Smile

I haven't been in a good mood lately. Partly due to being sick, partly due to life in general. After tonight, however, I don't feel that I have an excuse.

During my drive home from the studio tonight, I was proven wrong by two people.

On the way home, I needed to stop and get gas. I went to the Shell station. Yes, it's more expensive, but I don't have to be bothered by bums. If you go back to one of my earlier blogs, I explain this. See "It's Funny How Things Come Back Around".

Strangely enough, the poet that approached me in the blog that I mentioned appeared again tonight and came towards me smiling. Before he could ask, I told him that I'd already purchased a poem.

He smiled and offered me a poem on the house.

I love this guy, and I have to tell you why. There are two types of people in this world:

- People that do what they want to do, regardless of how difficult it is. They follow their dreams.

- People that simply work for a paycheck and enjoy life outside of work.

Either type of people are completely cool with me. But I happen to fall in the first category and I can relate more to this type of person.

I'm a musician and I can tell you, it's not the easiest profession. You are continually paying your dues and working your ass off to make a living where the normal 9 to 5 guys simply get to clock out.

Poets, however, have it even harder. Music is barely taken seriously. People burn cds left and right, it's barely a viable product. Poems are, at least modern day ones, are taken much less seriously by most of society.

This guy is out there selling his poems late at night though. They are poems that his wife writes. I can attest too, I've met her. She's a nice lady and she's passionate.

I truly admire this couple. They are going against extreme adversity and they always have a smile on their face about it. They are selling poems in gas station parking lots and they always have a smile.

That is passion...

After leaving the gas station, I continued on home. I eventually reached the toll booths to cross the bridge. Tonight I happen to pay more attention to one of the ladies that worked the booth.

This lady is always happy. She's always got a cute little joke to make you smile. Tonight it was, "Do you have 300 pennies for me?"

I have to admire her. She's in a cold, cold booth at midnight by herself but she can laugh, joke and smile about it.

That is a different type of passion, but it's a passion none the less. A passion for life.

So I have to look at myself and laugh. "Awww, poor little G..", I say to myself in a sarcastic tone. Nothing will ever be completely perfect until death, why be so glum?

I read a book not long ago that was written by the Dalai Lhama. He'd mentioned that he can always spot an enlightened man. You want to know how? He's got a smile on his face.

G

1:38 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

You should read this..
Category: Life

I'm so happy that you opened this blog. Contained herein, you will find details that will amaze and amuse you. It won't seem purposeful from the start, but I'll have you know that you won't regret indulging your curiosity.

So what is this all about? I'll tell you. I haven't updated my blog in several days on Myspace. One might say that I have left my readers to the proverbial wolves.

Take your worry and place it somewhere where I won't see it. Here is a new blog containing delights!

SO, let me recap:

My last blog, I believe, mentioned the completion of my first book. Yes, I know, fascinating. But you're probably wondering, what have you been doing since you finished the book?

Well, this last weekend, I was at the AES convention. It was filled with many, many audiophiles. I did quite a bit of walking and I have to tell you, my feet really hurt when it was over with.

I was amazed at the weather out in San Francisco. It was beautiful during the day time and the night time.

I loved the way the steam feathered it's way through the manhole covers as we walked over. It made me feel like I was on the set of some dark movie.

A friend and I had dinner at the Grand Hyatt. The view from the 31st floor restaraunt was inspiring and the eggplant ravioli was wonderful. It really made the night!

Later on that night I went to see Deadbeat and Richard Devine at the Recombinant Media Labs. Surround cinema and sound in one room. I was really happy that they had complimentary earplugs, because it was loud!

As far as today, yesterday and Sunday? I was up to no good as usual. In fact, I'll challenge you to imagine what was going on... Any ideas?

I'll close with a top ten list:

Top Ten Things to do when you are eating Eggplant Ravioli:

10. Smile a very big smile and point down at the plate with a happy look on your face.

9. Rub your stomach with a mouth full of ravioli and try to smile.

8. When people start asking you to try the ravioli, threaten them with your fork.

7. When people try to stab a ravioli anyway, stab them with the fork.

6. Comfort the person that you wounded and try to convince them that the stab was an accident.

5. Try to stop the waiter from running away that witnessed the stabbing.

4. Pull the phone from the waiters hand while he's trying to call security

3. Pull the phone from the wall and take it with you to your seat to return to your ravioli.

2. Sit down at your seat and pretend that you never stabbed someone over a ravioli.

1. Smile and enjoy what's left of your ravioli while security races to your table to escort you from the hotel.

G

9:11 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Book: Finished
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Writing and Poetry

Just to let everyone know... I finished the book!!!! That's right! I saw the cover art for the book tonight with yours truly on the cover and my last name on the spine.

I'm in print!!!!

So yeah, now you know.

G

3:49 AM - 6 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Smoking in Bars
Current mood: awake

I met a friend or two out at a little dive bar in Oakland tonight. The bar had some cool music playing (The Misfits, older Misfits) and the people seemed to be pretty cool.

Everything was pretty alright, but I did come to find out all to quickly that it was one of the few bars in California that still allowed smoking inside.

I became apprehensive once this realization hit me. When I played in Portland, the cigarette smoke only made me that much more sick, I really didn't want to take my chances. Then there was the usual problem of being conversational when you're the only person sober within a 2 block ratius.

I ended up playing it cool, talked with my friends and enjoyed the night out for a bit. I only managed to hang for about an hour, then I was gone. The smoking was just too much. It filled the room like a translucent carpet.

So, in honor of the evening, I'm making another top ten list.

This would be top ten things to do when you are in the last bar in California that allows smoking indoors.

10. Congratulate the bartender and start the famous cigarette fight song to get everyone excited!

9. Take pictures of actual full ashtrays so that your friends might believe you later.

8. Imagine the cops busting in and yelling, "Alright, put your hands up and your cigarettes down!" You see one guy run to the back in an attempt to flush his pack down the toilet. Another guy standing by the juke box flips the cigarette around and swallows it. A young lady bursts in to tears and then havoc breaks loose. The bartender tries to go for the shot gun that they keep under the bar. Immediately the cops open fire. The bartender is seriously wounded and falls to the ground. He whispers weakly as life ebbs away from his cooling body, "Can I have one last cigarette?" The young lady crying hysterically calms down suddenly and looks questioningly over to the officer. Shaking his head with sadness, knowing that this man doesn't have long, he says, "Yeah.. yeah, go ahead." The other policemen look taken aback by the bold move of the senior officer. He glares back and they return to gather up the other bar patrons fot the 'Paddie Wagon'. The senior cop mutters, "It's a damn shame..."

7. Try getting people to open up about how much money they are spending on smokes with California taxes! This will, of course, lead to the inevitable conversation starting with, "Yeah, I know it's expensive but..."

6. If you are an ex-smoker, like me, inhale deeply and think back to the good old days!

5. Try to get a smoke ring competition going.

4. Take a second to go outside so you can remember what real air tastes like.

3. Try to imagine how each of the smokers will look one year after they quit, minus the accelerated metabolism that goes along with smoking. *hey, I had to go through it too! I gained 15 lbs. the first year that I quit! Thankfully, I learned how to eat in a more appropriate fashion later!*

2. Try to get everyone telling that 'First Cigarette' story that everyone has. Oh, the good old days!

1. Sadly eye everyone in the room taking long drags on their cigarettes while you sip your water and try to hide your bitter longing. Yeah, you know you want one too.

11:18 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Craving
Current mood: hungry

This has been a night of non-stop hunger!!!

I tell ya, I could eat myself in to the bottom of an ice cream carton with no problem at all.

Do you ever have one of those times when you're just hungry and you can't stop?

Here's my top ten things to do when you can't stop eating but should:

10. Bribe the guy at the seven-eleven to refuse to sell you any form of chocolate, ice cream, twinkies, etc.

9. Ask your friends to call you and ask you about your weight.

8. Watch re-runs of 'What's Happening?' and 'Give Me a Break' and 'Roseanne'. Watching the over-weight actors may dissuade you from continuing on your little binge.

7. Step on the scale.

6. Try on some old clothes.

5. Take every cook book you own and hide them so that you can't see them.

4. Call your mom and ask her to tell you about the good old days when you could eat anything you wanted and not gain a pound.

3. Oooh, here's a thought... WORK OUT!

2. Buy some fruit from the grocery store... and I don't mean a pie that has fruit baked in to it!

1. Go to sleep with visions of sugar plums dancing in your head.

11:21 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Little Miss Sunshine
Current mood: amused

If you're in to dark comedies, check out Little Miss Sunshine. It's kind of a Royal Tenenbaums on a road trip.

I went to see that today and got a big kick out of it. The rest of the audience appeared to enjoy it as well.

I think I might have been the only person under 45 there, however. ;)

4:22 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

You've got to love this weather...

You've got to love this weather...

I don't understand people. I was walking around at the farmer's marker earlier. It was nice and sunny outside... It was great. I had a smile on my face and I was just having a great ol' time. Everyone else is bitching about how hot it is!! Awww, come on! I'm even getting ready to leave for warmer climates in the next week, this is great! I hardly broke a sweat. G

7:30 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Deathline and Organized Crime
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural

I had this really interesting dream last night (well, I mean this morning). Those of us touring in Deathline International had taken to pursuing organized crime during our various tours through out the United States.

In the first part of the dream we had decided to rob an old war bunker of some old military treasure somewhere in Virginia. James and I, at one point, were trapped in a crumbling old prison cell and were trying to escape before the Feds caught us.

Our next 'heist' was ripping off money from a city college. In my dream we never actually performed the robbery, it ended before hand. We did, however, case the place and go through the various locations that we needed to be in for each phase of the robbery to work.

I remember James, Angela and I looking at a college bulletin board trying to find an apartment to hole up in while all of this was going on. During this episode Christian was yelling at us in the walkie-talkie to get in our assigned positions, the police were showing up.

What a night!

G

2:02 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

A Sunny Saturday in San Rafael Part 2

I just got through cooking a wonderful shrimp pad thai dinner. After this I sat out on the deck in the cool night air and read a comic book.

It was just like being a kid again. Back when I used to sit outside on the porch of our ranch and play with the tom cats that used to hang around out back.

It was pretty cool...

G

9:24 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

A Sunny Saturday in San Rafael
Current mood: accomplished

If you can say the subject 5 times fast I'll buy you a cookie! ;P

Nah, seriously, you know I'd never buy you a cookie...

Anyway, today has been beautiful. I did a lot of writing, cooked a little, mixed down a track. It's been just great.

After I got a fair bit done, I went downtown and bought myself a milkshake. From there I continued to play 'Bejeweled' on my cell phone and be the subject of various people looking at me out of the corner of their eye. Yep, I guess they haven't seen many guys with mohawks in San Rafael.

There's something about the sun out here in the evening time. It's got this cool orange hue that just drives me nuts. When it's on you, you get that feeling of being in love, regardless of whether you actually are or not.

It makes me want to get a bottle of sparkling water and sit out on the deck.

I also stopped by the mall for a bit. There was a new Spiderman comic that I had to pick up. I also rented a movie.

I think it's going to be a really good 'G.W. night' tonight. No music, no partying, no worries. Just a guy and his DVD player.

Of course, this will be after I knock out a couple of pages on the book! You know how it is, you have to keep up the momentum!

G

7:55 PM - 0 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment