My not-work

The Tonez

I have been playing the saxophone since age 11 when I volunteered for band in 5th grade. I played in bands throughout high school and college, put it down for a few years, then picked it up again about 18 years ago. Playing music is a cathartic activity and I find it keeps me in a positive frame of mind.

The Tonez are my current band (8 years). We play a large variety of music and are made of 8 musicians including a 3 piece horn section. We record and distribute our songs to DJs and radio stations that play Carolina Beach Music, and were honored with a CBMA "Rising Star" award in 2020.

We pride ourselves in playing "totally live", i.e., we do not use prerecorded tracks or sequencers.

The Tonez will have played 65 performances in 2024 across the Carolinas and in Virginia.

3D Printing

While working with an engineering firm, I discovered that all the cool kids were 3D printing in their spare time. Naturally, I had to give it a try and found that it's relatively inexpensive and full of possibilities.

Once I got through my list of knick-knacks I wanted, I realized that I could print replacements for just about any small part that gets lost or broken around the house, so now I'm printing an endless list of hooks, plugs, fasteners, and knobs.

I'm still looking for that one invention that I can copyright and make a fortune selling.

Knifemaking

During COVID lockdowns in 2020, I discovered a TV show called Forged in Fire, and binge-watched all 8 seasons of the show in a couple of months.

As an aspiring maker, I just had to give this a try, but since my HOA won't allow me to have a blacksmith shop, I settled for buying a bandsaw and a grinder and started shaping and grinding knives. I built a small torch-driven forge out of a few fire bricks to harden the steel.

The two knives on the left are my first two creations.

The jeep (current project)

After college, I borrowed some money from my grandfather and bought an old, rusted-out Jeep CJ7. I kept it for 10 years and eventually let it go to a junkyard when it had mechanical issues I couldn't solve.

This year, I decided to buy a wrecked Jeep LJ, which is a model only made in 2005-2006, and is considered by some to be the "best jeep ever". With the help of one of my band mates who owns a collision shop, we are putting it back together and hope to get it back on the road in a month or two. I have a large stack of parts and upgrades in my house just waiting for it to get back on four wheels again.