45 Minute Countdown

And yes, it's that cold here. Apparently there's a front moving through, because the walk from here to the rest of the hospital has become more and more painful as the day has gone on. Coffee has helped, but only so much. The fact that it's now dead quiet, and cold, and boring, has really made it a struggle to not shut my door, wrap myself up in my coat, and take a nap!

So, in an effort to stay awake long enough to clock out for the day, I am doing the rare two-a-day posting that used to be so common when I was a chaplain. Not that I really miss being a chaplain in a conservative state, mind you!

So read on and be entertained (I hope!).

First stop, guitar news.

Had my second lesson last night, and (in my opinion) did poorly. The reason for that is complicated - part of it has to do with my grandfather's guitar, part of it was my preparation before the lesson, etc. No biggie, just frustrating. Plus I had a friend whom I haven't seen in 20 years come and visit, so I was very distracted. More on the friend later.

Anyway, short story is that I'm now more determined than ever to purchase an electric guitar (they're easier to play than acoustics). I went out to the local Guitar Center and played several of the models that I talked about in an earlier post. Oddly, I ended up not liking any of them. One I played and did like was an Epiphone SG-310, shown here.

Pretty cool guitar, although it looks way too similar to my Guitar Hero controller. That's no accident, of course, since the GH controllers for the PS2 are supposed to be Gibson SGs anyway. So I'm a little hesitant to purchase the Epiphone, if only for a silly reason that it looks like a toy (or a toy looks like it - whatever).

Last night I asked my instructor what he recommended. The store where I take my lessons sells Schecters, and he pointed out an Omen 6 that he likes to play in his spare time. At first I thought it looked a little too gothic or metal for me (yeah, that's possible. Go fig.), but the more I look at it, the more I like it. It's about $50 more than the SG, and money's an issue ... but here's what the Schecter Omen 6 looks like:

Anyway, I still haven't completely made up my mind. So the jury's still out. But I may just cough up the extra bucks and get something that I know looks unique and unlike guitars my friends and colleagues have. More on that later.

In other news, my best friend from high school drove through my part of the world yesterday and crashed at our house. It was great to see him, since we had lost touch 20 years ago. Last I heard, he went up to Alaska to work on the crabbing fleet. Then he popped up and found me on Facebook, while he was serving in Iraq as part of the Nevada National Guard! So last night was spent celebrating and swapping stories. Not enough time, of course, but definitely a good time. It brings to mind a song by Rush - Time Stand Still:

I turn my back to the wind
To catch my breath
Before I start off again.
Driven on without a moment to spend
To pass an evening with a drink and a friend

I let my skin get too thin
I'd like to pause
No matter what I pretend
Like some pilgrim
Who learns to transcend
Learns to live as if each step was the end

(Time stand still)
I'm not looking back
But I want to look around me now
(Time stand still)
See more of the people and the places that surround me now
Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger
Experience slips away
Experience slips away

And with that, I'm going home.
Peace.