Day 43 was a bit better than the nothing on day 42. I added one new song idea, which is just a bass riff or two, bringing the current count up to 39. I also mixed a song that doesn’t completely suck. That was nice.
Category: Music
Random Thoughts
The last few days have put me into a prolonged, slow burning state of freak out. Fun.
My friend’s father passed away on Monday. My father went into the hospital on Tuesday. No details on either situation will be forthcoming. We just got clobbered by a thunderstorm which, it turns out, was rough enough to knock out the power in the hospital. The backup generators kicked in a second later, but woah.
I am planning to go to the hospital after work tonight. I need to make dinner first but then I’ll go for a quick visit before visiting hours end. Tomorrow morning is the funeral. I’ll go to the hospital afterwards. How’s that for a tough day? The last few days have been bad, but tomorrow… woah.
On less important (re: not important at all) topics, I have one more episode of The Umbrella Academy’s final season to watch. I strongly suspect that once I finish that final episode I will immediately start a rewatch of the entire series from season one episode one. I think that is going to happen.
Earlier today I was looking at Threads (the twitter alternative social network made by the same assholes who make instagram and bookfayce which begs the question why the fuck am I giving this new social network site the time of day) and I posted that musically speaking, today is a Porcupine Tree kinda day (from a mental health standpoint, of course… meaning heavy and complicated and confusing if you’re not paying close attention). TWELVE MINUTES LATER I got a notification that the Porcupine Tree instagram account had been ported to Threads. They haven’t posted anything yet but I guess I should say you’re welcome?
I don’t know what the dad situation is going to be like this weekend but I do know that Bellana, my step daughter, is coming over for a visit. All the bad, scary stuff going on feels a little more bearable when the kids come by. I am really looking forward to seeing how she did at her conference this week. I want all the sciency details.
Speaking of science, from a nutritional standpoint I screwed up yesterday. I spent the whole day at the hospital with Dad and when I left the house I forgot to take my pill case with me. I took my breakfast vitamin pills before I left, and took my lunch vitamin pills when I got home for dinner. I was going to take my dinner vitamin pills before I went to sleep, but I fell asleep earlier than expected and missed that dose. Dummy. Note to self: bring the friggin’ pill case tomorrow. Dumb ass.
What else? Word from the hospital this afternoon is that Dad is starting to show early signs of coming out of whatever was wrong. My fingers and toes and eyes are all firmly crossed. Again, I am not sharing details beyond a small hint of optimism. Enjoy it while you can.
Okay, Robert. Stop stressing and get back to work. You have stuff to do. Do it.
2024 50/90 Challenge Day 42/90
Nothing. I failed to get any work done. Too much real life stuff going on and way too little sleep over the previous few days.
2024 50/90 Challenge Day 41/90
One new idea. Number 38. It’s just a couple of bass riffs.
That’s all for the day.
2024 50/90 Challenge Day 40/90
Day 40 was almost a wasted day, but at about 10:30 when I should have been going to sleep… when my body was telling me that I was going to have a really shitty Tuesday if I didn’t go to sleep right away… I mixed one song.
No Playing This Morning
I’m working in the office today so there was no time to spare to sneak in any guitar playing before work. I hadn’t actually realized until just now though that even if I had had some time to play I don’t have any 50/90 challenge songs that need guitar tracks at the moment.
I have eight songs with rhythm guitar parts done whose next step is to write lyrics (yuck). I have an additional eight songs that I’ve finished tracking completely and just need to mix them down before I can count them as finished.
That’s it. I guess it’s time to start writing lyrics and adding new ideas to the list. Get crackin’, Red Head!
2024 50/90 Challenge Day 39/90
Day 39 was a good day. Four songs got vocals. Those four songs and two others got lead guitars. One of the songs that got both was also mixed.
Because I am insane and the challenge to write 50 songs in 90 days is not crazy enough, I also give myself the additional challenge of doing an RPM Challenge rules album in a month each month. That means I need 10 songs that are written and recorded entirely in each month. The song I mixed is the first song that qualifies for August. I had 20 in July. Of the 17 songs still in progress now, I think nine were started in August and should qualify (assuming I finish them in August). The rest were started but not finished in July so they don’t count.
Bed Time Music
21 songs down, 29 to go. The 50 songs in 90 days challenge is one step closer to finished.
I mixed this tonight while more or less falling asleep. Now that it’s done and I am happy with the finished song I am going to sleep. Good night, everyone!
More Music
I just put lead guitars onto six 50/90 challenge songs, including all four that got vocal tracks this morning.
My ears are dead from wearing the headphones and one of my finger tips is about to fall off, I think.
Not a bad afternoon’s worth of musical work.
Morning Music and a Quest
I screwed up my morning routine today and I don’t know how I am going to recover. No details needed, as they are neither important nor really noteworthy, but I did manage to straighten it out enough to get a couple of things done.
First things first, car music. I put vocals on four 50/90 challenge songs. I was hoping to get to five, but I didn’t have time to add another song. I didn’t do particularly well today, and a couple of the melodies were a bit more complicated than my no-talent self usually gets. We’ll see how it comes out when the songs are done.
After the car music was complete I went on a quest. My father asked me to bring him a newspaper. I had a paper route back in the 80’s. Long time ago. I tried to remember the last time I bought one… given that the newspaper industry is effectively dead and the fact that they still exist is laughable. The last time I bought one was… I think… 2007? When the Red Sox won the World Series I bought a Boston Globe. I think I did it in 2007. I know I did in 2004. Let’s just say it’s going on 20 years.
Where the hell do people buy newspapers? The one my father wanted isn’t one that you could ever regularly find near my home (we’re in Lawrence Eagle Tribune country and he wants a Lowell Sun). I went to my old home town, Tewksbury, thinking there were a couple of stores where I might be able to find one. The first store I went to does not carry newspapers anymore. Big surprise. The second… is now a dentist office. Again, not a surprise. I finally decided to just hit any grocery store or convenience store I saw and I found one.
Quest complete. Newspaper acquired.
Now some random pictures… just because…
Finally… cats.
Inside the Red Head's Head 