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| MONDAY
October 26, 1998
This is me on the piano at age 5. I suppose at one time I had dreams of becoming a great concert pianist. I definitely had the aptitude and encouragement from my parents. I took to the piano very well at that age, and I've always loved playing. I played my first recital at my elementary school at age 6 in the first grade. My mom was also taking piano lessons, and I have fond memories of me and mom taking lessons together from the same teacher. Waking Up Busy I woke up at around 7:30am. I couldn't sleep very well last night, due to all the coffee I consumed the night before. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and got on the computer for awhile. For a change, I was able to make breakfast, get the kids ready for school, see my eldest son off to his bus and drive the younger one to his elementary school... mission accomplished! Quiet Time In A Busy World Afterwards, I was able to get to a barber and get a haircut. With the band so busy this month, it's been hard for me to get certain personal things done, such as drycleaning, haircuts, and making trips to the music store for drumsticks. After the haircut I went home and checked email and worked on the websites. I've vowed to make my journal site more interesting and try to be a little more creative with what I'm doing. This is fun time for me, a time where I can create a diversion from my busy world, something I honestly need in order to cope with the stresses of life. I enjoy my mornings now. It's a time I can have to myself without thoughts of band or family life. It's a time I need to sit back and catch my breath, relax and reflect on things that have occurred in the recent past. It's hard to find time like this, especially if your with a band on the road, or busy with the daily tasks of life. I truly respect this special time and definitely do not take it for granted. The Dream Is Definitely Still Alive! The San Diego Music Awards was a special time for the band, for we were able to perform at the awards show and we got up on the stage to receive the award for Best Big Band! Being a musician in this local scene for years, and struggling to get to the top is very hard. There's a lot of competition nowadays. And to try and establish yourself as a name in the drumming circle in San Diego is also tough. Two things happened to me backstage after Big Time Operator received its Best Big Band award: 1) A very prominent drummer in the San Diego scene, Tim Shay, drummer with Jaime Valle and Equinox, paid me a great compliment regarding my drumming. I was very flattered by this, especially coming from him. 2) A prominent Latin-Jazz artist, Tureya Mareya, was also backstage and gave an extremely profound compliment about my drumming as well. I had performed with Tureya in a Latin-Jazz project called The RUSE Ensemble Orchestra. She had fired me from the band, with the explanation that she wanted to get a drummer that would fit into her vision of what she wanted to achieve in her original music. I was shocked and devastated by her move, and I sought to seek a form of revenge for being offended in this manner. I pretty much told myself at this point that I would vow to reach the top of my profession, regardless of what band or style of music I played. And thus, in came the Big Time Operator project. Alas, I kind of felt sorry for her because she hadn't been as successful in recent times, but that was a decision she made for herself, and it turned in my favor. I remember when I first joined Tureya's band and we hung out at a local venue after a gig, that she looked at me and said, "Carlos, you look like a person who's going to really make it big". I never forgot that statement! I think that last night at the San Diego Music Awards, I managed to come to terms with my situation with Tureya, and I think we both felt better about what had happened, especially now that I'm involved in something that appears much bigger and far reaching, this revitalization of swing. Tureya's prediction and the way that things had turned out seemed to solidify itself. Her firing me from her band may have been the best thing that's ever happened to me! Carlos Rull 
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