ericszyrko.

binary.

2010-10-11T23:16:00.001-07:00

2 weeks ago we threw around the idea of putting together a night of worship.
It was awesome to see everyone and everything come together so quickly in order for this night to actually happen. Special thanks to Josh who was there before the morning services were over, and the rest of the iNVERSION team as well. Also thanks to Jay Kent and Joseph Baker for offering to come and lead us in awesome worship.
The night didn't come without some technical difficulties, but we got passed that, and I was amazed and how quickly everyone else did as well.

here fishy fishy

2010-10-05T21:13:00.001-07:00

You have to start sometime right? The water in her shoes didn't seem to bother her.
This is just a reminder that a camping trip needs to be booked for spring next year.

Weekends.

2010-10-05T21:06:00.001-07:00

I never knew how important it would be for me to get to know my daughter, and how much I want to her to be able to say that she knows me as well.

iNVERSION

2010-09-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

You would think I could have gotten away from an iN word. Nope. Not happening.
Last week we had our first planning and get-to-know-eachother meeting. It felt like trying to cram 8 meetings worth of thoughts into 1 hour. I should have known this was going to happen.
As I try to get my head around the who, where, what, and how of VCC, I will need some time to get my bearings.
This first week, Glory Thomason is going to join us. Glory is special to me. We have sung together from the beginning. She was there for Saturday Night service @ Inroads, and then Sunday Night service. We're talking '03 - '04.

Stay posted for updates.

Chris August

2010-08-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Going to start a new section of this blog where I post links to some current stuff I'm listening to.

Today's installment is Chris August.
Check out his facebook page to listen to the new single.
If you "like" him you get to checkout the entire CD.

inroads live.

2010-07-29T20:09:00.001-07:00

If you attend Inroads, you may or may not have noticed that over the past few months, Tim Fairbairn has been setup in the back doing some experimenting. I asked Tim to start recording Sunday morning worship sets. There are a few reasons for this:
1. I think you can always grow from hearing yourself. For some of us this means hearing ourselves give a presentation, speak in public, or if your a singer, sing.
2. We're experimenting. I wanted to see what would happen with just a few simple instructions and hitting the record button.
3. I wanted to hear what you hear. Not so much from a technical standpoint, but from an experience standpoint. I think when you are on the opposite side of the room, there are subtleties, feelings, and emotions that are far different than what is experienced on stage.

Tim uploaded the tracks about a week ago, and I imported them into Garageband. This is generally the point where I switch to a technical listener, doing a lot more criticizing over all the smallest things you could possibly imagine.

This time was different.

Everything just worked. The sound, the guitar mix, the reverb, the vocals, the voices singing in the room. It sounded so Phil Wickham, without the Phil Wickham. With about 5 small adjustments I was able to burn the mix to a CD and give it the car test.

So we have now begun the process of dreaming. We have been throwing around the idea of a staged live recording. Something a little more refined.

Stay tuned...

Paul Haugen

2010-01-23T01:16:00.001-08:00

My friend Paul Haugen is a worship leader from Clovis, CA.
He is working on a project that you can hear all about by visiting his blog.
I'll be helping out with this project, and, at least for the immediate future, will never even sit in the same room with him.
Technology is crazy.

What's your story?

2010-01-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

I remember asking someone this question.
At first they laughed. They they looked at me with that "are you serious?" look.
Then they laughed harder.
They thought I was joking. I wasn't.
Not too many people take the time to ask someone about their story.
Do you know you're story? Have you taken time to write it down?
Maybe it's just a series of notes and dates.
I've written mine down, and I'll tell you this...
It wasn't until I finished that I realized that God has been in control since Day 1. And this is mind-blowing. Crazy. Incredible.

What's your story?

Christmas 2009

2010-01-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

the donut hole.

2009-12-16T22:29:00.001-08:00

Fern

2009-12-13T20:32:00.000-08:00

Meet Fern. She needed some avocado's picked from her tree since her knee troubles has not allowed her to pick them before they start to freeze. So we went and picked them for her.

If you think service requires grand efforts, you're wrong.

We picked avocado's. And she was stoked.

Martin J-1

2009-10-24T08:46:00.001-07:00

I bought this guitar in 2002. It was my second guitar. Cost be about $400 bucks. This was a lot for someone who was still seriously learning how to play. This has become my practice guitar now, but I have come to appreciate it more than my Taylor in certain ways. Incredible warmth, responds well to picking.
Made to be played in C, capo whatever.

Hahha

2009-10-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

This makes me laugh.

Focus fail.

2009-10-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

My workspace

2009-10-02T18:16:00.001-07:00

My workspace.

ReviveAll 2009.

2009-09-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

We do this every year.
This year was different.
In a lot of ways, different.
What did you like?
What didn't you like?
What did you walk away with on Sunday afternoon?
I have my thoughts, but I want to hear yours first.

macbook reese.

2009-09-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

what we're going through.

2009-08-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

fisher of fish.

2009-07-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

a new perspective.

2009-07-16T19:11:00.001-07:00

i guess I always thought these things just ended up floating around in space.

the rhodes.

2009-07-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Train vs. Tornado

2009-07-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

wow.

2009-07-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

This was taken at 3 weeks old. She looks so different just 4 months later.

the family.

2009-06-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

taken last weekend.

happy fathers day

2009-06-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

happy fathers day on 12seconds.tv

in case you missed it this morning.

2009-06-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the video for our 20 somethings BBQ.

have you guys seen this?

2009-06-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

For anyone involved in production, this should make you laugh.

it's always different.

2009-06-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

God always has a different way of sharing with me what we're going to be singing together on Sunday.
Somtimes I hear him:
when i'm staring at my excel spreadsheet of songs.
when I'm looking through some old set lists.
1 week before practice.
1 hour before practice.
when i flip through the ol' song sheet file cabinet.

and sometimes, it takes this:

come on Sunday to hear what made it to the top of the pile.
hint: oldschool.

how to change your strings in 2 minutes.

2009-06-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering what I keep looking at, I was watching the last 5 minutes of the Stanley Cup Finals.

a countdown.

2009-06-09T18:45:00.001-07:00

We're thinking about using countdowns at Inroads for pre-service and break time.
I found this today. Think we should use it?

more free countdowns here.

an experiment with tracks and iMovie

2009-06-08T00:29:00.001-07:00

Take:
a drummer who tracks drums for a song
the same drummer who plays drums live just like the recorded version
a click track set at the same tempo as the original recording
a video camera
and 2 hours of editing

and this is the result...

last wednesday night @ NLC.

2009-06-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

Judging by where everyone is standing, where my hands are, and just from a pure guess standpoint, I would say this was Beautiful One.

Thanks to Zach Dunaway for the shot. Thanks to Ariel Dowgaluk for the editing.

creation.

2009-06-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been feeling more creative.
Maybe it's because I've been drinking more mocha's.
I wonder if I ate McD's and drank beers If I would feel as creative.
In these times its important to have all the tools easily accessible.
Pen. check.
Paper. check.
Journal. check.
Keyboard. check.
Guitar. check.
Mocha. gone, but check.
A quick recording method. check.
Making time to let the ideas flow. challenging, but check.

So if I don't return my phone calls or emails right away, you'll know why.

freaking jeff harris.

2009-06-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

and I think I missed about 5 verses too.

The News Auto-Tuned

2009-05-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious. Wait till 1:30.

Jamie Foxx would be proud.

mute math.

2009-05-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

If you have not heard of these guys, you need to check them out.
I thought they couldn't top their last video for "Typical", but this definitely is just as mesmerizing to watch.

Here's the last video I was talking about for Typical:...

free wallpaper.

2009-05-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo I took in 2005. If you click on it you can open the high res version and download it.

remembering last year.

2009-05-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

it's a bull market.

2009-04-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

and the winner for cheesiest blog title goes to....

me.

meeting these guys friday.

2009-04-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

I'm excited.

a new living room

2009-04-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

It's funny how you can make some really small changes to a wall, and it feels like you have a new living room. Wait, actually family room. Katie and I have almost split over this one.
Anyways, we realized we had a lot of black frames in the house. Some were in boxes, some were on tables, some were on walls. So we gathered them all and decided to stick them on one wall.
Here's the thing - some of these are empty, or have pictures of that American Eagle or Viagra couple that we are close friends with.
I'm excited about life and friends to come that will lead to us filling these frames with memorable moments.
That's the thing about frames... Once the picture is in the frame, it rarely leaves. The the most part, it has a permanent home.
And it's almost like it should be this way.
We can't just pull the picture out of our memory.

a violin lesson.

2009-04-12T23:30:00.001-07:00

Clovis Hills. 4.5.09

2009-04-12T21:59:00.001-07:00

Here's some video clips of sound check from our weekend at Clovis Hills. Thank you to Paul Haugen for having us out.

it's here.

2009-04-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

what if?

2009-04-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

this is so me.

allergies.

2009-04-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

this is just not a good time of year for me.

$35,000,000

2009-04-06T14:10:00.001-07:00

The Lion Supermarket in Newark sold a winning lotto ticket worth a cool $35 million.
Nobody has claimed it. Yet.
So here's the deal. If you didn't know about this until you read this, and either:
A. Your the winner.
B. You might know the winner.
Then kick me back 1% once you claim it.
Deal.

What would you do with it if you won?

a sugar test.

2009-04-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

Every morning I drink coffee. 5 days of the week this takes place at work.
On December 8th, 2008, I took a container with sugar in it to work that weighed a total of 2 lbs, 13 oz.
On March 25th, 2009, I finished the sugar.
The container weighed 5 oz. after I was finished.
That means I consumed 2 lbs, 8oz of sugar in just over 3 months through my coffee.
This also means that I intake about 1 oz of sugar a day through my coffee.

For some reason I thought it would be more. I'm really not sure what any of this means.
But my brother, who dates everything for curiosity sake, would be proud.
Not of the sugar intake but of the statistical data.

sacramento has moved.

2009-03-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Just ask Oprah's production team.

it's coming.

2009-03-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

SYNC

2009-03-17T18:20:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday night Inroads hosted it's first SYNC. Going into the night, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I ended up walking away from that night absolutely blown away. It was a very cool experience being in the same room that I've walked into for the past 7 years, and being with a completely different group of people who share a common purpose and belief. I didn't have to go around and meet everyone to know that we were all there because we shared a heart for service, outreach, and love for our community.
What CityServe is doing is huge. There are over 70 churches working together in this, which is crazy. Props to Christine Beitsch for organizing the event. Also there were a grip of interns of interns, volunteers, and helpers that were a big part of the night as well. Thanks also to all those from Inroads who helped out in playing host to those who came.
If you got a chance to go to SYNC, what did you walk away with that night? What did you think as you drove home?

woah.

2009-03-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

a new look.

2009-03-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

So it seemed it was very hard to find the comments button before, hopefully it's a little better now. Also with it comes with a design change. Hope you like it.

what does this look like?

2009-02-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

We know that there are a lot of you.
We know that some of your are in some way connected.
We know that some of you are not connected, but want to be.
We know that a lot of you want something else. Something organic. Something real. Something different.

I'm talking about all you 20 somethings of Inroads. This is for you. I have some questions for you.

- Do you feel like we are connecting?
- How do we connect, better?
- Is it a gathering? What would a gathering look like and feel like? What would it say about us as a group?
- Is it joining together through service to the church, and the community?
- Is it worship?
- Is it teaching?
- Is it bible study?
- Is it discussion about life and how to sort it all out?
- Is it weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?

What are your thoughts? You can comment anonymously if you wish.

curve ball.

2009-02-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

A very addicting game. Here is my high score. Enjoy.

jack in the hospital.

2009-02-09T16:49:00.001-08:00

Due to a weekend full of activities, sickness, and subsequent laziness, today I found myself on a Monday stuck with no lunch. I caved in and decided to go the fast-food route. Posted on the payment window of the local JITB was a sign that looked like it had been printed out by management, except, this time it didn't say that they ran out of (insert your favorite item here). In fact, there was no logo, and it looked like your standard amateur, times new roman, centered text, 24 font notice. Very authentic looking. But this time, it read that Jack had been hit by a bus, is in serious condition, and that you can go to this website for the latest updates on his condition. I can't decide whether this is really clever, disturbing, funny, or all of the above. I love the blog-format of their site though.

CAUTION: You might find this video disturbing.

a recording update.

2009-02-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

a night with the taimani's.

2009-02-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

This week, I had the pleasure of not only playing at Mt. Hermon, one of my favorite places, but also playing with Vaka Taimani and Aisea Taimani, some of my favorite people. Here's a quick clip from the night.

a recipe for sunday.

2009-01-29T17:43:00.001-08:00

Wondering what to cook this Superbowl Sunday? Here's something to try.

do you like to pop bubble wrap?

2009-01-26T12:30:00.000-08:00

My record is 24.24 seconds on small addicted mode. Can you beat me?

traveling.

2009-01-24T17:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture I took while sitting in the airport in Nashville.

fun with long exposure

2009-01-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

an IOU.

2009-01-24T01:01:00.000-08:00

This week I got to spend some time in S.F. on business. I parked in a questionable parking lot, only to return to have this sign posted on the parking attendant's shack. Click on the picture for a larger view, and read the fine print. For some reason, I found this to be very, very funny. I still haven't even figured out what it means, which is why it made my week. There is some political joke in this about California's forthcoming IOU's that I will leave up to you to find.

last sunday night

2009-01-22T00:35:00.000-08:00

this was a good night. things just felt right. the whole band agreed.

The James "Sunny Jim" Rolph Bridge

2009-01-21T23:35:00.000-08:00

If you asked anyone what bridge they think of when they think San Francisco, they would probably say the Golden Gate Bridge. And when you think of which bridge you would rather see a picture of, you might also say the Golden Gate. However, the Bay Bridge seems to remind me of where we live more than the GG. Maybe this is because I grew up in the east bay, or maybe its because I hear about it on the KCBS traffic report a lot more than I do the GG. I can say that in the last 15 years of my life, I have been on the Golden Gate bridge once, and the Bay Bridge several hundred.
What's the point of all this? To hype this picture that I took, and to make up for it not being the Golden Gate. Katie and I took the Ferry service to SF a few years ago and I was able to snap this, without any other heads in the picture, as we approached the bridge. Still one of my favorite shots.

meet phil wickham

2009-01-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

Phil Wickham is one of my favorite artists right now. His last album, Cannons, has received about 75% of the play time in my car over the last 5 months. One of those albums (similar to Clarity) that you play from beginning to end, again and again, over and over until someone else gets in your car and wants to hear something different.

And the best part... this recording, along with 14 other songs, is available as a free download in mp3 format on philwickham.com

a video test.

2009-01-12T01:35:00.000-08:00

a slide show test.

2009-01-12T00:17:00.000-08:00

to fix and wash trains.

2009-01-11T23:27:00.000-08:00

A photo of the job site that I worked at for a few years. All 13 acres, and all 265,000 square feet.

a january hike.

2009-01-11T23:15:00.000-08:00

My cousin Ariel and I were able to get up to Las Trampas trails a few weeks ago for some great hiking. Here are some photos I took, with some post-editing that I was experimenting with. This doesn't mean I'm getting back into photography. I promise.

a new beginning.

2009-01-11T23:07:00.000-08:00

Dear family, friends, & the rest of the blogosphere,
So here we are, you and me, finally connected in web 2.0. Thank you for stopping by, and please continue to do so. Also, big thanks to Jason Nawahine for helping me satisfy my perfectionist desires in helping me modify an already custom template to my rediculous requirements.

Wishing us a long lasting relationship,
-eric