November 2006
Thursday, Nov 30
So Newt Gingrich has reared his smirking face and is mulling over running for "president" in 2008. We've all heard the one about him serving divorce papers to his then-wife while she was recovering from surgery. But did you know that he has a long, dumb history with unseemly sexual escapades? You can read about some of them here.
(Thanks to Buzzflash.)
Tuesday, Nov 28
Thanksgiving came and went. Sister was ill, so my small family and I cooked a little bit, drank some, and watched "Driving Miss Daisy." I spent the morning cleaning out fallen leaves from one of the garden areas. No hosting, no traveling, low-key...a nice alternative to the tension and anxiety that comprise my every waking moment lately.
Friday and Saturday, much yard work and beautiful weather. After many hours, I have cleaned up all of autumn's leaves. I did not go out and buy anything, anywhere.
Studio: inching forward. Glass company seriously fell down on me, builder needs a cattle prod, carpet company having difficulty with shipment.
PUBLIC SLANDER DEPARTMENT -
The glass company, in addition to taking far too many weeks to fill my order, cut the pieces incorrectly. There have been far too many days and weeks in between the first delivery, returning to the shop, shaving the pieces down to the correct dimensions, and getting the correct pieces delivered here. Also, they're not real keen on returning calls and making things right. We still do not have all the glass we're supposed to have, and the company apparently doesn't much care.
Who are they? Performance Home Company, based in Franklin, TN.
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE. THEY ARE SMALL-TIME IDIOTS, THEY ARE INCOMPETENT, AND THEY SUCK. It remains to be seen if and how they will adjust my bill for all the complete bullshit I've been through with them holding up the works. If they don't make up for it, I will.
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE -
The main monitors arrived - the Barefoot Micromain 27's. Let me assure everyone reading this: these things are absolutely stunning. All I can tell you is, you'll have to come over and hear them for yourself. For the audio gear-minded, here's a forum thread from a happy owner, and an ensuing discussion.
Tuesday, Nov 21
Whoa...this is weird.
This morning, I delved into the php document that stores people's comments here, to make a couple of tweaks.
When I coded this site in spring of '04, I stashed a function inside that document's code that would send me an email when somebody leaves a comment, with the relative entry date in the subject line. I say stashed, because I "commented out" that section of code, thereby rendering it inactive, but still part of the document.
I activated the function, and added code that puts a link in the email message that opens my browser to that particular blog entry.
Then, I started getting spam - lots of it, in the form of the email notification I'd coded. Apparently, the spam bots crawl the document and do the email function, without actually including the relative entry date. I'd get emails without any specific date variables in them, click the link, and the browser would open with my formatted page without any blog entry, but with literally hundreds of comments, all containing sex links and complete bullshit ("Great site!" "Thanks!" "Keep up the good work!" "pamela anderson naked pics" etc etc etc).
At first, I went searching through my site to see what entry had gotten spammed with hundreds of comments (this has happened before), before I realized that NO entries had gotten comment-spammed; it was just the php code that was getting crawled and activated.
This really sucks, because I had a sort of invigorating trip down memory lane to get the thing to work, even digging out one of my books, and I was delighted to get such a useful function to work after nearly two years away from coding.
A depressing fact of life on the internet.
Saturday, Nov 18
I'm fond of buying singles at iTunes. You know, singles - individual songs like what people bought in the sixties and seventies, on seven-inch vinyl discs with a tiny spiral groove cut into them.
From iTunes, music comes in the form of an AAC file, a lossy compression format similar to an mp3 but with copy protection. They can be authorized to play on up to three desktop machines (and of course, the iPod).
I don't buy newer stuff; if I really like an artist's work or want an album's worth, I'll buy the CD, for obvious reaons. If I had an iPod, I'd then rip the music from that CD.
I've bought stuff like Anne Murray's "Snowbird", some Carpenters, Nicolette Larson's "Lotta Love", Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis", Dionne Warwick, Elton John, fabulous hit records from years ago. I've collected forty-six, at ninety-nine cents each.
Recently I bought Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", and Human League's "Human". Good eighties hits (not always an oxymoron). I was listening to the Berlin song...her vocal is absolutely soaked in delay and huge reverb, Big Eighties style. I like it.
Tuesday, Nov 14
Some positive stuff: I downloaded and implemented the firmware upgrade for the Virus synth. It's been a while since I've studied the thing, and I was trying to do it via MIDI, forgetting that the "TI" means USB communication. I unearthed the included USB cable and got it done.
Now it behaves like the badass mofo VA synth that it is. It no longer randomly transposes itself when scrolling through presets, and doesn't get stuck and crash, forcing you to pull the power plug, causing a big, modulated, descending SQUEEAALCH like it's been shot.
Monday, Nov 13
For the first time in eight months, our motor vehicles are parked in the back parking area, behind the house.
No more giant mounds of rotting construction debris and torn-up plastic.
Whoop-dee-fucking-doo...I still have an unfinished studio. Look for it next year. Thanks for all the lost time and money, guys.
The majority of the construction world is in dire need of an overhaul in management and ethics. But, like the Mob, it's because they can.
-UPDATE-
I'm now informed that ELECTRICAL cannot mount the control room floor plugs until CARPET is put in, which can't happen until LIVE ROOM FLOOR is sanded and lacquered this week...but next week is FUCKING THANKSGIVING and CARPET won't happen until after that...and then we'll need FINAL INSPECTIONS on everything, and fuck knows when HVAC will finish THEIR fucking job...
FUCK IT - WHY DON'T WE JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR? WE'RE DAMN NEAR THERE ANYWAY???!!!
-UPDATE AGAIN-
I spoke with the manager at Home Depot myself and explained the door situation. He called later told me that they WILL take it back, with a 15% restocking fee (that builder is going to pay). Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. Too bad I'm not a builder; I would have finished this cursed thing myself, months ago.
Thursday, Nov 9
Builder, designer, and I had an official meeting with HVAC, after a visit by his competitor and a day of frantic angst on my part. We consulted the owner's manual to determine how to lower the fan speed. The unit is a somewhat complex one, with varispeed motors and electronically controlled dampers in the supply ducts. It is a two-zone system, each room with its own thermostat.
We got the blower motor slowed down, and HVAC will send a better dispositioned person to increase the length of the return duct, and arrange it in a more serpentine fashion. If that doesn't do it, designer says we'll slice open some ducts to further decrease velocity.
Home Depot will not allow a return on the very expensive Anderson patio door that was ordered in error (by my builder) and paid for (by me). So, builder has a couple of leads on potential buyers, and is armed with a photo and the receipt.
I have one last dumpster, a fifteen yard. I'll load the remaining debris today, and they'll pick it up tomorrow. You Nashville residents ask me next time you need a roll-off container; these guys are the best priced and easiest to deal with.
I am actually becoming a bit excited now, since the lighting and programmable dimmers got installed...when the sconces on the stone walls and the espresso-finish pendant lights are on low, they impart an indescribably deep warm glow to the room. However, there are more hurdles and enormous bills coming.
I want the year 2006 eradicated from the history books. Except, this is the year the current administration got upset, so maybe not.
Here's to a bright new era ahead.
Friday, Nov 3
We're moving forward. Sometimes it takes a woman's touch (my wife), in addition to showing up and finding someone else doing what you were hired to do already.
They possibly, maybe, will get finished over the next week. Still need the guy to do the live room floor, a gutter guy, and a little electrical. I had to go buy more curly cherry wood today. There's no more available anywhere in the world - I've bought it all. (This purchase was for some after-the-fact, hanging acoustic panels - more on that later.)
The Grafik Eye light dimmers are installed. I haven't bothered to program any scenes yet. The blown-glass pendant lights are hung in the live room - they look killer, and when dimmed just so, impart a beautiful warm glow with the wood diffusor.
Doors are being hung today. Still waiting on a door to replace the one Mike mistakenly cut for glass. When will it arrive?
Glass is supposed to be here Monday. I had to order another in-ground light for the tree well outside; the original one's metal housing has rotted, after thirty-five years.
The HVAC system needs tweaking; we need to slow the motor speed down.
I found a way to trim a couple thousand more from the equipment list. Bummer.
Wednesday, Nov 1
A nationally recognized studio architect is due here on Friday to scope out my situation. I only hope I have money and time remaining to afford him.
The other guy (I cannot bear to even type his name) has yet to surface, and his associates apparently can't contact him either.
I won't detail my true feelings here; they are unfit for public consumption and are of no benefit to anyone.
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