The Well CXXV: Beandip 2.0

[beandip]

Let's do this thing!

[Gearjoneser]

I think I recall you talking about some of the jobs you've had like bouncer, prison guard, and ambulance driver (correct me if I'm mistaken).

Tell us a few of the most memorable or exciting things that happened on those jobs.

[beandip]

Sure thing. My first job straight out of high school was as a correctional officer for TDCJ. I never ran in to much there, since they do a pretty good job of keeping things in order (for the most part). I would say one of the most memorable things to have happened when I worked for TDCJ was seeing a guy come in on drug charges, get involved in a program, get his GED, learn a skill, and years later start a family and have a stable job. He was one of the success stories of prison, as few as there are.

Bouncer, there really wasn't much. I worked at a few no-name bars and strip clubs, with nothing worth noting than what would be expected.

In EMS, I was more than an ambulance driver, and became an EMT-I. I still have my National Registry certification, although I allowed my state license to lapse due to non-use. I think the most memorable thing was when I went back to work for the medical department in the prison system. After I had dropped a patient off, he coded. This was a man who was a complete vegetable, with very little cognitive activity that anyone was aware of. Anyway, once he coded, he was out of the bed and trying to climb the wall. Screaming the entire time "Don't let them take me! Don't let them get me!" I found out later that day that he was serving life for killing his stepson with a baseball bat the day he retired, and it came to light while he was incarcerated that he had molested several children, including his stepson (which was the reason for the murder). His family wanted nothing to do with him, but his retirement fund was still deposited into his prison account. He passed with over a million dollars on the books.

[everdrone]

Hey I met up with you in 2009 and am now living in Fort Worth! I see you moved from DFW, why? why did you stop working on guitars and playing guitar?

[beandip]

Hey I met up with you in 2009 and am now living in Fort Worth! I see you moved from DFW, why? why did you stop working on guitars and playing guitar?

I never "stopped" working on guitars, I just came to realize that I wouldn't be able to continue that career path and support a family by doing it. It's not that money can't be had, it certainly can, but I didn't have the resources in order to make it happen in such a competitive market. The reason we left DFW is the music chain I was working for had it's doors closed due to mismanagement. I blew my knee out and we hung around in the Houston area for awhile with family while I recovered. It's in the five year plan to head back to DFW. I have some contracts to complete, and some clients to give confidence to, but once that happens, it's on like donkey kong.

[everdrone]

cool

[Lampy H]

If you had the opportunity redo any one thing from your past, what would you choose?

[beandip]

If you had the opportunity redo any one thing from your past, what would you choose?

Oh man. In July, my fathers passed due to pancreatic cancer. We had been estranged for years and years, at one point I believed him to be dead. A few months before his passing, I had been putting in effort to reconcile with him. He has two granddaughters that he never had the opportunity to meet, and he hadn't had the chance to see my two sons for 3 years. Anywho, I had tried to call him twice the day before he passed, but he never answered the phone. I remember being pretty upset at the moment, but in hindsight, he probably didn't have the ability to do anything.

So, if I had to redo any one thing, it would be to put the effort into reconciling with my sick father before he left this earth. I'm not saying I would have been successful, but the worst feeling in the world is failing and knowing that I should and could have tried harder.

[Lampy H]

Oh man. In July, my fathers passed due to pancreatic cancer. We had been estranged for years and years, at one point I believed him to be dead. A few months before his passing, I had been putting in effort to reconcile with him. He has two granddaughters that he never had the opportunity to meet, and he hadn't had the chance to see my two sons for 3 years. Anywho, I had tried to call him twice the day before he passed, but he never answered the phone. I remember being pretty upset at the moment, but in hindsight, he probably didn't have the ability to do anything.

So, if I had to redo any one thing, it would be to put the effort into reconciling with my sick father before he left this earth. I'm not saying I would have been successful, but the worst feeling in the world is failing and knowing that I should and could have tried harder.

That's pretty heavy. But it's also an important lesson, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you.

[playas]

Welcome back. What's the best/happiest thing in your life right now?

[beandip]

Welcome back. What's the best/happiest thing in your life right now?

Well, running the risk of hurting 3 of my kids feelings, when I come home from work, my eldest daught (2 1/2 years old) immediate runs up to me and yells "Dad, you home! C'mon! Come wif me!" and plops down in my lap on the couch for me to hold her.

[JOLLY]

Who is your favorite band now? I remember you used to be into those Los Lonely Dudes, or whatever they were named.

[beandip]

Hard to say. I'm definitely still a big fan of anything that's been heavily influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan like those guys were, but I don't listen to them much anymore. Lately I've been on a big Foo Fighters kick. I've got their whole discography, plus featured songs from Lost Highway on Spotify, and somehow, it always fits the mood.

[newking70]

when you were single, did you like big women?

[beandip]

LOL! Yes...

[JOLLY]

What are the best things about Texas has that Florida doesn't have, and what are the best things about Florida that Texas doesn't have. I'm guessing a lot of differences in music and food.

[beandip]

Hands down the best thing that Texas has that Florida doesn't is the food. My wife and I used to reminisce about the food all the time. When we got back, we went on a two week binge of tacos, brisket, kolaches, klobasnek, and everything else. Now, to give credit where credit is due, Florida has some bangin' Latin American food. I married a Puerto Rican, so at least I've got that. But the real Cuban, Colombian, and Dominican food was of the chart. I would also add that Texas seems to have a kind demeanor, while where we were at in Florida, was very much a "Little New York". No one held doors for each other, everyone avoided eye contact and making small talk in the grocery line. Hell, I had a lady call corporate and complain saying that I might as well have called her a raging *****. Turns out, it's because I kept saying "ma'am".

Some of the things that Florida has that Texas doesn't, obviously are the beaches. We were only a few miles from Siesta Key Beach, which was constantly rated as the best beach in the US. Sure, Texas has Galveston and South Padre Island, but they simply can't compare. Also (ironically enough), where we were at, there was a very healthy competition between service providers, which worked in favor of the consumer. Here, it seems to be a localized monopoly (We have to have ATT for internet and cable, we have to have WCA for trash, we have to have Monarch for water. There are no options). I would also like to mention the inhibition to wear bathing suits everywhere. This often brightens one's day.

[Lampy H]

What's your dream rig?

[beandip]

That's an incredibly difficult question to answer. These days, I have no rig. There is nothing to modify to achieve a certain goal, so I'm literally starting from nothing. However, I've learned some good lessons from my years tone chasing (I started when I was 12-13), and then this hiatus from playing: There's no reason that I need to have it all.

For years, I was chasing the guitar and rig that could do absolutely everything and do it well. I wanted dirty blues to the brown sound to metal to punk to everything in between, and I wanted it to be high caliber. Don't need it anymore.

These days, I'd be perfectly content with a solid body electric of varying styles, with a thick neck and good frets, and an amp that doesn't sound half bad (I remember being quite smitten with the little mini Vox amps several years ago).

[Lampy H]

That's cool. You have it more figured out than most other people, it seems.