The Cool Ones

Well, I have finally made up my mind, and I am going to repaint one of my guitars. I have been struggling over what to do with it. In some aspects, I guess, less is more, but I want something that really looks cool, and plays well. I guess I could go and spend $1500.00 on a guitar that looks like every other one, or as a matter of badassness (sorry for the French!!!), I thought I would pay respect to one of the kings of guitars, Jimi Hendrix. Although I could never actually play like him, he was an inovator(sp?), and could play like crazy. I actually saw the guitar before I new it was a Hendrix copy, and liked it. I am including a picture of it for your viewing pleasure -I am all about that! Anyways, repainting a guitar is not as easy as picking up some Krylon as Walmart and having a new guitar an hour later.

After doing some research, I found out that Fender actually uses Ford and GM automotive paints for their colors. As luck would have it, I have a friend that works for an autobody repair shop and he has a professional pain gun. How awesome is that? Now it is just a matter of getting the colors and stripping the old guitar of its black finish. Unfortunately, I have to use aircraft paint remover to remove the current finish, that sucks!

Pause - sipping an adult beverage......


The next step is to resurface the guitar and paint the base coat of "Fiest Red". Then, an "Alpine White" is painted across the top of the guitar. After sanding, buffing and touch ups, the guitar is ready to go to the artist who will hand paint the eclectic lines and images. Finally, it goes back to the car guy to receive 3-4 clear coats with sanding and buffing between each coat. Magically, after about a week of work and drying, it returns to me in all its glory. This is one of the cool ones!


Just a little history, this is the same guitar that Hendrix play during the Monterey Pop Festival (1967), and subsequintly light on fire, then smashed all over the stage (what an idiot)!


You are welcome Carri for the mention.


I have figured out that constant ramblin for the Blog-O-Sphere is really a difficult thing, or should I say it is not as easy as I thought? By the way, the Neo-Maxi thing is from the Breakfast Club, one of the essential movies of the 80's. Today is Friday and I don't really feel like being at work today, but God is good and at least I have a job.

Coming Together

Well, it has been about a week and I am writing again.

My album is starting to come together. I thought that I would show you some pictures of the tools of the trade. First up are my Fender Strats. The most awesome blues guitars there are. I really don't care what anyone says. All of the kings use them except for maybe BB (King that is)! The one on the left is an MIM Strat, and the other is a John Mayer Signature. I will be using both of these on the album. I will also be using a Fender Twin Reverb unit. I wish I could affort a Two Rocks Signature, but guess what, I can't. I will also be using various effects to help color the tunes a little, but I will try to keep those to a minimum. Too many effects and you sound like you came off a Naked Eyes Video in 1987. Haha, does anyone know what famous song they sang? The second group of guitars I am going to show you are a little more specialty axes. The first is an ESP Ltd.

I use it more for hard rock and extremely overdriven sounds. The pickups in it are very hot. The second is an Ovation, which I think is one of the most beautiful guitars made. The recording is the most difficult part. I am having to learn the art of recording as well as becoming a better guitarist. I am thinking of having my daughter sing on a few tracks for me. I think that would be fun, and it would give me something to keep for a while.

I have come up with two songs so far. The first is called Cherry Soda, named after the title of a book I wrote in the 6th grade. My mother found it in some stuff she was about to pack up, and gave it to me. It is really funny. Maybe one day I will treat you to excerpts from it. I haven't named the other one yet, but I will get around to it when a name strikes me. What I really need is a drummer, or some digital drum software. That is going to be the hardest part of this whole thing. I can't drum, and the software is expensive.

Thanks to Carri for leaving me a comment. I was beginning to think that nobody was reading this crap. Hope you have a good day, and did you notice on the second photograph of the guitars, the blue paint tape near the closet. HAHA that has been there since we moved into our house over a year ago.

TTY

Neo-Maxi-Zoom-Dweebie

If you know what the term above means, or where it came from then you are my kind of person, or at least we grew up in the same generation. Any guesses out there in Blog-O-Readeramia? If you can't tell, I am fishing for comments. I know that is some people out there that have something to say, so say it already.

Political Alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw today a video on youtube today with Osama, I mean Obama, saying that he has visited 57 states, and he still has one more to go, not including Alaska and Hawaii. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws WOW, am I missing something here? I really don't mean to pick on Osama, I mean Obama, but it is so easy! Hillary, OMG (Gosh, that is), see title of blog! McCain, does he still have a pulse? I think it is a joke with the choices we have this election season. One is power hungry, one is way out of touch, and the other is just plain stupid. They all lack the one thing that I think is the most important thing they could have, the love of God. They tend to only use religion when they are trying to get a certain voting block. What has happened to the days when the love of the Lord was first, and voting populations were second? My personal favorite Ronald Reagan made his views very clear, God first, family and country second, and what happened, he won with one of the largest margins ever. During his second election, which he won by the largest margin, he won every state except Minnesota, go figure. Of course Michael Dukakis's eye brows needed trimming, but does that really matter? As I look across this incredible country, that God has so richly blessed, I cannot believe that these are the choices we have. WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!!! But I digress.



I watched my favorite show again today, Nacho Libre. (Oooooohh!) "Did you see when the people where chearing my name, and I used my strength to rip my blouse, I felt something deep inside me." ROFL, that is funny!!! I want a pair of stretchy pants like that, so that I can wear them, in my room, just for fun. Jack Black is the man! Esceleto is for you Missy. (btw, i do expect a comment!!!) I had a friend some time ago that reminds me so much of Nacho. One of these days I am going to find out how to contact him, and show him this picture. He may want to learn my Hways.


I hope you have a great Friday. Just remember, I am taking a vacation day, so I will probably have a better day than you.

Beautiful Day

Howdy, howdy! My wife was reminding me all weekend long that I needed to update my blog, but I knew when I started this stupid thing that it could become an everyday event. Well, I am doing my best to keep that from happening. Beware the Blog-O-Diction!


My good friend and co-worker just came back from Jamaica today, and he brought me a bag of coffee beans. Those little squirely guys can grow some coffee! They have been sitting on my desk all day and now my office smells like Jamaican coffee, at least it doesn't smell like methane. These beans are blacker than night, and by the way they smell, I bet they pack a punch. Eventhough I don't drink very much coffee anymore, every now and then I enjoy a good cup, so these will give me something to look forward to.



I found this picture of baby, our 1 year old Lab, and I can't believe how much she has grown. She was so little when we got her that she could almost fit in my hand. Now she weighs about 60 pounds and tears everything up in our backyard, but she is a good dog other than that. She still get to come inside at night and she acts as our early warning system. I need to take her in to get her last booster for rabies, but I haven't done that yet. I will soon. By the way, those two bowls in the picture, trashed! I am getting excited about my boy Cody coming into town to visit, and we are probably going to go to Coyote creek and do some trout fishing.

Political Alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was listening to the radio this morning on the way to work, and our dear friend Osama, I mean Obama, said that we supports the sharing of drug needles. Great, that is exactly what we need! Let me spend my tax dollars to purchase needles so that some idiot can get a fix. Clinton called herself a middle income American, my butt! I wish I was middle income at 300 million plus in net worth. And last but not least, McCain said that we wanted to build a fence between Mexico and the U.S., has he never heard of shovels? Again, I am thinking that Joe Blow for President sound pretty dang good right about now.

Props to the U.S. Military (capitalized on purpose), for doing a fine job, and if I were President, I would untie your hands. Unlike Darth Vader, I will never tell you, "No disintegration!". I would tell you the more the marrier.

Well, enough of the hate speech. I am sure some liberal, left wing fanatic, will have something to say about that while they cry for the color pink and the spotted owl, but can't you tell myyy fiinggersssss aarreeee shaaaakkkkinnnnng! Get a grip Levi! (Slap from wife, and baby Hudson!)

tty

Coyote

Howdy everyone! I am just sitting here looking outside and I need to get out. I was looking at some pictures and ran across this one of Britton and me, and I want to go trout fishing again. We had such a good time on this trip. My best bud Tommy took us to Coyote Creek, NM, and we had a blast. As you can see, I got a little sun burned, but it was well worth it. I need to go back. I also need to go back to Big Bend, which is probably my most favorite place. I love the dry, hot, high desert, but the drive is pretty long so I don't get to go as much as I would like. Maybe I will be able to go in the next month or so.

I would also like to do some elk hunting this year. Maybe my wealthy uncle will split for a trip to Montana or Wyoming this year, NOT! I guess you never know though, maybe I will luck out.

We just got our hot tub fixed today, there was a leak in one of the pumps, so who knows how much that is going to cost, but hopefully the kids will enjoy having it again to play in.

I just talked with my boy Cody from Searcy, AR, and he and his family are coming to visit in July. I thought maybe that would be a good time to go to Coyote Creek. Called Tommy and he is up for that so I think we are down for that. If should be perfect weather for us and hopefully the trout will be biting. We did pretty well the last time we were out there. I think we caught 26 the first day, which was plenty for our meal that night. I tell you one thing, Tommy can cook almost anything. We like to get together and try different things, and Tommy has taught me a lot. Sometime you need to try our steaks. They ROCK so hard you feel like you are getting spanked for the first time, and that ain't always a bad thing. We also excel in stuffed jalopenos, texas stuffed shrimp, grilled shrimp, dove, chicken fried rice, chicken fried steak, and an arsenal of desserts that will make you cry they are so good. Tommy has a recipe for a glaze sauce that I think we need to bottle. Sorry, trade secret!

Props to my boy Cody for the pee-bug comment on Facebook, too funny.

It is funny to sit here and watch drunks and crack addicts out my window. Although it is actually sad, because most of these people have no hope, it is amusing to watch them. We have a few pics of the "Queen of 6th Street", whom is a lady that came out of the bar around the corner, shed all of her cloths except for bra and panties, and the proceeded to get in a fight with 2 other people who were working in there yard. I hope she made it home okay. Well enough ranting for one day. I have some work that needs to be finished. CYA!

The Blog-o-Sphere

Well, here is part 2. After talking with some friends today, I found out that some people actually read these things. As of today, I am officially joining the "Blog-o-Sphere". What a load of crap!!! but it does sound good. I have two children that are sick and vomiting from both the chimney and the basement (thanks to Greg Dowell for the images). Anyways, on to more important things.

I think I would like to run for President of the United States, and I think my campaign platform should be named, "Vote for Joe Blow, Clinton Did!" Anyways, I think it would be a lot of fun, and my friends would probably like it also. You know, parties in the Lincoln Bedroom, cocktails in the Oval Office, it would be great. I have to admit that I would get rid of the Easter Egg roll, that just sounds stupid to me, and we could replace it with egg the Congress. Now that would be fun. We could also play Pin the Tail on the Speaker. Another game I thought of is the House Cryer hunt. I think that is what they call that guy that yells, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States", at the beginning of the State of the Union Address, anyways we could hide him and let the children try to find him. How funny would that be? I know that I would sun tan on the west lawn in a pair of Speedos, with huge sunglasses that are all the rage. I would look like a balding Nicole Ritchie(sp?) but with bad skin. That is just wrong.

I have to take a second and give props to my daughter Gracyn for mustering up the courage to address her teacher as "Hello, Newman!" coined from Seinfeld. Of course I had to pay her off with a chocolate bar, but it was well worth it. Sorry Heather!!!

Well, I guess I should get back to work.
Luv Ya!

Oh No! Not again!

I swore to myself that I would never do this blogging thing. It has become such a buzz habit for some people that it is mundane at best. Add to that, the fact I have been around computers for more than twenty years, and you have yourself a one stop horror shop for writing on the net. But what the hell? Sometimes I have nothing better to do than to sit and ramble on about nothing of great value, political wise, and german sausage. It also seems that people are so bored with there own lives that they feed off of reading about others. Well, here is your chance to feed off of me for a while.

I thought I would start with my love for music. I have been playing the guitar for some time now, I guess more than twenty years, but I have only been taking it seriously for about 2 years now. My wife and kids are always complaining that I listen to songs over and over again to the point they go crazy, but oh well, that is how I learn. I am actually working on an album right now. My good friend Mark Frick who ownes his own label and does his own recording, turned me on the very cool world of computer based recording studios. He was gracious enough to give me some software and I love it. It allows me to sit at my home and record ideas, sounds, and samples into the computer and edit them on my own time.

Lately I have been having a fascination with blues, both old and new. I have been pouring through Eric Clapton, John Mayer, SRV, Jack Johnson, and the like. It is strange to me that I can find so much meaning in the simplest of sounds, odd musical phrasing, or what seems to be petty lyrics, but I have found that blues music really speaks to me. So, I think my first album will be bluesy. Ha! There you have it.