:: anne in the attic ::

Create Your Own Countdown

:: Friday, December 21, 2007 ::

What I did this evening...
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!

:: Anne 2:38 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

HOW VINYL RECORDS ARE PRESSED

part one


part two

:: Anne 1:52 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Wrapping up a week's vacation here in the lovely Pacific Northwest. Can you sense the facetiousness dripping from that statement? I think I've seen the sun once *for 20 minutes* the entire week. Ah, well, no matter. My pursuits, save one, didn't require fair weather. The only task prevented by the blustery rain has been peeling the remaining layer of fallen leaves from the grass. Looks like I'm just going to have to pick a day to get into it and suck it up.

But the week was good. I lost a couple of days there to a bit of a migraine, but the other scheduled activities went off as planned. The trip up to Portland with my Corvallis Virgo buddy was great. We spent hours in Ikea, and almost as long in Powell's Bookstore. We brought Ivan with us, ate Thai food, and were able to catch up each others' lives during the drive. I got most of my holiday shopping done. I think there's only one or two things left to hunt down [of course, that will probably multiply between now and the 25th].

The rest of the week, outside of meetings, long distance calls, and the concert this afternoon, I filled with tasks. I made some headway, but I'd like to make a lot more in the next week. I didn't do the recording I had hoped, but that's okay. I think what I really needed was rest and leisure.

I'm beginning to see the film deadline, though hazy in the distance, and I'm setting the tasks that will enable its production for the choir's 20th year. I have begun the transfer of DVC's to VHS tapes for multiple viewing. There are about 50 of them. There will be a few more after the last interviews I'll do this winter. I scrapped the previous storyboarding I had sort of sketched out. And it looks like the 15-minute teaser I have is going to be completely restructured. This all sounds very pro, but it's not; I am an amateur, wading through this for the first time. I can't explain what a charge it gives me, though. I can't wait until I have finished shooting and am finally up to my ears in post-production. I adore pacing every second, every segue. I will have to compose some musical [what NPR calls] "buttons" so as to avoid copyrights, but I'll do that in the studio as needed.

We live in interesting times. Truly, there isn't enough time in a day for me.

:: Anne 10:32 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

I just saw this quote on the Chris Seefried website, had to b/log it for future reference:

"Nervous breakdown ...
a highly underrated method of spiritual transformation"

Almost wrote another song this evening, but decided I was too tired to start that process just now. Thanksgiving went well. Had it here, been a while, enjoyed the good people energy. Still munching on leftovers. The weather has turned freezing. Looking forward to the next two days off. Gonna sleep some.

:: Anne 10:28 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

One of my favorite films, American Beauty, is about people's secret lives (all the best stories are). Sometimes it's possible to find another or few with whom there is some overlap-- enough for a little understanding. I know we keep parts of ourselves to ourselves for security, and some of those parts we never share, of course. But it is interesting to watch what happens when people reveal parts of their secret lives. It can make for a 'spectac-ular' film.

I think people would be surprised at what I'm thinking most of the time. I'm not sure why, but people really like to make negative assumptions about me and my thoughts or motives. And much of the time, they're dead wrong. And being misunderstood is one of my greatest dreads [which often doesn't help my attitude toward people's misconceptions, a la vicous circle...]. People don't listen, though. They make up their minds and then act upon their own thoughts as if they were truths. Reductio ad absurdum.

I say this because last night at a gathering, someone made an ignorant remark that lumped me in with a group of people and then ridiculed that group. Most who were within earshot laughed at the remark as they looked at me. I tried to point out that this wasn't a kind thing to say, and in fact was something called 'profiling,' which has all of the same ingredients found in things like racism, sexism, and homophobia. The person who made the remark replied with something akin to See? This proves my point-- you're ______ just like I said. There was nothing I could say or do to undo what had been said about me and or what people thought as a result. And I felt powerless, ridiculed, and discriminated against. And worse, misunderstood. All because of something mean that someone said about me. When I asked why, she said, "Because it's funny." I said I didn't feel like laughing.

This is a good reminder that even though you hang out with a group of people who as a whole try to be tolerant and accepting, there are going to be individuals who will cut you down anyway, and members of the group will follow. It was amazing how fast 40-&-50-year-olds regressed to grade school behavior, making jokes at someone's expense unapologetically, and then rubbing salt in that wound, all for the entertainment of their peers. I guess it made them feel better about themselves to put me down. I will not be going out with that group again.

:: Anne 5:30 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

After a couple of months of toying with the idea, knowing I wanted to do it, but researching every detail so that I could do it up right, I finally took the plunge last night and bought a second monitor for the studio computer. And it's amazing. I got it for a song at Best Buy, as it's an LG discontinued model, but it's a beautiful 19" flat screen.

And it feels like tons of space, after using just the 17" for 3 years. I swapped it out for the 19" last night, as they both have VGA-ended cables, but as soon as I score a VGA-to-DVI-D adapter, I can plug one into the second port on my GeForce video card and thar she blows: 2 monitors. I can't believe everybody doesn't do this.

:: Anne 8:00 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Just a byte on the television writers' strike-- why they're striking
and how it's tied to the evolution of television.... well said.

:: Anne 12:21 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Watch out, here comes a rationalization. Yesterday I took some of my laptop savings and bought a new bass guitar. Why? Because I haven't found the right laptop yet. I can replace the money within the next couple of weeks and all systems will again be 'go.' I'm kinda waiting to see if Dell does indeed produce an XPS-line 15" [projected model# M1510 or 1530] mid-November.

Anyway, I've been wanting to replace my shitty 15-yr-old [bought used even then] Fender knock-off with all of its buzzes & quirks for several years now. So after a few days of research, I bought an actual Fender knock-off. It is a Fender, but it's their low-end company [Gibson has Epiphone, Fender has Squier]-- which is actually better than a lot of crap out there and suits me just fine. So here's what I bought [at left]: the maple-body modified 70's jazz bass. The thinner neck and satin finish seem to aid speed and dexterity, and the two single-coil pick-ups add a bit of range [whereas the old bass had a single split-coil pick-up]. I am enjoying it immensely. It sounds okay through my Traynor BLOC80B amp [80 watts], but for some reason, it seemed to sound clearer through a Peavey 35-watt amp. Hmm-- there lies the question: Should I give up wattage for clarity and make a trade? I'm not giggin' with it, so I don't need volume. I need quality of sound for studio recording. I'll have to think on that. With the trade-in, I'd still be looking at spending a couple hundred bucks, especially if I jump up to a Fender 50W.

Toys toys toys. Anyway, the house has been cleaned in prep for moving the recording gear back out into the living room for a bit. I've done a bit of acoustic recording in the studio lately, and I've been wanting to try some electric guitar through the Lexicon MX300 processor. In the next two weeks, I have a couple of 2-&-3-day strings of time where I can delve into that more in the way that I prefer-- timelessly.

:: Anne 12:30 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Fire has pervaded my thoughts these last few weeks since I saw that burned house up by the university. I can't seem to go a day without running into a fire theme or having some sort of worry about fire.

Last night after my dad and his wife left for the hotel [they're up from California for a short visit], I watched the film "1408," which -- lest I proffer spoilers -- incorporates fire into the story. I liked the film a lot -- wonderful textures and colors, and I've always liked John Cusack.

What can I say about Dad & Marilyn? I suppose a lot of it is still incubating and may come forth after a little distance fosters the necessary perspective to write about it. But they're looking good. And they seem happy, as always. We're so different, really. There seems to be very little overlap. And I guess I've never actually [in 25+ years!] had this much dialogue with Marilyn about... well, anything. Nothing much has really changed over time, except that I think I'm more relaxed around them now. I guess it's because I don't really care as much if they judge me-- and if they do, my experience can put it in perspective. I'm just being me and they can take it or leave it.

So tomorrow is their last day here and they head South early Tuesday morning. I'm thinking about getting some footage of Dad, just for fun. There are other family issues loosely on the docket, but they'll have to unfold a little before I can decipher things here.

:: Anne 11:52 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

So I was browsing Dell's website today, trolling for laptops, as I'm sort of in the market for one. I was checking out their new Vostro, and was configuring one with my specs to see if the power I needed for film editing could come in under my budget. [Very close, and you can still get the Vostro with the XP OS, which is important.] When I hit tech support, which has reached scandalous proportions in the pay-for-services commodities, I laughed out loud when I read the "Dell Recommended" level of tech support. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Okay, so, A: WTF? The "Gold" level of support is "North American-based"...?!! So that means all you dumb slobs who cheap out at the silver level [or less] get to talk to some bastard in India who barely speaks English and just wants to hang up on you? No, get the "Gold" support so you can talk to some bastard in North America who barely speaks English and just wants to steal your bandwidth! Hilarious. Oh yeah, and "fast access to advanced technicians," as opposed to what? The snail-paced access to moronic technicians we're used to? What a deal!

And [in the tradition of the Car Talk guys], 2: When did initial [say, 30-days initial set-up and basic troubleshooting] support become an extra? Dell really has hit rock-bottom in the service department. I remember talking to the guy who was tricking out my specs for the studio XPS desktop [just in under $3,000]-- he didn't seem to give a shit, assumed I knew nothing about what I wanted my computer for, and was quite rude about it. Oh, and he got it wrong, overcharged me... long story, another day, but in the end I had to replace a component and I never got my $250 rebate, either. Evil advertising. But I have my machine, and although it has a ghost or two, it functions pretty much spot-on, considering how much I ask of it. But back to support. I didn't get any. I called twice [and after navigating the auto-menus and asking a couple of config questions, got put on hold for 20 minutes or so each time, after the tech says in that deadpan thousand-yard voice that really is rhetorical anyway-- "Can I put you on hold" and before you can answer "ye--" there's music piping into your ear], went online [where they send you an automated email response from a menu of things that are close-but-no-cigar], and finally rendered myself enough of a solution to live with what I had going on or fix it later through research. I guess that's what they hope for anyway-- somebody who is resourceful enough not to bug them about anything. They ship you a hunk of metal and plastic, they get your money, and it's sayonara, sister.

So this truth in advertising made me laugh sardonically and I had to share the irony. It's just been that kind of a week. I've been laying low, getting a lot of small projects done. I miss Demonoid for now, but I have enough to do without them as a temptation, and I'm sure they'll be back soon [here's hoping]. Dad and his wife are headed up from California for a visit the end of this week, and I've done a lot of tidying [moving piles, filing records, categorizing CDs & DVDs,... folding laundry!!]. Work is really picking up-- October is one of our heaviest times. And the rain is back-- the 5-day forecast says all week. Good times.

:: Anne 5:25 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Took the DSL speed test here, and got these results:



Not bad; Qwest advertised 1.5 Mbps down, so I'm about half a meg short on that one. The first test was worse-- about 786Kbps. Lately I have suspected that someone was stealing my bandwidth, as I don't have it locked. I have a wireless router near the edge of my house on the street side. So I could have made a "hot zone" either for people in the hostel two doors down who happen to find it, or for the neighbors who have not just found it, but are using it regularly. I don't know categorically, but I know it's not my firewall or other settings on my pc.

I really want a new laptop, but can only afford a middle-of-the-road one right now. Of course, the one I want is a decked out speedmonster, but what can I say? The studio pc has me spoiled. All I really want is to be mobile and still have the power to edit film and perhaps even record live music. I'd like to spend more of the winter in the loft where it's warm instead of the cold, cold studio [by choice-- I don't heat it, but it gets enough from the rest of the house]. I have a lot of editing to do this winter, as well as transfers, which would keep me running back and forth from the loft to the studio. Ah, well, if it's supposed to be, then it'll work out.

*****ADDENDUM Wednesday, Oct 3rd:
Taking the DSL speed test at different times of day yield varying results, which should not be the case, if no one is piggybacking my connection.
Last night:


And today:

:: Anne 8:03 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

R.I.P. Demonoid 24 September 2007.
We'll miss you, get well soon!

:: Anne 11:05 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

First, click on the image to enlarge it. Pick a black dot and stare at it, then jump from one to another....

:: Anne 12:22 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Just posting a signature I made so that I can link to it in another forum....

:: Anne 11:56 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

I'm officially on vacation.

So I spent the evening in the studio doing a little design work just for fun. I happened to photograph a burned out house this afternoon~ and it permeated my thoughts enough to become the next EP cover idea. I've got a title song in the works for it, and I'd include another 4 songs or so. It's a very strange idea, I know.

I could easily do a short run through Disc Makers, but first I need to check out mastering software [for all you non-techies, that's different from recording software in that it deals with normalizing the volume levels of all of the songs on a CD so that they're somewhat homogeneous]. I have a Sony mastering demo plug-in that says it works with Sonar [a Cakewalk prog], but I'm not sure if it will work with Home Rec XL. It will take time I don't have right now to find out....

This weekend is the Eugene Celebration, and I'm staffing a booth for a couple of hours tomorrow, and then Monday I'm headed to Corvallis to have morning coffee with mom and then hang out with an old friend ~ another one of my Virgo buddies ~ for the day. This is our annual birthday hang-out, which we usually seem to manage, being that our birthdays are a week apart [well, a week and a year]. Mine is the 12th and I rather like the feel of 42. Another friend of mine says, "If you like your forties, just wait ~ you're gonna LOVE your fifties!" Shit, I hope I make it.

:: Anne 12:56 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Made the perfect breakfast this morning, thought I'd share it with everyone:
This morning was just what I needed. Stayed in bed until nine, roused gently by my two dependents, along with the warm, diffused light from the skylight above the bed, soft fresh white linens and the sound of a distant train. Then, I had some wonderful french press Cafe Mam organic French Roast while I did a couple of quick chores for 20 minutes or so, while having a first listen to Ben Harper's new album, Lifeline. After that album, I put on Ray LaMontagne's Till the Sun Turns Black while making vanilla cinnamon pancakes and more coffee. The pancakes turned out perfectly, thanks to random happenstance, and my beloved cast iron skillet, but this particular one was the piece de la resistance. It was so beautiful, in fact, that I couldn't bear to put anything on it.

Yesterday was barbecue day, it seemed, and it was pretty hot out there. Fortunately, I was able to slake my thirst with some very nice (and fun) folks at the end of the day with some Sheaf Stout and excellent food. Hm, being a bit toasted may have had something to do with how late I slept in.

The week after next is my third vacation week of the year, and I have some visits planned, as well as the annual camping jaunt into nearby woods. Found out last week [how could I forget?] that I had actually bid on [and RECEIVED] the week in December I'd been wanting, so I can now relax about it. Plans are already in the works for that week, too.

Choir has started up again after a year's sabbatical, and it feels like everyone is energized and ready for what's next. I have finally finished mastering the concert DVD from two years ago, and am now setting up for duplication [for which I may use a service, as my studio's not really set up for duplication and it takes mongo time]~ I just want to get it done and done right, so I can distribute it, satisfy everyone who's been waiting, and move on to the big doc project and focus all of my energy on that.

Fall really is in the air. I love that feeling.

:: Anne 12:17 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

What an odd weekend.

I had to skip camping, as I felt a migraine coming on, and I lost all of Friday to it. Saturday was mostly recovering, with a few chores thrown in.

Today, I finally got back to business. Not the business I SHOULD be covering, mind you, but I re-dubbed & mixed that demo I did a few days ago. It now has a title as well: Song for the Nation, and can be found on my music site.

Choir starts again in two days, after a year off. I'm not ready. Time to kick that documentary production into high gear.

::::::::::::::::::: Okay, so here's the song :::::::::::::::::::

Song for the Nation [19 aug 2007 ~a. norris]
traditional sounding, 4/4 time, pick-n-strum with hammer-ons 12-string, up tempo, capo 2

Em C G D/F# Em
Em C G D G
-----------------
fear and greed appear in the dark of the night
with their torches and their reasons to fight (Em)

just one more year, tell me dead or alive
it's anybody's guess if we'll survive (G)

CHORUS (same chords as verses)
don't put your faith in the nation
always question the situation (Em)
don't rely on the papers and tv (what they like to call dissension)
they show you only what they want you to see-(Em) (is just you paying attention)-(G)

history has always come to this
whoever has the money calls the hits (it's the shits!) (Em)

and if you care how it all goes down
you gotta put your hand in and pull your head out (G)

CHORUS (2nd lyrics in parens)

BREAK #1
C G
'cause without your voice, it's just an empty shell
D/F# Am
a place without a heart, a sovereign-bound hell
C G
if you think it's wrong, then say it's wrong!
D/F# Em
there's no other point to make

(one break phrase with no lyrics)

so don't you turn your back in the light of the flames
don't look away from the faces and the names

don't take too long to find your vision (position)
time's too short for indecision

BREAK #2 (2x then end)
C G D/F# Am (walk up to) C
'cause peace - will come - to the land - same as it began
G D/F# (walk down to) Em
one way or another - with or without man

:: Anne 11:34 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

I finally finished the little video montage I made of my Lark Camp experience. So here it is, and you'll want to hit the pause button (") on the music player before you start the video.

:: Anne 12:25 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

It's high time for a post, I know, but it's taken me some time to get my shit together after my trip. Music camp was a blast, to say the least. I took a few pictures and a ton of video, so a short film is forthcoming. Meanwhile, here are some pics of my cabin in Camp One of the Mendocino Woodlands. Click on each photo for a larger view.

Bought the banjo from Lark in the Morning at the camp~ it's a 5-string with a floating bridge and a nice wooden resonator. When I bought a Kyser capo for it, they threw in a 5th string capo, which I'll have to have my luthier install, no sweat. I've got it tuned to open G and it sounds and plays great. Now I can give Sue's back to her.

:: Anne 3:45 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Here's a pic I took of my peace roses at twilight, just after a fire-in-the-sky sunset and having worked in the yard nearly until last light. It's a little out of focus because my digital camera couldn't decide whether to far-focus on the house or near-focus on the roses, so it seems to have split the difference and compromised itself. I was losing the light too quickly to fuck with the camera menus and settings, so this is it. If only photographs could capture scents as well.... These are intensely 'tea' roses-- hybrids by gardeners' standards, but lovely and delicious-smelling nonetheless.

After spending yesterday mostly in the studio doing music and film, I got out and did chores today and it felt really good: washed the car, mowed the lawn, did a little pruning and watering, mopped the front porch, took the car in for its pre-trip servicing, sent off some mail, paid the bills through the end of August, and did all of the laundry. And that was all this afternoon. This morning, with my coffee, I managed to clear over 10GB of space on my 250GB raid drives in the main tower. I'm looking to clear 100-- major housecleaning to make the main raid drives exclusive to the documentary-- the external 250GB drive is just too slow to access anything on the fly and should be kept for storage of more static files or an emergency dump space. I guess I've gotten used to how fast the raid rives are and can't stand anything at 5400 rpm any more. So I'm putting stuff on discs.

What that means is another lesson in letting go. The reason I've kept some of these projects open and on the drive is that I've thought of them as "unfinished" or "mostly done, but I want to make a couple of changes when I can get to it." Some I still will, but others are going to have to stand, as I move on to more pressing things. This is a major issue for me, the Virgo perfectionist. I'm going to have to call some of my work "done" without feeling like I've done everything the way I've wanted to on it. But keeping projects open like that often anchors me too heavily to the past when I need to be dragging my efforts into the now. Deep breaths and let it go.

:: Anne 9:02 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Worked out another song this evening, "Fugitive Motel" by Elbow, but I need one more person with whom to play it, for the harmonies and the counter-rhythms in the 2nd guitar. We could switch off. Any takers? Here it is:

"Fugitive Motel" – by Elbow

[note: played in triplets in slow 4/4 time so it feels like 3/4 time]

INTRO E Am E Am

1st VERSE:

C
Lost in a lullaby
Em
Side of the road
C
Melt in a memory
           Em
Slide in a solitude
C
Not ‘til I can read by the moon
Em
Am I going anywhere
         C                 Em (empty tact)
Not ‘til I can read by the moon

CHORUS

E
I blow you a kiss
          Am
It should reach you tomorrow  (it should reach you tomorrow)
       E                               Am        
As it flies from the other side of the world
E                          
From my room in my fugitive motel
Am                        
Somewhere in the dust bowl  (somewhere in the dust bowl)
E                                   Am
It flies from the other side of the world

2nd VERSE:
‘I’m tired’ I said
‘You always look tired’ she said
‘I’m admired’ I said
‘You always look tired’ she said
Not ‘til I can read by the moon
Am I going anywhere
Not ‘til I can read by the moon

CHORUS

3rd VERSE:
Curtains stay closed
But everyone knows
You hear through the walls in this place
Cigarette holes for every lost soul
To give up the ghost in this place
Give me strength
Give me wings

Repeat CHORUS
Then fade out

:: Anne 11:34 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Happy Birthday, Dad! [Post #2 for today....]
Had a great conversation earlier this evening. He sure doesn't seem 81, but then he's always been a great conversationalist. Took me until adulthood to figure that out, really, and we seem to have better talks as the years go on. I think his critical thinking and analytical mind [gifts of the trade, a retired critic of books, film, and on occasion musical events, if I remember correctly], and especially his unabashed truth-telling keep me in the game with him-- often engaging, occasionally surprising, always laughing. Our mutual appreciation for the ironic and the macabre let us share a kind of wry joy, if I can call it that. He's down in California, but he and Marilyn are planning a trip up, probably in October. Seems like that's going to be a busy month, with my friend from Seattle visiting, and choir starting up again after this year's sabbatical. Somewhere in there is a holiday as well, which means I'll be working my ass off for about a week afterward. And next year being an election year, the politics will really start picking up in January, I'm sure. Whoa, how'd I get off on that? It gets harder to stay in the 'now' when there's all of this momentum toward future events; it takes some reminders.

:: Anne 11:22 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Lately, I've really been enjoying the acoustic bass, playing with some new 3/4-time jazz licks, limbering up my fingers for camp in two weeks. I'm starting to get pretty stoked about it. Lark Camp takes place in the Mendocino Woodlands of California each summer around the beginning of August. This group takes over all three large camps, and I'll be in a cabin in camp 1, probably much like the one at left. I mean, even without the music, how can you not love such a beautiful place?

The cabins in camp two look a little more like what I remember from being there as a child, back in the 70's when the Unitarian Universalists and their "extended families" rented it out and gave workshops [maybe they still do, don't know] and we'd go up the week after Camp Cazadero every summer. I do remember the main hall in camp one, and the layout of paths and campfires, etc. I wonder if those will hold true. But I also remember a Sufi gathering in camp two one summer that was laid out differently. Each camp is huge-- to think our group will be taking over all three means this is quite the large happening. In between workshops, jams and meals, I will have to get in some hiking on the trails-- and document it in photos, at the very least. That's the camp one dining hall [c. 1935] to the right, and it's funny, but when I think of standing in line for breakfast, I remember that tree being to my left and even leaning against it at times. It has probably supported tens of thousands of backs over the years....

On the Lark website, there's a list of this year's staff, their areas of expertise, the workshops they'll be teaching this year at camp, and sound bytes of some examples. After poring over the majorly-packed schedule, the workshops I'm most drawn to are:

:: Italian mandolin & guitar
:: Basic swing bass
:: Old time harmony singing & back-up guitar
:: Women's barbershop chorus
:: Rhythm guitar [surprise, surprise]
:: Swing improv for guitar

There are so many others-- as many as three simultaneous classes from nine in the morning all the way up until dinner at six-- so I'll have to decide between swing guitar and old-time harmony & back-up, which are both at ten in the morning. *sigh* Can you say 'option paralysis?'**

I'm having a little trouble deciding which instruments will accompany me to camp. I've narrowed it down to three, but I'd like to take just two, as space in the Volvo is limited. It's either the Martin DM acoustic or the '65 Gibson J-45 as my main squeeze, and I think I'm leaning toward the Martin for durability. Though I love the absolute playability of the Gibson, I would worry about the effects of temperature and humidity changes on that 40-yr-old beauty, to say nothing of the usual camping dirt and grime. So probably the Martin will go, and though I've strung it with medium-gauge since I bought it, I might bring along a lighter set for tonal variety [I string the Gibson with Martin acoustic SP phosphor bronze light-gauge ONLY]. And then, of course, the acoustic bass will be going. I've decided that, as much as I'd like to bring the banjo to learn more about it, I feel I'm not yet skilled enough to jam freely with it-- better to use precious car space for something I'll really use.


**A term I coined years ago to describe the possibility of inaction when faced with too many opportunities at once.

:: Anne 9:17 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

7-7-7 today. I've had a lot on my mind these past few weeks. And now it seems my film editing software is shitting itself in interesting and unexpected ways. I may have to upgrade soon.

Got turned on to a Brit talk show called "The Graham Norton Show," only because a couple of people I adored were slated as guests-- and it turns out he's pretty damn funny. I don't pay for regular cable television [only HBO & Showtime], so don't get "BBC America." Fortunately, there's YouTube, where people will post anything, it seems. Here's a particularly pants-wetting excerpt from Graham's show with Orlando Bloom as his guest where he's reading web posts from an Orlando Bloom fansite....

:: Anne 8:24 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

What have we become? Today, we "celebrate" our independence from England, but that doesn't mean we should be proud of what our president is doing in our name.

:: Anne 11:10 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

One of my customers did the sweetest thing the other day-- gifted me with a stash of my favorite microbrew, Sheaf Stout-- 4 bottles of it. I adore it, though my schedule doesn't let me partake of it as often as I'd like, and since I've only ever seen it in 27-oz. bottles, I usually like to split one with one of my stout-lovin' buds. It's imported from Australia and Trader Joe's stocks it off & on, but it's kind of a crap shoot. If I'm really on a mission, I can usually hit the whole foods markets around town and find it at a premium.

Anyway, I usually like to have it around for the summer, and especially for camping trips, which are coming up soon. The usual group is headed to Whitaker Creek in late August, and I'm hoping to have the September weekend at Alsea Falls for the Virgo birthdays. Before that, though, is the Mendocino music camp coming up at the end of July. I am stoked for that. In another week or two, I'll be restringing the guitars....

:: Anne 11:40 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Photo of the week: "Utensil Garden." From my cell phone collection, taken a while back: yes, those are scores of "planted" plastic utensils.
As of tomorrow, I have volunteered for overtime at work for the next few weeks, so my schedule is going to shift some for a bit. That's been in the works for a while-- I just have to adjust my head.

Musically, I had hit a brick wall with my own work a while back, so I shelved the CD in order to allow some seed growth. Usually that means learning new skills through others' music-- this week I learned Ray LaMontagne's "Shelter" [yeah, the one that's on the blog music player], and it has fed my soul nicely, thank you. After a few days of practicing some other dusty things in my repertoire, this evening I managed to break out of the rut on a piece I've been trying to finish to my satisfaction for over a year, called "Lighter Than Air." That damn song has morphed so many times now that I hardly recognize it as the original. Well, some songs are like that-- others, like "Without You," seem to take their shape immediately and retain it. There's nothing like being whacked in the head with a baseball bat by the muse. Lately, though, she's been playing a bit of hide-and-seek with me, it seems. She teases me-- taps me on the shoulder, then runs off into the night, often leaving me with all of my creative urges hanging out.

As much as I appreciate her appearance at all, sometimes the task-oriented Virgo in me wishes she'd just hold still for a minute while I finish this.... It's a lesson. And it is being delivered in pieces, each of which I have to set down and back off from in order to see their respective places in this sequence [as the muse's sense of humor seems to have her inspiring pieces out of order-- at least the order I would have guessed]. There's been a lot of sardonic chuckling, eyebrow raising, and head shaking on my part. What was once a pensive [and beautiful, I thought] song has become a catchy, upbeat tune with a stronger heart to it. As I have said before, I do not consider myself a singer, really-- I am a songwriter, and a back-up singer/instrumentalist. So it feels rather daunting to write something that's gonna take some vocal cahones. Hope my voice holds out. Until I figure out how to deal with that or whether I want to bring in a guest, I'll be laying down some new instrumental tracks to see how they fit together for the new "Lighter Than Air." Again.

By the way, here's my brother [from the cell phone] in one of his favorite poses. Yeah, it runs in the family.

:: Anne 9:17 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

"Famous Last Words" -- the game....

This morning I saw a newsfeed that reminded me of a game some friends and I used to play, called "famous last words." Not actual quotes, but things you just might hear people say right before their luck runs out or their judgment renders them candidates for the next round of Darwin Awards. As with many of these, this game goes best with libations, but this morning at work, one of my cohorts and I tossed them back and forth throughout the first couple of hours until we laughed so hard we were short of breath and stumbling out the door. Here are some we remembered hearing or thought up:

:: Hmm, should I cut the blue wire or the red wire?
:: I'll hold it -- you light the fuse.
:: That water tasted fine to me.
:: What does this button do?
:: Toss me that grenade.
:: It's okay -- I packed my own parachute.
:: Wow, what a bright flash....
:: Yeah, it's supposed to make that noise.
:: Did that meat taste kinda funny to you?
:: Don't worry, my parents are asleep.

We found that, after the obvious ground has been covered, people get a little more creative and come up with things like:

:: Pass me a fork-- I think the toast is stuck.
:: Hey, let's open that coffin.
:: Wait, I thought you brought the food....
:: What do you mean I can't carry those asbestos shavings in my backpack?
:: No, leave it plugged in-- this'll only take a sec.
:: I'll bet I can fit in there.

So, yeah. English majors-- what can I tell you? We are twisted, but how else to relieve our pathos than engaging in macabre humor? Got any more? Let's hear it.

:: Anne 8:19 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

This is really cool. I just finished transcribing the chords to a fairly difficult song that I didn't expect to be able to decipher. I did it out of necessity. Okay, I've transcribed lots of songs by ear before, but not quite as tricky as the chord progressions in this one. I wanted to learn the song, but the chords/tab were nowhere to be found on the internet, and I mean NOWHERE. So I sat down with the song, thinking I'd give it a long shot, and here it is. I almost feel like I started a path (a la George Carlin, "You have to hold the grass down yourself at first....").

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“THROUGH THE LONG NIGHT” (by Billy Joel)
::: CHORDS ::: [transcribed by Anne Norris** 6/20/2007 (these chords are just my best guess), corrections to me at this site or post to: http://www.myspace.com/anneintheattic]

**CAPO 5**

INTRO: D--- / A--- / F--- / G--- / (x2)

VERSE:
D--- / A--- / F--- / C---
The cold hands, the sad eyes
Eb--- / Bb--- / F--- / A---
The dark Irish silence
D--- / A--- /F--- / C---
It's so late, but I'll wait
Eb--- / B--- / E7--- / ----
Through the long night with you, with you

REPEAT INTRO: D--- / A--- / F--- / G--- / (x2)

VERSE:
D--- / A--- / F--- / C---
The warm tears, the bad dreams
Eb--- / Bb--- / F--- / A---
The soft trembling shoulders
D--- / A--- / F--- / C---
The old fears, but I'm here
Eb--- / B--- / E7--- / ----
Through the long night with you, with you

CHORUS:
Bm--- / F#--- / B--- / Em---
Oh, what has it cost you
A--- / Bm --- / G--- / A---
I almost lost you a long, long time ago
Bm--- / F#--- / B--- / Em---
Oh, you should have told me
C#--- / F#m--- / G--- / Em7--- / A---
But you had to bleed to know

VERSE:
D--- / A--- / F--- / C---
All your past sins are since past
Eb--- / Bb--- / F--- / A---
You should be sleeping
D--- / A--- / F--- / C---
It's all right, sleep tight
Eb--- / B--- / E7--- / ----
Through the long night with me, with me

CHORUS:
Bm--- / F#--- / B--- / Em---
No, I didn't start it
A--- / Bm --- / G--- / A---
You're broken hearted from a long, long time ago
Bm--- / F#--- / B--- / Em---
Oh, the way you hold me
C#--- / F#m--- / G--- / Em7--- / A---
Is all that I need to know

VERSE:
D--- / A--- / F--- / C---
And it's so late, but I'll wait
Eb--- / B--- / E7--- / ---- / Bm--- / E7--- / G--- / A--- / D (strum once & hold)
Through the long night with you, with you.

**IF YOU REPOST THIS ELSEWHERE, PLEASE CREDIT ME WITH THE WORK.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Also, I adore this quote:

"Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."
~Jamin Raskin, getting to the point, in a debate over a proposed constitutional amendment to the Maryland state constitution to prevent gay couples from having legal marriage rights.

:: Anne 6:03 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

For a couple of weeks now, I've had passing "post" ideas, but my energies have been so divided among so many other requirements that now, when I finally have a moment and think, "it's been awhile-- I should post a blog entry," and sit down to do it, I draw a blank. Or maybe a translucence. So instead of posting pithy life observations, I'll stick to the facts today. Boring? Maybe, but I spent some more on techno-toys, which is always fun for a music geek.

Time pressure is as it's always been-- not enough large blocks of time to spend guiltlessly pursuing the creative endeavors that feed my soul. Last week I dropped some cash at the guitar mega-store, as the Firepod I've been wanting for the past year dropped substantially in price (a loss leader, no doubt). Of course, I had to look over some other things I'd been researching as well, and ended up buying a Furman M-8 power conditioner, and a Lexicon MX300 effects processor (pictured below), all of which fit nicely into that Odyssey rack I got last fall.

I bought the Lexicon to enhance my sorry vocals and give them some umph (everyone says they're too quiet), but there's also a wealth of electric guitar effects, as well as for drums and bass. The little Digitech RP50 I have does do some of that-- it has some nice presets, but it's limited in scope within each effect. What I did realize, as I was running my fx out through the Crate guitar amp, is that I need a better vocals monitor. Not a big one, but one that's meant for voice and will produce a clearer, quieter sound for recording. Suggestions, anyone? My main vocals mic is not an expensive one, an AKG C 2000 B, but I like it a lot-- it seems to generate very little self-noise for multi-tracking (which can compound air hiss if you're stacking several vocal tracks upon one another, as I often do).

So, I think I'm heading toward a more produced sound with some of my music, though I'll stick to acoustics for some of the songs that were written specifically so. But avenues for experimentation have opened up with these new tools, so I'll be exploring to the perimeters of all my skills (HATE it when I reach my limitations!) to create some work in new areas. I am ready for that.

The rest of the work goes on. The doc needs to be storyboarded, and the DVC tapes transferred, as well as transcripted, especially the interviews. It's a big job that looms large on the horizon, and could really darken it if not taken by task, Annie Lamott-style: Bird By Bird. And that I hope to do. But today, there is work to be done in the yard. And a beautiful day it is.

:: Anne 12:33 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Yeah, you read it right. Courtesy of the Lark Camp site. Every year, they hold this huge music gathering in the Mendocino Woodlands. I've been wanting to go, and this year I'm on the list. We'll see. I've booked that week off (July 27th - August 4th).

I'd really like to learn more about acoustic bass techniques, and I'd like the try the bodhran and the djembe. Also, it wouldn't hurt to do some guitar picking & rhythm with other people besides my own tracks in the studio.

Right now I'm hip-deep in no less than four creative projects (and one long-running one that's clinging to my back). I'm really tempted to book that floater vacation week I saved just to get some of it done, but I'm still heeding the Rob Brezny column from a few weeks ago that suggested I pace myself and work out a sequence of events. Can't do it all at once, or even by divvying up the tasks-- each step is prerequisite to the next and can't be skipped. I just need to buckle down for the long haul.

:: Anne 10:54 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

"When we care less about our feelings, our rights, our happiness, our security, etc., and begin to concern ourselves with the feelings, rights, happiness, and security of others, we will have found the true power of love."

~Dr. Leo Buscaglia

:: Anne 5:36 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Is Mercury in retrograde or something? #*%`@*!! I'm trying to write this letter to someone-- a fairly long letter-- and I'm just stubbing my brain on it repeatedly; things just aren't flowing well. Time to set it down for a bit, I guess.

This morning, I decided that, after this plane of existence, if I have the choice, I'd like to live this life once more, at least. Looking back, and within, I'm beginning to see that I have been given a great many options to do just about anything, and my choices have been rather conservative with regard to risk. I could have been a record producer, a filmmaker, a band member (piano? guitar? bass? drums? any one of those), an actor, a painter, a pilot, an architect.... But they all require a certain risk with regard to financial stability-- why was I not willing to risk that? Hm. Avenues of choice also apply to my relationships with people. There are those to whom I'd be a better friend; and there are those whose red flags I would heed with more alacrity. I suppose much of this is hindsight, but there's more to it: you can't do it all. And in some lifetimes, you can't really do much at all, it seems. Sometimes you're just born without the ability. But I believe I've been given a great many gifts that I haven't used, for one reason or another. In short, I enjoy being in my own head (most of the time)-- it's highly amusing, never dull, and I'm grateful to be able to wrap my little brain around so many wonderful concepts and experiences. Not everyone gets to have that, I think. What I have left of this life is fairly planned out, to a certain extent. But if given the choice to come back as however I wished, I would like to try this one again. I wonder if I would have learned enough (and retained the lessons) to step out of the box, so to speak. I mean, I have 20/15 vision, better than average. Why am I not flying planes? Why am I holding myself back from my heart's true desires?

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

What a gorgeous day for a silly walk....

:: Anne 2:31 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Yesterday, I could barely keep up with my own thoughts. There were so many stimuli, and the world was so alive around me, that I had trouble categorizing my experiences as they occurred.

Mostly, it was about how beautiful the weather and growth appeared-- this is a special time of year in Oregon. The sun and the rain played hide and seek yesterday, and in between, the neighborhoods were damp and glistening-- steam rising after the morning showers. When the sun would heat up the streets and yards, various fresh scents would fill up the air. In the late morning, I clearly smelled grape juice for quite a while as I walked. At times, it was spectacular. And it kept my head out of the "you're wasting your life" hole for a while.

One of the thought processes yesterday involved a favorite topic, soul versus body. And I hit on the analogy of The Picture of Dorian Gray to illustrate how our bodies take on the uglinesses of aging and fighting for our physical existence, while our souls, our inner selves acquire the more beautiful countenance of wisdom. Well, ideally they do-- this is not assured, of course. Our souls are not without their own scarring, but I believe the choice is ours: we can let our experiences mar us on the inside, too, or we can incorporate learning and healing toward a better end, instead reflecting the beauty of every kind of experience. I think a healthy soul arrives at the end of a physical lifetime having learned and loved and triumphed, and shows that beauty more than the body does. The Dorian Gray analogy fails in that the portrait in the story, which takes on the physicalities of aging, is hidden in the attic-- whereas the body is our aging portrait and is outwardly visible; instead, the more beautiful soul is hidden within the body, not usually visible to the naked eye. I say "not usually," because I believe glimpses are possible through people's actions, words, and especially through a person's eyes.

:: Anne 8:34 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Soy tan estúpido.

:: Anne 8:09 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Made this a few months ago, threw some clips together with Imaad Wasif's "Out in the Black." It's just a personal video, not intended to mean anything to anyone else, really.

:: Anne 11:30 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Making this film is without a doubt the most fun I've ever had. Now I see the draw-- it's astounding. And addictive. The creative decisions, the focus, the attention, the sound-- the big picture. I suppose the adrenalin rush at the editing bay when you see something click perfectly (or better than you'd hoped) is akin to a drug high, to be sure. I guess, having shot and viewed the footage mostly myself, I didn't expect to be surprised. As I've been saying for a while now, I could do this all the time. If only someone would pay me what I make now, just to keep me in cat food and guitar strings....

I had an interview yesterday that was all of this and more. It's amazing what happens as you gain people's trust through this process of capturing who they are. It's like holding a wild bird gently in your hands while it sleeps. There is enormous responsibility in it, but you want to do and say as little as you can so as not to intrude upon what takes place naturally. You simply want to be there to witness and record it, hoping they'll just forget you're there. And when everything gets going and the real stories begin, there are moments that are nothing less than magical.

Also, to avoid having to cover countless royalties for the film, I've decided to compose some transitional and interlude themes -- instrumentals -- in the studio myself: backing music, non-distracting, to fill it out a bit in places. I came up with one last night I like a lot; it may end up being the central recurring theme unless I pull out a better one later. It required a softer connective sound, so I got out the nylon-stringed Takamine that sits in the shadows much of the time (as the Gibson and the Martin are really the stars of the show most often). Added a sparse, gradually building strings accent with the synth, not too much, and it really gelled, at least for me. What a process to have all in your head like this. There are times when it really does feel like a "psychic sauna" (said Jane's character, the producer from Laurel Canyon), and I need to bounce it off of other eyes and ears. I'm looking into a larger venue for an eventual screening, but that's at least a year down the road.

:: Anne 4:22 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Last night was good. Somehow, I leapt over/crashed through the social barriers and connected with the people with whom I wanted to connect. It had been a while for some of them. The venue was beautiful, with a 360-degree panormamic view of the Willamette Valley. The libations were perfect, and the weather was fine. The usual trepidations were quite toned down.

I am a bit on the hazy side this morning, but I'm up and rewriting some notes for an interview I'm filming later. Somehow, I managed to run out of decent coffee earlier in the week and not restock, so I'm making do with some English Breakfast tea for now, but I foresee a jaunt to Dutch Bros. in the near future for some real punch. So far, it looks as though we may be able to film outside, as it's gorgeous.

Oh yeah, and I received the Barney Rosenzweig book in the mail on Friday. I immediately put a 140-page dent into it, and am relishing some time perhaps this evening to dive back in. It's really fascinating to get the story of "Cagney & Lacey" right from the horse's mouth. If only Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless would write their stories from the same time period.... Anyway, I feel somewhat of a kinship with Barney (albeit a small & amateurish one), as I'm trying to produce a film as well. One of the things he said about himself as an editor hit home so fast and hard that I know this is my calling, if only too late in life. He wrote of being able to look at the same piece of film endlessly and not tire of it. When editing film clips, and the juxtapositions click just right, you know it. It's not something you can delineate easily on paper; it's a sense, I believe. I totally feel that. So much so, in fact, that I have probably committed a huge sin in never mapping out a storyboard for the documentary. At least not while we're still in production. Once we hit definite postproduction, maybe. But even then, I feel I already know each minute of the 40+ hours we have on film enough to pull from it and arrange the story I want to tell. At least I hope so. I firmly believe that the hardest part of this film will be the licensing-- the endless paperwork and jumping-through-hoops that will allow the story to be told. Really, the story itself is already written, being that it's factual, a documentary. The job-- and I'm pretty sure I can pull it off-- is to make it appealing to watch. After that, it's all about permissions.

P.S. Biopsy=negative, foot is at 90% and rising.

:: Anne 7:48 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

It's a gorgeous Monday morning out there-- the light is perfect, and I have the day off. So, in a little while I plan to go out and get some of the location shots I've been wanting for the doc: city limits signs, the cd recording location out on Maxwell Road, some inside stained glass reflections. Actually, I've got lots of B-roll-- that's the easy stuff to get, it seems. But I do have two interviews lined up (and more in the works) about which I'm pretty excited. This is the good stuff. It's fascinating, like an experiment. You go in, your guidelines loosely defined, but you never know what you're gonna get from people, and the story line may take an unexpected path. I feel like I've set up the scaffolding for the structure of this film (I have over 40 hours of footage, much of it showing the inner workings of the choir in action), and now people are going to do the building up with their humanity, their personal histories. It will be interesting to see what length it ends up being.

Tomorrow morning, I have a follow-up appointment for my foot and the dreaded biopsy. Think good thoughts.

:: Anne 9:18 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Had a bit of foot surgery yesterday, so I'm home today, off my feet for a couple of days. Everything is going to be fine and I'll be back to work on Friday, no problem. The thing that worries me just a little, though, is that there is also a patch the doc wants to biopsy. I suppose I'll let him, just to be sure. I just don't like anything invasive to my body. I'm over 40 and the only kind of surgery I'd ever had was dental-- a root canal or a filling. I've been lucky all of my life. I've been healthy, haven't broken any bones, and the most I ever did was pull a ligament or a tendon playing sports. Sprains are par for the course though, so I don't really count them.

Two summers ago I had stitches for the first time, when I tripped and landed my wrist and arm on some broken glass and had to be sewn up. I swear, the shots they give you before they stitch you are worse than the stitches themselves. In fact, on the second round, I told the doc to "just stitch me-- fuck the shots" and it was actually better that way. When you're in shock anyway, your brain is already screening out nominal pain.

Anyway, so I'm sitting around (that's the hell of it) with my foot sticking up. I've slept in (until 8-- whoa!), played a bit of guitar, made some calls, paid the bills & balanced the checkbook, done some stretching, answered some correspondence, had some delicious coffee, and have begun watching a film called "The Prestige." I am a Christian Bale fan, since "Empire of the Sun." I liked him best in "Laurel Canyon," but he was good in "Batman Begins" and "The Machinist." It's a fairly perfect day outside, wish I could take advantage of it, but I can't even change the dressing on the foot for 48 hours (= tomorrow around noon). Not very focussed today, but I suppose that's all right for now. A light day is necessary sometimes.

Also, I'm posting this video still here so I can link to it for a profile pic. For some-odd reason, Blogger does not allow direct profile photo uploads. Hm.

:: Anne 12:16 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Okay, here's the music video I made for the local band Complicated. Finally. It's from a show I shot at "Cozmic Pizza/The Strand" a couple of years ago, and the song is called "Easy," by Cowboy Mouth. Happy Earth Day, everyone.

:: Anne 1:09 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

HB2007 + SB2 go to the Oregon House vote today.

It's a powerful feeling (one that will turn your stomach to molten metal) to know that, without ever knowing who I really am, without ever seeing my face, millions of people hate me and would even kill me for what they think I am.



Today I went to work, but my heavy heart was in Salem, where HB2007 (gay domestic partners) and SB2 (bans gay discrimination) are being put to a House vote.** Last night on the news, after the last of the Virginia Tech shooting coverage, our news teams turned to local issues here in Oregon. The networks showed footage of an anti-gay rally on the capitol steps, people holding signs of hatred, people looking so angry. The tears came as I looked into their faces-- their pain, their fears exacerbated by the religious "right." It just escapes me. I mean, who does this? And I thought, face me, damnit. Face us. Talk to us. Let down your guard. Practice that "godly" philosophy of acceptance and KNOW US. Are you so afraid you'll quit objectifying the issue that you'll see and feel us as like yourselves-- deserving of giving and receiving love? To love whomever we love. You'd think your "God" would condone such things, not forbid them. Where does it tell you to hate other people? We don't hate you....


**THEY PASSED THE HOUSE. Now, on to the Senate. Keep your fingers crossed for Oregon.

**Postscript: SB2 passed in the Senate on Thursday, April 17th. Go to the Basic Rights Oregon blog for a detailed report.

:: Anne 6:13 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

And I am sad. It's happened yet again. Today, another poor hurting soul got his hands on a gun and shot down dozens of his fellow students-- and then killed himself, this time at a university, Virginia Tech. Man, oh man. I remember when it happened here (Thurston) nine years ago in May of '98, and a year later in Colorado (Columbine) April of '99. (What is it about the Spring?) Words fail, but I am thinking of the unsuspecting and sudden victims, their families, and those who had no choice but to watch it all go down. No doubt the nation will hold its breath and grieve with them as the story of why unfolds. Why are we so unseeing or unwilling to see or acknowledge others' pain-- so much so that they would resort to such a massive display of violence? What are we afraid of?-- Is it the responsibility we fear? Well, we'd better figure it out-- how to reach these people, these anguished men. How can we better intercede BEFORE people become so desperate? That's all I can think and say for now. Peace, all.

::::: [photo added 17Apr2007 6:10pm] :::::

:: Anne 10:19 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Just for fun, when you email me, tell me which song came up on the player.
Requests always, except that I'll keep my own work off this page.

Speaking of which, I did a little work on "One Good Lie" this morning. Maybe it's about time I recorded this blues song. It's a workout for the left hand, so it takes a good warming up first. It felt good to do that today.

Gonna catch a show tonight & relax-- one of my favorite bands is coming through town. Though it's not one of my favorite venues, I think I can suck it up for Girlyman.

:: Anne 1:31 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

I'll say it again, for those who've come here and wondered where the music is: it's over here, on my "MySpace" music site: http://www.myspace.com/anneintheattic

Thanks everyone, for listening. I've rotated in a couple of older tunes while I work on some new material. Does anybody have a lap slide I can borrow? Thanks to Sue M. for the use of her banjo-- "Take My Life" would not have been possible without it! Cheers and goodnight.

:: Anne 9:45 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Yeah, I'm up. Hard to explain, but let's just say 'bad salsa' and leave it at that. To take my mind off of things, I've been doing some research and came across one of my favorite film clips of all time. It's an incredible montage sequence called "The Test" from the 1974 Warren Beatty film "The Parallax View."

For best results, hit pause (top left --> " ) on the black box music player above. If you have the internet speed and want a larger image, then click inside film box below to go directly to the video page, and once there, hit the button at the bottom right in the film box that looks like a square growing within a square to enlarge the video to fit your screen. This sequence deserves it.

::: THE PARALLAX VIEW [original version] :::


And now, check out what someone else did with the sequence to bring it up to date, make it more contemporary. Eerie, but you just can't look away....

::: THE PARALLAX VIEW [recent REMIX] :::

:: Anne 3:20 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

King Black Acid, one of my favorite bands, and who also hail from Portland, have made a video to their song "Into the Sun." It's very cool. Click here to see it.

:: Anne 11:21 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

If anybody's interested in listening to the cover I recorded this week of Paul Simon's "The Only Living Boy in New York," click here. It really does take a high speed connection; dial-up will just hack it all to pieces.

:: Anne 12:53 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

It's late. I'm tired. But I just wanted to note that I'm really working hard on getting some music released. Also, as of April 1st, I'll be back on the overtime list for a little while, so I may be a bit hard to reach. Keep trying. Leave messages. Don't give up on me. I'm still here. For those who are actually wondering, I thank you.

Song of the day: "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab for Cutie.

:: Anne 3:40 AM [smartass remarks] ::
...

Incubation is key.

:: Anne 7:38 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...

This evening, I finally laid down what might become the final rhythm track for "Lighter." And it was work. After slogging through the basic structure of the song once, I stuck it on "loop" and recorded a couple more ornamental guitar tracks in succession to fill it out. The result was a nice layering effect kind of like what I did with the banjo on "Take My Life." I liked it more than I thought I would. So I'll have to touch up some mistakes, but I think that part will stand (I'm really tired of having this song hanging over my head; it's been so long). And though it's tempting to put in some piano, I think it's wrong to do it just because I can. I don't want it to sound too generic. But I do want to add a few dynamics to it, because it is a long song (a little over 5 minutes), and because the lyrics sort of require a build to the story. I don't know-- we'll see, I guess.

It would be great to try the live cello-- the synth cello sounds so canned, even when I record it audio, not midi, and tweak it with some physical effects that bring it into 3-D. I'm torn. I like the way it sounds with all of the guitar texture, and I don't want to overdo it and bury that. The next thing is to try some vocals and see what's best in this case. But I need to wait for a day when my voice feels "on." Sometimes after being immersed in this process for a while, it's necessary to stick my head up and get a second opinion on what I think I hear going on with a song. It's like having someone check your book for inconsistencies, errors, non sequiturs, etc., before it's published. That can be hard, because sometimes people think I just want them to tell me it's good when that's not the case. Not a lot of people want to tell someone their music is crap when it really is crap. On the flip side, there are also those who would deliberately throw a wrench into things to trip me up. There are people whose opinions would be based on cutting me down out of competitiveness (the same people who've always done it never seem to disappoint me...), probably more so if they thought the music was good. Sometimes, it's best to ask complete strangers, who aren't vested in your friendship enough to sway their honesty about it. That's what I use MySpace for, mostly.

I'm still feeling the effects of the early daylight savings time change this year-- I think everyone is. People have their heads down in their work and have gone a bit into survival mode (which I feel I've been in all winter...), just for a little while longer, until the weather warms up more and it really feels like Spring. Sleep is key. And though I feel all I do lately is sleep, I still feel I haven't had enough rest.

:: Anne 11:00 PM [smartass remarks] ::
...