June 21st Mission Trip fundraiser

Most of you know, several people from my church are going on a missions trip to Indonesia. I can't go for two reasons, 1) I can't get off of work and 2) don't really feel called to go. I will, however, make every effort to support those proliferating the gospel. on the 21st of June, we will be doing another Playing in the Streets (PITS) to raise money for these people. The monies raised will provide assistance to those going overseas. Please come support this event, and CLINT CLIFTON.... I'm calling you out... I expect you to play.

Success.... Full Success

So, Playing in the steets was a GREAT SUCCESS!!! We had a great time, and I thank you to all who came and supported!!! You are the reason for our success.

No Playing In the Streets!!!

Memorial Day Jam is gonna have to be cancelled, prior coordination is a must with these things. enjoy your memorial day!!!

Calling Nick J. Kelly!!!!!

DUDE!!!! So thanks to blog spot, an old Army friend sent me a comment!!! NICK, PLEASE E-MAIL ME... JPBURKE83@GMAIL.COM. and tell your dad, (Carl Windslow) I said hello!!!

STARBUCKS ON 610!!!

OK!!!! with all the hub-bub circulating about Playing In The Streets (PITS) here is the final disposition... We are allowed to play at Starbucks in Stafford MarketPlace. I asked management and they said, "yes". SO, 6 pm, we will be there!!! hopefully you will too!

What ever happened to these?

Busch Gardens Anyone?

I'm going to visit Busch Gardens on the 7th of June (it's the weekend I don't have Sydney)... They have the best deal going, buy one ticket for 56 dollars and you can come all year (limited to VA Residents)... If you want to come, let me know, I can carry three people in my car...

Cancelled jam session...

We have to call off the Fredericksburg Playing in the streets... we can still hang out there though...

This is for you Jadey....

Per our conversation last night...

A new charge of responsibility for the "Mere Christian"

Several months back, Joshua allowed me to borrow a book written by Clive Staples Lewis (I would go with that... not C.S.) called Mere Christianity. Like always, I think I'm more in love with the idea of read than the actual practice of it. So here's the charge... I will use this blog to post updates to show my progression, if you don't hear about it... please get on me!!! I really want to read this book, but I don't have the support of Book it (In elementary school, there was some program that you could win a pizza from if you read a certain amount of books...) tell you what... when I'm done reading this book, if you have said something to me about reading it, I'll have a pizza party and invite you...

Mom said "Don't play in the street"

On Friday, we are gonna violate that rule... Starting about 6p.m. a group of people (Bobby-O, Keilan, Joshua, Ben, Todd, Etc.) and I are gonna kick off the first annual "playing in the street" campaign. The purpose of this is to get as many people as possible to come and support, all musicians welcome. We will "tour" downtown Fredericksburg and promote the local music industry. We are going to start on Caroline street and start playing, no real itinerary, and see how it goes. The beauty of this is if we are asked to leave, we can just move down the street and start again... This should prove to be fun... I am hoping to partner with Josh and use this "playing in the street" method to promote the songwriters guild he has established. If you are interested in participating, or just coming along for the fun... we will meet in the visitor center parking lot (on Caroline st) at 6 and just go from there. Additionally, I can't help but think that this can be used as a ministry opportunity. If turn out is good (more than me), we could really use this to witness to our local area. Just a thought, hope to see you there!!!

I don't really know my percussion insruments...

This is just flat hilarious to me… I like to think that I operate under the logic, "If I don’t know something, I keep my mouth shut.” Granted, I don’t always apply that, It’s funny to me when someone else doesn’t either. This morning, I was coming in and since it was going to be rather warm, I thought it would be best to bring in my brother’s guitar I had in the trunk of the car. I was getting on the elevator with one of my co-workers and he said, “What is that a violin?” I kind of laughed to myself and informed him that it was a guitar. I started to explain to him the differences (size, strings, frets) and he cuts me off and interjects, “Yeah, I’m not really that good with my percussion instruments.” I just laughed hysterically right in his face... WOW!

Awesome Weekend...

Well.... It's Monday (and I think I have a case of the Mondays). But this weekend was awesome... Let's start with Friday night, Nah, Thursday... Kevin Dowker had invited Bobby-O and I over to which we RSVPed Yes. I always value the time I get to spend with Kevin, because he can so closely relate to my situation (and I have been singing "Grace Greater than all our sin since yesterday in the parking lot... THANKS). Bobby-O, need I say more? I will say this about Bobby (Uncle Chad to Tori and Cierra), He is one of the few friends that I feel I can truly be myself around, without fear of reproach. This weekend was really defined to my by "Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I shall be also." Friday was a repeat, but with Josh, Jadey and my daughter Sydney... Sydney loves Tori and Cierra so she had equal fun. Saturday morning was spent running errands, and taking care of some neglected items around the house. Saturday afternoon was spent at the residence of the Marks family to send Becky and Michelle off to summer camp. while they will be missed, I'm certain that they will be fulfilling the calling set forth in the great commission. Sunday was like all Sundays, my favorite day of the week. I played bass at church, and got to meet Ms. Cori Driggers, a person whom I'm told has been coming to SBC for a while. Let me just say... that girl can SING!!! The more I think about it, it is ridiculous how many people at the church are so talented... I mean the list just goes on!!! After church, Josh Lopez (J. Lo), and I spearheaded a lunch at county fare that was great, no, phenomenal. I was blessed to be asked by Ben Cartwright (not from Bonanza) to play a little African hand-drum known as the Djembe (pronounced "Jem-Bay) at the Lakeside church plant. And now for some drum geek knowledge: According to the Bamana people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes directly from the saying "Anke dje, anke be" which literally translates to "everyone gather together", and defines the drum's purpose. "Dje" is the verb for "gather" in Bamanakan, and "be" translates as "everyone" in Bamanakan. Again, some SBC talent was showcased as Brittany and Alyssa Thomason sang, and Ben was SHRED-ING guitar. The ride there had to be my favorite part, we were talking about the movie Joe Dirt and there was a line that i forgot all about until Ben said it, "My arms are large and in charge and looking for chickies" I'm hysterical as I type this. After Lakeside, Bobby-O and I went to my parents house and played rummy with my Mom, Dad, Aunt Bonnie, and Damian. I'll let Bobby fill you in on that "experience". As we were leaving, we were greeted at the door by the Quanns, always a pleasure to see them. We followed up this visit with another to Mary Washington Hospital to see Nayrb Ttocs (formerly known as Bryan Scott)... He was in good spirits, compared to my stint in the hospital (if you came to see me, you know what that's about). finally, Bobby and I decided to pack it in and head back, so we stopped at Taco Bell and got something to eat... Bobby, "Linda wants you to scratch her back" that's all I gotta say. In summation I'll say this... "I never knew there could be such a thing as a perfect weekend."

America... the land of the Free?

I'll be upfront... this is going to be a little bit of a rant. In recent times, I have started to question the freedom that an American citizen has... let alone a veteran who served their country honorably. This questioning has become much more probing in recent days, when I started to grow my hair long, grow a beard, and wear an earring. It all started when I first came to corporate America, with my military regulation hair cut, crisp clean suit, and honorable discharge in my hand. After a handful of months, I started to let things "go". First is was the beard, I have always hated shaving, it irritates my skin. Then I allowed my hair to grow out, believe me, this was more of a challenge for me, because after 6 years of getting your hair cut once a week, you start to get accustomed to it. At this point, I became some what a topic of discussion... several of my contractor buddies would ask, "is everything alright? or, what's going on with you?" Humored by such acts, my reply became a pattern... I'm still me, my hair is just longer and I prefer a beard. The next thing that I would let go, or start letting go, was wearing a suit everyday... I came to a realization that "looking presentable" doesn't mean I have to wear a suit every single day, buttoned up and necktie cinched to the Adam's apple. It was as if all the people who "loved" me and thought I was a great "kid" with upward potential started viewing me as an outlandish rebel, a loose cannon that was going nowhere fast. I will safely say, I know how to conform with the best of them... I was a Non-Commisioned Officer in the U.S. Army... the real question I have is, do you care more about your appearance than job knowledge... as a U.S. Army Veteran, it would only be fitting for me to "rag" on the Air Force, but they are onto something... Their focus is excellence in job performance, not appearance. The final "death nail" was on a Monday when I forgot to take out my earring. I casually strolled into work, not giving much thought to the "I'm better than you" stares... It was when I reached my boss, and I was told by him how disgusted he was that I would have the audacity to wear an earring. I thought nothing of it... although to him, and corporate America, I had hit the mark of "disrespect". I received a slew of comments ranging from "I can't believe you would wear that to work, down to you're just a damn hippie". Intrigued by such a response, I asked what is really the problem, the answer I got was unanimous... you are disrespecting us (veterans) and your company by your appearance. As I pondered such a response I started to question my motives for everything I was doing. The summation I have reached is this, I am a civilian living in America, the land of the free... a land where we have the right to openly worship god, or curse his name publicly... a land where you can salute the flag or burn it in the street... among countless rights of freedom the American has... rights that I swore to protect and defend... You may read this and come to the conclusion that my military service was less than others, but I urge you to view the principles behind me joining, and I joined the Army freely, I wasn't "drafted". It was no knowledge of mine that I would work where I did, go the places I went and meet the people I met. I swore to defend and protect the constitution of the United States of America, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, just like all my counterparts. In the day and age where less than 15% of young Americans have ever worn the uniform, stood watch, saluted the flag or buried there friend killed in combat... BY THEIR OWN CHOICE, I say, look at that. If you would like to see what is truly unprofessional, let's look at people who are morbidly obese... what about their appearance? What about people who dress the part, yet don't do much more than that... As someone who has done their part, so the people mentioned above don't have to... I think I have earned the right to look however I want.

This is why it's fun to be a dad...

I don't think she was "hearing it right" the first time through, but she started to get it the second time around... I'm not a Dad that thinks my kid is ultra talented, furthermore, I know that there is a difference between good and cute, but I was def I will point out that mid-way through, you can hear her get her pitch in tune with the piano, I think I know where she learned this. MY hope is that sydney will one day be a talented enough musician that she can do that for a living... but for now, I'll take the cute, little things in life. If that is what she chooses to pursue, I'll be happy for her... I did ask her one day what she wanted to do when she grows up and she said "play drums".... Shelia E. look out! She can tell you just about every insrument, what family it's in, and someone who plays it... no kidding, she knows I play Drums, Uncle Josh and "Uncle" Bobby play guitar, and Bootsy Collins plays Bass... We shall see what happens.

Busch Gardens... Best Time Ever!!!

SO... if you looked at my previous post you'd know where I was Saturday... Busch Gardens!!! I have to admit I'm a little torn over Busch Gardens vs. King's Dominion... KD is the childhood classic, but it's not really anything like it was when i was a kid 15 years ago. Busch Gardens is double the distance, but I'm starting to feel that it's worth it... The park cleanliness far supersedes that of kings dominion, (but so do the alleys on firth sterling in SW D.C.) and it is definitely more "themed". The food there was absolutely outstanding, the staff was courteous and they have the best deal for the summer... buy one admission ($56) and come all summer long... and their season pass is $124, but it INCLUDES FOOD! now that's a deal you can't pass up! I can't begin to tell you how much fun this trip was... anything with Josh is usually just that much better. lines were fair and moved at a decent rate. My most surprising event was Cierra and Tori Dowker... Cierra rode EVERYTHING in the park she could and little Tori rode all she could... there's nothing funnier then watching a 50 pound 9 year old riding roller coasters that scared the crap outta ME!!! She was a real trooper when it came to rides that she couldn't ride... a trip to the land of the dragons and she was happy. Joshua, Jadey and I will be frequenting the park this year, so if you are interested, let us know!!! I'll leave you with this final thought, if you had to choose one, which would you pick, King's Dominion, or Busch Gardens?

White Guitar Sessions - It's about the music!

I was most recently blown away at the raw talent showcased by Bobby-O in White Guitar Sessions... I won't get into what it is here, you can read his blog, but I will say this listener's view. It's not too often that a song can mean so much that you feel as though you've lived it... that is what Bobby-O has done with this "project". The beauty therein is nothing short of spectacular. I for one, believe in true musicianship... something that is natural, not taught (basically, you got it or you don't). even with that stance, i still believe that you can learn something from anyone, guitarists learning from drummers, drummers learning from bassists, bassists learning from pianists and the circle keeps growing, and it is all interchangeable. Music is something that captures the heart of people, it speaks a language that talks to your soul, something that even regular conversation can't uphold. It brings smiles to your face, tears to your eyes... it evokes precious memories. Fortunately, I have the privilege of being associated with some of the best musicians/songwriters I have ever met. Josh, Jadey, Bobby-O, Ben Cartwright (not from bonanza), Keilan, and D.C. Washington... not to mention the countless others that are in the area... I strongly encourage you to listen to Bobby-O "White Guitar Sessions" and be blown away.

www.myspace.com/bobbyoliveri

Pop-In...

I was "visited" by the good doctor and family (Tracee, Bethanee, Jillian and JACKSON MITCHELL PELT!!!) over all, they earned a score of "20" which I think I could have been at least 10 points higher... I just wasn't prepared... I'm looking to purchase a house soon, so I've been "cleaning up", sorting laundry, throwing away useless papers... but in order to do such an event, let's just say my place looked like a category 5 disaster area (Damian can attest to that). Eventhough, I was slightly embarassed, the company of the Pelts is a pleasure that gets bestowed on you, and it's one you don't take lightly... at least I don't. Pelt family... when you see the church bus pull up in front of your house... just know what time it is!!!

NEVER bake a cake without sugar...

So... you may be wondering what that title has to do with "kicking off the tune"...  But, it's a "Standing in the shadows of Motown" reference.  This Wednesday, we were blessed to have Bobby-O "be responsible for the bottom of the groove(he played bass)"  that completely tied the brothers groove together.  now, our little project that i like to call "songs from the attic" is coming quite well, but we really needed the bass player...  Bobby-O is not only a great friend, but a multi-talented musician...  the "bake a cake with no sugar" reference was something that Uriel Jones said about James Jamerson... Uriel is the Drummer and James was the Bassist... pretty much the two who keep the groove rollin.... come see us in Silver Spring, MD at the end of June....

What happened to Kings Dominion?

In my recent hype up to the fact that we are going to Busch Gardens TOMORROW, I started trying to reconnect the feeling of excitement when our mom and dad would take us to King's Dominion (in those days, not owned by Paramount). As I surveyed the "world-wide Internet" (josh should get that), I was saddened to see what this childhood mainstay had become... Most people know I'm very much into nostalgic, vintage, classic stuff, but as I reviewed the KD website, it seems that only a few staple items remain... The Eiffel Tower, The Rebel Yell, Shock Wave, Beserker, Grizzly, and Avalanche are pretty much it... oh and Scooby Doo (it was better when it was green). I found myself saying, "What happened to George Jetson's sky cars?, where are the singing mushrooms, and Huckleberry Hound's parachutes? Why don't I see Sky Pilot or Apple Turnover on this map... and they must have made a mistake..." this says "Treasure Cave"... it's "Yogi's Cave" (granted I was terrified of that thing as a kid). Then it hit me, things have probably changed, just a bit since I first visited KD over 20 years ago... I was so excited to think about taking Sydney there and building those memories, like I have with Mom, Dad, Josh, Captain Cave-Man, and funnel cakes. As a little kid, I wasn't a fan of the big roller coasters. I would usually ride with my dad and to stay with the theme of Hanna-Barbara, he was "larger than the average bear." Rebel Yell and Grizzly used to have just a bench seat and ONE lap bar... So I was left to bounce around in the cart shrieking at the top of my lungs, "MY BUTT CAME OUT OF THE SEAT!!! AHHHHHH!" while my dad's 1989 perm blew in the wind as he laughed hysterically, his eyes protected from the sun in his ray-ban aviators with ear-hooks... if i had pictures of that, I for sure would be the one laughing... I guess my disappointment just comes with the age that I now know that someone is in a costume (maybe Jason Pelt), and it has just lost it's magic... Plus, all the characters I grew up with (George Jetson, Fred Flinstone, Quickdraw McGraw, Huckleberry Hound, and all the others) have seemed to disappear and be replaced by Diego, Dora, and SpongeBob Squarepants... I guess if you want to appeal to the littler generation, things must change and all good things must come to an end. I was searching for some vintage King's Dominion Photos and found a couple that were like circa 88' - 98'... I think King's Dominion should at least incorporate the old with the new, thus making it truly, the greatest family fun of all times... But, I will also concede to the fact that great memories are usually just that.... (sigh) memories.

Continuation from Kevin's Blog - The REAL story

As a child, I can remember summers better than anything. mostly because they were spent at my Nana's house, and with my brother Joshua. I never really had very many friends of my own, in fact, I didn't want any... I just followed Joshua around and played with his friends. Due to the stupendous amount of "growing up" I have unfortunately had to face over the past year by way of divorce, I have been negligent of remembering such great times... In fact, I hoping to recapture some of those feelings this weekend when Joshua, Jadey, Kevin, Tori, Cierra (the girls), and I visit Busch Gardens, Europe. Theme parks always remind me of my adolescent days, when my mother and father would take us to King's Dominion, but I digress... I am fortunate enough to have the privilege of being a parent, and while I agree with Kevin that it can get ultra frustrating, there is so much joy in being a father. The telling of yesterday's events by Kevin (read his blog) were not only true, but sad to me. Due to the limited time I get to spend with Hambone, I feel as though I have a deeper respect of the time I get with her... Kevin is a superior role model in fathering, I have yet to meet a more active dad in a child's life. now on to the funnies.... Yes, what Kevin was saying is in fact true, there are 20 or so kids that hang out and play, and usually one parent that is spending time with those children (Kevin). So, like with all children, there has to be a solid foundation of fun, love, care, and discipline... in this post, I'll discuss the latter. As we were sitting in the kitchen, going over several issues that I'm dealing with, Kevin politely excused himself and said, I'll be right back... the next thing I heard was Kevin "giving the neighborhood kids the business"... If I was 8 and an adult came out side and fired me up the way Kevin did those kids... I would had straight pooped my pants and NEVER so much as cast a shadow on their doorstep EVER again... My childhood memories were silenced by "Army Basic Training" memories, which i hope to have little remembrance of... although I can say it was done appropriately, more questions to the fact of, "where are these kids parents?" and "do they even know where their kids are or, more importantly, who there friends are?" Sydney loves "the girls" and always asks to go see them on Wednesday when I pick her up, so, with Kevin's consent, this will become a standard practice... Visiting Kevin I mean, not recking shop on pre-teens....

Court Case

Before I even go any further, I would like to offer this thought and get your feedback about my favorite attorney... could it be possible that Jason was so deeply influenced by the late 80's sit-com "Night Court" that he decided to be an attorney? anyways... that was the "random thought" (of many) for today. Yesterday, I was a guest of Stafford County Juvenile and Domestic Court at the "request" of the Honorable Gerald Daltan... The case... final disposition of custody for Sydney... I am glad to report two things... Shauna and I actually are communicating much better, and Judge Daltan agreed to "allow" us to decide the custody arrangement... the arrangement goes like this... currently I get Sydney 3 weekends in a row and then she has a weekend with her mother, in addition to this, i have also gained "weekly visits" where I get to pick up "Hambone" on Wednesdays for a couple of hours. on October 22, 2009 (when she turns 4) Shauna and I will share custody on a week-on week-off basis. Granted, this is far off, I was surprised that the Judge ordered it... as a general "rule of thumb" they don't make judgments on the future... I was really encouraged at the fact that I will be able to be in a more "influential" role, as it is hard to parent just on the weekend. I'd ask you all to please pray for my patience when it comes to this situation, and to everyone who has been helping me raise my daughter, we truly do love and appreciate you for it. Everything from "watching" her when I have practice, to letting her play with your kids, you all are very dear to me.

Jason M. Pelt, Attorney at Law, Godfather of the Blogs

I am a little late posting this thought... but what the heck.... a few months back, I was talking to the good Jason M. Pelt, Esq. about "blogging" and what if anything it had to offer... he told me to try it with one cautionary note: it's addictive. granted i don't update my page regularly, i feel as though i know more about what is happening in my friends lives since... before all the "blogging madness" took place, i could say that i thought only Jason, Colby, and Clint did this... in recent times, two things have become apparent to me: 1)they are not the only 3 people I know that blog now and 2) Jason has effectively "swayed" more people than I can count to join the blogging craze thus earning him the title... Jason M. Pelt, Attorney at Law, Godfather of the Blogs!