Not trying to be argumentative, but it's the longest thing any of us will ever do.And life is short, make the best of it.
Not trying to be argumentative, but it's the longest thing any of us will ever do.And life is short, make the best of it.
My youngest daughter was Dx'd with autism at 18 months. The leading pediatric neurologist at Childrens Hospital in Philly told us she'd probably never speak. My wife and I said that we weren't willing to concede that. Through much hard work with therapy, early intervention, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), seemingly endless autism seminars, and with a personalized eval and plan laid out by Yale Child Study Center, she has not only overcome speech and behavioral delays but has gone on to graduate from University of Pittsburgh (PITT) with an honors degree in Japanese language/Asian Culture. She now works for High Mark Health. Huge credit to Andrew Bondi PhD (University of Delaware), Dr Umi Klin and Dr Fred Volkmar ( Yale University), my wife Kathy and my oldest daughter Andrea.
Oh, and on a much smaller scale, I've played in bands with people that were in some fairly big name bands. I also did some live and studio work for Cleveland International, a subsidiary of Epic records w/ fellow Clevelander and Epic A&R man Steve Popovich in the 70's and 80's.
I would hate to die right before they figure out aging reversal. Some stem-cell therapies are starting to look promising, eg AgeX's ‘Method of Generating Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells’. Who knows, maybe I'll strike it rich one day and can afford my own surrogate for replacement parts (see the movie "The Island", where a surrogate - played by Ewan McGregor - breaks out and finds his owner).I'll tell you when I get there.
I'm not sure I want to live to 95 but I'm in really good shape and (I AM fortunate too) so far in really good health. If it stays that way, who knows.
If you'd only mastered the paragraph - we might have been reading the thoughts of President GetAgrippa tonight...It's interesting so many of us struggled in school but obviously wasn't because of a lack of intelliect-because we all did achieve. All my siblings were all straight As as all my kids, and my wife. I never made straight As in anything except the sciences. I actually wasn't planning on college it was my Dad's idea. So I went-he had lots of control over me-he was psychologically manipulative/abuse type, and to be fair I'd do anything to get him to like me so I was motivated by that. Anyways I dropped out with all Fs after two years and took about a year off working and lots of personal changes (beating drug addiction, telling Dad to bite me) so I went back to college on my own accord. Struggled in everything except an intro Biology class and did well in an Art class-I wanted to be an Art major actually, but "Dad" wanted all his sons to be physicians (course none of us are LOL) . So I started back pre-med-holy moly what an idiot since I had no background for it. I remember my first physics class I was bombing with all Fs so I went to the professor who was head of department-he spent about 15 minutes with me-and the light turned on. I made all 100's on ever exam after that in all three courses we had to take. Math courses I struggled but did well enough, which is odd because physics is all math. English was my nemesis as I wrote poorly -still do except if I really take my time and organize my thoughts with an outline (just writing off the top of my head runs like the passage of ideas through my head (so hard to make heads or tails LOL) leave out letters, words, change order of words, etc.) we had a rising junior English exam you had to pass to continue-I took it 3-4 times to finally pass. Course writing is something we all have to do no matter your job so it could have been rating limiting-but they demanded lots of reports, dissertations, etc. so I learned through fire (actually got pretty good by PhD) but now with age I note I'm failing again-but I don't write much now either. So many of us with natural music, art, etc talent, and so many who struggled though school though obviously intelligent. My best friend is a welder who only finished high school-he had learning difficulties so he never really tried to academically achieve. Now he's super bright fella and I've often wondered if he also had a learning disability and in reality he would have gone to achieve what he wanted-his father was a welder so he became one as his brother. I always hated I didn't have natural athletic or academic talent-I really had to work to achieve meagerly, but the experience sure did help me teaching when I'd see so many students struggling just like I did. I'd rather have a poor student who works hard than an egocentric super intelligent that it all comes easy.
Is your band on youtube? Pm me if I get a pass to view?Okay, I'll play.
Music wise, I'm happy the band I helped start 26 years ago still exists, and the music I put my soul into plays on. I'm happy to be playing technically at a level that I thought was unachievable when I first started. It doesn't seem like a big deal now, thank you practice.
The rest: My family. Good times and bad, we are still here. Together. Not everyone sticks it out. I chose my wife, and I stand by that decision. Sometimes I feel like she deserves better, but she is still here, and I do everything I can to ensure it remains that way. We love and support each other, thick and thin. I'm sure she feels the same.
I'm proud that I've purchased a home and vehicles for my family and myself. The rest is miniscule. We have a roof over our heads and the ability to come and go as we please. To me that is freedom.
I don't think much else matters.
I'm working with what the scientists have. And they have stem cells. As for the meteorite, I'm certain we'll have perfected a defense against those in the next 50-100 yrs, either attaching a rover to one and using jet propulsion to scoot it off coarse, or blowing it up entirely with a nuclear missile.eh.. wot
I don't see that happening at all, this ball of mud is already over-crowded and likely only multi-stupid billionaires will have that scientific privilege if it ever materializes.
Then at some point the sun is going to expand and boil all the earth's oceans away or sooner a meteor might hit it and it will all be for naught.
Focus on working with what ya got.
I'm working with what the scientists have. And they have stem cells. As for the meteorite, I'm certain we'll have perfected a defense against those in the next 50-100 yrs, either attaching a rover to one and using jet propulsion to scoot it off coarse, or blowing it up entirely with a nuclear missile.
George Carlin says it will be billions of years before the Earth falls into the Sun.
Not trying to be argumentative, but it's the longest thing any of us will ever do.
Is your band on youtube? Pm me if I get a pass to view?
Here is a thread I made:
I Found a Video with Me Performing
I can't believe I found this. It's from 2000, in black and white, and recorded on VHS. I had no idea this even existed. It's our whole set, so like 40 minutes. Takes a couple of songs to actually see me, but now I have a vid to post. Enjoy or don't, that's up to you.www.drummerworld.com
Here is a thread I made:
I Found a Video with Me Performing
I can't believe I found this. It's from 2000, in black and white, and recorded on VHS. I had no idea this even existed. It's our whole set, so like 40 minutes. Takes a couple of songs to actually see me, but now I have a vid to post. Enjoy or don't, that's up to you.www.drummerworld.com
Thank you, glad you liked it.Most enjoyable. I like the random, raw camerawork. It lends realism to the show. And nice playing, man. I'm not surprised at all. I've never doubted your drumming competence.
Are you using AHEAD sticks in that performance? It's hard to tell in black-and-white footage.