:: anne in the attic ::

Create Your Own Countdown

:: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 ::

Aw, yea. Got the day off tomorrow and, though the to-do list is full, it's all stuff I want to do.

Tonight, though, I've been taking a few moments to compile some seasonal music, as well as doing some random spelunking online. Later, I'll cook up some hot soup to stave off the cold, cold weather. And sourdough toast-- mmmmm.

“As the world is ending, I’m always glad to be entertained for a few moments. The best way to do that is with music."
~Kurt Vonnegut.

:: Anne 6:19 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Snow fell this evening, hushing the usual city sounds under the streetlights to a murmur. Everything seemed to stop while the heavy flakes blanketed our streets and yards. I wonder if it will stick. It seems early to be so thick-- we usually don't get a fall like this until January or February, and it usually lasts a week or two at the most. I don't relish slogging around in it tomorrow on the job, but it's nice to put a damper on everything, slow it down, make people more aware of their surroundings.

'Tis the season. For mass commercial/consumer-ism. The rushing, the impatience, the grumpiness-- I can do without that. The tons of shit bought and wasted-- I can do without that, too. But I do love the lights. Yes, it's a waste of energy, I know. But after recanting my xmas tree lust in guilt of having to kill them in order to enjoy them, the next best thing is the lights. Then there's the fudge-- creamy vanilla walnut fudge from the Holiday Market (Winter's incarnation of our Saturday Market scene), and of course I love sipping Irish Cream by the wood stove at my mother's, the smell of roasting turkey and potatoes with garlic filling the house. I love making delectable cookies and giving them all away (after tasting some, of course).

So in answer to the mostly familial question, "What do you want for Christmas?" I'll abstain from the usual but ever-so-noble inclination toward the ethereal "world peace" and "time with friends and family." One is an idealistic chant that should be a daily goal, and the other is a tangible reality, within reach, that... well,... should also be a daily goal. The short of it is I believe the answer to all of the hmm-ing and guessing is that everyone should have an Amazon.com wish list. It solves a lot, really. I would be happy with anything from my list.

I would also be just as happy with nothing from it. This is just for those who've asked. Thanks for asking. What's on your list?

:: Anne 10:22 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

It had to happen. In fact, I felt it coming for nearly a week before it finally overtook me. Last Saturday (just in time for the Veterans' Day holiday, which meant a rare two-day weekend for me), the plague took me down, as it has been so many others in the area lately. I stayed home Monday and Tuesday, but worked the rest of the week in a kind of sickly haze that only began to clear last night. My first cold of winter and it wasn't so bad, really. The really bad one usually comes some time after the new year, usually February. No amount of garlic and echinacea can keep that wolf from my door, so it's best to succumb completely and let the body heal by allowing it rest, fluids, and yes-- (ahem) expectoration.

During this time, the things that have been gelling in my head are as follows.

The documentary structure is slowly taking shape, though I have not moved as forward as I would like on some of the physical work. There are some things I need to come to peace with as well, and some things I need to let go of.

The EP seems trivial if I think too hard about it, but because there are those who are convinced that I need to put out a physical manifestation of my work (and because I may not ever get around to en entire CD, at least not for a couple of years), it is still on the agenda.

Family dynamics seem to have shifted some.

Friends dynamics have definitely shifted. In addition, I'm well into a pattern of winter isolation. It's not easy for me to see people right now.

There are some physical changes that I want to make to my immediate environment that involve more organization and creating a little more free space.

And then there are a couple of projects that have been in the works so long that I simply need to dive in for as long as it takes, roll up my sleeves, and finish them up already.

The past couple of days, as I have emerged from ill-health, I've managed to focus outdoors and do some clearing in the yard. It felt really good, a long time coming. I also managed, in my lying-around-recovering state, to catch a couple of films I liked ("Hacking Democracy" and "Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire"), read an entire book ("The Tipping Point"), cook some hearty food (soups and things involving sourdough bread), and plink around in a more carefree and experimental than usual way (because I knew I was in no condition to record anything, so no pressure) on the guitars. And I have had some truly quality time with the cats. All of this makes me feel pretty balanced, considering I'm still dealing with the tail-end of this cold. But sometimes it really does take an illness to slow me down enough to really appreciate some of the things I've been forgetting, caught up in the daily grind.

This Thursday I'll be spending Thanksgiving in a way I haven't done for years-- with a large group of Corvallis friends and my mother. I'm looking forward to getting back to that. I was told to bring a dessert, a couple bottles of Sheaf stout, and my guitar. Sounds good to me, something to be thankful for.

:: Anne 10:37 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Well, after yesterday, you'd think I'd be done. But, no: as many an A/V nerd knows, one electronics toy begets another, and they just put the firepod I've been wanting on sale. It's like M-audio, but with 8 separate audio inputs which translate via firewire to 8 separate tracks (not just your average stereo left & right, like out of a mixing board, which I'm using now). Add monitor outs, a SPDIF keyboard input, and phantom power, and it's a great deal. I love the little schematic that gives a great visual example of its use:

Meantime, I'm headed out to the Rad Shack to score a digital-to-analog coaxial converter so that new DVD player can speak to the old 20" monitor.

The overtime is nice, but the weather has just been beating down on us this past week. I'm still healthy (been taking my vitamins, haven't caught the inevitable chill), but I'm tired, and the plague has already begun to take down my comrades, so I know it's only a matter of time.

:: Anne 5:22 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Oye.

I spent a lot of money today. That's what comes of being unsupervised in the electronics superstore. Actually, the things I got were things I'd already been mulling over for weeks-- no, months! So I guess I wasn't running rampant in the Cirque du City impulsively purchasing major toys. Or was I?

Okay, the first thing I did was online-- ordered a buttload (yeah, they have those quantities at this website) of mini DV tapes and a large rack to hold my growing collection of documentary footage.

Next, I visited aforementioned Cirque and scored a 250GB external hard drive (pictured) to back up my giant RAID drive in the studio. Would be a shame to lose all of that diligent video editing work. And the original music recordings too, I guess.

While I was there, I scored a 5-DVD carousel changer for the living room stereo system. Not only can I now play DVD audio discs, but I can load up 5 DVD's (not CD's, mind you), each with over 4GB (that's GIGAbytes, not megabytes) of mp3's. Do you know how many days' worth of constant music that is without having to touch the controls? Well, if you know that a 700MB CD holds about 8-10 albums in mp3 format, and you figure each album averages an hour, then put 700MB into 4.7 GB (1GB = 1000MB), which gives you over 6-1/2-- multiply that by 9hrs... is about 50 hours of mp3's per DVD. Now the thing holds 5 DVD's, so that's over 250 hours of continuous music. That's a 10-day straight music fest-- yeeeeeee HAW!


Actually, the DVD changer also has another intended use. For me, having people over for movies is a cramped occasion. My loft will fit 3 comfortably, 4 if we're close friends, and 5 if there's indiscriminate touching. Still, is it worth the trouble for a crowd, even for some serious 36" widescreen HDTV? Better to wheel out the ol' 20-inch, port it into the living room stereo system, and viola! A smaller screen, yes-- but still with the awesome sound system, and now many more can comfortably hang out. I'm not into having television be the main attraction, which is why I don't have the high-def set up there in the first place. I like the idea of bringing in a smaller one when needed, and whisking it back to a peripheral existence once it's done.

Wow, guess I needed a few paragraphs to justify my extravagences this evening. Hmm.... I'm exhausted.

:: Anne 10:43 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Between working like a dog and trying not to be a total hermit, I'm making things in the studio. When I get sick of my own head, I get out of it by embarking on music discoveries. Early Summer and Fall (pre-holiday) are good times for that, as the market floods with new releases. I've been delving back into King Black Acid, and in the process, stumbled upon Espers and Vetiver. The new Beck and the new Indigo Girls are also quite good. There's never time enough in a day to listen to everything I want to hear....

:: Anne 9:09 PM [smartass remarks] ::
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