Pre-Gaming . . . Before a Wedding Ceremony??

Classy. Oh dear Lord, no it's not.

Recently, I did a wedding ceremony gig at my church (gonna keep it on the DL, cuz I certainly don't wanna name names and piss heads off). The groomsmen decided to take the edge off the groom's most important day of his life by imbibing alcohol in front of the church. A lot. The way the organist describe it to me made it sound like the reception was outside before the service started. She was FURIOUS!!

I can understand taking a swig (that's 1 swig) of whatever your poison before the service starts to get you loose for the big day. But hide the flasks and do what you have to do before it's your moment. Preparation is key to a great day . . . involving lots of drinking . . .

Brides, Grooms, Moms and Dads, this isn't cool; don't let anyone pre-game hardcore in front of a house of God. It's incredibly rude. Regardless of your religious or moral perspective, show some respect for those who believe, even if you don't share the same belief.

I'm not one to talk about religion or politics, so this'll be my only rant about this topic.

Marilyn's Night Out :P

My girl and band leader, Tibby X, of Ghoul's Night Out (NYC's only all female Misfits tribute band) got extremely ill and couldn't play the Copycat show on Weds. It turned out to be a night of only Misfit cover bands and incidentally one of them had the original Misfits drummer performing, good old Mr. Jim.

Henry was itching to play. So he got Tibby's blessing to fill in our time slot with a new line up. He got Ed, of Fake H fame, on drums (Damn is he a sick double bass drummer!), Abby stayed on bass, H was on guitar and I was on vocals. We . . . kicked . . . ASS!!!! It was so much fun and the usually GNO supporters came out, like GLOB's Daniella, Reagan Youth's Kenny Young and Bryan Defiance of the Bloody Muffs, respectively. It was awesome. The house was full and we played superbly (as superbly as a bunch of guys who've never played together could, anyway ;) ) The promoter for Copycat kept mentioning that our band didn't exist until 4 hours ago!! Holy cow! A full set and three encores later, it was time to go home. Drag. What an amazing night!

I had a wonderful time on vocals. I also learned that if I wear a low cut shirt with lingerie underneath, people stay!! For nearly the entire thing! I think I'm gonna sing some more in the near future.

YAY GNO!

"Wiggle Your Big Toe"

Kill Bill. Yeah, I'm a dork.

Anyway, I have some gigs lined up in the modeling field that made me realize that I need to lose weight a lot faster than I've been losing it. I got to fit into my old jeans on my own, but I gotta lose the weight. Now. So I enlisted in my karate school's "Take It to the MAX" program and it starts tomorrow. I'm supposed to eat what's on the paper and thank goodness I like all of it (otherwise it'd be a lot harder than it really is). My mom and my sister and my brother have been really supportive. My pops is in his own MAX program (doctor's orders) so he and I are in the same boat.

For those that don't know, I've been in and out of Tae Kwon Do for a few years (probably like 5 or 6 by now) and I'm a major supporter for women's self defense and women's self confidence. My first school as an adult was at the Family Karate Center in North Brunswick where I befriended my first master, Freddie. Master Freddie was my teacher for almost 3 years, before we moved to Manalapan. He's a Brooklyn born teacher with Brazilian blood and is extremely proud of both facts. His eyes were fierce and his mannerisms demanded attention. His teaching methods were inspiring and welcoming. He made you feel that it was OK if you couldn't keep up today; keep at it and tomorrow you'll do even better. Everything I learned from him, on and off the mat, I do my best to put into everyday practice.

But that's where Master Klein came in. I think, in my perspective, he picked up where Master Freddie left off. In Master Klein's school, I learned to focus on what's happening now and not dwell on what happened then. What matters is how you apply what you learn during training in the real world. The world is vast and large and full of bright lights and dark corners. I believe martial arts helps people to maneuver around that. In my case, I applied martial arts to my music. And it was the most wonderful feeling on the planet for me. Master Klein gave me the opportunity to fuse the two talents that I love most in this world and present them in his annual charity exhibition. The show went so well that he wants me to do something bigger and cooler. Because of martial arts, I feel like I finally possessed the strength and the confidence to push my music career further. A lot further.

First things first. Lose the weight, "then everything will fall into place." (Lao Tzu)

Put Your Foot Down

I recently made the decision to begin teaching from my home. By next year I'll have all the credentials (i.e. degrees and certificates) I'll need to further my career in music. By next spring, I'll be finished with college finally. Not bad with house, husband, 2 children (and their extra curricular activities) and miles of debt.

When I was layed off at my old job, it destroyed my confidence and made me re-evaluate my direction in life. It seemed as though I was listening to so many people say I couldn't move forward and that I was wasting my time playing and trying to succeed in the industry. Furthermore, it appeared that I was a disappointment to those around me because I was too afraid to go attack head first toward achieving my dreams. Now, FINALLY, I'm making my move in a series of moves to teach at home. When I worked for teaching facilities, my students excelled tremendously. I was amazed at how much they learned and accomplished. I want to be able to use my home as base for learning and show those who are willing to take their abilities to the next level just how much they can surprise themselves. I know I can do this. I have to do this. Or my family will be the ones that suffer . . .

The first lesson is free. If you like it, we can cut a deal. All that matters is both of us get what we came for . . . a better step in the right direction.

Thanks, for kicking me in the butt and making damn sure I don't let myself down.

New Opportunities

Networking helps. A lot. So does keeping in touch with people and making sure they know you're not a total tool.

Case in point: last year, I hooked up with my girl Elaine from Alive N' Kickin' and told her I was strapped and needed work. She got me in touch with a really cool lady named Cat Garlo and we've been in touch ever since. She's been looking to get an all girl cover band off the ground for a while and seek out high end gigs. Thank goodness she kept me in mind or I wouldn't be hopeful right now. I'm grateful things are looking up now. Now I's gots to keep them up . . .

Thanks for thinking of me, friends.

End log.

RIP Chucky Hansen of Trox

Four years ago last month, I lost a dear friend, mentor and colleague. He suffered from Lupus and other ailments. He was by far one of the most honorable and gentle people I've ever come across in my young life. His name was Chucky Hansen and I miss him dearly. I was furious when he died because I never got to reassure him of all the positive aspects of his life during the events that plagued him at that moment. I never got to tell him how much he meant to me as a player and as a person. I sincerely wish he could have seen me get married and been around to meet my children. He would've loved them and how wonderful they are and how much they're growing. My oldest plays piano and loves guitar. She's more privy to art but she loves music. My youngest is just like me: she taps, hits and bangs on everything . . . in time! He would've gotten a kick out of that.

Saturday, December 4 was his memorial show at the American Legion in Spotswood, NJ, his hometown. It was to benefit the Lupus Foundation. The turnout was absolutely amazing! Just about everyone came out of the woodwork to see his old students perform. Towards the end I gave all of the organizers presents and plaques to commemorate the event and show how much it meant to everyone. Neil Magenheim fronted the bill for the hall; Joanna Liapes organized the event; Monroe Music Studio (formerly Chucky's studio) lent us the gear to perform. It was a great show. I'm sure he would've loved it.

I'm certain my old friend was smiling that night and was probably shocked about how much people respected him. The hall was on the small side but it was packed I got to bump into several old friends, particularly Paul Christiansen, the man responsible for inspiring me to pick up sticks seriously in the first place. My husband and I were hanging with him all night. It was wonderful to talk shop with him after such a long, long time.

Certainly, not everyone agreed with his perspective on certain topics - he was truly stuck in the 80s - but he would'nt call you out on it. He would simply listen and debate. He never wanted any harm to come to anyone, especially on his watch.

I miss my friend. I'm sure he misses us, too.

My Eyes Are Sore

Life tends to get in the way of every goal we have. When that happens, we need to roll with the punches and try to reschedule as effectively as we can. That being said, I'm almost done with college (1 year left!) and I'm eternally grateful for the professors that have taught me and the counselors that have urged me to never give up. Strong support systems always aid in reassuring someone who's not so sure. One teacher in particular rekindled my passion for writing again. She created story prompts and we were allowed to build off them and write zany stories - much like grammer school but probably not as cool.

So I've decided to keep my sticks but leave them close to the laptop. I've jotted down many ideas for short stories and thankfully my teacher is willing to hold my hand and walk me through the publishing process. I think I'll be happy with the outcome.... :)

I'm very excited to be walking through a new chapter in my life and I thank everyone who has helped me along the way!

Be safe!