Ronalfy.com | Life is a Blog. I wanna write it.

Mistakes

Ronald Huereca — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:39:50 +0000

In life, we make mistakes. They’re as concrete as paying taxes and dying.

I often quote a saying: “If people supposedly learn from their mistakes, why are we not all geniuses?”

Regardless if mistakes make a person smarter, I do think mistakes in life are an absolute necessity.

There are the dumb redneck mistakes that make up the joke, “How do you know a redneck is about to die?” “He turns around to his peers and yells, ‘Hey, watch this!’”

Then there are the genuine mistakes where you hurt yourself or others, whether emotionally or physically.

A Mistake as a Child

I have definitely made my fair share of mistakes in life. One I made as a kid. I was climbing up a concrete waterside in the Philippines and someone happened to be coming down the slide at the same time. The person caught my legs and I landed face first on the concrete, sliding all the way down. As a consequence, my teeth were pretty much destroyed. It also didn’t help that soon after, I attempted to jump into a pool backwards and smacked those already-mangled teeth into the side of the pool.

“Snaggletooth” or “Buck-tooth Beaver” were names I often heard on the playground. As I grew older, people who genuinely didn’t like me would suggest, “I bet someone slammed a baseball bat in your face for talking shit.” People can be cruel.

It wasn’t until high school when an extremely kind lady (whom I hope she doesn’t mind me sharing her name) named Luann Gale offered to help fix my teeth. What followed were several surgeries and what seemed an endless amount of dental work. When I tell people I know how it “feels” to have root canals, teeth pulled, etc., I mean every word of it.

By the way Luann, if you ever read this, I am eternally indebted and thankful to you. You taught me how to smile again.

Mistakes Out of Your Control

But I was a kid when I made those mistakes. Why should I have to pay for them now and until the day I die? “That’s life”, some would say.

And they’re right. That is life. I can’t help but remember a quote from one of my favorite war movies Black Hawk Down. In the context of the movie, the quote is regarding war. However, it’s easily applicable to life in general.

See you’re thinking. Don’t. ‘Cause Sergeant, you can’t control who gets hit or who doesn’t or who falls out of a chopper or why. It ain’t up to you. It’s just war.

I can easily change this quote to reflect life and apply it to myself.

See, Ron, you’re thinking. Don’t. You can’t control what happens to you or others or why. It’s not up to you. It’s just life.”

So Who’s in Control?

The above quote easily reminds me of the dreaded topic of religion. If it’s not up to me, then who the hell is it up to? God? God is an easy fixture to place blame upon, but some mistakes I must simply own up to. God isn’t responsible for everything, right? At some point, assuming there is a heaven, I will have to account for the things I have or have not done.

So if God, or Jesus, or whoever, asks me, “Ron, what the heck have you been up to in life?”, I’ll probably laugh and say, “Read my fucking blog.”

Kidding aside, I’ll own up to my mistakes. I’ll own up to my regrets. And at the same time, I’ll tell the things I’m glad I have done, even if they were considered by others to be mistakes.

As a person, I don’t believe you are defined by the mistakes you have made. Mistakes are, in a sense, subjective. What may seem like a big mistake to you may seem like nothing to someone else. You might even get the dreaded “one-upper” who says, “Oh, you think that was bad? I once burned my father’s house down with my mother tied to the bed and ended up in a state correctional facility until I was 22.” And once you flee from that person, you can calm down and say, “Well, I guess I didn’t really have it that bad.”

Victims of Mistakes

And people often pay for mistakes made by others. Think politics and history. How much of the human race has fallen victim to a dictatorship or some bad policy made at the highest of levels?

What about children? The consequences of divorce weigh heavily upon them when their parents make the decision that getting married was a mistake. Or how about when a single mother is thrown into prison making her children wards of the state? In both cases, neither the parents or the single mother wanted to harm their children (yes, these examples are from personal experience).

Thankfully, mistakes of these sort can be repaired. In politics, it’s called damage control.

Is it a Mistake?

The good and bad thing about mistakes is that a person rarely knows it’s a mistake until after the event has occurred. And even then, what may seem like a mistake in the short-term eventually turns out to be the right thing to do.

Examples of these types of mistakes are:

Getting divorced or ending a relationship
Quitting your job
Having children
Moving to a foreign country
Moving to a new city
Going bankrupt

I have entertained all of these, and have acted on several (I’m not telling which ones). But in every single one of those I did act on, all seemed like mistakes at the beginning. Some were proven not to be mistakes right away, while others, I eventually warmed up to.

And yet, some, did end up being mistakes.

Recovering From a Mistake

So what’s Mr. Ronald to do now that he’s admitted something is a mistake? Besides talk in the third person, Ronald curses the heavens and proclaims, “Dammit, I was right all along! What the fuck?!”

Once I’ve realized I’ve made a mistake, I attempt to own up to it. I’m a stubborn bastard. I think I’m smarter than most people. I’ve also done some stupid fucking shit (I almost feel a Tarantino quote coming on).

What helps me move on is probably learned from life experience and from an unlikely source. This quote makes most people quiver, but it actually helps me. The quote is from Fight Club:

First you have to give up, first you have to *know*… not fear… *know*… that someday you’re gonna die.

The quote is blunt and straight to the point. You will die. However, it’s an empowering thought. It means that you’re expendable. It means you’re temporary. While many perceive that as a negative, I turn it around.

It means others are expendable. It means others are temporary. What it means is that nobody is special. We may all be unique snowflakes, but we all end up in the same gutter when the snow melts.

There are many mistakes in which you can make a quick recovery. An example is a late night drinking and the morning-after-plea, “God, please make this headache go away! I promise to never do it again!”

Other mistakes you live with and are haunted with for the rest of your life. Will I always regret being suicidal? Yes. Will I always regret leaving the Army? Yes. Do I feel I did everything I could have in my marriage to keep my wife? No.

However, as much as I will admit I made the mistakes, there’s nothing I can do to correct them except to keep living as best I can. If I live a life of regret, I honestly don’t feel like I’m doing myself any good. So I shrug, am honest if people ask about it, and move on.

And moving on is sometimes the only thing you can do. There’s not always recovery. There’s not always hope. But there is life. I want to live it.

Article originally published: Mistakes

Ronald Huereca Pot Cast – Episode 4 – Listen

Ronald Huereca — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 20:24:33 +0000

Here’s the 4th episode of the Ronald Huereca Pot Cast.

This one ran rather long, and covers my recent post entitled, Listen.

The post itself is kind of epic, and several privately have told me I should submit it to a professional periodical. However, since I’ve already published it here, many periodicals have a stance that nothing can be previously published, and honestly, I’m glad I wrote it here.

This podcast is the first one I’ve done without accompanying video, so hopefully the audio itself should be sufficient.

Article originally published: Ronald Huereca Pot Cast – Episode 4 – Listen

Ronald Huereca Pot Cast – Episode 3 – I’m Not a Designer

Ronald Huereca — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:11:35 +0000

Here’s the 3rd episode of the Ronald Huereca Pot Cast.

I read and commented on a blog entry I wrote way back in 2008 entitled, “8 Things That Intimidate Me About Graphic Design.”

Additionally, you can now subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes.

Article originally published: Ronald Huereca Pot Cast – Episode 3 – I’m Not a Designer

Karaoke – In the Still of the Night

Ronald Huereca — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:05:11 +0000

In the Still of the Night is one of my favorite songs by Boyz II Men.

This song requires A LOT of breathing, and it’s something my voice coach has been helping me with.

This video was taken yesterday at the Martini Lounge in OKC.

Article originally published: Karaoke – In the Still of the Night

Ronald Huereca Pot Cast – Episode 2

Ronald Huereca — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:47:34 +0000

Here’s the 2nd episode of the Ronald Huereca Pot Cast.

I read and commented on a blog entry I wrote way back in 2006 entitled, “Things You Should Avoid Blogging About.”

Additionally, you can now subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes.

Article originally published: Ronald Huereca Pot Cast – Episode 2

Supernova

Ronald Huereca — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:46:43 +0000

I’ve been on a poetry kick lately. Rest assured, I will grow out of this phase eventually.

Intrinsic,
As a flame.
A fool.
A losing game.

There she is,
Gracefully,
Amongst the stars,
And I see…

The shining light,
Years ahead.
To naked eyes,
She is dead.

But the star,
No others see,
Intrigues,
Exquisitely.

The bright light,
Illuminates.
Never-ending coma.
Supernova.

Article originally published: Supernova

Stages

Ronald Huereca — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 06:07:19 +0000

The agony is unquenchable
as an unending thirst.
My stomach is in knots,
And I fear my heart may burst…

Not from a love lost,
Or a desire unfulfilled,
But from the hatred and hurt,
That will never be healed.

I seek forgiveness,
And perhaps restitution,
But while I ache,
There seems only one solution.

These five stages I know.
And it starts with denial.
But these lonely thoughts,
Can only lead to exile.

I must escape this hurt,
Else I’m forced into danger.
I just want to accept,
But I’m always led back to anger.

Article originally published: Stages

Sick of Sarah Winner – Iris!!!

Ronald Huereca — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:18:22 +0000

Back in February, I wrote about how Sick of Sarah was willing to give away a signed CD to one of my readers.

I quickly chose Iris, who lives near the Phoenix area in Arizona. She obviously was/is a bigger fan than I was. I had already received my own swag at SXSW in March, so I just wanted to make sure Iris got everything she needed. Then SoS went on a major American and European tour, I had yet another mental episode, and things progressed from there.

I finally decided to give it one more shot and asked the band on Twitter for some help, which they were glad to provide.

Iris is a little shy, so she didn’t post any pictures of herself. But let’s just say, Sick of Sarah, as usual, over delivered (pun intended).

Here’s Iris’s own words when she received the package:

Ron I got this today, poster signed and cd included. Sorry I didn’t take a picture of myself opening it, I’m actually ready for bed and was half asleep when my husband told me I had received a package. I had no clue who could’ve sent me something since I didn’t remember buying anythin online! Haha! Seriously! Anyway, I opened the envelope and there it was!! Thanks so much!! Maybe I can take a picture tomorrow when I’m not wearing pjs and look more decent!! Haha! Thanks so much!!! Good night!

Iris, when you get out of your PJs, we want more pics

Signed SoS Poster with Brand New 2205 CD

Sick of Sarah Poster from their Self-Titled Album Released in 2008

To Sick of Sarah

Thank you GALS soooo much for helping out. I’m sure you made Iris’ year. And thanks Evan from Adamant Records for helping get everything sorted out.

About Sick of Sarah

Official Site – http://www.sickofsarah.com
MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/sickofsarah
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/sickofsarah
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/sickofsarah
iTunes – http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/sick-of-sarah/id259327114
Official Online Store – http://www.rockthreads.com/sickofsarah/index.php/

Article originally published: Sick of Sarah Winner – Iris!!!

I’m Taking Voice Lessons

Ronald Huereca — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:53:04 +0000

I’ve always been one to try to perfect (as much as possible) a craft I love and enjoy. For example, I got heavily into film and slide photography when I was a college student. As a result, when digital photography exploded, I was already ready and knew more about film theory than most people.

The same with dancing. I’ve always been a terrible dancer, but my ex-wife forced me to take lessons. I learned proper form, how to lead, and how to “swang ‘dem hips.”

Most of you know by know I LOVE karaoke. I’ve always been told I’ve had a decent voice, but I never really had the confidence, or the range/stamina, to make a serious endeavor out of it.

To better my “craft”, I decided to take lessons from a Vocal Coach in OKC named Rob Keiter. I found him on Craigslist initially (not the ideal meeting ground), but after our first meeting, I talked him into having a dedicated website for his voice services.

The result is VoiceCoachOKC.com. You can check out a screenshot below:

I’ve only had two lessons with Rob so far, and I must say, I’ve already significantly improved in confidence, and that is the most important thing ever, whether it is dancing, singing, or speaking a foreign language to a stranger.

He already has me on breathing exercises, didn’t scold me for liking punk or top-40 music, and even said I can realize my full voice potential while smoking (I can’t currently quit smoking cigarettes, but that’s another blog post down the line).

If I’m brave, I’ll post a before, middle, and (when Rob tells me I’m ready) after video. My goal is to sing “The Gift” by Angels and Airwaves. Ever since I’ve heard the song, I’ve been wanting to serenade the right woman with the song.

Anyways, all this to say, if you are in the OKC area and are looking for someone to help improve or develop a singing voice, I’d recommend the voice training of Rob Keiter. He’s brand new to OKC, is currently undercharging by A LOT, and has available openings.

Take care and hope to make you cringe with my voice soon!

Article originally published: I’m Taking Voice Lessons

Ronald Huereca Pot Cast – Episode 1

Ronald Huereca — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:18:31 +0000

I’ve been doing some recording over the past few weeks. Here’s a groovy video of our first “pot” cast. I’ll explain the reason for the name later.

Article originally published: Ronald Huereca Pot Cast – Episode 1