Holidays Forever

It's Tuesday and the sun is hiding behind the clouds and rain.

A very brisk 44 degrees outside, not freezing, but enough to piss on any ideas of working out outside like I usually do.

The boys are playing PS3 in the living room and Momma's at the grocery store.

People, behind the security of anonymity and private thoughts, scoff at the idea of a teacher's salary. Quite frankly, it could be worse. I live comfortably (at least attempt to) within our means. But this isn't about that. As much as many folks will sneer at being a teacher, I never hear the end of how lucky we are to have such great vacation dates. Thanksgiving, Christmas (Winter Break if we are being PC, but we're not so...), MLK, Spring Break, Good Friday/Easter, Memorial Day, and Summer Break are the big ones that pretty much all schools get in one form or another. Add in a few local holidays (stock show for country schools and such) and you get a nice little break regularly.

And that my friends, is one of the biggest pay-offs for teachers. No, I don't get to vacation in the absence of school aged children; my holidays mimic theirs. No, I usually have to schedule things around the holidays (major travel, special trips, dental, etc.) and usually encounter even more kids in doing so. But for all that, I'm the luckiest guy out there.

In this holiday alone, I've had the fortune to visit my Grandmother, my brother and his family, my mother and her family, celebrate Christmas with my family (extended as well) over three days, practice my guitar playing, visit with my buddy Tom (guitar and PS3 activities), buy a new pedal (and try it out), take the boys to see Avatar (see the link for a great review), and still have time to prepare for celebrating New Year's Eve.

I'm forever thankful for the career that I have. To disagree with Diddy, it ain't all about the Benjamins; it's about the family. Being around my family, especially the boys, at the same time they are off is truly priceless. They are at an age that they can still see that magic. I'm still cool (but that's fading fast with the older one) and that counts for so much.

Wherever you are, whatever it is you are doing, make it the best. Don't give teachers shit about having holidays off; you probably make more than they do, and they spend more time with your kids than you do during the school year anyways. Enjoy what remains of the holiday.

But as for me, the holidays themselves take a break for kids to go back to school.

Guitars and Powah Chords

Sometimes the universe rains on you. And sometimes...you reign over the universe.

You may have heard, but if not, I received my Christmas gift a bit early. Santa brought ol' Dave a real purty Ibanez acoustic-electric guitar. Shiny black. Cutaway. Fishman electronics.

But while the guitar is nice, the more important aspect of it all, is that during a session of practice one evening (which never happened with the electric), the whole concepts of power chords nearly fried my noodle! I don't know why it didn't hit me sooner, but for whatever reason, it all made sense now.

I'm not going to say that it's an excuse to not learn the chords proper, but it is helping with laying my index finger correctly across the fret and with my overall finger speed. My song book has exponentially opened with this new found epiphany.

A bit over a year into guitar playing and it's going well. Basically moving beyond first position chords and the picking is getting better. A better rhythm player, but nowhere near a soloist. Yet...

Cheers!

Really Cool Art

"Mohawk Tigerwood(astronium robinia)" by Shawn Roberts.

An artist, a mortal god, and class president, Shawn is a high school friend of mine who I recently had the opportunity to reconnect with. In doing so I discovered that he is quite a talented sculptor. Being that his art is quite nice (and beyond my humble means) I invite any who may be in the Austin area this coming weekend to check out the exhibit at the Travis Heights Art Trail. And don't think he's giving me anything for being a shill; I get nothing beyond the opportunity to stare at the artwork you see above.

Good stuff; check it out!

Fitness Week 4 and Def Leppard

So it's the end of Week 4 and I'm not quite happy.

I'm +1 for the week. Not necessarily a bad thing, as I've lost some weigh quite rapidly the past three weeks and I was due for a bit of a bounce back.

One thing I discovered this week was that the additional running to "step up the workout" has wreaked some havoc with my knees. Talking with one of my coaching co-workers, he stated that this was "Normal...It's going to hurt a bit...No pain, no gain!". I call bull-shit. It ain't supposed to hurt like this. So, back to walking I go, with more focus on tempo and pace.

So for all that, I'm not disappointed with where I am. My clothes are fitting better. A lot better...

Got Def Leppard on the brain. Been learning a few ballads and singing along with the bluetooth headphones. Maybe it's a bit kitschy, but this really reminds me of a time when my biggest worries were simply social issues, not the real problems that exist in my life today. When "Love Bites" meant so much to that cute kid with the braces you asked to dance. Damn, those were the days...

Week 3 Fitness

It's the completion of Week 3 and it's been a good week. Weekly total is -4 lbs., for a cumulative of -14 lbs.

Basically, I'm not doing anything too different from the last few weeks. I've been incorporating some light to medium jogging within my route, while changing up the route and distance (within 3/4 of a mile or so).

I'm fortunate to live in a golf neighborhood, so there isn't a lack of location to run. Even better is the presence of numerous hills and an empty parcel of cleared land with about a 1/2 mile of unpaved road laid in.

I've noticed that my clothes are fitting better, cravings for that all-so-dangerous sodas has waned somewhat, and for the most part, so has the desire for most of my typical treats that I so enjoyed.

I won't say that desire isn't present; it always is. It's as if there is this addiction. I will often find myself going into the kitchen pantry or fridge and then catch myself, thinking "You just ate; you aren't hungry. Get some water."

Do I enjoy food still? Sure I do. Food seems to have taken on a slightly different meaning, becoming more along the lines of fuel, as opposed to the hedonistic ambrosia it was previously. I will dip into that former life, but no with some moderation. Family Fun Nights and one day out of the weekend I'll usually enjoy an extra slice, but that comes with the knowledge that the next workout will entail an extra lap or pushing up that long hill a bit harder.

Either way, it's been a good three weeks so far. We'll see how it ends up...

Cheers