again with the updates?

two in a row? someone come check to make sure i am OK. i think i am, but i can't be sure.

there are some changes afoot for me in the coming weeks.....no moving, i am planning to stay around here for a while....just some other changes that need to happen. looks like it will be a positive thing. more news to come on this.

fall is here, and man am i happy.....cool weather, crisp air....had my first bowl of chili of the year yesterday. chili makes cold weather worth it. seriously. it should be spicy, should have cheese, and should not contain cinnamon or chocolate. chili is one of those rare foods that does not need chocolate OR lime (please see my entry from novermber 17, 2005 for more on this).

as i looked at that entry, i was reminded that we spoke of key lime pie then, also. i had two pieces last night, and i must say, i still think it may be one of the finest foods in existence.

for those of you in the griffin, ga area, the talented mr jerry walker will be here this weekend, with his new band. you should go check him out. it should be a good time (and from the looks of it, a class of 1993 GHS reunion).

wow. i didn't realize i had so much to say! and i haven't ranted about christmas, halloween, or football (what on earth happened to UGA?) at all. maybe next time.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

late......as usual

i've been told i should update this thing once a week, at least, to keep anyone's attention. i don't know how even that could keep someone's attention, but i thought i would try. and here it's been almost 3 weeks, i think.

the new recording was put on temporary hold, as i got some new recording software, and am getting up and running with it. up next should be an interesting arrangement of "were you there", the old spiritual. great song, and i have a cool idea for it. i also dug out some old lyrics, and decided to work on them some, and actually wrote a new song, recently.

went hiking last weekend, in the foothills of the smoky mountains. it was gorgeous, and i quite enjoyed myself. i am supposed to be doing a fairly large mountain next year, so i need to get in shape for that. it was there, while hiking, and sitting on the side of a lake, that i wrote the recent song.....solitary time in the wilderness is a wonderful thing, and allows the mind to forget daily problems, i suggest everyone do it.

i am pondering refinishing a guitar this winter. if that comes to be, i will figure out how to put a picture here for you all.

i guess that's it. i hope your attention has been held.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

rock and roll music

well....finally there is proof that i have indeed been working on music. the song for the lost dogs tribute album is done, and is online at www.myspace.com/westering

this week, hopefully, i begin recording another project i have wanted to do for a long time. i will be recording some very traditional hymns in some very non-traditional ways. look for some samples of that coming soon. i will be assisted in this by my amazingly talented friends, hugh and dylan. hopefully it will come out as good as what i hear in my head.

i am also working on a few originals, which may or may not come to fruition, and will be starting a project co-writing some songs with hugh in the coming weeks....this one is something i think will be very cool, and i will share more about it as we go along.

the job is going well, and i am finally adjusting to life back in the old hometown.

that's about it for today...i probably need to get to bed.

for those of you who love good music, i would advise you to check out derek webb's new CD. he has it for free download at www.freederekwebb.com go get it right away. it is a fantastic album.

you say it's your birthday...

it's my birthday too.....

so indeed, as i look at the lower right hand corner of my screen, where the date is displayed, i see that i am officially another year older. i hope to keep having these for some time.

i am still working the job which i was so happy about getting some while back. it's going well. the early morning conference calls continue, but i can deal with them, since they are about the only indication that i actually work for a company, as opposed to being self employed. i enjoy a level freedom in this job which is either wonderful, or terrible, depending on how i use it. so far, i am using it fairly well. things are picking up.

of the promised musical projects, one is near completion, one is nearing starting. i am quite happy with the way the one nearing completion has progessed. it will be finished next week. have i ever mentioned how much i hate hearing my recorded voice? yes....i understand the physiology on why it sounds so different.....but i don't like it at all.....hopefully you will like it more than i do. more info to come, on all counts.

i will make some effort to update more often in coming weeks......

until then.....

so let it be written, so let it be done.

i should be asleep

so tomorrow is the first day of my new job....a conference call at 730AM. man...i can't wait. that is followed by anotehr conference call. o well. it beats having to go to the office for a meeting. i'm just glad to be employed again.

as i said, i should be asleep, but i wanted to post a few thoughts here.

i am now officially working with the youth at my church here in griffin. not sure what all i will be doing yet, but i know i will be helping with their worship team/praise band. they are a good group of talented kids, who need some direction. hopefully i will be able to guide them, without coming off as the old guy telling them how to play rock music. i will probably have to bite my tongue some......but i look forward to doing it.

secondly, i am working on an idea to get some local concerts happening here in good old griffin, ga. i have a meeting scheduled this week towards that end, and hopefully the ball will start rolling fairly quickly. it's going to be a challenge, as i want to keep the local churches involved, without stepping on toes, or making anyone feel left out. i will say more about this as time goes on.

i should be getting together with hugh this week to record the first real tracks for our songs for this lost dogs tribute. it's going to be fun doing music with him again. he has a great studio, and puts out fantastic music. these tracks should be something i can be proud of....in a good way, of course.

that said. i am going to bed, so i can get up at a way-too-early hour for this morning call, in 7 hours.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

a job....one more time

so i think i have a job, finally.....

with a real company, doing outside sales. i think it will be a very cool thing. it should allow me the free time to do the things i enjoy, along with paying me enough to support my musical habits. i will be selling merchant services (credit card type) and payroll services to businesses.....my territory includes the area here where i live, and enough of the surrounding area that i should never run out of people to see. so there's that.

now....on to other matters.

it has come to my attention that my ex and apparently, some of her friends, drop by to read this when they are bored beyond belief. apparently i have made some disparaging comments that did not go over so well in that particular circle of friends. let me be clear : my ex is pretty cool person, and for the most part we get along just fine. i get to see my son pretty much whenever i want to, and without a lot of hassle. this past weekend, for example, much to my surprise, i didn't even have to leave the house, she brought him, and picked him up. we actually get along better now than we did when we were married.

so, that's out of the way. nothing has been very funny for me to tell you about lately. sitting at home all the time will do that to you. i feel certain that being on the road all day will bring lot's of humour to my life in the very near future.

also, please go buy the new johnny cash record. it will floor you. it's that good. i said so.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

ethics can be a real drag

so i went to my first day at the life insurance company. i had asked some very specific questions about things like lead generation, sales pitches, whether or not i would be going door-to-door, etc in my interview. the answers i received were satisfactory. the reality when i started training monday were quite different. in fact, they were basically the opposite of what i had been told.

i let the fine people there know that i would not be going to work for them. if they have a decent product, no deception should be needed. ever. i feel good about the decision, but now i really must find a job post haste.

i have an interview tomorrow that looks very promising. a real outside sales job. i will keep you, my loyal reader, up to date.

until then, don't call me for life insurance. and if you need me, i will be laying by the pool.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

a job...again

OK. so i mentioned i was taking one of two jobs. here's the deal.

i have decided to take a job selling life insurance. yea. life insurance. not what i always dreamed i would be doing, but after looking into it, there are some definite benefits, and i am pretty excited about it.

1. it's outside sales again. i get to be out and about all day, talking to people. big fun.
2. this also means i can largely set my own hours. this is something i have sorely missed while working for corporate america.
3. the money looks pretty dang good. i need more guitars, and someone has to pay for them!!

hopefully this will also leave me un-stressed enough to get back into a few other musical endeavors i have worked on in the past. look for something to come of that this summer, i hope.

i'm recording rough versions of the two songs hugh and i are doing, this week. i doubt these will be fit for public consumption, but they will be evidence of progress.

that's all for now. if you need life insurance, let me know.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

yea..so it's not winter

my sister reminded me that i haven't posted here since i said i hated winter, and it is now quite obviously summer, as evidenced by the over 90 degree heat we have here, coupled with over 90% humidity.

so since then, not a lot has happened, i promise.

wait....a few small things:

i moved home to griffin, ga. i am taking one of two jobs here. i will make a decision soon. i promise. this move was mainly to be closer to my son, who i do not see enough. this should make my ex-wife happy as well, but i assure you, it will not. she will find a reason to be unhappy if it kills her. ...and have no fear, i will be a part of that reason.

so anyway...yea....a new job. still in sales, since that's all i know how to do. pondering the idea of going back to school, and maybe teaching one day. time will tell.

music....i promised some music from me, didn't i? well here's where we are with that:

i just recorded a guitar part for a song for a guy i know. i thought it sucked. he liked it. it's his song, and if he posts it online, i will put a link here.

i am working on two songs with my old friend hugh cooper, for a tribute album for one of my favorite bands, the lost dogs. they should be really cool. samples will be online eventually. other tributes from the same group of people can be found here : www.bigdork.org please be sure to go to .org, not .com...the guy has called himself big dork for years, but apparently the term has other meanings, other places.

and finally, this fall, hopefully, i will be recording an album of hymns with my good friend, dylan higgins. (i wanted to put more commas in that sentence, but couldn't find anywhere to put them.) i am really looking forward to this project. it will be a ton of fun, will be some great music, and will let me work with dylan, who i have wanted to do something with for some time. check him out at : http://www.myspace.com/higginsmusic

is that enough for now? i will try to get here more often this summer. there may actually be something funny....i am living at my parent's house for about 2 more weeks....surely that will result in some fun stories.

until then......

so let it be written, so let it be done.

i hate winter

as i sit here listening to the lost dogs most recent album, "island dreams", a nice little bit of island dream-y intrumental bliss, i realize that around this time every year, i yearn to move to the islands.....several days into spring, and no sign of a warming trend....infact, it is colder now than last week. it has been cold for long enough. i need spring.....summer would be nice in fact.

so who's in for moving to the islands with me? here's my thought: where do people always wish they could go on vacation, if they only had the money? the islands, the beach, somewhere warm. so if we lived at the beach, we could make do with much less money, since we would have no need to go to there.

sounds good to me.

so if you need me, i will be strumming my guita, running a little t-shirt stand somewhere in the carribbean. i will give you a discount.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

kids are funny....

the following conversation took place before school the other day..

promise : daddy, i need a $20 bill
me: for what?
promise : i want a pop-tart with my breakfast at school
me: promise....pop-tarts do not cost 20 dollars
promise: noooooo daddy..they're not 20 dollars, they are a 20 dollar bill

apparently the lunch lady told her she needed to bring a $20 bill to get extra food after her breakfast at school......now i don't know how much they charge for pop-tarts at school, and i'm sure it's high....but $20? i must be missing something somewhere....

speaking of kids.....people without kids don't seem to understand how the whole "having kids" thing affects your life. my musician friends apparently thing i can just get a sitter with 5 minutes notice, and come hang out. of course, they also think it odd that i go to bed at around 10 during the week.....they have all quit their jobs to play music full time....they don't have paying shows lined up, they just play all day....must be nice...

that's it for right now...just some random thoughts i had this weekend..

so let it be written, so let it be done.

drivers ed

so i have a long commute to work now, meaning i see lot's of things on the road. i have come up with a few things that should be taught to anyone wishing to drive.

1. if you are in a lane that ends, please merge as soon as possible. turn on your blinker, look for someone to let you in, and get the heck over. DO NOT drive in that lane until it is tapering off, and force your way in......

which brings me to point 2...

2. if you are in the lane that doesn't end, and you see someone trying to merge ahead of time, let them. it's polite. it encourages their good driving. HOWEVER.....if they have driven right to the end, and are trying to force their way in, tailgate the car ahead of you, and DO NOT, under any circumstances, let them in.

3. on a multi-lane, divided highway, there are very few reasons to ever slow down. i will list a few for you.
a. there is a wreck ahead. obviously you should slow down.
b. someone/thing runs out in front of you. please do not hit the animal/moron pedestrian.
c. weather demands it.

that's about it......but here are some things that do NOT require you to slow down
a. a wreck on the other side. this is none of your business. go home and watch it on the news.
b. getting close to your exit....most exit ramps are long enough to slow down. that is why they are so long.
c. someone is trying to merge, in normal traffic. do NOT slow down. they are speeding up to merge. if you slow down, you mess up the entire process, and confuse them.
d. you are talking on your cell phone. if you can't drive and talk, stop talking. or pull over. don't slow down.


another thing........why, WHY i say, does a 6 lane, divided highway EVER come to a complete stop? and why, when you get to the point where it moves again, there is no apparent reason for the slow down? if anyone can answer this, i will send you an autographed copy of a tape i played on many years ago.

that is all.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

parenting 101

begin rant.......

i am sick of hearing people talk about changing things to protect children. they say myspace shoould be shut down, kids are getting hurt. chat rooms are dangerous. the simpsons are corrupting our kids. too much sex and violence on TV. too much sex and violence in music.

i have a novel concept : how about you take responsibility for your kids? how about you monitor what they watch? what they listen to? what web-sites they visit? how about there is no good reason for a 14 yr old to have a web-cam on their computer in their bedroom. be involved. be a part of their life.

a friend of mine's 10 yr old daughter had a myspace page. he saw special on the news about myspace, and kids being approached by pedophiles. they mentioned you have to be 14 to even be on myspace. "how is she on there?" he asked. well.......her profile said she was 26. not too hard, huh? she sits beside him on the sofa, playing on myspace, but he never took the time to look at what she was doing. her page is now gone. good for him. he quickly told her the dangers, and she and all of her friends shut their pages down. that's what a parent does. he didn't e-mail myspace and complain. he didn't call the news to raise a fuss. he dealt with the issue with his daughter. how amazing, huh?

it is not the job of the schools, the government, the internet, or anyone else to raise and teach your children. it is your's. stop blaming everything else, and be a parent. don't change the world because some things can be used for evil purposes. change yourself. change your kids.

end rant.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

i'm too old....life is too short

so i have come to a realization.

i just don't get most new rock music. indie rock. you know. the stuff all the "cool kids" listen to. i buy CD's, i listen to them, because people "in the know" tell me they are great. i try to like them, i really do....but i don't. i think they suck. but i keep listening, hoping i will see what all the fuss is about. usually, i never do.

so i have come to this......i just don't care. i don't give a crap what the "cool kids" think is good music. i don't want to hear some melodramatic middle-class kid from the 'burbs sing off-pitch about his sad life, over a poorly strummed guitar. i don't want to try to decipher some inane lyrics that turn out to be about basically nothing. i am not interested in 50 albums, one for each state. i don't want to listen to music i have to try to like.

maybe i am just getting old, but life is too short to not have music around you that you enjoy. so if you are one of those cool kids, and you get near my desk, or car, you will probably hear something that sounds like it came from from before you were born. it might have. or it may be some newer artist who makes music i like. i won't try to convert you to listening to waylon, or son volt, or ben harper, or cross canadian ragweed (though you really should check them out). so don't bother me with the white stripes, killers, gorillaz, or that uber-annoying sufjan stevens. i don't want to hear them.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

where have i been????

wow...it's been a whole month. maybe i should come here more often, yes?

in all honesty, it HAS been a busy month...i moved, i now have a 45 minute commute to work. this means i get up at 530am, meaning also, that i am very tired at night. also, i have been preparing for the arrival of my daughter.....she is here now, bringing mirth and merriment to my house. maybe i will have funny stories like Kelly again, soon.

it snowed here this weekend, meaning everything is closed, the grocery stores are sold out of bread, milk, water, and soup, and people everywhere are driving like morons. i love the south, that is well known, but people here do not have a clue how to drive.

my friend rob has a date this weekend with a girl he met through one of those online dating things...e-harmony i think is the one he used. i am just not so sure about that method. not that my current method is working real well......anyone have a suggestion? comment? snide remark?

ahh that's it for now. i may even come back later today......we will see.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

what have i started?

that's the most comments ever seen in this place. wow. what fun!! i am still not sure exactly how i feel about it all, but it IS fun. please continue. noone has yet convinced me marriage is any better than wal-mart at noon on the friday after thanksgiving(which is how i imagine hell), but they are welcome to present their arguments.

so an update on the housing situation.....we are moving around the end of this month....probably late next week. my roommate has purchased a very nice house in beautiful hendersonville, tn...about 150 yards from the lake, in a great school disctrict, and about 4 miles from the former house of johnny cash (now owned by barry gibb; which i think bothers me). i am quite happy to be getting out of this apartment. when we pulled in the yard last week to look at some stuff, 4 deer ran out of the yard. i will feel right at home!

just a short update, since you have all been so kind as to visit, i felt i should leave you something.

more later.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

it's 2006......

how the heck did that happen? wow.......

so i don't really make resolutions, since they seem pointless, but here are a few things i plan to accomplish this year. feel free to ask me how i am doing with them, throughout the year.

spend at least one hour per day with my guitar or mandolin (which i should be doing now, instead of typing here)
become more active in church
sleep more
watch less tv
record this freaking CD i keep promising everyone.....

o yea.....and find out who that anonymous person is wanting to convince me marriage is better than shopping the day after t-giving (i'd rather have an ingrown toe-nail cut out than do either..but shopping is less painful, and costs less)

yes..i have a mandolin now. maybe i will figure out how to put a picture here, and show you all my fine collection of musical instruments.

so there it is, an actual post of some substance, enjoy.

maybe i should resolve to post here more often. but it would not help. see you all later.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

myspace

myspace.com is one crazy place......i joined to see some pics of a band i am a fan of, and have now discovered people i never thought i would run into on the goofy ol' internet.....something i suspect started as a dating site, has turned into a place to connect with new folks who share common interests, and find one's you have lost contact with......i now get to chat with people i haven't talked to in years, and it's really cool.......good stuff.

you can find me there at www.myspace.com/larryl

christmas is here........for the first time ever, i will spend it without my beautiful daughter....she will be with her mom for the entire weekend, which will be quite weird for me. but it does give me an extra day to buy gifts for her, which is good, since i haven't done much of that yet....

christmas also means a week at home with my parents.......man i hope that goes well......those of you who know me, and my relationship with my dad know what i mean by that....

but at least i get a week off work....that will be nice, though not too relaxing.....i'd rather be home, resting on my sofa, sipping a nice rum drink, watching law and order re-runs.....o well....


i hope you all have a merry christmas, festivus, hanukkah, feast of the nativity, or whatever you celebrate. i personally hope to be able to focus on why I celebrate....the birth of my savior....and i hope i can use it as i time to redirect some of my attention in a direction it is too seldom directed.....may you all do the same.....with all the hub-bub about holiday trees, happy holidays, and such, let's let it go........celebrate however we see fit....i will celebrate christmas....not the actual birthday of Jesus, neccesarily, but the day we choose to celebrate it.

so....merry christmas.

and if need be......festivus for the rest of us......

so let it be written, so let it be done.

and so it goes....

so i haven't been here in a while...here is the brief version.

my roommate and i are moving into a house at the first of the year. this means my wonderful daughter will be coming back to live with me. i have never been away from her this long, and i don't think either of us are taking it very well. i am quite excited for her to be here. it will mean a more normal routine, as mandated by having a school age child in the house.....and the house.....i can't freaking wait to be in a house again. i hate apartments. hate them.

i am inundating myself in some great music, determined to start work on the album i have promised several people. i am playing daily again, and learning some stuff, remembering some stuff, and in general having fun, which is what music is all about for me.

christmas is upon us, and i think i have all my gift buying done, what little i must do. online shopping is a godsend to someone who is as terrified of crowds as i am. seriously..i have been known to leave a full cart of groceries and walk out of a store, not being able to deal with the crowd. perhaps i need therapy. what would hank hill say about that? probably that i should have a wife to do that.... i think i would rather go to the mall the day after thanksgiving......

well i think that is all. i promise i shall try to be more witty, or at least have something to say next time i am here.

so let it be written, so let it be done.

even more random than usual

i wouldn't write anything today, because i have no anecdotes about my life to share, and i am too tired to get into any deep subjects....but i know some of you become concerned for my well being when i don't post often enough....

i will say that my brother-in-law is currently supposedly in the departure phase of his tour in iraq. that is good news. why do they call it a tour anyway? aren't tours supposed to be fun? and from what i hear, he stayed in the same place almost the whole time. i don't get it......but either way, he will be home soon.

it is cold as crap here, and i am very unhappy about it. 20's at night.....my doors were frozen shut yesterday morning.....and they are predicting snow next week....rain this weekend....which means we will probably have a blizzard this weekend, and 70's next week, but i digress......i HATE cold. hate it. see no point to it. it's one of those pressing questions i want to ask God someday....why did we need cold? i am sure someone will give me a biological/ecological answer, but i won't buy it......God could have created the whole thing to work a different way; one which would not have not required cold. i live in the south partially because i hate cold. but we still get it......i suppose it's better than the hurricanes i would have if i lived in those wonderful places where it doesn't get cold...not sure.....may have to think on that.....

that's all for today.

yes, carrie, i feel fine.

i see we have a new reader. welcome rob.

so let it be written, so let it be done.