There are times when I seem to get a bit nostalgic.  I'll go listen to some of the first songs I wrote/recorded, and have a good laugh/memory over them.  Kinda like when you pull out an old cd, and you can remember when you bought it, what you were doing with your life, or maybe a particlar song on that cd that really stands out, and you can recall the very first time you heard the song, where you were, and what you were doing.

Over the past few days, I've kinda been there, doing that.  Especially yesterday when I saw Kurt Warner beat the Rams to make it into the playoffs for the first time since playing for the Rams. If you don't follow sports, there was a ton of irony in it all, and in fact, after the game Kurt said "My God's got a sense of humor" - if that's not an understatement. I really hope they can make it all the way this year, but who knows.

I know with the state of the economy right now, things can look bleak, and it's one of the reasons why I like sports and music. They can take you out of reality for a few minutes and give you some hope.

A few days ago I read a blog by someone who was asking "what is the definition of an artist?" and got this reply from a friend:

I suspect one is an artist because one can find no other way to articulate who one is inwardly. If one can find another way, one should, because the life of an artist sucks. (And is unspeakably full of wonder.) I'm pretty sure at a certain point in life (adolescence, probably) one has become an artist-type whether one likes it or not. You can no longer just work in a bank. You are cursed / blessed, because something happened to you back when - something you probably can't even put a finger on - and it was probably something sad, based on a deeply sensitive kid being disappointed. When you're a kid the stories they tell paint the world as it should be - not as it is - which hurts to discover. But then, somehow, mysteriously, you learn to believe.

So, what do these things have in common? Well, as I said with my nostalgia talk, I think music, movies and sports, etc, can bring a glimmer of hope to people. A slight escape from reality. I know some could argue this being bad, but don't go overboard on me here, everyone needs an escape from reality every once in awhile! One of my top 3 favorite movies is Comedian. I have no aspirations of ever becoming a comedian, but for anyone who has pursued something for years on end, or would just like to get a different perspective on someone who has/is, I highly recommend it. I simply enjoy some of the things Jerry Seinfeld (and his friends) say in it, not the jokes so much, but the insights on life, purusing your dreams, etc. Check it out if you haven't, you won't be disappointed.

So I'm curious, do you have any nostalgic moments when something particular happens? Maybe it's the gas prices being so low that it reminds you of taking a trip somewhere, I don't know. Share, I'd love to read. :)

Tom Wehrle on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace

A friend of mine wrote me the following email, and I wanted to pass it on...please read it and truly consider:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hello Everyone I know,

I am writing with the intent to raise awareness of all the options available tomorrow. Specifically, I am writing you to encourage you to research a few of the third party candidates available.

We are in the middle of the biggest financial crisis our country has faced within my lifetime. Any bailout plan is the biggest socialist move our country has ever made to my knowledge. We face endless wars in the middle east, Russia and Venezuela are doing joint military operations south of us, we have given up our freedom and privacy (for the sake of false security no less) without a fight, illegal immigrants are flooding our borders, and we have allowed the United States to be taken over by greedy corporations. The government is supposed to be a public servant to the PEOPLE. Money as always has corrupted that ideal. We are spending trillions of dollars fighting a war against terrorists when the people we elected (myself included) are tearing our country up financially from the inside are doing more damage that any external terrorist ever could.

Rather than bash the current administration and the two major party candidates, I'd like to focus on the strengths of the third party candidates. I don't agree with any of the third party candidates 100%, but in general I believe that any of them would be better for our country and for our people than the current major party options.

The four that are the biggest players out of the third parties available are: (no particular order)

Bob Barr for the Libertarian Party - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Barr

Chuck Baldwin for the Constitution Party - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Baldwin

Cynthia McKinney for the Green Party - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_McKinney

Ralph Nader as an Independent - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Nader

I'm not going to endorse or tell you which one I'm voting for in this email. If you'd like to know feel free to ask.

I feel the wikipedia articles are fairly to the point and are an attempt at an unbiased review of these candidates. Please take 2 minutes and read about each one if you aren't familiar with them. It might open your eyes.

You will hear people say that voting for anyone other than a Republican or Democrat is a wasted vote. This is a lie and the person who says it is a liar. The only wasted vote is voting for someone you don't like because you think you have no other choice. Regardless of these candidates chances to win, voting for them sends a message to the major parties that tells them there are voters they are losing because their views aren't in line with ideals that American's believe in.

Read about these people. If you read about them and don't agree with them so be it, at least you'll have a better idea of where you stand in regards to picking a candidate that works for you. However, if we continue our blind loyalty to the parties that got us into the mess we are in today, we can expect consistent situations to continue to occur. As one person there is little I can do to get our country back on track. But if I can convince enough people to join me we can change the course off of the path of self-destruction we are on.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> End of Fwd

I agree with everything in this, thus why I've decided to share it with you and encourage you to vote for someone you actually agree with, not the "lesser of two evils" as I've heard tons of people say.  Also, if this has moved you to think outside the box with your vote tomorrow, forward this on to as many people as you wish, or send them to this link: http://blog.myspace.com/tomwehrle - it will be the first thing they'll read, nothing about me.

Remember, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. And of course, don't forget to vote tomorrow! :)

Tom Wehrle

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Obama will NOT be the next President of the USA.

 

Hate me, love me...whatever, that's my prediction.

 

I'm probably wrong...haha.

Tom Wehrle on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace

Hey there everyone, how are you? Hope you're doing well, just wanted to check in and tell ya what's been on my mind.

 

So, over the past year, I haven't played out anywhere.  Haven't really tried to either, even though I've been asked.  I've been trying to think of what I've been missing, or not doing right with what I've done in the past.  I've even wondered if this is what I should be doing since I get very little finicial support from it.  I feel it's almost like a "damned if I do, damned if I don't" type situation.  Reason being is, I love music.  Over this past year, I've kinda tried to stay away from listening to music.  I know that may sound weird if I love it so much.  But I wanted to see if I really would miss it, or what.  Well, over the past month, I bought an iPod.  Placed all my music on it and started listening to stuff I haven't in a long time while I was on the road for the past 3 weeks (doing some odd jobs).  Needless to say, I really missed it.  I even took the time to listen to my own stuff, which I don't do often.  It's a different attachment because I remember all the details and things involved in making that song what you hear.  So, I remember silly sings like, when and how I recorded the vocal, or the guitar, piano, etc.  I have a crazy memory for remembering these sorts of things (and more bizzare things like what exits around the country are good places to stop for gas, haha).

 

Anyhow. This past week, I had the opportunity to see the power of music.  Sometimes I guess I've been selfish to think that I'm the only one that it can encourage and bring a little hope to. But this is not true in the slightest.

 

The bottom line is this.  I look at my life and see I'm past an age where I'd really make it in the music biz. I mean it normally takes a miracle for that to happen anyways, and this would be like...well beyond that to me at this point.  But I've never created music for fame, so I don't plan on changing that.  I would love to release these latest songs I've been working on. Withdraw from that for the past 3 weeks was tough, cause I keep humming them and thinking of new ideas...so, hopefully, with all that said.  I'm hoping for a May release next year. And it could have as many as 14 tracks on it or something silly, who knows, I hate cutting songs, and I'd still be cutting some to make it only 14.

 

As the bandit would say, "I have a long way to go, and a short time to get there." :)

 

TW

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