Blogger Support fixed the problem with my fonts. You may have noticed that after I switched the comments, all the posts after the current one were suddenly in UPPERCASE! Looks much better now.
Thanks Blogger Support!
Off to see My Morning Jacket tonight at the Opera House, a fairly short streetcar ride down Queen Street East. Woo!
Friday, May 28, 2004
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
You may notice some changes to the ol' bloggaroo these days. Seems Blogger has made some rather significant upgrades for a major relaunch, which includes--finally--supporting Blogger-resident comments. So, I've fired my old third-party comment service and enabled the new Blogger comments. Hopefully it'll fire up A-OK, but be prepared for some tinkering and false starts over the next little while.
Fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Wired For Sound
Hope all my fellow canucks had a happy Victoria Day long weekend. Long may Queen Vicky continue to bless us with meaningless but greatly appreciated holidays! Hip hip, and all that.
Back to work tomorrow.
Most people go away on the "May Two-Four" long weekend, to mark the unofficial beginning of summer by opening up their cottages or some such activity. I barely left the house. But it was fun and productive all the same. Still work to do around the ol' new apartment, and I got some more things organized. It's getting there. Still nothing on the walls and no window blinds, but all in good time.
Friday night I went over to my friend Larry's place to partake of rum and Garageband. What a nifty little app. Within minutes, and using only a little mini midi keyboard not unlike this one, I laid down a moving Speilbergian soundtrack piece worthy of any closing credits. Just laid down some grand piano, then a couple of tracks of sentimental hollywood strings, and some slightly wah-tweaked classical guitar. Piece of cake! Okay, maybe it wasn't quite ready for prime time, but it sounded pretty cool. The audio modeling is very good.
And now that I've upgraded myself to Mac OS X Panther (thanks Larry!), I'm wondering if I can load it on my iMac. I have the requisite 600mhz CPU on my G3, but they recommend that the Garageband instruments need a G4 or better. Hmmm. I wonder if that's a hard and fast requirement, or could I make do with my G3?
Panther's pretty cool, and that's how I've spent a lot of the past day or so; just trying to familiarize myself with the new OS, tweaking settings on my apps, etc.
I also spent some time wanking on the gee-tar. Now that I have my little studio unit in the same room as my stereo, I realized that I could run the output from my studio into the mix mic input of my stereo, and that would not only allow me to play through the stereo, using its speakers as monitors, buy I could also turn on the radio or play a CD, and play along with either audio source... and my guitar comes through as if it was in the mix with the CD or the radio! This is brilliant!
So if I want to play along wth a song, I don't have to blast the stereo at high volume to be heard above the sound of my guitar amp (which has to be at a certain volume level, or it doesn't sound right). And I can run it all through my headphones (a nice pair of Audio Technica studio cans I picked up a few months ago) and jam away to my heart's content without bothering my neighbours. I mean, it's fine to just play the guitar on its own as a means of practicing, but I find I learn more and play better when I have a song to play along with.
And as if these technological advances weren't enough, I also did a load of laundry and washed the dishes!
Yup. Hear me roar.
Back to work tomorrow.
Most people go away on the "May Two-Four" long weekend, to mark the unofficial beginning of summer by opening up their cottages or some such activity. I barely left the house. But it was fun and productive all the same. Still work to do around the ol' new apartment, and I got some more things organized. It's getting there. Still nothing on the walls and no window blinds, but all in good time.
Friday night I went over to my friend Larry's place to partake of rum and Garageband. What a nifty little app. Within minutes, and using only a little mini midi keyboard not unlike this one, I laid down a moving Speilbergian soundtrack piece worthy of any closing credits. Just laid down some grand piano, then a couple of tracks of sentimental hollywood strings, and some slightly wah-tweaked classical guitar. Piece of cake! Okay, maybe it wasn't quite ready for prime time, but it sounded pretty cool. The audio modeling is very good.
And now that I've upgraded myself to Mac OS X Panther (thanks Larry!), I'm wondering if I can load it on my iMac. I have the requisite 600mhz CPU on my G3, but they recommend that the Garageband instruments need a G4 or better. Hmmm. I wonder if that's a hard and fast requirement, or could I make do with my G3?
Panther's pretty cool, and that's how I've spent a lot of the past day or so; just trying to familiarize myself with the new OS, tweaking settings on my apps, etc.
I also spent some time wanking on the gee-tar. Now that I have my little studio unit in the same room as my stereo, I realized that I could run the output from my studio into the mix mic input of my stereo, and that would not only allow me to play through the stereo, using its speakers as monitors, buy I could also turn on the radio or play a CD, and play along with either audio source... and my guitar comes through as if it was in the mix with the CD or the radio! This is brilliant!
So if I want to play along wth a song, I don't have to blast the stereo at high volume to be heard above the sound of my guitar amp (which has to be at a certain volume level, or it doesn't sound right). And I can run it all through my headphones (a nice pair of Audio Technica studio cans I picked up a few months ago) and jam away to my heart's content without bothering my neighbours. I mean, it's fine to just play the guitar on its own as a means of practicing, but I find I learn more and play better when I have a song to play along with.
And as if these technological advances weren't enough, I also did a load of laundry and washed the dishes!
Yup. Hear me roar.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Bob's Yer Jersey
Here's something for the lady Dylan fan in your life:
The I'll Be Your Baby Tonight Football Jersey.
Fun with merch! I like it!
The I'll Be Your Baby Tonight Football Jersey.
Fun with merch! I like it!
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Apt News
Not a lot of exciting news on the new apartment front. I bought a Swiffer Wetjet. Is that exciting? Sadly, yes.
I've really been taking my sweet time getting things set up. But it's almost a done deal. Got the books in the bookcases. I'm leaving the CDs till last. I need to get a new CD rack, maybe two. I've needed a new one for some time. Had an overflow of probably at least 100-150 CDs stacked in various places around my old house, and my crappy little wooden rack had fallen apart on me twice, before finally meeting its demise during the move. I was holding off buying a new one because I knew I was looking to move, and there was no point going to all the trouble to completely reorganize my CD collection, only to pack it all away again and move it.
Gotta hit the Kitchen Stuff Plus store this weekend. They have lots of neat stuff at pretty reasonable prices. I just need a few extra gizmos for the kitchen and bathroom, etc.
Speaking of kitchen stuff, here's a question: Does anyone make a can lid puncher that doesn't rust? They can put a rover on Mars, but...
Still need to get the blinds and the area rug...but all in good time.
In other news, I needed some subway reading, so I picked up Kurt Vonnegut's TimeQuake. I love reading Vonnegut. Makes me feel sane. And the fact that it makes me chuckle to myself on the subway, keeps the weirdos at bay.
I've really been taking my sweet time getting things set up. But it's almost a done deal. Got the books in the bookcases. I'm leaving the CDs till last. I need to get a new CD rack, maybe two. I've needed a new one for some time. Had an overflow of probably at least 100-150 CDs stacked in various places around my old house, and my crappy little wooden rack had fallen apart on me twice, before finally meeting its demise during the move. I was holding off buying a new one because I knew I was looking to move, and there was no point going to all the trouble to completely reorganize my CD collection, only to pack it all away again and move it.
Gotta hit the Kitchen Stuff Plus store this weekend. They have lots of neat stuff at pretty reasonable prices. I just need a few extra gizmos for the kitchen and bathroom, etc.
Speaking of kitchen stuff, here's a question: Does anyone make a can lid puncher that doesn't rust? They can put a rover on Mars, but...
Still need to get the blinds and the area rug...but all in good time.
In other news, I needed some subway reading, so I picked up Kurt Vonnegut's TimeQuake. I love reading Vonnegut. Makes me feel sane. And the fact that it makes me chuckle to myself on the subway, keeps the weirdos at bay.
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Napkin Please
Don't really know if there's anything I can say as a preface for Nardwuar the Human Serviette. Maybe this article.
He has become a Canadian media icon. Check out his website for some video of his interviews. The one with Snoop Dogg is pretty good, as are the ones with Henry Rollins and Michael Moore. Rollins shows no sense of humour whatsoever as he gulps his giant Starbucks coffee. Lighten up Henry. And is it just me, or is anyone else really annoyed at Michael Moore's continued obsession with portraying Canada and Canadians in only the most broadest of brushstrokes?
I also like the way Nardwuar makes Kelly Osborne run screaming into the arms of her handlers. This is what Reality TV should be.
He has become a Canadian media icon. Check out his website for some video of his interviews. The one with Snoop Dogg is pretty good, as are the ones with Henry Rollins and Michael Moore. Rollins shows no sense of humour whatsoever as he gulps his giant Starbucks coffee. Lighten up Henry. And is it just me, or is anyone else really annoyed at Michael Moore's continued obsession with portraying Canada and Canadians in only the most broadest of brushstrokes?
I also like the way Nardwuar makes Kelly Osborne run screaming into the arms of her handlers. This is what Reality TV should be.
Moving Right Along
The adventure continues in the Land of Relocation. I've got a lot of boxes unpacked, and I've taken all the boxes of CDs, books and DVDs and stacked them into one big pyramid of readable media that I can ignore for the time being while I focus on more important tasks. It also allows me to move larger objects around with less box clutter. Kind of like shepherding cardboard icebergs off to the side so I can manoeuver the "large boats" of furniture into place. If you will.
The desk is now set up in the corner of the living room, which is a much better place for it. Previously I had it sitting against the wall between the livingroom and the diningroom/kitchen area, but it just didn't feel right sitting so close to the kitchen. Where it is now, it's blocking half the heating radiator, but I won't be needing that in the summertime anyway. Its present location also allows the desk's side table to multi-function as a kind of end table for the couch, which sort of meets the desk in the corner. I was worried that it might make the livingroom seem too crowded, but I don't think that'll be a problem. I'm going to move one of my large shelving units to where the desk was, and the other one can probably go in the bedroom, where there's lots of room. I'm not even sure if I'll need both of them, but I suppose there's always something I can use them for. So that will free up space along one wall of the livingroom where I can put my smaller brown bookshelf and set up my guitars and some smaller items.
Still surprised by how much space there is in the livingroom and the bedroom. I'm likin' it.
The diningroom/kitchen table and chairs are set up, although I'm going to look at a table and chairs set tonight in The Beaches that was for sale on the craigslist. Might be a little nicer. I've had this table since university; a castaway of my mother's. The table's actually okay, but the chairs have seen better days.
Almost had a line on an area rug for the livingroom (which I'll need to cover up the phone line and possibly other wires running across the floor) also from craigslist, but the seller (a Kelly Hogan, but not the singer) had already sold it by the time I contacted her.
If anyone has any other strategies for running wires and phone lines and extension cords across a room, feel free to drop me a note.
Shower curtain makes showering much easier.
The desk is now set up in the corner of the living room, which is a much better place for it. Previously I had it sitting against the wall between the livingroom and the diningroom/kitchen area, but it just didn't feel right sitting so close to the kitchen. Where it is now, it's blocking half the heating radiator, but I won't be needing that in the summertime anyway. Its present location also allows the desk's side table to multi-function as a kind of end table for the couch, which sort of meets the desk in the corner. I was worried that it might make the livingroom seem too crowded, but I don't think that'll be a problem. I'm going to move one of my large shelving units to where the desk was, and the other one can probably go in the bedroom, where there's lots of room. I'm not even sure if I'll need both of them, but I suppose there's always something I can use them for. So that will free up space along one wall of the livingroom where I can put my smaller brown bookshelf and set up my guitars and some smaller items.
Still surprised by how much space there is in the livingroom and the bedroom. I'm likin' it.
The diningroom/kitchen table and chairs are set up, although I'm going to look at a table and chairs set tonight in The Beaches that was for sale on the craigslist. Might be a little nicer. I've had this table since university; a castaway of my mother's. The table's actually okay, but the chairs have seen better days.
Almost had a line on an area rug for the livingroom (which I'll need to cover up the phone line and possibly other wires running across the floor) also from craigslist, but the seller (a Kelly Hogan, but not the singer) had already sold it by the time I contacted her.
If anyone has any other strategies for running wires and phone lines and extension cords across a room, feel free to drop me a note.
Shower curtain makes showering much easier.
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Radio Redhead
Got this note from my friend and former bandmate Heather. Seems she's making her (first?) appearance on web radio!
I checked it out on Monday night and it sounded great! Congrats Heather!
Exposure! Exposure! Exposure!
Tune in, drop by and rock on!
Howdy All,
Just a note to tell you about Heather Morgan & The Company Of Men being featured for the next few weeks on Rismix Live internet radio.
It is a segment they have called "RML BOARD ROOM" featuring live performances in all their rough raw glory! This performance of ours was from a show we did at C'est What last Sept.
The program plays 11PM EST Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Here is the link with details:
www.rismixlive.com/schedule.asp
Ciao for now!
Heather
www.heathermorgan.ca
=====
I checked it out on Monday night and it sounded great! Congrats Heather!
Exposure! Exposure! Exposure!
Tune in, drop by and rock on!
Some Assembly Required
Well, I'm all landed at my new place. Still tripping through cardboard canyons and piece-by-piecing together the jigsaw elements of my domestic life. Lovin' it though. It's sooooo nice to have my own place again. Still in a bit of Spartan survival mode--i.e., contents of the fridge: water, milk, pizza, beer, opened cat food tin, margarine, parmesan cheese, champagne.
(The champagne is for later, when everything is set up and functional.)
Spent the first couple of days with no shower curtain, which presents certain challenges. But all the important stuff is up and running--bed, clothes, couch, cable TV, phone, computer. Yesterday I finally found the box with the silverware in it. Makes eating cereal in the morning a whole lot easier, let me tell you.
My goal is to have the kitchen fully functional by the weekend, so I can have a nice relaxing omellette for breakfast. I got a new coffee maker today, programmable and all that, so that'll be nice to wake up to.
More later.
(The champagne is for later, when everything is set up and functional.)
Spent the first couple of days with no shower curtain, which presents certain challenges. But all the important stuff is up and running--bed, clothes, couch, cable TV, phone, computer. Yesterday I finally found the box with the silverware in it. Makes eating cereal in the morning a whole lot easier, let me tell you.
My goal is to have the kitchen fully functional by the weekend, so I can have a nice relaxing omellette for breakfast. I got a new coffee maker today, programmable and all that, so that'll be nice to wake up to.
More later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
