Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Operation 365 2… Blog 374

February 7, 2017

Life is in a very interesting space now. I jumped right from the 365 into finishing my CD. Actually, I’m going to try to never use that word again in this context. I may as well be saying 8-track. If I am going to use an outdated term, I may as well choose a cooler one. "Album" or "record" will serve nicely. January was challenging. In a way, so were most days, until a couple ago. Don’t get me wrong. Grateful as always, perhaps it’s a national adjustment in the first days of the uncertain era of Donald Trump. Everything feels different now. This is globally known. Even the Chargers are gone. Change is now. 

I plunged into working on the record. Hours. Hours. Listening over and over. Minor adjustment here. Slight repair there. It’s tedious. I literally did an entire 365 to break up the monotony. Perhaps not consciously, but regardless. "The Best of the Operation 365" will be available soon.

I am realizing as I write this I miss writing. Prose. Thoughts. Feelings. Opinions, Ideas. The moment. Someone will have a birthday. (Happy Birthday Dan Truesdail!) People get married. (Congratulations Patricia and David!) Babies are born. Welcome to Earth Bowie Jeremiah Speredelozzi. I think that if I was doing a 365 they’d have the tunes and tribute their occasions merit. Instead, I take that time and think of other things, business ideas, what to do. Sometimes I sit and snuggle with Nigel for awhile. Something the 365 can get right in the way of. There’s been more time, despite the whole rigmarole of album-crafting. I miss it. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t said good-bye. But that’s not all!

I have organized the 1116 videos (converted to audio tracks) that comprise this 365, the Operation 365 2. I have focused in on the 310 original tunes this project spawned. I have begun the simliarly tedious process of analyzing these ditties to determine which ones I want to continue playing in the days and decades to come. I rank them, very unscientifically, like so:

Nah/Maybe Later
Maybe
Learn It
Typed

The green ones, I’ve already done. There are many of those. Thank God. The yellow ones I will transcribe by hand and ear from the sound recording. The blues and reds I’ll re-visit and make a final call, for now. I can always go back and find them later, but once this is done that is far less likely. Why do this? Am I diseased? Is this an affliction?

When I started studying history, it was because I was interested in things that happened and wanted to know how those things could help us plan and prepare for the future. I learned that you never learn what happened, only what people said happened. Those people call themselves historians. I also realized there was a whole ‘nother arena to this discipline. Archiving. Ever since I was hooked on baseball cards as a three year old, I have taken to organizing, following, collecting and keeping track of bits of information. It makes me a decent sports fan. History and sports, especially baseball, go well together.

When I got to college, right before I started recording music, I traded my baseball card collection for a 1983 Chevy Monte Carlo, on the coy advice of my girlfriend at the time. She said I should get a car and went to the bathroom in my UMASS dorm. By the time she returned, I'd hatched a plan. The cards went to a shady baseball card dealer in Northampton and the car came from a granny in New Jersey. I drove her for fifteen years. The car, not the granny. I didn’t get the first recordings my college band did. First bands are more dramatic than junior high. I’ve made sure to get everything since. It’s been 23 years.


By the numbers, huh? I’m not sure I care. The first 365 was to see what would happen, to see if I could do it. This one was for me, and whoever else chose to enjoy the ride. Thanks to you. I wrote songs. I got my creativity engine revved up. I forced myself to produce. And it felt exhilarating, like I was doing what I was meant to do. No one proliferates massive amounts of original content as quickly as I do, except Major League Baseball themselves, the holy grail of original content. Hope springs eternal in the MLB.

So why count my thousands of hits from Europe? #alternativefacts Why see how far my flag flies? I’m not interested and it’s about me. How interesting is that going to make it to you? I didn’t even read the article about me in the Reader. Don’t tell, Ken. I know about me. I answered the questions for the interview. I got a good idea what it said. I want to read about me when I’ve done something I'm impressed by. I knew I could do this. It was fun. I don’t need to read about it or count.

Maybe I should. Maybe I don’t know. Maybe I’m meant to compare those numbers and see I’m doing a lot more than I know. I guess… Maybe that’s why I should have finished this faster. I don’t have the enthusiasm I did when I was fired out of a cannon in the days after the 365 finished. It’s Trump World now. I want to get things done. It’s a new year. It’s time. Now for more on the how and why... Everything in due time. "We are all perfectly fine.” - Happy Bear

I’ll glance at the numbers and see. I hear parrots. Their cries are far more interesting to me.

By the Numbers 2


When the first Operation 365 ended on November 30, 2011, my Youtube channel, http://www.youtube.com/jeffersonjaydotcom had 24,018 views. When Operation 365 2 began on December 25, 2015, it had…I just don’t care. It’s boring to me. I have a record to finish, songs to learn, a pooch to snuggle and a sunset to chase. Thanks 365-2sketeers. That two days, one hour, five minutes and forty-two seconds of entertainment that is there for 24 hours, seven days a week, no matter where you are or what you do. That is my ongoing gift to you. 

Kisses!

Peace and Love,

Jefferson


Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Operation 365 2... Blog 373

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2017
Operation 365 2... Blog 373

Finally, a spare moment. Finally, I feel rested. Spare moment over. Dan just showed up to hang. Maybe I’ll type a minute more. I have missed the unseen people of the 365. I have missed the work. I feel unproductive without doing videos every day. I was bushed for a couple of weeks after. I think mentally, more than physically, but now I feel normal again, whatever that means. Donald Trump will be inaugurated this week.

I have been working hard on stuff, but it is hard to maintain the level of enthusiasm I had when I was writing these blogs over the last weeks. Life provides challenges. Just getting things done is a challenge, so one must rise to level of life and not be dissuaded. Power ahead.

What I have been working most on is finishing my 7th record. Obviously, this is project of passion, because I’m not sure people even buy CDs any more. If I were just a bit better at getting paid for what I do, I might find I already do a whole salary’s worth of stuff. I trust the universe. Om. Since we last spoke, The Chargers, who I sang many songs about in the course of this 365, moved to Los Angeles where nobody wants them. Is there a parallel I’m missing there. Maybe everything is perfect in San Diego. Life will tell.

On January 8, my dear friend Robin Lee turned 64. On January 13, it was eight years since my brother from another mother, Don Truesdail. When reviewing my blogs from the end of the first 365, I was reminded how central to the first 365 those two friends of mine were. At that time, I was missing them both in a huge way. I felt our story needed to be shared at that time, especially as the guy with the keys to the kingdom. By that, I mean I had many videos of them both performing that no one else had. I needed to share them and I need to share their story and our story, the Portugalia story.

So I did, I used the blog to provide context. Don had passed a few years before and Robin had gone to prison, for driving medicine, aka weed, around. She’s been there ever since. Marijuana has since been made legal for recreational purposes in several states. Robin is scheduled to return soon. I can’t wait. It was important. It was a calling. I forgot how central that was to what I did = back then.

As time has passed that Portugalia Era has become more and more legendary around here in Ocean Beach. It was a moment in time and I am happy that I shared some of it and folks reminisce on it fondly.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017

So, I think it’s just about over. I will power throughout the rest of this blog. Aside, form missing the connection with all the folks out there, life has more or less returned to non-365 mode. Been hanging with my wife a bunch more. The house is cleaner. I am focusing on other projects like finishing my “The best of Operation 365” CD and trying to make some moves with my Christmas musicals. Playing every day is good for the soul and I miss all the creativity, but I am aware, I can play and write as much as I want whenever I want. The final touches to putting the 365 behind me for good, are reading the “By the Numbers” final essay from the first 365 and writing one for this one. I also intend to learn the hundreds of tunes I wrote for this project and figuring out which ones I aim to keep around for the duration. Maybe I’ll take my time doing that one. In, a world sans active 365, there is a whole lot less urgency and that’s a welcome change of pace for awhile.


In wrapping this up today, here are a few thoughts pilfered from the end blogs of the first 365 that seemed to ring true just as much right now.

“I learned you can do almost anything if you put your mind to it. I learned once you put something out there in the universe, you have no idea how it is going to affect people…There were times I felt it was pointless, until I realized it wasn't.”

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Operation 365 2... Blog 372

Hey! How’s it going? I’ve missed you. It’s been weird not being in touch every day. You get so used to it. You know what I mean. I’ve been taking my time with these final essays. I figured it was OK. If the point is to figure out how I feel after the 365, it seems like taking my time will only add to that insight. Plus, Happy New Year! Yep, it’s 2017. Weird. When it feels like you’re living in the future, you know you’ve been living for some time. I’ve thought of a few things I accidentally omitted form my last couple blogs. I have been thinking about going back and editing them, but perhaps, it’s just easier if I just add those things I forgot right here and now.

OK. Let me reflect for a few quickly before I add those little odds and ends I recalled since our last chat. OK, I listed a bunch of my friends who I enjoyed covering their tunes. I remembered someone I forgot.

Chelsea Flor

Chelsea Flor was a kind and spiritual woman who passed away in 20124 or 2015. I don’t remember. She was a deep soul and it was my humble privilege to learn my favorite song of hers, “Starry Gazer.” Playing it was emotional and an honor. Hail Chelsea. Hope you enjoyed my version of your song.


Other bits of The Best of the Rest

I love Steely Dan. I had fun playing some of their jams. Here are some.





Wow. I did four. I wanted to do “Deacon Blues,” but that will have to wait for the only-God-knows-if-it-will-happen, Operation 365 3.

I had a couple other things I’ve been trying to hold in brain to share. Let’s shake it up and see it they are there. Funny life. Of course, I can’t remember now. I played a lot of TV themes… I like nostalgia, I guess…Ahhh, I remembered…



The Best of Operation 365

Sports Song of the Week

I also want to pick where I left off, commenting form the end of first 365 blogs. It is time to prepare for Open Mic, so we will continue this conversation very soon. Peace


Soon to come Operation 365 2…By the Numbers


Sunday, January 8, 2017

How quickly our habits change. Just a few weeks back, I’d awaken every day eager to conquer the mountain of chores that is the 365. I’d be fired up to do it, and but about this time (1:15PM) most non-work days, I’d be done. Same thing, when I’d get home from work, tackle it and feel good something got done. In just a few weeks, things have reverted. Now it is hard to even finish one of these post-365 blogs and publish them. I typed the first half of this a few days ago and haven’t found time to return to it until now. So, let’s pick up where I left off Wednesday and power past that toward completion.

The Best of Operation 365

Let us not say I haven’t been working. In fact, the entire time I did this past 365, I was also working on my 7th CD, “The Best of Operation 365.” What does that mean? What is best? Well, “best” is always subjective, but I chose 12 of my favorite originals songs I wrote for the first 365, 12 I thought told to story of how it was then to some extent and that’s my next CD. It has taken some time and I have been working hard on finishing it here now that the 365 is done.

There were 211 original tunes penned for the initial 365, if memory serves correctly and I went through all of them. It was an involved process. All the ones I thought were worthy, I learned, in many cases from the spontaneous recording I had made on whichever day. I intend to initiate a similar process soon, determining how many songs I wrote and which ones are ones I wish to carry forward from here. It takes time and that’s before you even start recording. Oh yeah, last time I had to convert them all from video to audio first to help me with the learning and organization. Fortunately, I had some help with that part this time and it is ready to go. As soon as I can find the time. That type of data will be in my “Operation 365 2…By the Numbers,” which will conclude this transmission, hopefully some time in the next week or so. Here is one of those future hits from the original Operation 365.


A little chunk from the Best of the Rest I wished to mention was The Sports Song of the Week

I had a lovely chat with long-time cohort, Wes Davis, and he got all excited as he is wont to do from time to time. Moments later, we had signed a fictional and since trashed, million dollar contract for my “Sports Podcast.” Although that was about Wes’ signing off point with, I remained inspired to push the wheelbarrow up the hill some and see what happened. I am still determining what did. We figured each podcast would feature a “Sports Song of the Week,” something along the lines of what I’ve been doing as a guest on sports radio here in San Diego for some time. Hail Scott and BR and The Mighty 1090! #greatfriends

So for about seven weeks, I initiated a show within a show on Mondays, “The Sports Song of the Week.” Let me go and find one for you.


The Demarests

Back in… hmmm…. When was it March? February? March. We went to New Jersey. It was a fun hiatus. The Operation 365 rolled through the Garden State. I got to see for an instant, what having a new computer would be like. In 365 world, it saves a boatlad of time. I visited Paterson.


A highlight that went unshared was the series of tunes I wrote with my longest running musical collaborator and dear friend, Scott Baslaw. We wrote and recorded rough tracks of what we intended to call, “Our Fans Need This.” We are The Demarests and this was to be our 4th CD and first since 2006’s “Our Time Is Now.” Instead what materialized was “Our Fans Deserve This,” and I believe only two people have it. It is those rough tracks of the pretty neat songs we wrote. I made some videos and shared none of them. Maybe they’ll be deleted scenes on the Operation 365 2 Collector’s Edition. Anybody wanna buy a book of blogs?

I still aim to react to that there blog that I noted up some days ago. That is next. I will do it later today and post this. We played a fun gig last night with band at Rosie O’Grady’s. It was our first gig of the year and The Jefferson Jay Band had a lot of fun. Technically, that is not talking in the first person. It was my first time playing at Rosie’s since November 13, 2003. Crazy, right? If I was born that day, I’d be a bar-mitzvah now. It felt great to be back. Tons of rich memories from my early days as a young man in San Diego in the most ironically named neighborhood ever, Normal Heights.

Huffington Post

Some time in the middle of the 365, The Huffington Post printed a nice piece about the project. They dubbed me The King, The “‘King of Front-Facing Media.’” Some people felt this meant I’d “made it” for whatever reason and were happy that I was finally getting recognized. I don’t know about all that, but I was happy for them being happy for me. It beats a swift kick in the James. Whoaspephino!. My wife made a phat bisque.



I have more to say, but perhaps, that’s enough for today. Missed you. Love you. Thank you. God bless.