New Beginnings

By now you have undoubtedly seen the new graphic at the top of the page. I have had components of that graphic sitting on my hard drive for a few months now, but I didn't have quite everything I needed to complete its' design. I was looking for a specific font, and I needed a scanner so I could choose the appropriate photos. I wanted them to be respective of the last ten years of my life.

The design of the graphic and embedding of it into the web's took considerably longer than I expected. I won't go into the boring details though, but it took the better part of an afternoon and part of the evening to finally have everything the way I had envisioned.

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable New Years' Eve. I ended up having my own little party with some close friends. There was far more alcohol than what we could consume. I expect that I won't have to make a trip to the liquor store until after Easter. Three of us pulled out guitars and we had a little jam session. We ended up teaching a few things to each other, played a few rock standards, and overall had a great time doing so. The session reaffirmed myself that I have to spend more of my time making music.

The party died shortly after 12:00. Some of us were falling asleep before midnight, and others had to work early the next morning. I had been up since 6:30 that morning, so my second wind had already came and gone by midnight. I was well-behaved that evening and was quite happy that I escaped the dreaded New Years' Day Hangover.

I didn't really make any New Year's resolutions, and I probably should have. If I resolved anything, it is to take my musical career in some new directions, and make more money at it. I am still entertaining the idea of my little recording studio (see previous post), and I think that could make me a few bucks a year (even if it just paid for my gear, it would be worth it).

I know that I cannot be truly happy if I am stuck in some job that's making somebody else rich. I have always been a person who wanted to do his own thing. If I choose to make that plunge, I surely am damning myself to lifetime of poverty.

It's kind of like the yin and the yang. I have to have the crappy day job in order to pursue the fun night job. My expenses are far too high for me to live on one salary alone.

By the way, the best Christmas present I got this year was from my insurance broker. My vehicle insurance premiums have dropped more than two thousand dollars per year. It all has to do with that nasty car accident that I was involved in three years ago. It's finally off my record. Now I can afford to pay off my car, and lower my expenses further. Then I have to start tackling those dreaded student loans.