I’m on a flight right now and blogging from 30,000 feet in the air, thanks to wi-fi on US Air!  As always, I’m excited.  I love traveling…not so much sitting here on this airplane right now, but actually landing at the destination.  It’s always great to get out of town for a while.  I’m looking forward to the 4th of July weekend!

Hello me, it’s me again.  2010 has been an interesting and exciting year so far.  A new year, a new decade, a new….<insert some other word here>.  Before I go there, I just want to remind myself that I had a great Christmas vacation back home with my family and friends.  The day after I arrived, the city received two feet of snow and I was snowed in with the ‘rents and the mutt for just about three days.  It gave us time to catch up.

I was able to spend a lot of time with my Sister and Cousins as well which was nice.  It was difficult to say goodbye to my Nephew and my eyes welled up.  I have a very cool Christmas picture of him that sits on my desk and I’m always reminded of the little guy.  I also have pictures of my Nephews and Niece hanging on my ‘fridge.  I realize that these are the only pictures I have in my entire place.  I guess because they were given to me as gifts.  Yet, I love to take pictures and have thousands of them just collecting digital dust on little platters spinning away.  I really should start printing them out and hanging them up, I guess I will get to that one day.

On my last night of the vacation, I found an iPhone that belonged to someone in the back seat of my cab.  I met her at the airport just before my flight was leaving and I returned the phone to the happy stranger.  She thanked me by giving me Vegan treats for the ride home.  They were delicious and it felt good to make a stranger’s day.

I could write a lot more about my Christmas vacation but I’m already three and a half months into this new year and I am just finding the time.

January, 2010.  New Years Eve was a blast, I had dinner with my great friends and band mates and then we went to a house party.  Three weeks later the band split up.  Two guys went one way and myself and my friend went another.  I miss those guys, but I guess we all just had creative differences.  A week later, we started a new a band with an old friend of mine from LA who happens to be an immensely talented vocalist.  Also, one of my best friends was in town for a visit.  He attended the CES show and we checked out the Minus 5 lounge and took in a Steel Panther show, always a good time.

February, 2010.  It’s a new chapter, new band, new friends and the world continues to turn.  We did a photo shoot with wardrobe provided by John Varvatos thanks to our friend, band manager and band counselor extraordinaire.  This is a high end clothing company and each one of our outfits retailed for somewhere between $2,500.00 and $3k.  I’ve never worn such expensive threads in my life and I wish I was able to keep them.  We had to return them three hours later after we wrapped up the shoot.  I can’t wait for everyone to see the new band promo pictures, they came out great.  I am writing the most interesting songs of my life and I anxiously awaiting the day that they will travel through the air and into your ears.  The creativity is endless.  I’ve met a lot of new people and life has changed yet again.  Between work, studying for my certifications and the band, I can’t seem to find a free minute.  Well, except to watch “Dexter” that is….  it’s a Showtime series that has been on since 2006, yet I have just found out about it and I’m seriously hooked.  I’m only on Season 2, episode 4 at the moment and I can not get enough.  I highly recommend this show.

March, 2010.  I’m two weeks into this month and the band has entered the studio(s).  Mazing and friends from work also paid a visit to Sin City, it was nice to catch up.  We are recording four new songs and they are incredible.  My friend has laid down solid, thunderous and beautiful drum tracks for each of the songs at a studio that is owned and operated by a well respected drummer.  We are taking those tracks and now recording the bass and guitars at another studio that is owned and operated by two well respected guitarists.  Once they are complete, our well respected vocalist will record his vocals and then, and only then will all of my well respected family and friends get to hear my new life’s work.

In a sad bit of news to end the year, Avenged Sevenfold drummer James Owen “The Rev” Sullivan was found dead in his home on Monday, the Orange County Register reports. He was 28. Owen was found in his Huntington Beach, California home by firefighters at around 1pm PST. The initial report is that he died of natural causes, but what’s a natural cause at age 28? Sullivan was an original member of the band, which formed in 1999. The band’s Myspace page posted the following:

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan. Jimmy was not only one of the world’s best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy’s family and we hope that you will respect their privacy during this difficult time.
Jimmy you are forever in our hearts.
We love you.

Their Warner Bros. debut, 2005’s City of Evil, was perhaps their most popular, going platinum, helped by their Hunter S. Thompson-inspired single, “Bat Country.” And while their most recent 2007 self titled album debuted at #4 and went gold, 2005’s Waking the Fallen best highlighted the band’s strong melodies, Maiden-esque guitar harmonies, and the bombast of vintage Guns N’ Roses, a band who’s excesses they openly looked up to.

(Re-post from Metal Insider)

I fear that I’m ordinary
Just like everyone

To lie here and die among the sorrows
Drift among the days

For everything I ever said
And everything I’ve ever done is gone and dead
As all things must surely have to end
And great lovers will one day have to part
I know that I am meant for this world

My life has been extraordinary
Blessed and cursed and won

Time heals but I’m forever broken
By and by the way…
Have you ever heard the words
I’m singing in these songs?

It’s for the girl I’ve loved all along
Can a taste of love be so wrong?
As all things must surely have to end
And great lovers will one day have to part
I know that I am meant for this world

And in my mind as I was floating
Far above the clouds
Some children laughed
I’d fall for certain
For thinking that I’d last
Forever

But I knew exactly where I was
And I knew the meaning of it all
And I knew the distance to the sun
And I knew the echo that is love
And I knew the secrets in your spires
And I knew the emptiness of youth
And I knew the solitude of heart
And I knew the murmurs of the soul

And the world is drawn into your hands
And the world is etched upon your heart
And the world so hard to understand
Is the world you can’t live without

And I knew the silence of the world
And I knew the silence of the world
And I knew the silence of the world
And I knew the silence of the world

And I knew the silence of the world…

We chase misprinted lies
We face the path of time
And yet I fight
And yet I fight
This battle all alone
No one to cry to
No place to call home

My gift of self is raped
My privacy is raked
And yet I find
And yet I find
Repeating in my head
If I can’t be my own
I’d feel better dead

Five years ago on this date, “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was assassinated onstage during a Damageplan concert at Columbus, Ohio nightclub The Alrosa Villa. Enough has been written about the Pantera/Damageplan guitarist, his generosity of spirit, and his immense talent elsewhere, so I’ll leave his legacy alone, but add that writing this five year memorial made me sad, angry, then sad again.

There’s a pretty interesting article about the Alrosa Villa five years later here , where the club’s owner mentions that they close every year on the anniversary of his death. Rest in peace, Dime. I’ll be drinking a blacktooth grin, in your memory tonight.

(Re-post from Metal Insider)

RIP to John Lennon who was also assassinated on this date, 29 years ago.

Time to change has come and gone
Watched your fears become your God

It’s your decision

Overwhelmed, you chose to run
Apathetic to the stunned

It’s your decision

You feed the fire that burned us all
When you lied
To feel the pain that spurs you on
Black inside

No one plans to take the path that brings you lower
And here you stand before us all and say it’s over
It’s over

It might seem an afterthought
Yes it hurts to know you’re bought

It’s your decision

You feed the fire that burned us all
When you lied
To feel the pain that spurs you on
Black inside

It’s your decision

No one plans to take the path that brings you lower
And here you stand before us all and say it’s over
It’s over

Earlier last Friday, I received a text from my friend Justin Sane.

Justin Sane wrote: "What time is rehearsal, Ted? Lol. No, but seriously, what time?"

I responded with "haha..very funny.  I get done at 8pm and will prob be there just before 9pm."

So, 8pm on Friday night rolls around and I’m still working…..8:30pm, I’m still working….(In my line of work, it is most difficult to determine exactly what the stopping point will be at times).

At, 8:39pm, I send Justin Sane a text:  "The road to hell was paved with good intentions.  I’m just about finished working and I should be there around 9:15pm."

Justin wrote: "Take your time.  We have good intentions too."

Funny and Perfect!  We all gathered around 10:30pm and by that time Bone Daddy had to pick up his wife. Once she arrived, she had me in tears laughing with her big eyeball glasses.  She had a good time playing Bunko with the girls.  We rocked it out til’ midnight and worked on a few new tunes.

Saturday rolls around and I enjoy a nice birthday dinner for a friend’s friend at Carrabba’s.  She turned 30 and her Father gave a very heartfelt teary eyed speech.  I was confused at first but then she announced to everyone at the party that she almost passed away 8 months ago and her Father was just happy to celebrate this birthday with her.  This was eye opening and made me again realize how thankful I am for the gift of life.  It also reminded me of how near and dear my loved one’s are to me.  I’m constantly reminded to just enjoy all of these moments in time with my family and friends because our days are precious and so few.

After dinner, I receive a text from Sin-derella (an old friend from Philly) that she is in town with her Prince Awkward and he is playing a show in Vegas later that night.  That’s what I really love about this town, I’m constantly getting to see old friends, new friends, family….everyone comes to visit Sin City.
I joined them and had a great time.  He always puts on a great show and the band rocks.  I had a life changing epiphany later that evening and I’m thankful.  To grow, live, learn and experience.
We had a small group after the show and we took a cab to at least three different places trying to find a good place but our luck came up short in Vegas.  I guess it was just too late at night in Vegas.  Can you believe that?  It’s true.  So, we ended up back at the hotel and I played Blackjack for the first time in Sin City with my Philly & Orange County friends.

I gave the dealer 20 bucks, I went up to 30 bucks and then I gave it all back.  It was fun and I learned a few new tricks about the game.   We walked on Fremont Street and I told my traditional story: "Did you know that U2 filmed their video for "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For " right here on Fremont Street back in 1987 ?"

Sunday……is always peaceful and a fun day to jam with the guys all afternoon.  We always take the opportunity to discuss our misadventures from the weekend and work on writing new songs.

This weekend will include a trip to LA for an old friend’s birthday bash as well as "Days of The New" live at Wasted Space and possibly even The Beatles "Love" Cirque Du Soleil show with another old friend from Philly that will be in town.

For today, I would like to wish a happy birthday to someone very special in my life.

Since the invention of Twitter, I can’t seem to keep my blog up to date.  I guess I’m counting my “tweets” (micro-blogs) as an easier replacement.  I just felt like writing tonight and the September date on my blog just looked too out of date.  Let’s see….since September….I’ve been to alot of shows.  What else is new right?

I’m looking over my “tweets” to remind me of my past two months.  I went to the Five Finger Death Punch record release party in September at Wasted Space and that was a good time.  I love that club and it was the first time I saw the band.  They were really good.  Vinnie Paul from Pantera / Damage Plan was there too.  He’s always there which is cool.

I went to see the Sin City Sinners with special guest Kip Winger from the band Winger.  Remember that guy?  Metallica made fun of him in their “Nothing Else Matters” video by throwing darts at a picture of him posted on a wall in their recording studio.  Beavis & Butthead used to make fun of him too, the poor guy…but, he played great and he’s a very talented musician.  He did “Seventeen” but sang “Thirty Five” instead.  He did an Alice Cooper song too, he used to play bass for him before starting Winger and he finished his set with “Helter Skelter” which is an awesome song.

Blast from the past, The Doors!  I had a great time seeing two nights of The Doors at Wasted Space.  Well, it was Robby Kreiger & Ray Manzarek along with Bret from Fuel singing.  They were really good.  I had the chance to share the first night with some very close people in my life.  It ended up being a rough night but all was well.  The second night was very low key.

Juliette Lewis played at Wasted Space and I sang “Shine A Light” with her, that was fun!  Blue October played A Bite of Las Vegas and rocked!  A few days later the singer canceled the tour due to his mental illness.

Everlast rocked it out at Wasted Space too.  He has a lot of good tunes and I liked “The Endz” & “What’s It’s Like”.  He turned that tune into a 10 minute jam session at the end and it was awesome.

Rio is a very cool casino in Vegas.  It has a great view from the top in a club called The Voodoo Lounge.  I took a glass elevator up to the top and had some amazing views of the city.

On the radio frequency, I spoke to Dave Navarro on Indie 103.1 in LA.  I asked him about a local photographer here in town and he put the rumors to bed.

My friends Notting & Penny sent me a gift from St. Lucia and it was very cool.

The luck of the Irish is an interesting concept….is it true?  I saw an Irish band that sang a cover of “Hit Me Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears and they did a fantastic job on it.

Phillies Phever was in full effect once again this year.  I must admit, I jumped on the bandwagon again once they won the National Championship.  It was great to see my hometown on the news again for two years in a row!  It was very exciting to watch and I’m thankful for the all the txt updates from friends and family while I was working.  I was hoping they could pull it off.  So, they went down 4 games to 2 against the NY Yankees, but they did a great job.  I read a lot of posts about how proud Philly is of their team and that was another awesome World Series.

September is flying by….  it’s been busy at work for me.  I flew up to Sacramento, CA in late August for a few days to attend training.  It was good to see all of my old friends/ co-workers in Sacto.  It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen them.  It’s just been busy, I worked an 18 hour day last week and that was really rough and exhausting.  But, it’s the nature of the beast that is the IT industry and it had to get done.  In the end, we made it happen which was great and the customer was pleased.  I went from that into a weekend of on call which wasn’t that bad, thankfully.

Let’s see….  we also had a few dates of remembrance this month……September 9, 2009 aka (9/9/09)…..the numerologists were having a field day.  I know a lot of people were married on that day, new albums were released (usually released on Tuesdays, but they waited one day for that date) and The Beatles collection was released on iTunes I believe?  I know they also released The Beatles: Rockband which was a big event for all of the gamers out there.

Also, September 11, 2009.  The 8 year anniversary of 9/11.  I will never forget it, I don’t think any of us will.  I can remember in exact detail where I was that day and the events that led up to seeing it on TV and just not believing it.  The families….the police, firemen….  were in my thoughts that day.  I also thought of my old friend, who’s husband was in the trade centers when it happened.  I spoke to her that week.  He survived and made it out ok.  She told me he was covered in the dust when he returned home and saw the horrific sights.  I just can’t imagine what that must have felt like.  I traveled to NYC from Philly, soon after it happened for work actually.  I had to install an ISDN router at a customer location in NYC.  As I was driving there, I saw make shift memorials that included pictures of lost loved ones with candles.  They were on every bridge heading into NYC and all through the streets.  I went as close as I could to the sight and I saw the smoke still coming from the rubble.  A police officer informed me that there were parts inside the sight that were still smoldering.  He said the steel had reached very high temperatures and was still cooling down.  This is what had caused the smoke.

But, I digress.  Back to September, 2009.  My new band played our first acoustic gig at the House of Blues.  It wasn’t on the main stage, it was on their smaller stage but it was still very cool.  There was a great crowd there and we had a blast.  We also had two new members play the show with us and they did an excellent job for such short notice.

I’ve been running into Vinnie Paul, the drummer of Pantera / Damage Plan / Hell Yeah recently at the Hard Rock.  I also keep running into Matt, the bassist from Five Finger Death Punch.  He is a really down to earth, nice guy.  He told me about his travels to Japan to play on festivals with Metallica and about his new record.  His band is having their record release party at Wasted Space this Friday night and I will be there.

I also saw Puddle of Mudd for free last week playing at the Hard Rock pool outdoors.  I had a blast hanging with my friend who is also the drummer in our band and his wife at the show.  I ended up hanging out with another friend that owns a guitar shop in town that night as well.  I tried to see Collective Soul this past Friday night at the same pool show, but I couldn’t get in.  I work late, so I arrived at the venue late.  Since it was a popular show, it was too packed and they wouldn’t let anyone else into the venue.

I went to UNLV (University of Las Vegas) to see a free show with Flyleaf, Head from Korn and Sonny from POD.  That was an interesting show.  All of the bands / musicians at this show were Christian rock bands.  During they show, someone handed me a free Bible as well as a CD that included spoken word from certain members of these bands and how they found God in their lives.  I listened to the CD.

My friend PZ came to town and I went to see "Bite" with him and his friend.  It’s kind of a cheesy theatrical show of vampire women dancing to classic rock songs.  It was entertaining and funny in a cheesy way.  Although, it wasn’t worth the price.  We also were eating at a diner one night in the Hard Rock and Ron Jeremy came in and sat not too far from us.  I recognized him right away and laughed.

My friend Duke made it through a three month training program for the National Guard and returned home to Philly last week.  I graduated high school with him and was initially shocked and worried when he told me six months ago that he enlisted.  It sounds like the training / boot camp was rough and he made it through.  I’m very proud of him.

Two of my other very old and close friends celebrated their birthdays in late August and early September.

I went to see "Inglorious Basterds" and I enjoyed it.  It was strange, gory and funny in true Tarantino fashion.

That’s about it for my September so far, other than all of that stuff….I’ve been studying and having a blast jamming with the band.  We are working on a couple of new songs called "Shame" & "Addiction Switch".  I’m looking forward to recording them soon.  Until……October……(or another time that I feel like blogging in September).