"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

Wow..that is a pretty big quote.
What I am finding out about California and moving when I am over 40 is that I have left all of my friends behind for my family. There will never be better friends than I have already had for the last 30 years in Michigan. I have worn my heart on my sleeve my whole life and it is callused and bruised but I have band aids and thread to stitch up the deep cuts and have developed moving on techniques and learned not to look back. I care about people...that's how I roll. I guess "it is what it is". I believe we get one time in this world to make a difference and show feelings and have fun and do good things for people. I do my best to share my musical talent and share my sense of humor and I live for good conversation with people I don't know as well as those I do know. Maybe I am too busy doing my best to be a father...maybe I am too busy at life to really apply myself 100% to friendship and maybe I shouldn't worry about people so much and maybe I shouldn't care so much if my friends are safe and OK.
I consider myself to not judge people for anything...I really try to just roll on and make a difference in this world. I might share feelings with a stranger expecting an opinion or maybe a different viewpoint and maybe I expect them to do the same with me...I like the way people look at things differently and I enjoy talking that in as an advantage in life and issues.
That's my take on friendship..and I miss my friends I have lost.

This Ain't Livin'

I want to do a sitcom for the homeless..a makeover that is positive..not a sad story of why they are there or how they got there but a new beginning for them...find one for me that wants to work in this society of greed and money hungry corporate executives. Even in the music world they throw a dog a bone sometimes...being at the right place at the right time or just plain who you know. Makes me kinda sick what this world has become but life goes on.
I have been unemployed for the first time in 24 years. I have been job searching for the last 3 months..I have had offers of minimum wage and commission only..I have haggled on benefits and tried to get half my worth to be shot down in flames. I leave and do my best to keep my chin up ..I am a fighter...I am a survivor..when I get knocked down I just get stronger and come up swinging.
Music makes me happy..people make me happy..making people happy by playing music I play is a dream come true...but nobody hires musicians..unless you can make them rich and then they just take it from you or pretend they are your friend in order to take everything you worked hard to get. My bud Dave Munoz and myself are going to change that.
We are in the process of making a cd that will turn into a business..we will accept money from people because they like our music and because they enjoy what we do even more than we do(which is hard to believe).
Sit tight my friends...I am determined to be one of the rare american people who enjoys what they do for a living..and living will be good in this guys future.
I continue my job search and continue to blow them away on my interviews to get callbacks telling me how good I am and how bad they want me to work there...but I don't work anywhere for free..and I will not settle like I have in the past. I don't expect anything other than fairness.
Unemployment is pitiful and insurance is NIL....but I am determined to make things better...watch me.

Blogging days are over

I can be found on facebook or myspace or my bands website posted at right... I thoroughly enjoyed blogging but can't seem to find the time to maintain all of my online accounts and stories. I wish you all the best and keep in contact with me on the following links.


Peace Out,
RKDrumdude

Let's get it on.

Crazy days and the beach..it doesn't get any better. We have a couple media/film projects going on with our material. Seems our cd went over quite well. We are getting some airplay and our material is selling pretty good for the college crowd because it doesn't clog your brain with lyrics and it's good with the hooka crowd.
DJ and G graduated last week and are totally looking forward to next year and school. Everything here is going great. We miss our MI and Illinois peeps..but if we can afford to come home with three kids..we think some of you can afford to come out here to see us. The wife and I are working hard and when I'm not working I'm watching my kids grow up at the beaches and parks and zoos and Seaworld. We are on first name basis with Shamu and we know how to get food in the park and how to get $4.00 beverages and free parking...rare at Seaworld.
We continue to learn budgeting secrets from the locals and what restaurants have happy hours and what days and hours to go for the best prices....bargain bargain bargain.
Found a cool website called phonezoo..check it out for ringtones..my kids are into the Webkinz thing and I find myself limited to using my PC less now than ever..anybody know where I can get a good cheap laptop?
We purchased Dazzle DVD recording equipment last week for Fathers Day so those of you in Michigan should be expecting a DVD of us in San Diego soon.
It should be full of humor and bars and beach and scenic views around SD. I figured no one would ever come out and visit..so we will send you a DVD so you can see what fun you are missing.
It's summertime and the beaches are starting to get busier and we seem to be booking some more venues. The wife is building some clientèle at her work and things are going well for the most part...as far as I can tell the cost of living out here is compensated by not having to pay for heat or air conditioning..but the whole down jacket, scarf ,glove ,cold thing is pretty well balanced out with all the sunscreen we have to buy to put on the kids.

Peace Out,
RK

Mountain Man

ADVICE FROM AN OLD TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN MAN



Your fences need to be Horse-high, pig-tight And bull-strong.

Keep skunks And bankers And lawyers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow Around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than A John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered... Not yelled.

Meanness Don't jes' Happen Overnight.

Forgive your enemies. It messes up Their heads.

Do not corner something That you know is Meaner than you.

It don't take A very big person To carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay A cruel, Or unkind word.

Every path has A few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, Expect to get dirty.

The best sermons Are lived, Not preached.

Most of the stuff People worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

Don't judge folks By their relatives.

Remember that silence Is sometimes The best answer.

Live a good, Honorable life. Then when you get older and think back,

You'll enjoy it A second time.

Don't interfere With somethin' That ain't botherin' You none.

Timing has A lot to do with The outcome Of a rain dance.

If you find yourself In a hole, The first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Sometimes you get, And sometimes You get got.

The biggest troublemaker You'll probably ever have to deal with,
watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

Always drink Upstream From the herd.

Good judgment comes from Experience, and a lotta that comes from Bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat Outta the bag is a whole lot easier Than puttin' it back in.

If you get to thinkin' You're a person Of some influence, Try orderin' Somebody else's Dog around.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest Up to God.

Thought I'd share this one..had some meaningful words I thought might be a bit beneficial to all of us.

Hey You

Wow,
It's been awhile since I last posted..I'll try to make a long story short.
The whole family went home to G.H. and had a blast with our MI Peeps and our families...we got enough snow and cold weather to last us for another year or two. We totally are waiting for some visitors to come out to see us in the near future.
The wife is digging her job and the kids are getting used to Cali living...the band is starting to take off and our first full length CD should be out at the end of March 08.
Currently it is raining outside... we don't get precipitation here much...so when we do it's good.
The Wii we purchased before Christmas has totally paid of as a major bargaining tool for our children..I know some individuals out there in blogworld don't agree with the whole "My kid plays video games" and stuff...but let me tell you..they have improved in school because if they don't.. they don't get to play with the Wii. I now think of it as my card up my sleeve when it comes to the nitty gritty.
We are also down to the one-time rule...when I tell the kids something one time it has to be acted upon by an action or a reply(we are still working on that one). I thought of how much time a day we spend repeating ourselves to our children because they don't or choose not to listen...it would make our days longer if they did. It's like basic training all over again.
Well I have become a Wii father also and spend some time on Medal of Honor Heroes online playing. Good times playing capture the flag in a village with 32 people on each side. Don't know why I prefer the sniper weapons..but always feels good to shoot people from a distance and they don't know where you are...it has some pretty good hiding places but you have to move around because they show where you are to the individual after the kill has taken place...it's funny after you shoot the same person about 6 or 7 times they tend to get a little "bent" and start doing the kamikaze thing to you. Challenging and very fun.
Well it's early and I have to go feed my kids and do the Sunday routine.
A big shout out to all my MI (and Illinois)PEEPS...hope you enjoyed the pics as much as we did!! We miss you all and are looking forward to some visitors soon so save your funds and come see us!!!

Ciao',
RK

Hey Mambo!

This picture was taken at Buca di Beppos www.bucadibeppo.com .
We ate there tonight in the kitchen..we made reservations about 3 weekes ago to get a specific table for five that sits right in the middle of the kitchen area..it's funny because they give tours and walk people through this area and Delaney and Garret and Payton are like, "Hey, How's it goin?" It was a good time...tiramisu was awesome and the meatballs are the best I've ever had. When we get visitors this is where we'll take them for sure...awesome food and great service...a good find.
O.k. The Professors are in the studio for the remainder of this month and probably the beginning of the next month creating and producing a full length CD...they will be for sale online and through mail order when they are done. I will notify all of my blog readers where and when to purchase when the time comes if they are interested in purchasing one.
Hmmm, not a whole lot going on...working for the weekends, Michelle is digging her new place of employment..kids are alright.
Had a chance to get a free Westy but declined due to the three kids no room in the car thing. I had lived in Michigan for about 27 years and never, ever, ever had a problem with fleas. We have an inside cat that is as healthy and as fun as the first day we bought her about 10 years ago. A couple weeks ago we saw she had a bug on her..a mite or something..then we started to get bites on our feet...O.k. fleas...so we gave her a bath...then another and we bought powder and spray and did the whole house..vaccummed, changed the bedding. Sounds good right? NOT. Our apartment was infested with fleas so we bought some fogger flea bombs from hartz, thinking that would work..NOT. O.k now I'm a bit ticked off and sick to my stomach because we have fleas and can't seem to get rid of them. We bombed three times thinking that would kill these little buggers but nope....saw a live one today...RRRRRRR If anyone has any solutions besides setting fire to our apartment and then rebuilding please comment and let us know.
That's all I have to say right now...will blog more later...sorry the pic is grainy..took it with my new chocolate phone.
Feel free to comment on some photo ideas and names for our new cd.
Watch out 4 fleas,
RKDrumdude

Once in a lifetime

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful
Wife
And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground.

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? ...am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
My god!...what have I done?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground.

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

So here I am in Sunny California with a pretty cool job,
my manager is way cool, and the pay is alot better...it is so hard not to look back at all we had and all we did. But then I think..if I hadn't come out here I would've never known huh?
So the day turns and I realize that for every door that closes another one opens.
I'm getting pretty good at sales and my skin grows thicker..I now keep my heart in a box in my bedroom and took it off my sleeve. The Professors are doing well and intending to go to the studio soon for a full length CD.. I will be shipping them out to family and friends in Michigan when they are through. Don't know what the cost will be yet..depends on studio cost and production cost.
That about covers it...taking kids to the beach or the park or the zoo..Delaney and Garrett are in an after school program that does different sports and scavenger hunts about everyday. Going to sign Garrett up for Jujitsu soon and Delaney is going to take tennis lessons. Payton is growing up at an alarming rate..I wish she could stay little forever...she'll be 3 in a week. Michelle started a job in a new salon that totally rocks..she started last week and already has like 9 new clients I believe. We are ready for some visitors whenever you want to come see us.
I am so homesick that I am kinda going insane a bit...it sucks when this blog, trivia and mcsites are the only lifeline to the best friends in the world. I never ever think about home because it makes me crazy... I get all bummed out thinking I should've never left which brings me back to
if I didn't I would've never known thing. I guess we go forward from here..keep your eyes on the prize..when I lock down a couple monster deals we will come home and visit...until then...we are over here wishing we were over there..and you guys are over there wishing we weren't over here. Great song title..I'll work on that.
We still miss everyone at home more than ever...We are settling in but it's because we have to not because we want to.
Take care and for those of you I play trivia with...I'd rather be playing at a table across from you so I could smack you in the liver when you beat me by 4 seconds.

Show Me The Way

I wonder how you're feeling.There's ringing in my ears.And no one to relate to, 'cept the sea.Who can I believe in,I'm kneeling on the floor.There has to be a force; who do I phone.The stars are out and shining, but all I really want to know.Oh won't you... show me the way.I want you ...show me the way.Well, I can see no reason,You're living on your nerves.When someone drops a cup and I submerge.I'm swimming in a circle.I feel I'm going down.There has to be a fool to play my part.Well someone thought of healing, but all I really want to know,Oh won't you show me the way (every day).I want you... show me the way.I want you... day after day.I wonder if I'm dreaming,I feel so unashamed.I can't believe this is happening... to me.I watch you when you're sleeping, and then I want to take your love.Oh won't you... show me the way (every day).I want you... show me the way (one more time).I want you... day after day.Oh won't you... show me the way (every day).I want you... show me the way (night and day).I want you... day after day.

One of the best songs ever...I remember the posters on my sisters wall of Andy Gibb and Bobby Goldsboro and Peter Frampton. I remember my wall was full of pics of Kristy MCnichol and Farah Fawcwett and Tatum O'neal. I remember Vic had a pic of Mohammed Ali in his bedroom.

It's funny how you remeber stuff that you thought you'd forget or you thought wasn't important at the time. It always goes around like one big circle. I wonder if we forget more than we learn in a lifetime or if we just choose not to remember. It is aparent to me or so it feels like the best years of my life are in the past...it seems everything I did that was fun and effortless was taken for granted and I find myself struggling with more issues and problems and things I have never had to deal with before. Is this the struggle of growing old? Is it not as fun as you make it or as fun as it gets? Life goes on and rather than view history I tend to make it. It is our footprint that will be history..it's not the kings and queens of yesterday..we are making history right now...or just then.

I just want...hmmmm that is huge...where in our lives to we become totally at peace and at ease? When do the problems and struggles and issues go away? Is it always going to be a battle to find peace? Or is that what you have when the lights go out and you get to rest your weary head and make room for tommorrows fun and problems.

A new day is tomorrow..live everyday and take every day one step at a time..it's the only way to do it. Appreciate EVERYTHING you have because you are grateful not because you earned it. Don't dwell on problems....solve them and get to the good parts.

Peace Out God Bless,

RKDRUMDUDE

These Are a Few Of My Favorite Things

So why is it on Mothers Day You take the kids to give mom a break, and on Fathers Day you get to spend the day with the kids?
What a great show last night at The Zombie Lounge. The Professors opened up for The Infants, The Hot Rod Trio, and The Buzzbombs...good times. We did a 45 min HIGH ENERGY SET that would've brought Richard Simmons into cardiac arrest. It was fun it was fast it was all good.
So who is coming out to San Diego to see us? We are in desperate need for poker and card playing and just good friendship bonding stuff. I'm shouting out to all my MI peeps saying....head west to see yer buds!
Not much going on here...working and playing with the kids...hanging at the beaches or the SD Zoo. Still a cool breeze blowing @ 70 degrees. Don't know if we are going to make it home for Coast Guard..seems everytime we save up some cash something comes up to deplete it as fast as we save...I am thinking that is the american way.

We miss all our MI Peeps..hope all the Fathers out there have a great day.
Busy times right now...will blog a big one later.

Peace Out,
RKDrumdude