Wednesday, September 28, 2005

For the Love of Music

ACL - what a fucking grand time! I could type a 4 page essay of all the ongoings from this weekend, but I won't...because I'm lazy. Rest assured that a good time was had. Saw The Arcade Fire, Built to Spill, Bloc Party, Death Cab, The Walkmen, Rilo Kiley, Cory Morrow (why I don't know - maybe because my sister and I wanted to see Kathleen Edwards and the bitch pulled out), Wilco. Heard from a distance - The Bravery, The Decemberists, Oasis, The South Austin Jug Band, Robert Randolph, shit man, I can't even remember.

There was so much good music, and I drank SO much whiskey...I even smoked fucking weed for the first time in at least two-and-a-half to three years during The Walkmen, and I was TOTALLY convinced that they were the best band of all time...at the time. That was odd...but fun I suppose. I'm sure karma will rear its ugly head, and I will be asked to pee in a cup at work soon...better start shoring up the resume!

I really enjoyed seeing everybody that I ended up seeing. It was a random collection of people. There were people from my high school that I saw this weekend, from college, from my fraternity (yes I was in a fucking fraternity), from my first job in Dallas, from my current job in Dallas, random people in a random place.

I especially enjoyed hanging with my sister this weekend and dolling over life, love, happiness, and what they all mean to us and everyone. She's got a cool place and I wish I could find an apartment that cool up here for that price...anywho, we came to the conclusion that we may never find love...because it's fucking scary and twisted. Of course this was after a few shots and several beers, AND meeting her married friend who came out with us, sans wedding ring. Now why would you do that? I just don't fucking understand. If you don't love that person, or there was a possibility this would happen, why did you get married? Now realize, I don't know people's motivations and their reasons for doing the things they do, but that in itself is what is so fucking scary and twisted about love. My sister has decided against marriage for the time being, but on the other hand, she also decided against a hot dog in favor of a twelve inch club sandwich when we left the bar to harness the "drunken munchies," at 3:00 in the morning (one in which she actually put potato chips inside the sandwich...not as a delightful treat with the sandwich)! Parallel logic?

Maybe...Ryan Adams says don't give up on love (now he's not the only one to say that, but he's fucking cool so he's my point of reference) and I seem to never do, but I tell you what, I'm a damn sight more apprehensive about it now. You hold your hand over a candle long enough, it's going to get burned...but just as burns go, the heart heals as well. Maybe that's why we shouldn't give up...I really don't know. I really don't know anything on this matter anymore. I'm back in kindergarten again, learning the ABC's of "love curriculum."

Fuck what a goofy non-sequitor...anyways, we went to the Trojan VIP After Party at the Velvet Spade on 6th...I think (it was 6th or 7th). Allegedly, there were band members from Coldplay and the Arcade Fire there, but I suppose I was too drunk to notice any of them. Not that I would anyways. The Arcade Fire has an army of a band, like ten of them, and Coldplay is only Chris Martin to me...so if it wasn't him, I wouldn't have known.

I now have about 80 mint-flavored condoms...I have never seen such a high concentration of condoms in one place. It was really amazing...in the awe-struck kind of way. My buddy and I were walking by this 3x5 cardboard box, brimful of condoms, and I told him, "Man, there's alot of sex in that box." To which he replied, "I wish I could have alot of sex with someone's box...." HA...toilet humor...outstanding. I felt like such an elitist at that party. I was walking downstairs when one of our friends would get there and tell the doorman, "Oh they're with me." And they would let them walk right by...I was special for a night! Thanks goes out to Robert for that privilege, wish you could've been there!

I stayed in Austin on Sunday night after the Wilco show, because I was pretty certain I was going to wrap my truck around a telephone pole before I even got to Waco. So I had the excitement of getting up at 5am and driving back to Dallas to get to work on time...slid into homebase at 8:30 on the dot (my required time for arrival). Felt like shit all day Monday, but I am glad I stayed on Sunday night to get some sort of rest, and I'm getting my legs underneath me now and have finally rid myself of dust boogers, and "miner's lung."

I'll leave you with something Jeff Tweedy said...

"The biggest problem with American music today is, it has no soul. This weekend, I see a whole lot of fucking soul in one place. Go spread it through the streets."

I will Jeff....I will....

Cory Will

PS - Pictures to come.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Austin City Limits

And if the rain comes down,
let it rain on me...


I'm headed to the Austin City Limits Festival this weekend and I can't wait. I've been fidgeting in my cube for the past few days, playing air-guitar on my leg thinking about all the sweet-ass bands I'm going to get to see. Bloc Party, Wilco, the Black Crowes, The Arcade Fire, Oasis, Death Cab, Franz Ferdinand, Keane, Built to Spill, The Walkmen, Kaiser Chiefs, Jason Mraz, Rilo Kiley, The Bravery, Kathleen Edwards, Doves, so many more. Man this is going to fucking rule!!

The ONLY problem is that I may have to bring my kayak, because Mother Nature has decided to date-rape us again with her delightful hurricanes. First Katrina, and now Rita. They were such wonderful names before...like Rita Hayworth, and Katrina something-or-other, but they will forever be known as names for mass destruction. I hear there's a mass-exodus out of Houston right now, so that might hinder my ability to get down there at a decent time. I think I might drive through Brady...don't know yet.

Can you imagine being one of those poor canasta's from New Orleans. "Uh, excuse me. You need to leave RIGHT NOW because there's a hurricane on its way and it's going to wipe your city off the face of the Earth." "Here go to Houston, it'll be safe there...." "Ummm, excuse me again.....I hope you've enjoyed your stay in Houston, it's lovely to have you here, but you need to leave RIGHT NOW because there's a hurricane on it's way and it's going to wipe your temporary home off the face of the Earth...." Poor bastards, they're being stalked by hurricanes...just move to Phoenix folks.

I'm pretty jacked about the concert, and no amount of rain is going to stop me from enjoying the bands. I'll wear floaties if need be, but I ain't missin' it. I also get to see my sister's new place. Haven't had the opportunity to get down there since she moved to Austin so that will be a pleasantry added to the trip. I'm packing my galoshes and my scuba gear and heading down tommorrow night after I can get out of this shithole. If anyone is going, give me a ring and we'll all have to meet up in Austin...I plan on having a higher category blood alcohol content this weekend than Rita's Category 5. By the way, thanks goes out to Robert for getting us into the Trojan VIP after party!!! What the fuck, HAHAHA!! We're VIP's at the Trojan after party....outstanding! If anyone needs a box of condoms, let me know.

You Are The Bluest Light,

Cory Will


Monday, September 19, 2005

Nights Like These

The beer tastes like blood and my mouth is numb
I can't make the words I need to say
She had a weakness for writers
And I was never that good at the words anyways

I Feel Like I Am Going To Die

Finding out myself, the things I've torn apart,
Bleeding like a sieve, bleeding from the heart.
Sell me the drug to get away from here,
Just in time, I've lost my mind, and staking claim to fear.

It stings...like a sad girl and her revenge,
Far from the start,
Far be it from the end.

It feels like a million steps to the door,
Pounding heart, broken little boy.
I couldn't call her if I wanted,
Her number left my phone.

Kings and queens of coolness,
I'm a jester in the court.
Gave up the crown,
Turned around,
And felt the tension pour.

It stings...like a sad girl and her revenge,
Far from the start,
Far be it from the end.

I wanna be away,
Somewhere in the sun,
Listen to bands who make me smile,
With a girl beginning to run.

I've said it a million times,
I can't do anything.
But why can't I believe that?
And change the way it stings.

It stings...like a sad girl and her revenge,
Far from the start,
Far be it from the end...

I wish I would've had breakfast with you.
Maybe had a chance to talk this through.
Over morning water and presidence,
I might have found forgiveness.

I made my own bed...now sleepless in it I lie...

Thursday, September 15, 2005

My New Favorite Song

If you get a chance go to this website and watch the video for "Wagon Wheel."

If you don't like this song, something is wrong with you!!

www.crowmedicine.com

It's a band called Old Crow Medicine Show and the song rocks my ass!

The Fall of Man

But I cry to you for help oh Lord,
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Why, oh Lord, do you reject me,
and hide your face from me?

From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death;
I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.
Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.
You have taken my companions and loved ones from me;
the darkness is my closest friend.


When we fell from grace, in the dawn of Genesis and the cradle of Eden, surely what they felt carried an uneasiness about it. Surely, the weight of damnation fell on their shoulders...cursing the ancestry and lineage to come. Why is it that God separated himself from our visions, from our consciouseness? Why did He make himself invisible, where He was once visible. Why is it that He left us to flail in doubt and within the corridors of uncertainty to turn our brains inside out searching for the reconnection...the absolution. Why did He do this? Why did they fail to understand His purpose? Why couldn't the two sides meet on compromising terms, and if they did, why didn't one or the other hold up their end of the compromise? Why do thought's exist? Why is it that we have the blessing and curse of knowing that someday we will not exist in this consciouseness? Why is it we learn in increments of pain? Why is it we are so intrinsically secured to finding meaning? What is He doing? I don't know any of these things, even though I ponder them all the time...

I do know these two things for certain...

GOD DOES EXIST AND HE WILL BRING HIS WRATH....

JESUS DOES EXIST AND HE WILL BRING HIS MERCY....

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Frustrated Incorporated

With your suicide kings and your drama queens,
Forever after happily, making misery...


What a great song from the mid-90's when radio played songs that weren't coming back around on the rotation 12 songs after. Too bad the guy from Soul Asylum died...they weren't my favorite band, but their songs kind of take me back to that little town in the middle of Texas.

Anyways, the reason I'm frustrated (at this present point in time), is my guitar is broken. It died in my arms about a week or two ago. Well, actually it died on my naked lap while sitting on my couch playing songs for myself in the living room. So there I am, putting on a concert for myself, half-naked (only my boxers on), and the damn thing starts making a noise that sounded like the sound effects from the game Asteroids on the Atari 2600. After shaking the guitar, frantically turning knobs and pick-up switches, the piece of shit decides to shock me. I suppose it was tired of the abuse I was giving it and decided to retaliate. Then there's a loud pop, and I pull the chord out, take the guitar off of my lap to avoid electrocution in my own living room, and turn the amp off. I open the back up like a surgeon about to perform open heart surgery on my Les Paul, and a mini-plume of smoke comes out of what could be considered the chest cavity of my guitar. Upon seeing this and the charred wires that function as the central nervous system, my prognosis was death on arrival.

OBITUARY - "Dehlila" (The name of my guitar) 1999-2005

Born 1999 in Lubbock, Texas at Jent's Music, Dehlila served as the musical embodiment of Cory Will for the better part of six years. She lived a productive life, participating in several bands, with her longest stint in the band "The Fratastics." Serving as the rythym guitar, she provided many drunk fraternity parties the ability to process what song was coming through high-decibel amps and served as a hearty backdrop to many solos for a Mexican Telecaster. A very reliable guitar, she rarely fell out of tune and often endured a fair amount of abuse from her drunken owner who was too lazy to put her back in her case after a show, because he was more occupied with getting completely wasted and trying to make out with girls at various bars and fraternity parties. Battled bridge problems at one time and had a stint at The Guitar Garage being repaired by a nutjob named Wally who often took $2.57 and a stick of Wintergreen gum as his payment. She was preceeded in death by a "State of the Art" beginner's guitar, and a Silvertone 1956 acoustic. Survived in death by her soulmate, a Peavy Studio Pro 60 amp, and her newly found love, a Lab Series L7 amp with 4 ten-inch speakers. Married to the Peavy for years, her relationship blossomed with the L7 not long before her death. She will be missed by all. She is buried with a 7M3 sticker and a set list from the Beach Bums party taped to her back.

Rest in Peace...

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Things Enjoyed By Cory Will

Family, the outdoors, Bloc Party, the 1st song on the Bloc Party CD, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Alisha, Alisha's accent, my sister (she's a lovely person), girls, people who don't lie, bottle rockets, hunting, Ryan Adams (I wish my life was his), being primal in nature, Brady, the ranch, snow crab legs, dancing in the rain, rainy days, sunny days, when it rains during sunny days, Lonesome Dove, the word "INDEED", folsom prison blues, hearing from old friends, being a bleeding heart, my fraternity brothers, playing in a band, especially when that band includes twins and a guy named Joe, beer, being drunk in public, hitting on nice girls, nice girls hitting on me, my cousin Will (top five funniest people I know), Eric (showing me different lifestyles), blue heeler puppies, playing the guitar, writing songs that strike the heart, writing songs that strike the hearts of people I know, having a whacked-out-interesting mind like John Paul, lovers, clear complexion, Texas Tech football, Texas A&M losing at anything, breakfast tacos, striving for Christ-like actions, Mom's home-made meals, painkillers, a good job, people who make me feel worthy, Meredith Whitworth (angel on Earth), Knob Creek whiskey, Dr. Graves and his daughter, learning, reading insightful material, the Sopranos, Christmas with my family, Texas, Central Texas, old black men, my truck, Spin magazine, fishing, my best friends, PF Changs, the PF Changs in Austin, The Blue Light, beagles, being human, mad cats, my "good side", drawing pictures for people I care about, Great Expectations, falling madly-ass-stupidly-in-love, revenge, not being broke, the lyric "if I had a simple love, how would it feel and what would it mean", watermelon, Austin Texas, sleeping, dreaming of you when I sleep, The New Pornographers, how I should have written half of the Shins' songs, Apocalypse Now, Natalie Portman, my dreams about Natalie Portman, Top Gun, Natalie Portman's naked picture below in my blog, Vernon Texas, the Hill Country, being out on the lake, intestinal fortitude, my family history, my old (and gone) friend Celeste, how there are no divorces in my family, singing at the top of my lungs in my truck, dominating at NCAA Football, Matt Hinz and his pessimism, keeping things in check, Deadwood, Epiphone, my uncle Kyle, pictures of bands, showers (at least three a day), Goat Cook-Off, my friend Brendan, roller coasters (aka, the Titan at Six Flags), Six Flags, low light, Old Nine Road, Fuzion Frenzy, Monopoly, Monopoly money, drinking games, JFK, my camera, my father's silent intelligence, randomness, boobies, Colorado, having your alcohol tab covered because you look like you're in love, Aaron Rutherford, the fifty yard line of the TCU football field, running, smoking, smoking while your running, Vicodin, the 4th of July, college, creativity, grammatical perfection, Rachel's blog, my pair of white soccer shorts, Labyrinth, the Minnesota Vikings, alone time, text messaging, the sound my phone makes when I'm texted by you, computers not crashing, the "Grand Love of Corin," Kings of Leon, Laissez Faire, nihilism, honesty, Kyla, red dirt, my blood, telecasters, Heavens Golden Shores, tattoos on girls, this blog, the harmonica on Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," the South Tank, making out with girls at the South Tank, getting high by myself at the South Tank, Angel perfume, defying the devil, Sui Dreams perfume, My Morning Jacket, having a young man's mind with an old man's soul, sunsets, crosses, diving boards, the Bible, trampolines, "break the egg game" on trampolines, gettting fucking wasted out of my gourd, water, old Saturday Night Live, phone calls from drunk people late at night, CS Lewis, "The Weight"-by The Band ("Take a load off Annie," you know), my Mom, Spring Break, jeans that fit like a fucking glove, back scratches AND butt rubs, my Abercrombie and Fitch poster that takes up a whole wall, Jenny P and the gap in her teeth, fly fishing, Oh Noble Eric, Wilco, sex, Yellow Ledbetter (if you can name a better song, I dare you), Bob Dylan, Church, letting go, spicy chicken wings, the thought of California, Hemmingway, Hunter S. Thompson, doing what you want within the realms of sanity, the song "Devil's Waitin'" on the new Black Rebel Motorcycle Club album, Norman Mailer, trusting God, airtech floor fans, Fight Club, grad school, riding bikes, opening my eyes every morning, the necklace my Mom gave me in junior high, black bracelets, The Jayhawks, knowing the unknown, little kids, lifeguarding, tennis, basketball, playing tennis on a basketball court, falling through ceilings, bar-b-q (Hard 8 in particular....turkey to die for), Kentucky Beau, my best friend Jason, doing nice things for people, correctly tuned guitars, having nice things done for me, C's burrito's, quitting shitty jobs, dominating the realm of consciousness, smoking cigarettes, my journal, Simon, 300 thread-count sheets, popcorn, Star Wars, being on time, being skinny and in shape, Walt Whitman, World War II, my grandfather I never knew, Gospel music, Josh Rouse, Johnny Cash, air conditioning, sleeping outside, sleeping with your special someone outside, fucking lists that are too long, beating myself down, blue eyes, brunettes, Igby Goes Down, freckles, Pulp Fiction, He-Man (I have the power...mutha fucka), Jessi Moore, batteries that can be recharged, thrift stores, electric razors, my five-o-clock shadow, the Maxell picture of the guy sitting in a chair and the sound from the stereo blowing his hair back, Odis (well not really), winks of sarcasm, people reading this and getting pissed, Atlanta Braves, Dale Murphy in particular, Australia (although I've never been there), my clock radio, that new Gorillaz song (THAT'S A FUCKING JAM), 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, exceeding expectations, the new Bright Eyes Album (I'm Wide Awake bitches), Dan Fogleberg, Calvin the Second, swings (especially at Rochelle High School), being crude, my Grandmother's hugs, paranoia, trips to Missourri, Tigger, smoker's meow, acting stupid, being with someone who matches you in every way, dealing with it when they don't, playing music with my musical family (even if it is Sleepwalker every time), Joe Namath, Gary Cooper, Only Living Boy In New York, new babies in my family, sarcasm.........AND LIFE IN ALL ITS WONDER....


Cory Will

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Nuclear

"So this is where the summer ends...
In a flash of pure destruction no one wins."


I always know when summer is over. There are signs. One being the opening day of dove season. As the weather cools, the migration starts. Even the birds know when summer is over and it's time to move on to the warmer plains of Mexico and South America. Another sign is the football hysteria. It's that time between the dog days of August, when you're body is crippled from the summer heat and the northerner's blowing in, giving you a revival in your muscles. You feel like hitting something, or someone...I guess that's why football works so well this time of year. The final sign, for me, is Labor Day weekend. Where I come from, Labor Day ranks, with some, on the same tier with Christmas and Thanksgiving. It's the perfect bookend for a summer, and it always offers an interesting last chapter to your summer's whether they were good or not.

In most cases, Labor Day weekend mirrors the summer's I've had. It surely did this year. I enjoyed my summer...at times. I was able to do some things I'd never been able to do, start new friendships, and ultimately lost a few people who meant so much to me, but all's well that end's well, and this summer did just that. So the prep comes for the fall and it will slide into winter soon enough. I like the fall, and it's reflective nature. It allows you to settle your mind a bit and concentrate on the all the going's on in your life.

I'm expecting things to look up this fall. They have to, really. The summer, although good, may rank as one of the most violently introspective times of my life. There were parts that were not easy by any means, and the hangover from them will probably last awhile, but as the saying goes, "time heals all wounds." I think the seasons start and end right when they should. Just when you're tired of one the other comes around and I love that. As in life, when you're tired and worn down by something, there is always a refresher that gives you a new start...a blank slate. In some ways, I am a blank slate, and although this is scary on so many levels, it's also exciting. Getting to know friends again that I haven't really spent any time with over the last year or so is fucking awesome. But equally awesome is the new people you meet. Different opinons and views that are often intriguing and sometimes not, but different anyways. I'm ready for the fall. I hope it's ready for me.

If anyone gets a chance they should buy the new Black Rebel Motorcycle Club album, HOWL. Even though their name is somewhat lame, the album is great. Spin called it the new "Nebraska" (of course being Springsteen's venture into Americana). I really like it and it's pretty introspective. Anywhooo....

Cory Will

How Awesome Are Our LIVES!!!

Well, there's one more in the archives for "Goat Cook-Off's Lived Through." Like my friend Rachel has said, they are a little more tame than in years past. In college, there were GCO's that could have easily been spliced into some Spring Break party reel, without anybody being the wiser, and believe me, my crew probably pushes the limits more than any other, but even we have been docile, by our own standards. This year could be classified and summarized in one single word..."strange."

Strange in the way that home almost doesn't feel like home anymore...not the home of family and territory, but home in the sense of people. The people you used to know and how they have evolved and in some cases, not at all. Maybe the biggest change is my perspective, and how I've changed. My priorities are MUCH different than that of my former peers now. A great number of them have taken one turn in the road, while I have taken the exact opposite. I may turn down that way one day, but not now. There are so many of my old peers who have these life changing turns of event taking them in a different direction than I.

It was weird in a way to hear these people that I used to know talk of things that are completely foreign to me. Babies, marriage, loss, despair, unemployment, gainful employment, signing up for war, just coming home from war, and so on. It definitely seemed to vary between the stable and unstable...and it's funny the times of night that you run into the majority of both of these groups. One early and the other late. So what does that make me? Somewhere in between or just a passing spectator who can't sleep because he doesn't want to miss anything? Who knows...

The strangest part of GCO was definitely a run-in with an old acquaintance who I used to be real close to, but have grown far apart from over the years. And by far, I mean hopelessly non-existent. It's hard to see someone who used to be a part of your life, a once decidedly large part of it, in the folds of despair. You want to help the person, but at the same time, it's also one of those things that you want to say, "Hey, you made your own bed...I guess you're the one who has to lie in it." Only a complete idiot would touch the situation I was presented...it's basically a wildfire waiting to burn me to ash, and there's absolutely no way I will involve myself in anything with relevance to it. Not to mention the fact that I have no desire to, but it's almost sad to see someone in this state. Dillusional, and flailing. Odd the scenarios in our heads are. I guess the lesson to remember is that no matter how far along you've moved from someone or something, there is always someone who is holding on to you...and how things were at that time...for better or for worse. It's really sad, and not sad in a pathetic way (although, I guess it could be perceived that way), it's more sad as sympathetic for that person's well-being. Believe me, this person is in a bad place and they want me to help them out of it, but there is absolutely no way I can help this person...none. It's really sad...

Anyways, enough about that. I've got to get some sleep, because I probably consumed somehwere in the neighborhood of 60-70 beers this weekend and slept a total of approximately 7 hours total from the time I got off of work on Friday till Monday night. A good question was asked this weekend by one of my friends, "Cory, do you think we'll ever grow up?" No...no I don't...and I will do everything in my power to keep from it...

Cory Will





Labor Day Pics




Friday, September 02, 2005

Awaken! Life Breathes NEW!

Welcome to your life Campbell Jacob Hendricks! You were born last night at 11:55pm, September 1st, 2005. You have a head of dark hair and blue eyes, and you weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces. You're parents are walking tall, with pride in their eyes, and love in their hearts. Your grandparents are watching their lives' purpose unfold with your arrival. You will be surrounded with love and support that surpasses anything you will ever be able to imagine. God molded you with His hands, and with His hands He will direct the events of your life. The road ahead is long, and filled with promise and surprise! I haven't even met you yet, but I love you, and I will be there for you little man!!

With love and bright eyes full of the wonders of life,

Cory Will

The Undoing...

"Where'd you go pyscho boy?"

"I felt like being destroyed by something beautiful..."

"Well, let's get you to the hospital. They'll know what to do."

"Where have you been?"

"Middle of a fucking tornado...tornado of doubt and despair...flailing for meaning..."

"Why are you here?"

"To take you back..."

"Back where?"

"To where you belong. The place you were before this."

"Where is that?"

"It's a place you left long ago, and have forgotten about since. It's not your fault...you were blindsided...you had no preparation, no defense."

"How will we get there?"

"It's gonna take some time, and it's gonna hurt, but we'll get there...and it will be better than you remembered. Better than it once was. I've prepared a bed for your rest, and when you wake, you will be surrounded by the one's you love, they will prepare medication for you, they will welcome you back, like the coming home of the son and brother. A feast has been prepared for you, and when you're ready, we'll sit and eat together...as one again."

"I don't understand."

"I know you don't...and you won't for awhile...it's misunderstanding that pushed you way out here in the first place. You need rest...of the heart and mind...and I have it for you...I always have. There's nobody to count on...not anymore. The only one you can count on is me. I will always be the one to give you ease, to give you confidence, to restore the faith in yourself that you once had."

"I still don't understand. I'm where I need to be, all the events of my life have lead me to this point."

"You're right about that...but one thing you've got to understand is you've been disconnected. From hope, from recourse, from sanity. You need my help...and it's time I came to you...way past time."

"Why?"

"The storm is over...and it's time to pick up the pieces. I will help you with that, must I reiterate that I am the only one you can rest your hopes on."

"How will I know when I get there?"

"You'll know. I'll let you know...and it will happen. Right now we've got to get your mind in focus, for it's been out of focus for too long. We've got to set you straight. Aim the right way, and follow the steps, one at a time. We'll get there."

"How can I trust you?"

"I'm the only one you can trust. I am the only one you've trusted your whole life, and I will continue to be the one who holds your trust. There is no other."

"Surely that's not the case?"

"I wish it weren't my friend...but you've got to let that go. Get that out of your mind. I will lead you in the right direction. I promise."

"Well...I guess I don't have anything to lose by listening to you."

"Exactly...you have nothing. There is nothing...and you can't lose nothing....drop it now....right here and right now, drop it...drop the pressure."

"If you think it's the right idea......then okay."

"Take my hand...we've got so much to do...and we'll do it."

"Who are you?"

"I'm you..."