Time Turns Fragile

Pictures and a few words...

2008-11-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

Hey guys. Been really busy. I'm actually writing a worship song for a retreat I'm helping with in January. Computer + Recording Software = Ton o' Fun. Ton o' Fun is not actually the song title but I wonder how I could introduce that song at church AND tie it into a piece of scripture without giggling. My laziness in using o' rather than of would only make the song less useful...even for the most light-hearted Sunday morning service. EVEN for Open Door Fellowship.

Speaking of Open Door Fellowship, I have been helping design the logo and revamp the website for my church. It has been a really big learning process and been a lot of fun.

Okay, lets get to the pictures:

Maybe I should open my own resturant...Yes. That is coconut shrimp with a pineapple and mango chutney. It's from Schwann's. Lovely. But what is the delectable side dish you ask? Funyuns. I'm looking for investors.

Emolyn helped me vacuum and mop the house. The halloween party we had took it's toll on our floor. This was the first time I carried her around in the carrier while doing something like this. I think she found the vacuum terrifying and soothing. She mostly just sat there and told me spots that I had missed.

Trying out a couple "riffs" for Emolyn. When she glazes over, I know I gotta bring a little more. When she falls asleep I know it hasn't been a productive day.

Trying to get well again. This is the battery of pills I have been taking.
Top 2 green pills: Juice Plus Vegetables
Left 3 red pills: Juice Plus Fruit
Right 1 brownish(?) pill: Can't remember
Right 1 purplish (??) pill: Something helpful
Bottom 2 pink: Some allergy-so-I-can-sleep-like-I-am-in-a-coma pill.

Hopefully we can do another video soon. Thanks for visiting.

Ketchup Blog...

2008-09-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!

I promise

2008-09-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

More is coming. Soon.

Big Day!

2008-07-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

Dadman

2008-06-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry to all that have been checking in and seeing that nothing new has been posted.

First, I want to explain more about my situation and taking care of Emolyn. I don't feel like I fully explained the situation in the last post. The plan had always been for Nicole to go back to work but we weren't sure what it was going to look like as far as caring for Emolyn was concerned. Nicole and I decided that she would work only weekends so that I could take care of sweet Emolyn on weekends and Nicole would take care of her during the week while I worked. This all sounded amazing until I realized that I would be responsible for Emolyn's safety, food and entertainment for around 14 hours (Nicole does 12 hour shifts + travel time, etc.)

As you saw in the last post, I figured these times at home with Emolyn would be a great subject for blogging. But, as you can see with the lack of posting, Emolyn has become more desireful (oh, it's a word...) for my entertainment. The first time I took care of her, she was Mrs. Sleepyhead but these last few times have been long periods of awakeness (also a word) and small amounts of sleepocity (word).

Since her amounts of sleeping are few, I have taken those times to do actual things (I realize blogging is a thing, but try explaining that to my beautiful wife...) around the house. Last week I reorganized my office with a smattering of dishes and laundry. Yesterday I put a new door knob on our back door and put up weather stripping on the very same door.

Amongst all this productivity (too strong of a word) I must prepare myself. I have made a diagram of what a productive dad looks like.

1. Baby Monitor- We were given a cordless baby monitor for Emolyn's baby shower. This gives me the same level of communication that the Voskot 1 had when it pierced earth's atmosphere but it also has a visual indicator so if I am vacuuming, I can see that she is crying. Hazah!

2. Bluetooth Headset- I don't get a lot of phone calls, but when I do, it's nice to be able to speak with both hands free. The only problem is that I feel so weird just speaking into the air...the comfort of a bent elbow and an apparatus touching my ear is too familiar.

3. Shure Headphones- These headphones are amazing. These little beauties are connected to my iPod (not pictured) in my pocket. Not only do they convert digital files into audio bliss, they act like a ear plug and a headphone all in one sweet package. I only keep one in since my other ear is all business with it's phone headset. I am able to listen to many a podcast while keeping a keen ear out for Emolyn.

4. Hair- Unlike most people, if I'm home for the day, I still get dressed like I was going out. Me at my most comfortable state is fully clothed (shoes included) and ready for the day. Along with this is my hair. I like hats, but a lot of times I feel like I need to do something for me. A nice hairstyle makes me feel like I've accomplished something...I think I just heard my masculinity calling...

5. Tattoos- I had the tattoos before Emolyn, but I feel like the presence of a little girl in my life means more. A father with tattoos means my daughter being dropped off by her male friends earlier than agree and perhaps more respectful verbiage from said male friends. Examples of verbiage: yes sir, of course sir, guard her with my life, home in a half hour, change your oil why you wait governor. You get the picture.

Hope this gives a better sense of fun it is to take care of my sweet little girl.

First Full Day

2008-06-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

[Listening to Sufjan Stevens on Random in iTunes]

Today marked my first full day of being home alone with little Emolyn.

Going into the day I was confident that I could do it, but I guess I just didn't know what it would entail. It is now 4:44p, and we started our day at about 7am. It has been a lot of fun. I don't think it has been a "regular" day for Emolyn because yesterday Emolyn made her "debut" at our friends Kali and Caleb's wedding up in Flagstaff. She did a great job but being paraded around can be tiring so today she has been doing a lot of sleeping. I know she is small, but Nicole can tell you many stories of Emolyn fighting the feeling she has yet to identify as "sleepy."

So far Emolyn and I have watched the first two discs of season 2 of The Office. Good stuff. We have (and by we I mean her) have eaten about four times now. Speaking of eating, I did what I thought I would never do. Emolyn eats out of Playtex bottles since I stopped lactating shortly before Nicole got pregnant. The bottles have these liners that are flexible and they drop in the bottlish holderish tube. Emolyn is screaming because she is hungry so I begin warming up her milk. Emolyn has now switched gears and is in a whole new octave of screaming so I grab the warmed up milk and pour it into the bottle system...but I hadn't put in the liner...I then watch the milk goes through the bottlish holderish tube and down the drain like a Paul Pierce three pointer after getting injured and coming back into the game. Emolyn can't comprehend what goes into getting the milk into her mouth but I think she sensed my mistake and began a whole new scream and levitating out of her bouncy seat. I was waiting for her head to start spinning and vomiting because of my idiotic move. She waited another 3 minutes, ate and then forgot about her anger and fell back to sleep.

Other than that debacle, I have been trying to get things done (blogging is a thing) between Emolyn's naps. She likes to sleep on me more than in her bouncy seat or her Pack 'N Play so my mobility has been stunted. I have taken trash out, put away laundry, unloaded and loaded the dish washer among other things.

On a totally different note. I have yet to see Indiana Jones so I'm not going to comment on what I think about the movie, but I will comment on the slew of edible goods that bares the same name.
Indiana Jones and Dr Pepper: Fine. No change in anything except packaging, which draws me in so much so that Nicole fears for movie releases being so close to me visiting the grocery store. I love Dr Pepper so this purchase was inevitable.
Indiana Jones and Snickers: I found out about the Snickers Adventure bar at the Family Dollar...bad sign. I should have realized that it's presence in a dollar store was telling me the reception it has already had. But, I purchased the candy bar not only because it was $.50, it was LIMITED EDITION. Again, that phrase will set off some alarm in my head that immediately receives a responds of, "This is only out for a limited time. We must buy multiples. Who knows how long it will be around?!" Sad. I know. But, it wasn't bad. Here is it's description on the package: Rich Chocolate. Crunchy Nuts. And a cliffhanger kick of exotic spice and a hint of sweet coconut flavor. I laughed. I cried. I ate the whole thing.
Indiana Jones and Kelloggs: Lame city. I love chocolate cereal and I love marshmallows but this cereal missed from all angles. This was another instance of LIMITED EDITION, but I really thought this one was a sure bet. I should have chosen more wisely.

Here are some pictures of Emolyn telling me she is tired/hungry.

Catching Up

2008-04-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well...I'm back.

I apologize for the my lack of posting. I was gone for two weeks in Cupertino California training to be a Mac Genius. It was a great experience.

Now that things are back to normal, I can hopefully get back to posting more.

Emolyn's iPod continued

Lost Soul - Bruce Hornsby
One of my favorite musicians. This guy could add music to the ingredients of Lucky Charms and I would buy the album. A wonderful duet with Shawn Colvin. Beautiful song. This version is off of the Hornsby's "greatest hits" album Intersections.

After the Curtain - Beirut
Just found out about this group while at training. Very few lyrics but the instrumentation is outstanding.

Don't Slow Down - Copeland
I love these guys. There is something about a song being powerful with a full band and being as powerful if not more with just two acoustic guitars.

Take Five - The Dave Brubeck Quartet
I had to put some jazz in this mix. The tone of the saxophone just cuts into me. 5/4 at it's best.

Show the Way - David Wilcox
These lyrics are amazing. My church's worship band played this song one Sunday and I was lucky enough to play lap steel on it.

My Lady's House - Iron & Wine
Simplicity always wins

Clay Vessels - Randy Thompson
I struggled with wanting to put all of his radio hits in the mix but I settled on some of his deep cuts. Emolyn loves to fall asleep to Gramie and Pop Pop singing.

I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
I can't decide if I love their music or their band name more. A beautiful song that again proves that a voice and a guitar can create more than an orchestra. I'm still searching for a singer that annunciates better than Ben Gibbard.

Songbird - Fleetwood Mac
They named their band after the bassist and drummers last names. Come on!

Strangers In A Car - Marc Cohn
Another amazing song off of Cohn's first CD. If I could write chord progressions like this I probably wouldn't be writing this blog. I would have my Blogbot doing it for me. Maybe.

Emolyn is crying and I think it might be Maurices fault.

Emolyn's iPod

2008-04-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

As any good father should do, I got Emolyn a pink iPod nano so that she could have the appropriate tunage for her nursery. Over the next couple posts I will discuss the songs I have chosen.

But, let me just say before you begin reading this: I'm not into the whole "Baby Einstein" thing that is supposed to make your kid smarter. I grew up listening to the sweet sounds of a 1978 Datsun B-210 engine and I turned out fine.

Since her playlist is on random, here is the first 10 songs:

Say - John Mayer
This guy had serious songwriting chops. I don't care what people say about him, he's funny (see my link of the week), he's an amazing guitar player and he's one of the few artists that openly admit that he's "Trying to find the middle ground between the phrases “million units” and “artistic integrity.”" This song is just so catchy AND good. Great chorus.

Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL - Sufjan Stevens
This guy is an amazing song writer. His songs sound serious, honest, playful and jovial all at the same time. I thought of just filling her iPod with his discography and saying "done."

Drifting - Andy McKee
Check out the video of him playing! Beautiful song.

Overdue - The Get Up Kids
Love these guys. Sweet song. Great usage of the word "penance."

Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap
If you haven't heard this song then I can't even begin to explain it. A Cappella with a vocal harmonizer. Beautiful.

Little Eyes - Yo La Tengo
Such a sweet song. It was hard finding songs that were quiet the whole way through and that didn't build to something really loud at the end. When I got the iPod, I think this was the first song I put on it.

One Safe Place - Marc Cohn
Such a cool song. This is the live version off of his live album (go figure) so it has this feel that the studio can't create.

On Your Porch - The Format
These guys write some great stuff. Quiet and powerful.

Song A - Bruce Hornsby
This song is off of his Intersections Cd. What I love about this song is that it's just piano and that's exactly what I wanted.

Walk On Water - Marc Cohn
His self titled album could have been all that she listened to and I would have been fine with that. More where this one came from.

More to follow.

Early morning study

2008-04-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Since I'm going to be leaving this Sunday to go do Apple Genius training, which is training for in-store computer support and repair (once done with training, my actual title will be Apple Genius), I have a week of at-home study. I have the joy of doing most of it with little Emolyn helping (pooping). You wouldn't believe how long it took to type this...

Thats right, I'm wearing a Regis high school sweat shirt. I love you Wisconsin.

From a new father

2008-03-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back. I didn't really go anywhere, but I didn't come here.

What brings me back to my blog you ask? I really don't know. I think the whole concept behind a blog is to have a venue to just think...to flesh out ideas about anything. It's a strange concept because a journal used to be something that you hid. You wrote what you wanted no one else to know. But, with a blog, you have a journal that is a running conversation with everyone. I like this because these thoughts have to go somewhere and my wife isn't that into my thoughts on issues like: Bands and why they feel they need define their "sound." So, with all that, I'm here to say: I'm back and I'm ready to talk about it.

I don't really know exactly what I'll be writing about, but now that I have a baby girl, I think I'll have a lot more to say.

Can't wait to get started.

Wait, there is MORE!!

2007-09-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

Day 8:

Shawn back in the "storytellers" seat. This was another road trip day. Not only did we get to see great sites, but we also got to experience the wonderful Hawai'i rain. The rain is a light drizzle-almost like what the mister systems try to create in Phoenix. We traveled to the Waimea Canyon which is on the western side of Kauai. The canyon was amazing and hopefully the pictures show this. The other sites we saw were when we finally made it to the end of highway 56...we went as far as we could and then saw the ocean from up high which made for some great pictures.

Explanation for the below 2 pictures here

My Beautiful Wife!

For those who didn't think I'd amount to anything...I did it!

Day 9:

Snorkeling in Puipu. We took some underwater pictures but have not yet developed them. Maybe we will invite you to our house to see them...maybe not. Really great fish and they swam right up to you. Jealousy has gotten the best of you.

Day 10:

Shopping. It was all that you think it was. Maybe we got you something, maybe we didn't. Volunteer to watch our dog next time and you could be one of the lucky ones. We visited some great arts and craft fairs full of local goods. Ate some more shave ice at the "best place on Kauai." Pictures weren't taken on this trip. Sorry.

Day 11:

Today! Nicole and I are spending the day together just hanging out at a coffee shop in front of a computer...very romantic. We took some pictures before we found this place so enjoy!

Hawai'i and the like

2007-09-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings all.

Nicole and I are doing well. Internet access is sparse so I apologize for all the time that has passed since my last entry. I've heard some of you want more stories behind the pictures so I'll let Nicole dictate the happenings to you.

Day 5:

The Glass beach-for you Linda! Shawn, my mom, grandparents and I all took the trip together. The scattered glass on the beach is from an old dump so now the broken bottles have become smooth jewels for the taking. Not only did we search for glass but had some great Chinese food from a local eatery.

Day 6:

My grandparents treated us to a wonderful dinner at The Beach House. The restaurant didn't believe in shades so we spent dinner blocking the sun with our menus and eating one handed. The food was delicious and the we were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset. Unfortunately all the best pictures were taken by my mom so these will have to do. These are of Shawn and I hanging out at the bar before getting our table.

Day 7:

Trip to the North Shore. It's just as ritzy as it sounds. Princeville (or Princeton as my Grandma calls it) and Hanalei (where Puff the Magic Dragon is from) make up the North Shore. We had our first experience with Shave Ice...that's right, it's SHAVE ice, not ShavED ice. You mainlanders may think of some lame-o church picnic snow cone...oh no, this isn't for the weak of heart. Shave Ice is usually served with Macadamia nut ice cream (that's right, its ICE cream, not ICED cream) on the bottom of your ozone killing styrofoam cup and is then topped with a mound of finely shaved ice which is then doused with up to 3 flavors of your choice. There are many shave ice huts in the game, but few actually deliver. Unfortunately there are no cameras allowed in these primitive huts so you will have to look at the pictures of the rest of our trip. Many of these are of the very north shore and the scenery was breath taking.

The cave behind me was dug by hand by ancient Hawaiians looking for evil spirits that they never found.

Hawai'i Part II

2007-09-01T17:16:00.001-07:00

Hey again.

First off, sorry about the shortness of the last post and the hastiness of this post...internet connection is at a minimum here on the islands. Secondly, I'm abandoning the whole "I'll write this like I'm having a horrible time when ACTUALLY I'm having a really great time!" tone and I'll just give you some pictures and some captions.

Day 3 (Cont.):

All three of the above pictures are from a drive Nicole, Beckie and I took after renting our car and just exploring.

The four above pictures are of a dragon fruit we bought a side of the road fruit stand. Pretty mild, the texture and taste are similar to a kiwi.

Day 4:

These above pictures are from a day at the beach with Beckie and Nicole's grandparents.

The above pictures were from a trip that Nicole, Beckie and I took to a wildlife reserve.
Above is the SLEEPING GIANT. If you look from left to right, you see his head, his open mouth and the rest of his body. Tequila helps...so does vodka.

Hawaii or Hawai'i...you choose

2007-09-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Aloha from the great island of Kauai. Nicole and I are having a great ol' time. I'm finding a lot free time to avoid working out, running or wearing a shirt. The weather is amazing and I'm currently sitting in an outdoor shopping mall with 80% cloud cover and it's in the low 80's. Please pray for us as we try to find the strength to carry on.

Our living arrangements have changed a little. Nicole's Mom's cousin got a time share for the first week of us being here but they changed their plans and couldn't make it so Nicole, Beckie and I are staying at the resort till tomorrow (Sunday). Until that time slowly gets here, we are holed up at the Point at Poipu till the shelling ceases. While you forward these prayer requests on a email prayer chain, enjoy these pictures of our plight.

First Day:

This is the night view from our balcony. You can see below that the enemy forces have dug some kind of pool that has jets like a hot spring...just horrible.

Second Day:

Our first morning was started by the same view of this dilapidated island.

Our captors forced us onto a public beach where we were to roam around and participate in a native activity called "Snorkeling." I don't know if I will ever pick up this foreign dialect.

After this grueling activity, Nicole and I were forced to huddle with each other and find warmth.

My poor wife was forced into a car with horrid foliage attached to her.

Our captors attention was on other things and we were able to escape for a few hours. The local merchants gave us some food...as you can see, I'm wasting away.

Third Day:

After a horrible nights sleep on a king sized bed, our captors took us to a golf course overlooking the ocean and pitted us against each other. My brother-in-law Jason, and nephews Winston and Benjamin surely got it worse than me...

You can see the fear behind those blinding sun glasses.

More to come soon...again, please pray for us.

New Tattoo

2007-03-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

Paying homage to tattoos of the past

It's getting random up in here...

2007-03-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

Hello to all you bloglodytes.

I don't know why I wanted to post this, but I guess this is the only forum where it would get read by someone...anyone...[stares off into distance]

First off, I've been listening to some pretty neat-o music lately.
If you're into music with melody, notes, scales, sound waves and instruments like I am, then check out these albums:

Set Sail the Prairie by Kaddisfly
Instersections by Bruce Hornsby
Self Titled by Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby
Lady in the Water by James Newton-Howard (it's the soundtrack)
The Underground is a Dying Breed by Hot Rod Circuit
Continuum by John Mayer
The Village Sessions EP by John Mayer

I know, some of you are saying, "A couple of these albums haven't come out yet!" Oh, you poor souls. Lets just say, I have my ways.

Since we are on the subject of food, I've been really into Shrek cereal. Yes. Shrek. It's good.

Other than new tattoos, cereal and good music, you can find me at Casino Arizona every Thursday night from 4pm to around 8:15-ish. It's fun.

The time has come to add some color...

2007-02-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

The time has come folks. I have added color to my tattoo. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the actual event, but I do have pictures of the results. Here you go.

I did want to add a banner below the swallow I already have so I talked with Aaron (the tattoo artist) and he suggested adding another rose in the same area so that the banner didn't have too much empty space. I said "sure" in a shaky voice since I have heard many times that under the arm/near the pit area hurts a lot. "But I must press on!" I said...to myself.

Here is the end result of that:
All in all it was a rad experience and I'm glad I have been able to do this all with Aaron from Immaculate Tattoo. And, because of my ongoing transactions with Immaculate, Aaron gave me a one of their shirts for free. Good guy.

Yes.

Craft Services made me Blog again...

2007-01-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hello all...it's been some time...and I apologize.

A lot has happened since my last blog. I finished another semester of school and started my final semester at ASU West. Now, I specify "West" because my specific degree is only offered at the West campus and from what I have gathered, there is some animosity between the West campus and the "Main" campus (in Tempe.) But, I digress.

To graduate with my degree (Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance) a student must either do a senior project or do an internship. After a crazy previous semester full of many projects, I figured I would get some "real world" experience, build a resume and maybe get my foot in the door.

My degree concentration is Media Arts so I have many options for an internship. I know the term "media" seems a little vague...and it is... I could have worked at one of the many TV station in Phoenix (sorry Telemundo, I forgot to respond to your email) and I was talking with the Heard Museum about interning in their Graphic Design department. I just didn't want to do some "go-fer" job...so I started looking for Film and Production jobs. I'm really interested in film (another vague term...I know) and film editing (not as vague) so I started looking around. I found a place called Art Gecko but they weren't offering any internships. Thankfully, while telling me they didn't want my free work, they told me that a placed called Great Scott Productions might be able to help me...or me help them...whatever...

Several phone calls, a tour of the facilities, a 200 gallon pool filled with Nickelodeon Gak*
and I was their new intern. Great Scott is...great because they film TV shows, Commercials, record the automated menus that you encounter when you call a company and just want to talk to a human, lots of interesting stuff. It also doesn't hurt that my favorite movies are Back to the Future and "Great Scott" was shouted by Doc numerous times...[clears throat in silence]...anyways...

My first experience as an intern was shooting a commercial for CSK Auto, or for your Phoenicians, Checker Auto. My job was to hold/man/operate the Scripboy which keeps track of the time code for the film/tape. I documented when each shot or take starts and what is happening; which scene it is and a brief description. At first, I must admit that I was nervous. The Scripboy is mostly for the editor; it assists the editor in knowing where a scene is on the tape and which take was the best. Having done many (meaning 3) short films, I can say that knowing when your best take was on tape greatly helps in the editing process...I don't have a Scriptboy...I'm a worthless husk of a man.

On top of the Scriptboy, I got to be a stand in for shots. When the crew set up a new shot, I was asked to stand in for the talent (aka: paid actors) while the crew adjusted camera placement and lighting. I learned a lot about lighting from the shoot. Having done a few (meaning 3) short films, I know that lighting can make or break a scene. I also got to be in a couple shots. My job was to walk by the camera at the beginning of scenes to make the scenes more real...how this makes the scenes look more real, I'll never know...I'm just a senior. And by "walk by the camera," I mean I literally walked right in front of the camera after the director yells "Action!" If this part makes it to the final commercial, my sideburns will live on forever.

Now, I know, at this part of the story you are all thinking, "My gosh, I gotta get in contact with this guy! He's really getting connected in the Biz!" First of all, stop calling it "the biz" and second of all, I know, it's pretty exciting.

The greatest part of it all was something called "Craft Services." This is a table(s) usually set up at shoots that has drinks and food...for free...for the crew. This is one of the greatest, no, let me correct myself, THE greatest invention of the 21st Century. As a "worker" on the set, I can visit this table when I want to and get my nosh** on. Splendid.

Well, that's all for now. I will try to keep this Blog going and fill you in with all my many adventures in internship.

Next blog will be titled "We've Got Your Game"

Laterz,
Shawn

*While taking my tour of Great Scott's facilities, I visited one of their sound stages. They were shooting a commercial for Nickelodeon where someone jumps into a pool that contains that crap that many children (including me) bought and were told not to eat. Click on the original link.

**Maybe one of my more ridiculous word usages and links.

Rejuvenate Your Tired Old Jukebox

2006-10-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

Own a Jukebox? You win...

I've been listening to some new (to me) music lately and thought I would share it with you.

I don't feel that I'm some music expert or that my tastes are better than yours but this list of bands may be a little eclectic and isn't for everyone. Here is a list of albums that have been tickling my fancy...Which is kind of sore now...

Redeemer by Norma Jean.
My great friend Josh let me borrow this album and it's a fine piece of audio enjoyment. I have heard some of their other/older stuff from my friend Aaron, but I don't think I was given enough time to really understand them as a band. The album is pretty heavy with tons of screaming vocals-which is nothing new to my music collection-but their compositions are really interesting. These guys can play their instruments and have no problem putting every emotion into one song. If you want your face melted off, take a listen.
Listen to: A Grand Scene For a Color Film, Blueprints for Future Homes

Carnavas by Silversun Pickups
I found this band while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Hi My Name Is Mark, which is hosted by Mark Hoppus-formerly of Blink 182. On the podcast Mark will play songs from bands that he's friends with and then bands that he has discovered. Usually I don't really like the bands that he plays. Since he's gotten into producing bands, he'll play bands that he is helping record and we just don't seem to agree. On the last podcast he played a band called Silversun Pickups. I loved the song right away. Silversun Pickups blend the atmospheric elements of Radiohead and loud guitars of early Smashing Pumpkins. Take a listen if you can.
Listen to: Three Seed, Well Thought Out Twinkles

End of The Heartache by Killswitch Engage
We'll now travel back to the land of loud. I had heard so much about this band but didn't really feel like a band called "Killswitch Engage" would fit into my CD collection...Even I can be narrow-minded. These guys have always been regarded as amazing musicians and I tend to enjoy bands that can play as well as write. I don't remember when I first heard and liked them but when I found out their guitarist produced one of my favorite new CD's, I thought I would give them a try. Their guitarist, Adam Dutkiewicz, produced the album Define the Great Line by Underoath. The album sounded amazing so I thought maybe his own music might be as amazing...I was right.
The End of the Heartache is full of tight guitar playing, amazing rhythms, spot-on vocals along with great lyrics.
The more I write this "review" of the album, the more I realize why I hate album reviews.
Listen, I really like the album, and I think you should at least give it a try...
Listen to: The End of the Heartache, When Darkness Falls

Here Come the Noise Makers by Bruce Hornsby
This guy has been around for a long time-not only in the music scene but within my musical history. Here Come the Noise Makers is a collection of live tracks that were performed over a two year period. There are many of his "hits" and a couple songs that he hadn't played in some time. I can honestly say that you will never hear Bruce play one of his songs the same way twice in concert. He has sped up some of his classics and added new life to some of his lesser known songs. It is a joy to hear him play with his band; communicating through their instruments. It's worth your time.
Listen to: The Road Not Taken, The Valley Road, Sunflower Cat/It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry

Follow the links, hopefully some of the songs I mentioned are on the artist's myspace page. Let me know what you think.

Crafting my first Cornhusk flute,
Shawn

The Story of a Small-ish Tattoo

2006-10-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

Okay...So now that I've mentioned the Tattoo, I guess I'll talk about it first.

Yesterday, October 5th, I drove quite a distance (from my house) to Immaculate Tattoo in Mesa, Arizona. Two and a half months prior, I had set up my appointment with the brilliant Aaron Coleman. The two and a half month wait should be a glimpse at how good and in demand that he is.

When I first made the appointment, I had many ideas in my head-sexy nurses, cobwebs, the Carl's Jr. logo..But I had to focus myself, I needed something great. I really wanted Japanese waves and vines to cover the top half of my right arm. I already have a swallow and the word "saved" tattooed on the arm-both in a traditional style (Right- my second tattoo done by the wonderful Alex Empty).

I wish I could give you a better history of American/Traditional style and Japanese Style but it's just so long...use Google.

Since both of my current tattoos were in a traditional style, Aaron stated that Japanese waves and vines may ruin the theme I already had going. I really wanted to keep the vine idea-it stems from a bible verse: John 15:5

I also liked the way Traditional style roses looked-especially the roses that Aaron Does so we incorporated those into the vine idea. I also wanted Nicole's name on me so I thought a banner over the top rose with her name in it would be neat-o. She actually tried to talk me out of it- she thought it was kinda weird but I said, "Nicole, I really want to make this work, I want to make this last..." I won.

Here is a timeline of sorts:

Before the tattoo...A little worried

Getting the stencil applied

Getting the outline done

The outline is done...And so is my muscular physic. I did the "half shirt" because it was really cold in the room...yes...that sounds about right...

Onto Shading and making the roses red...

I'm not going to lie...it hurts...

Seriously...

The finished Product...well almost...two more sittings and it will be done.

Hope you all enjoyed that little recap.

Shawn

I've Rediscovered the Internet...(UPDATED)

2006-09-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

For a while now, I've gone through the same routine (as stated in a past blog) every day of going to the same internet sites and just refreshing, refreshing and more refreshing.

In the past couple of days, I've rediscovered the cornucopia that the internet truely is.

Here are some sites I've been visiting and LOVING:

For Musicians Only- I actually found this today. I'm constantly looking for music-based equipment online. I love finding little known boutique amp companies. I like finding sites that sell items that I would never find at my local music store. This site sells effects pedals, used guitars and amps, vintage gear and offers lots of vintage effects info. This site may not be for everyone (the title somewhat states that) but it's fun for me.

Food.com- This site is such a fun place to look for recipes. I like looking at all the show hosts and their take on food. Lately I've really enjoyed cooking and I have fallen in love with the idea of putting so many tastes and textures together to make wonderful food. Not that I'm an expert (yet) but food.com constantly rejuvenate my love of cooking.

Brad's Page of Steel- After listening to a lot of Ben Harper, the Shins and Iron and Wine, I really wanted to learn how to play the Lap Steel guitar. Lap Steels aren't played like a conventional guitar. The strings are higher up (about 1/2 and inch off the fretboard) and the sound is typically more twangy and bright. To play a lap steel you usually use a bar and finger picks. Because of this site I was able to find out just about everything I needed to start playing the lap steel. Thanks to the site, I have also found some really cool lap steel recordings.

Trailer Trash Pedalboards- I found this site through Bogner Amplifiers-one of my favorite amp companies. These guys build transportable boards that you can put your effects pedals on. They not only make boards that hold the pedals, the create custom boards as well as wire the boards to your specific needs. Check out their gallery of all their custom boards...Amazing. Another example of art meeting necessity.

Craigs List- If you are super bored, this site is a water shed for selling anything and everything. You can even find people to barter with-you can trade services with people. Do you know how to install an irrigation system? You could help someone install one and in turn, they would come photograph your wedding...Come on! Put in your local city and see who is trying to give away a sun-rotted trampoline(s)!

The Smoking Gun.com- This is a great site, specifically for their "Backstage" area. The backstage area is a database of concert riders from your favorite performers. A rider is a document that states all the needs for a performer. It states the size of stage they need, what the sound system should look like and how many cases of beer should be back stage before and after the show. It's amazing how picky and ridiculous some performers are. Now you can look at all the dumb crap that Mariah Carey demands when she comes to you home town.

Netflix.com- Get an account and then tell me this isn't the greatest system ever. I dare you. Nicole and I have an account...It's so so so great. I get recommendations, I rate movies I've seen and I can set up my queue so that something new comes to my house as fast as I can send the last DVD back. They have just about everything.

Right after I posted this blog, I remembered this site:
To Write Love On Her Arms- I don't even want to try and explain this website. Please go and read the story. It's an amazing website and if you can, buy a shirt or something-it's a worthy cause.

Hopefully some of these can become YOUR new favorite sites.

Shawn

My kingdom for a Warranty

2006-09-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since anything I owned broke under warranty. It seems like everything I have breaks 2 to 3 minutes after the warranty has expired. Maybe the manufacture puts in a little explosive device that, after an exact year, destroys something that keeps the product working. Thankfully their are companies like Apple Computers that value the customer and make using their products easy and efficient.

For a month now my iPod has been freezing up more often and the screen has been doing this "scrolly" thing that doesn't hinder the devices productivity but man is it annoying. Here is a picture of the said problem:

As you can see, the numbers on the bottom are also seen at the top of the screen.

I happened to be by the Apple store in Chandler Fashion so I took it in.

The helpful lady in Apple said that they would wipe it of all it's contents and see if rebooting the iPod might fix the problem. She came back out and no dice...problem remained.

She then told me something so wonderful. She would give me a brand new iPod...right out of the box.

Now I have a new iPod and I'm loving it.

Now that I have talked about my iPod issue, I want to list a few of the greatest Audio/Visual inventions in my life time (1982 to Present):

1. iPod- People, this is the most amazing device ever created. I have EVERY CD I own and they all sit inside this little box of wonderment. I have about 300 CD's, songs that magically made their way onto my computer and quite a few podcasts; all equaling 3,334 songs.

2. TiVo- I don't own one but our friends have one and it's truly amazing. It stores all your favorite shows in it's little robot brain and lets you fast forward through commercials...amazing.

3. The Podcast- This really couldn't exist without the iPod, but it's so notable. To fully enjoy podcasts, you have to find one that really makes you want to listen. To fully explain, a podcast is a audio or visual "show" that you subscribe to. When the new show is released, it is updated on your iPod (or any other sub-par mP3 player). What I love is that if you stop listening to the podcast and move to a song or another podcast, you can return to the original podcast and you resume where you left off. The subscription aspect is also a joy because it's like getting a little gift every time a new one is released. Here are a few podcasts that you should check out:
Sound of Young America
The Best Show on WFMU
(These links are for iTunes. If you don't have it, please get it. You're doing yourself a huge favor)

Hopefully I have made your a little more aware of what's out there and I didn't sound like a spokes person for Apple Computers.

Until next time,

Shawn

Oh No! Oh My!

2006-08-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

Going to concerts where you are unfamiliar with the performing bands can be a pretty risky venture. Also, if the venue is a art gallery, you could be stuck seeing some vaudevillian music performance where the singer is dressed like a rabbit and three people in white suits are just yelling into a microphone...could...

Last night Nicole and I got a call from her cousin, Nate, and he was coming up here from Tucson to see a band called Oh No! Oh My! He said the show was at the Modified, which is a performance based art gallery in downtown area. The Modified has a lot of cred in art circles but it also has a lot of character. One thing about the modified is that it attracts certain types of bands and certain types of people. The types of bands that it usually attracts are really artsy, avant garde bands that are all about the performance and not so much about the music. I don't want to sound snobby but I'm already an art student, I'm forced to see this stuff in school...a lot...

So, on the way to the show, I'm already a little leery. My band has played at the Modified so I'm bracing myself for all plywood floors and a rickety swamp cooler. We get there and watch one of the opening bands and they were pretty good-I'm sad I didn't catch their name. It was like a mixture of Iron and Wine meets older Shins. Next was Oh No! Oh My! so everyone walked towards the stage and the 6 man band started. The first song they played was "I Have No Sister" (at least I'm sure) and it was great. The band was really interactive with the audience and each other. They played for about 45 minutes to an hour and each song was great. In my opinion, they are a mixture of Atom and His Package, Death Cab for Cutie and The Format. They had a singer/guitarist, two guitar/keyboard players, bassist, drummer and trumpet player. Their music was upbeat, fun and poppy-a great mixture for a live show.

I really think all of you should go to their myspace site and check them out: myspace.com/ohnoohmyband. Hopefully you won't be disappointed.

More to come later...

The Vacation is Over

2006-08-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

So...With the school year starting, my easy, TV-filled days are over. Between the classes that I have and my job, I'll be missing all of my favorite mid-day shows and won't be able to keep up with my empty myspace and yahoo inboxes.

My job, Classroom Technical Support, becomes the gripe/suggestion/help box of the school when classes start. For those of you who don't know, my duty is to deliver and assist with the audio/visual equipment at the school. If the instructor can't figure out the computer, I come and help them turn it on. If a instructor needs an overhead projector or a 16mm film projector circa-1972 for a course, I bring it to them. Unfortunately, now that classes have started and we have so many new teachers, I get calls every 3 minutes with questions, concerns and inquiries about my long distance carrier.

unfortunately I can't keep up with the Orange County Chopper family and will miss all my grill-inspired recipes from my friend Bobby Flay which all comes to me via electronic signals in the TV screen.

Oh well...

Shawn

Capitalized Numbers

2006-08-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

Hey to those few that look at this.

I had seen the video for this cover song but wasn't able to get the mp3...until now. The band is Obadiah Parker and the song is called Hey Ya. Check it out...it's one of my favorite cover songs of all time...not that I'm some cover song expert, but this one blows the original away. If you didn't see the links above...(shakes head in disgust)

Other than that, I've been getting ready for school. I've got some pretty cool classes this semester. Advanced Video Production, Advanced Video Production, American Military History, Visual Representation and Gallery Exibitions. I still can't believe that I can just be creative and get college credit for it. The only essays I see happening will be in the Military class but other than that, I'll have a lot of projects.

Okay, I'll be honest, I just wanted you all to hear the song...not a lot to talk about...

(runs away screaming),
Shawn

I've found the end of the Internet...

2006-08-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

I have two options at work in these slow summer times. I can either watch bad afternoon cable TV or cruise the World Wide Waste of time. I know, I know...this isn't a horrible job; actually it's a really really awesome job but the internet is too slow for my attention. All my favorite sites don't update hourly or sometimes even daily...poor me (insert emoticon holding flowers with it's heart beating in a cartoon fashion)

My choice of internet sites is pretty diverse and strange. Here is my usual routine when I get into work...actually; I just repeat this order every 15 minutes.

Come in, log on, clock in and then:
Yahoo.com- for all my “normal” email
Myspace.com- look at all the messages I'm not receiving and then rifle through my "friend requests" that are mostly pornography or lame-o bands from the least developed parts of the U.S.
AbsolutePunk.net- for all the emo/harcore music news that can't be classified as "gossip" because the rumored death of From First To Last's singer isn't tragic nor news-worthy
My.Asu.Edu- this is my school email address. I get all the important news regarding my job and what I need to deliver next

Here are some sites that I visit intermittingly between the above sites:
FaceBook.com
Espn.com
BMXonline.com
MotionCitySoundtrack.com
Thrice.net
Break.com- This site has a lot of hilarious videos of crotch shots from shopping carts and model airplanes going 200mph
TvGuide.com- I need to know what's on!
Food.com- I watch Boy Meets Grill every day at 11:30am. I need to know what's cooking that day
Ebay.com- Everything I can't afford. My latest searches have been Roswell DVD (show that was on WB...it's brilliant, you just don't know it yet) and a Gibson Firebird Studio
ImmaculateTattoo.com- I'm getting my half-sleeve finished on Oct. 5th. Aaron Coleman is a genius...example of his work:

I'm sure I'm missing some more websites that I find along the way.

Again, if you think this Blog is too random for your tastes, stop coming. But to all that actually read this...your prize is in the mail. No need to tell my your address, I already know...(insert emoticon wearing an eye patch and punching a parrot)

Stand on the New Mexico and Texas state line and tell me it doesn't hurt,
Shawn

Gotta get this started...

2006-08-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I just wanted to comment on another page but through a serise of events, I've started my own blog. I don't know how full/eventful this blog will be but hey, I don't have much else to do. If you are at this blog, leave a comment of how much better your blog is.

Here is a picture of some christmas-song playing. www.myspace.com/pranczarandvyxxn.