Recording Update
We spent the day, yesterday, tracking vocals for The Caroline EP. The first song we recorded - which is actually the last song on the record - took about 2 hours to track. The remaining five songs only took a total of about 2.5 hours. We ended the day by having a girl who is a music student at Belmont in Nashville come in and sing backup. I would love to tell you just exactly what we put together, but it would ruin the surprise. All in all, I think that everything turned out absolutely great.
Now, all that's left are keyboards and electric guitar. I hate it that we've had to push things back multiple times, but now we're going to be able to get the guitar player that we originally wanted and not have to cut corners. So, in the end, it will all have been worth it.
iTunes Update
As promised yesterday, an update of the latest downloads.
Disclaimer: So that you would not think that I'm just wantonly blowing money on music, it should be noted that I got a few iTunes giftcards for my birthday and Christmas.
James Morrison: Man in the Mirror (Single) - Two things I love: 1) Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson, 2) James Morrison. The combination of the two does not fail to impress.
30 Seconds to Mars: This is War (Deluxe) - This is a phenomenal album. I downloaded the deluxe tracks, mainly because I wanted to hear the original version of "Hurricane" featuring Kanye West. The other bonus tracks were alright.
Third Day: Move - Bought this for my wife because she really likes Third Day. I only gave it a brief, half-hearted listen. While it was ok, I felt that it lacked the immediacy and relevance of their last album, Revelations.
Shane & Shane: Unending Worship - Ok, I don't really know where this came from but it looks to have been commissioned by this Dare 2 Share organization. [Warning: Avoid organizations that shorten the word "to" with the number "2". The same goes for Prince albums.] Anyway, there are several recycled songs on here, but the unexpected covers of "Our God" and "Revelation Song" are brilliant.
Neil Diamond: Dreams - A wonderful Christmas gift from my wonderful wife. This is a great collection of songs. Similar to his last two outings - 12 Songs and Home Before Dark - the overall tone is pretty slow and simple. The most surprising and rewarding track has to be Neil covering his own song "I'm A Believer" (made famous by The Monkeys). It is both stark and beautiful. I just noticed that Amazon has this for $5, so save your place here and go buy it, then come back and read the rest. There's really no reason not to.
The Myriad: With Arrows, With Poise - I can't say that I had ever heard of this band, but I'm a sucker for the "People who bought this album, also purchased..." bar in iTunes. It reminds me of early Radiohead - when you could understand what Thom Yorke was saying - with a dose of the Killers, with an indie vibe. I like it. Not sure if they are still together, but I would bet they put on a great live show.
Ray LaMontagne: Trouble - I haven't listened to this yet, but I've been getting into Ray LaMontagne and heard that this debut record is amazing. I decided I would pick it up since it was on sale.
I also downloaded "Come on Eileen" and "Safety Dance" because my collection was in great need of them.
Random Wednesday Update
We just returned, last night, from a week in Kansas. Here's a brief rundown.
- There was a little bit of snow, but it didn't stick. It was nothing like the near-blizzard we encountered last year. No cars to rescue this time around.
- Lincoln was really loved the steps at Grammie and Grampy's house. So much so that as we were driving away he said "Bye steps."
- He got some really cool stuff that he was excited about - some wooden blocks, a stuffed Ernie from Sesame Street, a bunch of books, and two dump trucks.
- We pretty much took it easy and didn't go out too much. We did go to my in-laws church on Christmas Eve eve for their CR Christmas party and one of the church's many Christmas Eve services.
- We saw Katie's sister twice (along with her new boyfriend). She seems to be in a better place than she has been the entire time I've known her.
- We watched the Tom Cruise movie, Knight and Day. It wasn't half bad. I laughed out loud quite a bit, which is unusual for me to do when watching a movie.
- Oh, and I was invited for a second interview for a great job at a great company, so I'm looking forward to that next week.
- I also picked up a little bit of music with some gift money I got, so I'll detail that info soon.
Flashback
So, I've recently found myself in the car a lot during the mid-morning and I've been pleased to find that The EDGE is keeping my formative years alive through music. I heard "How's it Going to Be" the other day and the wealth of memory and emotion was nearly overwhelming. So, I thought I would share it and a couple of others with you.
Gimme Gimme
I was speaking with my counselor friend, Greg, last night about his recent time out of the country and I couldn't help but think of the film What About Bob? It really is an overlooked gem in the Bill Murray filmography. I mean, with lines like, "There are two types of people in this world: those who like Neil Diamond and those who don't. My ex-wife loved him." How can you go wrong?
Monday Morning List
Well, things have been fairly uneventful, but here's a little update nonetheless...
Friday:
- Hung out with Lincoln and Katie
- Worked on job stuff
Saturday:
- Took Lincoln to a birthday party. He had a lot of fun and is finally at a point that he can play and explore pretty well.
- After finally getting him down for a nap, I watched the Oregon and Auburn games with fleeting hope for TCU to get to the national championship. Eventually fell asleep.
- Read the Magneto origin story which was quite good. Still, I'm glad that they decided to scrap the movie idea.
Sunday:
- Played bass at church.
- Took a nap.
- Played with Lincoln while watching the Cowboys.
- Finished watching Batman Begins with Katie.
A Great Find
I haven't talked very openly about my recent transition away from the job that I've held for the last 16 months. I've contacted a lot of people who I thought could be helpful in landing a new, lasting career, but at present I've been unsuccessful. So, I wanted to put up a brief self-advertisement because I believe that I'm a great find for any number of organizations.
| Strength Themes | Core Competencies | Highlights |
| Analytical | Systems and Processes | Mind of a Consultant |
| Connectedness | Event Management | Heart of a Servant |
| Ideation | Communications Strategy | Drive of an Athlete |
| Inputs | Human Logistics | Creativity of an Artist |
| Strategy | Data Management | Personality of a Trusted Friend |
Christmas Favorites
When I was a kid, every year we had to watch Christmas Vacation
and A Christmas Story
I'm thinking, though, that this year I need to break out my old VHS of A Muppet Christmas Carol
What Movie Does Your Family Have to Watch Every Christmas?
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