❤️ 22 Videos for Leanne on our 11th Anniversary ❤️
Eleven years of marriage.
Thousands of shared memories.
And more love than even words can fully say.
So instead of trying to sum it all up in a single gift, I went back through the archives — deep into the Operation 365 vault — and chose 22 songs and videos that reflect on our journey.
I featured Nigel and our earliest days with him as a pup.
Leanne, you’ve been my greatest muse, my true love, and the inspiration behind our whole life.
These 22 are for you — AND they ARE US as we fell in love. I love you.
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 74 "Chinese Food" (2/6/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 87 "Julie" (2/19/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 166 "Have Fun" (5/9/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 167 "The Greatest Girl In The World" (5/10/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 177 All Hail The "Macho Man" Randy Savage (5/20/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 178 "Apologize For Your Lies, Rapture Guy" (5/21/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 186 "Livin' in the Laps of Dogs" (5/29/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 195 "Loud Noises" (6/7/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 196 "Lullaby for Nigel" (6/8/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 207 "Musical Dreams" (6/19/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 221 "The Puppies Are Fighting" (7/3/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 264 "Dog On My Head (I Did Not Name Nigel, Fred)" (8/15/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 267 "Would We Eat Dog If We Had To?" (8/18/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 273 "Life's Tough" (8/24/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 282 "20/20" by The Demarests (9/2/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 289 "The Blackout Is Over" (9/9/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 299 "On the Edge of America" (9/19/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 324 "The In-Love Blues" (10/14/2011)
Operation 365 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 330 "Pooch, Poochie, Pooch, Pooch" (10/20/2011)
Operation 365 2 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 44 “The Name of the Game” (2/6/2016)
Operation 365 2 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 165 “Whoa, Nigel” (6/6/2016)
Operation 365 2 – Jefferson Jay – Originals – 245 “Good Dog Nigel” by JJ with John Lennon (8/25/2016)
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.
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.”
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.
Seated out in front of my house by the lemon tree, what a
glorious place to me! I feel humble and blessed here on the penultimate day of
2016. Sitting around all over this little yard and filming little bits of life
to share has enhanced my appreciation for my immediate surroundings. Yes, I
know the beach is right down the street, but I am here and here is where I’m
meant to be. Next? Who knows?
It is a sweet subtle thrill to sit down and pull letters off
this laptop, the same one I used to record CDs, a darling decade ago. The
familiar planes. A lingering raindrop hanging off a green limonito. I am
tickled to have quiet and space. It’s a great time in Southern California. The
Portugalia sign, my trophy, my momento, representing proudly in the corner. You
want it? It’s yours. Doing an all-out reboot. Everything must go. Want an Elvis
costume? I got one of those for ya. Some Heely’s. Men’s 9. Only slightly used.
The cool, fresh air, a homeless man recycling in an adjacent
alley. The church mercifully silent across the street. It’s not a religious
statement. It’s more about their pre-school. My cold nose and the tranquility,
the only reminders that’s it’s December 30th. Allow me to open my
blog and return to the year 2011. Let us see what recollections await us in the
future past, only a few clicks away,
Chrome shined on “Greased Lightning.” Now its just another
button you push. Another anonymous window for the things we ant to know. What
do they want to know? I try not to wonder. I’m sure I’m glad I think that
they’re anonymous, those Google gangsters. They know about me and you, than
either you or I will ever know. I wonder how much they make to know all that.
Actually, I’d rather not wonder about money. It’s the opposite of the direction
of the answers. Answers about it may well lead to truths, deeply disturbing
truths, but the solution is not disturbing. Quite the contrary, it is aloe. It
is salve. It is penicillin to infection. It is a mother’s love. It is a soft
place to finally land. Solutions. Begat by discussions, Group humbly seeking
answers to how we can best live and share our home, this planet. Let the
corporate demagogues battle for the spoils. Let’s get about the dirty work of
finding out what’s wrong and fixing it.
A few humble steps to start. It’s never about you. It’s
always about everyone. We are all one. We share this planet. The sun gives us
all life daily. So does the air. This is my proof. We all share a profound and
common best interest, yet we learn to live like we’re completely unconnected.
It’s nonsense. Stopping that is the beginning. Anyone who has ever worked in a
team or thrived in a friendship or relationship knows the crucial nature of
sharing, kindness, love and basic respect. These ideals are essential to
thrive.
Instead, folks battle for pennies, step on each other’s
heads on Black Friday, often times acting like a boatful of dopes. We are far
from dopes. We are amazing, perfect, gifted empowered creatures with no limits
to who we are and what we accomplish. That is way I am sitting here typing this
right now. It is important for us to realize who we really are and to realize
it is great. We are all precious jewels, each an individual and unlike any
other, like a snowflake. That is the true beauty in who we are. It has nothing
to do with how we physically appear. This is why we all age, to make that
obvious. Still, some people feel the need to fight the effects of aging and try
to be something that they’re not. Hat’s their freeness. I respect it, but it
not necessary. They are perfect just they way they are .Always have been,
always will be
This does not mean we can’t improve. Far from it actually,
the opposite. It means it is our chance, our opportunity, our golden moment to
shine. As a species, we’ve been underachieving severely in this way. Who is
looking for the answers, Where is the public discussion held? On the floors of
Congress? Please. We have an entire Internet. Where are we actively in search
of answers? When? Why not now? I wanna know. It’s time. What the problems are,
which solutions we seek… we decide. Bells are ringing in our collective mind.
May we heed the call and actively seek answers in pursuit of the ideal world,
one in which we all work together to be greater than we are, for the benefit of
everyone existing. We can disagree on the way. With respect. That is what males
the discussion. This is how we find those answers. I am pumped. Can you tell?
OK, Let’s give this 2011 time travel another try.
NOTE:. Thank you Google. I am well-aware you own YouTube,
Chrome and a bunch of other stuff. There would be no Operation 365 to do
without you and I am grateful, regardless whom you’re selling all my data to,
with no regard for how I feel about it. I give you the benefit of the doubt, because
I have just about no choice. Be gentle, please… and thank you.
So upon reading a few words of this blog, I realized I wish
I read these essays before I started Operation 365 2 instead of just as I’m
finishing them. It really brings me back there. Upon further review, it appears
my essay from last time was that there was no essay. I told many a tale of
friends of mine in the premiere Operation 365. Well, my friends told the tale
themselves in the “Archives” and I narrated it in the blog. Apparently, I
wanted to tell everyone what happens to everyone and decided against it. In
retrospect, seems like a great call. Life changes every day anyway. The blog
ends, “Nahhh, maybe next 365.” See? I told you I should have read it first.
Behind the Scenes
So, one can not live one’s entire life on screen. Reality
television, be damned. So, what else did I do in 2016 when I was not sharing or
working on this, which for these keeping score took an entire month straight,
with on sleeping or rest. I’m glad I spaced it out though. Would have been a
scarring month. So what else did I do?
I was married. My wife, Leanne, decided against
participating on this 365 for the most part. She tolerated it and supported it
fully from an arm’s length away, but decided against appearing often. I can’t
blame her. I respected it. It made each appearance of hers that much more
special, even for me. It’s too bad we never did our duet, “Life Provides,” but
this happened,
Despite this, she was somehow not crowned champ. She is
champ of me. I finished 5th.
What else? I enjoyed many relaxing hours playing a fun card
game called Palace with my friends. One day, I was kind enough to let you in.
Be real.
Somehow, in June or July, if I correctly recall, I got the
impetus to write eight musicals, Episodes 9-16 of the ongoing saga of “The Hunt
for The Great Christmas Tree.” I am jst now finding the time to reacquaint
myself with them. Directing these original musicals with the special needs
adults at my work has become and an annual highlight for me. They are amazing
to work with and know. That project is rapidly ascending my priority list as I
think staging the first ever TV show with all special needs actors is a project
whose time is now, if not many moons ago. Regardless, it hasn’t happened yet,
and as the kind of guy who enjoys doing things no one’s ever done before, this
seems to jive perfectly with my brand. Thanks to President –elect Trump, who finally,
after allthese years, crystallized for me, what branding really means. It’s who
you are, It’s what you do, as least as far as the public knows it at as an
immediate response to thinking of you. I am down to represent those maligned in
our society: Peace has been plundered. Love has been laundered. Every awesome
people have been sold for the right to sell them more things. It’s insane. We
need to flip the page and Make Humans Great Again. It is much bigger than a
nation. It is species-wide. We’ve got to reclaim love. If they need a face or
voice for that, I’m down. Might not get me elected President, but I’ entirely
OK with that. I just want to help make life more meaningful and rewarding for
every day awesome folks, us. Anyone who’s down really…
So that’s what I’m excited about. If you do the math, each
musical has about five songs, so that’s about 40 additional songs I wrote that
I did not use for this except this one. I couldn’t resist. I like what it says
about work.
I had some fun doing stuff with speeding up and slowing down
videos. Here’s a couple of them. Then I think I gotta go, but XOXOXOXOXO
Imagine that was my real voice. I guess some people might
think that. That’s OK with me.
This parting gift pre-dates the 365, but one of my special friends told me she
thinks this is my funniest video. She called it “Richard Dawson.” I knew what
she meant. Enjoy until tomorrow. I will be finishing this transmission soon.
Only another day or two of blogging, I believe. I love you.
Life is returning to normal, right about on schedule with how long it took last time. I have been looking back at what I wrote at the end of thew first 365 and comparing and contrasting. So far, I've learned I am lot more fired up and ready to go, than I was after the first one. I am adjusting back to normal life, just a tad bit more tired. I seem to have a slight hangover from all the compulsive sharing. I'm sleepy. Hoping to get some rest on this here New Year's Eve weekend. For many years, I've felt compelled to do something memorable or fun on New Year's Eve. This year, I don't care. I just want to be. It will be awesome.
So I just read this essay. I fixed some of the typos. I would love to release both 365s some day in chronological order as eBooks with click-ability on the videos, sans typos. So, it's a nice essay. I recounted personal highlights, detailed other significant or satisfying moments, did some I called "The Best of the Rest," which were things I wanted to do but didn't get to and finally, a brief bunch of thanks.
OK, let's play. Game on!
I'm not gonna lie. You get in a groove working every day and it can be very gratifying. It centers you. In 2011, I wrote, "It felt good to feel that there was something artistic
to do every day. I have always dreamed of getting up in the morning and knowing
I had to write a song or record a song that day. In my imagination, I was for
money or a job of some sort, but those are peripherals. I was able to make the
creative part of that dream come true. Every day, I had a musical project to
do."
Amen! Preach on, brother. I still very much feel that way. The 365 forced me to play guitar every day. That makes you a better player. It forced me to write probably somewhere near 200 songs. That makes you a better songwriter. It can't not. The "Words" section, new to Operation 365 2, made me develop those skills, improvising banter, making it interesting, finding my voice. All of these things are very valuable and it took time. The improvement there was gradual. Now I feel ready for any challenge of that nature. Radio, comedy, hosting a a TV show. Whatever. I'm inclined to steer clear of comedy. My sense of humor can be extremely harsh. That darkness makes me dangerous. I'm inclined to abstain. I slightly miss the duty part of it, but for that, I have this, and a million other post-365 duties.
OK, so what were the best moments of this 365 for me. It is hard to say, much harder than on the first one. A few dramatic ones stood out then; the lady who told me I helped her and her child feel better dealing with some tragic circumstances, the two children with cancer for whom I wrote songs. There was nothing exactly like that in this one. Every day is different. Same goes for 365s.
So... January 1, 2016, stands out in my memory as a great day in 365 Land. Let's look back and see.
OK so the date on this video was January 2, 2016, but my man Russell was born on January 1.
I improvised this little number in his honor as soon as I found out and I think it was a sign of the great things ahead for both Russell and our giant project.
This one WAS on January 1, though and remained one of my favorite moments of the 365 'til the end. Thanks to Daniel Ratcliffe and my wife, Leanne pearl for all the hours of withstanding my 365 or as Dan once called it, "spinning my wheels."
What else happened that stands out? I pushed my self to some new zany lengths as a songwriter. On three occasions I dabbled in the dark art of bulk songwriting. I had an epiphany on a walk on night about how I could help make anyone a songwriter. I came up with this app and had the whole thing in my mind. That said, I couldn't do that right then. So I did the next best thing. I put the tools to the test and wrote 12 songs as quickly as I could, with my slick streamlining method. I think it took me about two hours. As I continued penning these ditties at a blistering rate, what they were actually about, was slowly revealed. I don't want to spoil it, but the last song was called, "Baby." Yeah, apparently, I want to have a "Baby." Those 12 songs showed me I think I'm ready. No news yet, but...
The penultimate tune in that chunk was called, "Bright," and it's one of my favorite tunes I ever wrote. It also foreshadows, "Baby."
Of course that wasn't enough for me, so on two separate, later occasions I wrote 24 tunes at once. I think in both cases it took about two days to finish them all. I used that technique there quite effectively and each batch featured a number of tunes that I like.
2016 may be best remembered for all of those who died. I had a few friends as well and I used this forum to pay my respects in my own way.
Hail Dick from Mariposa Ice Cream
Hail Dave, aka The Old Hermit Named Dave, 5 other names...
and David Bowie
We celebrated nuptials with family. Hail Erin and Dave, Tom and Leanne.
A little thing I like is covering my friends. I know how it feels to have someone play your song. It is a unique thrill. So I delight in doing it here and there for my songwriting amigos. I fit in a few this time.
Robin Lee (2)
Justin Mills
Don Truesdail. Hail.
Blowski (2)
Steve
Chris Scelzo
Dan Truesdail
Charbra
Derek Speredelozzi and this 365 recap I laid over his song
and
Tim Riley
and Matt Reischling
I love these people and I love their tunes. It is my humble honor and privilege to perform and pass on their music in whatever way I can here. I appreciate them as artists and I am delighted to get to push forward that appreciation in this manner. It is personal and humbling. You can feel the love. Thank you friends, for the gift of your music. It has moved me.
Hmm, what else happened?
There's this, of course.
A fellow wrote an article in this week's San Diego Reader about all my fine work.
Is it weird that nothing is is jumping out into my brain right now. Well, speaking of weird there was this.
and this
and this...
Donald Trump was elected.
and of course, The San Diego Gay Men's Chorus Padres fiasco
Let's call those the highlights for now. I'll let you know if I think of more.
The Best of the Rest
Things I thought of doing but didn't included my tribute to Mike Warrington of "Love Hate Love and "Am I Inside?" by Alice in Chains. "Love Hate Love" was too mean, even though I learned it. I also learned, "Am I Inside?" by for some reason never thought it was good enough to record. I wanted to do "Mary Anne" by my man, Some Guy, but that song is also mean and I ran out of time. I love these mean songs/. It's just something about me singing them at this point in my life that doesn't entirely jive with the rest of what I'm doing. That's just not my brand of entertainment at this moment in time.
I enjoyed doing requests for some people and any and all feedback I received from anyone anywhere. One day I posted a song, "Sending Love Letters to the Moon," about my beloved and departed pooch, Angel.
Someone named Dennis wrote something nice right away after I posted it. I went to go copy that here now, but it is gone. Either way, it meant something to me then. Thanks to every commenter, every Facebook liker, (especially Hugh Gaskins, Naomi Nussbaum, and Dan Truesdail) and to everyone who made a request (Miz, Jonathan, Chris Sulit, Jason Patterson, Bruno, Micah, etc...), whether I fulfilled it or not. I fulfilled a bunch and folks' feedback made the hours of work feel less lonely. That sounds a little dark, but I don't mean it that way. It is what it is. I did this for me and that feels very empowering. That said, thank you!
Last time I said this same thing a bit more eloquently.
"So that was what was awesome. Being with my friends.
Smooching Leanne at the end of the videos. Entertaining people. A lot of folks
dropped me nice notes and said encouraging things on Facebook. That all meant
so much. That is what kept me going, people's kindness and appreciation. So
thanks to everyone who supported me, encouraged me and every said or wrote a
nice word about the 365 anywhere to anyone. Thanks to Leanne, "
Congrats to the Cubbies.
I did a couple videos that a musician/friend Jonathan, aka Sheer, made his own and I was very moved by his results. You can check those tracks out here. Thanks Jonathan.
In 2011, I wrote, "For some reason. Some folks expect me to do another
365. I can’t blame them I guess. There’s truly no precedent for this. It’s
never been done before and never will be again, most likely." Well, guess what? I was wrong. I did it again. What's next? Only time will tell. I wait on baited breath. #Excited
So, the adrenaline is finally subsiding. Yesterday, it hit me. No additional responsibilities, no extra work, no videos, nothing. And what I realized what this. I was tired. It takes a certain amount of extra spunk, gusto, if you will, to make it through so much work. The first couple days after, Christmas and Christmas Eve, I awoke fired form the cannon. I was ready to go. I was so motivated for this 365 that when I got home from work, I ran to the computer. I wasn't going to be slave to this Operation. I was going to bust it out and go on my merry way. Since then, I've been fatigued. Call it the end of the year, or whatever, but I just needed to rest. I slept a lot. No matter. I just took a nap after work. Now, I'm yawning. What can I tell ya? Whatever energy it is that a 365 brings into your world, mine is finally gone. It was a good, long run. Now I'm crashing
This isn't to say, I don't hear cover songs, and think, "How did I not do that one in two 365s." That isn't to say, I haven't cracked open the iPad and made up a song from scratch once or twice. These habits die hard, even as I put new ones in their place. New ones such as, hanging out with my wife, for instance. We spent the day together yesterday and while I managed to find a few minutes to collate my blogs into groups of 40, (long story), I did not find the time or energy to do this, reflect in writing. Well, I'm back.
I printed out some notes I took on one of the closing essays of the 365. I will fetch that now and share those thoughts and feelings.
In a section called, "Revolution of the Mind - Ideas for a Brighter Tomorrow," I expressed satisfaction that some long-awaited, much need social change appeared to b eon the horizon, while lamenting the price folks paid to get it. It almost seems like things paused after that moment in time, the end of 2011. It almost seems like they paused until right now. The election of Donald J. Trump to the presidency has some stoked, other alarmed, and some ready for action. I am one of the latter. Us social change lovers have spent decades in the closet, wondering why we weren't born in 1950, or whenever one would have needed to be born to participate in the activity of the late 1960's. It feels,, finally, that things are about to happen, that the world is ripe for change and I, for one, have been ready and waiting. I am not the only one. There are others. My rant ended in this essential truth, a fact I think we all should take a lot more seriously. "There are more than enough resources for everyone to survive."
Too many people in this world are only worried about themselves. The rich should consider how many people starve to death so they can have ten yachts, fourteen mansions, eight helicopters and a million cars. It is morally wrong and and not entirely unrelated to murder. Sharing is caring is how I'd put it if I was trying to say it nicely, which I hope to be when the time comes that folks are listening. People can have plenty without idealizing or having millions more than they need. That is just wrong. Americans, and probably some other have a grand misconception about this and I hope to help remedy this imbalance. We are all one. I resume quoting myself from five years ago, "It is an illusion that we are separated. You’ve heard of this, it’s conquer and divide."
It's simple. We pretend we're not "them," in this case, the people starving, and then we pretend to remove the need for us to care about how they are. The truth is they are you and you are starving and you don't even know it. Are all billionaires blissful? No chance. Money doesn't bring happiness. That we can only find deep within ourselves. Five years ago, I finished this section with this, " I ditched my TV two years February... We work together. It takes time." Seven years and going strong now. No regrets. Unplug and let the healing begin.. or at least recognize that it's an option. It takes time.
I then asked myself, "Why do an Operation 365?" My answers are very different this time than the first. I would like to return tot his question later.
Living history - A Breathing Art Project
I explained the roots of this 365 in this section five years and won't recant it here. Click below if you wish to read that
I will share one small quote from it though and some reaction, "when you do something each day, you become more likely to do it the next day. It becomes a part of what you do." That, I learned is true. It is why it was hard for me stop in a way, like I stated before. I want to thank Wes Davis, Dylan Avery, the 365 itself, and life, which gave me this opportunity to create and death which gives me another source of inspiration from beyond. I have many great friends, Wes and Dylan are just two of them, who are great artists and struggle to make a living on their art. To me, that is outrageous. I include myself in this category. "Great" is obviously subjective, but worth of making a living to me, is a no-brainer. Look at all the things I can do. To me, that's what the Operation 365 proves more than anything else. My point is art needs to be valued a lot more on our society and when folks have a ton to give and all they want to do is give it and survive, they should not have to resort to making 1100 videos and hoping people notice.
I will answer that "Why do an Operation 365?" question now. the first time. I had videos to share, and a history to tell, the history of my friends and I during an incredible era at a place called Portugalia. I wanted to reach more people. I had many many songs I had written but no place or reason to share them. Even though, I know, all kinds of people weren't going to be receiving these videos all at once, barring some unlikely viral scenario, I like the thought that I had done what I could to keep them from living and dying in obscurity in my computer. The Covers served and continued to serve as a mechanism to bring more folks to the rest of it, a piece that people already love.
This time, the motivation was totally different. The videos had been shared to my satisfaction. They story has been told. Most of the tunes I had written got shared and many more got written. A CD containing the "best" of those, should be out in early 2017. Let's expand on my point of a moment ago in answering fully.
"The Operation 365 doubles as strange resume of some kind. It shows I can do a lot of entertainment things. I can write songs quickly. I can produce content prolifically with the best of ‘em. I can be incredibly consistent. I can do what I want to do, if I set my mind. Alright, it’s enough already with the “I.” It shows I do things differently. That’s a challenging task in this time. I can’t stop. I’m sorry."
When I reread that the other day, I thought this, the old expression misremembered by our 'ole President G.W. Bush. In this case, I reappropriate it, for Operation 365s, "Do me once, good for you. Do me twice, good for me."I laughed after I wrote that and not just cause of the silly sexual, (yet no less relevant) connotations. What that meant to me was the first 365 was for other people, to show them what I could do, to tell them my story, to share their story. This one was for me. To find my voice in the words, to sharpen my skills playing daily, to force myself to me prolific again. It worked. Not once did I look back, I looked forward. The first time was to see if I could do it. This time I knew I could do it. My confidence rose and now it may be at an all-time high. Maybe that's why I'm so tired, breathing that thin air up here. Who knows? A lot of people can do something once. When you've done something twice, you know how to do it. You're doing it with knowledge and purpose. It is over. I am still loaded with knowledge and purpose. I have energy to work and things to do. Am I coming of age? If so, it's right on time.
What's next for me? I aim to reach for something more. I want to empower people, help them realize how powerful, wonderful, valuable and unique, each one of us are. It is a crucial step on the journey to universal love and respect, which we need more than ever. I have written several musicals with a core of characters that I love called "The Hunt for The Great Christmas Tree." I directed "Episode 4" of this "saga," ten days or so ago and I would like to do far more with that future franchises. Yes, I want to do big things with that and that's just the beginning. "Episode 4" was a coming of age story for the young girl in the family. We are all one. So I am her ( and all the other characters in the all the stories) and it feels great. I managed to find time to write eight more episodes of this lovely musical quietly in the background of the 365 2, in June and July. Yes, I wrote eight musical in about 8 weeks on the side of these 3 videos a day and I didn't share almost any of it. Maybe two songs.
Maybe one. And I wrote the musical named after this one after I wrote and recorded this song. In fact, it may have helped inspired the whole push. I want HBO. Not a premium network, as an employer, as the people I'm meeting with, discussing this. Yes, I am fired up. In the last one, I wrote about how I was poor and how it was OK. I am graduating from poor. It is enough. With this 365, I am finished with all that. It is time to reach more people and do far more. I am pumped. Can you tell?
A few final notes for today.
"I want to spend more time with my girlfriend, Leanne." I wrote that five years ago. We've been married two and a half year now. "Although, she never asked me to, I told her I would not undertake a project of this magnitude without asking her, next time." I did. She said, "yes," and then quietly counted the seconds 'til it was over. I can;t prove that last part, but women like attention. Who doesn't? She threw a big surprise party for me at the ned of the first 365. This time, she didn't even know it was the last day. I can't blame her. It's a lot. My plan remains to spend more time with her and I had the pleasure of doing that, and not this, yesterday. I love this, but sometimes, one must choose.
"That was kind of tongue-in-cheek when I said it ‘cause I never intend to attempt a project of this magnitude again." Haha.
"For some reason. Some folks expect me to do another 365. I can’t blame them I guess. There’s truly no precedent for this. It’s never been done before and never will be again, most likely. That fact kind humbles me. I like being that kind of guy. It’s the same reason I’ve hosted “24 Hours of Free Music,” four times." Hahahaha.
I asked myself why folks were sitting outside, day after day, as part of that Occupy Movement in 2011. I answered, "It’s because we want change and it’s because we have something to say." Here'a few other things I am into that I wrote. Time is running out. Open Mic is soon and my pal, the greta Paul Ruiz, just showed up, so let's finish. Here's some final thoughts I wrote in 2011 about why I'm here and what I'm all about. I'll leave it at those for today. Much more finishing to come,
"Helping people find happiness in themselves.... As long as the message gets delivered... Each precious moment is a cause for celebration. Everything you have to offer is precious, unique and divine..."
That's the reason of the season to me. Believe that. This thing's over and we're just getting started.
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