The Protector

I’m your rock in the tempest, the furious storm

In the thrashing icy waters I’ll keep you anchored and warm

Lost in the desert I give water and way

I will carry you to shelter keeping bared teeth at bay

Hailstones nor sleet will get in our way

I’ll brave the stings and have the last say

I’m your ardent guardian with my sheath and blade

Fiercely your hero, standing and staid

When swirling in eddies pulling you down

My hand will grasp you….you’ll never drown

Allowing no harm to your stunning soul

Filling your life furnace with nourishing coal

I became your Protector when our gaze began

Never failing…I’m your Man

The Band Is Improving

The band has been rehearsing at least once a week for months.  We’re playing our first big gig at Rusty’s in Port Canaveral on Friday March 30th.  Here’s a list of the songs we’ve been working on and there will be more to come. 

I Got A Name – Jim Croce

Just The Two Of Us – Bill Withers

Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

The Weight – The Band

Sailing – Christopher Cross

To Love Somebody – The Bee Gees

Everybody Wants To Rule The World – Tears For Fears

Counting Blue Cars – Dishwalla

Don’t Dream It’s Over – Crowded House

So Far Away – Carole King and James Taylor

Wonderwall – Oasis

Rocket Man – Elton John

The Letter – The Box Tops (and Joe Cocker)

Billie Jean – Michael Jackson

Still Rock And Roll To Me – Billy Joel

Ride Like The Wind – Christopher Cross

Sara Smile – Hall & Oates

Stir It Up – Bob Marley

Something About You – Level 42

For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield

One Thing Leads To Another – The Fixx

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother – The Hollies

Black – Pearl Jam

Brandy – Looking Glass

Last Dance With Mary Jane – Tom Petty

Losing My Religion – REM

Another Day – The Beatles 

Yes, we do a reggae song...I LOVE IT.

Peace,

Steve

My House

Since I have potential buyers looking at my house as I sit in my office working, I figure I could tell the story of the house. 

Years ago, my ex and her husband had this house built when they moved to Florida.  It’s a large two story house.  3400 square feet.  It’s in a golf course community in Clermont.  Clermont is about 20 minutes from Disney and about 30 minutes west of Downtown Orlando.  I’m not a big fan of Clermont because there is so little to do, but this community is nice.  I’m not surprised that they chose to build here.  It’s a nice place to raise kids, but not so fun if you’re single.  The only reason I moved to Clermont in the first place was because my ex-wife moved here and I wanted to be closer to my kids.  I think I’ve been out here for 5 or 6 years now. 

Shortly after the house was built, my ex-fiancée and her husband parted.  She then put a lot of effort into the house…painting the walls, doing the floors, buying new furniture.  It’s a beautiful home.  Unfortunately, her ex-husband screwed up and the house went into foreclosure.  She was able to manage to stay in the house for a years though. 

When I moved in, we knew that the house would be sold at auction eventually so we started looking at houses to buy.  One day, after we came home from a concert in West Palm Beach, there was a card on the door that said, “Hi, I bought your house, please give me a call”.  We knew it was going to happen so we already had one of those large moving pods in the driveway and family coming over to help us move.   I still had a rental house so we were going to move there until we could find a new place. 

The guy came over and looked at the house.  We started breaking down furniture and moving.  My ex was very emotional because she put so much effort in the house.  The guy was leaving and I walked outside to speak with him.  He said he was just going to flip the house and he would sell it to me.  And that’s what happened…I bought the house.  We didn’t have to move after all.  I honestly felt like a hero…I wanted her and her kids to be happy. 

We split up last fall so now I live here alone.  Most of the furniture was hers.  I have an old couch and loveseat, a gel fireplace that I bought last year for the holidays, a TV, a coffee table, a bed, and a desk.  It gets so quiet here. 

I hope it sells soon.   Too many memories.  It’s hard to fly back into town on Thursdays and come home to an empty house.  Luckily, even though I've only had the house for almost two years, I’m not upside down.  Once it does sell I plan to move out of Clermont.  Probably to the Dr. Phillips area which is near Universal and International Drive.  It would only be about 30 minutes away. 

It’s sad really.  I had a great family and a beautiful home.  Starting over is not what I thought I would have to do. 

This post was hard to write. 

Peace

Reggae Music

As a drummer, I love music that is full of rhythm and percussion.  I like virtually all types of music except for country.  I tried…believe me I tried to like country.  I was station in Cheyenne Wyoming for over seven years and I even played drums in a country band.  Can’t stand it!  It’s the same drivel over and over with the twangy type of yodel thrown in.  Funny that the crossover acts are sounding more and more like rock (sorry Taylor Swift, you still suck), but it doesn’t come close to anything I like.  Of course, music is an individual taste and a lot of people love country music.  More power to you.

Now let’s talk about reggae.  I went to a local club at Universal CityWalk this weekend with one of my best friends in the world…a guy named Lans.  We became friends because we worked together and discovered that we have a lot in common…for one, we’re both Jamaican.   Yes, the irony in that statement is cloying.  There are great bands that play at Bob Marley’s (the club at Universal)…Chain Reaction was playing this weekend and they sounded amazing.  They played all kinds of reggae and they sounded great.  It’s an open air bar (no roof!) and the weather was perfect.  The crowd was swaying and loving the music.  Actually, it was kind of spiritual and I had a smile on my face all night. 

I’m working on the three main reggae beats as well.  The band that my friends Jim, Tom, Mark, and myself are putting together do ‘Three Little Birds’ by Marley so I need to get it right.  If you think about it, when you’re out at a club and dancing, what do you dance to??  The drums, the beat, that’s what.  And I’m here to provide that for you. 

Peace, loving reggae,rock on,

Steve

Notes from South Carolina

I flew in Monday for my new job with a nervous and unsettling feeling.  I would say that is normal in many life situations.  Some people feel that way just walking into their own bathrooms.  I can relate.  The first person I met when I got to the job site was a guy named Nate.  A big young guy who was personable and polite.  I liked him from the start…the main reason is because he looks a lot like my brother James.  In fact, I told him that and he replied, “That’s my actual first name”.  I then asked him why he was such a douche, but then realized that he wasn't really my brother (I hope you read this James Myers) and I apologized.  ;-)

We then rode to a Clemson University office not too far away so I could in-process.  The southern twangs were everywhere and everyone was so nice.  I felt the acceptance from the start. 

One of the ladies who gave me a very informal briefing told me something I did not know.  You see, I pronounced the word “Clemson” like “Clemzon” and she heard that.  She said to me, “The word has a silent ‘P’ like Clempson…you know….like the word “know” has a silent “k”…there is no “z’ in Clemson”..  And that’s how you pronounce it.  I was a little taken aback but I figured why not…when in Rome!  (or is it Rhome?).

The next day we drove to Columbia (the state capital) to meet with the DHHS (too lazy to type that out).  The people there were gracious and kind.  I could feel the energy.  It was raining, but I felt the sun on my shoulders. 

We had two days where I was able to assess the situation and make suggestions on how to improve the situation.  The DHHS (yes that acronym again) were trying to slam in a solution and I could see that it wasn’t going to work.  Having experience in anything is helpful….using that experience to help is what makes it valuable.  A good rule of thumb is “Don’t slam things into place…unless you plan to marry….uh, never mind”. 

They are looking to me to lead this initiative.  I cannot express how much that means to me in contrast with my last project. 

And that brings me to today.  I have to say that this is probably the best first week of employment I have ever experienced.  The main reason is that I can use the knowledge and experience I have garnered through the years to help not just a small business, not just a medium sized business, but an entire state agency. 

It feels nice to have sunshine bounce off my face on a cloudy day. 

Peace,

Steve

New Job Day 1

My first day at the new job was a good one.  I'm working for Clemson University and I will be an OnBase engineer for the Medicaid Eligibility process for the SC Department of Health and Human Services.  Plus they plan to roll this out solution to all the counties in SC.  I think there's a lot of opportunity here.  

My flight was on time and short (compared to the Chicago flight).  When I got to the office, this guy named Nate met me at the office and we got along instantly.  We drove to an office at Clemson University where they in-processed me.  They were all very nice people.

Tomorrow, we are meeting up with the project manager and driving to Columbia SC to meet with people at the SC Department of Health and Human Services.  I'm looking forward to that.  We stay there one night and then drive back to Greenville on Wednesday.  

So overall, I had an excellent first day.  I have good feelings about this situation and I think it will be a great project for me.  

Music

Anyone who knows me knows that I love music.  I've played the drums since I was 17 and I’ve posted some videos of me jamming with my friends on facebook.  I was in a particularly great band when I served in the military called Mister Coffee and the Grounds for Divorce.  We played Texas style rhythm and blues sprinkled with classic rock.  It was a fun band to be in….we played often and we were good friends.  I miss those days. 

Later in life I picked up the guitar.  I try to play so that people don’t run off screaming and covering their ears.  I’m my harshest critic.  I did write a song several years ago.

I’m adopted.  I was adopted as an infant and I had a great upbringing.  Loving parents and great siblings.  Yet, I always wondered where I came from.  So I wrote a song about my birth mother before I found out who she was.  I may tell the rest of the story someday.  Here’s the song.  The letters above the lyrics are the basic chords.  I’ve worked on it with my musician buddy Darren although we never finished it.  I still think it would be a great song. 

Don’t worry about the melody.  Just check out the lyrics.  

Dm               E

She was 16 years old

Lost in grief alone

    D

She made her mistakes

   A

Created this face

Dm          E

Can you see her

Can you see her

Faced with a choice

Heard a small voice

Can I care for him

Or should I share for him

Dm          E

Can you see her

Can you see her

(faster)

Dm                          E

She pushes through a summer crowd

As loud as the din of her sins

She sees a man with blue eyes and dark skin

There's something eerily familiar about his grin

Is he a ghost from her past

He moves like a man she once knew

          D

She cried come back to me

       A

He disappeared with the breeze

Dm          E

Can you see her

Tell me can you see her

(two times)

  G

She cried the day

  A     

They took him away

(slower)

She's walked this earth for a while

Sometimes it's not easy to smile

But can you look in my face

And answer me this

Can you see her

Tell me can you see her

A Few Thoughts for the New Year

I have to admit, 2011 was one of the hardest years I have had and I am so glad that it’s over.  I plan to do things differently hoping that 2012 will be a much better year.  The job I took last March turned out to be a very poor decision.  I have been traveling to Chicago almost every week since then.  And to make matters worse, I could have done 99% of my duties from home.  It’s just that the culture there is to have all consultants onsite…a rather archaic and stone age culture to say the least.  I’m surprised that in this day and age with the technology we have, there are still some organizations that require workers who do what I do to sit in a cubicle.  The travel cost alone for just me is astronomical and the organization in Chicago has dozens of consultants working for them traveling in from all over the country.  If they would have agreed to me flying up every other week, I would have been much happier.  I didn't have any real friends up there either so it was an incredibly lonely experience as well. 

I start my new job next Monday or the Monday after that (working out the details).  I’ll still be traveling each week Monday through Thursday to begin with but the new organization is open to remote work after I establish a relationship.  The company I am leaving told me the same thing last March and they never came through.  I believe this new company though because the project manager lives in a different state and spends about two weeks each month onsite.  Also, it’s a 1.5 hour direct flight and in a warmer climate…both very good things. 

The job situation was bad enough…and then the unexpected end of my relationship was (and still is) devastating.  She is a very wonderful person. 

So now I start 2012 with a new job.  I hope it makes a big difference.  I am also trying to sell my house.  It’s a 3400 square foot house on a corner lot.  It’s just too expensive for one person.  I hope it sells soon.  I’ll probably just find a rental house in the area.  I’m not a big fan of Clermont but I want to stay close to my kids.  It’s hard letting go of the house though.  It’s a great house.

I’m tired of being a nomad.  I have moved a shocking number of times in my life.  I was so happy when I bought this house thinking that I would live here for several years.  Sometimes life throws you a curveball. 

I plan to continue bettering myself in the New Year.  I appreciate the support I have gotten from my friends and family.  It’s priceless.  Thank you all. 

Steve