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Blog
Oct 26, 2005 17:57:26 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Oct 26, 2005 17:57:26 GMT -5
I started off the day by emailing Jeremy some of the work I had done with the pictures for his solo project that he is getting ready to release. We corresponded back and forth for a couple of hours until we got things how he wanted them. I really enjoy helping my pals out and especially in this way. With his project, Jeremy pretty much knows what he wants and I try to make that happen.
After receiving it in the mail, I was finally able to sit down with the Kill Bosby cd and really get a good listen to it. Its really enjoyable and it sounds like they put a lot of effort into it. I plan on writing a review of the disc very soon.
I learned a few covers yesterday, including a few Kill Bosby and Jeremy songs as well as some JTB and Elliott Smith. I figure it can only expand my writing ideas for the new Dillweed album. I am slowly putting them all together for a nice big picture project. Hopefully I can get a lot more guests to come in this time around.
The night ended with Kel and I going to the grocery store after borrowing some money from my mother. I hated to do it but I have a family to feed as well as I myself have lost a few pounds going without. It was good to get some food in my stomach and I slept pretty well from that fact.
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Oct 27, 2005 14:31:10 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Oct 27, 2005 14:31:10 GMT -5
Things have slowly been leading up to this moment. I have decided to turn my life around and do what I can to achieve what I want. I began the day by making a list of things I needed to get done and then proceeded to do them all. One by one I checked things off of my small list until they were all done. it’s a good feeling to know I can do what needs to be done. I forget that sometimes.
One of the things I did was listen to the KB album again and began writing a review using the advice I had got from Jim. Its really long and drawn out right now but I’m going to do what he said and take a few more listens and then go back and prune it up. We’ll see how it turns out, like any other art I do it has a 50/50 chance of becoming what I hope for.
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Oct 28, 2005 15:46:46 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Oct 28, 2005 15:46:46 GMT -5
I began my day again by making a list of things to do and following through with doing them. The hope is that I will build momentum until I can achieve my ultimate goals. One of the small goals I set was to just get out of the house and take a walk to enjoy nature and get some exercise. I found that I really enjoyed the day more by appreciating it.
After my walk I came home and invited AC and Jeremy to go grab a bite to eat together. Jeremy also needed to go a few places so I agreed to that as well. AC suggested that we go to Sam pizza which I have never been to. I had just recently had pizza but I figured it was a good place we could all agree upon. It was a good time with conversation and the food was pretty good too. The service left a little to be desired though since we spent about an hour and a half just waiting around for our waitress.
We dropped off AC back at his place and Jeremy and I went back to his place to watch some What’s Happening and then write and record another tune. Jeremy came up with something pretty quickly. I happened to rip ass big time during his take and it came through load and clear on the recording so we left it in. I don’t know how many times we played it back and laughed at it. My stomach hurts today from laughing so hard. At one point Jeremy looped the fart and made it sound almost musical. What a great way to begin track 14.
I came home and Kel had been having a good time with some wine she picked up and was playing Sims 2 on Xbox. I tried to get her to go to Goodwill to drop off some of the things I have piled up in the van but she talked me out of it. I guess you can get in trouble and even arrested for dropping off stuff after hours. Crazy…
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Oct 29, 2005 20:23:26 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Oct 29, 2005 20:23:26 GMT -5
I once again made my list and followed through with it. On top of my personal list I was able to get some bills paid and take Ryan for a haircut as well as donate the stuff to goodwill that I had been trying to get there for several days now.
Kel surprised me but coming home from work an hour early and it was good to see her. The kids went out to eat with their friends so Kel and I headed over to Hunan since she had never eaten there. I think she enjoyed it quite a bit.
We came home to meet up with the kids. They were hyped because we were all going to go to the midnight showing of Shaun of the Dead. Unfortunately, we found out that no one under 17 was being admitted probably due to the sexy costume contest they were having. Kel was apprehensive about going but I talked her into it.
The movie was a lot of fun as was just watching the contest before the flick. Kel has some uber nerd sit next to her and I could tell she was uncomfortable. I thought I was nerdy but this guy was making the worst jokes at the screen, and if you know me then you know that its a hard thing to tell me a bad joke and not get away with it. I recall him yelling at the screen that they shouldn’t go down in the cellar because everyone knows zombies cant climb. As if this guy gets attacked by zombies everyday. Anyway, it made it an interesting venture. The ride home was tiring but Kel and I played a driving game to pass the time.
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Oct 30, 2005 22:08:09 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Oct 30, 2005 22:08:09 GMT -5
We were supposed to go to Macomb for the day so Kel could meet her new baby nephew but it didn’t happen. Basically, they couldn’t get it together when we should actually meet up and then they wanted to go to a place that had no vegetarian stuff so Kel just called it off. I was kind of looking forward to going if for any reason to make Kel happy and also to try and be more social able which is a goal of mine.
The family took off to do a little grocery shopping as well as get Anna an outfit for her chorus class. Ryan bought his girlfriend a stuffed animal which was a nice gesture on his part. I just hope I am a good role model for how to treat a woman with respect, like a gift. He seems to so far.
Kel and I settled in for the night by watching Amityville Horror 2005. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t scary or anything either. Mildly entertaining.
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Nov 1, 2005 16:07:26 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Nov 1, 2005 16:07:26 GMT -5
Halloween! Things are starting to come together in good ways for me. Like I have stated in the past I am finally going to get my life in order and have a plan to work towards. Carefully I have been laying down the foundations and taking small steps towards actions. It a really simple and cool process that I am working on and I am confident that it is going to work out the way I need it to.
I noticed that the candy we bought for the trick or treaters was running low from all of the sneaks in the house eating them before it was time so I ran out and got some dum-dums and some kind of weird sponge bob candy. Anna dressed up in a makeshift vampire costume and Ryan just went along to hang out with his girlfriend. This left me at home to deal with the door and candy responsibilities which was a lot of fun.
The kids and their buddies came back a few hours later and the house was in chaos. it’s a small place to begin with but add 4 people and it gets even smaller real quickly. I just kept playing Land of the Dead and they eventually calmed down. One kid dressed as Napoleon Dynamite was hanging on to my every whim on the game so eventually I just let him have a go at it. It was ok because Kel had come home and it was time for me to split for the Mill.
When I got to the Mill Adam and Matt were already there chilling out. I ordered some food because I was starving. Justin showed up soon after. We shot the shit for awhile until it got crowded and it was time for Matt and LG to hit the stage. They did a bunch of awesome Ween covers. Blarney Stone, It’s Gonna Be Alright, Don’t get 2 Close, and Cold Blows the wind, along with an original called “Glory Hole” and Lotion by someone that I forget. All in all it was good times.
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Nov 2, 2005 19:45:30 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Nov 2, 2005 19:45:30 GMT -5
One of the things on my list of things to do was to go out and earn some money. I decided to hit a temp agency and fill out an application. I need to somehow earn some cash in order to do the things I need to do to accomplish my goals as well as gift buying season is just around the corner and I love to give. Anyway, the job thing seemed promising. I took a typing test and passed at around 35 wpm. Not the best but I knew I could do a lot better if given a second chance. The agency ended up asking me to come back the next day at 11.
I had a bunch of other little things on my list I needed to get done as well. Its funny how when you do a bunch of small things they add up and create momentum until you have a big thing accomplished. it’s a snowball effect so to speak.
Something else I am learning recently is that I don’t need Prozac. It was harming me by making me feel good. Now I know that seems strange but its true. I was feeling good for no good reason. It is now my belief that we need our pain in order for us to make change for the better. If I had not decided to feel my pain again I would never have decided to turn my life around. Its been over a week since I have taken it and I feel better than I ever did on it.
I spoke with Jeremy on the phone and our plans continue to grow. I can’t wait to see what becomes of this project! We now have a recording studio picked out and are making plans to meet with the engineer next week. While I love my home recording process and sound it feels like another studio is the way to go with this project.
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Nov 5, 2005 0:15:03 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Nov 5, 2005 0:15:03 GMT -5
I got a phone call early in the morning, it was a job service saying they had work for me. It had something to do with filing and they said it was compatible with my disability so I accepted it. They wanted me to start the following day.
I continued on with my daily list. One of the things on the list was go for a walk. Now, I do this everyday to reflect in my life and meditate until the answers come to me. This day was different. Anna wanted to come with me, I knew that I wanted and needed the time for myself but I also felt that she needed the time with me, so she came with. I’m glad she did because I think in talking and spending this extra time with her I was able to get closer to her personally.
I was able to finish up the other things on my list and headed over to Jeremy’s for another songwriting session. We walked over to Goosetown and then kicked back to an episode of What’s Happening. We also did an experiment with the guitars where we tuned them randomly into an odd tuning and wrote a song around the chords we could made sound halfway decent. It was interesting even if it wasn’t the best we have done.
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Nov 6, 2005 2:10:53 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Nov 6, 2005 2:10:53 GMT -5
I awoke early in the morning and did something that I haven’t done in a long time, I got ready for work. Its been more than a year since I worked the normal route. The experience was interesting but not all that exciting. I arrived at the office and found the door locked. I know people were inside because I saw someone else walk into the building as I pulled into the lot. I knocked on the door and called the contact but there was no answer. Finally, after about 10 minutes after I was supposed to be at work the boss man rolls up in his car and lets me in. He was actually pretty cool and said they keep things pretty relaxed. He gave me permission to come and go as I please if I needed to get a snack or something to drink. Boss man showed me what I will be doing for my job. Basically, they had stacks of claim papers laying around the office that no one had filed for a month so it was my job to file them all. Now, this would be cake work normally but they didn’t take into account that I have a bad leg even though I specifically put on my application that I can do bending, lifting, or standing in my potential job. This one had me doing all 3 all of the time. My bad knee began hurting bad within a half hour of working.
Around lunch the group of girls that worked there invited me out to eat with them. I didn’t have much money or desire to go but I figured I should push myself into the realm of the uncomfortable to help move me forward. Lunch was ok even though the place they picked, “Gus’s” was not veggie friendly at all. I didn’t fuss and just ordered some cheese fries. Their conversation was very hard to follow since they all had been working together for a long time and talking about their common friends, it was either that or they would bring up some reality TV show or another. I don’t really watch those either. We did get some rapport going when I brought up the wife and kids and it seemed pretty fun for awhile.
When we came back from lunch it was as if no one even knew me at all. I was banished to my file cabinet and no one spoke to me for the rest of the day until it was time to go home. Weird first day. I still don’t know if or how I will get through a second one.
I came home and finished the stuff up on my daily list and emailed Kel back and forth. When she eventually got off from work she picked me up and we went to the store to grab a little food for the night. She cooked up some great food after putting in more than a full day. I really appreciated it. My knees were killing me but I restrained from taking any pain pills.
Later in the night I decided I should still take my daily walk even though I was in pain and my knee had given out twice at the grocery store. It was decided that Anna should accompany me on my venture so she could watch me and call for help if the knees gave out again. The legs held up fine and my hope is I am adding strength to them with all of the walking I do. I had only worked one day but the weekend ahead looked really great!
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Nov 7, 2005 1:26:43 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Nov 7, 2005 1:26:43 GMT -5
The day started off in a normal way though I began cleaning the house pretty early. Once I started the cleaning I find that Kel joins in almost on instinct. It was nice to have some help. AC called fairly early in the day and wanted to go catch “Saw 2” with Jeremy and I, I guess he really enjoyed the first one as J and I both did. We made plans to hit the second matinee and I finished cleaning.
I picked up Jeremy and met AC back at my pad. I wanted to show them the Neil Young on Conan that I tivo’d all week but alas the tivo was not working right. It seems to be getting worse lately and from what I have read it could mean a bad hard drive. Its probably an easy fix and I could even put in a larger drive for more space. Anyway, we hit the movie and it was ok. I wouldn’t say it lived up to the first one but it was decent for the cash cow that it was.
After the movie we went back to my place and the tivo was still down. Fuck. So we watched some of the What’s Happening marathon before heading out for some food. I was broke as a joke so I took a few DVDs and a pavement cd to record collector and got enough money to buy some diner and bring home some beer for Kel. The food was awesome and probably tasted better than usual due to the fact I hadn’t eaten a thing prior to the Burg all day.
We dropped of Jeremy and then headed back to my place for some beers that I of course didn’t partake in due to my “problem”. The ride back was one of those crazy times when the rain is falling so hard that you can’t see the car in front of you. Still, I have to hand it to Adam, we made it back in one piece. We flipped the channels and they drank beer until AC decided to head home and Kel and I went to turn in for the night.
The whole night my knee and leg would go on to hurt me more than usual. I was a dumbass and decided that maybe it just needed more exercise to loosen up, bad move. It was one of the worst sleeps I have had in recent memory due to pain.
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Nov 8, 2005 16:10:08 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Nov 8, 2005 16:10:08 GMT -5
Hey there bloggy, its been a few days. I have been very busy lately and its hard to find time to keep up with you. I’m trying to remember the events of Sunday but its all a blur now. It was a day I tried to rest but the momentum I have been building was too great and I pushed myself yet again. I know I skipped my daily exercise though. I also called my new job to see if they could give me something else. They took me off the assignment they gave me and told me to call and check later for a new job.
We also went to meet my parents in some small town outside of Solon. They are in thr process of moving to the Quad Cities and had a few things they wanted to give to us including a new dining room set. Up until now we had 2 working chairs and a crappy table so it was a really nice gift. They also took us out to lunch when we met them. My parents are pretty cool like that.
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Nov 8, 2005 16:19:01 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Nov 8, 2005 16:19:01 GMT -5
Monday I was back in full swing. I made my list, revised it and stuck to it. Its senseless for me to type it all up here again but I know that all of the small things are quickly adding up. I haven’t felt this good in a long time.
I turned in my time sheet for the work I had done last week and they said that I would have a paycheck ready on Friday. Its been awhile since I have heard those words. It was kind of nice but a trip at the same time.
AC came by after work and we went to West music to grab some strings. I was a little short on cash so he helped me out. AC is a great friend who I am very thankful to have in my life. West was having some kind of recording seminar that I was kind of interested in but didn’t stay to see. The stings that I bought were nylons and man, have I missed using them. When I replaced the old strings on my acoustic the new ones sounded like going from a 8-track tape player to the finest vinyl recording. Very warm and felt great! So much better than metal strings. I may never go back.
I finally got around to choosing what songs I will play on the Bradman show. I think its going to be a hell of a good time. I have been streaming episodes online and for a local show it’s a good watch. Now I just need a few more rehearsals of the tunes and things will go smooth as silk.
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Nov 9, 2005 14:36:43 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Nov 9, 2005 14:36:43 GMT -5
Well, here it is again and I’m not sure why I even still write this. I have found a much more effective way to organize my thoughts and it makes this almost a chore. Still, I believe it has its benefits especially since I just cross things off of my checklist and throw it away to reach the next plateau. One of the unusual events of yesterday was that Kel, Ryan, and I went to see Anna in her first choir concert. It was weird because it was boring and entertaining all at the same time. I wish I had audio bootlegged a certain part where all of the kids pulled out kazoos and played a chorus of them. It was an interesting sound to say the least. I would have used it somehow on the next Dillweed album. Speaking of which I may recruit some friends of Anna who are in the choir with her for recording. Its just an idea I wanted to get down before I lose it. Kel kind of got upset yesterday and I really wish she would stop doing that to herself. I don’t know if she realizes that it effects everyone around her. Maybe she enjoys the power of that, I don’t know. Its not a good power to have at any rate unless she can figure out how to make it work to help everyone. Anger can be a gift when used in the right context, at least I have learned to believe that recently. I know she was trying to hurt me by telling me that she is going to stop listening to music all together because she is so sick of it being in her life. It was a direct jab at me and my passion. It would have been like if I were to say to her that I am going to stop loving the kids because I was sick of them. that’s not at all true but I believe it would make her feel the same way.
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Nov 9, 2005 18:01:33 GMT -5
Post by chelsea on Nov 9, 2005 18:01:33 GMT -5
i really love the fact that you said "bloggy." haha
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Nov 10, 2005 11:31:25 GMT -5
Post by Dan on Nov 10, 2005 11:31:25 GMT -5
Wow! You mean someone actually reads this thing? Bloggy is a good nickname for a blog right?
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