The AskingScott.com Blog!

Through iterations, and more iterations, then a cancellation a few years back, the original AskingScott.com (my first real Web site project) had a life of about three years, and surprising to me, a pretty decent readership of about 3000 unique visitors per month.Well, after being away from the original site for a couple of years, and many life changes, I have decided to resurrect it. At this point, I am planning on keeping the site reasonably simple, and it will basically be a forum that will showcase many different aspects of my life from family to music to writing to public relations and so on and so forth.

In any case, I have been historically bad at keeping a solid update schedule for blogs, but in the interest of this return to the orginal domain, I will certainly try to do so.

That said, I invite any readers that happen across this site to post comments, or just say hello. I guess that’s it for now. It’s great to be back!

The nice thing about this new blog setup is that I can update it from anywhere, without worying about formatting a Web page along with it. Wordpress is great.

Anyway, I am sitting here on a brief break at work taking in a number of things happening in my day to day life. At work, it is major projects, deadlines, and trying to be authoritative and convincing as I battle the flu. At home, I am trying to maintain healthy eating habits, work on meaningful hobbies, and lend Deb moral support in her goals…that is one thing I really need to try to do better.

Either way, there is so much I need and would like to do that it all becomes a wash. I think I could really use a break mentally, and am sure looking forward to sleeping in this weekend!

With little else on my mind, I need to get ready for a six hour meeting, but I will undoubtedly return soon.

Sometimes, on very rare occasions, I actually want to wake up before 8 on a Saturday morning. Today was one of those days. Things have been so nutty both at work and at home lately, that I just needed to get out, so I ended up taking a trip around Los Gatos to check out those treasure troves of trash, known in some circles as garage sales.

Sometimes I am amazed at some of the stuff that the street side hawkers try to pawn off on the unsuspecting masses… used clothes (used underwear!) mismatched tops from long gone tupperware, used pipes… pretty crazy stuff. But, once in a while, you can really find a gem in the rough - for me, it is the one off musical instrument that has been stashed away in an attic for many years. Of course, these finds are so few and far between that they have transcended into myth. I have only had a few of these times.

Today wasn’t one of those days. *sigh*

Either way, it was nice to get up and out before most people are up. Now, I am going to go back to bed.

Monday. I hate Mondays. Today is the first day I really sat back and realized how much stuff I have going on in my life. Work, relationship, friends, music, music gear reselling, recording, Web site design, etc. Yeesh. It is no wonder that sometimes I just feel overwhelmed and decide to stop doing anything for a bit. That’s basically what I did this past weekend; of course, it helped that I had the flu, because I could just fall back on the old “honey, I really need to sleep” thing.

It is sad that people like me have to look forward to getting sick, just so we can take a little break.

Ah well, things are back to normal now, and I am here at work plugging away on the latest whatsits and whoseits. At least I got a little rest this weekend.

Have a happy Monday everyone.

Okay, so I have a regular day job that is really great and pays the bills, but to augment that cash a little for savings, or to get new gear (for free in the end), I have been reselling used drum and guitar gear for the past seven years.  I can’t tell you how much joy it brings me to be able to buy and sell, and sometimes, when I am able to find a really great deal for a lot of gear at once, I can resell part of it and keep the rest to build my collection.

Recently, I have been doing so well, that I have actually made enough to start building my cymbal collection.  Over the past couple of weeks, I have managed to acquire some really great ride cymbals, each at least 30, and up to 50 years old.  There is just something really cool about owning something that is as old, if not much older than I am, and also to be able to use it today.

Anyway, just a quick aside from my daily work routine.  I hope you are all having a great Tuesday!

Okay, so yesterday, I was extolling the virtues of buying and selling music gear.  Today, I am talking the dark side.  The problem is, I spend so much time on the net looking for new ads, I end up spending way too MUCH time, and I sometimes neglect other things in my life, namely my relationship.  I feel bad about that, and I think I really need to get back into a better balance.  I just don’t want to end up alone sitting in front of my computer… after all, they can only keep you so warm!

Three day weekends are definitely great things. Three full days of doing whatever the heck you feel like doing. The only downfall is that you have any extra day to get out of work mode, and by the time Tuesday rolls around, the adjustment is that much more difficult. I tell you, I am in serious Monday mode right now.

This weekend was great. I actually did a lot of buying and selling, eBaying etc, but now I have to refocus those efforts, and it is already difficult. Ah well. The other fortunate thing, however, is that there are only four workdays this week, as opposed to five, so it evens out.

All right, now that that is out, the reselling business is going well, but I tell you, the temptation to skim off the top of the inventory is pretty strong, and while it isn’t a bad thing, it lessens my positive cashflow. This is not THAT big of a deal, and I have been getting to keep some pretty cool drum stuff, but the way it is going, I wonder if I am going to have room to keep it in my apartment!

If the latter was the only thing I had to worry about - whether I had the room to store free drum gear - my life would be charmed!

Happy Mon- I mean Tuesday!

Life can be a blast sometimes.  Sitting at my desk at work, I just had this epifany.  Though I get sidetracked and tend to daydream on occasion, I have somehow managed to find enjoyment in the work that I do, my colleagues and managers.  By all accounts, I am blessed with a great job, and this situation is the first for me that I actually felt like I was doing something worthwhile in PR.

Of course, there is always the whole ADD thing when it comes to music, and sometimes I find myself wishing I owned a vintage music store specializing in old drums and cymbals…yes, that would be grand.  That can be one for the goal book, but for now, I am thankful to have such a good work situation - it sure makes life easier.

Anyway, sorry, I am just waxing nostalgic.  I think I am going to get going home now.  Have a great night all!

I always hate it when I get to bed late, and then wake up three hours later wired and unable to think.  The things that go through my head make me nuts at that point. In that state, I am without true reason or perspective, lying in the dark, thinking like a hypochondriac - am I going to go deaf, blind, die or what?

I look over at the sillhouette of the woman I am going to marry, and I have an instant pang of mixed emotions - guilt for being a butthead the night before, and amazement at the fact that we are coming up on two years, and I have no desire to be without her.  I take a lot of solace in that.  She is everything to me, and she treats me well, and always tells me she loves me. I am a lucky person to have her.

I roll over, and my mind shifts to other now disconcerting thoughts about my extended family, my brother, his wife and son, and I have a lot of tension about it.  hopefully things will sort themselves out in that situation.  Sometimes I wish that I could just make everything right, but then I realize that it is just my type D personality rising up to the surface.

I roll over again to listen to my love breathing.  I am usually really plugged up in the ears, so I have to pop them to catch the faint whisper of her breath as she exhales into her dreams.  I envy her.  Not in a bad way, mind you, but for someone so young, she UNDERSTANDS things that most people, including myself don’t, and sometimes I wonder if I am mature enough for her.  Once again, I think about how lucky I am to have her.

These thoughts take me back to the night before when she said she loved me, and she was bummed about the Crocodile Hunter dying.  Earlier that day, she saw the documentary about the hunter and his wife, and about how they met and fell in love, and she asked me if we were going to be all right in our relationship, explaining that she wants to have the kind of life that CH and his wife had. It is a sweet sentiment, and the only thing I can think to say is “we’re okay hun, we’re going to be good.”

With that, the first rays of the sun are peeking above the Silicon Valley horizon, and I am going to try to abolish the neurosis and return to bed to sleep, perchance to dream…

Good morning friends.  Take the time to appreciate those you love, and those who love you today.  I know I will.

…and I don’t mean myself!

So, I have been trying like crazy to get involved with a band lately.  I purchased the nice vintage drum kit, I have all of the recording equipment and guitars and I have literally spoken with tens of potential band candidates, most of whom were interested in scheduling tryouts.  Needless to say, every single one except one flaked out.  The one that didn’t flake out was cool, but basically wanted total artistic control of how the bass and drums were played.  To me, there is nothing more annoying than a guitarist who thinks that just because he has a six string instrument that he is automatic leader of the band.

My other pet peeve is along those lines, and has to do with the guitarist’s God complex and the guy wanting to write all of the tunes.  Even though I am the drummer in this situation, and Kevin plays bass in most situations, it is maddening to come into a ready-made situation - even worse is when they already have a completed album or demo, and we are there to emulate exactly what the other monkeys played… especially annoying when the last guys were way worse than me and Kev.

All right, I am done.  I just needed to throw a few gripes down.