andrew dodson

I’m still excited about the snow. A lot of people around here don’t like snow or cold, but I do. Actually, I don’t like cold without snow. But, cold with snow I’ll take. Anyhow, here’s some random blogging:

• I’m going to see Christian comedian Tim Hawkins tonight with a group from The Point. It should be fun, and I’m looking forward to it.
• I don’t think my PCG is meeting this week, due to Valentine’s Day. As much as I’ll try to get them to postpone their celebrations until Friday, I think I’ll be out-voted. Regardless, I’ll still be posting PCG notes for this week’s text on Thursday.
• The Josh Martin Band settles back into gigging with a performance this Friday. It’s a small gig for a church Valentine’s Day dinner, but a gig nonetheless. We’ve been working on a few new songs as of late, but I’m not sure we’ll play any of them just yet.
• I writing this post using ecto - a desktop blogging software. I’ve tried desktop blogging before, but ultimately went back to using Wordpress directly via the web, or ScribeFire (a Firefox plugin). It seems software like ecto has become more powerful since I last tried it (probably back in 2006 sometime). With the rising popularity of blogs, it seems desktop software has grown in features. We’ll try it for a few days to see if I like it. I’ve also tried MarsEdit, but ecto has more features that suit my tastes.
• Don’t miss the Extreme Makeover Home Edition this Sunday! It is a two-hour special, and it is the Louisville episode. If you remember, CLS was a part of this construction, as we assisted with some printed curtains and pillow cases.
• I can’t believe my parents are registered Democrats. Poor folks will have to choose between Hilary or Obama if they vote in the Primary. I would vote don’t vote in that case. Or, vote for the most beatable of the two, hope that one wins the Primary and then gets beat in November. I think they’re switching parties before the Election, finally.
• I haven’t publicly (on this blog) endorsed a candidate, yet. Maybe in the next week or so, I’ll post my choice and why I support that candidate. Not that it matters to you much - you can make up your own mind. But, it might drum up some support for my choice, or cause you to consider them for your vote.
• Thanks to everyone who, through the blog, Facebook, MySpace, phone calls, text messages and emails, wished me a happy birthday. I really appreciate it!

Twenty-eight years ago today, my mother gave birth to me at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington.  Yes, today is my 28th birthday.  I’m accepting monetary gifts for those of you that are interested! 

I’ll be celebrating my birthday today by working at CLS, dinner at Penn Station with a couple of JMB guys, and then we’re having rehearsal tonight at The Point.  Yes, I go all out for my birthday celebrations.

It’s almost that time of year!  The time of year I look forward to the most - The CLS shut down.  Judging by the fact that I’m blogging about it two weeks ahead of time, can you tell I’m looking forward to it?

The shut down is one of my favorite perks at CLS.  This year, because of the way Christmas and New Year’s fall, it’s a little longer than usual.  Instead of a week off, we’ll actually get seven work days off, and in total, I won’t have to work for eleven days (including two weekends).  Last year, I spent three days of my vacation sick and laid up in bed.  Hopefully, I can avoid that this year.

The only plans I have as of right now:

• I have a live recording on the December 30th.  Setup will be on the 28th.
• Family Christmas gathering on the 29th.
• Revamp a few things on The Point’s media site.
• Complete work on a new website for BADmedia.
• Read a book (or two?).

Most of my plans could be null and void if something else I’m working on pans out.  I can’t spare any details right now, but I might know something more by the end of this week.  Stay tuned!

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I went to the UPS store yesterday to pack up and ship my Creative Zen Xtra MP3 player to Illinois. Some of you received my mass email a couple of weeks back with a list of things I’m selling. Looks like some people passed it along to other friends, and it payed off. Thanks! Here’s what’s still for sale:

1. Gateway Profile 4 all-in-one (think iMac) computer.
2. Canon camcorder - really nice, but I’ve only used it handful of times. Can’t justify keeping it when I have credit card debt!
3. Some odds and ends stereo equipment. If you’re needing something, email me and I might have it.

If any of you in the blogosphere are needing any of this stuff, or know someone who’s interested, shoot me an email at andrew@brianandrewdodson.com. I’ve found that shipping stuff from the UPS store is really, really easy, so I’ll be able to send it anywhere in the country. Adios…

It’s been a fairly good (long) weekend. Here’s the rundown:

Friday - Vertex was great. We had a lot of new faces, which was really good to see. We did things a little different by grilling out and watching a movie - outside. Russ and Alex did a great job of hanging the screen on the side of the church, and Julia prepared all the computer-related things. We thought we were going to experience some DVD issues shortly before we started, but Justin stepped in and saved the day. All-in-all, it was probably one of the best nights of Vertex so far.

Saturday - the praise band had a long rehearsal from 8-12. I had big plans for the rest of the day, but they disappeared as soon as I got home from rehearsal. I still don’t really know what happened, but I didn’t feel very good at all. I think part of it may’ve been exhaustion. All I did was lay around and sleep. Everytime I got up to do something, I started to feel tired again. Added to this was a headache. Later in the evening, I made my mind up to get up and do something with the hopes that I’d start to feel better. I took some headache pills, ate dinner and took a shower. Went to Justin’s and hung out for a bit, and then we headed to the movies where we met up with Lori. By this time, I was feeling much, much better.

Sunday - after church, some of us met up at Cliffside’s for lunch. It’s a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant here in Frankfort. Everyone seems to love it, but it’s only the second time I’ve been. My review? The place is run-down, it’s a little smelly, and our waitress (if you can call her that) was rude. I won’t hold it against them that it took a long time to place our order and get our food, considering every seat in the place was occupied. The food was good, though.

I stopped at home for a bit and got to visit with my aunt and uncle while they were in town. After this, I headed to Leesburg for a Josh Martin Band show. I gotta admit… I was really dreading this gig. It turned out to be a nice event, and we played well. I split as soon as it was over because I knew friends from church would be hanging out back in Frankfort. I headed over to Chuck & Becky’s for a movie.

Monday (4th of July) - I “slept in” this morning. I can tell I’m getting older because I only slept 90 minutes longer than I normally would, and I was still up by 8:30a.m. I can remember the days when “sleeping in” meant waking up after most of the world had already eaten lunch. Now, I can sleep in and still make it to McDonald’s before they stop serving breakfast.

I’m going home this afternoon to do laundry and to start working on the Josh Martin Band website. I already have a design in mind (inspired by a commercial I saw the other night). I also have lots of pictures to choose from, thanks to Carrie What’s-Her-Name who took pictures of the band at our live recording and a photo shoot a few weeks back. So, it should be quick work.

I’ll be heading to some form of a cookout later tonight, although I’m not sure where just yet. Happy 4th of July!

About a month ago, while discussing the idea of moving to the St. Clair Apartment, I mentioned to my parents that it had a dish washer. One of the things I’m lazy about is washing dishes, so the idea of having a dish washer was very appealing.

My dad says, “you should just be using paper plates.”

The next time I went to Kroger, I invested in paper plates, bowls, plastic cups and utensils. I haven’t had to wash dishes since.

Good idea, dad.

Not to the east side, though. Downtown. As of July 1, my new address will be 315 St. Clair #302.

I’ve consulted with a lot of people and pretty much all of them agree it’s a great apartment. My parents also approve - I knew mom would like it (she always wants the best for me, and this is a nicer apartment than what I’ve got now), but my dad is always a tough sell. I know if I ever gain his approval, it’s a good deal.

I also learned it’s the same exact apartment a former co-worker of mine lived in (the person who put the idea of living on St. Clair in my head). “Which apartment did you live in?” “302.” “Oh, that’s the one I might take.” “Isn’t it awesome?!?” It was a funny conversation. I’m inviting her to visit once I get settled in so she can see her old apartment.

The landlord is being more-than-generous with me, which makes me feel good. I also have Justin to thank for putting in a good word for me. I’ll be able to start moving in the last week of June. If anyone wants to help me move, come on!!!

The past 24 hours have been somewhat of a whirlwind. Here’s the run-down:

1. Friday night - Vertex. I was at the church until very, very late.
2. Saturday, 10 a.m. - praise band rehearsal. Following rehearsal, I tore down my drumset (mics and everything) for a Josh Martin Band gig in Pleasureville.
3. Arrived in Pleasureville around 3:00 and started setting up for the gig. Soundchecked and ran through most of the set.
4. The gig started a little after 7 p.m. and went very well. I’m very excited to start working on mixing the tracks for the live CD.
5. After the gig, Josh’s mother-in-law invited the band to her house for hamburgers. It was a very nice gesture, and it hit the spot. None of us had a chance to eat dinner before the show, so we ate very well.
6. Went back to the church around 10 p.m. to start tearing down all the equipment. I started heading home at 11:20 p.m.
7. Midnight - arrived back at Crestwood and loaded all my gear back into the church. I set everything back up and was home by 1:30 a.m.
8. Sunday, 7:45 a.m. - back to Crestwood for the Sunday early service.
9. I was back at my apartment shortly after 11 a.m. today, and that wrapped up my commitments for the weekend. I spent a couple of hours mixing the Vertex recording from Friday night and burning some CDs.

I came home this afternoon, and the weekend has caught up with me. Mom and dad are gone to visit my grandparents, so Bailey and me have been lazy all afternoon and evening.

As is the case with most decent human beings, I hold myself to a very high standard of excellence. While some categories of my life fall by the wayside of excellence (cleaning, keeping my vehicle in tip-top shape, eating habits, etc.), there are many areas where “getting by” isn’t good enough - being a Christian, relationships, playing the drums, creating websites, recordings, and most importantly, work. These are the areas of my life that are my passions.

Overall, I have a very good temperment (did I spell that right?). I’m generally in a good mood, and I don’t get upset very easily. A sure-fire way you will see my temper is when I haven’t lived up to my own standard of excellence. Nine times out of ten, when I’m upset, it’s with myself.

Today was a day when I didn’t meet my own standard of excellence - at work. If this was The Apprentice, the Donald would’ve fired me. I botched an order and made life difficult for the customer, my boss and our production department. The silver lining is the “botching” happened before the customer received their order. Thanks to my boss stepping in to help, life will be okay. CLS will make money, and the customer will get their order.

As my dad would say, “Chalk this up as a learning experience.” As Annie would say, “The sun’ll come up tomorrow.”

We all know I’m a drummer (most of us, anyway). Several years ago, my mother would always say I should play drums for a Christian group. Me? Play drums in a Christian band? Yeah, right! Fast forward several years, and where can I be found? Playing drums for the Crestwood Baptist Church praise band.

Not only do my parents have an affinity for Christian music, they prefer southern gospel. When suggesting that I should play for a Christian group, I could tell they’d prefer it to be a southern gospel group. Me? Play drums for a southern gospel group? Yeah, right!

God had a different plan. This past week, I accepted the job as drummer for the Josh Martin Band. Not quite southern gospel - I’d call it Christian alt-country. Country music with an edge, and a Christian message.

My first gig with the band? Low and behold, a recording for a live worship album. Better git to practicin’!