Some time has passed since I’ve had anything of substance to really say here, isn’t it?

Please don’t take it as a sign of neglect, or that I have a wandering eye, because that is not the case.  I simply have been busy.

No, really, I have been beyond busy.

Truly, it’s not you… it’s me.  How busy have I been?

Well…

-    I’ve only cooked 2 dishes in the last 30 days despite my promise to force myself into doing two a week
-    I have a workload approaching 55 to 60 hours a week
-    I have a huge back log of emails that I need to reply to, dating back to 2/25
-    I have neglected to address a number of personal tasks I have wanted to do – mainly for peace of mind – simply because I don’t have the time or energy

Now, I can almost anticipate the words that are about to be pounded out on your keyboard… “Van, you need to take a break!”  While that very well may be true, things haven’t been bad at all. Yes, very stressful. Yes, things needed to take a back seat to the priorities of life, but nothing that would even resemble a bad thought or situation.

One day, my old friend, I will come back to you. I will find comfort in your inviting forum for self expression and documentation of life (in all forms).  I would like to promise you something, however, I am very aware that my time is so limited as of late that I cannot do so.

Just take a small breath and know I will return.

Tags: Random

United States – land of the free, home of the fat…

I know what I think about this, however, I cannot even begin to express my emotion over the topic: Woman aims to become world’s fattest

Donna Simpson, from New Jersey, weighs 273kg but told the Daily Mail newspaper she had her heart set on reaching her goal weight of 1000lb (450kg) in two years.

The 42-year-old already holds the title of the world’s fattest mother after giving birth to her daughter in 2007 when she weighed 241kg.

“I’d love to be 1000lb … it might be hard though, running after my daughter keeps my weight down,”

Click through the link above and you’ll see a picture of Ms. Simpson.  Then you’ll understand that her last quote about running is lie.

There is no way she is running.

Tags: Donna Simpson

“It doesn’t matter where you get your inspiration, that fact that you can be inspired matters most.”

Tags: QOTD

I wasn’t sure what to make of this movie. Sure, the trailer was “unrated” so I knew there would be swearing, but roughly 1:12 into the video the humor really comes out.

Funny and NSFW.

Tags: Movies, She's Out of My League, Video

And here are the songs I was posting about the other day… I am still shocked at this, and they really bring back memories of my old studio, as well as the countless hours spent trying to get a sound *just* right.

The demos are the original arrangements, with very few FXs. While most of the content was found in the final version there were tweaks here and there. None of these were mastered, they are as raw as you can get.

First up, Afterglow.

The demo captures the “thick” phaser sound I wanted on the high hats. It also creates a very big head space, almost giving the impression that this is taking place in a large hall… I remember playing this over and over and over in  my car late one evening.

Download the Afterglow demo here.  (The final version can be found here)

Next up, Morning After.

Little did I know what this song was going to become to me, and so many other people. The main structure is there but the strings are different, the kick is different, all of the FXs are missing, and the tempo is a wee bit slower….

Download the Morning After demo here.  (The final version can be found here)

And finally, the classic Naked.

The programming of the beat took me FOREVER.  This was, actually, the first demo in the entire ArS session and set everything in motion.  The piano arrangement is slightly different, a slightly thinner choice of high hats, a totally different set of strings was used and the bassline was really set to stick out in this…

Download the Naked demo here.  (The final version can be found here)

Now… this is where things get interesting.

I did a number of tracks that didn’t make it into the final release of the EP, here are two that – for whatever reason – I thought were not worth refining/developing into full tracks.

Now, looking back, I have NO CLUE as to what I was thinking.  Both would have ended up as strong songs….

Here is the unfinished Next To You… and the soft, atmospheric, potential filled Your Soft Touch.

Really, no clue what I was thinking with these two.

Tags: Afterglow, Arrangements for Sex, EP, Morning After, Music

I happened to be cleaning out my gear closet this evening when I found my old external studio hard drives… on them I have the original – very first and very rough takes – of my first Arrangement for Sex series of songs. To hear what they sounded like with no production and slightly arrangements is really cool.

Also included were a number of other rough demos that I never followed up on but sure as hell should have… Frankly, I’m blow away by the work that I said “eh, this doesn’t have potential…”  I truly don’t know what I was thinking. On that really sticks out to me is called “Your Soft Touch”

I’ll convert the old demos (and “junk tracks”) into MP3s and post them shortly.

Tags: Arrangements for Sex, Cool, memory lane

No, I’m not suggesting there is an idea of “Common Sense” within society. The Common Sense I am speaking of is written by one of the founding fathers – Thomas Paine…

I just picked up the book, and it will be the 1st time I’ve read it in roughly 15 years.  I have a feeling some of the points Paine makes  in “Common Sense” may very well apply today… Just change out United Kingdom…

Tags: Common Sense, Thomas Paine

Tags: Funny, Humor, Images

It’s not safe for work, but it looks damn funny… oh, and the song playing in the beginning of the trailer is The Prodigy’s “Stand Up” which contains a sample of Manfred Mann’s “One Way Glass”

And how do you reach them when you need them? =)

Tags: Kick Ass

Here is a good laugh.

Tags: Funny, Video