A Drummer's Life...

laughingsquid:

Han Solo’s DL-44 Pistol Built With LEGOs

Lego fan?!?! Or Star Wars fan…you decide.

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Time has come to play at Cabos in Jenks to kick Spring off the correct way! The Fabulous Two Man Band will be performing from 5-9pm for our inaugural gig starting our season off in style. Hope to see you out and we are grateful to be able to play every week at one of our favorite venues!! See you out on the water!!

For a very long time I’ve wondered what I would “if”??  if I did this or if I did that what would happen.  In the end…the only thing that truly matters is not IF I do it…it’s THAT I do it.  So over the course of the past few years I have done just that…JUST DONE IT.  I know, I know…Nike said it first (“Just Do It”)…however, I have stepped up and just done it.  And as a result I am happier with myself than I have been in years.  Granted there have been some ups and downs along the way - but in the end I am able to look myself in the mirror every morning and be happy with the decisions I’ve made.  Some choices have been harder than others - but I have to be okay with that.  For now I am.  Of course there is always “something else.”  But for now, I am very content and motivated on the path that I have chosen.

Yes…it is lonely being a work-a-holic and NOT taking time for myself.  But I am happy when I am working.  Whatever the job is…I am happy working.  I feel accomplished (most of the time) and there is never enough to accomplish in a day.  If there is a lull in things to do - I come up with more things to do.  This is hard on personal relationships and in most cases..costly.  But that is the choice I have made and I have to live with it.

There are times when I wonder if there is someone who will understand my “condition” and be okay with it.  Be able to have their autonomy from me to be able to exist with someone who’s obsessed with work.  I want to clarify this is NOT a “cry” for sympathy or a “woe’s me” posting.  This is just me wondering about certain things while my fingers do the work.

Of course there is always a price for existing the way that I do and I have paid it more times than I care to think.  But in the end - I am happy with my existence and “condition” of being a work-a-holic.

That being said…I have been working ALL day since very early this morning.  Of course there have been a couple breaks - but for the most part I’ve been working.  I’m already loaded in for tonight’s gig at Full Moon as the second half to The Fabulous Two Man Band.  The weather is fantastic and the patio is full…which I am hoping carries over to our pending gigs at Los Cabos in Jenks and Broken Arrow, OK.  Tom and I are in “stand by” mode and should be playing EVERY SUNDAY/TUESDAY once the weather breaks and stays warm.  Which is something I can’t wait for - but have to because Mother Nature seems to be on a drinking binge.

Well…enough for now - time to go run a couple cables and gear up for throwing ProMark Drumsticks at my Mapex Retrosonic Kit with Meinl Cymbals, Gibraltar Hardware and Evans Drumheads!!!  Performance starts at 8pm and if you’re in Tulsa…come say hello.

Well…the time has come to lower my level of social interaction on the web.

For many months now I’ve considered deleting certain social networks in hopes to solidify my personal relationships with people.  This of course is a double-edged sword due to my work as a drummer.  However…I feel it is the right thing to do.  I’ve left Google+ and I just deleted my Facebook Account COMPLETELY.  I need to focus on what is right in front of me and NOT what I can’t touch.  I have saved what I needed from these social environments - but feel it is time to minimize my “space” time and maximize my “people” time.  

There was a time when we socialized face to face and NOT through a computer/mobile screen.  I’d like to get back to that - even if it means I have to stop people on the street and talk with them.

Perhaps at a later date I will pick up a social network.  But…I think my time has passed and I am going to make due without Facebook and Google+.  I will use Tumblr & Twitter for now…that just seems natural.

fastcompany:

What do you think of this business tactic?

laughingsquid:

Australian Shop Charging Customers a $5 Fee for ‘Just Looking’

Hahaha!! Eventually this will become the norm. Small businesses are growing tired of “show-rooming.”

The catch is the retailer who missed a great opportunity while a potential customer is in their store. If someone is in your store…do your job…earn the customer’s trust and loyalty; then you will earn their business. You accomplish this by simply looking at every person who walks through your door as a friend and a human being FIRST. Earn their trust…help them achieve what they want with what they are looking for. LISTEN and ENGAGE the person standing in front of you. 

Brick and Mortar Retailers have the ability to compete with “online” stores. They just have to recognize their respective strengths and work towards earning customers for a lifetime; NOT just the quick “clerked” sale.

Anyway…just my $.02…I could be wrong.

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laughingsquid:

‘Iron Man 3′ International TV Spot Features Pepper Pots Wearing an Iron Man Suit & Saving Tony Stark

Hell YEAH!!!!

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laughingsquid:

Solving Three Rubik’s Cubes While Juggling Them

I can’t even solve one cube. I fail!

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laughingsquid:

Digital Storm’s Hailstorm II Desktop Gaming PC Can Fit Up to Three Nvidia GTX Titan Graphics Cards

Wow!!! This thing is crazy!!!

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laughingsquid:

Grumpy Cat Stenciled Onto a Bomb

Hell yeah! “Infamy is mine!!”

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laughingsquid:

Cobra Commander Seeks Funds on Kickstarter to Help Rebuild After Losing to G.I. Joe

I donated!!

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laughingsquid:

Everything Wrong With ‘The Dark Knight’ In 4 Minutes Or Less

The guy that creates these is hysterical!!! I’ve watched several of them already!!!

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laughingsquid:

Luke’s Change: An Inside Job, A Star Wars Parody of the ‘Loose Change’ 9/11 Conspiracy Film Series

Again some clever people in our world!!

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nineinchnails:

Acoustic performance of “The Becoming” filmed at Nothing Studios, New Orleans in 2002 with Trent Reznor, Danny Lohner, and Jerome Dillon. Directed by Rob Sheridan.

This version of the song is from NIN’s rare and out-of-print companion album And All That Could Have Been . Still. Although the standalone Still CD often sells used for marked up prices on eBay and Amazon, most people don’t realize we still have some stock from the original run in our store for $9.99.

There are two other performance videos from the Still series: “Something I Can Never Have” and “Gone, Still.”

I am still absolutely blown away by Trent and his musical creations! This further proves my point!! Great version of a fantastic song!!!!

laughingsquid:

Star Wars Unpacks Their Adjectives in Schoolhouse Rock! Remix

Wonderful job!!!! Hahaha!!!

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nineinchnails:

A documentary of Nine Inch Nails’ 1994-1996 “Self Destruct” tour, including concert and behind-the-scenes footage. Part one of the 1997 “Closure” VHS. Includes NSFW content.

Still love this band/artist…still inspiring after all these years.