I’ve been living with this for the last twenty years. It’s not so bad in these waters as long as you don’t stop swimming. Ever.
February 2, 2012
January 11, 2012
Milestone
A major milestone reached today in the show! I just finished writing all of the charts for Sing 2012. I then got the fun job of sitting down and listening to all 112-odd minutes of music I’ve been working on for several months. It’s the first time I’ve heard the whole show in one sitting as I worked my way through the charts checking for errors. Fun to hear it all at once!
The show is still about a month away and the groups are busily practicing their hearts out as they prepare. I’ve still got a lot to do (final key changes, chart book assembly, final locked CDs, show track mastering, final score delivery, and on and on), but for now a big milestone has been passed. Onward!
December 31, 2011
Chew On This
I finally get to write one of my favorite rhythms of all time. Maybe two of my readers will get this. It’s a mess, but a lot of fun to play.
December 30, 2011
Talk of the Town
I’m being interviewed by Rick Thommsen on KTEM’s Talk of the Town today from 5-6. We’ll talk about music, my very strange job, and life in general (as well as whatever curveballs he throws my way).
If you’d like to hear me blab narcissistically, you can listen to it online here. Erin can’t understand how I can blithely go on the radio and just jabber. Guess it comes from standing in front of large groups of people and having them do what I say. After doing that for so long it’s a natural assumption that people would be interested. 
December 12, 2011
Dear 16 Year Old Me
My mom was diagnosed with stage 3 (bordering on stage 4) melanoma over a decade ago. After a long course of extensive chemo and radiation she beat it. A few years later the breast cancer hit. She beat that too. Thanks to her incredible doctors she conquered some astronomical odds and is healthy today.
This video talks about the risk factors for melanoma (early sunburns, family history, moles, etc). I have just about every risk factor except red hair (who knew?). I also go to the dermatologist once a year and have had at least a dozen moles removed since mom’s diagnosis. I share this because keeping up with this has become easy, routine, and something that we budget for in our annual medical expenses. $250/year isn’t much to pay to make sure I don’t die from melanoma. It’s not fun or painless, but it just may be the difference in the future.
This is for you, mom…
November 30, 2011
Light Up My Life
So in an effort to cut our annual electricity bill from 12000kWh to 10000kWh next year, I have successfully installed two LED outdoor security lights, an LED front-of-house candelabra style light fixture, and FOUR interior 40 watt LED bulbs (2 of on sale for $10 and 2 high performance $30(!) bulbs). Payback on all this will be about 15 months, at which time it’s all gravy. The old backyard security lights (100watt bulbs) ran about 15 hours per day at 50% dim. So:
100 watts (2 bulbs at 50%)
15 hours/day
365 days
547,500watt hours/year
547.5kWh/year
at .14 cents/kWh, the backyard lights cost us $76.65/year. Add in the front lights and we’re talking a little over $120/year to run. The new lights cost about $250 so that’s 2 years to pay them back. Still looking for a good LED replacement to go over the front door (preferably dimmable somehow).
We also got front and back storm doors, which will hopefully help in reducing drafts and air leakage. I also fixed a great big (1″ x 3″) hole in our front door frame a few months ago and it’s been a big help- mostly because now we don’t get overrun by rolly-poly bugs every few weeks.
I wish they made candelabra LED bulbs in a real-world 60 watts. I tried the “40 watt equivalent” type yesterday and they were dim and ghastly, so back they went. My office lights are a pair of 40 watt candelabra style that run about 15 hours per day. Total annual cost there is $60 in electricity (438kWh). If I replaced them with 10 watt LED’s I could cut that down to $15 (109kWh).
We’re just trying to grab some of the low-hanging energy fruit around here in an effort to lower the bills. We’ve even looked at a grid-tied solar panel system, but the roof isn’t the best for it (too many pipes jutting from our south-facing surface). The water heater needs to be replaced in the next year or so, so paying for a solar water heater might work, but our current heater is gas and the replacement will be so efficient that even if we added a solar heat backup system, the amortization time would be a couple of decades. If it was an electric heater we’d do it, but gas is still really cheap.
The thing I’d really like to do is replace our super cheap windows with good dual-pane argon filled ones, and then build supplementary interior thermal insulation panels to further increase insulation. But, wow, are new windows expensive. A full-house retrofit would cost about $15,000 and we’re not going to be here nearly long enough to justify that. Even so, standard walls have an insulation value (R-value) of 19. Our super cheap builder-grade windows have an R-value of…. one. Yes, one. So even adding a single layer of thermal insulation via a built-up interior window insert could save us 30% on our heating and cooling bills (according to online claims I’ve seen). That works out to hundreds of dollars per year for something that’s very cheap to build. The cheapest way is a wooden frame with plastic heat-shrink stretched across it. With my woodworking skills I think I could do much better than that- I’m thinking plexiglass laminate inserts with a second layer of plastic stretch material on the inside. This would create a double layer of insulating dead air space. I figure I could do it for about $50 per window. $600 for the whole house with a 2-3 year payback period.
The other obvious thing is to add insulation in the attic, which is probably in the cards sometime. I just wish we could super-insulate the walls, but that ship has sailed.
I would dearly love to take a few years and plan out a completely off-grid, super-insulated and self-sufficient house on paper and then build the thing myself. The thought of being free of all utilities– electric, water, gas, etc— is pretty appealing.
So that’s where we sit now in our energy conservation quest. 12000kWh last year, goal of 10,000kWh next year. A roughly 17% reduction in electrical use and an annual savings of almost $300. I’ll report back in a year and run the numbers to see what happens.
November 25, 2011
NerdKits
NerdKits – learn electronics with our educational microcontroller kit: “”
Great Christmas present idea!
November 21, 2011
Good for Revenue Enhancement
Yeah, you know that invoice you think you sent two months ago? The one that covered all that work you did for us in a big hurry? The one you’ve been eagerly going to the mailbox every day for six weeks waiting for so that you can replenish some of the money you floated us in materials to make that thing you made for us (which we love, by the way)? Yeah… turns out we never got that invoice. Or it got misdirected. Or we just don’t understand it. Or we lost it. But thanks for the six weeks of interest on your money. Go ahead and resubmit it and we’ll put it on the bottom of the pile.
Maybe we can lose it again! Talk to you in another two months!
This would be only slightly distressing if it hadn’t happened to me twice. On two different invoices.
Sigh.
To those of you who envy my self-employed, freewheeling ways: witness the downside. At this point, some of my major clients have proven themselves to actually be less responsible than 20 year old college students.
November 8, 2011
Posting
Sorry posting has been light of late (not that I flatter myself by thinking anyone is pining for my insightful missives). A whole new pile of work means I’m back to sitting at the desk and pulling 14 hour days for a while and something has got to give. So far it’s either blog posts or showering and Erin has drawn a pretty firm line around here.
October 19, 2011
How to Be a Failure
Some of us get really successful at it.
“Less attention is devoted to failure, or even what failure is. There is financial failure — bankruptcy — professional failure — unemployment — and personal failure — divorce. But there are all kinds of failure — failing your parents, failing your faith, failing to live up to your own expectations of who you think you should be.
I fail all the time, so often that I am somewhat mystified when I get emails in which people perceive me as successful. Because most of the time, I think of myself as a failure. Which, I’ve come to think, is part of what makes me successful.”
via Forbes.
September 27, 2011
Oh, Come ON, rain!
I’ve been watching not one, but TWO big mean thunderstorm systems bearing down on Austin all day, eagerly anticipating a torrent of rain (or at least a decent soaking shower). It’s been 1/3rd of a YEAR since we’ve seen a drop at our house. Literally. Four months. So I was excited to see these two systems coming on strong from out in the hill country. The weatherman says 80% chance of rain, so I figure it’s a dead lock. I jokingly told Erin that I’d believe it when I saw it, though. It’d probably turn aside just as it reached our neighborhood. Har har.
The first system got so very, very close only to break up just west of us. No problem, there’s a much bigger system right behind it. But just like some twisted atmospheric Red Sea, what had been a big nasty red blob on the radar bearing down directly on top of us at the last moment split in freaking two and went around us. I kid you not. Not five miles to the west the system grew a hole and threaded our town right through it.
Much of Austin got drenched, but our little town on the outskirts of the city didn’t see a single drop. I’m getting really tired of this. When’s it our turn?
September 26, 2011
Just Finish It Already
The finishing step in any woodworking project always makes me extremely nervous. No matter how much work I do in selecting the right wood, observing wood grain patterns and movement, joinery, design, or sanding, a bad finish can pretty much ruin everything. That’s why so many woodworkers opt for the beauty of a hand-rubbed oil finish. You literally can’t mess an oil finish up. You open a can of boiled linseed or other type of oil, pour it over the surface, and then rub it in until the wood won’t take any more. Then you wipe off the excess and repeat. Easy and beautiful.
I suppose I can finally spill the beans here since I haven’t been asked to keep it a secret. I’m not under NDA and the thing gets revealed this weekend: four weeks ago Baylor University asked me to build their new corporate logo prop. This is an extremely prestigious thing to be asked to build since it’s the prop that is replacing the 30 year old prop in public assemblies. It’ll be put onstage behind dignitaries, presidents, and other guests. It’s a 19′ long version of this:
Each letter stands about 30″ tall and all parts are 9″ thick. The second pic above shows the BAYLOR letters in a box, but in reality they’re independently built 3d letters. It’s fun to spell out crazy stuff by scrambling the giant letters. My neighbors just drive by and look confused. “Who is RAY LOB?” I just wish they spelled out JOHN GALT.
Anyway, I constructed the letters by painstakingly cutting 12 identical copies of each letter out of 3/4″ plywood and then gluing them together into a giant plywood sandwich. In total, I cut 72 letters and 12 layers on the symbol. I went through about 25 sheets of 3/4″ ply and 4 sheets of MDF (the top letter was also my MDF template for each following letter in the sandwich). I had to then hollow out the symbol so it didn’t weigh a ton. It’s a 9″ block of plywood after all and if I hadn’t hollowed it out it would have probably weighed 200+ pounds! As it is it’s about 40-50- bulky but moveable.
I needed to paint the letters the official Baylor Green and the symbol Baylor Green and Gold (the pic above has the letters in white but they’re going to be green to match the official logo). Luckily, Home Depot has a partnership with Glidden and Glidden paints have licensing deals with all of the pro and college sports teams across the U.S. (except for, oddly, U.T. which has a copyright on their specific burnt orange color). I visited HD yesterday and picked up a gallon of official Baylor Green and a quart of Baylor Yellow. But how to put them on? I wanted a better finish than a roller or a brush would provide. I’m really happy with the build but wanted the finish to be as perfect as possible.
So after a lot of research I decided to buy a professional paint sprayer. Those of you who read this and know my propensity for equipping my shop will now be rolling your eyes and saying “of course he bought a professional paint sprayer”. Well, the pay for the prop was easily enough to cover a few tools (and then some), so I just considered the new Graco Project Painter Plus sprayer the cost of doing business. In the past whenever I’ve had a commission I’ve rolled a percentage of the money back into tools for the shop so that I’ll have more capability for the next job. I’m pretty well outfitted now (okay, I did have to buy a $40 router bit for the letters), but a good quality airless sprayer wasn’t in my arsenal yet. It is now. Airless sprayers really deliver a good coat but you have to be careful. They pour out a lot of paint (you can stand and watch the level in the paint can drop when you hold the trigger). Getting a smooth coat with no runs takes some technique.
So last saturday I spent the day spraying coats of primer onto the letters and figuring out (unsuccessfully sometimes) how to avoid runs. I think I finally got it- lots of very light coats with a long wait time between each. As my friend Giles says, I’ve got more time than chances to get it right. So I wait. For the next four days I’ll be spraying two letters at a time in Baylor Green in my backyard with a four hour waiting period between coats (3 coats). I’ll have to babysit the letters for an hour to make sure no birds land on them, then after that the paint is dry to the touch with a 4 hour recoat time. I’ll hand-detail the yellow part of the symbol with a brush and small roller. I’d use my airbrush but I you can’t thin latex down enough to work in an airbrush.
It’s very stressful being at this stage as I’ve already spent about 40 hours building the rest of the prop, and if I screw up the finish by allowing the paint to run or letting the finish be marred by falling leaves or bird footprints then that’s all the client will notice. I really need a dedicated finishing room, but for now I’ll have to make do with a couple tables in the backyard and lots of praying for no wind.
I’m a perfectionist in an imperfect world.
I’ll take pics and do a step-by-step of the process after I deliver it to Baylor on Friday. If you happen to be at an event at good ol’ B.U. and see the giant BAYLOR on stage with the school symbol, you’ll know where it came from. Sic ‘em Bears!
September 24, 2011
A Moral Dilemma
Well, this just stinks. I ordered something from Amazon a few weeks ago and was eagerly following the delivery notifications online to see when it would arrive. I got the notice that USPS had delivered it so I went down to the mailbox to pick it up. No luck. I checked the front door. Not there either. The next day I happened to catch the new postal delivery person and she told me “oh, I remember that. It’s at” and then mentioned the last three digits of my address. I delivered it to your door yesterday. Slippers on the door, right? Uh… nope.
Upon further investigation she told me that she had actually delivered it to the wrong house, instead putting it about 10 doors up the street. She went by there and nobody answered, so she left a note saying “please hand deliver this or return it to the post office so we can deliver it to to the right place.
We thought we’d short circuit the whole thing and just go to our neighbor and ask them for the package ourselves. When we got there the twentysomething guy said “oh yeah, hang on a sec” and then disappeared inside. He returned and handed us the note that the mailman had left.
uh… where’s the actual package?
Sorry, man. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Must have been stolen off our porch. Kids, you know.
Now, we don’t exactly live in a gated community with security patrols, but over the years I’ve had probably a hundred packages delivered to our doorstep and not a single one has been stolen or messed with. Some have even sat out for a day or two if we happen to be out of town. We don’t make it a habit, but overall, postal theft around here is pretty unheard of.
So what to do? I couldn’t exactly stand there and accuse the guy of lying (not that doing so would make him give up the goods). So I just looked at him for a second, said are you sure? and then thanked him and walked away helplessly. When we told the post office what had happened they said that they would send a registered letter to the house indicating that mail theft is felony, followed up by a visit from the postal inspector. As the folks at this house are rather nasty looking, and as they may have our address, we’re a little uncomfortable about taking it to this extreme.
But I’m faced with a moral dilemma. We’re almost 100% certain where the property is. If it’s not just a misunderstanding then that means it’s stolen, which means I have a hard time contacting the original seller on Amazon and requesting that they send a new one. I hate to make them eat the cost, or get Visa to reverse the charges, because it’s not their fault. In my opinion it should be the postal service that takes the hit, but in order for that to happen we’d have to go into a long and drawn out series of rather uncomfortable accusations and circumstances (letter, inspector, police, etc). Plus, the package was only about $60. Not worth getting our cars keyed over.
I’m curious what folks here might think about the whole situation.
September 20, 2011
Balance
“We need to see our criteria for achievement and success as something we create ourselves rather than having them foisted upon us by others.”
Thoughts on underemployment. I consider myself lucky that we have managed to carve out a very satisfying definition of what success means to us and feel like we’ve achieved that spectacularly in our lives. We’re not very tempted by more money if that means we’ll have to permanently give up what we’ve decided matters the most to us (time together, time to pursue other interests besides work, freedom and space to grow as a couple and as individuals).
Our society is very geared toward a very narrow definition of success: how much do you make? I’m glad to see different definitions gaining in acceptance.
Trail Logic
I used to be a wilderness/whitewater rafting guide in Colorado. One of the little jokes we played on campers was the “dehydrated water” bit. We had a professionally printed metal can about 4″ tall and 6″ in diameter. It was filled with some kind of powder (sugar or sand or something) and weighed about 10 ounces. When a camper complained about the weight of his pack (about 40 pounds versus our 60-80 lbs), we would give him this little can and tell him it was our emergency water supply. Dehydrated. Conversation follows:
Camper: Dehydrated water?
Guide: yup
Camper: so what do you add to rehydrate it?
Guide: water
Camper: how much water?
Guide: a gallon
Camper: how much does it make?
Guide: a gallon
Camper: … uh … then why don’t you just carry the water?
Guide: this is lighter
Camper: so let me get this straight. I have to carry a can of *emergency* dehydrated water. If we need to use it, we add a gallon of water to it and it makes a gallon of water, right?
Guide: yup.
Camper: so why not just carry an extra gallon of water?
Guide: because this is lighter!
Camper: Where does the gallon come from that we put in?
Guide: a stream
Camper: if there’s a stream nearby, we won’t need our emergency water!
Guide: hopefully not.
And on and on and on… Kept the guides entertained for hours “explaining” this.
September 19, 2011
New Math
Taxes Simplified!
Sorry not much in the way of posting lately. I’m buried by work. Fortunately, it’s like being buried by balls in a bouncy castle. There’s lot of them around, but at least they’re colorful and fun!
September 16, 2011
Not the New Phone Books, but Close
“Your Amazon order of Valley 82790 Class III Receiver Hitch has shipped”. Yay! A birthday present to myself. I’ll be able to tow stuff with my truck.
September 10, 2011
Life, the Universe, and My Birthday
With apologies to Douglas Adams, today I am 42.
Which means today this blog is eight.
Now that I’m 42, I’m supposed to know the Answer (you know the one). I guess since I’m writing this on the actual eve of my birthday (three hours from now, to be exact) then at midnight Texas time I will suddenly ascend into all knowledge and know the answers to Life, the Universe, and, well, Everything. Get back to me tomorrow and if I don’t answer it’s because I don’t have time for you puny mortals. Or I’m just eating cake. Hmmm… cake… maybe that’s the Answer.
One year ago I was the tender age of 41, trying to find my way in the world, but now that I’ve achieved the rarified heights of forty-two, things will doubtless come into focus. Until that happens, though, here’s an accounting of the notable events of the past twelvemonth.
Said goodbye to a high school friend: a very good high school friend of mine- Kim Masterson- died suddenly this past year. She had been struggling with cancer for a while and we thought she finally had it beat when it apparently staged a comeback and took her life, leaving her three great kids motherless and her friends shocked. I’ll miss Kim. We hadn’t seen each other since our Baylor days but I still feel like we could have struck up a conversation without missing a beat.
Completed my 20th Year of Sing: and wrote all 20 acts in the show. Years ago when I was first starting out I used to occasionally wonder what it would be like to write the whole show. I had that very privilege in my 20th year. It was a distinctly great feeling knowing that everything from the opening Sing Anthem to the final notes had passed through my brain and fingers at some point. All 5000 pages and 15,000+ measures. I feel like I’ve made enough mistakes over the two decades that I’ve finally achieved Malcolm Gladwell’s mystical 10,000 hours. I feel like I finally have some actual expertise to offer the folks who work with me. Not just the technical aspects of writing music, but the more subtle part of shepherding a creative idea from inception to performance. I may still not always know the words to explain the “X-factor” of what makes an audience say “ahh!” (we don’t have the words in any human language), but I feel like I can more reliably stumble my way into it. It’s a good feeling. It was appropriate that on my 20th anniversary performance in the pit I met Sara Sinclair- old pit band pianist from way, way back in the 70s. It’s good to be a part of such a tradition.
Thanks to friend and Sing Chair alum Lisa Sorenson for the cake!
Focussed on electronics: this year in my personal classroom my topic-du-annum was devoted to finally learning the basics of electricity and electronics. I’ve tried it several times before but I always managed to confuse myself with the basics and end up frustrated and stymied. This time, with the help of several really good books and the two accompanying Make:Electronics packs I was able to dig my way through Electronics 101. I may not be able to hotwire a car or build a taser gun, but I understand V=I/R and basic electronic components. I can put calculate and install LEDs as well as read simple block diagrams (and build a circuit from them!). The area is so big that I’ll probably make it a two year study (I’m only halfway through the Electronics packs anyway). Victory!
Wrote music for Word and Lifeway: I was able to arrange hymns for Lifeway Music’s new hymnal (where my name is now included!) as well as do music and continue mastering for Word Music. Even though I don’t live in Nashville it’s nice to feel plugged in with some of the bigger music companies up there.
Wrote even more music for a University: which I can’t give details on yet because it hasn’t been released, but trust me, this one is a monster. 30 totally original songs. The client just told me that it’ll probably be in limited national release. Exciting stuff!
Wrote even MORE more music for another University: I’m also currently working on a 17 minute fully orchestrated original piece for a different national college’s recruitment video. It’s been fun to be told “just write something cinematic and heroic sounding” and then be cut loose to do my best. It’s some of the best writing I’ve ever done and I’m really really proud of it. I’ll post a link when I can.
Built props: In conjunction with Sing this past year I was hired by several groups to again build props (with their inexperienced but willing assistance) in my shop. We built a giant boxcar, a 10′x 12′ train engine, a set of nesting boxes, various hand props, a full sized giraffe head, a tiki hut, popcorn maker, giant kitchen appliances, various office furniture, trees, signs, and all sorts of other craziness. It’s not just the chance to put in serious shop time that I love, but the opportunity that I get to grow closer to the Sing Chairs that I help. We always have a ton of fun getting sore and sawdusty while building things that thousands of people will see on the stage. And I love the befuddled looks from the drivers that pass by when they see a huge ferris wheel or giant toaster in my yard. Priceless.
Built MORE props: I’m currently working on a 19 foot long by three foot high permanent logo for a client. They have decided to replace their 30 year old former logo with this new redesign and wanted an actual 3d object to put on stage. Made out of almost $1000 in plywood, fiberglass, and paint, this thing is designed to last another three decades. I’m proud of the fact that my building skills have enabled me to tackle these bigger opportunities and I’m having a lot of fun seeing it slowly come together. The only downside is that it’s summer in Texas. 107 degrees is not a good time to be in the shop!
Saw a mentor pass away: A terribly sad though not altogether unexpected milestone was reached a few weeks ago when longtime musical mentor and friend (to many) Robert H. Young passed away. Dr. Young was my director when I was in Chamber Singers at Baylor and he was a sort of Collegiate surrogate father for Erin. We will miss him terribly but will always have his wonderful music and future Chamber Singers concerts to remember him by. Every Christmas we’ll listen to “Who is He in Yonder Stall” and remember this wonderful, kind, talented, and Godly man.
Replanted the yard. Due to a massive invasion of grubs as well as neighbors who feel like the definition of yard care is to mow their six foot tall weeds once per year (no, I’m not kidding), we finally bit the bullet and completely replanted our yard. I got ten cubic yards of dirt (that’s a very full dumptruck load) and spread it out on our front yard until it was 6-8″ deep (HUGE THANK YOU TO NEIGHBOR JAMES AND HIS SON RYAN FOR THE HELP!). After that I tilled it into the old soil and then laid down almost three pallets of zoysia pallisades grass. After several months of watering in the Texas heat (another thanks to James for taking care of it while we were gone) we have what I am sure is the most beautiful grass I will ever possess. It’s dark green, healthy, verdant, and even smells like it should. It’s thick and fun to walk on. I don’t know how it’ll do long term as the years go by but we’re just loving it now.
Shared in an Award: this year I got to see the movie that I did location and post production sound for, Paradise Recovered, win not one but two Grand Prize Awards at major film festivals. It’s been great to see all the hard work by this small and committed group pay off. We’re collecting all kinds of Laurel Leaves! Go Team Paradise!
Got tennis elbow: about eight months ago I started to notice a pain in my right elbow. It grew over the weeks until I could basically do nothing with my right arm that required any sort of bending of the elbow or flexing the muscles just anterior of my elbow bone. Trust me- when you type, play piano, and do woodworking for a living that’s a pretty severe handicap. It hurt to hold my car keys sometimes. Crazy! After several months of ibuprofen and ice packs it’s almost healed now, but I’ll never laugh at tennis elbow again. What a (literal) pain.
Read my own Eulogy: Not really, but close. Unfortunately most of us never say the things to people we care about while they’re still with us. Fortunately, my good friend Barry isn’t like most people. When I mentioned that it was my 20th Sing anniversary he penned a very public and very touching post about it. Upon reading it through suddenly misty eyes I realized that it about sums up everything for which I would like to be remembered. I consider it a rare blessing that I got to read it, Barry. Gratitude.
Traveled. A lot. Well, for us anyway. We started off the year with an early March trip to visit Erin’s cousin in Anchorage, Alaska. It’s been on our wish list for a few years to go to the 49th state and see the beauty of the mountains. Since we both enjoy the cold and snow, getting to go in March was a real bonus. Due to the fact that we were flying Buddy Passes we ended up staying an extra four days waiting for a flight out (and eventually had to buy one way tickets!), but even so, we had a wonderful two weeks and can’t wait to go back. The one thing we didn’t get to do while there? See the Northern Lights. Every night we’d go outside hoping for a glimpse of this elusive phenomenon, only to be disappointed. However, the delayed return wasn’t all for naught. On the flight out at 10pm the pilot got on the intercom and said to look out the left side of the plane. The Northern Lights! We were on the right side but fortunately the only two empty seats on the plane were just across the aisle. So Erin and I trucked it over there and got to witness twenty minutes of otherworldly midnight beauty. It was something to see. Alaska was cold, beautiful, far away, cold, snowy, and COLD. I love the cold.
Our next trip was unexpected (for Erin at least). Thanks to my good friend Sean’s brilliant thinking (well, fortuitous internet surfing), I surprised Uber-Harry-Potter-Fan Erin with a trip to Harry Potter World in Orlando for her 40th birthday. It was among my most favorite gifts that I’ve ever given anyone- especially since I had to keep it a secret for almost two months! Three days before her birthday I made Harry Potter’s favorite dessert (treacle tart) and surprised her with it, then gave her a card that was actually a portkey (and if you don’t know what a portkey is you haven’t read the books… shame on you!). The very next day we were off on a plane to Florida for three days at Universal Orlando. What a blast to do as a trip, and what a fun thing to surprise someone with!
A few months later we got to spend time with friends Matt and Jenna in D.C. (after a failed Buddy Pass attempt to get to Ireland) and spent a week traveling around Philadelphia, Amish country, and Gettysburg. Then we came home and, two weeks later, got to spend a whole month house-sitting for friends in Colorado Springs. *Whew!* Neither one of us has ever travelled for fun quite so much in one year. We just had a confluence of opportunities and events that made it possible this year and we feel grateful. We’re jet-setters!
So there are some highlights from Year Forty One, spent living in gratitude one of the most wonderful lives ever. I wonder what the next year will bring?
September 2, 2011
Happy Birthday, Dad
A big giant Happy Birthday to my dad. It’s been fun watching him go through all these stages during my life. Funny how they correspond so well to my own growing-up times.
UPDATE: Hey dad, don’t worry about your age. At least you’re not, you know, 121 years old.
August 27, 2011
I’ve Gone and Bought the Cherry Cabinets
We have some relatives who tell a funny story about remodeling their kitchen a few years ago. They went into it wanting new cabinets, so they got a local cabinet maker to build them some beautiful cherry cabinets. Once they started seeing the cabinets being constructed, they realized that their floor would have to be replaced. Then the old appliances started to look rather dull, and after this the countertops. They ended up changing out pretty much everything in their kitchen and it’s now a stunningly beautiful place. It’s a conundrum familiar to anyone who has done remodeling. The beauty of the new outshines the old so much that you just end up replacing everything.
Last year I purchased a rather large sample upgrade to my sound library. It was a significant investment and it’s paid dividends in much better sounding work. However, the brass sounds still were not up to par yet. So a few days ago I upgraded my brass sounds and ho-lee-cow, what a difference. The portamento french horn alone was worth the upgrade cost. I’m working on a rather huge orchestral project right now and the new brass sounds are getting a workout. Check out this example:
Keep in mind that there isn’t a bit of “live” orchestra in there. It’s all midi triggered samples. Based on the strength of these demos, as well as my experience with the sample library from the past year, I went ahead and bought the brass library.
It’s wonderful. The horn makes you weep, the trumpets are declamatory, and the low brass is big and bombastic the way low brass should be, without a hint of “midi-ness” that often accompanies these libraries sometimes. The problem? Now my strings sound mushy by comparison.
The company has issued a single “orchestra-wide” sample set, which I purchased last year, and which is very good. But then they’ve gone in and started focussing on each of the individual sections (strings, brass, woodwinds, perc, etc) and started issuing whole libraries of just these sections, with much more depth and realism to their sound sets. I have the new brass set, but, like the new cherry cabinets, the spectacularness of the new sounds is making me crave the Wolf fridge… I mean the string sounds:
So now I’m listening to the online examples and thinking well, with this job I could easily pay for them… and they make my stuff sound so much better.
Curse you, cherry cabinets.