Color me surprised

So I guess my studying and flirting with my female math teacher paid off, I got a B in the class and here I thought I was on a one way trip to F town. Ended up getting a 3.75 on the semester which is my best GPA ever I think. Funny what happens when you are only taking interesting classes.

studying

its finals week and I just studied for 5 hours straight, that is like a record for me. it was for math so that it will be the last math class I take ever, if I fail it though it will be just another thing me and Einstein have in common.

The Messiah

For those of you who like classical music, I will be part of a massive 270 person choir and orchestra performing Handel's Messiah this sunday the 9th at 6pm at CrossPoint Church
6950 Edison Ave.
Chino, CA 91710.

Its gonna be really good, and it will be about an hour and a half, but lemme tell you when 250 singers do the hallelujah chorus I get chills everytime. Oh and this is the only group I'm in where I sing, so come on out its free.

Big show tomorrow night

Concert band is having it bis fall performance tomorrow night the 29th at 7. It is going to be really good we have 70 members and we are doing some great songs, the best part is its free! So come on out and see me play tuba. Its at CBU in the music building (thats the big new one that says the school of music on it if you didn't know.)

Playing in Riverside

Women's choir has a show tonight at palm baptist at 6 and its free so come see me play bass.

6807 Palm Ave.
Riverside, CA 92506

Do It.

Deuce computing

So apparently I'm not the only one who thinks its a fun good idea of relaxing time to perform deuce dropping computing in between my morning class, there is a guy in the stall next to me and I can hear his clicks on the mouse and even heard him turn down his mac volume. This is cool, I mean it really is a time saver maybe I can spawn a whole community of people using the computer on the toilet!

Church Slogans for sale

Recently I was working at Bridges helping pastor Brian Park and pastoral intern Kyle Leduc come up with new signs with slogans on them. I had some gems, but Brian didn't like them, he went with things like home before the kick off and you are here. Both are decent choices but I wanted something a little more edgey. So now I am selling off my ideas to the highest bidder, I'll hook up the Grove though, so Ian if you want these for the new website you better jump on em before saddleback gets word. They really are a two part series,



The Light Side

And the Dark side, this one I thought would make a good banner on a website. You could make it so when you mouse over it, it plays a wah wahhhh trombone sound. Gets the point across.

These are a sure fire way to get tons of butts in the seat, this is what people need some shock value. They also have great curb appeal on a big sign by the road, I recommend a double sided sign with one on each side.

Also a plus with that model you are sure to draw in a huge female crowd.

Remember that bass

The one I posted about a little while ago, well after an agonizing wait its finally here, and it thumps my socks off. This thing is amazing, B1 is like an earthquake. I can't wait to play it in the group tomorrow.

To test and prove the sock thumping off theory I did some experiments using my old dumb bass as a control group.


Here I exhibit a normal melt your face lick on the old bass, it was pretty good considering the crappiness of the bass.


The results were as I imagined, no socks thumped off, I was rather sad about it because I had a lot of good times with that bass it just was not sock thump off worthy.



Here I played the same lick and it was evident something special was happening, I had to dodge the face melting bolts so as to preserve my winning smile.


And there we have it, the same face melting lick and the sock is thumped off, beware the power of the musicman. The sock exploded on my ceiling leaving a smoking pile of melted cotton, mom sure was sore at me, but don't blame me, blame the rock. It's just basic science, my bass shoots lightning bolts.

P.S. This is what I did instead of homework.

Jon

No this post is not about Mr. Risinger, it is about where I am currently posting from, on the toilet in the school of music bathroom. I just got out of a music theory test, which I dominated, its a good thing John Williams and I share a birthday or I may not have gotten some of those alto clef and asymmetrical meter questions. I studied about 2 mins while on the toilet last night which really is the best place to do work because there are no distractions. Toilet time is also a great time for self reflection and meditation if there is no reading material available.

On a less disgusting note I had my first woman's choir performance last night, it went well but the direct out of the bass amp didn't work so only people in the first 5 rows could get their faces melted by my baziness, yes thats bass and craziness mixed together you can use it, but everyone else was left out of the joy. Next week we will use the DI box instead, and I will be using the phat music man to thump their socks off, yes I said thump, it should come today I am super excited.

Thanks to all of you keeping my sister in prayers, she is doing well and getting all the necessary checkups before her surgery to remove the lump and hope it hasn't spread.

Surreal

So now it's time to be serious, which I hardly ever am. Today was a rather strange day, came home from class had a break before playing bass at 2, and the phone rang. It was my brother, he was upset, Lisa my sister had just called him to tell us she was just diagnosed with breast cancer. My first reaction, and it still is my reaction, was that she will be fine, they caught it early enough and she is scrappy so she will be ok. My dad, however can only think of how his mother died when he was 7 of, you guessed it, breast cancer. Some of you know my sister and your prayers would be appreciated if you are into that sort of thing. It still is kind of surreal for me, but I don't know what it is I just don't feel worried about it, like everything is going to be ok. My sister is a strong woman of God and she is truly showing her character through this. Her and her husband Steve have an amazing relationship which I would hope to pattern my own after some day. She is meeting with her pastor right now, he came over to her house. Also Lisa has 3 daughters, I don't know how they will react to all of this but if it is anything like their mom they will be just fine. So if any of you who know her, or those who don't, are so inclined please include her in your prayers.

Being out of it

So last night I made a post, man I was so out of it. I saw it today and was going to start and edit the problems but then I decided to just leave them. It really shows how bad off I was last night, I went to bed at 1030, that may be super late for some folks, but anyone who knows me will say that is like going to bed at 5 in the afternoon for me. In my defense, I could hardly see what I was typing, I wonder if thats a bad thing.

On having the body of a 70 year old in average shape

So we had the first cbu flag football game, it was a lot of fun and we won 21-0 so we basically dominated. The biggest problem was I really want to be able to play offense and defense every where time but I am soo out of shape that I just end up killing my shape. Tomorrow I am gonna be sooo sore. The other day at disneyland I used the bmi test in inoventions, which really is a lame game, but anyways I did it. I knew this answer happened in fitness and wellness class in RCC but this was really sad. Basically I was a little high on the chart, like off the chart, I am in average shape for a 70 year old. I don't feel that way but the bmi test told me I think I was so high I was dead. So today I am so sore and my eyes are a little fuzzy in the middle of my focus, like it used to do in my football days, it sure is a scary thing that happens every once in a while. Anyways as we go along I will get into in shape again, hopefully I will finally break the big time record average age for a 60 year old. Good thing I don't really play video games anymore, and to think I played football for 5 years.

Woman's choir

Well the other day I got fitted for a sweet navy blue pin stripe suit, its cool, I just need a big fat hat and a giant feather and maybe a cane. This is to go with my recent infiltration into the world of women. They asked me to play bass in the woman's choir at CBU so it is me, a male drummer, a male conductor, and 68 or so women. They sound pretty good and I think it will be a lot of fun but man I am out of my element. The first day I went in there and as I am setting up I hear all the girly conversations about bra sizes, lipstick colors, and other unmentionables, this is truly a class in higher education.

WOW

Well I finally did it I quit world of warcraft. Im too busy for it and it keeps me from practicing tuba, bass, voice, and piano, all of which I have class or ensemble for this semester, not to mention homework, working out, and just general other stuff. I'm also kinda tired of it. If you don't know what world of warcraft is consider yourself lucky.

Hey everybody

Looky what I just ordered!!!

I will no longer have a beginner bass!! Finally I'll have a 5 string too. This is the single humbucker, I got the double but this pic shows the color I got it in, man am I excited.

My week

Well some friends and I have came up with the idea that every person should have their own week, I know this can only work if you know 52 or less people, but that is no problem for me. Last week was my friend Leann's week, she loved it. This week starting tomorrow it's my week! It is a cool idea because now you have a week where all your friends are thinking of you and are looking forward to fun times. This isn't a week for presents or anything, though I wouldn't turn such things down, it is more just a time to celebrate Evan so I invite you all to do so. Next week who knows who it is, it could be you. To remember my week, here is a tiger at the wild animal park who desperately wished he could eat me but he was just out of reach as I perched above him.

What a cutey, I could hear him breathing.

Panorama-orama

On the trip i took some panorama shots to later put together, i just remember said shots and put them together. I know they are out of order and I think there are more but maybe I will find them later.

The coliseum en roma-orama, don't worry I havent posted Rome yet it's just I like my new panorama pics.

This was St. John's church in Ephesus-orama.

Ever heard of Dubrovnik? Ya, me neither...

This was my first view of Dubrovnik outside of our balcony from the ship. I knew absolutely nothing about the town besides it was in Croatia so when I looked out my window in the morning and saw a barren cave I was like what the crap I didnt bring my spelunking gear, but as it turns out Dubrovnik is an old town that is neat to wander around in and is based off the counter strike map cs_italy.

The part of Dubrovnik we were in was the old medieval town, you can see the old walls that separate the old town from the modern city.

These are a bunch of pics around the town, it really was a cool looking town. I decided my theme would be looking up at things and going down alleys. The town was full of all these little alley ways and big stairs that just wind around so it is just fun, and very easy, to get lost around there. It was really bizarre because it looked like something out of Disneyland but people actually live there still and don't mind having people wandering around their streets a few feet from there houses.

This is a deep photo of still life, the flickering flame suddenly captured and frozen in time. It signifies the different hopes and aspirations of mankind and how each of us have varying times left before the candle burns up. I call it, candles and stuff.

This is another deep photo, it signifies the pain and anguish of the daily grind. The subject is ever vigilant in his seemingly unending ascent to the top which is in plain site but so far away. The red pants signify the fire which was sparked under him pushing him forward. I call it, Kyle walks up some stairs.

I couldn't read the poster so I don't really know but from what I gathered from the locals, this is the poster of a traditional classical Croatian performer I hear his work is quite breathtaking.

While we were there we witnessed a horrific bird invasion and attack. They just started accumulating way high above us, over the sad saints as a kind of foreshadowing. Then they pounced on the courtyard we were walking through, it was insane they were all flying around like an evil dirty tornado of disease, I think I saw a couple people get taken off by them no doubt they were never heard of again as pigeons are ruthless vile creatures. I captured the aftermath of the attack, it truly was a surreal sight as people tried to pick up the pieces of their shattered world. They all just walked around aimlessly through the square unable to cope with the sudden and deliberate onslaught of these devil birds. Truly it will live in infamy.

For some reason doors and windows look so much cooler in Europe, I think it has to do with their wrought iron coverings they seem so much more classy there. For some reason, at least in the US, I never see iron window bars and think refined or classy, i usually think vandalism or not being able to escape in case of a fire which blocks off the other exits from that room. They all look cool, and people don't care that your taking pictures of there house and peeking in on them cooking dinner and such.

What every good church needs, a giant gold alter to Jesus complete with murals of seraphim and cherubim.

There are a lot of cool looking churches in Europe, like a whole lot, like so many after a while you get very very sick of them to the point where you're like ok come on guys why don't we think about church consolidation. They should think about making one giant church out of the 500 little ones they have in every town, it will be the one true mega church.

Goodbye Croatia, it was fun cruising for chicks in your discos.