Hey all. Thanks for the heads up -- at least I know I'm not talking out into the void. I keep meaning to make a recap post about the various things that have been going on, but the time seems to elude me. Now I must go to sleep (after which I'll play some bridge in the afternoon), but I'll leave you with this.
Jet and Roy are planning a grill-out for later today (they are also just now going to sleep =) ), which will be a nice kick into summer. Mmmm.
In bridge-related news, I just achieved the Regional Master rank after having placed in an open Swiss teams event at a Regional in Rockford last week -- woot! In band-related news, I just heard a mixdown of one of our demo tracks and despite its imperfections, it sounds pretty good! Word is that we'll try to edge our way into a show mid-July at a posher (and probably bigger) venue than our last gig. I'll keep you posted. [07:02]
Well, undoubtedly if you're reading this, you've noticed that the blog was gone for a few weeks, then upon reappearing has gone unupdated for several weeks more. Ladies and gentlemen, we have set a new record for longest lapse between updates -- by just over 24 hours!
When I first started this blog (nearly a year ago today -- just under 24 hours away), my intentions were to use the space for my own personal development (both as a way to capture thoughts and track my life) and just let any willing audience go along for the ride. It has become increasingly clear that for me this is not a natural vehicle for my original purpose (though I may try again with different tactics), however I have realized during this past entryless span that people actually do follow this blog (amazingly enough). Thus, I am happy to re-target this site to my audience as a primary rather than auxiliary purpose, and not worry so much about any direct personal benefits -- that is, if interest warrants doing this.
What I need to know now is 1) if I've lost everyone =), and 2) what people want to see. So, a roll call of anyone listening would be very helpful (yes, even you lurkers out there) to begin with -- if no one cares, I can just end this sad charade. Secondly, if you have any comments on what you'd like to see in terms of future entries, that may help me figure out what to put up (there's less urgency on this, as feedback as we go along in Act II of the "hot blog" is fine). Some examples: the boring life/daily updates, things on my mind, commentary on things that come up, pointing out things/news under the radar (somehow I doubt this is all too popular), really introspective/soul-baring shit, recounting amusing stories of the past and present.
Please weigh in here. The future of rock n' roll... ahem, this blog, depends on it. Boring life update in the extended entry.
Ok, so the weeks of the hacker attack and subsequent machine downtime were some of the shittiest in a while -- I just got hit with so many things (including a bit of bad karma) at once. I am not even all that angry at the lamer hackers (how's that for total irony though -- right after I talk about benefitting from them, I get bit in the ass hard from some). Tried to contain the compromise, things blow up while I'm out of town (some factors were out of my control, which exacerbated things), machine that many friends use gets yanked, I'm under pressure to retool things, godfather passes away, local police tag me on a local road, had a surprise job interview pop up, landlord hounding me about lease renewal (which at the time I was very uncertain on -- more on this below), planning a Cali trip out for a cousin's wedding, mixed in with some other stuff (like the Chicago police bent on getting some parking ticket to stick -- I successfully fought them on one, those rat bastards). Not everything in this chaos was bad of course; I fit some good tourney bridge in as well as our band's first gig (this was when the server situation blew up, incidentally) and more. Suffice it to say that it was a hectic time, and not entirely pleasant.
Some big breakthroughs have come in edgewise somewhere during all this though. In particular, it's become entirely obvious to me that I need to leave this town. Now anyone who's known me has known this for years -- and cerebrally I did too -- but the underlying fallacy in my "waiting game" has actually sunken in finally. Yes, I have the means (or at least had) to buy time to get a good bearing on what directions (location, career, personal interests) I want to next take in life. But the setting I am in now does not provide the proper impetus to explore these questions.
While I was getting ready for this last trip out to Cali (at the last minute of course), I realized how excited and energized I was in preparing for travel -- something so lacking in recent times. Seeing people, encountering ideas, doing things -- these are what I need. Minimally just starting a new life somewhere I think is workable. But I also think visiting old friends and experiencing new environments is a good thing to finally get around to (before I settle into some new place), and should get some juices and inspiration flowing. Anyhow, this is a long-winded way of saying it's time to get the fuck out of Dodge. August 1st is the day of reckoning. Not sure what's in store for me after that yet, but I'm determined to meet it head-on and get on with my life here. I'm exploring a couple options, which I guess I'll post about here later.
Anyway, wish me luck. I have a lot of work ahead of me. [05:48]