Jameson thoroughly enjoyed playing with, on, and inside of the Big CC tuba (aka, Roberto) and we enjoyed watching him!

Then it was time for the always-popular VTuba reunion in July. Friday night downtown was a great way to start off what proved to be a FANTASTIC weekend. Lots of drinks and laughs with many old friends is a great time. On Saturday we hit up the NRV Junction and did some more hanging out in the River. Saturday evening was the cookout and bonfire that lasted until 4 am!!!! We Tubas know how to throw down!!

So after all that fun, it was time to get back to work and start packing for the move....all of 0.3 miles down the street. Will and Dave helped me out and I'm slowly getting settled into the new place....and loving the fact that I can practice whenever I want!

Now its just back to the grind and trying to crank out some webpage before classes start back up. That and spend as much time on the tubas as possible. Applying for another audition......this one with the WV Symphony next month, so wish me luck! Looking like I'm going to have a very busy Fall as the gigs are rolling in for quintet and hopefully with the newly formed Roanoke Jazz Orchestra......had our first gig on Sat and went VERY well.

Hope you are all well wherever you are. More to come soon....

Guess when you're over 30, you just have to be thankful to be alive, yeah? And yes, those ARE huge chunks of cookie dough on top.....mmmmm....

Back to the grind...

Yes, me and Kos ended up getting recruited to fill out the section in what proved to be a not-so-triumphent return to glory from the 1996 season. Alas, VT lost to poor officiating....once again. It was fun to have a go on the old sousaphone again after many years. Although I must admit that after years of NOT dancing around with one of those things, I'm in a great deal of pain tonight!! Just don't bounce back like we did in the old days....

Here's the new 15" MacBook Pro next to my own 12" Powerbook!! (you can barely see the often-used PS2 in the back behind the Pbook)

So yeah, things are busy busy. Had a cold off and on this week. The weather has been total shite, but is looking up for next week to get back up into the upper 40's! It'll be time to get my ass outside again!! Well, another weekend of chillin, rockin out to Guitar Hero and some tuba playing ahead...hope you have a good one wherever you are.

That's me rockin' it out on the greatest video game of all time.....GUITAR HERO!!!!! And as if having one game wasn't enough:

I had to have them both!

Now, if they could only come up with Tuba Hero....

Me happy....

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, JAIME!!!

Lookout, Cavs...you'll be in our house soon!!!!

GO HOKIES!!!

Once I got them, it only took me a month to finally get the time to put them in! But alas, with the help of my cousin, Ben, I was able to get them installed with little problem.....yeah, I had to take the bumper off but it was easy once I found all the pesky screws!

What else has been happening?! Well, work is busy with this site redesign that I'm working on, as well as a few other projects. I'm amazed at just how little free time I have in my day now with the job, moving, helping out family, and rehearsals. And in 4 more days, I'll have even less free time.....but that's a good problem to have considering who I'll be spending my time with ;)

Well, bedtime is quickly approaching, so I need to get to it. G'nite, all!

My second trip up to McAfee's Knob for '06...would love to get up there this fall!

But the most recent change was that today Dave and I signed a lease on a great apartment in Blacksburg! It's a 3 bedroom place on Ellett Road and we should be moved in sometime over the course of the next week. I've really enjoyed my time here back with Mom, but it's now time for Josh to grow up and spread his wings.

On the playing front, I'm doing trombone ensemble and tuba/euph again at VT and today was asked to play Mahler 1 with the NRVSO. I'm also lining up several gigs later this year with a fantastic quintet in Roanoke and hoping to hear about some work again with the RSO as they've got some great programs this season. We'll see how the next few months go, but I'd really like to work up another recital.

So things will be a bit busy around here now. Work is picking up, gigs coming in, and living back in the 'burg again....an exciting time for me.....

And there's more on the horizon.....

Speaking of catching my eye, there is the someone in town who caught my eye many, many years ago. We were able to spend a wonderful weekend together, as well as with her grandparents. I must say that she and I are two of the luckiest people I know to have the families that we do.....parents, siblings, aunts/uncles, cousins and most importantly, our grandparents.

Our grandparents are of a generation that has arguably seen the most amazing series of events in one lifetime. To have been born in the Depression, witnessed or participated in WWII, the rise and ultimate fall of Communism, JFK, Vietnam and the Internet--all in a very short amount of time is truly remarkable. Our grandparents, like so many of their generation, came from very meager backgrounds and worked extremely hard to provide for our parents, who have labored to provide for us and to create the homes that we now cherish. We all stand on the shoulders of their dedication.

But at the root of all of that was their uncompromising commitment to the ideal and sense of family. I count myself lucky every day for my family and I know she does as well. It gives me a goal to strive for when I begin a family of my own someday as it is one of, if not, the nearest and dearest things in our hearts.

So anyway, here's my pic from the last day in Madison:



These were flowers from memorial outside of the State Capital building....

But they've also got some really nice flower beds around with lots of nice stuff:

This afternoon was filled with some time in the hot tub to relax and then it was off to the gym for a 60-minute workout on the elliptical. Whew! 725 calories later, I was ready for dinner! So we just had the 'all-you-can-eat' battered cod dinner downstairs and I AM STUFFED!!!

A little time to get the feeling back in my toes and then we'll be off to catch a local legend named Pat McGurdy over at the Student Union on the lake.....has been advertised as THE event to see in Madison. Tomorrow is the Farmer's Market and then who knows what. Sunday I'll finally get to head home and back to it again.

Hope you are well, wherever you are...

Unfortunately the show was sold out, but lucky for us, the band was staying in our hotel. And I got to see them standing outside, waiting for their ride to the venue! Kinda sweet!

There was supposed to be a concert outside last night, but because of the threat of major thunderstorms, everything got postponed until tonight. So it was off to Ian's again for pizza, only this time, we got it to go and took it out on the lawn to listen to the Madison Chamber Orchestra play on the steps of the Capital Building....pretty neat.

This time it was Mac & Cheese pizza next to the buffalo chicken....mmmmm.....

Well, that's about all I got for you kids tonight. I'm once again pooped and needing more sleep before heading back down to the fitness room tomorrow.....another 45 minutes on the elliptical for me! G'nite, peeps!

So here's dinner from last night:

Chicken burrito pizza next to black bean/guacamole/feta......mmmmm

Well, there'll be more to report later today. Ciao!

Goodbye, Virginia....

Then it was off the plane in Chicago and into the sauna that was yesterday!!! Unfortunately, we got stuck at the gate for an extra 25 minutes with virtually no A/C and trapped in a big metal can. Thankfully, that flight was short and the Madison Airport was nice and chilly! After a short ride to the hotel, we decided to hit the ground running and find some dinner. We ended up at a local Nepali restaurant called 'Himal Chuli' and it was pretty good. It left me wanting a little more heat and substance (for the price), but regardless, it was pretty good. Then we were off to check in at the conference registration at the Monona Terrace and on the way, we crossed the Capital and most of downtown Madison. They've got cows everywhere in the city!!!! Seriously!

Ok, ok....they're not real cows, but decorated statues of cows all over the city.....much like the Hokie Birds all over Blacksburg! This one was prolly my favorite:

This one is called: Frank Loin Wright

Anyway, we ended up chilling at the Student Union on one of the Lake Mendota and while it was a bit muggy, it was still nice to chill out with a cold beer and some good salty popcorn next to the water.

So here's a summary of the the day's events in my first ever podcast:

madison_1

Well, kids.....feast your eyes on this forecast:

Just in case you're wondering--I fly in on Tuesday afternoon.....yeah, heat index of 95-114!!!! Good thing it's cooling down to 95-109 in the evening! I don't care who you are and where you live, but 115 is effing hot! I think I'll be wearing shorts on the plane.....

So yeah, won't be going for a run until Thurs/Fri after it gets back down in the 80's. I've had to wait to do my riding here until later in the evenings just so that it cools down enough that I won't drop like a fly on the bike trail! I'll miss my bike this week....can't wait to get back to it when I get back.....

Bedtime for me.....long day tomorrow with errands, work, racquetball and then a movie with Mom......

(From left to right):
Robb, Mark, myself, Tim and Sam

That was Friday night at Little Havana after many rounds down at the Water St. Mews......whew! Then on Sat we had a killer lunch in Little Italy and then headed up to our friends' hotel room for the most amazing view of Baltimore:

What a great town!!!

Well, more to come in the near future. I'm thinking about doing a little podcasting next week from Madison on what I see and learn.....any interest in hearing that, people?!

Tell me this stuff doesn't look great for napping? Yeah, it was every thing I had to get off of the couch this evening......sooooo comfy!

So yeah, last week was crazy busy! And tomorrow (today actually) is gonna be a long one with our staff retreat from 8-5! Then I've got plenty of stuff to keep me pretty busy the rest of the week......it's never-ending, I tell ya!!

Tomorrow is gonna be busy with a recording session in the morning, then some R&R at the River......then dinner in Roanoke......then more activities in B'burg with some great old friends!! For now, I must sleep....but more to report soon.....

Just an absolute darling of a puppy!!!

Then it was fun times with the Rohr and J-Dogg:





But what Fourth of July would be complete without some sparkler fun action?!?!

Definitely a lame showing of fireworks by the T.O.B., but whatever?! Greg had some great ones goin off in the backyard and nobody really cared after a few hours of the best drinking game ever--Sink the Biz!!!

Hope your Fourth of July was great and spent with loved ones and/or friends. This holiday is one that is growing in importance for me as our political independence is more at the forefront now than ever. Americans should be proud and thankful for the country and freedoms we have, but never complacent to just accept what our government tells us to think. While often frustrating, this time we live in is still very exciting and holds great promise for the future. The elections this fall will hopefully show the current state of politics in this country and will hopefully be a vehicle for a much-needed change.....one can only hope.......

This is a photo that I took a few months ago while waiting for a passing train...very fitting for me and my current state of mind:

Trying to reorganize the site some and come up with a slightly different layout, but just can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I've got some ideas and hopefully will get off my duff and implement them in the near future. For now, it's back to finish polishing her tuba and getting it ready for the big trip.

This was a water feature next to an office building on the Thames. It was only about 8-10" wide and ran across a large bricked patio area.

GO ENGLAND!!!!!! (sorry, Karin)

Here's a shot of just how low the water is right now at the first crossing....only 3 others to go!!

It was a bit warm at the house, but once I got to slightly higher elevation and with the abundant foliage, it was quite pleasant. I had a great time going down the first couple of hills (with the obligatory "WEEEEE") and everything.

Pausing for some cool, refreshing wässer!

Hope to get some more time on trails soon.....not enough hours in the day for the good riding in Southwest VA!

I miss you, sis. I miss those moments like these when life was simple and our days were full of smiles. When we could play and play for hours, running all over the yard, or on the beach, or even ride our bikes in the basement when it was raining--I miss those days.

I miss sharing birthday cakes and having joint birthday parties. I miss making breakfast for Mom--or at least trying to--and nearly burning down the house! I miss your devilish grin when you got away with something--and I got in trouble. I even miss the scolding tone of disapproval in your voice--because I know that you knew me better. And I really miss that look that you would give me--the one that said 'that's my big brother'.

They say that siblings are the closest relatives that anyone can have. This statement makes sense, as siblings do come from the same genetic mixture. A mother or a father alone is only half of the recipe, but a sibling is the only other complete person like you in the world.

It has been 6 years today since you left. And not a day goes by that I don't wish you were still here. I will always be grateful to have had you in my life--as my sibling, as my sister. You are, and always will be, a constant source of compassion, strength, and courage in my heart.

Big toys for big boys!!

So basically we've had three dogwoods that were fighting really hard to survive under some pines. As mom has decided she wants less to mow, and more trees in the yard, we decided to make a new bed in the back where other pines once stood. After having a friend pull out the sod and dig the holes, he and I moved the three trees to their new, more spacious homes where they can now stretch out and sun all day long!

I don't think it'll take them long to really take off. So this is now a total of 4 dogwoods around the yard......more planting to come later this week!!!! Stay tuned!!!

I can't wait until Jon Stewart has a go at Ann Coulter!

(click on the pic to see the trailer)

I remember a fairly quiet uproar when this car was discontinued a while back. I say quiet because it was actually just silenced by GM and didn't get hardly any news coverage. Hmmm......wonder why? Could it be the untold fortunes waiting to be made from sucking the oil out of the Middle East and wildlife refuges? Could it be the money that can be made from Detroit's planned obsolescence in all of their vehicles? Why spend money when they're making so much now as it is? When the oil companies make record profits during the worst natural disasters in US history, something's wrong! And companies like GM would rather have massive layoffs, reduced benefits and wipe out retirement plans for thousands of workers (to keep the Hummers coming off the line) instead of actually giving the American public what they need--and not just what they think is the 'God-given right' to drive monolithic gas hogs.

We need to wake up and realize that our government, particularly this President, would rather get Americans fired up about gay marriage than $3+/gallon for gas, illegal immigration, 3 years in Iraq with no solution, Jack Abrahmoff, warrantless wiretaps, and now Habitha. Election-year politics make my blood boil because not only do we get flooded with commercials of mudslinging, but the few days that Congress actually works (105 to be exact) are spent debating how to infringe on civil rights and protect the 'sanctity of marriage'--a 'sanctity' that has produced a 50% divorce rate in this country.

Ok, I'm done. Good night.

The caretaker of this family land is my grandfather's cousin, James Smith:



Here is my grandmother, James and my grandfather

I have been fortunate enough to have met all four of my great grandmothers. 2 of them lived almost a stone's through away from my house, and the other 2 where only about an hour away in WV....one of which is still living with family and doing well for being over 90!! It's pretty remarkable that in this day and time, I have so many older family members still alive. But it was the lure of seeing not just the grave-site of such an old relative, but to see the land that they lived on and called home.

This is the headstone for my great, great, great grandparents, Peter and Martha Smith



And here I am with my mother, my grandfather, and the resting place of my great great great grandparents!

The original Smith log homeplace wasn't far from this very spot that we were standing on, but had long since gone from age and disrepair. It was a 2 day trip from here to Bluefield and back....a roundtrip drive that would now take about an hour. And there are still family members being buried in this cemetery--as recent as 2005! I couldn't imagine hauling a casket up that hill on that road....whew!?

So it was a pretty neat trip today. Got to see and learn some more about my family history.....and again thank my grandfather for leaving West Virginia!!

I really love that rhododendron because it reminds me of my sister and her love for the color 'purple'. The pond was my dad's pet project and he poured his heart and soul into that thing. I guess it's fitting that the two sit next to one another.

The other rhododendron that I like a lot is the white one that wraps around our side deck:

This thing probably contributes a lot to my sneeziness this time of year, but it's soooo worth it. Looks like I'll be planting some more stuff this weekend as well since Mom just picked up a dwarf rhododendron and some sort of laurel....should be interesting....

Many more to come in the weeks ahead.....

So I decide to clean out the filter pad in the pond tonight because Mom said it was a little dirty. Well, I open the lid and there's 'Big Momma' hiding in there. See, we have this one female who is just about ready to pop.....well, she was in the skimmer and layin eggs when I found her. I had to get her out because it's not good for her in there, but the sad part was that there wasn't really a way to save the eggs that had adhered to the filter pad. So I quickly cleaned out the 20 gallon hospital tank and set it up after I monkeyed with the filter (gotta love Whispers) and filled it with pond water. It's about 9 pm and totally dark....and I gotta find this fish in 2300 gallons.....ugh. Well, guess what?! She went right back to the skimmer! So I got her out and tonight she's staying in the building.....and hopefully she'll drop her eggs in there soon if she's not too stressed. I'm also hoping that with filter down as low as possible, it won't suck the eggs until I can get some foam tomorrow.

Keeping the fingers crossed that I have saved some eggs and we can get some new sarasa comets for the pond!!!

I bought her a new pink dogwood for her flower bed that is just outside my window. I think we may end up planting a few more before too much longer as she wants to extend this bed up and down the hill in either direction.....less grass = less maintenance!

I also made sure to get her something nice to look at inside while it was raining all weekend:

So we've had some wicked thunderstorms roll through this afternoon (high winds and hail!) and we've also had some absolutely gorgeous sun. So I decided to go out and sit with the fish for a few:

Other than that, just finished putting together my new chair for my desk. My aunt and uncle from Oregon are in, so we'll get to visit some later today and tomorrow.....that's good, cause I really miss those guys!! Well, looks like it's about to storm again outside and that's good cause we can really use the rain. Although, it just mean I gotta spend more time on the lawn mower this summer....meh.....

Well, that's kinda how last night's cookout went down. Yes, an evening of MONSTER BADMINTON, burning stuff, pie, some cold beverages, burning more stuff while meeting new people, and dodging flaming projectiles that were coming out of the pile of burning stuff. Yes, all in the name of Kosmo....

So yes, after the flames really got rockin, Pete presented Kos with his birthday gift......a stand-in puppy until his new one is born and he can become an official 'dad' later this summer.....also notice the large roll of $$$$ around the temporary poochy......a gift of money from us to a great friend and very deserving guy:

And what birthday would be complete without a cake, or in this case, a pie with candles:

Ah yes. So tomorrow is Mother's Day and I've done my good deed for the year.....pics to come tomorrow.....

Happy Birthday, Kos! Hope you had a great one! This was my 1 VT football game of 2005.....VT/UNC....

And also:



Happy Birthday, Ben! This was the night of the infamous 'Didsbury Dozen'. As you may gather, its still early in the evening as we are both still standing upright...

In other news, Jon Pratt will be in town this weekend for his Masters graduation! Big CONGRATS goin on to 'The Hammer'! Also, wanted to say how very proud I am of Emet and his wife, Kim, for both recently completing their PhD's!! I wish them all the best next year as they further their careers in Saudi Arabia! Emet, you will be missed! Can't thank you enough for all you have done for me in this short amount of time....

Ah yes, soaking in the mineral bath (aka 'Dawn' detergent)



Then a nice rub down on the massage table (aka, cleaning off gunk on the dining table after soaking in the sink)



And finally a short nap out in the sun by the pool (aka, drying on the deck by the pond)

After playing in the water all day, it was time to get buffed and polished on the workbench and then all lubed up. I would have had some pics of the final reassembly, but my hands were covered in grease, oil and silver polish. Long story short: 'Roberto' is now all shiny and clean and still plays like a million pesos! Must have been all those margaritas and chips & salsa.......yikes!

So I'm now the proud owner of a few new instruments and a few that are new to me:

(from left to right):

B&S F, Meinl-Weston 2165 CC, Miraphone 1261 EEb, Meinl-Weston 451 Euphonium and Getzen 1052FDR Bass Trombone

These instruments completely surpassed my expectations and reminded me that I've got a lot of practicing to do to make these horns sound as good as they really can!

The B&S was the only instrument I owned before yesterday. Everything else came home with me from Baltimore like this:



I now the maximum amount of instruments I can haul in my '97 Civic!!! I could probably get my F in the passenger seat, but I had Will Divers with me (thanks again for the ears and the input on the horns!!)

I honestly couldn't be happier at this moment with the outcome of yesterday's trip. I hope that someone buys my old Yorkbrunner soon because it is a mother of a tuba and needs to played in the back of some orchestra soon....just wished it could have been me who was playing it.

But for now, I've got all my basses (haha) covered for my playing and teaching and hopefully I'll be able to maintain a fairly busy and active freelance career in addition to instructional design.

Introducing "The Robo-dessa 2000"

As Odessa and Jonathan near the birth of their child, I decided that we should construct and begin the training of a temporary replacement for Odessa while she's gone on maternity leave. Nothing can replace Odessa, but this will at least keep the office morale high as we anxiously await her return........but that's not for a few more months, so we can at least look at this thing and laugh!

Here's a cool gift I got from Julia last night:

Tara was nice enough to inscribe one word to sum up the evening.....

(Click on the Etch-a-Sketch for more pics from last night)

If it weren't for this wonderful woman (and my father), I wouldn't be here. And without her constant love and support, I'm not sure where I'd be right now. For over 31 years now, she's been my #1 cheerleader, my confidant, my rock, and my hero. I love this woman more than words can express and I hope that I can someday be half the parent she's been to me.....

I love you, Mom

Then came news that they had finally announced the winner for the Chicago Civic Orchestra audition--I got my rejection letter yesterday. In years past, they will choose 1 regular member (the winner) and then 1-2 associate members (alternates). But this year, the chose 7 associates!!! And after I auditioned, I was told that I was the last of 10. So that puts me as 1 of the 2 people that didn't get selected......very discouraging indeed.

Every corner I turn, I see yet another reason to get out of this business. I'm not really in it, to be honest. I've sunk tens of thousands into my education, my equipment, and my travels chasing some ridiculous dream. I will say that I've met some extremely wonderful people and been quite fortunate thus far, but this is it--my heart can no longer take the bullshit. I've been holding out for a last minute reprieve, a final gasp of air to fill my lungs with hope, but it is not to be.

And that is fine. I'm very happy with my job and I'm very excited about pursuing this new career. I'll be honest that I'm scared shitless over completely changing gears an