Lessons learned...

So I guess I never posted the big thing I learned this summer. Aside from being lazy, I guess I really wasn't finished learning...so here it is:

People aren't complete, so don't expect them to be...because I'm certainly not!

What I mean is that there are some people in the world that I really believe are hopeless, and I need to separate myself from them. But most people just have their "balance" as Josh says...that is, there are things you hate as well as things you love about your friends. It just depends on what you see yourself being able to deal with and works with your weaknesses.

Even though life is kind of in the wash right now for me, I think I'm feeling okay. Like I said before, starting over is tough, but sometimes the right thing...

Random quote of the day, Josh needed help with some homework so I told him I'd help...he offered to pay me and I refused, so we got into an arguement about it and how friends just help friends...anyways, here's the quote from that:

"Our friendship is unconditional, but typing 16 pages is $50."
-Josh Rocha

Anyway, back to the studio, g'day everyone...
-Rod

New stuff...

So I finally got around to updating the intro to my website...stay tuned for the rest of it!
-Rod

The Beach Boys were wrong...

So I can definately say Kokomo is NOT where you wanna go...

Seriously, I've never felt more discouraged about what I'm doing...my parents are no longer excited about my life and some of my closest friends are less than enthusiastic...it's a bummer...what often kept me going in school when I was thinking about quitting was that there were so many people here that believed in me and were so supportive...but they've forgotten...

Like, I came back all excited about doing a senior recital and told everyone about it and not a single person was at all excited about attending, even when I offered to rent a bus or something...so screw them...I'm excited about what my friends are doing and if they had the culminating moment of 4 years happening, I'd be there if I had to work extra hours to buy the plane ticket...it's what friends do...oh well...

Where do I go from here? I don't know, but I've always seemed to make it through...

Anyway, I'm heading back to school in a few hours...hopefully things will be better...
-Rod

Bathe me in your grace...

I just finished tracking with NovaChild...and I tell you what, I think we got something incredible...this stuff rocks hard, and somehow, I managed to be quite pleased with the nearly finished product...there are over 12 layers of guitars, huge drums, choirs, and all kinds of cool stuff...it's incredible...I did some cool stuff to the lead singer's vocals...I ran them from the studio to the school auditorium on a small speaker and recorded all the echoes from the distorting speaker and added it to the regular vocals and it is killer! These guys are going places...I can't wait to see them work their way to the top...just genius...

I think taking life one step at a time is paying off, and God is smiling...

Here's me with the NovaChild guys way too late in the Greenville Studios...


Top:Jon (Lead Guitar), Seth (Bass), Seth (Drums)
Bottom: Me (Resident Dork/Engineer), Brad (Keys, Guitars, DJ), Liz (Lead Vocals, other various instruments...)

So I had a good time...it's a wonder to see what God's been doing when I knew He was doing something, I just didn't know what...and between NovaChild, Josh, and the future after school, I think life's going to be alright...

Last night, I worked with a friend, Rebecca Hays, to record her demo of a beautiful song called "Bed on the Stars" and she is just great...man, I'm in the studio alot!

Anyway, only a couple days til Turkey Day! Gobble gobble!
-Rod

I'd walk this line...

So it has been a hectic couple weeks. I think I'm generally happy with life though. You wouldn't expect it though, from the circumstances...

First, my hard drive died on my computer...which left me totally disabled...and after battling the evils of Airborne Express, I finally got a new hard drive...although it sucks now, because I have to rebuild my computer...boo...

Second, I got my arm all cut up on Wednesday...I had surgery to have an unknown growth removed from my arm...it's cleaned up now, but here's the stitches...



So that hurt and it still bothers me...


Also, I have been bombarded and busy in the studio...I'm working on a million projects...it's becoming a bit overwhelming, but I remember being a freshman and dying to get in the studios, so I'm trying to remind myself this is what I wanted...

I'm extremely poor right now and working at the school Dining Commons to pay off credit card bills and have some $$ to be socialble and live off of.

All that being said, I'm happy with life...why? Well...to start things off, the whole starting over thing I talked about a while back is going well...it may not keep going that way, but for now, it is...me and Adam are getting to be friends all over again, Urban D is doing better without a horrible record label over them, me and Josh are working really well together, and he's becoming one of my best friends all over again. Among many good talks over the past few weeks, we spoke when I drove him to the train station to go home for break...I got a picture with him before he boarded...



Also, back to my list, I did get a new hard drive, and the surgery will make me better, and I love helping people in the studio, and I'm not buying stupid crap I don't need since I don't have the money...plus, you get to see where your good friends take care of you...it's amazing...

Lastly, all the uncertainty of where I'll be when I'm done with school may be closing up. It looks as if God is clearing my way and showing me how the last few years have been coming to a plan...I can't talk about it yet, and it's nothing big in the eyes of the world, but means the world to me...so please everyone pray for me and hope that I'll make the right decision...

I'll let everyone know when I can talk about it...

Anyway, it's 2am and I still have a digital photo project to do before I go to bed and get up at 8am...

thanks everyone...
-Rod

She's still running...

So I got to step foot on stage today and it was AWESOME...I messed up a lot, but I still enjoyed it a lot. The first two songs were kind of rough, but by the time I got to get on stage with NovaChild it was all good...I'm so fortunate to have those guys back me up...it meant a lot and I got to set foot on stage again...anyway, it's late, time for bed...more later...
-Rod

Vanessa Carlton Rocks My World...

So tomorrow's payday, and not that I'm getting a whole lot, but I figured I owed myself some good music. I took a chance and got the new Vanessa Carlton CD "Harmonium" because the first CD was kind of boring except for the couple radio singles. But this one had a killer single called "White Houses" so I picked it up. Wow...this record is the one you dream of making. It's like Chopin reincarnated into a pretty 23-year-old songstress. The orchestra is beautiful and the piano parts are lush. The lyrics speak so much of life. Musically, this shows a lot of education. My favorite lyric is from "Who's to Say" that says, "You say we're too young to know, maybe you're too old to remember." Genius...so it has definitely inspired me to go write a million songs. She also improvises over classical music...who does that...honestly...

On another exciting note, tomorrow, I get to perform for the first time in 3 years. The songwriting lab band I'm in is performing and I get to perform 3 songs...I was fortunate enough to be able to enlist the talents of NovaChild to back me up as a band, so it should be a great show also featuring peers Sarah Coleman and Rebecca Hays. I'm excited because I never get to be on stage and perform...I get kind of depressed sometimes because it feels like no one ever asks me to play...as if I'm some horrible player...I don't know, maybe I am...but it feels like crap...I love playing piano and came to this school as a piano major and have gone nearly 3 years without being able to take that to the stage. People in my own lab band don't want me to play, I was booted from Urban Derivatives as a keyboard player and everyone else wants to ask their bass player friend to play piano. ARG! Actually, it hurts more than makes me angry. It's like someone telling you over and over that you're really bad at the thing you love. The only person, and I mean only person ever to believe I could play anywhere on campus or this world for that matter is Dr. Johnson, he's the one that suggests to everyone that I play for them and then they just never call me back...regardless, to the rest of the world, screw you...Dr. Johnson is going to help me practice and get me back on my piano track and I'll playing my own f***ing music since I'm not good enough for anyone else. Anyway, if you're in the Greenville area Friday, Nov. 12, stop into LaDue and see how bad I really suck, oh well, it'll be fun...I'm so excited no one can even understand...

Time for bed, g'night...
-Rod

Today's featured music:

Vanessa Carlton - White Houses from "Harmonium"

Vanessa Carlton - Who's to Say from "Harmonium"

Starting over...

I've been noticing a lot of starting over these last few weeks. I guess its kind of like the lesson you learn in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...I won't spoil that for you. For me, I've started over with the Urban Derivatives guys, and Josh especially. I couldn't trust him before, and maybe I can't trust him now, but I'm willing to start over and find out one more time...since it's both of us starting over. My old roommate that dissappeared, Adam, he and I are starting over unspoken. We're getting to be friends all over again and not letting some Korean whore get in the way this time. I'm starting over and writing more of my music this time around and not getting caught up in everyone else's work.

In other exciting news, the lab band I am in under Dr. Johnson will be performing in LaDue Auditorium Nov. 12, 2004 and I will be performing 3 of my songs! It's going to be the first time I've performed since my freshman year here! I'll do some by myself, but for most of it, the brilliant NovaChild will be backing me up :) since I have no band :( .

I've been listening to a lot of music lately. More than usual I mean...here's a brief list of what's been changing my life lately:

1. Cruz (Live Version) - Christina Aguilera - She has a lot of stuff that sucks, but this particular cut is classic and the performance gives me goosebumps.
2. Lyfe Jennings - His entire debut album seems like a movie, it's destined to be classic neo-soul record about how bad decisions and girls can ruin your life...but you can still get back up.
3. Gavin Degraw (Stripped Versions) - I liked Gavin Degraw before, then he released acoustic and jazzed up versions of his debut album and I grew to LOVE his music.
4. When I Fall - Rachael Lampa - I don't know why I like this song so much, I think it reminds me who catches me when I fall.
5. The Art - Rachael Lampa - I don't know what to say about this song..."Life's the art of moving on..." beautiful Rachael...just beautiful...
6. Mystery of You - BDA - So these guys are friends of mine, and they've never been my favorite, but this song they did it for me...
7. Homesick (Live Version) - MercyMe - Even though I'm sick of hearing "I Can Only Imagine" they finally wrote another GREAT song...

Josh and I went to see "Saw" last night and I think I can say that it was the most f'ed up movie I've ever seen. People killing themselves, little kids in weird homicides, and people seeking revenge...it's all messed up. Go see it.

Ha, anyway, I gotta go, but there it is so far, God bless...
-Rod