Guitar Salad

After a year+ of silence in the blogging world, I bring to you the lamest resurrection of a blog ever.  A list of favorite albums by year for every year that I have existed.  I feel like Billy Joel had this idea already.

1983: Metallica - Kill ‘Em All  I know what you’re thinking.  Where’s Thriller?  This is my list of favorite albums, and last I checked, Michael Jackson doesn’t sing “Seek and Destroy” or “The Four Horsemen”.

1984: Metallica - Ride the Lightning  It’s not my intention to do this for every album of Metallica’s, but there really wasn’t much competition this year unless you count Thriller as being the biggest album of 1984 as well as 1983 which I guess it technically was.

1985: Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms  I’d like to thank Metallica for not putting out an album this year…  I’m also going to stop looking at Darrell’s list before I make my choices.  Not that it would change things, but no one likes a copycat, right?

1986: Metallica - Master of Puppets  I swear I’m not going to do this for all their albums, but probably for most of them.  This is the greatest metal album ever recorded, kids.

1987: Guns ‘n Roses - Apetite for Destruction  Am I different than Darrell yet?  At least I didn’t put Metallica in with The $5.95 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited

1988: Metallica - ...And Justice For All  Four up and four down on the Metallica.  When will it end?

1989: Faith No More - The Real Thing  A great year for music. It was tough for me to pick this over Alice Cooper’s Trash and Garth Brooks’ self-titled debut.

1990: Garth Brooks - No Fences  It’s a top to bottom great record and I know every word to every song.  There are few albums that I can say that about and why it won over Shake Your Moneymaker and Cowboys From Hell.

1991: Metallica - Metallica  This is a no-brainer for me.  There’s really a shit-ton of great stuff that came out this year that could easily make anyone’s favorites list.

1992: Alice in Chains - Dirt  This was a down year as far as I’m concerned, and AIC had the most to offer.

1993:  Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream  Freak out!

1994: Offspring - Smash  Tough to choose over Superunknown and Dookie.

1995: The Presidents of the United States of America - The Presidents of the United States of America  Buy this record.  Do it.  Now.

1996: Metallica - Load  I did say that I wasn’t going to pick every Metallica record, didn’t I?

1997: The Offspring - Ixnay on the Hombre  Metallica lose!  So do Rammstein, Hanson, Testament and Foo Fighters.

1998: Kid Rock -  Devil Without a Cause  An unappreciated act and artist by music snobs.

1999: “Weird Al” Yancovic - Running with Scissors  For a year of my life I remember pretty vividly, the music of the current year wasn’t that a huge part of it.  “Weird Al” wins for writing “Albuquerque” forever reminding me how to spell the name of New Mexico’s capital city.

2000: Smashing Pumpkins - MACHINA/The Machines of God  A surprisingly good album that made me like the band a whole lot more than I thought I could have.

2001: Ozzy Osbourne - Down to Earth  My first semester in college and this is the best I have.  I’m disappointed, too.

2002: The Flaming Lips - Yoshimii Battles the Pink Robots  Yes, I know that Audioslave released their debut this year.

2003: The Darkness - Permission to Land  Campy awesomeness galore.

2004: Green Day - American Idiot  Trendy or not, it was a fantastic record.

2005: Audioslave - Out of Exile  A great piece of work.

2006: The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics  They’re definitely becoming one of my favorite active bands.

2007: Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain God help me, but I can’t find a better album than this one.  I think it’s the only new album I bought that year.

2008: Metallica - Death Magnetic The Bay Area Thrashers are back!

I’d write something here if I could create something in my mind that wasn’t about me wallowing in an entirely self-absorbed state of anger, boredom, confusion and sadness regarding the notion that I’ve let myself stay in a position/place that I detest.  Since I can’t, this is what you’ll have to get.

Bryan

Sean wrote a great post on how he keeps track of money and his overall logic on the subject. I don’t know why no one has responded until now. Lots of responses to his life after death, but nothing on money? I know there’s a whole lot to think about regarding the subject of religion, but the world (especially the US) has got big problems with irresponsible use of money. My post is a response to his because it would probably be a bit cumbersome in the response section of his blog, as I’ve been needing to articulate more on the subject since by brief post earlier this year.

First, let’s talk about using a budget versus the absence of one. I believe that some people can handle living without a budget. Maybe Sean is one of them. I currently live without a strong budget. I know what fixed expenses I have, and my other expenses to worry about are generally much the same as Sean’s. Gas and food. Let’s throw in entertainment and leisure in there too. These things vary a lot because one-time events can greatly increase expenditures. Hypothetically, I go to see Alice Cooper, and that costs an additional $40 for a month. What happens if Metallica are touring through my area in the same month and they’re not on the same billing as Alice? I spend $100 more that month based on whim and chance. This can add up quickly with anything from movies, mini-golf, but for me it usually comes at the take out window. I’m capable of spending a lot more than is reasonable on food. I contest to Sean (and the rest of the world) that if we created budgets, consulted them frequently, and stuck to them strictly, we could save more money than by judging spending in hindsight. I’ve made plenty of purchases that I realized were less prudent afterward. I still had to live with them because I didn’t have anything (a budget) telling me that the money would be better spend on my car loan than a new Kajagoogoo album.

Next, why put buying a house before paying off student loans before saving for retirement? I learned from Dave Ramsey’s methods and theories, and by his accounts this should be entirely reversed. Saving for retirement is difficult to do because it seems so far away, but anyone who does it sooner is going to be a whole hell of a lot better off than someone who started later in life. With company matches for 401k contributions, it’d be silly not to deposit something into an account like that. Gratuitous deposits and a higher interest rate than any savings account could ever offer. Saving is good, but saving for retirement is better than saving for a house. Saving for both is just wicked awesome.

Why sit on thousands in a bank account instead of using it to pay off student loans or any other kind of debt? I don’ have a bank account that earns more interest than i have to pay on any loan, even student loans. If I, or anyone else, used every available cent (savings accounts and bonds as well as the piggy bank) to pay off higher interest debt, we’d all be better off in the long run. Making extra or larger payments on debt also saves money in interest over the life of a loan. I keep a small backup fund (1000), and everything else goes to paying off the car loan. I’m not personally content with having the loan monkey on my back. Also, the sooner the loans are paid, the sooner all the funds that were going to the loan can be applied to more awesome things (like a house). I’ll push the backup fund to a higher amount when I move back to Phoenix, but for now, it’s as much as I need it to be.
My main thought on anything money related is to give it an Amortization Schedule Litmus Test.  If you’re thinking of using money on two different things, see which gives you the most bang for the buck that way.

I’ve got my mind on my money and my money on my mind.

Rollin’ down the Street smokin’ endo sippin’ on gin ‘n’ juice…

Bryan

April is yearly review time at Ferguson Enterprises.  What a lovely time to find out that you manager thinks you’re 1000% Pure Awesome, then tell him you effing hate living in California?

So that’s about how it went down.  I think it went extraordinarily well.  He told me that he thinks I’m doing a great job at whatever he’s thrown at me and that there were plans for me to fit into the machine that is the SoCal branch of Ferguson.  Promotions were certainly going to happen.  Alas, I wasn’t particularly into that.  (Well, promotions are always great, and I’m always into those given that they’re not in California.)

He asked me if I felt like I needed to go back to Arizona immediately.  Despite wanting to leave now and be there tomorrow, I told him I was capable of sticking it out for a while longer. (It will most likely be around the beginning of twenty-aught-eight when I get back.)  As volatile my emotions were regarding living where I’m at now, the agreement we reached was certainly palatable for both parties.  I don’t leave the branch missing a person they need while they look for trainee(s) to replace me, and they contact the Phoenix branch and look to get me some interviews after a few months.  Just knowing that it’s in the works is going to keep me sane.  And the boss offered to let me take an occasional mental health day if necessary.

Now that I have a better grasp on my situation, I don’t have to keep living the way I was for the past few months.  I was essentially limiting all spending to what was absolutely necessary to raise the amount of funds I have stored in case I decided that the best course of action was to jump ship completely.  In which case I’d need every cent I had to survive.  Now I can afford some days off to maybe catch a few ballgames and do some other things.

That’s the latest in my life.  I’m not as good as Darrell about keeping the things I write about subjects other than me.  I’m not to concerned with that, though.  My ability to write consistently pretty much sucks, and I’m fine with it.

Bryan

Anyone know anyone who’s hiring in the Phoenix area?  I’m getting dangerously close to making a move happen without the assistance of my current employer.

It’s been a month, and I haven’t written anything.  I really don’t have anything to write.  I’ve thought frequently about writing here and in Naked Came the Message Board.  I guess I’m just feeling generally uninspired.  I’ve had a one-track mind in the last months, but I still feel far away from my goals.  Despite some positive changes, I don’t like where I stand in many regards.  I know the things I want can and will come to me eventually, but trying to control my destiney hasn’t been very fruitful for me in the last few months.  Here’s to things getting more better.

Bryan.

I had a strange Friday.  It was a good Friday on the whole, but it was strange.

First, let me say that I’m elated to be back working in the Ventura branch of my company.  The money I’ll save on gas and wear and tear coupled with the additional time that’s been alloted me by not needing to drive 60+ miles everyday in traffic will certainly help my situation.  The different experience will help my career as well.  I am also quite fond of the folks in this branch and will not have to deal with a particular ASU alumnus/idiot.  I’ll miss some of the people I used to work with, but not as much as I hated her.

So, my day begins a little before seven when I arrive at the office.  I grab a desk, and run through some email.  A coworker tells me that I picked a good day to come to the branch because some jackass dumped a bunch of bricks on the 101 where I would normally be driving.  I decided to grab some folders that I hauled down from my trunk.  On the second trip to my car I see a few people standing around a car looking at it.  It isn’t until I’m on my way back in that I relize that they aren’t looking at the car.  They’re looking at who’s in it.

I notice the ‘driver’ has a plastic bag over his head.  I ask our warehouse manager the question: ‘Is he?’  His reply: ‘Oh, yeah.’

There you have it.  My first day back at the office closest to my apartment, and there’s a dead guy in the parking lot.  It turns out that he had a small helium tank running to the bag via a hose.  My only guess is that he was trying to get high and gassed himself.  The tank was found with the valve shut off and a good amount of the gas left in it.

There were plenty of uncouth jokes shared throughout the day.

Bryan

I’ve read few books that don’t begin with ‘Harry Potter and the…’ in the last two years, but a couple of those really spoke to me.  The first was Moneyball of which all baseball fans have surely heard.  The second and most recent was Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover.  I loved both of them and I think I may have put my finger on a critical reason as to why that’s the case.  They both shell out a good deal of logic with enough facts to back up their statements.  My belief in the word that Dave Ramsey spoke has led me to my current predicament regarding a particular vehicle payment and my desire to own a kickass tv.

The Total Money Makeover has a thoroughly rational and attainable plan to achieve a main goal of becoming completely debt free.  It’s simple.  Pay off the smallest debts as quickly as possible while making minimum payments on the larger debts.  Eventually, you can pay off the larger debts quickly when you have no smaller debts also holding you down.  Stop yawning.
I’ve really made a strong effort to curb unnecessary spending on things that I don’t need like takeout meals and CDs (and Asian prostitutes even though I love them so).  I’ve even go so far as to stop drinking soda.  Really.  It’s been three full weeks since I had one of those tasty bottles of joy.  Currently my total debt sits at approximately $12,000 (all on my auto loan).  With my tax refund coming shortly and March being a lovely month with three paychecks, I should have approximately $2000 at my finger tips.  If you followed my link, I’m certain you know why this conflict has arisen.

I’ve done the math, and the amount of interest I’m going to be spending on an additional 2k comes out to be around $250 - $300.  With this monetary value, it is also a question of economic TANSTAAFL principle combined with rational and irrational thought.  So this is where you come in.  Tell me what you would do in a given situation and why.  Maybe I’ll listen.

Bryan

This is the first of what I hope to be at least weekly posts. Maybe if I force myself to write more often it’ll become easier and more meaningful. Consider this brief post a menagerie of things that don’t deserve an entire post themselves. (Darrell calls this a ‘blogpodge’.)

Bears over Colts. Final score: 4-3

It was announced late last year that the final book in the Harry Potter series will be titled Deathly Hallows. Deathly Hallows now has an official release date of July 21, 2007. I’m stoked.

The request for a transfer was actually spoken about between myself and my trainer. The good news is that she was pretty receptive to the whole idea and let me know what the necessary steps were to take. The bad news is that transferring as a trainee is not within the realm of possibilities, so I’ve got some trainin’ to to do. I’m going to try to finish that within the next two months.  Also, the following statement is frighteningly true: Guns ‘n Roses’ Chinese Democracy will likely be released before I live in Arizona again. So I’ve set myself a new goal for a transfer deadline. The new date is my 24th birthday / Deathly Hallows. They’re rather close to each other, so why not?

That’s all for now.

Bryan

Yes, children.  My blog has come back to cyberlife.  There is more to write both here and elsewhere (a direct reference to a new chapter to Naked Came the Message Board).  I just felt it necessary to announce the resurrection of Guitarsalad.com and to thank all of those who kept dead links to this site on their own (meaning Travis and Darrell).  Without their faith, I would have had to ask for links again.

Bryan