Don't Wait Until You Get Caught

Over the weekend, Alex Rodriguez was "outed" as a steroid user back during the 2003 season. He admitted to it in an interview with ESPN that he used steroids for three years, starting in 2001. He totally denies using since then (even though he totally denied using at all a year ago, which one is it, man?) and that he's "sorry" for "being stupid" and "naive" during his time as the Texas Rangers shortstop.

What have I learned? Its sort of odd, but hear me out.

Most of us do not live in the 30-35 cities that are "major league" cities. A LOT of us live in cities that have smaller teams in them.

I live in Erie, PA, where we have major junior hockey (OHL's Otters), double A baseball (EL's SeaWolves), a brand new NBA Development team (BayHawks) and even an arena league football team (RiverRats). We have four really great and competitive colleges (Gannon, Mercyhurst, Edinboro, and Penn State Behrend) and a LOT of high school sports.

I think everyone out there should rethink their fan hood of major league sports; those that have come down as a major business and turned blind eyes to this sort of behavior, and start supporting your local teams rather than these cheats and jokers.

Instead of buying that $35 Yankees hat that is colored purple and yellow...spend your money at a minor league baseball game, watching the guys that are living the dream, hotel to hotel, bus to bus. 

Instead of buying that $200 authentic Lakers jersey, maybe spend it on a ticket to an minor league hockey game...high school basketball game, anything...but don't spend it on a league or team that encourages and lets guys like Rodriguez get away with it.

Alex, man...if you wanted us to really forgive you, you should have gone back on 60 Minutes with Katie Couric, brought along Bud Selig, and professed your complete and utter allegiance to the game of baseball and said you would have helped in ANY way to clean up the game. Don't do a padded interview with Peter Gammons about being sorry you got caught. If you "respected" the game, you'd have come out last year when the steroids issue was first catching serious flight.

Then, and ONLY then, would I consider you a hero.

LISTEN PEOPLE...if you are doing something you shouldn't be...don't wait until you get caught. Be real. Own up to it. Get it off your chest. Probably will help your health, probably will help you sleep at night. Think about all those lies you've told. Most likely, it won't be the end of the world if you tell the world your secrets BEFORE you get caught, unlike A-Rod.

I Live On The Writers Block

If you found a map of Writers Block, you'd find that its outside of town, right on the border between the suburbs and the country. You know where I mean, that nice paved road that bends to the right, but only sort of ... you could still go straight on to Writers Block, but its on a dirt road. Most people don't want to drive on a dirt road, so I am stuck there.

The little cottage has yellow walls, a dirty white carpet, and a few couches. It hasn't been cleaned in years. Ironically, it hasn't been cleaned since I last wrote a song that I felt was any good. Yeah, in this cottage I write my songs. I don't play guitar here, thats somewhere off the ground. Sometimes its more grounded, like in the rickety tree house out back, and sometimes its way up there on that mountain, where everyone can hear me but noone can actually see me. 

I really, really want to clean this place up. Its a mess. Full of oddball memories, like this duck pillow, an old lawn tractor, and strangely enough, a laundry center with a dent on the corner. (its blue, if you must know.) There's a St. Patrick's Day shirt in the corner, but I don't dare pick it up because thats where my cats used to pee. Every once in a while I look at that birthday card slash coloring book page that my sister once made for me and I smile. But then I remember that time, and I think about how I used to sit in this room alone, staring blankly out the window, saying nothing, phone unhooked from the wall.

Do I have any reason to continue writing music here? I mean, I'm still a strong young man, I don't need this cottage anymore. Cell phones have made staying disconnected rather pointless. Unless you leave it in the car. Why would I leave it in the car? 

I guess it doesn't ring much anyway.

So I walk into the kitchen and there are dishes there, white Corelle dishes with a green design ringing around them. The floor still has that shiny brown hue with the odd design. The walls have a velvety texture to them, a reddish color. Reminds me of a house I used to have nightmares about as a child.

Anyway, a redesign?

Maybe I should do as every artist does (or should) and throw out everything he knew/knows and start again. Light a match, end this cottage's existance. 

I think I'll do that.

The duck pillow isn't important anymore anyway. 

How Frustrating A Day In The Studio Can Be

Don't let anger steer you wrong.

Over the last few months, I've been sort of itching to get some real recordings out there. As I mentioned in my blog yesterday, I really would like to find a studio to get five songs or so down on real, gosh-honest CD format. And actual sales-piece. 

I sent a letter to another musician, Ray Lanich, who lives down in Cochranton. Him and I were at Docksider the same night a little over a month ago. His CD, "I'll Play A Song For You" seems pretty professionally done and I was curious where he did his recordings at.

"I do them at home."

So, I decided to start again today, give it another shot. After all, I have a really good microphone and a very expensive guitar pedal that features on-board recording technology, so I should be able to get something good, right?

Not so fast, apparently.

I decided that I'm going to start this process with a song called, "Little Sister", which as most of you know, is a 'lullabye' of sorts to my sister Kori. I really like the song; I recorded it about four years ago one night within an hour of writing it. A true "genesis" recording. Very good. 

I would like to recreate it with a little more feeling and a slide guitar in between all of the parts, which would be very tasty, in my humble opinion. 

So I sit down into my "studio room" to get going around 1 pm. I get everything set up and play the song the first time through, this time through a microphone plugged directly into the pedal. 

Not loud enough.

Tried again, this time playing the guitar THROUGH the pedal. 

Sounds like its recorded in a tin can.

After two hours of wrestling with it, I took a nap.

Woke up at four, and the last two hours I've been wrestling with the sound levels, playing it through one time, transferring the data to the computer, and it still sounds like crap. I don't know if I'm my own worst critic or something, but I tell you what, I just can't get this stuff down, and its extremely frustrating.

But I suppose its not as frustrating as working at that hotel. But anyway...

A Long Vacation

Blues, blues, blues.

Its now been what, 31 days since I've written? I'm so sorry for not doing so. I just get in these funks and I just don't feel like writing. But I'm pretty sure if there wasn't folks I directly emailed this blog to, nobody would read it anyway. 

Not that I need to prove anything. 

Anyway, so far, 2009 has been nothing about control and preparation, as I wished it had been. Oh well. New Years resolutions are for suckers anyway :)~ . 

As most of you know, I played my very first show on the 17th of the month at Clancy's Pub and Pizza, where I also smash the strings on Tuesday nights. The show went off pretty well, some hitches, but nothing terrible. The owner was pleased (although he was out of town, so much for impressing the guy.) I played some of my originals (some I'll never play in public again) and some covers (that I forgot some lyrics from, oh well) and I just noticed I use parentheses way too much.

Work.

Work sucks. Hotel sucks. Its just a job. Its all screwed up now.

Love.

Amanda and I are doing great! We have had the opportunity to spend a lot more time together and I think its been good for us. We're both talking a lot about "redecorating" our apartment at the least cost possible. (Anyone have any cool places to get nifty furniture?) Since we're not going to be moving any time soon (see "Work."), we are going to try to make where we live cool. 

Music.

Anyone locally know of anyone with a studio? I'd like to self-produce/record, but if I could pull off a small five song demo-style CD for a small price, I'd rather do that. 

I'll try to have a little better format next time. Not sure if this one worked out. 

2009 Resolutions

Christmas 2008: Came and went like it has the past few years, a few feverish days trying to make sure I got presents for everyone, a hectic Christmas Day full of here and there's, and finally gearing up for work the very next day. :) Thanks to all my family for all the wonderful gifts I received, I love you all!!   On To Serious Business: 2009 is slowly trudging its way toward us, and I, for one, plan to do some housecleaning this year. (No, not that sort of housecleaning, honey.) My new years resolutions this year boil down to two words:   CONTROL and PREPARATION   Control basically means that I have let way too many things slide, whether it be money, music, or work, I've come semi-irresponsible if I want these things to work out. Money, well, everyone's not in control of their money, but I'd like to get a lot of my bills paid or at least on a good run very soon. Its going to be tough, and I might have to try to find myself a second job, but I wanna get it done. Music is something I'd like to seriously pursue this year; I would greatly like to be in a band by the fall time, or at most, playing alone on a regular basis. I need to set up better practice times and get my originals back into play form. Work, well, I need to feel like I have something to shoot for, to have pride in, and something I strive to be. Sounds very general, but I really don't know exactly what that thing will be so its a work in progress.   Preparation ties in with control, because without preparation, control means nothing. But specifically, saving money and planning ahead for trips needs to be a better priority with myself and my family, whether it be food or travel routes, this sort of thing. I've sort of lived by the seat of my pants in 2008, but that sort of lifestyle is like the little girl with curls: when its good, its wonderful; when its bad, its terrible.   I know all these are very general, but I've picked small things over the last few years or so and these are things I know I can work on throughout the year.