Here's a picture of the 510CE

Taylor 510CE

I am not being boastful in my guitar purchase but I did get a killer deal on the guitar that I have wanted for about 10 years (at least the guitar company - Taylor). Today, I went to Guitar Center in Tempe and they had their Memorial Day sale today. I was originally looking at a used Taylor 410CE which was there for over a month and then my eye caught on to the 510CE. This has a little nicer body and better electronics. To see the guitar, go to the following website:

http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/model.aspx?model=510-CE

Model Name	510CE
Series	500 Series
Body	Tropical American Mahogany, Englemann Spruce Top
Neck	Tropical American Mahogany
Machine Heads	Chrome
Fingerboard	Ebony
Frets	20
Controls	Volume, EQ
Pickups	Taylor Expression System
Bridge	Ebony, Tusq Saddle
Hardware	Chrome
Pickguard	Tortoise
Scale Length	25.5"
Case	Hardshell
Included Accessories	Case
Other Features	Rosewood Binding & Headstock Overlays

The Sin of Pridefulness

I don't know where my mind has been this past week but there was an aura of pride in my purchase of this new guitar. I was even boasting that it was the "Steve Vai Signature Series" and too proud to see my own arrogance. Tonight, my guitar was in at the guitar store and I drove 45 minutes after work to pick it up. Wouldn't you know it, I was thrown a huge curveball. There were 3 things that I was concerned with that the guitar didn't have. I wanted an XLR port/built in preamp, I wanted the electronics to work properly and I wanted the special case for the guitar that it was supposed to be matched to. Well, I got to the store and I was thoroughly disappointed. The guitar was nice. It was so light - it almost seemed too fragile but I was going to be able to deal with that.

The first thing I noticed was the case it came in. It was not the case that was promised. Ibanez made a boneheaded decision and the electronics in the guitar protrude a little out so you can't put it in the case it was spec'd out for. You would think that they would at least change their online catalog to make note of this. The case that it did come in was not matched properly and it was kind of loose fitted in that case so that concerned me. It wasn't a deal breaker yet but it did concern me.

Next, there was no preamp or XLR port. It had the Fishman Aura pickup but when I called Boogie Music, the guy there said that he thought the XLR was also in the guitar as did another assistant. If I were the dealer, I would have called Ibanez to make sure. This was a deal breaker for me. I need the XLR port so that I can go directly into my sound recordning equipment on my Mac for proper sound leveling when I do my new CD project (one of the main reasons I was getting a new guitar).

The final thing was the electronics and how Ibanez engineered the Fishman Aura pickup. It turns out that you have to have a plug in the 1/4" jack to turn on the pickup or tuner. On other Ibanez guitars and others with this pickup, I had not had that same problem so I was more than a little preturbed that this one seemed to be defective.

After all this, I was not a happy camper and I told the guy that I would like to have my money refunded and we'll go our seperate ways. He obliged and I left without the guitar and I was also a bit heartbroken over the event.

Since I was already in North Phoenix, I went to visit my mom and dad. I think the other part was the stress that this weekend had on us. My parents went to Houston for my nephew's wedding - I didn't go because I had the worship conference which I had already committed to attending. Anyways, my mother had a diabetic coma episode on Friday and had to be rushed to the hospital. Her blood sugar had dropped to 23 which is dangerously low. They stablized her sugars and she was able to attend the wedding on Saturday. I guess she had another episode on Saturday night and back to the hospital they were. They got her ready to go home on Sunday and she was in the airport in Houston and going to the ladies room when another lady was rushing to get to her plane when mom tripped on that person's luggage and fell over. She caught herself with her hands as she fell but she fractured her left shoulder. My dad didn't think it was too bad and they signed their released and back to Phoenix they went.

When my sister called, I was asking why mom didn't go to the emergency room with the fall so Patty & I went after church to my parent's home and we, along with my brother and sister in law, convinced them to go to the hospital which was a good thing. After 3 hours of waiting, we got seen and the took some x-rays to discover the broken shoulder. With the diabetic episodes, I just didn't feel right about taking any chances so I'm glad we convinced dad to get her there.

Anyways, long story short, I was a little frazzled with the mom thing and the anticipation of the new guitar - so much so that I think it was becoming too much of an object of desire even though I know that I will use it. I was thinking, once I have this new guitar, I will be it. I am the man - such arrogance. I know that God had seen that and actually turned the situation into one that I can learn from.

Patty sick but I worked out

Patty was feeling crummy all day and didn't make the workout tonight so I went alone to workout with Pablo. It was an okay session however my right arm is still bothering me and it seems like I've been having a struggle in consistancy with weights because of it. If this keeps up, I will have to speak to the doctor to see if I injured myself somehow playing softball. It really has not healed up since last year - even when I stretched out so I am a little concerned.

I can't recall the routines I did as I was a bit distracted. Pablo is leaving us and he put in his 2 weeks notice to go work in a Young Life church camp over the summer so we're off again looking for another trainer. Our last session with him will be next week which will be a reprogram session. Maybe it's the same with other clubs but they don't seem to keep their trainers too long here. They want a committment from club members but don't seem to keep it for their staff. It's quite a shame, really. We have to pay $50 per session for training and the trainer only gets $12 of that $50. The guy who signed us up, Cameron, had stated that the majority of the fees paid go to the trainers but that appears to be not the case.

I am a bit disappointed as this is one of the key problems in keeping our trainers - they are not making any money. Oh well, I will end my ranting for now.

Recovering

All in all, the first stage of my dental work is done and I am feeling better. I have had a bit of pain that I am dealing with but the dentist gave me a perscription of Vicoden to help deal with it. I know that is a very strong narcotic so I have been very careful not to over do it as I don't want to have any side effects. I think the fear of addition is really what is holding me back on taking too much. I saw an episode of ER where Noah Wyle's character was addicted to the pain killer and have seen where others (Rush Limbaugh) also had to deal with pain killer addictions so I am being careful here. I know that I am an obsessive/compulsive type so I would rather put up with a little pain versus getting hooked on a pain killer. Don't get me wrong, I will take the meds if the pain get excruciating but I am trying to be wise.

Thought of the Day

Everyone can reach his goal, if he can think, wait, and fast.

– Hermann Hesse

Mediocrity

We worked out yesterday but to tell you the truth, I didn't want to be there. I went to the dentist earlier in the day and was told what I had to have done. Ouch. 4 extractions, 1 root canal, 3 bridges and 3 dental implants. Way too much to absorb for 1 morning but I knew that it was going to be bad. I had been neglecting my teeth and had only been to a dentist 1 time in 13 years. Just like everything else in life, if you neglect things for your body, sooner or later, you will get a wakeup call and have to take care of it. Life is all about taking care of yourself. Even knowing that I had to do this, I didn't. I've felt that I was spinning my wheels and even though I've made great progress, I was looking inward and was battling a bit of depression. Fighting the mental fatigue and the issues in life really drains me. I want to do better but sometimes, I just shut down.

I know that I am better than the performance I have been giving in the areas of my life. I know that I have not given 100% but knowing this and doing something about it is what my journal is all about. My father likes to say "tomorrow is a promisory note, yesterday is a cancelled check but today is ready cash". I can't look at yesterday as it's already passed. I can plan for the promise of tomorrow but I have to live today in the here and now. In my mind, I know this. In my heart, I have to work at it. It doesn't come naturally to me as I'm sure it doesn't come naturally to many but it is the thought that I have to ruminate on daily. Live your life well. You can't live in the yesterday. You don't know if you'll have a tomorrow. Life Today!

I did 10 minutes on the elliptical and 20 on the LifeCycle. I didn't make the treadmill as I ran out of time before our meeting with Pablo. We went upstairs for some lower body leg work and did some planks and exercize band rows. I am still struggling with the tricep problem/pain from that pulled muscle but Pablo has given me some routines to do daily to work it out. It is steadily getting more sore but I am continuing to work it. We went to do some hammer strength pulls as well as bicep curls and then deltoid pulls and chest presses. We ended up with some alternate chest presses and called it a night. 90 minutes at the gym and I was pretty beat. I gave myself a 6 for effort. I have done much better but was thinking of the dentist. I'll let you know what happens.

Self Pity

I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself.

D.H. Lawrence

I think the last couple of weeks, this one poem spoke to me. I was watching G.I. Jane with Demi Moore & Viggo Mortensen and was moved by this poem in the film.

I think for the past couple of weeks, I have been in Self Pity. You'll notice that I haven't journaled but I was still working out. Patty & I have our workout on Monday night with Pablo. We've dropped our 2 a weeks with him to go once a week and on our own for 2 days plus the Saturday seminar. I have let myself go a little but no more self pity.

Welcome to a new evolution.