COLD BONES

PRETZELTON SYNDROME: the writing of

2011-03-10T00:50:00.005-06:00

On planet earth, in a country on a continent, on a street in a town, in a shed in my yard, an absurd idea was born. Justin Invergo (the EYE) and Jeremy Ellingsen (Cold Bones) became proud parents that day. And the child was called Pretzelton Syndrome.

This was December of 2010. Today is March 5, 2011, and I sit in that same shed, pulling my hair out over little bits of dialogue, character motivations, sequence of events and the amount of work involved in shooting several bizarre cutaways.

The writing process has been arduous. I've been focused on this 10 page screenplay for nearly 3 months, and at times it has been utterly draining. Writing a film of this length is something I've never attempted before, and having a solid writing partner has helped tremendously. Justin's contributions have proven invaluable, and I always love ping-ponging ideas around with him. Also worthy of mention are the valuable insights shared with me by Daniel Gildersleeve. I've been working non-stop since we met 10 days ago, doing my best to make this thing the best it can be.

Thankfully, the whole tamale gets easier after this. I've spent a lot more time shooting, editing and working with audio than I have writing screenplays. Although I've learned a great deal during the process, I look forward to basking in the glorious rays of my comfort zone.

As the writing drags on, there have been plenty of other things to do. Casting has gone exceptionally well, and I hope to post a list very soon of the excellent peoples who have agreed to do and say ridiculous things on camera. The costume department has procured a lab coat (thanks Ted!), a jumpsuit (thanks, dad-in-law!) and a dark robe suitable for a malicious wizard (thanks halloween!). The location scout, however, needs to get his rear in gear, as I am still in need of a laboratory.

As I finish up this post, it is March 9. My late-night caffeine fueled writing binges are thankfully over. The screenplay is complete. Next up: late-night caffeine-fueled set and costume design, technical preparation, and the creation of an efficient shooting schedule.That last part sounds like a barrel of monkeys, don't it?

Tata for now!

Recording The Tentcoat: Part 1

2008-03-29T10:54:00.015-06:00

This is the first in a 12 part series, each detailing the recording of one song on Ted Eliason's The Tentcoat. An exercise in writing, an effort to share our experiences, and most of all the act of committing my memories to text before they fade away.

Part 1: Good Morning, Get Out of the House!

In the beginning

"This isn't how I usually record a kick drum," I said to my brother Andrew as he lounged on the couch behind me. "We're trying out some different things on this song."

"I thought it seemed a little weird," he shot back.

Andrew had stopped by the studio that Saturday morning for some reason or another, as Ted and I recorded the very first track for the album. Ted had recently finished applying Remo Fiberskins to an old, inexpensive drum kit, and proceeded to tune up one of the loosest, flabbiest kick drums I had ever heard. I was skeptical, but Ted set the tone these sessions were to follow from the very beginning.

Thinking back, I must have simply stared at him as he explained the arrangement to me. First kick drum, then triangle, then crash cymbal (which we later re-recorded - the very last sound created before mixing), then piano, rhodes, electric guitar, fuzz bass and kitchen utensils. At some point we laid down a scratch key and vocal to work with, though the trend of recording scratch tracks would not continue past this song; I repeatedly suggested it and Ted would insist that it wasn't necessary.

And on the second day

May was fast approaching, and the studio was already beginning to warm up. The room was overly insulated; warm and toasty in the winter and even more so in the summer. An underpowered air conditioning unit worked overtime to keep the temperature around 80, even in the middle of Spring. To step out into the sun for a break was sweet relief. As a result, I would generally work with the windows open.

We were feeling quite wonderful about the previous day's work, and started bright and early at nine or ten or eleven that Sunday morning. A number of times, we exchanged glances that said "what exactly are we making here?" There was a sense of creating something new and fresh - or at least completely fresh to our ears.

As we listened to a playback of the tracks so far, I commented on how nicely the song seemed to blend with the sound of chirping birds floating through the window. I glanced at Ted and knew we were on the same page.

I chained together three or four mike cables and had a condenser a few feet out the front door. The sound was unimpressive. We took a quick walk around and discovered the section of trees where the racket was most concentrated. Another five or six cables and we were recording the birds across the street. I doubled the track back on itself for stereo, and let it run through the entire song. To say we were pleased with ourselves would be an understatement.

I should note that the birds never again sang so boldly or in such great numbers as they did that day. How wonderful that we were able to capture it!

Please Sir, may I have some more (tracks)?

From memory, I can tell you that the bridge contains three vocals, three kazoos, two saxophones, kick drum, a heavily distorted ride cymbal (in stereo?), fuzz bass, organ bass (foot pedals), 3 mellotrons, and either one or two tracks each of the following: electric guitar, rhodes and wurlitzer organ. Don't quote me on that.

My wonderful, talented and loving Mother was called in to add the saxophone. This was her first of many appearances on the album. Though she is an excellent clarinetist, I chose to play the chorus clarinet myself. It was likely a spur of the moment addition at 3:00 AM or some such.

The sunny nature of the song established, we decided the best vocal approach was to smile while singing. This fit the tone of the song perfectly.

After a particular take, I pressed stop and Ted inquired, "How was that?"I found myself tongue-tied. Intonation was good, rhythm was right on, but something was missing. A long pause, then "Were you smiling that time?"

"Oops, I forgot on that take." The next one was a keeper.

Recording the kitchen utensils at the end of the song was an aboslute pleasure. Something like 4 mono and 2 stereo tracks went into this. Ted played an egg beater, baking sheet, pot, pan and likely a few other items, after which I decided to make some of my own fun. I asked Ted to take five and let me set up some "instruments" in the booth. He left and I quickly scraped together a large pile of unusual items for my performance. Ted pressed record and I went to town.

When listening in headphones, one can hear objects being thrown about the room and a wide variety of items being struck with a hammer. I won't divulge all of what took place that night, but I would like to point out that I managed to break a tub of peanut butter during my performance.

The bombastic bridges

We had planned to record one song at a time, in the order they were to appear on the album. Ted changed the plan by suggesting Good Morning as the first track we should tackle. I liked the idea of starting with a song I hadn't heard a demo of, so we went with it. The opening track, Everything We Have, would be the second song we worked on, and we continued working in album order for the next five months of tracking.

One day, Ted explained to me that we were going to record an interlude to go between track one and two. It was to sound like something one would sing in church, with heavily layered vocals, and the lyrics went something like "I want the quiet verses to contrast the bombastic bridges, Amen."

"I'm not really into that idea anymore," was his reply when I asked him about it a few days later.

Such was the tone of the Tentcoat sessions.

Arthur C. Clarke (12/16/17 – 3/19/08)

2008-03-19T12:59:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite authors, Arthur C. Clarke, passed away today. He was the last of the "big three" science fiction writers to have done so. The novels of Clarke, Asimov and Heinlein have all had a tremendous artistic and personal impact on my life, and it was always nice to know that one of these guys was still around - and still writing great books.

If you're in the mood for an epic journey, pick up the 4 book series that begins with Rendezvous with Rama.

On a happier note, press kits for Ted Eliason and the Psychedelic Party Band go out on Saturday. We'll be out playing gigs very soon, and we're all excited to share this crazy music with the world.

End of the Line

2007-08-28T01:27:00.000-06:00

Mr. Ted Eliason's record is finally complete. It's been a fun journey, but it had to end sometime. Much fun was had by all. He'll be putting up some songs on this here internet in the next couple days, and there will be more news of interest before long.

Dorsey will be realeasing their record soon, and they got a very kind write-up on Absolute Punk. Things are going well for those guys, and we'll be doing another full-length this winter. I can't wait!

TADA!

2007-07-11T15:41:00.000-06:00

Ted and I are working on a ridiculous arrangement for his song TADA! and having a blast. We're getting close to completing tracking for the record, then mixing will be it's own unique adventure.

TADA! is a song about a guy who hires a magician to fix all his problems. Strangely enough, Laura and I watched a movie about magicians last weekend, called The Prestige. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I haven't seen a movie with a surprise ending that really surprised me in quite some time. Good job!

This song has inspired discussion about the difference between wizards and magicians. I picture the subject of this song as a strange mixture of Houdini and Gandalf the Grey with Merlin's wardrobe. Oh, and he might be evil. I'm not sure. I guess you'd have to ask Ted about that.

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

Lay off the Love / Ric Webb?

2007-06-20T00:17:00.001-06:00

We've just finished the 7th song on Theodore's album - Lay off the Love. If you ever checked up on Ted in the past, you may remember this song from its demo form. This new iteration bears little resemblance to its predecessor. I do believe we have taken distorted drums to the next level - or at least reached a place that The Flaming Lips might be proud of. The next song on our list - Plantain on a Hot Dog Bun - should be a blast to record. In fact, all the songs have been a blast to record. Also, Bill MacDonald may be hauling his mellotron over for this one. Good > times!

/ / / / / / /

I overheard someone today telling their friend that "The Smashing Pumpkins have Jimmy Chamberlin on guitar now," not failing to add that "that guy really shreds." Phenomenal.

/ / / / / / /

I was recently contacted by an engineer named Ric Webb. Does anyone know about this guy? He said he is interested in having me master a recording of his, but he had some very unusual requests. Appearantly, he is not a fan of digital audio.

New website / Armpits / Ted Eliason

2007-06-15T09:29:00.000-06:00

The Swingset Sound website has been completely overhauled, courtesy of my lovely lady, Elle.

Check it out.

/

Also, the other day my deoderant ran out after applying to only one armpit. One half of me smelled like After Hours, the other like Aqua Reef.

/

Work on Ted's record continues. Please visit his myspace page, where a rough mix of one song has been uploaded.

26

2007-05-08T08:46:00.000-06:00

that's the number of pounds i've mysteriously taken off without trying. no complaints here. let's hope it continues, and then i'll have a NOS collection of concert t-shirts that fit me again. suh-weet-ness.

done dirty deeds and dumpster diving

2007-05-03T09:15:00.000-06:00

let's see now...

things have been pretty cool for me lately. last weekend, L and i took a short jaunt out to Iowa to spend some time with Tre and Kat. good times were had by all, and it was great to finally see the house in person. we spent much of saturday hitting up trailer park garage sales and dumpster diving, which i certainly don't do enough of. i came home with unopened packs of TMNT (the cartoon and movie) cards, old school nintendo cards (with SECRET TIPS! on beating Punch-Out, Zelda, Mario and others), issue #3 (of 3) of the Dune comic book, the newest Dark Tower comic (issue 3), Found Magazine #4, - and last, but certainly not least - a small monopoly-themed pinball machine.

saturday evening we drove out to Vinton, IA to a small, community volunteer-run movie theater and saw TMNT for the low low price of only two dollars. it was definitely worth the cost of admission. this led to a sunday night conversation with Dubs about which turtle we used to "be" as kids. Dubs is a Leonardo guy. i always dug on Raphael. i guess i identified with the loner of the group at the time.

thanks to Tre and Kat for hosting us and making it an enjoyable weekend. i hope we can return the favor in the near future.

in studio news, i'm gearing up for a few exciting projects this summer, and working on a very exciting project right now. the thing is: i can't tell you about it. it's a secret project for a secret band. last night, T-Diggity Dubs helped me install some newly purchased Auralex in the studio. the rooms are sounding really nice and tight now. good times!

i've really slacked on my reading lately; still picking away at Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (almost done) and A Confederacy of Dunces (thanks for the recommendation, the <0>, it's phenomenal). i started The Memory of Earth by Orson Scott Card a couple weeks ago and finished it last weekend. i'll probably talk more about that later, as i just started book two in the series (of 5, i think), and it's really blowing me away. Card is a fantastic storyteller, and he has a
brilliant way of injecting moral lessons into his novels without being judgemental or heavy handed - at least the books i've read live up to that.

last monday, my birthday, was a lot of fun. i stayed in with the lady and we rented season 1 disc 1 of the show Weeds. it came recommended by a few people, and i must say it lived up to the praise. i don't watch much television (though i do play video games and watch a lot of movies - so don't think i'm getting all uppity on you), so i tend to be really impressed by the writing, acting and overall production value of the better shows these days. anyhow, the show was fantastic, and i laughed out loud (LOL'd!) through nearly every episode. one more three hour sitting and we'll have finished season 1.

does anyone have recommendations for other TV on DVD programs to indulge in? i'm thinking about The Sopranos as i've never even seen an episode, and Tre speaks highly of it.

thanks to my lovely lady L for making my birthday a relaxing and enjoyable evening, and thanks to everyone who called/e-mailed/texted me to wish me a happy b-day.

another month without posting

2007-03-24T09:19:00.000-06:00

bad form, bones.

not too much to talk about. i guess that's why i haven't been updating lately. since i last posted, my brother turned 21, which is cool. if you're out there and reading this, CALL ME. we are supposed to go get a beer soon! rock bottom!

DARK TOWER UPDATE:

Nathan has seemingly dropped off the face of the earth again, so I don't know where he is in the series. He hasn't finished book 2 (to my knowledge).

T-Dubs finished the first leg of his journey.

Leroy is plugging away on book 2.

The EYE finished the first 2 audio books, as have I. He said the little lady (emily) might start listening to them as well.

I gave a copy to a friend named Tom as well. He started reading it right away, and told me he was digging it.

Also - have you seen the DT comic book? It's a seven issue series, and it's rad. You might even call it 'wicked fierce'.

i'd question it, but then again

2007-02-22T15:46:00.000-06:00

Dubs (ted) was hanging out at my mix session late last night, rocking out on my guild acoustic guitar in the next room while I worked on mixing Dorsey. I decide to take a break and Dubs informs me that he just finished writing a song for our "3 guitars" project. "there's lots of room to add things" he tells me. so i set up a few microphones and he laid it down in one take - guitar and vocal.

it sounded really sweet, so i pulled a quick mix and we decided we would take some time to work on it next time he was hanging out.

if you want to check out a couple recent projects i've worked on...

their page is kind of broken, but the tunes sound good:
http://www.myspace.com/orphansunsofirion

Dorsey's record is not yet completed, so the tracks on their page are unmastered. among other things, that means they won't be very loud.
http://www.myspace.com/dorseyaz

http://www.myspace.com/thelastwaltzband

PS - Ted started his journey to the dark tower.

we should start a book club!

2007-02-18T02:14:00.000-06:00

Alright, so I took some time off. January was somewhat stressful, and I -- not being the type to piss on another guy's cake -- thought it might be best to stay away from Mister Bloggy.

SO ON WITH THE SHOW.

At last my journey to the Dark Tower has finished. I finished the final book on January 19th, which might seem appropriate to those familiar with the subject matter. After 2-3 months and over 4,000 pages, I finally reached my goal.

I won't go into detail about the books here, except to say that I loved them. On the official COLD BONES TOP 5 BOOK SERIES, I would have to rank it #1. Somewhere in the top 5 would also be Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Asimov's Foundation series, and perhaps the Ender novels by Orson Scott Card. I can not state with certainty that The Dark Tower is better than any of these - but I know I enjoyed it the most, and that's very high praise.

This Christmas, Laura and I bought Nathan a copy of book 1 (the gunslinger). After putting it off for a few weeks, he wolfed it down pretty quickly. He's now borrowing book 2.

I also gave a copy to Leroy sometime in November or December. He too put off reading it for a while, then swallowed it whole in one weekend. Now he's ordering hardcover versions of all the books online before he continues.

Ted just joined our book club too, but it was somewhat spur-of-the-moment, so I'm not sure if he's going to read it yet or not. We'll see...

So now I implore the EYE - track down an audio book of The Gunslinger. I'm sure you won't regret it.

Anyhow, I think it's time for me to go. I'll be back shortly - I think.

la torre oscura y un poco de otra materia

2007-01-08T17:27:00.000-06:00

alright peoples. i've taken a few days off the old blog here, and now i'm back in full force.

the Dorsey project went exceptionally well last week. tons of fun, a bit of stress, and a lot of great tone. i can't wait to get these mixes done, and i'm sure i'll be posting more on this when the project is finished. come back and visit soon, guys!

i'm still moving forward in my quest to reach the dark tower - or at least to read all seven books. i've been poking around a bit, reading people's opinions on the books and talking to people here and there. in general, it seems the consensus is that books 5, 6 and 7 feel rushed and do not live up to the quality of the other 4. this is not fun to hear when you're so emotionally invested in the story, and just wrapping up book 4.

i've just finished book 5, and i'm 100 pages into 6. so far, i guess my opinion does not line up with most of what i've heard. i've already rambled on too long about this, and i'm going to save further comments on the series until i reach the end. i have quite a bit to say about it, and i hope i can do so in an intelligent and interesting manner.

we'll see.

i have avoided commenting on the issues we've had with our cat Thai lately, being as Laura did a thorough job in telling that tale. if you'd like to read about it in detail, go there.

i posted earlier about cat pee on the carpet, and it turned out that this can be a sign of bladder infection. after some very strange behavior from Thai, Laura took him to a 24 hour vet and had him examined. i felt a little bad about being upset over the pee incident after that. poor little guy.

anyhow, he's back home, happy and healthy.

we bought a bed for the cats quite some time ago and they seldom use it. Lina can usually be found lounging on one of us, and Thai has taken a very strong liking to this box from Aldi. why? who knows, but he looks cute napping in it.

SNIKT!

2006-12-27T16:55:00.000-06:00

the adamantium blades thrust forward from the end of my outstretched arm.

just kidding. i don't really have adamantium blades.

nothing major to talk about. i just thought i'd update before things got hairy for me.

i went to the cat shelter with laura last night and saw, as laura says "my little hopee!" (pronounced Hope-E). she really is a sweetheart. we're still thinking about adopting her, but we haven't quite decided yet. my main concern is will this cat be adopted if we don't intervene? she's a black cat, and i'm told she doesn't show well. she becomes very timid at the adoption shows. that's two strikes against her. but there are also many older cats that are difficult to adopt out. if she can find a home with someone else, then i would feel better about letting that happen. hm, we'll see.

yesterday i finished THE DARK TOWER IV. the book really got off to a slow start, but i was wrapped up in it about 2/3 through and absolutely could not put it down. the last time a long series demanded this much attention of me was Isaac Asimov's FOUNDATION series. gooood times.

SNIP!

2006-12-26T10:15:00.000-06:00

go the ribbons as i race to finish wrapping presents.

although i once again put off half my shopping until the last minute, Christmas went fairly well. gift highlights include a new wardrobe from laura (including this gem), a coffee maker for the studio and LOST season 1.

i'm still trudging ahead through THE DARK TOWER IV: WIZARD AND GLASS. it has a much slower pace than the first three, and the whole thing focuses on backstory. it's quite enjoyable, but the pace is much, much slower than the previous novels.

the next couple weeks, i'll be rocking out with Dorsey - a new band formed by an old client of mine. they are all flying in from Arizona tomorrow, and then it's time to rock. analog challenge all the way!

DRIP!

2006-12-21T18:22:00.000-06:00

one and a half years of cat ownership, and no pee on the carpet ... until today.

the culprit may have been a dirty litter box. it was a bit filthy today. i guess it's our fault. when you gotta go, you gotta go.

my nintendo wii sold for $400 + $40 shipping. could be better, but not bad. i save on shipping too, since the buyer doesn't need it until January 5.

so i made about $145 on the deal. oh wait! take away $13 in paypal charges and it's $132. then take away ebay fees (not sure what they amount to yet), and i'm probably at $106. still not bad for the amount of work put into it.

CHA-CHING!

2006-12-19T17:58:00.000-06:00

as a few extra dollars land in my empty pocket.

i camped out in front of best buy with Zieks the other night. we rocked some Advance Wars DS, chatted with our neighbors, and walked home with Nintendo Wiis in hand.

mine is currently on ebay.

the temptation to play it is there, but not terribly strong. i just don't play video games as much as i used to. perhaps i'll buy one in the distant future, but whatever. i have a $400 xbox 360 that half the time gets used to play regular xbox games.

CLICK!

2006-12-16T02:50:00.000-06:00

so... i want to win a generation NEX, just like Tre.

so, please check out Retro Thing, which is actually a really cool site that i haven't been to for at least a year. i guess their contest is working, cause now i'll probably be visiting again more often.

THUMP!

2006-12-15T03:32:00.000-06:00

the fat bass smacks you in the face.

the song i mentioned in my last post is now available for yer listening pleasure. at least i hope it's pleasurable. i'm pretty happy with this mix, and surprised at how well it translates on computer speakers, but do yourself a favor and listen to it on something a little nicer if you have a chance.

comments: this is a working title; the track is unmastered, which means it might be a bit quieter than you'd expect, but it SLAMS!

enjoy!

beneath the blue (192k, 4.11MB, 2m59s)

PS - i'm still working on the new Swingset Sound site, as well as coldbones.com, but i put up a new 4th phase placeholder, just for fun. should have a site up there sometime in '07, but there's no rush.

SPLAT!

2006-12-13T16:19:00.000-06:00

the sound of my foot in this mushy snow. yuk.

i finished mixing the first song for my eventual album this week. i'm quite excited about how it turned out. i'll be posting it somewheres this week, along with revamped COLDBONES.com and SWINGSETSOUND.com websites.

i just finished reading THE DARK TOWER II - THE DRAWING OF THE THREE by Stephen King. I enjoyed it as much or more than the previous installment. i have actually contemplated the EYE's suggestion of posting in-depth reviews of the books i read on this blog or on another. the problem i run into is that i'm not great at describing what it is i like in a book. i read other people's reviews and say to myself that's exactly what i was thinking - but somehow i'm unable to put it into words.

anyhow, the book was fantastic, and i'm just starting number III.

bewilderment

2006-11-30T17:03:00.000-06:00

the session i've been running this week is extremely hands-off. in fact, i'm spending most of my time sitting on the couch reading while other people work. this is a rarity for me - but it has allowed me to race through the first half of NEUROMANCER. folks - this book is great.

i probably look like i adore every book i read, but this really isn't the case. in the past month since i started writing here, i happen to have stumbled across some incredible books. i've read plenty of stinkers and mild disappointments in the past.

to be perfectly honest, i'm not terribly adventurous when it comes to selecting reading material. there are a number of authors i've read in the past year or so, but i've generally stuck to 5 or 6 that i know i can really count on.

and here's my dilemna: i stumbled across a copy of book 2 in the DARK TOWER series. i just read book 1, and it blew me away. i don't like to be reading more than one book at a time, but damn. i feel like i'm being pulled in two directions at once. what's a guy to do?

the business possibilities that i have non-discussed here have somewhat resolved, transforming me into a much less cranky being. i don't think the deal will go through, and i'm not terribly disappointed, just relieved to be done dealing.

PS - don't buy your friends and family VISA gift cards. i got one last year, and it's a nightmare. they charge you to check the balance on it, and retailers never understand how to use them. why would you buy one when you can give cash?

bond.

2006-11-29T17:53:00.000-06:00

as a side note, can someone please explain to me the appeal behind james bond movies? in theory, i should like this. it's a super slick dude who gets all the ladies, and to top it off he has sweet gadgets! maybe it's because pierce brosnin is the bond of my teenage years, and he's a bit too smarmy for my taste.

i heard the new movie is great, and i'm almost tempted to go see it.

maybe.

braggart.

2006-11-29T13:58:00.000-06:00

i just finished reading THE DARK TOWER I - THE GUNSLINGER by Stephen King. really really great. i can't wait to pick up a copy of the second book in the series. (side note to the eye - i think they have this as an audio book)

if you're musically inclined (or not), check out this post i read on music thing. i got a 93%, and yes i'm bragging.

PS - i started reading NEUROMANCER last night. you might recognize that title from the list i posted. i've been meaning to read that for a while, and that list was a helpful reminder.

bore.

2006-11-27T12:47:00.000-06:00

i'm sure this will not be exciting to most of you, but i just saw it on a SF blog and couldn't resist. so i guess this goes out to the eye, since we always talk about what we've been reading.

"This is the Science Fiction Book Club's list of the fifty most significant science fiction/fantasy novels published between 1953 and 2002. Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved."

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien*
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov*
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein*
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card*
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams*
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke*
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

the summary: 10 read, 6 loved, 0 hated, 1 unfinished.

i consider myself a pretty huge fan of SF novels, so i guess this means i have some catching up to do.

bugs.

2006-11-25T13:08:00.000-06:00

computers.

can't live with 'em . . . and i'm forced to admit i would find it extremely difficult to live without them.

i spent yesterday dealing with computer problems. most of the time, the macs we run at the studio give us no trouble at all. stable, reliable performance is what we receive on a daily basis. the only possible explanation for what i experienced yesterday is that macs save up their problems over the course of months and months, and then serve them to you all at once.

BUMMER.

computer issues aside, thanksgiving was a pretty good time. we had a delicious meal at my mom's house - compliments of her and my brother andrew, and we got to spend some time with a few family members as well. laura and i took home a bunch of leftovers, including an entire pumpkin pie.

DELICIOUS.

i've been very excited to get some work done on my eventual album lately, but computer issues may prevent me from working on it this coming week.

LAME.

developments on the studio project that i've avoided discussing here are almost unbearably slow. and sort of funny. not ha-ha funny but kind of ironic funny.

WEIRD.

blastoff.

2006-11-21T14:22:00.000-06:00

i'd like to start writing more about recording in this blog. i don't know that it's particularly appropriate for me to go into the details of my client's sessions, but i can certainly talk about my own.

in late july i was locking up brian's studio, and i happened to bump into a xylophone on my way out. i picked up the mallets and played a simple melody. suddenly, i realized that i needed to record this.

i rushed into my studio, threw up the first mic i could find and layed it down. then came an acoustic guitar and some simple percussion. wrote some lyrics, recorded vocals, and before i knew it i had an interesting song on my hands.

since then, i've tracked 17 demos, and really enjoyed the process. i'm close to finishing up the final version of one song, and i have drums tracked for 6. i'll post more later on this.

beluga.

2006-11-20T13:23:00.000-06:00

the lady and i spent yesterday at the john g. shedd aquarium. other than a few issues with the modes of public transportation we employed, the day was fantastic. i hadn't been there for many, many years, and i had forgotten about the amazing variety of creatures out there in the water.

they have a lizard exhibit right now that we really enjoyed. we were watching the komodo dragon - which is a pretty mean looking animal - with a crowd of about 12 people. you should've seen the way everyone jumped when it made a sudden movement. it cracked me up! i might have even peed my pants a little.

not really.

anyhow, it was a wonderful day. i finished up The Terminal Man, and thought it was a good read. then i started in on Timeline - also by Crichton. i have also started Cradle by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee, but i have been unable to get into it. don't get me wrong! it seems to be a great book, but i don't have the patience for it right now. Clarke is an amazing writer, but the pace is always fairly slow - as is the case with most writers i enjoy.

beer.

2006-11-19T08:18:00.000-06:00

we're old! happy anniversary to laura and i. we went out to wrigleyville last night and had dinner at goose island. then we had a couple hours to kill before the show we planned to see at the improv olympic started. we went to john barleycorn to get a beer - and that's where it all went horribly wrong.

i ordered a Sam Adams Winter Lager and laura ordered a Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale.

they both tasted like ass.

the bartender somewhat graciously replaced these with two blue moons, whose taste bore a resemblance to a somewhat less stinky and more cleanly ass.

then i spilled mine. and laura didn't even want to finish hers.

so we ditch john barleycorn, cursing the fictitious character on the sign as we exit. we walk over to the salt and pepper diner and each get a vanilla shake. tasty! then we decide that we're old and tired, and we should probably head home and get some sleep.

all things considered, it wasn't a terrible night.

naming your posts relevantly with the same first letter for a whole month is much more difficult than i had anticipated.

2006-11-17T16:49:00.000-06:00

i've been getting to bed around midnight lately, and waking up at 8am. glorious daylight!

now i have a 9 hour session that doesn't start til 9pm tonight. bummer.

laura and i are all set to celebrate our anniversary tomorrow, so i'd prefer not to be sleeping til 2 or 3 in the afternoon. we'll see how it goes.

i'm reading the terminal man by Crichton, and a book of short stories call i shudder at your touch. the nice thing about Crichton is that even though he never really blows my mind, i can count on him to tell an engaging story that at least makes me think a little bit.

bull.

2006-11-16T16:51:00.000-06:00

so maybe ranting and raving about guitar center employees was a bit immature. sue me - or on second thought, please don't sue me.

i've really been feeling that i need a vacation thing lately. i've been a real cranky dude , and it ain't so cool.

this will likely interest no one but me, but i was excited to find out that bungie will be running a beta test of halo 3 on xbox live this spring. very cool. it's been out for over two years now, and i'm still rocking the halo 2. good times.

the studio stuff i was talking about a few days ago is really getting under my skin. it's a waiting game right now, and that can drive a guy mad.

beguilement

2006-11-15T15:52:00.000-06:00

i just dropped my twin reverb off for repair at park ave music in lombard. i'll be really sad if that place closes someday. they haven't really been selling anything for years since guitar center came around, but it's the only place i trust with my precious instruments.

by the way, i hate guitar center.

let me explain. my first guitar was purchased in a tiny shop in downers grove. they had a very small selection of instruments there. i paid $130 of hard earned lawn-mowing money and purchased my Eastwood stratocaster copy, and a 15 watt practice amp with and overdrive button! the gentleman at the store helped me pick it out, and i was very pleased with my purchase.

then came guitar center, and so ended my days of shopping in small mom and pop music stores.

i thought it was great when it opened. i was what - 15 or 16 years old maybe - and just starting to play guitar. it was like heaven! at that time, i didn't know a thing about guitars and amplifiers, which led me to take the advice of guitar center employees time and time again.

what a mistake.

i won't get into details (in fact, i just deleted two long paragraphs of details - thank me later), but the point is that guitar center employees are - as a general rule - incompetent, and the 15, 17, 19 year old version of me trusted them completely.

anyhow, the lesson has been learned, and now i am left ridden with guilt over the years i spent shopping at guitar center when i could have paid a bit more at the small places, and had great service and excellent advice. i would likely still have the gear i purchased at 17, and i might have learned these things a lot quicker.

to be perfectly honest, i still spend money there. in fact, i spent $20,000 there just last year - specifically at the GC Pro division. you can't really pick up a Pro Tools HD2 rig at a mom and pop store, i guess, but i still feel like a hypocrite.

what are you gonna do?

boys.

2006-11-14T17:47:00.000-06:00

i finished Lost Boys last night, and it shot immediately to the top of my recommendation list. i have already been recommending Ender's Game (by Orson Scott Card) to some of my friends, and i still would. Lost Boys blew me away in a completely different sense. so much investment in the characters. i feel like i lived in their run-down house with them, took part in their arguments, their sorrows and their seemingly seldom victories.

the end of the book had me crying like a baby. i couldn't believe it. you spend the whole book waiting, waiting for the things you think might happen, and they never do. what you get instead is so much better. i've probably read 50 books this year, and this might be my favorite.

PS - i was going to edit this post in order to link to some info about this book, but every page - even amazon - had what i considered to be somewhat nasty spoilers in full view. i guess what i'm saying is, if you ever want to read this, don't read about it first. just call bones!

bedtime.

2006-11-13T07:29:00.000-06:00

my sleep schedule has been weird for a while now. generally that means i stay up until 4 or 5 in the morning, and then get up around noon. the past few days i've been going to bed around 10pm and getting up around 6 or 7.

that's weird.

now i have some night work which will probably involve me being up til 3am, and i'm not sure how i can stay awake for it. coffee is my good friend. coffee. i love you. come to me coffee.

phil and tiffany's wedding was a good time. i wasn't much in the mood for dancing, but by the end of the night, i was getting down a bit.

i'm still reading Lost Boys, and i can't put it down. i probably would have finished it by now, but i've spent most of my weekend leisure time playing oblivion.

bollocks.

2006-11-12T07:53:00.000-06:00

i've been up since 6 this morning playing halo 2 and oblivion. i'm so lame. laura and i had to cancel our plans with brian and stephanie. we both felt like turds about it, but neither of us felt well last night. we both slept on and off from 9pm to 6am. laura's actually still sleeping. i feel a bit better today, being rested and all.

today is my cousin phil's wedding - a johnson family gathering - and should be a good time.

i had a strange dream last night. i was in prison with brian and some other dude, with only 7 months left to my sentence, and we broke out. we drove around the country in a white van causing trouble for 3 or 4 days, then when i couldn't handle the pressure anymore, i turned myself in. the cops were not nice to me.

books.

2006-11-11T14:05:00.000-06:00

shelving books at the bookstore today. i really enjoy this as a second job. it's so low-pressure, and helps me feed my addiction, since i borrow books off the shelf. i've been reading Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card this week, and really enjoying it. just finished the new Halo book as well - BIG NERD ALERT - and i really enjoyed it. the books go way beyond what you'd expect from a video game franchise. well written, engaging stories that stand alone and also make the game more fun. good times.

lost going on with the studio lately. i've had a pretty good flow of clients in and out, and the christmas rush is on the way, which is great.

big things happening that i can't talk about yet - but very exciting stuff. wish us luck!

blog.

2006-11-10T15:31:00.000-06:00

so, here we are again.

my good friend Tre has encouraged me multiple times to give in and set up a blogspot blog. i've been blogging blogs on my own blog page since before blog was a word - but i've never been very good at keeping blogs updated. this here blog should help fix that.

wish me luck.

ps - i like courier. also, please excuse my terrible layout. i've never used blogger, and i need to take some time to figure it out.