Tom Rush

First heard of Tom Rush back in 1970 at Loyola University in a short course on the Blues put on by the dorm manager of the dorm where I resided. One of the tunes he put us onto was Tom's Bukka White amalgam, The Panama Limited. Tom played using a telephone jack cover as a slide when he recorded that tune. Back then those covers were made out of metal. The video below is Tom performing The Panama Limited back in 2007 or uploaded then. He's using a glass slide these days but he still does the tune well.

Didn't realize it at the time but Tom Rush was one of the first singer-songwriters. He influenced a lot of folks that would follow in that vein. James Taylor is one. Tom's gotten back into the performing scene as of the past decade or so. The video below is a great tune, The Remember Song, written by Steven Walters. Enjoy!

More info can be found at Tom's website at http://tomrush.com.

Dan Beto's Driving Technique

I've been trying out Dan Beto's approach to driving a golf disc and it sure seems to provide the flat and lower flying disc that I'm looking for. I'm able to keep the nose of the disc down following his guideline. The video below is Dan describing and showing his technique.

Disc Golf Notes to Self

Extended my long weekend by taking today off and played Camden Park Course 1 today and was treated to three tips from another Disc Golf player.

1. Keep the thumb on the edge of the disc when throwing to throw straighter.

2. Keep the disc's nose down when driving to keep the disc's flight flatter.

3. Pull straight across the body. (Know that one but good to keep reminding myself.)

Below's a well done video produced by Evan Qualls and Lenny Young of Guardofzion YouTube Channel at the start of the 2012 Disc Golf Season in the Quads. Hope to see more of their disc golf vids!

One Thought

"Savor every moment." - Lewis Demetri (Corelis) 1953-2010.

Three words that come to mind often, as does Lewis, and thought I'd share them.

My Humble Tangles - Doodling Part 3

Below are some "Tangles" I've done over the past week.

It's a humble start.

Zentangle or Doodling Part Two

My previous post on Doodling brings me to discuss the following art form known as Zentangle. Upon seeing a Zentangle pack of Micron pens and a pencil in an art supply store, which I bought, I’ve been drawn back to this form of art which I practiced to some degree too many years ago.

Zentangle is an interesting phenomenon. In some ways it is doodling. In other ways it is art somewhat reminiscient of M.C. Escher in its optical illusional nature.

In true entrepreneurial fashion the creators of Zentangle, Rick and Maria, have copyrighted and/or trademarked the Zentangle idea, aligned themselves with Sakura of America providing materials Micron archival ink pens, Zentangle cards, books, and training to individuals wishing to be certified Zentangle instructors.

A distinct difference between Rick and Maria’s “tangles” exists. Rick’s “tangles” (see an example of Rick's below) consist of more straight lines and right angles as opposed to Maria’s (see an example of Maria's to the left) which are more fluid, rounded, etc. Perhaps that’s the difference between male and female? Perhaps it’s a visual, artistic representation of the Yin and Yang of life as expressed by this couple? Perhaps I'm making too much of this difference as sometimes I see a blend of the two.

Rick and Maria's blog and various YouTube videos that exist about this art form shows support and a community of practicioners. One thing that is certain is this art form is fun and engrossing! It is also being utilized in schools.

Try it yourself and see if you don't get hooked. A person doesn't need to buy the Micron pens and Zentangle cards to try the technique as pencils and paper will work just as easily. (The Micron pens come in a variety of sizes which are helpful for creating different line thicknesses. Zentangle cards are approximately 3 x 3 inches in size.) If it looks confusing or too complex, view the YouTube video on the Mooka, a tangle based upon Art Nouveau's Alphonse Mucha style below. This is just one of many videos on creating Zentangles that can be found on YouTube and artist blogs on the internet.

Doodling Part One

The article, I Draw Pictures All Day, from Smashing Magazine on doodling that includes not only a solid understanding of something I would bet all of us have done at some point in life...DOODLING! The article shows many valid arguments for the benefits of doodling. I plan on incorporating more doodling in my life as I’m convinced now that it is a way of connecting and visualizing important statements, ideas, solving problems, processing information, etc., and not a means of escaping, evading, or being disrespectful to a speaker. Not only has this article provided a solid case for the benefits of doodling but it also presents definitions of the word, “doodle,” over the past four centuries.

Below is a very entertaining and enlightening TED talk (http://www.ted.com/talks) by Sunni Brown titled, “Doodlers unite!” that is referenced in the article. It is well worth the 6 minutes or so to watch.