To all friends and family. It seems so many of us have many important things going on in our lives right now. I just wanted to leave this update that we have finished our move and are looking forward to a great summer. I've been informed of a lot of great news ahead of me and we even may get to go on a large family trip.
I learned a lot about my son's during our move too. They both love to help, and of course they boy love to play. Children will make a game out of anything. It puts things in perspective.
I had over a year to plan my move and frankly even with the lack of physical help, I found I had a lot of help along the way. I've also been able to really plan. When I moved, my phone service was down on my home and business for no more than four hours. The same goes for my Internet access.
I'm drained right now. Amazed I even had the will to type. Tomorrow is closing day, I also have to umpire a little league game. I really am tired.
In March of 2008 I had the honor of speaking with yet another of my heroes, Cy Curnin of the Fixx. We spoke at length and it was hardly like an interview and more of a conversation. We have both shared similar experiences in life from both being vocalist and writers to divorce. It made it easy for us to discuss everything. This is an interview (conversation) without boundaries. I've edited out much of our small talk and more personal discussion to keep the interview flowing.
I've found in meeting Cy once before and again in this phone conversation he is very much in touch with life and what makes life worth living. Cy is one of those heroes you don't mind meeting as he is not full of himself and communicates just what he thinks and feels. I believe you will enjoy getting to know Cy Curnin better through this conversation. Enjoy.
LARS:How you doing Cy?
Cy Curnin: Reporting from the field, Cy Curnin, ducking bullets on Melrose.Harley’s flying past every five seconds, but that’s the way it is, life today in the fast lane.
LARS:(chuckles) Where are you calling from?
CY CURNIN: I’m calling from LA, Melrose Avenue.My favorite hall for sitting outside Starbucks because they have free Wi-Fi and I get to watch some pretty ladies go by.Feeling like an old git.(laughs)
LARS:Do you remember the state of Delaware, ever playing there?
CY CURNIN: I do!Yeah, I do.One by the water, on a floating gig we did.
LARS:Do you remember an acoustic gig you did, in a small bar?
What is it that we all yearn for in our lives? The answer, control. We are all just one breath away from losing everything from our health and jobs to love. Things are so fragile and we long to control our destiny. Why else do we try and earn money? To ensure our future, to give us control over it.
For many of us we can't let go. And why should we?
We all have an agenda. We live our lives by our desires and needs. Morality plays some part for some of us while with others, there are no rules in getting from point A. to point B.
All of these lives are points in time crossing each other affecting the control of others over each others destiny. A car crash could mean a love one doesn't come home today. A heart attack could leave the breadwinner of a family out of work affecting everyone while opening a path for someone else.
In my life I admit I cannot control everything. You can't make a woman love you but you can put yourself in her path to find you. In that you force fate. While I work hard to support my children and work to live, I don't allow the lack of control in some areas to affect the happiness I seek.
We all look to the future with very little consideration. Some of us have well laid out plans. Some of us have an agenda that everyone around is are merely pawns. But in the end, the future has the last laugh.
There are many sayings in life. Some become hackneyed expressions, while others hold deep meaning. One I've learned years ago has become one that came back to me time and again to teach me a lot about life. That is the saying, your audience finds you.
I first heard it when I was the front for a local band. I was making the rounds with radio stations pushing for airplay. Who I heard it from, I can't remember. It wasn't something profound when I first heard it. It was just one of those... "Yeah you're right" times of acknowledgment. It could have been a disc jockey, but I think it was a fellow musician or perhaps a guitar tech. I can't say for sure. Who ever it was, it started with me explaining our bands sound. I was defining how I sing, I was explaining we had two guitarists that traded off lead guitar solos and how that gave us more than one flavor. Someone said to me to assure me that it didn't matter what we sounded like because... our audience would find us. We didn't have to go find our audience.
Over the years I recall that analysis and observation about how the music industry works. It applied to business. Many folks had these crazy ideas for usable web sites, from gaming forums to odds bettors, and even bonsai tree enthusiasts. I remembered to myself and assured people with their idea, "your audience will find you."
At one point I gave that advice to myself about love. I realized that I was a unique guy. I was tough and strong but genuinely sensitive, only I had to get to know you first. That made it hard for me to get the right woman to strike up immediate ... more»
The first song that hooked me on this band back in the 90's. Roll To Me.
Now, I've had plenty of video of the day picks based soully on musical merit, today however I'm happy to provide you one that has some visual fun to it. The video features all the band members being rolled around in baby carriages and strollers by adoring women. Bobble head type Del Amitri band members cracked me up the first time I saw it, and the visual holds up over time.
A short two minute song that is well worth a watch: Roll To Me - Del Amitri
Look around your world pretty baby Is it everything you hoped it (would) be? The wrong guy, the wrong situation The right time to roll to me
Look into your heart pretty baby, Is it aching with some nameless need. Is there something wrong and you cant put your finger on it Right then, roll to me
And I dont think I have ever seen a soul so in despair So if you want to talk the night through Guess who will be there?
So don't try to deny it pretty baby, You've been down so long you can hardly see When the engines stalled and it wont stop raining It's the right time to roll to me
Look around your world pretty baby Is it everything you hoped it (would) be? The wrong guy, the wrong situation The right time to roll to me
Since the advent of renting albums and videos back in the 70's and 80's the music and film industry has been aware every copy of anything purchased in those realms is a potential lost sale.
You may recall a video recorder called Go-Video that took 10 or 15 years to hit the market because the movie industry effectively stopped the sale of a dual video recorder unit. Go-Video had to take an offensive stance but struggled so long that we consumers never saw it on store shelves when we needed it.
Fair use, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and other terms all surround the topic of copyright infringment.
In the twist of separation you excelled at being free. ...We will never be uncommon again.
It's a typical love song about a guy that wants his girl back. Why, because he loves her. It is thinking like this that will get you killed. But for those of you foolish enough to put your hand back in the fire... this song is for you bros.
...Oh and I should mention my girlfriend Josie thinks this song sucks.
I guess now it's time for me to give up I feel it's time Got a picture of you beside me Got your lipstick mark still on your coffee cup Got a fist of pure emotion Got a head of shattered dreams Gotta leave it, gotta leave it all behind now
Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it I just want you back for good Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it You'll be right and understood
Unaware but underlined I figured out this story It wasn't good But in the corner of my mind I celebrated glory But that was not to be In the twist of separation you excelled at being free Can't you find a little room inside for me
Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it I just want you back for good Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it You'll be right and understood
And we'll be together, this time is forever We'll be fighting and forever we will be So complete in our love We will never be uncovered again
Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it I just want you back for good Whenever I'm wrong just tell me ... more»
We fathers and mothers want our children to to be all the good things in us and cast aside the bad things in us. Some of us parents want even more for our children. We want them not to have to learn the lessons we learned the hard way, instead we want them to learn from our experiences through our words.
We want our children to know us beyond the grave and pass on what we embraced to be true in our lives in the hope that it could be true in their lives too. Every now and again something from my ongoing memoirs seems more important than giving it to only my sons.
Life is not a movie. The nobility and pride in the movies we experience are hardly ever, if ever experienced in real life. Real life is much tougher and the price for nobility comes at much higher toll in contrast to what is projected in a two hour time frame. Words are so easy, action comes at consequence.
No one ever wants to admit mistakes. Certainly not the big ones. I must confess, I've made some big ones. In some ways I feel like fate was setting me up for the ultimate big mistake. And from my biggest mistake, there was no movie moment to put it all in perspective. There was just one big miss to clean up and it certainly wasn't resolved in two hours of film.
Today I’d like to pay homage to good pizza. There is a lot of history behind pizza which I won’t bore you with but there is a type of pizza that is somewhat a dying breed. It is the brick oven or coal oven pizza, not to be confused with wood oven pizza. The lore of New Yorkers tells of a great pizza made in a small corner pizza shop in downtown Manhattan named Lombardi’s.
Lombardi’s is a nice story too. Located in Little Italy at 32nd and Spring Streets. I first visited it back in 2005 when my son and I dropped in on the recommendation of my ex-wife. She had eaten their prior and who knows how she came about the place. But in the end, she told me how great it was and I wanted to know if she was right. I mean, I had to know if a Ukrainian woman really knew pizza! LOL Turns out she did. What she didn’t know to tell me was that I was going to what is rumored to be the oldest Pizza parlor in New York, and more specifically that I would be dining on “coal oven” pizza.
Although Gennaro Lombardi wasn’t the actual maker (pizziolas) of the pizza at first (an employee at his grocery was selling it and it became popular) he did open Lombardi’s Pizza in 1905. His employee later opened his own pizzeria on Coney Island. Thus Anthoney Tontonno stepped out from under the shadow of Gennaro Lombardi to open his own Totonno’s. While the Totonno’s location is still the original location opened in 1924, the Lombardi’s of today is not at its original location (not that either matters). The original Lombardi’s was a block off of 32nd and Spring Street. Totonno’s now has multiple ... more»
When I was in the later days of my teens and rode my way in to my early twenties I wasn't just some young stud that thought he was impervious to bullets or death. The fact is I was wiser than my years. But I think most teens are. They just have too much energy to harness.
I wanted to sing in a band and one day I achieved it. But as I prepared for stage I lived life. I paid my dues. I fell in love, I lost love, I learned how people use you and abuse you in business. I learned what the real world was about.
And from this I wrote countless songs. I zeroed in on music or musicians that shared my vision. One comes to mind tonight. And I thought of them after recalling how my last teen romance ended with a young girl named Noel. This band called the Rainmakers had a song called: Small Circles.
There were two devastating stanzas of lyrics I held onto for years....
Then she grew up and I grew up And she got tough and I got tough So much for love, so much for love As we move in small circles
Now we make money and we're all right And we drive cars and wield our might We make love to people that we don't even like As we move in small circles
So read those words friends. I suspect anyone reading this is not some twenty-something. You are a grown adult that has seen what life is about. You must admit those words have some punch. And think of it... some young gun wrote them. A young musician with wisdom beyond his years wrote them as he felt them. He had to have encountered them. ... more»
We all have our vices. Mine is chocolate and sometimes doughnuts, oh... and sex. I also really love sex. But that is another topic. Today I want to talk about my lust for doughnuts. I suppose if these are my worst traits, I'll take them, but of all of them, the one I've been trying to beat is my lust for doughnuts, specifically chocolate iced.
I've been at it for the better part of a year now. My goal? To not desire them.
Today I believe was the day I crossed that threshold. As I dropped the kids at school and pre-school as I do everyday, I drove past the doughnut shop. Over the past year it was as simple as if I have the lust, I'll hit the drive through and buy two, or maybe just one. Eating a deep fried ring of dough is not exactly what the doctor ordered. I'll make this stop sometimes while running an errand right after drinking a glass of pomegranate juice or even eating a salad. Knowing this, I've been working on the problem of driving by the doughnut shop for the past year. Slowly I've worked by way down from two doughnuts to one. At a point I was able to drive by the shop eight out of ten times. In the past month I've been able to drive by it entirely.
Today however was much different. I drove by and didn't even have the desire. I believe I've conquered my lust for dough nuts. And frankly, you should know... ever since I was a boy if a girl and I were getting carried away kissing or more and she said stop, I could stop. I was always proud of myself in knowing I could turn off my sexual drive. Having this salient ... more»
The other day I'm speaking to an attorney (not my own) and we are talking about life and he offers this philosophical metaphor: We are bringing about that which we believe is happening to us.
I reply, "The self fulfilling prophecy" with confidence.
"No." He answers.
Now before I offer any more answers, I realize it's time to think of the context of his words.
I've been thinking on it for days. I don't mean as it consumes me but when I'm driving or laying in bed waiting for slumber to take me, with my eyes closed and thoughts are all I'm left with I think about what could it mean?
I'm posting this because I while going through things today I found some old old diary items and this song was one I hand wrote on the back of a diary entry dated 1989. I got to thinking....
OK... this song most likely may freak most of you out. But this is a song I LEARNED to like when I sang in a band. It was one of the best times in my life. I was dating an Olympic ice-skater, I owned a jeep we used to tear about over the countryside and a whole lot more. I came about this song by way of exploring who the band the Fixx was mixing company with. Rupert Hine did their production work and had a hand in their music. This is from an older album of Rupert Hines. The musician and romantic in me always latches on to great lyrics. And the lyrics to this song really had impact when I read them. So when I heard this song it really really took some effort to appreciate. The words drew me in. It's one of those songs where if you are fresh out of a broken romance you think they wrote the song for you. Great words, extremely ardent but wasted on a disjointed tune with labored singing. But once you get over that, the melody does work, just don't play it around your friends.
I want to start with the lyrics, I'd rather you appreciate this song lyrically first.
You noticed that I closed my eyes again And smiled in all the silence I have grown in me for you But then what accident of stars Brought you so late into my arms Where even now another sleeps Here in my heart I know that you and I are one I wonder if some joker laughs as he ... more»
I have some advice for people today. Do not wait for revenge.
This is a deep thought. Think hard now. How do you avoid revenge at its most early point? Do not put yourself in a position that could lead to your downfall.
It's best I explain by example. You need to start a business and the nature of it requires a partner. That partner should be someone you trust. You need to make a solid decision early on or you could run into trouble. If you make a bad choice and they have an agenda that hurts you. You may feel so burned that you want justice. If you don't get it, you could resort to revenge.
The essence of what is inside a person in today's world can be impossible to know. Some people play a part of a caring person while their actions go against everything they say. You should follow your instincts but many of us do not. Have you seen the film There Will Be Blood? The protagonist in this story Daniel Plainview never stepped out of "character" as the demon inside him never cared for anyone but himself. He kept his cards of who he really was impossibly close to his chest. A person like this is one where you must merely follow your instincts. Despite him never revealing to anyone his weaknesses or what he cared for (actually he let on to the false half-brother) everyone around him should have read his actions and not his words.
That is my advice to you today. Do not wait for revenge. Always be beyond it.
How is this possible? Here is what I know.
What people do is far more important than what they say. Look at me. Many days here I say a lot but few if ... more»
OK, I can't embed this one, so you'll have to follow the link but it is WELL worth it! It's a really fun video!
And I have a little story to tell surrounding this song. The song parallels a point I want to make. This song has a sad message wrapped in an upbeat tune. You get sour and sweet wrapped together.
This is a really fun upbeat song that my son's listen to HEAVY in rotation at the Hindsley home. :) They just showed it to me recently and we play it a lot. It's time to share it with you. :)
So here is my little story... Now, I should tell you all... I've recently heard that I write or post about a past ex when it comes to my Videos of the day etc... No offense folks, but that could NOT be further from the truth. To hear that comes as a surprise. Mostly because I'm very happy, I'm in a happy relationship and my life is full and rich in love. The concept of such offends me actually.
For instance I posted a Panic! At The Disco video the other day and I didn't read the lyrics, I just posted it as I was in a hurry working other things at my desk. While someone may feel I had a message there. There was not. It's just a great song. I have two Panic! At the Disco CD's and I figured I'd post a video by them to show I liked the band. I did a youtube search and posted one I randomly found. Actually I liked the video.
I've had many relationships in my life that make me a romantic man when it comes to the diametrical sides of love, happiness and tragedy. If you've ever seen ... more»
If you know me, I have this thing about ruling the world. You see, in life if you have the right partner in crime, you can rule the world. I mean... if you care about someone and they care about you and you put each other first, together you both become something more than you could ever be by yourselves. You are a team, it's you and the one you love against the world.
Just think of it. You and that person you love, sailing through life together. You can rule the world.
Reading the lyrics below without listening this song is meaningless. The lyrics below mean nothing to anyone except to those that understand what love is and how it makes you a better person.
You light the skies, up above me A star, so bright, you blind me, yeah Don’t close your eyes Don’t fade away, don’t fade away-
Oh
Yeah you and me we can ride on a star If you stay with me girl We can rule the world- Yeah you and me we can light up the sky If you stay by my side We can rule the world-
If walls break down, I will comfort you If angels cry, oh I’ll be there for you You've saved my soul Don’t leave me now, don’t leave me now
Oh
Yeah you and me we can ride on a star If you stay with me girl We can rule the world Yeah you and me, we can light up the sky If you stay by my side We can rule the world-
Oooooh All the stars are coming out tonight They're lighting up the sky tonight For you, for you All the stars are coming out tonight They’re lighting up the sky tonight For you, for you-... more»
Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Off Her Clothes
Is it still me that makes you sweat? Am I who you think about in bed? When the lights are dim and your hands are shaking as you're sliding off your dress? Then think of what you did And how I hope to God he was worth it. When the lights are dim and your heart is racing as your fingers touch his skin. I've got more wit, a better kiss, a hotter touch, a better ---- Than any boy you'll ever meet, sweetie you had me Girl I was it, look past the sweat, a better love deserving of Exchanging body heat in the passenger seat? No, no, no, you know it will always just be me
Let's get these teen hearts beating. Faster, faster So testosterone boys and harlequin girls, Will you dance to this beat, and hold a lover close? So testosterone boys and harlequin girls, Will you dance to this beat, and hold a lover close
So I guess we're back to us, oh cameraman, swing the focus In case I lost my train of thought, where was it that we last left off? (Let's pick up, pick up)
Oh now I do recall, we were just getting to the part Where the shock sets in, and the stomach acid finds a new way to make you get sick. I hope you didn't expect that you'd get all of the attention. Now let's not get selfish Did you really think I�d let you kill this chorus?
Let's get these teen hearts beating. Faster, faster So testosterone boys and harlequin girls, Will you dance to this beat, and hold a lover close? So testosterone boys and harlequin girls, Will ... more»
The Plural of Lars is Lars.
"I've know two Lars in my lifetime."
The possessive is Lars's. Yes. it is in fact an apostrophe followed by an "s".
"Those are Lars's children."
And now you know.
more»
I mean, don't we all know someone that is just simply so flatly narcissistic that they only care about themselves to a point that they call anyone that knows them as a narcissist, a narcissist.
A person like this can't be reasoned with. They may even have them-self convinced they are a victim... OK... that's taking it too far. They are just evil and they know it and they know how to play any part that suits them. Just read the article above. :)
I eat smart. And while I do have a sweet tooth I make up for it by exercising anytime I eat foods high in calories. I do make sure to never overdue it and I have some rules for myself. The opinions in my article are my opinions and while I use facts to stand on, I'm not insisting I know all about the subject or that I am an authority. I'm just a guy taking care of himself with less than 2 percent body fat.
YOU must be acutely aware of the size ongoing. If it takes reinvesting in smaller dinner plates, do it. Here is one straight from my home, we have a creed, "We are Hindsley's not heathens." We don't eat out of the bag or box. This serves two purposes in my home. It indoctrinates a level of class with my children and it starts them on portion control. How many times have you eaten your way through a whole bag of chips or some other snack? What woman doesn't eat straight out of the ice-cream bucket? Oh!
Do not let someone serve you large portions, your human nature will overdrive your common sense. You will eat more. As an aside, eating slower will also give you a feeling of fullness faster. No one will listen to me on this, but in my day I've learned it to be true.
To all concerned about my family. I'm awaiting important knews today and anticipate and hope for good news. Your hopes and prayers are appreciated today. more»
There is not one woman whom has ever been with me that could say we come in under 13 minutes. I don't know who does and I suppose I don't want to know. :)
It may be no surprise now. The house is sold. But don't feel sorry for us. The setting may change but me and the boys are still together.
For the same reasons I don't post what my favorite TV shows are, I won't speak of what will happen next in my life.
It seems no matter were some people go they create curiosity about their past and somehow those curiosity seekers wind up finding me. Should you people looking for answers need to contact me, do so. My e-mail is not hard to find.
Here are answers to various people's questions asked of me in private e-mails which I've been too busy to get back to personally, sorry:
Are your articles being ghost written lately? No.
Why don't you post photos of you or your children anymore? Because they say too much about my personal life. While I never posted half of my most telling photos, what I did post said too much. Live and learn. I need my privacy now and to protect others in my life.
What's the status of your child custody case? It's still on for later this summer. But there is a lot going on now that is far too serious to discuss here or at all. For my children's sake, I'm not going to discuss it. My family still needs and appreciates your prayers.
Are you divorced yet? LOL, Yes. Since March 2007. But I'm not single. I have someone really special in my life right now.
If you put on new king pins and tie rods do you need to do a complete wheel alignment? Yes. Yes you do.
Why do you root for the Phillies, they are a blue collar team! Is that a question or insult? I root ... more»
OK, I have to laugh. Here it is the second game of the 2008 baseball season for the Philadelphia Phillies. They lose their first game from a big time blown save. The game was won, but they gave up enough runs in the ninth to lose it.
You wait two days for game two of the series.
Your ACE pitcher gives up one run and you lose 1-0.
Here is the part where I laugh. I load the home page of the http://www.philadelphiaphillies.com/ and I see the headline: Phillies unable to back Hamel's masterful outing and as usual, just like last year, what do the Phillies do?
You guessed it. They put up a highlight from the game prior of Rollin's hitting a homerun "J Roll hits a two run shot and the Phil's take the lead again!"
Now what is wrong with this picture? You wince a bit, you dip your head and think, "These knuckleheads will never understand true Phillies fans. We don't need to see this crap. Tell it like it is..."
The Phil's lost again but we will not give up hope.
That is all you really have to do. Don't sell us this Philly is awesome video next the a heartbreaking loss. It's just flat out insulting to those of of fans that have a brain God gave us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lars Hindsley is a self-employed single full time father, a writer, a non conservative Republican, a reformed idealist (a compromisationalist), ex-musician, God fearing cynic that could more easily be described in two words as a "Rugged Intellectual".
Lars writings range from "how to" articles to commentaries and advice. You'll find movie reviews and video picks of the day side by side with serious writings.
Lars offers perspective from an Anglo-Christian moral position while never lording over anyone unlike himself. Lars is of the opinion that if you are going to complain, you should offer a solution. His perspective on the world is that many of us fight societal evolution to frustrating ends without a genuine understanding of what it is we are all up against.
Reading his articles should provide you with positive energy towards living out your day. You may not be able to change the world but you can navigate it to live a rich and rewarding life. Enjoy Lars’ works, there are years of writings to choose from.
