So many times in this past month I've thought, "that would be great to blog about." But alas, I am so exhausted by the time I get in bed that I never end up blogging about my experiences and thoughts. Sad I know, but I hope to have some more new stuff up soon.
One event I decided would be blog-worthy is an experience I had with Guitar Center, so I'll start with that. Lately I haven't had the best of luck with purchases. For instance I bought a snare from an ebay seller last year that had a nick in the bearing edge, so I had to send it back to Mapex to have it re-cut (under warranty of course). It turned out to be a great snare; but still, what a pain! Then I also bought a sweet new tweed Blues Junior with Christmas money, and since I wasn't comfortable with the first one I took it back to exchange it for another the same day. You may remember this ordeal from a previous post. There were a few other mishaps with orders from various vendors, but I'll leave it at that and progress to my current story.
I don't have many cymbals, but I do have high quality cymbals. I have this plan for my life where I try to be extremely patient and only purchase musical things that are quality that I will want to keep or can easily get my money back from. Because of this I have very nice cymbals, but only one crash. I like to consistently peruse Guitar Center's national used equipment lists because sometimes stores will list a cymbal for way too cheap. I don't know why, maybe they get it for too cheap from someone and just want to unload it. I found one of these 2 weeks ago at a guitar center in Maryland. The item was an 18" medium Zildjian Avedis crash. I've been looking for a heavier crash to complement my glassy 16" hhx evolution, and since I have been quite the low spender for quite some time now I decided to purchase it, especially since it was listed for a ridiculous price of 50.00.
So, a week went by...no cymbal. I called to check and was told it had in fact gone out, and should be there in a day or two...day 10, no cymbal. I call back and am transferred to the warehouse where a very friendly guy searches, puts me on hold, searches some more, tells me he'll call back, then calls back and says he doesn't think it ever shipped but he won't be able to find it until Monday. No problem, I'm in no hurry and he says he'll next day air it to me.
I don't get a call on Monday, so I call around 3 and work my way to the guy I talked to. Turns out they have no clue where the cymbal is. Someone remembers packing it up but they think they might have shipped it to someone else that ordered some other cymbals, they are really not sure. So I get my money refunded and am back to 1 crash for a while. I kinda felt like complaining some, but seriously, what could I gain? The cymbal simply doesn't exist anymore, and it's not like they'll sell me another nice cymbal for that ridiculously low price. Sometimes I wonder if it was just a cover-up because they realized it was too cheap.
So anyways, when the cymbal arrived I was going to start this sweet series where I went through all my random musical equipment with pictures and fun stories from past memories, but now that will all have to wait. I know you're sad, but at least it gives you something to look forward to. Who knows, maybe it will randomly show up at my house...we can only hope.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
If you get bored with the audio posts, you can skim most of this one...
Busy, busy, busy...that's what I've been lately. It's funny almost, you think you've hit the height of too much to do, only to have the next phase of life be more stressful. Right now my time consists of class, clinicals, tutoring, Southside, and Applebee's. This week I have off from school because I am in between classes, so I am hoping to get some yard work done during the day. Unfortunately I had a stomach virus Sunday night and so I am a little behind because I didn't get much done Monday. Figures...
By the way, did you know that Kristi and I are going to have a baby girl in January or February? We were going to wait until I was done with school, but things didn't turn out that way. We are both excited, and I think I am also a little nervous. Her name is Adelaide Grace Stoeber, Adelaide because we think it is pretty, and Grace because that was my grandmother's name who passed away earlier this year. We will probably call her Addy or Addy Grace. You may remember that I will not be done with nursing school until 2011, so feel free to send your financial support to our house. You can make your checks out to me.
One fun thing I had a chance to do more recently was a recording project for some friends in Columbia. They were part of the group from Columbia Crossroads Downtown that has become Riverside Community Church. They had a very closely knit community group from which several members were moving away, and they thought it would be fun to record some songs they enjoy singing together as a way to remember each other and their time together in Columbia. So, one weekend they all made the trip up here and we spent a good part of Saturday recording, followed by a going away party for one of the families at my parents' house.
The CD turned out really well, and while I can't post most of the songs as they aren't originals, one song that I really enjoyed was a short chorus written by Corrie, one of the girls. It is Psalm 34 set to a pretty melody, and you can hear her sing it here.
Speaking of music, I've done some exciting new things with sound at Southside. For one, we finally got some new mics and DI's, which have been fantastic. For microphones I am now using a Beta58 on Matt and a Beta57 on James. Both mics have been wonderful, especially the Beta57. Something about the mic just suits James's voice wonderfully compared to what I had to work with before. We also got an Audio Technica ATM410 which has been great. I didn't end up using it on Matt or James, but it sounded good with both of them, and I have used it on other vocalists and even a trumpet. I think it's going to be a very useful mic to have. I also asked for an Audix OM3. This was against my better judgement as I often do not like something about Audix mics. Recently though I have loved using an Audix D6 on kick drums, and also these little Audix micro condensers we have on flutes and other instruments, so I figured I'd give it a try after reading some reviews. It was no good, I did not like it on any vocals I tried it on. I'm sure it has a use somewhere, but I don't want a mic that is that difficult to work with, so Joe sent it back for me.
Other than the vocal mics, I am now using a BSS AR133 on acoustics, a Countryman Type 85 DI on bass, and some small AKG C430 mics as drum overheads. Out of that group, I think the Countryman has been the biggest improvement, but the others have been great too.
I also changed my approach a little back at the console. I tend to push everything pretty hard at Southside. I only run at about 85 dBA slow, which isn't loud, but it seems like that is close to the top for the system. I feel like I am always fighting harshness, and I started to wonder if perhaps part of it was a small amount of harmonic distortion somewhere in there...not enough to hear distinctly, but just to give it some rough edges. So, I decided I would try to not push the gains as hard, but instead run the clusters and the subs louder. I think the extra headroom in the channels has really opened things up a bit, and I even got a comment or two from people who don't typically notice things like that, so I think I am on the right track. I probably should have done this from the beginning, but I'm kind of learning as I go.
The only other thing I've started to do is to run the kick through an outboard compressor. Technically I have compressors in the board, but I just felt like the software compressor wasn't always giving me what I wanted, especially on things like drums. So, while the only compressor I had available was a behringer (yuck), I decided to try it out, and it has been way better. The kick hits harder and has better tone. I may try it on a few more things from here, like the snare and the bass guitar, and then maybe I can acquire a higher quality compressor eventually.
I guess that's it for now, it's getting late and I should probably go to sleep so I can get up and do some yard work tomorrow. As I go, I'll leave you with this...my fantasy football team is 2-0...Go Stoberto's Stallions!
By the way, did you know that Kristi and I are going to have a baby girl in January or February? We were going to wait until I was done with school, but things didn't turn out that way. We are both excited, and I think I am also a little nervous. Her name is Adelaide Grace Stoeber, Adelaide because we think it is pretty, and Grace because that was my grandmother's name who passed away earlier this year. We will probably call her Addy or Addy Grace. You may remember that I will not be done with nursing school until 2011, so feel free to send your financial support to our house. You can make your checks out to me.
One fun thing I had a chance to do more recently was a recording project for some friends in Columbia. They were part of the group from Columbia Crossroads Downtown that has become Riverside Community Church. They had a very closely knit community group from which several members were moving away, and they thought it would be fun to record some songs they enjoy singing together as a way to remember each other and their time together in Columbia. So, one weekend they all made the trip up here and we spent a good part of Saturday recording, followed by a going away party for one of the families at my parents' house.
The CD turned out really well, and while I can't post most of the songs as they aren't originals, one song that I really enjoyed was a short chorus written by Corrie, one of the girls. It is Psalm 34 set to a pretty melody, and you can hear her sing it here.Speaking of music, I've done some exciting new things with sound at Southside. For one, we finally got some new mics and DI's, which have been fantastic. For microphones I am now using a Beta58 on Matt and a Beta57 on James. Both mics have been wonderful, especially the Beta57. Something about the mic just suits James's voice wonderfully compared to what I had to work with before. We also got an Audio Technica ATM410 which has been great. I didn't end up using it on Matt or James, but it sounded good with both of them, and I have used it on other vocalists and even a trumpet. I think it's going to be a very useful mic to have. I also asked for an Audix OM3. This was against my better judgement as I often do not like something about Audix mics. Recently though I have loved using an Audix D6 on kick drums, and also these little Audix micro condensers we have on flutes and other instruments, so I figured I'd give it a try after reading some reviews. It was no good, I did not like it on any vocals I tried it on. I'm sure it has a use somewhere, but I don't want a mic that is that difficult to work with, so Joe sent it back for me.
Other than the vocal mics, I am now using a BSS AR133 on acoustics, a Countryman Type 85 DI on bass, and some small AKG C430 mics as drum overheads. Out of that group, I think the Countryman has been the biggest improvement, but the others have been great too.
I also changed my approach a little back at the console. I tend to push everything pretty hard at Southside. I only run at about 85 dBA slow, which isn't loud, but it seems like that is close to the top for the system. I feel like I am always fighting harshness, and I started to wonder if perhaps part of it was a small amount of harmonic distortion somewhere in there...not enough to hear distinctly, but just to give it some rough edges. So, I decided I would try to not push the gains as hard, but instead run the clusters and the subs louder. I think the extra headroom in the channels has really opened things up a bit, and I even got a comment or two from people who don't typically notice things like that, so I think I am on the right track. I probably should have done this from the beginning, but I'm kind of learning as I go.
The only other thing I've started to do is to run the kick through an outboard compressor. Technically I have compressors in the board, but I just felt like the software compressor wasn't always giving me what I wanted, especially on things like drums. So, while the only compressor I had available was a behringer (yuck), I decided to try it out, and it has been way better. The kick hits harder and has better tone. I may try it on a few more things from here, like the snare and the bass guitar, and then maybe I can acquire a higher quality compressor eventually.
I guess that's it for now, it's getting late and I should probably go to sleep so I can get up and do some yard work tomorrow. As I go, I'll leave you with this...my fantasy football team is 2-0...Go Stoberto's Stallions!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Pet Peeves as a Waiter
As the 3 of you who read this blog know, I recently took a job being a waiter at Applebee's. It is alot of work for not a whole lot of money, but I enjoy it for the most part. However, I do deal with some difficult people, so I thought for fun I would write a few pet peeves I have noticed devloping.
1. Please don't tell me you're ready to order and then take literally 5 minutes to order because you don't know what you want...especially when I have 4-5 other tables.
2. Please don't order your steak "well done but tender." First, you are ordering it well done...second, this is Applebee's we are talking about.
3. Please don't complain when I have to charge you for extra chicken, or whatever else extra you want. When the suppliers stop charging Applebee's for these things, then they might stop charging you....maybe.
4. When I greet you and I am telling you my name, please don't interrupt me mid-sentence with your drink order. Or I guess if you have to interrupt at least make eye contact while you do it.
5. If you have a large party, please don't complain when the table of 2 across from you gets their food first. It takes a little while for the kitchen to coordinate getting all 10 meals out at the same time.
For the most part I get friendly people at my tables, but there are a few every week that do some crazy things. These are just a few things that happen on a regular basis that tend to annoy me. Maybe I'll have some more to add after a few more months...
1. Please don't tell me you're ready to order and then take literally 5 minutes to order because you don't know what you want...especially when I have 4-5 other tables.
2. Please don't order your steak "well done but tender." First, you are ordering it well done...second, this is Applebee's we are talking about.
3. Please don't complain when I have to charge you for extra chicken, or whatever else extra you want. When the suppliers stop charging Applebee's for these things, then they might stop charging you....maybe.
4. When I greet you and I am telling you my name, please don't interrupt me mid-sentence with your drink order. Or I guess if you have to interrupt at least make eye contact while you do it.
5. If you have a large party, please don't complain when the table of 2 across from you gets their food first. It takes a little while for the kitchen to coordinate getting all 10 meals out at the same time.
For the most part I get friendly people at my tables, but there are a few every week that do some crazy things. These are just a few things that happen on a regular basis that tend to annoy me. Maybe I'll have some more to add after a few more months...
Friday, August 14, 2009
In other news...
Lately I have been thinking about my spiritual views/opinions. Going through Mark at Southside, I've seen Jesus interact on several occasions with the Pharisees. I think for some time I've felt self-justified in being sure that I am not a Pharisee. I of course am much more loving and maybe less conservatively minded than those I would think of as Pharisees. That sounds bad even as I type it. Anyways, lately I have convicted that just because I think of myself as less legalistic, I still in many ways see myself as having God and my relationship with him all figured out, and often see myself as better than others who hold more or less rigid views. I guess as I get older I just learn that there is more and more I really don't understand, and I really am a prideful person. It's funny because adults tell you this kind of stuff all the time growing up, but you only start to see what they are seeing as you live through various life experiences. So in the end, I guess I just have to ask God to guide me and make me less of a Pharisee.
On a different subject, I just finished recording a better version of a song I arranged in Columbia. I say arranged because I took an old hymn, switched some words around, and gave it a new tune a chorus...it's the cool thing to do these days. You can find it here.
On a different subject, I just finished recording a better version of a song I arranged in Columbia. I say arranged because I took an old hymn, switched some words around, and gave it a new tune a chorus...it's the cool thing to do these days. You can find it here.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
I built a fence and now I'm tired...
...the two aren't really related. I would like to get back to blogging, but alas, my life gets more and more crazy. I was reading through posts the other day and realized there is a bunch of stuff I said I was going to post that I never did.
First of all, I did build a fence. The process was not as hard as I thought, but was more time consuming than I thought. In the end though, it is so nice to be able to let Lucy roam around outside for as long as she wants. Oliver is actually also a big fan of the fence as he spends time each day chasing bugs in the backyard. Here's some pictures of the process:
In general our yard is really coming along. We've got some great bushes and flowers, and they are all doing well. We had a bunch of sunflowers come up from the birdseed, which we were happy about. The bees and stinkbugs (don't ask me why) have really enjoyed them:
I have started nursing school and also a job at Applebee's. I am unable to work much during the day, so I am down to 8 hours a week at Southside just running sound really. I don't miss the constant organizing so much, but I do miss the people and the money. On the other hand I have really enjoyed being a waiter, and I love the people I work with at Applebee's. The tips have been not as good as I thought though, and all the work and school makes me very tired. Kristi and I don't get to spend as much time together, and I don't have time to do much around the house, which is also discouraging.
I've really missed playing music lately, to the point of frustration. It stinks having no real outlet for the main thing I enjoy. Playing drums for youth at Southside is fun, but I haven't been able to do that since I started working at Applebee's. I have had a chance to do a few interested sound related projects. One was running sound for a Refresh featuring Rodrigo Rodriguez. It mainly stressed me out, but I think I did a pretty solid job. The other was recording a special musical night for Resonate, Southside's college thing. I used the Mackie HDR and a firepod, but I haven't had a chance to see how the tracks turned out yet. Hopefully good since they were kind of depending on me...
I think that's all the news I've got for now. It will be a busy weekend with lots of work and studying for my final in my first nursing class. By the way, does anyone want to buy a 1995 Buick LeSabre?
First of all, I did build a fence. The process was not as hard as I thought, but was more time consuming than I thought. In the end though, it is so nice to be able to let Lucy roam around outside for as long as she wants. Oliver is actually also a big fan of the fence as he spends time each day chasing bugs in the backyard. Here's some pictures of the process:
In general our yard is really coming along. We've got some great bushes and flowers, and they are all doing well. We had a bunch of sunflowers come up from the birdseed, which we were happy about. The bees and stinkbugs (don't ask me why) have really enjoyed them:
I have started nursing school and also a job at Applebee's. I am unable to work much during the day, so I am down to 8 hours a week at Southside just running sound really. I don't miss the constant organizing so much, but I do miss the people and the money. On the other hand I have really enjoyed being a waiter, and I love the people I work with at Applebee's. The tips have been not as good as I thought though, and all the work and school makes me very tired. Kristi and I don't get to spend as much time together, and I don't have time to do much around the house, which is also discouraging.
I've really missed playing music lately, to the point of frustration. It stinks having no real outlet for the main thing I enjoy. Playing drums for youth at Southside is fun, but I haven't been able to do that since I started working at Applebee's. I have had a chance to do a few interested sound related projects. One was running sound for a Refresh featuring Rodrigo Rodriguez. It mainly stressed me out, but I think I did a pretty solid job. The other was recording a special musical night for Resonate, Southside's college thing. I used the Mackie HDR and a firepod, but I haven't had a chance to see how the tracks turned out yet. Hopefully good since they were kind of depending on me...
I think that's all the news I've got for now. It will be a busy weekend with lots of work and studying for my final in my first nursing class. By the way, does anyone want to buy a 1995 Buick LeSabre?
Monday, June 15, 2009
It's a boring night when everyone else is asleep by 9...
So the past few days I've found myself driving through some pretty rural areas of South Carolina, and this has reminded me how much I like to drive. I am easily impressed by the beauty of nature, and you might be surprised to see how beautiful the great state of SC is once you get out of the suburbs.
In other news, I've written some new songs as of late, but only one has made it to Soundclick so far. I did this weird thing where I recorded drums with 2 OH's and then went back and played only the snare drum with the recording (remember I only have 2 inputs). I would like to say that I'm such a machine it worked perfectly, but actually I had to align almost all of the hits perfectly so it would sound better. Either way it came out sounding pretty decent. I am especially proud of some of the guitar sounds I got. Here it is.
You know, one of the best sounding recordings up there is that ludwig snare test, which is funny because I didn't plan any of that, I just played some random stuff on drums and then added some guitars with minimal mixing. It always seems to be like that, I think it has something to do with being able to free myself up mentally when I'm not trying to nail something systematic.
Tonight Kristi, Oliver, and Lucy all went to sleep before 9, so I have been laying here perusing musical things on the internet. I was watching Andrew Osenga play "When Will I Run" on YouTube, and that reminded me of this old bootleg of Vertical Horizon I have covering "Fast Car" and then going into their song, "Wash Away." Does anyone else have this bootleg? It is incredible, and it got pretty popular on the internets back in the day. It was back when VH was still more of an acoustic rock jam type thing...so good. Not that I don't like their stuff that got popular, I do. Oh, and here's the vid of Andrew Osenga, also amazing...
I think that's all I've got for today. Tomorrow is Kristi's and my 2 year anniversary, so it should be a good day...but man, I am getting so old.
In other news, I've written some new songs as of late, but only one has made it to Soundclick so far. I did this weird thing where I recorded drums with 2 OH's and then went back and played only the snare drum with the recording (remember I only have 2 inputs). I would like to say that I'm such a machine it worked perfectly, but actually I had to align almost all of the hits perfectly so it would sound better. Either way it came out sounding pretty decent. I am especially proud of some of the guitar sounds I got. Here it is.
You know, one of the best sounding recordings up there is that ludwig snare test, which is funny because I didn't plan any of that, I just played some random stuff on drums and then added some guitars with minimal mixing. It always seems to be like that, I think it has something to do with being able to free myself up mentally when I'm not trying to nail something systematic.
Tonight Kristi, Oliver, and Lucy all went to sleep before 9, so I have been laying here perusing musical things on the internet. I was watching Andrew Osenga play "When Will I Run" on YouTube, and that reminded me of this old bootleg of Vertical Horizon I have covering "Fast Car" and then going into their song, "Wash Away." Does anyone else have this bootleg? It is incredible, and it got pretty popular on the internets back in the day. It was back when VH was still more of an acoustic rock jam type thing...so good. Not that I don't like their stuff that got popular, I do. Oh, and here's the vid of Andrew Osenga, also amazing...
I think that's all I've got for today. Tomorrow is Kristi's and my 2 year anniversary, so it should be a good day...but man, I am getting so old.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Back to blogging...
I think it's about that time. I've got some good ones coming, I promise...new songs, new pictures, new life experiences...get excited. For now I'll start slow and leave you with 2 thoughts...
1. Compressors
Who was the person that thought of these, and how did anyone ever run sound without them? I think the greatest benefit of having a digital mixer for FOH at Southside is the fact that I have a compressor on every single channel. I was reminded of how amazing these things are when I ran sound for a rehearsal for kids worship upstairs this week. I got things sounding OK, but I was pushing the system hard to get a volume I needed, sometimes clipping the main bus, and often clipping some of the individual channels. After rehearsal Joe reminded me that he had some compressors I could use...they are Behringer, and I do admit I tend to have a negative attitude about said company, but I took one unit up to the room today am already excited about the difference it is going to make. A little compression/limiting on the kick, snare, bass, and master bus and we are going to be in business.
2. Music
I just love it. I watched this movie recently called "Last Chance Harvey" and while the cast was the only thing I really enjoyed, one aspect I really identified with was how Harvey had such a love for music, and in his own way was extremely musically talented, but somehow didn't seem to fit into a mold of a performing/professional musician. I had the opportunity to play lead guitar and sing for the first time in a really long time the other night, and it just felt like a release....almost like running can be for those of you who enjoy exercising. Still I feel like it is becoming more and more clear to me that I am of better use in supporting musician or tech roles that as an up front leader/organizer. There's something about the personality mold that just doesn't fit me. I could be wrong, but this is what I've been feeling lately, and this is after all my blog. Anyways, tonight I sat here with my eyes closed listening to some of my favorite songs lyrically and musically and was just reminded of the appreciation I have for the art and how thankful I am that God created it.
Thanks for listening, I've been building a fence and writing songs, so stay tuned!
1. Compressors
Who was the person that thought of these, and how did anyone ever run sound without them? I think the greatest benefit of having a digital mixer for FOH at Southside is the fact that I have a compressor on every single channel. I was reminded of how amazing these things are when I ran sound for a rehearsal for kids worship upstairs this week. I got things sounding OK, but I was pushing the system hard to get a volume I needed, sometimes clipping the main bus, and often clipping some of the individual channels. After rehearsal Joe reminded me that he had some compressors I could use...they are Behringer, and I do admit I tend to have a negative attitude about said company, but I took one unit up to the room today am already excited about the difference it is going to make. A little compression/limiting on the kick, snare, bass, and master bus and we are going to be in business.
2. Music
I just love it. I watched this movie recently called "Last Chance Harvey" and while the cast was the only thing I really enjoyed, one aspect I really identified with was how Harvey had such a love for music, and in his own way was extremely musically talented, but somehow didn't seem to fit into a mold of a performing/professional musician. I had the opportunity to play lead guitar and sing for the first time in a really long time the other night, and it just felt like a release....almost like running can be for those of you who enjoy exercising. Still I feel like it is becoming more and more clear to me that I am of better use in supporting musician or tech roles that as an up front leader/organizer. There's something about the personality mold that just doesn't fit me. I could be wrong, but this is what I've been feeling lately, and this is after all my blog. Anyways, tonight I sat here with my eyes closed listening to some of my favorite songs lyrically and musically and was just reminded of the appreciation I have for the art and how thankful I am that God created it.
Thanks for listening, I've been building a fence and writing songs, so stay tuned!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Picture Euphoria
This is going to be a great post, maybe the greatest ever...do you know why? Pictures.
First of all, all of the work we did on our yard in the fall is starting to look pretty good. One aspect of the yard I am quite impressed with is the mailbox and specifically the pansies around the mailbox. As I was pulling weeds last week I decided I should probably take some pictures to document how great they look:
First of all, all of the work we did on our yard in the fall is starting to look pretty good. One aspect of the yard I am quite impressed with is the mailbox and specifically the pansies around the mailbox. As I was pulling weeds last week I decided I should probably take some pictures to document how great they look:
The birds have been going crazy with the bird feeder too. I've had Cardinals, Doves, House Finches, a Tufted Titmouse, Goldfinches, and several mystery birds. Here's a picture I took the other morning. It didn't turn out that great, but you can see the finches, doves, and a cardinal:
Another exciting happening of late is that the other night Kristi and I had a seafood extravaganza. I have been shopping specials at various grocery stores to save some money, and last week Whole Foods had some specials on seafood. I bought some Talapia fillets and some Littlenecker clams, which I was quite excited about cooking. Kristi made a delicious Spinach and Strawberry salad while I baked the fish and steamed the clams. Those items, along with a baked potato, made for a wonderful dinner:
Sorry the fish is all in pieces. I got it out of the pan with a fork, and it was falling apart as I tried to get it on the plate.
I know at this point you are probably overwhelmed with all the great pics, but I've got even more. As you know I bought some snare drums over the past year so that I would have some quality variety. Since I've got the Mapex and the Ludwig now, I decided that I wanted to refinish my old Yamaha snare. My idea was that I would like to use it as a side snare, tuned very high, but I would like it to look nicer. Here's a picture of the drum originally:
So, I removed the yellow wrap and sanded the drum down. I thought about staining it as is, but the basswood didn't look like it would stain well, so I decided to put a veneer on. I found a woodworker on Ebay who sells his leftover scraps from his projects, and I bought some rare Etimoe veneer. I decided staining it before applying would be easiest, so I used a very light stain and then sanded it back so that the grain would show better. It ended up being brittle and pretty tricky to work with, but with some research and the help of my dad, I was able to attach it fairly successfully to the drum with contact cement. There were a few flaws in the installation, but you would have to look carefully to notice. My dad and I spent an entire evening applying contact cement and then adhering the veneer to the drum:
Over the past two weeks I have spent time finishing the drum. I sealed it with 2 coats of shellac, and then finished it with many coats of Wipe-On PolyU (maybe 20ish). After that I wet sanded it with 000 steel wool, buffed it with polishing compound, and then put some car wax on it. It turned out looking even better than I thought, and I am really proud of the result:
Obviously I need to order a grommet for the vent. All this talk about the drums reminds me, I have some exciting additions to the drum set I know you have been waiting to see. For my birthday I asked for money and was able to purchase a really nice used ride; a Zildjian K Custom Medium 20" Ride:
Purchasing the ride meant that I could sell all of my old Sabian B8's and hope to get enough money to purchase a nice used crash. They didn't sell for much, but I did get enough to buy this used Sabian HHX 16" Evolution Crash:
I got a great deal on both cymbals, and I am really happy with how they sound. I would really like to have an 18" crash also, but I will have to be patient and wait for another holiday. Here's some pictures of my drums as they are set up now:
I have the Mapex snare up in the pics, but here's a picture of all 3 snares:
Last, I did some quick recordings of the set. The first one is with the Mapex snare, the second is with my newly refinished snare. It's tuned very high, I know...refer to my earlier paragraph about the snare.
Well, I think that's all the updates for now. I am working on making a collage of some music from last Sunday. I thought it was the best Sunday sound wise since I've been at Southside, so I thought it would be fun to post some of it on here. Stay tuned!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
It's not that I don't like vegetables...it's that I'd rather eat pretty much anything else...
This has been a great week. I feel like I have been very productive in alot of areas of my life lately, and this week has seemed especially productive. I have also enjoyed seeing what birds come to the bird feeder everyday, and I think Oliver is really enjoying that also. Lucy doesn't seem to care.
I had something weird happen on Monday morning. I was taking a shower and when I bent over to wash my legs I hit my head really hard on the handle of the shower door. Much to my dismay I took a pretty good chunk out of my head right in a spot where I am already balding. Hopefully my hair comes back there, but I am doubtful as it never came back in the spots where I hit my head on the diving board as a kid.
You may be aware that I have been working hard at consistently running every since the beginning of the new year. I have really enjoyed the exercise, and it in turn has motivated me to try and eat a little healthier. I don't consider myself a particularly unhealthy eater, but there are things I should improve on like eating more vegetables. So, I have been buying fresh vegetables and experimenting with cooking them. I wouldn't say I enjoy eating anything I've made vegetable wise, but some of them aren't too bad. For instance I have been grilling Zucchini and Yellow Squash with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and it doesn't taste all that bad. On Monday I made a dinner that I thought was one of the better looking ones I have made:
I had something weird happen on Monday morning. I was taking a shower and when I bent over to wash my legs I hit my head really hard on the handle of the shower door. Much to my dismay I took a pretty good chunk out of my head right in a spot where I am already balding. Hopefully my hair comes back there, but I am doubtful as it never came back in the spots where I hit my head on the diving board as a kid.
You may be aware that I have been working hard at consistently running every since the beginning of the new year. I have really enjoyed the exercise, and it in turn has motivated me to try and eat a little healthier. I don't consider myself a particularly unhealthy eater, but there are things I should improve on like eating more vegetables. So, I have been buying fresh vegetables and experimenting with cooking them. I wouldn't say I enjoy eating anything I've made vegetable wise, but some of them aren't too bad. For instance I have been grilling Zucchini and Yellow Squash with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and it doesn't taste all that bad. On Monday I made a dinner that I thought was one of the better looking ones I have made:
I didn't like the spinach too much. Kristi and I are going to try it in a salad next week, we're thinking that will be better.
Another exciting thing I did this week was getting started budgeting through Microsoft Money again. I used to do this to keep better track of our spending, but my hard drive crashed right before we moved to Greenville and I lost the software since I didn't have it on CD. Last week I decided that I really needed to get more organized in the finance area, so I decided to purchase Quicken this time and see if I liked it. It was OK, I didn't like the layout as much, but the big kicker was the categories. If I put something in a subcategory...like "Eating Out" as a subcategory of a bigger category like "Entertainment," then it would no longer show up as an expense of "Entertainment." So if we spent $100 eating out this month, I wouldn't know it by looking at the "Entertainment" category, I'd have to show every subcategory, and in our budget I would have to break down what we wanted to spend on each subcategory. How dumb is that? It's like having a subcategory that isn't really a subcategory. Since I don't want to have to break down what we spend each month in that much detail, I shipped Quicken back and bought Microsoft Money again, which has been great.
I think those are the highlights from the week so far. This weekend is going to be really busy, but should be a good one. I hope the weather stays this wonderful! A little warmer and I'll be sweating it out in my car (no AC). Better wear a nose plug when you're around me this summer...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
I think I'll change the name of my blog to "Andrew's Amazing Animal Almanac"....alliteration anyone?
I guess I'll stop making excuses for not posting often...I just haven't felt like it too much lately. Maybe it's because "Resurfaced" is no more. I'm surprised the blogosphere hasn't come to a complete halt as a result. Anyways, I figured I'd stop in for a weekly entry.
Kristi and I got some bird feeders and supplies around my birthday, sort of as part of my birthday present. I have been waiting ever since then for a bird to show up, and I have been sorely disappointed. My parents bought us a birdbath this week though, and so I faithfully kept it filled with clean water waiting for a breakthrough. This weekend marked the beginning of what I hope will soon be a bird paradise in our backyard. Strangely enough I was playing the drums on Saturday morning when I saw the first Chickadee land on our feeder:
Kristi and I got some bird feeders and supplies around my birthday, sort of as part of my birthday present. I have been waiting ever since then for a bird to show up, and I have been sorely disappointed. My parents bought us a birdbath this week though, and so I faithfully kept it filled with clean water waiting for a breakthrough. This weekend marked the beginning of what I hope will soon be a bird paradise in our backyard. Strangely enough I was playing the drums on Saturday morning when I saw the first Chickadee land on our feeder:
This liitle guy and his Chickadee friend have been faithful since then, flying up at regular intervals all morning, grabbing seed, and then flying back to the woods. I learned on Wikipedia that these may actually be "Carolina Chickadees." Either way, their interest in our feeders quickly attracted other birds, and today I saw Mourning Doves and what I thought were Wrens, but I think they may be "House Finches":
As well as Goldfinches (I think?), which I was most excited about:
We even had two Goldfinches on our thistle feeder at one point:
I'm not positive those are Goldfinches, as they look different than the pictures I can find...but they do look similar to "Lesser Goldfinches," so maybe they are. What a crappy name...I'm glad no one calls me "Lesser Andrew." Well, not to my face anyways. I am still waiting for the Woodpeckers and the Cardinals, which I see in the woods all the time.
Today the mixing at church went well despite some rough spots at rehearsal. Mixing with ensemble mics is always a challenge, and this week it just wasn't working on Wednesday. We thought about giving wireless mics to some of the singers, but with some re-positioning and restructuring of panning, everything worked out well. James arranged a countryish version of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" for the prelude today which was cool. Here's the video Joe posted on YouTube...
Sweet camera directing, eh?
That's it for tonight. I need to post an update on my drums, and also a fun project my dad and I worked on, but I will wait for another time...mainly because I have to get pictures off of my mom's camera. In closing, my brackets won't be doing too well this year as I'll have Clemson going all the way....but if they do, oh baby....
Oh and here's another picture for your enjoyment:
Sunday, March 8, 2009
I would be surprised if anyone really reads through all of this post....
This weekend was a good one, although I'd characterize it with the word "tired." I did run Saturday morning and I felt awful. I don't know what the deal is, but I just am not getting to that point where it doesn't hurt to run. I do have a good day every now and then though. Dad says I'm probably just that out of shape, and Matt (my community group leader) says I'm just getting older. I suppose either could be true.
Kristi and I ran some errands later in the day, during which we stopped at Circuit City. I just wanted to see if they had any cheap DVD players on sale for cheaper. It was like a war zone in the store. Turns out it was the last day they were open, and there was pretty much nothing left except a few random items and a bunch of their cabling that they had in bins for sale. The only items other than cheap accessories and cabling were a laptop for $200 and a printer for $25 dollars. They both didn't have a box and were just sitting there with a bag of accessories beside them...didn't seem like good investments to me, not that I needed either item anyways.
Saturday night we invited my parents over to partake in a dinner from the new grill they bought me. It was one of the better meals I've made lately, although it wasn't very complicated. I can tell that this grill is going to open up a whole new world of cooking possibilities for me, which is exciting. I think I want to make some fish sometime soon, and also some grilled chicken. Tomorrow I'm going to grill some pork chops, which I have marinating in the fridge as I type. I think they are going to be delicious, although I am a little disappointed that I don't have any onion to cook with them. Oh well. We took the dogs downtown and ate dessert at Marble Slab afterwards. I love coffee ice cream with raspberries and oreos. It may sound weird, but it is right up my alley. Plus, I think if you told someone you drank a mocha coffee drink with raspberry, that would sound good, so I don't think my dessert choice is that weird.
Lucy is kind of weird. If you haven't gathered that from my blog you haven't read enough. One of the weird things about her is that she gets extremely whiny and grumpy when it's past her bedtime, like a little kid. This was true on Saturday night. She started whining in the car on the way home, and then when we got inside she just stood at the bed and cried for like, 20 minutes. Finally I picked her up and put her in bed and she flopped down and went to sleep immediately. I'm having serious deja vú, have I written this before?
Anyways, I slept awful Saturday night because I was worried my phone would malfunction with the time change. It is my alarm, and I wouldn't want to be late to church for work on Sunday because I think that would be fairly stressful for Matt and Joe. Not to mention Lucy woke up to barf at 3. She does this every now and then, and no change to her feeding schedule has helped....weird. Dr. Ringger, got any suggestions? The good thing is she has done it enough to where she has learned to go to the linoleum, which is way easier to clean up. This post is just getting weirder by the paragraph.
Church went well, although I was EQing vocals all through the first service. I am reworking the board EQ, because it was a little crazy. Basically I am just trying to flatten it out, because some mids had seriously cut due to previous feedback problems. The issue is you can't really get those mids back very well; even drastic EQ just ends up doing screwy things to the sound. So that process has created some new issues with mixing, and I wasn't able to get the vocals where I wanted them Wednesday. I had Matt sing some for me on Thursday, but without the band it isn't easy to figure out what you want. Thankfully by the end of the first service I had a good handle on things.
I also spent time taking SPL readings at various points during the music today. I am just interested to know what I run at as I haven't really been given a reference to aim for. From the sound booth I am running about 93 average on dBC slow, and about 85 average on dBA slow. This is at the booth so I would expect it to be 3 dB louder on the floor, and it hotspots maybe 5 dB louder. dBC is much more affected by bass, so I'm thinking people sitting right at the sub probably would read over 100 dBC, but if you switched to dBA would probably drop like 12-15 dB's. dBA is typically used for modern music, because it's not flat. It's almost like it reads with a band pass, and in so doing compensates for the fact that humans don't hear low and high frequencies as well. From the meter, the levels I'm running are fairly conservative. I've read that 95 dBA is as loud as you can get at most churches before people start complaining (well more than a few), although I don't know how true that is, and what constitutes this group of churches? I would guess at places like Newspring and North Point they are running closer to 100 dBA or something. On some forums I've read about churches running at painfully loud levels, which just isn't wise in my mind.
The OSHA has established levels that people can't be exposed to over a period of time in the workplace so that their hearing isn't damaged. The lowest of this is 85 dBA, and they state that you would have to be exposed to it for over 8 hours for permanent damage. This means if you work somewhere that has an average ambient SPL of at least 85 dBA and you work an 8 hour shift, you will experience hearing loss, and your employer has to legally provide you with protection. So if you think about our service today, the average person is in there for maybe 1.25 hours, and the average SPL between the music and teaching/talking is going to be way below 85 dBA, so you can be assured that you are not losing any hearing by coming to Southside. If we ever have a service where the band plays their louder songs for 9 hours straight, you should probably wear a little bit of hearing protection. Also, interestingly enough I read an article by a sound engineer today that said most people like listening to their stereos at 85 dBA, and he thinks that's a good reference for churches. When I think about concerts that I have thought sounded amazing, I would guess that they were running a very balanced mix at something like 95 dBA. I would guess the dBC would be way higher because concerts that sound great have some loud, tight, pumping bass that really hits you right in the chest. On another note, I don't know that I will go back to the Handlebar very often because every concert I have been to there has had screeching highs that have left my ears feeling deaf for a few hours, which means my ears were seriously trying to protect themselves. I guess I could just wear earplugs next time, but we all know how lame that is.
Disclaimer: alot of the things I said were just guesstimates, so take them with a grain of salt...I don't even know how accurate our SPL meter is.
Wow, I did not originally mean to get off on that long of a tangent. We ate lunch at the Boyds' and then went to community group...the end.
No but seriously, I think that's all I have to say after that. Lunch with the Boyds was good and I made the usual cheesecake I make for community group, which got good reviews as always. I think I will be making that thing for every function for the rest of my life...it's just so impressive.
Tomorrow will be rough if I decided to run, because my legs were so sore today. I'll see what I feel like tomorrow, but I think I'm going to cut back to 4.5 miles for a while. I'm kind of disappointed because I wanted to get up to 6 quickly, but I just can't stand how crappy I feel every time. I'll keep blaming it on the hills...
Kristi and I ran some errands later in the day, during which we stopped at Circuit City. I just wanted to see if they had any cheap DVD players on sale for cheaper. It was like a war zone in the store. Turns out it was the last day they were open, and there was pretty much nothing left except a few random items and a bunch of their cabling that they had in bins for sale. The only items other than cheap accessories and cabling were a laptop for $200 and a printer for $25 dollars. They both didn't have a box and were just sitting there with a bag of accessories beside them...didn't seem like good investments to me, not that I needed either item anyways.
Saturday night we invited my parents over to partake in a dinner from the new grill they bought me. It was one of the better meals I've made lately, although it wasn't very complicated. I can tell that this grill is going to open up a whole new world of cooking possibilities for me, which is exciting. I think I want to make some fish sometime soon, and also some grilled chicken. Tomorrow I'm going to grill some pork chops, which I have marinating in the fridge as I type. I think they are going to be delicious, although I am a little disappointed that I don't have any onion to cook with them. Oh well. We took the dogs downtown and ate dessert at Marble Slab afterwards. I love coffee ice cream with raspberries and oreos. It may sound weird, but it is right up my alley. Plus, I think if you told someone you drank a mocha coffee drink with raspberry, that would sound good, so I don't think my dessert choice is that weird.
Lucy is kind of weird. If you haven't gathered that from my blog you haven't read enough. One of the weird things about her is that she gets extremely whiny and grumpy when it's past her bedtime, like a little kid. This was true on Saturday night. She started whining in the car on the way home, and then when we got inside she just stood at the bed and cried for like, 20 minutes. Finally I picked her up and put her in bed and she flopped down and went to sleep immediately. I'm having serious deja vú, have I written this before?
Anyways, I slept awful Saturday night because I was worried my phone would malfunction with the time change. It is my alarm, and I wouldn't want to be late to church for work on Sunday because I think that would be fairly stressful for Matt and Joe. Not to mention Lucy woke up to barf at 3. She does this every now and then, and no change to her feeding schedule has helped....weird. Dr. Ringger, got any suggestions? The good thing is she has done it enough to where she has learned to go to the linoleum, which is way easier to clean up. This post is just getting weirder by the paragraph.
Church went well, although I was EQing vocals all through the first service. I am reworking the board EQ, because it was a little crazy. Basically I am just trying to flatten it out, because some mids had seriously cut due to previous feedback problems. The issue is you can't really get those mids back very well; even drastic EQ just ends up doing screwy things to the sound. So that process has created some new issues with mixing, and I wasn't able to get the vocals where I wanted them Wednesday. I had Matt sing some for me on Thursday, but without the band it isn't easy to figure out what you want. Thankfully by the end of the first service I had a good handle on things.
I also spent time taking SPL readings at various points during the music today. I am just interested to know what I run at as I haven't really been given a reference to aim for. From the sound booth I am running about 93 average on dBC slow, and about 85 average on dBA slow. This is at the booth so I would expect it to be 3 dB louder on the floor, and it hotspots maybe 5 dB louder. dBC is much more affected by bass, so I'm thinking people sitting right at the sub probably would read over 100 dBC, but if you switched to dBA would probably drop like 12-15 dB's. dBA is typically used for modern music, because it's not flat. It's almost like it reads with a band pass, and in so doing compensates for the fact that humans don't hear low and high frequencies as well. From the meter, the levels I'm running are fairly conservative. I've read that 95 dBA is as loud as you can get at most churches before people start complaining (well more than a few), although I don't know how true that is, and what constitutes this group of churches? I would guess at places like Newspring and North Point they are running closer to 100 dBA or something. On some forums I've read about churches running at painfully loud levels, which just isn't wise in my mind.
The OSHA has established levels that people can't be exposed to over a period of time in the workplace so that their hearing isn't damaged. The lowest of this is 85 dBA, and they state that you would have to be exposed to it for over 8 hours for permanent damage. This means if you work somewhere that has an average ambient SPL of at least 85 dBA and you work an 8 hour shift, you will experience hearing loss, and your employer has to legally provide you with protection. So if you think about our service today, the average person is in there for maybe 1.25 hours, and the average SPL between the music and teaching/talking is going to be way below 85 dBA, so you can be assured that you are not losing any hearing by coming to Southside. If we ever have a service where the band plays their louder songs for 9 hours straight, you should probably wear a little bit of hearing protection. Also, interestingly enough I read an article by a sound engineer today that said most people like listening to their stereos at 85 dBA, and he thinks that's a good reference for churches. When I think about concerts that I have thought sounded amazing, I would guess that they were running a very balanced mix at something like 95 dBA. I would guess the dBC would be way higher because concerts that sound great have some loud, tight, pumping bass that really hits you right in the chest. On another note, I don't know that I will go back to the Handlebar very often because every concert I have been to there has had screeching highs that have left my ears feeling deaf for a few hours, which means my ears were seriously trying to protect themselves. I guess I could just wear earplugs next time, but we all know how lame that is.
Disclaimer: alot of the things I said were just guesstimates, so take them with a grain of salt...I don't even know how accurate our SPL meter is.
Wow, I did not originally mean to get off on that long of a tangent. We ate lunch at the Boyds' and then went to community group...the end.
No but seriously, I think that's all I have to say after that. Lunch with the Boyds was good and I made the usual cheesecake I make for community group, which got good reviews as always. I think I will be making that thing for every function for the rest of my life...it's just so impressive.
Tomorrow will be rough if I decided to run, because my legs were so sore today. I'll see what I feel like tomorrow, but I think I'm going to cut back to 4.5 miles for a while. I'm kind of disappointed because I wanted to get up to 6 quickly, but I just can't stand how crappy I feel every time. I'll keep blaming it on the hills...
Friday, March 6, 2009
I bet if I ever did homework, Lucy would eat it...
Lucy chewed up my computer power cord a long time ago, right after we moved to Greenville. I, being the amazing person that I am, was able to solder it back together and had been using it with fine results since then. Unfortunately it came apart for good a couple days ago, which meant that I was without my laptop until my new power cord got here, which meant I couldn't blog from bed. This coupled with the fact that I can't load my pictures onto my desktop due to no card reader and no USB cable meant that I had to break from blogging for a few days.
But I'm back. The only thing I really wanted to mention about the past few days is that I had a chance to use my new very cool grill:
Things went really well, and the steak I made was great. It cooked really fast though, and was medium well I would say. This is due to the fact that they were so skinny, I mean they were only on each side for like 3 minutes. I used to use a George Foreman in Columbia, so I always used skinny cuts. I think I would like to try some thicker steaks next time on the grill. Here's some pictures of me in action:
Today was a pretty productive day. I got to work around 9 and was surprised to see Joe right after I arrived. He usually gets there a little later, so it was nice to have some company early on. I spent the morning working on the sound board some. I have been using the channels a little differently, so I decided to re-name them for now. I figure once we get a good rotation of sound guys we can talk about how to best set it up, but for now I'm tired of having things labeled wrong. I also called Yamaha to see if I could get some kind of plug-in card with a de-esser in it. The vocalists could really use one, especially Matt. The Yamaha rep told me to buy the Waves Y96K card. All of those effects look amazing, and I have used some of them like the L1 and the L2 in the studio before. Problem is, it costs $1000.00, and I don't know that that would be the best use of money. On one hand it would be incredible to have those capabilities on every channel, but on the other hand we have an alright compressor/limiter on every channel, and I could get some hardware de-essers for a few hundred. But, I mean paying a few hundred more for that much more capability might be a good investment too. I talk like I even make these decisions too, when really it's not up to me. I spent some of my morning making a list for Joe of what items I thought would really benefit the sound area of the tech ministry though, which is why I'm thinking about these things.
I also loaded some Igniter Media video backgrounds onto Easy Worship for Joe and ate a wonderful Healthy Choice Chicken Marsala meal for lunch. I have been eating their cafe steamers for meals lately because they are cheap, and they really are very good. Joe thinks they smell like feet, but whatever dude.
After work I headed to the Mauldin Library for some tutoring with Jake. He was a little more distracted than usual today, but things are going well overall. He seems to be understanding the material and is able to answer questions on his own more and more. When we were done I came home and took Lucy for a quick walk before Kristi and I left for dinner. We were meeting some friends downtown, so we dropped Lucy off with dad on the way. Mom had gone dress shopping in Atlanta for the day, so we thought he needed some company....actually we just thought Lucy would prefer to play with Molly since she had been by herself all day. We ate at TacoSushi and then went to Spill the Beans afterwards. Downtown was very busy tonight, more so than usual...maybe because of the very pleasant weather. After that we picked Lucy up and then came home.
Tomorrow I think I'm going to run. I haven't in a week because of the rain, snow, and one day of just being lazy. Hopefully I will feel great tomorrow since I have had a nice rest...I think I'll bump up to 6.5 miles. After that I don't think there's any specific plans, so it should be a great day! Maybe I'll do some recording...we'll see...
But I'm back. The only thing I really wanted to mention about the past few days is that I had a chance to use my new very cool grill:
Things went really well, and the steak I made was great. It cooked really fast though, and was medium well I would say. This is due to the fact that they were so skinny, I mean they were only on each side for like 3 minutes. I used to use a George Foreman in Columbia, so I always used skinny cuts. I think I would like to try some thicker steaks next time on the grill. Here's some pictures of me in action:Today was a pretty productive day. I got to work around 9 and was surprised to see Joe right after I arrived. He usually gets there a little later, so it was nice to have some company early on. I spent the morning working on the sound board some. I have been using the channels a little differently, so I decided to re-name them for now. I figure once we get a good rotation of sound guys we can talk about how to best set it up, but for now I'm tired of having things labeled wrong. I also called Yamaha to see if I could get some kind of plug-in card with a de-esser in it. The vocalists could really use one, especially Matt. The Yamaha rep told me to buy the Waves Y96K card. All of those effects look amazing, and I have used some of them like the L1 and the L2 in the studio before. Problem is, it costs $1000.00, and I don't know that that would be the best use of money. On one hand it would be incredible to have those capabilities on every channel, but on the other hand we have an alright compressor/limiter on every channel, and I could get some hardware de-essers for a few hundred. But, I mean paying a few hundred more for that much more capability might be a good investment too. I talk like I even make these decisions too, when really it's not up to me. I spent some of my morning making a list for Joe of what items I thought would really benefit the sound area of the tech ministry though, which is why I'm thinking about these things.I also loaded some Igniter Media video backgrounds onto Easy Worship for Joe and ate a wonderful Healthy Choice Chicken Marsala meal for lunch. I have been eating their cafe steamers for meals lately because they are cheap, and they really are very good. Joe thinks they smell like feet, but whatever dude.
After work I headed to the Mauldin Library for some tutoring with Jake. He was a little more distracted than usual today, but things are going well overall. He seems to be understanding the material and is able to answer questions on his own more and more. When we were done I came home and took Lucy for a quick walk before Kristi and I left for dinner. We were meeting some friends downtown, so we dropped Lucy off with dad on the way. Mom had gone dress shopping in Atlanta for the day, so we thought he needed some company....actually we just thought Lucy would prefer to play with Molly since she had been by herself all day. We ate at TacoSushi and then went to Spill the Beans afterwards. Downtown was very busy tonight, more so than usual...maybe because of the very pleasant weather. After that we picked Lucy up and then came home.
Tomorrow I think I'm going to run. I haven't in a week because of the rain, snow, and one day of just being lazy. Hopefully I will feel great tomorrow since I have had a nice rest...I think I'll bump up to 6.5 miles. After that I don't think there's any specific plans, so it should be a great day! Maybe I'll do some recording...we'll see...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
That's right...only 3 paragraphs...
This morning was another fairly lazy one. It is still just so cold and I don't think I want to suffer through running until it gets a little warmer. I woke up at 8, but everyone else was still sleeping (well except Oliver, but I don't think he sleeps), so I just did some online reading until 9. I got ready and took Lucy for a pretty long walk after that. I always wonder if her paws feel cold. She doesn't seem to mind walking through half frozen puddles and piles of snow, so I guess she doesn't notice it.
We got back and I played drums for a little bit, and then Kristi and I left to eat lunch at Oriental House. She has had the past 2 days off from school due to the snow and power outages. Lunch was delicious as usual, and afterwards I made a quick stop at Lowes to get some contact cement for a project I will post more about later. After Lowes I was off to work, where I spent the whole day redoing the stage and organizing. I get fed up with all the old, half broken stuff in the closet today and decided to do a massive clean up. There were so many pieces to microphone stands laying around, so I figured out which pieces were actual functional, assembled as many stands as I could from those pieces, and threw all the broken stuff in the dumpster. I also moved some things that we never use up to the lighting loft. I wanted to put the stuff in the other loft, but apparently that one is no longer a tech storage area...oh well.
That was really all I did today. I just realized that I forgot to do my lab for physiology, so I will have to do that tomorrow morning before I leave to tutor Jake. I also have to take an online Sociology test before Thursday night...wow I have really slacked off this week. Oh well, I'm not concerned...and speaking of Greenville Tech, I really want to get my acceptance letter for clinicals soon! That is, if I got accepted...
We got back and I played drums for a little bit, and then Kristi and I left to eat lunch at Oriental House. She has had the past 2 days off from school due to the snow and power outages. Lunch was delicious as usual, and afterwards I made a quick stop at Lowes to get some contact cement for a project I will post more about later. After Lowes I was off to work, where I spent the whole day redoing the stage and organizing. I get fed up with all the old, half broken stuff in the closet today and decided to do a massive clean up. There were so many pieces to microphone stands laying around, so I figured out which pieces were actual functional, assembled as many stands as I could from those pieces, and threw all the broken stuff in the dumpster. I also moved some things that we never use up to the lighting loft. I wanted to put the stuff in the other loft, but apparently that one is no longer a tech storage area...oh well.
That was really all I did today. I just realized that I forgot to do my lab for physiology, so I will have to do that tomorrow morning before I leave to tutor Jake. I also have to take an online Sociology test before Thursday night...wow I have really slacked off this week. Oh well, I'm not concerned...and speaking of Greenville Tech, I really want to get my acceptance letter for clinicals soon! That is, if I got accepted...
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...in March...
I feel a little guilty about not posting great pictures. We ended up going to "Slumdog Millionaire" with Chad and Jamie on Saturday night. It was very spontaneous, and I didn't feel like blogging when we got home since it was late. By the way, it really is a great movie.
Yesterday was a very fun day. I thought the music sounded great, and I didn't even put that much effort into it. Things seemed to kind of mix themselves, which made my job easy. When Charlie got up to speak in the third service, something was wrong with his mic. It was sort of coming through, but not really, and I had to jack up the gain and the fader to get it loud enough. Even then it still sounded weird, and so I looked at a camera screen beside me and saw that the mic was laying on his shoulder...he hadn't put it on his ear! After that Joe and I debated whether he would ever notice, whether he would notice and just leave it, or whether he would notice and put it on. He talked for a few minutes, but eventually hit it when making a gesture and realized what was going on. All in all, it was a pretty funny situation.
That evening we were supposed to move some furniture for Kristi's grandma, but it started snowing. I was extremely skeptical that anything would stick, but it came down hard for so long that we got about 6" on our patio table! Kristi, Lucy, Oliver and I had a great time with the snow. You can check my Facebook page for more pics, but here's a few from yesterday:
Yesterday was a very fun day. I thought the music sounded great, and I didn't even put that much effort into it. Things seemed to kind of mix themselves, which made my job easy. When Charlie got up to speak in the third service, something was wrong with his mic. It was sort of coming through, but not really, and I had to jack up the gain and the fader to get it loud enough. Even then it still sounded weird, and so I looked at a camera screen beside me and saw that the mic was laying on his shoulder...he hadn't put it on his ear! After that Joe and I debated whether he would ever notice, whether he would notice and just leave it, or whether he would notice and put it on. He talked for a few minutes, but eventually hit it when making a gesture and realized what was going on. All in all, it was a pretty funny situation.
That evening we were supposed to move some furniture for Kristi's grandma, but it started snowing. I was extremely skeptical that anything would stick, but it came down hard for so long that we got about 6" on our patio table! Kristi, Lucy, Oliver and I had a great time with the snow. You can check my Facebook page for more pics, but here's a few from yesterday:
Today I slept in the longest I had in a long time. The cable/internet was out, and I couldn't run because of all the snow, so I really had no motivation for getting up. Eventually I decided to get up and go make a snowman, which I always enjoy doing. The snow stuck really well and I decided to make a huge one. The base was big, and I made a slightly smaller middle part, but I realized that it was way too heavy for me to pick up and put on top of the base. I quickly had to restructure my plans. Instead I decided to make a snow Kristi and a snow Andrew, which turned out wonderfully. I thought about making a snow Oliver and a snow Lucy, but that would have been too hard:
We lounged around for the rest of the day and finished off by going to La Fogata for dinner and then visiting my parents to try out their hot tub. They got it for Christmas, but this was the first night we were able to try it out. It was fun, but it made me a little hot after the first ten minutes or so. I'd take one if you want to give me one though...just sayin'...and while you're at it, build me a deck.
In other news, I got a grill for my birthday, which is very exciting. My dad and I assembled it on Saturday, and I plan on posting some great pictures when I cook my first meal on it on Thursday. I've also got some great new additions to my drum set, but I will wait until everything is here to update you on that. Pretty exciting stuff. Hope you had a wonderful snow day, and now that Joe's blog is ending, you have no excuse not to read mine...
Saturday, February 28, 2009
They have squirrel proof feeders, but really I don't mind feeding the squirrels too.
Fridays are turning out to be long days. Thankfully my mom said she would watch Lucy today, so I got up early to take Lucy over. She is always so excited to see Molly. I stopped at the bank on the way to work. I've been seeing alot of Wells Fargo info inside Wachovia lately, which has made me wonder if they will change the name eventually.
Work today consisted of alot of cleaning up. There was a bunch of lighting paraphernalia I had to put away and some things I had to clean up on the stage. I also finished writing the light cues. Lighting is just not as exciting as sound to me, but I think I'm going to try to start working on it throughout the week instead of just on Fridays.
On my lunch break I bought some drum accessories with some of my birthday money from musiciansfriend.com. I needed a new cymbal stand and I also bought some other small items like cymbal felts, sleeves, and some moon gels. I actually wasn't planning on getting the moon gels, but when I was originally ready to check out the top of the page said, "You only need to spend $0.83 more to get free shipping." It was a pain trying to figure out what 2-3$ item I could buy that would be useful, but settled on the moon gels, since my old ones are losing stickiness. I was thinking though...why couldn't they just charge me $0.83 for shipping? That makes a ton of sense to me...maybe I should write them and give them the idea.
After lunch I finished up more odd jobs and then left for tutoring. I have been enjoying meeting with Jake the past few times. He is a pretty bright kid and I think talking through the biology stuff has helped him understand it a good bit better. I am also amazed at how much biology info I still have floating around in my head...I guess all those ridiculous classes are doing me some good after all.
I stopped at the Tractor Supply store in Mauldin on my way home to get some bird seed. Kristi and I bought our first bird feeder yesterday at Lowes, and I am so excited about it. My mom told me I should just put black oil sunflower seeds in it and then also get a little finch feeder to put thistle in. So, I bought the thistle and sunflower seeds at the Tractor Supply place and then stopped at Lowes to get the finch feeder on my way home. Every time I run and take Lucy for walks I see tons of birds in the woods on our streets and I think, "these birds should be in our back yard eating out of a bird feeder." That and I think Oliver will really enjoy watching them from the back door. He already likes looking out the window, I can only imagine how much fun the birds will be for him. I am going to hang the bird feeders tomorrow and will be sure to post pictures.
I got home and then Kristi and I left right away to meet with a couple form Northhills. We are going through a series by Mark Driscoll on the Song of Solomon with them, and it has been a good time for Kristi and I. Driscoll is the pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle.
Kristi and I stopped by my parents' house to get Lucy on the way home, and then got straight into bed from there. I am feeling pretty tired right now, but I hope I feel better tomorrow morning. I was planning on trying to bump up to 6.5 miles, but we'll see how that goes. I'm going to have some good pictures to post tomorrow too, so be sure to tune back in!
Work today consisted of alot of cleaning up. There was a bunch of lighting paraphernalia I had to put away and some things I had to clean up on the stage. I also finished writing the light cues. Lighting is just not as exciting as sound to me, but I think I'm going to try to start working on it throughout the week instead of just on Fridays.
On my lunch break I bought some drum accessories with some of my birthday money from musiciansfriend.com. I needed a new cymbal stand and I also bought some other small items like cymbal felts, sleeves, and some moon gels. I actually wasn't planning on getting the moon gels, but when I was originally ready to check out the top of the page said, "You only need to spend $0.83 more to get free shipping." It was a pain trying to figure out what 2-3$ item I could buy that would be useful, but settled on the moon gels, since my old ones are losing stickiness. I was thinking though...why couldn't they just charge me $0.83 for shipping? That makes a ton of sense to me...maybe I should write them and give them the idea.
After lunch I finished up more odd jobs and then left for tutoring. I have been enjoying meeting with Jake the past few times. He is a pretty bright kid and I think talking through the biology stuff has helped him understand it a good bit better. I am also amazed at how much biology info I still have floating around in my head...I guess all those ridiculous classes are doing me some good after all.
I stopped at the Tractor Supply store in Mauldin on my way home to get some bird seed. Kristi and I bought our first bird feeder yesterday at Lowes, and I am so excited about it. My mom told me I should just put black oil sunflower seeds in it and then also get a little finch feeder to put thistle in. So, I bought the thistle and sunflower seeds at the Tractor Supply place and then stopped at Lowes to get the finch feeder on my way home. Every time I run and take Lucy for walks I see tons of birds in the woods on our streets and I think, "these birds should be in our back yard eating out of a bird feeder." That and I think Oliver will really enjoy watching them from the back door. He already likes looking out the window, I can only imagine how much fun the birds will be for him. I am going to hang the bird feeders tomorrow and will be sure to post pictures.
I got home and then Kristi and I left right away to meet with a couple form Northhills. We are going through a series by Mark Driscoll on the Song of Solomon with them, and it has been a good time for Kristi and I. Driscoll is the pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle.
Kristi and I stopped by my parents' house to get Lucy on the way home, and then got straight into bed from there. I am feeling pretty tired right now, but I hope I feel better tomorrow morning. I was planning on trying to bump up to 6.5 miles, but we'll see how that goes. I'm going to have some good pictures to post tomorrow too, so be sure to tune back in!
Friday, February 27, 2009
"Life is not what I thought it was, 24 hours ago"...
Well, I'm back. It's been quite a break, I know. You would think that there would be mass chaos when I stop writing about my life...but I guess not.
I usually stop blogging when I'm busy or feeling a little down, both of which have been true lately. Adding tutoring to my schedule, while it is only two days a week, has made me feel that much more like I am always doing something. That translates into feeling tired when I'm at home, which translates into going to bed early and not blogging. I haven't even been watching "The Daily Show" lately. Sometimes I make it through the first 5 minutes before my eyes start refusing to stay open.
I've felt a little down lately too. The period of my life I'm currently in just feels weird. I'm constantly confronted by the fact that I'm not really doing what I imagined myself doing, although at the same time I'm not exactly sure what I thought I would be doing. God is also showing me more and more that I am not at all the person He wants me to be. This seems like an obvious fact, but I think that in my mind I always have this hunch that deep down I'm not too bad of a guy. I think the new frustrations and responsibilities in my life have brought out the ugliest in me, and I don't like seeing it and dealing with it.
I realize this is a little abnormal for my blog, but since I know only a handful read it I'd go ahead and write down some of my thoughts. It's apparently pretty unanimous that I am better at expressing myself through written word anyways, plus I think writing things down in an organized manner helps me work through what I'm thinking and feeling. I remain encouraged by the fact that I know God is faithful and not only has me right where He wants me, but that He has promised to continue growing me to be more like Him.
So today was my birthday, in case you didn't know. I currently am listening to "Twenty Four," as I feel it is a very appropriate way to end my day today. I asked my parents for the Jesus Culture CD/DVD which I was very excited to receive. I watched most of the DVD after I got in bed tonight, and I can already tell it is going to be one of the most incredible CD's ever. How are these songs not all over the place? Anyways, there is this one song called "You Won't Relent" that really had an impact on me. I am still deciding how I feel about some of the words, but the song really affected me so I thought I'd leave you with the words to the bridge/chorus...here you go:
I usually stop blogging when I'm busy or feeling a little down, both of which have been true lately. Adding tutoring to my schedule, while it is only two days a week, has made me feel that much more like I am always doing something. That translates into feeling tired when I'm at home, which translates into going to bed early and not blogging. I haven't even been watching "The Daily Show" lately. Sometimes I make it through the first 5 minutes before my eyes start refusing to stay open.
I've felt a little down lately too. The period of my life I'm currently in just feels weird. I'm constantly confronted by the fact that I'm not really doing what I imagined myself doing, although at the same time I'm not exactly sure what I thought I would be doing. God is also showing me more and more that I am not at all the person He wants me to be. This seems like an obvious fact, but I think that in my mind I always have this hunch that deep down I'm not too bad of a guy. I think the new frustrations and responsibilities in my life have brought out the ugliest in me, and I don't like seeing it and dealing with it.
I realize this is a little abnormal for my blog, but since I know only a handful read it I'd go ahead and write down some of my thoughts. It's apparently pretty unanimous that I am better at expressing myself through written word anyways, plus I think writing things down in an organized manner helps me work through what I'm thinking and feeling. I remain encouraged by the fact that I know God is faithful and not only has me right where He wants me, but that He has promised to continue growing me to be more like Him.
So today was my birthday, in case you didn't know. I currently am listening to "Twenty Four," as I feel it is a very appropriate way to end my day today. I asked my parents for the Jesus Culture CD/DVD which I was very excited to receive. I watched most of the DVD after I got in bed tonight, and I can already tell it is going to be one of the most incredible CD's ever. How are these songs not all over the place? Anyways, there is this one song called "You Won't Relent" that really had an impact on me. I am still deciding how I feel about some of the words, but the song really affected me so I thought I'd leave you with the words to the bridge/chorus...here you go:
"I don't want to talk about You, like You're not in the room
I want to look right at You, I want to sing right to You
I want to look right at You, I want to sing right to You
You won't relent until You have it all
My heart is Yours"
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
You'd think after 20 pages of stock photos there'd be a good one...
So I've been waking up earlier and earlier, which I think is good. I got up at 8:30 again today, although like usual I spent some time watching Sportscenter. Since it was an off day for running I got ready right away and took Lucy for a walk. The weather was amazing again today, but it reminded me how much it is going to really stink not having AC in my car this summer. I'll have to keep deodorant in my car or something. Just don't get too close to me on particularly hot days.
After the walk I spent some time working on some stuff for my sister's wedding. I am supposed to design a palm tree deal for a koozie as a gift for the guests, but all the stock photos of palm trees I found I didn't like...which was tons. I talked to Joe about it later, and he said if I draw one we can scan it, trace it in photoshop, and then convert it to a vector image in illustrator. I am pretty excited about that. I also made a monogram type deal of her and her fiance's initials. I think they are doing a big cupcake tree instead of cake, and the monogram will go on the cupcakes. That didn't take long, although I have to check and see if they like it.
I played drums for a little while after that. I have switched to just playing one crash for now and utilizing my ride more as a crash when I have to. I think using less stuff forces me to be more creative and incorporate hi-hat stuff more.
I made lunch next...have I mentioned I'm tired of eggwiches? After that it was time to leave for work, so I got the pets settled and took off. Work today was pretty tiring. I ended up getting some 2" black PVC pipe and running video cables through one and power cables through another in the control room. We've had issues with ground loops and interference and Joe thought this might help, which it did end up helping some I think. I had to drill some holes along the pipes as entry points and then run tons of cables and re-wire everything. I'm not sure why it wore me out, I think just all the thinking and crouching down on the desk in there. It looks pretty good, and I think Joe is going to put some pictures up on his blog, so go over there and check it out.
That took me most of the day, so after that I just ate dinner and then helped Dan with stage setup when he showed up. We didn't change much around this week so it only took a little bit, and most of that was cleaning up the closet. I love not having to move all those huge platforms, they are so incredibly heavy. Sometimes on weeks where I have to move most of them on or off the stage by myself my arms and back are sore the next day...sad I know.
I got home a little earlier than usual and was able to watch part of American Idol, which I always enjoy. Kristi had went to visit her grandmother so she didn't get home to a little later. Tuesday night just ends up being a big TV night because American Idol, Fringe, The Office reruns, and The Daily Show are all on back to back. Fringe really is such a good show. I was a little upset that I couldn't find the Clemson game anywhere on TV, but I'm following the score online and it looks like we're going to win, which should make us 20-3 I think. Amazing.
Tomorrow is my last relatively non-busy Wednesday for a while. Mrs. Ringger asked me if I was interested in tutoring someone in Biology a few weeks ago, and the details finally came together. I start on Friday and will be tutoring every Wednesday from 11-12:30 and Friday from 3-4:30. I feel bad for Lucy, I may have to take her over to play with Molly sometimes again. I guess that means I'll have to get up earlier to run also...bummer. Of course I could always move my run to Thursdays....hmmm....
After the walk I spent some time working on some stuff for my sister's wedding. I am supposed to design a palm tree deal for a koozie as a gift for the guests, but all the stock photos of palm trees I found I didn't like...which was tons. I talked to Joe about it later, and he said if I draw one we can scan it, trace it in photoshop, and then convert it to a vector image in illustrator. I am pretty excited about that. I also made a monogram type deal of her and her fiance's initials. I think they are doing a big cupcake tree instead of cake, and the monogram will go on the cupcakes. That didn't take long, although I have to check and see if they like it.
I played drums for a little while after that. I have switched to just playing one crash for now and utilizing my ride more as a crash when I have to. I think using less stuff forces me to be more creative and incorporate hi-hat stuff more.
I made lunch next...have I mentioned I'm tired of eggwiches? After that it was time to leave for work, so I got the pets settled and took off. Work today was pretty tiring. I ended up getting some 2" black PVC pipe and running video cables through one and power cables through another in the control room. We've had issues with ground loops and interference and Joe thought this might help, which it did end up helping some I think. I had to drill some holes along the pipes as entry points and then run tons of cables and re-wire everything. I'm not sure why it wore me out, I think just all the thinking and crouching down on the desk in there. It looks pretty good, and I think Joe is going to put some pictures up on his blog, so go over there and check it out.
That took me most of the day, so after that I just ate dinner and then helped Dan with stage setup when he showed up. We didn't change much around this week so it only took a little bit, and most of that was cleaning up the closet. I love not having to move all those huge platforms, they are so incredibly heavy. Sometimes on weeks where I have to move most of them on or off the stage by myself my arms and back are sore the next day...sad I know.
I got home a little earlier than usual and was able to watch part of American Idol, which I always enjoy. Kristi had went to visit her grandmother so she didn't get home to a little later. Tuesday night just ends up being a big TV night because American Idol, Fringe, The Office reruns, and The Daily Show are all on back to back. Fringe really is such a good show. I was a little upset that I couldn't find the Clemson game anywhere on TV, but I'm following the score online and it looks like we're going to win, which should make us 20-3 I think. Amazing.
Tomorrow is my last relatively non-busy Wednesday for a while. Mrs. Ringger asked me if I was interested in tutoring someone in Biology a few weeks ago, and the details finally came together. I start on Friday and will be tutoring every Wednesday from 11-12:30 and Friday from 3-4:30. I feel bad for Lucy, I may have to take her over to play with Molly sometimes again. I guess that means I'll have to get up earlier to run also...bummer. Of course I could always move my run to Thursdays....hmmm....
Monday, February 9, 2009
Never before has Miyabi's had competition for the birthday dinner...but this year the decision will be tough!
What beautiful weather today! I woke up a little after 8, and after watching Sportscenter and facebooking went for a run. It keeps getting easier, but legs still feel really tired and tight alot of the time. My lungs are good, and I think it has to be all the huge hills. I know I repeat this alot, but it is just bugging me. Usually this far into running my legs would feel pretty good...but maybe it really has just been that long.
I took Lucy for a walk right after I got back and then took a shower and got ready. After that I debated whether I should eat hot dogs or an eggwich for lunch, but the eggwich ended up winning out. Does anyone have other good ideas for things I can make quickly at home? I am getting tired of them since I eat at home most days now. Other things I am tired of include pizza and frozen pot pies.
After lunch I spent some time working on the mastering of the song I recorded. I really don't know anything about mastering as it isn't something we covered in school too much, and pros are pretty nebulous about it on forums, so what I do is just trial and error. Today I used a multi-band compressor into an EQ into a limiter. I use a spectrum analyzer too which helps me see if I have any out of control frequencies. Here's a screenshot of my mastering setup, in which you can see all the different components I was talking about at work:
I took Lucy for a walk right after I got back and then took a shower and got ready. After that I debated whether I should eat hot dogs or an eggwich for lunch, but the eggwich ended up winning out. Does anyone have other good ideas for things I can make quickly at home? I am getting tired of them since I eat at home most days now. Other things I am tired of include pizza and frozen pot pies.
After lunch I spent some time working on the mastering of the song I recorded. I really don't know anything about mastering as it isn't something we covered in school too much, and pros are pretty nebulous about it on forums, so what I do is just trial and error. Today I used a multi-band compressor into an EQ into a limiter. I use a spectrum analyzer too which helps me see if I have any out of control frequencies. Here's a screenshot of my mastering setup, in which you can see all the different components I was talking about at work:
Another interesting note about this mix is that other than the multi-band in the mastering setup, I didn't use any compression on anything in the mix...only limiting. I read this interesting thread on http://www.gearslutz.com/ by a producer (sketchy name, but some of the biggest names hang out and post there) where he talked about seeing compression as changing the envelope and limiting as not changing the sound and just evening the waveform out. While that idea has some holes, because limiting is definitely changing the feel and sound, it also really makes sense, and ever since then I have used alot more limiting and alot less compression. You can listen to the newer version of the song here. It's alot better, so you really should.
Anyways, I had some extra time before class when I was done with that so I played drums for a while with Hillsong stuff. It has been awhile since I played along with some of the songs, and the fact that they were so much easier makes me think I must be getting better.
Around 1:40 I left for class. I had a really hard time paying attention today, and so I ended up drawing most of the time. I always wonder if my teachers think I am taking very detailed notes or if they can tell I'm doodling. I think I would go crazy if I couldn't doodle during class...that's probably why I never sit in the front.
After class I decided to run a few errands, and called Kristi to check in. She reminded me that she had a school function and wouldn't be home for dinner, which left me wondering what I should eat. I thought about just picking up Zaxby's, but since I had to stop at Petsmart at Greenridge anyways, I decided to call Joe and see if he wanted to eat at Oriental House. Sure enough he and Tim didn't have any plans, so we met around 5:30. I love Oriental House...pretty much everyone I have introduced it too loves it also, so if you haven't been you are missing out.
After that I came home, played with the pets, talked with Kristi, and then it was time for bed. I did eat my last piece of cheesecake tonight, which was a little sad. I think I am making in another in a few weeks for community group though, so hopefully there will be some extra.
That's it for today. Tomorrow should be pretty uneventful. Let's hope the weather is as nice as it was today!
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