Recording

Recording went well last night. It was neat to see Hummie Mann conduct. I hope to have it on my soon-to-be launched website soon. (Technically the website is already up, but there's not much to view or listen to on it right now.)

The piece was to score a non-existent scene from O. Henry's short story "Gift of the Magi." My aim was to write something that showed two struggling people in love, but was also something they might hear on the radio in those days.

Anyway, today I'm taking my external drive to school to download the recording (and others). Today I need to turn my attention to a student film, so I might be able to mix the recording from last night tomorrow or Sunday.

Word Verification

Are you guys getting word verification when you comment? Reason i ask is I seem to be getting spam comments from time to time, and while my account says word verification is "on," it's not showing when I comment on my own blog. Thanks.

Being Human Season Two

I've not seen any of it yet, despite my love for this great, quirky little show. I've wanted to. The BBC in the UK is being very stingy about letting us Americans view it. (Well, not really; it's just not on BBC America yet.) If any of my British friends watch it, tell me: is it good? The evil professor thing seems really interesting.

Don't spoil it. Just tell me if it's good.

New Routine?

Okay. I really love the yoga routine Baron Baptiste does, but the full routine is an hour and a half. I don't have that kind of time. I hear Jillian Michaels is coming out with a new yoga CD (three routines, 20 minutes each). Just how kick ass is she?

Also, any workout routines you guys love and want to share would be appreciated. I'm looking for something where I can get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. Michaels claims to do that. Thoughts?

Coming Soon

Progress on the new site, but I'd like to get a few more samples up before I post the link here.

I saw The Wolfman and a little European film called The White Ribbon. I'm hoping my tiny epiphany in listening to Elfman's score in The Wolfman will help. The Muse was nowhere to be found yesterday.

In my humble opinion, the editing in TW was odd. And TWR was rather disturbing, but thought-provoking.

The Art of Having Fun

I feel a real pang of guilt if I'm not working on something for school or writing or just generally doing something creative when I'm not in class or working or teaching, but lately I've been feeling tapped out with pretty much everything.

Last night I was walking home from the train and it dawned on me that I honestly can't remember the last time I went to see a movie just for the hell of it, or sat in a coffee shop and read for pleasure, or went out for a drink with friends, or wandered around the Art Institute, or just ran down Michigan Avenue for no reason. In short, I can't remember the last time I had FUN. Lately I've felt almost literally chained to my computer.

What prompted this was that I ended up riding the train with my classmates, and it was real work to make conversation—while their conversation flowed as easily as water down a creek. And that sort of thing has been going on for so long I'm pretty sure I seem socially awkward. But you know, I think it's just I've forgotten the Art of Having Fun.

So this weekend I'm going to see The Wolfman for no reason at all. And maybe I'll wander around a few bookstores or something just for the hell of it.

Tweet Me

Got word on a couple of new projects, one related to school. Well, both related to school, as one might be my thesis project. And you know, one of my contacts was through Twitter. Just made almost 20 potential friends and contacts in the past couple of days. Don't tell me Twitter is useless!

Also, you may have noticed I added my Twitter feed. A new blogger site complete with music downloads will be up soon. Probably I'll just keep this blog as a personal "hey how ya doing" kind of thing. I'll still post a lot. Especially about books.

Extra Shipping

Hah - just a fun post here.

Other guys for whom I'd pay extra shipping:









And this guy seems so sweet I'd totally pay premium shipping charges for him: