IT'S FUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNY!!!! I can't stop laughing.........there's something very wrong with me. Please send help.
Monday, July 28, 2008
I can't go to sleep until I share this...
I swear in the last 10 years, my world has become unbelievably small. Or large. Depending how you look at it. Quick memory trip--In summer of 1986, after I came home from my first year as drum major touring with the ORIGINAL Velvet Knights, I signed up for a year of music education fun and frolicking at CSULB. I ended up comparing schedules with a friend of mine that I had gone to PCC with, Rich Melville, and we ended up getting into all kinds of trouble together, but more important, we carpooled from Pasadena/San Marino to CSULB every day. Or thereabouts. I would drive from my house in Pasadena down to his nice posh neighborhood, park, and then get in his little Toyota truck and buzz down to school, all the while, Rich instructed me on the finer points of Metallica, Iron Maiden, speed metal, death metal, smoking pot, and uhhhh...well...some of the strange things he would do. Time is what it is, and life goes on. Last I heard from Rich was maybe 10 to 12 years ago when I had stopped by a mutual friend's house in Pasadena who I've talked about on this blog before--a stellar musician himself--Lou "Give Me A Reason, Turner!!!" Tartadian. I think I recall Lou was on the phone with him when I walked in and I said "Hi" and that was about it. Rich was living somewhere in Los Angeles at the time.
GET TO THE POINT TURNER---FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY!!
Sorry....
I always feel like I have to set things up, hanh?
ANYWAYS...I joined Facebook and have been pretty amazed at the people that are signing up and becoming "my friend" through Facebook. TONS better than that swill called MySpace. But anyway--TODAY...out of the blue...one of the world's GREATEST trumpet players and I'm proud to say a friend of mine from WAY back, Tim Divers, became "my friend". COOOL! As per the custom on Facebook, you look at your new friends friends and see if you know any of THEIR friends, and then you ask them to be YOUR friend and so it goes. I personally think Facebook is setting us up to be the biggest Amway distributorship in the world--but that's another story.
So...I'm looking through Tim's friends, and find Rich Melville, my old commuting/drinking/partying/jazz band playing in friend. Yeah...so I send him a friend invite, next thing I know, he's commenting on that STUPID picture of me in that STUPID dog costume (see my Facebook account for more information), and of course, he brings up an inside joke between us that I hadn't thought of IN YEARS..."Beware the Zarconians." It's a complicated story I'll not bother you with...
ANYWAY...so I do a little investigating on HIS profile, and find out that the sucker is living in GREECE, and is in a rockband that's fronted by Gene Simmons' younger brother Serge...well ok ok, I kid. Sure looks like a relative of Gene Simmons to me. BUT WHO AM I!!!?? So...without further ado...please, take a moment, as I introduce American citizens to the hit Greece rock/polka/death metal conglomerate known as...DICKEN'S ZOO!!!
:-/
Uhhh...well...at least they aren't called The Zarconians.
(Just in case you think I'm being sarcastic, I personally think this is VERY cool to see Rich after all of these years....on Greek television...singing....in Greek. I knew he was talented...but this is IT!!! Oh...he's the sax player...)
GET TO THE POINT TURNER---FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY!!
Sorry....
I always feel like I have to set things up, hanh?
ANYWAYS...I joined Facebook and have been pretty amazed at the people that are signing up and becoming "my friend" through Facebook. TONS better than that swill called MySpace. But anyway--TODAY...out of the blue...one of the world's GREATEST trumpet players and I'm proud to say a friend of mine from WAY back, Tim Divers, became "my friend". COOOL! As per the custom on Facebook, you look at your new friends friends and see if you know any of THEIR friends, and then you ask them to be YOUR friend and so it goes. I personally think Facebook is setting us up to be the biggest Amway distributorship in the world--but that's another story.
So...I'm looking through Tim's friends, and find Rich Melville, my old commuting/drinking/partying/jazz band playing in friend. Yeah...so I send him a friend invite, next thing I know, he's commenting on that STUPID picture of me in that STUPID dog costume (see my Facebook account for more information), and of course, he brings up an inside joke between us that I hadn't thought of IN YEARS..."Beware the Zarconians." It's a complicated story I'll not bother you with...
ANYWAY...so I do a little investigating on HIS profile, and find out that the sucker is living in GREECE, and is in a rockband that's fronted by Gene Simmons' younger brother Serge...well ok ok, I kid. Sure looks like a relative of Gene Simmons to me. BUT WHO AM I!!!?? So...without further ado...please, take a moment, as I introduce American citizens to the hit Greece rock/polka/death metal conglomerate known as...DICKEN'S ZOO!!!
:-/
Uhhh...well...at least they aren't called The Zarconians.
(Just in case you think I'm being sarcastic, I personally think this is VERY cool to see Rich after all of these years....on Greek television...singing....in Greek. I knew he was talented...but this is IT!!! Oh...he's the sax player...)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
And now for a quick break...
THIS still gets to me--20 years after it happened!!! Now THAT'S staying power!!
Clarification...
Someone--anonymously--left a message saying the post below dealing with taxes is downright false, and left an address to go see why. Well, fat fingers here accidentally deleted the comment. So whoever is anonymous leaving messages, could you repeat the link please so I can go investigate why you are claiming what I posted below is false.
Secondly--and I'm embarrassed for not verifying--but that freakin' link below does NOT work for CNN. So I have to do some research because I RELIED ON A SOURCE and I shouldn't have. So...worst case...maybe anonymous is right, and I'm regurgitating bad info about Obama.
SEE?!??!?! I'm reasonable, aren't I? I'm not rabid, and spitting and stomping and saying I'm right and you're wrong...but I am pissed at ME for not being better prepared.
I bet you'll see more info on this from me soon enough...well...it keeps people coming back to my blog, hanh? And to think--I'm not posting about marching band, drum corps, or the fire department!!!! LOL!!!
Secondly--and I'm embarrassed for not verifying--but that freakin' link below does NOT work for CNN. So I have to do some research because I RELIED ON A SOURCE and I shouldn't have. So...worst case...maybe anonymous is right, and I'm regurgitating bad info about Obama.
SEE?!??!?! I'm reasonable, aren't I? I'm not rabid, and spitting and stomping and saying I'm right and you're wrong...but I am pissed at ME for not being better prepared.
I bet you'll see more info on this from me soon enough...well...it keeps people coming back to my blog, hanh? And to think--I'm not posting about marching band, drum corps, or the fire department!!!! LOL!!!
Why do I not like Obama?
A friend of mine through Facebook wanted me to account for my recent Obama rant by asking a relatively simple question--What don't I like about him? He's charismatic, he's a great speaker, he's got people swooning to him, he's "against the war in Iraq" (I put that into quotes because I haven't heard exactly WHY he's against it--it's just the current "buzzword" to get people to say "Yeah yeah yeah--that's right, ME TOO! I'm against it!!"), etc, etc. He's a man that was able to go to a foreign country and get 200,000 people to come to a speech. A speech that I'm not sure had any "purpose" other than to...uhhhh...well, I don't know. Was it a campaign speech in a foreign country? Why??? Germans don't vote for us do they? Was he there as a senator? Well--uhhhh...if he was, WHY? Was he there as a president? Uhhhh...sure seemed like it. But he's not. So--there's a certain "strangeness" that's hard to put my finger on, but I'm certainly not the only one to see it, or more importantly, FEEL it. To me, he's bamboozling the HELL out of everyone that listens to him. There's a VAST surge of this irrational EMOTIONALISM that is based on his concept of "CHANGE". CHANGE WHAT?!?!?!? That's what bothers me. He speaks in platitudes, he speaks out of both sides of his mouth, yet, it gets glossed over by starry eyed reporters that are too weak, too limp and not adhering to journalistic standards to get him to respond and defend his positions which seem to flip flop about.
But I guess MY biggest issue outside of this massive irrationality by my fellow Americans....or Germans for that matter....is the tax issue. I come from the land of "fruits and nuts" and am paying taxes for things that I think I don't really need to be paying taxes for. I'm lucky though I don't live in Los Angeles city proper. They're getting taxed--or about to be--FOR PLASTIC BAGS! Come on...please...but MY issue is pretty simple. We are being lied to by the people that should be working FOR US. Politicians CONTINUALLY tell us that we're "out of money" and we need to "increase revenues" (fancy pants talk for increase taxes--but that's not politically expedient to actually SAY increase taxes). They tell us that we need more taxes on gas, we need a toll lane on our freeways, that we need to do this, do that, pay here, pay there. ENOUGH!!!
If I am, as a halfway responsible American am to be able to live within my means, balance my checkbook, plan for my future, keep my finances straight, manage my household, and be "productive", well then DAMMIT ALL SO SHOULD THE POLITICIANS THAT ARE IN OFFICE!!! Our own state government, run by a has-been actor, is actually considering SLASHING THE PAY OF 200,000 CALIFORNIA STATE EMPLOYEES TO MINIMUM WAGE WITH A PROMISE TO PAY LATER WHAT THEIR NORMAL SALARY IS (RETROACTIVELY OF COURSE) BECAUSE THEY CAN'T FREAKIN' DECIDE ON A FREAKIN' BUDGET!!!! Wait a second. So...if I can't figure out MY budget, can I just go ahead and arbitrarily decide to stop paying my bills, and tell maybe Time Warner Cable or So Cal Edison or National City Credit "Hey--my wife and I are having some disagreement about our budget so I'll just get back to you with a payment when we get things figured out." That sounds like BULLcrap, doesn't it. That's EXACTLY what our politicians are telling us. BUT WAIT TURNER--what the heck does that have to do with taxes? Because these are the same knuckleheads that tell us they need MORE MONEY because they can't manage what they already have. See the vicious cycle?
I'm done with it. Really. We have a state infrastructure that is FAILING, and everyone is so racially sensitive that calling a spade a spade is so taboo that we FAIL in taking care of our OWN legal citizens. My roads wouldn't suck, my schools wouldn't suck, my taxes wouldn't be so high, my hospitals wouldn't be either closing or be FULL of people that can't pay if, ohhhhhh, I don't know...WE STOPPED ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION YA THINK!!!??? Human rights is one thing, sovereignty of one's country is another. And yeah...I know I just misspelled sovereignty. But you know what I mean. Soooooooooooooooooooooooo....
Why don't I like Obama? Read the following--now that you just read my rant:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: INTERESTING INFO ON TAXES
You can verify much of this here: http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/e...008/index.html
Of course, you may have noted that Obama's position appears to be changing, so you will have to pay attention to see what his latest approach is at buying votes.
INTERESTING DATA JUST RECEIVED ON TAXES
This is something you should be aware of so you don't get blind-sided. This is really going to catch a lot of families off guard. It should make you worry. Proposed changes in taxes after 2008 General Election:
CAPITAL GAINS TAX
MCCAIN
0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.
OBAMA
28% on profit from ALL home sales
How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.
DIVIDEND TAX
MCCAIN 15% (no change)
OBAMA 39.6%
How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends andcapital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.
INCOME TAX
MCCAIN (no changes)
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250
OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750
Under Obama, your taxes will more than double!!!!! How does this affect you? No explanation needed. This is pretty straight forward.
INHERITANCE TAX
MCCAIN 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)
OBAMA Restore the inheritance tax.
How does this affect you? Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.
NEW TAXES BEING PROPOSED BY OBAMA
But I guess MY biggest issue outside of this massive irrationality by my fellow Americans....or Germans for that matter....is the tax issue. I come from the land of "fruits and nuts" and am paying taxes for things that I think I don't really need to be paying taxes for. I'm lucky though I don't live in Los Angeles city proper. They're getting taxed--or about to be--FOR PLASTIC BAGS! Come on...please...but MY issue is pretty simple. We are being lied to by the people that should be working FOR US. Politicians CONTINUALLY tell us that we're "out of money" and we need to "increase revenues" (fancy pants talk for increase taxes--but that's not politically expedient to actually SAY increase taxes). They tell us that we need more taxes on gas, we need a toll lane on our freeways, that we need to do this, do that, pay here, pay there. ENOUGH!!!
If I am, as a halfway responsible American am to be able to live within my means, balance my checkbook, plan for my future, keep my finances straight, manage my household, and be "productive", well then DAMMIT ALL SO SHOULD THE POLITICIANS THAT ARE IN OFFICE!!! Our own state government, run by a has-been actor, is actually considering SLASHING THE PAY OF 200,000 CALIFORNIA STATE EMPLOYEES TO MINIMUM WAGE WITH A PROMISE TO PAY LATER WHAT THEIR NORMAL SALARY IS (RETROACTIVELY OF COURSE) BECAUSE THEY CAN'T FREAKIN' DECIDE ON A FREAKIN' BUDGET!!!! Wait a second. So...if I can't figure out MY budget, can I just go ahead and arbitrarily decide to stop paying my bills, and tell maybe Time Warner Cable or So Cal Edison or National City Credit "Hey--my wife and I are having some disagreement about our budget so I'll just get back to you with a payment when we get things figured out." That sounds like BULLcrap, doesn't it. That's EXACTLY what our politicians are telling us. BUT WAIT TURNER--what the heck does that have to do with taxes? Because these are the same knuckleheads that tell us they need MORE MONEY because they can't manage what they already have. See the vicious cycle?
I'm done with it. Really. We have a state infrastructure that is FAILING, and everyone is so racially sensitive that calling a spade a spade is so taboo that we FAIL in taking care of our OWN legal citizens. My roads wouldn't suck, my schools wouldn't suck, my taxes wouldn't be so high, my hospitals wouldn't be either closing or be FULL of people that can't pay if, ohhhhhh, I don't know...WE STOPPED ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION YA THINK!!!??? Human rights is one thing, sovereignty of one's country is another. And yeah...I know I just misspelled sovereignty. But you know what I mean. Soooooooooooooooooooooooo....
Why don't I like Obama? Read the following--now that you just read my rant:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: INTERESTING INFO ON TAXES
You can verify much of this here: http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/e...008/index.html
Of course, you may have noted that Obama's position appears to be changing, so you will have to pay attention to see what his latest approach is at buying votes.
INTERESTING DATA JUST RECEIVED ON TAXES
This is something you should be aware of so you don't get blind-sided. This is really going to catch a lot of families off guard. It should make you worry. Proposed changes in taxes after 2008 General Election:
CAPITAL GAINS TAX
MCCAIN
0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.
OBAMA
28% on profit from ALL home sales
How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.
DIVIDEND TAX
MCCAIN 15% (no change)
OBAMA 39.6%
How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends andcapital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.
INCOME TAX
MCCAIN (no changes)
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250
OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750
Under Obama, your taxes will more than double!!!!! How does this affect you? No explanation needed. This is pretty straight forward.
INHERITANCE TAX
MCCAIN 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)
OBAMA Restore the inheritance tax.
How does this affect you? Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.
NEW TAXES BEING PROPOSED BY OBAMA
- New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet.
- New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already)
- New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity)
- New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....
- New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm back...so as you can see--if you actually took the time to read the above--that we are in for a rude awakening. That's why I say "Obama must be stopped". This is ridiculous. To think that we responsible Americans are being asked to give up more NOT for anything worthy, but because THEY can't manage what they have is simply tooooooooooooooooooo much to ask of me. I'm all about being fair and I'm all about being accountable. So if I HAVE TO BE...so should they...they being the very government servants that we voted in. If you want to vote for Obama, go ahead. Fine. If you have anything concrete you can hook on to when it comes to Obama other than pulling the troops out of Iraq (which incidentally will happen anyway), go for it. But for the reasons above, as well as his indefensible behavior and attitude towards the military on this recent roadtrip, I will NOT support him...and I will do what I can to STOP him.Legally of course.(Side note to my friend from Facebook...politics is a tricky thing to talk about, and I may seem overly fired up. But California is a ____hole compared to when you were growing up here. I have a little vested interest in my state and I'm sorry I get/got riled up. And believe me...5 years ago, I barely cared. But I do now.)
And by the way--just so I don't get "labeled" as ranting and raving right winging conservative, WHICH THANK GOD I'M NOT, I plan on in the next few days of releasing the hounds on John "I'm pissed off and I may have my finger on the nuke launch button soon" McCain. You think Obama is bad.
You ain't seen NOTHING yet.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Geeeeeeeesh!!!
Geeesh is my term that I use sometimes that keeps me from invoking other less-than-favorable colorful metaphors ($1 to "just-a-damn-minute-admiral" Spock). But I think I have now reached the very limits of my ability to hold on to my emotions. Let me ask you a question.
If I said the following to you either here or in person, what's your FIRST response:
Barack Obama MUST be stopped.
Did you get a strange reaction right then? Did you think maybe I'm losing my marbles? Or I'm beginning to plot his demise? I'm not. But boy, the more I read and hear about this guy, the more I become seriously, seriously concerned about the very future of this country. I suggest you look into this if you care.
And I can't say with any sense of seriousness that McCain is all that great either.
I can't believe how political I've become in my old age. Amazing...check out my Facebook account, and apparently I've gone from the right to being a libertarian. And I didn't even know it. Actually, I'm not just a little libertarian. I'm a freakin' DYED IN THE WOOL libby.
Amazing...I bet my friend from high school, Jim Little, who was the first to teach me about political parties, is chuckling to himself.
If I said the following to you either here or in person, what's your FIRST response:
Barack Obama MUST be stopped.
Did you get a strange reaction right then? Did you think maybe I'm losing my marbles? Or I'm beginning to plot his demise? I'm not. But boy, the more I read and hear about this guy, the more I become seriously, seriously concerned about the very future of this country. I suggest you look into this if you care.
And I can't say with any sense of seriousness that McCain is all that great either.
I can't believe how political I've become in my old age. Amazing...check out my Facebook account, and apparently I've gone from the right to being a libertarian. And I didn't even know it. Actually, I'm not just a little libertarian. I'm a freakin' DYED IN THE WOOL libby.
Amazing...I bet my friend from high school, Jim Little, who was the first to teach me about political parties, is chuckling to himself.
Another day....
I'm still at the Southern Operations Command Center (South Ops) for another 12-hours handling hundreds of requests or "orders" and facilitating things. It's not that it's particulary mind-bending difficult, but it is intensive, especially when it gets busy. Filling a crucial need in one of the many spokes of the Fire Service. I was just commenting yesterday to my room full of captive audience members that when I first started dispatching for fire about 14 years ago, I had NO idea the full scope of the fire service. It is SO much more than just someone calling 911 and people coming to squirt the wet stuff on the hot stuff (which...really...sounds sort of...uhhh...odd). But seriously, it's amazing to me. It's what the general public has absolutely NO clue of. You read/hear/see the stories of the 2000+ fires in northern California and you know there are people up there fighting them. But what is NOT known is how those people got there, the incredible amount of coordination it takes, the money and politics involved, the technology, the training...it's all amazing to me. I don't understand a lot of it, but I KNOW about it. And just this morning, talking with one of the dispatchers here, apparently the LA Times will be starting a multipart series on "large fires" on July 27th. She worked the gigantic "Zaca Fire" last year, and stated that LA Times reporters were fishing around for stuff at that incident. She thinks this series coming up is going to be critical of the fire service here in southern California. On top of that, I know for a fact that the Orange County Register has been sniffing around the OCFA for info relating to salaries, because you know, we must make TOO much money.
This is what gets me--the media is able to zero in on one tiny portion of a GIGANTIC picture and make this tiny portion THE ISSUE of the year. Stupid. STUUUUUUUUUUUPID. I will DEFINITELY be sharpening my fangs for a rebuttal should either newspaper go down the route I think they'll be going down. "Ohhhhhh Ryan, what would we do without you and your rebuttals!!?"
Whatever...
In other news--my wife and 3 children have left me. Yep...I'm without my family. Or my Fam Damily as we like to refer to ourselves. Anyway, they're getting on a plane and flying to Seattle to go see G'Ma and G'Pa. Fun stuff. Good for them. And then in August, we're having a "family reunion" of sorts....in....what could possibly be considered the hottest spot on the planet during August. Yeah...LAS VEGAS. Geeeeeeee, let's have a reunion in August and go to the place where we can all spontaneous combust. Something about a timeshare condo deal that will make it all very very cheap. Sure. Cheap to house multiple piles of human ashes I'm sure.
In drum corps news...there is no news. Other than last night's seedings came out...
01 93.05 (3) - Blue Devils
02 91.60 (2) - The Cadets
03 91.25 (4) - The Cavaliers
04 90.40 (3) - Carolina Crown
05 89.90 (3) - Phantom Regiment
06 89.15 (1) - Santa Clara Vanguard
07 89.00 (2) - Bluecoats
08 86.00 (1) - Boston Crusaders
09 85.75 (2) - Blue Knights
10 83.40 (2) - Glassmen
11 82.90 (2) - Blue Stars
12 82.65 (1) - Crossmen
13 80.90 (1) - Colts
14 80.05 (3) - Spirit
15 79.70 (2) - Madison Scouts
16 78.55 (1) - Troopers
17 78.25 (3) - Pacific Crest
18 77.80 (1) - The Academy
19 75.45 (3) - Mandarins
20 71.15 (2) - Pioneer
I have seen a sum total of ZERO shows this year, although I did catch a run-through at a rehearsal by Pacific Crest in mid June. Blue Devils this year by all accounts is unbelievable with a show that is so unique and out of the norm that it's causing peoples' heads to explode. The next 6 corps are duking it out, and I'm very sorry to report that SCV is NOT doing what I hope it would do, and that's scare the crap out of everyone and turn on the afterburners. I have heard reports as I indicated yesterday that they have THE show this year, but it's a case of taking too big a bite, and the kids just aren't there yet. I LOVE SCV--and I only hope as I hope every year that they come out of the funk they're in and just WALLOP people. I've grown tired of Cadets pushing the envelope of what's acceptable in drum corps and tired of the Cavaliers. My other favorite corps, Phantom Regiment, whose "Spartacus" show is causing quite the stir what with a great hornline (as usual--16 CONTRAS!!--ohhhhhhhh my!), amazing drum line...AND KILLING SLAVES ON THE FIELD! You gotta love it. If SCV can't do what I want them to do, than I would bestow my desires with PR as my second favorite "spoiler" corps. But I'm thinking that Blue Devils are so far ahead of everyone that it's a foregone conclusion they'll take it. What I find sooooooooo refreshing and fantastic is Carolina Crown playing in the Top 6. Their hornline apparently is PHENOMENAL, which is understandable. When they did their "Angelus" show a few years back, they opened with a fanfare that had to me about 30 seconds of the VERY best brass sound I literally have ever heard on the field. It was comparable to Cavaliers 92 show at the end of "Waterloo" which I believe had the most in-tune major chord on G bugles I had ever heard up to and ever since!! It just SMACKED you in the face, and it was LOUD--but it was loud because it was IN TUNE!!! Anyway--I know by now any fire department people reading this have long since passed out from boredome--that's the drum corps scene for now.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh yeah...there's Open Class to worry about too. I don't have much to talk about them other than I was SORELY disappointed to hear that Gold from Hawthorne, California was NOT going back to Nationals. THAT SUCKS!! I've been a fan of Gold's because they are a "model" of what drum corps CAN be, and that's an organization that receives support and funding from a school district. Interesting--something I've squawked about up on Drum Corps Planet as being a viable way to possibly start MORE corps giving MORE kids an opportunity to have what I had when I was in corps back in the mid-80's.
HOWEVER...and this is a BIG however...I've squawked about regionalization before regionalization became a buzz word in drum corps circles. I cannot for the life of me understand why an organization, Drum Corps International to be exact, would expect drum corps' to do gigantic national tours that are very very expensive and man-power INtensive. To get a group of 128-150 performers across the country to play at shows almost every night or every other night is a MONUMENTAL undertaking. When I was in Velvet Knights, we would leave the 2nd week of July, and finals would be the THIRD WEEK OF AUGUST!!! I was on the road for 6 weeks...and that was AFTER what we called "first tour" which was a California/Arizona and sometimes New Mexico "leg" to start the season off. Of course, gas was cheap. And DCI HAS done the "right thing" by decreasing the summer season and having finals the first weekend of August. BUT STILL...so here's Turner's plan for regionalization that would provide PLENTY of performance opportunities for corps, AND still have a World Championships.
You start by dividing the country back into 4 quadrants. DCI-Pacific (California, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Utah, New Mexico, and Idaho), DCI-South (Texas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Carolina-both, Oklahoma, Louisiana), DCI-Central (from Nebraska to Minnesota, down to Missouri, Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa), DCI-East (Tennessee, Virginia, the east coast and north east). I won't break down the number of corps in each quad, but my cursory overview says that there's MORE than enough in each quadrant. Within those quadrants, you will have WEEKEND SHOWS ONLY for the first 4 weeks of the season, starting in June, and going until the middle of July. During the last two weeks, you have a "regional championship", with semis and finals, and whoever makes finals, will qualify for a national tour. During the next 2 weeks, those "qualifiers" than go on a "national tour" with maybe not so many shows, but BIGGER shows, ending with a national championship that will only have the very best in a simple, 2 day, semi final and final format. Allow the regions to be in effect the "quarterfinals", and take the financial pressure off of the corps to HAVE to go on a national tour only to do what? GO TO QUARTERS? That's silly.
I think my plan will also open the gates to allow MORE corps to be created because they won't have the huge cloud over their heads of national responsibilities, and give them obtainable, realistic, and WORTHY goals of going to their REGIONAL championships.
This is a bare bone idea, and no, I haven't scoped it out more. But in the parallel universe of all-age corps, Drum Corps Associates (DCA), where weekend shows ARE the norm, they are having an influx of new corps being created, there is FUN in the circuit, they're getting crowds, and hey...it's all about entertainment and competition, right? PLENTY of that in DCA without the huge financial burdens. Quality may not be at DCI level, but it sort of proves the notion that there's a strong fan base for good quality FUN drum corps that DOESN'T require the continual pushing of visual and musical envelopes.
So saith The H, so shall it be. I wonder if Dan Acheson reads my blog?
This is what gets me--the media is able to zero in on one tiny portion of a GIGANTIC picture and make this tiny portion THE ISSUE of the year. Stupid. STUUUUUUUUUUUPID. I will DEFINITELY be sharpening my fangs for a rebuttal should either newspaper go down the route I think they'll be going down. "Ohhhhhh Ryan, what would we do without you and your rebuttals!!?"
Whatever...
In other news--my wife and 3 children have left me. Yep...I'm without my family. Or my Fam Damily as we like to refer to ourselves. Anyway, they're getting on a plane and flying to Seattle to go see G'Ma and G'Pa. Fun stuff. Good for them. And then in August, we're having a "family reunion" of sorts....in....what could possibly be considered the hottest spot on the planet during August. Yeah...LAS VEGAS. Geeeeeeee, let's have a reunion in August and go to the place where we can all spontaneous combust. Something about a timeshare condo deal that will make it all very very cheap. Sure. Cheap to house multiple piles of human ashes I'm sure.
In drum corps news...there is no news. Other than last night's seedings came out...
01 93.05 (3) - Blue Devils
02 91.60 (2) - The Cadets
03 91.25 (4) - The Cavaliers
04 90.40 (3) - Carolina Crown
05 89.90 (3) - Phantom Regiment
06 89.15 (1) - Santa Clara Vanguard
07 89.00 (2) - Bluecoats
08 86.00 (1) - Boston Crusaders
09 85.75 (2) - Blue Knights
10 83.40 (2) - Glassmen
11 82.90 (2) - Blue Stars
12 82.65 (1) - Crossmen
13 80.90 (1) - Colts
14 80.05 (3) - Spirit
15 79.70 (2) - Madison Scouts
16 78.55 (1) - Troopers
17 78.25 (3) - Pacific Crest
18 77.80 (1) - The Academy
19 75.45 (3) - Mandarins
20 71.15 (2) - Pioneer
I have seen a sum total of ZERO shows this year, although I did catch a run-through at a rehearsal by Pacific Crest in mid June. Blue Devils this year by all accounts is unbelievable with a show that is so unique and out of the norm that it's causing peoples' heads to explode. The next 6 corps are duking it out, and I'm very sorry to report that SCV is NOT doing what I hope it would do, and that's scare the crap out of everyone and turn on the afterburners. I have heard reports as I indicated yesterday that they have THE show this year, but it's a case of taking too big a bite, and the kids just aren't there yet. I LOVE SCV--and I only hope as I hope every year that they come out of the funk they're in and just WALLOP people. I've grown tired of Cadets pushing the envelope of what's acceptable in drum corps and tired of the Cavaliers. My other favorite corps, Phantom Regiment, whose "Spartacus" show is causing quite the stir what with a great hornline (as usual--16 CONTRAS!!--ohhhhhhhh my!), amazing drum line...AND KILLING SLAVES ON THE FIELD! You gotta love it. If SCV can't do what I want them to do, than I would bestow my desires with PR as my second favorite "spoiler" corps. But I'm thinking that Blue Devils are so far ahead of everyone that it's a foregone conclusion they'll take it. What I find sooooooooo refreshing and fantastic is Carolina Crown playing in the Top 6. Their hornline apparently is PHENOMENAL, which is understandable. When they did their "Angelus" show a few years back, they opened with a fanfare that had to me about 30 seconds of the VERY best brass sound I literally have ever heard on the field. It was comparable to Cavaliers 92 show at the end of "Waterloo" which I believe had the most in-tune major chord on G bugles I had ever heard up to and ever since!! It just SMACKED you in the face, and it was LOUD--but it was loud because it was IN TUNE!!! Anyway--I know by now any fire department people reading this have long since passed out from boredome--that's the drum corps scene for now.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh yeah...there's Open Class to worry about too. I don't have much to talk about them other than I was SORELY disappointed to hear that Gold from Hawthorne, California was NOT going back to Nationals. THAT SUCKS!! I've been a fan of Gold's because they are a "model" of what drum corps CAN be, and that's an organization that receives support and funding from a school district. Interesting--something I've squawked about up on Drum Corps Planet as being a viable way to possibly start MORE corps giving MORE kids an opportunity to have what I had when I was in corps back in the mid-80's.
HOWEVER...and this is a BIG however...I've squawked about regionalization before regionalization became a buzz word in drum corps circles. I cannot for the life of me understand why an organization, Drum Corps International to be exact, would expect drum corps' to do gigantic national tours that are very very expensive and man-power INtensive. To get a group of 128-150 performers across the country to play at shows almost every night or every other night is a MONUMENTAL undertaking. When I was in Velvet Knights, we would leave the 2nd week of July, and finals would be the THIRD WEEK OF AUGUST!!! I was on the road for 6 weeks...and that was AFTER what we called "first tour" which was a California/Arizona and sometimes New Mexico "leg" to start the season off. Of course, gas was cheap. And DCI HAS done the "right thing" by decreasing the summer season and having finals the first weekend of August. BUT STILL...so here's Turner's plan for regionalization that would provide PLENTY of performance opportunities for corps, AND still have a World Championships.
You start by dividing the country back into 4 quadrants. DCI-Pacific (California, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Utah, New Mexico, and Idaho), DCI-South (Texas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Carolina-both, Oklahoma, Louisiana), DCI-Central (from Nebraska to Minnesota, down to Missouri, Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa), DCI-East (Tennessee, Virginia, the east coast and north east). I won't break down the number of corps in each quad, but my cursory overview says that there's MORE than enough in each quadrant. Within those quadrants, you will have WEEKEND SHOWS ONLY for the first 4 weeks of the season, starting in June, and going until the middle of July. During the last two weeks, you have a "regional championship", with semis and finals, and whoever makes finals, will qualify for a national tour. During the next 2 weeks, those "qualifiers" than go on a "national tour" with maybe not so many shows, but BIGGER shows, ending with a national championship that will only have the very best in a simple, 2 day, semi final and final format. Allow the regions to be in effect the "quarterfinals", and take the financial pressure off of the corps to HAVE to go on a national tour only to do what? GO TO QUARTERS? That's silly.
I think my plan will also open the gates to allow MORE corps to be created because they won't have the huge cloud over their heads of national responsibilities, and give them obtainable, realistic, and WORTHY goals of going to their REGIONAL championships.
This is a bare bone idea, and no, I haven't scoped it out more. But in the parallel universe of all-age corps, Drum Corps Associates (DCA), where weekend shows ARE the norm, they are having an influx of new corps being created, there is FUN in the circuit, they're getting crowds, and hey...it's all about entertainment and competition, right? PLENTY of that in DCA without the huge financial burdens. Quality may not be at DCI level, but it sort of proves the notion that there's a strong fan base for good quality FUN drum corps that DOESN'T require the continual pushing of visual and musical envelopes.
So saith The H, so shall it be. I wonder if Dan Acheson reads my blog?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
I am VERY happy to report...
....that as of lunch this day, Shakey's Pizza Thin and Crispy Pepperoni STILL KICKS ASS 35 YEARS LATER!!!!!!
I love you Shakey's. Thank you for not giving in to the gooey massive messes like Domino's and Pizza Slut's. And thank you....oh GOD thank you...for keeping those Mojo's!!!
You haven't lived until you've down a few of those...
I love you Shakey's. Thank you for not giving in to the gooey massive messes like Domino's and Pizza Slut's. And thank you....oh GOD thank you...for keeping those Mojo's!!!
You haven't lived until you've down a few of those...
Ron Hoar, Drum Corps, and FIRES!!!!
Hey everyone--how y'alllllll doin? Well, by the power of my amazing skills of deduction, perserverance, and just straight out investigative prowess, I was able to bring to my dull existence a bit of sunlight....that is, I am "on assignment" out at the Southern Operations Command Center and assisting the California Department of Forestry Fire (CAL Fire) and the USFS Fire with manpower coordination across the state. This 14-day assignment as I referred to earlier in my blog is what we call in the fire biz "mutual aid". So in essence I stopped being an employee of the Orange County Fire Authority, and am now an employee of CAL Fire. It's a win-win situation. I get to learn a software program called ROSS (Resource Ordering and Status System) which basically is a nation-wide "ordering" program allowing fire departments to order equipment and personnel from anywhere in the country (and there are about 1,298,745 1/2 rules that govern this process!!!). I also get to meet new people and do exciting things! Ok, I'm being sort of a smart ass. I sit in a room for 12 hours a day with other folks from literally all over the country and....well....we coordinate and facilitate all day long. And kibbitz in between. Sort of cool. Interesting. I'm learning a lot, but I'm also realizing one thing in particular. But the sunshine I speak of is that I was able to access wireless internet, so now I can continue my search for the elusive END OF THE INTERNET as my friends sometimes say I am on a quest to find.
I'm sort of a "social butterfly" and I love to talk to other people, especially about their own dispatch centers or work places. OCFA, while nowhere perfect, sure looks better to me when I do these type of assignments. We really do have our act together in many respects. Amazes me some of the crap that people put up with in their own departments. But everyone and every organization has a hill to climb, hanh? I know we do. And please, for any fire department folks reading this, I do NOT speak from lofty heights. I'm just acknowledging that I'm in a good place.
So...who is Ron Hoar? Ron was a world famous band director here in southern California. He was an ex-Marine, and started (if I'm not mistaken) the Arcadia High School Apache Marching Band in 1959. For people that read this that may not know the significance of this, Arcadia is probably one of the most successful and currently largest marching band in all of the country--if not definitely California. People in the world of marching band judge the "success" of bands usually by equating placement at "Grand Nationals" at the annual Bands of America band orgy in Indiana. I don't. And Arcadia doesn't either. ANYWAY, I'm feeling like I'm about to tangentasize. Ron started the band and created a POWERHOUSE band--using his skills learned in the military, he made Arcadia practically unbeatable on the street for many years. That tradition continued after he left the school in 1973, and does so now with a great director (and lucky to say a FRIEND of mine) Tom Landes.
Another long-time friend and legendary band director in southern California, John Hausey (yes to all my old Pasadena High School Marching Band cronies that read this--yes...THAT John Hausey), is married to a composer, Collette, who was commissioned to write a march in honor of Ron Hoar who passed away a few years ago. I'm just overjoyed that a man of Ron's stature and accomplishments is being honored in this way. I was able to work with Ron at Pasadena City College back in the 80's and early 90's, and I was fortunate to be able to learn a lot from him. If I had ever jumped into the deep end of the band directing pool, I would have used HIM as my mentor and model. So...good job to John and Collette...and here's to you Ron...I'm sure you're in heaven trading war stories with Truman Crawford!
DRUM CORPS!!! Ohhhhhhhhhhh that wonderful wacky world of drum corps. It's just amazing how every year, things are new, yet, still the same. This is the first season in about 20 years that I was not able to announce ANY drum corps shows at all--and it's been VERY strange to say the least. Carolina Crown is bumping up against the big boys, recently beating Phantom Regiment and Cadets, and beating the Blue Devils IN MUSIC!! Gooooooooooood GRIEF!!! They are an amazing organization. One of my favorite drum corps, Academy from Arizona, for some reason is languishing and not nearly as good as last year, if scores were to be my guide. I haven't had the pleasure to see them this year, and I hope this is just a blip. They have an amazing staff (except for one person...grrrr....) and I hear that the music is absolutely hellaciously DIFFICULT this year. Santa Clara Vanguard, really and truly my most FAVORITE corps on the planet, is also having a tough time getting all pistons firing this season. By all reviews, it sounds like 80% of the show is absolutely kick ass, and the remaining 20% is like an after-thought. I'm friends with their Program Coordinator, Mike McCool. I think I'm gonna have to bug him for some info. He's a genius. He's usually calm under pressure. Maybe he knows something.
Another juicy bit of news...I got an email from a friend who shall remain nameless that is, if I'm reading this right, starting a ball rolling for the creation of a new drum corps. Why he wants to talk to me, I have no idea. But as soon as I'm able to actually TALK on my phone (difficult to do where I am versus typing), I will find out what's happening.
Well...that's just about it from here. Hope all is well out wherever you are. And thanks for reading...I will try to update more as I now know the secret of getting on the internet where I am in my bunker. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahaha...
Now get outta here.
I'm sort of a "social butterfly" and I love to talk to other people, especially about their own dispatch centers or work places. OCFA, while nowhere perfect, sure looks better to me when I do these type of assignments. We really do have our act together in many respects. Amazes me some of the crap that people put up with in their own departments. But everyone and every organization has a hill to climb, hanh? I know we do. And please, for any fire department folks reading this, I do NOT speak from lofty heights. I'm just acknowledging that I'm in a good place.
So...who is Ron Hoar? Ron was a world famous band director here in southern California. He was an ex-Marine, and started (if I'm not mistaken) the Arcadia High School Apache Marching Band in 1959. For people that read this that may not know the significance of this, Arcadia is probably one of the most successful and currently largest marching band in all of the country--if not definitely California. People in the world of marching band judge the "success" of bands usually by equating placement at "Grand Nationals" at the annual Bands of America band orgy in Indiana. I don't. And Arcadia doesn't either. ANYWAY, I'm feeling like I'm about to tangentasize. Ron started the band and created a POWERHOUSE band--using his skills learned in the military, he made Arcadia practically unbeatable on the street for many years. That tradition continued after he left the school in 1973, and does so now with a great director (and lucky to say a FRIEND of mine) Tom Landes.
Another long-time friend and legendary band director in southern California, John Hausey (yes to all my old Pasadena High School Marching Band cronies that read this--yes...THAT John Hausey), is married to a composer, Collette, who was commissioned to write a march in honor of Ron Hoar who passed away a few years ago. I'm just overjoyed that a man of Ron's stature and accomplishments is being honored in this way. I was able to work with Ron at Pasadena City College back in the 80's and early 90's, and I was fortunate to be able to learn a lot from him. If I had ever jumped into the deep end of the band directing pool, I would have used HIM as my mentor and model. So...good job to John and Collette...and here's to you Ron...I'm sure you're in heaven trading war stories with Truman Crawford!
DRUM CORPS!!! Ohhhhhhhhhhh that wonderful wacky world of drum corps. It's just amazing how every year, things are new, yet, still the same. This is the first season in about 20 years that I was not able to announce ANY drum corps shows at all--and it's been VERY strange to say the least. Carolina Crown is bumping up against the big boys, recently beating Phantom Regiment and Cadets, and beating the Blue Devils IN MUSIC!! Gooooooooooood GRIEF!!! They are an amazing organization. One of my favorite drum corps, Academy from Arizona, for some reason is languishing and not nearly as good as last year, if scores were to be my guide. I haven't had the pleasure to see them this year, and I hope this is just a blip. They have an amazing staff (except for one person...grrrr....) and I hear that the music is absolutely hellaciously DIFFICULT this year. Santa Clara Vanguard, really and truly my most FAVORITE corps on the planet, is also having a tough time getting all pistons firing this season. By all reviews, it sounds like 80% of the show is absolutely kick ass, and the remaining 20% is like an after-thought. I'm friends with their Program Coordinator, Mike McCool. I think I'm gonna have to bug him for some info. He's a genius. He's usually calm under pressure. Maybe he knows something.
Another juicy bit of news...I got an email from a friend who shall remain nameless that is, if I'm reading this right, starting a ball rolling for the creation of a new drum corps. Why he wants to talk to me, I have no idea. But as soon as I'm able to actually TALK on my phone (difficult to do where I am versus typing), I will find out what's happening.
Well...that's just about it from here. Hope all is well out wherever you are. And thanks for reading...I will try to update more as I now know the secret of getting on the internet where I am in my bunker. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahaha...
Now get outta here.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
First drill for 2008...
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING!!! This is my first drill for the season, but I have to apologize. There is NO sound. I used Camstasia Studio 4 to record my screen, and coded this as a Quicktime movie and then saved it to my computer. There is an option in CS4 that says "Do you want to record the sound that's coming from your computer?" I of course do, because when I animate drill using my Pyware 3D Java 3.1.1, I synch it up to .wav or .mp3 or MIDI files. For whatever reason, it didn't code the sound, even though during the processing period the software specifically stated it was "Compressing Audio Now". Rat bastard software. ANYWAY, just pretend you can hear music. And if you're "in the know" to current marching band music, this drill was written to John Meehan's "The Garden" opener, which is called "Anthill". Yeah--that would be same music I wrote for a certain band last year that took 2nd place in the state but fired me anyway.
Ahhhh...life of a drill designer. Whadda ya know, hanh? Anyway--I've come to realize (in all honesty--and no, I'm not mad!!!) that out of EVERYTHING that goes into the creation of a field show for either drum corps or marching band, the DRILL DESIGN is THE SINGLE MOST SUBJECTIVE ELEMENT. Bar none. You can have rifles spinning rifles up their noses, drummers with drum sticks embedded in their foreheads, and music written to sound like the Jordanian Army Band (which I saw perform many moons ago, and I believe I'm still traumatized by what I heard), and yet, the DRILL has to be "perfect". And PERFECT is defined about as differently as I've ever seen a word defined. Beauty, in the case of drill design, is DEFINITELY in the eye of the beholder. The drill designer's job is to figure out, sometimes through psychic intervention, what "beauty" means to the people that hire you.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HA!!!
Got ya. THAT is the secret. ANYWAY, you may not like what I wrote when you watch it, or you may think it's the best thing since sliced bread. What's important though--is that I as the "artist" or designer or whatever you want to call me (dot writer) likes it.
A lot.
Ahhhh...life of a drill designer. Whadda ya know, hanh? Anyway--I've come to realize (in all honesty--and no, I'm not mad!!!) that out of EVERYTHING that goes into the creation of a field show for either drum corps or marching band, the DRILL DESIGN is THE SINGLE MOST SUBJECTIVE ELEMENT. Bar none. You can have rifles spinning rifles up their noses, drummers with drum sticks embedded in their foreheads, and music written to sound like the Jordanian Army Band (which I saw perform many moons ago, and I believe I'm still traumatized by what I heard), and yet, the DRILL has to be "perfect". And PERFECT is defined about as differently as I've ever seen a word defined. Beauty, in the case of drill design, is DEFINITELY in the eye of the beholder. The drill designer's job is to figure out, sometimes through psychic intervention, what "beauty" means to the people that hire you.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HA!!!
Got ya. THAT is the secret. ANYWAY, you may not like what I wrote when you watch it, or you may think it's the best thing since sliced bread. What's important though--is that I as the "artist" or designer or whatever you want to call me (dot writer) likes it.
A lot.
In case you were curious...
That story from my 911 career was written in a moment of clarity I had yesterday while in an email "conversation" with a very good friend of mine who is also in the 911 industry. We both have our battle scars over the years, and I was wanting to relay that story to prove a point--sort of. In any event, after I emailed my friend, I thought it would be cool to throw it up on my blog. I talk so much about drum corps, marching band, and other silly things up on this thing that I thought it would be good balance to at least show--once in awhile--that I actually do have a "serious job" and have been doing it for a good many years. That's all.
And yeah, that day royally sucked for me. And as you can see, it still is and always will be that wound inside that will probably never COMPLETELY heal. But, suffice it to say, we all have those wounds in our history--be it in your career, personal life, love life, whatever--and all it does is make us stronger. Hopefully, that is.
Now, some day I'll tell you about the man who called me on New Year's Eve with a bleeding penis...and what exactly an iguana had to do with it (and no, this has nothing to do with the Madison Scouts...if you don't know what the hell THAT meant, I guess you better read back in my blog, hanh?)
Ciao for now!
And yeah, that day royally sucked for me. And as you can see, it still is and always will be that wound inside that will probably never COMPLETELY heal. But, suffice it to say, we all have those wounds in our history--be it in your career, personal life, love life, whatever--and all it does is make us stronger. Hopefully, that is.
Now, some day I'll tell you about the man who called me on New Year's Eve with a bleeding penis...and what exactly an iguana had to do with it (and no, this has nothing to do with the Madison Scouts...if you don't know what the hell THAT meant, I guess you better read back in my blog, hanh?)
Ciao for now!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A little story from my 911 side of life--sort of sad
When Sarah was just turning 2, I was still a dispatcher, and we were working in our other dispatch center in the city of Orange. It was a Saturday as I recall, and I was working a position just doing my normal deal. So this had to be back in 2003. I actually think it was in April if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, I got a 911 call from a hysterical mother of a 2 year old girl who she had just pulled from the bottom of their pool. In 911 school, you learn about the term "refreaking", which is where the caller is freaking out, you calm them down (sometimes very forcibly) and get them to do something, and they calm down and do whatever you need them to do, but then they realize "OH MY GOD!!!" and get hysterical again. Unfortunately, while I was attempting CPR on this girl with the mom over the phone, she kept refreaking. A LOT! It was very frustrating. But then it got sad.
Outside of the fact that the despair in the voice of the mom was eating away at my gruff exterior, the response time of units was exceptionally long. This call was taking place in Villa Park, and our Villa Park medic engine was already on a call. We had to mutual aid a paramedic unit from Orange City Fire, but he was responding from out of his roll area. And we had an extended ETA on the ambulance, even though it was rolling Code 3. There was nothing I could do about that other than keep working with the mom. I believe the call lasted about 7 minutes, which for 911 calls, is VERY VERY long, but for me, was forever. And as I was working with the mom, trying to keep her AND MYSELF cool, the fact that the little girl wasn't responding in anyway was a bad sign. She needed ALS, not just CPR. She needed to be shocked, she needed oxygen, she needed someone better at 911 calls than me--well, at least that's what I thought after the call.
Because it was once everyone pulled on scene, seemingly all at once fire engines, medic vans, ambulances and cop cars screeching to a halt in front of the house (I heard it in the background) that I had to go step outside. It was the first time in my 911 career that a call literally got to me in such a profound manner that made me have to take a minute for myself. I went outside to take a walk, and all I could do was think about Sarah. And all I could do, as any public safety employee with a conscience could do, was wonder how I could have done my job better because obviously HAD I done it better, the little girl would have responded and would be awake and talking. It didn't matter that statistics are horrific for situations like this, indicating that a positive outcome was near to impossible. It didn't matter that all the dispatchers in the room clapped for me and said "good job dude" or "Ryan, that was freakin' awesome...you did great." No, it only mattered that I had to beat myself up because I sucked at that 911 call and I just didn't do whatever needed to be done. Though I was shedding some tears of frustration out in the parking lot that afternoon, I really missed Sarah a bunch at that moment. So, Nyleen ended up coming down a half hour later with Sarah and I was able to hang outside with them and just chill. Good medicine to hold your 2 year old princess after a horrific call like that.
Turns out the medics that got on scene did what they call a "scoop and run". No time for ALS treatment on scene--get the kid in the ambulance and get her down to the hospital. But it didn't matter. I found out 2 hours later the little girl didn't make it. This call made a mark on me because I choked up AGAIN just typing that sentence. I guess in public safety, we all have these stories--the near death experiences for a cop, the rescue that wasn't in time for a firefighter, the life of a child that slips away for the paramedic. There's also the calls for the 911 dispatcher that hit home and get remembered and create in oneself a sort of sore, something that gets a scab over it but it doesn't take a lot sometimes to knock off the scab. Anyway, it's a fact of life in 911, or in public safety in general, that you can't save everyone. It doesn't matter how much you want to save someone. It doesn't matter if that person deserves to be saved. It doesn't matter the age. It doesn't matter your will, your training, or your ability. Sometimes, people die.
And yeah, sometimes, they're 2 year old girls.
I guess what makes this story worse is that it didn't have to happen. I found later that the family of 4 had come home after shopping. They had bags of groceries to bring in. They pulled into their drive way and unloaded the kids. One went one way. The other went another. Parents were busy loading groceries and as I've been in this situation a hundred times if not a thousand in my own life, they paid "no never mind" to kids running around. You become immune to that "noise" after awhile. Apparently, there was no more noise after awhile that sounded the alarms got the red flags waving, and the mom went to look for the girl. Asking the husband where the little girl was, she realized something was horribly wrong when the husband said "I thought she was with you." The little girl had gone through the house, out the back door, and straight to the pool, through the unlocked gate. Sad...so sad. It didn't have to happen like that, this senseless death, but it did.
You can't save everybody. You can only do your best.
So there you go--I love swimming, I love going to the pool with my kids at my park--heck, I thought I was part fish when I was kid as I grew up swimming at pools. But to HAVE a pool...I don't know. If I ever buy a house, I probably won't get one with a pool because I'll never forget this story.
Outside of the fact that the despair in the voice of the mom was eating away at my gruff exterior, the response time of units was exceptionally long. This call was taking place in Villa Park, and our Villa Park medic engine was already on a call. We had to mutual aid a paramedic unit from Orange City Fire, but he was responding from out of his roll area. And we had an extended ETA on the ambulance, even though it was rolling Code 3. There was nothing I could do about that other than keep working with the mom. I believe the call lasted about 7 minutes, which for 911 calls, is VERY VERY long, but for me, was forever. And as I was working with the mom, trying to keep her AND MYSELF cool, the fact that the little girl wasn't responding in anyway was a bad sign. She needed ALS, not just CPR. She needed to be shocked, she needed oxygen, she needed someone better at 911 calls than me--well, at least that's what I thought after the call.
Because it was once everyone pulled on scene, seemingly all at once fire engines, medic vans, ambulances and cop cars screeching to a halt in front of the house (I heard it in the background) that I had to go step outside. It was the first time in my 911 career that a call literally got to me in such a profound manner that made me have to take a minute for myself. I went outside to take a walk, and all I could do was think about Sarah. And all I could do, as any public safety employee with a conscience could do, was wonder how I could have done my job better because obviously HAD I done it better, the little girl would have responded and would be awake and talking. It didn't matter that statistics are horrific for situations like this, indicating that a positive outcome was near to impossible. It didn't matter that all the dispatchers in the room clapped for me and said "good job dude" or "Ryan, that was freakin' awesome...you did great." No, it only mattered that I had to beat myself up because I sucked at that 911 call and I just didn't do whatever needed to be done. Though I was shedding some tears of frustration out in the parking lot that afternoon, I really missed Sarah a bunch at that moment. So, Nyleen ended up coming down a half hour later with Sarah and I was able to hang outside with them and just chill. Good medicine to hold your 2 year old princess after a horrific call like that.
Turns out the medics that got on scene did what they call a "scoop and run". No time for ALS treatment on scene--get the kid in the ambulance and get her down to the hospital. But it didn't matter. I found out 2 hours later the little girl didn't make it. This call made a mark on me because I choked up AGAIN just typing that sentence. I guess in public safety, we all have these stories--the near death experiences for a cop, the rescue that wasn't in time for a firefighter, the life of a child that slips away for the paramedic. There's also the calls for the 911 dispatcher that hit home and get remembered and create in oneself a sort of sore, something that gets a scab over it but it doesn't take a lot sometimes to knock off the scab. Anyway, it's a fact of life in 911, or in public safety in general, that you can't save everyone. It doesn't matter how much you want to save someone. It doesn't matter if that person deserves to be saved. It doesn't matter the age. It doesn't matter your will, your training, or your ability. Sometimes, people die.
And yeah, sometimes, they're 2 year old girls.
I guess what makes this story worse is that it didn't have to happen. I found later that the family of 4 had come home after shopping. They had bags of groceries to bring in. They pulled into their drive way and unloaded the kids. One went one way. The other went another. Parents were busy loading groceries and as I've been in this situation a hundred times if not a thousand in my own life, they paid "no never mind" to kids running around. You become immune to that "noise" after awhile. Apparently, there was no more noise after awhile that sounded the alarms got the red flags waving, and the mom went to look for the girl. Asking the husband where the little girl was, she realized something was horribly wrong when the husband said "I thought she was with you." The little girl had gone through the house, out the back door, and straight to the pool, through the unlocked gate. Sad...so sad. It didn't have to happen like that, this senseless death, but it did.
You can't save everybody. You can only do your best.
So there you go--I love swimming, I love going to the pool with my kids at my park--heck, I thought I was part fish when I was kid as I grew up swimming at pools. But to HAVE a pool...I don't know. If I ever buy a house, I probably won't get one with a pool because I'll never forget this story.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
You NEVER know...
When you start receiving text messages from people saying that think your blog is funny, is it safe to say "I HAVE ARRIVED?"
NO???
Great. Still trying to be a great drill writer some day, and apparently, still trying to be a great blog writer.
When will my ship EVER come in!?!?!?!?!?
NO???
Great. Still trying to be a great drill writer some day, and apparently, still trying to be a great blog writer.
When will my ship EVER come in!?!?!?!?!?
Monday, July 14, 2008
This past weekend...and other things
Argh!!! I just realized that my blog is now being treated like a "newsfeed" to my Plaxo network, and so all of those people are reading my most intimate and secret thoughts.
:- /
YEAH WHATEVER TURNER!!!
Hi Plaxo People. Whatever the hell Plaxo is! And when the hell did I sign up for Plaxo!?!?!? I thought I was with Linked In and Facebook and Myspace and and and and...face it. It's all my desperate attempt to get attention--RIGHT RON!?!?!?! (inside joke hidden in an insult hidden in self-deprecation...which is better than self-crapatation, which means I'm pooping on myself).
Speaking of pooping on myself, I need to post the video of Triumph the Insult Dog talking to the geeks in line for Star Wars. Truly a great moment in comedy history.
Speaking of comedy, if you haven't watched Last Comic Standing, you're missing a pretty hip show. I watched it last week after not watching it for awhile. Reality TV game show thing where comics compete and vote each other off. I know--real "lofty" television for me, but it takes my mind off the hell that is my life. Anyway--God's Pottery, the duo comedy team that BUSTED ME UP BIG TIME got freakin' BOOTED. And that non-funny Korean chick is STILL ON THE SHOW!!! I freakin' HATE reality TV...and here I am, TOTALLY absorbed by this crapheap. WTF is wrong with me? Hello, Psychologists-'R-Us, yes, do you have any openings today?
Speaking of today, had a nice lunch with a friend from work that marched in the Villa Park HS Spartan Brigade Marching Yahoo's back in the early 70's at the same time my goofball brother was marching at Pasadena High School. He remembers PHS from back then, but he admits, he remembers little because of all the...uh...well...uh...because of the...well, you know. IT WAS 70's for God's sakes...
Speaking of God, why does He hate me so much? He doesn't? Oh good. That's great. Just fantastic. I feel better already.
Speaking of dreaming--the So Cal Dream All-Age Drum and Bugle Corps out of....hell, I STILL don't know what city they're from...scored about 3 millimeters lower than the highly vaulted and talented and touted San Francisco Renegades in a local contest this past season. I was very happy for my former corps that I used to write for who apparently don't miss me at all and wonder "RYAN WHO?" Anyway...I was really happy for them. They've come a long way baby, apparently with better drill now! DOH!!!
Speaking of drill, I came home last night after doing a 12-hour shift at the Southern Operations Command Center in Riverside, California where I assisted USFS and Cal Fire coordinating manpower. YES YES YES--I know, I work for Orange County Fire. But there's this thing called "mutual aid" I described in an earlier post that allows for experts (NOT SAYING I'M ONE) in particular areas of fire management to go out to incidents or other command centers and help. I went as what they refer to as an Expanded Dispatch Dispatcher Dispatching Dispatches...or something. Anyway THE POINT BEING...I came home and turned on my Pyware and attempted to do some more pages for my big band back in Illinois that I'm writing for and realized my head was so far up my ass I could smell my own breath, and that any attempts at creativity were being met with some of the stupidest drill move animations that have ever been seen at anytime in the history of mankind. I thankfully went to bed, only to be woken up at 3am by some woman in my bed freaking out from a bad dream. Gee--that's never happened before in 14 years of marriage.
Speaking of bed...have you ever fallen asleep because you're so tired but you wake up not realizing you actually fell asleep and you sort of look around and wonder just what the hell happened? I do that at night. I like to read before I go to sleep. Actually, I LOVE TO READ BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. I'm reading "2012" by Whitley Streiber about anal probing aliens from another dimension that can rip your soul out of your body and DESTROY IT. That sucks. Anyway...I usually fall asleep...actually, more like freakin' passing out...and then coming to like 10 minutes later with the book still perfectly balanced between my fingers propped up on my chest. Bottom line--it freaks me the hell out.
Speaking of hell, hell is working with someone from Mississippi for 12 hours straight who has a hearing impediment and says, "Hunnnnh? What'd ya say?" approximately 390 times...an HOUR!!
Speaking of hour...I've stayed my hour. I'm leaving now. More to come soon. Check back often. Your mileage may vary. And please, can I give you one bit of wise advice? I CAN? I shall.
NEVER EVER EVER EVER TRUST A SMILING DONUT.
Never.
Be good.
:- /
YEAH WHATEVER TURNER!!!
Hi Plaxo People. Whatever the hell Plaxo is! And when the hell did I sign up for Plaxo!?!?!? I thought I was with Linked In and Facebook and Myspace and and and and...face it. It's all my desperate attempt to get attention--RIGHT RON!?!?!?! (inside joke hidden in an insult hidden in self-deprecation...which is better than self-crapatation, which means I'm pooping on myself).
Speaking of pooping on myself, I need to post the video of Triumph the Insult Dog talking to the geeks in line for Star Wars. Truly a great moment in comedy history.
Speaking of comedy, if you haven't watched Last Comic Standing, you're missing a pretty hip show. I watched it last week after not watching it for awhile. Reality TV game show thing where comics compete and vote each other off. I know--real "lofty" television for me, but it takes my mind off the hell that is my life. Anyway--God's Pottery, the duo comedy team that BUSTED ME UP BIG TIME got freakin' BOOTED. And that non-funny Korean chick is STILL ON THE SHOW!!! I freakin' HATE reality TV...and here I am, TOTALLY absorbed by this crapheap. WTF is wrong with me? Hello, Psychologists-'R-Us, yes, do you have any openings today?
Speaking of today, had a nice lunch with a friend from work that marched in the Villa Park HS Spartan Brigade Marching Yahoo's back in the early 70's at the same time my goofball brother was marching at Pasadena High School. He remembers PHS from back then, but he admits, he remembers little because of all the...uh...well...uh...because of the...well, you know. IT WAS 70's for God's sakes...
Speaking of God, why does He hate me so much? He doesn't? Oh good. That's great. Just fantastic. I feel better already.
Speaking of dreaming--the So Cal Dream All-Age Drum and Bugle Corps out of....hell, I STILL don't know what city they're from...scored about 3 millimeters lower than the highly vaulted and talented and touted San Francisco Renegades in a local contest this past season. I was very happy for my former corps that I used to write for who apparently don't miss me at all and wonder "RYAN WHO?" Anyway...I was really happy for them. They've come a long way baby, apparently with better drill now! DOH!!!
Speaking of drill, I came home last night after doing a 12-hour shift at the Southern Operations Command Center in Riverside, California where I assisted USFS and Cal Fire coordinating manpower. YES YES YES--I know, I work for Orange County Fire. But there's this thing called "mutual aid" I described in an earlier post that allows for experts (NOT SAYING I'M ONE) in particular areas of fire management to go out to incidents or other command centers and help. I went as what they refer to as an Expanded Dispatch Dispatcher Dispatching Dispatches...or something. Anyway THE POINT BEING...I came home and turned on my Pyware and attempted to do some more pages for my big band back in Illinois that I'm writing for and realized my head was so far up my ass I could smell my own breath, and that any attempts at creativity were being met with some of the stupidest drill move animations that have ever been seen at anytime in the history of mankind. I thankfully went to bed, only to be woken up at 3am by some woman in my bed freaking out from a bad dream. Gee--that's never happened before in 14 years of marriage.
Speaking of bed...have you ever fallen asleep because you're so tired but you wake up not realizing you actually fell asleep and you sort of look around and wonder just what the hell happened? I do that at night. I like to read before I go to sleep. Actually, I LOVE TO READ BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. I'm reading "2012" by Whitley Streiber about anal probing aliens from another dimension that can rip your soul out of your body and DESTROY IT. That sucks. Anyway...I usually fall asleep...actually, more like freakin' passing out...and then coming to like 10 minutes later with the book still perfectly balanced between my fingers propped up on my chest. Bottom line--it freaks me the hell out.
Speaking of hell, hell is working with someone from Mississippi for 12 hours straight who has a hearing impediment and says, "Hunnnnh? What'd ya say?" approximately 390 times...an HOUR!!
Speaking of hour...I've stayed my hour. I'm leaving now. More to come soon. Check back often. Your mileage may vary. And please, can I give you one bit of wise advice? I CAN? I shall.
NEVER EVER EVER EVER TRUST A SMILING DONUT.
Never.
Be good.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Oh dear Lonestar--how I loved thee...
Hey everyone--LIKE THERE'S REALLY AN EVERYONE!!!--about 20 years ago or so, I made up in mind that if I were to get great service or a great product, that I would be quick to compliment that service or product. I've kept true to my word over the years, and praise liberally. Let's face it--I like to go to restaurants, movies, amusement parks, etc, etc. Well, with this "praise liberally" approach, I also feel very justified to speak up--and not rudely or irrationally--and let people or companies know when service or products are NOT satisfactory. Thankfully, that doesn't happen too often. But today at lunch with my friends from work...well...just read the following "complaint" that I lodged with Lonestar Restaurants corporate office...tell me what you think...and realize as a customer, you have EVERY right to expect reasonably good service and product WHEREVER you go:
This is a complaint, and I would like to have some follow-up on this. On the above date and at the listed time, I along with 6 co-workers made our once-a-week lunch run to Lone Star. And to be honest, it may be our last time there. While the service itself was great by our server (sorry--didn't get a name), I can't say the same for the quality of the food. Three of the burgers that were brought to the table were incorrect, two of which were sent back because of the egregious nature of the problem, and the third was not although it was wrong. The initial issue with one of the burgers was that it was ordered medium rare. It came back CLEARLY not cooked properly, as it appeared that there was RAW MEAT on the bottom of the patty, and quite a lot of it. The customer who ordered it was VERY unhappy with it. The 2nd burger was ordered medium, yet it came back very pink, but clearly NOT medium. The third burger was the same condition as the 2nd, however, that customer opted to eat it as he wasn't as bothered by it.
Here's where I have a problem, and it's two-fold. It took at LEAST 12 minutes for the two burgers to be returned, and when they WERE returned, one of them was STILL not correct (it was ordered DRY--no lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, or sauce--yet it had all of it on the burger). The two customers were not able to ever eat their food IN THE RESTAURANT as they planned because of the delay in the re-issue. Secondly, and this is TRULY unbelievable, the manager found it necessary to actually get snippy and defend the "medium rare" burger as if to say that no, we as the customer were wrong. Did I miss something some where along the way that says the CUSTOMER IS WRONG?!?!? Your manager obviously needs to go back to manager school and understand the concept of MAKING THE CUSTOMER HAPPY and apologizing for the error the cook made. That was strike #1. But as I sat there and watched my two friends and co-workers load their burgers into a take home box, and then looked at the 60+ dollar tab, I could not fathom why at the VERY LEAST we were not comped for two meals. Those two guys didn't get their food correctly nor in a timely manner, AND we were treated rudely by a manager.
And this might be of interest to you. In celebration of an event in one of our lives, next week, there was going to be 8 of us coming in for a celebration lunch. We had it planned that Lonestar was the place. We have now switched our plans and Red Robin will be getting our business.
In this day and age of a crappy economy, rising food prices, and corporate earnings dropping (and I'm WELL AWARE of Lonestar's issues in the restaurant business), you would be well-advised to inform your staff members--dare I say, NATIONWIDE--to wise up and do all they can to retain customers. Because the 7 of us that won't be returning any time soon will be sure to be speaking to a great many OTHER people, and you know what they say about bad news.
I sure hope to hear from someone. And no, I didn't just type all of this for a free meal. I expect some training to occur for your employees (specifically the manager of your Tustin restaurant) so that you stand a chance to not tick off anymore regular customers.
So how'd I do???
This is a complaint, and I would like to have some follow-up on this. On the above date and at the listed time, I along with 6 co-workers made our once-a-week lunch run to Lone Star. And to be honest, it may be our last time there. While the service itself was great by our server (sorry--didn't get a name), I can't say the same for the quality of the food. Three of the burgers that were brought to the table were incorrect, two of which were sent back because of the egregious nature of the problem, and the third was not although it was wrong. The initial issue with one of the burgers was that it was ordered medium rare. It came back CLEARLY not cooked properly, as it appeared that there was RAW MEAT on the bottom of the patty, and quite a lot of it. The customer who ordered it was VERY unhappy with it. The 2nd burger was ordered medium, yet it came back very pink, but clearly NOT medium. The third burger was the same condition as the 2nd, however, that customer opted to eat it as he wasn't as bothered by it.
Here's where I have a problem, and it's two-fold. It took at LEAST 12 minutes for the two burgers to be returned, and when they WERE returned, one of them was STILL not correct (it was ordered DRY--no lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, or sauce--yet it had all of it on the burger). The two customers were not able to ever eat their food IN THE RESTAURANT as they planned because of the delay in the re-issue. Secondly, and this is TRULY unbelievable, the manager found it necessary to actually get snippy and defend the "medium rare" burger as if to say that no, we as the customer were wrong. Did I miss something some where along the way that says the CUSTOMER IS WRONG?!?!? Your manager obviously needs to go back to manager school and understand the concept of MAKING THE CUSTOMER HAPPY and apologizing for the error the cook made. That was strike #1. But as I sat there and watched my two friends and co-workers load their burgers into a take home box, and then looked at the 60+ dollar tab, I could not fathom why at the VERY LEAST we were not comped for two meals. Those two guys didn't get their food correctly nor in a timely manner, AND we were treated rudely by a manager.
And this might be of interest to you. In celebration of an event in one of our lives, next week, there was going to be 8 of us coming in for a celebration lunch. We had it planned that Lonestar was the place. We have now switched our plans and Red Robin will be getting our business.
In this day and age of a crappy economy, rising food prices, and corporate earnings dropping (and I'm WELL AWARE of Lonestar's issues in the restaurant business), you would be well-advised to inform your staff members--dare I say, NATIONWIDE--to wise up and do all they can to retain customers. Because the 7 of us that won't be returning any time soon will be sure to be speaking to a great many OTHER people, and you know what they say about bad news.
I sure hope to hear from someone. And no, I didn't just type all of this for a free meal. I expect some training to occur for your employees (specifically the manager of your Tustin restaurant) so that you stand a chance to not tick off anymore regular customers.
So how'd I do???
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Now on to something MORE SERIOUS!!!
OK...this is FREAKIN' FUNNY...especially if you're a dad...I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS VIDEO...and in case you're a hand-wringing worry wort, no kids were hurt in the making of this most awesome video. Well...at least they weren't PHYSICALLY hurt, although I think their pride took a beating...LITERALLY...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqrnLrn25qc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqrnLrn25qc
Sorry...
Been kind of quiet as of late. That last post from back on June 12 generated some interesting emails and Facebook contacts. Got in contact with a couple of old friends from way back who happened to know who I was talking about. Pretty cool.
Well--good news. M had her surgery and it was pretty successful. She's in great hands with some of the best doctors in the world that deal with exactly what she has. Suprisingly, she's getting some very optimistic prognosises from them. I say suprisingly because I made the mistake of looking on the internet for more information on this situation, and was none too pleased with what I was reading. I'm relieved to say the least that she's doing ok. Her husband has sent out some "mass emails" to lots of folks and so I'm being updated. Good for M.
In my other life as a drill designer, this season has taken a dramatic trip down the shitter. Well, actually that's a little melodramatic. There are some changes, and I'm "only" writing for four bands this year. When I look at my Work History Profile that I created for my drill design/instruction side of my life, over the last 24 years there has been a certain "ebb and flow" in terms of how many clients I get every year. It's too be expected, especially considering I do absolutely NO advertising, no hustling, no flyers, no website...it's just word of mouth. If this was my primary income I'd be far far more serious and "involved" on the business end (marketing, selling, blah blah blah). But I've cultivated this part of my life as always having the potential to be big, but never really pursuing it. Mainly because I have a career already, so it's not like I need the money (although the extra income IS nice). I've done it because it's been a ton of fun to see what I write on a piece of paper (or now put on a computer screen) come to life on a football field.
Well, it's a combination of personal issues as well as just some of the frankly STUPID decisions and other related "issues" over the last year and half that have caused me to feel "the burn" start. And I ain't talking about the burn of excitement or passion...I'm talking the burn of being burned out. Like I said, I do take SOME ownership in this situation because I was promoted at the Fire Department last October and there's been a learning curve in that area of my life (and some success AND bitter disappointment), so I'm certainly acknowledging that. But it just kills me that last year--ohhhh, about April or so if I'm not mistaken--I was feeling on top of the world, and now, I'm bordering on a burn out. And I hate to sound corny or like a broken record, but I was very much inspired by someone whose blog I absolutely love (http://drumlaw80.blogspot.com/). Unless he's an absolute liar, this is a guy whose work ethic and tenacity just blows me away everytime I read about his exploits. And another motivator to me is my father and mother in law, two people who know the value of work and can juggle multiple projects at one time, and usually do...365 days a year. So to be burned out or getting there SUCKS AND BUGS ME TO NO END!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, I was highly motivated by these examples as well as other more personal issues to get beyond my comfort zone and do more. And I did! I just had different results that rocked my world a bit. And now because of that and my burn out factor, my tolerance for B.S. has been lowered greatly. Rather than review the amount of B.S. I'm dealt with specifically in this area of my life, I'll just say you'll have to trust me in this regards--because it's a LOT to be frank.
What does it all mean? I don't know if it really "means" anything. There are people in my life with far more pressing issues (like one who is in an ICU right now recovering from brain surgery for God's sakes). Do I REALLY think my burn out and frustrations have any "meaning" when compared to brain surgery? No. I'm realistic. I know I'm bellyaching up the wrong tree. BUT...BUT...it is what it is (as a friend likes to say--right Thom?), and it sort of helps explain me...which sometimes, is beyond explanation. Or something.
In other news...
--Flew to Salt Lake City with family in tow for a wedding of one of Nyleen's 7 brothers. Yeah. SEVEN!!! (Are you reading this, Lee??) Anyway, he got married to some rich girl and blah blah blah. The trip itself had great potential to be a disaster, as I was traveling with a 7 year old girl who is just beginning to understand everything there is to understand about Hannah Montana, a 4 year old boy that is hooked on Squarebob Spongepants or whatever the hell is name is, and walks around singing Thomas the Train songs, a 4 MONTH old GIANT MAN BABY who has never flown before, and my perpetually motion-sick wife. Trip turned out nicer than I thought. Stayed in the basement of one of Nyleen's aunts. Visited with lots of family, did some partying (yeah...I WAS IN UTAH...there idea of a wild party is to throw green jello at each other), visited some cool places (like Provo Canyon--where if I was independently wealthy, wasn't married, didn't have kids, and hated marching band/drum corps, I would move to in a New York minute...AWESOME country back there). Oh...by the way...flew JetBlue for the first time. I will simply say this--I will NEVER fly another airline as long as I live if I have a chance to fly JetBlue.
--You've been reading I'm sure in the news about the wildfires from hell in northern California, right? At one point in time, there were 1400...FOURTEEN HUNDRED!!!...fires burning. Why should I care and how does that affect southern California? Simple. We have this thing called "mutual aid" in the fire service. So we (the OCFA where I work) have sent fire engines and manpower (called "overhead") to various locations to assist other agencies in northern California. Yes--it DOES impact us down here in southern California. Suprisingly--we've been spared down here from any fires. WHICH IS WEIRD. Reeeeeeeeeeeeeally weird. However...if I were you, I would move out of the state by October 1. That's when the Santa Ana Wind season starts. All bets are off at that point.
That's about it for now--just wanted to give a quick update. I've got nothing else.
Take care...and thanks for reading.
Well--good news. M had her surgery and it was pretty successful. She's in great hands with some of the best doctors in the world that deal with exactly what she has. Suprisingly, she's getting some very optimistic prognosises from them. I say suprisingly because I made the mistake of looking on the internet for more information on this situation, and was none too pleased with what I was reading. I'm relieved to say the least that she's doing ok. Her husband has sent out some "mass emails" to lots of folks and so I'm being updated. Good for M.
In my other life as a drill designer, this season has taken a dramatic trip down the shitter. Well, actually that's a little melodramatic. There are some changes, and I'm "only" writing for four bands this year. When I look at my Work History Profile that I created for my drill design/instruction side of my life, over the last 24 years there has been a certain "ebb and flow" in terms of how many clients I get every year. It's too be expected, especially considering I do absolutely NO advertising, no hustling, no flyers, no website...it's just word of mouth. If this was my primary income I'd be far far more serious and "involved" on the business end (marketing, selling, blah blah blah). But I've cultivated this part of my life as always having the potential to be big, but never really pursuing it. Mainly because I have a career already, so it's not like I need the money (although the extra income IS nice). I've done it because it's been a ton of fun to see what I write on a piece of paper (or now put on a computer screen) come to life on a football field.
Well, it's a combination of personal issues as well as just some of the frankly STUPID decisions and other related "issues" over the last year and half that have caused me to feel "the burn" start. And I ain't talking about the burn of excitement or passion...I'm talking the burn of being burned out. Like I said, I do take SOME ownership in this situation because I was promoted at the Fire Department last October and there's been a learning curve in that area of my life (and some success AND bitter disappointment), so I'm certainly acknowledging that. But it just kills me that last year--ohhhh, about April or so if I'm not mistaken--I was feeling on top of the world, and now, I'm bordering on a burn out. And I hate to sound corny or like a broken record, but I was very much inspired by someone whose blog I absolutely love (http://drumlaw80.blogspot.com/). Unless he's an absolute liar, this is a guy whose work ethic and tenacity just blows me away everytime I read about his exploits. And another motivator to me is my father and mother in law, two people who know the value of work and can juggle multiple projects at one time, and usually do...365 days a year. So to be burned out or getting there SUCKS AND BUGS ME TO NO END!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, I was highly motivated by these examples as well as other more personal issues to get beyond my comfort zone and do more. And I did! I just had different results that rocked my world a bit. And now because of that and my burn out factor, my tolerance for B.S. has been lowered greatly. Rather than review the amount of B.S. I'm dealt with specifically in this area of my life, I'll just say you'll have to trust me in this regards--because it's a LOT to be frank.
What does it all mean? I don't know if it really "means" anything. There are people in my life with far more pressing issues (like one who is in an ICU right now recovering from brain surgery for God's sakes). Do I REALLY think my burn out and frustrations have any "meaning" when compared to brain surgery? No. I'm realistic. I know I'm bellyaching up the wrong tree. BUT...BUT...it is what it is (as a friend likes to say--right Thom?), and it sort of helps explain me...which sometimes, is beyond explanation. Or something.
In other news...
--Flew to Salt Lake City with family in tow for a wedding of one of Nyleen's 7 brothers. Yeah. SEVEN!!! (Are you reading this, Lee??) Anyway, he got married to some rich girl and blah blah blah. The trip itself had great potential to be a disaster, as I was traveling with a 7 year old girl who is just beginning to understand everything there is to understand about Hannah Montana, a 4 year old boy that is hooked on Squarebob Spongepants or whatever the hell is name is, and walks around singing Thomas the Train songs, a 4 MONTH old GIANT MAN BABY who has never flown before, and my perpetually motion-sick wife. Trip turned out nicer than I thought. Stayed in the basement of one of Nyleen's aunts. Visited with lots of family, did some partying (yeah...I WAS IN UTAH...there idea of a wild party is to throw green jello at each other), visited some cool places (like Provo Canyon--where if I was independently wealthy, wasn't married, didn't have kids, and hated marching band/drum corps, I would move to in a New York minute...AWESOME country back there). Oh...by the way...flew JetBlue for the first time. I will simply say this--I will NEVER fly another airline as long as I live if I have a chance to fly JetBlue.
--You've been reading I'm sure in the news about the wildfires from hell in northern California, right? At one point in time, there were 1400...FOURTEEN HUNDRED!!!...fires burning. Why should I care and how does that affect southern California? Simple. We have this thing called "mutual aid" in the fire service. So we (the OCFA where I work) have sent fire engines and manpower (called "overhead") to various locations to assist other agencies in northern California. Yes--it DOES impact us down here in southern California. Suprisingly--we've been spared down here from any fires. WHICH IS WEIRD. Reeeeeeeeeeeeeally weird. However...if I were you, I would move out of the state by October 1. That's when the Santa Ana Wind season starts. All bets are off at that point.
That's about it for now--just wanted to give a quick update. I've got nothing else.
Take care...and thanks for reading.
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