2AM Traffic

Just a few notes from the Red Pill, aka my living room, before I hit the sack...

I've had an Acer Aspire 3620 laptop for almost exactly three years. The main reason I purchased it was so that I could use it to record and play music. I have used it to mess around with Reason a bit in the past, but it gradually replaced my whole desktop computer once it went belly up. The Acer was the computer I used while I lived in Toronto. For almost the entire time I've had the thing, I've typically had to point an external fan at the processor to keep it from overheating. The internal fan is probably caked with dirt. I've never squirted the vents with compressed air or popped it open for a closer look. I don't have a small screwdriver or the willingness to buy one, especially since I bought the huge Mac desktop last summer.

I've wiped the hard drive clean several times to try and restore its functionality. Now, I'm finally getting around to seriously wanting to use it for music purposes. I've taken most of the non-essential program off the hard drive and installed Reason, plus an ASIO driver to cut down on signal delay from my MIDI keyboard to the computer. I'm now downloading FL Studio for installation, which should complete the software end of what I need it for. A next step is picking up a powered speaker that I can run from my mixer and the laptop. If I can get the software to work well in conjunction, I'll be pretty well set.

This doesn't change the fact that the laptop isn't the greatest, but maybe I can get a show out of it. I've got it raised on a stack of coasters right now to allow ventilation and it seems to be helping it tremendously. I really should have taken better care of this thing.

I think about what I'm going to do with the music a lot. Right now the plan is to put it online and play a show. Small steps. I've been thinking about hard copies to send out to places and how hardcore I want to go on designing/printing them. Over the next few weekends I'm planning to finalize the tacks, design a website and finish a music video, with everything coming together for a launch on Tuesday, May 19th. Once my equipment comes together, I'm going to practice my ass off and schedule a show. And then, well, I guess that's when I'll see how serious I am about this.

I spent the week in Peterborough with a lot of ideas floating around in my head. I came back with some poems written and ideas for poems and a short story brewing. It felt like the vacation kind of threw off the rhythm I had going of working, songwriting and review writing, but at least I have a lot to aim for. If only work weren't getting in the way.

I'm still listening to a lot of Wilco. I've got four of their albums. Some of these songs will be with me forever, I think. As long as I get to listen to a song like "Poor Places" as often as I want, the world can't be all bad.

Tomorrow night I'm going to check out a set by Adam Saikely at the Avant Garde Bar. I want to spy on his audio setup. It feels like my ego has kept me out of a lot of venues in Ottawa over the last few years. I'm trying to get past it because it's bullshit and I'm too old to be concerned with things like that. Andrea helps me out on that front. The world is hers to hold while the rest of us are just trying to stay standing.