Moving out

I’m surrounded by boxes.

I’ve lived in the same house in Indiana since I was six years old, save for a few years in college, and after today, I’ll probably never set foot in it again. We’re moving out, after sixteen years of living here.

It didn’t hit me until last night what that really meant. The concept of moving out was a vague, blurry idea somewhere in the future. Then, last night, I went to get a fork out of the drawer and all of the silverware was gone. Suddenly, it hit me. Our silverware will never be in that drawer again. At that point, the idea of moving out became sharply focused into something very real and very strange.

I started thinking about our back yard, and how I’ll never mow it or play with my dog in it again. I thought about our living room, how we’ll never rearrange the furniture to project a movie on that wall again. I thought of my parents’ room, where I could go if I ever had a bad dream as a little kid, and how I’ll never be in that place of comfort and security again.

And then I thought about all the things I had done in my room. The time I spent there with friends, the band practices, the recording sessions, the hours on the phone late at night, or reading books without a care as to when I had to wake up in the morning. I’d never do any of these things in that room again.

It’s funny how attached we get to physical spaces. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been in love with this house; my parents deserve a much nicer place, and they can afford one, so I’m very happy for them. And I know that I can do all of the things that I used to do in my room in other places. I’ll find a new place to practice drums, to write music, to watch movies. I’m not worried about that. But knowing that I can never come back to this place where I experienced all of these things for the first time seems wrong. How can anyone else live in this space that I’ve lived most of my life?

At the same time, some of these boxes filling my room are an exciting reminder of the opportunities I have ahead of me. I’m moving to an apartment in Boston in September to live with one of my best friends and study music. I’ll have a new place to grow and learn and live, and that’s thrilling. It’s a fantastic opportunity, and I plan to make the most of it.

So I’ll probably never come back to this house, but there will be other houses and new experiences to be had. Who knows what my next room will bring. I guess that’s up to me.

~AR

Summer '09 in progress...

Hey all,

Just thought I'd do a quick inventory on my life, since it's changed a lot since summer began. I guess the first and biggest change so far is that I've started playing percussion with The Post Script, a great band in Indy that combines jam band, 90's acoustic pop, and blues influences for a sound that's just a joy to be a part of. Most of my nights are taken up now by playing music, and I love it. I never thought playing congas, shakers, and tambourines could be so much fun, but what I'm finding is that, regardless of the instrument you're playing, good music is fun to play.

Also this week, I visited IUPUI twice; once to walk around and check out the school for myself earlier in the week, and again today for orientation. I think I'm in for spending a lot of time being completely lost. The campus is HUGE. Going from a school with 4,000 kids and a campus that only spans a couple of city blocks to a school of over 30,000 that takes up acres of land is quite the change for me. I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually, but it seems crazy right now.

The other big change going to IUPUI is that I have to start taking classes that involve "real" work. My schedule will include English, Math, Economics, Psychology, and more. It's weird when you spend two years taking classes like Harmony, Ear Training, and Arranging to go to taking classes that delve into broader topics. I'm looking forward to it though.

Also, I just got a job at Old Navy today. It's not what I'd consider my 100% ideal job, but at the same time, it's absolutely something I'm extremely grateful for, because I really need the money, not to mention awesome discounts at Gap and Banana Republic. It seems like the people I'll be working with are really cool, and I'm really happy to have the opportunity. In case you weren't in the know, I had a job at a butcher shop lined up for the summer, but it turned out I actually wasn't needed in the position, so I was stuck at the beginning of summer fully believing that the only income I'd be getting would be $20 occasionally whenever the lawn needed to be mowed; this is taking a big weight off my shoulders.

I have to be honest, I haven't been sticking with the P90x routine I was all psyched about. I've been having a lot of difficulty finding time to really devote to it. I'm still trying to decide whether I need to reevaluate my efforts and step up my game, or if I need to look for a different routine to be doing that takes up less of my time. Either way, I'm still committed to staying in shape. I don't have genes that are helping me out in this area, so I still need to make a very conscious effort to stay healthy and fit.

So for the most part, my life is going very , very well. I'm starting to feel settled, like I can turn on cruise control in a couple weeks, and things will be going smoothly. I can't wait to see how IUPUI treats me, and I'm ready for anything.

That's all for now,

~AR

An Update...

I feel like it's been too long since I last blogged. Just a couple entries ago, I laid out my resolutions for the year. So far, I'm doing extremely well. I've created a website for myself. I've also stuck with my fitness goals much more strictly than I thought I would. I'm really leaning out. Eggs are involved. I've finished one song that will definitely go on the album. I'm struggling with the financial aspect of my resolutions a bit, but it's going better than last year at the least. The tour is in the planning stages, which is a bit frustrating at the moment, but I think we'll have one put together by this summer, which is very exciting. And as for my educational path, I've decided to attend IUPUI to major in Management in the School of Public and Environmental Administration with a Music minor focusing on music business. I will most likely attend law school after I graduate, which is something I'm very excited about. I've already applied to IUPUI, and am ready to go in the Fall of '09.

So all in all, I'm making great progress with my resolutions. I think once I get some income flowing, I'll be all set for awhile. Hope everyone else who's reading this is also keeping up with their goals for this year. It's still early in 2009, and it's looking like it'll be a great year!

~AR

New stuff on the myspace!

Hey everyone,

Check out my myspace for the most recent tracks I've played on, including a new one with the Mike Lombardo Trio ("John Says"), and Kerri Elimelick's first single, "Years No Longer Alive For You." Enjoy!

~AR

Expectations and Resolutions for 2009.

I just thought I'd take a moment to share my thoughts and expectations about this year. I made a list of a few specific goals I'd like to accomplish this coming year:

• Continue to exercise in some way, shape, or form at least 30min a day, 5 days a week, minimum, while pursuing better health and nutrition in all areas of life.
• Spend no more than 20% of gross adjusted income on discretionary spending, while pursuing better financial spending and saving habits in general.
• Record and release one album of no fewer than eight original songs.
• Decide on an educational direction to pursue for the remainder of college and maintain a high level of academic excellence.
• Plan and execute a multi-state tour with ML3.
• Create a personal website for the distribution and advertisement of my music and drumming

Aside from these specific areas of focus, however, I think this is really a year in which I consciously need to take steps towards growth and personal development. I already have felt myself becoming a more whole and mature person over the past month or so, and am working on continuing in that direction. I'm going to be 20 in a few months, which I feel is like a watershed point for me. I need to start taking more responsibility for my own actions, financially and otherwise. I need to learn how to stay busy without overloading myself or becoming overwhelmed. I need to start implementing flow into my life in constructive manners. Now I say all this without putting pressure on myself. Having expectations of myself and putting pressure on myself are two entirely different things, and I've learned in the past several months what the difference is, and I see myself doing a lot better from here on out. I'm ready to make a positive difference in my life, and I'm starting now.

~AR

Company of Thieves

I had the privilege of seeing Company Of Thieves at the end of 2008 play an acoustic set in Indiana, and I was truly amazed by their incredible presence and earnest honesty in their performances. The drummer was only playing a cajon and crash cymbal, their guitarist had technical issues with his guitar, and the PA was faulty, but it was still the best acoustic show I've seen in a good while. Then I bought their fully instrumented album, Ordinary Riches, on iTunes.

Now, personally, there are two kinds of albums that make my jaw drop: the kind that are so musically unbelievable that I have to listen to the album at least twice before understanding what's going on (think Between The Buried And Me, Dream Theater, Coheed and Cambria, etc), and the kind that, through simplicity and sincerity, are perfect. This is the latter. Ordinary Riches gets my vote for one of the better albums released (technically re-released) so far this year.

Check out a free download of their single, Oscar Wilde, for the next week or so, and buy the album. It's only $5.99 on iTunes, and they absolutely deserve it. I see these guys going far, at least on the indie scene, and I could see them reaching a status similar to Death Cab or Bright Eyes before we see the last of them. Hopefully, the last of them won't come anytime in the near future, because this band is amazing.

~AR

Someone Else's Train

Don't remember when I wrote this, but I actually really, really like it now that I read it again. It must've been last year at some point. Hope you enjoy!

Verse 1:
I’m riding down a tunnel
On a train, shuffling on
I can’t see where the tracks lead
Close my eyes, I’m almost gone

I fall asleep, my head
Against the window glass
The rumbling of the wheels
Is soothing as we pass

Pre-Chorus:
The places I used to go
And all the ones I know
I left behind, only to find my way

Chorus:
Chasing someone else’s dreams
Through a swiftly closing door
Momentum’s running down
I can’t take much more

I thought I got just what I wanted
That was all a lie
I’m chasing someone else’s dreams
Story of my life

Verse 2:
I left my home behind me
Hopped a plane, moved to the coast
A thousand miles away
From the one who gets me most

Who is all this even for
Cause I know it’s not for me
It doesn’t matter anymore
As the train puts me to sleep, (passing)

(Pre-Chorus)

(Chorus)

Bridge:
How could I leave it all behind?
Not even knowing what I’d find…
How could I leave you far behind?
On the whim of someone else’s mind?

(Chorus)

~AR