| A very sad day |
[Jan. 21st, 2009|10:08 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  crushed | ] |
On this day, my little girl puppy - Ayla - passed away. She had a tumor on the side of her rib cage that grew aggressively over the past few months. The vets had done a few tests at the onset of the issue and determined that it was just a fatty lump. Then the lump grew and moved to a second spot nearby. I took her back in and they told me it might be cancer. We had a biopsy done and they again found only fat cells. The vet said that we need not operate as it is fairly common.
Over the next couple months, the mass grew in size and then firmed up. I took her back into the vet again and this time they ran some more detailed tests. X-rays, MRI, further blood and cell analysis... Nothing conclusive. The scans showed that the lump had actually 'dissolved' two of her ribs, which had been causing her discomfort. They also said that her lymph nodes were enlarged. That, paired with the aggressive growth, led them to believe that the lump was cancerous.
I spent the next two weeks agonizing over the decision - to operate or not to operate, to do radiation treatment, to do chemotherapy. I spoke with the surgeon, the radiologist, the oncologist... They couldn't really do the chemotherapy properly since they didn't know what kind of cancer we were seeing. The radiation would only shrink the tumor, but wouldn't really take care of the issue. It would be just as expensive as the surgery but wouldn't permanently take care of the situation. The surgery was somewhat risky, but if they could remove the lump she stood a decent chance of spending another year with us. I was leaning towards doing the surgery.
They did a cat-scan before taking her in for surgery, during which they discovered a lump in each lung and more prominent swelling of the lymph nodes. I told them not to go through with the surgery. I figured that if she had more than one tumor, she would have another lump and another lump and another lump. The surgery was going to involve a massive repair of the chest wall, which would have required a minimum of 4 days stay at the vet plus a lengthy rehabilitation.
With that, we started giving Ayla anti-inflammatory medicine and anti-pain medicine. Our goal was to make her as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. This all took place the week before Christmas week. So at the time, we were trying to decide whether to plan for travel to Pennsylvania or not. Once the decision was made, I concentrated on letting my girl know how much I loved her.
She wasn't eating very well, so we mixed in canned food with the regular kibble. She perked up a bit and ate a lot of that. She made it a few weeks like this. I spent lots of time snuggling with her and petting her. Then around January 10th we had a home improvement project here at the house. My fiance's mom and dad came down so he could help me with tiling a bathroom. I think the excitement might have been a little too much for Ayla. Also, I was not feeling very good at all, coming down with a sinus infection. I went out to the urgent care physician to get checked out. While I was gone, Ayla had found a spot on the floor and laid there, not moving. Amy called and wanted to know when I would be home because she was very concerned. When I got there, Ayla just laid still. I lay next to her and pet her for a while. Eventually she'd move around a little bit, but she wouldn't eat. I pulled the sofa-bed mattress out of its frame and laid it on the floor. That night I slept on the family room floor with her so that she wouldn't have to go up and down the steps.
I wasn't sure she would make it through the night, and I was pretty sure she wouldn't make it through Sunday. But she made it. She started moving a bit more and even started eating the next day. I spoke to the vet that Monday and she advised me to try giving Ayla canned chicken along with any other 'stinky' food. That would catch her interest.
She gobbled down the canned chicken and regained a good bit of strength. By Wednesday it seemed maybe it was just a temporary issue. The vet explained that sometimes a tumor will break into a new blood vessel, causing internal bleeding. The dog will become very weak for a couple days, but their systems are capable of absorbing the blood through the digestive tract and stopping the bleeding. They can then recuperate for a while.
It looked like that was the case for Ayla until the next weekend. We, again, had the company of my fiance's mom and dad for the home improvement project. Ayla again became over-excited and weak. But Sunday night she started to perk up. Then Tuesday night, we had company again. My fiance's mom and dad returned to watch the inauguration. Ayla had a good evening, checking out what everybody was doing, enjoying the company. But that night when we went to bed, she lay on the cushion breathing with some difficulty.
In the morning, she only moved to sit on the rug near the foot of the bed, still having trouble with her breathing. I brought her some canned chicken up to the bedroom, but she didn't show any interest in eating it. I lay with her and pet her for a few minutes, but then I had to go to work. My fiance thought maybe we should block her downstairs in case she had an issue going out to the yard. But I told her I wanted Ayla to be able to lay where she was comfortable.
I left for the office, worried that she might not make it through the day. I thought about leaving work at lunchtime in order to check in on her, but I got busy at work and wasn't able to leave till 3:30. When I arrived at the house, I found Bubba and Asti in the downstairs living room by themselves. I set down some things and went up to the bedroom where I found my girl dog dead on the bed.
The process of taking my pet's body to the vet and cleaning up from her death was a difficult one. But at least it gave me something on which to concentrate.
I've known no loss like this one. In 33 years of living, I have known no sorrow so strong. |
|
|
| To my smoking friends... |
[Feb. 12th, 2008|11:40 am] |
I bring you an entry from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) hilltop's journal:
A good reason to stop
Smoking is responsible for 90% of COPD in the United States. Although not all cigarette smokers will develop COPD, it is estimated that 15% will. Smokers with COPD have higher death rates than nonsmokers with COPD. They also have more frequent respiratory symptoms (coughing, shortness of breath, etc.) and more deterioration in lung function than non-smokers.
I've been wheezy and out of breath for over two years. I chalked it up to allergies, as it started shortly after a weekend of leaf blowing. With the pollens and mold around here, I figured that was the cause. It just never went away.
What I didn't know is that the longer you ignore being congested like this, the lungs start trapping air, which reduces the amount of air being exchanged. It increases mucous, which after a while, causes scarring of the lungs. The scarring decreases capacity. Then you're fucked, no two ways about it.
I quit smoking a few years ago, after a lifetime of smoking. My grandfather died of COPD. My father is now dying from COPD. I'm going in for testing this week, to see what the deal is.
This is truly one fucked up way to die, being strangled, unable to catch your breath, your diaphragm straining and struggling to take in more air, but there's no more available, you can huff and puff all you want, but your lungs are fried, and you can't take in enough to stop the feeling of suffocating. You are forced to keep an oxygen bottle nearby, as you have to make every effort to take in as much oxygen with each breath as possible, to remain alive. And after a while, it only gets you so far. Your lungs can't bring in enough oxygen to support life.
I've never feared anything greater than the prospect of being diagnosed with this. Medication can help a little, but it won't cure you, it'll just give you the opportunity to strangle yourself a little longer. If you get pneumonia, and it's advanced far enough, your days are numbered.
This is one of those stupid things that I figured the odds of me living long enough for this to ever arise were slim. I was sure I'd have been taken out early by one stupid thing or another, and never, ever expected to hit 50. It can't happen to me I thought. Not cancer, not emphysema, nope, it wouldn't hit me.
There's no going back, there's no turning back the clock, there's no way to unring the bell. I ignored the advice of many before me, I ignored the warnings. And let me tell you, this is not the way you want to die..
By the numbers- I quit 170 weeks ago, which is around 3 1/4 years ago. By quitting, I didn't smoke 35,858 cigarettes. I saved $3,047.00
Imagine smoking 35 thousand cigarettes. You'd think it'd certainly kill you, right? I started when I was 15. I was up to 2 cartons a week for a while. I have no idea how many cigarettes that amounts to, but it should have killed me. Maybe it still can.
Go do some reading if you need more of a push to stop a habit you've repeatedly told yourself you really need to quit.
Give yourself the most amazing gift you can give yourself- the gift of life, the gift of time with those you love, the gift of dying of old age.
Be smarter than me, it's not hard.
More information on the disease. |
|
|
| health and wellness |
[Feb. 6th, 2008|10:35 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  intimidated | ] |
Based on another lj friend's post, I was tinkering around with the following sites -
http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/bodyfatAndBmi.php
Based on my weight of 166 lbs. with a height of 5'8", I have an estimated body fat % of 21.44%. My BMI is 25.23. This puts me into the category of 'overweight', which starts at a BMI of 25. Obese is a BMI of 30, so I guess I'm doing 'okay', not good.
http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/bodyFrame.php
Here I learned that as a male with a 6.25" wrist and a height of 5'8", I am considered to have a 'small frame'. This is significant because it means I need to reduce the numbers calculated in the next link by 10% or thereabouts to reflect the fact that I have a more slender build.
http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/ideal-body-weight-calculator.php
According to this site, I should ideally weigh between 121.67 lbs. and 164.42 lbs. The calculator tells me my BMI is already in the 'normal' range, though that doesn't account for the small frame. I don't think 122 lbs. would be a healthy weight for me. I weighed 125 lbs. when I was a senior in high school and had no fat on me at all. My hip bones used to stick out enough that I would get callouses on them from wearing a drum harness in marching band practices. Picking the middle of this range - 143.04 lbs. - and subtracting 10% I get 128.74 lbs.
I don't see how that's possible. My shoulders broadened, chest deepened and my legs got substantially more stout in my first two years of college. And I still was rather lean. It wasn't until my junior year that I started putting on 'fat'.
I guess if I had to target an ideal weight it would be 145 lbs. Though right now I'm just shooting for 150 lbs. Hell, I'd be happy if I was 160 by spring.
The most important thing for me is that - with the addition of 100 minutes of intensive tae kwon do class each week - I am getting the cardio workout needed to keep me around for a long time. I offset the exercise with poor eating habits from November through January. I didn't gain or lose a single pound during that time. I changed my eating habits a little bit starting on the 24th of January and lost 2 pounds overnight. (Shoveling 14 inches of snow might have had something to do with it, too. I can't be sure.)
Anyway... just sort of recording this all for my own benefit.
Feel free to ignore.
-asa |
|
|
| random musing... |
[Jan. 23rd, 2008|04:28 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  amused | ] |
So, I was working hard over here *cough* and I ran across something about Pablo Picasso. It mentioned his eventual wealth, success, marriage and then young mistress. Wanting to learn more about the gentleman who gave his women square boobs and what-not, I decided to check him out on Wikipedia.
His full name is Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Clito Ruiz y Picasso.
Holy shit! I mean, what the hell! I'd have to stop and shake out my hand to get rid of the cramps just while signing my name. :D
And what's with putting 'Maria' in the middle of your son's name?
Just thought I'd share.
-asa |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jan. 17th, 2008|02:40 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully.
-Abraham Lincoln, from his 2nd Inauguration Address
Seems odd in juxtaposition to today's times. Lincoln, of course, was referring to the citizens of the Confederate States and citizens of the Union territory. One might apply it today to the red state/blue state paradigm, the Israel/Palestinian conflict, Sunni/Shiite tensions in Iraq... the list goes on.
-asa |
|
|
| Perhaps another reason why I don't watch a lot of TV... |
[Jan. 16th, 2008|10:50 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  good | ] |
Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative.
Kurt Vonnegut (1922 - 2007), "Cold Turkey", In These Times, May 10, 2004 |
|
|
| Continued from last post |
[Jan. 10th, 2008|03:27 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  curious | ] |
I guess that entry was so big I had to break it into two pieces for LJ. Sorry if the formatting got blown out.
Duncan Hunter
7.0
 Iraq |
Iran |
 Immigration |
| Taxes |
The mortgage crisis |
Education |
| Social Security |
Stem cell research |
Health care |
| SCHIP |
Abortion |
Line-item veto |
| Energy |
Marriage |
Death penalty |
Fred Thompson
7.0
| Iraq |
Iran |
Immigration |
| Taxes |
The mortgage crisis |
Education |
| Social Security |
Stem cell research |
Health care |
| SCHIP |
Abortion |
Line-item veto |
| Energy |
Marriage |
Death penalty |
Mike Gravel
6.0
| Iraq |
Iran |
Immigration |
| Taxes |
The mortgage crisis |
Education |
| Social Security |
Stem cell research |
Health care |
| SCHIP |
Abortion |
Line-item veto |
| Energy |
Marriage |
Death penalty |
John McCain
5.0
| Iraq |
Iran |
Immigration |
| Taxes |
The mortgage crisis |
Education |
| Social Security |
Stem cell research |
Health care |
| SCHIP |
Abortion |
Line-item veto |
| Energy |
Marriage |
Death penalty |
Mike Huckabee
4.0
| Iraq |
Iran |
Immigration |
| Taxes |
The mortgage crisis |
Education |
| Social Security |
Stem cell research |
Health care |
| SCHIP |
Abortion |
Line-item veto |
| Energy |
Marriage |
Death penalty |
Ron Paul
4.0
| Iraq |
Iran |
Immigration |
| Taxes |
The mortgage crisis |
Education |
| Social Security |
Stem cell research |
Health care |
| SCHIP |
Abortion |
Line-item veto |
| Energy |
Marriage |
Death penalty |
The link is here. |
|
|
| Politics... what an awful disease. |
[Jan. 10th, 2008|08:59 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  annoyed | ] |
Conservative - old-school, reactionary, wants to keep taxes in check, keep industry free from regulation so that corporations can profit, thinks we should only get involved in foreign issues when it directly threatens the security of our nation, wants to preserve old-school values and morals, wants to protect the expression of Christian religious beliefs while not so interested in allowing the same protections for other religions...
Liberal - new-wave, tree-hugger, spend your way to a solution, big government, regulate industry, protect workers and citizens from abuses by corporations, want to get involved with overseas injustices for the sake of principle, I'm okay - you're okay values, want everyone to have the same rights, regardless of lifestyle/gender/sexual orientation/ability/religion...
Sure, you could add to either of those lists. But take a look at even the partial list of characteristics (actual or stereotypical) that I've put together to cover the two ends of the 'political spectrum'.
How many 'Conservative' characteristics match your belief system? How many 'Liberal' characteristics match your belief system?
It seems the modern political landscape - now more than ever, by my observations - has been deftly drawn into two opposing camps. And yet, who feels completely at home in either camp? I see enough people on lj or in my 'real' life who seem to believe that they are firmly aligned with one end of the spectrum or the other. And yet even the very leaders who wear the hats saying 'Conservative' or 'Liberal' don't follow these self-adorned tenets.
It's frustrating to me in a very literal sense - aggravating, exasperating, leaving me hopeless for the fate of our people - that so many jump so quickly to the opinions of the various talking heads and political mouthpieces.
Whatever happened to thinking for yourself?
When did political debate (among the population, not a dozen times on TV throughout the year-long election coverage) become about "My dad can kick your dad's ass!" instead of "My dad puts a roof over my head, keeps me safe, looks after my education and puts food on my table." In other words, when did people starting rooting for a political 'team' instead of looking at all the players for the All-Stars?
Meh... One candidate wants to shut down the borders and ship illegal immigrants back to Mexico. Great. Now my lawn service is gonna cost me twice as much. Another candidate wants to immediately withdraw from Iraq and bring home the troops. Awesome. So now we'll have a chaotic civil war involving Iran, Iraq, the Kurds, Turkey, Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, hell why not throw in Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.A.E., Qatar, Oman, Lebanon and Kuwait while we're at it. Gas just went up to $15.00/gallon and my children and their children are fucked because an entire region is about to go nuclear. Awesome.
None of these candidates are, on the whole, completely wrong and completely ignorant. Some of them are, in my opinion, even feigning an ignorant stance in order to appeal to voters. (The lowest common denominator.)
So why do people 'pick on' the appearance, mannerisms, personal beliefs, etc. of a candidate instead of talking about what they would do if elected? I don't really care if Hillary cries or Giuliani has to get his nuts removed due to prostate cancer. But I sure as hell care what they're going to do about alternative energy, oil, nuclear power, automobile emissions, taxes, the budget, the deficit, social security, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Darfur, immigration, education, gay marriage, civil unions, religious freedom, privacy... and other topics.
Unless you're going to talk about what a candidate would do while in office, I don't want to hear it.
These are political candidates, folks. Not your drinking buddy, not the quarterback at your beloved college football team (whether you ever attended the school or not), not your big brother/little brother/mom/dad that you have to defend because you feel a loyalty. Look at them for what they stand for, what they would do if elected and then tear them apart to see whether life with them as your elected leader would be better or worse. (And no, that doesn't mean that having to see 'that bitch' or 'that jackass' on TV every night qualifies as being "worse".)
Man... I just get tired of ignorance. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jan. 8th, 2008|12:28 pm] |
88% Barack Obama
87% Hillary Clinton
84% John Edwards
82% Bill Richardson
78% Chris Dodd
78% Joe Biden
67% Rudy Giuliani
66% John McCain
60% Dennis Kucinich
59% Mike Gravel
49% Mike Huckabee
46% Mitt Romney
37% Fred Thompson
27% Tom Tancredo
11% Ron Paul
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
Interesting...
If I would have guessed, based on a very superficial knowledge that I currently possess, my own rankings would have looked something like this:
1. Barack Obama
2. Mike Huckabee
3. John Edwards
4. John McCain (though ideally the McCain from 2000, not the lap dog who has been around in the last 8 years)
...
tied for last: Clinton and Giuliani
Shows you how superficial my knowledge is, doesn't it? I have till 2/5, I think, to get 'learned up' on my candidates. |
|
|
| Privelege |
[Jan. 7th, 2008|04:28 pm] |
From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Indiana State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.
1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
9. Were read children's books by a parent
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child
23. You and your family lived in a single family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child.
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
27. Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in High School
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.
I'm not sure how to answer the summer camp thing. I didn't go to one of those all-summer camps where rich folks send their kids so they don't have to spend all day with them all summer long. But I did go to week-long camps for church, music, boy scouts, etc. |
|
|
| Just a few words... |
[Nov. 26th, 2007|04:41 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Work | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  content | ] |
Some of you may be wondering "Who is this 'asa_dachi' character, and why is he asking to be my friend?" I'm not surprised if you would think that. After all, I've been so inactive on LJ for such a long time that a few of you have created new journals that have been up and running for a year or more!
But if you take a look at my friends list, you may see your old journal name. Or if you go to your old journal you may see me there. Conversely, you may recognize a friend or community we share.
I'm not going to make promises to stay active and up to date on here. But I am going to try to stop by once in a while to check in on the folks who I know over here.
In the meantime, hope all is well in your world! I should be able to post more of a personal update in the near future.
-asa |
|
|
| Come one, come all, have some drinks, hear some music - March 1st - Gruben's Uptown Tap - Plainfield |
[Feb. 12th, 2007|12:56 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  excited | ] |
As some of you know, I frequently visit a Southwest Chicago/Joliet tradition - the Blues Jam. Blues musicians ranging from the average amateur to the casually touring professional gather at a few places on different established nights of the week to hop up on stage in unpredictable combinations. The unique 'formula' of the blues chord progressions allows them to stand up together and play, having never rehearsed. Names like "Twist" Ferguson, Marty "Big Dog" Mercer, Al "Hurricane" Spears, Pauline York and many others bring up their guitars on a regular basis. And Herman Hines contributes his legendary voice more often than not.
I've been playing the drums at these blues jams since 2003. But in a couple weeks I'm going to do something a little different. I'm going to play a brief set of music on my acoustic guitar, singing and playing a couple original tunes after a quick warm-up. (Yes, that's right, songs for which the music and lyrics were crafted by me.) I haven't done anything like this except for one open mic night in Indianapolis back in 1996.
So, join me at Gruben's Uptown Tap in the 'heart' of downtown Plainfield. Come out and hear some live blues music performed by local area musicians. Come out and have a few drinks with some coworkers and some neighbors. Come out and listen to my set and make sure that when I finish a song I don't get discouraged by the sound of crickets chirping in the distance.
The official program starts around 8:30 when the 'house band', Twist & the Groove Machine, get started. They play till about 9:30, at which time they start mixing up the groups on-stage. I'll probably play my little set around 9:30 and it will only last about 15 minutes. Stick around for another hour if you like. You may hear me sitting in with a group on the drums and you will definitely get to hear some great live music. The show wraps up at 12:30 AM, though it's a rare night that I've been around to experience that. The bar serves a typical menu earlier in the evening, and tables become scarce between 9 and 9:30. So get there a little early or wear comfortable shoes. If you desire a less primitive menu offering, there's a great restaurant called Baci's that's only a block away from the jam night.
I hope to see many of you there. Feel free to invite your friends, coworkers, neighbors, etc.
Again, the jam is at -
Gruben's Uptown Tap
512 W. Lockport Rd.
Plainfield, IL
815-436-9395
It's roughly 1 mile from I-55 to the bar with plenty of free parking in the surrounding blocks.
If you want to get a taste of the music you'll hear, here are a few websites from the local area musicians -
http://www.myspace.com/twistandthegroovemachine
http://www.myspace.com/bigdogmercer
www.bigdogmercer.com
http://www.myspace.com/paulineyorkband
http://paulineyorkband.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bluesandgrits
http://www.myspace.com/chicagobluesangels
http://www.chicagobluesangels.com/ |
|
|
| Musicality |
[Jul. 10th, 2006|11:54 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  creative | ] |
Those of you who have read my journal over the past 4 years will already have heard the below. But for the rest of you:
=====================================================
Before I say another word, I just want to start by saying please be kind.
I played piano from 3rd grade till high school. I started playing the drums in 5th grade, started lessons in high school, started playing the drum set when I was a few years away from graduation. When I started taking drum set lessons I had to quit taking piano lessons.
As mentioned earlier, I first learned a few things on the guitar in about 1994 from my old bandmate, Sonny. I picked up a very slightly used 6 string acoustic guitar that summer and then bought a 12 string acoustic around 1999 or 2000. I've never had any formal guitar or vocal lessons.
Nowadays, you will only see me in public playing drums at a blues jam or singing karaoke. But sometimes at home I still pick up the acoustic and sing and play. (I've only done it once this year, and I can't find all my music that I stashed away somewhere.)
But back in 2002 I picked up some software that would allow me to record on my computer. And in 2003 I finally recorded a couple songs as I sang and played them.
I can hear, now, listening to the playback that my voice and playing start out very weak and uncertain. But after I get through the first verse and chorus, I tend to pick up a big more strength and comfort level. So I ask that if you choose to listen to these, try to listen to the whole thing.
And with that having said, I give you two audio clips -
1) An original I call "Burnin' Up"
2) My version of Neil Young's "Old Man"
I sang the second one at karaoke this week, and I guess that's what had me thinking about these old audio clips. I hope if nothing else they give you a glimpse into my personality. Maybe you'll like them, maybe you won't.
I've been thinking more and more about getting up and singing at a blues jam some night. I'm going to try to find lyrics to some standards like "Kansas City", "Mojo Hand", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Born Under a Bad Sign", stuff like that. But then I also have to pick a key and 'practice' to something.
I also thought briefly about doing a little acoustic open mic night. But I'm definitely rusty. I'd need to spend some time reacquainting myself with the guitar (and finding my damned music!)
Anyway, just felt like rambling in a public forum, I suppose.
Hope you all had great weekends.
-asa |
|
|
| More Memory Lane |
[Jul. 7th, 2006|03:01 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | excited | ] |
| [ | music |
| | amused | ] |
A while back (on myspace) I posted an old picture along with some comments about the content, what was going on at the time, etc. I thought I'd resume that today with a double-shot of photos from the same night in 1994. (For those who are reading this on livejournal, this is the first time I've posted either.)
I bring you.... Sidetracked!
Yes, it was spring of 1994. I was pledging a fraternity at Penn State, living in the dorms. I had bumped my way into a couple of musicians in the State College area who were interested in playing at some bars and parties. Eventually, after many tangential conversations about band names, etc., we settled on the appropriate name, 'Sidetracked'.
I remember there were quite a few late nights spent in a bastardized recording studio on-campus. (Wil, the bass player, was a Communications major with access to editing labs. This one, in particular, was supposed to be used for putting audio onto video clips. But once the console cover was removed, it made a fairly decent 4-track recording.) There were even later nights playing at fraternity parties, bars or the occasional on-campus festivity. (Being a drummer sucks when you see the singer just put down the microphone and head home for the night.)
During the summer, our guitar player - Sonny Weidenboerner - showed me a few chords on his acoustic/electric. We had gone out to a park and sat on some picnic tables to play a little bit. And I, as the drummer, could contribute nothing in that format. So Sonny taught me a few of our songs on guitar so I could stumble along. Everything I can play on guitar today (which isn't a lot, but still...) I owe to those original lessons with Sonny. A few years later, while I was out of town for a semester, Sonny got into a real bad traffic accident. He was in a coma for a long time and in a rehabilitation center for a while longer. When I got back into town and heard about it, I went up to visit him and went to the charity benefit they threw for him down at Cafe 210. I remember I gave him a Sonoco Products Company stress-ball for him to squeeze with his fingers. (A little freebie from a job fair.) It was so tough seeing how weak he had become after the months of inactivity. In the photos, he's the one with the long, blond locks.
Murph (Mike Murphy) was the vocalist. I didn't know much about Murph then, and I have no idea where he is now. He was always straddling the line between edgy musician and mainstream college guy. He was pledging a fraternity at the same time, and we played at his house many times. (These particular pictures are taken in the basement of my fraternity.) I remember Murph as the guy who brought us songs by one-hit-wonders of the day such as the Meat Puppets. They weren't my favorite, but I guess the girls liked them or something.
Wil Kazary was our bass player. He's not in these two pictures, though somewhere I have one of him from the same night - his Bill the Cat t-shirt drenched in sweat. Wil was probably the most creative of our group and I would credit him with a lot of the success we had. Today I think he runs his own video production company. http://www.guerrillapro.com/
And that was the group... the four of us, me playing drums.
We played lots of older and newer rock/alternative. Animal by Pearl Jam, a souped up version of Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan, Screaming Trees, The Who, Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead... if it was Classic Rock or Alternative of the day, we probably gave it a shot.
Interestingly enough, I can only remember one time where being a part of a rock band helped in the acquisition of 'tail'. :P
And with that, I leave behind spring of 1994.
-asa |
|
|
| Memory lane... |
[Jul. 7th, 2006|02:58 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | excited | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Amused | ] |
Prompted by the enjoyment I got out of a "where was I 10 years ago" post on myspace, I thought I'd fill some time by looking at old photos and seeing what sorts of memories were prompted by those.
The first one I stumbled across was this one -
Taken in 1992. I'm pretty sure this was taken right before 'Winter Gala', the winter formal at my high school. That young lady on my arm is Nikki. She was my girlfriend at the time and was a real sweetheart. Unfortunately she lived in Williamsport, which was like an hour and a half to two hours away. We met during a summer bike camp. Her dress, if I remember correctly, was something she and her mom made. Her mom was an interior designer/decorator so they were crafty like that. Nikki was a very good cellist and tennis player. I was there at the little league world series one year as she (and many other musicians) accompanied Lou Rawls, John Fogerty and others in the opening ceremonies. I remember helping her old pastor at his new church, just a couple miles away from where I lived. I remember putting some shingles on the roof of that church and I remember doing some other work blocking and bracing the wall studs. I remember our first 'date', which was supposed to be more like two friends, when I went up to Williamsport to take her to her Junior prom.
These days Nikki lives in South Florida, I think. Last I heard she was dating a man in the Coast Guard and doing this traveling nurse gig where she basically flew with patients in case of a medical emergency while en route.
That chair was my grandmother's chair out of her old house, but it spent a few years in my parents' home, as well. That shot is in my parents' house, looking out the family room door.
When I look at myself in that picture all I can think is how young and how innocent/naive I was at that time. But, hey, I was havin' fun. Ignorance IS bliss, isn't it?
-asa
P.S. - mom and dad did eventually get a new video tape cabinet to hold those towering stacks of VHS tapes behind me - probably just in time to start the DVD revolution, too. |
|
|
| Southwest Suburbs Blues Jams |
[Jun. 9th, 2006|11:20 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Work | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | content | ] |
| [ | music |
| | None | ] |
Well, last night I headed back out to a blues jam. I had come home from work and knocked off three loads of laundry, stripping the bed, vacuuming the bedroom, hallway, living room and den, remaking the bed and of course taking care of my pets' basic food, water and shelter needs.
So I decided to reward myself for a hard evening's work by heading down to Plainfield to Gruben's Up Town Tap. Every Thursday night from sometime between 9 and 10 till a little after midnight you'll find a gathering of local area blues musicians, fans and people who just went there to drink.
Now, the southwest suburbs blues jams have been around for a long time. They shift from place to place, the people running the show occasionally change but the jams keep on going. It used to be the best jam to be found was every Wednesday night at Carter's Place in Lockport. That's changed over the past 2 years, and in my opinion the Thursday night jam is now the one to hit.
So, I walked in the door around a quarter till ten, found my way to the sign-up sheet and put down my entry "Scott Drums". Headed over to the bar and ordered up a High Life. On-stage were the majority of the members from the 'house band', the guys who start off the show each night. The cast of characters is rich in so many ways. I could write a page or two about at least a half dozen of them.
Tonight when I arrived it was "Twist" Ferguson and Al "Hurricane" Spears on guitars. Twist, I'd have to guess, is in his 60's. He's kind of the grandfather of the local blues scene. His ancient, scratched guitar with its 60's/70's distortion and his deep booming voice are only part of his arsenal. He also has the heart and kindness (though it often comes across more as grumpy-old-man-ness) to welcome all the newer faces to the blues jam scene, making them feel part of the group and giving them feedback (often in the form of a "what the hell is that?" look). Twist has some favorites he likes to play each night, earning him a song lyric about "Twist singin' Sunshin" in another area musician's work - Keith Zofkie, aka Jr. Blues. I'm not sure how Twist got the nickname 'Twist' for sure. But it is universal. I have never heard him referred to as anything other than Twist. I would have to guess he got the nickname because of the very flexible nature of his face. I swear sometimes when he's soloing that his mouth has moved over to the side of his face and one of his eyes has rolled partially back into his head. But, yeah, musicians make odd faces when they forget about what's around them and just concentrate on making that instrument sing.
Al Spears is in a lot of ways Twist's little brother. No, they're not related to my knowledge. But whenever Al arrives at a jam, I know I'll see Twist shortly thereafter. Al's just 50 with some salt starting to show up in his pepper head of hair. He dresses in the style of his time - Kangol hat on occasion, usually white sneakers kept spotless. And he plays (and for a side income restores) beautiful vintage guitars through clean un-distorted channels. Al seems to have a bit more of a Jazz influence, as opposed to Twist's classic R&B, which shows itself often in his rhythm guitar playing and his song selections. Each year for Labor Day Al hosts a backyard blues jam in - oddly enough - his back yard. It's an amazing time and I look forward to going back again this year after missing it last year.
The keyboard player, Jimmy, is an older fellow, too. He leans back against the wall while he plays and usually has a cigarette burning nearby. Though, I'm sad to observe, his thin, frail body looks like maybe he should have quit smoking a decade ago. I don't know what more to say about Jimmy except that his playing is phenomenal. He's not a frontman and doesn't have a personality that - in the blues jam arena - garners a lot of attention. But his playing is second to none and he always says hello and offers a hand to shake when he sees me. Throughout the couple of years I've been going to these blues jams, I sometimes see Jimmy bringing along a female companion. But last night he appeared to be on his own.
During the first set I heard, with mostly the house band players in place, Herman Hines stepped up to sing a song or two as well. I always know I'm going to enjoy what I hear when Herman steps up to the microphone. Herman's got to be 6'6" and is a large man. He has an impressive range and a voice that just resonates. I found out from Herman a few years back that he's a retired corrections officer from the area prison and spends a lot of his free time now playing golf and singing. There's a couple photos of him up on a band's site - the Chicago Blues Angels. Looks like they're pretty actively gigging and even have a CD for sale. When I back Herman up on the drums, my favorite times are when we play some slow blues and get him in a place where he starts 'marching' to that slow, deliberate blues beat. Oh, and Herman's a charmer for the ladies.
After the first group's set, they switched it up and gave a young guy a chance to play and sing with his acoustic guitar. He played well, sang decent, just needs to work on some simple things like actually singing into the microphone. I'm sure he was nervous as all get out - we all are our first time up there.
They switched it up one more time with a trio of fellows who seemed to have practiced together beforehand. The thing with blues is that it's formulaic (has a repeating pattern), and so you can name a key, a feel and a tempo and most any blues musician can play along. So when someone whips out a rock/pop/R&B tune you know that they have practiced it ahead of time. Regardless of whether it was blues or not, the guys played well enough and it was an interesting couple of songs.
When they were done I was called up to play drums with Pauline York and Marty "Big Dog" Mercer on guitars. I didn't catch the names of the bass player or keyboard player but they both played well.
Pauline York used to share responsibility for the Wednesday night jam at Carter's Place. It was after she and T-Bird Huck were relieved of that responsibility that the blues jam at Carter's went downhill. Pauline has put out 2 CD's and is working on her 3rd. I've seen her band play over in Niles, MI and they are a tight trio. You can check her out here.
Marty "Big Dog" Mercer is, last I knew, a painter by day (with fellow musician Keith "Jr. Blues" Zofkie) but has also recorded a few tracks now and again. He's 6'10" (and no, he did not play basketball), hence the nickname. At Carter's I used to wonder if he was going to bump his head on the beam that ran down the center of the ceiling. He released a CD a little while back - Backwoods Barnyard Boogaloo. And I think that pretty much sums up his playing style. If you want to know more about him, check out his website. There's even a picture there of him and Herman Hines, though their mutual height becomes less obvious when it's the two of them standing next to each other.
So, while we were up, both Twist and Herman came up to sing. It was a good set, a fun set. Oddly enough, we played two 'shuffle' feel songs and - due to some strange looks from Twist a few years back - I'm fairly self-conscious of my shuffle beat playing. But I didn't hear any complaints. We threw in a little slow blues with Herman and a sort of bluesy soul tune that I've heard Marty singing lately. All in all, a good set. I had a lot of fun.
If you want to check out/listen to/buy records from any of these people, feel free to check out the following:
1) Blues for Kids' Sake - a CD compiled by local area musicians to benefit the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. You can listen to tracks from a lot of these artists at the following website - Tower Records' listing.
2) Chicago Slim (I think maybe Pauline York's husband?) has a radio show called the Basement of Blues. His website has a link to a lot of local musicians' albums here - Basement of Blues Store.
I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about this... I hope some of you made it this far. I tried to be vivid in the descriptions without getting too long-winded on each and every person and each and every observation.
More than your reading of this blog, I hope maybe some of you will be interested in coming out some time to hear the blues. It's an amazing experience. Don't just show up for a half hour and then leave. Stick around through 2 or 3 hours of it and hear what some really good jams can sound like - when a group of 4 or 5 people get on stage for what could be the first time together, with no idea what songs they'll play, and proceed to let their instruments sing, cry, bash and scream the emotions that real men won't admit to feeling.
Lemme know if you're interested.
-asa
P.S. - I realize I didn't cut this. Just scroll, please. I rarely post. Allow me that one luxury. ;) |
|
|
| two words: dating material |
[Apr. 22nd, 2006|01:29 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | amused | ] |
| [ | music |
| | NASCAR Busch Series | ] |
Oregon Man Survives 12 Nails to the Head
By SARAH SKIDMORE, Associated Press Writer
Fri Apr 21, 7:23 PM ET
PORTLAND, Ore. - An Oregon man who went to a hospital complaining of a headache was found to have 12 nails embedded in his skull from a suicide attempt with a nail gun, doctors say.
Surgeons removed the nails with needle-nosed pliers and a drill, and the man survived with no serious lasting effects, according to a report on the medical oddity in the current issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery.
The unidentified 33-year-old man was suicidal and high on methamphetamine last year when he fired the nails — up to 2 inches in length — into his head one by one.
The nails were not visible when doctors first examined the man in the emergency room of an unidentified Oregon hospital a day later. Doctors were surprised when X-rays revealed six nails clustered between his right eye and ear, two below his right ear and four on the left side of his head.
The study did not say how long the nails were, and a hospital spokeswoman refused to release that information. A photo published in the study suggests the nails range from 1 1/2 to 2 inches long.
No one before is known to have survived after intentionally firing so many foreign objects into the head, according to the report, written by Dr. G. Alexander West, the neurosurgeon who oversaw the treatment of the patient.
The man at first told doctors he had had a nail gun accident, but later admitted it was a suicide attempt.
The nails came close to major blood vessels and the brain stem but did not pierce them. The patient was in remarkably good condition when he was transferred to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, where the nails were removed.
The patient was later transferred to psychiatric care and stayed under court order for nearly a month before leaving against doctors' orders.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Now, who do we know in Oregon that we could pair up with this most-eligible bachelor? Awwwww, yeah!
-asa |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
accomplished