D48 - Cousin to Cousin

Below are Sara and Ginger bread boy [GBB] outside of her school. GBB was sent to us from Sara's cousin, we are taking him on an adventure in Ohio for the weekend.  Let the fun begin!

Enjoy!

Ja mata,
Brian

D47 - Music

What makes good music?  The beat? The lyrics? Both would be my suggestion. As we all saw on the Grammy's, Adele went home with big wins and as she said it all came from a "rubbish relationship".  When I write lyrics, there are two approaches to getting in my zone. The first is have a concept in mind without a track to write to. In these cases, I would start alibiing about the topic and figure out where I want to take it, making a rough draft. The next step would be to go back and fill in the remainder of the verse by moving, adding and subtracting lines until there are 16 bars. This can be fitted to a track at a later point in time, but will require more fine tuning and of course finding the right music.

The other option, which I prefer, is to have the track upfront and write what I feel the mood of the music is emoting. The best songs are ones that express a feeling, motivation, story, or cause over music that compliments it. Music is incredibly powerful. Take horror movies, the build up to a big scene is always accompanied by an underlying score to help bring you to the edge of your seat. Try to Google a few movie scenes and mute your speakers, without the ominous music it's just words and a scene. Oh, well if your speakers are muted then it's a silent movie, hmm, I'll have to rethink that test.

So speaking of music in my current rotation:
DJ Ozone Rudeboy Kulcha vol 15 mix
Marco Polo + Rustee Juxx  - The Exxecution
Elzhi - Elmatic
Adele - 19 + 21 
Little Shop of Horrors Soundtrack

Enjoy.Music!
---What are you listening to?---

Ja mata,
Brian

D46 - Taking A Gamble

Putting it all on the line hoping for a payoff or just good results can be tough. The chips are always stacked against you You could end up constantly checking your hand waiting for the dealer flips over the face card. Additionally, before that you need to figure out how mush risk you are willing to take and willing to lose. But as they say, you cannot win the game by sitting in the bleachers.

Enjoy.

Ja mata,
Brian

D45 - Pushing On

Some days it's harder than others. Sara knows this all too well when she first started trying to ride her bike. Some days she would hop on and only make it a few feet before declaring the bike didn't work, frowning and sitting on the curb determined not to look at it. Other days, she would go for 15 minutes, then ask to ride on my back all the way home.

On a larger scale, the Ohio CycleWorks Charities team will be going through tough days as well. Even with the snow, they have to stick to their Regiment to be ready for Race Across America [RAAM] this coming June. But once you get past the pain you have the success, and nothing makes the pain less than support and encouragement. So 'like' the facebook page, follow them on twitter, and donate on the webpage, it's a great cause! The while team is motivated and accepting of the challenge, there is nothing like a push of support to help nullify the pain of training.

Plan your work, Work your plan.

Enjoy.

Ja mata,
Brian

D44 - Lighted Path

This long driveway caught my attention while heading home. Interesting how the paths we take are not always illuminated, thus making the journey a mystery. Even when they are lit, like in the image below, you will still have to wind down and around curves that don't always allow you to see your destination fully. So how do you prepare for the unknown? Can you really come up with a plan of action of every obstacle that might block your path? Or would it be better to know several potential barriers and being accepting of change for whatever appears?  Well you could always walk in the snow. Yes that is an options, and depending on what is blocking you it may just keep you from being deterred. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.

Enjoy.

Ja mata,
Brian

D43 - Little Fingers

It's all about enjoying the little successes. This is Sara buttoning her pajamas, she does this nightly, but she celebrates like it's the first time she buttoned them. Just a nice reminder to celebrate the small wins, such as sticking to your new regiment, steps to better yourself as well as your finances, and of course buttoning your PJs. What are you celebrating?

Enjoy.

Ja mata,
Brian

D42 - Relax

This is one of my set of Zen Meditation Balls, I actually bought it in Shanghai, China years ago. They are relaxing until Sara tried to bounce them on the floor. I normally break them out when I'm feeling a little stressed or need an image for the night. :)

Enjoy.

Ja mata,
Brian