Welcome to 2015.

[kv0925]

Sorry to say, my 2015 is not off to a stellar start. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad per se, and not even anything out of the ordinary. But maybe that's it--this time of year, I'm supposed to feel optimistic about what lies ahead, and I should be making plans for what to do with myself in the new year. And I'm really.. not, and just feeling really blah.

Maybe it's this lingering cold. I feel okay, but I keep coughing and clearing my throat in vain, with the gook firmly and stubbornly in place. I finally broke down today and got myself some Mucinex, hopefully that will help clear things out.

The bright point of the year so far was lunch today, with a couple colleagues at Buca di Beppo, a favorite place of mine. That Chicken Limone with fettucine alfredo.. mmmmm.

I was off work for the past 3 days, which makes today really feel like a Monday--but then I'm off again for the weekend, of course, so I'm all screwed up.

The days off themselves were.. meh. We had plans to go for a day trip to some distant state parks we like, and maybe toss in a new spot or two. But Tuesday the weather looked crappy, and said the next couple days would be better, so we waited. Wednesday, the weather still looked crappy, but Thursday would be better, so we waited. Thursday the weather looked iffy, but we went.. and it rained, of course. It ended up being an okay excursion, but not as good as it could have been.

Meanwhile, on the rainy days, at least I did get some things accomplished. I procured and installed a new set of speakers for my car, as I'd been talking about doing. Audio quality being so subjective, and cars being such varied listening environments, every speaker model I researched had reviews running the gamut from "omg these are awesome!!" to "wtf these are worse than the stock speakers." So finally I just decided to go with something reasonably priced by a manufacturer I respect, and got two pairs of Pioneers. And I do believe they accomplished what I was after, which was more clarity and sparkle on the high end and a tighter, punchier low end. So I consider it money well spent. I might go back in and apply some soundproofing material to the doors, which seems to help reduce road noise and better focus the sound from the speakers. But that can wait.

I also took Hallie to Home Depot, where we got stuff to build a puppet theater out of PVC piping. She's shown a proclivity for puppets for some time, and her favorite Christmas present was this nice Muppet-style princess puppet. We definitely want to encourage it, so I found a plan for a simple theater and I built the frame while Heather sewed some curtains. It came out pretty nicely, I'll have to take a photo sometime.

But anyway, here we are in 2015. I turn 40 this year. Maybe that's where my blahness really comes from. Getting old, with what seems so damn little to show for it. And lamenting the man I am, I guess. I've been a little down on myself lately, as a person, as a father, as a husband, as a friend.. you name it. I'm sure it will pass, as it always does. But for now I'm wallowing a little.

As for what I want out of this year? The same stuff I say I want every year, I guess. To learn more, to be more creative (and maybe monetize some of that creativity), just to be more and to be better. I'd like to start taking a little better care of myself physically, too. I'm rounding around the middle, definitely need to nip that in the bud. And cut back on sugar, mainly in the form of soda. And get to the dentist, and the doctor for that matter.

To help with the creativity angle, I jumped on a clearance deal earlier today--a guitar interface for my iPhone. I have an electric guitar here in the office which I often pick up while on conference calls or just waiting for something, but I have no amp so it's not all that satisfying, plus it lets me play sloppy. Maybe having lots of tones to play with via the smartphone will help make me pick it up more and get more out of it.

Okay, I'll leave it here for now. Happy New Year to you all--I hope 2015 has great things in store.

Comments

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

Happy new year! I hope you and your family have a great year.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I certainly hope so too! :) Same to you and yours!

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)

[vinterhjerter.livejournal.com]

Happy new year! I'm sorry to hear that it's not quite starting off on the right foot for you, but I guess I can relate a little to most of the things that you bring up. I've always felt that January was the worst possible month for new beginnings anyway, with everything so bleak and tiring, so I try not to reflect too much on these things right now to avoid getting depressed about it. :P

[cp.livejournal.com]

And I can't even complain about the weather that much! There was the gloom and rain for a few days, but it was still plenty warm, and we don't have the long nights to contend with like you do. I've been looking back at old LJ entries, and I seem to go through these phases about every 2 years. Maybe I was just due.

[re-vised.livejournal.com]

Happy New Year!

We all get the blahs, and do a good job of tearing ourselves down. I think we're always reinventing as we age and learn more about the world and ourselves. Don't be to hard on yourself!

Hooray for new speakers! That's exciting. I'm jealous! The phone app sounds like it will be fun, too. I didn't know you played guitar!

[cp.livejournal.com]

I've been looking back on some old entries, and it seems like about every 2 years I get to feeling a bit down. Sometimes it just goes away, sometimes I do something about it. I guess we'll see what this time is. :)

Yay for speakers indeed! When I told Heather they were only $40/pair, she was very relieved--I think she thought I was planning to drop a lot more cash than that! Well worth it, anyway.

Yup, I've been playing guitar since high school, which means.. coming up on 25 years now? I was really into it at first, had a band or two in my college years, played a single 2-night gig with one of them, and then got on with life. :) For a few years there I was really hoping to pursue it as a career one way or another, but I just never had the drive to really get GOOD, and never had the confidence to put myself out there anyway. So for a lot of years I hardly played at all, really. The past 3 years or so I've really reconnected with it, and play a little most every day, even if it's just to pick up a guitar and noodle for a little bit here at the office or at home. I need to actually practice more and learn new things, and I'd really like to get back into writing and recording songs. I don't expect it will ever make me rich and I have little interest in being famous, but it could be one of the creative things I do on the side that makes a little dough, who knows?

[re-vised.livejournal.com]

Oh that's super reasonable for speakers! I need to look into new ones... Mine are utter crap.

25 years is pretty darn respectable. I always enjoy it when Isaac plays his guitar, I'm sure your girls would feel the same way. Definitely couldn't hurt to try and get it to earn you a few bucks, too!

[cp.livejournal.com]

I thought so too! I had a budget of maybe $150 max in mind, but the reviews on the speakers in that price range seemed so hit-and-miss. I chalk it up to the differences in listening environments and people's sensitivities, but still--I hated the thought of spending that much for not much real difference. So I sorta cheaped out, but the reviews on these were pretty consistently good, and the price was certainly right. So I went ahead and did all 4. I was cranking it up pretty good on the way home today, it was wonderful. :) The ones I got are pretty specifically intended for Ford and Mazda cars, since they use a somewhat odd size. But find out what size you need, there should be a set of Pioneer TS speakers to fit. I broke my normal rule and went to Wal-Mart to get them, they were cheaper there than Amazon and it was a good rainy afternoon to install them immediately. :)

I play around the girls a lot. So far none of them seem interested in learning, which maybe means I suck. :) But now and then I'll play something they recognize and they'll say something, which at least means they do pay some attention. :)

[re-vised.livejournal.com]

See that's my hang up - I don't think I could install the speakers... But I bet Isaac could! Oh man, I wish it wasn't winter (and so cold out) because I'd so do this when I got back from VA. Ugh.

Maybe their interest peaks when they hear something they know? I think that's true for a lot of people.

[cp.livejournal.com]

I'd say the hardest part of the speaker install is getting the inside door panels off. You might want to pick up a cheap set of plastic trim pry tools (http://smile.amazon.com/E-PRANCE-Panel-Dashboard-Dismantle-Installer/dp/B00D7XNQHG) to make it easier and avoid scratching anything up. Look around on YouTube and you can probably find a video of someone removing the door panels on your make and model to see how that goes.

Once that's done, though, it's as simple as unscrewing the old speaker, removing the plug, and connecting and screwing in the new one. Okay, the connecting the new one part can be tricky--most cars these days have special plugs to connect the speakers. You can buy new wiring harnesses to add the plug to the new speakers, or do what I did--pry the plugs off the old speakers and solder them onto the new ones. But that requires a soldering iron, of course. Maybe Isaac is handy with one of those? :)

[re-vised.livejournal.com]

I think I'd have to purchase a new stereo. Mine is the stock, and thus 18 years old, plus I'd really, really like to have the AUX plug so I can stop carrying around so many CD's.

Neither of us is proficient in soldering. Hm. I suppose it still wouldn't be terribly expensive if I took the car to Best Buy or some place similar to get new speakers and a stereo installed. Couple hundred? Could be a good birthday present... :)

[cp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, 18 years is pretty old! Get one that has a USB and/or SD slot, I like to have those options for mp3 playback as well. :)

[re-vised.livejournal.com]

Oh good idea!

[cp.livejournal.com]

I replaced the stereo in our minivan way back when, and it has a front USB port so I got a tiny 32GB USB drive that's just a nub (like so (http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Cruzer-Low-Profile-Drive--SDCZ33-032G-B35/dp/B00812F7O8)) and just leave that plugged in all the time. I add new tunes to it now and then, but mostly it's just loaded with stuff I like so it's always there as an option. :)

My car's stock stereo has an AUX input but nothing digital (except for mp3 cds), so I added a little system for that plus Bluetooth connectivity for my phone, which is all very handy. It has an SD slot too, so like the van I keep a big SD card loaded up with tunes plugged in there.

The other benefit of all this is when I travel and rent a car--I take one of my music USB drives along in case the rental has a USB port, which they increasingly do. Saves me from having to surf the radio to find a good station, though it can be fun to come across a cool independent station, of which there are still a few here and there. :)

[re-vised.livejournal.com]

Those are all very good reasons to get a SD port. I would prefer Bluetooth, too!

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

every speaker model I researched had reviews running the gamut from "omg these are awesome!!" to "wtf these are worse than the stock speakers." -- Ain't that the truth! A wise choice you made though, I believe.

A little reflection, that can come from having our spirits down, can be a good thing; I hope it gives you renewed hope & perspective sooner rather than later. I'm astounded that you don't think you have a lot to show when I find your life very enviable, plus your "hobby" kicks my butt, but of course all things are relative.

Good luck with reducing your sugar intake, that too can really help with balancing one's moods (in my experience, particularly eliminating HFCS); be patient with yourself.

***

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[cp.livejournal.com]

Thanks to you for the kind words, and Happy New Year to you as well!

I know, one of my standard responses to "How are you doing?" is "Oh, I can't complain--but I do anyway." :) I know for the most part I have a fantastic life, and I feel like I'm really happy with 95% of it. But that last 5% just has a way of really bugging me now and then, you know?

My problem with sugar is that it's really my one and only vice. Chocolate, ice cream, and especially sugary drinks.. it's all so good! :) But it's definitely something I can look to moderate further, and say yes to sugar-free stuff more often. Then it's a question of which is worse, refined sugar and HFCS or artificial sweeteners? What do you drink most of the time?

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

going to pm you my answer

[audamy.livejournal.com]

I've been feeling a little "meh" for the past month so I sort of get where you're coming from.

Definitely post a picture of Hallie's puppet theater. I was really into puppets as a kid but I had to rig up my own crappy little theater myself :P

[cp.livejournal.com]

She got a new puppet yesterday so her princess has someone to talk to--I'll have to have her put on a show this weekend and get some photos and/or video. :)

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

Happy New Year!

The blahness could be due to the weather, less sunlight, a lot of people being sick. Just don't wallow too much... From what I've seen, you're a great father, and have a lot to be proud of.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Happy New Year to you too!

Well, I can't complain about the weather too much--winter here is a far cry from winters elsewhere, after all. :) But yeah, I'm sure being sickly hasn't helped. I just need to find a way out of this rut, I guess.