High Fives for Lo-Fi

High Fives for Lo-Fi was made by myself, Jonny Pena, Chris Smith and Nate Noble. Here's the basic run down. Ever since I was 14 years old I have always wanted to record an album of songs that I have written and then give it out to friends and family. This year it happened. I have been writing songs for a while and have collected a fair few. Around November I decided that I wanted to actually record them and make an album to give out for Christmas. My original plan was to record them on my computer through Audacity and ship out a super Lo-Fi recording. However, I soon met Nate and found out that he and his Dad built a legit recording studio in his house. Ka Ching!!! So we set up a plan to record some stuff and see how it turned out.

I went over and threw down 9 guitar tracks in one day, and decided that it would sound better with some drums and base added in. I contacted my jamming buddies JP (Jonny) and Chris and asked them to be a part of it. They were super pumped and started working on some beats off the guitar tracks I gave them. The three of us only jammed together once and I jammed with each of them two or three times individually over the next two weeks. We came, we saw, we recorded. In about two weeks we had the whole thing finished off. It was ridiculously hectic because we had a deadline of December 17th (last day of finals) so that I could mail it off to some friends and family. Each of the guys were amazing and made sacrifices to get it done because we did almost all the recording during finals week. We cut out two songs that were originally recorded because we didn't have time to finish them, but we wrote and recorded the last track on the album in less than 24 hours on a whim. All in all it was a hurricane and I can best describe it as the most hectically fun thing I have ever done. It's not perfect, but we're all pretty proud of it.

Down Date

I wonder why we picked 'up' for the direction in "update." This one is dedicated to down. I know your under appreciated dude. It's aight' I got yo back.

Anyways, I am at Noble; it's going to close soon, and I am SICK!!!! of making dimensioned drawings of engine parts. So I figured I'd tell the tale of "BRO TRIP 2009!!!"

So it all started the morning before Thanksgiving. We were supposed to drive up to U-TA as a family and spend the time with other family members (you know, ones that live in Utah). Well turns out Father dear had to go and get sick that very morn, and so the fam. decided not to go.

However, A-Ron (my younger brother) and I decided that a family road trip could easily be transformed into a "Bro Trip." Done and done.

On the way up Aaron drove first since he had only slept four hours each night for the past two nights. On the way back I was in a similar condition and subsequently drove first. But I am getting ahead of myself. First off we did not tack Melvin of Yoko. Instead we rode up in my Dad's nameless Saturn, but not until I had adorned it with some bling from my truck. We roll deep.

The way up was pretty uneventful but the way back was not.

That's right. We got a flat in the middle of no where with no cell phone service. Time to make memories.

We looked for the wrench to break loose the lug nuts, and were unsuccessful. I had Aaron take a picture of me holding up this sign, then told him to make his own and look pathetic.

We're not that great at scoring sympathy points, but at least we try.

(Funny thing was once we finally got someone to stop I took a look at the jack and realized the handle worked as the wrench. That's when you just play it smooth and thank God that the guy who stopped to help knows nothing about cars. Man card saved.)

Needless to say we made it out. We had to limp along on a undersized spare for over 150 miles, but we finally found a place to get a new tire.

(NO! We are not high. That is just how we look. OK?)

The tire... well, tires usually don't do to well when the side wall blows out. Maybe she'll get to be the bottom of some eco-friendly sandal or something. Here's hoping.

Stay Sweet.

“He’ll be an engineer…”

This week I was tutoring a fellow engineer at my work. He was working on a statics problem, and asked me to help him figure it out. I am pretty good at statics, but because he is a civil engineer they take the whole "statics" thing a bit seriously. We went through the mathematical definitions of moments of inertia in his book, we looked through his notes and we figured it out. BUT, there was one portion of the solution that I didn't understand. He was my last tutee of the night; so after we finished I went home and forgot about it.

Then I went to sleep.

Whilst I was in the magical world of sleep, I began to dream about the problem. In my sleep I finished solving the problem. Yes, I have begun to legitimately do math in my sleep. Oh brother!

In honor of my recent accomplishment I have decided to share this video. May heaven help me.

Adam Is My Brother

I got hit by a truck named weather this week and went straight under. (I got sick, and it made me have a sad face.) It turned out to be quite the inconvenience for multiple reasons. There was the usual loss of money from missing work, loss of knowledge from missing class and loss of comfort from infectious invaders who inhabited my respiratory system. However, the one inconvenience that I was not expecting was that it would cause me to miss another epic

Sakievich Family Gathering!!!

My older brother and his wife live in Tucson and so family gatherings are usually dictated on when they decide to drive up from the belly of hell where they live. I live a bit more than half way between them and my parent's house so it is pretty easy for me to head on over to Mother and Father's when Adam and Emily drive up. Easy when I'm not ill that is. Our family is the most fun when we are all together so we can be in full swing. There is usually a large amount of bantering, including but not limited to personal insults, reminiscent recollections of childhood and wrestling in the pool.

One of the main keys to making these gatherings a success is putting my brother Adam and me together. Adam and I are the two eldest children. We are 18 months apart and were roommates from the day mom and dad moved me out of the laundry basket until the day Adam left on his mission. We have a long childhood history which Adam likes to sum up in this catchy phrase,

"I beat him often, but he beat me well."

As the years have passed and the scars healed we came together. Needless to say we can't be described by the phrase "two peas in a pod," but don't let that fool you. If I am a Yin then Adam is a Yang; we work perfectly together and nothing could tear us apart. Today I was reminded of that yet again.

As stated earlier, I was not able to make it to the family gathering today, but my family didn't leave me out to dry. They came out to see me tonight. They brought dinner, cinnamon rolls and the Sakievich family touch. Here's what I mean: my Mother ended up cutting my roommate's hair, my Dad read my business proposal, Adam reached over and changed the song whenever he thought it was odd (it was my "art" playlist) and we were able to harass Aaron into playing the bongos while I played the guitar. Perfect.

Eventually Mother, Father and Aaron had to leave (the young ones didn't come on this trip), but Adam and Emily stayed for an extra hour to hang out. We just sat and talked about several different things, but I think the most memorable subject was when we discussed having days to do nothing. These are some quotes from Adam (he's a philosophy major and a genius if the quotes don't give it away).

To me: "I admire your ability to go after your goals with such dogged determination and Spartan mentality."

To me: "Isn't it counterintuitive that you need to expend effort to organize your time so that you can have more time to do nothing?"

"I probably spend too much time doing what I want to do. I'll often be reading a book instead of doing something I should. Like going to class…"

To Emily: "I like being quoted. This should happen more often! You should carry around a little book and write down the things I say."

To me: "That is where I am different from you I find my joy in life outside my goals."

That really sums up a lot of Adam and me. Where I need to relax he needs to tighten up and vice a versa. I think part of the reason why our bond is so deep is because we each get to emulate and be the emulator at the same time. Cynically speaking, I get to look down at him while looking up to his example, and I am sure he enjoys the same experience.

Adam: "I am getting a reptile for Christmas! Or an amphibian."

Emily: (Rolls her eyes and puts her head back)

Philip: (Looks at Emily and says), "How does it feel to be married to a five year old?" (Mocking voice) "I want a reptile and a pineapple* for Christmas!"

Group: (Laughter)

End Scene.

*Every year for the past five or so years Adam has asked for and received a pineapple for Christmas, his birthday or both.

Law Student VS Engineering Student: Episode 1

For those who are unaware, my roommate James is a student of the law, and I am an engineering student. Countless hours of joy are found as we share knowledge and engage in battles of wit. A good deal of our mutual amusement is founded upon our different perspectives of the world. The following tale illustrates this perfectly.

When the weather cools down James and I like to open the window and place a fan in it. It seems like a pretty normal thing to do right? I thought so, but James informed me when I first moved into the apartment that the neighbor beneath us is a smoker. When he smokes it drifts out through his AC unit, up the wall and into our room. It never really bothered me, but someone might as well have been pumping mustard gas into the room with James' reaction. When summer came the window stayed closed so the AC stayed in, but the issue recently resurfaced with the cooler weather. James was venting his frustrations to me the other day, we laughed for a bit and I candidly shared an observation of mine. It went something like this:

"You know we could always turn the fan around so the air is getting blown out rather than into the room."

His response:

"Oh… (pause)… yeah, that would work."

Then he laughed and said:

"I was considering setting up a verbal contract with him where I would pay him a monthly fee to not smoke during certain hours of the day. I guess this is easier."

Law Student 0 Engineer 1

Phil's thought for the day.

Today I was reminded why I live in mortal fear of sneezing while consuming carrots.

Life is...

Well I have no excuses for not posting right now. First day of summer tutoring=no one to tutor. It has taken me about 57 minutes to derive that equation, but I have a feeling it is pretty solid.

Believe it or not though I have actually had sometime on my hands again. I am finding that sitting around and doing nothing really bothers me, but it is hard to decide what to do when there are no absolutely pressing deadlines. It has actually been rather interesting. I have started re-reading "The Grapes of Wrath," drawn a couple of pictures, made an audio CD for Christin which you can read about on her blog (it was pretty ridiculous), and found that I am very tired frequently (still haven't done the medical thing yet, but I'm working on it. It's been said that you procrastinate the things you're afraid of. I don't like dealing with Dr.s and Dentists).

I am working on all of those things as of late, and I am also working on being more spiritual. Basically I am trying to get in touch with all of those things I have been neglecting over the past year in my effort to survive/ live up to my personal expectations. I can't really say I am glad school's over or that I am feeling different about life. To me life is a gentle blend of colors. The events of life seem sharp in contrast when they are viewed individually like colors on the painters pallet. But when they are actually applied they all blend together and become one big image. Depending on the colors you use it will be a mess or a masterpiece. So far I am pleased with my blend.

Recent Exploits:

We were moving stuff from storage and I found a bunch of stamps. The family dog became my object of amusement.

Yep I could have shipped her off to Pakistan!

If only she qualified as bulk mail...

Some of my old CD cases that were still in storage. I used to decorate my room with them. Now they decorate the dump.

Gran' Master T layin' down a sweet line for Christin's CD.

Us making ocean nosies until we were light headed and woozy.

Being Weezer... / Us.

Here we go again.

K, let me throw down a little blog here.  B-Ridge has been reminding me that I am the ultimate slacker when it comes to blogging.  It is true.  I can accept that.  Period.

Right now I am listening to a Radiohead Jay-Z collaboration and I have to say it is absolutely amazing.  It reminds me of how things that are so opposite and would seem to clash, can complement, complete and come together perfectly.  

Pulls it all together like a pair of rainbow laces on a pair of Nikes.  When I was five I had just learned to tie my shoes and nothing was cooler than those bright gaudy laces which drew everyone's eyes to my new accomplishment. 

I know I spend too much time trying to make things work out just right, but I guess I am chilling out in those regards.  Things continue to shift around me, and I feel like I am standing still most of the time.  But every now and then I get to see how much I am shifting too.

The Fully Sick Blog Post

I was recently asked what do I do for fun. My common response is that I just don’t have any, but that is mainly because I am a perpetual liar (for humor’s sake of course, I couldn’t really lie and live with myself.)  Yes I am at school or work all the time, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let it be boring.  I am physically unable to stop myself from putting a little touch of “Phil” in everything I do.  When I was on my mission I made “The Fully Sick Form Letter” to give people and update on my life.  Consider this the “Fully Sick Blog Post”  to update you on my immaturities.  

Last semester I had a Chemistry teacher named Sergei (Sir-gay is how it is pronounced).  If you haven’t seen “The Man Who Knew Too Little” please watch it.  It probably won’t help you see why I love the name Sergei so much, but you'll laugh none the less.  Any ways, this dude was like the jolly Ukrainian giant of chemistry.  One day my friend Ryan asked me what my first thought is when I think of Sergei.  I pondered for a moment… and responded, “Rainbows and Unicorns.”  Sounds gay, but when that dude lectured I felt like I was going to "My Little Pony's" Palace or something.  He just made chemistry seem magical... in a Ukrainian way.  Ryan agreed, and that resulted in us ripping his photo off the school website.  The following was created.

This image had quite the public appearance.  

Up next, Obama!!!  Ok, I am not attempting to make a political statement (I am not as interested in politics as I am in human nature), but I will admit that I had a ton of fun making fun of Obama during the election. This is total political humor so you'll have to forgive me.  (you'll have to read everything inside the image to fully appreciate it)

There was the random ENG 102 final, which you have probably seen (p.s. please don't player hate on these images. they were all done in paint.  I am too cheap for photoshop.):

And finally, the "Patience Award!"  Pavithra is a tutor in the engineer tutoring center who has helped me through numerous math problems.  We have this running joke with her because one time I tried to solve a mathematical problem using "faulty methods," and then attempted to argue with her about the method.  It ended with her rapidly clicking her tongue at me (like a machine gun), getting really frustrated and then proving me wrong.  Humbling and hilarious all at once.  

Well the other day she was helping this one kid, and I'll admit, he sounded like a real pain.  Like a thorn with vocal chords.  She was getting really ticked off with him.  I started taking candid photos with my camera phone, one thing led to another...

I don't know if she fully got it when Ryan and I gave it to her, but we had a ton of fun in the process.  I guess that is how life is.  Peace.

Yes, No, Maybe So

Have you ever had a hard time making a decision? I have. In fact it is a frequent occurrence. I struggle every single night deciding what to make for dinner. I struggle when I am ordering a sandwich, burger or even a pizza (except at Little Ceaser’s… Oh “hot and readys,” you treat me so well). Yep food is one thing that I can’t seem to handle. If I am going to spend money on something I want it to be good. If I am going to make something I want it to be good. But most of the time I am in a panic attack about deciding. There are several factors which have to be addressed when ordering a meal.

1) Will it fill me up? The importance of this is obviously a concern. If I am hungry after a meal I will consider my personal efforts a waist. Especially since my “bling bling” is nowhere to be “seen seen.” One day I’ll have more money. One day I’ll eat stake.

2) Is the process of ingesting it an efficient use of my time? Ok, so you’re probably thinking, “Really Phil? Do you have to be such an engineer?” See caught you in the act. Sucker. This really isn’t as bad as it sounds. No one wants to wait an hour for a five dollar sub at subway. Well… if you do… then …. (Phil filter employed). I am finding that time is the most precious thing we have in this life. No one gets more hours in a day than anyone else, and people who spend their time well spend everything else well too. There is a catch though. I call it Catch 22.5. If you’re like me, and spend too much time worrying about time, then you’re wasting time.

3) How much cholesterol am I pumping into my blood stream right now? I try to pick and choose the times I break down and eat that 74 cent microwave pizza. College is a life altering experience, hopefully not a life ending experience.

4) How scrumtrilescent is this going to be? I would just like to take a moment and publicly thank Will Ferrell for inventing that word. I can’t eat Ramen noodles; reason being, they taste like sweat.

I think that takes care of my food thought process. This is why I consider eating a burden. Plus it is just not that high up on my priorities list. I recognize that that train of thought could be fatal, so I am trying to correct it. But still, if it weren’t necessary, I wouldn’t do it.

Velcro

So you may or may not know that I have been sporting Velcro shoes for the past two months. Explaination? Allow me.

Once upon a time in a far off magical land known as “Zone De Auto” a decree was issued by Lord Patrick of the District Management. “Hear Ye Hear Ye, Escucha ,Escucha (yeah we’re bilingual like that)! Come the dawn of the New Year all slaves of the kingdom must wear polishable shoes. Violators will be punished.”

This is where I come in. I am a very important employee at Auto Zone. I’m so good that I am employee of the month, every month, without disputation. They have limited me to working 4 days a month because of my intense skills. (You may be thinking W.T.Explative, but it is mainly because each of my hours counts as five regular ones. They just don’t have enough hours to staff me.)

When I walked in one morning I noticed this declaration. I’ll translate it for those of you who don’t speak old English. “All Autozoners will be required to wear polishable shoes by January 1st.” After finding a pen and writing “GAY” on the sign I went about my usual work. My first inclination after rage was to buy shoes at "Savers". I mean I only needed to wear them once week; no big deal. However, my mother chewed me out for even thinking about it. Something about foot patterns in the shoes and back problems... mom stuff. So after Christmas I went out shopping with her. Oh Wal-Mart, the symbol of thrifty living and shirts that say, “The Voices in My Head Don’t Like You.” As I strutted my stuff down the shoe section it dawned on me that I still hadn’t bought my work shoes. Ka-Ching!! I started to check out all five of the shoes in the men’s section when my eyes beheld… a pair of Dr.Scholl’s, old man, shuffle board, black, polishable shoes…in Velcro. Wow. In case you weren’t counting that was five adjective phrases. Words cannot express what went on in my mind at that instance. Let’s just say that I heard the sound of trumpets and couple of hallelujahs. I knew it was meant to be. When I walked over to the other side of the men’s isle I found that they had a similar pair for all of my active needs: Velcro tennis shoes. Those came as a birthday present less than ten days later after a strong hint to my mother.

Several people have asked me what is up with my sudden Velcro obsession. I don’t know. Maybe it is the sweet sound of the hook side breaking the strands on the soft fuzzy side. Perhaps it is the speed of which I am able to get in and out of my shoes without doing damage to the backs of them. Or maybe it is just a natural regression. The fashionable thing now is retro style stuff in bold colors. Maybe I am just subconsciously following that trend by wearing shoes that I wore in preschool. Last time I remember lime green, bright pink and this much purple was that awkward late 80's early 90's era. Batman, Superman and Transformer shirts are now quite popular and I wore those in my 0-5 years. Maybe Velcro is next.

Lesson's from Nobel Library #1

Hmmmm… I am writing this to escape from the pressures of school.

That is actually pretty dumb to say; most things in life don’t give pressure. A car on top of my leg would probably give me some substantial pressure. I imagine a piano on the head would cause some substantial damage to me too. But things like school work, final exams, being late, meeting new people, public speaking, trying something new (etc.) don’t apply any pressure. All the pressure comes from personal expectations and fears of not being able to meet them. (I think a nifty name for those pressures could be stress. Maybe I’ll patent that.) Even having someone else yell at you doesn’t really apply pressure; it is their attempt to apply pressure but it has to be accepted. The majority of life’s stresses seem to be self inflicted by perspective and expectation.

I don’t think that is necessarily bad though. We choose who we become by the challenges we accept and decline; the pressure we put on ourselves to overcome the challenge has a large amount to do with how we succeed. That is why “Dave the Organic Hippie” at McDonalds won’t ever go anywhere. He doesn’t care about anything as long as weed grows and Nintendo comes out with new games. However, I am slowly becoming aware that it is also important to turn the pressure down as well. It dawned on me the other day after a 17 hour study day (yeah I know). I read the instruction manual that came with me the other day and I guess my brain is in danger of rupturing past 150 "psi" ("pressure" per square inch…I am such nerd). So that is one of my goals for this semester: to chillax; even though I have a course load that could kill a water buffalo if consumed in its liquid form. Paper cuts and pressure could kill me this semester so I am trying to avoid them both.

Blogging...

B.L.O.G... I want to know who thought of that! I am realativly new to this blogging world, and I am curious. When I say "Blog" a cross between the word booger and log comes to mind. I doubt that was the original intention, but I am still pretty blown away by it's randomness. I wonder if it is an acronym for something. Our technologically hip generation seems to like those. Wikipedia tells me it is a combination of the words "Web" and "Log." CD, VCR, ATM... BLOG.
Hmmmm, Biological Lending Of Gossip... Best Left On Graze... Beat Leaves Over Gretta.
Yeah I like the acronym better. I live off of wikipedia and normally its word is law...but in this instance I am just going to ignore it. In my book BLOG is an acronym. I don't know what it stands for yet, but I'll figure it out. Let me know if you think of some good ones because I would love to know.