On My Own
 
I had to wake up at 5:30AM this morning (very early for me, a musician!).   I drove my wife to the airport.   She had a business meeting to attend in Sacramento and she would be gone all day.   I was supposed to pick her up later on at 5:30PM.
 
This was a tough morning for me.   After dropping my wife off  at the airport,  I had to rush back home and get both boys ready for school.   My father-in-law had been at the house since 6:00AM this morning watching over the kids while they were still asleep.   As soon as I got back home I woke up my older son,  gave him some breakfast, got him ready for school and saw him off at the bustop.   Then I woke up the younger son,  gave him breakfast,  got him ready and drove him off to school.
 
After dropping off my younger son at school,  I went to the shoe repair shop in Poway to have my two-toned shoes worked on.   Then I decided to go to Borders and check things out as far as new CDs and Books.
 

Drummin' Men
 
At 10:00AM I browsed around at a Borders Books & Music store.   There I found what probably is the best book-find for a swing and jazz drummer like me.   The book is called "Drummin' Men".   It's pretty much a first-hand account of all the swing/big band drummers of the 30's and 40's,  told by the drummers themselves,  and their colleagues.   It's an excellent find!   Right away,  I read the chapters on Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich and was in awe of the information hidden within these 'reverent' pages.   The drummers themselves even describe how they felt at various key concert dates,  and how they felt about certain drum solos they did.   It's an incredible book!   To me it is a 'godsend' from drum heaven,  and excellent source of important information for the serious big band drummer!
 
 

Lightening The Mailing List Load
 
Throughout the rest of the morning I checked email and worked on my journal site.   
 
I somehow made an 'executive' decision to unsubscribe from the Big Time Operator mailing list,  yes,  the one that I (myself) had created for the fans.   It became too much of a circus show for me and it's something I just didn't need in my life right now.   Unsubbing from the list was also my way of getting back to being a serious, dedicated musician.   The book that I bought from Borders somehow was the catalyst in prompting me to arrive at the decision I made concerning the BTO list.   I simply can not spend much of my time behind a computer when I have bigger things in store,  like investing in my drumming performances.   So,  in reality I think this WAS for the best.
 

Inspired and Dedicated Practice
 
After lunch I ran through some exercises in the Stick Control book.   I hate drum practice,  but it's something that one must do in order to become a better drummer.   I ran through the usual Weckl routines,  especially concentrating on the triplet exercises,  which are a real chop building exercise.    Then the usual single and double stroke rolls,  opened to closed,  and the same thing for the paradiddles,  both singles and doubles.
 
My son came home early at 2:00PM,  and we hung out.  Then for some reason he felt like playing piano,  so I gave him an informal piano lesson  (Lord, I miss playing piano).   

We picked up my younger son at 3:30PM and then we went to the airport to pick up my wife at 4:00PM  (she phoned me earlier that she would arrive sooner than expected).
 

Very Bad Things
 
We dropped off our boys at their cousin's house and took off to see a movie at the La Jolla 12.   We saw 'Very Bad Things'  starring Christian Slater,  Cameron Diaz and Jon Favreau (from Swingers).   I liked the film,  although many thought it WAS a 'very bad thing'.   It definitely was a graphic,  dark, dark comedy (maybe not even a comedy) about male friends going to Las Vegas on a bachelor's party and accidentally killing the hooker they hired!   Then,  they decide that calling the police isn't the best thing to do,  they devise a plan to hide and bury the body,  and the movie takes off from there...

After helping the boys get ready for bed,  I let them play awhile with their Star Wars action figures.   They did so quietly.
 
I then read them the Dr. Seuss book,  'The Lorax'.    It's one of the longer books in the Dr. Seuss library,  so I didn't tell them a bedtime story anymore.
 
I worked on my journal site,  checked email and retired to bed...
 
 

Currently Reading: 

Drummin' Men
by Burt Korall

Lawrence Stone - Stick Control (Book)

Jim Chapin - Advanced Techniques for

the Modern Drummer (Book)

Led Zeppelin - IV
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
T.S. Monk - Take One
Keith Jarrett - La Scala
 

Carlos Rull 
 
 

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