Otra Covid Wave, Ad Infinitum

Hello ladies and gentlemen of the internet. Welcome to covid 2022 July edition. 

We're going on year three with this thing. It's a real drag. They're reinstating an LA mask mandate soon. I've only taken off some three months since covid began and surprisingly, I never caught covid myself from anybody. Talk about lucky! That being said, I wear my mask at work regularly and in crowded places just in case. However, I am double vaccinated. But I digress. 

The work gig is going strong. The work is heavy and consistent as well as the hours and pay. Decent, but it's never enough to really pull you out of the class of poverty to the middle class.

Covid at work is still a thing but much less so nowadays. However, the case rates are going up again, so we are seeing small increases here and there. One of my pet peeves is the loud yelling customers that don't wear masks that really spray it all over the place. Yuck! 

I mostly cashier and customer service. It ain't much but it's honest work. 

In terms of my free time, I'm doing all kinds of things. I've learned a good amount of Spanish and bits of other languages like French, Portuguese, Italian, and even Chinese. I'm reading a lot of books, mostly classics of the western canon. Tonight, I was just reading Vasari's Lives, the chapter on Leonardo Da Vinci. I'm playing a lot of guitar. I'm seeing friends here and there. Owning enemy players as the team healer. Working at least forty hours a week. 

As this next covid wave storms upon the shore, remember to plant your anchor and keep your grounding. There's a storm brewing within the land and a lot of people are being washed away. You have to have a steady grounding in whatever it is that you do, believe, feel, and think, ya dig? For me, the answer has been to stay inspired, whatever it takes works, anytime, all the time. 

In the beginning of the pandemic I was doing meditation about an hour each day because I was working less hours and had more relaxation time. Well, now I'm finally using that training to good use and using that TM to stay calm and relaxed even in my most stressful moments of my work day. Yowza, yowza! 

A new big thing for me has been to enjoy nature much more often. Whenever I go for walks now, I never put in earbuds. Just enjoy the scenery, the plants, the Sun, and the blue skies. I am a night elf druid. Nature thanks you. 

Also, for those who are interested I've kept a record of life since covid first began, you can read my plague journal, as I call it, here, http://ofigueroamusic.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html.

See you later in time and space. 

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus pt. 5

Here we are. We've arrived at part five of our series. Here I'd like to jot down some general notes and ideas on the current state of affairs during this historic moment. Mostly of a personal nature. I've saved part 4 for detailing the historical aspects and news headlines. Reading through those headlines in part 4 really gives you the wider picture beyond me and my now solitary life. 

First, my life has fundamentally changed. Maybe not forever but for the indefinite future. No more guitar and singing at open mics. No more hangouts with friends. Now I live the humble life of a guitar playing, writing, gaming, grocery store worker. It ain't much, but it's a living. But at what cost? 

Some of my relationships have been put on hold. Others have gone south in some aspects. A friend of mine wants to hang out but he's got a weak immune system so I dare not hang out with him, lest I unknowingly spread the virus to him, and kill him. Another friend of mine got into it with me over comments on social media, saying that I was being delusional. I'm not going to be seeing any friends anytime soon. That much has sunk in. I've started a new life, not without them, but away from them, temporarily. 'Social distancing!' Once this thing blows over, I believe my friendships will be stronger than ever. But in the meantime, the distance has brought a rift between us. I feel sad about it, but alas, this is the fate of all. 

Well, that's grim. But remember this is only temporary. But until then it is indefinite. These are the facts, the new reality, the brave new world. Let's see how brave we really are. I'm going to keep practicing social distancing and avoid going out of the house except for work. I can't risk spreading the virus to my family, friends, or even coworkers really. Which brings me to my next point. 

Although my personal friendships are going through some rough patches I have to admit that my relationships at work with customers and coworkers have improved a hundredfold. The staff, employees, and management have really come together, showing me that even if my own friendships are put on hold, at least I have my coworkers to depend on. We've really come together at that little store. There have been so many changes, so many alternating managers and employees, that we have no other choice but to come together. Showing the power of human solidarity, our workplace is a great example for others, a beacon of hope.  We will get through this and prevail.

Lastly, I can't say that personal life has improved. It's become more solitary. More hermit-like. I really only talk to or hang out with family and coworkers. I do talk a lot to friends online on social media but social media isn't like real life. You can fake being happy or sad on social media or texts. It's artificial.

I've spent a lot of time in isolation writing nonstop. I'm going through a creative spike. I've also been playing a lot of guitar. Listening to a ton of new music via YouTube, especially classic jazz albums from the 50s and 60s that I've missed over the years. I've been reading a lot and posting my book reviews on Goodreads. Currently, I'm ranked as a #12 Reviewer in the US, ranked #19 in the world. Not too shabby for a guy who loves to read and write. You can view my ranking here. Keep in mind you have to have an account to see view it. I've also been gaming a lot to relieve the pandemic stress. I believe that nowadays more than ever we should have a good amount of time just for dumb fun. Now more than ever. 

Until the next post in this series. Keep the faith. 

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus pt. 4

So far I've been writing about the virus from a more personal perspective. Here I'd like to jot down some of the more world and/or historical facts and headlines. Keep in mind that we're somewhere in the middle of week four of the zombie apocalypse virus, our facsimile plague. I believe the one very sad thing about this historic moment other than the deaths and the continuous spreading of the virus throughout California, America, and the world is the fact that most people aren't taking this seriously. 

Not even close to taking it seriously enough. A lot of my friends are still congregating, eating together, drinking together, smoking together, partying together, and gaming together. Not good. The President's thoughts seem to tell the American people that this will be over in two weeks, fourteen days, that's when he wants to reopen everything again. Hence the lax citizens continuing to party. Anyways, here are some headlines that will put more of a worldly context on my series entitled Plague Journal, or you might recognize more as part of Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus Parts 1-4, so far. 

3/24 Headlines
Trump, defying experts, talks of easing restrictions by Easter.   
People who left N.Y.C recently are asked to self-quarantine. 
China to ease lockdown. 
Bernie Sanders to participate in the next debate. 
Some pregnant women in New York City will have to deliver babies alone. 
US and U.A.E troops hold major exercise amidst the virus and Iran tensions. 
Women should have to register for the military draft, Commission tells Congress.
States say some doctors are stockpiling trial coronavirus drugs for themselves.
Density is normally good for us, that will be true after coronavirus too. 
Virus knocks out thousands of healthcare workers in Europe. 
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas said he and other grandparents might be willing to die to keep the economy going.
Terrence McNally, Tony-Winning Playwright of Gay Life, Dies at 81. [from the virus]
Nearly a million children left behind in Venezuela as Parents Migrate. 
Here's how to give your space a makeover while you're homebound.
Olympians have another year to prepare, a blessing and a curse. 
Prime Minister of India orders total lockdown of India, including all 1.3 billion Indians. 
Facebook is "just trying to keep the lights on" as traffic soars. 
Waves of suspect websites look to cash in on pandemic. 
Helping your neighbor could hurt the neighborhood. 
For abused women, a lockdown holds dangers of its own. 
How to stay sane when the world seems crazy. 
Why mundane moments truly matter. 
Be more productive in 7 days. 
Burnout isn't just in your head, it's in your circumstances. 
A D.I.Y dance for your home. 
The Doctor and the "Apocalypse." 
Young adults come to grips with the coronavirus health risks. 
What does our body temperature say about our health? 
Share blood with your friends for vampire bats, it's good manners. 

3/25 Headlines
Senate approves a $2 trillion-dollar economic stimulus package. 
New York City has over 20,000 confirmed cases, and the death toll stands at 280.
13 Deaths in a day: An 'Apocalyptic' surge at an N.Y.C. hospital. 
Calls for federal intervention as the need for ventilators grow.  
The fine print in the bill contains special industry deals.  
Can you become immune to the virus? 
Governors tell outsiders from 'hot zone' to stay away as virus divides states. 
"Hi, please cancel our cleaning for tomorrow." Undocumented household workers are being cast out with little help. 
Europe's leaders ditch austerity and fight pandemic with cash. 
A deluged system leaves some elderly to die, rocking Spain's self-image. 
Arts groups, facing their own virus crisis, get their own piece of the Stimulus. 
Food supply anxiety brings back victory gardens. 
Even before coronavirus, the U.S. population was growing at the slowest rate since 1919.  
How to see the world when you're stuck at home. 
How to get more sleep tonight. 
Britain enlists an army of volunteers to fight the outbreak. 
Sanders is ready to debate again. Biden says, "We've had enough debates." 
White Supremacist Pleads Guilty to New Zeland mosque killings. 
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe wins a victory in the Pipeline case.  

3/26 Headlines
Markets shrug off jobless claims; Pelosi predicts bipartisan aid vote. 
S&P has the best 3-day run since 1933 as U.S. deaths top 1000.  
Jobless numbers convey the scale of economic wreckage. 
With a doctor in Brooklyn E.R.: "We're in disaster mode." 
Wallstreet shakes off the unemployment report as aid nears. 
Will I get some money? How much? And when? 
6 die as coronavirus races through an upscale retirement community. 
Europe fumbled coronavirus at first. Can it manage the pandemic now? 
Louisana may be experiencing the world's fastest growth in new cases. Mardi Gras may be why. 
Japan's virus success has puzzled the world. Has its luck run out? 
Trump wants to 'reopen America.' Here's what happens if we do. 
How to look your best on a webcam. 
What you can do about coronavirus right now. 
The baseball season opens with a dash of imagination. 
A promoter's screen test involved sex on camera, lawsuits charge. 
Venezuelan President is charged with drug trafficking in the U.S. 
Jane Goodall is self-isolating too. 
Life on the planet Mercury? It's not completely nuts. 
Take steps to counter the loneliness of social distancing.

3/27 Headlines
Trump signs a $2 trillion dollar coronavirus relief package.
Some U.S. cities could have outbreaks worse than Wuhan.
'White-collar quarantine,' Virus puts a spotlight on the class divide.  
'We take the dead from morning till night." 
I became a disciplined investor for over 40 years. The virus broke me in 40. 
'The other option is death,' New York starts sharing of ventilators.  
Blood plasma from survivors will be given to coronavirus patients. 
In the U.S., luxury brands board up the store.  
These stores are deemed 'essential' in the pandemic but not everyone agrees. 
The U.S. now leads the world in confirmed coronavirus cases. 
Updates: States plead for more federal help. 
'It's a wreck,' 3.3 million file unemployment claims. 
How the largest stimulus in history united a polarized Senate. 
$1 Billion price tag for ventilators gives White House second thoughts. 
A nurse dies, angry co-workers blame a lack of protective gear. 
Trump says he will label regions by the risk of coronavirus threats. 
The stimulus package will fundamentally transform the government.
Fact check: Trump's claim that recession will be deadlier than the virus is baseless. 
I was an accidental playboy pinup.  

3/28 Headlines

• President Trump says he is weighing enforceable quarantines for hot spots like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as U.S. cases pass 104,000.
• New York State’s primary is delayed, and New York City may fine those who break social-distancing rules.
• Federal civil rights office rejects rationing medical care based on disability or age.
• As deaths surge, Spain and Italy look for signs of a turning point.
• Ireland enters a strict lockdown, and the U.K. checks its rule book.
• Japan is ‘barely holding on,’ Abe says, but declines to order a lockdown.

Don’t overlook the good news (yes, there is some).  

3/29 Headlines

• C.D.C. issues a travel advisory for the New York region, after Trump backs off his quarantine threat.
• U.S. civil rights office moves to prevent discrimination over who gets lifesaving care.
• A sudden lockdown in India leaves hundreds of thousands of migrants homeless and jobless.
• Illinois reports first known U.S. coronavirus infant death; Louisiana inmate dies.
• A surgeon on the front lines dies as Britain is warned of a ‘significant’ lockdown.
• America’s lost month: How the U.S. fell behind on coronavirus testing.
• Wealthier Europeans escape to second homes, stoking fear and anger in smaller communities. 

 3/30 Headlines

• As the virus’s impact expands, Washington mulls more emergency measures.
• Roughly three out of four Americans are under orders to stay home, or will be soon.
• China says it’s halting the virus’s spread. Is that true?
• Agony in Spain and Italy as deaths climb and lockdowns are extended.
• “Doctors are getting sick everywhere.” Health workers confront fear as colleagues fall ill.
• As the virus spreads behind bars, there are calls rising to free inmates.

The virus sweeps into Detroit, a city that has seen its share of hardship.

4/3/2020

• New York State records its biggest daily death toll, and pleads for the nation’s help.
• Should you wear a mask? The White House and public health officials are debating the advice.
• U.S. tries to bar 3M from exporting face masks.
• With joblessness soaring, Pelosi says it’s time to “go bigger” on another economic relief bill and wait on infrastructure.
• Half the planet is on lockdown, but not every U.S. state.
• Britain has its deadliest day as the government races for an “immunity passport.”
• Small businesses seek a share of $350 billion as some predict a chaotic process.

4/9/2020 

• As millions more Americans lose their jobs, more aid from Washington is uncertain.
• European officials agree to spend more than half a trillion euros to blunt the economic effects from the virus.
• OPEC and Russia reach a deal to cut oil production, as the pandemic drives down demand.
• New York State and Pennsylvania set new single-day records.
• In California, Newsom defends his decision to send ventilators to other states.
• In the race for virus drugs, a scientist on the front lines is urging caution.

The outbreak spreads to the South, home to some of the nation’s poorest states.

5/1/2020

• As many businesses open their doors around the country, some governors face growing resistance.
• W.H.O. extends its declaration of a global health emergency.
• Labs across the U.S. join a federal initiative to study the virus genome.
• As stay-at-home orders lift, individuals are wrestling with decisions that feel life-or-death.
• Mnuchin says private schools with large endowments should return funds.
• Texas moves aggressively to restart businesses, with restaurants, malls and movie theaters all open.
• Schools across N.Y. State will stay closed through the end of the school year, Cuomo said.

Holiday riffing and staying motivated

Yo, readers and friends! Here I'd like to riff about the holidays, and staying motivated during said holidays. 

Holidays at my job can be pretty stressful. In fact, I was elated to enjoy two days off from work this past Thanksgiving week. Normally I only get one day off a week, and that's cool with me, because more money is the best! That's the right attitude for a young guy, don't lose any of that money, get as much hours of work as you can, work hard, and earn your paycheck, like anybody else at their job. But sometimes its nice to relax. However, you don't want to be too relaxed because things have to be done-guitar playing, writing, reading, and possibly even gaming if I can squeeze it in. 

You have to stay motivated. Stay up as the 'woke' millennial kids say. For me this means getting guitar practice in almost every day (I try to only take one day off a week), posting ads to find jazz musicians to start a trio with (looking for a bassist and a horn to play straight ahead jazz), reading lots of things from novels to news, and writing blog posts like this one. Writing for the blog keeps me motivated. I get to write down all my ideas I've had in my head for a long time and unload all of it in type-press fashion via computer late at night. Its a great form of decompression, relieving stress and giving me new insight on any particular ideas. 

Staying motivated is difficult. Sometimes after a long 1 AM shift I don't feel like reading Don Quixote, Candide, or Aristotle on my Kindle (popular reads for me lately), instead I feel like falling asleep, only to miss out on what would've been great prime time reading time, in complete silence in the middle of the night where nobody will bother me or force me to go back to work (I read on every 30 minute work break to get more reading time in). 

What keeps me motivated? Music mostly. But also novels, great writing, journalism, poetry, classics, science fiction, video games, friendship, and probably last on the list-money. The holidays can be pretty brutal for most workers but I also think it helps put things in perspective. It took 28 years this holiday season before I realized that I don't need to buy luxury items I don't need, and that I should instead save my money, and only worry about getting gifts for others. The new Smash Ultimate game? I'll just play it at my friends' house. Dragon Ball Fighter Z? Been playing it at a friends' house. All those new holiday games? Forget about it. New guitar pedals or new music equipment? I should enjoy the stuff I already have more before I look into that, etc etc. (On second thought I do need a hollow-body jazz guitar)

It was my St. Francis of Assisi moment. At first I said to myself, "I don't need to buy anything for Black Friday or Cyber Monday". Then it turned into I don't need to buy anything for myself for Christmas. And now I've reached that zen state where I realize Christmas gifts for others is the only importance in addition to goodwill to fellow man.

Its a lot to think about but its also good to think about things like this. What motivates you makes you stronger. The moment you lose that motivation, and don't read, don't play guitar, don't write (in my case, yours will be different), then you're losing out on something that makes you happy. Of course there's always exceptions. Nobody wants to get stuck in a rut, reading until 4 or 5 in the morning every night--but its pretty damn fun. 

I've got to keep pushing myself. -Buckethead

Good and Evil

 
Lately I've been inspired to write about living in a more positive mindset. How do you stay in that mode, that form of thinking? Here I'll explain. 

There's no point in positive thinking and having good 'energy' (I'm a hippy psychologist now) unless you can stick to it. I understand that sometimes people get tilted (even me), bad things happen, they get fired from work, their girl friend leaves them, they have illnesses, they're tired all the time from lack of sleep or partying, or possibly they just get in a funk randomly for no reason? No matter what happens its always difficult to stay positive. I didn't say it was going to be easy. If it was easy everybody in the world would be nice and there wouldn't be any mass shootings. But we don't live in an easy world. Nothing is free, not even your own positive thinking in your mind, it comes at a cost (time, willpower, energy), and you must work at it.

Moving forward, you could say that being a nice person is work. Being a positive person is work. And sometimes you'll stray off track, for whatever reason. The important thing is to be so self-aware that you're conscious of yourself when you stray from the path, a path I'll call the path of good and evil for the general day laborer. There are many decisions in life. Well, think of it this way. Every thought, action, and word you say can lead you in whatever ways you want, or none. Choosing to stay positive is a choice many people don't think about, or underestimate.

Why not make lemonades out of lemons? If you're in hell why not flaunt your angelic halo to the demons? If you're unhappy why don't you do something about it? Everything comes at a price, and money isn't even the most important part. People can be quite primitive and detached from a good reality, and miss the great things in life, from the smallest minuscule level to the biggest and most important things. I see this everyday in retail work in the customers as well as my co-workers. Sometimes they try to relay their primitive tendencies unto me, a sort of projection of bad content. To this I can refute them easily with simple statements. But to be a contrarian to anti-intellectuals or low educated persons isn't fun, even if its very easy to troll them. Instead its best to let these people believe what they want, even to their own detriment. Only you can save yourself from yourself and from others, people bent on their own whims and desires. Staying positive will deflect these bad actors out of your way, even if you have to work with them everyday.

Stay on the hidden path, the path that leads to thinking in a better framework, to see with lens unclouded by evil and hate. The world needs more people like this, to bring light to the darkness.

Divison of Labor

Hey, more feel good psychological and vlog-esque writing for you all. Here I'd like to go into how I started living a more positive life, and positive outlook, specifically using a 'division of labor'. How I divide my time during the day has impacted me in more ways that I would've otherwise expected. I don't follow a schedule or anything but in a sense all of my time is spent on specific things. 

Typical day before work by myself
I would wake up late but early enough to have about 4 or 5 hours before my work shift. I usually start by playing a few rounds of Overwatch, but I've also been known to play Chess lately. 

Then after that I read the news typically. It could be a short reading session or it could last over an hour, it really depends on my mood. Then I like to walk to the library and read out of a physical book for a while, just right before my work shift. Being at the library is better than being at home because at home the computer is a distraction from reading a physical book. That would be a great typical day by myself. 

Typical day before work with friends 
With my friends we always like to get something to eat. It could be cheap junkfood like TacoBell, I'm partial to the Taco Supreme 3 taco meal lately. Then we play video games, mostly Marvel vs Capcom 2 right now, an old 2D fighting game from the 90s, Sega Dreamcast days. Then we jam on instruments. We have ukulele, bass, and acoustic guitar. The other guys aren't quite there musically but I still enjoy teaching them things, they can improve. 

Typical day off
This isn't too much different from anything else really. I usually start on the computer gaming until I get tired of it, then read the news, and perhaps I'll hang out with friends before they go to work, or after they finish a shift. Sometimes I go to the bar with friends. I try to go to the open mic music nights at the local bar.

Typical night hours after 1 am shifts 
My time after a 1 am retail shift is very valuable to me. This is where I get a lot of reading done, again news, and whatever I want to read on my Kindle, which right now has been Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, hence the 'Division of Labor' blog post title. In a sense doing all of these things every day is a job, although I'm having fun. 

Not only do I write blog posts (and should be writing more short stories soon) at night but its also my prime slot for guitar, only acoustic guitar this late. Right now I'm learning how to play Berio's Sequenza for guitar. Because I have limited time to practice its important for me to play everyday, even if its only 25-45 minutes a day. 

But why?    
A division of time into the things I do and a sort of outline of my plans is good for me. Its like an improvised schedule, it can change at any time but at the same time its sort of like my bread and butter. Doing this division of labor has given me a more positive outlook because I have broken down all my goals and have been actively going for it. The goals are very simple-relax, read, music, work, repeat.  Losing weight is also big on my list.

Imagine a guitar player who only practiced once a week. And then picture a guitarist who plays everyday 15 minutes. The once a week guy plays 4 hours once a week. The guy who plays everyday 15 minutes would still be the better guitar player overall even after six months of playing. I've put that kind of approach to my everyday life. Do the things you love and relax, everyday.

Focus Pocus Part II: A Philosophical view

Howdy yall, what's up? I thought I'd write a bit more about what I discussed in the previous post, which can be viewed here. I explained how I was in a funk after vacation and how I couldn't get anything done, mainly my reading and guitar playing, in a lull. 

Well its been almost a month since I've been back, things have been going good for me. Work has been pretty insane, retail, over 40 hours a week. I'm working from today (Thursday) until next week (Friday) with no days off in between. The crazy thing is that although the thought of that is a little depressing, I'm actually getting a lot done in the sense that I've divided up all my time for rest and only the essentials. What's that pray-tell? 

The essentials for me is reading, writing, and music. Once I realized that I have no time to play video games probably ever! it was a pretty hard thing to observe, and then to get over. I used to love video games but now there's simply no time for it if I'm going to become a better writer, keep reading great science fiction (The Difference Engine) and philosophy (Adam Smith), and learn more classical and jazz guitar pieces (so much practice). Its a full time job all on its own, forget about the retail job, this is my job! 

There's a philosophy to this. Breaking everything down in your life to just the bare essentials. What do you want to accomplish in one day? What do you want to accomplish in a lifetime? Practice it one day at a time until you achieve complete and total mastery. 

My job gets in the way but if I take away the video gaming and stop spending so much time procrastinating on Facebook or playing video games, I can actually get a lot done in a day. Because I stay up very late (sometimes till 4 or 5, reading on my Kindle, which I got from a co-worker for free, retail is great sometimes) I can get a lot of reading done late at night after my late night shift. Everything's turning up Millhouse.

Happiness is a very tangible thing. Happiness is practicing guitar every day, reading, and writing. Find your passion and stick to it. Work is a necessary by-product of monetary situation, but it doesn't dictate who I am or who I will be. The future is ours to decide! 

Focus Pocus

Ahoy shipmates, and welcome aboard. I haven't written anything new lately mostly because I haven't read any new novels or anything, in fact I've been in a funk, unable to focus, until tonight. I've got my mojo back, and even the inspiration to work harder on classical guitar, which I just started working on recently, as in the end of the summer. 

I thought I'd write a bit about it (the funk) for fun. I was really distracted after the Chicago trip, maybe even a little depressed. For a while I was gaming nonstop in between 1AM retail job shifts. It was bad, I had to ease up on the gaming to get a gripe on reality, get back to my reading, and focus more on my guitar playing. 

I was a little down because the drummer I've worked with for the past year or so, we both decided to go our separate ways and no longer jam together. It was kind of sad but it was probably for the best because we're at different skill levels musically. I hope everything works out for him and his new death metal band. 

Anyways, its super easy to get distracted. For a while I couldn't even read the news because I would be thinking about something else. It was like I had ADD or something. Where's the adderal when you need it (lol)? The news and politics didn't help either. The 15 pipe bombs, the synagogue shooting, the Borderline bar massacre, and the Fires going on right in California all made me pretty sad. Even things like that affect my mood sometimes. 

I don't know if there's a trick to staying focus or disciplined. I certainly haven't figured it out. I think for myself I need somebody to push me, not just myself. Its like when I lost a lot of weight. I only lost it because I disciplined myself super hard and didn't eat anything late at night.

On musical terms though now that I'm just doing solo guitar stuff I realized I have to practice more and harder, especially if I'm going to play solo guitar pieces. 

I'm still looking for musicians to play with online but so far haven't found anybody. I'm looking to find horn players, maybe we could get a trio going without drums, play small events, parties, etc. Play straight ahead jazz..or maybe find some freak out free jazz avant garde types, although I highly doubt I would find musicians like that here in the Valley.

With Martin, my former drummer out of the picture I'm not playing death metal anymore, I'm focusing more on serious music-jazz, blues, and classical. The real stuff. 

I'll keep the blog updated as much as I can. I should've finished another novel by now but California has so many distractions-the Bio-Mass beckons. I also want to write more short stories as well. Gotta keep perfecting my art if its ever going to take off. 

I'll be in touch.