Live in the Moment!

November 30th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

It is sad to see how many people in our world are caught up in landslides of anxiety and depression. Everytime you turn around you see a new commercial for a pill that claims to alleviate the symptoms of one or the other. I have always felt that the solution is much simpler.

If you really think about it, “Depression” is just focusing on the past…

It is that simple, If I sat around and thought about all the mistakes I have made in my life and the opportunities I have missed and the bad gigs I have had. I could become depressed in an instant!

Now let’s take a look at anxiety;

If you really think about it “Anxiety” is just worrying about the future…

It is that simple, If I kept worrying about a gig I have next Saturday and I keep thinking that I am going to have a bad night with my voice because I am a little hoarse. I would become extremely “anxious” and be miserable.

To some extent a little sadness (depression) is normal, as is a little (worry) is normal. They can be motivators. For example; a little worry might help you get your taxes done on time.

I strive every day to live in the moment and be in the “present” that’s why it’s called the “present” it is a gift and to stay there is to be “alive” It is where the word “believe” comes from. It literally means to be alive. Here is a great story that reinforces the “Power of Now”

There was this monk who was walking in the woods. All of a sudden behind him in the corner of his eye he feels the presence of something ominous. He looks back and sees this gigantic bear that’s starts running towards him. In a panicked frenzy the monk starts running for his life! The bear keeps chasing and gaining ground on him. He can literally feel the heat of the bears breath and slobber on the back of his neck as he comes to the edge of a cliff…

He doesn’t even have time to think about it, he just jumps for his life!

As he is falling he looks down and sees a river full of crocodiles awaiting his arrival. Snapping their jaws! He grabs a branch that extends from the side of the mountain with one hand and hangs on for his life. He is able to stabilize and grab with his other hand another branch and he looks up.

There is the bear growling and licking his lips. He looks down and there are the hungry crocodiles.

Then in front of his face he sees a strawberry plant with a luscious ripe red strawberry right in front of him. He plucks it and pops it into his mouth and the moment is perfect!

You see the message in this parable is beautiful. Live in the moment!

They say “a picture is worth a thousand words” I agree.

Check out this guy:

He sure looks like he is living in the moment macking that strawberry!

I have always been super curious about life. Not long ago I was at a BBQ in East Texas with some very dear friends. One of the friends of the family I was visiting has been in the funeral home business for several generations. Standing around drinking beer and talking I started asking this gentleman question after question about the funeral home business and what it’s like.

So many people are afraid of death and we sanitize it so much in our society and hide it from everyone that I think that is a bit sad. I held my cat Battleaxe’s paw as she passed away and my vet left me alone with her body for awhile so I could just let go and find some inner peace at that moment.

I asked so many questions that this guy finally said to me; “Eric if you ever want to go with me to the morgue as I prep a body for burial you are more than welcome” I thought to myself “I want to experience this part of life up close and personal and I am going to take him up on his offer”

Subsequently a few weeks later I was visiting again and he got a call to pick up a couple of bodies of deceased people. I was there and he asked me if I wanted to go. I did.

Out of respect for the bereaved (I don’t know why but I love that word) and I have always wanted to type it. So there it is.

Anyway out of respect I won’t mention any names but I can tell you the entire process was one of the most serene and interesting experiences I had ever had in my life. I watched as my friend washed the body, prepped the carotid artery drained the blood from the body and completed the entire embalming process. You would think that something like this would gross me out but it didn’t. It awoke in me the fragility of life and how precious our friends and loved ones are. I was extremely in the moment during the entire process and I still remember the person’s name and everything.

I will as long as I live. It had that much of an impression on me.

The family brings the clothes that the person requested for burial and often they will bring a photo. This is so a makeup artist that works for the funeral home can do their best to make the person look like they did for the viewing process.

I am glad I had the curiousity and the courage to experience that and I have to be honest I always wanted to see what happens to us when we die. I am not content living my life “on the surface” and not living. In my opinion, If you are not afraid to die than you can live!

Check out this poem “Present Tense” this was written by a 14 year old kid named Jason Lehman.

I love this and have it laminated on my wall, here it goes:

Present Tense

It was spring, but it was summer I wanted,
The warm days, and the great outdoors.
It was summer, but it was fall I wanted,
The colorful leaves, and the cool, dry air.
It was fall, but it was winter I wanted,
The beautiful snow, and the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter, but it was spring I wanted,
The warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted,
The freedom and respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted,
To be mature, and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted,
The youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle-age I wanted,
The presence of mind without limitations.
My life was over, and I never got what I wanted.

Isn’t that awesome!

All the best and remember;

If you are not going to love yourself, who is going to do it for you?

Much Love,

Eric

People first, Money second.

November 24th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

In the dramatic downturn that our present economy is experiencing I have noticed that people start freaking out about money. When money is in “first position” it increases stress and it is IMHO one of the major determining factors in a “depression” and or “recession”

The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the quality of your relationships. There are myriad examples of people that are wealthy beyond imagination that are not happy, miserable, depressed and even suicidal. Several very famous people in all walks of life have taken their own lives because they did not have a “strong psychology” to carry them through the rough and dark times in their lives.

Everyone has heard the age old adage “Do what you love and the money will follow”

I wonder how many of us truly believe it though? And when I say “believe” it, I mean live it!
To truly walk your talk and “be alive” and follow your bliss. Listen to your hearts desire and do just that. All the while staying the course with massive perseverance. With a degree of commitment that any obstacle is merely viewed as a simple stepping stone towards your goal that must be removed.

I can tell you from experience not many. Once again we are back at about 4% of the general population.

I ask just about everyone I meet at some point this question; “If you could do anything you wanted in life and there was absolutely 0% chance of failure” and I mean that 0% chance of failure!

What would you do?

I have found it is best to ask this question before you know someone very well. The less they know you often the more honest they will be in their answer. I am not sure why this is but I have found it to be true.

I asked this question to an extremely driven girl I had dated that put herself through school by dancing at an upscale strip club all the while attending college and getting a 3.96 GPA in psychology. We were just starting to like each other a whole lot and we were still in the “honeymoon phase” She was a rare find in her field as she was young, had no children and avoided any drug or significant alcohol use. She save over $100,000 dollars in a safety deposit box all by herself. She is an amazing story of determination. She was always worried about money though and had a lot of anxiety about her future.

She used to ask me all the time about how to get this job and that job. I helped her get out of the stripping and find other kinds of work that was less draining on her soul. She hands down and admittedly confided to me that the colossal impetus in her stripping was the money. She couldn’t make the kind of money she was making in most professional careers, even doctor or lawyer.

It was cute she used to come stay at my home during the week and she was like a purring kitten. She would read and cook for me. Sometimes we would cook together and she would walk by my refrigerator and take out the “Ben and Jerry’s” eat a few scoops and then check her e-mail and go back to studying. She would widdle away all day at that “Ben and Jerry’s” It was so funny because she weighed about 90 lbs. She was always laughing and pulling little pranks on me and would call me nick names.

Then the weekend would arrive, “primetime” for girls who work in the “strip club” business. Friday morning she would get up and her entire demeanor changed. It was like I had a chameleon in my house.

She would become so “matter of fact” and a switch flipped in her personality. It was also cute, because I knew who she was and this was an act to protect her heart and her soul from the “War Zone”(the club)

I used to call it her “bitch shield” In that environment you need it though. When you are taking people’s money first and strip clubs do it well. Patron’s have a sense of entitlement and expect things. It is the reality of the bizz. Ask anyone that has dated strippers, If they like to go to work. They hate their job, they do it for the money.

I know “porn stars” that like their jobs more than strippers. At least they like sex and are getting paid for something they like to do.

So anyway let me get to my point. When I first me this girl we at the Galleria in Dallas shopping. We were walking down the corridor along the shops holding hands and I asked her the question…

“If you could do anything you wanted and there was no chance of failure, what would you do”

She looked at me and smiled and said “really”

I said yes, “really”

She said, “I would be a mother and have a baby and raise my child as best as I could”.

I was floored, you see I could tell this was an extremely honest answer from the way I felt when she shared this with me. As time went on and I got to know her better she retracted and denied this desire.
As her doubts and fears about life surfaced and she “let down her guard” she became focused on going to school and getting her Phd in Psychology. In get this; studying “Close Romantic Relationships”?

Reminds me of the wise words of Joseph Campbell once again;

“Would you rather go to Heaven, or a lecture about Heaven”?

People are funny and that brings me to the topic of today’s subject “People first, Money Second”

Me and my assistant Rina just got through booking and promoting 3 dates in Texas for my friend Allan Holdsworth. Allan doesn’t play in Texas that often and promoting his shows presents a challenge.
Allan’s fans aren’t mainstream folks. He is a musician’s musician and most of his fan’s are audio connoisseurs who do not subscribe to the traditional media outlets that the herd listen’s to, i.e., “the radio”, local rags like the Dallas Observer. I could call the knuckleheads at The Denton Record Chronicle about the show and they would say “who’s that”. So you get my drift. This is why I liked the challenge.

I love Allan and his music and I admire his dedication to doing what he wants to do, when he wants to do and how he wants to do it. So we went with utilizing what we know best reaching out to the people.

Allan is having a “renaissance” in his career as of late. He has influenced so many people and he also was recently featured on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine again last April. So we had that on our side. Luckily through my years of playing shows myself I have acquired an e-mail list of friends and fans that trust me and that also have great taste in music as well. This is priceless went it comes to creating a buzz on the street and utilizing “word of mouth”

In all my endeavors especially business I aspire to put “people first” and “money second” I made it a point to book the shows at my friends clubs. People that I know and that trust me as much as I do them. People like Dan Mojica at The Silver Leaf, and my friend Pete Gordon at The Continental Club in Houston. Pete introduced me to Steve Wertheimer at The Continental Club in Austin who is a great guy that truly cares about local musicians. Instead of “eating out” at fast food or hotels. I arranged for dear friends that I have that are chefs to cook for Allan, Chad and Jimmy. People like Kei Nagano and my friend Shari Beasley and her sister Cindy and there Mom 79 years young “Antoinette Sacco.

The result; all three shows were sold out and the fans were awesome and waited 2 hours after the show to meet the guys in the band and they sold out of all of their merchandise. Jimmy Johnson, Allan’s bassist who is a great guy and Allan’s favorite bassist to play with even commented on how great the money was on this “mini-tour”. I agree with him as it wasn’t about the money. It was about Allan and his dedication to his art. It was about the fans that appreciate his dedication to his art. It was about the venue owners that take care of the many details that go into having a venue that supports “original” live music. Here are some great photos from the behind the scenes happenings at the shows.

Here we are at Chef Sheri’s home prior to the show in Houston!

Sheri, her Mom and Me!

Chad, Sheri, Mom and Jimmy.

Having Supper. It was hilarious! Mrs Sacco kept calling Chad “the boy” and Jimmy “the hippy” She would say “make sure the boy and the hippy get enough to eat!” She then told them to “go play purdy now”

Allan and the ‘Italian girls” Sheri and Cindy!

All of us after the show. Sheri and Cindy helped Allan sell his merchandise while he signed autographs.

Allan and a couple of “Texas Birds” after the show. You see even pretty girls come to Guitar concerts if you promote them properly.

Have an Incredible Thanksgiving and stay tuned for Playboy part II and a great story about an “up and coming” band “Osage” and their debut CD that me and Eric Delegard produced.

Much Love,

Eric

Eric goes to The Playboy Mansion part 1

November 17th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

You have probably heard me say before that I believe the quality of your life is in the quality of your relationships. In the last several years this belief has been reinforced so deeply in me that it is no longer something I even question. It just is in my core and something that is embedded in my consciousness.

When I was a kid I used to go down the street to my friend Richard Garza’s house. He and his brother’s always had the best music collection and they also had cable and MTV. Richard’s father was this suave Spanish guy with some of the most amazing records in his collection. It was here that I first heard Agustin Castellon Campos known affectionately in the guitar community as “Sabicas” and I also heard the astounding guitar duo “Los Indios Tabajaras” from Brazil.

I still have both on a cassette that Richard made for me and I keep the cassettes in my safe I love them so much. You would never find these on CD. I am going to have my assistant Rina transfer them. Richard’s dad also had a subscription to Playboy magazine. Man did we think that was cool.
We would go over after school and listen to music, play guitars and look at his dad’s magazines before he got home from work. Playboy magazine is an interesting caveat in the Sexual Revolution because women admire the magazine as much as men do. All of my past girlfriends used to check out the magazine as much as I did when we were growing up.

I think the only exceptions are “feminist” and as far as feminist go, well god bless them, but I haven’t met a lot of attractive and happy ones. Gloria Steinem a famous feminist is known for saying “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle” And then she married a rich guy?

I remember one time I was hanging out playing pool with my friends. I was about 20 years of age and I saw this knockout walk into the room. Her legs were unbelievable, I went right up to her and told her exactly what I thought word for word. She was in a bad mood because some guy had stood her up. I got her laughing and said you know “God has a sense of humor” He wanted you and me to meet let’s hang out. So I told my friends I was leaving and I was taking this girl with me. This all happened within 5 minutes so my friend Greg says to me “Eric, what in the hell did you say to her” I said to him, I told her exactly what I felt right there in the moment. That’s it.

Anyway here I am we go back to the house I was renting in college and we go inside. The first thing she did as she walked into my house was grab the single Playboy Magazine I had on my bookshelf and start looking at the pictures. I am not the type of guy to hide the magazine because I feel that nudity is natural and beautiful, however it was “counter intuitive” to my psychology at the time that she would be that drawn to it. I will never forget that day as long as I live.

Me and my friend Allan where talking a lot about the power of visualization during the last week he was here. We both have “visualized” guitars that showed up in our lives unexpectedly. Me a Les Paul and Allan an SG. When I was a teenager I worshiped Joe Perry, Leslie West, Al DiMeola and Randy Rhoads whom all played Gibson “Les Pauls”. I wanted one so bad, I used to lay on my bed and dream about it constantly. I even drew a picture of me playing one. One day my guitar teacher from Texas Tom’s Music in Houston offered to sell a Gibson “Black Beauty” Les Paul to my mom for $175, an incredible deal. He needed the money and wanted me to have it. I still have it 25 years later. Coincidence? I think not. It’s like that concept in the “Universal Law of Attraction” Be careful what you wish for you might get it.

So back to our story, I used to hang out at Richard’s house and look at those magazines. At the girls and the cars and the gadgets. I remember saying one day “I am going to go there and see it.”
Over the years I grew out of keeping up with the magazine but I have always enjoyed keeping up with Hugh Hefner and I especially enjoyed the documentary “Once Upon a Time” I always “visualized” going to the Mansion and it was great to see in the documentary; so did Hef. He just focused on realizing his dream until it became reality.

He was in a boring, lifeless marriage and he said to himself ‘This can’t be all there is” and he created a cartoon strip to escape and this cartoon strip evolved eventually into what is now known today as Playboy Magazine.

I strongly believe in self improvement and seeking to be the best I can be. Whenever my band would play gigs in cities in the US, I would often stay an extra day in town so that I could attend a seminar or conference on something. I attend a lot of speeches as well. I have done a “mind mapping” conference in Austin. NLP conference in San Diego, Tony Robbins, Music Strategies with Tim Sweeney. You name it I have probably checked it out. In 2005 when I became single I attended a seminar after a gig in Chicago that was based on social dynamics and dating that was very well done. It was a small group of professional men that attended this because it was expensive. At the seminar one of the speakers stood out from the rest in my opinion. He spoke at the last day and I think a lot of people were just losing their focus and getting tired but the opposite happened to me. My ears perked up and I could tell as I often can that I must get to know this guy.

After I got home from the conference I was on a roll. After a 7 year relationship I found my new freedom exhilarating and I had confidence that was through the roof. I found myself in situations I thought were not even possible and frankly I just kept pushing the envelope to see what was possible. You would not believe what is possible if you just go for it. More on that later.

Because I am in the music business I am in Los Angeles alot. I have a lot of dear friends there and I consider it kind of a home away from home. I like the energy of the nightlife there and I love the fashion and the food. Some of the best Japanese food on the planet. Try “Sushi Nozawa” in Studio City.

So I looked this speaker up and I found that he lived in LA. I arranged a “one on one” with him where I paid him for his time and I basically sat down and interviewed the guy on a variety of topics I was interested in regarding female psychology, social dynamics, multiple relationships, monogamy, why people do what they do, etc, and it was fascinating. Afterwards we would go out in Beverly Hills and just have a blast getting to know people and taking over an entire club sometimes in the process. As a musician I am used to being somewhat of a performer so this opened my eyes to more of an intense spectrum. Especially since I was in Los Angeles which is one of the most “socially dynamic” cities in the world. I learned a lot in a very short amount of time.

I ended up becoming friends with Nick and we stayed in touch. He loves music and picked up the guitar recently and is studying voice. He is also a very savvy businessman which is something we have in common and something that I respect and look for in developing friendships with people.
So he offers me the opportunity to attend a party at The Playboy Mansion with him earlier this year and I went. I had always daydreamed of checking that place out and I can definitely say it was on my checklist right up there with visiting Rome and Prague and a few other places to see what it’s like. So let me walk you through it:

You can’t drive up to the place as “Beverly Glen Dr.” is a private drive. So the way they do it is they have you on a VIP list and you meet at a underground parking garage called Century Park East.
Once you show them your drivers license and they determine you are on the list and that you are who you say you are; They put a wristband on you and stamp the inside of your wrist with a little Playboy bunny. From there you are ushered on to a shuttle bus that takes you to the mansion.

Here is a photo of me standing at the front door:

Once you walk around the back you basically walk into Fantasy Land and the whole thing is just a bit surreal. The grounds are impeccable and everything is manicured and just spotless. The party I was there for was a musicians “celebrity auction” for Breast Cancer awareness. (Cute eh?)

They throw the food out there and everything is done first class. There is an open bar and everyone is very open and eager to talk with you and meet. It is funny, I found girls there in 3 categories:

1. The Playboy girls-very nice and outgoing, you can tell they are paid to be there and they do their job well. They are generally wearing body paint and they have incredible bodies with really bad boob jobs. (I am not a fan of boob jobs or plastic surgery for that matter)

2. The “wanna be in Playboy” girls- they have generally been invited to the Mansion by some wealthy guy or they sent their photo in and got an invitation. They always say that they are in Playboy and will mention some month. As it turns out they were on the website as the “cyber girl” of the month and there is a small thumbnail photo of them on the website that was up for a week. It’s OK the whole thing is kind of cute. I was just as caught up in the fantasy and the aura of the place as anyone else that wasn’t a regular. These girls are all wearing lingerie.

3. The “has been in Hollywood too long” girls. Unfortunately these “birds” should have left the nest a long time ago. They have “trout mouth” (too many collagen injections) and fit the mode of what many call a “cougar” The plastic surgery is a mess and these boob jobs are just plain “horrifying”.
They also have the most “balls” of the 3 groups and well, I’ll just be blunt: they walk around naked!
You just kind of walk past them and go “damn girl” and just keep moving. It’s a very funny scene.

With all that being said here are some photos with a few brief captions and I will get to the part 2 in a few days. The story behind the scenes and the amazing perspective of a professional photographer I met that has worked for Playboy for 30 years. I love older guys that have been around the planet for several years. You can learn so much by just listening to their stories.

Here is me and my friend Nick at the pre-party:

This is the “infamous” grotto:

This is me inside the “infamous” grotto

Another shot inside

This is the control panel inside the Grotto where they communicate with the Mansion. Isn’t it retro? It is so 70’s I love it! It looks like something straight out of a Bond movie. It still works and everything! I contemplated hitting the intercom and ordering a martini “shaken not stirred”

This is me and Keith (Hef’s brother) and a couple of “bunnies” they are wearing only body paint and it takes all day for the artist to prepare them.

So stay tuned for part 2 where I will tell what happened and all the extremely interesting things I learned while I was there. I met some interesting people as well and a lot of what is happening there is not what you would think.

Follow your dreams and live your life with passion!

Much Love,

Eric

Never Assume, Always Verify.

October 22nd, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

I have been getting so many calls, e-mail and letters espousing every kind of propaganda imaginable about the upcoming election it has been at the least annoying to even open them.

“Obama is a terrorist”

“Palin says Obama pals around with ‘terrorist’ ”

“What is John McCain’s problem with women”

“What did Ron Paul do with all the money he raised on the internet?”

The media is a sad sack of “sound bite” laden talking heads that play their little role just like Don Henley sings about in his brilliant song “Dirty Laundry”

I am not joking about these “talking heads” they are a mess. I was engaged years ago to a reporter who used to get “excited” when there was a plane crash!

She got off on it and man! that is some sad stuff. But it is reality and the way the herd “rolls” these days! Kick em’ when there up, kick em’ when there down!

So I got to thinking today about about a “prime example” on mass “cultural media hypnosis” that must be finally addressed and dealt with with “RADICAL HONESTY”

Here is “once again” proof that 96% of our culture believes everything they read and are basically “stimulus response junkies” and sheep and cows being lead to the trough on a daily basis. My sister hates when I say 96% percent of the culture are zombies and cows.

I have to tell you though the more I look into this the more I find this to be true.

Try this…

Honestly do this experiment…

Ask 10 people you know today whether they think O.J. Simpson is guilty of murdering Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. Write down the results and look at the percentage…

I gurantee you will get in the 80-90 percentile of the populus saying “he did it”. Even if you ask African Americans. I know this case is “old news” and this was 14 years ago but there is a invaluable priceless lesson to be learned here.

Alright! Are you ready for this?

This is going to be a “trip” so crack open a bottle of wine or heat up some green tea and get ready to get your “read on”

Like everyone else I was caught up in the O.J. “Trial of the Century” and after the initial media frenzy and Bronco Chase, I believed he did it. I thought it was a slam dunk!

When he was acquitted, I was shocked and parlayed into it all being about “race” and whatever other “hype” the media fed the salivating “herd” at the time.

Well I have to tell you, God has a sense of humor. I love NPR and I listen to NPR when me and my band are on the road in the van or rental cars. I am listening to this NPR one day and they are interviewing this private investigator “Bill Dear” from Dallas. Bill has at this time carefully studied the case and is laying out his theory that O.J. Simpson is not the murderer but was at the crime scene afterwards and knows who did it. I was making a deposit at Bank of America at this time and I have to say this;

I had to pull over the interview was so damn intriguing!

Bill wrote a book, a damn fine book called “O.J. is Guilty-But Not Of Murder”

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=william+c.+dear

I love to read and I ended up buying the book and I got “goose bumps” when I read it.

Bill did his homework and he lays out a case by case well researched scenario that once you read it leads to an unequivocal case of “reasonable doubt”

Let me introduce you to Bill…

He became like a second father to me when he brilliantly handled a case for me where I was falsely accused of something “ludicrous” buy someone I did not even know. He exposed the bullshit of the situation in a timely immediate matter and did so with integrity, honesty, trust and respect.

Have a look at this. You might find it interesting;

As you can see Bill breaks this down and this is startling new evidence. And you see once again why you can’t believe what you read and are told by the talking heads in the media.

Here are some interesting facts surrounding the case that Bill uncovered step by step;

Jason Lamar Simpson
I think they are still nailing him accusing him of murdering his wife, but because of double jeopardy they twisted this case by stealing his stuff making him go after it….He is not getting a fair trial on this… I do not believe he killed his wife….but his son Jason did it.
Jason Simpson
1. HE WAS CONSIDERED A “PROBLEM CHILD” AT AN EARLY AGE.
2. HE OVERDOSED ON DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AT AGE 14, AND HAD TO BE RUSHED TO A HOSPITAL.
3. HIS MOTHER MARGUERITE COULD NOT CONTROL HIM, AND HE HAD TO MOVE IN WITH O.J. AND NICOLE AT AN EARLY AGE.
4. AS A TEENAGER HE FLEW INTO A FIT OF RAGE AND ATTACKED A STATUE OF HIS FATHER WITH A BASEBALL BAT.
5. HE STOLE HIS FATHER’S CAR AND WAS TURNED IN BY NICOLE.
6. RONALD SHIPP DESCRIBED JASON SIMPSON AS HAVING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS, ALONG WITH ABUSING DRUGS AND ALCOHOL.
7. JASON WAS TREATED AT THE UCLA NEURO-PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE FOR A MENTAL CONDITION, LATER BEING DIAGNOSED AS “INTERMITTENT RAGE DISORDER” ACCOMPANIED BY SEIZURES. HE WAS PRESCRIBED DEPAKOTE, A DRUG FREQUENTLY PRESCRIBED TO INDIVIDUALS SUFFERRING FROM RAGE.
8. ACCORDING TO SHIPP, JASON AND NICOLE WOULD GO OUT DANCING AND PARTYING TOGETHER.
9. JASON WAS ARRESTED FOR DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND HAVING DRUGS AND ALCOHOL IN THE CAR WITH HIM AT THE TIME OF THE ARREST.
10. JASON ATTEMPTED SUICIDE BY STABBING HIMSELF WITH A PAIR OF SCISSORS.
11. JASON, IN A FIT OF RAGE, ASSAULTED HIS GIRLFRIEND JACKIE WHEREIN HE NEARLY BREAKS HER BACK BY THROWING HER INTO AN EMPTY BATHTUB.
12. JASON ATTACKED HIS GIRLFRIEND JACKIE WITH A CHEF’S KNIFE AND CUTS OFF HER HAIR.
13. JASON ATTEMPTED SUICIDE BY CUTTING HIS WRISTS WITH A SHARD OF BROKEN GLASS.
14. JASON ATTEMPTED SUICIDE A SECOND TIME. THIS TIME BY OVERDOSING ON DEPAKOTE. HE WAS COMMITTED TO THE PSYCHIATRIC WARD AT SAINT JOHN’S HOSPITAL.
15. JASON HAD REPEATEDLY BEEN WARNED NOT TO USE DRUGS AND ALCOHOL WHILE TAKING THE MEDICATION, BECAUSE IT COULD FURTHER COMPLICATE HIS EXISTING NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION, BUT CONTINUED TO DO SO.
16. JASON WAS ARRESTED AT THE TIME OF A ROUTINE TRAFFIC VIOLATION AND WAS PUT UNDER THE CARE OF A PSYCHIATRIST.
17. JASON WAS ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING HIS FORMER EMPLOYER, PAUL GOLDBERG, WITH A KITCHEN KNIFE. AT THE TIME OF THE MURDERS, JASON WAS STILL ON PROBATION FOR THIS EARLIER OFFENSE ON PAUL GOLDBERG.
18. JUST PRIOR TO THE MURDERS, JASON FELT HE WAS “GOING TO RAGE”, AND CHECKED INTO CEDARS SINAI HOSPITAL. PREVIOUSLY, WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TO RAGE, HE CLAIMED TO HALLUCINATE BY HEARING VOICES OF PEOPLE WHO WEREN’T THERE.
19. TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO THE MURDERS JASON, IN A BLIND RAGE, ASSAULTED HIS GIRLFRIEND, JENNIFER GREEN, AT HIS BIRTHDAY PARTY. LATER THAT NIGHT, ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE, TRIED TO STRANGLE HER.
20. TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO THE MURDERS JASON WAS KNOWN TO HAVE STOPPED TAKING HIS DEPAKOTE BECAUSE, AS HE WAS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID, “IT’S FUCKING WITH MY HEAD”.
21. ON THE NIGHT BEFORE THE MURDERS, NICOLE HAD ARRANGED TO EAT AT JACKSON’S RESTAURANT [ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDERS], WHERE JASON WAS THE CHEF, BUT SHE FAILED TO SHOW UP [ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDERS].
22. ACCORDING TO JENNIFER GREEN AND A WAITER FROM JACKSON’S, JASON LEFT THE RESTAURANT WHERE HE WORKED AROUND 9:45 P.M., APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES TO AN HOUR PRIOR TO THE MURDERS.
23. JENNIFER GREEN CLAIMED THAT JASON WAS WITH HER UNTIL AFTER 11:00 P.M. ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDERS, BUT JASON’S CIVIL DEPOSITION INDICATED HE DID NOT SPEND THE EVENING WITH JENNIFER GREEN AS SHE INDICATED, BUT WENT DIRECTLY HOME AFTER HE DROPPED JENNIFER OFF AT HER APARTMENT.
24. JASON HAD NO ALIBI AFTER 10:00 P.M., ONCE HE LEFT JACKSON’S RESTAURANT AND DROPPED OFF HIS GIRLFRIEND JENNIFER GREEN, OTHER THAN HIS CLAIM THAT HE WAS ALONE AT HIS APARTMENT WATCHING TELEVISION UNTIL AFTER 3:00 A.M.
25. SUPPOSEDLY JASON HAD AN AIR-TIGHT ALIBI, ACCORDING TO THE POLICE, THAT HE WAS COOKING IN FRONT OF 200 PEOPLE AT JACKSON’S RESTAURANT. ON THAT PARTICULAR NIGHT THERE WERE LESS THAN 40 PATRONS AT THE RESTAURANT THE ENTIRE NIGHT. JASON LEFT BEFORE IT CLOSED.
26. EXPERT’S ESTABLISHED THAT THE PROBABLE MURDER WEAPON WAS A CHEF’S KNIFE.
27. JASON HAD HIS OWN CHEF’S KNIVES AND KEPT THEM WITH HIM.
28. JASON HAD IN HIS POSSESSION A SET OF CHEF’S KNIVES WHEN HE LEFT JACKSON’S RESTAURANT AT APPROXIMATELY 9:45 P.M. ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDERS.
29. JASON WAS ALLEGEDLY UPSET THAT NICOLE AND HER PARTY DID NOT COME TO JACKSON’S AS ARRANGED ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 12, 1994.
30. JASON’S BLOOD CHEMISTRY IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE SIMILAR GENETIC CHARACTERISTICS AS O.J.’S.
31. O.J. AND JASON HAVE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME SIZE FEET. JASON ALSO HAD ACCESS TO O.J.’S CLOTHES CLOSET AND IS KNOWN TO HAVE TAKEN ITEMS OF CLOTHING FROM HIS DAD AT WILL.
32. JAMES G. CRON, CRIME SCENE EXPERT, HAS STUDIED THE INVESTIGATIVE MATERIAL AND DETERMINED THAT JASON SIMPSON SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED A MAJOR SUSPECT IN THE MURDERS OF NICOLE SIMPSON AND RON GOLDMAN.
33. ENGLAND CRIME SCENE EXPERTS TERRY MERSTON AND HIS PARTNER, PETER HARPUR, STATED O.J. IS NOT THE KILLER OF NICOLE SIMPSON AND RON GOLDMAN BUT IN ALL PROBABILITY WAS AT THE CRIME SCENE AFTER THE MURDERS. THEY BOTH FELT THAT JASON SIMPSON SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED A MAJOR SUSPECT.
34. DR. HARVEY DAVISSON, DR. WILLIAM FLYNN, DR. WILLIAM TEDFORD, AND DR. CHARLES KELLER REVIEWED JASON’S RECORDS AND FELT, BASED ON MY [DET. WILLIAM DEAR] INVESTIGATIVE MATERIAL, THAT JASON SIMPSON IS PSYCHOLOGICALLY DISTURBED AND IN NEED OF HELP.
35. A PROMINENT PHYSICIAN IN MASSACHUSETTS DESCRIBED JASON LAMAR SIMPSON AS “A WALKING TIME BOMB”.
37. ROBERT SHAPIRO, O.J.’S ATTORNEY, HAS INDICATED THAT JASON WAS HIS FIRST SUSPECT EXCEPT FOR HIS AIR-TIGHT ALIBI ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 12, 1994.
38. JASON WAS NEVER INTERVIEWED BY ANY OF THE LOS ANGELES POLICE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES NOR THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE. NOR WAS HE ASKED TO FURNISH AN ALIBI FOR THE EVENING OF SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 1994 IN CONNECTION WITH THE MURDERS OF NICOLE SIMPSON AND RON GOLDMAN. NOR, ACCORDING TO SOURCES, WERE JASON’S FINGERPRINTS EXAMINED IN COMPARISON TO THE UNIDENTIFIED FINGERPRINTS FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENE.
39. JASON’S PSYCHIATRIST STATED THAT IF JASON WAS GUILTY HE COULD NEVER BE CONVICTED BECAUSE OF HIS MENTAL CONDITION.
40. JASON’S PSYCHIATRIST SHREDDED ALL OF JASON’S MEDICAL RECORDS AFTER THE MURDERS.
41. ON THE VERY DAY AFTER THE MURDERS, JUNE 13, 1994, O.J. HIRED A WELL-KNOWN CRIMINAL ATTORNEY TO REPRESENT JASON. THIS WAS PRIOR TO O.J.’S ARREST FOR THE MURDERS.
42. JASON BREAKS THROUGH THE POLICE LINE TO REACH HIS FATHER AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE SLOW-SPEED CAR CHASE.
43. JASON WOULDN’T GIVE JACKIE, HIS GIRLFRIEND, ANY STRAIGHT ANSWERS ABOUT THE MURDERS.
44. MARCIA CLARK AND THE LOS ANGELES DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE CONSIDERED THIS TO BE A “RAGE KILLING BY AN AMATEUR”.
45. JASON BOLTED FROM THE FUNERAL HOME, VISIBLY UPSET, AT THE TIME OF NICOLE SIMPSON’S FUNERAL, NOT WANTING TO VIEW NICOLE’S BODY.
46. JASON WAS ARRESTED FOR HIT AND RUN DURING O.J.’S TRIAL.
47. JASON WAS SAID TO HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM WHEN WOMEN LIED TO HIM.
48. PER FORMER GIRLFRIENDS HE WAS PROVEN TO BE A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR–THE KIND THAT TRULY BELIEVES HIS OWN LIES.
49. FORMER GIRLFRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES OF JASON DESCRIBE HIM AS HAVING A “DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE” PERSONALITY WITH UNCONTROLLABLE RAGE.
50. FOUND IN JASON’S TRASH IN FEBRUARY OF 2000, A PIECE OF NOTEBOOK PAPER WITH LAYERS OF HANDWRITTEN NOTES WRITTEN ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, APPEARING TO BE SCRIBBLING AT FIRST SIGHT, STATING “DEAR JASON” AND DESCRIBED THE WRITER AS “THREE PEOPLE…WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS…FUCKED…I KNOW WHAT TO DO BUT I HAVEN’T GOT ENOUGH GUTS TO DO IT.”
51. THE NOTE THAT WAS FOUND IN JASON’S TRASH, THAT [ATTRIBUTED] THE WRITER AS BEING THREE PERSONS, WAS LATER IDENTIFIED BY HANDWRITING EXPERTS AS BEING WRITTEN BY JASON LAMAR SIMPSON. A SHOCKING BUT REVEALING PIECE OF EVIDENCE OF HIS OWN PERCEPTION OF HIS TRUE PERSONALITY.
FROM: O.J. IS GUILTY, BUT NOT OF MURDER, BY WILLIAM C. DEAR, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR.

Furthermore, they say “a picture is worth a thousand words”

Check out this picture of O.J. Simpson’s family as the verdict of “not guilty” is being read. To the left you see Eunice Simpson, (OJ’s mom) rejoicing in the verdict. O’J'’s two sister’s Arnelle and Carmelita are next.

Now take a long look at Jason’s facial expression and body language. No emotion! Interesting isn’t it?

 The next time you encounter someone running off verbally or in print about OJ literally getting away with murder, ask or find out if that person has ever read (or perhaps even heard of) Dear’s book. If the answer is no (most likely), you can immediately discount anything being said on the subject as at best uninformed. Dear’s study is the definitive analysis of the OJ case, and changed this writer’s views 180 degrees. Even if you are only marginally interested in the case, you should read this book. Dear, a considerably credentialed private investigator of 35 years, carefully lays out his six years spent investigating why OJ did not commit and could not have committed the murders, but for very good reasons was at the scene of the crime shortly thereafter. Had OJ been the murderer, copious quantities of blood would have soaked him, his clothes and his car; and there would have been traces of such blood throughout his vehicle and his Rockingham residence plumbing, carpeting, and grounds.

But there were only tiny amounts of dried blood (no more than could fit collectively on a fingernail!) in such areas, which are readily explained by OJ’s after-the-fact presence. Dear investigates alibis and destroys them when they are bogus. He demonstrates who the principal suspect(s) should have been and why, and shows how such suspect(s) was (were) NEVER ONCE CONSIDERED as such in the criminal investigation. He shows how crucial evidence was ignored or overlooked. In the process, Dear manages to severely damage the credibility of the LAPD’s and DA’s conduct in this case, exposing the slipshod investigations, bungled contamination of evidence, sloppy forensics, the DA’s rush-to-judgement tunnel vision, and even possible (self-righteously inspired or inadvertent) planting of evidence. One gets to read about not only Mr. Dear’s investigation, but also the opinions of world-class specialists in such areas as criminal and medical psychology, contamination of evidence, forensics, handwriting analysis, knives and knife wounds, karate tactics, and the like: At various stages of his investigation, Dear enlists these highly credentialed experts’ inspection of his data for their unbiased third-party assessments and criticisms.

Dear’s analyses are not remote ivory tower posturing and postulating. His six years spent off and on in the field (interrupted by major back surgery and other cases he was working on) were at the various murder and proximate sites and around the country (even London) doing real grunt work, tracking down one report or lead after another, one set of records after another, one expert after another, all on his own nickel. As a private investigator and lacking the powers of subpoena and to compel testimony, he had to be highly inventive to gain access to such information as police reports, medical records, key persons of unknown whereabouts, and evidence not introduced at trial.

The result is this relentlessly progressing well-paced, well-organized book which is a thrilling, harrowing, can’t-put-it-down read. At times, the reader feels the tension and the almost hair-raising prospective dangers this investigator puts himself in to get at key evidence. To undertake this sort of task, one has to be not only very well organized with good powers of observation, but also an impetuous risk-taker and dare-devil with a mental attitude akin to that of somewhat who specializes in defusing unexploded bombs.

But with the LAPD having gone from one scandal to another in recent years, and with tunnel vision besetting the DA’s office, with the media barrage of OJ jokes, the uninformed and sensationalistic media hyping, and the populations’ greater interest in entertainment and scandal than in truth, is it any surprise that in the twenty months since first reading this book (yes, it’s that good!), this writer has seen NOTHING in the way of re-opened investigations? And who would gain? Nichole Brown and Ron Goldman are dead; nothing will change that. If you believe this book, OJ salvaged everything he possibly could out of a bad situation not of his doing: an acquittal and protection of his concerns, at the cost of a good deal of money and some unavoidable damage to his standing. His defense lawyers certainly got everything they wanted. The true suspect isn’t craving visibility. What more could beneficiaries of the civil lawsuit gain; one can imagine the ensuing chaos to various such settlements if OJ were formally proved innocent in a court of law? The investigative and prosecutorial powers wouldn’t want a re-opening that would only reiterate their prior incompetence. So despite analyses like this one, this writer predicts that, unfortunately, nothing will change. But read the book! It’s a great study of how a really good private investigator can operate. What has happened on this case subsequent to the book’s publication (nothing?) certainly does not reflect on its’ thesis. Indeed this book is a classic case study of …and justice for none.

Remember a picture is worth a thousand words. So once more have a look at this photo:

Isn’t it interesting to see the utter cold expression on Jason’s face as the verdict is read?

Never Assume, Always verify!

Much Love!

Eric

This is FUNNY!!!

September 30th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

With all the depressing BS going on in our country at this time, a good laugh goes a long way… I like the satirical paper “The Onion” this is a breaking story straight from their press:

Members Of Twisted Sister Now Willing To Take It

September 29, 2008 |

“NEW YORK”In a stunning reversal of their long-stated reluctance to take it, members of heavy-metal band Twisted Sister announced Monday that, after 24 years of fervent refusal, they are now willing to take it. “I acknowledge that we promised not to take it anymore, but things change. The world is a different place today, and with that in mind, we would like to go on record as saying that, starting right now, we are going to take it,” read a statement released by the band’s lead singer, Dee Snider. “To clarify, we would still prefer not to take it, but as of now, taking it is an option that we would be open to. That is all.” Bassist Mark “the Animal” Mendoza also stated that, in regards to what he wants to do with his life, he no longer solely wants to rock, but would instead prefer doing other things, such as raising a family and working as a claims adjuster in Rye, NY.

This is great, just freaking great!!!

Much Love,

Eric

How To Practice

September 17th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

I get a lot of questions on how to practice.

There are a lot of different strokes for different folks that work well. Since I am going to focus on music. use a military analogy. In the military generals like to keep it simple.

1. Establish the perimeter.

2. Set up your channels of communication.

3. Attack.

Can it really be this simple? Yes, let me show you:

1. Establishing the perimeter- I will use the guitar as an example. You have to know the neck and every note on it. I like this quote Know that, which is in front of your face and all that is hidden shall be revealed One of the best ways to do this is by association.

Say you know the name of the open strings starting with the lowest in pitch. EADGBE.

Here is a great way to remember them;

6. Elvis

5. Always

4. Drinks

3. Gatorade

2. Before

1. Eating

The first letter of each word is the name of the open string starting with the lowest E.

Now, if you go to the 5th fret of the low E which we call the first point of reference

You will find that the name of that note is the same as the next adjacent string

Now if you go to the first point of reference on the A string (5th fret) the name of that note will be the same as the next open adjacent string

Continue on to the first point of reference on the D string (5th fret) and the name of that note will be the same as the next adjacent string

The  string is special as point of reference is the 4th fret but the established rule of same note as next adjacent string still applies. (More on why this later, its very interesting)

When we get to the B string we find the point of reference reverts back to the 5th fret and is the same as the next open string.

Now if you go to the 12th fret of the guitar which is called the 8 letters higher (6 whole steps) you will find the same notes as the original open strings EADGBE.

So we have established a perimeter in 3 easy steps.

1. Open strings EADGBE

2. 5th Fret (excluding G string which is 4th fret) 1st point of reference

3. 12TH Fret EADGBE

From here you can explore and familiarize yourself with the notes rather than memorize them. Start by filling in the cracks. For example use the established perimeters as reference points to find a note. Let start with for example.

Let as find all of the A on the guitar starting with the lowest string in pitch, the 6th string. The low E.

What is the first point of reference? The 5th fret which just happens to be the note so that was easy. You can always add or subtract 12 and get the same note, so 5+12=17. So the 17th fret would also be an In reverse 17-12=5th fret would be the same note A

Let’s go to the next string the A and there it is the open string is A add 12. 12+0=12 So the 12th fret is the same note as the open string.

When you get to the ask your self this question, Is closer to the first point of reference (5th fret G) or the 2nd point of reference (12th fret D)?

The answer would be G because in the musical alphabet G comes right before A. So go to your 1st point of reference (5th fret G) and we know that A is one whole step above G so the 7th fret of of your D String is the note A. Once again you can always add 12 and get the same note. So 7+12=19 and the 19th fret is also A.

Simply repeat this formula on each string and within a few weeks you will see the perimeter of the guitar in a whole new light. You become like a musical detective. Seek and ye shall find. There are only 7 notes in the musical alphabet A,B,C,D,E,F,G.

Dont worry about sharps and flats that is simple. Sharp just means raise a note 1/2 step and Flat just means to lower a note 1/2 step. So if you know what is you know what is.

So imagine if you explored one note a day across the entire perimeter of the guitar? In 2 weeks in a matter of minutes you massively establish the perimeter.

Now, let’s set up the channels of communication:

1. The first channel of communication in music is sound. Your ears, trust them and rely on them first and foremost. When I see students making mistakes I almost always see the tops of their heads because they are staring at the guitar neck and they are frozen.

Think about it, this is why blind people have excelled in music for years. Due to the challenge they face they are hyper aware of the power of listening. Think of Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Jeff Healy, Jose Feliciano and Ronnie Milsap just to name a few.

After Ray Charles passed away his record company had engineers go and start archiving and re-mastering all of his old master tapes. You see his music is a national treasure and a lot of the old recordings face the danger of tape drop sine they were recorded in the 50s and 60s on magnetic tape which deteriorates over time. So the engineers have been going back and re-mastering everything in a digital format. When they do this, it is done against a grid where you can see everything in real time. You can see the downbeat and the exact placement of all the vocals and instrumentation against the grid.

The engineers were shocked to see scientifically what they already new intuitively. Ray Charles timing was phenomenally accurate and precise. This was his world. Without the distraction of sight he focused on the sound and feel of his music and related to it that way.

Which brings me to the second channel of communication in music;

2. Feeling- Lose your mind and come to your senses,  is the next most important sense to rely when playing and instrument. If someone says that you play with a lot of feeling. That is a great compliment. Once again we can cultivate this approach by becoming sensetives to it and bringing it to the forefront.

3. Sight- This would be the 3rd channel. Say something did not sound or feel right. Then we might look at our fingers or our instrument to make an adjustment. Think of it like driving a car.

Would it be a good idea to drive a car while staring in the rear-view mirror the entire time? NO! that would be crazy. We look in the rear-view mirror when we need to make an adjustment like changing lanes or exiting the freeway. In the same way staring at your guitar when you play it locks out the 2 primary channels you want to rely on. Sound and Feel.

Once you have established the perimeter and set up the channels of communication then you can attack and take it over. This is where it is great to find a good coach and mentor or a friend that plays already to show you tunes and how to play blues.

Here is a great tip on motivating kids to practice that I learned from Edward Kohanamoku an amazing Slack Key guitar player I met in Hawaii. When I saw Ed perform live he did and amazing set and then had an intermission. After the intermission he came out and brought several of his children onstage with him. They ranged from late teens to as young as 5. It was cute they all walked out in a line after him like baby skunks or something. When they started playing it was on!

When the concert was finished I spent some time with him and because I was curious I asked him he how he motivated all his kids to practice. He looked at me in a way where I could tell he had a lot to say about this and he told me the following story.

In Hawaii music is a very integral part of our people and our culture. In the evenings after supper all of the adults get together and sing and play cards and dance well into the evening. All the kids are sent to bed unless they play an instrument or sing. In that case they are permitted to stay up past their bedtime. We will give them a tambourine or a ukulele and encourage them to join in. Otherwise you have to go to bed. No exceptions.

In each home in a traditional Hawaiin household their is a room that is dedicated to this and it also where all the instruments are stored. Children are not permitted in this room and it is for adults only. The door is always locked when the parents are home.

However, when the parents leave to do errands or go shopping they always unlock the door when the children are home by themselves. They leave the door closed but make sure to unlock it on the way out.

You see the clever psychology at work here? If you or your children are not practicing, it is your own fault. Part of being a parent is being a leader and being an influence. Taking the role serious and outsmarting the foxes (the children)

My jiu-jitsu instructor told me a great story about his father. When he was a child and he would win a match. His father would give him a gift as a reward.

When he would lose a match his father would give him 2 gifts. To let him know that he loved him even more.

He told me this little gesture would motivate him to win like never before and he could count the times he recieved 2 gifts easily on one hand. He hated to lose because he never wanted to let down his father. This subtlety of his fathers message was brilliant and I will never forget that story and the wisdom inherent in it.

Much Love and remember Practice doesn’t make perfect. It makes Permanent.

Perfect Practice makes perfect sense. Do it slow and absorb yourself and immerse your soul in it. The question I get asked the most in my studio in all these years is how do you play fast? If I had a dollar for every person that asked me that I would be in Italy on the beach right now! I always tell people practice slow and relaxed and make sure you are breathing. Nobody ever believes me. 96% of folks just don’t believe me. It’s weird.

Here is what I tell them. There are 2 Goddesses on each of your shoulders. On the right is the Goddess of Speed. On the Left is the Goddess of Slowness and Accuracy

If you pay more attention to the Goddess of Slowness and Accuracy

The Goddess of Speed will become jealous and pay more attention to you.

Sayonara,

Eric

Fly like an Eagle…

September 16th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Fly like an Eagle…
Current mood: curious

One thing I believe deeply in life is that the quality of your life is the quality of your relationships. I have this good friend named Jim Gardner that studies guitar with me. I first met his son Griffin that took lessons initially and being a fan of music Jim figured he would take a stab at it as well.

I have one major qualifying criteria that makes a great student. Perserverance, this is the big thing. Just staying the course. Jim does this as well as anybody and he is a cool cat into guitar for all the right reasons. He enjoys it and he has went from playing basic 3 chord blues to tackling Jeff Beck’s “Cause We Ended as Lovers” in a little over a year.

Jim had some logistics issues attending the Eagles concert Saturday night in Dallas so he gave me his tickets. I have to tell you I was surprised and it was a great gesture and deeply appreciated. I have been investing all my loot into developing my new website and completing my new songs for a new CD.  This was the “hottest ticket” in town and the Eagles had sold out The American Airlines center two nights in a row.

I called up my friend Ashley who had great taste in music as I knew she would appreciate the show and get it. She is 23 yet she has an “old soul” and loves to dance as well. The first night I met her “officially” she was at my house singing and dancing up a storm and it was cute to say the least. She had to be the youngest person at the concert that evening.

Several women at the concert commented on this phenomena and since tickets were expensive the crowd was an upscale group of older distinguished folks. I couldn’t help but do the math in my head and figure it out this way though. Glen Frey had mentioned from the stage the first time he played “Take it Easy” in Dallas was in 1974 from the stage at The Cotton Bowl. “I was 4 years young at that time!” Here are a group of guys that just grew up and matured with their audience. All the while writing great songs and writing the soundtrack of their lives and our lives at the same time.

There was no opening band. The show started at 8 P.M. They had a 15 minute intermission and they played until just before midnight. They played hit after hit after hit and they just kept coming. And I can still think of songs that they did not get around to. All 4 primary members of the Eagles are great singers. Timothy B. Smit the bass player has this silky R&B falsetto thing that he does really well. He reminds me of James Taylor at times as well. Glen Frey has a very laid back confident approach and a great story teller and rapport with the audience. He seems to write the country flavored numbers the best like “Lyin Eyes”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Take it Easy”

Don Henley another great singer in his own right is a man of few words but his voice is just so distinct and just so “fucking cool”. He did hit after hit and would play drums while singing some songs, guitar on others and sometimes just be a “frontman” He sang “Hotel California” and so many of his great songs like “Boys of Summer” and “Deperado”

Then there is Joe Walsh. What a Rockstar! He is like the joker in the bunch. His style is so edgy and quirky yet it just rocks. I heard this great quote once that was “It is often when people are joking, that they are the most serious” I think Joe sums that up better than anybody and his part of the set where they feature him is a real high point in their incredible set.

The band was top notch as well and Glenn took the time to introduce each band member by name and this concert had to be the most elegant display of professionalism I have ever seen in a live music setting.

I know that it is a “cliche” to say this and they say that all parents think what the kids listen to is trash. I am not a parent yet so I am not qualified to make a comment in that arena. However I make my living as a musician and I am as immersed as anybody in this business. When I was growing up I begged my parents for Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith Records. I also listened to bands like the Eagles and The Beatles. The only “questionable” act I seemed to outgrow was KISS. Even at a young age I understood KISS was what it was and I didn’t think of them in the same veign as ther aforementioned bands, I knew it was more about image and putting on a show.

This leads to ask this question. What band that started in the 90’s or in modern times has a lineup of talent and a committment to being the best like the Eagles. The only thing I could think of off hand would be “Red Hot Chili Peppers” and the vocal talent in that pool is not even remotely close. I watched a few clips of the MTV music awards the other day.

WOW! What a joke that was. Btitney Spears, The Jonas Brothers? “Lil’ Wayne”? Lil’ Wayne? man that guy is funny but to even call that music is a disgrace to the word “music” itself. Am I crazy? am I really this out of touch?

Is that Sarah Palin possibly going to be a person who has access codes to a nuclear arsenal?

Am I going crazy or is the world really become this devolved?

Your comments are welcome as I can’t be the only one asking these questions.

Great Cowboy game last night!

Lot’s of heart there!

Hat’s off to Dominic’s girlfriend Patricia for the great Paella!

Much Love,

A shining example of the 4%

September 10th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

As a testimony to those who do what they love and do it well. I have decided to sing the praises of one of my best friends in this first installment of the 4%.

What I look for in a friend is someone who:

1. Does what they say they are going to do.

2. When they say they are going to do it.

3. How they say they are going to do it.

I am much more impressed when people show me what they have done.

Than when they tell me they are going to do something. I know that seems simple, but  this is a big thing to me.

I have aspired to this my entire life and even though I am far from where I want to be; I love hanging around folks with high aspirations.

Several years ago my best friend Jim Taylor came to North Texas for a Judo tournament.  At the time Jim was studying Judo with Karl Geis a 10th Dan Aikido and 8th Dan Judo instructor from Houston. I enjoyed watching the tournament and Karl Geis loved music and I found we had a lot to talk about. At the time I was studying Jeet Kun Do here in Denton with Sifu Hoch Hochheim and just starting to get my feet wet in the martial arts community.

After the tournament one of the referees suggested that we all go eat sushi at Royal Tokyo in Dallas on Royal Lane.

I grew up eating seafood and fishing with my father. We are still avid outdoorsman and I am as comfortable in the ocean as I am with my guitars and amps. Most of the seafood and crab I ate growing up we caught ourselves and were eating 10 minutes after we caught it. Because of this I have a keen sense of freshness and quality when it comes to seafood.

When I walked into Royal Tokyo it was my first time to ever set foot inside a Japanese restaurant. I found the decor fascinating and especially was intrigued by the Tatami rooms where you would remove your shoes and eat privately. I also was extremely curious about the sushi bar. Where the patrons would sit and eat the freshest fish of the day all carefully cut and prepared by these seasoned chefs who had these serious looks on there faces as they prepared the food. Then after they personally handed the sushi to the patron and the person “lit up” as they savored the impeccable delicious quality the chef would smile and bow and “wash, rinse and repeat”

I didn’t know what to eat but I am an avid student of life so I just told Jim bring it on

I mean we had everything from  (squid) to Futomaki (big roll) assortments of sashimi (raw fish) as well as sushi (with rice) and (rolls with seaweed). To be honest the food was so different from anything I had ever tried it freaked me out quite a bit but I just kept trying things due to the fact that it was so exotic and enticing.

The first thing I noticed was how sitting right in front of the sushi bar in front of the chef separated the “men from the boys” It was here that the “maki” the rolls would be handed to you immediately while the “nori” was still crisp and fresh.

If you sit at a table your order may sit waiting for the waitress/waiter and in those crucial few minutes a world of culinary pleasure can dwindle to a “soggy saturated” roll that is nothing like the fresh variety.

I remember mentioning this phenomena to my good friend Dr. Jeff Viaclovsky years ago over dinner at Musashino an excellent japanese restaurant in Austin, TX. I was surprised to hear the “white guy” sushi chef there at the time “Tyson Cole” chime in from over the sushi bar and agree with me.

In my first 15 years of eating and getting to know Japanese food Tyson was the first “Hakujin” (white guy) I had ever seen as a sushi chef. I remember when I first started eating at Kyoto in Austin upstairs from the Elephant Room he was just getting started there. When you are in Austin stop by his place “Uchi” which means house in Japanese and try it.

It is excellent and a testimony to the perseverance and dedication that it takes to learn the art of Japanese cuisine.

I have to tell you Tyson is a hell of a chef and I will mention  a few more in this article. Yes I will…

But the friend I am here to talk about today is a friend of mine that has taken my love and comprehension of what is possible in food to a whole another level. That would be this crazy “motherfucker” right here!

This is my friend Kei Nagano. I first me Kei in the mid 90’s in Addison, TX. I was just starting to study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Rickson Gracie’s cousin Carlos Machado and his dojo was down the street on Midway. After class I was always hungry as a horse and I wanted to eat something light and nutritious after rigorous training.

There was this little Japanese restaurant around the corner from the trendy place in Addison at the time “Mr. Sushi”

It was called “Hana” and it had been a hidden treasure in Dallas mainly supported by the Japanese community for years. I started going there for lunch after class and at this point I had a pretty good understanding of Japanese cuisine and had even taken a class in cooking Japanese food. I also had dated a girl from Japan “Satomi Miyowaki” who used to cook for me and teach me about the food and the language.

I have to tell you, there is this thing called the “WOW factor” Sometimes in life you just have to go “WOW’

Kind of like when you see a UFO or something. I have had this experience just a few times in my life. I remember them vividly. The first time I saw Yngwie Malmsteen perform live. I was 16 years old and my jaw hit the floor. I mean I practiced for hours and hours after that. My best friend in music at the time Chris Sacco missed that show and I never got over the fact that he did not see what I saw. It was that life changing. I still wish he would have seen that performance. 5 encores!

The second one was when I saw the ice skater Candy Cheatum for the first time at the pool at The Oaks apartment in Denton, TX when I was in college. I was walking to my drummer’s car with my guitar, headed to rehearsal when I saw her and said WOW!

I walked up to her and she had these headphones on and was laying out by the pool. It took a lot of courage to break the ice and just say hi to her, but I did it. We ended up dating and the that leads to third major WOW! in my life.

The first time I saw her naked. It took everything I had not to just break down into tears and cry. But it was time to be a man and enjoy the very thing this blog is about the 4% and “cream of the crop” in life that makes life worth living.

I have to tell you the first time I had Kei’s food I was in shock it was so good. There was some “intangible” element there that I just did not find in any other chef at the time. Everytime I went back I began to trust him and his instincts even more. It got to a point where I would just walk into Hana and say “Omakase” which in Japanese means “I trust you, just do your thing!” He can look at someone and tell what they would like to eat. He is that intuitive.

I am the kind of guy that when I find a good thing I want to share it with everyone and especially my friends. I got a wild idea and I decided to have a “sushi party” and invite all my friends that were scared of Japanese food.

I had so many friends that just didn’t know what it was all about and would say things like “oooh raw fish” or “that is so gross or that it was “alive” and all of this silliness that was based in just not understanding this unique cuisine.

I also have always been into health and keeping my blood as “alkaline” as possible. Okinawa Japan has the highest population of centenarians on the planet and Japanese women live longer that any other females in any other culture. Much of this has to do with the clean nature of the food. When you cook food you destroy it’s nutritional value and it’s water content as well. Also their is no bread or dairy massively prevalent in this cuisine which makes it very healthy.

I chose to have it on my Birthday. I had all these friends that were skeptical of Japanese food I talked about it so much. So I figured if we had a party, got a few drinks in everybody and had some great music. I could convert all of them.

I have to tell you it worked like a charm. The first year that Kei cooked at my party he received a standing ovation from the 40 to 50 friends we had in attendance.

We ended up making this an annual tradition and each April I would hire Kei to come to my home and he would arrive early in the morning and begin the meticulous preparation that went into the menu he had planned for the evening. I had good friends that were chefs that would purposely come over and watch to see what went into this and what was going on.

The third year we had planned to do this I was saddened to hear that Kei had a falling out with his partner. He informed he sold his interest in his restaurant “Yumeya” (dream in Japanese) and would be moving to Houston to work as the sous’ chef for his friend Efisio Faris’ at his amazing Italian bistro Arcodoro Pomodoro. This ended up being a blessing in disguise but more on that later…

Kei figured driving here would be too much trouble and all the logistics involved just made it to complex. By this time the party was a tradition so I did the next best thing I could think of and hired a different sushi chef. The guys came over with a bunch of pre-made rolls and it just was not the same. On a scale of 1-10 this experience was about a 4. You could hear the trombone at the end of the evening going “Waaaaah Waaaaaaah Waaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So after my birthday I called Kei and told him how it just wasn’t the same. In his own humble way we laughed about it and I told him we would fly him in next year and that he could stay at my home and we would make it happen. Since Jim Taylor my best friend that lived in Houston was the original guy that introduced me to this cuisine. I wanted to thank him so I had Kei come to his home and cook for a small group of friends and family. That was a huge success.

The next two years we would fly Kei in and the party grew because my good friend Trey Smith who is a foodie himself and a connosieur of a “great vittle” approached me and said “Eric, let me pitch in and we will throw the party together, that way we can make it twice as big” I thought thet was a great idea and we have done that ever since. After the 5th or 6th year we did the party; Kei surprised me. He said to me “Eric, I want to move to Denton and open my own private restaurant!”

I was pumped and thought it was a great idea. Me and my core circle of friends had been driving to Dallas on a regular basis and it was time for Denton to have a real restaurant with real Japanese people making real Japanese food. Not all this fake “muckjaw” with california rolls with fake crab (the notorious “K-R-A-B”) and all the other “bullshit” as me and Kei and my friend Damascus like to call it.

Kei started driving down on weekends and looking for a place to build his dream. He did this for a couple of months and we quickly figured he would have to live here to make any major strides in making this happen. I had an idea? My friend Chai Tamprateep that was a successful restauarant owner in Denton and Kei should meet I thought, “something good will come from this” So I went to Mr Chopstix and I invited Chai to my home for dinner. I knew that Chai loved Japanese food so I had Kei cook dinner. Sure enough Chai loved it and had the idea of having Kei as a sushi chef at Mr. Chopstix so he could introduce sushi to his menu. Kei was honest with Chai and told him his intentions were to open his own place. However this situation was win/win because Kei needed a job and Chai wanted to have access to his expertise. Also Kei could teach Chai’s sister in law the basics so she could keep it going after Kei found his place.

It worked like a charm for both parties involved and we had another plus in that my friend Aya Matsuda whose family also are excellent restauranteurs with their 3 locations of Jinbeh hired Kei part time as well. So now he had a job and could live at my place while we continued the search for the building. Me and Kei were fortunate to have a friend and extremely savvy businessman Teiichi Sakurai to consult with about this venture. Teiichi had spent the last 10 years raising the bar in Dallas as far as Japanese cuisine with his flagship restaurants Teppo and Tei Tei Robata bar. I was glad to hear Teiichi tell Kei the same thing that I had been saying. “Whatever you do, buy the building”

You see when you rent you just make the landlord richer and you also are not investing in your future. Smart people buy assets, Foolish people buy liabilities. So we set out to find a building that Kei could buy and build his dream.

I believe deeply in “Ask and you shall receive” and I have had so many situations in my life where I have manifested the exact outcome I desired; I decided to ask the “universe” to help me find Kei’s restaurant. I did it during my ritual morning meditation. The next morning I woke up and I had my answer. The voice in my head said “Go to Scott Brown Properties and ask to speak to their #1 Commercial Realtor”

This is “Ed Zachary” (exactly) (sounds Japanese eh?) what I did.

It was 7:30 in the morning when this came to me. I woke Kei up and I told him. Today is the day, it came to me in a dream. I feel we will find your place today. We had some breakfast and drove to Scott Brown Properties. I walked into the door asked the girl at the receptionist desk “Who is your #1 Commercial Real estate agent” She looked at me and said “that would be Chuck Levack” I said go get him. She did, and I told Chuck, “Good morning this is my friend Kei, he is a chef and wants to open his own Japanese restaurant in Denton. He has money and we are ready to rock. Chuck says to me, ‘Have you looked at the old Parkway Hair Salon? I said no. He said the owner Bonnie is looking to retire and she might even be willing to owner finance and carry the note.

We jumped in the truck and went to the corner of Elm and Parkway to see the property. I have to tell you the minute we drove into the parking lot and I saw all the parking I got “goose bumps” (which means the truth). I told Kei, “this is it” Look at all this parking and this is the perfect location. He said “I think so too Eric” I said “I know it is.” We went inside and met Bonnie, she was a sweetheart and there were all these cute little old ladies in their getting their hair done. Kei and Bonnie met and within a few weeks the deal was made and we were on the way to changing the culinary landscape in Denton.

Mark Holderbaum who did a majority of the construction at my home built the restaurant and did a magical and magnificent job giving the place the ambience and elegance to compliment Kei’s clean and elegant food. Know here is where we get to the good stuff and this is why my friend Kei has the honor of being the 1st installment of the 4%.

I know good food and I am quite a cook myself. I have traveled a lot and as far as life goes food is one of my greatest passions. I grew up with a mess of Italians and the seafood in the freshest state that my father always brought home. I used to get so excited when he would bring home a bushel of oysters and I could help him schuck them in the garage.

Keiichi, which is what Kei calls his restaurant is one of the top 4% of dining experiences is the World and I mean that. And it is right here in Denton, TX and you can thank me for that. I believe in what he does on so many different levels that I could write a whole other blog or mlog (meal blog) hehe! on that subject alone. If you haven’t been yet try it.

You will thank yourself for listening to me and you will definitely thank me for having the vision to bring hime here. Then you will thank Kei for having the heart and sould and the passion to be the best at what he does. Here is what is special:

1. The menu changes daily and the fish is flown in from New York daily.

2. Uncle Nakaya as we call him brings the fish in fresh daily from vendors and it is always the freshest.

3. The “Nori” seaweed that Kei’s uses is specially shipped from Japan and is so crisp and flavorful you won’t believe it. Only 4 restaurants in the US besides Kei have the quality control and standards to use this high of a quality nori.

4. The eel that Kei uses is only available in 5 restaurants in the US and it just melts in your mouth.

5. All of the water in the restaurant even the water he cooks in is distilled and shipped in from a company owned by the family of my good friend Dominic Cure. Dominic is definitely in the 4% (more on him later)

The Italian and the Lamb and Steak is leaps and bounds over anything you could find in Denton and rivals anything in the Metroplex as well. Ask Kei to try his “Carbonara” trust me on this one. You will have an orgasm while you are eating it.

Why am I telling you all of this? Simple, because I wanted to tell you the story behind Keiichi and the story behind our friendship and why I have so much respect for him. He takes his food seriously like I do my music.

You see, In the underground, there lies a greater love. With those wise as serpents and gentle as doves.

Life is too short to live it any other way! Check him out:

Keiichi Nagano

500 N. Elm St.

Denton, TX 76201

940.230.3410

Tue-Sat, 5-11 P.M.

Tell Kei I sent you,

Much Love,

Eric

Learning to Love Yourself

September 2nd, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Learning to Love Yourself:

This has been an interesting last couple of months. Man oh Man it has.

In the last 19 years of my life I have been in relationships in one form or another.

Last year after I ended an 8 month relationship that I learned a lot from I made a commitment to myself to stay single for awhile and develop a clear set of new goals.

From the age of 20 to 30 I had 5 long term relationships that lasted on the average a couple of years each. The relationships were not always easy but I look back at them very positively and I definitely would not change a thing because I learned so much from them.

Because of the work I put into intimacy and on working on being the best I could be during the 10 year run of 5 primary relationships I made some good friends in the professional arena of relationships. Friends like Dr. Millie Johnson and Dr. Blase Harris.

Millie and me used to role play during our psychology sessions. She would be the woman in my life and we would work through intense situations that come up in most relationships. Those cute little things like jealousy, resentment, anger and other controlling based behaviors.

Dr. Johnson was a great Mentor to me and she saved me from marriages a couple of time that would have certainly ended in divorce. I ended up developing a competence in relationships that lead to a lot of confidence that drastically improved the quality of my life. A lot of people are ashamed to admit they seek professional help and are secretive about it. Not me, I love it and I used to try and bring my girlfriends to some of the sessions.

As you can imagine this went over like a Led Zeppelin and this was the first indicator to me how scared people are about honesty and how vulnerable it makes them feel.

I still stay in touch with Dr. Johnson and we write letters to each other from time because it is important to me to have great teachers and mentors in my life.

Shortly after graduation Dr. Johnson retired and I ended up re-reading a book I had read in college entitled How to Win Your Lover Back by Dr. Blase Harris.

I had decided I wanted to win back a wonderful Lebanese Girl I had broken up with because I loved her. It took the breakup to realize this and she was very leery of me because rightfully so she was protecting her heart.

Things got so intense that I called up information in Hawaii, found Dr. Harris office and called up and begged him to take me as a phone client. Luckily for me he did. You see I live in Texas and there was no way I could go to Hawaii for sessions every week.

These sessions were the most heart-opening intense therapy I had ever been exposed to.
You see when your significant other is freaking out, it is often due to subtle things you are doing that you are not even aware of. Blase calls this the blind spot and boy I had a lot of them. He even helped me work through my narcissism.

In Greek Mythology which is extremely prophetic, there is the tale of Narcissus who was staring at his reflection in the water.

In the tale told by Ovid, Echo, a nymph, falls in love with a vain youth named Narcissus, One day when Narcissus was out hunting stags, Echo stealthily followed the handsome youth through the woods, longing to address him but unable to speak first. When Narcissus finally heard footsteps and shouted “Who’s there?”, Echo answered “Who’s there?” And so it went, until finally Echo showed herself and rushed to embrace the lovely youth. He pulled away from the nymph and vainly told her to leave him alone. Narcissus left Echo heartbroken and she spent the rest of her life in lonely glens, pining away for the love she never knew, until only her voice remained.

Eventually he became thirsty and went to drink from a stream. As he saw his reflection, he fell in love with it, not knowing that it was him. As he bent down to kiss it, it seemed to “run away” and he was heart broken. He grew thirstier but he wouldn’t touch the water for fear of damaging his reflection, so he eventually died of thirst and self love, staring at his own reflection. The narcissus flower grew where he died.

It is my experience now and I believe this from the bottom of my heart, that when you have someone in your life that you think is crazy and impossible to live with Look in the mirror. Look at your own reflection. I have been doing a lot of this my self lately.
There is a great TV show called the Dog Whisperer where this brilliant guy Cesar Millan works with all these problem dogs. Cesar has gone on the record several times to say unequivocally 100% of the time it is not the dog. It is the owner.

You see the people that are the hardest to love are the ones that need it the most. Like Jesus said When you remove the speck that is in your own eye, then you will see well enough, to remove the speck in your friends eye.

All of my work with Millie and Blase gave me the strength to attract very high quality women in my life. In the year 2000 I had 3 girlfriends at the same time. I was honest about it and I did not lie to them. I was horrible at managing the situation because it was new to me. The important thing to me was to be honest about it and transcend the manipulation and dishonesty that was the modus operandi of 96% of all of my friends and peers relationships.

Dishonesty and cheating to me has always been the lowest of the human behaviors. Not that I haven’t done it. I have, and this is precisely why I know how it feels. “Even a wise man, dabbles in a fool’s paradise.” When I reached this point in my life Blase recommended a book to me entitled Radical Honesty by Dr. Brad Blanton.

If you have never read this book, it is not for the weak of heart. I read it and it changed my life. I have been working on the goal of Radical Honesty ever since.

In the year 2000, one of the girls I was dating at the time, who was significantly younger than me, surprised me. I think the fact that she was younger and curious with eyes wide open to the world did it. I ended up growing to love her. And I grew into love with her.
You noticed I didn’t say fall in love, I do not believe in falling in love. I believe we are responsible for our own emotions and I took responsibility for this decision.

Those of you that know me; know I do not throw around the word love lightly. At this point in my life I had told 3 women that I loved them.

My Mom was one and the other two; I got engaged to.

I ended up dating this girl for 7 years and it up to that point was the most rewarding relationship in my life. The relationship was respected by a lot of my friends and peers and is still something I am proud of to this day. I loved her and I still do.
When you love someone, set them free; the nice thing about having choices is you can make a wise decision.

Most of my guy friends ascribe to this thing I call the fly paper method Who ever comes and sticks along to them in a club or their social circle; they will try and make into a relationship.

Some of this that follows is going to get a little blunt so get ready. You might want to take a break and get a shot of tequila or a cigarette.

You know what most guys criteria for a girl is?

Two tits, a hole and a heart beat.

They basically play Russian roulette with their penis.

They have no criteria and no rules and zero qualification short of rather she is hot. I have noticed so much of this in the last few years that it has been disheartening.
When it boils down to it, women are not that hot. It’s an illusion my friends.

Let me explain this to you.

In nature, who is the fairer sex?

The Male or the female?

Think about it, across the board it is the male. Here are myriad examples; The Lion, The Peacock, The Cardinal and I could go on and on and on.

Women are beautiful creatures, don’t get me wrong and I love them. It’s just you chumpy guys need to quit putting them on a pedestal and idolizing them.

When you do this, you fail to realize your own intrinsic value.

Want more proof, here is a question for the guys; how long do you spend getting ready?
10 minutes?

How long does a woman spend getting ready? Some of my girlfriends, easily 2 hours.

Have you ever seen some of these so called “Hot Chicks” without make up; i.e; Pam Anderson, Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz and Carmen Electra. It’s freaking spooky man!

That’s why they call it “makeup” What are they “making up” for? Think about it…

The Enquirer publishes these photos from time, have a look at them. Tape a few to your mirror to help yourself remember.
You see I am not knocking women or men for example. I am just being honest and telling you. Quit putting each other on a pedestal and seeking all this validation.

When you start to be honest you lose a lot of friends. Like my good friend says. It is lonely at the top in the upper 4%. He is not the only one that said that.

I have seen it in my own research was has been extensive as well as the research of one of my mentors John Aruzian.

96% of the U.S. Population is coming from LSE (Low Self Esteem) in their relationships. They have no standards or rules and are basically stimulus response junkies and energy vampires seeking a quick fix from the validation of seeking approval.

Do you know what the ultimate representation of a Narcissist is? A Vampire

These are what the aforementioned validation seekers, stimulus response junkies and energy vampires bring to the table. Their insatiable need for artificial energy is a bottomless pit. Like I said before the myth of vampires was originally modeled on the human pathological narcissist. There is a great parallel to this in astronomical science as well.

When celestial bodies elevate to a level not self-sustainable they create vacuums around them that feed off and destroy surrounding celestial bodies.

This is why interacting with a narcissist leaves you feeling lifeless.
I highly suspect that is why there is such an obsession with all these Vampire themed TV shows and movies we see these days. Shows like “Twilight” and “True Blood” People can relate to these shows because they reflect and relate to the level of “vampish” energy in our very own world.

I have had several good friends of mine ask me lately. Well Eric, if you know so much about relationships, why don’t you have a girlfriend

Grea