Field Trip on Thursday

Daddy's Eyes

My Man-Weekend: Day 2

So no pictures today, but I did use a new great program on my mac called Gawker. It turns your isight into a timelapse camera. It turns out pretty cool. Watch the sun.

Also watch for easter eggs, left by Mike.

Thanks Dane and Mike for all the help. I'm going to go ice my arm.

My Man-Weekend: Day 1

This weekend I am working on my garage. We had the shell built in December...you may remember my barren wasteland. I've had the siding to go up on this thing since March and I put paper on it sometime in May, but it's taken all summer to get me motivated to finally put the stuff on. So here are some pics from Day one of my manly day-o-fun.



This is Dane. His awesomeness is unparalleled. Dane knows everything but would say he knows nothing. Dane is one of those guys who are indispensible to our ministry because he has many unique skills, but also has a ton of heart and willingness to serve. Dane should start a blog. Dane's blog would be about all things awesome. Dane makes MacGyver look like Martha Stewart. Dane came over today with his tools and his awesomeness and got us going on the siding (Before heading off to Saturday night service to run lights...yeah, he's killer)


Mike Rodrigo holds up a wall while observing Dane's said awesomeness.


Okay, so, a square left in the sun is very difficult to hold for long periods of time. The thing is hot. Mike caught me trying to make cut marks while swearing under my breath.


Here is the progress shot from day 1. You can't see all the siding on the backside...there is some there, I promise.

I'm getting started about 9 if anyone is interested. I'll buy you lunch. I'll buy you dinner too if you are reading this from another state and decide to come.

Check back for more pics tomorrow.

Meet JUNK and the Pacific Gyre

Found this on Sister-In-Law-Rockstar-Piano-Girl Megan Miller's blog:

Meet JUNK: a vessel that is currently sailing to Hawaii on 15,000 plastic bottles and a Cessna 310, to raise awareness about plastic fouling our oceans.




About a year ago, I read about the Pacific Gyre...which seemed like the stuff of disaster movies. These guys just sailed directly through it on their way to Hawaii. Check back often and watch their riveting journey.

The Bass Doctor

I sometimes hound my friends about getting involved in social media. It's usually very selfishly driven because it means more friends, comments, love and acceptance for me. (I am only half-kidding)

I've been ridiculing my friend Mark for months now, wearing him down until he signs up for Facebook, starts a blog, and completes his Web 2.0 transformation. Because he is a Doctor I know he would have some great stories (confidential---no names, of course) of being an urgent care doc, and he is a fabulous bass player - Bass players are the most interesting dude in the band.



Well, let me introduce THE BASS DOCTOR...his first post is a beautiful and haunting tribute to his daughter Karissa who, as many of you have read here, passed away in early July.

Go say hi and welcome him to the blog cult...he's also on facebook too. Give him a shout.

Old guys playing music in Riverside

It's late Saturday night...actually it's very early Sunday morning, and I was thinking about my day and thought I would comment before hitting the sack. Tonight after service, Jess and I headed over to a coffee house to hear our friends in the Riverside Blues Club. We were a little late, but it was nice to hang out with these guys a little while our daughters all ran around playing. I know John and Robbie because our daughter's all were in the same preschool class together and we actually formed the guest "band" for their Christmas concert last year...an honor I inherited from Carlos The Ragamuffin.

I've been thinking alot about places for bands to play around here right now and have been noticing an increase in active venues on the weekends. It just depends on what kind of band you are pushing. On my way home, we drove by Coffee Depot...People overflowing onto the sidewalk, and by Raxx...Band playing right on the sidewalk. Even the Mission Cigar Club is hosting regular live music. Then I remember my buddy John is playing at a new pub called The Auld Dubliner across town...from 10pm to 1:30am. Now something about my buddy John...they're all north of 50 (some more than others) and form a group called the Average White Haired Band.



Now the funny thing wasn't that these guys are all my dad's age and are playing sets til 1:30...the funny thing was that I kept thinking, "Gee, I don't know if I should go, that's awful late to be out." I am the fogey in this scenario.

So I went to see them, and I gotta tell you, they rocked. They've always been great friends and everyone of them has been involved deeply in the arts ministry at The Grove. They started this thing as just a couple guys messing around playing some old favorites and they have solidified into Southern Fried, twangy, homage to all things Skynyrd/Clapton/Eagles/Allman Bros. They've been gigging like mad lately and it was really evident it has improved their chops.

Darryl has become a frontman...he has always been an amazing vocalist and is one of the best 10-string pedal guitar players I have ever met, but he is now a "Front" man. He was all charisma, working the late-night pub crowd and had them in his palm (which to be fair, most of them were in a highly suggestable state).

John has become a crazy lead player. He's always been a great player, but there is something a little less technical, and a little more rawness to his playing now, something that I'm sure has been honed at gigs like these. And his tone...Bravo John. We've worked on your tone for years and it's good to see you sans-digital effect board, stepping on your boss pedals like your doing a little dance.

Tim and Sean are a great rhythm section and are both so well suited to this kind of music.

They even let me play bass and sing on a couple numbers with them.

They're still there, going strong. Nice work guys...keep it up. It's good to see that guys like RBC and AWHB are out there, playing to play. Playing for the sake of just having the opportunity to make music with someone else.

I hope in 20 years, I'll still have their stamina, because right now, I just wanna crash.

A quick thought about Beijing 2008

So...I'm not uber-political. I got my guy picked out for 2009, but I don't place all hope and trust in America's government over anyone else's.

It was however interesting to watch the Opening Ceremonies to the 2008 Olympics in China tonight. Here is a communist country that is obviously trying to puff up their chests, and portray themselves as doing okay. Aside from the overwhelming technical artistry that they were able to pull off (Dude, that LED screen on the floor is sick...In ear monitors for 15,000 performers, wow) what struck me was that all of the theatrical numbers were done in tandem with thousands of people. It was almost like they were saying...look how beautiful it can be when we all work together, no individual standing out. Bodies became merely particles in the huge moving pictures. Their precision was off the hook...especially the 2000 Tai Chi guys forming a perfect circle, running across the stadium, switching sides, and forming a perfect circle again with no hiccup.

I don't know if I have a point here, it was just something I noticed. I am not a communist...I believe humanity is too lazy for it to work. But I am for community...and the artistry that was created in community was staggering.

(And the LED screen was sick, bro, sick)

(And Jess is freaking out at the dude lighting the torch. She is terrified of heights and is trying not to hyperventilate as he hovers over the stadium doing that slo-mo sideways run thing.)

20,000

Look over to your right --->

Sometime today, my blog turned 20,000.

Pretty cool...I think 17,999 of those were from folks wanting to watch "Across The Universe' online. That's my most popular inquiry for some reason.

To those of you who keep stopping by, and to the 100 or so of you that are subscribed to this in your reader, Thanks...I don't know why you're here, but I'm glad you came.

Another QBS shot from the other night

Thanks Jonny Ri...great shots.

My New Favorite Ministry Tool - Animoto.com

This site is nuts. How many times have you had to create a video based on pics and it comes across like a boring slideshow because you have one day to create it. Animoto.com takes your pictures and works them into a video along with your song. This video cost me $3. Crazy. Our Pastor Tom gave me this song on Tuesday and by Thursday we have a complete video. He wanted to use the song and instead of just having us star at a blank screen, we decided to put together a little slideshow. Animoto works beautifully and quickly...make it your friend.

Christina actually did most of the work here. All I did was tell her to search Creative Commons on Flickr.

Boat Day

My father-in-law has a boat that we have never been on. He's had it docked in a slip down in Chula Vista for two years and today was our first day down there.

After some parental heroics and hurdles to get our car-seat loathing 1 year old down to San Diego Harbor, we went out tooling around, anchored near Coronado Island and swam, and yes, I got to drive the boat at full tilt boogie.

Never done that. Would be lyin' if I said I wasn't having fun.
Almost ran us into a 5 foot deep shoal though because I don't know how to read buoys, but whatever, I was making some serious wake.


You can say it...I look pretty sexy.


Aggie and I make a ship to shore excursion


Gwyn wasn't that hip on the life jacket, but she loved rocking in the waves when we were at full throttle. Watch how I hold her in a death grip with my tendonitis elbow...damning evidence against me. Sorry Doc.


Jess trying to relax and get some sun with a 1 year old who just doesn't understand why she can't run around the deck.

As I write this, my body has not fully recovered from a day at sea. I still feel a little dizzy, like the ground is moving back and forth.

Thanks Papa, for a great trip...we'll do it again soon.

Great evening at Jazz-N-Java

So the other night, we played at Jazz-N-Java. We went pretty low-key with our setup and ran the vocal, the acoustic and Mark's upright through one little speaker. We actually had a blast. I think we have found the comfort level that we have been looking for with our shows. We aren't out to take the world by storm with our music or our sound; we are just three guys who love music and arrangement. Anyway, the other night was not promoted at all because we were still a little tentative about the date. Mark the bass player is my amazing friend whose daughter passed away on July 9th so we had all been going back and forth on whether or not to play. Ultimately, he decided to do it and I believe it was a form of catharsis for him. They are still in need of a ton of prayer so keep on keeping on, but Mark and Adrianne have a crazy strength that encourages me and gives me hope. Read Jess' blog for an update on Adrianne.

Amazingly, all the folks that usually show up for a show still showed up (although we missed you Mama Sue) so it ended up being a comfortable great time to play some songs with guys I love.

Jon was there and pulled out his trusty 40D and started snapping.

He is the bomb.


I love Scott...Scott's great because he has very little drummer-tude. He is first and foremost a musician and brings that musicality to his percussive support. This little setup is a creation all his own with bits and pieces scrapped together. That wooden thing in the middle is actually a set of bongos. They sound incredible.

And you can't see the cajon he is sitting on. When he get's everything going, you'd think there were three of him. My favorite is when we play "Come Together" and he cops Ringo's tom-fill on the bongos and djembe.

So there you go, my Scott Man Crush...can't wait to see him become a dad in December.


What were the words again?


Mark is a joy to watch when he plays. Some may call it "getting into the music" while others may describe it as "jumping around like an idiot." He's animated, and he plays a mean upright. This is the first time I had seen the 100 year old beast since he got his electric upright. I hadn't realized how much I missed it.


Yes...I have a toe-ring. Sue me.

Be on the lookout for more coffeehouse gigs in the future...I think we really dig the minimal setup so we'll probably do more gigs that this one.

Thanks to all who came!

Artsy Fartsy Birthday

My wife Jessica, the beautiful ArtsyFartsyMom, turned another year older today. We had an awesome evening. Last week she participated in The Riverside Art Museum's Monothon 14.

They spent hours painting and pressing and Chin Colle-ing to their hearts content and the museum picked their fave from each artist to show for the Monothon. This year, the reception and opening fell on her birthday so she was very excited to have a grown up evening of art.



Afterwards, we went to Saffron, a new, beautiful gourmet restaurant in the museum atrium with things like Egg Plant in anchovy aoli. I had the duck. It was amazing. I have to say this though because it was part of the evening, but the large bill (that I was planning on paying) was paid by a Grove member that was dining across the restaurant. We are so grateful.

Then we hit Swirl, and since Jess ended up being such a cheap date, I let her fill her cup to like five ounces. Then we grabbed the girls and went home. Beautiful evening, beautiful woman.

On a side note: The beautiful woman is now blogging again...facebooking too.

So this guy walks into a bar...

This ever happen to you, metaphorically speaking? You're going along in life, doing what your supposed to be doing when WHAM...your direction changes. You might have seen the change coming if you knew what to look for, but you're so focused on what you are supposed to be doing that you miss all the signs.

Keep thinking of Lennon's words, "Life is what happens when your making other plans."

All of this went through my head while watching this silly video. Again...and again.

What went through yours?

Strength is found through Weakness

This weekend was pretty much a roller coaster for The Grove. We had Leeland play on Friday night and it was an inspiring night. Leeland is the real deal...not an ego among the band members or their crew.

Saturday Daniel Bishop and I got up at a whopping 3:30am to get them to the airport. After a day of added rehearsals and no sleep, our senior pastor let us know that our Evangelism pastor Mike Barnes fractured his neck in a surfing accident and was in the hospital. This was just part of a whirlwind of events that have been surrounding Riverside lately. Karissa's memorial service was just last Sunday, our Preschool Director and mother of our Tech Arts Director, Mary McInteer has a condition that has paralyzed half of her face and is in excruciating pain, Christopher Laurie from Harvest Christian across town died in a car accident...plus many Grove family deaths, injuries, and attempted suicides. Whirlwind.

This weekend, our senior pastor, decided to devote a large portion of our service to prayer. We broke into groups and prayed for the folks in our church and at Harvest, as well as the families of Riverside facing such adversity. We then sang "Solid Rock" and "Still I Will Worship You" and I tell you, I remembered why I enjoy leading musical worship. I haven't been struck with that much emotion onstage for a long time. I am overwhelmed with what God did with The Grove this weekend. Everyone prayed, everyone sang, everyone was touched.

It got me thinking about one thing; why does it take tragedy and crisis for a church to unite?

The Percussionist

This is Gwyn's new favorite way to spend the afternoon. Dad's Tabla, Bongos, and Dumbek, all set up like she's Tommy Lee, or for you old guys, Keith Moon, or for you young guys, Meg White, or for you dorks, Neil Peart.

About as Non-Sequitur as it gets - Leningrad Cowboys

Been on vacation for awhile with no internet...no laptop...a bit freakish.

Also just got done with the preparation and service for our dear friends who just lost their little girl.

So in my email inbox, which was quite full, I found this little treasure from my buddy John Waters of Average White-Haired Band fame.

If nothing else, it's for weird weeks like this...read the story.

Back in the days of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Red Army had an official choir composed of male soldiers and musicians. It still exists. The Red Army Choir performs throughout Russia to this day.

Now consider the Finnish rock band called The Leningrad Cowboys. A little while ago, they held a concert in Russia, in which - to the screaming applause of Russkie teen-agers - they got the Red Army Choir to join them on stage for a performance of "Sweet Home Alabama." In English. You couldn't make this up.

Enjoy.

Word of the Day: Blimey

It's been a long week. My friends are coping the best they can with the loss and Jess and I are doing our best to be supportive friends and shepherds for them during this time. But I had a strange experience this morning and felt the need to express something completely different.

Have you ever had your eyes dilated? I hadn't. Freaking weird sensation. They wanted to check the back of my eyes for melanoma since I had it in 2001. They do not know my irrational fear of things in my eye. I get pink eye like crazy and I can't handle roller coasters without crying because I have a wussy eye thing. Anyway, three drops per eye. One of them stung like mad, one of them numbed everything, and I guess one was there just to annoy me further.
I was asked to go sit in a chair whilst the aperture of my eye got bigger and bigger. As a hack photographer, I knew that what was happening was the same thing that happens with a camera, the aperture gets bigger and let's more light in and focusing becomes more and more touchy. It was really unnerving though. I began sweating and nervously looking around as it got more and more "blimey." That's Aggie's word for out of focus. Her morning eyes are "blimey" and the area of a photo that is blurred is simply "blimey." Great word. It has become part of the McIntyre lexicon and is used often.

I knew things were going to get bright, but I didn't count on the numbing agent to slow my eye reflexes down. "Look left" said the doc...2 seconds later I was looking left....

...so afterwards I go get in the car.

I had sunglasses, but they aren't prescription, and my real glasses helped with the bliminess. As soon as I stepped outside though, I knew I needed shades. Everything was blownout just like an over exposed photo. Whites were unclear, and shadowy places were full of detail...and there was pain.

So I got to the car and put on my glasses, then placed the larger sunglasses over them. With my right eye closed and my left eye squinting, the light was bearable. (I forgot to mention that my truck broke a radiator hose last week, so I've been driving a 1990 Buick LeSabre)

Sweet ride, but definitely a grandpa car.

So if you saw me on the road today in this car, bluetooth in ear, sunglasses over my frames, and hunched forward and squinting at the traffic. I apologize for not being 80.

I am 34 and I've never felt older.

My Friends' & the Surreal Loss

This is Karissa Ashley. Ever since she was an infant, she was plagued by seizures. Her parents, Mark and Adrianne are dear friends of ours. Mark and I connect musicallyin a way that rarely happens. He plays in my praise bands, we play in a little coffeehouse band together, and since he's a killer MD, I am always sending him pictures of my latest home-improvement injury asking if I need sticthes. Adrianne is rowdy and hilarious and Greek. She loves a great fart joke and a glass of wine, and we share the same birthday 6-12-74. Jess and I feel kindred with them.

This morning at 8:00am Mark found Karissa in her room. This was completely unexpected. Why she passed away last night, how, and when are all questions that are still unanswered. Their devastation is only countered by the fact that they are surrounded by love. It is a surreal day filled with tears, wth prayer, with laughter, with awkwardness, with stories, with spaghetti and red wine, with a sense of privelege for being able to know Karissa while we did. Pray for the Ashley's and this tragic day.

Karissa's smile was beautiful and her laugh was infectious. We'll all miss her terribly.

Joe Cocker at his finest

A friend sent this to me today. Hilarious. You must watch it all the way through. For everyone under 30 Woodstock was a huge concert that was held in 1969...it was kind of a big deal.

I always felt the same way about Bennie and The Jets by Elton John...never understood a word.

What songs did you never get?

Now for something completely different - Homemade Flamethrower

In the words of the dude who built it, "If the concept of heading on down to the local Home Depot and transforming $100 worth of random pipe bits into a killing machine doesn't appeal to you, you're a pansy."


The epic step by step process begins here.


I know my buddy Rob is getting ideas...

Ralph and the power of Facebook

This is Ralph Lewis. He's the one in the middle. Ralph is an Outreach Rockstar serving in Cambodia with New Tribes Mission. His wife Kim and he are starting indigenous churches in remote regions of the country. I really want to get there some day to hang out with them.

I recently found out that Ralph has been Facebook-ing for a while and it's been awesome to see what God is doing through the Lewis' daily. The other day while scrolling through statuses I came across his..."Malaria has got me down for the count."

When you read Facebook statuses, it's usually stuff like..."Going to Chick-Fil-A" or "OMG the new Coldplay commercial is rad." You don't usually see that one of your friends is suffering from Malaria. So I wrote on his wall that I was praying for him (because what else could I really do?)

Turns out that it wasn't Malaria, it was Typhoid Fever. Here is what I found on my wall today...

"Thanks for praying, bro. What I had thought was malaria (and took the medicine for) turned out to be Typhoid Fever. After my posting that I had malaria I slipped into the worst illness of my life. I didn't eat for 5 days and am fortunate that Kim was able to keep me on IV's. We decided to give me one more day before we called a helicopter to evacuate me and at about 3:00am I new I was going to get through it. I've still got a couple more days of recuperation but I'm grateful to be in the land of the living. Thanks again for your prayers...you were right - you did the best that you could and I'm getting better."

There are those that think that things like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs keep us from having authentic relationships with folks. I believe it enhances our relationships and draws us close to those who we can't see face to face. I am not in the jungle with Ralph and can't hold Kim's hand while Ralph recuperates, but we can connect. For that, I am grateful for social media. Pray for Ralph if you feel inclined.

...and Ralph, I'm glad you are on the road to recovery.

Flava-Boy

Hello to those who maybe stopping by from Ragamuffin Soul. Los posted me to his July Flava column and I've had 71 hits in the last couple of hours. The guy is a serious force to be reckoned with in the realm of social media. Just make sure you know what you are getting into if you follow the boy on Twitter. You might need to switch mobile plans.

Thanks for the love Carlos, I wish we had hung out more as well.

Sermon video is up

If you want to see the "Wound for Worship" message click here.