Winter Camping

The reward of camping is simply having the opportunity to go outdoors and view Creation. Many people think of winter camping as uncomfortable and a little crazy. Not me. I think about no bugs, no snakes, and hopefully no man eating wildlife. There is nothing more rewarding than after a long days hike, coming back to cook steaks of the fire. For five years my friends and I have made the trip to the Southwest part of the state to camp in the Pisgah National Forest. I leave in a few days for trip number 4 to Panthertown Valley and I am so excited. I hope to bring back stories of adventure and laughter.

Recording!

If you want to listen to my very first audio podcast go to my website and click on The Local. Tell what you think.

Ramble Like a lunatic

As the gas prices continue to go down, I can't begin to imagine the pats on the back the oil industry is giving itself. I remember back after Hurricane Katrina last year how everyone said how the price of gasoline would rise to higher price. I paid no mind to the hype until it slowly began to get out of control. And of course the war in Iraq and everything else was supposedly to blame. The people in Saudi Arabia blame the U.S. government for its import tax being so high, and the government blames the oil companies. No matter who or what is to blame, no one can still give a good reason other than it is someone else's fault.

I really get disgusted with all of it. Here is my thought on the whole deal. Up until now, gasoline engines have been what we have used in our vehicles to get from point A to point B. As a consumer, will use whatever is marketed to us. Gasoline providers are not going to role over and let energy saving cars take over the future. There is far to deep a pockets in the oil industry. No matter how we look at it, our environment is in already facing uncontrollable changes because of quest to use this natural resource of the earth to fuel our lives. Maybe riding a bike or purchasing an electric scooter is not a bad idea to get around town. Or is public transportation an even better an idea to help slow the environmental crisis that we face today. No matter how we look at it, people need to face the facts. What will we do to make sure this earth is here for our children and their children. Will we continue to recycle, will we drive hybrids, will we tell the congress to piss off because they need a month long vacation when our country needs them? Man I could go on for hours.

Good Times

Today was spent unpacking at the new store in K'ville. The store is really cool. I have opened three restaurants over the years and this is my first store opening with Starbucks. I met some of the new staff and we had several partners from other locations helping set up. My new role will prove to be challenging. A few people tried to test the waters today and were surprised when I had to say "No that won't work" to a couple of different things. I know I will have those types of situations to deal with as time goes on and I am ready to take the challenge. Tonight its off to help Jason with his church's' praise and worship group. So long for now.

Me Against The Machines

One week ago I chose to surf the world of limewire searching for some computer programs while using my wife''s computer. Listen I will tell you the truth I believe in PTP, however what happened next was not so funny. I decided to download a copy of Norton 2006 Anti-virus Software thinking "Yeah a new anti-virus program". What a big mistake. I ultimately downloaded one of the most obnoxious spamming software you can download. The Rundll worm. And I will tell you, it absolutely sucked. So dear friends, if you use limewire, be careful. You are asking for corrupted files and virus' when you use their site. Thanks to my friend Larry for cleaning up Beth's computer. You rock bro.

Also this week I got into a fight with my computer. I was recording some tracks for the Peace project and decided to clean up the files from unwanted songs. Well, (long pause) lets just say I deleted about 90% of my work because I wasn't on the same file wavelength as my computer was. The computer even asked me "Are you sure you want to delete the file Peace.cpr" at a whooping 51.5MB, I thought to myself hell yeah that is space baby. Duh, In a minute the whole project was gone. And I am very sad. So I did have finished copies of two songs, edited and ready to burn. So all is not lost. I just cannot go back an edit any more of the tracks. So I decided to not stop, however go into a different direction. The EP was to get me going and I handed out a few copies to my family. I have about 5 more songs I have lyrics written for and the ideas for the music are still in my brain for those songs. So I am going to start working on those songs in an effort not to go cold with recording.

Beth and Christian have been out of town this week. Beth doesn't know it yet, but I have bagged up all her old tupperware and bought one of those newer space saver tupperware holders that goes into the cabinets. I hate tupperware. However I did compromise by finding something to replace what I was throwing away. Don't worry sweetie I haven't officially thrown out the old stuff yet. Its waiting in a garbage bag for your approval to throw out. I also rearranged some of the cabinets to make the kitchen a little more friendly. I think she will be impressed with my organizing abilities. The honey do list was self written this week. I took the time to really do some things that have been bugging the tar out of me. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she gets home.

This is Not a Drill, I Repeat

Last night my sleep was interrupted by the sounds of fire trucks racing down my street. What caught my attention was the fact I could see flashing lights outside my window and hear the sounds of the two way radio. Could I be dreaming? My heart started racing as I noticed I could see the back of one fire truck and the front of another between the window and the corner of the mini blinds. I got up as fast as I could and went for my keys to unlock the front door not knowing what was going on. All I could think about is what kind of escape root I needed to get my family out alive. I rip the door wide open and there were atleast seven trucks lined down the street and I had no idea what was going on. Here sat a fire engine in front of my house, lights flashing, poring down rain, fierce lightening, I started screaming at the fire truck. "HEY, HEY, IS IT HERE, HEY HEY IS MY HOUSE ON FIRE". With no reply I screamed for Beth not knowing if I needed to rescue them or what the hell was going on. As the fire fighters unmounted their trucks I noticed my neighbor screaming for help. I watched in awe as six men armed with flashlights and full gear went and inspected her house. A bit of relief came over me as I finally understood what was happening. The only thing I could even think happened was her house was struck by lightening. I am not sure at this point what really happened. I had a hard time getting back to sleep as the fierce lightening continued for another two hours. I may have gotten a couple of hours of sleep before I had to get up at 4:30am to go to work. I am thankful my neighbors are okay and that their house is fine. It was a experience I will never forget.

Hey Everyone Life is What We See in Our Heads

Lately life has been a little stressful. I have been waiting since May to hear anything on my promotion and now I feel it may be September before I know anything. So I am waiting and waiting. I had a very restless night of sleep last night. Our cat Elle is in heat and so she spent the whole night chasing Nina like she could comfort her needs. Then about 4am someone was jamming out to there rap music at full volume. So I tossed and turned and slept as much as I could.

I am feeling inspired by the nature shows this morning. We live in such a beautiful place far away from the cries of war. I have stayed glued to the headlines waiting for the Israelies to go into Lebanon. Honestly it is amazing to live and read the headlines as tomorrows history is written.

So as I try not to stress over lack of money I have decided to leave all of you with a glimspe of what keeps me going when I get down. I look forward to the day when I can hike in a park that looks like my dreams.

Update

Today I called my sister in PA to check on her situation. Her and her family had been evacuated earlier this week due to flooding in her neighborhood. The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army had set up right up the street from their house serving food and handing out refreshments. Today they were cleaning up the house. They were fortunate that the basement was the only part of the house that was flooded. It was anticicpated that the water level could get as high as the first floor. The city brought out large trash bins for the whole neighborhood to fill up and was hauling them off as fast as they were filling the trash bins up. Kudo's to the township for acting so quickly to get things going. Your continued prayers would be wonderful.

Flooding in PA

This past week my sister's home was flooded in Pottstown, PA. Her and her family were voluntarily evaucated from their homes on Wednesday morning as the Schuylkill River rose over its banks and spilled into their neighborhood. They were able to find a hotel to stay in temporarily until the flood waters go down. It has been a heartbreaking experience for the whole family. My mother is on vacation visiting my sister, I don't think it will be a visit she forgets. This morning I was viewing photo's of the region where she lives and I was amazed how much of an area was affected by the massive rainfall. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware all had major flooding. I would be great if you would keep them in your meditative thoughts. I have found pictures of the flooding in the city where my sister lives and wanted to share them will you.

HTML+JSP+XML+PSP=One Big Headache

Today has been very uneventful. I started my day early with hopes of finishing my website and was not able to accomplish that goal. I have certain elements that are not done yet and it is frustrating when you don't understand all the lingo. I am working with a development book with pretty pictures and illustrations. The only thing missing is the core of what to do. Computer language is fun to learn and hard to master. You heard it here first.

She

Like clock work, each day she gets up to do the same thing each day. She wakes up, takes a shower, readys herself before she wakes her son. She hurries him up to get ready for school then gets his lunch ready as he sits down to eat his breakfast. Her day is not done yet as she gets him to school and gets him started on his first project of the day. After that is back home to study her own school work while doing odd chores around the house. It is never an easy with always something planned, always something to do. She is a wondeful person. I have been watching her for a while now. I have beeen studying the detail of her day, what makes her laugh, what makes her smile, what not to say to her after a long day. She doesn't get a pay check for all her hard work, only the hope that all her hard work will pay off in the end. She is not quick to rely on others as they have only let her down on mutiple occasions. She still dreams of a big house with a basement, and room enough to strecth out for a while. I hope that she understands that her day is coming soon. The day all her dreams come true. She is my best friend. She is my wife.

Audio Blog 2

This is my second audio blog post. If I sound a little corny, I apologize. I am trying to get used to doing an audio podcast so that down the road I can bring you all a cool look at local musicians in High Point.

Testing

The Day After

It is the day after. It is the day after my 32nd birthday. As far as becoming older, I'm only getting better looking with age. And I look forward to the years to come. I had a light day. I did not have to work at Starbuck's. I went and bought some drapes for the living room after trying for the first time to install a mini blind. The mini blind lost out due to its failure to be installed correctly. Beth took me out to eat at the China King. I felt like a king being chauffeured around town by my wife. She worked extra hard on her school work to make sure she could spend some time with me. That was really nice of her. I have been a little under the weather lately with allergies due to the pollen. So my health was not 100% but my spirit was. Thank you to Christian and Beth for a wonderful time.

86 and Counting

Yesterday I visited my grandfather who is going to be 86 in two days. I cannot imagine what it is like being on earth that long. He is a very quiet man. He sticks to a routine. He has drank regular coffee and ate eggs and bacon his whole life and he is healthier than most people my age. He does have a weak heart. About twenty years ago he had a quadruple bypass surgery after suffering a heartattack. His health was strong until last November when he suffered another heartattack. It has slowed him down a bit, but not to much. He mowed his own yard up till last summer. This year will be the first time I can ever remember him having someone mow the yard for him. In 1942 he sailed around the Pacific after joining the Navy. Luckily his ship never went to any of the great sea battles that took place in WWII. He had orders to go once, however after going through the Panama Canal the ship turned back. He has lived the last 4 years without my grandmother who past away in May 2002. He does have a great fan club who comes and visits him on a regular basis. So Happy Birthday 86th to Mr T.R. Hedrick, my grandfather, and friend.

Quickie

Happy Saint Patty's Day. If your not green your obscene. Beth and I did our taxes. Hooray. We don't have to owe. Thank God for the EIC. It saved our butts. This year me working for my self helped out a great deal with itemizing. I was able to recoup some of my expenses for the year. God is so good. Whenever I feel stressed I just pray it out and He takes care of the rest. Prayer is a good therapy. It keeps me going.

God is so Good

Six years ago if you told me I would be giving guitar lessons I would have laughed at you. The reason I would have laughed was because I just never gave it a second thought. However with the interesting change of events that have taken place over the last year I was forced to try some different things. So lets think about this for a moment. One, I know how to play the guitar very well. Two, I have the extra time to kill. Three, I definitely could use the money. Bada boom, bada bang, and presto Brass Door Productions is in business. Hot damn. I am very excited this morning because I just received a phone call last night for a possible third student. Heck yeah. I got a referral from one of Beth's friends whose son I am teaching.

To understand the occasional agony I put myself threw, I'll tell you about my sleepless night last night. I woke around 4am with my mind racing with thoughts of indecision about my job situation and bills, life, family, and all that kind of stuff. I spent about two hours talking myself through(not literally talking to myself) convincing myself I would be okay and that I have a great deal of purpose in my life. I have been up and down in my emotions pounding my head against the payment looking for a clear direction I should be headed in. I think about how in the hell will I pay for Christians college, what age I want to retire by, how can Beth and I ever afford to buy a house, and were will be in 5 years from now. That is a lot to think about in a two to three hour period. I started feeling better and got up around 9pm. I looked out the window and new things would be okay. I am desperately praying for patience and peace. I think you could say I have anxiety of what tomorrow will bring. I have had an overwhelming support for everyone. Its hard to admit your barely making it to your friends and family. Its even heavier when you blame yourself for the happenings of your life. I sure as hell can't blame anyone else. I mean I could, but that doesn't solve the problem. I thought of a sermon I watched Joyce Meyers preach on TV a while back. She plainly said if your in a financial crunch, a bad situation, or whatever, dig your way out of it. She simply said, "Do something about it". So that is exactly what I am doing.

The name and idea of Brass Door Productions came from a name my father in law came up with in a blog he wrote about if he had won the lottery. I took the name from an idea of a restaurant he had fictiously made up that I would own if he had won the lottery and was able to get me going. The restaurant was The Brass Door. So thanks Red. The name is awesome. Even though its not a restaurant I hope the Brass Door will be a place were kids and adults can come to learn how to play the guitar and all kinds of stuff dealing with being a musician or in a band. That is my heart. And honestly I have not shared that with anyone. So that was a paragraph full of heavy thoughts.

The World According to Thad

Ramblings

I started working at Capel two weeks ago working part time. I honestly would have never guessed I would end up working in a show room in downtown High Point. It gives me a break from the hectic days at Starbucks and a different atmosphere. The job at Starbucks is great. Each day I am there I learn more and more in my pursuit of being a AM. Lately I have been on emotional highs and lows. The car problems really took a toll on Beth and I. It really made me think of things I need to do to make sure I don't have to borrow money all the time to support my own family. So I have had several sleepless nights of praying for God's direction in my work(career). I know I have said so many times how I want to work and be my own boss. It seems the more I think of that the better the idea sounds. With 2 full years of college under my belt going back for a specific trade or degree is very likely. On the other hand it would be difficult for me to work two jobs, play in a band, and be a husband and dad all at the same time while taking classes at a university. So each morning when I get up I try to focus on what do I need to accomplish today for a better tomorrow and better future. Thanks to all of you for your help the last six months of my life. You know who you are.

I started giving another guitar lesson two weeks ago. The child I am teaching just happens to be the son of one of Beth's high school friends. So she has been able to reunite with someone she used to hang out with all the time. Cool huh. My other student is doing really good. I have taught her a great deal of guitar in the last couple of months. So if you know someone interested in learning let me know. Any how thats all for now, and that is The World According to Thad.

Backyard Mechanic

I really do not like cars at this time. I especially do not like Beth's car right now. I think that car makers have a good laugh when the realize that the backyard mechanic can get to one half of the engine and not the back. However I am not laughing. All I did this weekend was work on cars, and work at Starbucks. My hands have nicks and scratches all over them this morning. So usually when Beth is complaining about her car, it means that I am out busting my knuckles againt the different parts of the engine. I can't wait until she has a car that she really likes. Hopefully then she wouldn't complain about it anymore. Or will she?

The official site o Thad

Hey everyone. I just wanted to tell you that my website is up and running. I added some songs I have been working on. I hope you like them. Beth says my website is dark. I promise that was no on purpose. I had a really fun time designing the site and making the music for my upcoming cd. I still have atleast two more songs I want to record before the cd comes out. So listen, enjoy and go visit www.thadhelderman.com

For better or worse

Well the first blog on The World According to Thad in weeks and I feel in the dumps. I watched the Carolina Panther's get the snot beat out of them and really felt horrible for the guys. I salute all of them for their incredible season. For two years they have battled with injuries and sickness and dealt with the passing of Sam Mills. That is a lot to put up with in one year. Ricky if you do retire, thanks for the wonderful memories. To the running backs Stephen, Deshaun, Nick, hope you all recover soon. Well that is all for tonight. John Fox thanks for leading the team to another great season. Peace out.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.