...this place may be the coziest spot in Fishers as far as I'm concerned. I'm here working on all sorts of things today, with a (now gone) piece of homemade pumpkin bread and peppermint tea as my tablemates. I don't even have to ask anymore for them to throw a couple ice cubes in there for me. Lisa, Darin, or any of their friendly staff just kind of know I'm the wuss who can't drink hot tea hot. Lisa actually called me out about it the other day.
Not to mention, that just as I cracked open my Mac, I hear the opening drumbeats of "Flying With You" from I Can See Forever, followed by "Windows Down." I said "That guy sounds familiar" out loud, I think. Quite a nice surprise!
Speaking of Higher Grounds - or "The HG" as I call it - I have booked two dates with Lisa for all you coffee-and-tea-and-the-java-in-me, acoustic music-loving, kind souls out there to check out. Details are below:
THURSDAY, JAN. 24
THURSDAY, FEB. 21 (w/special guest Ryan Brown...see my "His Amp Goes to 11" entry about Brown)
7-9 PM
FREE, ALL-AGES
Bring the whole family and show up early to grab a drink and a good spot! This place fills up quickly and that just makes it better.
AH! Now a nice selection from John Mayer's Heavier Things album is swirling over my head. Seriously, you need to check this place out.
Cheers,
RA
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Maybe on Another Day: YouTube clip
Thanks to my good friend Chris McCormick's media wizardry, my recent performance of "Maybe on Another Day" in Enumclaw, WA can be seen on YouTube.
Cheers to you for stopping by and CM for yet another job very well done!
Enjoy,
RA
Cheers to you for stopping by and CM for yet another job very well done!
Enjoy,
RA
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year!
Hi, you. Thanks for thinking to yourself "I wonder what's up on Ryan's blog lately?" and clicking on me in your bookmarks. (I AM in your bookmarks, right?) I appreciate it.
First of all, Happy 08! Can you believe we're nearly into the 200(double digits)? It seems like yesterday I was watching Garfield & Friends on Saturday mornings in Middletown, Rhode Island (then followed by US Acres...) and freaking out occasionally over the looming Monday due date of a:
A) Diorama
B) Styrofoam solar system
C) 1-page book report over "The Pigman"
D) Locker/Cubby check
E) All of the above
F) NOTA
A "cubby check" for the record is - if you're in 1st-3rd grade - a realization that your teacher is somewhat like your Mom or Dad and can hold the cleanliness of your cubby hole (aka area where you keep your Trapper Keeper and/or Popples lunchbox during class) over your head OR - if you're the aforementioned teacher - an opportunity to buy 10 minutes of time grading nonsensical rituals, you know, to let 'em know who's the boss.
Tony Danza, uh-thank you.
Speaking of Who's the Boss?, who told people in the 80s that wearing glasses the size of behemoth butterflies looked good? Have you SEEN Judith Light's glasses in the show? They overtook the woman's face! Where is she now? The world may never know...
But back to the new year. 2007 goes down as the busiest, most expensive, craziest, most fun & fulfilling, and truly enjoyable year of my life (to date). My best friend became my wife, pursuits to perform my music were met with challenges, unforeseen (amazing) opportunities, and then some, I stood by two of my great friends as they said their vows, I saw parts of the world that I'm convinced everyone in the world should see, I saw kids' lives change completely, and I was continually blessed with new friendships, the strengthening of old friendships, good to freakishly good health, reinforced faith and beliefs, a supportive, warm, loving family, and the safety of living in this wonderful Country I call home. Plus, as an added bonus, the Colts won the Super Bowl AND the Hoosiers made it to a bowl game, which Lauren & I got to be a part of (cheers, Mark Skirvin!) and experience first-hand in Tempe, AZ last weekend.
And now, what? That's the best part! I get to see what's still out there, perhaps a glimpse of what I've already come to know, perhaps something I've never experienced before in my life. Sure, there's trepidation - the same sense of controlled chaos inside my head, albeit more mature, that I felt over a silly diorama project involving rattlesnakes, sand, and Play-Doh in the 4th grade when I think about work, money, career choices, life decisions, etc. But isn't that the fun part of life - figuring it all out? With the trepidation comes an overwhelming sense that everything is going to work out perfectly in the end.
Right now, I'm simply concerned why Rusty, our cat, is running back and forth across the apartment for no apparent reason. And when I say "running," I mean the guy is BOOKING. It sounds like thunder, no lie. I guess cats DON'T need their front claws after all (Rusty, or The Rustman, as I call him, had minor surgery last week and has successfully healed; I know you were concerned, for which we both thank you). Weird.
If I may, allow me to suggest that we all try to do the following in 08:
1. Stop saying Happy Holidays. If you know someone is Jewish, wish them a Happy Hanukkah. If you know someone is a Muslim, wish them a Happy Eid ul-Adha. I've yet to come across any opportunity to wish someone a Happy Kwanzaa, but I wait expectantly to do so this year. If you know someone is an atheist, tell them to have a pleasant December, or at least a nice day. You see, I believe grouping everything together into a holiday "season" (don't even get me started on "Season's Greetings") undermines the whole point of having holidays in the first place. If there's a bunch of holidays to celebrate, say the appropriate holiday greeting that corresponds to each at the appropriate time. You're not going to offend me if you say Merry Christmas. You will irk me, however, if you choose to cop out and wish me Happy Holidays. I won't be mad, but just annoyed enough to make a fuss about it in blogs such as these. ;)
And please suppress the urge, thus revolting against the anti-Christmas revolution of late, to say "Happy Holidays" after Christmas. It's the New Year. Say "Happy New Year." Stop, though, on January 5th or 6th when it just becomes a poor conversation filler.
And...OFF the soapbox.
2. Follow through. With resolutions, promises, trains of thought, etc. I'm going to try to not say things in conversation that will build up false hopes in those with whom I converse like, "Yeah, we should do lunch." Do or do not lunch. There is no try, as Yoda says. I'm going to lose 25 pounds this year, be an awesome husband, and continue to tease myself with monthly basset hound calendars that I purchase on sale after Christmas, as in Hey, news flash, it's OK to wish someone a Merry Christmas. Let the games begin!
3. Vote. Educate yourself on the candidates, their stances on the issues at hand, make sure you're registered, and do it because our Constitution and hundreds of thousands of people putting their lives and families on the line say you can.
4. Be kind to one another. Good grief, life's too short to create, hold, or create and hold grudges, which is oft the predominant case. I had a woman I'd never met before recently drive up alongside me in the grocery store parking lot, roll down her window, and tell me that I was a bleeping bleephole, simply because I was waiting to pull into a spot across from me that required me to somewhat take up a couple feet of concrete in front of her car. It was two days before Christmas! (Or was it Holiday?) We weren't put here to nitpick at each other, find fault in one another, or constantly compare everyone else to ourselves, for crying out loud.
5. Make good numeric lists and stick to 'em (see #2).
Off to bed. Enjoy the pic from the time spent with Lauren in AZ for the Hoosiers' bowl game!
Have a very Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year, everyone. That is, until January 5th/6th and then it's business as usual. ;)
Ry
First of all, Happy 08! Can you believe we're nearly into the 200(double digits)? It seems like yesterday I was watching Garfield & Friends on Saturday mornings in Middletown, Rhode Island (then followed by US Acres...) and freaking out occasionally over the looming Monday due date of a:
A) Diorama
B) Styrofoam solar system
C) 1-page book report over "The Pigman"
D) Locker/Cubby check
E) All of the above
F) NOTA
A "cubby check" for the record is - if you're in 1st-3rd grade - a realization that your teacher is somewhat like your Mom or Dad and can hold the cleanliness of your cubby hole (aka area where you keep your Trapper Keeper and/or Popples lunchbox during class) over your head OR - if you're the aforementioned teacher - an opportunity to buy 10 minutes of time grading nonsensical rituals, you know, to let 'em know who's the boss.
Tony Danza, uh-thank you.
Speaking of Who's the Boss?, who told people in the 80s that wearing glasses the size of behemoth butterflies looked good? Have you SEEN Judith Light's glasses in the show? They overtook the woman's face! Where is she now? The world may never know...
But back to the new year. 2007 goes down as the busiest, most expensive, craziest, most fun & fulfilling, and truly enjoyable year of my life (to date). My best friend became my wife, pursuits to perform my music were met with challenges, unforeseen (amazing) opportunities, and then some, I stood by two of my great friends as they said their vows, I saw parts of the world that I'm convinced everyone in the world should see, I saw kids' lives change completely, and I was continually blessed with new friendships, the strengthening of old friendships, good to freakishly good health, reinforced faith and beliefs, a supportive, warm, loving family, and the safety of living in this wonderful Country I call home. Plus, as an added bonus, the Colts won the Super Bowl AND the Hoosiers made it to a bowl game, which Lauren & I got to be a part of (cheers, Mark Skirvin!) and experience first-hand in Tempe, AZ last weekend.
And now, what? That's the best part! I get to see what's still out there, perhaps a glimpse of what I've already come to know, perhaps something I've never experienced before in my life. Sure, there's trepidation - the same sense of controlled chaos inside my head, albeit more mature, that I felt over a silly diorama project involving rattlesnakes, sand, and Play-Doh in the 4th grade when I think about work, money, career choices, life decisions, etc. But isn't that the fun part of life - figuring it all out? With the trepidation comes an overwhelming sense that everything is going to work out perfectly in the end.
Right now, I'm simply concerned why Rusty, our cat, is running back and forth across the apartment for no apparent reason. And when I say "running," I mean the guy is BOOKING. It sounds like thunder, no lie. I guess cats DON'T need their front claws after all (Rusty, or The Rustman, as I call him, had minor surgery last week and has successfully healed; I know you were concerned, for which we both thank you). Weird.
If I may, allow me to suggest that we all try to do the following in 08:
1. Stop saying Happy Holidays. If you know someone is Jewish, wish them a Happy Hanukkah. If you know someone is a Muslim, wish them a Happy Eid ul-Adha. I've yet to come across any opportunity to wish someone a Happy Kwanzaa, but I wait expectantly to do so this year. If you know someone is an atheist, tell them to have a pleasant December, or at least a nice day. You see, I believe grouping everything together into a holiday "season" (don't even get me started on "Season's Greetings") undermines the whole point of having holidays in the first place. If there's a bunch of holidays to celebrate, say the appropriate holiday greeting that corresponds to each at the appropriate time. You're not going to offend me if you say Merry Christmas. You will irk me, however, if you choose to cop out and wish me Happy Holidays. I won't be mad, but just annoyed enough to make a fuss about it in blogs such as these. ;)
And please suppress the urge, thus revolting against the anti-Christmas revolution of late, to say "Happy Holidays" after Christmas. It's the New Year. Say "Happy New Year." Stop, though, on January 5th or 6th when it just becomes a poor conversation filler.
And...OFF the soapbox.
2. Follow through. With resolutions, promises, trains of thought, etc. I'm going to try to not say things in conversation that will build up false hopes in those with whom I converse like, "Yeah, we should do lunch." Do or do not lunch. There is no try, as Yoda says. I'm going to lose 25 pounds this year, be an awesome husband, and continue to tease myself with monthly basset hound calendars that I purchase on sale after Christmas, as in Hey, news flash, it's OK to wish someone a Merry Christmas. Let the games begin!
3. Vote. Educate yourself on the candidates, their stances on the issues at hand, make sure you're registered, and do it because our Constitution and hundreds of thousands of people putting their lives and families on the line say you can.
4. Be kind to one another. Good grief, life's too short to create, hold, or create and hold grudges, which is oft the predominant case. I had a woman I'd never met before recently drive up alongside me in the grocery store parking lot, roll down her window, and tell me that I was a bleeping bleephole, simply because I was waiting to pull into a spot across from me that required me to somewhat take up a couple feet of concrete in front of her car. It was two days before Christmas! (Or was it Holiday?) We weren't put here to nitpick at each other, find fault in one another, or constantly compare everyone else to ourselves, for crying out loud.
5. Make good numeric lists and stick to 'em (see #2).
Off to bed. Enjoy the pic from the time spent with Lauren in AZ for the Hoosiers' bowl game!
Have a very Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year, everyone. That is, until January 5th/6th and then it's business as usual. ;)
Ry
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