoxious

2006-03-22T06:42:00.000-05:00

I know the gas price situation has just been beaten to death in the last couple of years. But every time my bill comes to nearly $50 (FOR A HONDA!) I almost cry. What a joke.

Darth Adam & Daisy's Ben Kinobe

2006-03-20T06:08:00.000-05:00

Star Wars has completely taken over in my house. Adam, in particular, is enthralled, and can't do a thing unless he's holding a light saber, which, until recently was called a "light saver". Daisy has taken to calling him Darth Adam, and has decided that everyone's private parts look like Ben Kinobe. So, I have, in the interest of furthering her confusion in later years, decided to call everybody's private parts a "Ben Kinobe".

Request for New View

2006-03-17T11:47:00.000-05:00

I need a new view. It is March 17 (St. Patty's Day), and I've been sitting in this chair 70 hours a week for almost a month and a half. I've got exactly one month left before the end of tax season. Tell me again why I do this for a living?
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Emergency! In an office building?

2006-03-14T06:31:00.000-05:00

We have a new doctor's office in our building. He has posted these huge, ugly signs, even though he knew before he purchased a condo that it was against the condo rules. Everyone is, as my father says, "fit to be tied" about it. He claims to be doing the community a service, and the signs are necessary to be able to find him in an emergency. I can't complain too loudly, because I've taken my kids to him occasionally (in an emergency), and he's a rather good doctor. Just a bit of a jerk otherwise.
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Kappa Sigma Reunion

2006-03-13T16:42:00.000-05:00

Kappa Sigma reunion for Steve Gardner, who is going to Russia to spend a year and a half in a language emersion program.
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Jeep Weather

2006-03-11T07:16:00.000-05:00

My friend Rick helped me take the top off the Jeep the other night, in anticipation of the beautiful weather this weekend. Picking up Adam was an absolute blast. He couldn't get the smile off his face.

Michael Buble

2006-03-08T07:17:00.000-05:00

Kesley scored free tickets (thanks Kimberly) to the Michael Buble concert at DAR Constitution Hall this past Friday. I was lukewarm about going, but was immediately surprised at his showmanship. He puts on a great show, and it's not just tailored to the thousand or so screaming lunatic middle-aged women who seek him out for his crooning vocals.

He concedes that he realizes the men were dragged to the show, and makes it fun by cracking jokes, often at his own expense.

His show even opens with a comedian, which was a first for me.

Virtuoso

2006-03-08T07:12:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Ryan and his first piano teacher, Mrs. Hill. The class had about 6-8 kids in it and ran for an hour for eight weeks. It was a nice introduction, and I think he's ready for private lessons, even if my wallet isn't.

Carry the One

2006-03-07T08:28:00.000-05:00

Ryan can add double-digit numbers, and he's only 6 years old. I'm so amazed at his ability to understand concepts like this. I hope he's not destined to be a CPA. We need a little variety around here.

Wolfgangs Vault

2006-02-20T08:21:00.000-05:00

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/
This is such a cool site. Check it out if you have a few minutes.

2006-02-11T11:50:00.000-05:00

Booth at Silver Diner

2006-02-11T07:18:00.000-05:00

Ryan brought "Fudge" home from Ms. Deon's kindergarten class this weekend. He's supposed to take the stinky stuffed animal whereever he goes. Last night we went to Silver Diner for dinner.

Tears In Heaven

2006-02-09T09:35:00.000-05:00

I have a new guitar teacher, named Mike Melchione (he works at Music & Arts in Oakton). He's a very, very good teacher, and I've already learned a ton from him after only a couple of weeks.

Tonight I meet with him and he's going to expect me to play the licks from Tears In Heaven, the song Eric Clapton wrote back in the 90's. Mike taught me the general idea of it last week, and I picked up an EC book to try an nail it down.

The first couple of days I was money, then I slacked off. Now I've got the jitters because I really want him to be impressed so he'll keep pushing me forward. I'm a huge EC fan and would love to start learning a bunch of his blues songs. Problem is I'm so tired at night that I have to push myself just to pick up the guitar.

The lesson will motivate me for a couple of days.

2006-02-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

B.B. King
Somehow I got 4th row seats from Ticketmaster to the B.B. King concert at Dar Constitution Hall a couple weeks ago, and took my Brother-In-Law, Brett. We sat next to Marion Barry and his wife, which is funny because that's not the first time we've sat next to Mrs. Barry (funny story, ask me sometime).

The show was a bit below-average, because it was much less polished than any other concerts I've seen, but I'm sure that's just the nature of the music. Also at the show was Bobby "Blue" Bland, who is way too old to be touring.

All in all, I'm glad I went. B.B. is 80 years old, you know. I'm still kicking myself for not seeing Ray Charles before he died last year.

2006-02-08T10:01:00.000-05:00

It occurs to me that Ryan hasn't been properly represented lately, so here goes.

2006-02-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

Wanna buy the Twuper?

2006-01-27T12:20:00.000-05:00

This was the Dupage Children's Museum in Naperville, Illinois over New Year's. Ryan spent the entire time building stuff in the shop.

2005-07-05T16:46:00.000-04:00

Adam kindly switched laps with Daisy so she'd stop screaming.

2005-07-05T16:44:00.000-04:00

Ryan and Adam were so patient wating for the fireworks. We could hear the fireworks from other communities off in the distance, and Adam exclaimed "I can't see the fire but I can hear the works."

2005-07-05T16:42:00.000-04:00

Daisy before the fireworks started. She was quite excited to see them, and even warned Gigi not to be scared. Alas, once they started she began to cry for about 5 minutes until Mommy held her.

2005-07-01T09:11:00.000-04:00

Eating dinner on the deck last week.

2005-06-24T16:18:00.000-04:00

This reminds me of a famous photo or painting. Can't figure it out!

2005-06-24T16:15:00.000-04:00

Ryan in the strawberry field

2005-06-24T16:13:00.000-04:00

Adam in the strawberry field

2005-06-24T16:05:00.000-04:00

Elvis impersonator in Tupelo, MS. This guy was pretty good, and the crowd was apparently aware of who he was.

2005-06-24T15:50:00.000-04:00

These are the Metro Kids. This was returning from our trip to Mississippi to visit the boys' grandmother and uncle Garry. A great trip.

2005-02-25T15:01:00.000-05:00

I was just thinking about a vacation. Can't wait to get back to the beach where the only thing to worry about is what to bring for lunch.

2005-02-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

Say, does this look shy?

2005-02-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

Daisy at Cox Farm

eKesley on MSN

2005-02-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

Video of Ryan as a Baby

Take a Break

2005-02-24T09:20:00.000-05:00

Hanging out with Isabella is fun, especially on a nice day.

Unsubscribe? Sure, please hold...

2005-02-23T18:39:00.000-05:00

Why is it that when you sign up for a service like RealRhapsody it’s the easiest thing in the world. Click here, give us your credit card and you’re done. No waiting. We’re your best buddy.

But when you want to unsubscribe, they don’t even give you an email address. You have to call them.

I’m sitting on hold, now going on the 20^th minute, listening to the same crappy John Denver song with RealRhapsody.com. They’re not even giving me good music (it’s a damn music service, damn it!). Can you picture it? They have one phone for unsubscribers, and 10 guys sitting around looking at it right now. Fred, the sympathetic one, reaches for it and the “Customer Service Manager” reaches over and slaps him on the wrist with a mini-whip. “Patience, Fred! He’ll give up in a minute.”

23 minutes…

25 minutes…

I actually struggled with the decision to keep or drop this service, because I like it. Now, however, there’s no way I’ll keep it. I hate them now.

28 minutes…

55 minutes…

I’m not kidding…115 minutes…

I'm Gonna Love You for the Rest of My Life

2004-09-08T10:30:00.000-04:00

My son, Ryan, is at an age where he's incredibly sensitive (he's almost five). The other night after I tucked him into bed, he said with tears welling up in his eyes, "Daddy, I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life, ok?

Man, I love that kid.

I Really Did Practice. I Really Did!

2004-09-06T22:48:00.000-04:00

John came by tonight at 9:30 for my lesson. After practicing Hey Joe for a week now (perfectly, every time), I couldn't hit a clean chord tonight to save my life, and my timing was incredibly bad.

He must have thought I didn't practice at all. That sucks, because believe it or not, I put in a little extra practice this week just to impress him. I'm such a dork.

Anyway, my task this week is to practice Hey Joe more, using a different strum pattern for each measure in the chord progression. Also, he taught me the open position of the minor pentatonic scale, and he wants me to practice it in time using hammer-ons and pull-offs, which I have a terrible time with.

Finally, he's got me practicing vibratto. I think I must choke the shit out of the neck of the guitar because I can't seem to get my wrist to loosen up enough to have a beneficial effect on the vibrato sound.

Maybe with a couple hours of practice I'll feel more confident. Right now, I feel like I'll never sound like he does.

And Now; The Guitar

2004-09-02T12:29:00.000-04:00

I hired a guitar teacher the other night. His name is John Lee. 25 year old guy who's been playing since he was 10! Amazing player, but he's not a great teacher. He's very young and has trouble explaining to me what it is he want me to do. Sometimes he's way over my head and other times he's too elementary.

Tuesday night he began teaching me "Hey Joe". Trying to get me to play 1) in time 2) with a down down down up strum pattern and 3) selectively hitting strings to make the sounds more interesting. In other words, not strumming all of the strings for the first few strums, but rather just the top ones, then the bottom o (higher pitch) ones for the last 2 strums in a measure. Also trying to get me to mute the strings a bit.

The hardest thing is keeping time, especially when I'm strumming more than one time per beat. When practicing I decided to keep it to one strum until I could keep time...then I changed to three down strums per chord so I could get a feel for the time sequence.

Fingers hurt, especially the pointer and middle finger. Ran them under hot water this morning and just about screamed.

Gonna hurt worse soon because I plan on sticking with 1 hour of practice a night.