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 If I am going to use an outdated term, I may as well choose a cooler one.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.

http://jeffersonjay.blogspot.com/2011/11/operation-365-blog-364.html

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

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 7^th 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.”

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 7^th 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 4^th 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.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thom-senzee/jefferson-jay-king-of-fro_b_11920104.html

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

Operation 365 2… Blog 371

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 30^th. 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.

Even though I only read a few words of this blog. It loves here. Hopefully this link works better than I one from yesterday. I aim to fix that one here in a few. Rivetting, huh?

http://jeffersonjay.blogspot.com/2011/11/operation-365-blog-363.html

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 5^th.

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.

Operation 365 2... Blog 370

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.

My blog that I revisiting today is Blog 362 of the first 365, specifically a chunk I called, "The Best of the 365"

http://jeffersonjay.blogspot.com/2011/11/operation-365-blog-362.html

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.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/dec/27/blurt-jefferson-jay-every-day-365-days-straight/

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.

Go Cubs Go

City of New Orleans

Thanks to Nigel



Thanks to Paul Ruiz



Thanks to Daniel Ratcliffe



and thanks to you!

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

Peace

Operation 365 2... Blog 369

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

http://jeffersonjay.blogspot.com/2011/11/operation-365-blog-361.html

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.

Operation 365 2... Blog 368

The Sweet Past and The Magnificent Future

So these essays I wrote at the end of the first 365 are some pretty detailed, thick chunks of verbiage. I read almost the whole essay from 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011

Operation 365... Blog 361

It lives here if you’re interested, 

http://jeffersonjay.blogspot.com/2011/11/operation-365-blog-361.html

I decided it was worth it to react, chunk by chunk because it brought back many memories. The first Operation 365 was different from this one. I had overlooked that some. I mean I knew I could do it, because I had, but the content was different in some profound ways. First, 2011 was a very interesting moment in time. There was a list of things that happened that year in this essay. I wrote,

“There was Osama Bin Laden getting killed (allegedly,) the Rapture wacko, the tragic death of The “Macho Man” Randy Savage. There were work stoppages in the NFL and NBA. The NBA one ended today, they say. There was a lot more... The Occupy thing, The Great San Diego blackout, hurricanes, snowstorms, earthquakes, worldwide revolt, people awakening largely, by and by. What a great time to capture living. What a great time to be alive.”

At the end of 2011, it seemed change was just before us. The Occupy movement represented people waking up and getting involved in the world that homes them. I was thrilled by this development. It would have seemed highly unlikely that 2012 would come with those things returning to how they were all those years before 2011, and nothing changing much in that direction since. 2016 did finally bring some motion, although it came in the opposite way. The election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, culminating in Mr. Trump’s January inauguration has made some people realize a lot is going on. They are not in favor of all of it, and most importantly, something needs to be done. Nobody seems to know what. I do.

People need to band together in search of our long-term sustainable best interests. Those who believe we are all equal, those prepared to march forward in love, will need to lead the way. We will need to set aside the aspersions that have tarnished words that stand for our ideals like “peace and “love” We must reclaim those words and set our nation forward in their lofty, but very real ideals. I think once again, for the first time since 2011, the world is ripe, and hopefully, ready for positive change.

When I looked back to 2011, I noticed that a large part of the first 365 was about just that, looking back. It was important and told a story that I felt needed to be told. . In the years leading up to 2011’’ “Operation 365,” I had accumulated a large library of videos, filmed at my Open Mic and other shows I had hosted in the previous few years. I had all this video of all these great times. I wrote,

“I also had wanted to share the story of all these folks (my friends) and our experience. I didn’t realize how important that was to me until some time into it, but I am really glad that got done. It seems secondary whether people actually ingest that or not.

Exceptional things happen in this life and they are not always documented. They are not always shared. There are no less significant than anything else that has happened. No less interesting. I studied history. I think life matters, every second. It is important for me to share this story. I feel like it can help other people enjoy their lives. Having told it now, it’s something I no longer feel the need to do in mine.”

My reply to this is three-fold. One, I did want to share that story. It was important to me to keep this little tape out of mothballs and get them out there for those who cared. I felt better after I did this. Mission accomplished. I no longer felt the need to share all this, although I am sure there is much more in my kitty. I received the following comment on this video…

https://youtu.be/LDZTlsPWwIE

…just a couple of days ago.

Eric Weiss  2 days ago  Highlighted comment

”Just saw this for the first time in years. My 3 year old daughter loves to watch me play guitar, and I remembered these videos were floating around somewhere. She made us watch it five times in a row. Thanks JJ for making it happen in those days, and putting up these vids for posterity.”

My answer comment said this, “My pleasure to serve you and yours. Thanks for playing. Hope to see you soon.”

This is why we do things, folks. Who knows how long it took me to post that ten-minute video five plus years ago, all to get 64 views (so far, and counting)? However long it was, it was worth it. That is why I shared the history in the “Archives.”

I made an adjustment in this second 365 and it was far deeper than just not sharing “Archives” in this second go-around. In fact, I even stopped filming things for the most part, since then. If I film it, I want to share it. If I don’t film it, I save myself from that compulsion. It was good for then, but things have changed. That is the point, of all this so far, today. I am no longer looking back. The Operation 365 2 is very different form it’s predecessor in that way. It was far more about the present and how that is preparing me for the future. It was almost like the final graduate course in the ambitious undertaking we call life. I was less interested in telling old stories and more interested in today and tomorrow.

In replacing the “Archives” with “Words” I took the step toward finding my voice, talking in front of a camera, in a diverse array of circumstances. If I wind up in radio or on TV, I imagine these daily exercises will prepare me in a manner not entirely unlike the “Archives.” Living those experiences. Recounting and sharing them, prepared me to move past them. I am eager for a similar type of catharsis in the aftermath of this, here now.

Now we look forward, but I am humbled and honored to have had that chance to look back, both from and to the enigmatic year that was 2011. That’s my first take on the closing essays on Operation 365 2.

Then, in a chunk, I called “The Benefits of 365ing,” I advocated for anybody adding a daily component to their lives. Only a compulsive, loony bird with something to prove, could execute an actual 365, but there is plenty of room for folks, eat, think, read, write, dance, sing, or whatever moves them each day. We are creatures of habit. We do what we do. If you want to do something different, do it every day. Soon it will become second nature. It will be what you do. Look at me. I finished this thing and here I am, first thing in the morning, typing away to you. It is what I do. Not doing stuff becomes harder then do it. I want to make three videos. I haven’t played “In Your Eyes,” yet…

I expressed an awareness of my need to enlist others to help me reach my goal of reaching far more people with my music and message. I didn’t accomplish that to promote my 5^th CD, ‘Gift to Be Alive,” as I had hoped to at the first 365’s end. I also made a similar miscalculation after the next CD came out, “Hallelujah Expressway.” I hope to God I am finally ready to make that adjustment and align myself with a team of true professionals for our next assault. It is time, my friends. 

In 2011, I was a relatively new relationship. I lived alone. Now we are married and have lived here together for almost five years. Returning to the words of 2011, brings this home in a warm and touching manner. I love you Leanne. May CD #7, featuring Leanne on drums will be the one. Either way, it’s OK. There are many theaters, in which to make advance ourselves.

Powering Through.

So I’ve read and responded to a good chunk of the initial two essays of the 365. Gosh, those suckers are long. OK. So I’ve made it half way through Essay 2. Well, I think I’ll take this one chunk forward and if my essays carry me all the way to New Year’ Eve, I think that would be OK. 2017, we start fresh again. Well, I guess I’ll do this ‘til I’m done even if we limp into 2017 a tad.

Some final thoughts for today, I would like to ultimately release all of this as a book, or a series of books, “Operation 365 Presents: 40 Days and 40 Blogs.” This has fallen further down my priority list than it was five years ago, but it would still be cool to get this out here. Like last time, I will go through all of the original tunes and evaluate them. Many of them will be reborn as new Jefferson Jay tunes that I play from time to time when I feel like it. I even hired someone to help me with that this time. This task is both time consuming and tedious. Thanks Nick.

“Maybe I'll eventually make a CD of Operation 365-penned tunes.”

I wrote that in that essay five years ago. Finishing that, five years later, is the main thing on my list to do for this day and this week.

See you tomorrow, furthering our review of Operations 365, 1 and 2. We resume with “Revolution of the Mind - Ideas for a Brighter Tomorrow.” See you then. XOXOXOXOXO