Here's the Thing

Road Trip to Jellystone

2009-08-02T04:03:00.000-07:00

Molly and I are taking the road trip of all road trips this week We are taking the motorcycle to Yellowstone National Park. We will be on the bike for eight straight days, and will cover more than 2,000 miles. I will try to post some kind of updates as we go, either here or on Facebook, so my family know we're still alive. Here is the basic route we will be taking, broken up by day.

View Larger Map

The map doesn't show day 4, which will be a full day inside the park, staying a second night at the same hotel in West Yellowstone, MT before heading south to Pocatello, ID. It's shaping up to look like quite the adventure...

See you on the road!

Nightmares

2008-02-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

I can remember having nightmares as a small child. I know my parents remember me running into their room crying because a monkey had bitten me on the cheek. It was so terrifyingly real. To this day I can remember the details of the dream. There was a small window above the headboard of my twin bed, and I was sitting in bed, leaning back on the headboard. Out of the window behind my head a cartoonish brown monkey (looking like a deranged Curious George) leans out and latches onto the side of my face. I remember not wanting to go back to bed, because I wasn't completely sure it had been a dream.

These days my nightmares tend to be just as disturbing, and far more realistic. So much so that the last few times that I have cried have been while I was dreaming. The upside of my nightmares now is that I can generally shake them off immediately after waking up. The downside is that there are things far worse than hungry monkeys in the world, and they can easily and unexpectedly pop up in a surprisingly realistic dream.

Early Election Thoughts and Predictions

2008-02-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

I have been unusually entertained by this year's presidential election race. In years past I have been either too sure of who I wanted to vote for or too frustrated by the lack of decent choices. This year, however, there are plenty of interesting characters, and a number of decent candidates from which to choose.

About two years ago, when Hillary Clinton was starting to take serious steps toward running in 2008, I thought the only republican that could possibly beat her would have to be Rudy Giuliani. He wasn't even running at the time, but I think everyone knew he would.

Now, with the primaries and caucuses starting to heat up, I think I have a pretty good idea about who could win. I have no idea who will win, but I think I will once the parties have chosen their candidate. I think I have a good idea of who can beat who, and who just can't win. Here is a chart of my predictions, based on the final candidates in the general election.

Obama vs. McCain - Obama wins a pleasant and respectful race

Obama vs. Romney - Obama wins in a Dukakisesque landslide

Obama vs. Huckabee - Obama wins a closer race than you might expect

Clinton vs. McCain - McCain wins a tiresome and sometimes ugly race

Clinton vs. Romney - ~~Nobody wins~~ Clinton wins a very close race

Clinton vs. Huckabee - Huckabee wins a very close race

In light of this empirical evidence I cannot fathom the democrats nominating Hillary Clinton. She can only beat Mitt Romney, and that's only because nobody want to vote for the guy who looks like he should be pitching time shares.

Big Weekend Indeed!

2007-11-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

As previously mentioned, I interviewed for a job yesterday (Friday). It looks like an entry level position working at PacifiCorp, contracted through a company called DB Professionals. The interview went well, and it looks like the job is mine if I want it. It seems like a good opportunity, and I feel pretty good about the situation. I will talk with my contact person at DB Professionals this Monday to let them know what I decide.

Molly and I drove out to St. Johns Honda this morning and bought the motorcycle we had been looking at. I spent much of today riding, which was lots of fun, especially in the unexpected sunshine. Last night the forecasts said 90% chance of rain. The pictures on the forecasts were even all dark and gloomy. It was a beautiful day though, and fairly warm to boot.

I'm meeting Uncle Walt at Lloyd Center in 20 minutes to get some dinner and go to the Blazers game. All in all it's a great Saturday.

Could Be a Big Weekend

2007-11-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

I'll be interviewing for a job at 3pm today that has been described as "unglamorous," but good experience. I'll update that later. Also, I will likely be purchasing a motorcycle today or tomorrow, which will be quite exciting. These are two very exciting events that I have been waiting for for quite a while now. If they were to happen on the same weekend, that would be a really big weekend. I'll leave you with a picture of the bike I'm looking at right now.

2006 Honda VTX 1300C

M. Ward at the Crystal Ballroom

2007-10-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

Molly and I saw M. Ward last night at the Crystal Ballroom with a small group of good friends. It was a great show, and a fun night all around. Before the show Molly and Keven and I ate dinner at Masu, which is easily my favorite place for sushi. I can promise you that you will never eat a better bite of raw fish than the lotus roll at Masu. Tasty.

The one letdown of the night was Jason Lytle. I had never heard of the guy, but if he's opening for M. Ward he should at least be interesting. He wasn't. It was far and away the worst opening act I have ever seen anywhere. He sounded like a cross between Daniel Johnston and Elliott Smith, but without the songwriting talent, or ability to carry a tune. At one point, between songs, he actually told the audience that "I thought this acoustic project would be an interesting change, but I'm totally over it now. I'm so bored with it." Later he stopped again to remind us that he's "...So over this acoustic thing..." and an unnamed person in the crowd yelled out, "So am I!"

Here are some basic practical rules for playing a live show:
1. Learn the words and chords to your own songs. They are important.
2. Practice.
3. Don't tell the audience about how bored you are.

At least M. Ward came through with a good set, and redeemed the night.

"Did you hear I finally graduated?"

2007-08-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE

Well, that’s it. I have turned in my final project for my HR policy class. At 31 pages in length, this definitely goes down as my longest paper. Or as Homer Simpson might remind me, it’s my longest paper so far. It seems like these last two years went by fairly quickly, though if asked a year ago I would have disagreed. More than feeling excited or relieved or proud of finishing I am feeling anxious to get started working in the real world. I have started posting my resume around town on light poles and bulletin boards, so hopefully I’ll find something interesting to do with my time. On one hand I am ready to get back to working, and on the other I am going to miss school. That’s not a feeling I have had before. I assumed that by the time I finally finished my bachelors degree I would not even want to think about grad school, but I’m guessing that this time next year I’ll be getting ready to start a part-time MBA program. We’ll see.

Brian May, PhD

2007-07-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy reading surprising stories about famous people, especially those in rock bands, who are more intelligent and educated than you might think. Today I saw a story about Brian May, guitarist for Queen. Not only is May one of the most influential guitar players of his time, he is also finishing his PhD in astrophysics. He apparently walked away from his studies when Queen's popularity began to explode.

All this time I had no idea that one of the guys responsible for Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, and Another One Bites the Dust was some kind of supergenius. At least he uses his powers for good and not evil.

I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.

2007-07-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

I find myself at a bit of a musical crossroads this summer. For about the last year I have been playing with a worship band that does a fair amount of conferences and retreats, as well as regularly leading worship on Sunday nights at its home church. At the beginning I was just happy to play with other quality musicians. There is something nice about making solid, good quality music, without having to worry about the other members of the band.

As things rolled along I have had the opportunity to learn some new songs, meet new people, lead a lot of people in worship, and have a generally good time doing it. There have been frustrations and challenges as well, but overall it has been a great experience.

My biggest frustration so far has been the contrast in style between what I like to play and listen to and what the band plays. It was immediately clear that my taste in music was not particularly similar to that of anyone else in the band, which really didn’t bother me. I do tend to get bored or frustrated at times, though, playing a type of music that I am not particularly drawn to, and I wonder if my priorities are a bit off.

I joined this band because I wanted a musical outlet. The leading-people-in-worship part was more of a bonus than a requirement for me. I wonder now whether it was realistic for me to expect to find a creative outlet through leading worship. The thing about worship music is that it has to have a broad musical appeal, or you end up with only a few people connecting with what you are trying to do. There is also a sacrifice that goes along with worship, whether leading a group or just singing along. The purpose of worship, in a group setting, is to worship God in unity, not to express our individual creativity. I sing a worship song because I need to worship my creator, not because I happen to like the song. Considering this, my playing in a band, whose primary goal is to glorify God, requires me to sacrifice my own personal taste and creativity. I have to ask myself, if my priorities are really right, why not put that energy into more viable creative outlets? Especially when my very involvement with this band, which is based at a different church, causes friction with some there that dislike outsiders involved in their worship.

All that said, I really do enjoy playing with these guys. I know this sounds like a Dear John letter, but I’m really just putting my thoughts and feelings out there as I think through my goals for the next few years.

What to do? I want your input. I know you’re reading this, now leave me a comment with your thoughts!

Hello Goodbye

2007-07-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

As sort of a graduation present to me, I sold my Fender Strat to a nice guy from Vancouver named Bob, and bought a new electric guitar. I had to add some cash to it, which I got from moving some old friends into their beautiful new home. They were quite generous, and I was excited to "move on up to east side" by getting the guitar I wished I bought to start with.

I picked up my new Fender American '62 Reissue Telecaster (in three-color sunburst with a rosewood neck, a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time…) late last week, and spent a few hours playing it before noticing a tiny crack on the side of the fingerboard. I couldn’t quite tell if the crack was really a crack, or maybe just an anomaly in the finish. It must have been there when I bought it, and I just missed it; it was a pretty small crack.

Nonetheless, my joy and excitement had instantly turned to fear, and I rushed the new beauty (lights on and siren blazing) straight over to Portland Fret Works, where Todd Mylet does magical things with stringed instruments. He also does a lot of warranty work for several instrument companies. After taking a look, Todd called me to let me know that the crack does indeed need fixing, and that it will be a warranty repair (free to me). I'm thinking, "Well, it's cool that Fender pays for it, but how long will it take?" Then Todd says, "Since this is a nitrocellulose lacquer, the job will take about four weeks."

"Uhhhhh... uhhhhh…"

I wasn't sure if I heard him right, but then he explained that the lacquer needs time to cure, etc, etc. I could have returned the guitar to Portland Music Co, but it would have taken at least as long for them to order another one, and their other stores didn’t have one in stock. It’s not the most common guitar around, which is part of why I like it so much. You might even say I love this guitar. I love it bad. Real bad.

So now I sit, without any electric guitar at all, wishing it had all been different. Maybe that’s just what I get for buying myself a graduation present before actually graduating. It will definitely be an exercise in patience, though, and I do tend to be the guy that buys the guitar that needs warranty work anyway. At least I have learned to keep my sales receipts.

Check it - A Must Read

2007-06-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

My big sis has an exceptional post and mini-review on "Jesus Camp", a documentary you need to see. I have yet to see the film, though it's been in the queue for while. It just got bumped toward the top.

Help Buy Tarver a Leg

2007-05-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

Check out Bob's blog entry about Tarver's quest to raise money for a prosthetic leg, and read up on the whole situation on Tarver's blog. If you have a couple spare dollars and want to help you can donate to the fund here via PayPal.

Honestly, isn't it enough having to get your leg hacked off without the insurance company insulting you by not paying for proper prosthesis?

Minor Surgery

2007-05-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning I dropped off Rosa, my acoustic guitar, for a surgical procedure. It's kind of the equivalent of a triple bypass surgery, so while it's somewhat routine for the guy doing the work, it's a little scary for me. After ten long years of playing the heck out of this guitar it came time to refret. This procedure involves removing the old frets, fixing any anomalies or imperfections in the fretboard, and replacing the old frets with new. Check out these pictures of the process, courtesy of The Twelfth Fret. There is no way I would be able to watch something like this.

As you can see, it's a bit of an ordeal. I have had these guys do work on guitars before, and they are top notch. While I have been going to Portland Fretworks lately, their schedule is always much more backed up, and I'm honestly not patient enough to wait for 3 weeks on something like this.

Red Hot and Rolling!

2007-05-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

This last Tuesday, with Molly out of town, and my stressful Monday at school behind me, I considered spending a few hours down at The Venue, a sports bar where the Blazers were having their draft lottery party. It sounded like fun, but I decided not to go just so I could pay extra for beer, sit by myself and watch the Blazers get the (all-but-assured) 6th pick in the draft.

I watched from home, and got all excited like was 12 years old again. With one incredible stroke of luck the Blazers (and the Sonics) are going to get a whole lot more fun to watch, starting this summer. After watching this video, I'm thinking I should have gone to the party.

PRB at yet another Southern Baptist event

2007-04-29T00:40:00.000-07:00

The Paul Ramey Band played at a student conference this past weekend at Crossroads Church in Vancouver. Brock Gill, the speaker/illusionist, was really good. It was a regional conference for high school kids in the Southern Baptist denomination, which carries a certain amount of cognitive dissonance for me, but overall it was a really good weekend.

It's always a good time hanging out with the guys, especially when there is a green room or hotel involved.

All Done!

2007-04-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

I finally had the chance to finish my pedalboard case project today. I finished the aluminum trim, added the foam for the inside of the lid, and attached some small chain to hold the lid while open. I rubbed some stain inside on the unfinished poplar, even though I know that poplar isn't really a wood worth staining, and I'm done!

Here is the inside without the pedalboard...

... and here's the inside with the pedalboard.

While there are certainly things I would do differently next time, I am happy with the final results, and even a little encouraged that woodworking can be a lot of fun. I think I may have found a new hobby. Now, I just need more power tools...

Project: Pedalboard and Case

2007-04-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

After looking high and low for a good long-term solution for the guitar pedalboard situation, I finally decided to take matters into my own hands. First, I got my grubby mitts on a good quality power supply, and bought a piece of oak. Then I picked up an old bike chain that was headed for the trash in the Bike Gallery shop. I rubbed a little stain onto the board, attached handles, and added rubber feet. Then I disassembled the bike chain, and used the link pieces to attach the pedals and power supply to the new oak pedalboard. In a few short hours I had solved one problem. Now I would just need a case to protect the pedals themselves.

I picked up some poplar and thin plywood from the hardware store and built a frame for my case. Since I only have a circular saw and a compound miter saw, I had to make lots of rough cuts and do loads of sanding. I painted the outside with a glossy black, and attached hinges and latches.

I built in some partitions for various other gear, and lined the edge of the lid with some adhesive rubber insulation.

Now I'm cutting aluminum to protect the edges, which is taking some extra time, but should help the case last longer. After that I'll just need some gray eggshell foam for the inside of the lid and a way to limit how far the lid can open.

Overall, I am having a great time with my project. Generally when I decide to build something it turns out a little bit hillbilly, and if you look closely you can certainly see it's no work of art, but it will serve its purpose.

Much Better

2007-04-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Molly has finally finished her training in Minneapolis, and is back in town for real. She had a week in MN, followed by a week in Portland, followed by another two weeks in MN. Needless to say that was ridiculous, and not the most enjoyable two weeks for either of us. We did talk on the phone almost every day, but that gets pretty insufficient after the second or third day.

We also did some thinking, and decided that this was actually the longest we have been apart since we met in Septemmber 1998. That's a strange thought, and it makes me feel a little old.

On a related note, I helped our friend Keven (aka GirlKeven) move on Saturday, which made me pretty sore for a few days. That really made me feel old. I need to get myself back into some kind of respectable shape.

Bachelors for a Week

2007-03-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Molly called a few minutes ago to let me know that she got into Minneapolis safely, and checked into her hotel. She is training this week for her new job with Aveda. That leaves Fred, Stan and I to fend for ourselves until she returns Friday night. It will be a lonely week, but I should have plenty of homework to keep me busy. At the moment Freddy and I are kicking off the week in true bachelor style. We're watching the Blazers manhandle the Golden State Warriors over a Bridgeport Beertown Brown Ale. It's delicious, but Freddy is back on the wagon, so he's enjoying the condensation on the outside of the bottle.

More Yay, etc.

2007-03-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Anyone who is interested can help us celebrate Molly's new job tonight at McMenamins Edgefield. We'll be having a few drinks and hanging out at about 7pm, or you can come early and eat dinner with us at the Power Station pub. Have a fantastic Friday, and we'll see you tonight! Here's a map, in case you haven't yet had the pleasure of visiting Edgefield.

Yay, indeed!

2007-03-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

Molly has officially gotten the job she's been chasing down for the last several months, and life is good. Having accepted her new position as Queen of Aveda, we'll be back to living the high life in no time. That's right! No more government cheese!

We are both excited and relieved, and are planning to celebrate Friday night. I'm not sure what it will entail, but I'll update with more information, in case you are interested in joining us.

Harumph!

2007-02-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

Today was the day that we were finally going to find out, but today has been pushed back to Friday. I can't honestly say I'm at all surprised, just disappointed and maybe a little irritable about the whole situation. It does sound, though, like it will happen at some point, in one way or another. In any case, pray for Molly's sanity, as it's being pushed to the limit this week. Also, maybe you could pray that this job thing gets resolved in the near future!

Mid-Term Roundup

2007-02-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm taking the last of my mid-term exams. I got the first two back, and the results were pretty telling. In Team Processes, which is taught by a family physician, I got an 82%. That sucked, but it was well above the average for the class, which was about 70%. This instructor frustrates me. One question, worth 2 points, asked me to name one way a work team can build implicit trust. I answered that building a shared history within the team would build implicit trust. No, I'm sorry, according to the text, a shared history builds cohesion. Apparently I just wrote a patient the wrong prescription or something, because I got zero points for that answer.

I have also figured out, by comparison of other groups' feedback, that she gives higher scores for wordier work. As a group we decided to consciously double the length of our latest paper, in hopes of getting better than the 26 out of 30 points we have received on every single paper thus far. I'll let you know how that turns out.

In Contemporary Leadership Issues I got a 97% on the mid-term. I enjoy this class because it is concept-driven, unlike the terminology-driven Team Processes class. The funny part to me is that I walked out of both exams feeling about the same. Nothing on either test caught me by surprise, but there were some questions that I was unsure of exactly what was expected. Oh well, I guess. I'll take a B in one class if I can lock up a solid A in the other.

Couldn't Be No Better!

2007-02-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

Wait! Don't push play yet!

Today was a good day. Today was a really good day; maybe the best of the week.
I woke up feeling even sicker than yesterday and went to school, only to find out that my mid-term (which was going to be really easy) was changed to a 5-page paper on human resource information technology. Also, Molly is out of town until tomorrow night, so I'll mostly be hanging out with Fred and Stan. Ugh.

Ok! Now push play.

Here's the thing. I scraped up enough money to buy an amp and waited for nearly an eternity for someone to post one for sale. I called about 12 minutes after the ad went live on Craigslist, and picked up the amp at 4:50pm. I have literally been lusting over this thing for months. It's the coolest amp ever, and I mean that objectively. If God played guitar (and He just might) this is undoubtedly the amp He would play through. Never has there been anything so fantastic.

What you are seeing is no illusion.

Between Exams

2007-02-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

Just a few quick thoughts as I sit in the library between mid-term exams...

I just took an exam that had 12 multiple choice questions and about 15 essay questions. That would be fine if the essay questions were based on general concepts and application, but I tend to struggle with arbitrarily named terms for common sense ideas. So, while I may actually get a decent grade on the exam, I am frustrated that I'm expected to regurgitate "the empowerment paradox." I can think of a number of paradoxes that relate to empowerment, but which one did the text refer to as The Empowerment Paradox?

I'm also not looking forward to my next exam. I have found that I don't mind an instructor who gives vague instructions, or is a difficult grader, but my professor for MGMT 448 (Team Processes)is both. She doesn't want to restrict or confine us by too clearly defining her expectations, but clearly expects specific results. It is also becoming clear that she tends to value length over content, which goes against my instincts, and seems counterproductive in real world applications. She also mentioned that her exams are very, very difficult, and she always has to adjust the "curve" so that the majority of the class passes. In a 400-level business class this seems a little extreme, especially for a class on team building

That's all for now; I need to get back to memorization.