Today Karla and I finished uploading the first 4 videos for her YouTube Channel, The Visual Cooking Lab With Karla, along with an intro and promo. I'm hoping that it reaches the right audience! I'm looking forward to all the other videos that will be posted over the next several weeks. Tomorrow the intro and first promo will be available to see on YouTube (www.YouTube.com/@TheCookingLabWithKarla). Please check it out and let us know what you think!!
Today we visited Karla's dad in the hospital because he fell and possibly sprained his leg. He will have to get physical therapy to recover, something he's not excited about doing. At church today the sermon was about honoring your parents and I think Karla did a great job at this! At one point her dad looked like he was trying to stay awake for our benefit, but also seemed really tired. So, we pretended to fall asleep for about 3 seconds, but that was all he needed, permission to sleep. So, he did. We stayed for a while to keep him company, but about 30-45 minutes later we thought we'd say goodbye and let him rest more. He was able to awake from his rest to say goodbye, but also seemed able to go back to sleep easily enough.
Tell Me Your Story is evolving from just a friendship that needs realignment to realizing the person who changed or moved was most likely me. When writing the song I was imagining a restoring of a friendship because someone decided to step away, but through the evolving of this song it's turned into me having a conversation with God and wondering where He's been, when it was I who moved, not Him! As the song is evolving so are the ideas of the instrumentation, and I'm enjoying this process of change to express the song, hopefully in a deeper, more compelling way. I guess we will see when it's finished.
So far, I have 2 songs scratched tracked out of 10. I'm really looking forward to the recording process to perfect the idea I have in part currently. I look forward to the completed song with all the parts I can't even imagine at this moment. I wonder if this is like how God Almighty looks at his creation, without the wonder of "what it be like when it's complete" because He knows the ending from the beginning. I wonder if this a small glimpse into His creative process and He allows us to enjoy in it too. We get to enjoy at the wonder and mystery of it all! There are times that it's difficult to find joy in the mundane and there are other times that it's inescapable! It's all a part of this existence and we all get to enjoy all of it from the wonder of it all to the completed parts we have yet to enjoy. I still long for the day and look forward with all His energy and strength!
Today I was thinking about how the first person to pass away in my life that I knew was my great-grandfather, Johnny Mac. I didn't know him very well, but I always liked visiting him and my great-grandmother, Lydia. My great-grandmother always seemed to have a beer in her hand, whether she was drinking it or not. My great-grandfather seemed to always have a smile on his face, whether he really did or not. Now these were my mother's grandparents on her mother's side. The ones on her father's side died before I was born, though my great-grandmother on my mom's father's side is the one who made me my baby blanket, parts of which I still have. I knew my mom's parents fairly well, though my grandfather on my mom's side didn't talk to me too much, but I loved hearing his stories, whether he was talking to me or others nearby. My dad's father, I only met him twice, and both times he had Snickers in his place and offered me one. Typically, when offered a candy by an adult, I would take one and only one. However, with my grandfather on my father's side, I took a couple. It was my way of getting back at the man who hurt my father, grandmother, and all my aunts on my father's side. What I remember most is how frail he looked how quiet he spoke. In all the stories I heard of him through the years, quiet was not the word, nor was frail, and yet right in front of me was this tiny man, who I knew just about nothing about, never heard a story from his lips uttered to my ear, whether he talked to me or others. The only stories I've ever heard were from those he hurt. My dad could be a tough man, a strong father, but even when I pushed every button I could find with a few I invented, he never laid a hand on me to hurt me. He gave me plenty of hugs and words of affirmation. My grandfather gave me 2 things: my father and Snickers, a candy bar. That was the only sweetness I ever heard him give. I'm not making comments that say that is all he was, but that's all that I know, all that he was to me. I don't know all the stories from all my grandparents. I would have loved to talk to them more. I would have loved to share with them more, but what I do have I hold close. It's really those things that live on inside of me, inside of my other family members. One day someone else might write a story or a post, that maybe no one else will read about me. I hope there is more to say about me than, "He offered me Snickers a couple of times."
Yesterday I laid down the scratch tracks for Tell Me Your Story. I'm excited to actually record all of the instruments! Recording the music helps me to figure out some different places to go with the song, that couldn't be done if I just played it in my room. I have some interesting harmony ideas for some of the vocals. I'm sure this isn't very exciting to anyone else but me, but seeing how I'm the only one truly reading this, I gotta keep it real or at least interesting enough for me. If there is someone else besides me reading this, my apologies and thank you for sticking it out!
Goodbye Sunrise
by Karla Wojciechowski
Chorus:
Bridge?
These are the lyrics Karla wrote for Caleb and I, and we will have to set it to music of our choosing. I'm looking forward to the process, though I don't have a particular starting point.
Song mapping "Tell Me Your Story". It was a book title about telling one's story of their life that inspired this one. I'm thinking the song will be about that at first, but will shift. The chorus can have the title in it, but it will shift from the idea that it starts with. I haven't thought about the journey yet...so here are my raw ideas.
First it's starts with the title as a question Can you tell me your story? Then maybe it moves to a recall from the past of when someone told them their story and maybe it ends with the idea of telling The Story of all things, with the emphasis on telling your story. Obvisously this is just a rough outline of the song but that is the idea at the moment
Today is my father's birthday. He would have been 79 years old today! It's weird to think about because my dad died when he was 59 years old, 20 years ago this coming April (2027). There are things I miss about having my father around. There are things that he has missed also, like his grandson and his daughter-in-law. I know that he would have gotten along with both!! While there are lots of things I miss about him being here there are some things I missed while he was still here. He was diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in his mid 40's and we all thought he only had weeks to live, because that's how long my little brother lived after his diagnosis of this "rare" disease. It was difficult to go on walks and hikes after he was diagnosed, which is something I did almost daily in the hills near my house. At the time I was frustrated with what I thought was my dad just making excuses when he was suffering and doing his best. I'm glad that he hasn't had to suffer any longer and that he's fully well and I'm sure he's looking forward to his perfect body that won't give out! Until then, some of us still count the days and years that would have been, while still looking forward to what is!
Today I was reminded of a lot of opportunities that I have had over the years to play at churches as a drummer, guitar player, and pianist. Some of the times I can't even recall how I was requested to play there. I think of how I've been the worship leader on many church and school campuses and have been able to lead God's people in worship through song. I had the rare pleasure of being able to put an album together of the songs, the way we played them at that church, for the church to enjoy on the go.
So, as I play about once a month at my church as a pianist and every Sunday as the worship leader for the 4th-6th graders, it is difficult to keep in mind all the time that has gone by. When I first started going to the church of my own choice, the thing that drew me in was the fact that the church had a drum set for the junior high and high school groups. It makes me sad that now there aren't really drums for that age group and that they don't have kids involved on the worship team to be able to help lead their peers. Sometimes I wonder if it's a matter of opinion or just a way for others to have control over them as the reason it's not the case today. The irony of the thing that brought me into the church is now the thing that is missing. Though if I'm truly honest, it wasn't the drums but The Spirit that brought me in. So, it makes me wonder if those in charge of those sacred places are relying more on presentation, performance, and (over)planning rather than The Spirit. I wonder if there just isn't any room for The Spirit to move, not that He could be kept out, but that He's not exactly welcomed in because it's not entirely convenient to be placed on God's timing. But, isn't that a part of submitting to His will...waiting on Him? I feel like sometimes leadership is trying to split the difference between God's timing and their own, all while stating it's better to wait on Him, but not really showing how they are doing it in real time. It feels like if there's ever a place where they have to choose between trusting and looks, they err on the side of looks, meaning the way it will look or come across to others rather than how it will look to their LORD and Saviour.
I have a frustrating day, and I'm making broad, sweeping generalities about things I'm seeing from those in some leadership positions. As a whole, I like what my local church is doing, but also see some areas of improvement. I think the most difficult thing I struggle with is the area of trying to help others feel like they have a home and belong, all the while feeling like an outsider who doesn't seem to live up to some standard that isn't even recommended in the bible at all. The other thing I struggle with is, how much of this struggle is due to me and my bad attitude and/or poor perspective. Maybe the things I'm seeing have nothing to do with my perception of leadership but rather my own inadequacies, and I'm projecting my issues on them. Maybe my lack of belonging has less to do with others and more to do with me. I have been praying for discernment to know the difference. I don't want to be quick to place blame, no matter how easy. I don't feel like God is giving me permission to go after anyone or to try and change anything in particular, which is what gives me pause as to where this sense is coming from. Today's entry is a ramble about how I'm hurt, but I'm not sure if someone/something hurt me or I just hurt myself.
I've always wanted to write a Christmas song, because it's one of my favorite holidays and because God condescending into His own creation is the real miracle, the real magic of the holiday. While I know Christ most likely wasn't born in December, but probably nearer to Spring, I love the idea of celebrating the light coming into the world at the time when the world is at its darkest, or nearest the darkest time of year. The creation met its Creator face to face where the animals ate their food! This isn't just some weird detail. Jesus the Christ was born in a place called Bethlehem, which means "House of Bread." He is known as the bread of life and made reference to how He is the sustenance that was provided in the desert, the daily bread. In the first Passover, when the children of Israel were escaping Egypt, they took the bread without yeast (yeast representing sin because it too puffs up) in kneading troughs, wrapped in clothes and slung them over their shoulders. The sinless one was also wrapped in clothes and put into a trough to one day be our permanent passover offering. The blood on the lintel and doorposts reminds me of the bloodstains on the wrists and head for the One that takes all of our sins to allow us to be safe through His blood, but none of that happens if The Bread of Life wasn't placed in a feeding trough at the house of bread those 2,000+ years ago!
So, depending on the speed and tone of the song I write, it will depend on where I start to tell the story of the Creator, King of the Universe, who was born to be our life-giving bread and to offer us a way to enter into His home because of the cleansing of our sin through his blood...through blood/wine and body/bread.
Today I think I'm going to write about song mapping. It's like creating a storyboard or a map for a song, reminding the writer of where they ultimately want the song to go. I go through the idea of one of the songs I've already written at the end of the post.
Not everyone uses it; I don't always use it when I'm writing a new song, but it helps when you have an idea for a song but aren't sure where to start lyrically. It's also great to refer back to when struggling to figure out where the song should go from the part of the song that is stuck. I think in the coming days I might map out some songs that I still need to write for the Album Contest.
When I was trying to write the song Unbreakable I only had the song's title and a roadmap in my head. I wanted to start with the narrator's experience and immediately transfer the events to his spouse. The choruses I wanted to change depending on where the song was or who it was that had been the voice in the song. The Bridge I wanted an epic battle idea, but changed my mind to a quiet firmness in the discovery of strength. I wanted the ending of the song to be the resolve, the breath of the song as well as the only time the title was said! That is what song mapping looks like to me. It's something I can come back to when writing out the lyrics and it feels clunky or confusing.
Here are the songs (so far) that will be included on the album due in June 2027 (not in any particular order):
1) Well Done & Welcome Home
2) Unbreakable
3) I'm Still Here
4) Fully Wide
5) (Until I'm)With You
6) Goodbye Sunrise (Karla's Lyrics/My Tune)*
7) Christmas Tune *
8) Tell Me Your Story*
9) Cover #1 (Possibly Six Feet/Santeria Island Style)
10) Cover #2 (one of Caleb's Songs)
Possible Extra-
11) Cover of THEM by PFR
12) The Mess
13) Split*
14) Glass*
*To be written still/completed
We started our trip at the Ole Smoky Distillery and we thought it fitting to end it there also. Karla and I decided that we would do the tastings again so we could get another $10 off coupon and spend it on things we wanted to get each other for our anniversary. I got Karla a backpack that she really wanted! While we were there Karla issued Caleb and I a challege to create an album that includes at least 10 songs total that has to have at least 8 original songs, 2 covers, one of the covers has to be the other's song and the other one can be their choice, one of the original songs will have to include lyrics provided by Karla, who will write a poem and Caleb and I will write our interpretation of it in music format. The album will have to be completed by June 30th, 2027. This all started because I was telling Caleb about the contest I started with my dad so that he would record his music before he died. So I guess I'm now in the same boat, trying to record any music that I may have left inside, as a lasting part of me for when I am gone. Our plane should land at around 8 pm and we depart at 5 pm. Maybe tomorrow I will start the list of songs I will include on my album.
Today we decided that we would relax and not do anything that involved too much energy, mostly because we were all tired and also because it was lightly raining. John didn't want to wear the poncho my sister bought him because they are both stubborn ;-) He was wearing a t-shirt and a baseball cap, so he wasn't exactly warm once we stopped at the place we decided on for lunch. We had a relatively relaxing day and tried to keep it light, but we ended up being out late, or later than anticipated. Day 3 went well, all things considered.
Today we did the medical study at the beginning of the day, started at 7 am and we were done about 12: 30 pm. This year I didn't complete the MRI because my brain couldn't handle it. We started with the leg first instead of the chest first and for some reason that made all the difference, in a negative way. The seconds were ticking away about as quick as a kindergartener can count. What I thought was at least 20 minutes turned out to be only 10. I had asked the person in charge of the microphone to let me know what time it was every time there was a new section of the test so that I could tick off the minutes, but this year it seemed to only slow time down. In years past, I was able to listen to music in my head. The first year I "played" an entire album twice. This year I could barely focus long enough to finish a single song, much less an entire album! After the study portion of the day was completed, we hung out at the Acme bar, no coyotes nor roadrunners, until the evening where we took a river tour cruise that lasted about 2 hours! I think we had the best seats in the house! The drinks were good as was the music, for the most part, and the company was awesome! While on the cruise tour I looked up house rental prices, and they were within reason...though Karla and I have no real desire to move there, other than the cost of housing! For some reason I'm finding it difficult to sleep tonight. Maybe I'm just mad at myself for not completing the MRI, or maybe I somehow got back onto CA time, but I don't think I'm sleeping too soon, just yet!
Today was our first day in Nashville. We woke at early so that we could get to the LAX parking spot by 3am, our flight was at 5 am. We got into Nashville at 11:30 am Nashville time. We got settled in and had Red's Hot Chicken which was a lot of fun, but it was difficult for me to keep my eyes open. We aren't staying up too late as the study starts at 7 am tomorrow and we are exhausted from our day of travel. All in all, a fun first day!
Since I've just been writing my thoughts down, freeform, and not really sticking to a theme, I'm going to share what is at the front of my mind today. Today is the 7th wedding anniversary of my wife and I! We've decided to celebrate in Nashville with Caleb and my sister and her husband. I will update the celebration in other blogs.
Reflecting on the past 7 years, time has both gone by really fast and slow, as there was a lot packed into those years. I weighed less 7 years ago, so there is a goal for the future. We've been through a worldwide pandemic, being locked down in an apartment soon after getting married. We're very thankful that we really like each other. Work changed drastically for us as we both started working remotely. We've navigated several job changes, though not fields, for me.
We honed our skills as parents and as lovers/marriage partners in a variety of ways. I feel like we know each other more deeply than we did 7 years ago. I think we've learned how to celebrate each other every day, partly because we don't know how many days are ahead and partly because we want to focus on the positive things between us. I'm very excited about all the days ahead for us, whether many or few.
Today I was told I won something at work for participating in a "getting to know you" type of challenge. I'm not exactly sure what I win, but it is cool to know that I won. I think I tied for first, actually. The points were gained from how often one posted on the work Slack designated for the contest. Basically if you answered the question of the day and the bonus question for the weekend, you get something! I thought it was a cool way to learn about others at a jobsite where everyone I work with is remote. I'm not sure if I found anyone with similar interests. In fact when i suggested Blogtober the only response I got was "not for me!" haha. Just something fun to do! Thanks for reading if you read this far!
Today was just a busy day, and focusing on the upcoming trip to Nashville, but first I have to get through the few days of this shortened work week. I think this will just be short and boring because all I can really think about is being on vacation. Maybe in general, I could be described as short and boring to some. Short could be in both stature and in temperament, and boring to those who don't share my interests. I don't mind if others call me boring because I know what adventures I've been on throughout my life, that those who know me know those stories, and may have been with me, while those who don't/haven't think I represent all of what is boring. They are welcome to their perspective, but it doesn't make it true.
The dream starts with me in an old car waiting at a stoplight in what looked like a run-down part of Las Vegas. At some point, I found a group of friends that I picked up and then dropped them off where they were going, but I realized they weren't inviting me, though they appreciated the ride. Though once dropped off I found what looked like Community's space RV so I took a tour. At one point the entry was so small I had to crawl through but the person in front of me stopped to talk to someone past where it opened up to stand again, while I was in this crawl space. It seemed to take forever and I was getting hot so I opened a small window and realized I didn't have to wait. So I crawled back the way I came.
Next thing I knew I was riding my bike out of town, and I wound up in what looked like a very expensive place to live with a cyber-park. The best way I could describe it was this park with man-made lakes, moving walkways, LED Tron-like lights throughout. The whole park was underground, like a converted parking garage, though there were parts of the roof were windows and you could see the natural sky, where you could see there was a train depot, and it seems this was the rich community's way to beautify and not see the train depot. The sidewalk led straight into the underground park and you couldn't see the train depot unless you went to one of the windows of the ceiling. Once I was there, I saw a woman who was giving a tour and answering questions. I couldn't tell if she was real or a robot. I was trying to ask her about the place and what it was when another family showed up and she started her spiel all over again. I reasoned she must be a robot and continued on without the tour. I saw a group of people I knew and they were walking out so I joined them. I hopped off my bike and walked with them for a few yards when they encountered some people I knew from youth group. I waved at them in hello and goodbye as we were leaving and they seemed not to really know who I was. Once outside the group and I were going to part ways but then we got invited into a bar that was hosting a comedian. So, the 5 of us got a table, because they asked if I wanted to hang out with them to watch the comedian. Shortly after sitting down together a few of them found different seats with other people knew and within a few minutes everyone had left the table but me. The comedian was too hard to hear and I didn't feel like sticking around so I got back on my bike and left. Then I awoke.
Posts
All Comments
