Where do we go from here

It has been a very long time since I wrote anything other than something for work. Odd for me, definitely different. As I review my old writings I've re-read some of the notes I used as posts while still in Afghanistan. I started from the bottom up so to re-post them now would be odd because a simple scroll down to the second or third posts back would see the same things, but I had some odd connected thoughts.

I also stumbled across one I didn't blog, or don't think I blogged because I didn't note when I blogged it. It was a post about the Battle of Bunker Hill but it was symbolic of a stand that I was about to make--and did. It may or may not have cost me what it could but it certainly came at a cost. Or maybe it was a benefit. No one would quite get the meaning or emphasis out of the writing that I did. Yet that never used to bother me. To be honest, still doesn't.

So maybe I'm back, maybe not. The site definitely needs to be redone but I'm not sure which way to go. Only time will tell, maybe a little time, maybe a lot. We'll see.

Spoke too Soon

Yesterday's post was way too early, because last night I saw this link to an article about a bill passed by one of the houses of Mississippi's legislature. I am American by birth and Southern by the Grace of God. I love our deep-seeded (and deep-seated) history of state rights. It IS after all Constitutional by the 10th Amendment. However, this makes me say WTallcapitallettersF! Affirming your right to eat 20 Big Macs? It annoys me when people assume that Southern states are stupid, slow, or behind on things. Chris Rock once said the only thing worse than Spike Lee is Spike Lee when he's right. Similar situation here. At least this article is a farce.

Well, I still have hope in the Senate side of the legislature. I'm sure they'll add the proviso that ordering over 15 Big Macs will require the purchase of a Diet Coke.

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What in the World?

I have seen two things this morning that just makes me wonder what in the world is going on. The first was an ad for an anti-perspirant that is for people with low-testosterone. OK, seems a little odd but the wonder came from the disclaimer information at the bottom of the screen that said it is possibly an addictive medication. Are they expecting people to put on deodorant all day multiple times a day? Is it like steroids? While looking at the fine print of the commercial I noticed a blurb crawling across the bottom saying that free-style snowmobiling has been canceled in the X-Games. I don't watch the sport, but I've seen it on televisions in sports restaurants. It seems that the safety of the competitors is in question. Really? Who would ever think it is possible to safely take a snowmobile and do a loop-the-loop? It's not a matter of putting on a helmet or a seatbelt. These guys take a machine with every safety feature and protective panel as a motorcycle, launch it into the air upside down, with no hands, or any other method of grandstanding and showboating, and some sanctioning agency is looking to make it safe? What's next, will they be trying to figure out how to safely play Marco Polo with an alligator in a tank of piranhas?

Next thing you're going to tell me is that someone wants government to be effective.

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Where'd Who Go?

Out of all the reading I've read on writing one thing is incredibly consistent: In order to write, you must read. Over the course of the last few months I have consistently blogged less and less. I have attributed this to increased duties at work, at home, worrying about how to fix this, that or the other. In reality, I haven't read much of anything. I haven't even listened to many books on tape (or CD or mp3). It isn't just that I haven't had many thoughts to blog about, I haven't worked on my work in progress much over the course of the last year. If you recall, that's the year that I set the goal of finishing my WIP, which I am awfully close to but I've been awfully close to that point since last year at this same exact time.

About a month ago I commented on the fact that the only television shows I watch any more (other than NFL football) are only 30 minutes long. This of course means there is 21 minutes of program and 9 minutes of commercials I fast forward through because I LONG ago got to the point where I could barely watch television without recording it on my TiVO (or now DVR). Yes, this does make some football games interminably long as well since more often than not I don't record them.

Along this same line, I picked up a Christmas gift of short stories a few days ago. I'm not very far into it when I did my other normal reading habit--reading more than one book at a time. So now, after a holiday I am listening to a book on tape, reading a book of short stories, reading a non-fiction book, and my brain instantly began stewing in the thoughts that abound and cause successful writers to warn prospective writers that they cannot write without reading.

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The Odd Political Post

My blog description indicates that I blog on Providence with an occasional political comment. While there continues to be Providence galore, this morning I was thinking of things political. Over the course of our twenty years of marriage, my wife and I have had spirited debates on issues related to politics. It began with a mention of my political leanings. Like most engineers I tend toward the conservative side. To be fair, some engineers are only conservative when it comes to their designs and not their politics so maybe my conservatism comes from years of living in the Deep South, my proximity to the buckle of the Bible Belt, the fact that I have lived most of my life in States that just plain vote for conservatives, blame on what you will. I choose my profession.

Early on when I would mention that I am a Republican it would IMMEDIATELY elicit the response, "So you're against Unions?" After a few years I was able to actually talk politics without talking unions (since they ARE separate topics), though I still shy away from it with my in-laws for similar reasons. My father-in-law worked for 30 years at a job in a union, and wouldn't have any of the things he has without the union (little things like legs and arms as well as big things like pension). He also wouldn't have been there 3 decades without their protection. He also may have gotten promoted rather than staying behind the guy who came in a few weeks before him. He also probably wouldn't have been as safe at his job and we certainly wouldn't have had as many Safety Award umbrellas, flashlights, wallets, etc. There's good, there's bad, and there's ugly all wrapped up in the issue.

Here's the thing though, just like saying I'm a Republican doesn't mean I'm against Unions, saying that the Unions have contributed to the mess is not a support of the business decision makers. In a finger-pointing match it is clear that there is not now, nor has there ever been any business morality. No one goes into business for a reason other than to make money. They may say it is to improve the quality of (fill in the blank), but underlying that it is a desire to make a profit. It doesn't have to be an ungodly profit, but no one says, "I'm going to start a business and pour money into it until I'm destitute and living in a van down by the river." The fact that the actions of Unions has caused businesses to make decisions to close or move or relocate to a foreign country is important, it is a reality, but underlying that, the Union didn't come in and make demands for a company that takes care of its people to complete burdensome additional compensation. I say this based predominantly on the fact that if the workers were satisfied and happy with their conditions they would not choose to join a Union because it would not benefit them. If management responded to the needs of the workers the workers would not need a consolidated voice to speak for them and play hardball.

That was a bit more of an introduction to the topic du jour then I first thought.

The news of last week that Hostess is going out of business is appalling. Orange Cupcakes are simply a God-given delicacy that none have been able to duplicate. If you doubt me for one instance, go buy all the Hostess Orange Cupcakes you can. Send them all to me, save one. After you have sent them, eat the remaining cupcakes. If you do not contemplate shooting out the tires of the vehicle that drove off with your package to me I will pay you for the cupcakes. If you do, I'm not responsible for your actions in trying to get the cupcakes back.

Hostess's management has claimed that the Union strike upset their razor-thin grasp on solvency. A claim that the Union denies pointing to a massive compensation and pay raise given to executives. Here's the thing: They are both complicit in eliminating the institution of higher munchies that is/was Hostess. The executives were wrong to receive the pay raise and should have taken a pay cut. The workers likewise were wrong for not accepting a pay cut to keep a job. Now how big those cuts should have been is the matter. I will not argue that they should be the same size. There is no across the board pay cut to be had here. To cut executive pay and hourly rate workers the same would be insane to say the least. To give executives the massive pay raises they did was more insane. A step above on the insanity meter was the company's defense of said raises.

Perhaps it is legal to give executives a raise even in the face of bankruptcy. That's a consequence of having rich legislators making the laws. However, converting performance-based bonuses to regular compensation is a sign that the performance-based bonus will not be earned. A bonus is not regular compensation, it's a bonus. If you aren't performing, you aren't earning. If your company is going bankrupt, you aren't performing. If your company is going bankrupt, getting more money for poorly managing will only speed up the slide rather than slow it down. Sure, it may keep some employees from jumping ship and those executives that would jump ship are the ones that could get a job somewhere else (not the dead weight that should be cut in order to stop hemorrhaging money), but that goes back to business morals.

Going on strike to demand more money from a company on thin ice financially is a sure-fire way to crack the ice. Who was wrong first? The company. Who was wrong last? The Union. Who is out of a job? All of them. And I'm out of Orange Cupcakes!

So, what's the bottom line in all of this? The bottom line is that it is insanity on the part of all involved that a company that makes Twinkies, cupcakes, fruit pies, and some of the most delectable things that are bad for you is going bankrupt. Not just because of the obesity rate in America, either. It is unfathomable that a company that has helped add to the bottom line of the heaviest generation can't cut it. It is insanity not only because of that but because of the fact that marijuana has been "legalized" in more States. There is almost certainly an upturn in sales coming!

Hang in there, Hostess.

Hostess Pay Raises

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An update from 2018:

I'm no longer a Republican. I can't bring myself to be labeled one any more. I'm also not a Democrat either. I am a small L libertarian. Small L because they won't let you in the party unless you believe their mantra that Taxation is Theft. It isn't. It's just a way for the government to pay the bills.

More importantly, I have since done even more thinking on the subject (6 years will do that to you) and it isn't just the Unions and Management's reaction to them that's caused the problems but a general lack of tariffs in the US. Not that I believe President Trump is re-instituting them right, but it is right to re-institute them. There's probably a whole post on this I'll save for later. For now I'll get back to fixing the website.

JFK said it

No matter what your political preference, get out and vote. No matter who you choose, get out and vote. No matter if you choose to not even select a candidate but turn in an empty ballot, get out and vote. It's a dumb rule, but it's my dumb rule: If you don't vote, you can't complain about the knuckleheads in charge.

If the video doesn't come in right in either the RSS feed or the email, go online and watch it. It only takes a minute. And while I normally include things in order to get you to read something else into my message, don't read anything in to the fact that I selected not only a Democrat but the Democrat that to me symbolizes the complete switch of the Democratic Party to the left side of the aisle.

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Statistics

Typically my posts are on Providence and how it relates to me but hopefully could be related to you, the readers. Occasionally I make some type of political comment. This one isn't exactly political, but it certainly isn't Providential.

This morning I was thinking about statistics and more importantly the fact that most don't know what goes into statistics. The common perception is that you can lie with statistics though it is really more accurate to say that you can manipulate the inputs to make the statistics say what you want them to say. What goes into the statistics is as important as the numbers.

A few years back great importance was placed in the media on the fact that the FAA wouldn't release information on wildlife strikes with aircraft. This was assumed to be because they didn't want to show that bird strikes are more common now then they have ever been. The reality is two-fold, first is that they are more common. We have more airplanes flying so more opportunities. More important (as it relates to statistics) is that now it is easier to report a bird strike, so more are reported. The actual percentage of strikes related to traffic isn't necessarily increasing it is just being better reported. Without enough data a better determination cannot be made.

Thinking along this train of thought, Mississippi, Alabama, and many other states in the Bible Belt are high on the teenage pregnancy lists. A list they are lower on would be abortions. Shouldn't those two really be looked at together if you want to evaluate the promiscuity of teens?

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Blue Moon

Is it appropriate that I write again after a Blue Moon since it seems my blogging has become a once in a Blue Moon event? Perhaps. Time will tell if I have truly moved from the funk that has caused my less than timely writing. This is the first weekend since moving that I will be able to stay put three Sundays in a row. While I imagined the time away from my family would give me time to write, that was not the case. My split-personality life got much worse before it got better. Well, it may be better, time will tell on that one, too.

There is one thing that I do want to say before hope to resume my writing. There is a blogger I follow, Jon Stolpe, who not only continued to blog throughout the summer, but each week he includes my name in his Twitter list of Follow Friday names. Jon, a fellow engineer, hasn't given up on the thought that I would continue to blog. While I don't do Follow Fridays on Twitter, if I ever start his name will be on the top of my list. Check out his blog, Stretched, at http://www.jonstolpe.com/ and I hope to see you all again, real soon.

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Where'd Who Go?

Despite the fact that it appears I have forgotten about this site, I have not. It has pained me to not blog, not because I feel compelled to share my every story with the world at large, but because I haven't been writing. At all. When I began my split-personality life last August I had reached a point where I was writing either in my work in progress or on my blog. More often than not it was on my blog. The real reason for this is that what I do for a living had gotten boring, mundane, and easy to manage in short blocks of time. Comfortable. Still fun, still made me smile, but it didn't take much brain power on a regular basis. I (very incorrectly) thought that by having time before or after work by myself that I would be able to write even more. There would be no distractions.

It did not take long into my split to realize that that was simply not the case. I was drinking from a fire hydrant at work not only learning a new project inside and out but also a new office, new personnel, and how to do my boss's job so that when if he ever retires (date has changed 9 times now, 6 of which have passed) I would be in the catbird seat to get his job. It isn't that I mind this, I told him I would tell him when I was overwhelmed, but it has caused my writing to suffer.

I again began to look forward to the time that my family and I would be reunited on a regular basis. As I have mentioned repeatedly, no one understands just how important it is to me to be able to crawl into bed with my wife at the end of the night. This event happened just before Memorial Day. We bought a house much closer to work and moved in. Then split-personality life 3 kicked in.

After 2 weeks in the house I had to go to San Diego for 2 weeks. Then after 2 weeks at home I had to go to Huntsville for 2 weeks. After another 2 weeks (this week and next week) I have to go to yet another training class, this one much closer to home and I'll be able to bring my family with me. So quick recap, I've owned the home 8 weeks, been here 4, by the time I hit 12 weeks of ownership I'll have been here 6 weeks. My in-laws have spent almost as much time as I have in the home and as of today I have finally spent more time in the house then my oldest daughter's boyfriend (long story there). I'll finish my marathon training schedule not long after the anniversary of my split-personality life beginning and then things will get back to normal.

As Mike Warnke used to say, weirdness is a relative state. For proof let me show you my relatives. Weird is only weird around normal people. A normal person around a group of weird people makes the normal person the weirdo. It is the same with life. My life is not going to be back to normal. There is always another milestone. There is always something else. I cannot wait for normalcy to return. I can only embrace the change and get on with it.

Meanwhile I continue to go. If you see me whiz by, stop me and hold me until I can catch up to myself.

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Stay Frosty

 It's been a very hectic several weeks since last I blogged. I've missed it if none of you have. There are some great stories to share about what happened, but first a snippet about my evening. This morning I thought about posting and using the title Stay Frosty. It's a reference to a Van Halen song which includes some great lines in it. I'm thinking about it because I'm "where the folks who know bout frostiness stay frostiest the most." California. Specifically San Diego, California (since the last time I was in California it was California, Maryland). The trip out here was brutal, and each night after class I have been working on stuff I'd have done if I were in the office, reviewing some online training, and getting ready for the next day.

One small sliver I have chosen for myself is breakfast. I have stopped, slowed down, and ignored everything except my food and a book for breakfast. I have been looking forward to breakfast all week. Other than that, it's been do something for someone else all day--even though I'm here alone. As we got out of class early today I toured the USS Midway and deliberately got lost in downtown San Diego driving around with the top down (the story of how I came to have a convertible is part of my brutal travel tale but more on that later). When I got back to the hotel I dozed while finishing my book and thought about crawling into bed early.

After  popping downstairs for my daily soft drink I returned to my room and a got text from my cousin asking if I knew that Van Halen was playing San Diego. Tonight. Starting about the time he texted me. Short story long, I didn't, they were, there were tickets, the stadium was less than 9 miles from my hotel, and by the time I arrived Kool and the Gang had finished playing.

Two solid hours of Van Halen (sans Mike) playing half of the Van Halen repertoire. Unparalleled evening. Incredible evening. The venue was large, but still intimate. The acoustics were fantastic. Eddie was Eddie. He remains one of the greatest living guitar players and unquestionably wins the title of best guitarist with the biggest ego. He also is the reason that Van Halen has remained my favorite band for more years than I can count (and for me that's really saying something).

The only thing that lacked was that they didn't play Stay Frosty. Oh well, if you want to be a monk you gotta cook a lotta rice. Stay Frosty.

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Hide and Seek

So, it looks like this is my last day to be a resident of the Pell City area. I've been married half my life and I've lived in Pell City half of the time I've been married. The longest time my wife and I have ever lived in one town, and in one house. If you live in Central Alabama, don't think of it as me leaving, think of it as me playing hide and seek and I'm real hard to find.

And if you live in LA (Lower Alabama for those that don't know) watch out! The Byrds are headed your way.

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Critical Critique

My marathon split-personality life is wrapping up. In the evening this post goes up we will have the Last Last BBQ at the Byrdhouse, an Open House to Close the House on our last full weekend before things start to get packed up. It was a long week, and after leaving work early because I felt ill and still had a 5 hour drive I finally arrived home to empty the mailbox and get the newspapers. Checking the email I haven't been able to look out while driving I got a notice that on the 11th of May an excerpt from my allegory is being posted for peer critique and review.

Anyone who stumbles upon The Hole on the End of the Bible Belt can read what I write. Anyone who subscribes by RSS Feed or email can download a copy of my allegory (if I fixed the page finally), and yet my heart began to race and I got nervous at the thought of my work being posted on someone else's website. I am simultaneously happy, nervous, and scared. I have read, critiqued, and enjoyed other's exerts on Suzannah's Write It Sideways blog for quite some time now. But this is my work. This will be a critique of what I wrote.

Hastily I read the preview post she sent. Why did I choose this excerpt? It says some stupid things about the South. It may not be clear that this takes place in Louisiana. It may not need to be clear from this exert that it is in Louisiana. No one will know who Joel is. No one will know that Joel O. is a television preacher who writes books that makes people feel good. No one will know that he is my Jonah character, that he is the antagonist of the whole novella. While I made it clear that the work is an allegory, I didn't say what it was an allegory of. Who will know this is the point where Jonah has gone to watch the destruction of Nineveh, or when Joel has gone to watch the destruction of New Ixeveh? Why, why, why?

Then it hit me. It doesn't matter what the readers know or not. Either they will want to read more or they won't. Either the exert stands on its own or it doesn't. I write because I can't not write. I write as a release, I write because I have to. I want others to read it. I want others to want to read it. I want others to get what I write. I want others to slap their foreheads and say, "Wow!" But I don't write for that. I write for me.

My exert is posted so that I can see if my work is good enough for others. It is there so that I can find out if anyone would want to read my work. I'll still write if no one reviews it.

I hope that some of you go to Suzannah's website from here. Even if you don't offer a critique. It is a great blog and one I have enjoyed (and will continue to enjoy) following. If anyone from Write It Sideways came to my blog because of the post, welcome. I hope you enjoy what I write. I hope you will subscribe to get a copy of the full novella length allegory of the book of Jonah.

And my next post will get back to my more familiar subjects with a Byrdmouse twist.

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For inspiration while typing this post I was listening to this song on repeat. What a song. What a songwriter. What a performance.

Update: I think exert was Freudian.

 

No X in Nixon

As one might expect I spend time teaching my daughters things. Some useful, some useless, some scientific, some religious, some are good habits, some aren't. We talk about words, animals, trees, books, music, movies, and trivia.

On thing I've slowly been building on is the framework of things. An easy example to understand is the framework of a good story, balance leads to conflict, climax, and resolution. How you get there is with antagonists and protagonists. How you tell the story makes the difference. I point out foreshadowings, such as when the soon-to-be-Emperor is hanging on to the soon-to-be-Darth Vader over the seemingly bottomless elevator shaft in Episode III while in Episode VI the full-fledged Vader throws the full-fledged Emperor over the fully bottomless shaft. And of course, I point out metaphors.

I once taught an entire message to the youth of our church on how we can include messages in everything we do, particularly in music. The point of course was how we can include God in everything, as we are directed by the Great Commission. I gave examples of songs with incorrectly assumed messages, as well as unclear messages, then mostly focused on the clearly God-centered messages that are often overlooked. My message was accompanied by a PowerPoint Presentation which in itself had hidden messages, some obvious, some well hidden, one known to only one individual in the room. One example  I had wanted to use but didn't was a song entitled Shanty. It has some wonderful sounding lyrics of a lazy day around the house. Until you realize, the singer just wanted to smoke some pot with his significant other. I REALLY wanted to use this, not because of the drug use (which is why I didn't) but because the singer is named Jonathan Edwards, and Dr. T is often using Edwards in his sermons and every time he does I think of the hippy Edwards smoking in the kitchen with the munchies. I wanted someone else to join me in my thoughts and/or understand why I smiled whenever Dr. T mentioned Edwards.

Just this weekend, I was listening to music with my iPhone shuffled and Purple Haze came on. Now, I'm a big Jimi fan. The things he did with a guitar are incredible. I told my oldest daughter to pay attention because one of the most memorable lyrics of Jimi's career was coming up. Then it arrived, she heard it and said, "He's getting high!" then laughed.

I pride myself on looking at things with a different perspective. I live outside the box. Impossible is a synonym for unimaginative in my book. I regularly use symbolism and uncover other symbolism. I also teach symbolism, yet after more than 25 years of listening to and loving it, I never considered that, "Excuse me while I kiss the sky" was a euphemism for one of Jimi's other favorite habits--joining Jonathan Edwards.

The metaphor has again taught the author of the metaphor. 

Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Easter on the Downlow

Sunday is Easter, and a day that many will attend church for their annual appearance. There are so many things to say about that, but others talk about that. For my part, I enjoy embracing something different. Some march to the beat of a different drummer, but I've always skipped to the sound of a separate symphony. My two favorite days to skip out on church are Easter and Christmas. So many people show up that don't show up on normal Sundays that anyone who expects to see you that doesn't (since you're not there) assumes that you were there and there were just so many other people that they didn't see you. A guilt-free day to miss church.

The reality of course is that Easter is my favorite day to be in church because of all the Easter's I've seen I have seen bad weather on Easter, but never a bad morning.

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Now in Mississippi Flavor

Last Saturday the long-awaited packet arrived. Not that I knew until Sunday when I went to get the paper, but it arrived Saturday. Since I moved my work location to Mississippi in August I have actively intended to earn my Mississippi license. In December things slowed down enough that I could actually fill out and send in the forms. So since December I have been actively waiting to hear back from the Board. They answered Saturday.

Originally I had intended that the third thing I would do after achieving my Professional Engineer license in Alabama would be to apply in MS. First was to tell Ginger, second my Dad. Ginger actually told me so my timing was a little off--not that I minded. Exactly one week later I was again between economic opportunities so there were more pressing things to take care of. It slipped a little, about 5 years actually.

So, now I not only live in the Mississippi Territory owning a house in Alabama and working in Mississippi, but I am licensed to practice engineering in all of the Mississippi Territory--not just the "backwoods half" as the residents of the then capital Natchez called it in 1817.

Jonathan Byrd, Professional Engineer, now available in Mississippi flavor.

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Update: I stopped paying my dues in Mississippi so I'm now back to only being licensed in Alabama.

NOT President's Day

 Today is Washington's Birthday. It is NOT President's Day. The other 43 don't get a day dedicated to them. Maybe we used to celebrate Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays at the same time, but the official federal designation for today is Washington's Birthday. By celebrating it on the 3rd Monday of the month means that the day we celebrate Washington's Birthday can NEVER fall on his actual birthday, but I'm sure George would appreciate a long weekend.

Some President's were good enough to deserve a celebration. Regardless, we don't celebrate their birthdays. Including the others into one day would include both Harding and Grant. Either is an excellent example of why the day is not dedicated to them. It isn't that Washington is my favorite President (Bully for you if you can figure out which one was) but it is a day off work. While some folks only care that the banks are closed and the mail won't run, it is important to know why.

Just remember, President's Day is a sale, Washington's Birthday is a holiday.

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Funerals

I just drove through an intersection (making a right turn) where a police officer was directing traffic. Only he wasn't directing anything, he was just standing in front of his car watching vehicles come from one street and turn down the other (the movement was from oncoming traffic to my left so I wasn't impacted by his presence or the line of cars). As I made the turn, I realized that the line of cars was a funeral procession. What I'm wondering is, was I out of line in continuing my drive? I don't know if it is JUST a Southern thing, but I do know based on my experience it is mostly a Southern thing to stop for a funeral procession. What do you think, should I have stopped and waited or since I was not along the route was I not obligated to stop?

Do you stop for funerals where you live? Do you stop even though no one else does? Please, comment.

 

Yes, I am in the Deep South (Picayune, Mississippi) so I could tell it was a funeral procession because all the tractors had their headlights on.

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The Frequently at the Bottetree Cafe

Last Thursday, The Frequently performed again at the Bottletree Cafe in Birmingham, Alabama. The Bottletree is the home of the Alabama Public Television series We Have Signal, though they were not performing for that show (yet?). This was a CD release party for the band I Am, We Are. The best I can tell, the 2 bands were "introduced" to one another at their last Bottletree Cafe performance in November which occasioned the invitation to perform. This is a rare Frequently cover song. Most of what they perform (except when requested at parties) are Frequently originals. They often will switch up who is playing/singing and even from time to time switch instruments. This song is just my super-talented middle child (Dizi Lizi) singing with Jones. The audio is not as good as it was in the cafe but that is a source limitation of the recording device.

When I tell people of the band they ask me what kind of music they play. Their genre is Unclassified. This is a song that Lizi wrote the lyrics for then Jones added music. They've only been working on it about a week. Unlike the rest of these clips, I didn't record this one. My audio got really messed up when Jones changes his tune. Unless I miss my guess, this song was filmed by the Manager/Road Manager/Driver of the band.

This is my favorite Frequently song Listen To Me. They didn't play it Thursday, but this was from their November show at the Bottletree.

And while this is only an exert, what Frequently performance would not be complete without the song that got them performing in their currently configuration? Outta My Mind.

And for those that aren't familiar with it, here is the complete Outta My Mind from their Bottletree Cafe performance back in November.

Thanks to the Willinghams for giving my girl the chance to do this, and to the Bottletree Cafe (http://www.thebottletree.com/) for giving The Frequently the chance to play. There are more than just a few parents looking forward to the next performance.

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Christmas Adam

Merry Christmas Adam! I have a great shopping story to share, and while it involves an Apple product, I don't want to type it all out on my iPhone. However, I couldn't let the day pass without passing on ChristX Well Wishes on Christmas Adam.

Because of course, today is Christmas Adam, the day before Christmas Eve, and everyone knows Adam came before Eve.

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