04.28.05 - Life Update

Hello folks! It’s been a wacky month as I’m sure you can guess given the infrequency of my updates of late. Hopefully things have smoothed out for a while and I’ll be able to devote more time to the Blog. I’ve got a bunch of reviews written and ready to post although they are on my other computer so I’ll have to wait until I get home from school to mess with those – some movies, a couple of plays, and several books. I even got off my but and created some ½ monkey icons for the reviews because some of them warrant a ½ monkey one way or the other. I’ve also got some new pictures to post once I get permission from my photographer.

Well the biggest news for those of you who haven’t heard is that Cher and I have decided to get married. The lucky date is Friday July 15, 2005. We have yet to pick a location though the flagstaff amphitheatre is the current favorite. It will be VERY small - our parents, our siblings, our children and Paul and Jen. There will be a reception sometime after at Paul and Jen’s. I’ll be mailing those of you who have any chance to attend the specifics as we sort that out. Another cool point, my stepfather John is a Pastor and he’s agreed to do the wedding – very cool. We’re very excited and looking forward to a wonderful life together.

Next on the list for me is school. I’m still doing well but, as the end of semester nears, I’m experiencing the inevitable anxiety that goes with finals week. After some serious soul searching, and a discussion with financial aid, I’ve decided not to pursue a double major in Music. I will reach my maximum allotment for undergraduate financial aid prior to the completion of my Biology degree so I’ll be paying for about a semester and a half out of pocket. That being said, I think it’s unreasonable to drain the family resources to cover another degree at this time. I can go back and pick it up later if I’m still interested.

I’ll be taking a full load this summer. I’ve decided to knock out one of my Science classes this summer – General Biology I. Summer semesters are shorter than normal and as such, that class will be about six hours long. I’ve also decided to take Music Theory which is co req’d with Ear Training and Sight Singing and Piano Class - I figure that will be more entertaining for me than Music Appreciation. Finally, I’ll be taking my first Online class ever, College Algebra. I’ve failed Algebra so many times I couldn’t tell you exactly how many but it’s at least four. It’s not that I don’t understand, it’s just that I can’t stand the redundant homework assignments. Hopefully sitting at home cranking out the tunes and working on my computer will mitigate some of the homework issues. In any case, I’m going to have to learn how to get through math because I need to get to calculus II before medical school.

We are preparing for Josh’s fishing trip and he is very excited. He’ll be gone for about 12 days in June assuming they don’t elect to use him as bait or that he doesn’t kill his fellow fishermen via some unknown disease given that he has KP duties as well. I’m certain that he will never forget the experience. We’ll miss him while he’s gone.

I took my laptop apart and blew all the dust out of it. It is no longer overheating!!! Yay! It’s also paid for finally, now that it’s dreadfully out of date. Ah computers… Thankfully my tower is fairly modern having been recently upgraded. It could still use a sound and video upgrade but it’s definitely serviceable for most everything I do. I’d have to add a big flat screen to the list of wants but, at this point, it’s no more than a want.

My car died at the end of March. The faithful 1995 Ford Taurus’s transmission quit after hauling my butt for over seventy thousand miles (many of them rough drives through the mountains). It was a good car though I never liked it. My sister would point out that I never liked what it represented. You see, at some point during the death throes of my last marriage, my ex-wife decided I should sell my F150. The truck had belonged to my father and I inherited it after his death. I had put a considerable amount of my inheritance into the truck and it was my pride and joy. In an effort to save my marriage and keep my ex-wife happy, I sold the truck and gave half of the proceeds of the sale to her. I took the other half, purchased the Taurus, and spent the rest on minor things. It didn’t save the marriage though looking back I’d do it again. Money and stuff don’t matter to me as much as the people and relationships in my life. So, as much as I missed and still miss that truck, I know that one day I’ll have another and that if need be, I’ll sell it too.

On the vehicle front, Cher and I are trying desperately to purchase a motorcycle of some kind. We are most interested in the Kawasaki Nomad 1600 at the moment though we have also been looking at the Yamaha Venture, and the Honda Goldwing. Chances are we’re not going to get the financing for any of those this year so were looking into used bikes that can comfortably support two up. If anybody has any ideas, let me know.

On the guitar front I got some new goodies in addition to the nifty new axe. I got a Roland JC120 which is, in my opinion and that of many others, the finest “clean” amplifier on the planet. It also has a Stereo Chorus which is magnificent. In addition to that, I got a BOSS GT8 guitar effects processor. This little baby is incredible. It can emulate the sound of all of the popular amplifier setups of the past 50 years and it can combine the sounds of these amps in virtually any combination. In addition, you can set up two different amp and effects configurations accessible with the handy foot pedals. I’m very psyched. I look forward to playing some open mics around town over the next few years once I get some material together.

Well, that’s enough for now. I’ll get the other material up after I get home. Thanks for checking in and I’ll try to be more regular with the updates.

RCS