To Bavaria and Beyond: Day 1

“Boring” is not a word I generally associate with family vacations. The prospect of traveling to Munich, Germany to visit my sister historically carried with it an expectation of the unusual and the unknown. I had no idea what sort of stories we’d soon be making; I just knew they would be anything but dull, especially in the company of my adventure-hungry, risk-surfing Sister, Beth.

Pam Spray, Power Bars, and Uncomfortable Seating Arrangements
Saturday afternoon, my parents picked me up at my apartment. I was careful to make sure I had all the essentials - passport, driver’s license, ample cash, power bars for my sister, etc. Of all items, my sister wanted me to pack a couple aerosol containers of Pam Spray, and although applicable restrictions were written quite clearly on the TSA website, she assured me that they would be totally cool with me taking explosive materials on a large passenger aircraft. When I got to the airport, I found myself handing the Pam containers to my parents under the suspicious supervision of several TSA officers.

My flights were booked with US Airways, an airline which I swore I would never travel on again, namely after a terrible experience of being stuck in the Philadelphia airport earlier this year (With that trip, I finally decided to drive home, and made it the following day in the same time as other Columbus bound flying travelers). For my trip to Europe, I arrived at Port Columbus a good two hours in advance, and as I stepped up to the check-in counter, the lady told me it was unfortunate that I hadn’t been there twenty minutes sooner. Apparently, she could have booked me on a previous flight to Philadelphia (my only lay over before heading to Munich), a possibility which I was totally unaware of. It was going to be tight as I only had an hour in Phili before the next bird, an AirBus 330, would leave the ground for the seven and a half hour stretch across the North Atlantic, and above the picturesque landscape of western Europe. The lady at the desk continued by warning me how bad the Philadelphia airport was, and how I might miss my flight to Germany and how I might be stranded in that dreaded Cheese Steak city until the following day when I could catch another flight to Munich.

Around 5:30 pm, we boarded the economy jet for Phili. I was totally comfortable in my padded chair until a very large woman came and sat in the aisle seat right next to me. She was quit nice and was apparently headed to London to visit a friend. Her sides were literally hanging over the arm rest a good 5-6 inches. I’m not kidding. “It’s all good,” I thought, “She seems like a sweet lady and we only have an hour flight ahead of us. Let’s be respectful here.” A couple minutes later, the steward approached and asked if I could move to the empty exit row several chair lengths back. I agreed, with the random image of the escape hatch ripping off at 35,000 ft while my small body sucked through the whistling opening of the aircraft into the lonely blue atmosphere which hung above the North Atlantic. Then again, maybe I’d be perfectly safe strapped in my seat, oxygen mask on the face, cheeks flapping from the incoming air and the thrust of the jet engines. The weird things we think of. As we approached the runway, the captain mumbled over the tinty P.A. that there was a delay and we would need to hang out on the runway for a good twenty minutes or so. Two words came to my mind. US...Airways. Anyways, we finally got on our way after twenty minutes of shuffling around various runways and enjoyed a relatively smooth flight over the mid eastern states. And no, the exit door never came off.

Alas, The Cheese Steak City
We touched down in Phili around 7:20 pm or so, and I and a few other Munich passengers grabbed our bags from the overhead compartments and stood impatiently in stooped positions as others exited the plane like turtles. After exiting the plane, I zig zagged around a few time takers as I hurried down the winding hallway towards the open door leading to my favorite airport in the world. Our next flight left from Terminal A, which could only be reached via. a shuttle bus. We made it just as the bus was leaving. As I sat down in the poorly lit and nearly packed vehicle, several people starred at me as I adjusted my passport filled waist belt with such curiosity you would have thought I was wired with explosives. Had they not ever seen a waste belt? Were my Hanes showing? I hadn’t even left the US, and I was probably already striking the pose of “tourist.”

After exiting the bus, we had a long trek ahead of us as our gate was (as you would expect) at the very back of the airport. As I was running, I met a young police officer from London (also headed for the same gate), who had been in the US visiting his girlfriend. We were literally running with dragging luggage as we spoke. In a few minutes, we arrived winded at the gate, and boarded the monstrous Airbus 330. I hadn’t been in a big plane like this since I was a baby, when my missionary family and I flew back from France in 1980. This was actually my first time back to Europe after twenty seven long Americanized years. Maybe I need to get out more.

The flight was a smooth one, which included my very own “special” (this is the term they used) tv dinner of rice, chicken, packaged baby carrots, and air sealed peach slices. I was eating better than most astronauts. The flight was to take about seven and a half hours, and I could hardly pass the time with sleeping so I instead resorted to watching portions of Shrek the Third and an in-flight VH1 special with some cool new artists I hadn’t heard of, and various hip hop artists which inspired nothing more than the fast forward button. I was rather jealous as I panoramically observed all the other passengers who had somehow managed to squeeze their way into dreamland. Then, there was the one guy with the glazed over eyes in the left row right ahead of me. He spent the entire flight glued six inches away from the flickering 4x6” inch screen on the seat in front of him, watching everything from Pirates of the Caribbean to various B class action movies.

We Ain’t In Ford Country No More
We touched down in Munich safely, but a good forty five minutes late. As I was standing in the customs line ready to show my passport, a younger guy with a European accent of sorts asked me if I was an hurry. “Um... no...,” I answered, “Do I look like I’m in a hurry?” It didn’t occur to me that he wanted to go ahead of me. After he explained that his next flight was leaving shortly, I gladly let him go first. As I continued to stand there in line, I had visions of corny Kirk Cameron movies, the mark of the beast, and the end of the world. Not soon after, an officer was stamping my passport and I was on my way.

Nothing struck me as terribly different when I first stepped onto German soil. The Munich airport looks like most modern airports, except that the parking lots are almost exclusively filled with BMWs, Mercedes-Benz, and Smart cars. I think I saw only a few Fords and a single Chevy during my 10 day stay in Europe.

I began looking for my sister after I grabbed my bag from the luggage carousel, but she was nowhere to be found. “Ok,” I thought, “We went over this... you were supposed to pick me up... I don’t want to pay for a cab.” I tried to call her German mobile (cell phone) using a pay phone, but for some reason, it wouldn’t take my Mastercard. A cute young twenty something French girl stopped to help myself and another gentleman with our phone troubles. I was trying to figure out if I was dialing the German area code correctly. She assured me I was, so I tried the phone again, but my call still wouldn’t go through. I eventually stepped over to the bank terminal and exchanged some of the American cash I had brought for $45 in Euros and a $5 calling card. I then went back to the phone and finally reached my sister who was actually standing less than thirty meters away near the gate I had exited just ten minutes before. She had been waiting there for a long time (as my flight was forty five minutes late), and just happened to slip off to the WC/toilette moments before I debuted through the opaque entrance doors.

After a hug and hello, we continued through a large revolving door into a moderately busy square outside the airport terminal. Having dressed in shorts, I soon discovered that it was much colder than I had expected... and with this, I stood out like a pink peep in a yellow peep package as I was about the only person around with exposed knees. I later discovered that some Europeans carry a funny stereotype which says that any one wearing shorts in cold weather is probably an American. My sister and I continued walking through the square, into other building, and towards a rental car stand whose walls and desks glowed with muted orange light. (It is a long story, but in short, my sister had to rent a car as she had misplaced the key to her BMW.) We picked up the rental car, and after proposing a few questions about the GPS system, we were off to our next adventure.

Beer And Bavarian Revelry
Our first stop was Oktoberfest, a Munich based festival which, each year, draws millions of international seekers of intoxication. Apparently, the festival has its origins with Crown Prince Ludwig, who in 1810, threw a wedding party of such magnitude and success that it became an annual tradition. I was fortunate enough to arrive in Munich on the last day of the festival, which thankfully allowed me to partake of the festivities free of charge. Beth’s friend, Stephanie, would be joining us in our adventure and we were to meet her at all places, a German Starbucks (I still experience a sense of guilt whenever I drink Starbucks as I feel like I’m shafting the little guy, even more so in Europe where Western culture is eroding the distinctness of cultures abroad). We finally found a place to park and my sister a spend a good fifteen minutes trying to weasel her rental car into an oppositely angled spot as several irritated German drivers waited with furled brows of frustration. We eventually made it to Starbucks, met Stephanie, bought a couple cappucinos, and headed for the subway and towards our final destination of large pretzels and Bavarian beer.

The subway was crowded with a variety of people, many of which were party goers... guys flirting in tall hats and suspendered pants/shorts (Lederhosen) and girls giggling in colorful dresses (Dirndl) and push-up bras (even children were wearing costumes). I’m told these costumes are quite expensive, with people dropping $200 or more on a pair of overalls, and several hundred bucks or more on a nice dress.

Our subway experience was over quickly, and the next thing we knew, we were walking into the entrance of the cherished Oktoberfest (which ironically starts in September).
My first impression was that the atmosphere closely resembled an exaggerated twin of the Ohio State Fair... minus the red necks and the Metallica t-shirts.
There were a variety of fold-it-up-into-a-semi-bed rides, miles of souvenir shops, and a variety of over sized beer tents. While weaving through elbow to elbow crowds, we soaked in the merry sights, and eventually stumbled onto a decorative stand selling sauerkraut and sausage. Very tasty, I must say. After this, we passed through a number of souvenir shops where eventually I found a conservative Oktoberfest t-shirt. We had oodles of fun at Oktoberfest. I even had a chance to flaunt my upper body strength with the old sleg hammer and bell game.

Breath Mints, Afternoon Church, and Jet Lag
Of all places, our next stop was a nearby church (Munich International Community Church). As we entered the church, I met another one of Beth’s friends, Sandy, who happens to be an amazing professional opera singer, who originates from Dayton, OH. Ironically, I have professional opera belting cousin from Dayton who also now lives in Germany).

The church service was in English, and surprisely similar to many of the churches I’ve attended or visited in the US. I was slightly embarrassed as my jet lag began kicking in just about the time the pastor introduced his message.

After the service, we snapped a picture in front of the church (left to right: Sandy’s daughter, Sandy, Beth, Stephanie) and Beth continued our first day’s tour with a walk along the streets of downtown Munich. We scaled a good dozen calve-straining flights of stairs at St. Peter’s church (Munich's oldest parish church, almost totally destroyed during World War II and rebuilt in 1954), and then spent some moments savoring the 260-foot sunset view of the city. Click here to see the video.

After this, we continued walking around the city and stopped into the Frauenkirche Church (which means Woman’s church). Click here to see the video. Following some Munich window shopping, we visited Ratskeller (restaurant), where Beth treated me to a traditional Bavarian meal consisting of pig, potato balls, red Sauerkraut, and Apfelsaftschorle (apple juice mixed with sparkling mineral water). It was especially appetizing to see hair still sprouting from the skin of the pig.

We then traveled home for a well deserved night of slumber. Unfortunately, I didn’t fall asleep until 4:00 am. I guess it takes a while to adjust to the six hour time difference.

Stay tuned for day two.

Recounting The Memories

Well, I’m back in Columbus. What a change it is going from the glistening waters and snow capped mountains of Italy to the yuppie traffic of Powell, OH (even though it is nice to be back on my own turf). The last eleven days in Europe were a blur but as I reflect back, I’m reminded of the many wonderful adventures my sister and I had, and as I sit here in my favorite coffee shop, I smile and thank God for a trip which carries with it a boat load of fond memories.

I do apologize that I didn’t write much in the blog during my trip, but I as I mentioned before, there was hardly enough time to boot up my laptop, let alone spend 3-4 hours writing a well thought out detailed entry and editing pictures (I imagine I will need to spend a good 10 hours or more composing words to go with my entire eleven day trip). I plan to post a number of blogs in the coming days and weeks which will give you a play by play description of my life changing journey throughout Germany, Austria, and Italy. I say “life changing” because I’m convinced there were many lessons to be learned through my explorations of other cultures, and my interaction with my sister and her diverse friends. To some degree, I feel like I’ve been drinking from a fire hose as I’ve absorbed a lot of new information, and I believe it will probably take me a little while to process everything that God intended me to carry away from this trip.

I really intended to post an itinerary before I left on my journey, but being that many of our days revolved around the state of the weather, I was unable to predict the unfolding of our travels. However, I will now give you a summarized itinerary of our eleven days of European wanderings. The next post will cover at least the first couple days.

Oct 7th - Arrive in Munch
Oct 8th - Munich - Climbed mountain in Tegernsee
Oct 9th - Austria - Linderhof / Neuschwanstein / Ran at Alpsee Lake
Oct 10th - Tobole, Italy day 1 - Garda Lake
Oct 11th - Tobole, Italy day 2 - climbed Mount Altissimo
Oct 12th - Malcesine, Italy day 1 - climbed Mount Baldo
Oct 13th - Malcesine, Italy day 2 - Limone, Italy / Munich
Oct 14th - Munich - Visit Beth's church / Ran at Isar River / Dinner at Bavarian restaurant with Beth's friends
Oct 15th - Munich - Dinner with Beth's friends
Oct 16th - Salzburg, Austria - Mines in Bad Duernback / Climbed Mount Jenner in Koenigsee
Oct 17th - Travel home

A Thousand Words

Hello From Malcesine

This morning, we traveled from Torbole to Malcesine (Italy). We are at a very cool hotel overlooking the lake. We also went hiking for about 4 hours in the mountains today (took the cable car up) and ran another hour when we got to the bottom. It's been a full but fun day. Thanks for your comments. I am working on a set of seriously long blogs with many stories (I may not be able to finish them completely until I am sitting on the plane back to Columbus, but I will try to at least give you some ideas what we're doing via. photos. Tomorrow, we'll stay in Malcesine until early evening and then drive back to Munich. Sunday, I will be going to Beth's church and will be having lunch with her and a bunch of her friends, which will be cool. Until next time, here are some pics from today... I still need to sort through some 1000+ photos (and some video footage), but I grabbed a few quickly to post. It's about 11:30 pm now and I'm sitting in the comfortable hotel lobby overlooking the lake while watching some Italian band on a flat screen tv. Beth is probably fast asleep upstairs dreaming of some sports activity which far exceeds the abilities of most human beings her age. Today she was trying to convince me to go paragliding. As long as we can wear clothes.

I'm Here

Well, I made it. We've had a full first two days. Working on the first blog. Stayed tuned.

My Trip To Munich

Well, today I leave on a journey to Europe. I will be visiting my sister in Munich, Germany for about 11 days. We also plan to travel into Austria and Italy. I leave today (I am currently sitting at Port Columbus, waiting to board my first flight to Philidelphia, where I will take an overnight flight to Munich). I just bought a new camera so I plan to take lots of pictures, and hopefully, I'll be posting some of them to the blog.

I would appreciate all your prayers. This will be quite an adventure, I'm sure. And we're off...

Resurfacing from the Studio

Well, I feel quite bad for promising some blogs last weekend, and then not delivering. My 3 day weekend turned out to be a little busier than I expected, and then this week was spent catching up at work since Monday was a holiday, and I lost a day in the 2 week per episode Taylor’s Attic production schedule. I ended up working two 12 hour days this past week to get back on track, and did a little work today. I was actually going to be recording sound effects at home tonight, but there is a huge thunderstorm, a challenge when you are tracking quiet elements such as clothing movement. Basically, in each episode of Taylor’s Attic, we have to record some ADR. I’ve mentioned about this before, and if you don’t remember, ADR stands for audio dialog replacement. In a show like Taylor's Attic, we replace audio for one of two reasons... (A) the audio captured on set was not ideal (B) we want to change or add a line (For example, the puppet characters may be responding while the main character is talking). The need for these additional voices is often hard to predict before seeing the finished “locked” video. In the case of replacing Taylor’s dialog, I have to re-record everything that would be happening on set had he been acting those lines out. This means, I have to re-record clothing movement, walking, and whatever else the scene may call for. So, that’s what I would be doing right now if there wasn’t thunder cracking outside my home studio window.

Developing a Small Business
Over the last couple years, I’ve been working to upgrade my studio so that I am able to effectively produce custom music (and possibly much of my next album) at home. Tonight, I finally ordered some acoustic paneling for my 10 x 13’ composing/mixing room. If you’re interested, you can check out the 24 x 48 x 4” panels I ordered at www.atsacoustics.com. I picked up 8 of them. Unlike some of my friends who record a lot of live instruments, I work with a lot with samples. The reason? Well, for what I’m shooting to do (that is, produce custom music for tv, film, games, etc.), this is the most cost effective method. Why pay a live bass player $250 for a 3 hour session, when you can buy a killer library of bass samples which you can use over and over on different projects, all for about $200. The reality is, in many cases, most clients couldn’t tell the difference between a real player and a sample of a real player triggered via a MIDI keyboard (at least, with many instruments). Obviously, there is something to be said about real players. I don’t think samples will ever completely replace the live band in the studio, but samples are an excellent tool for many applications. Sometimes, samples are simply used as a sketch pad for composers to create orchestrations and arrangements. These sketches can later be replaced by the real thing, if so desired, and if so afforded. I understand that the incredibly famous motion picture composer Hans Zimmer (He wrote the music for Gladiator, Mission Impossible II, Batman Begins, and two-thirds of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Click here for an interesting interview) uses samples to write his master pieces. In many cases, the samples are later replaced with a live orchestra, but I’ve heard rumor that this isn’t always the case. Apparently, he sometimes only replaces the samples on a movie’s main theme, and secondary background scores are left to orchestral samples. (The following may be greek to some of you, but read on... it will start to make more sense shortly.) Currently, here is a list of some of the sample libraries I am using: East West Quantum Leap Symphony Orchestra Gold Bundle, Native Instrument’s Akoustik Piano and B4 II (organ), fxExpansion’s BFD drum sampler, Native Instrument’s Battery 3 drum sampler, Chris Hein’s Guitars, Gforce Future Retro Pack, Spectrosonic's Atmosphere, and East West StormDrum (large percussion). I am running the majority of these samples (and some other samples) on a Muse Research Receptor Pro in conjunction with Apple’s Logic Pro 7. I also use a couple Waves plug-in bundles for compression, EQ, etc. My next purchase will probably be a new Mac which will be the brain of my studio. For the time being, I am still using a laptop for much of my work at home. (Eventually, I'd like to post pictures of my studio, as well as a few clips of some of the custom music I've been working on.)

Why Custom Music?
Why am I going the direction of custom music production? Well, throughout the last couple years, I have had more opportunity to work on custom music (Taylor’s Attic, The Truck Driver Movie, and some other side projects), and I’ve just realized that it’s something I really enjoy doing, and it is something which can be relatively lucrative. One of the major differences between composing custom music and recording bands is this... most companies who want custom music are more equipped to pay for your work vs. the up and coming band who is having plenty of trouble just paying their rent, and covering their next meal. Most bands are pretty poor... unless they are working well paying side jobs, or are under a good record deal... and in that case, they probably aren’t going to be coming to you (the small business guy), but will instead be going to someone with more credentials (although that doesn’t mean those people are necessarily more talented or more qualified than you).

So, I guess it’s all in God’s hands, as is everything. We can only make the best informed decisions with what we have, and leave the door opening to God. Come January, I should be finished with my work on the second season of Taylor’s Attic. I really have no idea what work will hold for me after that. I’m assuming there will be much more audio and music work to be done in other areas at the tv station, but I am also trying to think long term. I’ve really been attempting to build my resume and just see happens with the experience. Although Taylor’s Attic is silly and ridiculous (as it should be, being a kid’s show), I find that many of the techniques and skills I’m learning now could easily be applied to a more serious television or film project. In some ways, I wonder if I am like David training with the lions in the field. I hope so. I can’t predict the future, but I really don’t think God would take me this far with the climax of my career landing me as an audio/music producer for a puppet show. I just try to do my best with whatever I touch because I figure it all comes back around at some point, Lord willing.

Other News
For those of you wondering if I’m ever going to produce a new album... I may be starting the process this fall.

Still no word on the release of The Truck Driver movie, which I wrote the music for. Apparently, the director is still waiting on the final audio mix of the movie. Hopefully, the film will be coming to a theatre sometime this year!

Getting ready for my trip to Germany to visit my sister early October. Trying to sharpen my knowledge on Europe.

You can now read all the blogs published during the making of my 2004 album Backstage Pass at http://makingbackstagepass.blogspot.com.

Well, the thunderstorm has stopped, but now the crickets are blaring!

Fit With A Foundation

Tonight, I met with a personal trainer. Last week, I signed up for a membership at LifeTime Fitness. It’s literally across the parking lot from my work, so it certainly couldn’t be any more convenient. Why did I sign up for a fitness club? Well, for one, I sit in front of a computer all day mixing sound, and I just need to be doing something physical. Second, I’m planning to visit my athlete sister in Germany this Fall, and I need to get in shape for our daily work outs. I may run a 5 or 10k with her. Probably, the biggest reason I’m working out is for health. I generally eat pretty well, but now that I’m in my 30’s, I’m just thinking more and more about the long term consequences of not taking care of myself physically. Along with this is what they would call “vanity,” the sheer prospect of looking good (or better). I don’t want to have a beer belly like many guys my age. I used to think people that worked out all the time were potentially very shallow, only focusing on their outward appearance. I now realize that it has bigger ramifications, namely health, not to mention, social confidence.

I will be honest... there are a lot of attractive women at the health club. I’ve been thinking recently, and this is my theory. Women that take care of themselves physically are mostly likely looking for guys who likewise take care of themselves. Most people that look healthy and physically fit spend time exercising. They don’t get to look that way by sitting around on the couch eating ho-hos, complaining about how overweight they are. The challenge with all this is that many people who work out all the time may very well be extremely shallow... but that is a total stereotype (I do know a number of people who are physically fit and spiritually and intellectually deep)
. Certainly, there are many people who take care of themselves, look good, but also understand that looks are only skin deep, and temporary. Some people even work out because they believe their bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

I have found it quite difficult to meet women who are physically fit, yet unobsessed with their outer appearance. It seems like a vicious cycle. Once you start trying to look good, the more you want to look good, and eventually, that can be all you think about. I don’t want to be that person, and I certainly don’t want to date a girl who is overly focused on looking pretty. There needs to be a balance. Anyways, I just started thinking... you know, we as singles really need to be what we are looking for. If you want someone who is spiritually mature, seek to be spiritually mature. If you are looking for someone that you are physically attracted to, consider that your dream girl / guy may be looking for the same thing in the opposite gender.

Living In Illusions

A couple months ago, some friends and I watched the newly released “Illusionist.” Interesting film. As usual, I could do without a few parts, but all in all, it was a decent movie. I won’t give away the story completely in case you haven’t seen it (and do intend to), but I will use it’s general plot as an illustration. As a summary, the main character in the movie was a magician who had many tricks up his sleeve, his flagship act being that of seemingly bringing spirits back from the dead and having them appear at his shows, even on occasion walking the aisles of the early 1900 Vienna concert hall. Yes, strange. However, just as strange is our tendencies as humans to assume that which does not exist. Let me explain further.

What do you think other people are thinking? Maybe you think they’re thinking bad thoughts about you. Maybe you make assumptions that people don’t like you. Maybe you’ve interrupted a friend’s disturbed countenance as a frustration towards you. It’s possible that much of our lives are shaped by phantoms. Not literal spirits, like those wandering the world of “The Sixth Sense,” but self evolved perceptions which cripple our joy, our peace, and our love for other people.

I personally have lived much of my life assuming the worst of people. I’ve been guilty of judging others’ motives too quickly. I’ve lost sleep over wondering if someone is upset with me. I’ve wearied myself attempting to settle a case which is not my own to solve.

Do you live in expectation? What picture does that phrase evoke in the fog of your mental landscape? Many Christians probably think about heaven when they hear the word “expectation.” Today, I want to present an alternate use for the phrase. We are always living in expectation... whether it be the expectation of a pay check this Friday or a home cooked evening this evening... or even simpler and often overlooked, the expectation that our next breath will be there when we reach for it. The conflict comes when our expectations aren’t met. We do the same thing with people. We hold expectations over our friends and family. In our minds, it can be a given that different individuals will act certain ways in certain situations. These type of assumptions aren’t necessarily bad (as trust is developed through some predictability), but a problem can occur when we start adding our own dots to the connect-the-dots puzzle. By this, I mean we start to fill in the blanks. We begin to judge our brother’s motive or our sister’s heart. We take it upon ourselves to crack the code of another’s complex personality and human incongruency. Here lies a great danger.

A Milestone Day

Today marks an exciting day. Yesterday was our last shoot date for Taylor's Attic Season II, and along with that, I am now completed with the score for my friend Ben's Bay's movie, The Truck Driver. Not sure when the movie will be shown, but I will keep you posted. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer here.

As a note, the music in the background is not mine as we were not finished when the trailer was produced. Hopefully, you'll like the new music even better.

I'm also moving into a new apartment this weekend, as my roommate is getting married in July. It is time to buy my own furniture.

Stay tuned for another singlehood blog coming soon.

Exton, PA (part 2)

Sorry to leave you hanging. If you haven’t read the blog below, you should do that first as this entry is a follow-up.

Well, I’m finally back in Columbus. The drive yesterday was pretty smooth. I meant to leave at around 6am, but that didn’t happen. I was tired, apparently. After checking out of the Hampton, grabbing some free continental breakfast, and helping a girl get her car uplodged from the icy hotel parking lot, I set course for Ohio... at about 9:00 am. The drive was pretty smooth, except for some snow/rain in the middle of PA. Otherwise, the roads were mostly cleared. I drove straight through, stopping once for gas, and a bite to eat at a Quizno’s. The GPS was great. Amazing and scary how accurate these machines are. The GPS was pretty much dead on, within a matter of feet. If I drove over a river or crossed a road, it was tracking with me, leading with its alluring robotic voice (actually, the voice was really realistic).

From Exton, PA to Columbus, it is about an 8 hour drive. I arrived at the Port Columbus Budget Car Rental center about 4:30. I was disappointed that the GPS didn’t say goodbye to me... it didn’t even thank me for the ride home. How cold! So, this is one lesson I learned... fill the gas tank up before you return the car. I got charged a whopping $55 for the half of tank of gas I should have put in the car. So I’m retarded... or maybe I was just excited about getting home. I will take the blame for this one.

Looks like I should get my luggage back sometime this week. As of yesterday, it was probably still in PH, but they will deliver it to me within a couple days. It felt good to put a clean shirt on as I got home on Friday. I had been wearing the same clothes for two days straight. I still really miss my electric toothbrush, for sure. As I stood in line at the baggage claim counter, I heard a guy mention that he had just arrived from PH... he was supposed to fly out Friday, just like me... interesting. We both arrived around the same time... I drove, he flew... he got to sit frustrated in an airport for hours on end, I got to drive a sweet Taurus with a GPS while enjoying the PA turnpike scenery.

As I got on the shuttle headed for the Port Columbus Red Lot parking area, I overheard a conversation... a man was talking about how he had waited some 33 hours at the Philadelphia Airport...it was crazy...kids sleeping on the floor, stagnant lines, etc, etc. He was also booked for an early flight to Columbus on Friday, and he had just recently arrived on US Airways. He said there were 1000’s of passengers stranded at the airport... some were in planes, waiting on the runway for some 7-8 hours. That could have been me. It was indeed a nightmare for many people. Most flights were grounded by about noon on Friday, and from what this guy said, car rental companies were denying people one-way rentals, in fear that there wouldn’t be enough available rental cars left in Phili for the Monday crowd. I rented my car around 11:30 am. I was quite fortunate to get out of there when I did.

So yes, I’m glad to be home... although I haven’t had much time at home... I had to spend several hours at the tv station Saturday evening prepping for the shooting of Taylor’s Attic episode 205 in Thornville this Monday. I travel back to NJ the forth week of April and the third week of May. That should be last time for a while.

So these are the lessons I’ve learned from this trip:

(1) Don’t put your cell phone charger in your checked luggage.
(2) Don't believe the hotel when they tell you they don't know what their rates are for long distance phone calls. That means they don't want you to know until you see your bill.
(3) Fill up the gas tank of the rental car before you return it.
(4) Don’t ever fly US Airways.
(5) Be ready for the unexpected at all times. You’re not flying until you’re in the air.
(6) Pay the extra $9.99 for a GPS.
(7) Realize that when crisis comes, everybody’s schedule has been compromised. Chill out, breath normally, and try to help your neighbor instead of being a selfish American demanding immediate service.

There's No Place Like Exton, PA (I Mean, Home)

As some of you know, I am stranded in Exton, PA. It has been an interesting day. I was supposed to leave the Philadelphia airport for Columbus this morning at 7:20. I was there plenty early, arriving around 4:30 am, as Paul (the writer for Taylor’s Attic) had a 5:30 flight, and with all the recent issues with US Airways, I decided it would be best to go with him and get to the airport as early as possible. I will begin by encouraging each of you to avoid US Airways when traveling. They just recently installed a new reservation system, and I have had some long wait times with them repeatable over the last three weeks.

I write the following just to give you an update. Not trying to complain. There is good in all of this. Anyways, here’s what happened after I reached my gate at 5:45 am, about an hour and half before departure. We first found out that the flight had been delayed because of some mechanical problems. It was 7:20, and there was still no plane at our gate. We saw one plane which they kept towing around in and out of the mechanic hanger. I was guessing that was our plane. No big deal. Then, eventually they told us that the repairs would take a couple hours to perform, setting our departure time back to about 10:15 am. They said that it might be possible to get some of us on another flight which was leaving around 9. All 40 some passengers jumped up from their seats and filed in front of the US Airways service desk. Some of the flyers were able to switch their flights... I saw them walk away looking relieved. However, it literally took 10 or 15 minutes to make these changes for each costumer. I put my iPod on and tried to relax. Then, all of sudden, after waiting a good 1/2 hour or so, they made an announcement telling us that we could all leave on another flight at another gate at 8:45. Everyone started to scurry that direction, leaving the costumers who had just switched their flights rather confused, I’m sure.

We arrived at the new gate and continued to wait. Again, they made the announcement that there were some mechanical problems which they were checking and it was going to be a little longer. Then, out of the blue, an announcement was made telling us to return to our original gate. So we did. A young woman from Chicago. A young guy trying to make it home to watch a Miami game while he relaxed at a local bar. Four business men talking on their cell phones trying to reschedule their meetings. So here we went. Walking back down to the original gate. So we get there, and what do they tell us? They explain that this announcement was a mistake and we needed to again return to the gate we had just come from. The exercise continued. We got back to the other gate only to discover that they were still waiting to confirm that all systems were a-go. Mechanical problems apparently. By this time, my laptop was running low on battery power, so I sat down on the floor near an AC outlet, only feet away from a dot matrix printer which continued to spit out yards of random information, all the while a US Airways clerk looking terrible confused as to why his printer was on a rampage.

Finally, around 10:30 am, we started to board the plane. “Finally,” I thought. You could feel the relief in the air. It took us a good 20 minutes or so to get out to the runway. I picked up one of those random SkyMall catalogs and started browsing through the pages of solar powered flood lights and remote controlled UFOs. My iPod was consoling me with Miles Davis. Then came the announcement, “Ladies and gentlemen, you may have already figured it out...” The captain then went on to explain that there were bad weather conditions, namely sleet, which prevented smaller aircrafts from traveling safely. After driving out to the runway, our flight had been cancelled and they were taking us back to the gate. However, “an agent would be available to help us make other arrangements.”

We walked down the “tube” and as we re-entered the airport, many of us quickly jumped in line at the US Airways service counter... again... with hopes that we could be put on another plane. We waited and waited... again, each customer taking up to 15 minutes to serve. Eventually, the lady at the service desk told us that we all needed to go down to the Service Center, to reschedule our flights to another airline, if we would like to be on another airline. So, a number of us proceeded down to the Service Center. As we arrived, we were shocked at the line... there were probably a good 75 or more people in front (and also random people sleeping on benches, kids running circles around the bench seats), all in a single file in line which was about the consistency of molasses. A 17 year old girl behind us was hysterically complaining to her friend on the phone about how "US Airways had terrible service, and didn't know what they were doing, and she was never going to fly with them again" and how "she was stuck in a big airport with people who couldn't help her, and she wanted to get home." After waiting another 15 minutes or so, one of the women on our flight decided to return to the original counter we were at previously to uncover some more information. She came back to report that the line we were standing in was only for people who wanted to reschedule their flights. This was not the place to be if you wanted to cancel your flight. The strange thing is, the flight had been cancelled according to the pilot, but our money wouldn’t be refunded unless we went down to the ticketing area outside of the security area. The line continued to sit. I was trying to decide what to do. Let’s say I cancelled my flight... how was I going to get my luggage? Eventually, I made the jump and decided to head down to the ticketing area to cancel my flight. This line was going nowhere fast. On my way down to the ticketing area, I stopped and asked a US Airways personnel how I could reclaim my luggage. She pointed me to a line near baggage claim. So that is where I went and stood. The line wasn’t too long... about 5 people in front of me. There were two girls in front of me who were going to drive to their destination, and were trying to figure out how to get their luggage... a similar situation to my own. Turns out US Airways had no idea where our luggage was. It was somewhere. Maybe on a plane, maybe in a storage area, maybe soaking out in the rain for a good 1/2 hour... something which I had observed that morning while sitting in the plane which never took off. I would have to file a claim in Columbus to get my luggage back. There was no other way to do it. “Thank you sir,” I said, and continued towards the ticket counter to cancel my flight. Here was another lengthy line, which wasn’t going anywhere. I saw a lady from our flight... she had left the line upstairs a good 45 minutes or hour before (she had been talking to us) and she had just finished... so I had a long wait ahead. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. This was ridiculous. Basically, I could see the airport shutting down, and the weather just continued to worsen outside the big airport windows. If I was going to drive, I needed to leave now.

At this point, I just bolted out the door and jumped on a Budget rent-a-car shuttle. They took me back to the rental station and I picked up a Ford Taurus with a GPS system (to help me find my way home). The guy working the counter was taking other calls while he was waiting on me... and it took him three times to input the correct destination in the GPS. At one point, he was about to send me to Cleveland, OH. I was seriously losing my cool at this point. Finally, I said to him, “What else do we have to do here,” implying that I was ready to leave. I think he got the point.

As I walked outside, the sleet was almost painful against the face. I jumped in the white Taurus chick magnet. The GPS system started talking to me and guiding me towards Columbus, OH. I flipped on the AM weather report, and from everything I could tell, the weather was going downhill quick. An ambulance came rushing by us, as I continued to hear on the radio that there were multiple accidents in the Phili area. A caution to drive slow. I was pretty hungry at this point, not having had any food except a banana, pastry, and coffee at 5:30 am. I was also getting concerned about the weather. This was an accident waiting to happen. I needed to get a hotel... and a meal. So, I pulled off at a Hampton Inn in Exton, PA, checked in, and grabbed an overpriced wrap at the UNO next door.

I’ve spent most of my day in the hotel room today, watching tv and listening to sleet against my window, and salt trucks in the parking lot. I could be editing puppet audio, but I need a break. Today has been a test of my faith for sure. I’ve probably looked like any other impatient American, wanting everything to revolve around number one. Is't it easy to complain? Isn’t it easy to forget how much we take for granted?

The headaches have been great today. To add to all this, my cell phone charger is in my lost bag, and my battery in my phone is extremely low. There is a Verizon store down the road, but they don’t sell the charger for my phone, and they can’t even sell me a new phone because I am “out of their service area.” I’ve already spent $30 making long distance phone calls from my hotel room, trying to figure out how to pay for this whole unexpected extra day (so far) on a credit card which is now nearly maxed out. The company is thankfully covering the hotel at this point.

Tomorrow, I hope to leave early around 6am if possible. My goal is get the car back to the rental office by noon, but it all depends upon the weather. Stay tuned for more updates. Consider it pure joy, right?

Are You Going To Make A New CD?

Good question. I do get asked that a lot. Have I abandoned making albums? Absolutely not. I just feel that with "Backstage Pass," I put many carts before many horses. When you are under a record label, you are working off of a pre-composed infrastructure. Someone is paying you to create music (and it is expected that you write music which will sell), and along with that comes a manager and a booking agent and a publicist... and a groomer, if you're lucky. In my case, I was trying to do everything on my own. I know I've mentioned some of this before, but essentially, with "Backstage Pass," I thought if I built it, they would come. Make a good sounding record, and people would buy it. However, there came a point where I realized that I wasn't going to make a profit off of the album, and there was, at one point, a shift in thought, where I finally painfully adapted to the idea that selling albums at a show (or anywhere for that matter) was more of a bonus than a given. As a man, you can get pretty deflated when you sense that you have "failed" at something. I wish that I had a clear cut answer of why I haven't been able to sell my music. I could blame it on my personality, as I am not a sales person and hate the prospect of pushing myself. I could attribute it to the style of the album, and the audiences I was playing for (I was trying to reach college / young adults, but somehow it was always the middle schoolers and grade schoolers who were memorizing my lyrics and making up dance routines... there have been times when I wondered if I should go work for VeggieTales). I could make the assumption that people didn't like my voice... or the music wasn't mainstream enough for radio DJs to play it... or the album was too diverse in style to fit one genre and was therefore potentially difficult to market... I could agree with some people who have said it is overproduced. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, I don't know why people don't buy my music and I don't know why I "haven't gone anywhere"... that is, according to the world's definition of achievement. Maybe God's will has had another zip code than my own.

Despite what happened and why it may have happened, I think there comes a point when, as an artist, you stop asking the questions and stop assuming and stop trying to dissect what went wrong, etc, etc. After all that, there is still a passion to create... and you realize that it can't be about money or success or popular opinion. In every artist is a drive, a drive to capture beauty, to embody the ethereal, to put on paper or in song emotions and struggles and thoughts that can't be described with mere conversation. For me, I've sort of come full circle where I'm back to a place, a simple untainted place, where the drive is about communicating truth and exploring new dimensions of life, and God, and the human condition, while stepping off into the unknown with a reverent fear and sweaty anticipation.

I was reading in a music forum the other day, and one of the writers posed the question, "Does anyone get tired of writing music?" Many people responded in the same way... give yourself space from what you love, and when you come back to it, you will be more inspired. I am in a different place than I was 3 years ago when "Backstage Pass" rolled off the press. Growing older carries this sweet and sour reality. I think I've become more comfortable with who I am as I have aged, yet I also wrestle with being a comfortable loner more than ever. I'm not bitter, I'm not trying to look like a tough guy (with a beanie), I'm not trying to show anyone how much I hurt inside (this is where I was at in 2004). I'm more content with being quiet and having people wonder about me than trying to make a forced and loud impression. Maybe I'd rather even see others succeed more than manipulating myself into the lime light. Along with these changes, my spirit feels full and increasingly free, and I sense that there is much inside which is ready to be put to music.

Time can be our enemy and our friend. Time can turn us into better adjusted people, or can leave us cynical and shielded. I would like to say I relate more to the former than the latter. As an example, I used to be very under confident... now I don't care all that much what people think of me.. I imagine this has developed as I have realized that sometimes nobody can help you (in a human sense) and you just have to suck things up and be a man and get over yourself when you'd rather whine and complain and soak in a pool of self pity. I also believe I've learned to trust God more... I suppose that is really what has changed me. Through this, I've become stronger, however at times, this confidence can probably be a problem as I am more apt to avoid social interaction... not because I am so much under confident, but because I don't feel like I need other people as much as I used to, in a once world where friendships and relationships orbited the sun of my unquenced loneliness. If you are single and in your 30's (especially if you're a guy), you can probably relate to this growing independence and self sustain. We obviously all need each other, but I'm just trying to give you a picture of how I (and maybe you) can become overly independent. It's good to remember that it's easier for a wolf to pick off a wandering sheep compared to one guarded in a herd. Satan would love for us to think we don't need anyone else. For me, the urge to withdraw from people is the dashboard light which tells me I need to get in the Word and pray more and stay close to the Lord and get back involved in Christian community. Hey, that might be be theme on a song on a new project.

So now that I've totally strayed from the topic... am I making another album? No promises here, but I think I am headed that direction. I am closer than ever to having the gear to make much of a project at home, for less money... and I am again catching the creative itch.

'Tis The Season

I get the impression that most people are extremely busy during the month of December. I have been no exception. As an audio producer, I find myself working some strange hours... nearly every day is filled with some sort of work... whether I'm working at the tv station, running sound for church services, weddings, or concerts, mixing recorded live events, composing custom music, writing invoices, making phone calls, sending emails.

My sister is flying in from Germany December 20th, and will be in Columbus for a couple weeks... my brother and his family will be visiting during the holidays... it will be a busy time. So... I'm trying to get all my work caught up so I can focus on people more during the holidays... and hopefully beyond. The challenging thing is, as a freelancer and small business owner, it always feels like turning down a job means a lost opportunity that could lead to another opportunity and then to another opportunity... life is this constant struggle of balance... and this weighing of priorities and motives. Good thing, as Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to keep us in check. I've been around workaholics and don't I want to be one. So at what point does one become a workaholic? I know some people who are up pretty late hanging out with people every night of the week. I'm not sure if that's healthy either. Probably depends on the person to some degree.

Maybe we should look at Jesus' life to figure out how to prioritize our time and resources. From first observation, I can see that Jesus lived an extremely disciplined life. He was up early spending time with His father in solitude... He disciplined Himself to fast for 40 days in the desert... He made it a point to pour into the lives of His disciples and followers. Jesus didn't have the distraction of instant messaging and cell phones and television. So anyways, this is something I've been thinking through. Where do I invest my time and how should I spend my resources? Is it better to spend a night alone praying and walking in the park and talking to God instead of going to church in antisipation of meeting the new girl who may become your future wife (what I meant was learning more about God)? As the bracelet says... what would Jesus do? Tonight is one of those evenings of question. I've got so many jobs backing up right now, and I'm afraid I'm going to have some disappointed clients if I don't get moving on some of this stuff. I also feel like I'm missing social opportunites. Sometimes, we put extra work into this or that with the expectation that our extra time investments in this or that will give us more time with people we love later, or will make it easier for us later, or... you fill in the blank. The hamster wheel must be a rippling excuse.

I am working on a new singlehood blog, so stay tuned. I could use your prayers that God would give me wisdom as I work through some of these issues of balance, addressed above.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:5