Oh goodness! My long suffering, neglected blog! I should pick this back up...

After some struggles with my right leg, IT band specifically, rides home from work have been able to happen. Nothing washes away the day like a ride down the Schuylkill River Trail. Nothing says "I love you" like a compact crank(replacing the Sugino pictured below)

Si?

It has been one of those long weeks.(I'll get back to this...))

I find that once Christmas break ends teachers, and by teachers I mean Emily, begin counting down the days 'til the school year ends. Then by about, oh, say the beginning of February they count days and hours. Now the teachers(again, Emily) are counting the minutes, seconds even.
It is painful to watch and entertaining at the same time.

I don't know that I can share any stories here. I'm pretty sure that doing so would break some kind of unspoken code. Somehow not related to ethics.

The weeks go on and they go on. Daylight savings time came around, made us hop ahead one hour, and gave us the good old "take that, you suck" trick. That's how it feels. Hurts initially but, we recover. Spring will come. Oh, thanks heavens it's not so cold. Oh, good a month of rain. Finally, a nice calm sunny day. What? 104 degrees for the next 4 months? What did I do wrong?
Well, daylight savings told you that you suck.

I am definitely in school right now. It is challenging and like anything else I want/ need to do well in I obsess over it. Math. I have never liked it. I never applied myself. Now, I want to destroy it. I want an A so bad it's pretty ridiculous. I want nothing more than to play with the ProTools rid my beautiful wife got me for my birthday. But, I'm afraid. At some point it may distract me from studying the substitution method. So it stays boxed up.
So far on my exams I have a 92% and a 100%. Perfect attendance and the teacher thinks I'm OK.
I don't mind.

I'm riding consistently and nothing could be better. I picked up new tires today and it is as exciting as getting a new guitar pedal. Just more affordable.
Rain is now a piece of cake since I was annihilated in last Thursdays rain storm.
I love riding to work, to class, etc.
I get to ride in tomorrow and find out what I got on my Intro to Music Theory Mid Term. Hopefully and A. Probably a C.

Phewww... what a week.

cats

It was a productive weekend. I got lots accomplished on our staircase. It's just steps away from being done! Pun intended.
We hosted a delightful dinner with friends, Josh, Daniel, and Mary Jo Saturday night. Roasted chicken, garlic and herb mashed potatoes, a side of tomato and green beans, as well as salad. All so good. Em knows how to make a meal!
Had to laugh when I called MJ "hun" She is a sweet woman and joyfully pregnant. We are friends but, never shared any deep, dark secrets! Still, there is a sister like quality to her. I enjoy that.

Friday we hoped to have a relaxing night in. Taking.It.Easy. This was not to be as we had to take Smokey to the ER. He was being very lethargic, not eating, just not being himself at all! Then when you talk to a vet and they say "Get him to the ER in the next 24 hours or he may die." You have no choice.
People will pay LOTS of money for surgery, medicine, etc. for animals. I don't think it's reasonable but, I get it. They wanted to put Smoo in over night and the potential of surgery would have left us with a $5,000 bill. Not happening.

On the drive home Em was back and forth between tears. She was so scared for him. She said. "Wait until I'm a mother. I'll be nuts!" Probably. But, she will be the best kind of nut for sure. Her love and desire to care for is so genuine.
I stayed level headed during the vet visit, not wanting to be emotional. On the way home I realized, wow! I was so relieved that Smokey was OK. How if something was really wrong with him I'd have been pretty torn up. Further more, it's the fact that Em is so affected by it that it gets to me.
Ultimately it was an expensive trip that was not necessary.
We get home and runs to the kitchen, eats some food and is back to normal.
Little bastard!

too far to turn back now

"What is the perfect Christmas gift?"

Christmas will come and it will go.
Each year I will be concerned not about how much I am spending but, do I have enough to spend?
That annoys me.

Aside from that I can celebrate. There is much to be thankful for.
I,whether I like it day in and out, have a job that pays my bills. I have friends who are there for me and we yell at each other, give each other hard times, etc. We are there for each other. That's the point.

A woman, who is so much more reasonable than I am, loves me. In daily interactions I'm still surprised. This is all to say that in not feeling to festive this year I am very excited to have our "First Christmas as a married couple!" Which a lot of people insist we enjoy.
It's good that my family is hers and hers is mine.

This just in " the christmas rush is really on"

God bless these fine loves of ours.Keep them close. Our families and friends. The eternal aches and lost loved ones. Thank you Lord for the all and everything.

Yours or Mine?

It's December. Time is just flying right by.
I tore up the carpet, removed the staples, stripped the shit out of that shit, sanded the...all of it, replaced battered stair treads. Still the staircase in our house is not completely finished yet.
The day will come, Lord knows, the day will come!!
I can't wait to post pictures of it.

I am riding consistently through this cold. I felt a little threatened initially but, it really is not as bad as I feared. It seems silly to mention it so often but, I must. It really makes me feel so good. I wish more folks could join me really.
I have yet to be called "crazy" for riding in this weather. But, I know it runs in the family so I can deal with that. If someone said "you know, you're a real ass face for riding a bike in this weather." Well, then we'd have an issue.

So, we have a little rehearsal in New Hope tomorrow for Psalmships gig. Hosted by the Harvie family. Daniel and MaryJo are expecting their first child, a baby boy. I am very excited by this. Nothing is said to be more life changing than the birth of your child. Seeing friends of mine who are with child, it's just such a beautiful thing.
The light that is present is overwhelming.

I will look forward to us having our children together.Or kids will be so fortunate to have such a beautiful, loving mother. They will learn to deal with their father. :)

Moving away from kids to the holidays! Back again? Already?
Yes, and I've felt much more festive in years past. I think I'm due for some ugly holiday sweaters or some shit like that.
Ya dig?

Officially done. One more beer and it's off to bed.
Check back in a month. When the stairs are done, I'm in school, and I might have a song or two. If one or two finds me..

I was really in the mood to write here earlier but, not so much now. I'm going to fight that not wanting to and write anyway..

Wandering around I was thinking "What's been going on?" It seems like a whirlwind of events has been happening lately. Weddings, anniversaries, recording dates, trips with friends... It all comes and goes so quick.

Nate's wedding is this Saturday and it is actually the 3 month anniversary of ours. To state how I feel about that, simply, THAT IS FUCKING CRAZY!
It is crazy to me that last year, a handful of folks I'm pretty close to, were in serious relationships. Next thing you know, BAMM!! KAPOWWWWW!!!!
Married.

It comes, it goes, and then you pick out bedsheets. or...something...

It's crazy to me that I even met the person that is my wife. That she wakes up with me and is so very concerned about the cat. She deals with my obsessive everything, slow reaction time, and nudges me when I need the nudge.
I'm fortunate.

I'm working right now on wanting to sing. It's been kind of tough. Think I need a night locked away somewhere to get some garbage out of the old brain attic.

I am succeeding at riding my bike frequently and dealing with absurdly cold temps in the morning. It's a bit of rush to be honest. I read this interview where a fella said "I ride a bike because every time I get on that seat I feel like my quality of life is improved." Well said. I am fortunate to have a trail that I take the majority of the way to work. Drivers on Ridge Avenue should not be taken for granted either. Overall they have been considerate of me and very few sharp left turns have been made in front of me by opposing traffic.

My goal for the spring time is to enter in to a century ride somewhere. I dig company too so if that sounds appealing to you... lemme know sucka!

On the homefront I am planning on ripping up our carpet over Thanksgiving weekend. Time for that wood floor to show itself! This is part of my 2010 "Don't just talk.DO" campaign.

That's all for now.

There is a song

Life tends to take you all over the place. Half the time you don't realize it. You don't always feel it happening. I'm finding this to be true in the quiet hours when all I hear is the hum of engines and the ticking of our wall clock.
At most hours of the days, even when I try to make myself still internally, there is a song. Or there is a beat, melody and/or lyric in my head always. I'm not sure why I was made this way or why I can't shut it up some times but, it's really just how I am.
I work on music when it comes to me. I work on my point of view really.
The pleasure has been mine to work with dear friends on songs and we have session this weekend. I'm very excited.

At the opposite end of music(or so it would seem) I have been riding my bike, commuting, a lot. It is an excellent time to get rid of any mental stress, hum... whatever, and say hello to groundhogs.
But, in no way is it opposite. I once rode with headphones and it was a bad idea safety wise so, I went without. In the times since I can't believe half the sounds I hear. The heart gives a constant beat and you set the timing with your breathing. The wind gives a melody and birds give the counter melody. If it's a still day it's the the other way around.
Or whatever! No need to be technical or specific. It's just a great experience.
The music is everywhere.

I am thankful that after every ride I come home to...a home! Not just a house. a home. Something Em and I have worked on together. I could never have dreamed that this would mean as much as it does.
Silly me.
I played the beginning of a tune that I've been carrying around to Josh. It is called...............HOME? yes. seriously? yes.

It's really more than I can explain now but, my grandparents just sold their farm after being there over fifty years. Sold the farm with the land, most of their belongings and all of the farming equipment.
When I wrote the beginning line I imagined it as something my grandfather was asking me(we lived three hours away from each other - soon they'll be forty minutes away.)
"Tell me son, where will you build your home? So far from the ones you know..."

The rest I'll save.
But, we were there for the auction. We watched the life that was get sold off.
I walked in to a house once full of life and it was just a shell. Rooms change but, the memories stay. They are leaving a lot behind, my grandparents.
On the other end I can't wait to share a new life with them. I look forward to showing them the backyard. Our raised beds and clothesline are painted barn red. Like the country just got condensed in to a row home backyard.
I hope they like it.