2 posts tagged “cub scouts”
I've decided to replace all the embeded players to the tunes with hyperlinks to the SoundClick page for each tune. This is so my blog page loads faster. A little housekeeping if you will.
I realize I haven't posted here in a while - been busy with work, family life, church and Cub Scouts. Here in Hawai'i, this year sure has started off violently. Two tragic tragic deaths that could've been avoided. First Janel Tupuola, a lady who is trying to get her life back together gets hunted down and then (allegedly - I guess I have to use that word) clubbed to death by her ex-boyfriend. Then poor little Cyrus Belt gets thrown over a freeway overpass walkway into traffic... I'm still at a loss for words. I mean, the alleged perp seems insane but apparently a druggie, so can this guy plead insanity, spend a little time in the State Hospital and then walk??? I dunno... I know Jesus would say, forgive these guys and let God, the Father do the judging. I'm having a hard time with this. Sheesh.
OK, bad stuff out of the way... My son is on his way to getting his Arrow of Light - WOOT! Way to go son. One more Webelos merit badge and he's there. We're planning a crossover ceremony for our Cub Scout Pack's 2 Webelos II scouts during our family camp over Presidents Day weekend. Being the Cub Master I gotta really hold in the tears, hehe. It's been a LONG ride and I'm glad it's nearly over. Still, I'll miss Cub Scouts. *sniff*
Speaking of Cub Scouts, I almost forgot that we visited the Pacific Aviation Museum and USS Bowfin this past Saturday. We had a great time.
More meme stuff. When I was on vacation I fooled around with more guitar backing tracks. First off, here's a minor blues tune I've renamed MehLoveBlues. Read the description on the SoundClick page for the story behind the title ;-)
Still in a blues vein I decided to do a Gary Moorish treatment to this horn-backed track:
Nothing worse than a 49-year old guy trying to shred:
Alrighty then: From the basement to the penthouse - I actually wrote this schmaltzy tune for my company's Aloha United Way donation drive. My wife's business partner at the time, Ruth Ann Fortuno, was kind enough to sing on this demo. Truth be told, I liked this demo better than the final product. The girl's got chops!
Well, that's about it other than some mundane things. Super Sunday this weekned - don't party to hard, har har and may God Bless!
This past weekend was quite busy but fun nonetheless. Friday evening started off with me catching the last quarter and eventual UH Warrior win over San Jose State in overtime on ESPN. That was a fantastic finish! But no time to celebrate - a Cub Scouts Den Meeting beckoned, The next morning (Saturday) we're up bright and early so I can drop off my daughter for her SSAT exam. Then it's back to Pearl City to help out at Manana Elementary's Make a Difference Day cleanup. Our Cub Scout Pack participated by doing a little light painting, raking, and weed pulling. Then it was back to the SSAT test center to pick up my daughter. My son was nice enough to give his leftover bento from the cleanup to his famished sister.
One thing I managed to squeeze in on Saturday afternoon was to work on one of my guitars: A Fender Floyd Rose Classic Stratocaster. Originally this guitar had stock pickups that were... well, dead-sounding. I thought I'd liven up the sound with Lace Holy Grail pickups for the neck and middle positions, and a Seymour Duncan "George Lynch Screamin' Demon". It was an improvement but it didn't quite give me the sound I was after. This was about 2 years ago. Fast forward to yesterday, I decided to put a Seymour Duncan mini-JB Jr. humbucker in the neck position and a Seymour Duncan Dimebucker at the bridge. The Dimebucker was a challange as it didn't quite fit the route in the pickguard. Out came the Dremel to the rescue. Now this guitar is a fire breather, lol! A few pics of before and after:
Today started off with our usual Worship Team pre-service practice, but today was special as it was our quarterly Lord's Supper service. In addition to playing/singing, I had to help pass out the elements (bread and grape juice) - it was my pleasure to serve the Lord in this way. I was called upon to give a prayer for the cup. My voice cracked as I got a little emotional.
Finally, about 4 families from church got together after service at Nuuanu Resevoir to try our luck at fishing. Nuuanu resevoir is a fresh water resevoir in Nuuanu valley that is stocked with fish (mostly channel catfish and tilapia). Hmmm... the Dads did all the pole setup, baiting, and catch releasing and the kids did all the fishing. That's OK - it was a great time of fellowship and fun. The kids caught several tilapia and about 3 small channel cats. Everything was released back into the water to live for another day. ;)
