I'm not sure how this happened, but I have some theories... I have been playing guitar for 15 years (since the time I was twelve) and I have rarely sat down to learn how to play other people's songs that I liked. When i started taking lessons from Tom Doyle (the best rhythm guitarist I have ever met), he told me that he wasn't going to be one of those teachers who just had be come in, pay my $20, and teach me how to play other people's songs. I, in my infinite 12 year old knowledge, took that to mean that it was a waste of time learning other people's stuff when I should be writing my own. Wrong. What he was saying is that there are a lot of people out there who say they are teachers but that is all they do. I get it now, but unfortunately it has taken me a while to do so. He was a great teacher and I know he was put in my life for a reason. I probably would still be playing to this day but probably not to the extent. I used to play lead over Derek and the Dominoes' Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, or anything by Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan. I never took the time to figure out why I loved a certain style or song. Now I'm going to start.
So, this blog is going to be a bit different going forward. A Clean Slate sort of takes on a different meaning now but it still fits. I am going to start learning new songs that I either think are a great song, or would be a challenge to play. Now, I have learned other people's songs in my life, I am just starting fresh with some new, and old, ones. Not all of these songs are going to be really difficult or mind blowing, I just need to start somewhere. I also may have learned these songs a while ago, but I'm going to really dive into them and figure them out for real this time.
I'm shooting for at least one per week but who knows. I will try to post a link to the song or video so you can at least hear what I'm talking about. I really just want to get better every day as a guitarist instead of being satisfied where I'm at. I know some of you that play guitar and are reading this are rolling your eyes or thinking "No, kidding, That's what you're supposed to be doing!" Give me a break! I'm still young!
If you have any suggestions or thoughts on a song you think would be cool to learn, or have learned, just let me know. I am open to ideas and just want to keep learning all different styles and riffs. Yeah! I'm excited. here goes nothin...
Friday, July 23, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Gullible's Travels
So, yesterday we were minding our own business when we get a rather aggressive knock on the door. It is a girl who says she is selling magazines to earn points to go to college. Seemed rather harmless. It got more and more fishy as the next 20 minutes unfolded. Her story started crashing into itself by the second. Of course, while this was happening I felt that everything wasn't on the up and up, but we still ended up giving her money...I'll get to that.
She said that this is the third "contest" she has done and she knows all the best ways to get people to fork her over some cash. She can earn triple points if you donate the subscription, double points if it's a gift, quadruple points if you are stupid enough to give her any money...So we're looking through the list of magazines and I asked her if you had to pay up front. Of course the answer was yes. I told her to go into my bathroom and look next to the toilet. I told her she would find a stack of magazines that have barely been opened. That was me declining. I should have declined for the both of us but we did want to help her out so Lauren picked Interview Magazine out of sympathy for this "poor" girl.
I asked her where she was from and she said "here." That was the first real thing that struck me. She had a Tennessee Volunteers hoodie on...I asked her if she was wearing that so people would give her more money. She said no. Shocker. To make a long story a little longer, she was actually a nice girl. Cursed every so often but relatively harmless as far as we could tell. So I wrote her a check for $53 even, Lauren fed her a homemade muffin and she was on her way.
I quickly looked up the company she gave me, Atlantic Circulation, Inc. SCAM, SCAM, SCAM!!! EVERYWHERE I LOOKED --- "RIP OFF ALERT," "DOOR TO DOOR SCAM,"JAMES CAPOZZI IS GULLIBLE!" That was really there!
I quickly stopped payment on the check. Moral of the story...do this research while the person is in your home so you don't hand them over a piece of paper with your account number on it!!!!!!!!!! Ugh.
She said that this is the third "contest" she has done and she knows all the best ways to get people to fork her over some cash. She can earn triple points if you donate the subscription, double points if it's a gift, quadruple points if you are stupid enough to give her any money...So we're looking through the list of magazines and I asked her if you had to pay up front. Of course the answer was yes. I told her to go into my bathroom and look next to the toilet. I told her she would find a stack of magazines that have barely been opened. That was me declining. I should have declined for the both of us but we did want to help her out so Lauren picked Interview Magazine out of sympathy for this "poor" girl.
I asked her where she was from and she said "here." That was the first real thing that struck me. She had a Tennessee Volunteers hoodie on...I asked her if she was wearing that so people would give her more money. She said no. Shocker. To make a long story a little longer, she was actually a nice girl. Cursed every so often but relatively harmless as far as we could tell. So I wrote her a check for $53 even, Lauren fed her a homemade muffin and she was on her way.
I quickly looked up the company she gave me, Atlantic Circulation, Inc. SCAM, SCAM, SCAM!!! EVERYWHERE I LOOKED --- "RIP OFF ALERT," "DOOR TO DOOR SCAM,"JAMES CAPOZZI IS GULLIBLE!" That was really there!
I quickly stopped payment on the check. Moral of the story...do this research while the person is in your home so you don't hand them over a piece of paper with your account number on it!!!!!!!!!! Ugh.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
No Regrets and No Remorse
I just read an article that saddened me and I'm sure saddens other people when they read it as well. The article is about a guy who "took matters into his own hands" and murdered an abortion doctor and seems to have zero remorse about the situation. He says that "abortion is murder" and I guess his remedy for such a thing was to kill the person doing the killing. Seems logical...if you're 7 years old.
I have many problems with this. Many. But my main problem with this is that he claims to be a follower of Christ. If you call yourself a Christian you are claiming that, right? I mean, that's what I always thought. So here is another "Christian" (I like using quotations...) who is murdering someone in the name of all things holy and he truly believes he is doing the right thing here. Like maybe he should be looked at as someone who is acting courageously and saving many lives because of his courageous act.
He said his anti-abortion beliefs "go hand in hand" with his religious beliefs. He said he became born again in 1992 after watching an episode of "The 700 Club." Side note - Pat Robertson is getting some really bad press lately...He says he has no regrets for his actions. I say that if I even steal a pack of gum from the store I feel guilty about it!
I think abortion is wrong...just wanted to get that out there. I do think this man's actions are just as wrong.
I come away reading things like this (and I know it is not the first time this has happened) feeling more sad than anything else. I'm sad that people like this are giving non-believers the idea that Christians are like this and would be capable of something like murder in the name of Jesus. Even typing that feels really wrong. It really puts you a couple steps back when engaging someone about Christ when they see people like this claiming they fall in line with what you believe. So, how do we combat this? I guess it is an opening to tell people that this really isn't what true Christians believe and to tell them the actual truth. I kind of just look at it as more of a reason to be living the way I know I'm supposed to. That includes my actions when no one is looking.
This is front page news today and I wonder if it would be if this guy didn't claim to be a Christian. I think not.
I have many problems with this. Many. But my main problem with this is that he claims to be a follower of Christ. If you call yourself a Christian you are claiming that, right? I mean, that's what I always thought. So here is another "Christian" (I like using quotations...) who is murdering someone in the name of all things holy and he truly believes he is doing the right thing here. Like maybe he should be looked at as someone who is acting courageously and saving many lives because of his courageous act.
He said his anti-abortion beliefs "go hand in hand" with his religious beliefs. He said he became born again in 1992 after watching an episode of "The 700 Club." Side note - Pat Robertson is getting some really bad press lately...He says he has no regrets for his actions. I say that if I even steal a pack of gum from the store I feel guilty about it!
I think abortion is wrong...just wanted to get that out there. I do think this man's actions are just as wrong.
I come away reading things like this (and I know it is not the first time this has happened) feeling more sad than anything else. I'm sad that people like this are giving non-believers the idea that Christians are like this and would be capable of something like murder in the name of Jesus. Even typing that feels really wrong. It really puts you a couple steps back when engaging someone about Christ when they see people like this claiming they fall in line with what you believe. So, how do we combat this? I guess it is an opening to tell people that this really isn't what true Christians believe and to tell them the actual truth. I kind of just look at it as more of a reason to be living the way I know I'm supposed to. That includes my actions when no one is looking.
This is front page news today and I wonder if it would be if this guy didn't claim to be a Christian. I think not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)