I went down to my old stomping grounds, the Apple Store on Michigan Ave during my lunch break. Ward was obsessing over yet another accessory for his iBook and I bumped into some old friends. The highlight for me, however, was test driving a new iMac with the iSight camera built into the bezel. I snickered when Steve Jobs first said this but you really could spend hours playing with Photo Booth:
I was just listening to Bright Eyes - Easy/Lucky/Free
Too stressful…just tell me when it’s over! Damn these World Series games…I’ve got work to do.
Go Astros.
That’s right - I’m rooting for the ‘Stros. Hometown team? National League purist? Or maybe it’s because I feel like there are too many Sox fans lacking class…
Come to find out, there is an unwritten rule which states that there is no such thing as a ‘Chicago’ fan. It’s Cubs or White Sox. Well, I think I’m sticking with the Cubs, as long as I’m in Chicago. At least I know I’m going to be in a ball park with actual fans (and not in a sea of empty seats), that I will make it out of Wrigley with my wallet and be close to a decent bar after the game.
I was just listening to The Beta Band - Broken Up A Ding Dong
The media/blog/politico “ad wizards” who continue to splice the political scandal of the moment with the suffix of “gate” need to learn a new trick, please.
I’m not sure if anyone remembers this but they called it Watergate because the crime happened in the Watergate hotel.
On the same token, if I have to read another story about Vinciffer, Beniffer or any other mutation of US Weekly porn, I’m gonna throw up.
A short rant but it felt good. Booyah.
I was just listening to ATB - Circular Symmetry
Brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Wilma, has become the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, ever. Hopefully, if it has to make landfall, it will fizzle out into a weaker storm like Rita did.
I hope folks in Gulf - specifically Florida - are taking any and all precautions…
Of significance to meterology buffs and geeks alike, Stormtrack has integrated the various model charts/projections with Google maps.
Also, Bryan Woods has a very interesting post giving some insight to the question, Are Hurricanes Getting Bigger? The post definitely illustrates how complex the global atmosphere is and the effects industrialized humans can have on it.
I was just listening to Geoffery Oryema - The River
I’m not sure what I like more about the upcoming Les Claypool DVD: the art direction or the fact that it’s a Les Claypool DVD. The individual that does all of the Claypool projects websites, package and promotional design is a design/developer heavyweight. He goes by the name Zoltron and has a bit of a cult following in the Bay Area due to his stickers/wheatpasting campaigns. I keep his link on my site because I really, really dig his stuff.
From the looks of it, Zoltron has done an incredible interpretation of the Col. for his DVD. It’s a must have for my music collection and will make a perfect companion to the Animals and Primus Live DVDs.
Speaking of bass players, not that I’m in the same league, but I feel compelled to make an announcement:
I am retiring from the bass guitar.
I haven’t come to this decision very lightly and it almost pains me to say it. However, I can’t justify having expensive bass gear taking up space when I probably only get 30-45min of practice time a week. My interest in the instrument is still there but my skills and technique have plateaued as much as I can expect from only playing solo with a Boomerang pedal. It’s become discouraging to play without other musicians yet I don’t feel that I have the skills/time/interest to seek out other musicians to play with. Not to mention hauling my bass gear around as a pedestrian just isn’t feasable.
I am not abandoning music or musicianship as a hobby. I am interested in getting back into playing the cello - something I haven’t done since Junior High School before I transitioned to upright bass. Perhaps an upright bass might be in my future as well. But when I can’t stand to listen to myself play the same licks, lines and riffs - I think it’s time for a change.
Growing up is tough…abandoning dreams of being a rock musician sucks, even if it is just an intimate fantasy. But it makes sense at this time in my life…change is good.
I will always have Les Claypool, though.
I was just listening to Les Claypool - 5 Gallons of Gasoline DVD loop
I was just listening to Protection - Massive Attack