Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:15:48 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/ PostNuke Powered Site en-us http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/images/logo.gif http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/ ben@benissocool.com http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article272.phtml Almost a year ago, I mentioned that I was considering closing this site or moving to a dot mac account.  Now that I don't code for a living, I care less about the technology than the story I can tell. When I start a new project at work, I always ask "What do you want to accomplish?"  I don't ask "What new cool technology do you want to learn?" This site will be moving to a .mac account very soon. You can find me at http://web.mac.com/benissocool/ Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:15:48 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article271.phtml We rented a house at the Beach Club in Glf Shores the week of Sept 9th.  My parents went with us.  I posted a few pictures in the gallery, but you have to be a registered user to view them. And be careful because the Gallery is throwing all knids of errors since the code upgrade.  Sat, 22 Sep 2007 18:02:18 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article270.phtml Suzie died this morning. She had cancer that had erroded a large portion of her pelvis. But in true Suzie fashion, she wagged her tail, sang and was ready to ride in the car right up to literally her last minute. It's hard to put down a dog that's wagging her tail and wanting to go home in the car. That's a tribute to the pain meds and to her spirit. She's not one to show pain. And yet she was in a great deal of pain for the past week, which is what lead us to the vet on Friday. She went in for surgery on her knee and during the course of prepping her, the vet did x-rays that ended in finding the cancer.I remember sitting in an otherwise empty house in Atlanta in the middle of the night with Suzie licking the tears off my face. She probably didn't understand that my brother had died but she knew that I was hurt and she wanted to comfort me. I remember her pulling Karen into a park lake in Denver because someone had thrown a tennis ball into the water and Karen couldn't let go of the leash fast enough. And I will always remember our last ride in the car yesterday as she leaned fully out the window, ears flapping, smiling her big smile as she pretended to fly through the neighborhoods. Most of you already know that I care for Suzie much more than most of the people I encounter. And at 12 years old, I had begun preparing myself for when she wouldn't be around. I just did not expect that within 24 hours she would be gone. The world is a tough place. Life is precious. Good night sweet girl. Sleep good. Sat, 28 Jul 2007 14:21:22 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article269.phtml I believe in visualization. If your mind can see it, your heart can feel its way through it. If it feels right, then take the next step. This process gives energy to your dream which then takes on life. (and no, I'm not going all Santana on you) I did this for my music studio again this year. (I also needed to figure out the wiring and it helps to diagram it.) And so I present the 2007 Studio diagram and the 2007-2008 Want List, both in PDF format. This year I'm happy with my guitar tone after purchasing the Mesa Mark IV. I wish I had done that in 1987 when I first wanted one (and had more money for such things) but there was no one to show me where or how to find one. Mesa didn't, and still doesn't to my knowledge, distribute product in Little Rock. There was no Internet and not an easy way to find guitar-oriented folks. Like the John Mayer quote I often use where he says that young guitarists don't find the great players who end up being their main influences unless and until an older guitar player comes alongside and introduces them to the greats: Muddy, Buddy, Carlos, Jimi, etc. It's only then that you realize where Clapton, Satriani and Johnson stole their riffs. I've talked myself out of selling the GT6's to upgrade to the VG-99. I don't need the guitar tones now that I have the Mark IV. The GT6-B allows me to output two guitar signals: one direct and one with effects. This makes the mandolin and 12 string guitar sound great. And the bass as well. So I'm keeping both the GT-6 and the GT6-B. I need to dig deeper into them and learn how to program them. I also talked myself out of any more keyboards. I can barely play my XP-80 synth and it continues to give me the tones I want. Plus the software synths in Logic Pro can't be beat. I don't need an 88-key weighted hammer action keybed when I don't play the existing 76-key one well. The new focus is on slide guitars: lap steel, resonator and pedal steel. And mandolin. No one plays these instruments and I bet I can learn them. I'm going to pick up the '53 Supro more often and see if I'm as good as I say. Darned if Webb Wilder, Dave Matthews and David Gray aren't making me want a baritone guitar. Webb has several songs with twangy baritone guitar solos. And David Gray plays on during his Live in Slow Motion concert. It's just a guitar with a low B string, but Gretsch makes a great one with a Bigsby that is worth collecting. I'm all out of space in the master bedroom and we're going to have to build a music room on the back of the house if any more new gear shows up. Maybe we'll do that in 2008 if some cash shows up. I'm working on a floor plan design that allows the room to be a home theater and recording studio all-in-one. Sun, 08 Jul 2007 17:22:18 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article268.phtml And stop. The vacation is almost over and it feels like it never began. What did I accomplish? Why am I still as tired, distracted and cynical as before? I look around and see unfinished projects, half baked ideas and dirty dishes. (figuratively speaking) There's not enough time to finish anything and I'm not sure there's a finish line anyway. Stuff piles up and it gets harder to want to deal with it. It's piling up so high (and so well) that it seems easier to do nothing than to find a place to dig in. What's the point? What's the point, indeed. Max and I had a big day at the park and now he's sleeping it off. I think I'll go take a nap with him and snuggle. Snuggles good. Fire bad. Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:47:49 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article267.phtml How I spent the first day of my vacation. Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:18:27 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article266.phtml I am sorry. I was wrong and I admit it. I hope I can someday repair the damage that I have done.Those few of you who know me know this: I say the same thing to you that I do behind your back. Wrong is wrong and when you can do better you'll know. I hope that you'll help shine the light on my hypocrisy when it is time for me to take as well as I give. Because there's a standard to bear that is greater than ourselves and we shouldn't rest until we get it right. I watched a Stephen Covey webinar this week and it prompted me to revisit his 8th Habit book. I challenge you to read the first page of it and then put it down. If that first page doesn't have you asking how he could read your mind..... well congratulations, you've reached Denial by land. Just a few pages in, Covey quotes Edmuind Burke saying "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." You can substitute many words for evil and still be correct: ineptitude, ignorance, totalitarianism, and even loneliness. Inaction is all it takes for the other side to win. Do nothing when they choose to do something, anything, and you lose. (regular readers will remember me saying that the difference between us and the successful is that they did it rather than sitting here talking about it.And it's that inaction for which I grieve and ask forgiveness. To not be true to thineself, to do nothing, is a shameful thing. To play the passive agressive game of Yes Men. To cower in the shadows of leaders who follow. To sit on the fence watching it happen when your voice tells you differently. These are the inactions that give the triumph away. Let's hope that I find integrity as I stumble through the rocks and weeds back to my path. I'll need it. Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:05:09 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article265.phtml Some of you noticed that my site was down most of the weekend. I blame my service provider for getting totally spammed and crashed. And if they didn't like totally host me for free I would be so like totally pissed. But I love them. (be my bff, bokay?)I met with a group of talented musicians last evening who voted me their band leader for a concert in the Winter. There's some good talent there and it will be a challenge. I came home so totally energized. It was weird how much better I felt just knowing I was going to play music with those folks. This morning I received an invitation from the Covey folks to attend a free Webinar about acheiving your true voice and doing what you love. I thought it was timely, given the joy I got from just meeting with musicians. We'll see how it goes. But for now I am excited about picking a program and arranging it. Rehearsing a band and getting the sound ready. "Working on... the sound of the band. Trying to get the music right." Finally a chnce to put Logic Pro through its paces and see if I'm as good as I think I am. And if not, I'll blame the software. :)Do try to listen to the new Rush release Snakes & Arrows. It's superb. And ironically, Alex plays 12 string and mandolin on two songs. The Way the Wind Blows is maybe my new favorite Rush song. It's fantastic. I am loving my new Godin 12 string and mandolin. The action is low and fast on both. The mandolin tuning is odd but its fun. That makes 11 guitars in the rack now, and it's sick that I keep saying that only 4 more might make a good stopping place. A Godin bass with synth controller, a Fender Geddy Lee signature bass, a National dobro and a Godin electric with synth controller. I could sell three of the guitars I have so that'll be an even dozen once it's done. Not bad for a guy who only has two hands. I'm on a grail quest for tone. We can only go the way the blows. It's easy to talk about throwing it all away to go play music full time when you're making what I make. I know several musicians who would gladly trade places with me. I suppose it's better to have the luxury of making it a hobby. Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:14:46 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article264.phtml What a nice end to a long day. I am celebrating David Gray's birthday by dusting off the recording studio with his music. And toasting him with a fine glass of 10 year old scotch. (although I think he's Welsh, but close enough)Happy birthday David! Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:50:34 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article263.phtml Someone sent me this e-mail about the blues recently. Then they started calling me Mojo Johnson and Bad Luck Johnson. I decided that my blues band name is Bald Tater Johnson & the Electric Chair. Another name might be Mad Mojo Johnson and Free Beer Tonight. 1.    Most Blues begin with: "Woke up this morning."   2.   "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something  nasty in the next line like, "I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town. "   3.   The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes. . . sort of: "Got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Yes, I got a good woman with the meanest face in town.  Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher, and she weigh 500 pound."   4.   The Blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch - ain't no way out.   5.   Blues cars: Chevy's, Fords, Cadillac's and broken-down trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running.  Walkin' plays a major part in the blues lifestyle.  So does fixin' to die.   6.   Teenagers can't sing the Blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, "adulthood" means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.   7.   Blues can take place in New York City but not in Hawaii or any place in Canada. Hard times in Minneapolis or Seattle is probably just clinical depression.  Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City are still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the blues in any place that don't get rain.   8.   A man with male pattern baldness ain't the blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is.   9.   Breaking your leg 'cause you were skiing is not the blues. Breaking your leg 'cause a alligator be chomping on it is.   10. You can't have no Blues in a office or a shopping mall.  The lighting is wrong.  Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.   11.  Good places for the Blues:                  a. highway                  b. jailhouse                  c. empty bed                  d. bottom of a whiskey glass.                  e. noodln for catfish.           Bad places for the Blues:                  a. Nordstrom's                  b. gallery openings                  c. Ivy League institutions                  d. golf courses   12.   Do you have the right to sing the Blues?           Yes, if:                  a. you're older than dirt                  b. you're blind                  c. you shot a man in Memphis                  d. you can't be satisfied           No, if:                  a. you have all your teeth                  b. you were once blind but now can see                  c. the man in Memphis lived                  d. you have a 401K or trust fund   13.   Blues is not a matter of color. It's a matter of bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the blues. Sonny Liston could. Ugly white people also got a leg up on the blues.   14.   If you ask for water and your darlin' give you gasoline, it's the Blues. Other acceptable Blues beverages are:                  a. cheap wine                  b. whiskey or bourbon                  c. muddy water                  d. nasty black coffee.           The following are NOT Blues beverages:                  a. Perrier                  b. Chardonnay                  c. Snapple                  d. Slim Fast                  e. Diet Coke   15.    If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues          death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another Blues way to          die. So are the electric chair, substance abuse and dying lonely on a          broken-down cot.            You can't have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match or while          getting liposuction.   16.    Some Blues names for women:                  a. Sadie                  b. Big Mama                  c. Bessie                  d. Fat River Dumpling                  e. Caledonia   17.    Some Blues names for men:                  a. Joe                  b. Willie                  c. Little Willie                  d. Big Willie                  e. Leroy   18.     People with names like Michelle, Amber, Jennifer, Tiffany, Brooke, Brittany and Heather can't sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.   19.     Make your own Blues name Starter Kit:                  a. name of physical infirmity (Blind, Deaf, Cripple, Lame, etc.)                  b. name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi, etc.)                  c. last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore,  etc.) For example: Blind Lime Jefferson, Jakeleg Lemon Johnson or Cripple Kiwi Fillmore, etc. (Well, maybe not "Kiwi.")   20.     Oh, by the way: no matter how tragic your life if you own a computer, you cannot sing the Blues. Sun, 10 Jun 2007 14:24:50 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article262.phtml I do so enjoy my 3 hour alcoholidays on the patio Saturday afternoons. A blender of frozen beverage, Paste magazine, my Mac Book Pro and wireless Internet. That makes for a good distraction while the others are napping. If you have an interest is music and film outside of what Clearchannel wants you to see and hear, you should subscribe to Paste Magazine. It comes with a DVD of music and movies, and it's pretty much the only place you'll find news and reviews about real artists making real music. And no, I won't go on my rant about how commercial radio is total crap. And you're welcome. A Godin A12 showed up on my doorstep last week. She was so cute that I had to keep her. The sound is great and the action is low and fast. I've been playing through a bunch of Colin Hay songs after figuring out that his stuff isn't difficult; it's just capo'd at the 2nd fret. A Godin A8 is on its way, so that the A12 won't be lonely. That'll be three Godins in the rack now. They do good work. And Max likes acoustic music. I ordered a percussion pack for my birthday; a set of shakers, a cowbell and a triangle with a metal tray that mounts to a mic stand. Max said, "Daddy, can we go in there and play your instruments?" That's pretty cool for a two year old. We were having dinner the other night and I was helping him shovel his rice onto his fork. He said "You're a good daddy, Daddy." That was also very cool. He's a good boy. We do a lot of singing and a lot of noise making. He likes Colin Hay's song What Would Bob Do. He thinks it's about Bob the Builder. "Working them angels overtime" is a quote from one of Neil Peart's books. He's also made it a lyric for a song of the same name on Rush's new studio record Snakes and Arrows . Alex Lifeson brings his 12-String back for a few songs, speaking of my A-12. I've also been listening to Colin Hay's new release Are You Lookin' At Me? . And Believe it or not, I've really enjoyed the Drive-By Truckers new take on Southern rock in their latest called A Blessing & a Curse . If you liked Steve Earl or Skynyrd, you'll like the Truckers. I've been backing up my concert DVD's using a product called HandBrake. It allows me to covert the DVD's that I own to a format that I can store and play back on my video iPod. It compresses 90 minutes of video down to about 500MB. Now I can take my concert DVD collection to the beach. And speaking of the beach, we have rented a cottage in Gulf Shores for later in the Summer. It has a private pool, so Max can play. My parents are going with us, so it should be fun. I'm looking forward to it. For now, I'm snugging up my ear buds, pulling my hat over my eyes and pretending this deck chair is planted firmly in the sand of some distant shore. "The boy pulls down his baseball cap and covers up his eyes.." Sat, 09 Jun 2007 15:02:13 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article261.phtml Mow the grass, weed eat the rest of the half acre and run the blower to make it all look cute. Change into shorts and find a nice place in the sun to take a nap with my favorite blonde (labrador). One pitcher of mojitos later and those in the previous two posts are out of my mind. A little sun, rum and iPod and the world looks better. And yes, I have the best iPod mix on the planet. It's screen says 16 of 3469 and it hasn't played a bad song yet. Just set it on random and let it and the rum steer for an hour. Autopilot in a deck chair on the patio I built with my own hands. Nice. Add in the latest Paste magazine and I start to see the world through my own lenses; full of music and feeding off the emotional energy that the artists give us. Point your iTunes at a podcast called Traneumentory where Joseph Vella will give you "a really great introduction not only to Coltrane, but also to jazz in general." Take a look at OurStage where Paste magazine posts their favorite content, including a new music video from Peter Gabriel called Father Son. Speaking of fathers and sons, Max and I took several trips around the neighborhood on our new riding lawn mower that Max's gandpa gave us. He drives like he's had a pitcher of mojitos. But he loves it and I suppose my pants will dry. I can (hardly) wait until he can drive something bigger than a 15HP Briggs & Stratton. I've said several times in the last week that I've gotten exactly what I asked for. I wanted a life where I could focus on the priorities that my Franklin Covey planner said I had written down. It was on paper for 3 years before it was an action. And another year before it was true. But now I actually have time to be a father and husband first. And yet I continue to complain about work. Father and son....It's funny how some of us get exactly what we ask for and then continue to be unhappy. Better than if we get exactly what we deserve. I appreciate the quiet moments when I can accept that it's all OK; that I'm better off for following the plan I made for myself. Whether I like it or not. "Adventures suck while you're having them." Sat, 19 May 2007 15:27:29 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article259.phtml I remember a time when people had skills. A place where men were judged by what they accomplished. Pride of work was more important than making sure everyone felt good about themselves. Serving a customer was done while facing them. This was not how things worked in Denver, or mostly even in Atlanta. The focus was on getting the job done, meeting the deadline and being the best at what you do. People say to me (openly and rudely): "well why don't you just go back there then." The answer is that there is no there there anymore. JDEdwards was swallowed by Peoplesoft who was devoured by Oracle. My stint in Atlanta turned into a transfer back to Little Rock that would have ended up in a transfer to the company that was spun off. And oh the sotries my friends at the spinoff tell....... The fact is that those jobs were good while they lasted. I could have stayed at both for maybe a year longer than I did before things would have gotten bad: layoffs, transfers or the like. My spouse got laid off from both the Denver and Atlanta companies, which goes to show you should never have both your family's employment eggs in one basket. In fact, my spouse has gone through two more layoff scares since then, having the luck to find employment before getting cut, but then watching her friends not be so lucky. This is the cruel joke of employment. You can work at a fast-paced cutting edge company where you do great, but all consuming, work. But those companies and those industries tend to eat themselves or die horrible firey deaths, taking your job and pension down in flames. Or you can trade the pride and accomplishment for an industry that moves slow, if at all, and prides itself in consensus building and making sure everyone is happy in the waveless pool. No one notices that the pool is full of stagnate water and soon the moss begins to cover ones skill-set. The toads sit firmly on their thrones. The snakes slither quietly, looking for the few fish that dare try to swim. It's very peaceful. And it pays well. And you slowly meld into the background scenery like the backdrop of some B-rated post-apocalyptic film. 100 years from now, someone may stumble across this place and say "Look over here, Jim. I think this was an office complex back when people went to work just to get paid and not make waves." Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:52:35 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article258.phtml A new Colin Hay album is coming this month. http://www.colinhay.com/'What's the deal with you and Colin Hay?' Just listen to it! Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:24:58 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article257.phtml A month without posting: that's too long. And a lot has been happening. Maybe you noticed that spammers have attacked my site. They have hacked the software I use and created user accounts under which they post comments with links to spam. (or worse) I delete them as I find them, so just ignore them. The trouble with having a blog is that I have to take time away from real life and virtualize it. So many pictures to show, stories to tell, and videos to edit into quickly digestable chunks. I certainly have the technology, but living IRL is more fun than telling you about it. Sorry. In years past, this blog has been a great place to journal out the things that are on my mind. It's a standard therapy technique, although most folks don't like to admit that. But over the years I find it difficult to get the energy to charge down the same old path, tilting at the same tired windmills. There are common patterns that I see in what bugs me, what motivates me, and what gets me fired up enough to write about it. At some point, one has enough material to start doing some analysis. Heck, maybe even take the act on the road. And in doing that analysis, you move away and move on. You do if you're lucky, smart or both. Speaking of smart, someone told me recently "the difference is that [he] makes people mad. You make people feel stupid." And I suppose that in certain conversations I can take verbal shots at people, but only when they deserve it. When you are in a meeting and you have material in your hand that is being discussed, one would assume that you would follow along or even ahead of the discussion. If you ask a question...... no, when you ask the 3rd question that is answered in the material, then you are being rude. And you deserve to get shot at verbally because you ARE being stupid. This very thing happened to me today. I was teaching a new concept to a high-ranking group of managers. The one manager in the room who should have already known the material was asking lots of questions. I answered the questions nicely. Then there were more questions from the same person. This time my answers were interrupted by one of the peers. The question-filled manager said 'thank you for clarifying'. The peer said 'no problem; I was just listening to what he already said.' I learned from some of the best managers in the software industry. And at that level, you don't ask stupid questions in a group setting. You follow the material and you keep up with the speed of the presentation. If you can't keep up, you follow up with the presenter or your manager at a later time. To stop a discussion with a question is to stop the learning process for everyone else in the room. Make sure your question enhances the discussion for everyone. Make sure your mind is sharp enough, fast enough, that you're certain that you've heard it right and that you are in fact caught up in the hand outs. Then ask your question. To stop a discussion with a stupid question or to ask a question that has been answered while you were daydreaming, playing with your PDA, or just flatly left behind in the dust and rust of your own incompetence....... that is pure ego. It tells everyone in the room that you don't care about their time. You don't care that everyone gets it but you. In your world YOU come first and THIS is your world. No matter that once you stop everyone else and maybe even get it the third time, you won't contribute anything meaningful going forward. In all grades and in all schools, there are classes that work at different speeds. Kids learn at different rates, and in the good schools the kids who learn at a faster rate are put into advanced placement classes so that they can run at their speed. It's too bad that there are not advanced placement jobs. Maybe stock price, layoffs, and performance compensation help the advanced kids, but in small towns with small job markets (and in the South) it tends to be more about who's your buddy. It's not about thinking I am better than you. It's about knowing that my experience makes me better at this one particular subject than you. And when I have a room full of people and a limited amount of time to infuse a (potentially) business-improving concept, I don't think it's inappropriate that you keep your stupid questions to yourself until after the meeting. And if I happen to fire a smart comment at you the second time you do it to me, PLEASE have the good sense to know that I am making you feel stupid because at that one moment in time you ARE being stupid. Perhaps my barbed comment will cause you to pause and think; or maybe just make you mad enough to stew in silence until you can go run tell it on me immediately afterwards.Either way, your classroom is down the hall with the primary colors. The AP kids and I need to move on now. Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:31:01 -0400 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article254.phtml Someone called me 'dramatic' a few weeks ago. As in: you're just so dramatic. I thought about that yesterday and kinda got offended. I don't tolerate drama in my life to any degree, and to even think that I was subjecting anyone to drama of my own is reprehensible! (how's that for drama?)Guiroo wrote recently about an incident in the metro-Atlanta traffic where he was kind enough to allow someone to pull into traffic in front of him. The person he allowed in front of him later smashes into the car in front of them. The point of the story was that if dear Gui had not chosen to be kind and let the person into traffic ahead of him, it could have been him that the hapless driver smashed into. Timing is everything. If you take the wrong plane, drive the wrong road, or make any number of errant choices, bad things could happen. In fact at any moment, monkeys could fly out of my butt. Anything is possible. Timing is everything. I don't think that is dramatic. I also don't think anyone should spend any amount of time worrying about what could have been or what might be. For me, it's a smirk and a cyncial "it could happen." Fri, 09 Feb 2007 11:20:42 -0500 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article253.phtml I'll follow up on this thought later, but wow what a time in which we live where I can carry 60GB of songs in my shirt pocket. I load her up with a few thousand of my favorites and put it on random. Each morning I let her figure out what the day's songs will bring. This morning it was: "I tell you this: No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn." And "Back in the day, everything was simpler and more confused." Name that tune. It's going to be a weird day. Digital Underground, right into The Cult from their Electric album. Then On the Run, the live version, and on into a poppy run of Dave Matthews, Steve Winwood and the like. Jethro Tull right into some deep cut on Dido's Life for Rent like a sonic tilt-a-whirl. Skip. Skip. ELO--skip. Then back into a groove of Living Colour, The Church, and uh… the 60's? Jimi's version of All Along the Watchtower and Dylan doing his 115th Dream, both of which were actually written by Dylan. Dylan wrote a lot more tunes than he has made famous himself. Collective Soul, more Dylan, The Cars and then Lyle Lovett. Get the idea? Wed, 07 Feb 2007 08:38:17 -0500 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article252.phtml A two month cycle this time of being 'up' through mid-December and then riding that coaster through the triple loops of the holidays, New Years and into February. I've managed to gain back some of the pounds I lost thru the winter in a self-effacing binge of cookies and pizza this month. But I have to give props to the new chef at Cafe St Allthereis. While the mottled maroon booths are still here, the food is getter better. (or I'm getting used to it?)I finished up Neil Peart's Roadshow and like his other work, it did not fail to inspire. And a quick peek at his site just now yielded the good news that another Rush recording is on its way. Do take a look at his books, if you haven't already. Speaking of writing, I learned that doing research should be a careful consideration. It's a small world and regardless of where you are and what you're researching, someone out there knows your mama and will tell her they saw you there! You can call them nosy, or worse, but they're still gonna go tellit on you. (Helen would say: bugger off, you wankers!)I am still working on the series about what it takes (and costs) to be truly happy. And if it's any indication of what it takes (and costs), I can't even make the time to do the research, much less write it! I've taken to stealing away during lunch and finding a Wi-Fi spot. Perhaps that will suffice. Just wait until I break out the Oxygen 8 and start laying down funky grooves in Starbucks....... Lastly, if you haven't heard: Roland has announced a new guitar processor, the VG-99. It combines the GT-8, GT-6B and GI-20 and adds the synth processor of the legendary GR-300. If you've heard Pat Metheny, you've heard the GR-300. FOR SALE: Roland GT-6, GT-6B and GI-20. Hardly used. Cheap. Tue, 06 Feb 2007 12:05:28 -0500 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article251.phtml I'm still here. And I miss you too. I'll write more later. Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:48:17 -0500 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article250.phtml OK, there's no more denying it: I AM IN LOVE. I bought a Mesa Boogie Mark IV last weekend, and it is all I expected and more. I have lusted after this amp since I was 15 years old. Solid wood construction and a wicker grill, just like the original Mark 1 series that Santana made famous. She has three channels: sharp and clean, dirty and gritty, and full-on violin singing sustain. There's a direct output that I have run right into Logic. This allows me to get that screaming Santana or Eric Johnson tone without having to build an isolation booth. I simply pull the Volume button, engage the Silent recording feature, and scream the tone right into the computer instead of rattling the rafters. (This is Max's favorite feature)Like most things you lust after this long, she was not cheap. But she's worth every penny. Finally, the quest for tone is over. If I had only known then what I know now. You can find great tone settings at GrailTone.com Mon, 08 Jan 2007 07:41:39 -0500 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article248.phtml My teammate created a total elf of me. Watch me dance at: http://www.elfyourself.com/ Tue, 02 Jan 2007 07:14:05 -0500 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article247.phtml I ran across a site that has all kinds of surveys and self-tests. You might find this interesting as you go about your quest for self discovery. http://www.outofservice.com/ Sun, 31 Dec 2006 19:35:00 -0500 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article246.phtml These things I know to be true: Some people are happiest when they are unhappy. Some people create their own problems so that they can be comfortable. Sometimes different is better. Sometimes different is just different. Sometimes you can be staring it right in the face and not know it. Most people can't tell you what they want, much less how to get there. Most people can't forgive their own past and that has already ruined their future. Once you find your path to peace, you won't accept anything less for long. And I will say it again: you choose your own adventure; make it what you want it to be. A new job, a new spouse, or a new face: until you know your heart, forgive your past, and find your path to peace, it's all just noise and distraction. Thu, 21 Dec 2006 21:42:56 -0500 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article245.phtml Many of the women I know will tell you in no uncertain terms that they do not need no man to take care of them. They'll generally do that neck thing and or wave their hand in the air while they're saying it, too. I knew when I wrote it that it was controversial. It's not my theory. I'm just asking whether you, dear readers, think there's something to that theory. I wonder if these same women would disagree that they would like to spend their days with a smart and sexy person who is also a loving parent and a dedicated friend. (and maybe business partner) That's a rare find. Even to come close is an exclusive club. Think how much purposeful, directed energy you would put into maintaining something as rare as that. It wouldn't be like work, though. It would be something you had a passion for. A connection with someone like that is something you wouldn't take for granted. You'd want to take care of it. GASP! Take care of? You mean to say that "to be taken care of" can be considered anything other than sexist and demeaning? That's exactly what I'm saying. Anyone lucky enough to make that rare connection deserves to have that validated and taken care of carefully and consistently. Thoughts? Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:41:44 -0500 http://www.benissocool.com/site/html/Article244.phtml People are funny. And today was a walk around, smirk and giggle to myself about just how funny people are. There are a few of you dear readers who know just what that smirk is. (and maybe still remember when it was pointed at you in years past) And have I mentioned how much I love my green eyed blonde? She feels so good in my hands! I love to rub her neck and run my hands down her..... er, frets. Watching all those strat slingers yesterday drove me home early today to work out a bit on mine. I found myself playing Are You Strong Enough to Be My Man. It's a neat little riff. That Sheryl Crow is a gem. Got to love a woman with an attitude who can sing. I wonder if she teaches aerobics? (smirk) Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:15:13 -0500