clarkimprovementproject

[clarkimprovementproject]

health - i've been doing well in this area.  on the plus side, i'm able to run more than i have ever in the past.  on the minus side, i hurt my ankle so i haven't ran in about 4 days.  hopefully it heals soon.  i took the time today to make myself a little excel spreadsheet and workout plan.  it's definitely going to help me stay organized and track my progress.  i'll be back at the gym tomorrow for back, bicep and abs day :)

music - i've been able to get in an average of about 3 - 4 hours a day of drumming.  so that's been awesome.  i can see/hear/feel improvements already.  a lot of drummers just try and play all out and the flashiest stuff that they can...but it's amazing how much better you can get when you break it down to basics.  just simple exercises and rudiments on the snare make my set drumming so much better.  and also, just playing simple beats to a met make everything click and feel so much better.  i also made a list of some cables and stuff i need to get so i can start recording some drum covers and posting them for fun.  

live - nothing really.  got to hang out with a couple former students of mine last night.  it's nice to see them becoming successful.  it's also wonderful to still be able to help them and offer advice.  

personal progress - haven't had a chance to talk to my "mentor/coach" in a while. hopefully that comes up soon. 

etc... - i've had a difficult time emotionally lately, and that's probably the reason for my increased productivity at home.  it just gets a little depressing when the phone doesn't ring (or vibrate...whatever).  i can seriously go two or three days with no phone calls or texts.  it's amazing how quickly people forget about you.  

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I'm fatally yours

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The Clash - Train in Vain (Live at the Lewisham Odeon) (by theclashVEVO)

one.  i wish i could have seen them live

two.  i wish i could find a band that played with passion like these guys

three.  the message of the song: girls suck

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health - all has been very well.  feeling good. working out. pants getting looser. i pulled a cheat day today...was craving pizza...and it was delicious.  

work - i've decided i'm not going to really actively try to get a job.  for now...i really want to focus on my health, drumming, stock market and myself.  i've had a job since i was 14 years old and never took a break - so i'm taking one now.  

live - i haven't gotten to go out this week.  a couple things i wanted to go see.  i wanted to see roy hargrove at catalina in hollywood, and there's another show at the mint tomorrow night.  but i just don't feel like going out lately.  especially with the drive to hollywood.  maybe i'll look for something closer.  

personal progress - been working on a "project" for my personal progress.  i'll post it here when i finish.  nothing artistic or anything...it's just a list

[clarkimprovementproject]

from Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room

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Kepi Ghoulie rocking at the Slide Bar in Fulleron, Ca

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tickets just came in the mail. I'm excited to see #janellemonae. but #ticketmastersucks. Service fee is half the price of the ticket! $25 ticket, $11.50 service fee!

[clarkimprovementproject]

above are a few of the pieces/artist that jumped out at me at the Laguna Festival of the Arts yesterday.  i have included a caption with each picture with the artists name and a link to their website.  all of them have great sites with fantastic portfolios and collections.  

rachel young - the artist of the black rabbit has a tumblr where she shows work in progress and i find that very awesome

gerald schwartz - the artist of "traffic" (the one with the raindrops) has a huge body of work and on his site you will find a link to his youtube where you can watch the process of his pieces in time lapse.  i spent about 2 hours watching you tube videos yesterday.

*in case you are an artist of the above pieces, i did not intent to infringe on copyrights or artist integrity.  i have posted the above photos to a) help me remember things that i enjoy incase i eventually have the money to collect them and b) share the great things i've found and spread the word.  if you want anything removed, please let me know and i will do so promptly. thanks

[clarkimprovementproject]

yesterday - woke up, stock session (which was good, and being completely undone today *sigh*), went down to the laguna festival of the arts.  walked around the exhibits.  i'll post some of my favorites on the next post with some pictures.  i really wish i had the $ to be able to decorate and purchase some of the art i saw.  it was actually quite a humbling experience.  see, it's a paradox for me.  i love going to view and appreciate art and i enjoy speaking with the artists and finding out their drive, motivation, inspiration, and most of all their "stories."  but it makes me wish i had a talent of comparable proportions.  these humans are creating beautiful things and birthing them into this world each and every day - while i sit around and try to justify napping away the afternoon.  

redundant - yesterday i went with my mother, and i let her drive - which is rare, but i wanted to catch up on some reading.  she's a wonderful woman and has always been there for me, but like everyone, she's got those little quirks that can get annoying.  hers is redundancy.  she will point things out that don't need to be pointed out.  1) while driving down to the event, i reached over and turned the air conditioner up on little notch (not the temperature, but the intensity).  She proceeds to say "oh, is it warm in here" and then cranks it up.  totally unnecessary.  i adjusted it to a level of my liking, it didn't require further tampering.  2)  parking.  we get down there and we pass by the venue, so she knows where it's at.  she inquires about where the best place to park, so i direct her to a couple streets that are metered and tell her "you can park anywhere over in this area."  we almost immediately find a parking space (awesome!) and she says "can i park here?" maybe i'm just a cranky old man in a younger body...but things like that get to me.  of course you can park there, i just directed you to this area and told it was all up for grabs.  3) this is the simplest of them all.  driving home, we pass a food truck on the freeway.  it's a truck, with graphics of food all over it, obviously one of the newer specimens of the food truck culture.  mom says "look is that a food truck?"  maybe i just don't like unnecessary banter...or maybe i'm just a shitty son, but things like that annoy me.  

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watched the 80's movie "Just One Of The Guys" the other night. Haven't seen it in probably 20 years, but still hilarious. This scene happens early on in the movie and it just cracked me up.

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from Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room's album Hurricane Season. - when I heard this lyric, it just overwhelmed me...partially because it's kind of how I feel, but also because it's so damn clever.

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from the opening track on the new Passenger album

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health - i'm still eating well, discovering new things to eat and still on the gym kick....nothing new there.  i definitely feel myself making progress.  my body recovers faster, i feel better, and i seem to be in a better mood overall.  

get educated - finished "what color is my parachute."  made me realize that this isn't "down time" right now.  this time between employment needs to be used for a purpose and can be used to better myself - which i am doing, but i know i could do better.  going to also try and find a couple new financial books to read.  i might start posting some book reviews or something.  i dunno.  

work - had a really good interview the other day for a place in pasadena i would like to work.  we will see what comes of it.  the owner was very nice and seemed genuine.  she was interviewing me towards the end of a lunch shift and it was wonderful to see every one of her staff members personally say good-bye to her.  that's definitely a manifestation of the staff knowing she cares about them and them reciprocating those emotions.  other than that..no other interviews.  submitted some resumes, but that's it.  

live - went out to little tokyo on tuesday.  had some yakitori at kokekokko.  had every part of the chicken imaginable.  it was fantastic.  definitely need to go there again.  chefs, servers, other customers, everything was awesome.  afterwards went to see a jazz group at the blue whale.  the ensemble was good. but i expected the venue to be better. nice stage area...and nice bar area, but if you sit at the bar, you can't see the stage. kinda awkward.  and then it's just a large room with ottomans.  not comfortable at all.  they should invest some money in some nice lounge furniture and get a cocktail waitress in there.  they'd definitely increase their liquor sales.  during the sets, nobody was buying any drinks because they had to get up and miss part of the show.  

personal progress - there are things in my life i'm trying to work on.  in general, i'm a negative, pessimistic person.  slightly depressed.  i've made some mistakes in my life and there are things in my life that have happened to me that are/were beyond my control.  this has caused me to press the reset button on life and start over.  it's difficult.  but with the help of a friend, i'm working through it.   sometimes i don't know if i can overcome the obstacles that lie in front of me and other times i know i am strong enough to conquer life and accomplish great things.  trying to stay positive.  

[clarkimprovementproject]

#happybenjamin #hesmellsapossum

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my hot date for the evening. Gonna play some #britney #radiohead #foofighters and #girlsgeneration

[clarkimprovementproject]

health - i've been eating pretty well.  i've probably eaten more vegetables in the past few weeks than i've eaten in the first 30 years of my life.  but it's nice because i actually feel much better.  officially joined the new gym.  i like it there.  it's called Fitness 1 Express here in Brea. it's a little more $ than the chain places, but the people are nice, the equipment is clean and it's not busy. 

get educated - i posted a couple books on here that i'm currently working on.  "what color is my parachute" is a great book. it's the stuff we all know, but never put into practice.  definitely puts things in perspective for me.  all about doing things the smart way and not wasting time.  

work - i've gone on a few interviews recently.  not too many because i'm actually being selective about where i apply.  i don't want a job just for the $ aspect.  i want a job i am happy with and that i enjoy.  that makes the job hunt a little more challenging, but i think it's worth it in the end.  

live - i went out saturday night and treated myself to a concert on my own.  went to the radisson hotel by LAX and they have jazz nights now. peter erskine was playing with alan pasqua.  it was a great set.  it was amazing to me that one of the greatest jazz drummers in the world was performing....for free and there were never more than about 40 people in the restaurant.  what is wrong with people these days.  anyway, great performance, i enjoyed it, and learned a lot.  

trading - i have my portfolio up top.  not much going on.  the market had a few down days, but appears to have found support and rebounded a bit.  my current positions seem to be recovering and maybe i'll take some new trades on tomorrow, but for today, i'll just wait and see how things play out today.  

[clarkimprovementproject]

current reading.