THings are moving forward

I will be starting up the Luthiery program at Roberto -Venn near the end of August. I move to Phoenix on August 1st, got my apartment all set up; its a studio apartment with a bed in a cabinet, a kitchen with a breakfast bar, a pool outside with fruit trees all over. I have been pondering what kind of guitar I want to make; the body style, amount of frets, scalloping the fretboard or not, body woods, the pickups and so on. There are so many options it is mindboggling. I would like to replicate the neck on my Charvel SoCal, it plays so well but I want to do something a bit different with the body. I am looking forward to learning so much more about the instrument that has been such a major part of my life.

A few people from Portland will be living in the area, a kid I watched grow up (I was his Sunday School teacher) and an older retired couple...it will be good to have some familiar faces around.

I am wondering about the end of the program and what job I might have. I would love to be able to live in a sunny climate near the beach if at all possible. I wish my current home was closer to the beach rather than 20 or so miles away...glad to be at least that close though.

Now I am working on some new music. I wanted to have a new album done by August, we shall see if that happens...I need to get off my dead ass and start hacking at it.

something happening...

I was accepted into the Guitar Craft Program at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood...sadly, I was only able to get enough financial aid to cover almost half of the tuition. That left me in need of upwards of 38K to cover the rest of tuition, I wasn't able to get any private student loans. So I am not going to be attending that program.

I went and visited a school in Phoenix AZ, Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. I applied and was accepted. I have yet to know how much I am getting for financial aid but the tuition is MUCH cheaper than MI, not to mention that the cost of living is much cheaper in Phoenix than it is in Hollywood. After crunching numbers, I figured that my cost of living and tuition for Roberto-Venn will be less than half of what it would cost me to go to MI. So classes start on August 26th. I have paid $250 so far towards tuition and fees and I am saving money between now and then. I need to find a place to live over there as well. I hope to either get a furnished apartment for the 5 months I will be there or to buy a futon and a desk and or table and have them shipped so I don't have to move all of my stuff only to move it again only a few months later.

Who knows what is to come at the end of the program in January but I am looking forward to being a certified luthier(maker and repairer of guitars). Meanwhile I am teaching guitar part time as well as working in the yard and doing some remodeling for my mom in order to make ends meet.

New Year...here's hoping its better than last year!

So now I have been in the San Diego area for a little over 3 months now...I have joined and quit a band (unprofessional behavior from one of the members and excessive drinking...not my scene, not to mention the sense of foreboding I had any time I thought about the band; that I needed to get out of there) and started and then been released from working on an album with a songwriter only now to be back working with him for some performances at some church things as well as some open mic things. I have had one person take a guitar lesson from me only to tell me he will contact me after the new year, then another person has contacted me about lessons for her daughter; I hope I hear back from both of them and more soon. I need to repost my add again. I have been talking to a few ladies via eharmony...we shall see what happens in that department. I need to get my CA driver's license as well as get my car registered in CA. I have to go to court on a ticket on January 26th. I have no idea how much the fine is, there is no monetary amount on the ticket though the officer could have had my car impounded and given me a ticket for well over $5000. Thank God he didn't. I am making effort to be more positive because I cannot stand being bitter and angry all the time, I need to look for the positive in all situations no matter how dire because this is killing me. I used to be much more easy going but now I have little to no patience with things, the stupider the situation the less patience I have and there have been an overabundance of stupid situations/people...God help me!

I haven't posted in a while....

I am at the point of believing that to share the way you feel about someone is about as useful as shooting yourself in the foot...especially when you already have a little bit of a feeling of how the other party feels. Guess its time to stop listening to what everyone says around me and go on my own intuitions.

I indirectly told my good friend Nadia I was into her...I asked her what I was to her and she replied that I am a very good friend who has always been there...f'n yippee for me. If I hear that one more time I am gonna start shooting people! I guess I have my parents to thank for instilling in me such grand values that do nothing to assist my love life, only help me develop a vast portfolio of "friends."

Couple this with getting stood up last week by someone who has about as much command of the English language as I do Vietnamese I am done with dealing with women and all their bullshit. THe entire population of women in this world can all line up, kiss my ass and then go f'k themselves. I am done bein nice to everybody, its done nothing for me but bring me loneliness. Sure I have friends but that's not enough.

On the lighter side of things...I am now involved with two different musical projects...one of which I am playing guitar and doing some vocals in a touring band that plays predominantly rock/punk/metal with a little of whatever we feel like throwing in the mix and the other is more adult contemporary singer/songwriter stuff where I am producing the album, playing guitar, doing some live vocals (for whatever performances occur), and programming. We shall see how things develop. My album has not been selling which is disappointing but that may change with these projects.
I am also building another guitar from parts I bought off of ebay...got a few more parts to get and then all the pickups need to be sautered...I am debating on doing it myself so I can learn how its done, but I don't wanna mess anything up.

I am moving!

I am moving to El Cajon CA, just a little outside of San Diego. I will be moving in with my mom and two young ladies, one who has a baby daughter. I have never met the childless girl, the girl with a baby went with my mom and I to Disneyland on my birthday...she seems like a pretty cool gal.

I have no idea what is going to happen, I jus tknow that I need to get the hell out of the Portland area. I am being punished for being honest by the unemployment office. I worked as a consultant for a janitorial company (self employed, I will get a 1099 at the end of the year) and also have been teaching guitar part time (I have spent far more on teaching materials and music equipment this year than I have made in the last couple of years teaching). Anyways, the lovely folks at the employment department have decided to suspend my benefits pending investigation...I had been reporting earnings and this past week I didn't report any...shouldn't have listened to either of my parents or any of my friends...so I had called the unemployment office to find out what I need to do with my moving to California...then the guy laid on me all these questions about what work I was doing. I told him it was all self employed stuff, I will get a 1099 and he says something about my benefits being suspended pending investigation(a 3 week process) to determine whether or not my self employment (or whatever it is they seem to think it was I was doing) interferred with my search for employment or not. THere is a severe lack of logic and common sense in this case....I am beyond livid with this stupidity. So now....I have over $400 in bills, hardly any food in the house, I need to come up with somewhere around $1000-1600 to get my butt moved, AND I need to buy a new EGR valve for my car ($153 part). I currently have a little over $300 at the moment in my checking, I will finally get a check from the consultant work I was doing which puts me at the $700 + mark but that still isn't anywhere near enough to get things done. I have a form to fill out for unemployment numerous questions...I also am awaiting two different financial assistance applications for two different medical bills. I need to get my unemployment insurance going on my credit cards because i don't have the moeny to pay for some of them...I am not in a good place right now. HELP!

I have posted some of my furniture on craigslist but I have only gotten spam in reply. I would really like to keep my furniture because i am not going to be at my moms forever and it took a long time to acquire what I have...waiting for buyers. I am hoping that its all going to get better from here cause this freakin blows in ways I cannot even begin to describe.

Whats goin on now...

I lost my job on July 1st...got laid off...so now I am looking for work once again, only this time I hope to get a job that I will truly enjoy. I now have my music available on itunes worldwide, if you search MLP Reclaiming Glory you will find it. Currently I have two students...one twice a week and the other I am not sure what interval he will be taking lessons...

I am now seriously considering moving to California...a new scene, change of pace, regular sunny weather...I have been trying to get more guitar students but I am not having much luck with craiglist here in the Portland area and while I do have some cards up at the local music store, I haven't been getting much business that way either. Additionally, I haven't been able to acquire a new job...applied to at least 40 different places since I got laid off...and only one interview and they called me back just as I was about to walk in the door...they had just hired who they needed but since I showed up they at least interviewed me...it would only have been a part time thing. I am kinda done with Portland.

I am working on some new music and also working on some music with some friends, very different projects but that is what makes it fun...my music is all over the place but mostly rooted in rock and metal so its nice to mess around in other genres; otherwise I get REALLY bored.

its been a while

things have been a tad bit crazy over the last few months...work is a never-ending rollercoaster it seems; we get some sort of equalibrium established and then someoen comes along and throws a monkeywrench in the works and we have to fix it all up again...its getting REALLY old. I turned 35 on March 19th...spent that at Disneyland with my mom and her neighbor and daughter...had a hell of a lot of fun there, especially Splash Mountain. I am in the back of the log.

I have also acquired a new guitar and amp, upgraded computer and recording software, and so on...I have been taking steps to begin marketing my music because I know when I am doing music I am truly happy. If I can make some money from my music all the better. Everyone keeps telling me I should be doing music and I want to, so instead of talking about it and dreaming about it I am stepping back out there bit by bit. I was almost signed once and now things are so much different than when I was out there playing shows in the mid 90s, the artist has much more control over their career and the rights to their music with the net.
I signed up at one site that does marketing for you (www.numberonemusic.com), I currently have 459 people on my mailing list from all over the world. Once I get my music copyrighted I will put it on itunes and other internet music sales places and then I will step it up on the marketing end as well.
I just got back in touch with the bassist from my first band I was in just out of high school...he has gotten a lot better than he was back in the day...he wants me to get back out there playing as well, maybe do some shows with him. I am game...just need to have a way for the money to flow in to take care of bills and such...responsibility is sooooo much fun.