acoustic guitar and electric guitar are not genres of music you can play.  Meaning, don’t ask me if I play acoustic or electric guitar.  That’s like asking me whether mac is better than dell.  The confusion that emits from those makes a response impossible.

There are some awesome collaborations out there. Mash ups also abound and are wealthy in awesomeness. Some of these can be considered mash-ups, but the fact that both artists involved actually came together to perform it make it awesome in a whole new way.

10. Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson – Scream : This shatters previous standards of awesome on so many different levels. Never again will 2 individual pop powerhouses be siblings and only cross paths in such an epic way as this.

9. Babyface & Eric Clapton – Change the World : Babyface’s solo artist career was short lived, but he remained a powerful force in the background of the early 90s music scene. This was a great step forward for young people who weren’t familiar with Clapton too.

8. Eminem & Elton John – Stan : Blew the stereo-types out of the water with this 2001 Grammy performance. I missed Dido, but that was up there too.

7. Moby & Gwen Stefani – South Side : I think time has a lot to do with this one. Both were peaking in their careers and the song seemed to fit perfectly in both of their individual careers.

6. Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page – Come With Me : I took Puff Daddy with a grain of salt when he broke out after Biggie’s death, but man, did he prove me wrong. He had some high style and some reigning class.

5. Finger Eleven & The Alkaholiks – Daaam : Maybe I’m biased, but I think it’s an awesome cross genre collab.

4. Aerosmith and Run DMC – Walk This Way : A musical first where the two bands crossed genres and did it well.

3. Jay – Z and Linkin Park – Numb/Encore :Following DJ Dangermouse’s mashing of Jay-Z, these two put the theory to practice, in an awesome way. I truly regret not seeing them in Philly for the FREE G8 concert.

2. USA for Africa – We Are the World : Almost too much going on here, but it was just right. The All Star collaboration done after 9/11 is a close competitor, but none of those people had staying power.

1. Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson – The Girl is Mine : This song is the last remnant of their relationship. It’s awesome to see these two powerhouses come together, but then inevitably destroy each other.

Honorable mentions:
Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulators : Classic song, but neither made it big enough to call it an epic match of collaboration.

Santana & … Anyone : There are some great collaborations there…but they all have Santana, which tells me 1 thing. Santana has no talent besides playing terribly flashy guitar solos over basic melodies.

Rockwell & Michael Jackson – Somebody’s Watching Me : Not really much of a collaboration, but the fact that someone as big during that time as Michael Jackson, lending his voice and melody to some no name dude remains a mystery. Perhaps it will remain that way.

Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Pop_Collaboration_with_Vocals

Well, some of you already knew, but now that it didn’t pan out, we’re allowed to talk about it.  Back in April, Chemistry.com (where Kallie and I met) contacted us and wanted us to be interviewed by a “national magazine” about our story.  Turns out it was People Magazine.  So they called Kallie, asked her a bunch of questions and asked for “our story” and I guess they interviewed a bunch of other people as well.  After a long waiting period, we were told we weren’t selected for the article, but it is cool just to be able to say we were interviewed by People Magazine.

I’ve also been selected by Pittsburgh City Living to be the Ambassador to the Hill District!  Not sure what that means exactly yet, but it’s a city program to showcase all the individual neighborhoods of the city.  Hopefully I’ll be able to contribute to the growth of the Hill!

This summer has been a whirlwind of activity.  We’ve been to California and back twice in July, a couple weddings around the state, heading to Canada/Yankanuck next week, went camping in Ohio and went to Cedar Point, back to Bedford for our 1 year anniversary, and just a bunch of other stuff that filled our calendars and put smiles on our faces.  I think next year we’re going to really protect our weekends and time together.  We had fun this year, but it was way too chaotic, and we even cut out a lot things as it was.

Back to real life, Kallie’s down to part-time work and full time student to get her NP license.  Since she’s doing that, I am also heading back to RMU for my masters in organizational studies.  We’re looking at 2-3 years for us to finish those up.  Work is reimbursing me as long as I get above a C, and I need above a 3.00 GPA to graduate, so I should have some motivation there.

I’m training for the urbanathlon again in October.  Probably doing a 5k in Charleroi and the Great Race 10k before then in preparation.  I’m going to try to fund-raise for the L.i.v.i.n.g. Ministry again this year too.  A lot going on with the ministry, and they could surely use the support!

I think after the race, I’m going to focus on music, playing out, writing songs, etc to carry me through the winter.  Hopefully I’ll be able to follow through on that one…I’ll keep you posted

Drop-D is bifurcated by amateur and awesomeness.  It’s a hard but necessary division.

So I had a dream last night where I rode my guitar case all the way from pittsburgh to my mom’s house.  The case had 4 wheels on the bottom of it and it stool vertically, and I sat where the handle would be.  I was just kicking off the ground for momentum.  The dream really lasted all the way home as I remember riding along 79, down through scenery hill, stopped at the national city in richeyville, and then to my mom’s house.  Everyone was so impressed that I did it, and I demonstrated how easy it was to just kick off the ground and coast for a bit.  It worked out to 3 hours to get all the way from pittsburgh, which is what I said in the dream, but now I’m realizing that would mean I was doing ~20 mph on a guitar case…that’s pretty fast.

When I was around 7 or so, my parents decided to split.  I don’t remember particularly why, but it was decided that J’aime and I both needed to see psychiatrists as a result.  Actually, I don’t remember if J’aime started at the same time as I did or not, all I know is right around that time, I started seeing Cindy.  From memory, she was in her 30s, dirty blonde hair to her shoulders, not too over weight, but not overly attractive either.  Anyway, I’d go see her, I think once a week, and she had this black garbage bag (in retrospect, you’d think she’d have a better storage solution) full of toys that she’d let me play with as she played with me and probably used mind tricks to have me reveal my feelings.  I was actually pretty open to this, and want to say I grew pretty attached to meeting with her.  Heck, it was surely better than beating my forehead against the door frame when my parents started fighting…(again on retrospect…perhaps that’s why they sent me to therapy??).  I have no idea how long I saw Cindy, but I remember that she came to my graduation ceremony one here.  She sat right in the middle of the room, right pews, first seat in.  I still remember walking down and being so happy and surprised to see her.

Somewhere along the way though, Cindy decided to get married and move to Connecticut or some other New England state.  It was sudden and unexpected, but perhaps that was their plan.  I remember crying at home once; crying to talk to Cindy.  I can remember my mom trying to find her number in the phone book or some way to get in contact with her.  I don’t think we ever did.

I think I was done with head doctors for a while, until I went to see Mark.  Mark was a mid 20s guy, slim, tan, wore a thin gold chain, and pretty energetic.  I remember thinking his wife was pretty attractive, so he must have been some sort of lady’s man.  He was cool.  Probably too cool for me.  He talked about playing basketball one day with me, but we’d play waste basketball in his office instead.  I think i saw him for a while, and it was good having a guy to talk to, but like i said, I think he was just too cool and energetic for me.

I know I’ve been to at least 1 other therapist, Rod, but he was more like a family therapist that we all saw at times.  Although I do not have the scientific pleasure of being objective and can only rely on introspection, I feel that shrinks were a waste of time and money, at least for me.  Therapy, by that I mean an act, hobby, or some sort of interaction or escape is invaluable though.  Legos — Therapy.  Guitar — Therapy.  Driving long distance – Therapy.  This blog — Therapy. 

ok, so i am back from canada, but i haven’t uploaded pics yet because i am waiting to get Keren’s from her. I’ll make a note when i get them up. Other than that, it was great. I did absolutely nothing. hung out on the island, read some books, played some guitar, hung out with the sisters, and slept. I was definitely ready to come home though.

Last friday, I threw an xbox party, cuz i had nothing better to do. organized it all during the week last week, got 2 Tvs from my moms, talked to a few people to bring there xboxes, since i don’t even have one, and it all went pretty well. 7 people total, played for about 5 hours. could have done with more people/xboxes and played for longer, but i think everyone had a good time. My underlying goal is to get people accustomed to the idea, then throw a LAN party. I love LAN parties.

still no word on the house. the friday before i left, I got an email from northwood saying that they noticed they didnt get a house for me, wanted to know if i was still in the market, etc. just a courtesy email. So i said that i was still in the market, for the same house that i had contacted them about, but had a terrible experience with the realtor, and asked if i should complain to them about it. they replied and said if i had an issue with an agent, to let them know. so then i wrote the whole schpeal about how lame the realtor was, told them i was going on vacation for a week, and left them my number. I then went to see Tommy, The Who musical, with my cousin adam, and they had called me while i was there. I decided i would just call them when i got back from canadia. I called them when i got back sunday, and the lady told me that she would see if she could get in contact with the lawyer who handled the estate (it was a lady that died, and the family couldnt afford to keep it, and they didnt pay the gas bill, so there was no heat, and that is why the pipes burst). That was the 31st, and i haven’t heard a word back from her since. le sigh. I should probably give her a call back. my lease is up this month though, so i need to figure out what the crap i am doing, renewing for a year, month to month, or just ride it out as long as i can without a lease so i can go into the house.

Keren’s birthday is today! I am picking her up from the airport this saturday. she’s been in michigan all summer at spring hill camps as staff. she is only going to be home for a week or two before she moves down to maryland with serah into a new place. Serah sent me the floor plan, looks $$$. should have room for me to go down and crash on the weekends though

other than some other personal drama, nothing new going on here. just riding the wave. school starts back up the 29th, taking 3 classes. This summer classes came with an A and a C in that stupid public speaking class. I even had 2 incompletes in that class. if she wasn’t such a —–, i could have gotten atleast a b. but oh well, as long as i get a C, mellon gives me full reimbursment, so rock on.

it’s 5 am, and i am just going to bed. Got a lot to do today. clean the apartment, eye doctor’s, going to a Who – Tommy broadway thing with adam, and i gotta pack for yankanuck. leaving 6am saturday and going up to canada for a week. should be lots of fun. i am taking american psycho, disturbing the peace, hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, diary, davinci code, and the interpretation of dreams to read. might stop by the store and pick up charlie and the chocolate factory if i think about it. I’ve started all these books, just never finished them. most people go up to the island to fish, but i am not big into that, so i am just going to get away from technology for a bit and read and play my guitar and hang out with my sisters. I am so stoked. havent seen keren all summer since she has been in michigan. rock on!

I have always wanted to start my own business customizing things. It started off with thinking it would be cool to have a guitar amp that was like a sphere, with 4 speakers around it, and the jack on top, and people could play out in a crown with this amp, so everyone got the sound. It would be cool for parties, or street shows. Then i thought about how i like to customize things, and seeing things like computer cases and cars, i think it would be a great business. We’d have laser etchers, metal fabricators, painters, carpenters, artists, the whole works, and we could customize anything you wanted. the company name would be “Custom Eyes”

I’m not sure if i should post just any dream i remember, or just the ones that are weird. What do you think? This next one, i woke up remembering the end part, and was just going to post that, but then i remembered all that happenned before it that wasn’t related, so i wasn’t sure to post that or not. I guess i just write it at the end. Things to note, i went to bed at 4:30 pm, woke up at 8:30 pm for a minute or two, and had not dreamed any of this, and by 10:30 i woke up for good and remembered this.

So i am at my dad’s house, and by this time, i am aware that i am dreaming, but instead of being active and in control of my dream like i usually am, i believe myself to be invisible. It’s a summer day, and all my sisters are just chilling out in the grass sitting around and talking. I slowly sneak up to them and try and hear their conversation. While Serah is talking, Ja’ime starts to look at me. I have the feeling like in past dreams she had done the same thing, like i really am not invisible. I ignore it once or twice, but then she does it again, and i tackle here and start to tickle her sides like there is no tomorrow. She starts freaking out like i would expect her to, and everyone else sits there watching her, and then i see Serah give a look like “what do i do now???” and look off into the woods, as if some “director” is there and will give her directions. So i busted her on that move and then they all start talking to me, like “yeah, you weren’t invisible and you weren’t dreaming and we weren’t supposed to let you know that.” Like a whole Jim Carrey and Truman Show thing. Then my dad drive up in his dump truck into the yard and gets out and start heading for the house like he is mad. So i was looking at my sisters and said something along the lines of “so he was in on it too huh? I am so mad at him” Then I said, “but maybe he was just doing his job, so do i hate him, the actor actor in my life, or do i hate his character.” But anyway, it starts to get dark and stormy, and we all have this sense of urgency to seek refuge in the house. At this point, my uncle kenny shows up and heads for the house as well as my grandma. As we are making our way into the house, i hear TONS of crazy animal noises coming from the woods. I am talking lions, ELEPHANTS, howls, growls, all that, and i am thinking they are all coming to stampede the house. We get into the house, and i walk to the front door of the house and J’aime is letting Dante in from the porch, but a black police officer is there, and he drove his car right up to the porch and was talking to us to make sure everyone got in safe. And then i woke up. The part of the dream that happenned before this is in the extended text. So back to the beginning of what i remember. One of the most popular themes of my dreams is that i am back in highschool, trying to finish school for some reason, but i am still the same person as i am today. As if i just left school and never finished. So this is where i am at, in a classroom, and Will Smith is my teacher. We are in a classroom that was at my 2nd school, Heritage Hills Christian Academy. (3rd floor, across from Mrs. Sarber’s small room for the details) anyway, he’s about to start class and he asks me how i am doing, and i say fine. My girlfriend Becky is sitting next to me, and he asks me about the legal case going on. I am then reminded of a dream i hate earlier, where a friends girlfriend was suing me for some reason. I gave a look of shock that he asked me that and just tried to dodge the question, i think he got the hint and said that he was a little confused but he would just talk to me later. Then the dreams gets spotty and i kinda remember Samuel L Jackson being my teacher for something, and having a study hall with someone else, but i would skip it to go talk to him about my life and get his advice. Whe he was there, the setting was my first school, Bentleyville Wesleyan Christian School. The next thing i remember, i am at the cannon by my dad’s house, and someone starts playing the bass part to what i believe to be a Police song. I wish i could remember the song, or even exactly how it went, I know if someone played it for me right now, i would be able to pick it out. But anyway, he’s behind the barn playing guitar, and i walk near him and he starts playing some other leads to songs that i recognized. When he is done, he puts down the guitar, and walks back to the group of 4 or 5 of his 20 something friends who were watching him play. Then, one of them comes over to me, and about 6 other people that were watching him. And he starts saying that what his friend just did took courage, to stand up there and play infront of everyone, and he said 2 points for him for being able to do that, and to be bold enough to do what he wanted to do in his life. He said that is what we all needed to learn to do, to live in the moment. He came up to me and said to everyone, I am just going to put out my cigarette on this guy’s neck (which he did) because i don’t know him and i feel like doing it. Now, if he was smart, one day he will grow up and remember that and kill me. Then i started to strangle him, squeezing the life out of his neck, and he was proud of me for killing him, because he saw me doing what i wanted to do. He didn’t put up much of a fight. Then i start walking closer to the house and that is where i started to realize i was dreaming and continued with the rest of the dream.

I think this dream reveals my deep paranoia and dementia. Agree?