G.A.S. Report — ACQUIRED: Roland Juno-Gi

Well, I sold the Juno-G due to it being really really complicated to use and my fear that the LCD screen would die and it would be expensive to replace. The Gi was a good solution for me. Is it the best? Well...No, but it's faithfully reproducing roland and other sounds that I like. The onboard 8track recorder is nice and the drum patterns work pretty good too. It's a far cry better for me than the G. The only thing that keeps me from having buyers remorse is that I got it in new condition for exactly HALF PRICE!! Thanks to buying it used from someone on Ebay! :)

Hibernia Irish Tavern

An extremely well done place that I finally made my way into a week ago or so. Gerry Lambert, barman and co-owner, is a great guy ready with a suggestion for drink or dinner and a generally all around great guy!

The food is authentic and tasty. I always try the fish and chips first at any Irish or English restaurant I visit. Theirs is lightly beer battered, seasoned cod. Not over fried either. The chips were a surprise! Round cut and fried dark, lightly salted. The tartar tasted homemade. Combined with a guinness, heaven on earth!

They have traditional Irish curry and, of course, black and white pudding!! I'm looking forward to sampling their menu more in the future!

I can't wait to come up and play guitar or piano. Maybe some Van Morrison!

http://www.hiberniairishtavern.com/
You can also find them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/gerryathibernia

Gerry pulls a Guinness Stout for a customer.

They are located off Rodney Parham in West Little Rock

9700 N. Rodney Parham

"Life’s a journey, not a destination" or Practice, practice, practice

It works great when you do it, even though at the time it usually seems painful and futile. Unfortunately, I have not been doing very well at making the time for practice. By the time the evening is done, dinner is made, eaten and dishes are washed, kids to bed and settled in, there is little left of me to practice.

I think about it all the time. Every song I hear I mentally pick apart. But by the time I get down to play, it's gone, whatever inspiration I thought I had that would ignite my playing again, that impetus to start practicing more and more, AND more effectively. Promises, promises... all broken.

Without practicing there will be no way I can move this love of music and playing to the next level by playing with others. In my head I hear a symphony, or a great old song at the very least. But out of my mouth and hands comes hesitation and, frankly, drivel.

Okay, I'll admit it...I love GLEE!

I was hesitant at first to accept it, but it's really hit my inner "showtune loving" self right where it hurts...sentimentality!

I was fortunate enough when I was in high school to get into trouble, so much so in the 11th grade they asked if I could go to another school. I hated Bryant High School with the only exception being that I met and dated my future wife there, it was oppressive. Fairly standard mentality of rednecks: homophobe, xenophobe, ignorance, racism, etc. No one cared if you were bullied, or talked to/treated harshly by admins if you were outside the norm, even slightly. It was conform or go home.

My one and only rule...well, Barney's, not mine

My one and only rule

From the Barney Stinson Blog:

My one and only rule

Written on February 28, 2011 by Barney Stinson in My blog

I am, if nothing else, a man of integrity. I choose to live a life governed by strict morals that are often difficult to remember. That’s why I’ve simplified everything into one simple, easy-to-understand rule:
Never date a girl with a hook for a hand.
For me, it’s just that simple. Whenever I encounter an ethically gray situation, that one rule almost always guides me in the proper direction.
After you’ve discovered your own “one rule,” you’ll need to commit it to memory. I find it helps to take out a piece of paper and simply write your rule over and over, like this:

We love HIMYM!

Still believing the children are our future!

There really is no better feeling for me than giving a child an instrument! It helps that the child is my younger step-daughter, Corey, and that she really appreciates it. She's an awesome kid, smart, quick study and sweet. Talented too! She plays violin, uke, sax and now a little bass. I'm enjoying playing the bass as well! Being primarily a guitarist, this thing is so easy to play.

This bass is the new Squier (by Fender) Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass Special (short scale). It may be inexpensive but it plays and looks like way more than it cost! Right out of the box, perfect, well nearly. I'll still do a full set up, but it was set up well enough that we just tuned it up and started playing.

The only niggly things that I will have to correct are the back of the neck's skunk stripe needs a little sanding, the knobs weren't aligned and really, that's it! Even the strings are nice.

SO...Go Fender/Squier for making it easy to put a smile on a kids face (and mine too!). Go Corey for learning the bassline to Garbage Truck by Beck from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World so quickly! You rock!