Are you just going to leave it like that?

My wife is pretty awesome. Those who really know me know that I'm not an easy person to live with. Take a step into my mind. Wipe your feet. Hold it. Maybe you better take those shoes off. Your feet look a little sweaty. Put your shoes back on.

I don't think I'm obsessive compulsive. I'm very high functioning and can handle life's numerous inconsistencies without freaking out. It takes every ounce of willpower to not freakout. As long as I can remember (long time) I've always liked things to be a certain way. When I was quite young I would arrange my toys in a pleasing manner. If I was playing with my toy cars I'd arrange them like a parking lot so I could systematically play with them. Everything got equal play time which I originally thought was to respect the feelings of my toys. Today I think it was a subconscious desire for order.

I feel dirty most of the time but I don't have a desire to be clean so I don't scrub myself smooth. This is one of those mother things. My mom always told me I was filthy which is ironic because I was a surprisingly clean for a five year old. If I spot a dog hair on my clothing I have to remove them all. Here's where this gets really strange. Once something gets all out of whack it tends to stay that way. If I pick up one thing I need to pick up everything and I begin this manic quest to get everything picked up.

I have a problem with glasses placed near the edge of a table. Most people that know me are aware of this and try to get my attention to moving their glasses as close to the edge as possible to see if I'll say/do anything. I usually move them. From time to time I'll do this to a stranger's glass at a restaurant if I can get away with it. I'm afraid they'll spill. It's a thing.

I don't like things like crooked pictures and uneven blinds to the point of where I can't eat if I can see them. I usually position myself in a way to where I can't see them. This can be challenging.

There are little things as well. I get a little annoyed when Jill takes one Sudafed from the thingy and leaves an uneven number. I try not to let stuff like that bother me.

Last but not least I get bored when I try to write long blogs.

A blog without a topic

Here I sit broken hearted. Came to blog but only...

...I know what you were thinking but I don't do toilet humor. I will admit that I read what's on the walls though.

I was pondering blogging about a new album I just got my hands on but it doesn't come out for a month and a half so I'll do my friend a favor and not write about it. Come to think of it both of the albums I'm listening through right now haven't been released.

How do I go about reviewing an album? I'm no journalist nor am I much a music critic. I like to think I have decent taste in music but the stuff I like isn't particularly popular or hasn't been popular in some time. I give new music a chance every now and then but I tend to fall back on stuff that I like.

Here's what I look for. First and foremost I like something well produced but it's not a deal breaker. If the mix is good to where I can hear everything I can sit through it even if I don't like the band or song. From there I pick the song apart and find facets to appreciate. I love a strong bass line with a complimentary drum beat. Being a guitar player you'd think I like pristine guitars. You are correct. I'll forgive the worst song if the guitar player is awesome. Vocals are a tricky part. I like a unique voice and I'm a sucker for harmonies especially when they're used to fill out what would otherwise be an empty song. Lyrics? I don't really care about lyrics. I can't write them and I rarely remember them. Why should I criticize somebody for uninspired lyrics? If said lyrics are stupid, that's when. My daily posting of a crappy song on Facebook is usually due to adolescent lyrics or all around lameness.

I'll have to go through my library and find an album that has been released to review so nobody will continue to listen to it because let's be honest with ourselves here. How often do we give a listen to the favorite songs of other people? Not very often. If people post a song that blows everybody gives it a spin. It's like smelling something stinky. If somebody makes a pan of brownies everybody takes a quick whiff but if they catch the aroma of something terrible they take several deep sniffs to make sure they're smelling what they think they're smelling.

ABC's of Graham

I do everything my wife does here because everything I think of writing ends up being really negative or about landscaping.

A: Age.
32

B: Bed size.
Queen

C: Chores you dislike.
Cleaning the stove and dusting. Really just dusting. I'm just too lazy to clean the stove.

D: Dogs.
I like dogs well enough and I've had numerous ones but after my last dog I swore I'd never have another one. I did my best to discourage Jill from getting one but Lucy won her over and I give her whatever she wants.

E: Essential start to your day.
Cup of coffee or tea. If I don't get one I can't really get going.

F: Favorite color.
Blue. Next question.

G: Gold or silver.
Anything but gold.

H: Height.
5'11"

I: Instruments you play(ed).
I can play just about everything except the flute, oboe, piccolo, and trumpet. Everything else I can play to the point of people thinking I know how to play them.

J: Job title.
My business card says Sr. Analyst Field Services. Calm down ladies.

K: Kids.
I like kids and hope to have one of each. I'd let Jill talk me into a third kid if we don't get our mix right away but I think that fifth wheel throws off groupings for Disneyland and Disney World rides that favor even numbers.

L: Live.
I am currently living. My home is in Nebraska.

M: Mom's name.
Melanie

N: Nicknames.
I've picked up a few over the years. Graham Cracker, Grahambo, G-Ram, G-Money, babe, husband pants.

O: Overnight hospital stays.
I spent a few days when I had mono. It was a terrible experience.

P: Pet peeves.
I could do a blog just on my pet peeves. I hate bad drivers, people that stand too close to me, cups placed at the edge of tables, law breakers...

Q: Quote from a movie:
Oh the weather outside is weather.

R: Righty or lefty.
Righty unless I want to change it up. Giggity.

S: Siblings.
I have an older and younger brother as well as a younger step sister that I never see.

T: Time you wake up.
It all depends on my mood. Let's say I feel better when I'm kickin' by 8AM.

U: Underwear.
I prefer boxer briefs but I'll sport anything but a banana hammock.

V: Vegetables you don't like.
Peas and olives. Are olives vegetables?

W: What makes you run late.
Jill

X: X-rays you've had.
Head, back, foot, leg, arm, teeth, hands, and chest.

Y: Yummy food you make.
If it's not yummy why would I make it? Everything I make tastes good.

Z: Zoo animal favorites.
Primates

Photo Challenge - Day 30

Day 30. A photo of you when you were happy.



I could post any number of pictures of my wife and I since they're all happy but this one is special. Jill and I had just met for the first time. We had known each other and had been talking on the phone and online. I was finally able to book a flight to meet her and I was ecstatic. Shortly thereafter I was stricken with Mono and ended up in the hospital. Knowing Jill was waiting for me sped my recovery. I had lost over twenty pounds from spending two months in bed and eating very little. I could barely carry my bags. Still, I made it and it was the best trip I've ever been on. My departure was tearful but I think they were tears of joy because I hadn't been that happy in several years. I knew from that moment I was going to marry Jill.

Photo Challege - Day 29

Day 29. A photo of someone you find attractive.

I always get stuck on things like this. My mind immediately goes to my wife and I hate posting cliches like that. Of course I've got my celebrity crushes. It's hard to pick just one though. That being said, I'm still very picky. Being a redhead usually ensures a spot as do a nice set of legs but I eventually narrowed it down to ladies I always find attractive. Here is my fantasy orgy.

Karen Gillan is a newcomer but she's super rad. Being on Doctor Who sweetens the deal.


Amy Adams wins for all around attractiveness. Hot but not to the point of not looking real. She's got it all where it counts.


Kate Winslet has always managed to make the cut. I don't know what it is but I think she's the cat's pajamas.


Charlize Theron straddles the line and I like that. She can be cranked well past 11 but when you pull her back in the real world she still looks so darned good.


Honorable mention goes to Rachel McAdams ass. I mean look at it. I don't like her face at all but she's rocking the back end.

Photo Challenge - Day 28

Day 28. A photo of what you ate today.



This is the first half of my dinner. I had three more tacos for a total of six. I used to eat eight but I don't want to be a chub. I still eat a lot but I think I have a tape worm that keeps me from getting too chubby.

Tools, house, yard, etc.

My family of tools just gained a fat cousin. I'm back in possession of a decent air compressor again. It will be very nice to have when I do insulate the garage and build some outdoor pieces to hide my wife from the white trashedness of our neighbors.

Jill and I have numerous projects that we'd love to do if money were no object but frankly if money were no object we wouldn't be living next door to the people we live next door to. We have a lot of realistic projects.

Our biggest realistic project is the patio. We've got a lot of dreams here but reality is ultimately making the decision on what we do. Whoever can hit that magical $8/sq ft number will ultimately get the business. A pergola may be back in the cards if we can work out what we're going to do. Jill keeps going back to wood which would be preferred but there is a relatively inexpensive steel one at Lowes that I could install with little trouble. I could probably do a wooden one as well but Jill really doesn't like it when I build things she has to look at since I half-assed the shelves in the basement storage area. I've tried to remind her that I did it without the tools that I now have. I'm tempted to build a nice set of shelves so she can see that I do know how to build things with wood. I think her other concern is that while two people can put up a pergola easily, one guy can do it as well. We'll be getting pricing on this at the home show.

Landscaping is always easy. We're going to get more rock for me schlep around the yard. We don't want to do any of this until the patio is in and even after we have it we still want to live with it for a year before making a decision since we do all the design and planting ourselves. We will get some flowers planted up front and may need to replace a few things we planted last year if they don't come back.

Lawn is a given though it's an ongoing hobby for me. I like making my lawn look good without the aid of lawn companies and in ground sprinklers. The recent snow caught me off guard and I was only able to do the backyard which has left lots of green grass out back but none out front which is what everybody sees. I'm going to try to get some of it done after work today and get some fertilizer down so the front can catch up. I will seed both the front and back tomorrow. Woo hoo. I love grass.

I'm just about there with my arsenal of tools. I'm going to start making Jill planter boxes. I've got my eyes on some inexpensive T&G (tongue and groove) at Menards that I can use to make a pretty one. I also want to build planters for climbing plants. I'm very excited about this. I'll get to build stuff and Jill will get to plant without contending with bugs.

Long term house goals are basement related. I'd like to wall in my office and get a bathroom installed. All the rough ins for plumbing is there so the worst is done. These are big money items so they'll have to wait a decade or two.

Jill is pretty comfortable with room decorating now after the success of our guest room. We bought some towels and a new shower curtain for one of the bathrooms upstairs. It could use some artwork and maybe some paint but we'll probably stop with the artwork since we don't know what color to paint it yet. Our bathroom is pretty dull so we may do some paint as well as replacing the cabinet pulls and the faucets. Faucets are expensive so we'll put this one off as long as we can. I think the house is currently comfortable as far as decorations go but we could use a little more color and some curtains downstairs.

When you put it all down in a blog there doesn't appear to be as much work. When you add it all up on a calculator it's very scary.

Photo Challenge - Day 27

Day 27. A photo of last summer.



I probably shouldn't have done this since the last time I tried to do something that kids do I injured my ribs pretty badly. I assure you it was bent to the side before I played on it.

Photo Challege - Day 26

Day 26. A photo of your favorite weekend.



Back in September of 2005 Jill and I drove from Iowa to California when she moved. I'm sure the trip was a little bittersweet for her since she didn't want to move there but the road trip itself was incredible. We took a detour in Utah so we could go south to see Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon. I'd like to go back.

What's your deal, asshole?

A friend of mine had a great update on the Facebook today.

Generally men aren't assholes. They only act that way because women love assholes. I'm fortunate to have a wife that doesn't love assholes but if I wasn't fortunate enough to have such a wife I could very easily find somebody.

I'm not talking just anybody either. I could be picky. That hot broad over there? Mine. How does one like me do so? It's a pretty easy recipe. Start with some Ed Hardy stuff. A loud shirt and some kind of off-road hat with a flat bill. A pair of Diesel jeans and whatever shoes douchebags are wearing these days will go nicely with a slight smirk. I lack muscles so a sweatshirt will be needed to hide my "guns" deficit.

The next step is attitude. A posse will only get you so far so you need to shout at the ladies. "S'up bitches" is a good ice breaker. Eventually a girl ranking at least a 7 on the "hotness" scale will bite. This does not equal a score though. You need a follow up to your smooth line. "Come back after I've had a few" will plant the seed. Break eye contact at this point then tell your friends that she would be hotter if it wasn't for her saggy tiddies. This will prompt her to make a bra adjustment then hang out nearby until you soften your approach a little bit. This will be the only tricky part of the evening as you need to dial it back a bit otherwise you'll come off as too much of a pussy. Every line you deliver is like a joke sans punchline.

Break off from your posse long enough to get her name and give her your "party" name. Mine is Sluggo because I'll knock out anybody who messes with me. This lets her know that I'm brave enough to talk to her and won't back down from a fight. This will get her excited. Once you've established that she's easy you need to crank it up to 11. Tell her that her outfit kind of makes her look easy. She may act like she doesn't like hearing that but that's exactly why she wore what she wore.

This is a good time to take a break. Go make a phone call or use the bathroom. Try to do it as abruptly as possible to let her know that she's not important. Ignore her for the next 30 minutes. Don't even look at her. If possible look at the most attractive girl in her group. More courageous assholes would hit on this girl as well but it's not necessary. This will annoy your prospective lay initially but when you go back to hitting on her she'll be so jazzed that you've decided she's the one of her group you want to bang she'll pretty much be good to go.

At this point you can take her home and give her the best 30 seconds of sex she's had in the past week or at the very least get a handy int he parking lot. At this point you're done with her. She'll want you from this day forth so she'll make a good stand by for your booty call list.

Rational people would read this and say, "Hey, asshole. What makes you think you could pick up women that way?" Every girl that has ever dated or married an asshole, that's what.

Photo Challege - Day 25

Day 25. A photo of a night you loved.



This is a photo of my last band, Up The Junction taken at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood. We didn't play a whole lot of shows since we started up just before I moved to the Midwest but I think this one was our best. I haven't played live since then. That's Mike up front. I think there were more people on stage than there were in the audience. I'm joking of course. There were at least ten people there.
I'm trying not to be so redundant. Just about every night with my wife is a night I love.

Photo Challenge - Day 24

Day 24. A photo of you that your hair looks nice in.



My hair doesn't look good very often. I should get it cut every month but I don't like paying for it. Jill's hair looks pretty good here.

Photo Challenge - Day 23

Day 23. A photo of your friend as a baby.



Not really a baby.

Photo Challenge - Day 22

Day 22. A photo of your town.



A photo doesn't do it justice. Here's a rap video.

Short Blog Monday

Cops on Segway scooters aren't very intimidating. Maybe it's the bike helmet. Maybe.

Photo Challenge - Day 21

Day 21. A photo of you standing up.



I figured I'd post a photo from the same Disney World trip that Jill posted. I'm original.

Photo Challenge - Day 20

Day 20. A photo of something you enjoy doing.



I used to be in a band when I lived in California since it was the thing to do. I really enjoyed it. In this group I played bass but I had another group where I played guitar and drums. This was taken at the Gypsy Lounge in Orange County. I do it all by myself now but I still enjoy it.

Tool Time

Tools
Tools are good to have but there are some very specific tools that nobody should be without. This means if you don't have any of them or don't have a quality one you should get it or plan to get it.
1. Hammer - I recommend a good framing hammer. The pricier ones are balanced better and miss less often.
2. Rubber mallet - Once you have one you can't imaging being without one. Any cheap wooden handle version will do.
3. Orbital sander - Belt sanders and block sanders are fine and dandy but an orbital sander is best for prepping an area to paint and most basic refinishing jobs. $30 tops. Go get one.
4. Power Drill - I used to have a beautiful Dewalt hammer drill. It was stolen because I neglected to do what I describe below. Since then I've purchased cheap drills that have gotten the job done for the most part. A quality drill can handle heavy use plus they utilize their battery better than the cheap ones.
5. Drill bits - Get a complete set. I used to try to get by with a hodgepodge of bits that were never quite small or large enough. The right sized bit will make the right sized hole. You don't need to spend too much on these.
6. Level - Buy a good one. I used to use a crappy one and there are many uneven towel racks and shelves in our home.
7. Hack saw - Get a good one. Replace the blade frequently. They're not that expensive.
8. Driver set - As much as I love my driver with interchangeable bits I frequently encounter holes it won't fit inside. Get individual drivers of all sizes. Phillips and slot.
9. Tape measure - Get a good Stanley 25' will measure whatever you need to measure.
10. Safety glasses - You may think you look dumb wearing them but rest assured you look even dumber with a bandage and gauze over your eye.

Those are the crucial items for basic jobs around the house. The "DIY'er" will also want a compound miter saw, jig saw, carpenter square, shop vac, and a good circular saw. A good air compressor with a long hose will power most air tools like brad nailers and such. The small pancake units are really just good for putting air in your tires and will do so running the entire time.

I know some people are afraid to stock their garages with good tools out of fear of being stolen. As I mentioned above my very expensive power drill was stolen. Most people who steal tools do so to sell them. If you deface them somewhat no pawn shop will take them. Carve your name on the side, paint a little rainbow on the side or do both. My old skill saw was had a pink guard on it. I was frequently asked why I had a pink saw which was occasionally annoying but I could leave it lying around without fear of theft.

It's not hard to do manly things. All you need are the right tools and a fearless attitude. No matter what you destroy there will always be somebody with the skills to fix it for a nominal fee. Next time you break something, fix it.

Photo Challenge - Day 19

Day 19. A picture of your room & don’t cheat by cleaning it.



This is half of our room. Yeah, it's clean but that's just because it was clean when this photo was taken and I'm too lazy to go upstairs and snap a fresh photo let alone clean it. This is a pretty old photo actually. I've since put up curtains. Perhaps I'll snap a photo after I get those thingies we bought hung over the bed.

I may have to do a photo expose on the house after we clean it up for my mom's next visit.

Photo Challenge - Day 18

Day 18. A photo of one of your classes.



I'm in my 30's now so I'm going to have to change this up a bit. Here's me at the office. I don't think a single photo exists of me in a classroom.

Photo Challege - Day 17

Day 17. A picture of something you cannot live without.



I'm not a nostalgic kind of guy but my wedding ring is my most prized possession. I pretty much never take it off and certainly couldn't live without it.

Are you there God? It's me Graham.

No, I didn't just get my period though I'm confident I'll get there some day. Let's ramble on about God shall we?

In all seriousness I've had a tumultuous past with my own personal deity. I've yet to completely discount the guy because I've seen what I regard to be his hand in numerous moments in my life that I've chosen not to cheapen by calling them coincidences. That being said, I don't go to church and I don't share the "good news." This is more due to my introverted nature rather than my abhorrence of people who behave poorly in the name of God.

What really burns my ass are those that compromise the concept of God by misrepresenting via their own warped sense of spirituality. Worse yet when they do it via scripture. They're selective in their interpretations of the doctrine they follow. Most do this so they can freely pass judgment without being judged themselves. This is apparent to non-believers ironically via the scripture that every non-believer knows. "Judge not lest ye etc." Their slings and arrows are just another empty gesture in their attempt to win over a God who doesn't need to be won over.

Many sin freely with the knowledge that they just need to apologize for it verbally or via a set of rituals. Not that there is anything wrong with saying you're sorry. This is where "repentance" is misunderstood. If you're not truly sorry what you've done then your apology is an empty act.

Many Christians adhere to the spiritual head of household rule. At some point the submission of one spouse to the other went from a very spiritual, singular married body to the man making all the decisions. Mind you this only for the purpose of relinquishing accountability and turning your most pious side to the masses. They still reserve the right to claim superiority on subjects where they feel they need to be empowered. Here's an example. Mary believes that her husband Ron, ultimately decides what they do and when they do it. It's his cross to bear as the man of the house. Mary also believes that Ron should be consider her when making decisions about things that she wishes to have feelings about. In essence she's submissive except when she has an opinion. Thanks for the help with the role playing you guys.

Free will seems to evade a great many people. They fully understand what it is and what it means but when pinned to the wall by life they immediately hand the wheel over to whoever is willing to steer. God is not your co-pilot. He's your navigator. He has all the directions you need and will gladly point you in the right direction. He's not a driving instructor with his own set of controls to the Youmobile. Your place in life is fully dependent on how your ancestors utilized their free will and how you use your own. You're not alone but you do have to drive.

Some people hijack planes and fly them into buildings to get their lord's message out. Others hijack passersby with leaflets proclaiming how God loves them and wants the best for them. While this may be the case who decided it was up to these individuals to petition others on his behalf? The next time somebody knocks on your door you can lay a little scripture on them. It helps if you have a bible handy because you can pull that out to and really lay down the law. It's easy to find since it's the first book of the New Testament. Jesus' sermon on the mound is also where "Judge not..." comes from. Pay attention now. Matthew 7 is the best way to deal with these people.

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Ask, and it shall be given you seek, and ye shall find knock, and it shall be opened unto you for every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Quick and easy translation. If somebody wants it they'll ask for it. Don't put on your dog and pony show for people who don't want to see it.

It's stuff like this that pushes me away from people in general. I can appreciate that they've found spirituality but to me their enthusiasm for God is akin to some people's enthusiasm for Lady Gaga. Just because you think it's great doesn't mean I will no matter how many statements you provide that suggest I should do likewise.

I'll believe in God right along with you but I don't go to church and if I did I'm certainly not wearing a tie because Jesus didn't say I have to.

That's about all I got in the ramblin' department. Here's a story about Jesus being kidnapped and wiener poop.

Photo Challenge - Day 16

Day 16. A photo of you at the last party you went to.



I haven't been to an actual party since 2009. Here I am singing some Huey Lewis with my friend Kenn.

Photo Challenge - Day 15

Day 15. A photo of you and someone you love



I love my dog. She bugs the shit out of me but I love her.

Short blog Monday

Charlie Sheen has become a real life Old Spice commercial. Hyah!

Photo Challege - Day 14

Day 14. A photo of one of your favorite family members



My brudders and I are an interesting group. Randy on the left is my younger brother. He's the sensitive one. He lives for his church and I'm okay with that. He used to write music which always kept me into music for some reason. That's Justin in the middle. He's my older brother which puts me in the middle. I'm closer in age to him but Randy caught up socially awhile back. Justin likes sports, Kung Fu movies, and is kind of like the anti-Randy. I meet them both halfway as a kind of buffer. It's interesting how things work out like that. I only see them about once a year but I'm still pretty close to them though not as much with Randy any more. He doesn't have a lot of time for his family these days.

Singin'

It's time to record a damn song. This will be it. Normally I'd do what's known as a dueling cover where my brother does the same thing back in California and we compare but he's too busy with his fifteen jobs to do it. I think it's a good starting off point before I get back in the original song game. This is one of my all time favorite songs. Most people forget about it or have never heard it. They're missing out.



Once I finish I'll post it here. It takes me a good month to record, program, mix, and master a song so don't wait up. It will be done though this I promise. Give it a listen even if you hate good music.

Photo Challenge - Day 13

Day 13. A photo of your best friend(s)

I've got a few best friends but I don't have a photo with each of them so I figured I'd put up one of each.


This is Guy. We were born on the same day within a few hours of each other. We've shared the stage on numerous occasions. He lives in New York now so we don't see each other well, ever but he's still one of my best friends.


Meet Rob. He's been a stand by for as long as Guy. He's like my workin' buddy that I never worked with professionally. He's like a brother. I don't get down to Texas very often but when we do get together it's like no time has passed.


Here's Joe. We go back 23 years which makes him my oldest friend. The picture pretty much sums the guy up. He's one of many musician friends of mine. He's been there for some of the heavier moments in my life and I'm proud to call him a friend.


I like Brian. Some of my best times were spent with him be it a trip to the lake, making food at 2am or just sitting around doing nothing. He's kind of like Joe in that I've known him for a really long time. He's everybody's best friend.

Photo Challenge - Day 12

Day 12. A picture from your day.



This is essentially a picture from every day as I can spend anywhere from 8 to 10 hours sitting right here starting these screens. If this were a weekend I'd replace this with a picture of our TV upstairs.

Photo Challenge - Day 11

Day 11. A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.



I wanted something unique and probably should have jumped on this one before my wife posted hers but I know what I know and Jill is a force of nature in my life. Without her I'd probably still be living in an apartment in Orange County wishing I had everything that I have right now. I think the best pictures I have of her are the ones she doesn't know I'm taking.

Two-fer Thursday

It's about 2pm so I figured I'd do a quick blog to ease the work tension. I've been doing the same thing for a week now and it's getting a little monotonous.

I'm very happy that my Facebook page wasn't all clogged up with "hip hip hoorays" for the Pro-Union protesters. I don't like unions and never will.

I'm stuck in a music funk right now. I get my best ideas while I'm brushing my teeth in the evening so I've been jotting them down on my phone as they come to me. I'm hoping to have enough for a few songs soon so I can start using all my neat new recording gear.

Photo Challenge - Day 10

Day 10. A photo of you as a baby



Forgive the photo. It's literally the only one I have in my possession. The few that exist are with my mom in California.

Photo Challenge - Day 9

Day 9. A photo of your family



From left to right you have my younger brother Randy, mom, me, Steve, and my older brother Justin. We're pretty cool.

Photo Challenge - Day 8

Day 8. A picture of something you dislike.



Both of our neighbors have dogs that bark incessantly. We refer to the malamutes as the "Douche Dogs." It's hard to pick which dog is the worst. One of the malamutes howls and the chocolate lab on the other side has this yelp like its foot is being stepped on. I hate barking dogs.

I also hate that this dog always has that fucking harness on. They never take it for walks.

Photo Challenge - Day 7

Day 7. a photo of someone you love



Oh look. Another picture of my wife. I think this photo challenge is designed for individuals who are a tad younger and not married.

Photo Challenge - Day 6

Day 6. a photo that makes you laugh



This picture of my wife always cracks me up. I always joke that she looks like she just sat down in somebody else's fart.

Photo Challenge - Day 5

Day 5. a recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself



I've done a pretty good job of avoiding being photographed recently considering that this is one of two pictures of me taken since Christmas.

I'm not sure how interesting these facts are but here goes.
1. I share a birthday with Patrick Swayze.
2. I play numerous musical instruments.
3. I can sing in four different vocal ranges.
4. I have a very good memory when it comes to useless facts.
5. I was born Los Angeles county.
6. I've lived in 3 states, 6 counties, 9 cities, and 14 homes.
7. I've seen more movies than I can remember.
8. I've been in a fist fight.
9. I have two brothers and a step sister.
10. It takes me a week to grow a beard.
11. The heaviest I've ever been is 179lbs.
12. I'm nearsighted.
13. I've owned eight cars.
14. I'm more or less a jack of all trades but a master at none.
15. I've been to Disneyland over 1000 times.

Photo Challenge - Day 4

Day 4. A photo of the last place you went on vacation



Our last actual vacation was to Disneyland last September/October. You can't tell by my photo of the snow capped Matterhorn but it's freaking hot. I think the hottest air temp was 113 degrees but the temp gauge on my car said 120. We still had a good time.

Photo Challenge Day 3

day 3. a photo that makes you happy



Perhaps it's a little corny to use a photo of my wife. She always cracks me up and I'm sincerely happy to have such a great wife.

Photo Challenge Day 2

Day 2. A photo of yourself a year ago



This is from May of 2010. I'm doing one of my favorite things. No, really. I love mowing my lawn. It's the best in the neighborhood.

Photo Challenge

I've been challenged.

Day 1. Your facebook profile photo



One of the better pictures of me and Jill. I tend to ruin most of them. This was taken last November in Minneapolis.