Word Count Status

I'm at about 31,000 words in A Night Borrowed for the month of July!

Recording Stuff

I talked to my cousin, Angel (since she has played in a brass section), and asked about getting a brass section to play on "You're The Reason." I showed her the song and the parts as I have written them on the keyboard, and she said that real horns probably wouldn't come out a lot better than the way the keyboard sounds. She says that recordings are generally pretty harsh on horns. So, I will probably just play the keyboard for those parts. Saves me some money, too.

JulNoWriMo & Stuff

Didn't write at all yesterday, but we did have a short band practice. We practiced the four originals that we're going to record the bass, drums, and rhythm guitar for on the 25th, when we go back into the studio.

I have four new show recaps up: here, here, here, and here.

Today, I plan to write some more in A Night Borrowed. I am almost at 30,000 words for the month. :)

Coccygodynious* People

So, a few weeks ago, I responded to a Craigslist posting for a band for a wedding. I sent them a complete set list and links to cover song demos. They replied that they wanted to come hear us play live. I replied that the bars weren't paying that well, so we have been doing weddings, but that I couldn't just invite them to someone else's wedding reception. So, I told them they could come hear us at a practice. A week or so goes by, and I don't hear back from them. I figure that they weren't interested in coming over or something and wrote it off.

Then, on July 3rd, the lady writes back asking when we're practicing so she can come hear us play. I tell her that the drummer is out of the area for one weekend and we're playing another wedding the next, so the 19th (today) is the next practice. She writes back later that day that they are coming.

Over the course of the last two weeks, I have tried to confirm this with her. No replies. Yesterday, I wrote again to confirm. Finally got a reply at 1 PM today that they've hired another band.

My question is: WHEN did she hire another band? Because, unless it was at 12:30 PM TODAY, she should have called or e-mailed THAT DAY, not waited until two hours before they were supposed to show up!!! I mean, the fact that they hired another band is not the deal here: it's the lack of consideration for my time, but not e-mailing or calling me and letting me know they've hired someone else and are not coming.

* means pain in the ass

Words and Stuff

I am almost to the halfway mark for JulNoWriMo. Tomorrow, I should crack 25,000 words (plus some, I hope). I need to get at least 50,000 words this month, or I'll never get the book done this year.

Kenny may have gotten me another web design job for a local flooring company, so that would be good.

As for the band, we're practicing on Sunday, and there is supposed to be a potential client coming over to hear us play. I doubt they'll actually make it over. But, just in case, I am cleaning the floors tomorrow... vacuuming the livingroom carpet and mopping the linoleum in the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. Also, clutter must be picked up. The house isn't in that bad of shape, considering... except for the kids' rooms. Arg.

The Show Went Well

I got up at 11AM yesterday (because I had been up until 4AM making preparations for the gig), made coffee, and started getting ready. We packed up and drove to Dover and got to the venue. We dragged all of our equipment up the stairs to a renovated hayloft in a barn. The floor was uneven, and all of our equipment was tippy. Oh, well.

We set up. I had major issues with the power source for my little 66-key keyboard. I have started using the little keyboard for the organ parts on the Bon Jovi songs we do, and I went and bought a second tier for my keyboard stand for that very purpose, so it looks like I have some real keyboard talent, what with the two keyboards stacked atop each other, the 88-key big one below and the little 66-key one above. LOL. Anyway, so once we got the power issues situated, we soundchecked.Soundcheck was a mess. We couldn't seem to get the levels right. We got them close, though, when we stole the drummer's vocal microphone and stuffed it in his kick drum. Once the kick drum was audible through the PA, things seemed a bit better, soundwise. Not perfect, but better.

After soundcheck, we went and got some hamburgers for lunch and then Kenny and I grabbed the big keyboard, my acoustic guitar, one half of Kenny's amp, and my little Abilene amp and we went to the wedding site. Once there, we found that the concrete pad we were to play on was in the full-on afternoon sun. And, we had only two outlets and we needed three. So, Kenny jetted back to the barn to go get a power strip. Once we were set up, to keep me from burning my hands on the keyboard (which was HOT thanks to being in the full-on rays of the sun), Kenny stood between me and the sun, shading my hands. He was dripping with sweat, and my legs, which were still in the sun and covered in black tights, felt like they might catch fire.

We did really well at the wedding, though the sun prevented me from doing as well as I wanted to while people were sitting down. The bride wanted us to play an instrumental acoustic version of the chorus from Tom Petty's "Here Comes My Girl." We did manage to pull that off without a hitch, so, that was good. After the wedding ceremony, I played Pachabel's "Canon in D" for the bride and groom to march back down the aisle, and then we packed up our shit and went back to the barn for the reception.

We got back to the reception and had some ice water, and then re-set up our stuff for the gig. The heat inside kept people outside; it was about 105 degrees inside that barn, and muggy as hell, but we persevered. We played really well, all in all. There weren't any glaring errors, and the band sounded awesome, and everyone was having a great time and dancing (outside where we couldn't see them, but Dad told me about it), and the bride and her mom told us repeatedly that we rocked and that they really enjoyed it.

We broke everything down and loaded it into the vehicles. We went to bed - with my cousin staying over (and I am really glad he came; we really needed his help and he was a HUGE help) - at about 2 AM, and I didn't get up until 1:30 this afternoon. So far, I haven't really done anything except make dinner for everyone. It's in the oven now.

So, all in all, it went well.

More Words

I managed to write just over 1,000 words yesterday, bringing my total for JulNoWriMo to 14,973. It seems so slow going, but once I made a change in Chapter One, the rest seems to be going smoother. I was going to skip a bunch of stuff that was supposed to happen in the book and just summarize those events, but, I realized that much of the characterization happens during those seemingly boring parts to write, so I am writing them. Not that I really want to. I'd rather get on with what happens.

I'm Procrastinating Again

I have been doing everything BUT writing in A Night Borrowed. I don't like how it is turning out, and I fear that I will have to start over. It needs desperate re-working.

Today is really my last day to write until Sunday, so I should get to it. Tomorrow, I have to practice with Kenny and then break down all the equipment and get it ready to move to the venue. Saturday, we have to leave here by 1PM to get to the venue for set-up by 2PM. Also, since Kenny and I are playing guitar and piano AT the wedding itself, we have to set up part of the stuff at a different place and then move it to the venue when the reception starts. And then there's breaking down again and re-loading it up in the vehicles... and did I mention that the reception is taking place on the second floor, which means hauling everything up a flight of stairs?

JulNoWriMo Word Count

So far, I have 7,218 words for JulNoWriMo. Once the synopsis was complete, things started to make more sense and writing was easier. I am going to have to go back and make some textual changes when I am finished with the first draft, but things should be good for A Night Borrowed to come out October 1st.

Other news: There is no one at the landscape yard today... except for customers, who seem to think that I - a mere neighbor of the place - know something about the operation of the landscape yard and equipment thereon. Case in point: a guy delivering slate to the yard today thought that I somehow knew how to operate the crane truck and/or get into the office so he could get the keys to run it. Wut?

Busy Day Ahead

Today, I have to go into Spokane to meet with a client. That meeting is at 3PM, and I hope to be done by 4PM so that I can go over to Uncle Rick's and look at my car.

Finally, I made an appointment with the studio to pick up preliminary mixes of the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar tracks we did last week. That's at 6 or 6:30.

Not sure what's going on tonight, but I have almost finished the synopsis for A Night Borrowed, so I should be good to go on that and be able to write the darned book this month and next. Last year, when I did JulNoWriMo, I wrote the 50,000 words in the 31 days. The thing is, when I wrote Night Cries, it ended up being just over 135,000 words. I do hope that this book is shorter. With any luck, the book will end somewhere between 85,000 and 90,000 words.

Anyway, I need to get ready to go. More later.

New Show Reviews

I have four show reviews posted, here, here, here, and here.

So, today, I want to finish the articles for a client's site and send them to him. I need to do two more show reviews and send them. I need to go get involved in JulNoWriMo, and I need to practice the piano. But, as you can tell, I am not doing any of those things. I am procrastinating.

My Schedule.... Whoa.

Today, I plan to finish up the 8 remaining articles I owe a client (these are all personal injury articles). I finished the four show reviews I had due yesterday, but I already have another one pending.

Saturday, I will be in the studio. We're planning on completely finishing three or four songs at a time, so we're working on the songs we're recording without a metronome, first. Those are Moonshine Valentine, Honor Among Thieves, and If The Stars Align. If time permits, we're going to try to work on Rumors, too. We're only trying to capture drums and bass, and, hopefully, my rhythm guitar parts. Hopefully, we'll get all that done, and then I will go back in over the weekend of July 18th to do the lead vocal tracks, the piano parts, acoustic guitar parts, and any string/horn parts that need done for whatever songs we got finished. The following weekend, then, Kenny will go in and do his lead guitar parts. After that, I'll go in and do any backing vocals, and then we'll mix it down. So, we'll get about a third of the album done by the end of July, and then work on another three or four songs... probably Strings, The Night Let Me Down, and You're The Reason. Then repeat the above process, to have those songs finished by the second week of August. Then, we'll go in and do Dear Jane (the drummer's song), Even If It's Wrong, The Cover, and Relax (all easy songs). Repeat process again, to have those done by the end of August/early September. If time permits, I have two other songs we might do. One is with the whole band; the other is just me and a piano and MAYBE some backing vocals. Then, once it's all mixed and I have copies, I'll get it mastered, replicated, and packaged. This means that I have to nail down the packaging sometime within the next two months, including deciding on jewel cases or jackets and getting pictures and formatting those for the packaging specifications.

So, that's Saturday. Sunday, I have band practice for the wedding. This practice is important, because the wedding is July 11th, and my drummer will be gone the weekend of the 4th, so we will only have this one practice left. I want to start early and hit everything on the setlist.

In July, I intend to participate JulNoWriMo (July Novel Writing Month) again. Last year, I wrote more than 50,000 words in Devil's Handiwork. This year, I want to work on A Night Borrowed, and, hopefully, get it mostly finished before school starts in late August. A Night Borrowed I plan to self-publish, to get it out to those who want it right away. I am going to query Devil's Handiwork to agents and editors over the winter and see what happens.

Gaelic Tattoos

So, in checking my web stat trends for Gaelic Shadows, I noticed that about 20 people per day, for the last 6 months or so, are coming to my site searching for Gaelic-inspired tattoo art. So... I guess I will do up some celtic/Gaelic tattoo art, and post it here soon. Looks like something people are interested in.

If I give the tattoo art away for free, will people buy my book and/or CD? Who knows?

New Show Recap

I have a new show review posted here.

Cajun Is Home!

Thought I would update you and let you know that a white Jeep stopped out front at the end of my driveway this afternoon and let Cajun out, so he is home. I don't know why someone took him, and I know even less about why they brought him back, but I am really happy that they did. I missed him really bad.

Stuff happened today, but I will write later when I am not so wiped out.

My Kitty Is Missing

Friday night, I came home from singing karaoke at Stateline, and Cajun was in the house, sleeping on the couch. Before I went to bed, he wanted out, so I let him out. He is usually back in the morning. The kids says that they saw Cajun sleeping on the sidewalk out front Saturday morning, too. I never saw him. We went to my cousin's wedding and we were gone all afternoon and part of the evening before returning home to change clothes. Cajun was nowhere to be seen.

We went out to my aunt's house for a while Saturday night. We got home around 1 in the morning, and Cajun was nowhere to be seen. This morning, Cajun is still not around, and now, I am really concerned and upset. I keep thinking about all the horrible things that could happen to him, like those vicious dogs next door that the neighbors can't seem to keep penned up. Or the highway. Or the cars zooming in and out of the driveway. Maybe someone took him thinking he was a friendly stray. In any case, I miss my cat and I want him home.

More Show Recaps

I am very nearly finished with the bankruptcy articles, but I also have show recaps up here, here, and here.

More Planet Stuff (Not That You're Interested)

I have gone from 1423 to 2112 looking at the Western sky as seen from Hudson Valley, New York. I found that the alignment appears to happen WAAAAY more often than the article I read would have people believe.

I'm going to post more pictures. Remember, you can click on these to make them bigger.

For these, I told the program to make the moon to scale, so we can see when it is a crescent moon and when it isn't. I cannot decide which ones of these to count and which to dismiss as another kind of alignment. So, look these over and let me know which you would count. For my purposes, the alignment of August 8, 1423 is what I consider the benchmark. Here is that alignment, with the moon to scale:



Though it is interesting, in this picture, how Mars and Mercury and Saturn are also in apparent alignment, what I am most interested in is how Venus, Jupiter, and the crescent moon interact. So, that's what I am comparing everything else to.

Now, here's another, similar alignment, a scant 59 years later on August 15, 1482:



I am not sure this is a match.

Next up is another alignment, this one from September 23, 1626:



Things are a little off, but they are pretty close, and, to the naked eye with Jupiter and Venus at the correct size (they aren't to scale in these), it would be pretty hard to tell, I think. Opinions?

Okay, next is October 15, 1757:



This looked pretty close.

Next is November 25, 1794:



It looks very close to me. Thoughts?

Next is September 6, 1815:



The moon looks completely off kilter, to me, in this one, though, while moving through the sky (which the program only kinda-sorta replicates), it might look closer to the benchmark at one point or another throughout the night in question.

Next is November 1, 1864:



Looks like a match.

Next is September 28, 1946.



Jupiter seems way out of alignment, but it is close. Still, I crossed it off my list after tonight's session of looking at them. I just don't think it is. Close, but no cigar.

Next is November 21, 1960:



Venus and Jupiter appear closer together in this, and the crescent of the moon appears like more of a frown than in the benchmark. Still, I think it might be close enough. Thoughts?

Next is September 1, 1981:



I think this might be a match.

Next is December 1, 2008:



While it's sort of cute and funny that the sky made a frowny emoticon, I don't think this is an alignment.

Next is September 15, 2053:


Help me decide.

Next is September 21, 2077:


Looks like the 2008 frown, huh? I think it is not the alignment I'm looking for. Thoughts?

Next is July 1, 2098:


I say no. What do you think?

Next is September 23, 2112:



I think this is an alignment. Thoughts?

Show Recaps

The two new show recaps are up, here and here.

Projects!

I have a new web site content/SEO commission to work on. Thirty articles by the end of June about California bankruptcy, civil litigation, and personal injury. Away we go....

I wrote two more show recaps this morning. They aren't up on the site, yet, butI will post links as soon as they are available. In the meantime, I've been meaning to get to work on the synopsis for A Night Borrowed, because it is so much easier for me to write if I have a roadmap... even if I tend to ignore it once I do it. A lot of the thematic elements that I'll use to put the book together will come out during the synopsis-writing process. So I need to get to work on that. I also need to spend a couple of days sweeping and mopping. I think I have put it off long enough. The whole house is starting to gross me right the hell out.