rock band

Let’s just get right to it.

For starters, I am in no way/shape/form a video game connoisseur. Actually, it would probably be safest to say that I am one of the worst video game-ists on this Earth. So when I get hooked on some game, there must be something to it, and Rock Band is that game.

Less than a month ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Guitar Hero…and I hated it, at first. It doesn’t feel like you’re actually playing guitar (when you’re on the beginning levels) and it really messed with my mind. Besides, when you can actually play guitar, you believe you should instantly be good at it, and I was embarrassed when I wasn’t.

“Hey, dude. Come play this game,” I would hear. “You play guitar, right? You’ll be great at it.”

And so when someone builds you up like that, you feel like you’re standing on stage with your pants around your ankles. Trust me on this: I’ve been there before and it’s not a pretty picture.

However, I continued on this little journey to video game guitar supremacy because of something that sucked at me like a leech. Sorry if that expression gave you the heebie jeebies, but there’s just something about trying to play a guitar in the most uncomfortable way that intrigued me. I felt like I was re-learning the instrument, so it took me back about 10 years.

About two weeks ago, that same friend of mine bought Rock Star and organized a friendly gathering of friends to come over and play it. The drums are crazy. The singing’s wild. But the damn guitar…honestly? It’s still rough. I play on the medium level, and I’m okay at it, but all my friends are Guitar Gods on this stuff.

I’ve found absolute hilarity in it, though. It’s so much fun to see a group of your friends find something in playing those songs. Not once have I ventured over to my friend’s house and found someone bummed out who’s around that game.

Indeed, I suck at it. But I’m gonna keep on truckin’. It’s so much fun to learn something in a completely different way.

happy holidays!

It’s my understanding that throughout the next month, our hearts will open up a little more with each day and we’ll become more giving by the second. That’s the best part of the holiday spirit.

I’m a huge fan of the Thanksgiving Hangover, which seems to last until January 1st, when we all wake up with an actual hangover. You know the one: from the late night that comes with celebrating the New Year.

This could be the time when you begin pondering your coming resolution (and how you’ll break it), that big end-of-the-year bonus, or the amount of time you’ll get to spend with the ones you care about…but whatever it is, be grateful for something.

Smile at the fact that we’re all imperfect for a reason, which leads to us noting a resolution for change. Laugh at the fact that you eventually broke it, but remember that you at least gave it a shot. (And for those of you who’ll will end up keeping it, don’t wait for someone to pat you on the back when you can pat yourself. It’s something to be proud of!)

(Internally) Puff out your chest at the fact that you’ve got a job that’ll give you a bonus, but rationalize and realize that others may not. Help someone out if you can. But if you can’t, a positive thought can go a long way.

Fill a room with warmth. Don’t make the holiday spirit do it on its own. Whether you’re with your own family or someone else’s, make someone else feel special in some way. You don’t have to buy a person the most expensive present to show them something special. Write a note or even say it to someone’s face. Lend a hand. Help those you care about remember that just because you’re not around all the time, you’re still thinking of them.

Thoughts travel much further than objects.

Happy Holidays!

HELP

Every morning, there’s at least one person pacing along the center median on the corner of Venice and Sepulveda. They’re always holding a sign across their chest, providing passersby with phrases like “Need Food,” “Praise the Lord,” or “Homeless – Will work for food.” Today was an aberration, though.

This morning, the letters H, E, L, and P were plastered in caps across a sign held by a man, and it immediately got me thinking. Why HELP?

Through the years, I’ve had various encounters with the homeless. I’ve read articles, watched interviews, and talked with some when they’ve ask me for change; but each time, I always leave with the same feeling. There are tons of jobs in this world, and while they might not be glamorous, they pay a lot better than what someone will make with their feet stuck to the street. Then again, do you think the homeless are really using the money they’re given for food or rent?

I know it’s a common thread, but is it hard to believe that the homeless are boozing up with your money? Using it for drugs, perhaps? Think about it. Whenever they venture into a fast food restaurant, they ask you to buy them food. Sometimes they’re nice about it, other times they’re not. I’ve experienced both a handful of times, so I’ll just leave it at that.

A few years ago, I heard a story about the president of a corporation who stopped next to a homeless man and offered him a job. Instead of graciously accepting, the homeless man asked if the president had $20. I'm far from naive, but this goes to show that if someone’s looking to provide for himself or herself in the long run, they’ll take the job. If they're looking for a quick fix, they’ll ask for a 20.

On the other side of the fence, there are the men and women who are trying to rebuild their lives after some event that took their savings. Albeit losing a job, losing a marriage, or losing their on-going battle with another big four-letter word: luck. But at the same time, I must say that after all the run-ins I've had with the homeless, I've rarely found a person who asks me for a job. Have you?

So there I was...sitting in my car on the way to work, staring at this guy who’s asking for help. All of us need to be helped in some way. Imagine a scene that calls for all of us to make a sign that reads of our needs. People lose their jobs every day; people get kicked out of their houses every day; people fall from their horses every single day.

If someone asked you to make a sign so that others would know what you’re in need of, what would it say?

Maybe HELP is speaking for all of us. Or, could it be a cry for one's sub-culture?

windows

Parking my car this morning made me realize its personifying qualities.

The keys were removed from the ignition, and I imagined a sign of relief excusing itself from the engine. Of course, that "sign of relief" was but a figment of my mind's twinkle, but it happened in some instance, nonetheless.

I left it in our second lot - which we borrow from a sci-fi church - and walked towards work with a wonder of what thoughts would trickle through its mind until I found it next. Has it realized that I won't return for another 8-10 hours, and so it sleeps? Does it know that during the week, it won't have to run as often, but that I'll take it on weekend trips that'll ask for its best performance?

All these thoughts (and more) crept from my head as I walked into work. But they didn't stop with my car.

I've always thought that everything around us has life inside it. The trees sway because they believe in interpretive dance. The street is ruffled because it's tired of being driven and walked over. The sky can see the big picture, and it sheds tears every now and again - providing a landscape that draws us into introspection so that we may recall everything we're fond of and try not to forget again.

These thoughts never stop, especially when music is present. I'm flying in all of my visions, and it's a brilliant feeling. One day, might I climb as high as the blue sky and see the big picture; although, I hope I react with a smile instead. Improve, we must. But we're not all that far off.

Keep your eyes open, friends.