The Very Last Post, Ever..

...of 2008, duh. So here we are! The very last day of 2008. Honestly I've been waiting for this day to come because it's time to start a new year. This of course means a new chapter in the life of Gary. Before we can find out what's in store for 2009, we shall first revisit 2008. A lot has happened this past year ranging from relationships to music to friends to family to losses to gains. Either way, everything I've done has been a learning experience for myself and I can only become a better person out of them all. There are still some aspects that I would like to change about myself and hopefully 2009 will be the year I can make them. So since I'm a nice guy, I'd like to thank everyone who was a part of my life in the year 2008, good or bad, because you all made me who I am today. I'd also like to thank God for always being there for me and not letting me down in times of hardship. Without you, I'd be screwed royally. You saved me in more ways than I can count on my fingers and toes. Let us continue our beloved relationship together in this upcoming year. And now it is time for me to brag a little bit. I really enjoyed learning a lot in music this year as well as improving my playing. A year ago, I was coming into Mason thinking that I'm not that strong of a player and was hoping to get a lot out of learning with Rick and the people I've played with. Pep Band has definitely been a plus for me and I can't wait to play with the band all the way until I graduate. The way I see it, 2009 looks to be very promising. I'm going to be applying for a music internship at Wolf Trap and finding another teaching job that will pay more. With a year's worth of experience under my belt, perhaps I can ask for a little bit more money. Tonight, me and Jess are going out with a bang at the club. First time for me doing something extremely exciting on New Years Eve. I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and also to be safe tonight! If you're driving, watch out and don't speed as cops are going to be EVERYWHERE. You all know why. If you're drinking tonight, stay where you are. Don't you dare make mistakes that I have done in the past. I want to see you all in the next year. Ending this last post of 2008, it's been an exhausting year so you all earned the right to party tonight so go on and have fun! Peace.

Lonely

I really don't know where these feelings came from but I'm feeling....down. It's hard to explain. Sometimes I get so caught up in the moment of what I'm doing that I'll forget about the true feelings going on inside of me. A majority of the time, this is a good thing because it allows me to not be upset. Then again, the more I go on hiding my feelings, the more I'll feel like crap later on when they resurface. I've said this before, I don't like to be alone unless I CHOOSE to be alone. If I don't want to be alone, then I put myself out there amongst the company of others. My parents are downstairs in their room and fall asleep on the couch from time to time. I'm just stuck here watching wrestling. Normally, I'd be excited to watch it but unless something cool happens, I'm bored out of my mind. It'll be nice to talk to someone whom I miss dearly though. It's been far too long since we last spoke and I think some catch-up time is in order. I guess I won't be lonely after all.

Torq Revolution

So I've finally gotten around to using my X-SessionPro USB controller and the Torq software I bought in October. Can I just say how amazing this thing is? No wonder so many pro DJs use this software. It's extremely flexible and the interface is very easy-to-use. Obviously, I'm still a nub and don't know how to use Torq to its potential but I'm looking at tutorials. If anyone needs a DJ....I'm here! Haha sort of. I'll let y'all know when I can actually do some damage with this controller.

Speaking of music, I haven't been playing my guitar that much this week. There are a couple reasons why I'm neglecting my baby: I haven't been to work since last week and I'm focusing on my other toys. I did teach lessons today though and had a long time to warm up since my first two students didn't show up. I'm glad that time can pass and my abilities are still retained. Then again, it's never a good thing to rely on this though! Always continue to practice, kids. Practice does NOT make perfect but it'll sure as heck make you a better player. Plus, learn your theory kids. I've got some 12 year olds who actually understand basic music theory and it puts a smile on my face. One of my students that I taught today told me that he's glad I am his teacher. His father is enjoying his son learn guitar from me and man, that just makes me feel so good about myself. I've said this a long time ago about myself but since I've acquired some new friends, my biggest goal in life is to share the gift of music with the world. This is why I'm making music any way that I can whether it's with my guitar, bass, keyboard, mixing console or whatever. Basically, BT is who I'm talking about here. I don't want to copy him. I just want to be that good. :)

The Music Shuffle Game

Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle

Step 2: Post the first line from the first 30 songs that play (no matter how embarrassing)

Step 3: Skip any song with the title in the first line, or with no lyrics at all

Step 4: Strike through the line when someone guesses the song correctly

Step 5: Looking them up is CHEATING

1. And as the sun sets, and the night falls

2. If life is my witness, love is my song

3. Everyday in a week I’m in the city 

4. You see the truth before you eyes, you see the goods on all the lies 

5. In the here and now, I wait down among the young and old 

6. She’s the one with lips like candy, candy

7. What’ll you do, when you get lonely 

8. To the satellites that fight with you, that level brew is filling

9. Should’ve been, would’ve been, could’ve been dead 

10.  See the mirror in your eyes, see the truth behind the lies 

11.  She eyes me like a Pisces when I’m weak 

12. I keep dreaming, that I had it all 

13. Nothing ever stops all these thoughts and the pain attached to them 

14. I don’t want to fight, every single night 

15. I’ve been digging in the crates ever since I was living in space

16. From morning to night, I stayed out of sight 

17. So little time, so little time, so frustrated 

18. If I had to lose a mind, if I had to touch a feeling 

19. I’m not like them, but I can pretend 

20. I’m tired of being what you want me to be

21. Got a feeling, feeling in your eyes

22. The rise and fall of my sloppy love 

23. On the day the wall came down 

24. I saw your face, elegant and tired 

25. She’s the one, she’s the only one she’s got ripped backlight gonna make me come 

26. Betcha’ didn’t think I knew how to rock n’ roll 

27. When I was 18 I didn’t know pain in the summer time 

28. Underneath the bridge, the tarp has sprung a leak 

29. So let the war begin, so far from innocence 

30. Forfeit the game, before somebody else takes you out of the game

The Thrill Is Here

Yeah I modified B.B. King's title just a little bit, but I bet nobody even knew that I made a reference TO a B.B. King song. Anyways, Mason basketball is the best. Seriously. We can't lose at home. We are now 5-0 and will make a statement going undefeated at home for the rest of the season. I'm a bit worried as Dayton is a good team. We just have to not make stupid mistakes and work together as a team. Keep playing the D and make the jumpers boys! I've had a lot of free time so I'm catching up on sports and oh man there's so much going on. We got the Yankees foolishly spending MORE money on a mediocre player, Shaun Ellis getting fined for having some fun in the snow, Zorn retaining his spot as coach of the Redskins, Boston grabbing 19 straight wins and having the best start in NBA history (27-2), NFL playoffs coming very soon and the bowl games starting next week. See? Thank goodness we have loads of sports channels and the internet. I've done my research folks. The thrill is indeed here. Sportswise. Well I guess holiday-wise too. I love the holidays. It means times of joy, family and coming together. Too bad my sister isn't here with us, I miss her a whole lot. They're doing fine and loving Colorado for sure. I believe a trip is in order sometime next year to go snowboarding and seeing their lovely house. It's also to see everyone staying happy even though times are rough and people are sick. This is where friends, family and God comes in. Without these factors, we'd all be depressed and screwed. But no, we have the things we need in life and all we can look forward to is the future. Keep your hopes up and continue to be optimistic everyone!

Hiatus

Yeah I don't get online much these days. I'm never around a computer because I'm always doing something. It's cool. I want to finish recording, ugh! Unfortunately, my USB interface is being retarded and I need to find out what's the problem. Instead, I broke out the M-Audio controller and realized that I can do a whole lot with this MIDI keyboard. I looked around the sounds and came up with 32 bars of a trance song. Hey, I think I have something here. The song actually sounds quite interesting and not like anything I've heard before. Thank you lovely key of D minor. I'll keep working out whenever I have the time. Thank goodness I get a real break after tonight. The basketball game tonight is the last one at home for 2008. Wow, it's almost the end of 2008 already. My my how time flies by. It's been a roller coaster year. I'll talk about that later though because I want to finish relaxing for a few more hours before I have to leave. Gary out.

Welcome Back

So I'm back online after a weekend hiatus due to a nice trip with Jessica visiting her hometown of Charlottesville AKA the country. Haha, she's gonna get upset when she reads this. Oh well, love you too! Anyways, her family is lovely and I enjoy spending time with them. I really feel welcomed in her family which is a PLUS because every single time I meet my significant others' family, they don't give me a chance. The number one thing I love is the open source of communication. This is why we work out together. It's almost our one month too. Woo!

I don't really have too much to write about. My mind's trying to relax and focus on finishing up my Christmas presents. I love the holidays. They make me thankful for having everyone in my life and enjoy spending time with ones that I love. Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend a lot of time with a few people but I hope their holiday break is wonderful. I'm also thankful for not driving so much anymore to Mason. This means I can save my gas and spend my money elsewhere. The apartment is coming soon! I just need to save some more money and I'll have more than enough. Let's hope that the drama teacher at Jefferson Middle School wants me as her musical director! Ok, I promise I'll come up with things to write about soon. I'm going to go get my haircut and present shopping with my parents for Destiny. I hope you all take care of yourselves, don't get sick and enjoy some time at home! Jess, you'll enjoy your time at home soon but hey, at least you're not alone. ;)

The Sound of Rain

All I really hear is the rain pouring and bouncing on my windows. I normally am annoyed by this sound but for some reason it's soothing. Rain is nice to have once in a while especially when unaccompanied. Word on the street is that it's going to snow tomorrow. From the looks of it, we'll either get freezing rain or sleet. Joy, just what I need for my commute to my lessons. It better not freeze over because I have a hard time seeing while driving in the rain as it is. Speaking of commute, it's finally over. My finals are complete and in the books. I can now fully relax and focus on making as much money as I can for my apartment. I'm going to admit, home will be missed. Home-cooked meals, Destiny, my parents, the big screen TV we JUST bought, Wii and the free gym are the things that will no longer be close to me physically. I am excited though to start my new journey and do things all by myself. Apartment shopping is on a temporary hiatus but I have two different people that are going to contact me once a deal pops up. See, talking to everyone is a good idea because you never know what kind of deals you can get. Having my own space will also allow me to make noise and record freely without distractions. Best of all, I'll have my OWN practice room. Haha suckers. When we come back to campus, those practice rooms are going to be demolished. Oh let the engagement of Mortal Kombat amongst musicians begin. I need to get better at fighter games because I suck. I just mash buttons. Ok, off-topic. I'm also going to miss the new friends I made as they are flying home for break. I'll just have to make the most of them until next week. At least some of the Pep Band members are staying for the games. Sweetness. Well, I'm going to go relax some more before I watch the Celtics-Wizards game. Until next time, I is out.  

Joining The Bandwagon...

So basically, everyone is studying for finals right now and so am I. I don't have too much to write as I'm jumping on the bandwagon and straying away from studying for a short bit of time. Finals is a joyous time of year. Why is that? Because we ALL have things in common around this time. We all freak out, stress, yell, smile, procrastinate and distract each other. What a better way to spend time during the holidays than to be together all doing the same thing! Then again, music is strangely helping me while I write my history notes. It never does but I'm going to shut it off soon  anyways. I need to practice for sight-singing more because I can't sing the melody line. I'm always singing along to what I'm playing on the keyboard. Grr. I'll manage, I always do. Then again, I must maintain my 75% to pass the class with a C. So here we go, back to studying. I'll write a more thought-out blog entry when finals are over. Until then, au revoir....(oh goodness, French will never escape me....)

Very Superstitious...

Ok so that title won't correspond with what I'll be talking about. I'm just currently in a state of Stevie Wonder and why shouldn't I be. The man is a genius; it's a shame my dad doesn't own any of his records. Looks like I'll be making it a goal of mine to own most if not all of them. 

Anyways, I really despise ignoring. It's the most childish thing and sure I've had my fair share of doing so, but damn does it make me mad when someone you care for a lot ignores you. Basically it feels as if my sisters are ignoring me and don't ever want to talk. I understand the whole "giving space" thing, but if I walk past you, must you really not say a word to me? Goodness, I guess humans are horrible. Or maybe I do deserve to be alone. Who knows. I don't but if this doesn't stop, things will get bad. Trust me, nobody wants to see what could potentially happen. No, I won't talk about what could happen because I don't want to even THINK about it. Either way, this better end. I'm tired of not being able to talk/see someone I care about. It eats me on the inside and maybe this is your way of inflicting pain back to me. Then again, women ALWAYS want revenge one way or another, even if they don't "mean it." That's BS in my opinion. All women mean it. Men do sometimes as well. Ok, who am I kidding. We all want revenge, it makes us feel good on the inside to see someone hurt. Yeah, I was right. We are horrible people. Joy.

I'm Sorry For You...

...not sorry for me. I've realized just how much pain I can cause by doing the smallest things possible. Did I see it coming? Not really. I didn't care to pay much attention to the negative aspect of things. Every time I did, I stressed out. Not going to make the same mistake twice. I also realize that perhaps the things I do can be taken way out of line. Is that completely my fault? Personally, I don't think so, I'm just living my life. Apparently, that isn't possible and people are going to set rules for me and enforce them. Seriously, is that absolutely necessary? If this happens, I can guarantee all of you would be extremely happy yet I'm going to be the one living a horrible life. Maybe that's what you people want; to see me live in torture. How sick is that. It's such a damn shame that as humans we love to see pain inflicted upon others yet when it occurs to us we are struck with fear. Ever try dealing with having someone rule your life for you? It's already happened to me once and I was miserable. I very wisely ended that reign of terror and decided to focus on me. I'm going to focus on me because I'm what's important to myself. Call me selfish, I don't care. I still care about the people in my life and will do my best to be a good friend. Tonight is going well so far. I've had time to myself and relaxation. It's always a good thing to relax before taking final exams and juries. I'm only going to practice once or twice more for juries because I don't want to overdue my playing. Sight-singing will take precedent over everything though because I must maintain my 75% to pass with a C. Everything else I'm not too worried about. Please, don't freak out if I say that I want alone time. It's nothing personal to anyone; we all want to be alone sometimes. If this offends anyone, I'm sorry. I really am. I still love you all. I promise.

Pour Some Sugar On Me....

What a combination eh? We Will Rock You and Pour Some Sugar On Me. Queen and Def Leopard. Kudos to the Green Machine maiestros (sp) for arranging those beast songs. We finally worked on Love in an Elevator during rehearsal. That song sounds pretty sweet when we all played it together. Christine's gonna nail that vocal line for sure. We also recorded Superstition for the Colorguard to perform with. I always love playing that song. It's basically become my personal song as I'm always the one to play it. Yay for having an auto wah effect! We've got plenty of gigs to play during winter break and I'm excited for each and every one. Every game we play in, men or women, is a thrill rush. Love it.

Anyways, I don't have too much to report on. Things are going just fine. I'm STILL working on my English portfolio but I'm almost done. Just one more revision and my reflective essay is all that's left. My jury's coming up and I'm pretty much good to go for that. The main thing I must practice this week is sight-singing. I hope I can get those sing-and-play's down. All it'll take is some time and practice! So I'm off to work on these things. Til next time...

Harder Better Faster Stronger

I'm feeling a heck of a lot better and stronger, I'm not gonna lie. I believe that for once I can't give credit only to myself for this change. Instead, I owe it to the openness and communication I have with my friends. I'm so thankful that finally I've found people who can actually talk rather than keep their mouths shut. So, thanks everyone for being there for me. I'm loving your support!

In other news, I'm currently watching Mason basketball. Therefore, my mind might be over the place. The game is tied and we're playing Liberty. I'm kind of nervous that we might lose being that this game is close but I have faith in my team to pull through. I'm seriously loving Mason basketball more than ever. Sure, being in Pep Band really lifted my spirit but just being a part of the Mason Nation and hearing the crowd loving every moment of the game makes me feel very happy on the inside. So come to the games and enjoy them! (Yes Caroline, you have time now, so come to them. You'll be seeing me at least! :D)

So finals are coming up. I have my keyboarding final tomorrow morning and my English portfolio due on Friday. Am I worried? At this point, not really. I just have to get it done with. No slacking off allowed. It's time I get off my butt and do some work. So after wrestling is over, I'm going to practice piano a bit more and then plan out my final papers to write. See? Not too much to write about tonight. Now I'm going to finish watching the game. See ya!

God's Plan

So basically, where I stand is....good question. Where do I stand? I believe the answer to my own question is wherever I want to stand. It's up to me to make the decisions on my own and hope for the best. I can't please everyone. Apparently, I also can't please anyone. I used to be able to, but nowadays I seem to inflict pain to everyone around me. I beat myself up for it just like I always have. I discipline myself because I deserve to be disciplined. Nobody has really done that for me except my mother and she did it for good reason. Without discipline, I'd be going off hurting everyone and not giving a damn about it. I wouldn't be realizing the damage I've caused and bothering to fix it. No, I'm not an evil sadistic person. I am a jerk but I can at least account for my own faults and not point the finger at others. It's just a horrible feeling though to hurt people that you love. I've lost so many people because of my stupid mistakes and I'm hoping that I can still have the people who mean a lot to me right now in the future. I'm tired of "friend-hopping" everywhere, I want people who can accept me for who I am and love me. I do have those friends now and heck, Pep Band gave me some more. Finally, I can give back and become a good friend to those who would like me to be. I need to do things the right way and become more selfless than selfish. I also know who can help me become this better person: God. Yeah, I've always believed that God will lead me in the right direction because He's there for me all the time. I pray every single day and thank God for everything he's done for me in my life. Although I've had my struggles, I'm still here standing tall (seriously, since everyone's so short...) and living my life the way I should be living it. It's time for some serious changes that I can stick with. I'm also glad I've left behind all of the unnecessary distractions that have kept me from making my change. Of course, this is going to be a long and tedious process. I'll just see who's willing to stick by me while I do all this. God already agreed to be with me. Who's coming onboard with us? We're more than happy to welcome aboard those who have a strong sense of faith and hope as well as positive energy. :)

Hmm

Hmm, not really much to write or report on. I've just been taking everything in and living my life. I finally got my hands on a Macbook! It's about freakin' time too. I'm still getting used to it and figuring out what it can (more like can't) do. I'm loving Garageband and the fact that my Mac recognizes my recording toys automatically is amazing. I don't have to waste hard disk space installing all of that stuff. I can't wait to learn Garageband and it's capabilities. I'll probably end up becoming a pro at it after I take my Music in Computer Technology class next semester. Speaking of next semester, I can't wait for that to come. I'm excited to enter the halfway point of college and move on from my home. I still am getting my apartment. I contacted one of the apartment contacts and he's going to call me when there's a place opening up in late January. All I need is to bust my ass during winter break and work. No problem, when do I NOT bust my ass. Well, I'm going to continue importing my CDs on here, so I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving and time at home. Remember to thank God for everything He's given you and the quality time you will all spend with family/friends. :)

Lost

Seriously, what the FUCK did I do to deserve this. I put in so much effort yet it was all in vain. Nothing came out of it except me feeling even MORE like shit. Everyone who doubted me were right. I'm not fit out for anyone and I probably never will be. Whoever keeps saying I am is practically lying right in my face, something I do not appreciate. Nobody appreciates feeling helpless and useless. Sigh. I really do deserve to be alone. I'm getting tired of putting my focus into these so-called relationships that people want with me. It's all bullshit. Such crap. In any case, I'm just going to focus on my music. It's good to know at least one person cares about me a lot. I'm very thankful that this person is in my life. They know who they are.

Better

I just received the new Guns N' Roses cd Chinese Democracy today in the mail. Very surprising, considering the album is coming out on Sunday. I guess pre-ordering an exclusive from Best Buy = early delivery. In any case, I'm VERY excited about this album. It was definitely worth the wait of years on my part but I'm sure others waited a whole lot longer. The production for this album began in 1993, so it's been 15 years in the making. Each of the 14 tracks are quite memorable and I'm just VERY HAPPY to hear those lovely lovely vocals of W. Axl Rose because it's been way too long. He still ranks number one on my short list of the greatest frontmen in rock and roll. Nobody can beat his theatrics, attitude and vocal ability (yes not even Ozzy...). I won't go off writing an entire review on this album but it sure is something to check out if you're a fan of hard rock. Warning: it is nothing like the old GN'R but that's ok! Change is good and sometimes needed. In this case, Velvet Revolver sounds awesome and so does GN'R 2.0.

So today I basically went to classes and spent a few hours with Caroline. Obviously, we've got much more time to spend with each other but she had to leave for Harrisonburg to see her sister's play. I can't wait until things calm down between us so we can sit back and relax. Unfortunately she IS leaving back home for winter break but I'm still coming to visit her for a while in January! I hope she comes down to visit Fairfax for a little bit of time during the break as well. In any case, we need to spend the most time we can before we separate for break. Good thing we've got each others' schedule! Basically, I need to make some time and my computer is capable (finally) to run Google Desktop. I saw on Caroline's computer that it came with her Vista. No fair, but XP is still better than Vista! Alright, I'm going to go enjoy the album some more, watch some wrestling and continue writing my songs. Later!

Marooned

It's been a few days since I last wrote in here. Not much new is going on. Life's still going by smoothly. I've rekindled my love for Pink Floyd recently. I can't let them go, they're such a huge influence to me. I just received email about Love in an Elevator being finished and ready to go for Pep Band. So that's my task: to learn that song as well as Sir Duke by the next men's game on Tuesday. Looks like I've got something to look forward to! I also want to finish writing my two songs before it's too late. Anyone that knows how broke I am will tell you I give the worst gifts ever. Therefore, what better gift is there than a personal one that means a lot? I just hope these people will enjoy it. I hate to leave people disappointed me, hence I try my best to get things done. This reminds me, I need to spend more time with Caroline. It'll happen once she gets back from Harrisonburg. I'm excited to spend four days with her in January! I can't wait to meet the rest of her family/friends (I promise I'll come back alive in one piece)! Google Desktop is so handy, why haven't I used it before? Oh right, my computer's memory sucked. Now with 2GB, it runs quite smoothly! Now I'm off to continue talking to Caroline, til next time!

Patience

Guns N' Roses did a great job writing such a wonderful song. All we really do need is a little patience (Slightly off topic, but their new album is FINALLY coming out next week. I pre-ordered it too, sweeeet). It's taken me so long to develop such a high level of patience but oh man, it's totally worth it. Finally, I'm at the point in my life where I'm completely content. I've already discussed my plans for finding an apartment and got that whole dealio settled. I'm moving in mid-to-late January, more than likely around the start of the spring semester. I will still be looking for someone to move in with me, so anybody that wants in has in. Otherwise, I'll be putting up ads in the JC come January. Pep Band is going VERY smoothly as well. I've established my place in the band, met new people because of the band and just overall am having loads of fun. All the stress I've ever had in my life is done with now that I've have this awakening. I also owe it to two very important people in my life. I can't thank both of you enough for the support. It's nice to feel loved for once. It really does. What's NOT nice is having to write an English response for tomorrow AND a source paper for Western Civ. Great, now I'm off to work on those...patience....just a little patience...

Relaxation

So I finally have some downtime as a busy weekend is ahead of me. For the first time in my life, I actually am happy that I have stuff to do. I've met some crazy awesome friends, established a name for myself as a musician/teacher, got some good grades in my classes, understand what I'm doing in my classes, acquired guitar number six and become a better person overall. I'm finally out of my slump of not smiling and anger. I do get a bit upset sometimes but I have stress relievers to help me out, thankfully. The only thing I haven't done yet is buying an apartment. I still need a roommate. Regardless, I still believe that my time frame of mid-to-late January is do-able. My parents have approached me about this and said if I can find a roommate within 2 months of having my apartment, then they can help me to pay for my first 2 months' rent. I found that extremely thoughtful and it made me happy. My parents are opposed to paying for my stuff and I agree, I work hard and deserve everything I have. I've busted my ass and my parents see that. I've been working for the past 4 years straight of my life and I've saved up a decent amount of money. Not many 19 year old people can say they've got the cash I have. One issue I've got to address is that my parents have accepted my goals and aspirations of being a musician by more than 100%. In other words, my parents were originally against me going with music because of the chances of failure. My mom wanted me to work with computers since, you know, I'm a dork. Well, I've decided to stick with music and it's paying off. I'm making some pretty sweet cash and my skills are greatly improving. Heck, I can now proudly say that I can improvise. This is something I've been wanting to do years ago but I wasn't able to. Now with the knowledge I've acquired here at GMU, it's helped me a bunch. Plus, being in pep band helps with my sight-reading and it's fun. It's a blast to play with everyone. We go out there, have fun with it and pretty much make people feel good. I personally feel that every true musician's goal is to make sure that people enjoy what you give to them. Making music, in my opinion, is about what YOU put into the piece and making it come to life in a manner that involves interaction with your audience. I just realized I wrote a lot, I'm going to shut up now and relax some more. Til next time!

Early Bird

I'm writing a blog post quite early as it's only 4:30pm right now. I got home early today because I didn't have any reason to stay on campus all day. I had my two classes, confirmed my schedule with Lynn(I have no friday classes woo!!), saw Caroline (:D), ate lunch with Jessica (:D), went to Guitar Center with both of them, dropped them off and went home. I checked to see if they had the Les Paul Studio but they didn't. At least not yet. I tried out the SG though and man I'm confused now. Which should I get? I love the SG's versatility and lightweight structure. Doc reminded me that "portability is important." He's right, I need something that can be used quickly and efficiently. The Les Paul is a bit heavier but I have yet to try out the humbuckers on it. When it comes in, I can make my decision. Either way, they're both 300 bucks. We'll just have to wait and see. I'll keep you posted on guitar number six's progress.

With all this time I had to spend at home, I messed with my pedals and amp effects. I've finally come up with 4 different settings I can use for Pep Band. I wrote them down on a sheet of paper so I don't have to remember everything. They all sound sick hooked up with a humbucking guitar. I tested them out with my Dot Studio. Of course, I need a rock guitar so that's why I'm getting another one. My strat is still my baby, it's just not able to be used well for Pep Band. I'm still gonna use it as my main guitar for my other work though. I won't retire it just yet, haha. I'm off now to read for History, do Theory homework if I have any, and relax. I need some alone time again. It sure feels lovely.

Rush Hour

So today was a bit hectic but it ended well. My students at the music store didn't show up so I taught my private student early so I could head over to Robinson Field and play with the pep band. Now I know why we play during the football games. Our team sucks!! But it's fun to play the music and boost the morale of the team and fans. Afterwards, I went to Jessica's and hung out for some time before meeting up with Caroline and her friends for dinner. Southside again, woo!! The dinner was pretty damn good and the maple nut ice cream tasted lovely. Afterwards, I went to University Theatres and saw The Dark Knight with Caroline. We got into the movies about 1 hour after it started, but I'll make sure Caroline sees the beginning. She still loved it and I'm glad. It's such an epic movie, quite possibly the greatest one ever. Now I can once again relax tonight because my parents aren't home. I made my payments for my cell phone bill and my credit card. I still have to pay a bit off of my GC card. Priorites, priorities, priorities. I shall set them. Now I'm off to relax.

My Sweet Caroline

Neil Diamond writes some pretty damn good music. It's apparent why his music still stands decades later. Friday was just like every other friday except that I signed up for my classes. I'm still in awe that Music in Computer Technology was already full. So many people want to wake up very very early in the morning, I guess. It's gonna be a fun class and thank goodness Lynn loves me. She'll force-add me if needed. I love Lynn, haha. I had my sight-singing test. I pretty much bombed two of the five sections only because I didn't focus on those sections as much as I should have when I practiced. I have 2 more ear training tests and 1 more sight-singing test before the semester is over. I really have to buck up so I can pass the class with at least a C+/B. English was fun, mainly because Christielee is pretty awesome. The departmental was meh and lab band was also meh. Then my day finally picked up when Caroline came to Mason! We went to Ben and Jerry's, ate ice cream, drove over to Bowl America and played 3 games. Of course I won but we had fun! I hope I didn't screw up her tendonitis. I've been home ever since 7 just relaxing. I am liking my time alone tonight, surprisingly. It's very satisfying and I'm doing whatever I want. This is exactly what I've been looking for. I'm very happy right now in my life. I can thank Caroline for that too. I love her.

Stand Up

Get up, stand up. Stand up for your right. Get up, stand up. Don't give up the fight.

I really like that song, it's very powerful and political too. Congrats to Obama for winning the election (by a landslide, I called it) and becoming the first black leader of this glorious nation. Many people have mixed feelings about this turnout but we'll just have to see what he does. I'm excited, I'm pumped for a new beginning. I figured America did need change to happen. I'm also in the point of my life where change is definitely occurring.
Caroline has entered my life, I'm hanging out with friends, my guitar skills have been improving, besides my stomach I've been healthy and school isn't really stressful. The one thing that bothers me is family time. Ever since Wendy and Hunter left, I haven't been home much mainly because my parents don't come home until late. It's cool though, I need to spend more time away in order to prepare me for moving out. I still need someone to live with, ugh. I'm still working on that problem. Hopefully it'll get resolved soon. So life's been great and everything is working out just fine. Now on to relax some more, play some guitar and receive some love. :)

Happy Days

That's what I see. I can see happy days coming to me. I'm improvising a lot better, my confidence is boosting, social life is picking up, family life is great and my responsibilities are making me feel very independent. The changes I'm making in my life are making me a better person. Sure, people are still talking but I have to just brush them off. At this point, I don't care what anyone says about me. You can think whatever you want, but you still don't know me. You don't know the real me. If you got to know me, you wouldn't like me. So just leave me alone then and find someone who you'd like. Alright, people who keep talking crap about me? Stop talking about me and find something else better to do with your time. Oh and Obama has a commanding lead over McCain so far. He's gonna win. For sure.

[Insert Creative Title Here]

Sorry I'm not very creative tonight with my title. I don't feel like discussing a certain topic so I'll just talk about how the days have gone by. Friday night was a lot of fun. Me and Christine went to see the trio perform in Old Town Fairfax in the blistering cold. Although we froze, it was worth it because Jeremy invited us to his apartment to chill. Doc's place is nice and I totally didn't expect to be there. I hope I can visit again soon, hehe. Anyways, I owned Christine in Mario Kart Wii (although I should've let her win). Afterwards, we just talked for hours before I went home. Saturday was a long day. I went to work, headed over to Jeanine's and kicked her ass in Scrabble. Then we saw Matisyahu along with some pretty crappy opening acts. It was worth the 2 hour wait to see Matisyahu though. Every song was performed well and Aaron's solos were sick. I really hope to meet him as he pushes the bar in terms of jazz improvisation in rock/reggae music. Sunday was another long day. I went to work again and taught 2 kids. I got a new kid who's pretty good for a youngin'. Afterwards I hung out with Caroline for the longest time. We talked, relaxed, practiced for a little bit and saw a little bit of Hillary Clinton haha. Good good times. We met up with Jessica and ate dinner at Southside. Great ending to a great weekend I say. Monday, eh not so much. Great day except I left my headlights on all day so my car battery died. I had to wait until 2 hours ago for my dad to come with jumper cables. I just had dinner so now I'm going to watch the Redskins crush the Steelers!

The Journey

I haven't written in my blog in five days, mainly because I haven't had time to sit down on the computer and type. School and driving really are keeping me on my feet as well as a certain crowd of people. It's good to know that people care about my swearing and are helping me to stop doing so. Every time I swear or curse, I get hit somewhere on my body. Isn't that good motivation to cease? Thanks Jess and Caroline for your support! Those two, such balls of energy and crazy fun. Same goes with pep band. We got two new tunes that I'm really excited about learning. Higher Ground and Walking on Sunshine. Christine does an excellent job singing (when does she not?) and the whole rhythm section is just rockin' it! The first basketball game is this coming Wednesday, an exhibition game against Randolph-Macon. With the amount of work I'm doing and putting in, I can clearly see myself becoming a better person. I still have occasional roadblocks but that's part of the learning process. The path of opportunity is opening itself to me and I'm doing everything I can to walk along confidently and with my head held up high. Here's to my new self-awakening and journey to a better me!

O Clap Your Hands

All ye people, shout unto God with sound of triumph!!

Gah, I've got choir music stuck in my head. I guess that's cool because finally I've become more comfortable and confident with my vocal abilities. Obviously, I'm not letting that develop into an ego but I really am starting to nail down my lines. Yes, this makes me quite happy because originally I was very skeptical about choir. I guess I also owe it to the people I've met IN the choir that made being in rehearsals fun so thanks guys! I really don't have much else to talk about. I just hope the concert goes very well tomorrow night as well as the football game. Like I'm worried we won't crust Detroit....Please don't let me eat my words...CRUSH EM BOYS. :)

So Near, So Far

Today just passed by me so quickly, I didn't notice much. I was very out of it because I wanted to sleep. I swear, I can't keep driving all the damn time. I've decided that I will be moving out no later than Mid January. I seriously have to because it'll make my life so much easier. I've got a lot saved up and the apartments are very VERY close to campus. The average rent is about $1200 so with others helping to pay/live, it'll be cheaper. Of course, if I find nobody, I'm still gonna move out. It's just gonna be tough to pay each month on my own but I'm sure I will manage. Somehow.

I'm getting my music for guitar down. Still having trouble on a couple songs but spending more time on them will help me to improve. Choir concert on Sunday! Dress rehearsal first at 10am Saturday. Ugh, isn't that a pain in the ass. We have a gig with the Green Machine for the football game but it's supposed to storm. Maybe it'll be cancelled or maybe it wont' storm. We'll see. Either way, busy weekend for me. Tomorrow night I'll be spending the final night with Wendy/Hunter/the kids. Then they're off to Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Lucky them, I wish I could go. I'll go visit them every now and then to hang out and maybe ski/snowboard. Either way, looking foward to this weekend and I'll hope for the best!

Hands On In Between

Pretty random title for a post, isn't it? Well this is Paul Van Dyk's title of his latest album. I've been listening to his stuff quite extensively as of late. He's much more upbeat and dance-oriented than Tiesto, in my opinion. Tiesto's got the love and romantic side of stuff down to a science but now I see why Dyk is liked a whole lot by the hardcore fans. Anyways, the titles on this album strangely converse with my feelings; Complicated, Get Back, Far Away, Castaway, In Circles, New York City. Ok well the last one doesn't, but I thought it'd be funny to put it in here, hehe. I'm telling you people. Trance is the best music for me to listen to when it comes to calming me down. It's extremely upbeat and although they talk about sad or depressing subjects sometimes, at least they have exhilariting music to go along!!

My day wasn't too interesting, I just ended up doing the same old. I guess I feel much better now that I'm in possession of my guitar. I played for hours today and it felt extremely comforting to just wail away at my repitoire for Juries. I'm starting to get better with those pieces too, except for April in Paris. I'm still confused as hell as to what inversions of chords I have to play. I'll just wait until my teacher returns from his gig. Speaking of gigs, I'll sure as hell be getting more of those!!! Woo Green Machine! I've totally entered into Mason Spirit mode, and it's about time. My family kept saying "when are you gonna go to those games?" Well, I'll be at almost every one of them now, except I'm with the band now!

Yeah, so I'll conclude this post by saying that I hope you people make the right choice in a few weeks, voting the right man into the Oval Office. You all know who to pick. Now go. :)

Daily Update

So I got my guitar back today. Finally! I can't wait to play it tomorrow. :) And I just finished revising my english essay! I didn't read the stuff for Hamlet but we'll just go over it in class anyways. School was pretty chill today but I didn't get much done. Keyboarding wasn't too bad. I got through my assignment but am not looking forward to the next one, ugh. Theory was easy because I already know how Neopolitan Sixth chords are constructed and used. I'm doing better with the choir music but I still need to work on preps and counting. History midterm was a breeze. It seriously took me no more than 20 minutes. I wonder if people actually read this. Hmm. Anyways, overall it was a meh day. The weather's getting so nice! Yeah it's cold every now and then, but at least it's sunny! I should start taking more pictures. I'm bringing my camera tomorrow. Oh yeah, I got work tomorrow too but no pep band reherasal, boo. Oh well, we'll rock this Saturday that's for sure. Go Green Machine rhythm section! Yes, that includes you too Christine, haha!

Green Machine

So if there's any reason why I haven't updated this blog enough, I've got two words. Green Machine. Ever since joining pep, it's really got me on my feet in terms of learning the music and playing with the band. Our rhythm section is pretty beast. Seriously. Charlie and Ted keep the groove on bass while John pounds away on those ferocious drums. Dave rips it up on guitar and I back him up, with the occasional soloing going on whenever he's not around. There isn't much else to talk about really. I'm just living life to the fullest. I want to take pictures of these events but I'm too busy to do so. I'll find someone in the band to take pics on my camera and I'll put them up on facebook.

Short and Sweet

Not gonna take the time to make a long post here. Lots of shit has been going on and I'm dealing with it. Some good, some bad. Either way, it's getting taken care of. Tomorrow is MASON MADNESS and I am PUMPED! I can't wait, it's gonna be pretty fucking epic. I feel so welcomed in the family and it's a wonderful feeling. I hope my guitar gets fixed soon, I miss it. BOSS has the most amazing pedals. I don't know why I haven't acquired any more than the DS-1....well that's gonna change tomorrow! Yay for special financing deals with my credit card!! Alright, I'm out.

Tortured Soul

Why must I feel like complete shit. Why must I get yelled at for every single action of mine. I swear, if all I'm going to be hearing is arguing and bullshit, then please just chop off my ears right now. I can be a musician and be deaf, I don't care. I'm just sick and tired of crap. And to make matters worse, my damn guitar head snapped in half from my neck. My Epiphone Dot Studio too. I love that thing, yet the things I love seem to just anger me these days. Doesn't that suck? Hell, even making music is angering me. I tried to come up with a chord progression for a song and I got pissed off. For no reason too. I just don't want to be doing any work. I want a week off. I just want to be free. I feel so trapped and confined in my own little prison. How do I break free? The key is gone and it pisses me off trying to find it. Knowing my luck, it's around here somewhere but I'm too oblivious and stupid to see it. Yep, I'm obviously a retard. Everyone can agree with me on that one, right? No? Oh well, I agree with myself. Selfish much? Maybe I am then. So if that's the case, why would anyone want to associate theirself with me? If you're gonna bitch and complain about how selfish I am, then don't be around me. It's that simple. Do I do it on purpose? Not really. I just know that I must look out for myself first, then others. Perhaps this is a philosophy that is uncommon to you all. Well, deal with it. This is me and you can accept me for who I am or leave me. The choice is yours, not mine. All I know is that I'm struggling here to find myself and free this chaos within my tortured soul. I clearly said this before, but I need to do this on my own. With no help from anyone. Because only I can free myself. So, here's to finding the solution to my problem before it's too late.

Life is like blocks of Tetris...

Seriously, why am I so hooked on Tetris again? Is it because of its use of coordination and thought? I swear, my reflexes are getting MUCH better by playing this damn game again. I love seeing other people try to beat my score but failing miserably. The only one who got close to my Marathon score was Jessica, but she can't beat me haha! Jeanine got close in Ultra but nope. She can't beat me either. Nobody can! Muahaha. Well maybe someone will, but then I'll crush them right back!

In other news, I'm feeling better. Let's just hope I can continue to stay this way. Pep Band! I got the call from Doc Nix to backup D-Roth and/or jump in whenever he's gone woohoo! I thank Christine for setting up this meeting, so thank you so much for referring me to him! Speaking of music, I just got this Digital DJ System mixer by M-Audio at Best Buy today. I picked it up because it was tax-free weekend in the store and only cost me 10o bucks. I'm anxious to try it out very soon after I finish burning Paul Van Dyk's The Politics of Dancing 2 compilation. Yeah, call me crazy for getting into the trance/dance scene but hey, it's a lot of fun to be involved in. I can't tell you how much I love being in a state of ecstasty while I'm on the dance floor. It's an invigorating feeling that I never want to go away. Just like my love for Jeanine. <3

Stress

Why am I so stressed out? I really need to calm down. My thoughts are going at about a million miles an hour. I'm doing everything in a speed that is extremely uncontrollable. Hell, I'm even typing fast right now. I should probably slow down otherwise I'll never be calm. But how can I? My keyboarding midterm is tomorrow! This is my last level of keyboarding and I have to pass if I don't want to repeat the class again/fall behind. Same goes for sight-singing III. I'm going to do what I should've done a while ago and that is write my schedule down on a piece of paper. I figured this should help me stick to the plan and make adjustments accordingly if needed.

At any rate, I really don't feel too highly of myself. No, this isn't me asking you for pity. This isn't me asking you to tell me if I'm a good person or not. This is just me feeling like complete shit about myself. I personally don't believe that I'm a great person, and I've got proof. Hell, I've even stated before that if I met me, I wouldn't be friends with me. Seriously, I can't find any good traits about me other than I actually care about others' feelings compared to most men. I'm not a good lover though. I'm not good enough for anyone, that's for sure. Changes definitely need to be made. I really need a big makeover because this Gary isn't working for me. Maybe you all can agree with me here. I don't want people to lie to me about this subject. Perhaps I really am an annoying idiot who just talks and talks and doesn't shut the fuck up. *sigh* I'm just unsure as to what the future holds for me. I've always said only you can determine your future. Well if I keep going like this, my future is going to do nothing but stress me out and hold me back. Fuck, I'm on a train bound for hell. I need to stop this. Lord, please help me. I'm crying out for help, please answer my call...

The Good The Bad The Ugly

I swear, I should just move into Guitar Center. I practically live there. I've gotten to know the people that work there and they all love me. They know how much of a valuable customer I am. Finally, I've applied for a Guitar Center credit card and got approved. So I went out and bought my BOSS Micro BR! I've put it to use and oh man it's quite amazing. I'm bringing it with me to school everytime I practice so if you see me busy as hell, I'm busy recording (finally!). My guitar teacher kept saying I should record my chord changes so I can improvise using them. I kinda suck at my changes so I'll see if I can record my guitar teacher playing them. Otherwise, I'll just do it myself.

In non-guitar news, I've been a bit stressed out as of late. It really sucks, because I just feel so confused, hurt, bogged down and lonely. I hate this feeling. Maybe I did it to myself. Maybe others have caused me to feel like crap. I really really don't know and I don't want to be pointing any fingers here. So I'll just take the safe route and blame myself. Why? Because it's probably the right thing to do. I'm going to continue watching TV and relax before calling my love. No more ranting.

Victory!

Before I go on about the stuff I listed previously, I'll start off by saying Hail to those damn Redskins. Talk about a gutsy performance. They came back from being down by 2 touchdowns to win 23-17. With 4 wins in a row, I think it's safe to say we're a playoff contender. Don't mess with the Skins. :)

Ok now on to my topics. I've recently discussed the pros and cons about getting a macbook with my mom and Hunter. My original intent was to buy a laptop that will get me through school and other small personal uses. But now that I'm heavily involved with music and I've got lots of goodies to help me record music, I need a system capable of handling those duties. Macs are pretty popular when it comes to recording software usage and music notation things like Finale. Plus if I get a mac, I can finally use my KeyRig25 MIDI controller. FINALLY. So it'll cost me about a grand plus tax. Not too too shabby. I'll see how much I can save up until lets say late November/early December.

Concerts eh? This past summer, me and Jeanine didn't really go to "concerts" but instead, we ended up going to Ibiza. Pretty much the best place ever/best thing to do on the weekends. I remember always having trouble with what to do on the weekends. Well whenever we're free/able to, Ibiza! Plus we can easily get put on the guestlist. Hoo-rah! Over the course of 3 months, we were able to see the top 3 dance artists in the world: BT, Tiesto and Armin Van Buuren! Woo! I can't wait until we go back. Which better be soon.

I would talk about nerdy guitar stuff butttt I have to continue reading. I just finished eating dessert and got distracted with thinking about writing in my blog. Ok back to work! I gotta work on keyboarding too ugh. All work and no play! I wanna play guitar....I wanna see Jeanine. I'll see her tomorrow. At least I can talk to her tonight! :)

First Post

Well well well, here I am giving this another shot. I'm hoping this time around, things will go to my liking. Anyways, it's been six weeks since school has started. So far, school is going very well this time around. I made it my goal to start off my sophomore year without stress and crap lingering around me. Have I achieved it? The semester isn't over yet and anything can happen, but I'm very optimistic in this sense so I'm gonna go with a yes I have and will continue to achieve it. I'm getting my practicing done and my school work is vastly improving from last year. I've become so accustomed to practicing very often that my guitar skills aren't lacking at all. This is a good sign that I'm practicing my guitar the correct way. I probably owe it to my ability to listen to other players around me as well as receiving very useful advice on what I should be doing. My teacher is simply amazing at what he does. I really hope I can be just as good with my students. Oh my students! I'll talk about that next post so I can have something to say. I just wanted to make this brief. I figured last time I talked about stuff, I kept going on and on but barely had anything to talk about for the following post. I know better and I don't make the same mistakes twice. Anyways, this concludes the first (fourth, really) post and coming up on the next one is...

-New computer?
-Updates on concerts/events!
-Nerdy guitar stuff (maybe this is on the third post)


[Note to self, I shall make a list at the end of each post to know what to talk about next time.]