I just learned how to call in a lunch order from my dad’s hospital room. I feel like a big boy now.
Mangled Finger Tips
I played some guitar this morning. I put rhythm and lead tracks onto one 50/90 song, and leads onto two more. I played very poorly and my finger tips have been torn to shreds. Serves me right for going almost a week without playing at all.
Here is a photo to prove that I don’t always have my guitar’s volume controls maxed…
(I was doing the Clapton thing where you use both pickups but roll the neck pickup’s volume off a little. It’s not as famous as his “woman tone” thing [dude, come up with better names for this stuff] but it’s something he did when he was still playing Gibsons. Oh, and the woman tone thing? Play the neck pickup and just turn the tone knob all the way down. He sometimes did it with both picksups as well, turning both tone controls all the way down)
Finally, in case you were wondering…
2024 50/90 Challenge Day 48/90
Another day when I was sure I was going to get shut out with no progress but managed to sneak something in at the last minute.
I mixed one song.
That’s all.
Mixing
I mixed one song tonight. I started mixing a second but I am too tired to concentrate on it. I’ll finish it another time.
For now, enjoy this piece of mediocre crap. 28 songs down, 22 to go. Onward toward 50 songs in 90 days.
Changing Up Tomorrow
My annual review was scheduled for tomorrow but circumstances conspired to allow us to move it to today. Nice. That also means I can take a sick day tomorrow and spend the day at the hospital with my father. Visiting hours don’t start until 10:00am so instead of driving to the office at 7:30 I don’t have to leave the house until 9:30. That means I can either sleep a little later tomorrow, or I can get up at the usual time and play some guitar.
Mental health wise, both options would be wonderful, but I think the guitar playing thing might be key.
On an unrelated note, my wife is brilliant. She is just amazing and everyone knows it and agrees.
Good News and Bad News
I feel like I’ve been doing this a lot recently. Sharing some information on the ol’ bloggie page without giving any details at all.
I am going to do it again… twice.
I had something on my schedule at work for tomorrow. It happened today instead and it went well. It was good news. It made me a little bit happy. It also took some pressure off of my schedule for tomorrow. Good stuff, indeed.
Then I got some really bad news. I am not sharing specifics, partly because I don’t have any specifics to share. Suffice to say things went down outside of work and outside of my home that are really scary and awful and oh shit I really hope they are not accurate. Bad news that has the potential to become terrible really bad news.
So… yeah… I am the very definition of mixed feelings right now. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going or what.
Happy Tuesday, ya’ll.
Not Today, Not Tomorrow
No guitar playing today. I’m in the office again and there wasn’t time before work and there likely won’t be time after work. I expect the same tomorrow as I’ll be in the office again. That will be three days this week. Ouch.
Thursday though. Expect good news on Thursday (but don’t bank on it).
2024 50/90 Challenge Day 47/90
Not a lot but better than nothing.
Just before bed last night I worked out a song form for song number 39 and then started song number 40. I now have two songs ready for rhythm guitars.
Like I said, not much but I thought I was going to get shut out again and I didn’t so that’s a win.
Errands
Obligatory Methuen Center clock pics taken while out running an errand.
Rainy and dark, heading toward Lawrence.
Rainy and dark, heading toward Salem, NH.
Stress
Why is it that missing a day of work makes things 100 times more stressful when you return the next day? I was out Friday and it seems like nothing really happened in my absence, but here we are today and I am stressing out over every tiny detail?
I thought this week would be a normal two-days-in-the-office week but now it’s three. I have three pieces of paperwork that I need to have done by (probably) Thursday. It should be super simple. In fact, there were four pieces of paperwork and I’ve already cranked out one of them. I’m freaking out over the remaining three though. Why? I have time off booked for Monday and Tuesday next week. I thought they were going to be music days, but now will the be spent with dad in the hospital? I don’t know. Maybe. Part of the time at least.
Seriously. Stop freaking out over nothing, Robert. You’ve got this shit covered. You can handle it. Stop stressing. Work is okay. Dad is going to be okay. Calm down and just get it done like you always do.
I think I might just be reacting to being sad that Bellana left for Vermont this morning. No clue when we’re going to see either kid again. I’m guessing that’s the real root of my struggles with this particular Monday.
Over all it’s not a bad day or anything, I am just stressin’ like ya do. May your Mondays be easier on the ol’ stomach, as it were.







