Thom Sequoia into the forest

Soze I was thinkin. Ya know. Real Hard thinkin. And I figured …..why I auhta…….Add some life to dis here Blog.

Vive La Vida Loca….ya know?  So I think I’m a gonna add some cool video’s I been storin up here real soon.I got one with me on lead acoustic guitar, the famous Carlos Reyes on Fiddle, and the illustrious Carolyn Miller on guitar and vocal, all doin a trio of sorts – impromptu, improv…..it’s cool, I tell ya.

Now just hold them there horses….it’s a comin….it’s a comin already!!!!!

Happy birthday…..no, I really mean it…..to all and everyone who has ever had one…..every day of the year!

What a strange coincidence that there are only 365 days in a year, and 8 billion people with birthdays…….so does that mean some people are bound to be born on the same day???? dang! It’s a birthfiesta every day!

While time has been passing by, i cut my hair short, shaved the beard, then grew my hair long again, and grew a goatee. Someone a few days ago said “Hey, I like the pirate look”  ??????

Despite what you may have heard, the world has decided to continue turning and spinning.

Did you know fossil fuels are in fact, no longer fossils?

Hey thanks to those who have continued to come back to check on my blog. i know it ain’t been much lately.
Been working a lot on my internet marketing and website building in my spare time. Got plans to release stuffs later on this year. I’m hoping to be working for my own businesses again soon.

In the mean time I continue to work as an overnight Mgr at a CRM Marketing firm. Ah the vampiric life…….

Is that the sun?……aaahhhhrrrrgggg.

http://www.iamanexmormon.com/2011/01/my-name-is-shane-jackman-and-im-an-ex-mormon/

And more particularly in response to Shane’s Dad’s ill placed public flogging letter in the comments section  about a third of the way down the webpage. Agree or not….well you go read it.

Thom Sequoia: Night of the Eagle Feather - 2010

There are two things that every soul truly needs…

Two things every living being should not have to do without.

THE FIRST IS TO BE LOVED.

In a perfect world no child should ever have to be abused. And parents
should simply get over themselves, and spend some quality time with their children. Laugh, play, read, hug, and most of all tell your children you love them. Your love for them is not based on how well they live up to
your expectations. It is your chance to serve another soul. Your chance to love and give of yourself freely. Without a price.

And that includes changing diapers, getting up in the middle of the night. Soothing a crying child. Teaching rules and guidelines with compassion but firmness. Not allowing the so called generation gap to slip between you and your teenager, even if drugs are involved. (But never physical abuse. Cause that’s just you trying to say you’re in control of the world…..and your probably not….at least as far as causality is concerned).

Let me say that again parents (especially parents of teenagers or older children).

Your love for them should not be based on how well they live up to your expectations.

How many adult lives are scarred because of that simple principle not put in play when they themselves were children?

O.K. parents. And now the dreaded fear some of you have embedded into your craniums. How hard is it to say those words…”I love you”. Damn we put a lot of conditionals into that, don’t we? But geese, when you were single, and looking for true love…to be in love….it might have been hard to say at first. But most lovers get used to that and go ahead and take the plunge. But being in love, vs. loving someone, especially your child….it’s a different thing.

Would you who don’t say those words to your children, believe me if I told you that you can change?

Step 1:  Say it right now out loud. to no one in particular. Say it again.

Step 2:  Now practice some more, and get ready, cause your gonna figure out who you love and have not told in awhile. Start with your children, and then just go say something simple like this, ‘Hey, I know I don’t say it much, but I think you are a talented person, and I love you.”

Step 3:  You are not doing this to try and get a response! It’s o.k. to not get one at first.

Step 4:  Now go and do it some more. It doesn’t have to be every day. It doesn’t have to be overbearing. Life is short or long, and sometimes the earth, or causality, or an accident, or a disease, or twin towers falling in an act of terrorism, can simply take us or our loved ones away in a moment of time.

Step 5:  Say it enough (no grudges now), that if you or your child were to pass on from this mortal illusion, that they or you could look back and say “at least I know they knew I loved them!”

And that’s it! Bam! It’s like a get rich quick scheme, only both of you are enriched, and the measure of wealth here is not in little green papers.

Step 6: Oh you thought I was done, eh? Well, no…..now you have to figure out who else in your life you need to tell them you love them. Spouse? Girlfriend/boyfriend? Your parents? Grandparents? Brothers or sisters? Cousins, aunts, or uncles? Friends? How bout just a hug and a kind word to someone in need?

Now don’t go crazy on me here. I’m not advocating becoming an extremist. A needy love crazy. All things with moderation, ya know? But hey, we only live 3 times. So let’s make the best, and express love in proportion, without expectation of return.

I promise you if you do this, right now…..today…..this week…..you will feel pretty good for conquering this mental mountain some of us have let slip in our material pathway.

THE SECOND THING EVERY SOUL NEEDS…

Did you think I’d forgotten?  Well, o.k., the second thing may not really be something every soul needs, but it sure can’t hurt.

And that is a nice massage. Yep, if ja gotz sumun special, with great hands, get em ta give ya a smooth, ache releasing massage! Or maybe just sit in one of those great massage chairs.

Oh, and for you existencial types, ethereal entities, or adamant religiosos, you can just get a metaphorical massage….a soul lift…….a peace palpatation….if you will.

Be good…love ya – Tommy

Mi hijo se nacio……oops. English please. Por que ingles, mis amigos gigante? Pues, no puedo esspressar mis felicitaciones……

Oh. Oh yeah. Got sidetracked there. Did I ever mention that I really like Christmas?

I mean, I love the manger scene. It’s soothing. I like the idea of baby Jesus, and the sheperds, and the cattle all lowing in the field. (Lowing?)

And dig that Joseph dude all hooking up a manger for his chick Mary. I mean, if theres no room at the Inn, well then….

And though I hate the endless crowds hording the streets and parking lots to buy their costly gifts, I kinda like that too….briefly….just to see it again……once a year or so.

And I really like the christmas tree…..fresh…..pine……..smellling……lovely.

Oh I know, some of you will say I helped kill a tree…..but I have never been quite able to get into an artificial tree……cause it’s so…..artificial!

May you and yours have the best holiday ever! I’m sure gonna try, to see if reindeer really know how to fly…..and so I’m offering……ha!

Happy birthday to my sons Riley (16 today), and Joshua (22 on Dec 21). Were gonna go out tomorrow and celebrate – gonna party like theres no Easter Bunny!

Yuletide carols being sung by the fire…..and folks dressed up like eskimo’s, everbody knows…….

Now I debated whether to tell this story.  Because, I’m not trying to pat myself on the back. More like I wanted to share the feeling of this. And with Christmas coming and all…..well, you know. Don’t ya?

So I needed to run to the library the other morning in Provo.  I was ten minutes early, before they opened. So I was sitting in my mini van, and an old woman rolled by in a wheel chair, down the access ramp, and into a side concrete area. She pulled out what looked like a morsel to eat. She was dressed in grey, had one missing leg with a false leg instead, was wrapped in older worn coats, had two different shoes on, a few shopping bags hanging from her wheelchair, and well…..you get it, right? She looked homeless.

It was cold out, and I thought to myself, should I just sit here, or maybe go say hello.  I also wanted to give her some money, since she may be in need. I didn’t have any on me, so I ran to an ATM.

When I got back, the Library still wan’t open, and she was still in the same spot. I walked up to her and said hello. We talked for maybe ten minutes. I asked her if she had a home. She said she was working on that, but that the shelter had some new transient housing funding that might be coming through soon. I asked her if I could give her some money, though it wasn’t very much at all. She was very appreciative.

Once when I was young and lived in San Diego with my roomates Craig and Phil, in college days, I took a homeless stranger home for the night to our apartment. That didn’t go over to well. You know, there are safety issues to think about, etc.

I wished I could do more for this woman. What I did was really not much, just a small gesture. But it felt good to just do something, ya know?

So we went into the library together, me walking, and her pushing her own wheelchair wheels. We said goodbye, and went to our seperate tasks.

Now the only reason I brought this up to tell you, is because it gave me a good feeling to do something, anything, even if it was just a small gesture.

My two oldest sons recently helped me get my computer running again, after it crashed 3 weeks ago. that also is a small gesture of their time to help me where I was unable to. I am appreciative of that.

May you find a way to give of yourself in some small way or gesture over the next few weeks before Christmas, when we celebrate Jesus birth along with Santa’s gifting.  It really does feel good.

Chao bello!

Usually I try and have a pretty positive outlook on life, chance, and fate.  But lately I’ve been prone to complaining. Voicing my concerns to the Gods of air and Illusion, asking why things are a certain way.

Like why do people cut you off on the road, or speed up when they see you signal to try and get in their lane – courteously letting them know your intentions. Or why do people get mad at you and ride your bumper when you go the speed limit in the slow lane, and even though they have another lane to go around you faster if they choose, they’d rather ride your ass.

Now I’ve done some experimenting, and even though it can seem like these voratious road beasts are metal incarnate, death on wheels, uncaring transportational behemoths, spewing toxic venom from their tails, with nary a human form – I assure you that inside the belly of these beasts, is a human being driving this metal vehicle of mayhem. And inside this human is a bio brain and a heart of emotions.

So why the rudeness?

And what about bosses, or people in positions of power above you in the workplace, that somehow just can’t seem to go with the idea that if everyone is doing their job, well then things are good. Ya know, there doesn’t have to be TRAJEDY or DRAMA always cooking in the pot. Backstabbing? Rumor mills? Kissing ass?

Yes, these are my complaints.  So I guess I just need to get over it. I can’t change the world. But I can change my own perceptions. And I can try and do some kindness around me, rather than look for the bad.

And so can you. So please, be courteous to one another. And be kind. Or say something of praise to someone else around you. Besides, it makes it more fun on this hike through the forest of life if we all just treat each other with more respect and share some love! Yeah baby!

Thom Sequoia - Summer 2010 - Which the Prince and which the frog?

Oh heya!  Just stepped out for a bite to eat, and a quick nap…..3 months ago……since my last little bloggy post, ya know?

What ya been doin since I was gone?  I hope you’ve been breathing in the fresh air and sunshine. Did you go for a walk in the woods? Stop to watch a bird, or a snail, or a tiny insect? Maybe took in a mental picture of a majestic mountain that’s been there for about a million and one years, or stopped to notice the mighty roar of the ocean heaving it’s waves on the beach and rocky crags – in and out go the daily tides, pulled by the lull of a waxing moon.

A speck of a speck on the vast river of time you say? Why I do agree! So stop making excuses and GO DO WHAT YOU’VE BEEN WANTING TO DO, but have only been stopped by your belief in your own limitations. Who says that even exists? Maybe just trying something is succeeding…..you know, the journey is the destination and all that rot! I’ll root for you. And I’ll try and do what only fear has been preventing me from doing. What have we got to lose, anyway?

Let’s go do it baby! and have fun while were at it!

It was a beautiful drive, and a beautiful memorial weekend Saturday, May 29, 2010.

I was able to spend some time over the weekend with family, in majestic settings,
and also am grateful to Pat Arp for graciously joining me on stage with his killer leads
that perfectly complimented my songs, especially this one.

Here is the video
for my song Barrels, Blossoms, and Porch Lights.

Below the video I have also posted
the lyrics for those of you who like reading the what what.

BARRELS, BLOSSOMS, & PORCH LIGHTS

Settin wheels doin 60, onto south 84
Got my back to boston, where my mother was born,
Must have hit every town form Holyoke to the Cohasset shore.

Then it’s on to Philly, and another go round,
And the lines keep on coming, but I can’t stop the sound,
Of a six string guitar, and these songs that are running thru my veins.

And some lucky hearts, have learned to settle down,
Mine keeps trying to fly, though I’m tied to the ground,
and the road is like a pirate that waylays your sails on down.

The shipyards they toil, and the skyscrapers rise,
And the years go in circles, ‘neath these travelers eyes,
And my hearts getting harder, but sometimes I cry.

And then I remember the trees on that road,
And barrels, and blossoms, and porch lights, tell me I’m home.
Oh and then I remember that old rocking chair,
And barrels, and blossoms, and porch lights, tell me I’m there

Heading westbound on 90, there’s a fire on the plains,
Dakota sunset, ‘cross the badlands is fading,
Then it’s on to Seattle, Portland, and down to Santa Cruz.

In the desert the wind, thru the Joshua tree blows,
And the Riley bird sings, and the Sullyberries grow,
And off in the Holy land, the Jordan river flows,

And this voice must have sung, every song unreconciled,
And these fingers tried to dance, every fingerstyle,
And the chords strike the heartlands and go on, for miles and miles,
and miles and miles.

The shipyards they toil, and the skyscrapers rise,
And the years go in circles, ‘neath these travelers eyes,
And my hearts getting harder, but sometimes I cry.

And then I remember the trees on that road,
And barrels, and blossoms, and porch lights, tell me I’m home.
And the fog on the beaches, lights on the shore
And barrels and blossoms and porch lights, tell me there’s more.

Barrels, and blossoms, and porch lights;
Barrels, and blossoms, and porch lights;
Barrels, and blossoms, and porch lights;
bring me back home

Hey you Utah peeps. Joshua Creek will be playin this saturday May 29th at the Homestead to open the Homestead Concert series season. They asked me to open for them, which of course I said yes! Please come see me at 7pm, and then stick around for the main performance of the most awesome Joshua Creek award winning band! I will also have a few friends joining me on stage for a song or two, including the stellular Pat Arp joining me on guitar for a couple of songs. Please come to the beautiful homestead Resort in Midway Utah! Yeah!