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 September 29, 2001

 
Had a relatively busy day for Saturday. Erin and I went to IHOP to cash in on a free short stack coupon we got at a Volcanoes game. Expired at the end of this month, so pretty close to now or never.

Then we went to the Goodwill and to Wal-Mart to check out desks for my music studio. Found a $35 6' x 2.5' folding table that should do the trick. I'm not inclined to spend lots of bucks on a snazzy music studio desk until we remodel my office. Until then, $35 has given me an additional 3 feet in length of workspace and a much needed 6 inches in depth.

This rapid upgrade was prompted by Bret's phone call yesterday in which he said he'd be picking up his desk and moving it to his new place in Portland. (Just about a year after leaving, Bret still maintains a stockpile of stuff at our house. I will note that the pile is shrinking, however.)

So Bret popped in, loaded up the desk and a couple other things, and we plopped down to watch some of the Beavers' game. I am happy to report that I predicted the Beavers would get spanked and that they currently have a defense as porous as lava rock. They're going to have to improve rapidly to contend for anything. That doesn't mean I'm cheering against the Beavs, mind you. I just don't think they're all that good.

After Bret left, I tuned into the Ducks game which was a much more interesting affair. At least with the Ducks I see the possibility of PAC-10 glory. The offense looks strong, and the defense, while not world beaters, is adequate for early season.

Too bad Cal couldn't hold on against Washington. That would've been sweet.

 

 September 27, 2001

 
Recent weeks have seen us harvesting gobs of tomatoes from Erin's garden out front, and they're very tasty. Erin planted several different kinds, and though I favor the cherry tomatoes, every type is without exception more flavorful than the store bought variety.

Given the relatively recent tree trimming, we've not yet plotted out other areas which might prove good for gardening. The biggest difficulty is lack of sunlight in many areas of the yard, but some of that will have changed because there are fewer trees and branches blocking the light. So we may add another garden area next spring.

The last several days (excluding yesterday because of the rain) I've been up on a ladder in back pushing leaves off the tops of the gutter guards. I'm getting increasingly comfortable doing the highwire act, but you won't be seeing me at a circus anytime soon.

* * * * *

I reached MOTU tech support today and went over the 24i unit with them. We couldn't find any problems at all, so maybe trashing the prefs for everything did the trick. At any rate, things are now working fine, so the music making shall continue until further notice. Hope to have another MP3 online here in a couple more days.

 

 September 25, 2001

 
I've posted a demo of Who We Are, a song that will probably find its way onto Undeserved. Musically, there are a lot of rough edges in the production (especially on the vocals!), but I'm at a stage where I've been patient for so long, I'm just over-eager to figure out how to use the equipment and to get stuff pushed out there. Trust me when I say that in the long run my standards for production are a lot higher than this demo.

Musically, I don't know if this is close to final form or not. I'm currently enamored with the sounds of the B3 organ and the Blues Telecaster guitar. Those instruments provide a rather classic rock vibe to the whole thing in some respects which isn't necessarily my intent, but I don't think it's all that bad either. I would describe the stage I'm at here as just trying things out. The final album cut of this tune may sound very different.

Lyrically, Who We Are is a song of longing, regret, and forgiveness. I wrote it about those relationships I have which aren't what I want them to be. It's about feeling misjudged, turning away from others, trying to reconnect, acknowledging my own failures, and, ultimately, hoping for and seeking a different future based on the belief that it's possible for people see the best in one another.

We'll see if it works.

* * * * *

I met with two Mormon missionaires last night for a couple of hours. They'd stopped by on Saturday morning when I was in the midst of some work, so I invited them back for last night. I quite enjoyed discussing the Latter-Day Saints (LDS) faith with them, and it was a very educational conversation (I dare say for all concerned).

I have long admired the LDS commitment to service, to family history (genealogy), and to the personal actualization of its members. My personal experience with LDS people is that they are more honest, trustworthy, helpful, and generous than the population at large. To the extent to which a religion should form people in a way which promotes these values, I'd say the LDS Church is without peer.

I will refrain from comment on LDS religious beliefs other than to say that I have numerous doctrinal problems not the least of which is that three out of the four books which they consider canon (1) are rightly unaccepted by the rest of the Christian world and (2) that no amount of prayer or meditation is likely to convince me that Jesus lived in the Americas around the time of 600 BC as the Book of Mormon claims.

* * * * *

Dave and I spent an hour or so last night playing Evo 4x4 online. The good news is that it is highly playable via a fast Internet connection and a heckuva a lot of fun. The bad news is that on some machines, Dennis' G4 being a prime example, the game seems to refuse to run altogether. Whether we can get it working so that more people can share the joy remains to be seen.

 

 September 22, 2001

 
We watched Lost in Space, a pretty weak science fiction effort with decent special effects. The acting is hit-or-miss (the kids are terrible), but that's likely because the director couldn't decide whether this was a comedy or a science fiction thriller. As usual, the result is neither.

There is some snappy dialogue, most of which is spoken by Friends star Matt LeBlanc. I thought he was surprisingly good, by the way. I also enjoyed Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, Austin Powers 2), but that I'll decline to speculate on how much of that was her performance and how much was her physical attractiveness.

If there is a message in the film's flimsy script, it's that dads should spend more time with their kids. I can't fathom that a movie needs two hours to tell you what I just did in a sentence, but there it is. If you're a fan of the old Lost in Space TV series, there may be some additional merit to this film of which I'm unaware. If you're one of the unwashed masses like me, give this one a pass.

* * * * *

Dave was over this afternoon, and we played a few hours of Evo 4x4, an off-road truck racing game. It's reasonably fun as a single player game, but it really shines in multiplayer—especially since you can add computer-controlled bots as additional players. The LAN game wasn't wholly stable, but we found that by using a MacOS 9.1 base extension set, disabling all printing-related extensions and the Time Synchronization extension, we got rock solid game play. We're looking forward to testing Evo 4x4 online next.

* * * * *

I've finished re-reading Rabbi Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People, a particularly appropriate book in light of recent tragic events. I'd read this book back in college, and I remember finding it a helpful explanation of suffering and loss. Having re-read it now, I am amazed at how influential this book has been on my thinking (admittedly subconsciously). Well, either that or I've come to the same conclusions independently, but either way this is a superb book for achieving what I think is the correct understanding of pain in a world created by a loving God.

I'm placing a link to this book in the Amazon.com part of my For Sale section.

 

 September 21, 2001

 
We watched End of Days, the 1999 action-flick starring Arnold Schwartznegger and Gabriel Byrne. There are so many reasons to hate this movie that I need to be careful that I don't fall asleep at the keyboard from the sheer expenditure of effort in listing them. The special effects were hit-or-miss, the acting was mediocre (though I thought Arnold did all right), and the screenwriting was laughably bad. The swiss cheese plot has holes that could be spotted by grade schoolers. That said, the movie is so bloody and so violent that no grade schooler should ever be allowed to watch.

Even more annoying to me, though, was the film's attempt to push a spiritual message (with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer, I might add). People who obviously know nothing about Catholicism or spirituality should not try to write screenplays which will be seen by those of us who do. End of Days, not recommended.

* * * * *

Erin and I went out to dinner at A Taste of Thai, a local Thai restaurant located across from the south Salem Fred Meyer on Commercial Street. We were very impressed by the atmosphere and the food. It ended up being $13 each, which is a little high for Salem, but a real steal given the quality of the food and the over all dining experience. Highly recommended.

* * * * *

I did a lot of music work today, and I am sorry to report that the MOTU 24i system isn't working properly. I can usually record one track just fine, but addition tracks result in crashes, static and popping, or freezes. I'll try some more troubleshooting ideas tomorrow, but I'm already making plans to return the unit and get a replacement. When it works, it sounds great, but it's currently not working very well.

I did get one piano track down for Who We Are, a song that will in all likelihood be on the album. My numerous attempts to record percussion or bass tracks met with the results I described above. Maybe I'll get lucky and have an MP3 of it up by Monday. I think it more likely that I'll have to return the 24i, and the next MP3 won't be posted for a few weeks.

All which bums me out.

 

 September 20, 2001

 
Yet another in a long line of drives up to Portland, this time in my parents' nifty new Accord. That is one fun car to drive, let me tell you. This might sound silly, but driving it makes me feel young again, like I'm back in high school cruising around. I would think that to be an atypical response to a mid-size 4-door sedan.

Once in Portland, I rolled up my sleeves and went to work as the superbly talented blood donor that I am. =) In other words, I laid there and watched a movie for a couple of hours while they stuck some needles in my arms. The Red Cross center was as full as I have ever seen it—they even had donation centers in the cafeteria—but the nurse said it was down substantially from last week. She also said that about 20 percent of the people coming in were first-time donors, which we both acknowledged as a heartening statistic given that the Red Cross has been on perpetual alert for certain blood types the last few years.

The movie I selected was the One Fine Day, starring the handsome George Clooney and the attractive Michelle Pfeiffer. As I've made plain before, I am a fan of romantic comedies. That predisposition was insufficient to lift my opinion of this mediocre film. The acting, even the children's acting, was fine. The screenwriting, well, that was something else entirely. At the end of the day, I have no idea why this film was made other than the two leads are good-looking, and one can never say that time spent gazing at them is time completely wasted. The plot is breezy at best, and there are a great number of situations which will never fall into the "wholly believable" category. (I won't even start to discuss what passes for parenting in this movie.) One Fine Day isn't a crime against cinema, but I can think of a lot of romantic comedies I prefer.

* * * * *

The Dow continues to sink like a stone, but I found out why American Water Works (AWK-NYSE) has been bucking this trend: They've been bought out by RWE AG for $4.6 billion. That translates to $46 per share which is something like a 36 percent premium on the September 10 price. Those of you who have ridden this recommendation of mine to fame, glory and riches are welcome. ("No applause, no applause. Tens and twenties only...thank you all very much.") Hehe.

Although I'm not too keen on AWK being bought out (and especially by a foreign corporation), there's a great opportunity now for shareholders to cash out at a great price. Whether Erin and I end up doing that or holding even longer remains to be determined.

One thing that I can say is that with the market's recent plunge, we're already starting to see some of those buying opportunities that can often only be had when the market tanks hard. For example, Erin's Roth IRA is in the Scudder International Fund (SCINX-NYSE). SCINX closed at $34 today, its lowest price since at least 1994. You can bet that we'll be stuffing the maximum amount possible into her Roth IRA as the year draws a close. Long-term I'm confident that we'll make more money on the dollars invested in the next few months in SCINX than probably at any time we've invested in the last 10 years. Many other investments are in similar shape.

Given the market's current volatility, I'm certainly not saying you have to jump in right away. In fact, I'd advise dollar cost averaging your way in over the course of the next year or so. But when a market drops more than 2000 points in a few days, I'm sure there are some good investments to be had. While I continue to believe that in the present environment cash is king, there will come a time to start plunking money down. Given how fast this market has dropped, that time may not be as far away as I initially thought.

 

 September 17, 2001

 
Well, here's hoping that there weren't too many patriotic buyers in today's stock market because odds are good that anybody buying today got instantly hammered. The Dow saw a 684 point drop (that's seven percent), and a great number of stocks just got creamed. Given the weak state of the economy, I don't know that we'll see the market turn around any time soon, either.

I'm happy to report that losses in our own portfolio were nicely offset by American Water Works (AWK-NYSE) gaining 19 percent as investors fled to safety. I mean, if water's not safe, what is? AWK is now at an all-time high, so I'm not sure that it's worth plunking money into right now, but long-term it remains a terrific company and stock.

More to the point, though, as I've been advising for some months now, cash is king. The coming recession (if we're not already in it) will yield some wonderful buying opportunities in equities, but most of those are yet to be seen.

(If I knew more about the airline industry, I'd be inclined to try to pick a long-term winner out of today's sell-off because Congress will definitely bail most of these guys out. My hunch is Southwest (LUV-NYSE) will be one winner, but that's just a shot in the dark.)

 

 September 16, 2001

 
We watched the pleasant diversion that is Billy Elliot last night. It's the tale of young English lad who becomes interested in ballet and dance over his family's objections. There's an interesting subplot involving the 1984 British coal miner's strike that underscores the psychological pressures Billy's dad faces, particularly when confronted by Billy's opting for a less than overtly masculine pursuit. Not Oscar material, but Billy Elliot is a pleasant tale well-told and worth the rental. Recommended.

* * * * *

There is an unfortunate chain letter email circulating (though aren't they all unfortunate?) urging people to "buy American stock" on Monday when the equities markets reopen in order to "show the world our resiliency and strength through the stock market."

I must be perfectly frank: This is one of the more stupid ideas I've heard. Sound financial planning is never based on emotion, even patriotic emotion. Many, if not most, of the companies have multinational operations anyway, not strictly "American."

The markets are mechanisms for capitalism in general and are best served—to the extent we have an obligation to serve markets rather than them serving us—by sustained long-term investing in companies we believe in.

Short-term investing of any kind is a recipe for financial disaster, precisely because of the emotion outlined in this forwarded email. Long-term the market follows profit and loss. Short-term the market is an irrational beast.

Further, the stock exchanges will reopen on Monday regardless of our participation. The vast majority of trading on Wall Street is done by huge mutual funds not private investors, and what the mutual fund managers do will probably decide much of how the market responds.

If people want to invest a small percentage of their portfolio on Monday, that's fine. I don't think it's a wise decision, but at least they won't be severely hurt financially. The truth is that the country was already on weak economic ground prior to this week's events, and in all likelihood we are in or are entering a recession. Buying stock on Monday won't change business fundamentals.

Ultimately, economic factors will decide how stocks do in the long-term not a one or two day buying spree.

 

 September 13, 2001

 
I've been watching a lot of television news in the last few days. During major events like these I turn into something of a TV junkie, flipping from news channel to news channel. My thoughts and observations:

  • Despite the best efforts of rescue workers, I fear that no more survivors will be pulled from the rubble. I hope that I am wrong. In the Oklahoma bombing rescuers found no one alive after 24 hours, and the Federal Building was only seven stories. Here we're dealing with two 110 story towers, surrounding building instability, and an estimated 17 stories of twisted metal and rubble (most of which is underground).
  • The British altered tradition at today's Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, and a military band played the Star-Spangled Banner as American tourists wept. (Usually the military band weeps while the American tourists play the British national anthem.) CBS anchor Dan Rather likewise teared up upon watching the poignant video.
  • Congress is now set to approve $40 billion in anti-terrorism/war-related funding, an amount which further imperils Social Security solvency. Given the slowing economy, some very tough spending choices will have to be made, and I have no confidence whatsoever that our president is the person to best make those decisions.
  • There is at least one report that the FBI has begun installing its electronic wiretapping system, Carnivore, in the core of several Internet Service Providers. Carnivore intercepts and captures all network traffic. If you care about your civil liberties, there has never been a better time to start using encryption software for your electronic communications.
  • A host of chain letter emails are circulating, this time proposing to light a candle, say a prayer, fly a flag, beat-up a Muslim, listen to Nostradamus, etc.—I swear these ideas must have come straight from the Jerry Springer Show—to demonstrate support for those lost and for America. I place all chain letters, electronic or paper, straight into the trash. If anyone wishes to send me a personal email discussing these matters, I'm thrilled to respond. If you send me the latest in GroupThink, I'll be annoyed.

* * * * *

We had the worn out master brake cylinder in the Mazda 626 replaced. At least now the brakes work. It was getting a little dicey there for a bit. $350 for the work and parts, but what's that? A couple monthly car payments? Hard to complain too much.

* * * * *

I've posted the SiteRev.com Theme and Rome, two more MP3s b-side snippets, to the Music section. Like Stain, these are experimental in nature and serve mainly as educational experiences. In other words, don't expect greatness, because I seem to have misplaced it around here somewhere and it hasn't made its way into these songs. =)

I wrote the SiteRev.com Theme last year on the XP-80. It's a simple little chord progression what I happen to fancy. To this, I added an electric guitar solo. It's not terribly innovate or particularly interesting, but it is only 34 seconds in length, so it should be a relatively light download for most everybody.

I've been messing around with Rome for the last week or so. It's louder and more forceful musically than most of my stuff. It suffers from the sad defect of being an obvious three-chord wisp of a song. Actually, I hesitate to call it a song, but I have to describe it somehow, so there it is. The drum loop is a little bit interesting, and I will own to enjoying the backing vocals. The lyrics ("Rome wasn't built in a day") are perhaps one step ahead of stupid, but perhaps not. Anyway, they're serviceable for my needs, so there you go. Standard disclaimer: Rome sounds nothing like any of my other stuff. Don't be judging my (lack of) musical talent based on this.

  

 September 11, 2001

 
Like most of America, I was stunned by today's terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center in New York and against the Pentagon. I'm sure that the sadness I feel for those directly impacted by today's events is shared by the whole nation and most of the world.

There has been quite a bit of discussion throughout the day on the various news channels about who is responsible for the tragedy, what the US military response might be, and how soon such a response might take place. The anger that I feel is, I'm sure, no different than anyone else's. We've been attacked as a country, and I would not be the least surprised to see an act of war passed in Congress tomorrow, even if the perpetrators be unknown.

At the same time, there is a profound danger present. What we must come to understand is that revenge is not about other people, it's about us. Hatred usually defines us as who we least want to be, and because of that, it is in situations like today that we face our greatest challenges. We need to be very careful that our righteous anger is tempered by the wisdom to see that our hatred does not go unchecked. After all, hatred leads not to solutions but to greater destruction—many times destruction of ourselves by ourselves, from the inside out. (This is true personally and collectively, but perhaps I'll save the personal end of things for another time.)

One example on a national level would be laws which greatly restrict individual liberty. We must make sure that our response is such that it does not destroy that which makes America great, or we will be doing our enemies' job for them. I think it very likely that we will see a large clamp down on civil liberties in the name of "national security" and increased defense spending as a result of today's attacks. Frankly I doubt either of these things is likely to solve the problems we face.

As we learn more about today's events in the weeks to come, one thing that will remain constant is that which we owe our dead, our injured, and ourselves. And that is to be rational in our thoughts and increasingly calm in our emotional tenor. Our sorrow must give way not to thoughts of vengeance, but to a commitment to justice. In short, what we owe is the best we can be, and it may be the largest challenge we face.

[For those wondering, I've received email from my friend Julie, a grad student in New York City, and she is fine.]

 

 September 10, 2001

 
I've been jetting up to Portland and back in recent days, and as one might expect, I'm exhausted. I'm up again tomorrow, but after that, I should be done for the week. Car goes into the shop for brake work on Thursday anyhow.

* * * * *

The one bright spot of Bush's recent catastrophic tax bill was the inclusion of an overdue increase to the Roth IRA limits. Since the Roth IRA was created in 1998 the limit has been (with some income restrictions) $2000 a year. Beginning in 2003, this limit bumps up to $3000. (It goes to $4000 in 2005 and to $5000 in 2008. See RothIRA.com for more info.)

This is important information for almost everyone who is eligible. (Note that this includes you, PERS members! PERS is an employer contribution 401(a) program not an employee contribution 401(k) or 403(b) program. That means you're still qualified for Roth IRAs.) Because I strongly doubt that the Social Security will be paying full benefits in the years to come—certainly by the time Erin or I retire it won't—this kind of retirement savings vehicle is crucial to financial security.

I'm inclined to say that everyone who is eligible should be maxing their contributions toward retirement if possible. We weren't able to do much of that in the last couple of years because we blew all our spare change on this thing called a house, but we're hoping to get back in the habit again really soon. Remember the old saying: Nobody cares about your financial future like you do!

 

 September 8, 2001

 
I did a few hours of fiddling with the recording equipment. In some ways it's like learning to walk all over again, because I can't just sit at the XP-80 keyboard and pound out my stuff. I have to plot everything out first. It's not a terribly organic way of making music, and considering my enormous lack of skill as a drummer, it's somewhat problematic at the moment.

Usually I just play my song, sing along, and there you are. But when you want to layer several tracks one atop another, you have to make sure that everything is in time, or all you have is a cacophony. "Normal" recording procedure is to do drums, bass, melody, rhythm, and vocals in that order. I'm used to doing melody, rhythm, bass, vocals, and drums. I'll get better, but it'll take time.

Right now I'm working on a three-chord, spur-of-the-moment song called Rome, the only line of which is "Rome wasn't built in a day." I have no idea what that means in case anybody is trying to read the lyrical tea leaves. I just needed some lyrics to sing and that's what popped into my head. If I can get it finished up tomorrow, I'll post it to the Music section; if not, it'll be Wednesday at the earliest because I'm working in Portland again Monday and Tuesday.

Rome starts with a cool drum loop, adds a D-50 bass line, then the three chord organ progression and finally my vocal. I'm toying with a rockin' electric guitar solo, but I'll probably have to plot out a little more of the song to add that. Current running time is only 45 seconds, but I'll see if I can't hit the two minute mark by the time all is said and done.

I suppose that I don't need to add that Rome sounds nothing like Stain or anything that I've written. It's just another educational exercise.

* * * * *

Erin and I saw Cast Away starring Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt. I found it engaging and interesting and a captivating display of Hanks' acting talent. He really is amazing. The story's conclusion wraps up a little too neatly for my liking—Hollywood strikes again—but I suppose that's a minor point given the overall level of work here. Recommended. (The DVD has Special Features commentary that is superb, by the way.)

 

 September 7, 2001

 
I finished hauling all the pieces of firewood to the wood shed. That's not particularly exciting or noteworthy, but it was a lot of work, so I thought I'd mention it here to see if I got the worldwide kudos I so richly deserve.

Don't worry. I'm not holding my breath. =)

* * * * *

I watched Finding Forrester, a cliched Hollywood production about Sean Connery mentoring a black kid from the Bronx. It's well-made and well-acted, but you know exactly where this is headed without having to think too hard. If predictability or cliche in film is a problem for you, give it a pass. If you don't mind that sort of thing, this ain't bad.

* * * * *

I took a drive up to the Mad Hatter in Portland to catch loligo in concert. It's been a good long time since the band's done a gig, and I'm happy to report that they're in fine form. Importantly, the new stuff they played from their upcoming CD sounded really vibrant—I have high hopes that the CD will be an excellent sophomore effort.

 

 September 4, 2001

 
I spent most of the day doing back-breaking labor out in the yard, by which I mean that I fired up the chain saw and went at the remaining firewood with a gusto rarely seen in mortal men. Sane ones, anyway. I don't know how many hours I was out there, but it was just about enough to put me back in traction, that's for sure. I did get almost everything quartered, though, so come Friday I should be able to do a little clean-up, and move on to the next task which is borrowing our neighbor Fred's ladder and cleaning the gutters on the back side of the house.

Home ownership, yee haw.

* * * * *

Erin returned to school today to help welcome all the Freshmen tadpoles into the big pond. Tomorrow the other classes return, so with luck this extra day will keep the Frosh from being totally disoriented when 2300 students appear at once. Personally, I think they're likely to get bounced around Senior Hall like popcorn over an open flame, but that's sort of American high school tradition anyway, so I'm not losing sleep over it. Don't think I did when I was a Frosh, either, but I could be glorifying my own past again. Nothing new there.

For those who've not heard, Erin is teaching Freshman English, Junior Expos, and French II. After doing part-time last year—and much discussion of the merits of such a schedule this summer—she is back to full-time this year. That's undeniably good news from a financial perspective, but we'll be monitoring the stress level as the year goes. As I've said, I have no problem with being poorer and happier.

But that's sort of beside the point for right now. This should be an excellent year for her, and I know she's excited to have the year underway (though she really loved the summer!).

* * * * *

I've posted Stain in the Music section for those who want to take the time to download it. It's a 1.2 MB MP3 file, so no biggie for broadband guys, but it'll cost you dial-up folks a couple minutes. It should play fine via QuickTime, iTunes, SoundJam, or any other MP3 player.

The song itself, as I've said before, sounds nothing like anything else I'm working on. I threw it together back in January. Guess I enjoy the Buddy Holly-like rhythm guitar thing, and I think the bass line is alright, though in hindsight I probably should've put it higher in the mix. (I've got the bass panning left and right so if you listen on stereo speakers you can hear the bass move, too.) The drums are pretty weak, but I just put them in there to have a beat. I'd call the vocal passable but iffy. That, like everything else, will get better as I figure out how to use all the gear.

Lyrically, the song is just one short verse ("One man killing time, outstretched hands, stained for life") with Christian overtones. If I were putting this on an album, I'd probably change the name to Pilot just to throw a little twist into things and to keep everything from being too obvious.

 

 September 3, 2001

 
I finally had a day to mess around with the recording equipment. I made good progress, but I can guarantee you that nothing I record in the next few weeks will be appearing on the album. I still have very little idea of what I'm doing, and on several levels it's amazing that I'm getting any noise out of this rig whatsoever.

Still, if I can swing it this week (and there's no telling if I can), I'll try to post Stain in MP3 format for ya'll to download. Stain is pseudo-techno thing I threw together in pretty short order and it's really not much of song, but the parts are easy to play, so that's why I thought it made for a good recording test. The only caveat I'd add beyond that is that Stain sounds nothing like anything else I've written; nobody go thinking the rest of the album will sound this way. None of it will.

* * * * *

Speaking of music, Garr's band loligo is playing their first gig in a long time this Friday night at 9 PM at the Mad Hatter Lounge in downtown Portland. If you've not seen the band live, this is an excellent opportunity. They'll be playing some old favorites as well as some new stuff from their upcoming second album. See loligomusic.com for more info.

 

 September 2, 2001

 
Erin and I organized a Block Party for our little corner of the world. With the help of our neighbors Fred and Jeff who hosted the proceedings, we had the opportunity to formally meet many of the people we'd only waved at in passing previously. Besides Fred, Jeff, Erin, and me, we had Ken and Eva, Rich and Peggy, George and Margie, George and Linda, Peter and Nerina (and their kids Matt, Luke, and Ciera), and Dan and Pam (and their kids Matt and Mark).

I am happy to report that we have some interesting, intelligent, and just plain fascinating neighbors, most of whom have lived in the area for many years. Fred was an electrician, a sheet metal worker, and a demolitions guy. Ken drives a semi for a food service. Rich is a self-made business man who owns and runs several different companies. He's also a film buff. George is a retired Pan-Am 747 pilot and ex-Navy flight instructor. The other George was a CPA in Salem for many years. His wife Linda works in education was even at Sprague in the Career Resource Center during three out of four of my years there. Peter is a fingerprint expert from Australia who works with the Oregon State Police. Nerina, also Australian, was an officer in Perth and is now an oncology nurse. Pam is also a nurse, the chair of the Neighborhood Association and active in local politics.

If there was a downside, it's only that not everyone who was invited attended. (One couple was in Switzerland, so at least they had a good excuse.) But to say that this Block Party was well-received by attendees is an understatement. Plans are already underway to meet again for Christmas.

 September 1, 2001

 
Erin and I watched Gladiator last night, and it was surprisingly bad. It's a Ridley Scott picture which means it's visually arresting and not much else. (I swear it's almost like Scott and Tim Burton are brothers.) Russell Crowe is good as Maximus, and heck, while I'm at it, kudos to all the actors. This isn't their fault.

But lordy the screenwriting. Ugh, what a mess. Is it a drama? Is it an action flick? Gladiator aims, I think, for both and fails twice. I will say, though, that you could cut 30 minutes and have a pretty good action film. As is, the political machinations get confusing and tedious. There's no tension about the goings on whatsoever. We just don't care.

In fact, the fatal flaw of this film is just that: It's pointless. I have no idea why I watched this picture. I mean, I already knew the Romans were a bloodthirsty people (and there is a significant amount of bloodletting here). Historically, the movie is highly inaccurate despite a pretty close to spot-on portrayal of the Rome arenas. What did we learn from this film? What can we take away from it? I'm afraid the answer is very little other than pretty pictures.

So Gladiator, a visually interesting epic story with fine acting. Oscar winner or not, I'd pass on it.

* * * * *

Matt came over this morning and spent a few hours with me cutting up logs and hauling the results to the wood shed. We only got through about half of what's laying around the back yard, but already there is enough firewood to keep Moscow heated for several winters.

My 16" Stihl chain saw got a good workout too. I've run a little over a gallon of gas through it and filled up the chain lubrication oil tank I dunno how many times, and for the most part it keeps purring away.

One of the neat things about the place here in Salem where I bought the Stihl is that they'll do a free maintenance and check-up on the saw after you've run a couple gallons through it. I'm planning to finish up the backyard soon, get the chain saw serviced, and store it away for the winter. Moving forward after that, I hope not to need to use the saw more than once or twice a year.

Today, though, was a solid outing. The pine logs weren't too difficult, but the oak wood is so hard and dense that the saw just doesn't cut as fast. Not a big deal, but it did mean that a project I anticipated to take very little time ended up at over 4 hours in length. Grateful thanks to Matt for his help and effort!

* * * * *

We didn't get the chance to celebrate Dad's birthday this year because of various scheduling conflicts. Dad was on a Lewis & Clark trip to Montana and Idaho for a week, then he and Mom visited Aunt Alta in San Diego for a couple weeks. This evening we finally managed to assembled to celebrate.

We started with an excellent Chinese dinner at our favorite Kuong Chan's Chinese Restaurant (2290 Fairground Rd. NE, (503) 585-1775) for those taking notes). I recommended Combination Plate #3, but it's very hard to go wrong here, and as is Davison tradition, we all ate until we had to roll ourselves out to the car. The portions here are huge, so we still had leftovers.

After dinner, we took Dad to his first Keizer Volcanoes baseball game. Our team won by a lopsided score, by which I mean to say that we all came away with IHOP coupons for a free short stack. The frisbee dogs were on hand, the Volcanoes mascot Crater wandered the stands, and fireworks lit up the sky upon the game's conclusion. Nice night out, if I do say so myself.

 

 

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