I was thinking about music the other day, and what it means to me. Music has been a big part of my life since I started taking piano lessons from Mrs. Crill (my neighbor) in fourth grade. I started taking guitar lessons at school when I was in seventh grade, and by the end of that year, I had my first guitar (a Squier standard stratocaster, which I still have). I would say that I progressed at a decent speed for the first couple years while I was taking lessons, because I was eager to learn new things. After junior high, I had streaks where I would play my guitar daily for months at a time, and then let it sit for a month or two. This continued through high school, but when I got to college, I met a few people (Mike Cendejas, Mike Falgout, Brandon Walters, Taylor Dwyer, John Dorman, the list goes on…) who inspired me to pick up my guitar again and make progress. I was introduced to music by bands I’d never heard before. I learned new chords, solos, scales, and other techniques that have proved invaluable to my playing. My last big boost came when I took private guitar lessons from Miles Moynier during the last semester of my senior year. I know that I’ll be better off keeping my day job than trying to pursue a career in music, but it still feels great to see that I can improve as a musician.
If you know me, you know that I am a Greg Laswell fan. Some might say that my enjoyment of his music borders on obsession. I listen to it frequently. I love to listen to new studio and live versions of the same songs that I’ve heard a thousand times. I could listen to his albums on repeat for hours on end. In fact, I have been listening to his forthcoming album, Take a Bow, pretty much nonstop at work since he announced that we could stream it from his website. I’ve entered a few contests put on by Greg’s promoters: one time I won a free copy of the How the Day Sounds EP in a contest on Myspace, and another time I won two tickets to a GL concert from FM 94.9, my favorite San Diego radio station.
I’ve seen him play completely by himself, with Brandon Walters at his side, and with full bands comprised of the likes of Molly Jenson, Kelly Bennet, Daniel Rhine, and Jon Titterington (I could write an entire post dedicated to how much I like hearing to these individuals, as well).
I’ve gone to see him live more times than I can recall. I’ve seen him at the Belly Up, House of Blues, and the Casbah in San Diego. I’ve seen him at the House of Blues in Anaheim. I’ve seen him at a small dive bar called The Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. I’ve seen him several times at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. I’ve seen him three times on the same tour (twice in three days, in fact). I’m even hoping to see him when we are in New York on vacation at the end of May.
So why do I keep going to see him play his music? What will he sing or play or say or do that I haven’t seen or heard already? The simple answer is that he inspires me. When I listen to him play, I get that same feeling that I got when I played Say It Ain’t So with the Mikes and Matt in the last room on the left of Hendricks 3rd South. I get the feeling that I got after I first learned the versatility of the pentatonic scale, or the fact that the major chords can be easily played five different ways.
I love the way he’s not afraid to let his songs grow and change as he does. If you listen to the original release of What a Day and compare it to the version heard on the How the Day Sounds EP, you’ll be blown away. Both versions are excellent in their own ways. His music evolves noticeably across his multiple LPs and EPs. Even his appearance has changed (mostly in the form of an ever-present beard and Goorin Bros. hat).
I’ve been lucky enough to have a few good conversations with him: when he played that show at the Detroit Bar, he had nothing to do until 10:00 p.m., and we had gotten there early thinking the concert started at 8:00. Christine and I enjoyed discussing musical influences while Pink Floyd’s The Wall played on a TV at the bar. One time after a concert at the Hotel Cafe, I told him how much I enjoyed his music, and how I was looking forward to his then-upcoming record. He handed me an advanced copy of the album and said, “enjoy.” He’s a pretty nice guy and he really seems to appreciate his fans.
His music is honest. Sometimes it’s rough: you can hear his dog or his phone in the background of his tracks. On the new album’s version of Let It Ride, there’s a sudden, isolated snare roll that sounds a little odd on its own, but every time I hear it, I just smile to myself. There’s something meaningful in the fact that he’s not afraid to make mistakes. In a time where most bands and artists have their music mixed and mastered to technical perfection (almost always by an outside party), it’s refreshing to see that Mr. Laswell is satisfied to produce his own music and let it speak for itself.
I suspect that I’ll always feel this way about Greg’s music. Whatever inspires you, hold onto it. You’ll never know how it might move you.
It’s March 17 already. St. Patrick’s Day. In one respect, it’s hard for me to believe that a lot of time has passed since I was in grad school (9 months), since my sister had her daughter (8 months), and since I got married (20 months). But at the same time, considering that so much has happened in my life in the past few years since I left San Diego, I’m surprised that it’s only March 17.
I have a standard set of things I always do: work, eat, sleep, play video games, ride my bike, and hang out with Christine. I also read when I get the chance (although lately I’ve just been reading about cycling). I am really enjoying my life, but lately I’m trying to do things that don’t necessarily fall in that set (in addition to continuing to do those things in the set).
For instance, I now have tangible fitness goals when I ride my bike, whereas for the past six months or so, I’ve just been riding for recreation (not that this is a bad thing, I just think I need a goal to keep myself motivated to ride more often). I want to become a stronger and faster cyclist, and I eventually want to enter local races. I’ve even gone as far as isolating an event in which I intend to compete (a time trial), and I’m training specifically to be at my peak when that even comes around.
I’ve also decided to learn a new language (I know, this is something that I should wait to do until my mid-life crisis, but I like to get things done before they become a problem). Right now I’m learning Russian, mostly because I’ve always loved the way it sounds. I’d also like to visit Russia someday, so it might come in handy to know some of the language.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that it is a goal of mine to read more actively, and I’ve been doing that. I know I promised a couple of reviews for The Three Musketeers and Dracula, so maybe I’ll post them soon. I’m going to start reading Wilkie Collins’ Woman in White before the end of the month.
I went snowboarding this weekend for the first time in about 10 years, and I rediscovered how much I enjoy it. I enjoyed the trip so much that (unfortunately for my pocketbook), I want to go again before the end of the season, and get some gear so I can go frequently next year (I know I have at least one reader who goes to Mammoth fairly regularly).
I’ve been playing electric guitar in church for the past few months. Every other Sunday, I get up before dawn to meet the worship team for practice at 7:00 a.m. (this is earlier than I get up for work). I’m not complaining though; I love the experience and it is great to be able to play music with other musicians, as opposed to sitting in a room alone with my guitar, playing rhythm through a loop and playing lead over the top of it (although I believe spending time alone with my guitar is also necessary and good).
There’s not a real focus to this post, and I realize that. I don’t think I have much hope of salvaging this writing, so I suppose I’ll just conclude by wishing all of you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t forget to read the wikipedia article about the history of the holiday!
So, about a year ago, I wrote that I wanted to start reading through this list of classic and influential novels. A few months ago, I finally started by reading The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.*
I’m a big fan of TV crime shows like CSI and Psych (and of the mystery genre in general), and The Hound of the Baskervilles fits into the detective niche perfectly. Some say that the Sherlock Holmes novels really invigorated the detective genre to become what it is today (although the Sherlock Holmes novels were not the first of their kind; Edgar Allen Poe wrote the first detective fiction story featuring a character named C. Auguste Dupin).
If one were to read through a list of legendary creatures, one would find that the spectral hound (or the Black Dog) features heavily in British folklore. It is upon that myth that the story-within-the-story of The Hound of the Baskervilles is based. The legend told in The Hound sets the scene for the mysterious events that happen upon the moor, which Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Dr. Watson are sent to investigate. The description of the events (as told by Dr. Watson) is written to be suspenseful and thrilling but with enough foreshadowing that a clever reader may infer the truth behind the mystery.
It is Doyle’s character of Holmes that really makes this novel great. Holmes’ attention to even the tiniest detail and his steadfast determination to understand the truth of the strange events happening in the moorland are traits seldom found in other fictional characters (even other fictional detectives). As a mathematician, I appreciated Holmes’ logical prowess and ability to make significant conclusions based on seemingly insignificant information. In addition to a thrilling storyline, Doyle writes compelling characters in Holmes and Watson, and I found myself reading more Holmes stories after The Hound in a desire to experience more of the quirky crime-solving capacity of this seemingly mismatched duo.
All things considered, I am surprised that The Hound of the Baskervilles isn’t higher on the top 100 list from which I’m reading, because it really is an influential novel, and it tells a great story. Most importantly, it was a great way to get me motivated to continue my goal of reading the books on the list. When I get around to it, I’ll let you know what I thought of The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas.
*Note that The Hound of the Baskervilles is number 99 on the list of books, and I said I’d read them all in descending order. I decided that perhaps that was a lot of wishful thinking on my part, because looking back, there are probably several books on that list that I really won’t enjoy. Mostly, I didn’t start with Gone With the Wind because I didn’t want to pay $20 for a decent copy, and every copy that I found at any library looked like a cheap romance novel (granted, it is a romance novel, but it’s supposed to be a classic). So I do hope to really read everything on the list someday, but I may not be doing it in the exact order that I originally stated.
I was recently told about a great website called Librivox. This is a site where volunteers record themselves reading chapters of books in the public domain and post these recordings for others to enjoy, with the eventual goal “to record all books in the public domain.” While it is kind of a grab-bag of readers (some young, some old, some who do voices for characters, some who have monotone voices), it is great to be able to listen to classic literature for free. If you browse the catalog, you’ll see that they have a pretty large collection of works already, and their library is growing by the day.
Currently, I’m listening to The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, and it is making my slow days at work much more entertaining.
As a quick update, I’ve been riding my bike several hours a week now, and I decided that maybe I should start blogging about some of the experiences I have. The past couple months, I’ve been writing posts here about my favorite routes around Southern California, posting some pictures of things I see and experience on my rides, and in general writing about cycling. I might even start reviewing some of the products that I’ve acquired over the past few years.
The blog was originally started as an entry in a contest to win a bike (how could I pass up the chance at a free bike?), but since I didn’t win that contest, I’ve decided to tweak the purpose and content of the blog a bit. My goal is partially to help myself remember my favorite parts of riding around Orange County (and occasionally San Diego), but also I want to encourage others to ride bikes. I hope you enjoy it.
As a side note, I’ve also updated WordPress to a cleaner, awesomer new version (2.8.5). This change is probably transparent to you readers (all three of you).
It’s been some time since my last update, and quite a bit has transpired since then. So here is a laundry list of what’s going on in my life these days:
- I graduated from my M.S. program at UCI. It was a tough process, and I spent a huge part of my free time during the Spring quarter preparing for one thing – a 2.5-hour date with destiny. That’s right, the real analysis comprehensive exam. After I had studied the hardest I have ever studied for anything, I took the exam on Monday, June 15. After taking it, I felt like I had failed (yet again). I conferred with a few friends in my situation, and they shared my feelings. I was mildly depressed after that, and it wasn’t until the end of the following week that I learned that I had actually passed the exam, along with all of my second-year friends. Needless to say I was ecstatic as this was the last step I needed to take to guarantee my degree, so I am now officially Todd R. Royal, M.S. (although you’ll never see this written anywhere).
- In addition to passing my real analysis comp, I also decided to take a qualifying exam in complex analysis (a test reserved for Ph.D. students), because I had taken the course and felt pretty good about my chances. Turns out I was right, and I passed that exam as well, sort of as a “hey, I’ve still got it” message to the UCI math department. I was pretty happy when I learned that I had passed that exam, especially since I really only studied for it for two days (the exam was on Wednesday, June 17, two days after my real analysis comp). I thought it was a nice way to wrap things up at school.
- I got a job. In my last post, I mentioned that it looked like I wouldn’t be able to stay on at Western Digital, but as it turns out, my boss was able to get a requisition for me to do the same job I had been doing as an intern during the school year, but now with a greater salary, benefits, and all the other good stuff that goes along with working full-time. The timing of it was pretty awesome – I finished school on the 17th, and I started my first day as a regular employee on Monday, June 22. So far, it’s been an awesome job, and a welcome change from the stresses of grad school.
- We moved. Since I graduated, it was mandated that we could no longer live in graduate student housing (makes sense). We moved to a new apartment community in Irvine called Villa Siena, conveniently located near “downtown” Irvine, just a block away from the 405 (which I take to and from work every day; the song by Death Cab for Cutie comes to mind). It’s also nice because Christine can walk to work instead of taking a bus. We’re still getting settled in, but we are really enjoying the new place.
- I became an uncle. My sister has been pregnant for the last several months (almost nine, in fact), and on Friday, July 17, her daughter Karsie Gene was born. The whole experience has been interesting for everyone involved since Karsie has a physical condition that has affected her in many ways – but she seems to be getting better and better every day. You can read her story at karsiegene.blogspot.com.
- I’ve been riding my bike a lot more these days. It has become a source of great enjoyment for me over the past year or so, and every time I go out I feel awesome. My current goal is to ride from Irvine to Point Loma by the end of the summer, so I’ve been ramping up the distances I ride in order to prepare for it. If you have a bike, or money to buy one, I suggest you get out and ride as often as you can – you’ll feel great. Also, if you have time, you should watch some of the highlights of this year’s Tour de France, which ended yesterday. It was an amazing race, and it has helped launch a very exciting time for the sport of cycling.
That’s about all for now. I hope to update more often now that things are beginning to settle down. Thanks for reading.
I’ve been pretty busy with school, doing homework and getting ready for the last finals week of the Master’s program. I have to take that real analysis exam again on June 15, so I’ve been spending a lot of free time studying to make sure I pass it this time.
That isn’t to say that I haven’t had any free time though. I’ve been able to ride my bike quite a bit still, play my guitar every so often, and last night Christine and I went to a MAE concert in Anaheim. The show was awesome, and we talked to the guys a bit after their performance. It was great to meet the band and hear more about what they are doing. I’m looking forward to seeing them play again when they tour to promote their next EP.
Work is going well, but it looks like I won’t be able to stay in my current department after graduation. I am looking into transferring to another department so that I can still stay at WD, but it seems like resources are stretched a little thin at the moment. I’ve also been looking at jobs at a few places in San Diego. So we may be moving back down south, but it really just depends on the job situation.
That’s all for now, but I plan to write plenty more after school is over.
I guess as sort of a New Year’s resolution (in which I don’t really believe), I’ve decided to read more books. Novels, in particular. I realized that during my undergrad years I was focused entirely on completing my majors and spending my free time with friends. Since I didn’t take any literature courses, I now feel like I missed out on some of the breadth of my education. So my goal is to make myself, in some small way, a better individual.
Now, since I live in Irvine (which is a pretty uneventful place), and most of my friends have lives outside of school and families and such, I spend my time a lot differently than I did in undergrad (not to mention the fact that I am married now). Anyways, in an effort to expand my literary palate, I’m going to (attempt to) read all of the novels on this list (in descending order). Granted, I wouldn’t accept this list as complete, as there are several books that I have enjoyed missing from it, but I do feel like it will give me a good range of reading experiences. I’ll also be keeping track of my progress on this site, mostly for myself, but also for anyone who cares to read it.
So, we shall see how it goes. Wish me luck.
Please take some time to visit whatismae.com and support their current cause: The House That Fire Built.
This is the premise of what I believe is a really cool idea: each month this year, MAE will be releasing a new song to support a humanitarian effort or charitable organization. Each song requires a minimum donation of $1 to download, which will go towards that month’s cause. Even if you can only donate the minimum (or even if you can’t donate at all), help spread the word by embedding the widget (see my sidebar) in your blog, your myspace page, or your facebook profile.
These three guys are great people and make amazing music, so help them help others, and you can get some cool stuff from them in return.
So, as of 7:00 p.m. this evening, I’m done with my fourth quarter of grad school, which is pretty sweet. It’s nice to not have to worry about homework or tests for a little while. I’m looking forward to this nice long break (one month, to be precise). I’ll be working a full schedule at WD (more on that later) for the first two and a half weeks and then heading on down to San Diego on Christmas Eve. If any of you are gonna be around and want to hang out, we’ll be there until January 1st or 2nd. Then it’s on to the winter quarter.
I’ve been working at WD for the past three weeks now, and it’s been a pretty fun job. I’m learning a lot of things about hard drives that I never cared about before, but that I find pretty interesting. As far as saving on hard drives goes, I get a pretty decent discount for each item, but there are some conditions to using it. Technically, I’m only supposed to buy hard drives for mysef (as in, not for resale), and I can only buy three of any given SKU# per year. Also, WD keeps track of the serial numbers on the drives sold through the employee store, so if there is ever a problem with the drive, maintenance or whatever has to go through me. So that’s the deal. I’m also guessing that if I buy a ton of hard drives all the time someone will catch on. But whatever. If anyone is really in need of a hard drive, I can occasionally help you out.
Finally, if you haven’t seen Coldplay in concert, you’re missing out on a whole different side of the Coldplay experience. We were lucky enough to see them on Tuesday, Nov. 25th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, and I must say that it was one of the greatest live shows I’ve ever witenessed. I’ve always been a fan of Coldplay, but after this show, I have to say that they are even dearer to my heart.
Now it’s time to enjoy my time off.
