Blog 2.0

The holidays have come & gone, & they really kicked my ass this year.  So much so, that I haven't posted in almost two months.  I promised myself that I would start posting again come February.  I almost missed the first week, but I'm squeezing this one in.  Mostly because, this marks the one year anniversary of this thing.  Go me!  I'm gonna try to re-dedicate myself to the once-a-week posting that I set out to do initially.  So consider this one just a warm-up/warning/notice to all my ones of readers.  I'm back, so please continue to ignore me & my rants as much as before.  Thank you.  See ya next week.

Sometimes Life Gets In The Way

These past few weeks are a true example of that.  It hasn't been for lack of things to write about that have kept me away.  It's probably the opposite.  Many things have happened since my last entry.  So, instead of giving each it's own posting, I'll hit on the big stuff in this one & move on (hopefully) next week.

Let's start with band stuff.  We actually got into the studio back in November.  It went pretty damn well.  We were able to lay down the drum tracks for 5 songs, & a rough cut of one of our newest ones.  I was never able to get any song in one take, but I don't think I ever did more than three.  Wade, whose studio we used, was great to work with.  Really knew what he was doing & made it a real comfortable affair.  Two Left Over even made a rare live appearance again in December.  Once again at DiPiazza's in Long Beach.  Had an okay turn out.  I had a much better night than the last time.  No falling cymbals.  No dropped sticks.  No spilt beer.  Not sure when our next performance will be, but I'll let ya know.

Went up north for Thanksgiving, to visit Liz's parents.  Had dinner at her Aunt's in Sonoma.  What a beautiful drive from Concord to there.  I'm not much of a wine drinker, but the wineries make for some great scenery.  This had to be the most unusual Thanksgiving meal I've ever had.  To start with, there was no turkey.  I'll let that settle in for a moment.  ...  Ready to move on?  Okay.  It was a seafood dinner, with shrimp & scallops.  The side dishes were of the traditional staple, but made in a more modern flare, for lack of a better way to describe them.  Now, with all that said, let me say it was quite good.  But, I'm a very simple guy when it comes to food.  I prefer comfort food, over gourmet cooking.  Keep it simple & keep it coming.  That's why the traditional turkey meal I had the weekend before, at my parents made up for the lack of turkey on Thanksgiving day.  Thanks Mom!

Now for the big news, & the big reason that's made it hard for me to concentrate long enough on anything else...  like blogging.  Liz & I have gone into escrow on a condo!  It's in Anaheim, right next to Disneyland.  How close you ask?  You can hear the train whistle blow from our patio.  It fit right into our price range.  It's had a ton of upgrades, with only a few minor things that need to be done by us.  The main occupying my mind, of course, was the financial end of the whole deal.  Worrying about the new budget we'd need to be on, & things like that.  But, after talking to our loan officer yesterday, I feel much better.  I can't wait to get the keys!

That's about it.  Hopefully my ones of readers will now feel satisfied.  You may continue with your life.  Your welcome.

Veteran's Day

I was going to take this week's blog to review (and recommend) the book I recently finished.  But, today being Veteran's Day, I decided to wait on that.  Today, I'd like to talk about one of the veterans I know, my Grandfather John Sturgeon.

I really don't know a whole lot about his service.  I honestly didn't know he served in WWII until near the end of his life.  I know that he was a radio operator in the Air Transport Command.  But, really, beyond that, I know very little else.

Instead, I'd like to talk about the man himself.  He was a Baptist minister, who traveled from church to church.  He was a fixer.  A struggling church would bring him in, he'd build it up, & move on to the next.  He was also a fixer of just about anything else you could think of.  He was a tinkerer of immense proportions.  Nothing was ever sent out for repairs.  He could fix it.  Even if he didn't know exactly what he was doing, he would stay with it until he figured it out.  Which he always did.  Back in the 80s, we had an Apple IIc computer (pre-Macintosh).  One day it up & died.  We bought a new computer & my grandpa decided it he would take the IIc.  He wanted a new toy to "tinker" around with.  Well, this man, with no previous knowledge of computers, had that thing up & running within the next 6 months.  He was also the kindest, most patient man you could meet.  Always volunteering his time to whomever needed it.  Always a good & encouraging word for all that asked.  He was unable to sit still, & I believe that is what took him from us.  Before he passed, he suffered a stroke.  Partially paralyzing his left side.  He was no longer able to do all the things that made him who he was.  Growing up, whenever I would ask him how he was doing.  He had one pat answer & probably the only lie he ever told me.  "Terrible."  But always said with that great, warm, knowing smile he had.  Near the end, when I asked that question, his answer changed.  He became honest with me.  I never wanted to hear him lie to me more than at those times.  I still miss him greatly to this very day & I don't think that will ever change.

But being that today is Veteran's day, I'd like to share with you the story of another Vet that I know.  My Great Uncle Charles Sturgeon, was an Engineer & Top Turret Gunner in the 91st Bomb Group (H).  He was also a POW, shot down over German occupied France.  He met President Eisenhower while interned in Stalag Luft #1.  But, you can read it in his own words by clicking here.  Honor those that have fought for our freedoms, & remember those that gave their lives for the same.

Charles Sturgeon, Top row, far left.

Third Time's A Charm?

Here we are again. Two Left Over has studio time booked for Sunday. Nobody is sick. Nobody is leaving town. We had practice on Thursday & everything sounded pretty good. Let's just hope that we can duplicate some of that in the studio.

There are four songs we want to get down. The main goal for Sunday is to get the drum tracks laid for all of them. Setting up the drums is the most time consuming thing about recording. Also, if ya hafta break down & reset-up for another session, it's the hardest thing to make sound the same. Guitars & Bass, you just write down dial settings & you pretty much are good to go no matter how many times you do it. Drums, not so much. If a mic is set just a little differently from the time before, it can give ya a whole new sound. So, we'll hope for the best & my work me till I collapse on my kit.

Raiders Mid-Season Evaluation

Before I get into this, a quick 2LO update.  Once again, illness stood in the way of getting into the studio.  Brian just couldn't pull it off.  We'll try again, hopefully sooner than later.  But with the holidays coming up, you never can tell.

On to the Raiders.  Well, it looks to be another season of futility.  We're 2-5, & I can honestly only see one more possible win on the schedule.  Oh, what a glorious legacy we're building.

Let's start from the beginning, the preseason.  Things looked a little better, even though our record didn't show it, which was 1-3.  But one thing was evident, they were gonna have one hell of a running game.  Justin Fargas was coming off his first full, healthy season.  Looking like he was gonna pick up right where he left off.  Darren McFadden appeared to be as good as advertised.  And, Michael Bush, after missing his entire rookie season, recovering from a broken leg, looked to be worth that gamble of a late round draft pick the year before.  The passing game was something else entirely.  JaMarcus Russell was essentially starting his rookie season, having made only one start the year before.  And he looked just like it.  The receiving corps was old and/or injured, & it showed.  The defense was the only thing that looked the same, uneven.  Hope was, this would all come together as the season went on.

I'll break up the rest into two parts, pre-bye week & post-bye week.  Or, the Kiffin era & the Cable era.  Pre-bye record, 1-3.  Even though the record wasn't so great, the team showed promise.  The Raiders did get blown out in their opener by the Broncos.  But the other two losses came late in the game, with Raiders actually leading going into the 4th quarter.  The only problem, the defense got gassed.  The offense just wasn't able top stay on the field for any extended time, to let the defense rest up.  The main thing that you could take away from these first four games, was the Raiders were improving.  They were playing with more heart than I had seen since their Super Bowl run in 2002.  Lane Kiffin had these players buying into what he was selling.  But, nothing good is meant to last in Raiderland these days.  In only what could be called a "I'm taking my ball & going home" move, Al Davis fired Kiffin, going into the bye week.  Embarrassing himself, & his organization with his self-serving news conference & was once again stunting whatever growth his team could have made.  At this point, enter Tom Cable...

Post-bye week record, 1-2.  Every week, from here on out, will be an adventure.  I have no idea the identity of this team.  JaMarcus Russell, has hell of a cannon for an arm, but lacks the ability (so far) to make that soft, touch pass.  McFadden has been slowed by a turf toe injury & Fargas healthy, full season run ended at one.  He was out a couple weeks with a groin pull.  The aging receivers seem incapable of consistently catching a pass.  The defense is still uneven, & week against the run.  As far as the new coach goes, I'll just quote Mr. Davis from his news conference, "Who's gonna introduce Tom Cable?  I don't know that much about him."

Eight weeks down, nine more to go.  Just win baby...  please!

For Those About To Rock?

The time has come again.  Two Left Over is heading back into the studio on Sunday... maybe.  This time though it's not my fault.  Brian is the sick one this time.  He might be able to go, but he'll make that decision Saturday morning.  Knowing Till, he'll be a goer, regardless if he's 100% or not.

I have mixed feelings about recording.  On the one hand, we've got some pretty good new songs that I'd love to have a good, clean recording of.  A way to show that we're not just goofing around (which there is plenty of), but that we're a functioning band.  Also, it gives me the opportunity to share that music with other people, since we don't get out & play live very often.  On the other hand though, I hate the process of recording.  It's very sterile.  It lacks the fun & looseness of just jamming it out while practicing, or even performing for the masses.  Everything has to be exact.  Every little detail has to be there.  You can't cover it up by just playing louder.  The mics won't let ya get away with anything.  Which means, playing the same song multiple times to get a take that you can live with.

My attitude about the band, as whole, has changed since the last time I blogged about it.  I'm looking at the band in the way that I did when me & Brian decided to do it again as 2LO.  It's a release.  A way to get away from the usual bullshit, & just let it all go.  It's my bi-weekly therapy session.  I know my place in the band, & I know that Brian wants me in it.  Our last show wasn't what I hoped it would be, but it did rekindle the desire to do it again.  Hopefully this recording session will make that flame burn even brighter.  I'll keep ya in the know.

The Bourne Ultimate Supreme Identity

I recently just finished "The Bourne Ultimatum."  And let me tell you, every chapter felt like a punch in the face.  And the finale was like a big ol' kick in the crotch.  If you haven't read this & have plans to, stop reading now.  Becuase I will be spoiling the ending.  Still here?  Then let's move on.

This had to be some of the worst dialogue I've ever read.  Who talks like this?  Ever!?!  Every year I read a classic novel, & the old world english in those books was often easier to swallow.  It never felt like I was reading a conversation.  It felt like someone who had listened to a conversation, took out all the slang & warmth, & regurgitated it back on the page.  Using affectations like "Darling."  Darling!?!  Who calls the significant other darling in the 20th century that doesn't star on "Leave It To Beaver"?  Other times, it was like listening to people who felt they were too smart for the room they were in.  It often felt like the author was talking down to you.  Throwing in dialogue in foreign languages, without ever offering a hint at the translation.  "Oh, you don't know French?  How droll the commoners can be.  Well, you better ask some of your more educated colleagues to read it to you."  And these so-called "conversations" would go on far too long, without character identifiers.  Sometimes they would be between three characters, & you could no longer tell who was saying what.  Add all of this together, & you get constant frustration on the readers part.

Here come the spoilers.  If you've seen the movies, you still don't know how this book ends.  Because other than having an amnesiac killing machine named Jason Bounre as the main character, they have absolutely nothing in common.  While in the movie, you often feel sympathy, even empathize at some points, for what Jason Bourne goes through.  You never make that connection with the book version.   That Jason Bourne is a whiny, self-serving dick.  Through all three books, his main nemesis is a master assassin called Carlos the Jackal.  In "The Bourne Ultimatum," the final showdown between the two was to take place.  Throughout the book, Jason Bourne has one, never-ending mantra.  "No one else can, or will kill the Jackal!  Only I can do it!"  He constantly turns away help, & alienates those that have the audacity to offer it.  But that never stops him from complaining that (excuse me while I paraphrase Danny Glover) that he's getting to old for this shit.  Regardless of his dwindling skills & refusal of aid, which gets him almost killed a number of times, he finally tracks down Carlos.  And with all his grandstanding of being the sole person on earth who could kill him...  HE DOESN"T FUCKING KILL HIM!!  Someone else does it!  All that build up for some very minor character to get the glory?  WTF!?!

I truly enjoyed the first two books in the series.  But, it really felt that Robert Ludlum had lost all interest in the character by the time he got to this one.  He no longer cared for the character & didn't want you continually bugging him for another installment.  So, instead of killing off Jason Bourne, he tried killing off your desire to read about him.  Well, congratulations.  Job well done Mr. Ludlum.  Well done.