Morning earworm: Closer to the Heart, Rush. Going to be a good day :)
Much as expected, not a lot accomplished yesterday, but for once I'm not complaining. It was, if anything, what a weekend day is like when you aren't too fried to enjoy it. Feeling sufficiently energized now to get on with it today.
An added bonus - the Wife seemed amenable to my spur of the moment idea of a road trip to New York this weekend. Not as capricious as it may sound; my Teacher is playing a rare solo show, and upon checking out, I discovered it isn't quite as far as I had thought - a mere 6.5 hour drive. Considering I have friends flying in from Chicago and even Austin to attend the event, that isn't so bad, even after a Friday night gig in Richmond. We will just be heading up on Saturday, and probably only catch the final show, but it is still worth it. Word on the street is that Tony G will be doing a workshop on Sunday; this too would be worth attending, if it meshes with the schedule. Will have to catch up with some of the other attendees for details.
Signposts are useful when you know where you're going.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Distractions
Morning earworm: Sweet Emotion, Aerosmith. There is a story involved ...
A dream during the night; I am sitting in with a band, testing out some new experimental piece of gear. They decide to play this. As I'm adjusting my sound, they take off into it, in the wrong key. Nothing new there, so I transpose and join in, waking up around the second verse. I wonder how many other earworms are dream hangovers like this? It isn't the first time here, either.
Didn't get much done that I had hoped to yesterday, largely by allowing myself to get sucked into an online game. I confess a bit of self-indulgence there; as part of the morning routine I usually go a few rounds on something like Minesweeper or Spider Solitaire as part of the waking up / engage the brain process before getting down to business. Occasionally I will wander over to MSN and hit the Game page, knowing that these tend to take a bit longer to get through. Yesterday I opted for a round of Jewel Quest, which typically goes 15-20 minutes, timing out after 40,000 points on average. Once, a few days back, I passed this and got stuck for over an hour, finally letting it time out at around 170,000. Sure enough, I got that one again. Normally, these free online versions stop at a certain level - apparently this one doesn't. Again, I let it go entirely too long and finally gave up, letting it time out after I hit 300,000 points and squandered nearly two hours. Not my most productive morning.
Time is limited today as well - the Wife is only working a half day, so anything I want to get done in the Bunker will necessarily occur within the next few hours. Not that I am complaining, mind you - the prospect of distraction here is far more interesting than any computer game ;-)
The attitude that life owes us something, if not everything, encourages life to thwart our endeavours.
A dream during the night; I am sitting in with a band, testing out some new experimental piece of gear. They decide to play this. As I'm adjusting my sound, they take off into it, in the wrong key. Nothing new there, so I transpose and join in, waking up around the second verse. I wonder how many other earworms are dream hangovers like this? It isn't the first time here, either.
Didn't get much done that I had hoped to yesterday, largely by allowing myself to get sucked into an online game. I confess a bit of self-indulgence there; as part of the morning routine I usually go a few rounds on something like Minesweeper or Spider Solitaire as part of the waking up / engage the brain process before getting down to business. Occasionally I will wander over to MSN and hit the Game page, knowing that these tend to take a bit longer to get through. Yesterday I opted for a round of Jewel Quest, which typically goes 15-20 minutes, timing out after 40,000 points on average. Once, a few days back, I passed this and got stuck for over an hour, finally letting it time out at around 170,000. Sure enough, I got that one again. Normally, these free online versions stop at a certain level - apparently this one doesn't. Again, I let it go entirely too long and finally gave up, letting it time out after I hit 300,000 points and squandered nearly two hours. Not my most productive morning.
Time is limited today as well - the Wife is only working a half day, so anything I want to get done in the Bunker will necessarily occur within the next few hours. Not that I am complaining, mind you - the prospect of distraction here is far more interesting than any computer game ;-)
The attitude that life owes us something, if not everything, encourages life to thwart our endeavours.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Backfill
Morning earworm: Sleepless, King Crimson. Probably because I am.
It has been an interesting holiday weekend, as always. Seven hours in the kitchen on Thursday, ending in another culinary triumph - Turkey roll stuffed with homemade venison sausage, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, cornbread and venison sausage dressing, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. Ended up passing on dessert, which is just as well, as we were stuffed beyond capacity as it was.
Friday and Saturday were both quiet, in the standard pre-gig fashion. I tend to prefer a day of inactivity before playing, whenever possible; part of the pre-game ritual, which is worth a post of its own one of these days. The respective shows were decent, though both began slowly and without a great deal of energy - possibly the downside of taking time off. We did eventually get on track. Hopefully this will carry us through our last three shows of the year over the next two weeks, after which we are off for a month. That time will be devoted to rehearsal and learning some new material.
Yesterday, a Day Off. I'm finding that in my advancing years, a full day of recovery is becoming necessary after a working weekend. Well, maybe not necessary, but certainly beneficial.
Today, a return to the Bunker, addressing both practicalities and creative work. My aim for the day is to lay down a few new bass parts on Shape of the World, which I have been putting off for the last week or so. Beyond that, continued clean up of the work space and possibly some more tweaking on the new live rig. Considering the option of a pedalboard next, preferably with a built-in power supply - I am discovering that my fuzz box eats batteries like crazy, and I am quickly going to go broke unless I plug it in. In other words, back to business as usual here :)
If we can define our aim, we are halfway to achieving it.
It has been an interesting holiday weekend, as always. Seven hours in the kitchen on Thursday, ending in another culinary triumph - Turkey roll stuffed with homemade venison sausage, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, cornbread and venison sausage dressing, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. Ended up passing on dessert, which is just as well, as we were stuffed beyond capacity as it was.
Friday and Saturday were both quiet, in the standard pre-gig fashion. I tend to prefer a day of inactivity before playing, whenever possible; part of the pre-game ritual, which is worth a post of its own one of these days. The respective shows were decent, though both began slowly and without a great deal of energy - possibly the downside of taking time off. We did eventually get on track. Hopefully this will carry us through our last three shows of the year over the next two weeks, after which we are off for a month. That time will be devoted to rehearsal and learning some new material.
Yesterday, a Day Off. I'm finding that in my advancing years, a full day of recovery is becoming necessary after a working weekend. Well, maybe not necessary, but certainly beneficial.
Today, a return to the Bunker, addressing both practicalities and creative work. My aim for the day is to lay down a few new bass parts on Shape of the World, which I have been putting off for the last week or so. Beyond that, continued clean up of the work space and possibly some more tweaking on the new live rig. Considering the option of a pedalboard next, preferably with a built-in power supply - I am discovering that my fuzz box eats batteries like crazy, and I am quickly going to go broke unless I plug it in. In other words, back to business as usual here :)
If we can define our aim, we are halfway to achieving it.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving
Morning earworm: Fat Bottomed Girls, Queen. A subtle inference to today's holiday repast, perhaps?
With that, much time in the kitchen yesterday. Planning / review brought to light that the turkey roll had to sit overnight - surprise! - so that got added to the list. This actually offers several advantages, including freeing up some time today, as well as another unexpected bonus - there were no boneless turkey breasts to be had on shopping day, so I ended up getting a whole one and cutting the breast meat off; upon finishing this rather odious task, it dawned on me that I had enough of a carcass remaining to make a batch of turkey stock, and did so - looks like we get gravy today, too :)
I am anticipating entering the kitchen at 9:00 a.m. to begin the process. Rolls and cornbread go first, needing the latter for the dressing; cranberry sauce and miscellaneous food prep during the rise time, such as trimming and tailing the green beans. Chorizo for the dressing will fry up as the bread bakes. I anticipate doing the dishes at least once during the process, possibly twice. The turkey roll should hit the oven between 13:30 - 13:45, probably finishing on the grill, just because I am reasonably certain my cheapo oven won't actually achieve 500°F. Dressing also goes in the oven; potatoes and green bean casserole are stove top, as is the gravy. Dessert is oven also, but I may just hold off a bit, since we will be stuffed beyond capacity after dinner as it is - lol. My aim is to dine around 16:00.
So, off to it, then. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
We know others to the extent that we know ourselves.
With that, much time in the kitchen yesterday. Planning / review brought to light that the turkey roll had to sit overnight - surprise! - so that got added to the list. This actually offers several advantages, including freeing up some time today, as well as another unexpected bonus - there were no boneless turkey breasts to be had on shopping day, so I ended up getting a whole one and cutting the breast meat off; upon finishing this rather odious task, it dawned on me that I had enough of a carcass remaining to make a batch of turkey stock, and did so - looks like we get gravy today, too :)
I am anticipating entering the kitchen at 9:00 a.m. to begin the process. Rolls and cornbread go first, needing the latter for the dressing; cranberry sauce and miscellaneous food prep during the rise time, such as trimming and tailing the green beans. Chorizo for the dressing will fry up as the bread bakes. I anticipate doing the dishes at least once during the process, possibly twice. The turkey roll should hit the oven between 13:30 - 13:45, probably finishing on the grill, just because I am reasonably certain my cheapo oven won't actually achieve 500°F. Dressing also goes in the oven; potatoes and green bean casserole are stove top, as is the gravy. Dessert is oven also, but I may just hold off a bit, since we will be stuffed beyond capacity after dinner as it is - lol. My aim is to dine around 16:00.
So, off to it, then. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
We know others to the extent that we know ourselves.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A Rough Night In My Head
Morning earworm: Your Mama Don't Dance, Loggins & Messina. From the show last weekend.
Yesterday ended up being pretty much a bust. Coffee, meds, and lying on the floor provided no relief until mid-afternoon. Did get most of the shopping done, with only a few items remaining to be secured this morning, probably as soon as I finish typing this. Just like my other holiday shopping - a surgical strike; get in early, secure the merch, and get out quickly. Pay no attention to the funny looks one gets from buying beer at 7:30 in the morning.
I had a truly bizarre nightmare last night, of the classic horror movie variety. This doesn't happen often, and leads to much pondering on the whole process. In my dreams, at least, I often find that things which would normally make no sense at all do; mostly in context, as it usually involves a rather long and elaborate backstory, which for some odd reason I know at the time, like a sort of bulk-downloaded footnote. Last night, for example, when the red-hooded figure appeared behind me in the darkened house, it was not merely the startle which caused the panic, but knowing who / what it was, in vivid detail. Definitely a Blair Witch moment, one of those where you lie awake for some time after, contemplating the seeming reality of the incident, and really not wanting to get up and go to the bathroom - one of those rare times when living in so secluded an area isn't quite as idyllic as it normally is.
No matter - a busy day ahead in the kitchen. Today: making more sausage, and various breads. Need to get the cornbread starter going, make at least the dough for the rolls, and probably some pizza crust while I'm at it for tonight. It seems like coming up with something the few days before the big meal is the most difficult part. I was completely at a loss yesterday, contemplating going out for dinner, before inspiration hit and I ended up inventing the Cordon Bleu Chimichanga - leftover chicken breast diced up with some ham and cheese filling, fried in a tortilla. A keeper, surprisingly, for something literally thrown together nearly at random. Sometimes you just get lucky :D
Duration is subjective.
Yesterday ended up being pretty much a bust. Coffee, meds, and lying on the floor provided no relief until mid-afternoon. Did get most of the shopping done, with only a few items remaining to be secured this morning, probably as soon as I finish typing this. Just like my other holiday shopping - a surgical strike; get in early, secure the merch, and get out quickly. Pay no attention to the funny looks one gets from buying beer at 7:30 in the morning.
I had a truly bizarre nightmare last night, of the classic horror movie variety. This doesn't happen often, and leads to much pondering on the whole process. In my dreams, at least, I often find that things which would normally make no sense at all do; mostly in context, as it usually involves a rather long and elaborate backstory, which for some odd reason I know at the time, like a sort of bulk-downloaded footnote. Last night, for example, when the red-hooded figure appeared behind me in the darkened house, it was not merely the startle which caused the panic, but knowing who / what it was, in vivid detail. Definitely a Blair Witch moment, one of those where you lie awake for some time after, contemplating the seeming reality of the incident, and really not wanting to get up and go to the bathroom - one of those rare times when living in so secluded an area isn't quite as idyllic as it normally is.
No matter - a busy day ahead in the kitchen. Today: making more sausage, and various breads. Need to get the cornbread starter going, make at least the dough for the rolls, and probably some pizza crust while I'm at it for tonight. It seems like coming up with something the few days before the big meal is the most difficult part. I was completely at a loss yesterday, contemplating going out for dinner, before inspiration hit and I ended up inventing the Cordon Bleu Chimichanga - leftover chicken breast diced up with some ham and cheese filling, fried in a tortilla. A keeper, surprisingly, for something literally thrown together nearly at random. Sometimes you just get lucky :D
Duration is subjective.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sausage Shootout
Morning earworm: From the Beginning, Emerson, Lake & Palmer - can't go wrong there.
Awoke this morning with a godawful screaming headache, of unknown origin. It is radiating down the left side of my neck, far enough that I suspect it might be of physical origin, rather than the usual caffeine depletion. I see some time on the mat today.
Yesterday saw an afternoon of kitchen R & D, in my first foray into sausage making. Four small batches were produced, all venison-based. I was surprised to find that most of the venison sausage recipes I have are half pork; I guess it is an easy way to include the requisite fat. Personally, I would be more inclined to just add some fatback, to more precisely monitor the fat : meat ratio - perhaps in the future, once I know what I'm doing.
Our contestants were bratwurst, chorizo, breakfast sausage and a straight venison sausage. A small patty of each was fried up for a sampler along with dinner. The Breakfast sausage was a clear winner, the chorizo a fair second. The brat was, surprisingly, rather lame - I didn't mind it, but my Wisconsin-native wife was unimpressed. The straight venison wasn't bad, but a bit dry, despite my allowing for it being virtually fat-free and cooking it in a bit of extra confit oil.
Today, larger batches for Thursday. I'm thinking of using the breakfast sausage in the cornbread dressing, and probably the chorizo with the turkey. The recipe chosen this year calls for Boudin, but that appears to be impossible to find here, as are several of the ingredients to make it, most notably pork liver. Probably just as well. I hope the throbbing in my skull subsides soon, so I can get out and do the rest of the grocering today - the store is to be avoided at all costs tomorrow, being Black Wednesday.
We all know about Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when all of the retail outlets are turned into a war zone by rabid, bloodthirsty consumers whipped into a feeding frenzy by the commercials. What I have found out is that on the Wednesday before, they do a live-fire practice run in the grocery stores, testing their battle readiness by clearing the shelves, prepared to fight to the death over that last can of pumpkin or fried onions. It is the ideal place not to be.
Honour the role.
Respect the person.
Awoke this morning with a godawful screaming headache, of unknown origin. It is radiating down the left side of my neck, far enough that I suspect it might be of physical origin, rather than the usual caffeine depletion. I see some time on the mat today.
Yesterday saw an afternoon of kitchen R & D, in my first foray into sausage making. Four small batches were produced, all venison-based. I was surprised to find that most of the venison sausage recipes I have are half pork; I guess it is an easy way to include the requisite fat. Personally, I would be more inclined to just add some fatback, to more precisely monitor the fat : meat ratio - perhaps in the future, once I know what I'm doing.
Our contestants were bratwurst, chorizo, breakfast sausage and a straight venison sausage. A small patty of each was fried up for a sampler along with dinner. The Breakfast sausage was a clear winner, the chorizo a fair second. The brat was, surprisingly, rather lame - I didn't mind it, but my Wisconsin-native wife was unimpressed. The straight venison wasn't bad, but a bit dry, despite my allowing for it being virtually fat-free and cooking it in a bit of extra confit oil.
Today, larger batches for Thursday. I'm thinking of using the breakfast sausage in the cornbread dressing, and probably the chorizo with the turkey. The recipe chosen this year calls for Boudin, but that appears to be impossible to find here, as are several of the ingredients to make it, most notably pork liver. Probably just as well. I hope the throbbing in my skull subsides soon, so I can get out and do the rest of the grocering today - the store is to be avoided at all costs tomorrow, being Black Wednesday.
We all know about Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when all of the retail outlets are turned into a war zone by rabid, bloodthirsty consumers whipped into a feeding frenzy by the commercials. What I have found out is that on the Wednesday before, they do a live-fire practice run in the grocery stores, testing their battle readiness by clearing the shelves, prepared to fight to the death over that last can of pumpkin or fried onions. It is the ideal place not to be.
Honour the role.
Respect the person.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday Again
Morning earworm: Signify, Porcupine Tree. What a great beginning to the week :D
It was an interesting weekend, to say the least. More fun than profit, much as expected, but even this is an improvement - quite often it is neither. It was cool little room; an actual theater with 120 seats, most of them empty. Nice stage, though, and good acoustics - perhaps a bit too good for our volume, but we managed:
Much of the aforementioned fun occurred before anyone showed up, while I took the opportunity to bang on the house piano for awhile, which ended up as in impromptu jam with the opening act, who also later sat in with us at the end of our set. It is a bit of a shock when you find yourself enjoying playing, and realize that it is an unaccustomed feeling.
So, a new week. Focus on recording, and cleaning up the Bunker a bit - all of the work down there lately has left it a bit disorganized (read trashed). And, of course, some serious kitchen work. Venison currently thawing for some sausage-making experiments; hopefully I can find a keeper in time for the cornbread-sausage dressing on Thursday. Doing a turkey breast this year, just because I have several recipes to try. Also discovered a new technique for mashed potatoes, courtesy of Cooks Country, where they are steamed and rinsed halfway through, rather than boiled; this significantly reduces the amount of starch, which is what makes them turn to wallpaper paste if overworked. Also, running them through a ricer rather than the usual mashing technique yields a much fluffier result. I tried it with the food mill last night, and there was a noticeable improvement, but they still got worked over pretty good, so it looks like I need to break down and get another ricer, having broken the old one a few years back.
Performance is impersonal yet intimate.
It was an interesting weekend, to say the least. More fun than profit, much as expected, but even this is an improvement - quite often it is neither. It was cool little room; an actual theater with 120 seats, most of them empty. Nice stage, though, and good acoustics - perhaps a bit too good for our volume, but we managed:
Much of the aforementioned fun occurred before anyone showed up, while I took the opportunity to bang on the house piano for awhile, which ended up as in impromptu jam with the opening act, who also later sat in with us at the end of our set. It is a bit of a shock when you find yourself enjoying playing, and realize that it is an unaccustomed feeling.
So, a new week. Focus on recording, and cleaning up the Bunker a bit - all of the work down there lately has left it a bit disorganized (read trashed). And, of course, some serious kitchen work. Venison currently thawing for some sausage-making experiments; hopefully I can find a keeper in time for the cornbread-sausage dressing on Thursday. Doing a turkey breast this year, just because I have several recipes to try. Also discovered a new technique for mashed potatoes, courtesy of Cooks Country, where they are steamed and rinsed halfway through, rather than boiled; this significantly reduces the amount of starch, which is what makes them turn to wallpaper paste if overworked. Also, running them through a ricer rather than the usual mashing technique yields a much fluffier result. I tried it with the food mill last night, and there was a noticeable improvement, but they still got worked over pretty good, so it looks like I need to break down and get another ricer, having broken the old one a few years back.
Performance is impersonal yet intimate.
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