Grand Weepers and Grim Reapers

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Global Warming: Where's the Heat?
2008-03-21 03:57:00
I read a new article recently entitled, The Mystery of Global Warming 's Missing Heat . The basis of the article is that scientists have been expecting to see a rise in the oceans average temperature but that rise hasn't happened. Here is the first paragraph of the article:Read More!

Tom Waits - Montreal Jazz Fest (7-3-1981) pt 2
2008-02-17 15:53:00
Part 2. "I Wish I was in New Orleans," and "$29.00 and an Alligator Purse."
More About: Jazz , Montreal , Fest , Tom Waits

New Job…No More Mortgages!
2008-01-07 21:46:00
OK, in the rough and tumble world that Grand Weepers lives in jobs are like underwear, they need to be changed often and for the same reason.That’s a bit of a joke. I actually don’t like changing jobs. In fact I’m not a job hopper at all. Neccesity has dictated that I change jobs so often. But, God willing, all of that is going to change tommorrow. Thats when I start my new job.Click here to read more!
More About: Mortgages , Mort , Ages

Joe Gibbs: Coach of the Year?
2007-12-18 20:59:00
In 2006 the Washington Redskins ended the season with a 5-11 record. An uncharacteristically slow offseason netted them very few additions to that same 5-11 squad. They lost a talented Left Guard in Derrick Dockery in free agency as well as a few other veteran players. The starting Quarterback in 2007 was to be Jason Campbell who had only 7 previous starts. Adding insult to injury the Redskins 2007 schedule pitted them against a league high 9 playoff teams from 2006. It is safe to say that the Redskins 2007 team was not expected to do very well. Most projections had them winning from five to seven games in 2007.Click here to read more!
More About: Coach , Gibbs , Year , Joe Gibbs

Attacks on Aid Workers and Foreigners in Sudan
2007-11-30 20:01:00
Are those countries most in need driving away those who want to help?A few days ago I read the “Muhammad Bear,” story on Confessions of a Closet Republican. Then this morning I read this CNN article indicating that the teacher in question was convicted of the crime of “insulting Islam.” The Sudan ese Government sentenced her to 15 days in a women’s prison followed by deportation. But that wasn’t enough for the protesters outside the Sudanese President’s home who brandished swords and sticks and chanted “No Tolerance, Execute her!”Click here to read the rest!
More About: Workers , Attacks , Foreigner , Atta

Confessions of A Closet Republican v.s. The Golden Compass
2007-11-29 02:47:00
My dear friend Incognito has written an excellent post on her blog regarding the prevailing influence of Secularism in our society, and specifically the Disney movie The Golden Compass . This movie is based on Philip Pullman's novel Northern Lights which is the first part of the trilogy, "His Dark Materials." Pullman is an avowed and passionate atheist. In his books God is represented as a fumbling and feeble old man who is eventually killed by the children in the novel.I have no issues with Pullman's theology. I do have issue with Disney's attempt to hide the secularist overtones in this film. Disney would like you to think that this is an exciting, fun ride for the whole family. They fail to mention that after your kids become interested in the plot they intend to sucker punch you with thier athiest agenda.
More About: Republican , Confessions , Closet

Sean Taylor Dies
2007-11-27 15:21:00
At 5:30am this morning Sean Taylor 's father announced that Sean passed away. Taylor leaves behind an 18 month old daughter and millions of fans.God rest your soul, Sean!
More About: Dies , Sean Taylor

Redskin's Sean Taylor Shot at Home
2007-11-26 17:55:00
I just received news that Sean Taylor , the starting Free Safety for the Washington Redskins was shot at his home today. Word is that this was the result of an attempted burglary. Taylor was shot in the leg and is in critical condition, presumably from loss of blood. Information from this horrible article and from The Hogs.net.Why do I say that the Yahoo article above is horrible? Because, after giving a brief description of the event the author precedes to state, "Taylor has been in trouble numerous times since he was drafted as the No. 5 overall pick in 2004." The majority of the article is a statement about how much trouble Taylor has been in. It's as though the author is trying to insinuate that Taylor himself is somehow to blame in this. Or, as though he is saying that Taylor is somehow a menace, and these things happen to people "like that." Perhaps I'm overreacting?My prayers and thoughts go to him, his family, and his new baby girl. May God Bless You!For the latest ...
More About: Home , Shot , Sean Taylor

Monkey Sparkets
2007-11-16 15:08:00
Don't look now but Mrs. Grand Weepers has a new blog. Check out Of Mums and Monkey Sparkets.

Starting with the Left Hand, Part 2
2007-11-14 03:00:00
Now that you have a better understanding of how your left hand should hold the guitar, what do you do with your actual fingers? That's what we will discuss is this section.One of the key things to remember is that only your fingertips and the pad of your thumb should touch the guitar. The rest of your hand should be clear of the guitar. Of course, some chords (i.e. barre chords) will prohibit this, but it should be your goal in the majority of situations.Now notice that I said fingertips. You need to make sure that the very tips of your fingers are touching the strings and not the pads of your fingers. Click here to read more!
More About: Left , Part , Hand

Starting with the Left Hand, Part 1
2007-11-13 02:58:00
There are instructional books a'plenty that can start you out with reading music and learning songs or flashy licks. There are few or none, I feel, that given sufficient attention to the proper use of your hands and body. Posture is important. The guitar is a physically demanding instrument with a substantial learning curve for your body. Learning with improper posture and technique can limit your abilities, or worse cause injury.I will write several articles with a focus on posture, hand position, and proper technique. The first of these will start out with the part of the body that most beginners struggle with; the left hand.The first thing to keep in mind before we even touch the guitar is that your left hand must be as relaxed as possible while playing and holding the guitar. Click here to read more!
More About: Left , Part , Hand

And the winner is....
2007-11-10 18:38:00
...Wordpress! I like wordpress much better. The only thing that I'm not happy about is that I don't have my choice of widgets. However, when I choose to I can upgrade and I will be able to do what I would like. If anyone wants to change thier links to me that would be great. I'll try to stick with this decision for a while. This version will stay active, but the wordpress blog is the one that I will call home.
More About: Winner

The Greatest Generation
2007-11-08 18:51:00
I’ve a bad habit of staying up well past my bed time and watching the Ken Burns documentary “The War,” on PBS. It seems to be running for a few hours every night. This is a powerful documentary and one can’t help but be moved by the images, and stories. There are tales of men whose young wives are finally told that he isn’t coming home; images of dead soldiers, civilians, even children. All of that is powerful and striking. But what is most present in my mind while watching this movie is a clear sense of evilness.War is hell. The whole point is to kill your enemy. And assuredly American soldiers committed despicable acts. This war was not the “good war,” that it has been called.Read More!
More About: Generation , The G , Greatest

1977 JC Penny Catalog: 15 minute Lunch Content
2007-11-07 20:47:00
This is great. I received this in my e-mail this morning and then later found the blog that was responsible. The parent of this comedic gem is 15 Minute Lunch . I thank you. I really, really thank you! Apparently the author was cleaning out his attic and found this 1977 JC Penney Catalog .I won't reporduce the whole post here. I will post a few snippets however. You should go to 15 Minute Lunch to see the whole thing. It's worth it.Here are a few of my favorites! Here's how to get your ass kicked in elementary school:Just look at that belt. It's like a boob-job for your pants. He probably needed help just to lift it into place. The belt loops have to be three inches long, for god's sake. And way to pull your pants up to your armpits, grandpa.Here's how to get your ass kicked in high school:This kid looks like he's pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15.
More About: Content , Penny

Whats Going On? Wordpress and Blogger?
2007-11-07 17:51:00
Yep. Wordpress and Blogger . I've set up a wordpress blog for Grand Weepers right here. I'm curious to see for myself exactly how the two vary, and which I prefer. The good news for those of you who have links coming from me is that now you will have two! For those of you linking to me don't worry. When I make up my mind I'll let you know which address to use. I may even buy a domain name! Don't change any of your links at this point.I know that there have been a million Blogger v.s. Wordpress posts, articles, and comparisons out there. But, nothing beats seeing it for yourself. I'll try to keep everyone posted on how I think its going. Issues that I run into, etc.Thanks!
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Shazam!: Different Drummer Part 1
2007-11-06 17:13:00
Where else are you going to find entire episodes of Captain Marvel!?!? Just the opening theme alone makes this one worth it!
More About: Part , Drummer , Diff

Shazam!: Different Drummer Part 2
2007-11-06 17:12:00
Seriously! TV was never better. Lost doesn't have nothing on Shazam!
More About: Part , Drummer , Diff

Redskins at the Halfway Point
2007-11-05 18:32:00
I am a huge Washington Redskins fan. But I live under that shadow of a different NFL team. I'm not in Washington D.C. and so when I watch T.V. and listen to Sports Radio I get to listen to another teams pundits and fans. This team is a team that is a perennial playoff team and usually ends up with a winning record. Yet, every week I listen to their fans complaining and whining that they didn't win convincingly enough. Boo Hoo! It frustrates me to no end to hear fans of teams that are winning double digit games year in and year out complaining. Now the Washington Redskins are not perennial playoff contenders and rarely have seasons where they win 10+ games. Yet, at 5-3 this year (doubling our wins from last year) I'm starting to hear the whining! Let's put a few things into perspective. This teams has had an uncanny run of bad luck in terms of injuries. We've lost two starting O-linemen. Our Center, and our new starting Right Guard and Right Tackle are injured. We've been witho...
More About: Point

Adrian Peterson Break Record; Marty Schottenheimer Laughs
2007-11-05 15:51:00
The 2006 San Diego Chargers ended thier regular season with a 14-2 record and a Running Back who was breaking all records. Yesterday the same team lost to a mediocre Vikings teams and allowed thier rookie Running Back to set the single game rushing record against thier defense. The same team.........well, almost.At the end of the 14-2 season coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired and replaced by Norv Turner. The same Norv Turner who has a 54-70 record and one playoff appearance in eight full seasons as a coach. In my AFC Preview I predicted that the Chargers would win 11 games and the division. The Chargers are 4-4 and are second place in thier division by virtue of a tie breaker with KC. They are clearly not the same powerhouse that they were under Coach Schottenheimer. One of the cases that was maid for Norv was that he was supposed to be such a wonderful mentor to young QB's. However, Philip Rivers looks like he has regressed this season. LT has certainly regressed when y...
More About: Break , Adrian , Record , Adrian Peterson

They'll Be Some Changes 'Round Here!
2007-11-05 02:33:00
Hello,You might have noticed a few changes. I'm taking enjoyment in making something that doesn't look like your typical Blogger blog. I'm very pleased so far. I'm not at all technically inclined and yet I've managed to put this together. Yay!I will continue to tweak things, but I'm pretty pleased with the way things look. My only concern is that the content of the website and the actual appearance aren't at all congruent. Oh well!
More About: Round , Some

John Patitucci - Suite for Cello No. 1 in G Major - Prelude
2007-11-02 20:11:00
The video quality isn't too great but it still sounds good.
More About: John , Suite , Major , Cello

Westboro's Slapped with a Huge Lawsuit
2007-11-01 14:53:00
Despite being commandeered by a family team of lawyers the inflammatory fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church has been slapped with an nearly $11 million lawsuit. This comes to Grand Weepers today from our local Baltimore Sun.If you aren't familiar with the Westboro Baptist Church let me fill you in. This "Church" is a family organization ran by patriarch Fred Phelps and his progeny. Fred is a Disbarred Attorney. His daughter Shirley Roper-Phelps is the active leader of the cult as Fred's health doesn't allow him to be as active as he would like. Shirley is an attorney as well.Picketing funerals has long been a practice of the Westboro cult. They have put in appearances at the funerals of numerous soldiers as well as at Corretta Scott King's funeral and the funerals of the victims of the Amish School massacre in Pennsylvania.Why do they protest funerals? To show America that "God Hates Fags." It must be true, after all they have a website called God Hates Fags. What Coretta Sco...
More About: Lawsuit , Huge

Skins v.s. Pats, Carlos Rogers out for the Season
2007-10-30 04:40:00
Click here for a recap of the woeful tromping of the Redskins by the Patriots. This is a funny one!So, you know, the game starts. We win the toss. Nice. We get out there, it's tough going. But we hit a couple plays, convert some third downs...honestly, it didn't feel so bad. Just two NFL teams going at it on a Sunday in October. Unfortunately, the Redskins were very quickly undone by the vagaries of the National Football League rulebook, which clearly state that eventually, Tom Brady gets to touch the ball.Good Stuff! Unfortunately, not such a good game. In other news, the Redskins starting Cornerback, Carlo s Rogers , is out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Great! Another starter out for the season!
More About: Season , Skins

The End of an Era....
2007-10-29 14:44:00
....an era of boredom!What I mean is the end of baseball season.Let me be the first to congratulate the Boston Redsox on their victory over the Rockies in the World Series. I am grateful to them for thier hard work and talent that allowed them to sweep the Rockies. Why? Because that means a few less days of Baseball coverage. I'm not a big fan of baseball. It takes up time on the TV during prime time. It takes up valuable radio time when the local stations insist on broadcasting the games to the three people who actually listen to the game. And it take valuable time away from other sports that deserve more attention....like football. So, now its football all the time on ESPN Radio......until basketball season starts. What do you mean Preseason already started?

DADGAD Tuning
2007-10-27 05:18:00
One of my first musical influences was a friend by the name of Dan Lotti. Dan was a friend who grew up in the same area as me, though I didn't really know him until college. At that point Dan had been playing guitar most of his life, and it showed. Dan was one of the guys, but he was also a mean guitar player. He had a style that was all his own. One of the many things that he exposed me too was playing in alternate tunings.What is an "alternate tuning?"Stringed instruments are usually tuned in such a way that the strings are sonically equal distances apart. What? Thats right I just said, "sonically equal." What I mean is that the strings are tuned to a given set of intervals that are symmetrical. For instance, violins, cellos, etc. are tuned to a fifth. That is each string subsequent string is tuned one fifth higher than the next; G, D, A, E. If you were to go around the circle of fifths starting with C, the note G is next, followed by D, and A, then.....you get it. Guitars are tu...
More About: Tuning

Mark Dzuiba
2007-10-14 03:15:00
When I attended the National Guitar Workshop in Connecticutt (for five straight weeks) back in 1998, Mark Dziuba was one of the instructors. The workshop was broken up into week long schedules where you chose your classes. After attending the first of his classes I made sure to take everything that he taught!Mark is a first rate guitar player. He’s played with Dewey Redman among others, written several instructional books, and he is the director of jazz studies at SUNY New Paltz. But that isn’t even what made him so appealing. He managed to combine an incredible sense of humor and an incredible sense of caring into his lessons.Attending the National Guitar Workshop was a unique experience, especially as an adult. About 60% of the attendees are kids; not surprising. But the experience is better (at least it was for me) if you’re an adult. The school is ran by the musicians. These are professionals who have made their living as musicians. Many are college faculty, seve...

Beau Leopard Designs: Custom Bass Guitar
2007-10-13 05:10:00
Beau Leopard is a NY area luthier and bass player. He attended Berklee College of Music, and the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. So, you know that he isn't just a hack guitar builder with slick website and good photography skills. Good thing too because these are some of the most beautiful instruments that I've seen in a while.Not only are the guitars amazing, but the website is pretty awesome too. My favorites are the in progress pics. You can see him moving through the construction phase. The pictures show everything from sanding the edges, to designing burl topped wooden control knobs.The website is already attractive and worth your time, but it will also be updated soon as well. Mark it on your favorites.I contacted Beau Leopard and he was nice enough to let me post a picture of his work so that you can see how attractive and well designed these instruments are.
More About: Guitar , Bass , Beau , Custom

Essay on Improvisation I
2007-10-12 04:36:00
Instrumental improvisation is one of the most difficult skills for an aspiring musician to master. It represents one of the pinnacle achievments for most musicians. While in certain styles of music you can get away with never needing to improvise, for Jazz musicians it is a necessity. One of the reasons why improvisation is so difficult is because you must become extremely proficient with a number of different skills. You also need to have a great body of musical knowledge and vocabulary. I will try to break down these skills and schools of knowledge here in this essay. My hope is that analyzing the different components of improvisation it will help you to improve the ways in which you approach your instrumental study.Scales, Modes, Arpeggios, and ChordsThis is a major goal. It isn’t really helpful to have a “working knowledge” of scales, modes, arpeggios, and chords. You must know them intimately; like you know your native tongue. You cannot stop to think about what ...
More About: Improvisation , Essay , Improv

The Redskins' Mike Sellers Crushes Kenoy Kennedy
2007-10-09 16:16:00
Tee Hee Hee!
More About: Mike , Kennedy , Sellers , Redskins

Jimmy Bruno
2007-10-06 01:05:00
I used to participate in an online jazz guitar discussion group and the subject of Jimmy Bruno came up. There is a quote on Jimmy's website from Johnny Smith that says, “"JIMMY BRUNO HAS NO PEERS. His taste, concept and technique is unsurpassed as a jazz guitar player..." A few of the participants thought that this was an arrogant thing to put on ones website. But that’s what marketing is!Anyway, Jimmy Bruno is apparently alerted to this discussion because he comes onto the board to defend himself. He states that he doesn’t design the website, and he certainly didn’t pay Johnny Smith to say that. Then he leaves his e-mail in case anyone wants to contact him. So, I take the opportunity and drop him a line.For those who don’t know, Jimmy Bruno is a legend in Jazz Music and in the Philadelphia music scene in general. His chops are unparalleled. He may very well be the greatest living jazz guitar player.I send him an e-mail that says something to the effect of, “Are you sti...