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Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should meet the RPM Challenge with room to spare. The challenge asks for 35 minutes worth of original music, and I’m already past that. I’m shooting for the full 70 or so minutes that make up a modern cd.
I’m using Band in a Box to compose things, for the most part, and then replacing some of the midi files with live instruments, edited piano rolls, loops, whatever seems to fit.
Right now I have an intro, space/classical/prog in nature, that’s @eight minutes long, and barring any additions from a potential collaborator is mixed, mastered, and ready to roll. Sonic Dave says it’s Genesis-esque and might try to layer some pads onto it.
The second track has some problems and is in the process of being reworked. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll make something else. I need it to be in a certain key and style to fit the general theme and can always do an Iommi-ish short guitar piece.
The third track is in the vein of my recent track Floydian Slip, using the same combination of instruments as that track. It needs a little more work and perhaps a new bass track, but I could let it go as is and that’d be okay. None of these three tracks have any more than a working title at present. Eight minutes long, more or less.
The slide guitar sequence from the third track leads directly into the track I worked out last night, called Arizona. The instrumental portions are done…I’m trying to fit some lyrics into it and will then do some vocals. It’s got a little bit of pedal steel that I synthesized from a couple of BiaB parts and a simple progression made of cowboy chords. It sounds more or less like an Eagles tune. It’s about six minutes.
After that I have a hard rock piece, with some loud electric guitars, a bit more uptempo than the rest. I’m not happy with it, though I need something of that nature for the dynamics, and may well write another one to fit. That’s also between five and six minutes long, and that’s thirty-five minutes right there, if I don’t go any further.
There’s likely to be a few more tracks before I get to the coda, which has some of the same chord progressions as the intro, though in a different key. That’s a ten-minute workout, with a lot of different instruments playing the same sequences for maximum tonal density. Has a nice lead part that I fashioned by sequencing a guitar line and then monkeying with the piano roll editor, and (I think) a good repeating progression, with some small variations.
I’m using some of my newer toys for these tracks…my Korg mini-midi keyboard, my Casio 61-key, and my Jay Turser hollowbody bass. The Ovation is the main axe as there are a lot of acoustic parts, and the Ibanez solidbody for leads. I haven’t been playing much these last few months, and my fingers are a little clumsier than I’d like-it’s taking multiple takes to get something decent.
So far so good, though. I’m pleased with the genre-hopping and the overall sound, am hoping to do more than one vocal track, maybe a cover, maybe one of my older tunes that hasn’t been recorded…and I’m practicing scales every night while everyone else is asleep, trying to have some semblance of dexterity.
Once the thing is done, I’ll go back to my “covers” album and get cracking on the rest of Children of the Atom, which I’ll have to re-do as a good portion of it is on a hard drive that I can’t access because my external enclosures both gave up the ghost (before I could get them backed up). Can’t afford new ones right now, and that’s the only loss besides some vsts, which can be replaced when I need them. Since I have 2 1/2 Tb of memory on this system, there’s no need.

An eleventh-hour grant will allow this website to continue unabated. I thank you, and the Planet thanks you. Potential readers, however, may not *stifles guffaws*
We’re moved into our new digs, across town from the old place, and are unpacking and settling in nicely. All of our fellow travelers are alive and well. Special thanks to Jordan and David, who I abused unmercifully (and I bet they’re still sore).
We were without internet for a couple of days (Oh noooooooo! The horror!) and I managed to pound out three tunes (and the bones of a couple more) for the RPM challenge (even worse! AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!), and read some short stories from Elwood and Silverberg’s venerable Epoch anthology.
I’m still sore…spent a full 18 hours moving, from 10 am Sunday til 4 am Monday, with an additional hour between 8 and 9 am Monday (I literally didn’t have the strength to move the two end tables and the dresser at 4).
This place isn’t as ritzy as the other place, and the mountains aren’t right across the street, but it’s quite a bit bigger, and the neighbors are friendly and quirky-we’ve met a number of them already. Tomorrow I’ll get out and start pounding the pavement…today we’re unpacking and relaxing some. I’ll have pictures and stuff another time.

This is likely to be the last post on this blog as, for a variety of reasons, hosting won’t be renewed. I’ll be moving blogging to modblog and uploading all of the music to Last.FM/moderan.
It sucks but there’s nothing I can do about it.

I’ve been running a discussion group at writingforums.com for quite some time, six months or so, and, while the discussions are interesting, the format leaves a lot to be desired.
Instead of creating a forum here or going through the steps of learning how to run forum software while I have other stressful activities on my plate, I’ve set up a ning.com site for that series of discussions. The network is called the Gernsback Continuum, after the justly celebrated William Gibson short story, and I’ve just begun sending out invitations.
If any of you who are reading this are interested in the group, please visit the Gernsback Continuum.

If you have any trouble accessing the site, shoot me an email at moderanathotmaildotcom and I’ll take care of it.

Well, it looks like we’re out of the woods for another month, thanks to the efforts of a whole lotta people and the sale of my prized Epiphone G400 for quite a bit less than it was worth. Still don’t have a job but that’s bound to turn around if I keep poking into dark corners waiting for something to bite.
I’m still going to keep the donation links active, and the Save the Bunnies ning network will stick around for the foreseeable future. Denise is still going to sell yarn and fabric, and perhaps revive the Kreative Kitties business. We’ll have to wait and see about that last-it depends on a number of factors.
A heartfelt thanks goes out to those of you who have been kind enough to help us out over this rather large hump. You know who you are. We’ll pay forward that generosity as soon as we have the opportunity.
A gutfelt no thanks goes out to email scammers, fake job offers, and other bottom feeders. People, if you feel that you are being scammed via email, forward the email in question to spam@uce.gov
More information is available at FTC-Spam.
I got a couple of these solicitations and have forwarded the info both to that agency and to their respective email services. Don’t get duped. If someone says they cannot use PayPal for donations, but instead want to work via check or money order, and they want contact info, don’t fall for it. Continue reading Scamsville

I’m not sure I believe there is gonna be a dawn. I’ve spent two months searching for a job to no avail, and now I find that the relief agencies nearby aren’t much help either. Our savings are nearly gone-I spent most of the last of it to keep the electricity on so our food won’t spoil and the pets won’t die.

I tried to sell some of my instruments, and no takers at any reasonable price. So I’ll probably sell them at unreasonable prices in some effort to keep a roof over our heads for another month so I can keep pounding the pavement. Merry Christmas! Our court date for eviction proceedings is 12/23. These assholes that run this complex soaked me for an additional month’s deposit after everything was in motion-after I’d paid the deposit to the movers and gotten completely committed. The movers soaked me for an extra 600.00. I just paid most of the last of our money to keep the electricity on.

Tomorrow I’m embarking on a rerun of my first week’s efforts, hitting all of the local places with resumes, applications, phone calls, and my increasingly desperate presence.

How desperate? Pretty damn desperate. Just about desperate enough to freakin’ pray. And I’m an agnostic leaning toward atheism. Probably won’t help but can’t hurt.

If you’d like to make a donation to the cause, go to Digital Charity, where I’ve setup an anonymous donation thing, since I’m offically a charity case now.
There’s also Wish Upon a Hero, where I’ve set up a similar page.

Yeah. Boy, didn’t that feel great. Good goddamn thing I sold my gun back in New York.

Jobhunting, frankly, sucks. Most everyone knows that. Unless you’re part of an in-demand industry like healthcare, you’re gonna be a while looking.

Right now, I don’t have a car, so I’m limited to establishments along the bus route. Fortunately, the public transportation in this part of the country isn’t too bad. The job market, though, is not good. Not as bad as western NY where Xerox and Kodak laid off 70,000+ people just as I was arriving, but not good.

In just about three weeks, I’ve put in 400 or so applications, on the principle that I may arrive just as someone is quitting or getting fired. I’ve trawled every possible job site and beat feet for miles in each direction. So far, I’ve had six interviews, three of which turned out to be for positions that didn’t exist. Why the holy f*ck do people waste your time like that? I’d be pleased to see them burn. I wish them to be in my position. Or worse.

I have one more interview, tomorrow. After that, I dunno. I have some skills, a lot of experience, all of which amounts to wasted time at this point. I’m so frustrated with the process that I’m starting to get the f*ckits and that isn’t good.

Keeping a stiff upper chin has got me feeling like Pagliacci, or Groucho, who had the same problem as Pagliacci and lamented that he didn’t have Groucho Marx to cheer him up. Julius is one of my heroes. Occupying my time is a problem too. I’ve written 123k words of a novel for nanowrimo and I’m still at a loss for something to do most of the time.

Everything depresses me. My guitar playing is rotten. Food still tastes ok but isn’t terribly exciting. I’ve lost 17 pounds since we left New York, still have 30 or so to go before I lose this damnable paunch, and my gray hairs are bugging me.

There are some amusing things online about the subject. I type random phrases like “I need a f*ckin’ job” into the Google window and read the results. I apply for things I’m clearly not suited for, like CEO positions, just to see what the results will be (pretty much a dull thud).

I spent an hour yesterday making faces at myself in the bathroom mirror. That’s entertainment!

WTF? How did I get here? I work hard, treat people well, do the best I can to keep my insomnia under control (extremely difficult under these circumstances). I’m doing the best I can to keep self-pity at arm’s length but I can feel that orbit growing smaller…

Yeah, so call me a Johnny-come-lately, at least as far as posting…I’ve been a Black Hawks fan since the days of Mikita, Hull, Tony O, Pit Martin, Keith Magnuson, and the rest…for a very long time, let’s just say. I was there when they were defeated by the Gretzky/Messier/Kurri Oilers at the old Stadium in the mid-80s. A lot of us stuck by the team through thick and thin, until the elder Wirtz shortsighted policies ran the likes of Jeremy Roenick out of town and killed our Stanley Cup hopes.
When the old man finally kicked the whiskey barrel and son Rocky took over, installing former announcer Dale Tallon as GM, things started looking up. Drafting kids like Patrick Kane, Jonathon Toews, and Duncan Keith went a long way toward restoring fandom, especially after Rocky started putting home games on local tv, for the first time ever, except for isolated playoff games.
Two years ago, I pulled my jersey out of the closet, no longer embarrassed to be seen wearing the Indian Head.

At the time I was living in western New York, and the response was overwhelming. People would actually stop and talk to me about the Hawks. It was kinda like they were a frozen version of the Cubs. Great stuff…and I’m pleased to say they continue to play well. The team is a little hamstrung by Tallon’s overpaying for certain players and they may well be up against the salary cap in trying to sign the three above-named players. Let’s hope not as they’re the core of the team-some kind of backloaded NFLesque contracts may be in the offing. That’s the best-case scenario. As of this writing the team is 12-5-2 and beating the Calgary Flames 6-1 in the middle of the second period. I’m watching them as I type.
As the Bears are going in the wrong direction despite the signing of franchise qb Jay Cutler, who needs a revamped offensive line and a couple of legit wideouts to succeed, and the Cubs are floundering due to idiotic free-agent signings and Zambrano’s indiscipline, it’s a treat and a half for Chicago sports fans-especially ones like me who don’t care for hoops.

Central	GP	W	L	OT	Pts	GF	GA	Home	Away	L10	Streak
Chicago Blackhawks	19	12	5	2	26	57	46	10-2-1	2-3-1	7-2-1	Won 4
Columbus Blue Jackets	20	12	6	2	26	62	68	6-2-2	6-4-0	6-2-2	Won 3
Detroit Red Wings	19	10	6	3	23	63	57	7-2-1	3-4-2	7-2-1	Lost 1
Nashville Predators	20	11	8	1	23	46	53	6-3-0	5-5-1	8-2-0	Won 4
St Louis Blues	19	7	8	4	18	44	49	4-7-1	3-1-3	3-4-3	Won 1

How can you beat that? The Red Wings are in third! Go Hawks!

Is there a Stanley Cup in the Hawks future? Only time will tell…but if their comeback against San Jose is any indication, there very well may be. It’ll take improved goaltending from beleaguered netminder Cristobal Huet and the midseason addition of ubersniper Marian Hossa, signed last offseason despite upcoming shoulder surgery, but it’s possible.

Wouldn’t that be special?

Today marks my one-year anniversary of quitting cigarette smoking. Hardest thing I’ve ever done. The cravings still haven’t gone away but I ignore them.
It’s worst when someone outside lights a Marlboro…my gf has been prevailed on to smoke outside, and her Mistys smell like burning rope anyway. Oh, but them ‘boros…they smell to me like brains must to a zombie.

I refuse to give in. Just absolutely refuse. Sure, the initial impulse was sheer laziness-I couldn’t be bothered to go out in the snow and cold and fetch a pack, but I’ve stuck to my guns despite sinus infections and other complications.
When I started, this was a common ad:

That was a very long time ago…

I smoked regularly for 35 years, and in a desultory fashion for a couple of years before that. I originally started to hide the smell of pot in my room. City kids start early. That was before the Surgeon General’s warning…I used to buy them from machines, and at the gas station on the corner. I always used to sweat that last because my mom and dad didn’t smoke the same brand I did, but they didn’t buy theirs there.

I’m not going back. It’s hard for me not to be militant. I’m not because I used to fight with the pushier nonsmokers, and because smokers are persecuted nowadays, and that isn’t right. Too much double standard bullshit. You want a nation of nonsmokers? First kill the lobby and work down from there. Making it too expensive to smoke just makes cigarette smoking a reward, like a smoke is a delicacy.
And yeah, it’s hard to quit cold turkey, but I can’t see any other way. Screw spending fortunes on nicotrol and freakin’ gum and stuff. Just don’t buy any or bum any…have some goddamn willpower. Commit to it, and you’ll be fine.

I’ve been unpacking book boxes at my leisure, since my bookcases didn’t make the trip down here. I know pretty much what’s in each, and so am able to pick and choose which to unpack based on what I feel like reading.
Under ordinary circumstances, I have a number of books going. One in the bedroom for reading before I retire, one or two in the office for reading while I’m waiting for something to update, upgrade, or download, and one in the kitchen for reading while I’m waiting for things to cook.
Things are more or less ordinary now, after two weeks in our new place, and I have that variety going. Two novels and two books of shorter works.
My night-time reading right now is Richard Adams’ Shardik, which I haven’t read since it was first on the stands. It’s a decent read. The characters are complex and relatively believable given the set of circumstances Adams has placed them in, and the plot moves along well. I’m about halfway through and it hasn’t bogged down too much. The other two books I’ve read by Adams both concerned the rabbits of Watership Down, and those had some really sleepifying moments.
Shardik, not so much. The moral dilemma that the main character Kelderek Zenzuata lives with works quite well, and the presence of the bear permaeates the piece, as was intended, even when the bear is offstage (which it is most of the time). I’d give the book three stars for readability and Adams’ readable prose. It isn’t going to turn the world on its ear, but it’s a good read.

Also on the night-time reading list is Arthur Machen’s The Three Imposters and other stories. I’ve read everything in this volume many times and can heartily recommend this and the two subsequent collections to any fan of the weird tale. Last night I re-read the famous The Great God Pan, one of my favorite stories of all time. Give that volume five stars.

In the kitchen I have Gene Wolfe’s the Island of Doctor Death, and other stories, and other stories. Great stuff. Possibly Wolfe’s best shorter works, and second only to the Fifth Head of Cerberus in my estimation. I don’t much care for Wolfe’s later work, though his prose is still outstanding. It’s just that the subject matter isn’t as appealing to me as was some of his earlier output. Wolfe shares that quality with George RR Martin, in my book. I adore the early-to-middle period work of each, but the more fantasy-oriented later stuff leaves me cold. That said, I’d give TIoDD more than five stars on a five star scale.

Lastly, I have a new read. Just getting started on it, but enjoying it hugely. This is Sweet Spot, by my friend Linton Robinson. Hard to put down…I’m planning on finishing it in a sitting this weekend, and perhaps reading it again in the very near future. Really clean prose, nice images, strong characterization and plotting. I’d say that even if Lin wasn’t a friend of mine…so far I give that five stars as well. Mazatlan, Dirty Politics, and Baseball-who can beat ‘em?
There’s a few capsule reviews for you readers…I’ll try to get some more in-depth stuff up in short order.