James Monte

I've had a lot of different plans.  A lot have succeeded, but even more have failed.  It seems the most ambitious plans never really get far. When I was still in high school I really wanted to work in music.  Most of all I wanted to be an engineer and work in recording studios.  I was laughed at by many people older than I, including people who were tasked at helping me find my career or a school.  I remember this particular time when our high school held a career day where we all signed up to get advice from people who've had jobs in the real world.  The goal was to get career advice and gain perspective.  I had very obviously signed up stating I wanted to be a studio engineer.  The two guys I was set to meet with were not even working in the industry, so why they even had me meet with them was always confusing to me.  We chat for a bit. They asked me what I wanted to do, how I wanted to get there, and how I could achieve this. ...

Wednesday night I said farewell to a project I had been involved with for the past 4 years.  Eternal Voyager was a band I had been playing drums for since about December of 2008. Through my entire stay in the project, the band has been strained by my busy schedule as well as other hardships.  Now with my schedule becoming more hectic with the pursuit of higher education and involvement with other projects, I had to take a step back and take a serious look at where things were at.  I felt the band would be better off with someone who could devote more time and effort to the project.  I had just finished my drum tracks for EV's full length album the previous week and felt now was the best time to make my departure. Brian has been at the helm of this band since 1998, and I know he's going to continue on.  It is, after all "Eternal Voyager". I wish Brian, Brett and Co. all the best of luck with the future of the band and the search for a new drummer.  I c...

My initial thought: When I was a teenager I felt like I was some kind of special shit.  I thought I was so cool and edgy and that would never change.  Fast forward to my thirties and now I'm as lame as anyone else's dad.  It just sort of happens.  You grow older and get stuck in your routines and responsibilities.  All of a sudden your that guy walking his wife's dumb-ass dog in the suburbs wearing khaki's and a polo shirt.  What the fuck ever happened?  I would have never been caught dead dressed like that, 10 years ago even. After some reflection: The thing is, I like reading books and taking naps.  I like drinking tea and watching a good movie rather than going to a club or bar.  Is that me being lame, or do I just know what I like? The clothing I have an excuse for.  I have a job that provides income to fund my life.  I need to dress appropriate for that job or I might lose it and not get paid.  I have no excus...

So here I am creating a new blog.  I've done this before for random things and never really had much use for these.  This one I plan to be a little different.  The purpose for this blog is two things; 1. to write about what's on my mind, and 2. promote the various projects and crap that I do. I find writing to be cathartic even if there is no audience.  If there is an audience then that's even better, although I'm not sure how much on here the average reader would find remotely interesting. I'm 30 years old; married, father of 1 son, and 2 cats.  I work in the network I.T. field and have been an amateur musician since about the age of 13. I have a deep appreciation for music and the arts and I am engaged in modern technology.  I often will write and talk about these subjects.  I dislike politics and big business so I will rarely write about that on here unless I am particularly invested in the matter. I've always lived by the "live an...