Body Says Whut?

It was a pretty eventful weekend. Things started out on Friday with a snowboarding trip to Mt. High with Ryan, Eve, and Steve. It was my first time going there. I confirmed what I already knew - I am too spoiled to go to local mountains. I found it to be small and not very challenging. I also thought it was really crowded but Ryan assured me it was a quiet day. If that's true, I would absolutely hate going on a weekend. We had a good time nonetheless - I was very impressed by the progress that I saw in Eve and Steve's skills.

Saturday we were off to paintball at Hollywood Sports. Ryan and Steve joined me with about 20 other people from work for some good old-fashioned shooting. Our team got smoked most of the games, but we managed to steal a couple. Had some fun with the "pro" paintballers who can apparently dish it out but cry and moan when they have to take it. Good times!

Sunday was our basketball game. I played terribly and the other team had not one but two token white dudes. They were token, except for being about 6' 4" and pretty skilled. We hung with them okay but our outside shots weren't falling and it was a little hard to rebound over these huge guys. I tweaked my ankle again after one of the big guys ended up under me on a 3-point attempt (no foul, of course).

So at the end of all of that, I'm sure my body was asking me what the hell was going on. We relaxed on Sunday afternoon by busting out the little Crate 15-watt amp, the effects pedal, and Brent's repaired Strat. Rocked out some new tunes, the most notable being "Glycerine" by Bush. Sounds fantastic with the distortion cranked!

Speaking of guitar, class was better this week. The class is now catching up to the things that I already know, and I suspect that next week there will be some new concepts introduced that will be a challenge for me. I'm looking forward to that.

I re-wrote my online dating profile today. I find this to be pretty therapeutic, kinda like writing a blog! It's nice to be able to put into words the things you are looking for in a "keeper." It also showcases your own strengths and weaknesses as you try to sell yourself and explain to strangers why you are freakin' awesome.

Utah is now only a day away. We fly out tomorrow night and will be on the slopes on Friday morning. I'm pretty excited since I have never been there before, and it's always fun to go to new places. Unfortunately, tonight is going to be filled with my least favorite activity - laundry. And trying to figure out what to pack for the trip without my luggage looking like Princess Vespa's in Spaceballs.

I'll see you guys here next week for the snow report and hopefully some funny and crazy stories from the land of the Mormons.

The Journey Continues

We celebrated Robert's birthday last Saturday night (Happy Birthday!). Dinner at Sasaya and then over to South. It was my first time in this bar. I can't say I was that impressed. They try to live up to their name by serving Southern-style dishes, but other than that there is nothing, and I mean nothing, to suggest the name is anything other than an attempt to get in on the "one-word names are cool for bars and clubs" trend. It reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Brian and Frank Sinatra Jr. let Stewie re-design their club and he names it "pLace."

Last night I had my second guitar lesson. We learned some new chords and a simple arrangement of "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. It was funny to see and hear people freak out over the G chord - I guess all this practice I'm doing is going to a good cause. Jeremy also showed me a bunch of stuff, including some pointers that should help me out when I start working on the shred songs instead of the paaaaaaaanies dropping ones.

One big problem that I'm having (and Brent too) is a lack of focus. I will start to learn a song, then hear another, see an article on how to play something, or just feel like trying something new. As a result I have a library of songs I can play a few bars of, but nothing that it performance-worthy from start to finish. Still, the variety of songs introduce new techniques which are useful to put in the box of skills for the future.

The upcoming snowboarding trips (Mt. High on Friday, Utah next Thursday) are totally overshadowing paintball (this Saturday). I guess I'm just much more into snowboarding than I am paintball. I could take or leave the Saturday get-together, but the snowboarding trips are getting me pretty hyped. I was hoping to bring along some hot company on Friday, hopefully she will be able to join us...

Triumphant Returns

I can't help but be amused when I read my last blog entry. You know, the only other one on this page. The one that talks about how I'm going to follow-through and actually commit to writing stuff. Yeah, the one from last September.

Last Thursday, Brent, Julie, Aaron, and I went to see The Airborne Toxic Event at the Henry Fonda Music Box. If you aren't familiar with this band, you really need to check them out. The song that you'd most likely know is Sometime Around Midnight. Click the link, but come on back and read the rest of this, because doing anything else would just be downright rude and inconsiderate.

I got to use Inez's ticket to the concert due to her being out of town, and it was worth every penny. Not to say that I wouldn't have paid to see them - I've had their album on repeat most days in the car since Brent introduced me to the band. I really thought Brent would be a sure thing, but at the end of the night we got some Mac-Dz and then I went home. I have been miscalculating a bit in the hook-up department lately, but even still this was a surprise.

In other related news, I have been learning to play the guitar for the past month or so. With my stellar track record of following through (see number of blog posts since I "committed"), I think that most of my friends believe that I won't stick with it. I beg (and hope) to differ. I'm finding it to be an extremely gratifying experience. I notice that I have a new, deeper appreciation for the music I already love so much. I even signed up for an 8-week guitar class. Yes, Brian and class in the same sentence. And no one made me do it. Who would have thought?

Welcome!

Welcome to the Vacant Stare! As is typical for me, I have been putting off blogging for awhile now. Always thinking of doing, never actually doing. But here it is. Let's see if I can stick with it.

I'm hoping to use the blog to share experiences like many of my friends do. To pose interesting questions that can spark discussions. To vent on things I find annoying or humorous. To possibly spark my interest in writing again.

So again, welcome to my little piece of the internets. If I have any follow-through at all, it will grow to become a slightly larger little piece of the internets.

-B