We leave our beautiful mountain retreat tomorrow morning with trailer in tow. We are finally moving the rest of our things down to Arkansas from Boise. Loading up today was fairly easy thanks to Warren's muscle and handtruck expertise. I have some great pictures, but they will have to wait until I return. They are trapped on my cell phone and I have no service where I am right now. Internet on the drive home may be hard to come by as well.
We have had a great time with our friends here and I wish we could bring them all with us. Maybe they'll come down soon. We had dinner tonight at the world's greatest pizza place, Flying Pie. I wish I could bring that with me, too. They not only have incredible pizza, but a 66 pound ball of foil, and newly (since I left) redecorated bathrooms. The women's bathroom is especially nice (Liana snuck me in, shhhh).
I may try a quick cell phone post from the road, but don't count on it.
Later,
Blake
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Sunday, June 26, 2005
On the Road
We're on he way to Idaho. Today we are i Denver and just got back from the Colorado Rockies' game. ROCKIES WIN! The final score was 9-4. We sat in the "Rockpile" which are the cheap $4 seats out in centerfield. It was HOT!!! The post below was done from my seat. My first attempt at the mobile blog. It still needs a little work.
Anyway, here are some pics of our trip so far.
Here's a funny shot of Liana at the Cracker Barrell last night. Still 6 hours to go before we reached our hotel. Funny pic. Long Day!
Here's Liana hugging a bear somewhere between Burlington, CO and Denver this morning. This was at a combination gas station, gift store, restaurant along the way.
Here's a shot of the restaurant we had lunch at today. It's called the Mercury Cafe. It is spectacular. Great atmosphere. Live jazz AND a poetry slam tonight. We're going back! The picture is a little blurry due to the low light, but you can still make out the dessert table on the left. YUM!
Here's me at the Colorado Rockies game today. Sorry for the extremely goofy look. I was having to stare into the sun in order to get a pic with the Blake St. sign. This ones for you, mom.
Later,
Blake
Anyway, here are some pics of our trip so far.
Here's a funny shot of Liana at the Cracker Barrell last night. Still 6 hours to go before we reached our hotel. Funny pic. Long Day!
Here's Liana hugging a bear somewhere between Burlington, CO and Denver this morning. This was at a combination gas station, gift store, restaurant along the way.
Here's a shot of the restaurant we had lunch at today. It's called the Mercury Cafe. It is spectacular. Great atmosphere. Live jazz AND a poetry slam tonight. We're going back! The picture is a little blurry due to the low light, but you can still make out the dessert table on the left. YUM!
Here's me at the Colorado Rockies game today. Sorry for the extremely goofy look. I was having to stare into the sun in order to get a pic with the Blake St. sign. This ones for you, mom.
Later,
Blake
Friday, June 24, 2005
Malls of America
If you are a fan of the vintage shopping mall, you have to check out this blog by a fellow blogspotter. Great pictures abound.
Malls of America
Malls of America
Thursday, June 23, 2005
World Premiere
The week at band camp has flown by. I finished the percussion ensemble that I wrote for the students to perform and rehearsals have been going well. Tomorrow is Friday and that means that it's time for the small ensembles concert. If you are in Conway tomorrow, stop by Ida Waldren Auditorium for the world premiere performance.
The ensemble is huge! 12 snare drummers, 5 tom-tommers, 2 bass drummers, 2 xylophonists, 2 marimbists, 1 vibraphonist, 1 glockenspielist, 1 chimer and gonger,1 cymbalist and 1 timpanist. I had a contest for all the students to come up with a title for the piece. The winner will be announced tomorrow just before the performance (concert starts at 11 AM).
In other news, I won the bidding for a very exciting item on Ebay. I hope that it is as amazing as I think it will be. I will post photos when it arrives. I also was lucky enough to find a Casio PT-10 keyboard at the Goodwill Store here in town. You just can't get sounds like that anymore. The official name for the sounds are piano, fantasy, violin and flute, but the really bear little resemblance to their namesakes. It also has an onboard drum machine with 10 different rhythms (made up of a combination of high pitched beeps and "percussive static"). Liana was skeptical at first, but I think she is beginning to see the true beauty of the Casio PT-10.
We also saw It's All Gone Pete Tong last night at the Market Street Cinema in Little Rock. It was great! It's about a DJ who loses his hearing. As someone who really values his hearing, as as someone who works in a high risk environment (percussion is often very loud!!!) I found the portrayal of hearing loss in the movie frightening and a little nauseating. While I have been pretty obsessive about protecting my ears for many years, I still worry about my students. Some of them are careful, but a lot of them don't really seem to believe that it could happen to them. If you are one of those people, this movie might change your mind. Plus, it's a great movie.
The ensemble is huge! 12 snare drummers, 5 tom-tommers, 2 bass drummers, 2 xylophonists, 2 marimbists, 1 vibraphonist, 1 glockenspielist, 1 chimer and gonger,1 cymbalist and 1 timpanist. I had a contest for all the students to come up with a title for the piece. The winner will be announced tomorrow just before the performance (concert starts at 11 AM).
In other news, I won the bidding for a very exciting item on Ebay. I hope that it is as amazing as I think it will be. I will post photos when it arrives. I also was lucky enough to find a Casio PT-10 keyboard at the Goodwill Store here in town. You just can't get sounds like that anymore. The official name for the sounds are piano, fantasy, violin and flute, but the really bear little resemblance to their namesakes. It also has an onboard drum machine with 10 different rhythms (made up of a combination of high pitched beeps and "percussive static"). Liana was skeptical at first, but I think she is beginning to see the true beauty of the Casio PT-10.
We also saw It's All Gone Pete Tong last night at the Market Street Cinema in Little Rock. It was great! It's about a DJ who loses his hearing. As someone who really values his hearing, as as someone who works in a high risk environment (percussion is often very loud!!!) I found the portrayal of hearing loss in the movie frightening and a little nauseating. While I have been pretty obsessive about protecting my ears for many years, I still worry about my students. Some of them are careful, but a lot of them don't really seem to believe that it could happen to them. If you are one of those people, this movie might change your mind. Plus, it's a great movie.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Resistance is (not) Futile
If you're from the 24th century, I know one place that you're not welcome. Okay, so this is only one side of the story, but come on! Suspended?
Clink here, and read the second post.
Thanks to www.boingboing.net for the link to the story.
Clink here, and read the second post.
Thanks to www.boingboing.net for the link to the story.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Composing, Batman, One More Thing
Good Morning!
I was going to post last night, but was a litte brain dead after composing for most of the day. It's not the composing part as much as the "putting on the computer" part that really gets to me. I am writing a percussion ensemble piece for next week's band camp here at UCA. It is challenging because I always have to keep in mind that about 16 high school students will have less than four hours of rehearsal time before the performance. So, I always have to think about that when I'm writing. It is tricky to find the balance that pushes hard enough to be challenging but not so hard as to be discouraging. I also want to write a piece that the students will like, of course. My working title for the piece is Refuge X. Any thoughts on that?
It's finished at this point, I just need to get it in Sibelius and print out the parts. That's my project for today. I had hopes of going to see It's All Gone Pete Tong this evening, but, alas, that will have to wait.
I did see Batman Begins a couple of days ago. Excellent, but not perfect. The story is well conceived and helps to explain how Batman got all of his equipment without anyone knowing about it (I've always wondered). A couple of things keep it from being a movie that I really have to see again. First, there is comic relief inserted at the most inopportune moments. If the mood is dark and serious, why spoil it? Director's choice? Maybe. Studio execs worried that preview audiences found it "too Dark"? Probably. Usually the jokes aren't even that good. The second problem is the casting of Katie Holmes. She is out of her league, and it shows. Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Christian Bale and a lot of lesser known but still incredible actors populate the cast (Cillian Murphy of 28 Days Later has perfected "Crazy"). It is bothersome because while the other actors pull you in and make you believe, Holmes is a constant reminder that it's just a movie. We can't blame Katie, though. Who could turn down a part in a movie like this. Instead, blame the person who offered the part to her in the first place.
Oh...the soundtrack, in my opinion, is a little weak. Still, the good far outweighs the bad. Go see it. Who knows, I may see it again, too...at the $1.00 Theater.
My last two posts have been about copyright law. I know it's getting old. But, one last thing. Wired has found a legislator who is doing the unexpected and fighting for the public's rights. Click on the link below to go to the interview.
Wired News: Lawmaker Revs Up Fair-Use Crusade
Later,
Blake
I was going to post last night, but was a litte brain dead after composing for most of the day. It's not the composing part as much as the "putting on the computer" part that really gets to me. I am writing a percussion ensemble piece for next week's band camp here at UCA. It is challenging because I always have to keep in mind that about 16 high school students will have less than four hours of rehearsal time before the performance. So, I always have to think about that when I'm writing. It is tricky to find the balance that pushes hard enough to be challenging but not so hard as to be discouraging. I also want to write a piece that the students will like, of course. My working title for the piece is Refuge X. Any thoughts on that?
It's finished at this point, I just need to get it in Sibelius and print out the parts. That's my project for today. I had hopes of going to see It's All Gone Pete Tong this evening, but, alas, that will have to wait.
I did see Batman Begins a couple of days ago. Excellent, but not perfect. The story is well conceived and helps to explain how Batman got all of his equipment without anyone knowing about it (I've always wondered). A couple of things keep it from being a movie that I really have to see again. First, there is comic relief inserted at the most inopportune moments. If the mood is dark and serious, why spoil it? Director's choice? Maybe. Studio execs worried that preview audiences found it "too Dark"? Probably. Usually the jokes aren't even that good. The second problem is the casting of Katie Holmes. She is out of her league, and it shows. Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Christian Bale and a lot of lesser known but still incredible actors populate the cast (Cillian Murphy of 28 Days Later has perfected "Crazy"). It is bothersome because while the other actors pull you in and make you believe, Holmes is a constant reminder that it's just a movie. We can't blame Katie, though. Who could turn down a part in a movie like this. Instead, blame the person who offered the part to her in the first place.
Oh...the soundtrack, in my opinion, is a little weak. Still, the good far outweighs the bad. Go see it. Who knows, I may see it again, too...at the $1.00 Theater.
My last two posts have been about copyright law. I know it's getting old. But, one last thing. Wired has found a legislator who is doing the unexpected and fighting for the public's rights. Click on the link below to go to the interview.
Wired News: Lawmaker Revs Up Fair-Use Crusade
Later,
Blake
Friday, June 17, 2005
If you don't like the laws, just change them.
Here's a link to an editorial in The Times. Europe is fighting it's own war against copyright insanity. The people controlling the copyrights couldn't care less about a sense of balance and fairness. They are using the popular "we can't compete with the United States" argument to try and change the laws. Hopefully the lawmakers in Europe will do what ours didn't...represent the interests of the public instead of the entertainment industry executives.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Mixtape Crackdown Sends a Mixed Message - New York Times
The RIAA is at it again. When they're not suing 12 year old girls they're raiding the shops that cater to hardcore fans and give their artists the "street-cred" the need to succeed. But rest easy, friends. With the money they save by shutting down these places, they'll be able to fund even more new albums by the Backstreet Boys and Il Divo (I won't provide a link to either of their sites. Visit them at your own risk).
I await the knock on my door. I have to confess that when I was twelve, I recorded American Top 40 off of the radio everyweek. I went through a lot of cheap BASF tapes because I probably did it for at least two years. 40 songs a week for at least 102 weeks! I would share them with my friends and even made copies of a few of them. You see, like many music fans today (especially those in middle school), I didn't have much of a budget for going out and buying the latest album. Now I do, and the part of me that wants recapture my fading youth will pay dearly for CD's by those artists at Barnes and Noble. If they arrest me now, who will buy Air Supply's Greatest Hits? Who???
Oh, and since the RIAA doesn't have its own stormtrooper unit(yet), our tax dollars pay for these raids. Wasn't there something more important the FBI was supposed to be looking into?
June 17th Update: I'm not saying that those who violate copyright on a massive scale should not be shut down. If you print up 90,000 copies of Spiderman 2 and sell it to 7-11's around the country, that's a problem. But, misleading statistics are often cited to show damge where little or none has occured. My problem with the specific incident discussed in the NYTimes story is that the music industry and it's artists tacitly (and not so tacitly) supported the mixtape culture before they had an apparent change of heart. There are better ways to deal with things. The RIAA seems deperate.
I await the knock on my door. I have to confess that when I was twelve, I recorded American Top 40 off of the radio everyweek. I went through a lot of cheap BASF tapes because I probably did it for at least two years. 40 songs a week for at least 102 weeks! I would share them with my friends and even made copies of a few of them. You see, like many music fans today (especially those in middle school), I didn't have much of a budget for going out and buying the latest album. Now I do, and the part of me that wants recapture my fading youth will pay dearly for CD's by those artists at Barnes and Noble. If they arrest me now, who will buy Air Supply's Greatest Hits? Who???
Oh, and since the RIAA doesn't have its own stormtrooper unit(yet), our tax dollars pay for these raids. Wasn't there something more important the FBI was supposed to be looking into?
June 17th Update: I'm not saying that those who violate copyright on a massive scale should not be shut down. If you print up 90,000 copies of Spiderman 2 and sell it to 7-11's around the country, that's a problem. But, misleading statistics are often cited to show damge where little or none has occured. My problem with the specific incident discussed in the NYTimes story is that the music industry and it's artists tacitly (and not so tacitly) supported the mixtape culture before they had an apparent change of heart. There are better ways to deal with things. The RIAA seems deperate.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Local Woman Harnesses Power of the Force, Creates Origami Yoda
Who's that next to the Darth Vader speakerphone. That's right, it's Origami Yoda.
Yesterday I found a link to instructions on how to make an Origami Yoda at www.boingboing.net. Liana decided that even though she had never done any origami before, and even though it was five pages of complex diagrams, she was going to make this little guy. So, off to Hobby Lobby for the origami paper. She started yesterday at 3:30 with the first fold. By 4:40 it was looking hopeless. She was having problems deciphering the instructions and the paper was suffering from being folded and unfolded so many times. She didn't give up though. With just small breaks for sustinance, she continued her work and maintained her focus. Finally, at about 12:45 AM, I was awakened by a little paper Yoda dancing in front of my face. She's knows it's not perfect, but it's not bad for her first origami ever. Now that she's got it down she plans to perfect the Origami Yoda. May the Force be with her.
Blake
Update. Here's a view of Origami Yoda, Jr. This only took her about 2 1/2 hours. But, more problems have been solved and we are estimating that the third attempt will probably come in at about 1 hour and 45 minutes. (I altered the pic a little to hide the fact that this one is made from orange paper)
Yesterday I found a link to instructions on how to make an Origami Yoda at www.boingboing.net. Liana decided that even though she had never done any origami before, and even though it was five pages of complex diagrams, she was going to make this little guy. So, off to Hobby Lobby for the origami paper. She started yesterday at 3:30 with the first fold. By 4:40 it was looking hopeless. She was having problems deciphering the instructions and the paper was suffering from being folded and unfolded so many times. She didn't give up though. With just small breaks for sustinance, she continued her work and maintained her focus. Finally, at about 12:45 AM, I was awakened by a little paper Yoda dancing in front of my face. She's knows it's not perfect, but it's not bad for her first origami ever. Now that she's got it down she plans to perfect the Origami Yoda. May the Force be with her.
Blake
Update. Here's a view of Origami Yoda, Jr. This only took her about 2 1/2 hours. But, more problems have been solved and we are estimating that the third attempt will probably come in at about 1 hour and 45 minutes. (I altered the pic a little to hide the fact that this one is made from orange paper)
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Smells Like Paul Anka
Right now I’m listening to the new Paul Anka album Rock Swings. It’s one of those projects you usually stumble across and immediately run as fast as you can in the opposite direction…50’s teen idol turned Vegas regular releases a CD full of big band versions of songs by the most iconic pop/rock stars of the past 20 years. But…hold on. It is actually incredibly well done. It’s not the disaster of yore that occurred when Pat Boone released an album of heavy metal. First of all, Anka’s great musicianship shines through. Second, it shows,for the most part, that these are great songs that can survive the transition of style and personality. Third, the band sounds great and the arrangements are stunningly good.
I wasn’t aware of this album until I saw Paul Anka singing Smells Like Teen Spirit on Letterman last week. I know that there are some people who will become physically ill even thinking about that, but not me. I am one year to old to be officially included in Generation X. I wasn’t much of an “angst-ridden” teen. Van Halen and Bon Jovi were as angst-ridden as it got for me and most of my friends (although I generally preferred Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones, etc…).I will admit that it is maybe the most “gimmicky” track on the album. Though, like the original, it's incredibly catchy and I enjoy listening to it. One big problem, I think, is that the lyrics of Smells Like Teen Spirit don’t really lend themselves to the big band style. If you wore the flannel, bought two extra copies of any magazine with Kurt Cobain’s picture on the cover, and still have your tickets from when you saw Nirvana in concert, you might want to skip that track. Other tracks like Jump, True, Eye of the Tiger and It’s My Life might be easier for you to take.
I’m listening to Rock Swings right now on the new Yahoo! Music Unlimited. I highly recommend it. I was on Napster to go for a while, but Yahoo! Gives you the same basic deal and charges A LOT less. It lets me listen to things I would probably never buy, expanding my horizons while saving me lots of money. Yahoo!
Later,
Blake
I wasn’t aware of this album until I saw Paul Anka singing Smells Like Teen Spirit on Letterman last week. I know that there are some people who will become physically ill even thinking about that, but not me. I am one year to old to be officially included in Generation X. I wasn’t much of an “angst-ridden” teen. Van Halen and Bon Jovi were as angst-ridden as it got for me and most of my friends (although I generally preferred Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones, etc…).I will admit that it is maybe the most “gimmicky” track on the album. Though, like the original, it's incredibly catchy and I enjoy listening to it. One big problem, I think, is that the lyrics of Smells Like Teen Spirit don’t really lend themselves to the big band style. If you wore the flannel, bought two extra copies of any magazine with Kurt Cobain’s picture on the cover, and still have your tickets from when you saw Nirvana in concert, you might want to skip that track. Other tracks like Jump, True, Eye of the Tiger and It’s My Life might be easier for you to take.
I’m listening to Rock Swings right now on the new Yahoo! Music Unlimited. I highly recommend it. I was on Napster to go for a while, but Yahoo! Gives you the same basic deal and charges A LOT less. It lets me listen to things I would probably never buy, expanding my horizons while saving me lots of money. Yahoo!
Later,
Blake
Friday, June 10, 2005
Everybody go to Mike's Place
Today Liana and I went to a new restaurant here in Conway. I know that the name "Mike's Place" may make it sound more like a bar than a fine restaurant, but don't be fooled. The atmosphere is great and the food and service were outstanding. The menu is probably the best (and most varied) in Conway. In fact, from what I saw today, Mike's Place could hold its own in any city in the country. The restaurant is designed to emulate a New Orleans eatery. It comes close except in New Orleans the tables would be much closer to each other and the food would cost twice as much. The interior is beautifully decorated and there is an enclosed patio (with fountain) that will seat about 40 prople.
The most exciting thing for many people is that you can purchase wine and beer and actually drink it in public. This is a relatively new development in Conway. For those of you that don;t know, Faulkner county in DRY. Things are beginning to loosen up a littlw...finally. It has been slow going due to some old laws that people are afraid to change (politics). I think it is a great development for the city. As someone who has never had a drink in his life (well, I did take a swig of Nyquil about 5 years ago) I am maybe not as excited as some people about it, but I think that it will help attract better restaurants to the town and make things seem a little more "cosmopolitan" to our guests. Still no bars or liquor stores (and that's fine with me) but I'm glad to say that you can now enjoy a glass of fine wine wih your meal here in Conway.
So, if you live around here, please go and support this great new restaurant.
The website is here. They have been more involved in getting the place open than with updating the website, but hopefully there will be more info soon.
Later,
Blake
The most exciting thing for many people is that you can purchase wine and beer and actually drink it in public. This is a relatively new development in Conway. For those of you that don;t know, Faulkner county in DRY. Things are beginning to loosen up a littlw...finally. It has been slow going due to some old laws that people are afraid to change (politics). I think it is a great development for the city. As someone who has never had a drink in his life (well, I did take a swig of Nyquil about 5 years ago) I am maybe not as excited as some people about it, but I think that it will help attract better restaurants to the town and make things seem a little more "cosmopolitan" to our guests. Still no bars or liquor stores (and that's fine with me) but I'm glad to say that you can now enjoy a glass of fine wine wih your meal here in Conway.
So, if you live around here, please go and support this great new restaurant.
The website is here. They have been more involved in getting the place open than with updating the website, but hopefully there will be more info soon.
Later,
Blake
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Wayback Machine
The internet is a place where information can vanish in an instant if servers go down, companies are sold, or people hit delete. But, someone has been working on this problem. Click the link below to use the "Wayback Machine". You can even configure your browser's toolbar to automatically take you back whenever you want. It is fascinating (and a little addictive). Give it a try.
Internet Archive: Wayback Machine
Internet Archive: Wayback Machine
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
The Revenge of the Intuitive
Here's an article by Brian Eno that I first read many years ago. It reentered my life again today (thanks to the magic of the internet) so I thought I would share it. He makes a good point.
Wired 7.01: The Revenge of the Intuitive
Wired 7.01: The Revenge of the Intuitive
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Bad News for Those of Us Who Drop Food
The trip back to Arkansas was a fairly uneventful 11 hours or so. We listened to State of Fear by Michael Crichton to pass the time. Let me warn you now...Don't Waste Your Time OR Money On This Book. If I want a lecture about how evil enviromental preservation groups are, I'll ask for it. But in any case, don't make me pay for it. Luckily we rented it from Cracker Barrel, so I'm only out about four bucks.
Settling in now. Back to the office tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a fascinating scientific study I stumbled across.
Scientists Weigh in on the Five Second Rule
Click on the link and scroll down to find out why you should put that Oreo in the trash, not in your mouth.
Settling in now. Back to the office tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a fascinating scientific study I stumbled across.
Scientists Weigh in on the Five Second Rule
Click on the link and scroll down to find out why you should put that Oreo in the trash, not in your mouth.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Exciting finds
An exciting trip to Wax N Facts in Atlanta, the place to get your music both analog and digital. Not only did I get "Stuff: Live in New York" featuring Mr. Steve Gadd on the drums (on vinyl) but I also finally scored the Temirkanov/NewYork Phil. recording of Scheherazade (on CD) with Chris Lamb powering up the snare. I can't wait to listen to both of them.
Liana comes back in from Boston today (Hooray!). I'll be picking her up at the airport this afternoon after a late lunck with Myron. Then tonight, it's off to the Mellow Mushroom for pizza and trivia. Our trivia team, The Skyrockets, took first place when we were here six months ago. The pressure is on for a repeat performance tonight.
George Rochberg died yesterday. If you don't know his music, try to check some out soon.
I'll be heading back to Arkansas friday morning after a final visitation blitz around the metro Atlanta area.
Maybe no posts until I return.
Blake
Liana comes back in from Boston today (Hooray!). I'll be picking her up at the airport this afternoon after a late lunck with Myron. Then tonight, it's off to the Mellow Mushroom for pizza and trivia. Our trivia team, The Skyrockets, took first place when we were here six months ago. The pressure is on for a repeat performance tonight.
George Rochberg died yesterday. If you don't know his music, try to check some out soon.
I'll be heading back to Arkansas friday morning after a final visitation blitz around the metro Atlanta area.
Maybe no posts until I return.
Blake
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