Ben's Important Thoughts & Minor Ramblings

Anthem Guitars-- A new brand of guitars

2009-04-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

Howdy All,
The past year I have been working in the music industry. Lucky me!
I have been on a team that has developed a new line of guitars. Anthem Guitars.

The idea started a few years ago and we have been working on getting these things out on the market ever since.
I when I came on board the guitars were mostly designed body wise. I helped with hardware and wood types, and color choices. I did a lot with the pick ups getting them to sound just right. Now I work on new models and color options and making sure all the hardware on these are top notch. It helps that I am a huge nerd when it comes to guitar stuff.
Anyways I am really excited about these. They look good. They sound good. Plus I mess around with guitars most of my day.
Right now they are at music stores in 11 states, and I hope we can double that by the end of summer.
If you want more information about these guitars or where you can pick one up, check out AnthemGuitars. Here are a few shots of a couple of the guitars.

Just another case...

2009-02-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

Here is another example to prove my point regarding my last post. Please read this:

YORK (AP) - SportsBusiness Journal reports the NBA plans to borrow $175 million to distribute to teams in need of additional cash.

The deal comes at a time when leagues are laying off staffs and cutting ticket prices. It will allow the NBA to distribute up to $11.66 million to 15 teams that responded to a league survey gauging interest in the money, SportsBusiness Journal said.

The report says the league plans to borrow the money Thursday.

The report also says JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America arranged the private-placement deal, in which non-banking lenders extend the cash at a fixed rate. In this case, the interest rate is 8.27 percent for $100 million; 7.45 percent for the remaining $75 million.

Teams can use the money for any purpose.

I can not even began to understand the complete lack of integrity or see any semblance of intelligence in this situation. Borrowing money so the NBA does not have to lay people off??!!?!? Guess what happened to me when things started to go bad at my work... all of us got our hours cut.

Why can't the NBA understand anything. If you are not doing so hot CUT YOUR OVERPAID PLAYERS SALARIES!!! It is your own fault for letting things get out of hand. Get rid of people like Marbury who refused to play for his team any more and will still make millions this year.

Well I am through with Pro-Sports. Until they make some major changes, and people pull their heads out of their butts, I refuse to add to the problem. Until somethings change I will never watch or support another pro sport again!!

Druggies as Heroes

2009-02-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

I made light of drug abuse in my last post, but this time I am going to be much more serious about it.

It is very unfortunate to see Santonio Holmes as the MVP of the super bowl when you consider that he was charged with drug possession in the first couple of weeks of the season. His team deactivated him for a game or two (I am not sure) as a punishment. Jeez, could they be any harsher?

I read an article that talked about how he grew up in a tough neighbor hood and had to deal when he was a kid and how he has overcome so much to make it to the super bowl, but I guess the only thing he had to overcome last October was finding the number of his old dealer so he could make a score.

He is a shining example of everything that is wrong with professional sports. A bunch of over paid, sub-par intelligent individuals who think they are invisible. I know I should not generalize because there are some outstanding men who have been involved with major sports who have made a huge impact on the lives of others, and they didn't do it so it could be filmed and shown during a game to let everyone knows that they really do care. But those type of players are few and far between.

Holmes should have been booted from the league. Almost every other job in America requires employees to refrain from using drugs and if they do break policies of that nature, they will not have a job after such indiscretions. But Pro-sports have always been the exception and will continue to be so until people start to stand up and call them on it.

I had Holmes on my fantasy team at the start of the season and the minute I read that he had been busted I dropped his a$$. The NFL should have done the same thing. Every sporting organization and each club needs to take charge of their "employees" and hold them accountable for their actions.

Well... I just had to say something. I am sure the two people who read my blog won't even care, but I am doing what I said early needs to be done. The fans need to take a stand and stop putting up with this kind stupidity.

Addictions and What-not

2009-01-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

So... this can be a touchy subject. I will try to be as open and harmless as I possibly can. I battle some major addictions. Reading Sci-Fi. Listening to the Beatles. But my poor wife has been dabbling in some crazy stuff and I am not sure she can come back out of it the same person. Yes... she has an addiction and I am hoping that by sharing my insights with the public she can find some help. Her addiction... Viva Pinta 2!!! For the Xbox360.

I have tried to speak reason to her, but it is so hard when she is floating around in a Pinata induced haze. I mean she is all out crazy. She has become a master romancer for all the species of Pinatas and she knows how to do every variant of each species. I don't even know what that means!!! I have only heard her talk about it.

Ok. Ok. I will be honest with you. I have watched her use. Just a bit and boy does it ever look enticing, and once out of pure weakness I put away Halo 3 and, yes, I even played it. (Mom I am sorry if you have to learn I experimented on Pinata from this blog) I even scored 720 out of 1000 acheivement points on Viva Pinta 1. But I learned I could not handle it. All the colors and the exploding Pinatas and the little kids voices who laugh out of some unseen dimension when a Pinata dies. It was all too much. I flipped out. I mean look at this trippy crap.

What is even happening here. There is a Chicken in some snow, and some crazy fox is laughing at me.

Anyways...I think Ally needs to have an Intervention. So let's make some plans!!

But to be honest with you... I really need her to get over her addiction so I can get back to my addiction. Playing Gears of War 2.

Sweet Action!!!

Speaking of another addiction...here are some cute pictures of my baby girl.

Embracing the Inner Nerd

2008-09-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think I am a pretty cool dude. Sometimes I feel like I could have been like The Fonz, but that was before I learned how to embrace my inner nerd. Over the past few years I have peaked inside of myself to more of an extent then I ever had. I think that this is because I am now married to a super hot chick and I don't have to try and impress anyone, she is stuck with me. I think I finally came out of the "Nerd Closet" today as I made a trip to the comic book store (I am 28 now) and was super excited to buy the new Dark Tower and Stand comic books.

I was a PUMPED! Usually when I go to the comic book store I try to do it around 3 in the afternoon when every other normal person is at work, but today I went at 2!! After I had picked up my comics I took them to work with me and read them at my desk, in front of people.

That Closest was small and lonely and it feels good to be out, to be an open nerd, and to be proud of my lifestyle decision. Now I can do other things like read my Wheel of Time of Novels in public places, and make comments on Magic the Gathering discussion boards under a name other than KirdApesRule1466. Most people know that I play video games, but before when I made my trips to the local game store I would always have to ask when the new Madden game was coming out, and then sneak over and look at what RPG's were new that week. Now I don't care who sees me looking at the new Star Wars action figure monthly price guide. This is who I am. This is how I get through this crazy life and now I can do it while everyone knows I am a NERD!!