Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to the five main Dvorak symphonies, now being on a Dvorak kick. I’m listening to what folks consider to be one of the top-tier complete cycles – everything prior to symphony five I didn’t upload because those are all things he wrote when he was in his youth and I recall they weren’t that interesting, where as the big five, five through nine are pretty wonderful, especially the big three, seven, eight, and nine. I have just had a snack and if I didn’t have at least a modicum of self-control I would eat five more of this snack right now, that’s how tasty it was. So, picture this: A toasted English muffin with peanut butter and raspberry jam from Bonne Maman. Well, it was so wonderful a snack – just perfect really. I can’t remember the last time I allowed peanut butter in the home environment, because it’s too dangerous to have, as peanut butter is one of the all-time most addictive foods ever. I just went back a decade and can find no reference to peanut butter in this home environment. But I’m sure I must have had some here at some point. What the HELL am I talking about? Oh yeah, peanut butter and raspberry jam on an English muffin. I must be strong. No blowing a raspberry for this snack. Otherwise, I watched a TV movie last night, but as is frequently the case, I’d already seen it two years ago. But I didn’t remember much so I watched it anyway. It’s called Are You Alone in the House? and was a CBS TV movie starring Kathleen Beller, Blythe Danner, Tony Bill, and a VERY young Dennis Quaid. They sold it as a horror film, but it has absolutely nothing to do with horror or suspense – it’s a stalking drama and ultimately a rape drama. Anyway, it’s an okay TV movie.
Earlier, I got no sleep at all, not even five minutes. I was tossing and turning and turning and tossing due to ABS (Active Brain Syndrome), mostly about the Sherman Brothers project. I didn’t get back in bed until just before noon and I slept until six, so at least I got that much sleep, but of course, the day was done and done was the day. I finally got the WAV files of the released CD and my LA guy actually did the vocal extraction and I’d say if we absolutely had to, we could save about seven vocals, maybe eight. But that’s presuming they’d sound good in a proper mix with proper verb – I should hope they would. All the rest would have to have new vocals. But I sent the powers that be the information I’ve gleaned and where the missing drive might be stored – it wouldn’t have been with the ones we got because idiot boy who mixed the CD never found or even looked for those drives. He just used the drive with the vocal takes and a horrible and rough mix of the band we sent to the NY singers to practice to – those roughs sometimes didn’t even have their second pass of the band and even if they had it, it was usually so low you couldn’t even hear it. I gave them the name of the engineer who mixed it and the studio name and said it would probably be with the hard drives they used for mixing or mastering. I’m still hopeful that with that information they’ll find it. I said that at the time they mixed it. All digits dutifully crossed. IF we have to use the vocal extractions, most of the ones we could get away with are ballads. The duets and the one number with a chorus sound like merde and are unusable. There IS one other option available. I could do all new vocals and then include the ones I could salvage as bonus tracks. One way or another, I am determined to see this through and make the album I know could be great. One thing I can tell you – the LA guy sent me one track with both passes of the band up full – no attempt at a mix, no verb – but it was absolutely great sound, and I know we can make a wonderful thing. For food, I had the remainder of the tuna pasta salad and that was excellent, took all pills, watched the movie, and here we are.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’m sure I’ll visit the mail place, I’ll continue catching up on stuff, I’ll eat something that I have here – lots of choices – egg, cheese, and onion burritos, hot dogs, Wacky Noodles, pasta with butter, cheese, and onions, or several English muffins with peanut butter and raspberry jam. The world, in other words, at least food-wise, is my oyster. Then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I’ll have to be up at eight and I’ll leave here around 8:45 and pray for no traffic going over the hill for the CAT thing. I can’t eat or drink for four hours prior to that, which is fine. I’m sure I’ll come right home after, and I’ll try not to have anxiety about going. The rest of the week is catching up and hopefully hearing about the missing hard drive so we can plan accordingly. Meanwhile, I may just mix the tracks I know we can save or at least one of them, just as a test case.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, visit the mail place, catch up on stuff, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Do you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Do you like peanut butter on its own? On veggies? Talk to me about peanut butter. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to know that happiness is a an English muffin with peanut butter and raspberry jam.