Well, dear readers, my eyes are bleary and I am weary from sitting at the piano for most of the night, finishing the song I’ve been working on. And now it is 1:20 in the AM because that was followed by a long telephonic conversation with Doug Haverty about where it might be placed. So now I must write these here notes in even more of a hurry despite eyes that are blurry and bleary and weary. What the HELL am I talking about?
Shall I tell you the tale of The Randy Vicar and the Foot Stool? Or shall I tell you the tale of the sink that fell? Last night the sink fell. I was sitting at this here computer like so much fish when I heard a rather loud noise from the master bathroom. I went in there and said, “Master Bathroom, what was that dreadful noise that just issued forth?” Well, the sink had come loose and collapsed a bit and while I was standing there like a rancid herring, it fell some more. I could see that whatever the clamps that held it in place had broken off. I can still use it, but it looks rather off-putting. Grant came by and looked at it, and hopefully today his worker will come and try to fix it. Meanwhile, I’ll just use the sink in the other bathroom.
Prior to the weary, bleary eyes and finishing the song and the sink falling, I’d had a not unpleasant day, save for too little sleep for the third day in a row (five hours). I was up at eight-thirty, got ready, and then moseyed on over to the Group Rep for our little workshop. We had nine or ten people there, which is about four fewer than we were expecting. Most of them had been at the first workshop, and the difference in their confidence yesterday was palpable. They were completely prepared with their two songs. The first ninety minutes, everyone sang and I’d give comments but we’d just move on after I gave them. After a little break, we did the second half – everyone sang their song, I gave comments, and this time we worked specifics and I let them do part of the song over, to see how the little comments worked for them – that was really fun to watch. I had a really good time and Richard Allen was there playing for everyone.
After that, I picked up a package, then went and had a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and some onion rings for my meal o’ the day. Then I came home and worked on the lyric to the song I eventually finished. I set up a rather weird pattern in the first verse, a pattern of repetition that goes on for several lines and it made me laugh but then, of course, I had to adhere to that in the next two verses, so that was a challenge, I must say. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish – I had an apple as a snack along with a coconut fruit bar ice cream thing – low-calorie and very tasty.
Last night, I watched three episodes of The Outer Limits, none of them very good and all three directed by directors who just didn’t have the style that was required and that included the man who created the series. And these three episodes were all shot by the alternate cameraman and not Conrad Hall and so they’re all rather flat looking and not interesting. I began one of my favorite episodes, The Zanti Misfits and what a difference – once again a good director in Leonard Horn and Conrad Hall behind the camera.
Then I wrote a set of liner notes and got those off, and then I went to the piano and spent the next two hours hammering out the rest of the song and got it done. I’m not sure I love every aspect of it, but it has a good hook and I may just adjust some of the second and third verse repetitive stuff or do an alternate version to see if I come up with something better.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. I have to record all of the four songs I’ve written recently (or is it five), and then I really have to take it easy and have a ME day. I think I’m pretty much caught up on liner notes for now, although more will be due soon. I’ll make myself some food here – maybe Wacky Noodles – unless I go get some Taco Bell instead. Then I’ll relax and watch stuff.
Tomorrow is the first Kritzerland rehearsal, which I’m looking forward to. Then the rest of the week is meetings and meals, prepping a new release announcement for the following week, working on the Richard Sherman event, our second Kritzerland rehearsal, our stumble-through, and then sound check and show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, record the recent songs, eat, and have a nice ME day. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping that the sink has no further to fall.