The Quiet Girl

 Shortly after I bought my beloved, precious Taylor GC3 in early 2014, and I was exploring new music and how to play some alternative rock songs acoustically, I came upon a video titled "Tom DeLonge Breaks His Guitar." I had heard of Blink-182 before, but had never listened to them. Out of curiosity, I decided to watch it. Out came Tom's guitar. The Taylor had some words written on the top that I will not repeat on this blog. I began to sadly wonder why someone would treat such a beautiful guitar like that, but continued to watch. Tom played a new lick he had written. The guitar sounded lovely. Then he commented on how the guitar's bridge had started to malfunction. A band mate then told him if it didn't get fixed that the bridge would come off, hitting his arm with 150 pounds of string tension. This resulted in Tom growing furious, shouting, "No!!!" in a funny and upset way. Then the sad part. Tom says, "Well, I'll just have to break this guita

  I got a Taylor GC3 used on eBay. It is the best purchase I have ever made in my life.  If you are considering purchasing a nice guitar such as a Martin or a Taylor, but aren’t sure how you are going to pay for it, don’t despair. I once thought the same way, and after doing some math, budgeting, having some patience, waiting for the right opportunities, and figuring out what I was looking for, I was able to make it work, and you can too! I believe it is a worthy investment if you play on a regular basis, even if it's just in the comfort of your own home. 😊 I had first heard of Taylor guitars after seeing a guy from youth group playing a Grand Auditorium very well, and   after watching a YouTube video of two girls doing a cover of Skillet’s “Yours to Hold” in 2008, before I even played the guitar. The guitar one of the girls was playing was an 814ce, unbeknownst to me at the time. She played it very well, and it sounded very good. Very smooth and full. Not long after that, I

In this post I am going to talk to you about how I have gone about watching television. I will admit I am a bit outdated sometimes, not necessarily in the entertainment I choose, but in the format. You see, I still watch VHS tapes when the time is right. And I own many DVDs. They are cheap, especially at the Goodwill, or on eBay, if it is a newer release that has yet to make it into the thrift stores. Rarely, if ever, do I pay full price for a movie. Many of my DVDs cost $3, some $2 or even only $1. Plus, being a recording engineer, I am also an audio/video geek. I can recall only a couple times when I paid full price. It was the night before I left for tour my senior year of undergrad, and after eating dinner for the evening, I decided to go look around Target to get some last minute items to take with me on the trip. I found the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory new for $5. I decided to get it, as it was a once-in-a-long-time chance to get one of my Tim Burton favorites a

I have been hitting all the Goodwills where I live, for when I move, hoping to find what I have put on my shopping list at a reduced price: a coffee table, a TV stand, maybe some games, and some exercise items. So far, I have found none of the items on my list, but I definitely have found some items that I know I will use, watch, read or listen to. 1. Door Harp  I have always wanted a door harp. I remember as a child going to a pastor's house for a fellowship, and next to the table I was sitting and eating dinner at, people kept opening and closing the door to the basement, which had a door harp on it. It sounded charming to me, like a small hammered dulcimer. My nana has one in her house too. I got this one for only 99 cents. The strings are fairly new and have no rust, they sound good. I like the blue color, but the ducks have got to go. I plan on sanding them off and painting probably a psychedelic or artistic, vibrant design on it to liven it up before putting it

I am going to start posting about my habits of frugality. Many items I own are very nice, and I got them for a good price. Hmm... that rhymes! The first purchase I am going to write about is a nightstand I bought at the Goodwill. I had originally seen this nightstand in the 2015 IKEA catalog for $29.99. I love IKEA. The furniture is very modern, perhaps futuristic. It is very clean and precise, just like me. And I love the Scandinavian vibe, the culture and style is very modern and artistic. After 4 years of dreaming about it and using the pictures in the catalog as inspiration for my room and apartment, I had given up ever owning it. After great discipline and trial and error, I have made it a habit to try to only buy things, be they furniture, clothing, jewelry or the like, if I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would wear it or enjoy seeing it in my house. In other words, if it screams "me." Or, if I would still like it a month from now just as much as when

It's been a long time, you guys. I have been working on job applications like mad. And I finally got a job as a bank teller. I enjoy it so far, I decided that as I work towards a career in music that finance would be something I enjoy and am good at as well, and it can be a job I can work my way up in if I so choose. It also pays nicely and to my satisfaction. I will always be a musician, and will always strive to be an entrepreneurial spirited composer and artist, no matter what I do to earn a living, and whether music is my main source of income or not. Fun fact-one of my favorite classes in undergrad was my Music Business class, which discussed many of the financial details and business strategies of record labels and music sales. I found it very interesting. More on that later. I mentioned in my last post that I should rewrite some of the lyrics to Tim Hawkins' "Atheist VBS Songs," because I didn't feel they were as accurate as they could be. It could be cal