Look how tired I am from this long weekend!

Actually, this was a pic taken down at St. Clare Friary in Chicago. This is where I began my weekend ministry with the new candidates looking at joining the Capuchins. Every October, the Vocations Department plans an event to tour the different ministries in Detroit. Along with information and scenes, there's the opportunity to talk to friars, other candidates who are discerning, and of course current Postulants who can talk about their experience with the order. I was one of the first selected to help John and Jerry with their weekend this year.

The drive was extremely long. Traffic from Milwaukee to Chicago was horrible, the weather just sucked when driving the seven hours from CHI to DET, and there were 11 of us crammed into a fleet van. Since I have "more to love," it's quite obvious that I was rather uncomfortable.

The Director of the Capuchin Food Pantry explains how things work to the visiting candidates. Rich Reinhardt (in the middle with the tote bag)displays his suspicion with the now-patented "eyebrow look."

After some well-needed rest and a few beers to end the day, we got up early Saturday and began our tour of Detroit. We visited the various Soup Kitchens run by the Caps to give the candidates a sense of our presence in DET. One of the things many people are surprised by is not the existence of a "bad neighborhood," but how empty this metropolis actually is. Driving by abandoned lots, burned out houses, bombed-out factories, and abandoned homes with stuffed teddy bears nailed to the siding, the sadness in this city never ceases to amaze me.

They say haunted houses aren't real. I think this place is the exception to the rule, because it still creeps me out!

At the end of the day of visiting ministries, we took a drive up to Washington, MI...about 45 minutes north of Detroit. Here in Washington we have one of our three retreat houses. With 95 acres of property to roam and explore, a great spiritual direction staff, and a cool whippet who's always looking for attention, this place is always nice to visit. I told the candidates that before making a decision, I talked to the director about having a 3 day retreat to really clear my head and assess my next move in life. I ended up not taking that retreat, but I think I found the right answer, regardless.

After returning to CHI from Detroit, and then to MKE, I am glad to be back in my room, listening to my music, while typing on my laptop. But each time I travel to the different ministries of the Capuchins, I'm reminded of one very important thing: each friary is my home.

As a brother (well, still technically a Postulant) my home is wherever a friary exists. My stuff might be at one friary, my office may be at another, my mail might even go to a third; but in each of those places I am invited to participate in the community just like here. There are moments in my reflection where I realize how wonderful it is to live this religious life: knowing that no matter where I go, I have a place to go and family waiting to share a laugh.

I hate to disillusion anyone out there, but there is a bit of truth when it comes to religious life: not everyone gets along. I've seen nuns yell at nuns, priests go at each other like a boxing match, and brothers within community say some of the most hateful things to each other.

No wonder there's a reality show about living in religious life; sometimes my life is like Big Brother...just without the sex and no one gets kicked out if we don't win the challenge.

The reality here is that I live with 12 other personalities. While we are brought together under our common charism of living our lives as St. Francis did in imitation of Christ, sometimes we also find creative ways to piss each other off. It could be as stupid as whether or not pancake syrup should go in the cupboard or the fridge (like it even matters), or as big as finding each others hot buttons, and randomly pushing them to see what happens.

Sometimes I prefer hiding in my room, lost in my books and the occasional game of FIFA soccer on my computer. After experiencing much of my life on my own, there are some aspects of community life that just grate on my nerves. But rather than start an issue, I realize it is something I must deal with, and in those instances I choose to just blow off steam.

For others, it's harder to change their ways...and I am concerned for their future here. Living in community is a wonderful idea, especially when drawn to live the life of a Franciscan friar, but the reality is that you must do away with much of your old lifestyle. No more eating when you want, no more slacking off on your chores (or one main chore that you have for the house), there are differences of opinion, differences of politics, differences of theology...and all live with you. The joy is to find a way to make that work for you. The pain is finding out it doesn't work at all.

Most recently, I've seen some of my brothers get into it over simple kitchen things. Clashes of personality happen, and while some are quick to settle anything down, I rather prefer to let people have it out. Communication is the key in any relationship, and if the only way to communicate your needs is shouting at one another...well at least it's a start!

I may facilitate some kind of dialogue with the guys, some free area where we're allowed to voice our concerns, pet peeves, annoyances, and things that just make us furious.

Or maybe a cage match for us to go at it...I could always sell tickets and make extra money for the Order.

Lord, help me from throttling my fellow brothers!

This evening, I attended a talk by the House Vicar and one of my favorite friars here at St. Conrad's Friary. He spoke at a parish outside of Milwaukee about something I'd never heard before: "Masculine Spirituality."

While the name sounds somewhat exclusive and possibly even a little off-putting to some, Fr. Martin Pable O.F.M. Cap. actually discusses the sense of spirituality for men as a direct reaction to many of the spiritual needs of guys today. Marty is always aware of the concerns some have about the patriarchal view that some have of the Catholic Church, so when he invited me to his talk, I knew it would be masculine, not chauvinistic.

As a 33 year old guy who used to live and breathe in the society of competition and expectations, much of what Marty spoke about really hit home. He talked about the drive the we have (either by our own thinking or the sociological definitions) to acquire things to fill our void. We discussed the ever present fallacy that "hard work leads to success," when in fact many men who work hard find themselves climbing the ladder to success with only an empty reward. And last but not least, the level of stress the we build for ourselves, leading to far more self-destructive behavior such as health problems, higher capacity for addictions, relationship problems with family or spouse, and removing God from the center of our focus.

It was interesting to talk with the group of 30-35 other men who showed up to listen to Marty speak; the admiration and the undivided attention he received was proof enough that Marty knew what he was talking about. We broke off into groups and shared different aspects of our life and how we've tried to find ways to include faith as a bigger factor in our daily lives. Whether they were fathers, real estate brokers, mechanics, or retired, it was a wonderful experience to watch these men bond and share similar stories in life.

In a few weeks, I'll attend a week-long seminar regarding the male spirituality. For those interested, I'll be sure to save my notes and share what I've learned. In the meantime, I'd highly suggest buying Marty's book: The Quest for the Male Soul. It's only $10 new, and I think it gives a wonderful insight into the topic of male spirituality and perhaps may even move you to rethink your relationship with God, family, work, and hopefully yourself.

Let us no longer judge one another, but rather resolve never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. Romans 14:13

I finished the "plunge immersions" yesterday afternoon at 4, and I felt just horrible. It's something I'm still working on.

I've been talked to with regards to over-exerting myself, not making personal time, and simply doing too much. On the one hand, I'm proud to be known as the over-achiever. On the other, I have days like yesterday, where I was cranky, moody, listless, and simply drained from the intense week.

A few weeks ago, in a workshop on contemplative prayer, we talked about "refilling our cup." As Capuchins, we're called to give and give and give, but we have to find ways to nourish our spiritual life in order to have energy for the tasks we do. We learned different methods from mantras, Lexio Divina, the Jesuit Examen reflection, and some rather unorthodox methods as well.

Today I feel much better, having found a way to revive myself for the next week of work. I have a workshop this evening as well labeled, "An Evening for Men:" a reflection in masculine spirituality.

In the meantime, I will contemplate in a way that is therapeutic for me...cleaning my room.

Prayer for 29th Sunday in OT:
Almighty and ever-living God,
our source of power and inspiration,
give us strength and joy
in serving you as followers of Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

This week will be another that I'll remain busy. Sometimes I envy the guys who only have to go to their ministry a few hours a day during the week. Because of the nature of mine, I sometimes have engagements on the weekends, during holidays, and usually when the other guys have time off. Like tonight is our "basketball night," however I won't be able to go because I have my ministry. I'm learning about ministries and sacrifices.

A "plunge," or "Milwaukee Experience" as it's also known, is an opportunity for high school students, college students, or anyone to get a first-hand look at the life of the poor, hungry, and homeless of Milwaukee really live. Most event start off with a tour of St. Ben's Church along with a history lesson of the Capuchins and their work with African Americans and the homeless in MKE. Afterwards, they get into line with the other guests to not serve the meal, but to sit and eat along with the other guests.

The group gets to see other places of ministry such as some shelters, movies regarding social justice, and participate in a Service Project while they are here in MKE.

Tonight we have two groups: a group of guys from St. Lawrence Seminary and a group of girls from DSHA (Divine Savior, Holy Angels)...both high school. While the SLS guys will get rooms here at my friary, the girls will stay in some of the rooms above the church on their sleeping bags. It seems kind of wrong to have kids come and sleep on the floor, but this is an immersion experience...and I suppose if I wanted to be hardcore, they could sleep under the porch of the friary and really get a first-hand look!

For a deeper explanation on what the plunge is, you can check here on St. Ben's website.

Hopefully I don't mess anything up!

Daytime Responsory:
Clothe yourself with gentleness,
and be renewed in faith,
which is the flesh of the Lord,
and in love, which is the blood of Jesus Christ.
-Faith, indeed, is...

Like any other blogger, I worked at growing my list of readers and increasing my chances of a google hit. It's an elegant dance: on the one hand you want everyone to read your weblog; on the other you don't want to sell out your story just so you can be the next Tila Tequila. I always kept my story first.

While looking at my blog tracker, I noticed odd search queries that brought my blogs up on the front page of google. For lack of any better topic, (current postulancy and lifetime commitment notwithstanding), I decided to create a new meme.

The following is a list of 5 different search queries that will bring up my blog on the first page of a google search. Feel free to test them out for yourselves!

1. "Capuchin vocations" - An easy one, since most of my blogs as of late have dealt with my acceptance as a postulant. Nothing new here.

2. "St. Vito" - Top hit on google, which makes me think I should do more about my patron saint.

3. "All time greatest 80's rock songs" - I still find it wild that even after writing that blog over a year ago, it's still one of my biggest visited posts. Hair bands will never die!

4. "Tobwin Dodge" - An erroneous spelling of Towbin Dodge, the famous dealership in Las Vegas from the show "King of Cars." Sometimes I miss the sales business.

5. " [title here] song meaning" Many of the visits I've seen on my tracker are people looking for lyrics and meanings to many of the songs I found spiritually important to me. "Life By the Drop," "One Thing," "Ramblin' Rover," and many other titles, some of them I've almost forgotten, compose many of my viewings.

While I'm not interested in just numbers anymore, I do find the blogging phenomenon still interesting. My purpose behind this has since changed, but I find that when spreading a message, one should use any method available to get someone's attention...even if people are just surfing through to look at some Bloom County images I have on one of my earlier posts. Whatever gets the message across...

It's late and I have class tomorrow. I need to stop rambling and sleep.

Callixtus, martyr and pope, pray for us.

Among many of my different tasks as a postulant is to do plenty of reading. The life of Francis of Assisi alone is an omnibus broken into three different books to study. These next two weeks we are focusing on the Catechism.

It's been a while for many of us, but during this year we will make our way through the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). For some of the guys, the list of rules and doctrines is rather boring and hard to grasp. Fortunately for me, much of this book is rather fun to read for me.

The USCCC presents the CCC in a way that's much easier, practical, and smoother to read and digest. Not only does it give a concise explanation of the different doctrines, but gives history, examples, and even questions that one may have in regards to any given catechism.

A few other books that I read along with the required readings are the Holy Quran, several books on spirituality including The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser, the history of the Capuchin Franciscans, and the heavy Code of Canon Law.

Some people make fun of the fact that I'm eagerly reading about Canon Law. "Be careful reading that book," one of the friars told me. "They (the order) may want you to become a canon lawyer!" While much of canon law is related to marriage and annulments these days, I do see a ministry opportunity there as well. There are many people who are away from the Church because of marriages that didn't work out and were not able to get an annulment. While there are strict rules regarding these actions, there's a part of me that sees these people being marginalized from the Church. Sometimes I wonder if all those defections from the Catholic faith that I hear about stem from a person's inability to practice their faith because of a divorce.

I'm not a supporter of divorce or even having kids out of wedlock; hell I made it to age 33 without either of those events transpiring in my life. However as I live this life, I'm forced to look at things from a new perspective. I've stopped seeing just the "right and wrong," rather I try to look for ways to bring all people back to the faith.

These are big questions that require big discussions and a lot more reading. If there's only one absolute I can write this evening, it is that reading has got my mind going, and I'm excited to be learning once again.

Intercession: Christ our light, brighten your Church with your splendor, so that it may be for the nations the great sacrament of your love.

Back in the day when I sold cars, I worked at two speeds: stop and full bore. When I am into something, I jump in and give everything I can to it...the figurative "110%." Not long after becoming a Postulant here in Milwaukee, I realized that things haven't changed much.

I've received a lot of positive feedback about the Vocation Update that I wrote for the province (check here). Many of the responses I've gotten echo the same sentiment: "Man, you need to slow down a little bit!"

There are times that I wonder if I choose to work this way because it is truly my personality or maybe I'm trying to prove something to others. Do I work hard because I feel there is a genuine need, or am I hoping to impress people with my piety and devotion to the Order? Is my work a way to escape or perhaps cover-up something about myself that I don't like?

I sit with these questions at times, trying to offer them to God for some kind of resolution. I hear only the call to work for those who can't help themselves, to be a voice for those that cannot speak up...to be an example for others to continue the work I've started.

This week I have another full schedule: tomorrow I go to MSDF (Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility) for jail ministry, I have a full week at St. Ben's, Friday I have a Plunge Event that will carry over until Saturday morning, I need to ship a return package, submit my budget for the month, music practice tomorrow at 7:00 PM, and have Chapters 9 & 10 of the CCC read by Tuesday.

With so much to do, how can one not run at 110%?

Ant: You have left everything to follow me; you will have it all returned a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

Almost four months ago, I stopped writing my journal. Here I am again, putting my thoughts into text - mostly as a way for me to construct my thoughts, think prayerfully, and have something to reflect on later in my life. While I can't guarantee much for the reader, I can guarantee that these are my true feelings, expressions, works, and thoughts as I work through this year of my life.

For those of you unfamiliar with my story up to this point, I highly suggest (if at all interested) listening to the interview I did with Dick Gordon on NPR. While that life seems long ago, it's an important reason of why I am here, and the first opportunity I had to really be a witness for what I believe.

I will try to journal as often as possible, but as you will soon read my schedule is quite hectic. However I've learned that keeping a journal is an important part to discernment, to one's prayer life, even to the spiritual well-being of a Postulant. So I continue again, hoping not to let my God-given talent go to waste.

The following link is an article I wrote for Vocation Update, a newsletter about vocations in our province. While I wrote the article at 2AM, I think it gives an accurate account of what MY experience has been here in Milwaukee as a Capuchin Franciscan. CLICK HERE

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep.

My first round in the sales business was at the store everybody knows. I wore the blue shirt and khakis, I told people how I wasn't on commission, and while I was never paid extra I worked my butt off to sell those Extended Service Plans. Fun Fact: If you ever get into one of those high-pressure situations and the sales guy tells you he's not on commission, tell him: "Lucky for you then, huh?" and walk away without saying another thing.

One of the first things "Big Blue" taught me, as with any other large business, is how to actually sell something. The process is as old as the first caveman traded a spear for a woman, but the fundamentals never change:

Greeting: "Hi, welcome to G.T Autos. My name is Vito, and you are...?" Make a good first impression on the customer, make them feel welcome. Try to get them to smile, even laugh. Find common ground.

Gathering Information: Your customer is at your store for a specific reason. If they are looking for a computer, find out what kind? Desktop or notebook? Who's going to use it? What are you using it for? As you ask, you learn more about what the customer's needs are.

Recommend - Isolate: After listening to the needs and wants of your customer, show them the item that best fits their description. Should the customer object, reiterate their wants and needs and explain how this item is better than the others around.

Close: After showing the customer the item that best suits their needs, get a commitment to buy from the customer. Your product knowledge as well as your gathered information will help you overcome customer objections.

In any sport or competition, if you know what your opponent is doing, you'll have the edge. While we're not engaging in physical acts of strength and agility to buy a used car, there is a level of competition that can't be ignored. Because of our egos, we don't like to be tricked into buying something. We like to earn a deal, we don't like to be given one. We'd rather buy from someone we know, even if they're clueless about the product, then buy from an informed stranger.

Sales people know this, and these are tools that they use to "push" you in the direction they want you to go. The best can gently push you so far off your target, you end up buying something completely different than what you planned. There is a way to avoid this, and I'll get further in detail later. For now, let's agree that if it benefits the seller to know the buyer's actions, the same must be true in reverse.

Here's another example: Studies and market samples show that car buying habits are broken down into 4 major decisions. Depending on the buyer, those decisions can take as short as a day and as long as 8 months. Whether it be a widget, a service, or personal property, all purchases must go through this 4-step decision before a customer buys:

Exposure (Average time - Instantaneous): You see a commercial for the new BMW M5. You're buddy tells you about the new pair of Nike's he bought. You see your neighbor's new deck and think you might want one yourself. Something sparks your interest in a particular item. In most cases, a need for a new or second vehicle (gas prices, child leaving for college, growing family) is the initial exposure to buying a car.

Gather Information (Average time - 2 weeks to 6 months): You've accepted that you need a new vehicle, but which one should you get? Do you want to buy/lease a new vehicle, or just a used car? How much can you spend? Should I buy a domestic or an import? Since the decision to buy a vehicle involves so many choices and considerations, the gathering of information should take the longest part of the entire process.

Decision to Buy (Average time - 3 days to 2 weeks): After examining all the options, making a list of the pro's and con's, and maybe even settling on the specific make and model of vehicle you want, so begins the process of buying the car. You are still gathering information, but this process is more of a personal decision to spend the money and make the purchase. Will it cost more than you have? Where will you get the best bang for your buck? Do you truly need a car, or do you just want one?

Act of Buying/Delivery (Instantaneous - 30 minutes): This is the awkward climax that some of us love and others hate. This is the reason you bring friends along and why you feel nervous about the vehicle. This is why companies like CARFAX, Edmund's, and Consumer Reports make money hand over fist. This is why we tell friends we bought something and lie to make it sound like we got a better deal. This is the knowledge that you will buy this item, and you need only give them the funds to end the transaction.

The big question you probably want answered: "What do these things have to do with my car buying experience?"

These last four steps are key to any salesperson's approach. If you walk on the lot and I know you're still at step two, I tailor my approach to match. A guy walks onto the lot and tells me: "My buddy got a Honda last week, says it's great on gas. What can you tell me about that Civic over there?" Obviously he's just been exposed to the Honda brand; closing a deal on this guy would be considered offensive. My method of attack: become a walking Mexican of Knowledge, give him product knowledge, acclaims and benefits of the vehicle, show him the history of the car, and perhaps even let him test drive the vehicle. I may ask a few "closing questions," but I know that aggressive sales will backfire.

One day I met a woman who was looking at our Honda's in the pouring rain. As we stood outside in the storm, she told me how during the closing at another dealership, the owner changed the price at the last moment, hoping she'd be fed up and pay anyway. She left angry, depressed, and with $6500 in her hip pocket. She was on Step 4 already and suffered from the same problem many of us face: we don't want to do the whole thing again. Within an hour she left with a 1995 Honda Accord with good mileage and warranty for under $5500. By knowing which part of the sales process she was at, I adjusted accordingly.

In much the same way, you can use the sales process to your advantage.

Answer to the Greeting: If you're absolutely sure you don't want information, there's ways out. Keep in mind, if you want questions asked about a car later, you may be labeled as a "tire kicker" and have to come back another time:

• Start a fight with your boy/girl friend. Nothing's more awkward than trying to talk about cars with a couple who are obviously having a tiff. If you're with your significant other to browse for cars, plan to act mad at each other. If you don't drive off the sales guy, he'll definitely back off.
• If you have your iPaq or Blackberry stand at the front of the cars and walk with it in one hand and your stylus in the other. If you're approached, just wave, smile non-nonchalantly and tell them: "I'm just grabbing VIN numbers." If you've ever worked in the car business, you'll know why this trick works.
• Look like a salesman. Walk fast, talk fast, and have that "I want to sell you something" grin on your face. Dealerships are bombarded daily with people who are trying to sell them something. If they think you are a solicitor, or you're just stopping for your lunch hour, you'll be left alone.
  

Answer to Probing Questions: This part actually is beneficial to you. Information is what you are after, and if the person you're talking to is truly benefiting your shopping experience.

Why would I, a seasoned salesman make a quick and easy guide to buy a car for everyone else? I have less than 3 weeks left in the business, and it's time I took my knowledge on cars, sales, and negotiation and passed it on for the masses to use. My gift to you, dear reader, is the unedited, realistic, and unbiased guide to buying a used car.

Over the next few weeks, I will impart my knowledge onto this blog for the benefit of prospective car buyers. However, there are a few things to keep in mind with this buyer's guide:

1. This is not a way to scam dealerships. In my experience, there are customer's who think it's ok to take advantage of a car dealer simply because of a bad previous experience. Keying a car and asking for a discount doesn't make you a good negotiator - it makes you a scam artist.

2. Be Ready To Be Nice. There's a reason salespeople are super nice when you talk to them: they have a better chance of closing a sale AND getting the price they want if they make a friend. At every step of the process you should do the same, and for exactly the same reason.

3. Always be willing to walk away. No matter how sweet the deal, no matter how much you love the car, the person who wins is the person who's willing to walk away from the deal. This works both ways-as a seller and as a buyer.

4. Know what you're buying. If you're looking for a $2000 car, this is not the guide for you. If your credit is shot and you need someone to get you financed, this is not the guide for you. The first way people get off track is they forget what they are buying. Do you need a family vehicle? A gas saver? Something for your child to drive? Do you just need 4 wheels to get back and forth to work? Do you have the money and/or credit to buy a car, or do you have bruised credit. The biggest part of buying a car is being honest with yourself and knowing the difference between needs and what you wants. As a salesman, I'll use your wants to overcome any needs I can't address.

So stay tuned everyone. Perhaps I'll help you save some money or keep you from making the proverbial $6000 mistake.

It's been a while since I updated my blog. I like to use the "I've been busy!" excuse, but that's just another cop-out. I apologize to all my active readers.

Seriously though, I have been amazingly busy. With the continuous rise in gas prices, I've sold more Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas in the past month than ever before. Last week I got a check for over $2000...another reminder of what I am giving up. I try to get into the dealership in the morning to handle emails, update inventory, secure financing, and eventually handle all the other small details before I can even get ready to sell cars. Elvis' future brother-in-law will soon be working with me to take over my position; I'll have more things to worry about.

In my free time, I've been playing a lot of soccer as well as walking. I'm unsure about the walk to Milwaukee for several reasons now, but I haven't stopped working out. In the past 2 weeks I've lost 10 pounds simply by eating a little less and being more active. I've yet to give up my "Beef Jerky and Gatorade Breakfast," but I think being active is doing a lot to help shed the pounds.

I've continued to save my money, but I'm a spender at heart and I've tried to find constructive ways to spend my money. I continue to give to whatever causes I can find, but things like golf outings and support walks cramp my work schedule. Even now, 72 days away from entering the Postulancy, I worry about work before anything else. Either I'll be a workaholic Capuchin or I'll run wild with my newly found freedom.

The funny part is that I don't worry about work for the money...perhaps that's also the best part. By the first of July I should be done working full-time at the dealership. People ask why I work as hard as the owner to make sure everything is working properly. I know I wouldn't like to continue this line of work, but since I'm here, I feel a sense of responsibility to ensure that the dealership continues to grow and remain profitable. In the grand sense of things, my big paychecks mean that the business is growing; if I am making money than so is everyone else.

I've already saved more money than ever in my life. I've bought some pretty outlandish things along the way, but I've tried to keep my expenditures limited to things 1. I can take with me to Postulancy, 2. things I intend to share with the others in the Order, or 3. things that will help me grow. Let's take a look at what I've bought so far.

1. NikeiD shoes. Looking back, I probably should have skipped these and just bought a pair of Birkenstocks, but I thought it would be cool to get an extra pair of shoes for soccer (and there will be lots of soccer when I leave.) For those of you that don't know, NikeiD's are the shoes where you customize them over the internet. Not the most practical of purchases, but not the most expensive. Cost: $160 (included was a blue/maize soccer ball with Ronaldinho's signature on it.) Check them out here.


2. New Glasses. The old glasses I have constantly fall off my face, and my eyes feel like they're on fire each time I try to put in my contacts. I know that the Order will pay for any new eyeglasses, but I figured I might as well buy some myself and save the Order some money. I actually did pretty good on these; Lenscrafters tried to charge me over $500 for a set of glasses when Pearlevision was able to get me rolling for $375 with everything included. I think my frames, while a little retro, will fit on my face and last a little longer than the old ones.

2. Instruments. A while back I wrote about the thrill of finally getting a Les Paul. However the attaining of the item wasn't as much of an experience as I'd hoped. The Les Paul was a thing (a beautiful thing, be that as it may), but that didn't mean I wasn't interested in music. Last Friday I stopped into Guitar Center to see a beautiful Ibanez eCoustic (acoustic guitar with built-in pick-up, EQ, and outputs). It was used but was in excellent condition. I played it and fell in love. I walked out the door with it that day. $250

I don't know if I thought about what I'd do with both guitars or whether divine inspiration took a hold of me once again, but I realized that I needed to buy a bass guitar as well. It was as if I'd ordered fries and not gotten the ketchup. This Monday I called up Firehouse Guitars, asked them to get a bass guitar for me and I walked in to get it.

The bass is something I started playing a LONG time ago; I set it aside soon after I got my first electric Lyon guitar. But soon after I got the bass, I remembered what I had missed: that feeling of notes as well as rhythm. Instruments like the flute, the violin, and the trumpet require notes to be in tune and follow within the parameters of the chords. Percussion instruments require no notes, but only the proper time in which the sound is created. But the bass is the perfect fusion of both types of instruments...setting the backbone for the songs melody as well as establishing a rhythm for the song.

Instead of getting a regular bass guitar, I decided to go with a fretless bass. The sound is slightly different from a regular bass, sounding more like an upright bass. The sound is more warm for jazz, but I already knew that I'd use it mostly for Liturgical music.

Since I didn't have a bass guitar and I wanted something that was going to give me the option of 1. having nice amps for my guitars/bass, 2. something that would be reasonably priced, 3. something that wouldn't take up much room, and 4. something I could play my bass along to "I Will Survive" by Cake and other favorites. Along with the bass I bought Guitar Rig 3...a software program that allows everything I just listed as well as providing an abundance of sounds for almost any instrument I wish to plug in. Also included is the CUBASE software for software recording. It seems that things have changed so much from the days of sitting in a recording studio and spending a ridiculous amount of money. Total cost of bass, software, and other goodies: $600


I don't have much left to buy...my time is running out at the job and my work may be done after June. I have plenty of money in the bank so I'm not worried. It's just the realization that all this buying is the result of hard work at a job that has provided everything for me. Would my life be about buying more small things, or would I be looking at a house, a large investment portfolio, or maybe reinvesting my money into the dealership? Perhaps I'd repeat my life and decide it was time to find a woman to "complete my life." Or maybe without the constant chase of money, I will realize my true calling from God. Maybe this money I've spent is the building blocks on which my ministry will begin. Perhaps in Milwaukee I become part of the local parish musicians. Perhaps there sprouts an idea about using music to reach out to people, to encourage under-privileged kids to experience what it's like to learn an instrument instead of learning how to sell drugs. I'm just rambling, but maybe, just maybe, I'm not spending...rather I'm investing.

The mood was perfect so I added a new track to my playlist. "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin...a great song with an awesome guitar and bass line.