The Credit Crisis

Do you understand what is happening with the economy in the United States, and Canada by extention? I didn't really, until I watched this video.

Crisis of Credit.

Check it out. It is an 11 minute video, but everyhing will suddenly become clear. Well, it did for me. And I appreciate that.

Irish Wristwatch

Irish Wristwatch. A classic tongue-twister. You can't say it without sounding like an idiot. :)

Almost 4 years ago, I posted about the Irish Wristwatch tongue twister. It's the kind of thing that when you say out loud, boggles your mind. It is also something that people google on a regular basis. If you google "irish wristwatch meaning" my blog is the first thing that pops up. A couple of days ago I got twenty hits to my blog from people googling that. It is kind of annoying as it skews my stats. But makes me laugh that so many people google it.

Lent 2009

Mama Bean gave me a great idea for something to give up for Lent...lust for gear.

So for the next 40 err...39 days, I will not lust for new bass gear. I will not browse bass classified ads. I will not talk about the new bass I want. Or the new amp. Or the new cabinet. Or the new pedal. I will not talk about buying new gear with fellow musicians (Greg and Rolly, you need to help me with this). I will be happy with what I have, and not spend copious amounts of time filling my head with thoughts of bass stuff.

I think this will be a good exercise in will-power and will definitely be something that gives me time to bring me closer to God.

Certified Nerd

It's official, I'm an A+ Certified Computer/IT Technician. I wrote the first one yesterday, which is the A+ Essentials (220-601) and scored an 807/900 (90 multiple choice questions, 675 to pass). It took me 25 of the 90 minutes allotted.

Today, I wrote the second exam, which is the A+ IT Technician (220-602) and scored 835/900. I thought I did a whole lot worse and was pleasantly surprised when I finished. I started the exam, and wasn't feeling so good about it. The questions were stuff that I didn't know quite so well, and there was a lot of just going with my gut feeling. About halfway through I was thinking about how long it was going to take me to study for this again, and when I am going to write it again. And then I hit the "End" button, and got my score. Yipee!!

So yeah, totally awesome! The best part? It's a lifetime certification. I NEVER have to study for it or write it EVER AGAIN!

So that's pretty sweet. I'm excited. I'm certified. I think I'm going to write my Apple Help Desk one next.

Passed the First Part

I took the first of 2 A+ exams today. Today was 220-601, A+ Essentials. It is supposed to be the "hardware" exam, while the second one, 602 is more of an OS/how to be a tech one.

It is 100 questions, scored out of 900, and a 675 is a pass. I passed with an 807. I was pretty nervous going into it as this is the first time in 4 years I've written a test, but did pretty good. I'm nervous about tomorrow's however. I'm still leaning to the i'll pass side of things, but with a smaller margin. It requires a 700/900 to pass, and the questions are of the type that I did poorly on today. There are a lot of questions like "How do you get to the setting that allows you to specify when a user is allowed to print?" and "What are 3 ways to access the control panel in Windows 2000?"

I'll do okay. I'll study tonight, write it in the morning. If I fail, I'll just take it again, and have a better idea of what I need to do.

A+ tomorrow

I am writing my A+ in the morning. I'm pretty nervous about it. I've been doing a bunch of practice tests around the internet and am consistently scoring between 80-85%, and a pass is 70%. It's all multiple choice, and a few multiple choice where you pick more than one answer. I'm sure I'll pass tomorrow's with ease. Some of the questions just piss me off, because they are irrelvant. For example, what is the through-put of an AGP 8x bus? 2.1GBps. Why do I know that? Because it is some innane piece of information I memorized to write this test. The key is to memorize enough. lol They have removed quite abit of the REALLY stupid stuff like COM port mapping and IRQ#'s, but there is still alot of dumb stuff.

I think I'm going to struggle more with Thursday's test. Tomorrow is the hardware test, while Thursday is the OS test. It's all about Win XP and 2000, and how to use/troubleshoot it. So there are questions like, "What is the correct way to access My Network Places?" And it will list 4 sets of vague directions. I don't fucking know! But sit me down in front of a computer and I'll have you where you want to go in 10 seconds.

So that's a little annoying, but I'll study for it tomorrow.

Today we have Pastor's Greg and Brenda (the husband/wife pastor team from our church) coming for dinner. It should be fun. They are cool people, and we're making some (hopefully) yummy food. We are getting quite proficient in the kitchen, but some things are still hit and miss.

So wish me luck. I find out as soon as I finish whether I passed or failed, so I'll have results immediately.

No change on the weightloss front

So no change on the weight front this week, which is kinda sad. But we didn't do so well in following weightwatchers last week, so I believe we ate a bit much. Still did aerobics though, so I think that helped me stay at 234 instead of gain.
An awesome thing though, I was able to tighten my belt one notch tighter to the last one! Yipee! I figure in the next month or so I'll be able to wear all my size 38 pants that I've been holding onto.

A nice feeling/growing as a musician

I love when things just come together on Sunday mornings. I was feeling pretty shitty after practice on Thursday, and not at all excited about playing. This is pretty weird for me, as playing on Sunday mornings, and usually Thursday practices as well, are the highlights of my week.
So on Friday and Saturday night I spent a few hours practicing, memorizing, learning the bass line for Up Above My Head. It was frustrating, because it is 36 bars long, and I'd get to bar 14, and mess up 14-16 every time. I eventually figured out a shorthand way of writing things out, and have a couple of hours of just listening to the song and playing along, over and over and over and over... I finally got it. And then Sunday morning came. The run through was a little sloppy, but I was pretty confident I had it. And it was awesome when we played it during the service. I think I even managed to pull off the elusive look-like-you-aren't-doing-much-while-actually-playing-your-ass-off style of playing.
It feels really nice to work through the frustration and have a great end result I really appreciate playing with guys that make me want to try hard to become a better musician. I learn so much from them, and I practice harder at home.

Condiments Update!

Putting mushrooms under the cheese!!!!! WRONG WRONG WRONG!!! You know why? Because then the people that mistakenly order it and don't like mushrooms get screwed over. And how shitty is that? Totally! Because then you can't pull the mushrooms off and keep the cheese. You lose it all. All the cheese! Grrr...it totally drives me nuts. Wilson brought it up on House tonight (well, on whatever day it was that it actually aired last week).

Lent

So I'm struggling to figure out what to give up for Lent. I'd like to give up something that I like, but I'd also like to give up something that is sort of getting in the way of my relationship with Him. So yeah... Ideas?

I want something that I will actually miss, and on a regular basis. The point of giving something up for lent is that it is a sacrifice. Every time I am sacrificing it, I want it to be a reminder of why I'm doing it.

Blah...

You know those days when there isn't anything actually wrong, but everything just fucking sucks anyway? That was my day. It started off feeling off. I'm not sure what it was, but it steadily got worse all day, until I got the the point (now), were it's just like, "What the fuck?" And it's not like there wasn't any good parts today, there were. There were a number of really cool little things that could've made today awesome, but I just can't get excited about. Maybe tomorrow?

We had church band rehearsal tonight, and I just couldn't get excited about it. And then I get there, and Greg gives me the music for a new song in musical notation, written on the bass staff, which while I can slowly work my way through, I can't just pickup and read. I should be able to...but I can't. It's such an awesome song, but I didn't have the music to practice with earlier this week, so I came in knowing nothing. I then spent 20 minutes writing out all the notes for the bass line that Greg has made up for me. And it's an awesome line, I would've written something similar, but there were some subtle differences that really add to it. The rest of the songs went well, but I never play them very well the first time. I do best if I have time to practice them numerous times prior to playing them. But we play almost all of our songs differently from the recording (which is awesome), but it makes practicing beforehand harder.

And every time I would just start to get into the groove my bass would get uncomfortable. It just wouldn't sit properly. So it just compounded my frustration, which really shouldn't have been a problem in the first place.

So now I feel crappy for not expressing my thanks to Greg for the bass line, because it is friggin sweet and super helpful. And for being a bit of a downer during the practice. It was cool to finally get to play with Larry, and I love playing with the new drummer Jeff.

So yeah, BLAH!

Maybe sleep will help. It's only 9:50, but it feels like midnight. I'm beat. Being grumpy is tiring.

Exorcisms

What do you think about exorcisms? And demonic possession, both of body and location? I've been reading this blog, Kansas Exorcists Society, and it gets me thinking. Normally I think it's a load of hogwash, but with some truth interspersed. I think what throws me off is the babble of a literal interpretation of the Bible, specifically the book of Revelation. I am not a Bible literalist, and reading about "prophesy" and how Obama is evil, and on and on just annoys me.

But the idea of possession and subsequent deliverance does have me intrigued. I've always been torn about spiritual warfare and its manifestations in the physical world. For example, this dude at bible college had a seizure one night following a "seminar" we had on how masturbation is bad. He was a chronic masturbator (i don't know many young, single guys that aren't, bible college student or otherwise) and a demon attacked him (thus causing the seizure). So all the guys in the building, with the exception of myself and maybe a couple of others that were sleeping, started a prayer walk. They walked around and around our dorm building praying.

At the time, I was like, "what a load of complete bullshit." I was also already pissed off about the seminar and the fact that some dude was spouting off about the evils of masturbation, and how it is an addiction from the devil and blah blah blah. So when I hear that this dude was attacked, it just made me more annoyed.

Since then, I haven't really thought about it. And since I recently started reading this blog, thoughts of spiritual possession and such has been working it's way into my consciousness. Like big healing miracles of the past, is demonic possession just another one of those old timey things that used to happen, or is this a very real thing?

Goals Update

I am down to 234 (from 250 at the beginning of Jan).
I can do 2 full chinups (that's lifting almost 250lbs each time). ;)
My abs are getting tighter again (there aren't many things I hate more than flabby abs, on me)
I have my A+ exams scheduled for Wed and Thursday of next week. Both are at 9am and I have permission to do them on work time! :)
I'm getting quite proficient with my fretless, though I didn't play it in church last Sunday because I'm regularly off by about 1/4 of a tone which I still think is too much. It probably wouldn't be noticeable in the mix, but I don't find it acceptable to me.

Mama Bean and I went for breakfast on Valentine's Day. It was awesome. Breakfast is our meal, and Denny's is our place. There is only one here in Winnipeg and it only opened recently. So it was awesome.

Bass or Tattoo? I'm torn.. :(

I'm all ferklempt(which is actually spelled: verklempt) this morning. I'm torn about this bass thing.

The thing is that I don't REALLY need the bass right now, but I WILL want one in the semi-near future. And with the prices of things, it will cost me much more than $600. Even now, the prices of instruments is through the roof. Last summer you could get a decent mexican made (as opposed to japanese or american) Fender P-bass for about $650. Now they are almost $900.

But I REALLY want this tattoo. I've been wanting it for a long time. I'm scared of getting it though.(<--a little secret) It's gonna hurt like a bitch! And what is it going to look like in 20 years?
It's also going to be awhile. It's not something that will be done overnight, whereas the bass is pretty much instant gratification. It's weird, I'm normally not all about the instant gratification. I'm really good at figuring out what I want, saving up for it and buying it. It is one of the main differences in the spending habits of Mama Bean and I.

So I dunno. I told the guy I'd let him know by the end of the day.

I'm looking at purchasing a beautiful new Fender P-bass. Right now I have a 4-string fretless, and a 5-string. Both are Japanese basses, and they don't have that nice tone of a solid Fender Precision. I've been playing my fretless more and more, and am finding I like the simplicity of a 4 string. I occasionally miss the added mobility that the the 5th string provides, but not often enough.

So I've been half-heartedly looking/keeping an eye out for a good deal on a 4 string. After watching "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," and reading the James Jamerson biography, I've been really digging that old motown sound. So a Fender Precision (P) would be ideal, since that's what they played. Greg has been telling me about this Fender Custom Shop '59 Reissue P bass at a local music store, so after hearing about it regularly for the last month I went down to check it out. I was blown away by it's beauty and tone. It played really smooth, and sounded like butter. And looked so hot. But at $2800...that's just a little out of my price range. The salesman even offered to knock off $500, which is alot. But yeah, $2300 for a bass? Maybe if I was making money playing, or was better than I am. But there is just no way I can justify that.

So when a co-worker of mine sent me an email yesterday saying he had a Fender P-bass for sale, I was excited to check it out and bring it to rehearsal tonight to show it off. It is a really nice bass, exactly what I'm looking for with the exception of the color. Strung with the strings I want, it comes with a quality strap, and hard-shell case, all for $600. He currently has it listed on ebay for $750, and something similar in the store would be $900. So I brought it to practice, and it sounded wonderful. The tone is amazing, and playability smooth.
My band mates were suitably nonplussed, which I didn't expect. Two of them have multiple multi-thousand dollar guitars, and I think they are a little bit on the instrument snob side of things. Don't get me wrong, they know what they like, and I'm not saying this is a bad thing, it is just the my observation. I think if I had told them it was a $2000 '57 reissue, they would have loved it.

I think the bass is awesome. And I do have almost $600 saved from doing computer work, but that is also a third of the money I need for my tattoo. So... I think I'll see if it sells online, and if it isn't sold by Monday, I'll revisit the idea. Well, I won't really stop thinking about buying it. :)

Mmm...sandwiches

I make a damn good sandwich.
2 slices homemade white bread
Light Miricle whip (NOT mayo, ewww...gross)
a good amount of black forest turkey (or chicken, i can't remember)
marble cheese (would be better with something slightly older)
alfalfa sprouts
green leaf lettuce
cucumber

Amazing. Which prompts me to bring up another point.

The proper placement of condiments on sandwiches/burgers/etc...

Condiments, such as miracle whip, mustard, ketchup, etc... MUST be placed on the side the meat is on. It should go bread-type, condiments, meat, rest of stuff. Condiments DO NOT go on the side where they will squish against the cheese, lettuce, etc... The condiments are not there for the vegetables, they are there for the meat. (veggie sandwiches are excluded from this rule, but since I don't eat them, I won't be addressing them)

So to ensure a properly made sandwich with maximum flavor combinations, put your condiments on the meat side.

alright alright i'll do it

Sometimes I just find it hard to care. I've been studying for my A+ exam for like 3 years now and still haven't written it. I even had my last place of employment buy the vouchers that I use to pay for the exams a year ago, and I still haven't written them. The vouchers expire at the end of February, and I'm still not ready. I have 2 A+ exams to write and a Network+ exam. I'm almost ready for the A+, but I haven't even started on the Network+ studying. ArGH! I have 3 and a half weeks in which to write them. :( The problem is, that at the jobs I have, I don't really need these certifications. They are for lower level jobs, but they are also prereqs for higher lvl courses that I want to take. And it's this simple bullshit that I really don't need to know, but somewhere some nerds got together and decided that computer techs need to be tested on it.

So I'm buckling down and going to get it done. I'm writing both A+ exams next week, and will book the Network+ exam for the absolute latest possible day. I better not fail my A+ exams, but if I fail the Network+ it isn't the end of the world. I'll write it again.

So I'm going to do it. No more bullshit.

25 Random things about me

A little thing that was circling around Facebook, so I thought I'd post it on here as well.

1. I'm scared of the dark. I wasn't as a child, but for some reason I found that since I believe in God, I can believe in scary things that go bump in teh night.

2. I can't wait to go back to school and become a pastor.

3. I'm quite the introvert and suck at small talk. This will prove problematic when I am a pastor.

4. In grades 4, 5, and 6, I played the leading roles in school plays.

5. I play bass. I started 4 years ago, and am fairly decent. I know I could be a lot better if I practiced more though.

6. I have had more jobs in the past 10 years than I can count.

7. I dropped out of bible college because I missed my girlfriend (now my wife), not because I ran out of money.

7. I have an aluminum miners lunch box that is covered in computer/geek stickers.

9. I got my first tattoo in Oct, 2007 and am currently looking for a part time job so that I can get a full sleeve in the coming months.

10. I am free of the grip that is MMORPGs (Massivly Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games). I'm now almost 3 months "sober".

11. I'm glad I grew up in Yellowknife, and spent my childhood playing outside and not in front of a TV or computer.

12. I still feel like a small town guy even though I have spent the last 8 years in Calgary.

13. I have gone to school for lots of things. To be a personal trainer, a millwright, a pastor and a computer guy. It put me in debt, but I have learned so many cool things, and met a lot of awesome people.

14. My first real job was chipping 3 inches of snow and ice from the sidewalks around Canadian Tire in January. My boss had his wife sit down the street and watch to record each time I stopped for more than 30 seconds. I was 14.

15. I was one of the few guys that made a shit-load of cash babysitting while growing up. I babysat from the time I was 12 until I moved at 18.

16. My parents are still together, and on their first marriages.

17. I got married in May of 2007 to my girlfriend of almost 7 years, Jo.

18. I was President of the Computer Games club in grade 11.

19. I made more meaningful friendships in my last year living in Calgary than the previous 7 that I lived there.

20. I am happy that I am not your typical Christian, but sometimes find it to be a tough battle against those that continually perpetuate the Christian stereo-type that we are all hateful, close-minded, assholes.

21. I used to be able to bench press almost 300lbs and squat 500lbs. Now I'd be lucky if I came close to half of that. (but i'm on my way back)

22. I think Boo from Monsters Inc. is the cutest thing EVER!

23. It doesn't take much for me to cry in movies or TV shows. Grey's Anatomy is a killer.

24. I am the IT guy for a high school, and now have a lot more respect for teachers and administrators. Though I have never heard anyone whine more about how much work they do than teachers.

25. I find blogging to be a great way to blow off steam, keep people updated about my life, and write about all the random things that pop into my head. http://www.twistedchristian.ca

Observing

Last Thursday I spent the evening at church band rehearsal. I wasn't playing though. I just sat there and watched. Well, I did more than watch. I observed, I studied, I absorbed. I find that since I started playing bass, I spend a more time on Sunday mornings checking out the bass player and what he is doing than I am worshiping. And Rolly is a great bass player, so it was cool to watch him and see how he approaches the songs and compare it to how I would play it.

This gave me the perfect chance to check out the playing beforehand, freeing myself to release myself on Sunday morning. It was still tough to not sit there and pay attention to the band during the service, but I found I did a lot better than usual. It was nice to just let my self fill with the spirit and lose myself in the music and atmosphere.

We also took the first steps to get a small group together, which Mama Bean and I are very excited about. It is something we have really been missing since leaving Calgary, and things are starting to come together for that to happen.