Part 2...

See my post from earlier today for the prequel to this.

Let's see, when we last left you, I had established my connections to this area in addition to giving a brief overview of my employment. Let's tackle this a bit more chronologically and see if I can finish this bad boy off.

January was a bit of a lonely month. I think it was inevitable but I wasn't fully prepared. I had mad a vow to myself (those always work SUPER well) that I wasn't going to go back to Puyallup for at least 3 months. I needed to get myself entrenched in this area. I was also at the beginning of a self-imposed musical sabbatical. I didn't want to get involved with music ministry for at least 3 months. I loved what I did at Calvary but the 7 years or so of "full steam ahead" musical involvement had worn me down. Was time to recharge. Anyway, as mentioned before, I decided that I was going to try out different churches. Went to Crossroads my first Sunday, loved it. Went to another church the following (which shall remain nameless) and was a little less than enthused. Woke up the next Sunday and decided "Well, I guess I can do Crossroads again". From then on out, I just kept waking up on Sunday mornings thinking "I think I'd like to hear Dr. Bill Ritchie preach today". That was it. My grand church searching process was more anticlimactic than my earlier declaration this year that I would blog all the time. Eh well, what can you do?

February came and things were a bit easier. I developed good rapport with the people at the 78th street Tully's and was doing more music composition than ever. This was also the month that I finally went back home to visit. Not a lot of people knew about it because I didn't see many of them. Was totally on a whim. I was invited by Jessie Benson and Danielle Henry to join them for a Valentine's Day tradition of their's. We all went to Shari's, got some dessert and celebrated being single. Was terrific. From there, I basically went straight back down south. Was a good "fix" for the time being.

March was pivotal. A few matters in Puyallup occurred and, quite frankly, stressed me out. I wanted to be back there so badly but couldn't. Guess it was just supposed to be that way. Also went on a retreat with a ton of folks from the young adult group at Crossroads and got close with many of them. Developing real, sincere community is huge for me. I need people around me. I am way too much of an extrovert. This was also the month I went back up north to visit everyone. It never gets old walking into places like the downtown Puyallup Forza and getting a loud and warm welcome. They would always give those to me but after a three month layoff, this one was extra great. I also arranged to drum at Calvary's 7:33 service that night. To say that was fun would be a massive understatement. It was a nice dose of the past while not terribly compromising my present. I also traded in the good old red Dom truck for a blue Civic. The mpg would serve me well later in the year.

April and May were when I came off my musical sabbatical. As I mentioned before, Jason Ritchie stayed in contact with me, he and I met up and I discovered that we had a lot of the same interests/views musically. I got together with he and Daniel Smith, the assistant worship pastor at the time. After the multi-month layoff, I didn't feel that I played all that great but apparently it was good enough. They scheduled my first weekend playing there.

I had forgotten what it was like to be musically nervous (had been a few years). I would say that I felt tighter (and not in a good way) than I had in quite some time. I learned all the parts as best I could but I was very robotic in my playing and I don't think it served me well. Got through the first couple weekends doing an adequate (at best) job, I think. Finally, in mid to late May, Jason pulled me aside and basically told me "Hey man, I know you can play the parts. Don't worry about playing everything EXACTLY like the CD. Just play loose, let go and have fun". Done. It took my playing up several notches. I am SO happy he and I had that conversation.

Summer time was when everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, got married. I think I had a streak of about 13 weekends of so visiting and being involved. Was a ton of fun. Benj & Maddie, Evan & Ali, 4th of July, my 10 year HS reunion, all great things. Music continued to progress well too. Earlier than year, myself and Ben Wood, the worship leader and studio engineer for Crossroads Productions (www.crossroadsproductions.net) began working together a bit on music for Sunday nights at church. He and I have a lot of the same tastes so I think it's a good fit. He's definitely grown to be one of my best compadres around these parts. It also gives me the chance to pick the brain of an engineer about musical nuances that are WAY over my head.

Fall/winter have been good. I think that they have been a preview of how my life is going to be here. There are no real constant and necessary trips back up north. I have a routine scheduled. My work is becoming very natural and easy for me. I have found a new coffee shop. It doesn't QUITE measure up to Forza but hey, what can? It's even a Starbucks (which I would NOT have guessed to be the case). All in all, to sum it all up, I'm doing okay. Really and truly. God has put me in a great position to succeed in a variety of different ways.

Here are a few things that I have learned.

1. Portland is beatiful. It's not as big as Seattle nor does it have as much to do but it smells better. Also, it takes me about 15-20 minutes to get off to freeway and be in an establishment and in front of a good beer. In Seattle, it takes at least an hour to get off that stupid bottleneck downtown and be seated somewhere.

2. Vancouver is UNDERRATED. Paying sales tax sucks but this is a nice little city. I figured that I'd live here and just hang out in Portland all the time but I actually spend a ton of time here. It's quaint and has a lot of nice restaurants.

3. Being musically scared/overwhelmed is good. Sometimes you need competition to kick your butt into gear. I've grown more as a drummer in this last year than I had in any year prior.

4. The downtown Puyallup Forza is the best coffee shop in the history of the world. Not much more to be said about that.

5. The Blazers are cool but I can't make myself be a fan. Too weird to all of a sudden change teams. I still miss my Sonics.

6. I hate Oregon college sports more than ever. I could deal with never seeing the green and gold of U of O ever again.

7. Making new friends is scary regardless of how much of a social butterfly you were at your previous establishment. Call me a wimp if you must.

8. I miss playing football! No one around here does.

9. Making a big change (like moving) is a great springboard for adding other new and productive habits. I am eating better and taking better care of myself than I ever have.

10. After being here a year, I'm no closer to knowing whether or not I'll ever go back to Puyallup for good. Sorry, guys, I really have no idea. It really depends on the day that you ask me. I got back and forth so much with my opinion on it. As it sits now, I'd like to buy a house and soon. That would mean buying one here in Vancouver. Of course, there's also a ton back up north that I could get back into immediately if I chose to return although I'm sure it'd never be EXACTLY as I remember it. I don't think it ever is.

Anyway, this has been my longwinded, 2-part blog entry. Life is good. I am well. I miss Puyallup but I love Vancouver and Portland. I love you all and hope to see you soon. Love God, love each other. Take care.

- Dominic

Well, it's been a year, let's talk about it (part 1)

Hello,

Failed blogger Dominic Biscarret here with another random outpouring of thoughts about most anything and everything.

Unlike most anything I've ever written, this one actually has a bit of a theme. I'm going to attempt to sum up my feelings on my Puyallup to Portland transfer in addition to the year since it happened. I can't say if this will benefit anyone to read nearly as much as it will benefit me to write it. I kind of feel like I am wired in a fashion to randomly barf out literary ramblings. It helps me sort out how I feel on things. Anyway, let's jump right on in.

I'll start with a brief summary of the events leading up to it. Right about late October, my company offered me a sweet deal involving me transferring from our Kent branch to our Portland branch. Looking at it strictly from a career standpoint, it was a no-brainer. Better career advancement possibilities, was going to be living a bit better, etc. The social aspect was the tough one though. I don't think I grasped how good I had it. Probably still haven't. That's the thing about the present. You never savor it properly as it's going on. It's like you have to get a few miles away from it to see how beatiful it really was.

Anyway, prayed about it, visited Portland, had a basically sleepless night and on November 4th, I walked in and informed management that I was going for it. It was and continues to be a surreal experience. It was like I was watching myself do something very un-Dominic. I think you have to do things like that sometimes. Variety is the spice of life and a bunch of other tired cliches.

From there, I did my best to wrap up my last month+ in Puyallup. Spent time with people I hadn't seen in a while. Spent more time with those I was close with. Did a bunch of things that I had been meaning to do. Drummed a bunch. Drank WAY too much Forza coffee. I called it my "Victory Lap" and I made it worth my while. Had a blast. After a weekend of partying and almost crying about 30 times, I left the area on January 4th, 2009. It was a snowy and thought-heavy evening drive. Hello, Vancouver. Hello, Portland.

Let me back track a few months and set a precedent for how God provides in my life. Back in probably August of 2009, I met a girl named Brooklyn White who had just moved to the Puyallup/Sumner area. Her family moved from Vancouver just north of Portland. I didn't think much of this detail but it ended up being a pretty important one in the grand scheme of things. Anyhow, several months later, I end up saying yes to the transfer and having the following chat with Miss White.

"Um... so... you know that place you came from? Um, yeah, I'm moving there. Got a church you can direct me to?!"

I never claimed that it was eloquent.

Well, Brooklyn came through. In a BIG way. She directed me to Crossroads in Vancouver (www.crossroadschurch.net). My ultimate plan was that I was going to go through a long process of going to a bunch of different churches and then tediously choose one. The moral of the story, as always, is that God has plans that are much different (read smarter and better) than mine.

I was connected with a friend of her's/dynamic hair stylist by the name of Lori Hagelganz. Lori and I are both blessed with a quirky sense of humor so we get along well. She also keeps my thinning hairline looking respectable so that's another bonus. To say she was instrumental in me getting settled in would be a large-scale understatement. She introduced me to most everyone I know. More on that later.

Work in Portland was very different. It's different than starting a brand new job because I knew how to do 99% of the necessary skill set. I just got transplanted in with all new faces. Strange dynamic but I think I took to it pretty quickly. At the risk of sounding cocky, I feel I've done a solid job at the new branch. Then again, I've definitely had my share of screw-up moments. Take the bad with the good, I suppose.

As a preemptive measure, I emailed Jason Ritchie (worship pastor at Crossroads) in mid December letting him know that I was moving down, was a drummer, might be attending, might want to serve, etc., etc. He was EXTREMELY cordial, professional and really was "on the ball" with his communication with me in spite of the fact that I was a drummer that he had never heard play. Any worship pastor/lead singer will tell you that any "sight unseen" drummer is a high risk proposition. I believe it was Dave Groehl that said "a bad drummer will screw up a band faster than any other instrument". True story. Anyway, more on that later.

Okay, let's go ahead and wrap this one up and call it Part 1. The next installment will actually examine what has happened month by month and all that. I'll start on Part 2 immediately and should have it banged out within the next couple hours or so. God bless.

- Dominic

If I don't post another one of these...

I'm going to just let this blog slip into the cracks like my other ones. I promise that I'll try to be more consistent.

Let's see, what has happened in the last month...

Been home quite a bit. I'm actually kinda in the middle of about 12 weeks in a row of making the journey up north. Which is cool of course because I love visiting. It's kind of a combination of drumming, weddings and reunions.

I'd just like to again say that I love how there's ALWAYS somewhere that I can crash when I am in town. Someone always steps up and I'm loving it. Benj Haisch and Adam Roberts are the main two who seem to make it happen although Radloff and Alex Marden are also big helps. Marden's was awesome because he had to wake up early the next morning to go to work at Forza. I had to wake up early that morning to. To meet someone for coffee. At Forza. VERY convenient although I left some of my stuff in poor Jimmy's bathroom including an orange t-shirt that I like very, VERY much.

Call me crazy but I'm lukewarm on the new United album for the first time ever. Those guys usually always blow me away with their music but not this time. Maybe it'll grow on me. We'll see.

Doing a new diet as some of you may have noticed. It's the NHE eating plan from Rob Faigin's book "Natural Hormonal Enhancement". GREAT book. I am loving it. I read through his book "Hormonally Intelligent Exercise" pretty quickly and incorporated it into my trips to the gym. Seems to really be paying dividends.

On a related note, I NEVER get tired of hearing people say that I look thinner. I love it. Always.

From the file of "Albums I Never Hear Talked About But All My Friends Seem To Love" - Dreaming Out Loud by One Rebublic. Seriously, everyone I mention this to loves it.

Sometimes I just want to quit my job and go be a poor blues musician. Thankfully the feeling is usually fleeting cause I freakin' have bills to pay.

I am playing 7:33 on the 18th of July. Be there.

I think I'm getting to the point where I'm too old to get my first tattoo.

I miss the Supersonics.

I keep contemplating the idea of joining Twitter but I'm not really sure why.

Just joined Twitter. Dombiscarret .

So, had my 10 year reunion. And it went so much better than I ever thought it would. I was so happy to see everyone. It was a bit overwhelming with all the various memories and nostalgia but CERTAINLY well worth the trip. Plenty of pics on facebook. Check them out.

Just a short one tonight, guys. I love you all, take care.

- Dominic

the weather is kinda hot down here...

And I'm very much enjoying it. Here are more ramblings for you guys.

Benj and Maddie visited a couple weeks ago and that was fantastic. We went to Henry's 12th Street Tavern in Portland, hit up the Vancouver Farmer's Market, grabbed Starbucks and watched Taken (not necessarily in that order). VERY productive weekend. And best of all, Benj and Maddie's engagement pics that they took in Eugene turned out PHENOMENAL. I wasn't at all involved with that but I'm still pumped about it. Benj also was courteous enough to coordinate a video that showcased my new place. I've said it before and I'll say it again. My friends are talented. You can watch it here. I also throw out some shout-outs to some other friends in it who have supplied my apartment with greatness.

I need to schedule a 7:33 sit-in session. I'm getting in the mood to drum some Hillsong.

Played a show with Danielle Henry last Friday. As can be expected, I had a great time. She and I have always clicked pretty well. And she is always kind enough to let the ladies know that I'm single!

My dad and step-mom have been married 10 years, my mom and step-dad have been married 6 and one of my little brothers turns 21 tomorrow. Where the frick does the time go?

Calvary made an extremely awesome personnel decision recently. The kind that makes me want to come back in a big, big way eventually. No guarantees because, as always, we just have to let the chips fall where they may. But still psyched about the move.

Might just be me but sure seems like Joel Houston had a smaller vocal role in the latest Hills United album. Which is really too bad.

I had one of my best weekends of music last weekend. Including the DH show, I also played 3 services at Crossroads on Sunday. 2 in the morning and 1 at night. Everyone I played did a phenomenal job. The morning services went better than I could've hoped. I think that I'm finally slipping into a groove where I feel that I'm a decent player with some things to add to the mix, ya know? Jason's encouragement certainly helped things out quite a bit. The acoustic/jazz service on Sun night was remarkable. I really feel that we all blended well. Huge props to Ben, Cali and Ryan.

Lori has magical haircutting abilities and I am reaping the rewards often.

There's a decent chance that I could just watch Kari and Smitty hanging out doing anything and be completely entertained. Regardless of what it was doing. They could make something as menial as laundry be completely hilarious.

So, that same weekend that Benj and Maddie visited, I actually journeyed back up north shortly after they went back there. My friend Stephanie convinced me and I wanted to surprise Shannon. Went to 2 BBQ's. It was pretty fantastic. And the journey from Portland to Puyallup is officially a "spur of the moment" journey.

Had a fantastic talk with Ali the other day. Sometimes one just needs a perspective from across the gender border to give you insight.

Sometimes, with a certain group of people, you can just tell that the end is in sight as far as fun goes. That is certainly NOT the case with Jessie, Jessica and Daniel. Those 3 are a riot everytime I spend time with them.

I've gotta play some music quickly with Mr. Roberts, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Collins and Mr. Anderson. Seriously.

Looking for a newer model used Ipod Classic. Any sellers?

Jen's new car is fantastic looking.

I need to shop at H&M.

Alright, late-breaking development as per my conversation that I JUST had with Kevin. I'm playing 7:33 on July 18th. I think I'm going to make that an eventful weekend which will include the visit to H&M that I just mentioned. Yes, that seems like a marvelous idea.

Happy I just got reconnected with Crystal Slyter (as in JUST now). I've officially added another Portland friend!

Alright, I'm officially all blogged out. Have a wonderful day/night and enjoy the weather!

- Dominic

just a small one today...

Had a productive day at work today and am celebrating with another stop on my constant tour of Portland area coffee shops. I am at River Maiden in Vancouver. Pretty good stuff. Here are a couple small thoughts before I close up shop for the day.

Goodnight, Mariners. Thanks for coming. It was fun while it lasted. I'll keep a passive eye on you but it's looking more and more like this season is what one would optimistically call "a learning experience".

I just got turned onto the band/artist Danyew (Thanks, Cali). Great stuff. Kind of a Leeland-esque/Killers vibe. That whole electronica/heavy synth/rock thing. Would love to drum with this guy.

I guarantee that I'm going to sound like a cynical jerk here but I'm not sure I really care for Pam that much anymore. I feel like they've tried to add too much personality to her. I miss the quiet, unassuming jokester. I don't know who this new sassy sales rep is who randomly knows how to play volleball (what???). Speaking of which, I think I could more convincingly play the part of an NBA player than she did as a "good volleyball player". Before anyone gets all cranky, The Office is still my favorite show. I'm basically just nit-picking at the 5% or so that I don't dig. New Dwight, on the other hand, is AWESOME. That joke about the new receptionist winning the art contest was GOLDEN. As was the horse doctor joke. And I thought I was going to cough up a lung while laughing when he started delaying the volleyball game. Genius. On a slightly related note, Andy Bernard is still remarkable.

Is there EVER a situation where a small stain on your work shirt is made better by creating a giant water spot because you're trying to "clean it off" while at work? Just leave the stain and hope it comes out. Don't make it worse than it needs to be.

Am I the only one who's MUCH different at work than he is around friends/at home? I feel that I'm extremely professional at work. I'll let you draw your own conclusions as to what I'm like outside of work given that information. :)

Alright, going home to clean dishes. Have a great night, guys.

- Dominic

back for another sporadic posting...

Special thanks to Mrs. Christa Lerew Jeffreys for the inspiration to write this one. I was kinda on the fence about it but she gave me a random compliment about how much she enjoyed them so I figured I'd drop one of you guys today. It's a gorgeous Vancouver day and I'm in a writing mood so here goes. Oops, almost forgot, I'm about to taste my VERY first cup of Peet's coffee. I will let you know how it goes. Right now.

*Grabbing cup*

*Taking drink*

Outstanding. No other word for it. This stuff tastes like love, forgiveness and world peace in a cup. The 78th St. Tully's might've just been replaced as my "go to" coffee shop. A touch more inexpensive than Tully's as well. Sweet deal. Anyway, here are some more random musings.

I miss playing football. I'm wondering if anyone in the area here gets together and plays. I'd love to make that happen with some fellas if it's not already a weekly or bi-weekly occurrence.

I hated the Puyallup Farmer's Market. Quite a bit. It screwed up my parking on Saturdays when I wanted to go to Forza. Now, in the irony of ironies, I love the Vancouver one. Probably because it's walking distance from my apt. I checked it out today. It's kinda huge. Live music, tons of booths. Pretty awesome. I might have to take friends to it who visit me.

How is one supposed to react when he's at Winco @ 11:00 PM and his cashier is interrupted by a Russian gentleman in tattered clothing who is INSISTENT on getting custom frosting writing on a cake RIGHT THEN? I just kinda kept looking straight ahead lest he and I make eye contact and he asks me if I do cake writing. Which I don't.

I want to play in a band and it's getting to the point where I want it badly. I blame Roman Holiday. Good music just gives me the urge to create new stuff. Maybe I will find some folks to jam with in Portland. Or maybe I will just beg my buddies from the south side to let me come up and jam with them. Kevin, Benj, Bryan, Adam, Nate, Michael, I am looking in your collective direction.

Speaking of the ROHO boys, the EP has dropped and they played the Liberty for the release show last Friday. I've gushed enough about them already so I'll keep this brief. It was extremely good and I'm still loving the disc. Buy it. And visit them on myspace at myspace.com/romanholidaytheband.

Last weekend was great fun. I took Thurs and Fri off. Hung out with Jessie, Jessica and Radloff a ton. Hit The Cheesecake Factory. Hit the ROHO show. Celebrated the ladies birthdays. I would like the 3 of them to move to Portland. There's just no other way to put it.

Bryan, you're welcome for me bailing you out on that auction. For those of you who don't know, Mr. Bryan Reynolds, GM of the downtown Forza, started a live aution for a marshmallow square and a marshmallow mocha at about noon on Saturday morning. 4 bucks. Good deal, right? Unfortunately, when he started it, he got met with such a quiet reaction from the 25+ people there that I swear I saw a tumbleweed roll by. Which I didn't really think was possible since we were indoors. Anyway, after a few painful seconds, I met the minimum and bought it. Honestly, I didn't think it was a bad idea. Sometimes stuff just doesn't click. 4 bones really was a great deal though. And I think Tom Rogers (who I gave it to since I already had my drink and had been sitting there for about an hour) really enjoyed it!

Daniel Radloff (whom only great things come from) sent me a text asking me when American jumped the shark. I won't explain what that term means because it's very easy to find online but we determined that the exact moment was this right here. You're welcome.

In some unrelated news that should be a surprise to absolutely no one, I still love my Honda.

I am itching to play another Danielle Henry show.

Congratulations to Brooke Sliefert for completing the OT program at UPS. I know it was an uphill battle but you did fantastic and I am proud to have someone as intelligent/awesome as you as a friend. Thanks for skipping down the beach with me!

I'm not sure how I'd handle it if I'd have moved any farther away. If I hadn't seen my back home friends since late December, I might be kinda freaking out right now. Good thing it's a short drive. One of these times I'm going to bring my Vancouver folks up north with me. Which means a road trip with the Hagelganz sisters. Which would be nothing short of ridiculously entertaining.

That cup of Peet's went down smooth.

Protein smoothies are the best invention ever. One of the few things that tastes extremely good and is good for you.

I'm moving my kit into a studio tomorrow. I'm very, VERY excited. I just hope that my tuning of the kit is up to par with the quality of the facility. That place is sick. For those of you who don't know what it looks like, go here.

Congratulations to Adam Barringer and Megan Taylor for graduating last Saturday. It was an awesome time seeing them. Was also great to hang out with Jess Whims for a few hours. And then see Elise, Jessie Cram, Ali, Havilah, Ariel and anyone else that I'm forgetting. :)

Alright, gonna go try and be productive with the rest of my Saturday. I love you all and miss anyone who I don't get to see very often. Take care!

- Dominic

trying out a new coffee shop today...

Good morning, everyone. I am happily enjoying an Americano at the new River Maiden coffee shop here in downtown Vancouver. From where I sit, there is some seriously good people-watching to be done. Between that, writing and listening to the songs I have to play tomorrow, this could be a productive morning. Here goes...

Let me first say, curse this darn bodily clock of mine. I'm now officially programmed to wake up everyday between 7 and 8. This curse had better stick around when I have kids and actually HAVE to wake up early everyday.

One quick letter that I have to get off my chest here -

"Dear 23-year-old Motorcycle-Rider guy,

Knock it off. Just stop. Stop slowing down in front of me just to create a gap in front of you so you can speed up. Stop cutting between traffic. No one cares about your high MPG. And no one thought wheelies were cool when you were a 7th grader on your BMX, why the heck would they care now? If you're not careful, I'm going to accidentally kill you in traffic and the idea of jail time doesn't really appeal to me in the slightest. Seriously. Stop. NOW.

Signed,

Dominic and the greater Portland area"

Whew, I feel MUCH better.

I'm going to completely jinx myself but the M's are making me happy pretty much daily. This team just keeps scrapping. And it's like Erik Bedard and Felix got together for coffee and basically decided that pitching extremely well and being tough was a good idea. I could've told them this much sooner but hey, better late than never.

The spare room at Adam Roberts place is becoming like a second home when I hit the north side.

The Fray - The Fray - Good. Really good. Was tapping my foot to Syndicate from the beginning. Absolute and You Found Me are gems and I think that Enough For Now is a unique take on the father/daughter relationship. Buy it.

I keep going back and forth about whether I want to live back up north in the Puyallup area. It was a no-brainer a couple months ago but I think that's just because I hadn't really gotten settled in down here. I'm starting to feel that way down here. Vancouver and Portland are nice.

Become friends with Joel Parker and watch his Liam blogs. You won't be disappointed. They're about 8 shades of awesome.

I've got my second weekend of drumming at Crossroads this weekend. Not nearly as nervous as I was the first time which is a good thing, I think.

I had originally intended to shoot a video of my apartment to show everyone but, the longer I wait, the more that people keep visiting and seeing it for themselves so I'm not sure there's a huge need anymore.

Bryan Reynolds is looking slim and awesome these days.

I had the chance to go to the studio and watch a little bit of session work by a group called SONSOFDAY. Good guys and the studio experience is a fun one to watch. I wasn't there long but the facility is great and I just love watching the creative process.

I JUST NOW (as in about a minute ago) discovered the songs "The Long Fall" and "Weapons" by Jars of Clay. Yes, THAT Jars of Clay. Buy them both. They blend together. I want to play drums for these songs at this very moment. Might have to walk home and make that happen.

Daniel Collins compared me to Ronnie Vannucci Jr. of The Killers and I loved it. Anytime I get compared to anything about that band, I'm okay with it. I'd have to say that, if I were to liken myself to professionals who are MUCH better than me, I'm probably a cross between Ronnie Vannucci, Chad Smith and Matt Chamberlain. Please note that I did just say that all these guys are MUCH better than me.

I've discovered that the country music that I do like is usually WAY behind what actual, real country fans like. It's like I'm a couple years too late and the real country music fans would laugh at me and then go off and do whatever it is they do. Presumably hayrides, line dancing and spitting in spittoons. Also, mechanical bull-riding.

Cannon Beach is great. That is all.

In other news, Roman Holiday is still great. CD release show on May 8th at The Liberty in Puyallup. Be there. I will. And again, I will be giving out complimentary hugs. We should all come out and make it the best party ever. Buy the CD. Get these guys music while it's cheap cause they could be headed for much bigger and better things if the chips fall just right.

Benj Haisch is REALLY good at photography. www.benjhaisch.com . Great blogger too. Great guitar player. Great singer. Helped me discover the joys of Diesel jeans. The good Lord blessed him with a pretty remarkably skill set. There's not a lot of people that I would seriously refer to as "kindred spirits" but he's one. He's one of the few people that I know that I really, really, REALLY want to work with in ministry again.

While I'm gushing about things Haisch-related, I always want Nick to be playing synth whenever I come into town to play. And I never get tired of Alex hitting me up with the hug and telling me that he loves my playing after the service.

Alright, I'd say that I got some good mileage out of this one. Have a wonderful day/week/month/whatever. My apologies on the sporadic entries. I don't really have a consistent internet source other than coffee shops so I kinda gotta plan these things better. I love you all, take care.

- Dominic

Oh yeah, got a new car. 2005 Civic EX. It makes me happy. I'm sad that I discovered the joys of carrying more than 1 person in my vehicle so late but what can ya do?