I've spent the last few days in the company of a good friend of mine. Wardo, Dubbya, or Justin, depending on who you talk to. Justin and I have been friends for years now, and sadly, he no longer lives here in the good ol' TC. he's finishing up his degree at GVSU, and because of that, we don't get to hang out as much as we used to.

Hanging out with Justin takes me back to a time when we would do nothing but play video games and watch TV, all while eating chinese food and relaxing. Obviously these aren't things we get to do anymore, jobs, college, and "growing up" have taken the fun of youth away from us. But, for a short time, we could jump in the Way-Back machine, and enjoy the finer things in life.

Getting to relax, blow off some steam, and just enjoy a few days of unfettered play time is much needed, and even better when you can do it without leaving home, and saving a bit of money. What's better is that with my current work schedule, I get 3 day weekends (which run Sunday through Tuesday, and I don't start work until evenings on Wednesday) that I am able to do this type of thing more often.

I am looking forward to using this type of schedule to my advantage. I'm getting better about updating this here blog that both of you are reading. As well as working on finally getting some video and audio projects started. I now have sufficient equipment to get things going, certainly not professional gear, but I can at least get a start. For the past few years, I haven't had the means to get even entry level recording gear. I still need a better camera (both video and still), but I have the ability to record decent audio, and will do so starting soon.

I'll keep this blog as my repository for all updates as to what I'm up to, as well as my random brain dumps. So check back, or even better, subscribe. Hopefully I will have better things to write about, and maybe even be entertaining (that's the goal after all)

Pure Rock Fury; or, Clutch in Concert

So, last Friday (which was the 20th of February mind you) I went to a concert. Clutch was playing in town for what was I believe the third time or so. Given the size of my hometown, that's saying something. Well, I've missed them each time they've come to town, as well as when I lived in Orlando, and they played at a local club there for 2.5 hours. So, this time, I was going. I took the night off work, and Anna and I made the trek out to The Terminal (formerly Streeters). All I can say is that it was completely worth the $25 per ticket.


There were 3 opening acts, well, 2 really. The third was Clutch's side project "The Bakerton Group". The first act was a metal band called "Red Fang". They were okay, but nothing special. Basically just a bunch of old metal guys, or at least that's how it looked. It was pretty bland metal, and not really worth much more than as an opening act. Don't get me wrong, I give them credit, they're out there touring, doing their thing. It was just not that great.

Act 2 however, was something different, and worth the trip to the concert all by itself. "The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. A three piece bluegrass/blues/rock band that just blew me away. Their energy and showmanship was awesome. Guitar, Washboard, and Drums, and a pretty big sound for such a small band. With songs like "Your Cousin's on Cops" and "Is It the DT's, or the Devil?" I was hooked. Will be buying their work very soon.

Then The Bakerton Group came on. This band is comprised of the same members as that of Clutch, but it's all instrumental, and slightly more blues influenced. Very very good, with nice grooves, and a good flow. I'm definitly looking up their music and going to find some of it.

After about a half hour of The Bakerton Group, the boys took a short break, and then the Clutch set began. Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes later, they ended. And my ass had been kicked. While I was hoping for a couple of songs in particular (Cypress Grove and Big News I respectively), I wasn't surprised to put off that I didn't hear them. After all, Clutch has a library spanning 17 or 18 years of material. But it was an amazing show, lots of great energy, lots of good music, and worth every penny of the admission price.

If you get a chance to see Clutch in concert, do so. It's worth making a road trip, and you won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't.

Juicing in Baseball; or, My final take on the whole thing

Baseball season begins in just a couple of short months, and lately, all the talk is about steroid use again. Most recently, NY Yankees slugging 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez is the focus of the media and bloggers. Now, the one nice thing is he's admitting to taking steroids, which is at least a step up from the likes of Rafael Palmerio, Mark McGwire, or Barry Bonds, who have taken different things, but never admit to doing it. Or won't admit to knowing what they took. A-Rod has said he wasn't sure what he was doing was wrong or not allowed, which we all know is a joke. He knew what he was doing, and now is on damage control. He did admit to taking performance enhancing drugs, but not until after Sports Illustrated outed him in an article. Granted, the drug test which his positive result came from was supposed to be anonymous, but he still did it, and after he got his hand caught in the cookie jar, he admits to it.

If you look at him over the years, he doesn't have all the classic signs of steroid use. His body didn't drastically change, Ala Jose Canseco or Barry Bonds. But not all steroids are the same, and while I haven't done a lot of research, I'm pretty sure there are steroids that can help build lean muscle, and what not. But also remember, that the point of steroids isn't to build muscle by taking them, it allows you to work out harder, and recover from your workouts faster to get back to it the next day. Which is why a guy like Roger Clemens could have the insane workout routines they do. And why he's linked to 'roids.

But if you think that Rodriguez is the only one, or that somehow baseball has all but eliminated steroid use in it's younger players, don't kid yourself. If tomorrow I found out Craig Counsell (who is listed at 170lbs, and that's being generous, he's probably closer to 160) was using 'roids, it wouldn't surprise me at all. It's the way it is today, I don't condone it, I would think I could resist using it if I were in that situation, but at the end of the day, these guys are playing a sport for entertainment purposes. I'll still watch, and maybe that makes me a sucker, but that's how it is. Hopefully with increased testing and monitoring, steroid use can be taken out of the game, but until then, I'll just be waiting for opening day.

I'm Back; or, Time to Get Back in to Blogging

Well, after a long lay off, I think it's time to start up my blogging again. Not that anyone reads it or anything, but I still feel the need to post.

A lot has happened since my last post, and yet nothing has really changed. I'm still in the process of getting my lazy ass back to school, however the PTB's are seeing to making that a difficult proposition. I am getting closer however, and I hope that within the next year, I am able to start school and get on with my education.

In the meantime, I am working as a cabbie, keeping my head above water. I recently bought a new MacBook, and that was a great purchase for me. I can now start working on some audio/video projects I've had in my head for a while now. I don't want to talk about them just yet, because every time I do that, I end up not finishing them, and I'd rather have a finished product to tell you all about first.

So less talk, more rock.

Cool Blog to check out

Stumbled across this blog this morning. check it out: http://aperturenatureworkshops.com/

(makes me want my mac even more now, so I can use Aperture, lol)