Stew's Clues

A Norman Rockwell Ending to 2009?

2009-12-27T13:37:00.001-08:00

Norman Rockwell painting it was not, but not as bad as 2008. This year I felt that I had more positive experiences while other situations got bad or worse.

I'll get the worse out of the way first. It was tough trying to be Mr. Polite while my step father was allowed to be present for my sister's wedding. Although I was very happy for my sister and new addition to our family, it was hard not to cause a scene and step out of the illusion called "best behavior." Things are settling down in that area as long as my mom follows my sister's guidelines on getting her new start in life, living independently free from manipulation.

Another bad aspect of 2009 was the announcement that my good friend from work was diagnosed with stage IV A metastatic bone cancer. Everybody I've ever seen or heard does not escape this stage of cancer. He's still working (for his own reasons) and so I get to see him decline in every stage of the disease. He has confided in me regarding his treatment, thoughts, concerns, all the while keeping a unemotional expression on my face. He appreciates this since he needs someone he can talk to who doesn't cry or get teary eyed when he talks about his condition. He's lost 35 lbs, and can no longer walk upright without the assistance of a cane. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him and wonder about his well being. I've gotten to know his wife too. This is something that makes it worse because now I have a face to his wife and child (6). He and I also talk about almost everything, really enjoy each others company, yet I know that there will come a day when he will be gone, and I will have forgotten something cool to share with him.

Now he's just received news that's the worst imaginable. I'm not at liberty to discuss but if you use your imagination, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. What bugs me the most is that he's a firm non believer. He's grown up all his life around Christian and Catholic private schools all his life. Although he's very knowledgeable about scripture, he still chooses to not believe. There's no changing his mind, especially with the news of his illness. I hope with every one's prayers and knowledge of prayers being given, he'll give his life over before he passes.

Another friend lost his hearing due to a work related accident. After being plagued with bad luck between loosing his brother to brain cancer, and having his wife battle issues with allergic airborne reactions, he has irreversable severe tinnitus (hyperacusis)which would keep him up at night due to the insane ringing in his ears. Another long time musician, he is no longer able to play guitar let alone listen to any kind of music at all. He's having to try (or about to try) various forms of white noise and pink noise treatments in order to help retrain his brain to get used to the ringing so that he can get used to the ringing. Again, feeling like I have nothing to offer as far as comforting words since I can't even imagine what he's going through. And like with my other friend, I feel that a lack of words is even worse than empty words.

And now onto the positives. After a long time waiting for new x-ray equipment, I finally went digital this year. This means no more chemical processing of images, it's all done on the computer, my friend. It's made my life so much easier now. We are still doing the same amount of workload at half the time, thanks to the direct capture machine. You place your hand on a sensor and within 2 seconds, the image appears on my computer monitor. The image is then sent to a database where all physicians and radiologists can view in almost the same amount of time it takes to make the image.

Times when I've dreaded summer, turned out that this one was really nice. After loosing about 25 lbs, it was fun to get out and do things with my family. We got to stay a few weeks at the beach and share that time with friends who came down and spent a day or two with us. I was sort of sad that summer left. Usually I can't wait until summer is over, just to escape the heat.

My hand pain disappeared for some odd reason this fall. With the new fingers I decided to join another band and only keep it at one. I'll probably start up with Worship band in 2010.

This winter, I got to experience snow again. I have not been around a snow storm since I was a kid. We took a week and traveled up north, met up with some friends and stayed a week at their second home in Lake Tahoe. The girls got to see snow fall which they can't remember the last time since they were very young then. I really miss the snow, although I don't think I'd be able to deal with it when I had to be at work a certain time. The highest temperatures it's been has been around 65, usually it's been about mid 70's to low 80's but then drops to about 40 degrees at night. This week it's been about 36 degrees for the low.

So I've just finished Christmas and ended the year with my band playing at an outdoor festival, full of Christmas lights, ice skating, and hot chocolate. It was a fun show. I'm now left with a good feeling and so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to reflect on my dwindling 2009 year.

While chores and 50% off after Christmas sales await me, I'm left with the question, was this my Norman Rockwell year? I guess if I count my blessing of what I have, whether that be known or unknown, I could be close. Hopefully closer in 2010. I won't be free and clear of certain obstacles but at least closer.

Back On Stage Again: Grovestock 2009

2009-11-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

After a little more than a year of total guitar abstinence, I've joined up with some of the best musicians from my church to form the band, The Relics. Originally, I sat in with the band a few months ago just to fill in some wholes in the 3 piece instrument 70's "Guitar Hero" band. It worked out well. I've since played twice with this band and it really fits.

We play all those songs from the early 70's from Led Zepplin, Deep Purple, Bad Company, Cream/Derek And The Dominoes/Clapton, to Fleetwood Mac, ZZ Top, in addition to one hit wonder bands like Mountain (Mississippi Queen), Free (All Right Now) and Golden Earring (Radar Love). It's so much fun playing these old songs. I mentioned Guitar Hero because if it weren't for that video game (which uses many of these old songs in the game) then we'd have a very narrow fan base. Even teens end up in our audience. Anyway, we played at a fundraiser last week. Here's some pics and a video clip from that show. Unfortunately, I only have stills of the guitar dual on "Highway Star". Mike Barnes and I do a dueling harmony "car out of control" guitar solo that was a blast to play.

Thinking About Hanging Up Stew's Clues.

2009-11-01T11:42:00.000-08:00

Really nothing to say anymore. This blog is starting to be viewed by people who really have no business being here. Although, that's the risk I took when I started this blog. World Wide Web is all eyes on, no passwords for this blog, despite my blog name.

I'm not that comfortable anymore knowing certain people are aware of my every thought, opinion, ideas.

I apologize to my European following (weird, huh?) and the small group of x-ray techs who found my frustrations humorous. Premier Guitar magazine who picked up on my guitar designs and listed me as an up and coming guitar builder. That was nice.

As of December 31st, 2009, this blog will be done, dissolved, eliminated. All pictures will be removed and all that will be left is a "Page No Longer Exists" prompt. I may post an exit comment before then but I just wanted to give all of you a heads up. I mean, all I did was gripe anyway.

I did enjoy updating my title image every month. Shag is an awesome artist.

-SC

Magical X-rays Make For A Huge Swine Flu Season.

2009-09-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

Despite the lack of another knee-jerk reaction towards an pandemic of the Swine flu, this flu season will most likely be huge due to the lack of education or most likely, the lack of applying education. Patients in our facility refuse to wear blue masks.

I work in a hospital where daily I'm seeing Mexicans carrying masks. Not wearing, carrying them. All day long these miracle masks help prevent the spread of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus. I see them tucked in back jean pockets, top shirt pockets and small children chasing their masks around waiting rooms. Kids like to pretend they are mini parachutes. The parents nearby totally oblivious to the problem.

As offended as many may be by this comment, it is just a fact that I only see dark skinned immigrant appearing people walking around with masks. Sure I'll occasionally see a white person (who knows, could be German or Australian) wearing a mask (yes, actually wearing). But those individuals are clearly patients currently under chemotherapy.

Two recent incidents in my department. I took their Chest X-ray and after excusing them from the exam room, the patient proceeded to remove their mask as they walked out the door and to return back to their doctor's office. Another removed her mask in order for her to cough outside of her mask. Nice.

We've had numerous deaths in our hospital due to the Swine flu. Even pregnant women have been delivering babies who have confirmed Swine flu already. As much as I hate to say it, they are mostly Mexican or Hispanic.

In addition to not wearing their masks, they also do not cover their mouths when they cough. But that's not just a Mexican issue, it's apparent with all races. I've never seen so many people walking around, adults mind you, coughing straight into the air, no head turned to the ground, no cough into the shoulder, not even a hesitated raise of the hands as if to not catch the cough in time. I find myself holding my breath after "drafting" behind some patient in the halls only to have them cough full force straight ahead of them.

Try this experiment sometime; around 2 hours until sundown, sit across from somebody who's back is turned towards sunlight. In just normal conversation, you can see fine mist droplets flying from the person's mouth 4 feet across from you. A cough or sneeze carries those droplets at least 2-3 times further than the normal speaking distance.

None of these people are going to change, nobody is going to stop them and we will end up having the biggest flu season anyone has seen in awhile. Nothing will be done until numerous people will begin to die in the thousands. Nothing preventative outside of this year's flu shot is currently being done to prevent this from becoming a bigger problem.

I'm not sure what the problem is. Is it staff that do not speak Spanish in order to inform the patient not to remove the mask while in the facility and just merely hand them the mask without instruction? Or is this just pure ignorance as to how the mask provides a barrier for the spread of germs and spores.

Who knew covering your cough, limiting yourself around crowds, and washing your hands frequently could be so difficult to follow.

Doctors Quick To Blame X-ray Techs, Again.

2009-08-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, you knew it was coming. I've been sitting idle on this blog for quite some time. Now I'm finally moved to voice my opinion, a rant if you will. In the past few months I think I've let my Radiology followers down with guitar postings and more personal life reflections. So here it is.

I work in a facility that has an Urgent Care. For some reason, these doctors have complete confidence in their nursing staff to triage patients for x-rays. Double overlapping orders like "Right Finger" and "Right Hand", "Left Wrist" and "Left Hand". Basically really have no clue as to what will show the area of interest. We get orders all the time requesting "Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, Hand". That translates to 3 images for the shoulder, 4 images for the elbow, 4 images to the wrist, and 3 images to the hand. That's a grand total of 14 shots of radiation to the body. Little do they know, they've just missed anything that might be broken in the humerus (between shoulder and elbow) and the forearm (between elbow and wrist). But don't ever bring that up because that might get thrown in there too if the ordering nurse is second guessing herself. We hardly ever get just a humerus and forearm ordered. This would show the entire humeral shaft, show a portion of the shoulder and two views of the elbow. Then the forearm order will overlap studies by providing views of the elbow while still visualizing the wrist and entire forearm. If anything, the ordering nurse should resort to this if he or she is doubtful as to what's visualized.

When x-raying a body part, there is a certain amount, criteria if you will, regarding the total area to be visualized. Outside of that perimeter may be considered as irresponsible use of radiation. The larger the beam, the more amount of radiation being used. Because of billing reasons, we are required to stay within the boundaries of which to image a body part. Outside of those boundaries are considered fraud, seeing more on an image than what's considered standard (translation if more than half of another body part is shown on an image then you took two exams for the price of one.)

Anyway, the point of all this information leads me to my next point. Doctors like to use words like "they" when describing something when things go wrong. When "they" is used when describing a wrong order, the patient interprets "they" as "x-ray", the people who took the pictures, never the idiot nurse who's not aware of anatomy. I performed a wrist exam on this elderly man a few days ago. I did the 4 required views and sent the patient back to the Urgent Care. About a half hour later, this patient returns with their wife for a forearm exam. I kindly mentioned, "oh, so you're back for more x-rays"? She replies, "the doctor said that you should have included more of the arm" and points to the middle of the forearm. Rather than go into a whole blame game with the patient, who really doesn't want to hear excuses but to just find out what's wrong and go home, I calmly mentioned that we are required to only x-ray so much and that it's not up to the x-ray tech to determine how much of an area, mentioned also about the exam is like a prescription, I can only do what's ordered. I'm fast so they were in and out quickly, all that really mattered to them anyhow.

But I can see how people can get things twisted around with a word like "they". I'm sure the provider said, "oh, they were supposed to get more above the wrist" could have implied that the nurse ordering the initial exam forgot to order a forearm with the wrist. Now you can see where the problem is.

The problem is that our Urgent Care nurses have been given the thumbs up to check patients in, ask them where it hurts, and then send them off to x-ray, BEFORE THEY HAVE BEEN SEEN BY THE DOCTOR! So we get lumbar spine orders when it's clearly a case of constipation. Orders for shoulder/elbow/hand x-rays for numbness and an hour later the patient returns with a Cervical spine order (don't get me started on the oblique orders for MVA patients). Or even better, an elbow and wrist order with comments stating, "show entire radius and ulna" only to call the doctor and be told, "I can't find the proper order, can't you just open the beam up and show me the whole forearm?" Yet time after time after time, WE the tech are portrayed as the idiot, the staff to point the blame to when something goes wrong. In some ways it's very similar to high school clicks, one group views they are the most important to the hospital. But let's face it providers would be BLIND without x-ray.

The Fergussons

2009-08-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've been spending my time searching for old photo albums. One of my finds was this picture taken in Canada in 1973. This image produced an explosion of memories about my grandparents.

My grandfather passed away in 1998 from complications due to lung cancer. He once told me that he had smoked since he was 16 and didn't stop until he was in his 70's. My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in the late 90's. She may have had it before 1999 but my grandfather kept it pretty well hidden from the rest of the family. Mind you, that generation learned to keep immediate family issues hush. When my grandfather died, we found out pretty fast about grandma's condition and placed her in an assisted care facility. It was when their house was being sold that my mom obtained personal belongings from my grandmother. This is the first time I've ever seen these albums. It's brought laughter and a lot of sadness to realize they are not here with us anymore.

One album in particular caught my attention. A simple trip to Canada in 1973. My grandfather was born in Albany Canada and later moved to the US. They meant everything to each other. Married in 1970 (my grandfather divorced from a previous marriage, and my grandmother a widow) they appeared to be inseparable. He was the only grandfather I knew. My own grandfather died a year before I was born, taken by leukemia in his late 40's.

My grandfather always spoke his mind with the usual catch phrase at the end, "are ya with me?" He may have seemed like he was annoyed by my lack of planning, but you knew he was telling you because he cared.

My grandmother was very simple, almost unaware of what's going on in the world. She definitely was from the "man takes care of everything" generation. With her big silver wig, sharp features and those cool Ray-Ban "cat eye" sunglasses (back in the 60's and early 70's), she was always dressed to the 9's for every occasion.

I have cousins, grandchildren from my grandfather's previous marriage. They all lived in Seattle, Washington at the time. When I was 12 or 13, my grandparents invited me to fly up and visit. I never grew up with any brothers or sisters so visiting my cousins was like the best thing ever. I loved being with my cousins, they were never thought of as step family. Some of my best vacation memories are with my cousins.

During the flight, I remember grandpa putting on the disposable earphones (you'd plug into your armrest and there was a dial to select preset stations), turning the station to his favorite Lawrence Welk music. Grandpa stuck his nose in the air, swaying back and forth in his seat while snapping his fingers to the beat. Of course I couldn't hear the music, but I could tell what he was listening to. I used to get stuck watching The Lawrence Welk Show whenever I'd spend the night at their house. I'd usually just lay on the floor and pet their golden labrador, Candy.

They had a place down in Corona Del Mar, a beach getaway. I'd spend the weekend with them every so often. Around 5:00 PM, we'd leave to go to a place called The Quiet Woman. Grandpa would joke around and say, "Okay Dave, let's go to the Headless Woman. Grandma would quickly correct grandpa and say, "The QUIET Woman Alec,...the QUIET Woman". I've shared that story with my own daughters and every once in awhile I'll take Pacific Coast Highway through Corona Del Mar on my way to Laguna Beach, and point out The Quiet Woman to everybody. Of course everybody in the car responds, "The Quiet Woman Alec, The Quiet Woman".

A favorite dish that was served on weekend visits at the beach house would be barbecued swordfish. It was sooooo good. In fact, after finding these pictures of my grandparents, I decided to extend grandpa's summer tradition of occasionally serving swordfish to my family and friends. I know I'll think of my grandparents every time I grill it up. I miss them very much. I miss grandpa's wisdom. There have been so many times I wanted to call him up and ask his opinion or advice regarding something. I miss watching him build things in his garage at the beach; clocks, airplanes, and other around the house repairs. At the time, you never picture life without them...are ya with me?

2009 StewMade "70's Appliance Guitar" Avocado Burst.

2009-06-30T05:43:00.001-07:00

I was trying to capture all the 70's "ugly" in this guitar. But it turned out to be a little more tasteful than I expected.

My Own Window Display @ Grieder.

2009-06-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

How cool is this?

I Just Don't Know What To Say....Who Knew?

2009-06-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

The Old Toshiba is Finally Digital: Siemens DR.

2009-06-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

It's finally here and fully functional. A big long awaited change. I thought I'd really miss the old Toshiba room, but this new DR room is amazing.

For those who don't was "DR" is, it's basically a direct capture x-ray room. Instead of using x-ray cassettes (special designed film holders to rest the part being x-rayed) you place the part in a large sensor area and the image shows on a flat screen monitor within seconds. No need to run back and forth into the room to change out these cassettes. I review, highlight and send immediately to whoever needs the exam. Doctors can see these images within seconds.

So no more lost films, no more film jams, no more processor chemical smell and doctors don't have to wait for their films to be delivered by doddling patients who decide to stop by the coffee cart on their way back to the doctors office.

Very cool.

Finally Found A Decent "Point and Shoot."

2009-05-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

After agonizing research and reading every camera review under the sun, I finally found a great P&S digital camera; the Olympus Stylus 1020 10.1 megapixel camera.

It's a step up from what I had before (Olympus Stylus 720 7.1 megapixel) and read many raved reviews regarding this camera. The zoom is INSANE! I'm not sure what new technology they put in this camera (I thought it had the clarifying "motion blur correction" that my 720 had) but now I can zoom 7X and not get a blurry picture (something my other camera could not do). Plus all the familiar menus and a few new ones to add, that keeps this camera in the quick to use category.

I like how you can switch from normal to fine and also alter your shadows prior to exposure. Edit features feel like you're at the will of the camera, not much control. Think of it more like a auto improve function; you're not sure what it's correcting but it does seem to really improve images if they are a shy too dark or too contrasty.

I'll probably still get a SLR digital camera for more serious camera shots. But for a grab and go to Disneyland or family BBQ, this camera is perfect. Oh, and I saved about $80 by purchasing on ebay. I paid about $174 when major stores were selling for $279 or a little less.

Not The Best Week for My Daughter.

2009-04-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

My daughter's birthday was yesterday. I got a phone during the middle of the day from the school nurse saying that she didn't feel good. She had a headache and stomach didn't feel very good. Since the Swine Flu virus is going around, the nurse showed me that they all received a memo regarding the outbreak and recommended that I take her home.

She was asleep when I went to pick her up and had a low grade fever. I gave her some OTC medication and of course she perked up after about an hour.

We had planned to go to Disneyland after school but her illness canceled that. Around 4:00 she asked when we were going to Disneyland. Once I told her we weren't going, she freaked out crying and begged me to still go. Then she screamed "this is the worst birthday ever" and ran off to her bedroom. Of course the Tylenol wore off and she was feeling sick again.

Tuesday, she comes home from school complaining of flea bites all over her body. We just washed her bed sheets the night before so It thought this was odd. She complained that she itched all over, pulled up the back of her shirt and thousands of red dots were all over her back. I said, "chicken pox". We went online and looked up images of flea bites and they looked just like her back. So it's flea bites, right?

Wednesday, the school sends her home because she and 4 other students in her class were sent home also....with the chicken pox! So my daughter will be staying home this week with no soccer because of her chicken pox and sore ankle from an injury 2 weeks ago. So now on top of this Swine Flu pandemic scare in the news and all that has happened, my poor daughter has just about had it with illness.

Sorry Folks!

2009-04-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Man I'm really sorry I'm having a dry run here. Almost debating starting a totally different blog since I have a few x-ray techs around the states who follow this blog for it's radiology rant humor. I guess I just don't have much to say that's already been said before.

Let's see, I'm looking for a new camera...boring. Work has been extremely stressful since we're under construction.

Health: Hand is still hurting, not getting better. Now both hands hurt everyday and have to take a small handful of meds just to get through the day. I don't even have to pick up the guitar to trigger pain, just daily living (like opening bottles, tying shoes, holding the steering wheel, etc) which is everything.

I developed plantar fasciitis which is very fun. I'm wearing arch supports from morning wake up to going to bed. All the meds I'm already taking for my hand don't even help the inflammation from that pain. I'll probably get Iontophoresis done on the area next week. I'm stretching constantly, icing whenever I can. But I've been told that it does take some time to go away. I'm to blame for this one since I wore some really old shoes the whole week I was off on vacation and there's hardly any cushioning left. I was just too cheap to replace.

So are you sorry you checked my blog yet? I'll have something better soon. Hey at least check back when my header has changed (those are fun).

More Images from Santa Barbara, Bronze Statues in La Arcada.

2009-04-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

Images from Santa Barbara, 3-14, The Courthouse

2009-04-02T11:09:00.001-07:00

Sent An Email To My 4th Grade Teacher.

2009-04-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

A few events occured this week that sparked the initiation of looking up my 4th grade teacher, Mr. Horton.

Mr. Horton was probably my most influencial grade school teacher ever. This was back in 1973-74 when teachers had the green light to teach in a way that is very broad, involving art, music, frequent field trips, and story telling. Mr. Horton was an amazing storyteller. Like a Garrison Keilor of elementary school. He once read out loud to the class, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull". I remember taking this book home and thinking it was the story itself that was entertaining. My mom started reading and I was already upset because she was not reading the book right. The story was right, but Mr. Horton would have the whole class just completely focused on the story.

He lives up north now and is a Superindentent of their school district. Upon learning of his status within the School Board, I'm very curious how a teacher like Mr. Horton survives in structured classtime, teaching the test, and "No Child Left Behind" rules enforced by our Federal Government. We'll see if he responds to my email.

My email contents? I just basically thanked him for his time, patience, and that his love for teaching us kids back in that school year of '73-'74 was and will never be forgotten. Mr. Horton lives in me to this day. I've used the same principles while rasing my kids. Here's to Mr. Horton!

The Toshiba Is Gone!

2009-03-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

Our hospital is finally switching over to digital x-ray. This transition is bitter-sweet to me. The machine in the image above is a Toshiba DST-100A, one of the last machines that I trained on when I was an x-ray student. The Toshiba was the first x-ray machine installed when the hospital was first built back in the 80's.

It's a real workhorse. I rarely ever had to call this machine in for maintenance. But now replacement parts no longer exist for the Toshiba. I knew all the ins and outs of this x-ray machine. So many quirks came along with it. Over time parts started breaking (or were no longer available). You had to compensate for certain luxuries that were no more. That meant you had to think and be aware of everything you were doing on that unit. I liked that. I felt like I had total control over this machine. In return, it produced some of the most amazing images that will never be again in the analog world. The detail I was able to get was phenomenal. All the techs would comment. You could see the striations of bone formation in the bone, the term we techs use as trabecular patterns. It just popped off the film.

It looked old, console looked very complicated next to more modern LED lit touch screen units but we got along very well. I'll really miss the Toshiba. Farewell my friend.

Deja Vu from Dreams: What Do They Mean?

2009-03-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen something in real life that you dreamt about prior to seeing. Sure we've all dreamed about places we've been before, but what about places we've never been before?

I guess it was sometime last year, I had a dream about something that of course now escapes me. But there was this section of landscape with benches and and I was waiting for someone, I think my children. I remember they were little in the dream (ages 3 and 6).

Anyway, I've totally forgotten the dream....until this last weekend. The family packed up and spent the weekend in Santa Barbara for my sister's wedding. We made reservations at the Sandman Inn on State Street. After checking in, we drove around the property to get up to our room location. And there it was, the exact same image that I had seen in my dreams a whole year or so ago. I stopped dead in my tracks racking my brain if this was someplace I'd been before. Nope, never been here or even stayed in this motel before. The image above is exactly what I remember from my dream, detail for detail. I didn't take a picture of the larger two story building behind me but that too was in my dream.

So what the heck is that all about? Other than my sister's wedding there was no other significant reason for this landscape recognition. But really weird, huh?

Stew's Clues Blog Followers...

2009-03-01T12:44:00.001-08:00

Be sure to add yourself to my "followers" column in the right upper box of my blog page. Makes me look lame to just have Calvin the only follower (btw, thanks Calvin).

Also if your an international follower of my blog, send me a comment regarding topics you'd like to hear about more. I know I have a few following my x-ray adventures as well as "all things guitar" followers.

It's like when my daughter asks me to tell her a story about something that's happened in my life. I don't know where to start so she'll give me an idea and then I can just run with it.

If you're not a Yahoo or Google member, you can always click the bubble for "Anonymous".

Hey, The Hand Is Doing Better!

2009-03-01T12:42:00.001-08:00

After about 6 weeks, my left hand is doing a little better. My right hand is a little stiff for some reason, but that doesn't affect my guitar playing. The lighter strings have been helping as far as guitar issues. Still kind of strange using super light strings.

Hopefully I can return to playing at my church by May. Still taking anti-inflammatories though. Whatever works.

Is It Possible That MySpace Is Ruining My Blogging?

2009-02-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm afraid so folks. This site satisfies my instant gratification whenever I post a comment or mail somebody. It's much more reliable than people reading blogs and not even make a comment. So you sort of feel like nobody is reading your blog at all.

Sure, you'll run into somebody at work who mentions something. But I guess I'm some comment mongrel who needs that recognition I guess.

I do try to leave some kind of comment on most people's blogs that I read. But luckily my blogs get sent to MySpace anyway and thus get the responses I crave. Isn't that weird to want that sort of reciprocation from my readers? But judging my Feedback, I seem to be very popular in Europe and Brazil. Go figure.

The Smell Connection.

2009-02-22T13:32:00.001-08:00

I am amazed how certain smells can take you back to a moment in time. I am constantly stopped dead in my tracks to try and identify a certain smell that reminds me of some moment in my memory bank.

Right now, our orange tree is just starting to bud blossoms. I'm instantly transported every March to the apartment my Mom and I were living in when I was about 5 years old. Faint cigar smoke reminds me of the small barber my dad used to take me to when I was probably about 3 or 4; but that was more of a blend between cigar smoke and a particular brand of butch wax but with a faint hint of Groom & Clean (mostly used for keeping flat tops neat).

The weirdest was when I had a full 60 second "movie clip" like flashback back at age 14. My dad had a collection of colognes on his bathroom sink. Since I was getting into hygiene at that age, I remember one weekend when I had a weekend visit, I decided to see what each one smelled like. There was typical musk, and other non specific brands like Old Spice, Hi Karate, etc. But when I got to this one bottle, after taking a whiff, I was 3 years old, being picked up at my Christian Preschool (still exists), driving out of the parking lot, pulling into Sierra Avenue, traveling only a few feet then pulling into the left hand turn lane to pull into the 1st National Bank, then driving up to a human operated drive-thru teller window....and that's it. All of that from one smell of cologne.

Certain solvents remind me of my Grandfather's helicopter hanger, Dove soap reminds me of my Great-Grandmother's bathroom, and Jessica McClintock perfume reminds me of my wife. And I'm sure I'm creating the same memories for my family as well. I'm hooked on an aromatherapy lotion that's sold at Bath & Body Works called "Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint". It smells nothing like it's name and I don't really think it really relaxes me. But the smell is kind of a woody yet refreshing smell and doesn't resemble anything minty at all. It's very nice.

Why Would You Ask Your X-ray Tech Something You Should Have Asked Your Doctor?

2009-02-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen the Christmas cult classic movie "A Christmas Story"? There's a scene where the main character 10 year old Ralphie is visiting a mall Santa at their local department store. When he finally gets to Santa, his mind goes blank and he's almost in a hypnotic state, frozen and unable to speak. Santa makes some suggestions to Ralphie about receiving some generic boy specific toy. Ralphie feebly responds in agreement and is prompty sent down the slide away from Santa. But it's at that point at the pennicle of the slide that Ralphie comes to his senses and blurts out what he really wants, the reason why he waited forever in line to request from Santa in the first place.

That scene is played over and over in my mind almost every day at my Radiology Department. I get questions everyday from patients that should have been asked while in the presence of their doctor, the whole reason for their visit in the first place. I imagine patients, like Ralphie, becoming entranced with what the doctor's opinion is in regards to their problem, illness, injury, etc.

But something happens between the doctor's exam room and my x-ray room. I get questions like,
"How long do you think it will be until I feel better?"
"Will I need surgery?"
"Do you think it's broken?"

Patients seem to think that we're on their side and are willing to give the "true story" while doctors are vague and tell them things they don't want to hear.

Truth is, most techs do know what's going on in an x-ray film, CT, MRI, Nuc Med scan, Ultrasound, Mammogram, Dexa scan, Angio, and Stereotactic Biopsy. But legally we our bound by law not to give out any interpretive results regarding a pathology finding. We have to use our best "poker face" and pretend nothing was seen. Evaluating, interpreting, or consulting is outside of our licensed scope of practice. If I give you the upward nod regarding your fractured wrist, even though you're going to hear it from your doctor in about 20 minutes, I loose my job and license to ever work again in my profession. At the pay rate and benefits I'm currently receiving, there's no way I'm sharing my secret with you, no matter how irrate and bugged you get. Tough, I want to keep my job. I'm not going to risk it just to make you happy or to help you win that bet with your wife.

I mean, how is this fracture information going to help you in the small moments before your doctor tells you? Do you not trust the doctor you're seeing in the first place? If that's the case then that's your issue to pursue, don't involve me in your doctor/patient situation. I'm providing a service to your doctor who then is providing a service to you. I'm the chef, your the customer and your doctor is the waiter. You don't bypass the waiter and ask the chef for more water, right?

Because I have some patients traveling to my clinic from long distances, I usually ask if they are supposed to bring the x-rays back to their doctor today. That opens up a whole bag of worms;
"Uh, do you think I should?"
"Why, did you see something? If you think I should then I will".

And then there's the classic, "Do you see anything on the x-ray?" This is the point where the whole patient and tech relationship has a tendency to get ugly. I once had a patient ask me directly;
Patient: "Did you see anything?"
Tech: "No, I can't read the x-rays".
Then the patient picked up a magazine, shoved it in my face and asked, "Well can you read THIS?"

I've even had patients tell me that they have a RIGHT to know what I saw. That's a good one. You want a scientific observation? Here's one; the louder the patient raises their voice to me is inversely proportional to their intellegence. It's all I can do to keep from laughing in their faces. People who don't really know their rights sure seem to KNOW their rights...in their minds anyway.

I have a more calm approach when it comes to these type of questions. Usually when I tell the patient I don't read the films, I get in response, "Ah, come on. You look at these films everyday." My response, "Hey, just because I look up and see clouds everyday doesn't make me a meteorologist". That comment usually puts a stop to the whole "let's see if I can get the tech to tell me" Q&A session.

Really Glad We Got More Rain!

2009-02-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

I'm glad we're finally getting some more rain. I was starting to think that maybe we would start having an early Spring. Good thig because we need it.

A Father's Perspective.

2009-02-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

I've dreaded this moment for as long as I can remember. From the day she was born, all I could think about was how I would approach the situation when my daughter would start meeting boys.

When talking to other fathers, we all puff up and compare how we'd make this unfortunate male as uncomfortable as possible just to prove who's the real #1 in my daughter's life. You know the typical cleaning out rifles, animal head trophies, camouflage outfit. Heck I've even thought about working out more.

But it's happened and it's caught me off guard. Truth is this guy that she's met is very nice. Met my daughter at church during VBS last summer. They were friends then and now seem to be a little more interested in each other. They still to this day meet each other at church and sit in service together.

The problem is that I can't see anything wrong with this guy. No reason to puff up, no reason to lecture. He looks out for her, treats her with the highest respect, opens doors for her (a big thing to me), wants to meet me...which sort of freaks me out. Pop culture tells me to act as a threat, an incentive to keep this guy in line. But there's no need. I actually can be myself. He's met my wife and he's very normal, not in an Eddie Haskell way, but normal friendly. He's not afraid to act goofy (another big deal, he has to make her laugh) from what my daughter tells me. Plus the fact that he goes to another school keeps my daughter focused on her studies without the between class distractions.

This guy asked my daughter out to the winter dance and we let her go. She had a really good time. All of his friends were nice to my daughter, no drama.

So I guess I won't purchase that gun, put away the body armor, and just be happy for my daughter for now. But I won't completely relax, not until she's well into her 20's (LOL).

I've always loved this movie and thoroughly enjoyed this clip from Arthur, starring the late Dudley Moore....

Everything Is Moving Along.

2009-02-01T06:29:00.001-08:00

So far at the Stewmade shop, we've got the ball rolling on about 3 projects; Orange Crate, 70's Appliance, and yet another "Stelly" sparkle finish guitar.

The Orange Crate has been somewhat of a challenge and has really required a lot of brain storming just figuring out how the wooden oranges are to be permanently fixed inside the guitar body. Plus figuring out wiring without any tell tale signs from any angle has been tough. But I'm going out today for a photo shoot to promote the guitar when it's done. I fear there won't be enough time before local oranges start falling off their branches. So I sort of completed the guitar enough that it would photograph well just in case. If I finish (est February 29th) and oranges are still hanging from the trees, then I'll take more pics.

Now for the others, I'm just waiting for wood and cases.

Effects Lineup for 2009: It's All About Change.

2009-01-28T06:52:00.000-08:00

(Click on image).

Ok, so I'm armed with a variety of great overdrives and distortions and a new delay with tap tempo. Still debating using my digital reverb somewhere but I'll have to toy around with this for awhile.

Also new is the Planet Waves connector cables. Supposedly the gold plated plugs help with better fidelity. Or at least to justify the higher price. We'll see.

24 hours Later...

2009-01-20T22:54:00.001-08:00

Don't worry, this is from Rheumatoid Arthritis. I don't have that, but this image I want to avoid as much as possible (or at least never have the feeling my fingers look like this).

After some time to process all of this news, I decided to not go down without a fight. I've done a bunch of soul searching but mostly a lot of alone time just to think. I've come to the decision that I'm going to do all I can to still enjoy playing music and not wear out my hand.

My friend Ricky called me up last night and sort of gave me a pep talk. He was concerned about hearing what the doctor told me as well. Ricky suggested that I don't give up. He basically suggested; Fortify, Modify, and Simplify.

1. Glucosamine Chondroitin (fortify the joint). Specialist says that it will take about 2 months before I feel the benefits of this supplement. Actually, I've heard my patients say that they were facing knee replacement surgery before taking this supplement and it delayed the decision for surgery by 5 years. My wife had severe back pain about 12 years ago. Nothing helped until she started taking G.C. as a "can't hurt" measure. Her back has not hurt ever since. I remember she was in pretty bad shape. I know ever person is different and might have other issues that G.C. will not help. But it's worth a try.

2. Lighter Strings (Modify). As much as it kills me to do so because it goes against what I believe gets the best guitar tone, I'll be switching to full extra light gauge strings. I've used .010-.046 strings since the early 90's. I thought it would make my hands stronger with the increased resistance. Recently, having switched to light gauge, they now feel like .010 gauge in resistance. So I don't know if my hands are getting weaker or not. But a lot of old timer guitar players use the extra light gauge; B.B, Billy Gibbons, and Yngwie Malmsteen for example.

3. Starting Over (Simplify). After the glucosamine has taken affect, I will be studying a different approach to my playing technique. More exercises, hand strengthening, hand posture, and possibly thicker guitar necks. I've been reading that with more wood in the neck that it fills your hand more and eliminating the tendency to claw grip the neck. I hate fat necks because I feel they slow my speed down. But like B.B King, he may not be able to play as fast as other guitarists, but he goes for the sweet notes.

I might need to stay away from soloing for awhile. That's where I run into trouble. I'm going back to basics, warm up exercises, grip master hand springs, relax my hand and pay attention when I start choking the neck. And I'll stop myself when I notice I'm starting to mash my strings into the fingerboard when I thoughtlessly start the aggressive finger vibrato.

It's All Over! 30 Years of Guitar Playing Stops Today!

2009-01-19T19:36:00.001-08:00

Well I just got back from my hand specialist tonight. I have been battling a painful left index finger for about a year now. The surgeon ordered x-rays of my left hand and then gave me the news.

Now, what I was expecting was something along the lines of "wear this splint for 5 weeks followed by a series of anti inflammatory medication. Nope, it was arthritis. Significant arthritis to the point that the doctor recommend that I stop playing guitar. Unfortunately playing guitar is the only activity that aggravates my finger pain.

The doctor then said that by continuing to play guitar that I would further degrade the joint causing increasing pain and decreasing range of motion. Then the arthritis pain would eventually start to interfere with other every day activities. The doc said, "be lucky that you have an isolated activity that you can eliminate vs something that affects your daily activities, simple activities, like buttoning your shirt or typing."

Cortisone shots will only mask the problem. I'll be pain free for a bit but then when the shot wears off, I'll be right back in the surgeon's office for another shot. I'm only allowed so many shots per year. Surgery would only be a cleaning of arthritic debris and would not really help my pain or range of motion.

Ok, I'll be honest. This news was devastating. I have worked so hard for years to get "my tone". Playing music is the connection between my being and life. I've used my talent to play for the Lord for almost 5 years. Now I have to stop?

So bands are out for good. Worship service out for good. I'm able to still build guitars but then I'm faced with the dilemma of testing out the guitars when I'm done. The guitars I own. The guitars I've recently acquired, all for nothing. I really don't want my hand to ache like this on any given day because I didn't know when to call it quits.

My plan: To take Glucosamine Chondroitin for two months (a recommendation from my surgeon), continue taking my anti inflammatory, and plan to play one last time this year. I'll reserve 3 last opportunities; one last performance with the band De-Tension, reserve a date to sit in with QBS if the opportunity arises (not a hint), and perform one last time with the worship band at church. And then I guess that will be it. I'll take the place of audience from here on out. In the meantime I'll be praying heavily and asking God what he wants me to do regarding this news.

Tendonitis is curable, arthritis is not. If I don't stop playing guitar now, it will start me on a road to constant arthritis medications for life due to the increased deformity from the arthritis.

Anyone need some guitar gear?

The Holy Grail of X-rays.

2009-01-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, I did it! The ultimate lateral knee x-ray ever. I've yet to see this in Merrill's. Yeah, I was pretty proud. I can usually get this 7 times out of 10. It's an eyeball sort of thing as far as the patient's positioning but the key is a 7 degree cephallic angle from the x-ray tube. This is my average. Skinny people straight 0 degree beam, larger patients, anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees. There, my first X-ray Tech Geek blog ever!

Out With The Old, In With The New: Reassesing My Guitar Effects Pedalboard.

2009-01-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, now that 2009 is here, there are a few changes in order. I'm parting with a few old friends only because they no longer serve their purpose. Time to switch things up a bit.

I'll still keep my Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic pedal, Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner, Boss CH-1 Super Chorus (for now) as well as my Barber LTD low gain pedal and Dunlop Wah/Volume pedals. So those are still my key tones for what I need when I return to playing guitar on a more regular basis.

T-Rex Replica Delay Pedal
I've been doing some research and I'm impressed with the products from T-Rex Engineering. They are a step up from Boss pedals and a little on the high dollar side. But I've been tolerating my Boss RV-3 Digital Delay/Reverb pedal to the point where it just doesn't make sense to keep anymore. I like the more modern ability to tap tempo the delay. This saves me from contstant on stage adjustments in which I have to hear the delay (echo) rate audibly in order to set. The T-Rex Replica is just what I've been looking for. I don't really use Reverb these days since the places I play already have inherant reverberation in the room. Adding more just adds clutter to my sound. This would be different if I played more outdoor gigs. Plus I have reverb effects in my amplifiers.

T-Rex Moller Overdrive/Clean Boost Pedal
I love the control that you get from this pedal. I've been sort of hunting for an in between "grey area" overdrive pedal. The Barber LTD is great for low gain tone but it's not enough "umph" or "to push over the cliff" factor. Plus it sort of lacks low end bass, kind of like the TS-808's. The SDTTC pedal takes care of what the LTD wants to do, but still there's a wide gap between the channel 1 and channel 2 overdrives. It would be nice just to have something soaring SRV/Hendrix stuff while still retaining my Strat sparkle. What's cool is the mix control. This way I can blend as much or as little affected signal to my desire.

I hear that John Mayer, David Gilmour, Pete Townsend, Mark Tremonti, and Steve Lukather use these pedals (brand not necessarily the actual pedals mentioned). Not that this has any affect on my using these pedals but as stompboxes go, that's saying something as opposed to using some rack effects.

I'm keeping my Boss Chorus pedal only because I can't justify spending over $200 for a chorus pedal, especially when I use this effect sparingly. I like the my chorus pedal only because I can mix my dry-chorus effect. So it's not an all or nothing pedal.

Let's Review StewMade Guitars of 2008 and 100th Post.

2008-12-31T07:23:00.000-08:00

Well this ends the year and this marks my 100th blog entry! Wow, only 100? It seems like more for some reason.

I'm so ready for a "Do Over" in 2009. 2008 marks a year of a series of unfortunate events. Rather than imagining Baby New Year passing by Father Time 2008, I imagine a teenage New Year thug kicking the crap out of 2008. I want to thank Switch to Plan B and Epic Beat for being there for me, just to listen to me, while I worked through many issues that came up this year. Not to mention Epic's patience with me while dealing with my hand issues for worship services.

So rather than rehash out a year in review for me, I would rather reflect on what was accomplished in the StewMade shop. I set out to build about 3 guitars this year and with hopes of squeezing out maybe an additional one. Turns out it was a different combination of the three.

The 70's Muscle Car Guitar. Really happy with this one. I got the vibe I was after. It really sounded nice and was very comfortable to play. Unfortunately, the guy who bought my last two guitars bought this one as well. He seems to be buying up all of my guitars rather than letting me send out my babies into the world to be enjoyed by all. I think secretly he was hired by Fender to purchase my guitars and destroy them upon delivery (LOL).

I keep getting hits on this blog regarding the Muscle Car Guitar so I might build about two next year. I'll probably still go with Sublime Green and possibly Plum Crazy. I dunno.

Mark's J-5 Signature Bass. Really nice bass and my first 5 string build. This wins the "eye candy" award for Stewmade this year. The wood grain just popped off of the guitar and just looks stunning when stage lights hit it.

I took a leap of faith and used a local guy, Carey Nordstrand from Yucaipa. He uses a scatter wound technique and I guess has a machine that simulates the hand tension winding process. Many feel that this process is what really makes a pickup stand out more, in a good way. There is much talk that the reason why early Fender pickups sound so good is because they were hand guided onto the pickup bobbin (spool) in a random (scatter) fashion. The tension was also "felt" as the pickup is being wound, something modern winding machines lack; the human factor. I subscribe to this theory only because I've compared the two and there is a noticable difference, to my ears.

Anyway, I was really impressed by the tone of these pickups. Relatively quiet yet had that great classic J bass growl. I would really like to include another bass for 2009.

Fall Leaves Guitar. This guitar was made a bit late to capitalize on the fall season. I had this guitar body that was to be another Beach Scene Guitar. The body had been lying around, getting in the way of things. I couldn't come up with a third beach design when I was curious if I could maybe carve something other than surfboards and tide pools. Plus I'm such a sucker for the fall season and have always wanted to build something that just made you feel like it was fall.

So with the same "what the heck" ambition, I sketched out some leaves and started cutting. Once I started, I realized I was in for some major work. I couldn't just stop, I had to finish what I started. I studied countless images of leaves; the way they curled up at the ends without compromising the construction of the guitar.

This guitar was not planned out until the last minute. But now that it's done, I think I got it close to what I pictured. So far I've faced much criticism on my choice of colors and wood choices. But I guess that comes along with any art form.

The guitar is lightweight and I used my friend Tommy to finish the neck for me this time. I was very impressed. The neck is a satin finish which feels really smooth and friction free.

Also, I choose pickups by Jason Lollar; "Blondes". Let me explain for you folks who are now wondering why "blondes" (WARNING, HEAVY ELECTRONIC GEEK CONTENT! SCROLL PAST THIS PARAGRAPH IF NECESSARY). Jason, like Carey, makes his pickups hand scatter wound. But Jason voices each of his pickups with the amplifier in mind. During Fender guitars Strat history, there were different amp coverings in relation to the time the amplifiers were manufactured; early 50's tweed amps, early 60's blonde tolex/vinyl amps, and the mid 60's black tolex amps (also known as blackface amps due to the color of the amp's black control panel). So Jason matches the output and specs according to what the guitars were being played through at that time. If all there was available to play in the late 50's was a tweed Fender Bassman amp, then your guitars of that same era didn't have much bass response since you got that tonal aspect from the amplifier. So theoretically, if you play a real 1956 Strat through one of today's modern amplifiers, it would sound a little on the thin, treble side. So if I typically play through a very bassy sounding amp, then Jason would recommend using the Tweed or Blonde pickups. But if I have a '65 Fender Deluxe or Twin amp, then the Blackface pickups would sound better based on the amp voicing. Dig?

As far as the Orange Crate Guitar is concerned, I'll be working on this pretty heavily to meet my Spring '09 deadline. I hit a road block in one element regarding weight and stability. But I think I worked it out. And yes, this will even smell like oranges when I'm done. HA! What other guitar manufactured today can say that?!

Confusing December!

2008-12-30T08:09:00.001-08:00

So I guess since the weather is just now getting colder, our maples and liquid amber trees are just starting to turn fall colors. Yet in the distance, there is evidence of large amounts of snow in our mountains. Just seems kind of strange to see this late in December. Usually this time of year, all the leaves have turned color and fallen.

Christmas: Presents Over in 30 Minutes!

2008-12-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

Allison has finally passed out from Christmas joy. Our new kitten looks on as Allison snoozes.

Yep, It's That Time Again: The Astro Weenie Christmas Tree Instruction Video, by Charles Phoenix.

2008-12-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

Yet Another Look Alike Sighting.

2008-12-18T06:43:00.001-08:00

I guess now I know what I'll look like in about 10 years. This is the Italian football manager and professional player Fabio Capello. I say it's the glasses that does it. It's weird looking to the future. Thanks for the comparison YouTube viewers.

Another Unsung Hero of Christmas.

2008-12-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

Sure you've heard stories of those who were overlooked. The 5th Beatle, the reindeer with the red nose. But did you ever hear the story about the 4th wise man?

There once was a wise man from India. His name was Paruhm Pa'Pumpum. He was visiting that night in the West end of Jerusalem, the night of the Christ child's birth. Paruhm could not help but to notice the very bright star in the East.

In Paruhm's amazement at this star, three wise men carrying gifts passed him. He asked the three men, where they were going with such fine gifts. "We were told by King Herod that the King of the Jews has been born this night, in Bethlehem. We were told that we shall find the child if we follow the star."

Paruhm wanted to join the wise men, but they stopped him. "What can you possibly give the King?" they asked. "I have my drum to play" said Paruhm Pa'Pumpum.

"We have gold, frankincense and myrrh as our gifts. Drums are too loud for such a small child. You shall be a disturbance" the men said. "And besides, there is only room for each of us on our three camels." This refusal saddened Paruhm.

Shortly after the men left Paruhm Pa'Pumpum, a group of angels appeared. After some confusion as to whether or not the star turned into three separate angels, Paruhm realised that the angels were sent to give him a message. "You too are to come and worship a saviour, he is Christ the Lord. Come" they told him.

So Paruhm traveled by foot by the light of the star all they way to Bethlehem. By that time, the three wise men had already visited the small child lying in the manger among lambs and oxen. Paruhm was overwhelmed with joy when he viewed the small baby. Although he had nothing that could compare with the precious metals and oils that the three wise men offered, Paruhm offered to play a song on his drum. "Shall I play for Him?" said Paruhm Pa'Pumpum. Mary nodded yes and he played his best for Him. The Baby Jesus smiled at Paruhm while he played his drum like he'd never played before.

It's sad how unsung heroes of yore often fall by the wayside. An attempt to acknowledge Paruhm was written in a song around 1958. But because of the powers to keep this historic person hidden from the history books, it was rewritten to hide his name within the song. Disguised as a drum rhythm, Paruhm's name is still unknown and has yet to recognized by the world.

Ok, actually this story was inspired by a student at work. We were listening to Christmas music when "The Little Drummer Boy" came on. The student laughed and told us that when he was a small boy, he wanted to know who Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum was. His mother never told him. He never knew the song was sounding out a drum rhythm. So I started thinking, wouldn't it be strange if there was actually a fourth wise man that never made it into the history books. I just thought I'd write a funny fictional story about this idea. Of course I kept imagining the voice of Khalil, for Paruhm. (The caterpillar from "Jonah, The Movie" from Veggie Tales).

Guitar Plans for 2009.

2008-12-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

Working on them at the moment. I may be introducing some main stream guitars, a signature series for an un-named musician. I'll be finishing up the "Fall Leaves" guitar (a little late) and the Orange Crate guitar.

As far as goofy one-offs, I'm working on an idea that's sort of left field; The 70's Appliance Guitar. Yeah, stew on that for awhile. It should look really nasty when it's finished. If your imagination takes you to where you think I'm going, then you've already got the concept. Possibly due out in March or April of '09. I can't decide on a Jazzmaster style or Strat style. Most likely Jazzmaster style since there's more body color shown on that. I'm having to order the color special from Dupont.

More ideas to come.

Reflections of 4 Decades.

2008-12-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

Today, on my 44th birthday, I'm lying in bed reflecting on the past 4 decades of my life (deep, I know!).

1968: I'm turning 4 years old on this date and living with my Mom in an apartment in Rialto, CA. At that time, I was totally unaware of what I mother struggled through in order to make a life for me. This being a short year after the divorce of my parents, I still don't ever remember feeling down or unhappy. I remember my grandmother's fiancé dying in a helicopter crash that year, but still not really having any real feelings of life struggles or anything like that.

One thing I do remember, was when I attended a Christian Day Care/Pre-school. It was a church that doubled as a nursery school and kindergarten. Besides sprinkling playground sand on my head and groovin' on the feeling when I'd massage it around my scalp (me an Quintin), I remember looking up to the San Bernardino Mountains and actually believing that was Heaven. I would stare at the mountain crest and imaging people walking around with sheep and wearing biblical robes and sandals. In those days it was so clear you could actually see the pine trees at the tops of the mountain from Rialto.

1978: Today I'm 14 and attending junior high. Strange time for me. I'm just getting into guitar playing. I'm taking lessons at a local music store once a week, handing over Molly Hatchet albums over to my instructor who effortlessly takes 3 minutes to listen to the song I want, then jots down the music for me to learn. I was amazed by this.

I'm in love with Kim Delo who was my Marcia Brady to me. First girl to actually have the nerve to call on the phone. She was nice enough to keep me interested and to keep my gifts coming (bought her some earrings for Christmas, but that was not enough to win her over as girlfriend status).

That summer, I remember learning how to water-ski with my stepfather. We got along really well during these years, unless I really blew it with school grades, which I struggled with at this time.

1988: It's been little over a year since my break up with a 4 year relationship. Now turning 24, I have just met the most amazing girl in my life, I'm living in my own apartment in Redlands, CA, and I have a steady job which I keep moving up the ladder. Longest job I've ever had (ha, one year).

But since November of '88, I can't get this girl out of my mind. I have to see her everyday. We're leaving mushy voice messages on each other's answering machines.I remember thinking at this time that I was glad to get out of my home in the mountains and be on my own. Parents were treating me decent now and not getting on my case for everything I did. At least that what I remember thinking at that age.

1998: Age 34 and I've been working at my current job for 4 years now. We've been living in our current house for 1 year now. I've been married for 8 years, have a 4 year old daughter and now earlier this year, have a new addition to the family, my daughter Libby. Allison is quite the talker and full of energy and crazy off the wall comments. This year becomes a challenge to provide equal time for both girls, making sure Allison does not feel like she's second best now that there's a new baby in the house.

Oh yeah, and I got my first Fender Custom Shop Relic this year! I'm playing occasionally with a band that's primarily made of police officers. It's good money and I really enjoy playing out in public. Lots of fundraisers and benefits which would usually equal about $150 for me that night.Had a '94 Fender Blues Deluxe amp.

At this year, it's the pivotal moment that I start considering building my own guitars and what begins as my Fender Replica building stage. It's that Custom Shop Relic that inspires me to see if I can build something similar.

2008: Tough year, probably the toughest up to date. Lots of tragedies, family, friends, work, just too numerous to mention here. This year has probably troubled me the most. This year will be an adjustment for every holiday to come. There has been no escape. It came from every direction.

My family has really been my anchor and refuse for me this year. Usually I would turn to my music to get away from everything. But with my hand issues, I've felt like that was taken away from me too. Can't spend money (which I like to do to get my mind off of stuff), can't drink (too much) because that could develop into something more serious. And going to church which used to be my second sanctuary reopens my frustration to not be apart of my ministry, playing in services.

Flip side, our home addition was finished, and that means that everyone is happy with their own rooms. No more fights over bathrooms. I've been blogging a little over a year now. It's been very therapeutic for me. It's a little known fact that after blogging about a difficult time or frustrating moment, that I feel like I've had a huge weight lifted off of me. We have a new kitten which we can't seem to name. But it's been really fun to have a cat that's fun again. We haven't experienced that since our old cat Emerson was young (died in 2006).

Building guitars doesn't seem to hurt my hands. So that's going well. I've got a whole bunch of ideas planned for 2009.But I have hope for age 44. Other than my hand and back, I'm generally healthy. I've had my flu shots (we'll see how that pans out). And my plans are to start working out, eating better....after the holidays!

Today, I'll go to church, look over a friend's new Tele, have brunch, go to Color Me Mine and relax the rest of the day...while doing some laundry.

Our Family Of Elves.

2008-12-13T21:05:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

New Obsession: Fender J. Mascis Jazzmaster

2008-12-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

Well I blew it again and missed out on winning the auction of my old '87 Fender Strat Plus. I guess the original owner will never reunite again. So I've sold off a few Stewmade guitars to finally obsess over this gem, the Fender J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr. fame) purple sparkle Jazzmaster. It's like the Jaguar except it's got bigger single coil pickups and is 25" scale. I've heard that the pickups are garbage on this model but that can be fixed easily with some Lollar Jazzmaster pickups. Prince would be envyous.

Muscle Car Guitar, Sublime Green; Lots of Traffic.

2008-12-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

Ok I'm noticing a lot of hits on this site for my Muscle Car Guitar that I made earlier this summer. I ended up selling this guitar rather quickly. I can't help but to feel the need to produce more of these based on my hits regarding this guitar.

If you are interested, please contact me, even just for feedback. I'm planning on offering the other 70's Mopar colors as well; Vitamin C Orange, Plum Crazy and possibly even Viper Snakeskin Green Pearlcoat!

stew@stewmadeguitars.com

Sorry, Nothing To Blog.

2008-12-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

I guess you feel free to comment about whatever you want for now. I'm pretty happy with this month's Shag header. I dread the month I run out of themes.

Ok, This Is Just Creepy!

2008-11-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

Three people have approached me and claim that I look like Ralph Covert. You be the judge. It's scary to me.

Visited My College Roommate/Bandmember, John, and Walked Away With Some Insight.

2008-11-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

John's studio at Magic Box Music, north view

So I drove down to L.A. to visit my college roommate John Sponsler. We have not seen or talked to each other in 21 years. I found John by doing a Google search as well as searching on MySpace. Luckily his sons set up a MySpace for John as a gag.

Same studio, south view

John looks the same as he did back in '87. A little older, a little wiser. We talked about recording, film scores, movie trailer tracks, old bands, family and so on. It was like those 21 years had never passed. We got along just as well as we did back as roommates and band members.

John is the co-owner of a company called Magic Box Music which does movie trailer music, commercials, and movie scores. John has worked with John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Trevor Rabin in addition to many others.

His studio is very streamlined and comfortable while a set of french doors opens up into a spacious area as a getaway from all things brain clouding. He was currently working on tracks that were recorded last week. The recordings were made via cable hookup between his studio and a recording studio in Prague, Czech Republic. Between a live video feed, orchestra translator and mp4 transfer, and some software that syncs the signal to recording real time, it was as if the orchestra and choir were performing in the next room. John never had to leave his studio or even make a flight out of the country. This event took a few weeks to coordinate and although John had to record this event between the hours of 12:00 AM to 8:00 AM (in Prague it was 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM) John seems to be pretty happy with the results.

After catching up, John and I headed off to lunch where we discussed our new common interest, Jesus Christ. When I say new, it's because we were not believers the last time we were together. John's been a believer since the early 90's, I became a believer in 2003.

(My first Cops in Concert gig. L-R; Ricky, John, Diane, Larry, Tim, and me....with a mustache, click on image.)

After talking for a good 45 minutes, I could clearly see how much John has grown in his faith. Out of nowhere in the early 90's while John was a parking lot security guard for the set of "Tales From The Crypt", John took it upon himself to read the Bible from front to back. From start to finish, John read about 6 hours a day without worry of critisism from passing celebrities.

All of John's connection with Christ came while there was no encouragement of other believers. In fact, John was alone in his beginning journey with Christ, no fellowship, nobody to ask questions to difficult passages. I was at the edge of my seat listening to how God started working on John. It would take literally paragraphs to explain what John went through to get where he is today. His story is incredible yet inspiring.

John in addition to recording amazing trailer music and movie scoring, (National Treasure, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Matrix, Memoirs of a Geisha, commercials for Scion, etc) he also is a worship leader in his outreach Saturday services. He had some great insight regarding worship music and those who come to critique rather than worship and celebrate God's love (I'll have to share some great advice for Epic Beat.)

This meeting with John was much needed right now in my life. I have been feeling like such a fraud in my own faith. I've been pushing God away from my life out of frustration and for selfish reasons. I have not been understanding God's plan or timing with the events that have occurred in my life this year.

During the whole ride home from John's studio, my mind kept recalling John's enthusiasm for God's love, God's plan for us, and how I need to allow His love to work into my life. John totally gets it. John was more than happy to express in detail God's patience, awesomeness, and His truth to me. It's a level that I have been scared to reach.

So John and I were about to leave the restaurant when he says, "I had this feeling you were a believer". I don't in any way think that this reunion was about a get together among friends. This was meant to be God's drop-kick to the butt for me. "Wake Up, I Love You, allow me to work in your life again. -perceived lesson quote from The JC."

Stew, October 1987, right after disbanding with John and Voyager.

And Now....This Message.

2008-10-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

What If Music Videos Were Literal?

2008-10-21T19:59:00.001-07:00

Missing This.

2008-10-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

I'm really starting to miss weekends at The Grove. Haven't been going much mostly due to my work schedule. But I've removed myself from the Worship Team because of my hand issues. I won't go into more boring details about my current hand problems but it does bum me out about not being able to play guitar at all.

Going to church and seeing my friends onstage feels a little like watching 9 people open up presents while you're not allowed to open yours, or not able to actually. I miss the fellowship, I miss the connection with my faith through music.

Despite all my efforts to get better, it seems as though God has something else for me or is allowing me to endure some process in order to enable my growth in this area of my life. A shift in focus?

Music Appreciation. Sam Brown.

2008-10-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

Talk about a risky performance. Electrical instruments and rain? Notice how her makeup starts to run halfway through the performance. Plus, watch the water fly whenever the drummer hits the cymbals. Nice vocals.

I Hate Seeing My Old Guitar Up On Ebay!

2008-09-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Just out of a random search for an '87 Surf Green Strat Plus, I find this auction....the guy who bought my Strat Plus earlier this year! It was like catching my ex-girlfriend dating another guy. Really hit me in the gut.

But hey, if I hadn't sold this Strat, I would not have my Master built Jaguar that was built just for me. The Strat was made for the masses. Plus I'm a little pissed he's selling it for more that I got for my auction after being told I wouldn't get anymore than the winning bid. Plus the auction was won by a mistake that had made. But that's water under the bridge though. Like I said, I have my CS Jag now.But I'll be honest with you, after getting my MB Jag, I'm already thinking about having Dennis build me a Custom Shop version of my old '87 Strat Plus, in Surf Green. I'll have a tough choice deciding which child to sell off to a Malaysian child labor sweat factory. ;0)

Guitar Progress: Autumn Leaves & Orange Crate.

2008-09-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

Orange Crate And "Fall Leaves" Might Be Finished By November '08.

2008-09-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

Looks like both guitars might be finished by November. I have no idea what to call my carving guitar so I'll just refer to it as "Fall Leaves" guitar. Looks like I got both guitars mixed up in seasons; Orange for Fall and the Fall might be ready for Spring?
By the way, that's not supposed to be a moldy leaf on that corner section of the guitar. That's a mistake that I haven't cleaned up yet.

My Youngest Wants To Play Sax!

2008-09-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter comes home from school today and she said the school's music teacher made a presentation to their class regarding band. He was listing all the different instruments that they offer for starting players. They talked about where to rent or buy, what was the best price, what's the easiest to start on.

So she wants to either try the clarinet or saxophone. The clarinet would be cheaper and easier to learn on, but the sax might have more uses but costs more. Hmmm. Pretty cool. I'll keep you posted.

Called Into DA's Office To Discuss My Last Blog.

2008-09-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, everything is cool. I managed to avoid any red flags like actual names, locations, facility name, exact situations have been changed around. There was some concern that I might actually start "opening up" more on future blogs. As an administrator, you can't really condone this sort of stuff, but I could tell they could understand my plight.

I guess I was venting (ha, you think?) a little since it seems so hard to be viewed as a professional in an overwhelming low opinion of your position.

I mean, nobody says they want to grow up to be an x-ray tech, right. Patients are usually at their worst when they've had to sit in traffic, maybe leave their work early to pick up their injured kid at school, or just having to wait forever in our waiting rooms. So yesterday being the day after a holiday (also our busiest days), there were more occurances than usual. And I guess all experiences of being put down, insulted and made the cause of whatever error, came to a head yesterday.

Ok, I'm a little freaked out that two techs now read my blog. Won't THEY be disappointed when they find out it has more music and guitar building topics than anything else x-ray related. Hey you two, if you look up "art" in my TOPIC LINKS. You'll get to scroll down and see a cool heat map enhanced KUB I snapped. And please tell me that you're NOT digital. We're still using Dynasonics (Dino-sonics).

Did some research today and found that the physician who blamed me for taking the wrong views, actually was referring to the nurse who ordered the initial exam. She said, "oh, they did the wrong part" meaning nurse. The patient took "they" as x-ray's fault.

I guess compared to what doctors go through, I should tolerate the lack of respect. In other words, be happy I can just "shoot and scoot" a patient (a crude term for taking an exam and then sending them on their way). I don't have to answer to the patient if their meds didn't work or that surgery made their pain worse. The only rath I feel is from my radiologists (physicians who are trained to read and dictate diagnostic studies).

Many would think, "You still get paid the same, why let it bother you?" I guess when I trained to become a Radiology Technologist, I thought I was getting into a field where everyone contributes as a whole team unit. Like a Verizon Wireless network all standing together backing up the little nerdy guy with glasses, except with a lab coat, oxford shirt, slacks, wing-tip shoes, stethoscope hanging around his neck, clipboard in his hands with a big thumbs up. You know, all working together to help out who matters most, the patient. On the surface, from a patient's perspective, I'm sure it all looks like we're a team, but it's all blue team against the red team behind the scenes. To me it's very high school and petty. And no matter how crummy any staff is at any level, I'm still killing them with kindness, a smile on my face and still willing to go out of my way for any of them. Who knows, I may just convert everybody's opinion....one person at a time. I'm even getting some Urgent Care nurses to actually wave at me when we pass by NICU.

The Hero vs The Fall Guy (Big X-ray Rant).

2008-09-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

X-ray techs seem to be the fall guy when it comes to mistakes. It's aways X-ray's fault. When ever every upper level area of expertise messes up, it was always "X-ray". When we go up stairs to do a portable X-ray, we screw up the sheets, we mess with the I.V.'s, move the heart monitor leads around, and never put the bed back in the proper position. It's like how the jocks and cheerleaders view the drama department and band geeks (I am in no way saying that our doctors and nurses resemble jocks and cheerleaders, and hey!, drama and band is an important form of self expression!)

We are the most disrespected part of the whole medical community. It's true. There was a study made about 7 years ago that a fellow X-ray tech, now an ER Physician's Assistant who showed me a study regarding a survey asking all levels from top surgeon's, physician's, and nurses. Radiology Technologists were rated as the lowest respected in the field, lower than janitorial staff.

I find this interesting because if it weren't for x-ray, many diagnosis would never be discovered. Without X-ray, how would you know if you, a doctor, had placed a broken bone back to it's proper position (post reduction), a P.I.C.C line in it's proper place, making sure your hardware pins are going directly into the fractured bone for a hip pinning? Kidney stones, bone erosions, calcifications, bone malignancies, colon cancer, brain cancer, brain bleeds, subluxation of the cervical spine, scoliosis (degree of curvature), Calve Perthe's disease, displasia, growth plate fractures, radiculopathy, dislocations, foreign bodies, cardiomegaly, degree of severity of fractures (either trauma or pathological), pneumothorax, hemothorax, heel spurs vs plantar fasciitis, osteophytes, osteoma's, Osgood Schlatter's disease, nurse maid's elbow, osteoporosis, COPD, CHF, pleural effusion. I don't list pneumonia because I think some physicians can diagnose pneumonia without an x-ray. That's what the stethoscope is for, right? Or is that just the universal badge that says, "I'm a doctor"?

I'm not sure what reputations past X-ray techs have bestowed upon us but we are the filter for other people's mistakes. Today, I got an order for a wrist. Performed the x-ray and sent the patient back to the doctor. One hour later, the patient returns with another order. The Mom insists on coming into the exam room this time. She has been informed by the head UC physician that WE took the wrong views on the first visit. The new orders were for a hand x-ray. No matter how much I tried to convince the patient that I did exactly what was ordered, she accused me of trying to get out of my incompetent mistake because doctors don't make mistakes like that, only underachieving x-ray techs. Like I just sit here and pick whatever body part to x-ray.

To many people's surprise, x-ray orders are like prescriptions; you can only do what's ordered. All the time I get, "Hey, my shoulder hurts too. Could you take one of my shoulder also? CALL MY DOCTOR TO HAVE HIM ADD IT!" We have more than 50 doctors working in the building and sometimes they all send just one patient to us. When we have to stop and call to do one of these "add-ons", it puts the breaks on our operation, making all other patients checked in wait even longer.

I am bound by law to perform an x-ray to the exact request ordered by a physician. Only physician's order x-rays....sort of. The problem is, we have nurses that order the x-rays for the doctors before the doctor see the patient. So the nurse makes a guess as to what orders to make and promptly send them to x-ray. We get orders like hand & thumb, wrist & hand, foot & ankle, foot and toes. We cannot pick and choose which order best fits the patient's needs. If your pinky toe was injured and they order a full foot, then you're entire foot gets "nuked". So that's what happened today: nurse thought the wrist needed to be x-rayed, has no real knowledge of anatomy, doctor sees the patient finds out it's actually his entire metacarpals are the area of interest and sends them back to x-ray. The mistake? Physician makes the X-ray tech the idiot, because x-ray always messes up, right?

In my training as a tech, we went over countless anatomy training, pathology training, alternative methods of getting the most out of an exam even when you get a patient for an abdomen who's in the shape of a pretzel. When I received my Radiology license, I made a vow to do the best I can for the patient, always have the patient's best interest and to maintain the responsibility to uphold radiation safety by limiting the amount of radiation dose to every patient regardless of age. That is out the window when it comes to patients who demand X-rays for sore throats and blood blisters. Exams like an 85 year old woman for knee x-rays to rule out arthritis......You think? Geez, if you own a mirror and can read the birth date on your driver's license, then I'm betting you already know the answer to that.

Doctors don't have time these days to explain and educate misled patients regarding the necessity for x-rays. There are doctors that feel that ordering these exams help give the patients a peace of mind. Sometimes if a persistent patient asks for an x-ray, they'll get it, just to shut them up. It works. Even though that toothpick won't show up on an x-ray, or that Dorito that you swear is still stuck in your throat, or that cat bite that didn't even break the skin. Hello people, you just nuked yourself for no reason because those things don't show up on an x-ray!

X-ray techs must be known for lying a lot too. We have nothing better to do than make up some story in order to get out of doing our job. Regardless if an Urgent Care patient is going back to..well, Urgent Care, I always ask if the doctor is expecting them to return today. Most everybody says yes. But sometimes, some people use Urgent Care just to be seen that day when their primary doctor is not available. Occasionally, those people can leave after their x-ray is finished. They might be following up with their provider later or being referred to a specialist so it's not necessary to return to Urgent Care. I took an exam of a Urgent Care patient today, he told me that the doctor told him he did not need to return but had to go back for some other treatment. Ok, what reason do I not believe this patient? I send the patient back and then 3 hours later get a call from that patient's nurse saying, "where are the x-rays, the doctor is waiting to leave and he can't because he's waiting for us to deliver the films." I explained the situation and then I was blamed for the delay in the patient's treatment. Of course the patient never admitted to saying they didn't need to return with the films. So it was now MY responsibility to call and track down this film because this was all My mistake.

Ever since my back injury, I am to never return to portables and surgery exams. I miss surgery. I felt like an important key to the OR "Team". I was addressed by my first name, not just "X-ray!" They knew my work. I could intuitively know when and where they needed my flouroscopy "C-Arm". I developed this 6th sense, knowing when to run up to OR before they would even page me. I was fast, accurate, and I always helped out with assisting patients onto the surgical table. I felt respected. That was my arena. Everyone seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief when I'd be the one on duty (well, maybe not to that extent but I was told once how many surgeons were glad I was working with them on those surgery days).

One last good one; nurse forgets to place an order for an inpatient for an AM Chest x-ray, pages the portable tech to come up for a STAT exam (STAT by the way is supposed to be for life or death situations, not for right away because I've got to get to lunch). The nurse does this so that she does not get chewed out by the doctor. The doctor comes up to the patient's room to see the film, sees the x-ray tech taking the exam, yells at the tech for sitting on his butt all this time when the order was supposed to be done at 7:00 AM and it's now 10:30 AM. Nurse sits in her chair looking at the tech in the room, and not a word is said from the nurse. Anything the tech says at this point sounds like lame excuses in an attempt to get out of trouble. The x-ray fall guy, it's always our fault. Wouldn't that be cool to have a fall guy at your job to make you maintain your professional status? Find someone who can absorb all of everybody elses incompetence.

But it is funny, being the fall guy also means that you are perceived you have a breaking point as to telling the patient "did you see anything?" For being the fungal layer on the basement of the medical staff, we sure seem to be important enough to get badgered with that question. Nope, that's for the glory of the physician to tell you (and legally the only one who can tell you the results). After all, he's the most respected one in the medical community. The hero.

The people who tirelessly work, to strive, to obtain the best images possible, in the patient's favor, the ones who are trying to assist by x-raying patients in order to assist doctors better help patients, are the ones who are frowned upon the most. The fall guy.

(Disclaimer: In spite of my opinions I do respect many doctors at my facility. There are many great doctors that don't abuse their ordering privileges. These opinions are a generalization regarding radiology technologists as a whole. There's good and bad in every facility. Most of my opinions are based on the hospital poll and some personal experiences. I hope this does not offend the many doctors that I'm friends with who read this blog. I am not pointing a finger at any particular physician or patient care entity in particular.Order and patients from experiences have been changed drastically to adhere to confidentiality and to avoid acknowledging the location of my hospital and individuals involved.)

How Would You Like To Have This View From The Stage?

2008-08-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

This is a shot of my college friend Ricky playing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, you know, the same place all the big bands play, like U2?

I can't wait to hook up with Rick next month and get to jam and chat with. I'm curious about his road stories. At one point, they had to cancel a few US shows due to Luke's strep throat. Nice, huh?

People Are Now Blogging About My Guitars!

2008-08-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

Dweezil and the Original Hendrix/Zappa Strat.

This one I found in a random Google search in regards to my Hendrix/Zappa Tribute guitar that I built for myself. A gentleman from the UK found some images on the web of my guitar and wanted me to build him one. Evidentally, someone got to see his guitar and blogged about it. Check it out: Hendrix/Zappa post.

This Hurts Just Watching. You've Got To Love MythBusters.

2008-08-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Taser Wake-Up.

"Oranges, Poranges, Who Said, There Ain't No Rhyme For Oranges."

2008-08-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

Those of you who grew up with Sid and Marty Kroft Saturday morning shows from the 70's should remember that line from H.R. Puffinstuff. I believe the character "Witchie Poo" was the one who sang it.

Uh.......yeah..well, anyway...I made some oranges today. I used some birch wood and decided to see if I was able to make convincing wooden oranges for the Orange Crate guitar. Things are really starting to gel on this project. I want each one to look a little different so that's why the one on the left looks a little more uniform in color than the one on the right.
Not bad for my first try.

The StewMade Shop Was Busy Today.

2008-08-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

I glued up the top to my Orange Crate guitar. It looks like I'm going to go with oranges being seen between the slats of the crate.....um, guitar.
And I finally took a chance on a spare guitar body I had lying around. It's been so long since I've carved anything, that I was wondering if I still had the chops. Since fall is coming soon (my favorite time of year), I decided to do a fall maple leaves theme carving. It will be framed with tree branches and I'm not sure what to do with the carved out sections yet. For just that little section, it took forever, like 3 hours. You have to think like a leaf and get your mind set to think in 3-D.I did a test of the leaf on a piece of scrap wood. All I did was oil the leaf to get this look. I did not stain it to look like this. Pretty cool?

Our New Family Thing When We Go Places.

2008-08-18T13:17:00.001-07:00

I've decided that whenever we go someplace like a vacation spot or interesting outing as a family, we will do the modified "My Three Sons" shot. It's something I've been thinking about as the girls get older.

We had a great time at Disneyland and CA Adventure. We got there around 5:00 PM and stayed almost to closing. At one point, my 13 year old snuck out of the heat and sat in the lobby of the Grand Califonian Hotel. My wife and our youngest waited in line for the Roaring Rapids ride.

I really liked the house of the future that's being featured in Disney's "Innoventions". Here's some shots of the day.

Getting Ready For The Orange Crate Guitar!

2008-08-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

It's glued up and ready to start cutting. But I still have the dilema of the oranges. Once I have made up my mind on what to do, then I'll start cutting. You see depending on the process I pick will determine how I will cut this blank.

It's yellow pine, the same material used for citrus shipping crates. More to come....soon I hope. So Vote!

SOLD!!!!!!

2008-08-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hardly ever even got to play it. So here's a brief moment in time when I was preparing some video to support the ebay auction that never was. The fun stuff is in the middle of the video (3:53). Enjoy. This was on a good day for my hands.

2008 StewMade "Muscle Car" guitar.

Gear Geek Speak: Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb amp, Seymour Duncan Classic Twin overdrive/distortion pedals.....that's it!

More Pics from Ricky.

2008-08-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Ricky and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons.
Dirty Shame Solo Tk. 2

My Former Bandmate Ricky Is In Steve Lukather's Tour Band! (L: Ricky, R: Luke)

2008-07-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

Steve Lukather has been a major influence on my playing abilities since the 80's. I've spent many hours practicing to Toto albums and trying to nail his guitar feel. He uses flash where it's needed, and yet can say so much with just playing two notes. "Luke" as he's called by his friends, has always hit that emotional spot musically.

Ricky Z (Zahariadez), who I knew as a bandmate and fellow music major student at Cal State San Bernardino between '84-'87 also had that same impression on me. I was always chasing Rick as far as improving my playing skills. Rick could play anything, any style, any time, at the drop of a hat. Rick was and still is a monster on stage. He plays effortlessly but still can make the best "rock face" at any moment.

I found out today that Rick was tapped to tour with Steve Lukather and he just got back from a European tour. Rick says he's having a blast touring with Luke. They will be starting a US tour in a couple of weeks. It's amazing to see fellow musicians take off while I sit here plugging away at normal life. I'm jealous and proud all at the same time.

Here's a clip from their tour. Ricky is the one on the left of the frame (Luke's right). That steel guitar sound is Ricky simulating a pedal steel on guitar. Nice. Beware, Luke drops the "F" bomb near the end of the song so watch out for kiddies ears.

Combining Work and Art.

2008-07-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Yep, I took this xray. In fact at the lower left corner is my lead initial marker. This is just for fun, not something I'm seriously seeking out. Cool huh?

This is for Brian... (click on the image to enlarge)

2008-07-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Just because I know you wanted some up close shots.

It's Finished!

2008-07-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

I don't even know what to say. It's way better than I expected.

Fun At The Beach.

2008-06-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

The family decided to spend a few days at the beach while I was off this week. 87 degrees was much nicer than 107. The water temp was slightly chilly but fine once you spent some time in the water. Here's some highlights and views.

I Love Flickr!

2008-06-19T09:10:00.001-07:00

Flickr has some great premium effects package that really make me look like a professional. Check these out. Makes me want to start designing album covers.

Original image.

Aged with some vignetting.

Heat Map using variable strength percentages.

We Said Goodby To Doris.

2008-06-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Doris' memorial. Not much celebrating on my part. I met family that I have not seen since my wedding in 1990, as well as other family that I have never met. All 40 of us crammed into her small 800 square foot home. It was a beautiful day, which was appropriate.

It's so hard to be pleasant and upbeat especially around strangers when I just could not help but to notice the chair that Doris would sit in every day. Nobody sat there our of respect I'm sure.

We all shared memories and funny stories. My observation was whenever we would spend the weekend at her house, I'd offer to head to Starbucks for coffee and Doris would say, "I have some Taster's Choice in the cupboard if you want coffee". She didn't get that it was just fun going there. For coffee??

When almost everyone said their goodbyes and exchanged email addresses, my brother-in-law walked her urn down to the water's edge near the tide pools and interred her ashes into the sea. The same was done 21 years ago with her husband passed. We all shared a moment of silence, like we all instinctively knew that was proper procedure. I stood for a good solid 15 minutes without saying a word. And honestly, I have no words. Just a deep sense of loss.

I miss her so much. In spite of the fact that she was 93, dealing with pain from aging everyday, was going to remain bedridden for the rest of her life after her massive stroke, I can't help feeling the sorrow for what was.

Unfortunately this will not be the last painful event for our family. We received some more bad news Friday, but I choose not to post at this time. So is it 2009 yet?

Remembering Doris.

2008-05-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been almost a week now since my wife's grandmother died (Tuesday, 20th). I have not really blogged about it since I've been sort of just quietly dealing with the loss.

She passed quietly and without any pain. We'll probably have a remembrance gathering for her, just close family. It was very strange to come into her home without hearing that familiar, "Hi". It was also very difficult not to see her sitting in her favorite chair.

Our kids are totally unaffected by this significant event. Almost as if they never knew her at all. Possibly not since they would scurry off and play with their cousin, who would visit her great grandmother the same day we were there.

It's been tough for me, and strangely so. I find it interesting that for someone who was only an in-law, she had quite an impact on me. I'm sure we all thought Doris would be here forever. Difficulties for me; seeing evidence of her daily life, hairbrushes, medication bottles, items recently used in her refrigerator, and the baby monitor that's still turned on in her bedroom (the caretaker used at night in case she needed help).

Doris may be gone, but she's still very much alive in my thoughts. This adaptation is going to take some time to get used to.

2008 StewMade "Muscle Car" Guitar; Charger Sublime Green.

2008-05-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Click on images to enlarge. Enjoy!

A Sneak Peek From The Speed Shop!

2008-04-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Funny Videos for Those With Small Children.

2008-03-20T19:06:00.001-07:00

Just a funny YouTube video I found. To many of you out there, you've probably already seen this. Lucky for Charlie the video was rolling otherwise I think he would have got smacked in the head by brother Harry.

Prior to taping this clip, this little 3 year old and his younger sibling were horsing around on the bed. At one point the older brother jumped up and hit the baby in the lips, causing the baby's mouth to bleed. Poor kid's just trying to tell Dad he's concerned. Bluada, not fhaneeey!

And of course the girl who's afraid of her own shadow. Enjoy.

Last Night's Gig Went Pretty Well.

2008-03-15T11:57:00.001-07:00

De-Tension played last night at a local outdoor plaza. There was a head count of about 100 people that showed up and actually stayed through both sets. There were a few blunders here and there plus it was very difficult hearing everybody since we practice in a circle. But overall everything went very well.

The head of entertainment was present and was bummed that she has no more available bookings until October of this year. Hopefully we'll get contacted if someone cancels. But this time, I'd really rather be at the opposite end of the mall so that we can turn up a little more.

Here's a few samples of the songs we played.
Is She Really Going Out With Him.

Just What I Needed.

Today, 3:05 PM.

2008-03-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

My Grandmother passed away today. Man, it feels strange to say those words. To talk about someone who's been around your whole life, now you suddenly find yourself speaking about in the past sense. It happened very peacefully and she was surrounded with family sharing stories and just general conversation. If she was listening, I'm sure this is what she would have wanted. You see, my Grandmother was suffering from Altzheimer's Disease. So the last recollection of my grandma was around 1997. I believe she's finally at peace from this horrible disease.

After leaving her care facility, Jen and I drove home. Very little was said. When I got home, I mostly sat out by our back swing-bench. Libby came out and we talked about what happened and I shared stories about the Grandma Mary that I grew up with. Perfect blue sky, snow capped mountains in the background, it was a nice day for reminiscing. While I was talking about Grandma, Libby took this picture of an apricot blossum blooming in our backyard, which will be my blog main page graphic for the rest of this month.

It was tough on times when I would visit her. I didn't know how to have a conversation with her. It was a lot of nonsensical, random, conversation.

Sitting and thinking about my grandma reminded me of a music video from Elvis Costello called, "Veronica". Elvis's spoken intro and outro pretty much sums up similar incidents that I witnessed my grandmother going through. This video is tough to watch, especially when you see Elvis sitting in an empty bedroom and he is imagining all of Veronica's life.
"...something we don't quite understand.....not yet anyway".

Next Friday, March 14th......

2008-03-07T06:04:00.000-08:00

It's official, De-Tension is on the display of events for next Friday. Let's hope everything works out ok.

Stratocaster Icons: Richie Blackmore.

2008-02-25T18:16:00.000-08:00

Hide your Strats when Richie comes to town. Richie Blackmore, famous for Deep Purple's guitarist (Smoke On The Water). Richie was also in "Rainbow".

Count how many Strats he destroys in this concert footage. I don't think I'd ever loan my equipment to him. Very funny.

Flight of the Conchords: Business Time.

2008-02-21T19:35:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of our recent "Sex" talk at my church this last weekend, I stumbled across this clip from Flight of The Conchords. These guys are from New Zeland and call themselves "parody folk music". They also do a very funny parody of your typical children's song called, "Albi, The Racist Dragon".

Take note you newlyweds out there. I suspect most of the over 30 crowd will really laugh at this. PG-13.

StewMade guitar #2 for 2008: The Orange Crate Guitar!

2008-02-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, you're probably thinking I'm nuts, right? Well, I guess we'll see. My idea is to hollow out the main guitar body, fill the inside with fake oranges (anchored, not rattling around), then glue crate like planks over the top, exposing the oranges between strategically spaced areas and then using some type of citrus producing type label on a couple planks.

This should be the end of my one of a kind ideas for 2008. Although I do have to fit in a guitar that will be painted by Libby. She's very good at abstract art so I promised her that this year she will be able to do whatever she wants and then I'll clear it over and build around it. It will be a 75/25 input, her favor.

Also in the works, a StewMade bass and another boat guitar and "Longboard" guitar. So it looks like 6 guitars are in the works for 2008. The bass idea will be a surprise and will be due out this Fall. Plus a new StewMade t-shirt design.

You're probably asking, "Um, is there a website somewhere in those plans"? I think my fear in the website is that it will squelch my creativity by placing orders that others want. I love stretching out my imagination on these weird quirky one-off builds. I guess I won't have time for my x-ray guitar this year. That was going to be quite an ambitious attempt. Keep reminding me. Maybe if I see enough off this year, I'll get to squeeze that one in before Christmas. Later.

First StewMade Guitar Idea for 2008: Muscle Car Guitar!

2008-02-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so it's an idea that's been sitting for awhile and finally is in the works. The guitar body will be painted in 70's Plymouth Sublime Green complete with competition racing stripes. The "440+6" on the pickguard will represent the common 440 engine 6 barrel option available on the 1970 Dodge Charger, Plymouth "Cuda", Road Runner, Challenger, and the rare Superbird, as well as some others offered by Dodge and Plymouth. I could have used the "440 Super Commando" or the 426 Hemi emblem. But I really liked the look of the 440+6 hood decal from the Plymouth Road Runner.

If you have ever seen the movie "Cars", the light blue car with large front scoop and rear wing called "The King" is a Superbird. Only 1,920 were built only in 1970. Dodge came out with a similar version in 1969 called the "Dodge Daytona".

1969 Dodge Daytona

The "Devil Tail Heart" logo at the headstock is used from the 1970 Plymouth ad campaign, used along with the slogan, "The Beat Goes On" which also borrowed the Sony and Cher hit with the same name.

Chrome piston volume/tone knobs will be used along with a fabricated shift knob vibrato bar....or pickup selector switch. Pickguard will either be flat black or have actual tolex soft top glued to the pickguard to look like the roof. Back of the neck will also be satin black with just the front headstock matching the body color.
I also found a company that produces actual "clicking" metal seat belt guitar straps complete with the woven nylon belt material. I have the option of choosing nylon belt or actual 2" wide real tire tread for the guitar strap. Do some of you remember that "click" sound when getting into your parents old cars?

Have not decided on pickups yet. I want this guitar to be a high octane sort of sounding guitar. It can't be wimpy sounding at all. EMG's would keep the price down a bit but Seymour Duncan has a huge selection to check out. Maybe a sustainer?

The guitar case will be made of black cloth top material over a hard wood shell case, complete with a slight "tuck n' roll" leather ends with white piping.

My example does not completely show the true Sublime Green color. So here are some examples of some other muscle cars in sublime green as well as some video clips.

1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird

1970 Plymouth Road Runner (same as Superbird but w/o wings & scoop)

1970 Plymouth "Barracuda" or "Cuda"

A Hint Of Early Southern California.

2008-01-31T20:34:00.000-08:00

I took some pictures in Redlands on my day off. Originally I was headed for The Guitar Center and found myself in Redland's "Prospect Park". The entire block is full of orange groves and with the newly snow capped mountains as a back drop, I could not resist the opportunity.

After viewing these pics, I could not help wondering if this was the common image of the early 20th Century's citrus groves. I know my neighborhood used to look just like this.

I miss the vast rows of orange groves. I used to play along the dirt alleys that lined the trees. It seemed like the rows would go on for miles. It was a great time and unfortunately my simple camera did not to my view justice. Enjoy anyway.

Ok, What's God Planning? Ran Into Another Old "Cops in Concert" Aquaintance, Tim Sherwood.

2008-01-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

I don't know what's going on but it's funny how I just blogged about 3 other C'nC band member over these last few days. Now I run into former "Cops" bassist Tim Sherwood. Tim was also in my wedding.

Like Ricky Z, I met Tim at Cal State U, San Bernardino. My first encounter with Tim was my first Jazz Ensemble class. Big rumour was that Roger Rickson (RCC's Jazz Ensemble) was to be Cal State's newest Jazz Band teacher. Cal State pulled the plug due to some problems with the college. I had an old Ibanez Les Paul copy that had been modified to have a whammy bar installed. Tim pointed out to me that I had totally messed up my rare guitar. As Tim pointed out to me, I had a guitar that Gibson sued Ibanez for copying Gibson's Les Paul design and all remaining copies in the Ibanez factory were ordered to be destroyed. Only 500 Ibanez Les Paul copies were made....and I killed the resale value on mine. Yep, that was our first meeting.

Tim was responsible for my involvement into Cops in Concert (two local police department officers who did a Blue Brothers inspired show and hired a band of local musicians to back them up). When I got into Cops, Tim switched from rhythm guitar over to bass, his main instrument. I then took over rhythm guitar while Ricky Z played lead.

Tim is a phenominal bass player. Tim could play anything, a lot like Ricky Z. Tim had no interest in fame and/or studio work and so Tim decided to direct his energy into teaching music. He's been teaching middle school kids for quite some time now. Also, a devout Christian, he is part of a Christian Salsa/Jazz band called "One Nation". As their MySpace puts it, "One Nation have fashioned a blend of salsa, fusion, rhythm and blues, jazz and rock that is a sound all their own, but appeals to a wide cross-section of society. They see their music as their ministry and as a powerful forum to uplift others through the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have played a variety of different venues, such as: concerts, festivals, crusades, churches, prisons, outreaches and wherever there is a need for a positive message through music".

In addition to being a fantastic musician, Tim is one of the funniest people I know. My sense of humor has a percentage of Tim's humor.

So now back to today. I'm at Starbucks this morning and I heard Tim's wife call my name. I had just requested to be added to her MySpace yesterday. So I have not seen Tim in at least 4 years eventhough he lives locally. Live sometimes gets in the way. Each event sets friendships aside pushing back to a week, into months, into years.

It's interesting how God works or has something in the works. I've been very reflective in light of all my old bandmates success lately. This year, God may be planning a reunion of old friends. I sense something big is going to happen this year.

Meet Another Former "Cops In Concert" Alumnus, Bill Brendle.

2008-01-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, another very successful former memeber of "Cops in Concert" era 1984-85. My roomate John Sponsler had replaced Bill when he and then drummer Tony Hernandez left "Cops" to persue another musical venture. Bill briefly returned to "Cops" for one show around 1989. Bill grew up here in town and graduated from the same high school my wife attended around '81-'82.

Bill got a music job with the cruise lines and eventually became a one man band using his keyboards and sequencers. He graduated into the ship's music director. I didn't see much of Bill during this time since the cruise line staff are usually gone for about 6 months out of the year.

I recently was wondering about old band mates and did a Google search on another musically friend bass player Tim Sherwood. Through Tim's website, I did a search on Bill and found him on MySpace.

Bill has composed and produced music for many independent and feature films for 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight, and Warner Brothers. His music has been heard in many TV commercials, and he is the composer for a several documentary films that have aired on PBS, The Discovery Channel, and HBO. He works with Rickey Minor (musical director for the Grammys), and is currently an arranger/orchestrator on the highly successful program “American Idol”. He has performed as a keyboardist and pianist with some of the most recognized names in music including: Sergio Mendes, John Legend, India Arie, Erykah Badu, Joss Stone, Jojo, The Black-Eyed Peas, Jurassic 5, Whitney Houston, Gino Vanelli, Michael McDonald, Tito Puente, Celine Dion, Eric Benet, Carol King, Joe Williams, Steve Winwood, and Chaka Khan. In Brazil, he worked in the studios around Rio with Maria Bethânia, Simone, Rita Lee, Hermeto Paschoal, Guinga, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Ivan Lins.

Be sure to check out all of Bill's music on MySpace.

Check out my friend Rick's MySpace.

2008-01-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

When I was studying music at Cal State University San Bernardino, I met Rick Zahariades. Rick is a monster guitar player. He could always play any style like it was his only genre; classical, jazz, blues, rock, anything.

We were in "Cops in Concert" together between 1985-87 (Rick was already in the band earlier than '85). Rick was the guy I always tried to measure up to in regards to guitar playing. I was constantly trying to improve my abilities just to get up to his level. He was also the one who inspired me to buy my first Stratocaster in 1986. I remember Rick trying to teach me how to sing along with my guitar soloing, like George Benson. For the life of me, I couldn't do it. Now I've become so comfortable with the guitar, I can sing anything I play while playing on guitar.

Rick left Cops in '87 and this left me with nobody to gauge my skills against. Other people praised my guitar playing abilities but in my mind, I was nowhere near Rick's abilities.

When you visit his site (Brian?) click on "Backyard". That's all Ricky on guitar. He has played with many jazz and blues heavies. He's backed Jessica Simpson (yeah, I know but hey it's a name you recognize), Lauryn Hill, Nick Lachey, Paulina Rubio, Wayne Henderson, Don Grusin, Ronnie Laws, Stix Hooper, Terry Bradford, Alejandro Sanz, Shaila Durcal, Joan Sebastian, Juan Gabriel, Dawn Robinson (En Vogue), Cafe Quijano, Jenny Rivera, Obi Bermudez, Micheal Buble', Kristine W., Bobby Kimball, Jaci Velazquez, Los Trio, Cristian Castro, K-Ci, Chayanne, Carlos Ponce, Pepe' Aguilar, Composer Christopher Young, producers Humberto Gatica, Gustavo Farias, Kenny O'brien as well as various T.V./radio commercials, television and movie scores/soundtracks (most recently NBC T.V. program "Scrubs" and a new Dennis Hopper film titled "Ferris Wheel").

Also check out some of his outakes from some recording sessions in his "video" section. Rick is the king of rock face. Without a guitar in his hands, he's very quiet and humble....at least he was in '86.

Because of Rick, I am a better musician today. He challenged me unknowingly how to not settle for poor tone, always throw in something that engages your listener to want more, and how to carefully listen to the band and contribute your style only if the song begs for it. Phrasing comes to mind also. Less is more and flash is good only when necessary. Still to this day, I occasionally have a "What would Rick's approach be" moment. That's right after my "How would Larry Carlton play this". Enjoy.

Found This Funny Ok Go Table Tennis Clip A Few Months Ago.

2008-01-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

Ok Go is that band that is famous for their treadmill video "Do What You Want". I guess before they were famous, they made this short film. I'm still sick and have nothing new to blog about.

Through the magic of YouTube, here's their complete guide to playing successful table tennis. Enjoy.

We got a Wii for Christmas!

2008-01-05T06:44:00.001-08:00

Very fun. What's cool is that you have to create a person to play Wii (called a Mii). It's kind of like creating your own Avatar.

We got the one that has the sports package; baseball, golf, tennis, boxing, and bowling. Since our old tv no longer works properly and it's only a 32" screen, we used the money we got for Christmas and bought our first flat screen 46" LCD HDTV. We were planning on buying one sometime this year since a few of our built in cabinets are being designed around future flat screen TVs.

We decided on the Sony Brevia W series LCD. Originally we were looking into the V series but a few reviews complained of some problems with blacks (picture not race). So between reviews from c.net and consumer reports, the KDL-46W3000 was the one for us. Eventually we will integrate this TV into a full home theatre system (our contractor installed all the wiring into the walls and ceiling before drywalling our living addition). All we'll have to do is install 4 surround sound speakers 4" from each ceiling corner and the wiring will already be accessable (oh, plus a receiver and all that).

So anyway, back to the Wii. It's very realistic and you actually get your heart rate up in games like tennis and boxing. What I like best is the background music whenever they go to the scoring section after a game. It's like you're about to break away to commercial at any minute. The "between holes" music for the golf game is that typical acoustic guitar and accordion "woodsie outdoors" scorecard music. This is a great rainy day solution for getting some exercise as well as something to pass the time with friends and sleepovers.

George talks about "Rocky"

2008-01-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

The Story Behind the Hendrix/Zappa Strat.

2008-01-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

Videos from Dec. 17th Quick Before Sinking Gig.

2007-12-24T06:53:00.000-08:00

Courteousy of The Epic Beat.

A Muted Soul.

All Along The Watchtower (Can you pinpoint when the arthritis kicked in?).

Warning: High Gear Content! Equipment: StewMade Hendrix/Zappa Tribute, Barber LTD Overdrive, (Watchtower solo: Seymour Duncan Classic Twin tube overdrive/distortion pedal), Boss Digital Delay, Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb RI with 12" blue alnico Jensen speaker with NOS Bremar 6V6GT power tubes.

My College Roomate Composer John Sponsler.

2007-12-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

(left: John, middle: Hans Zimmer.)

John and I were college roomates back at Cal State University, San Bernardino in the mid 80's. We both attended music classes and were both in the same band at that time. We had quite the bachelor pad in our dorm room. It was cool because John worked in a video store and so we watched a lot of movies together. John was my introduction into staying up past 11:00 PM during the week.

One movie in particular was a Yes' "90125 Live" concert (no longer in print). It was right when Trevor Rabin breathed new life into Yes and created songs like, "Owner of A Lonely Heart", "Changes", and "Leave It". I think John had seen them twice live that year.

A few years later, John and I had started a band and attempted to get into the whole Disneyland Musical Artists network. Our goal was to be THE band that performed in Tomorrowland Terrace; the stage that pops up out of the ground. We spent many hours auditioning, and practicing in L.A. while living in the same apartment. John is a very driven individual and the only interruption that got in his way was sleep. We could rehearse all the way up until 3:30 AM and then sleep until 10:00 AM the next day. Then do it all over again. We would rehearse at a recording studio after hours.

After we didn't make the audition for Disney, we all sort of went our separate ways; John still forming bands and playing in L.A. I lost touch with John sometime around 1991.

So now I'm finding old friends through MySpace, people I have not talked to in years. I did a Google search of John since I've been reaching old band buddies. Turns out John is a composer/songwriter and has collaborated with many L.A. heavies in producing movie trailer music and movie score writing for televsion and film. John has a writing partner named Tom Gire and they both work under the company name Magic Box and are composers for Brand X. Feel free to check out some of their work by clicking on the many genres on the left. Very impressive.

Magic Box has written music for "National Treasure: book of Secrets", Movie Trailer for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", the last "Spiderman" movie, commercial spots for Scion, Navy, and Boeing, teamed up with Hans Zimmer for "Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest", the sea battle score for "Pirates of the Carribean at World's End", worked with John Williams for "Memoirs of a Geisha", "Munich", and new music for Sunday Night Football for NBC. John, correct me if any of my facts are wrong.

Trevor Rabin (L), John Sponsler (R)

Most recently, John teamed up with now legendary film scorewriter Trevor Rabin. Yes the former guitarist from Yes that John and I used to watch in our dorms. They completed the second film for Disney's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets".

Best of all, John is a follower of Christ. Very cool. Anyway, check out both sites if you have some time and enjoy some of John's work.

King Williams' StewMade Review @ Harmony Central.

2007-12-20T08:33:00.000-08:00

I know I've posted about "King" Williams before but I just found his review for my '64 J bass replicas that I built back in 2006. Thought I'd share for you bass folks out there. Nice to know I'm building them right.

I Miss The Tories.

2007-12-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

The Tories did the theme song to the short lived show "Jesse". The show starred Christina Applegate. I can't find the theme song but if you look up The Tories in iTunes, it's under "Time for You". I highly recommend it. Very "The Replacements" sounding group (Friends theme music).

I don't care for the video much but I love this songs' feel. Funny that they sort of sound like Jellyfish. You be the judge.
The Tories.

Jellyfish.

Had A Great Time With De-Tension.

2007-12-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well we haven't played since June '07. Conflicting schedules and everything. It was fun playing again. We have been offered some gigs (finally). I guess a local Plaza is interested in paying us to play about 12 times from February-March '08. I'll have to really coordinate schedules with family, 3 bands and work. I think we should pass on Friday nights. Wrong age group on Fridays ;)

Old Band Websites and MySpace.

2007-12-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

I used to be in two Police related bands; Cops in Concert and Cubo (Conduct Un Becoming an Officer). I was in CnC from '85-95 and made two records with them. I joined a breakoff from that group Cubo in '97 from a Cops in Concert Reunion Concert. Basically they were City Policemen who played cover tunes. Cops in Concert did a "Blue Brothers" type show, while Cubo just did Classic Rock live music.

So here's the link which still exists from Cops in Concert (note my Kirk Cameron attire, very 80's). And here's CUBO's Myspace. Pretty funny. Actually, CUBO sounds pretty good if you check out their MySpace.

Hey, Anybody Want To Build A Website For Me?

2007-12-11T18:35:00.001-08:00

I was fooling around taking pictures of my surfboard guitar before shipping off to it's new owner. I'm really into black & white photography right now. So I created this magazine add mock up. I love it because it's so grainy and slightly retro looking.

It got me thinking I really need a website. It's almost like this blog had created a diversion from me getting my StewMade website up. Ian? What about you?

I have a layout in mind and I registered my domain through Ipowerweb. There are a few templates but I'm so new to html and all that. This is what I've had for about 6 months (StewMade).

Here's my title page that I've created through PrintMaster 12. I have created pages already but when you check the site out before you go live, you can only click on "Previous - Next" rather than click on a tab and link to that page.

Anybody up for it? I have plenty of graphics stored as URLs and stuff.

Hide the Kids for This Video...But Very Funny To Musicians Over 30.

2007-12-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

There was a band a few years back called "The Darkness". Serious rock band from England (note the teeth) but pulled out all the stops with every Rock n' Roll/Glam Rock/Hair Metal Rock band cliche. The band pokes fun at their own expense. All of their videos are over the top, tongue and cheek Metal fantasies....that involve space. Kind of like their own Spinal Tap. Lead Singer Justin Hawkins emulates Peter Frampton meets Freddie Mercury (Queen), meets Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), meets David Coverdale (Whitesnake), meets Robert Plant (Led Zepplin). Note the slow-mo, wind in hair guitar solo. Epic Beat, make sure you're not drinking water when you watch this. Warning: there is some sexually suggestive "Austin Powers" style humor in this video.

Here is, "I Believe In A Thing Called Love".

Yeah, It's The Weekend!

2007-12-07T20:10:00.001-08:00

Pretty disturbing, huh? Sort of "Black Hole Sun'esque"? But this is how I feel on this Friday....well maybe taken down a few notches.

Great week but lot's of back pain. Talked to the spine doc this week; back injections. If that don't work, we'll be "burning" the nerves in that area. Actually if the injections work, then we know it's an S.I. Joint problem.

There has always been a suspicious sacroilliac joint dysfunction associated with the flattened disc due to the nature of my injury. If the injections work, then after the injections wear off, we'll burn off the nerves that create that sensation of pain.

Unbelieveable CelArts Worship Ministry Experience.

2007-12-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

Wow. I'm placing my most uplifting blog to date. This weekend was amazing. Besides having to play with some amazing voices and musicians, there was something in the air about performing this weekend. I was so in "the zone" spiritually. I'm not sure if it was the particular arrangements or God giving me a hug of confidence to get me through this upcoming week.

I was almost moved to tears while performing two of our last songs. The songs I’m referring to; "The First Noel" & "What Child Is This". These were not done in the traditional arrangements that you've heard Andy Williams sing over the years.

I don't know if it was from being in such close proximity so that I could closely hear everything that was going on. While I was playing, I could feel that I was no longer conscious of myself but was able to listen to everything else going on around me. Mind you I was not playing bad notes, but it was like my hands were on auto-pilot. Brad was running straight out of my monitor (reference speaker that enables me to hear the rest of the band), so his notes were moving me to play to my best abilities. Ian, wow, great time and groove that I've never experienced before while Jason was right there on every kick beat (the beat that the bass drum hits, big deal with bass players and drummers).

I dunno, just an overwhelming feeling of emotion came over me while playing. It allowed me to completely relax and do my thing. But those last two songs.....really had to do the man thing and bite my lower lip. Wow.......wow. I know, corny huh? Something magical about those two songs because it happened with each service, highest sensation at the last service though.

I even got to talk to some people I normally don't get to talk to. It's the most I've spoken to Brad, and I even got to spend some time yakin' with Ian over a breakfast burrito (we found out some privileged information regarding CelArts and the Hub on weekends....hmmmmm.) BTW, who labeled the two salsas at the condiments table as "Macho Spicy" and "Wimpy Mild"?

Thank you for the boost I needed Jesus.