Friday Randomness 5.18.12

Man, it's been a hell of a week. I'm just burnt. Crispy.

I am really, really, really hoping for a relaxing weekend. Although, I'll be trying to get our wi-fi back up and running, and I have a very, very bad feeling that's going to be about as stressful as it comes. Tech nightmare.

All I want to do is crawl into a couch and watch a movie or something, but no such luck.

I'm sitting here, staring at the screen, and I just don't know what to write, at all. It's pretty clear that I'm not going to be whipping up my clever repartee for today's entry.

Oh, hell, right? Who cares?

What say we close the week with some Pete?






Or maybe some Springsteen?





Everybody have a good weekend.

Holy Moley

I am exhausted.

Utterly exhausted. I kinda wonder if I'm not getting sick, as I feel sorta "disconnected" right now.

 

It's Friday, at least. Four days next week, and then a four day weekend. Time to tough it out.

On the exciting news front, the Tascam is up and running. All hooked up, and I managed to clear out a lot of space in the office, spurred on by it's arrival. Gone is the old desktop computer, unused by anyone for over a year, as well as a HUGE pile of boxes in my closet. My clothes aren't jammed into a corner on their hangers anymore!

So, that's a bonus. 

Now, I just have to figure out how to effectively use the thing. My goal tonight is to get tracks down for two songs, as my friend Paulie is scheduled to come over for a couple hours tomorrow. He's a bassist, and I want to have a couple of things ready. Put him to work, y'know?

It'll be nice to have a "second opinion" on what I'm doing. If he doesn't turn his nose up and say, "that sucks," I figure maybe I'm on the right track.

The real test will be when I get to mixing and mastering...The manual makes HOW to do it, technically, pretty clear, but, y'know, figuring out what each change does to the sound will, I think rightly, be an exercise in trial and error. I mean, what does changing the "knee" do? What the hell is the "knee?" 

We shall find out.

Not my actual setup...I will post pictures soon, promise. Hey! Cool Superman, dude!

As usual, the new equipment has got me excited, and that leads me to set goals. Hourglass 34 was "released" on my thirty-fourth birthday, in 2005. My goal right now is to have these new tracks on disk, with artwork, and in people's hands by my fortieth, which would be August 23rd, 2011. I've got about eight tracks started (which, of course, will be re-worked on the new equipment), so I only need about four more songs. 

And, well, lyrics for what I have already.

I need to get more sleep

I'm trying not to zone out completely today.

Had final dress for The Meaning of Lunch last night, and it went pretty darn well, I think. Found some new stuff, nice moments. It's a reading, which is kind of a double-edged sword. It takes a lot of pressure off when you have the script in hand, but it also limits you. You're not just juggling the props and the blocking and the emotions, but also this damn script, as well.

Still, yeah, I was pretty happy. Found some new moments of assertiveness, which is great, as the character is, generally, kind of weak.

But, yeah, ended up being a late night.

Usually I'm so happy to be in a city with a real public transportation system. Oh, I can hear you Chicagoites bitching about the CTA already. I getcha, I getcha, but let me say this; you have no worldly idea about how good we have it here. I lived in Omaha, I know from bad public transportation. (Or at least limited...)

That said, when you're leaving the theatre at 11:30 on a weeknight, and you know you have a 10-15 minute wait for the train, followed by a 15-20 minute train ride, there's a part of you that thinks, "I wish I had my car." It's just a weakness of spirit, and I know it. Would I get home any faster with a car? Likely not.

This is compounded with the 5:30 AM wake up (or at least the ATTEMPTED 5:30 wake up) to work out. I'm trying to stay really focused on getting my workouts done, because I've seen some (limited) results. My renewed focus on core work has helped. I can feel the muscles, anyway, through the bag of fat still hanging over them.

These days I'm lifting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Just limited work, dumbells and lots of reps, then using the exercise bike every morning. I do an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a half hour on M-W-F. I also try to do 20 minutes at night, three days a week. So, generally about four and a half hours on the bike every week. Top that off with a series of core/ab things I do every weekday.

This with trying to be much more on top of what I eat, and when. That said, I am a HORRIBLE late-night eater. when I get home from a rehearsal or a show, I just want to eat something. Need to get better about that.

It's not like I'm overweight. Well, according to the charts, I probably am, but I'm pretty fit. I don't care to be "ripped," and I'm big enough. I just want a flat stomach, not a 6-pack, or anything, just flat. The fact is, I'll be 40 in a little over a year, and odds are, if I don't get it now, I never will.