Wow. I haven’t really done much around here, have I? I mean… yes, the music project. Which is much more fun to do now that I’m not dreading a weekly recording session, I should point out. So, what’s going on in my life and at random?

• Family drama levels are higher than usual, thanks to financial drama (as yet unresolved) coupled with younger rugrat drama (mostly resolved). One of these months I’ll be able to go without suffering panic attacks brought on by money issues… right?
• Summer has truly arrived. The air is often moist enough to drink and the heat is as oppressive as I ever want to deal with, thus my air conditioner is mounted and running most of the time when I’m in my room, awake or asleep. On the upside, I found a way to mount the rig which doesn’t bother me so much. Previously it was sort of hanging on by the strength of the sliding window structure itself. Now it’s considerably better balanced and braced, and I sleep much easier at night. Less stress is a very good thing.
• I’m still not seeing enough of my friends other than Kyla and the roomie. Some of this is my own damned fault for not making a point of pestering people to make plans, and some of this is due to extenuating circumstances. (Let’s say, somebody coming down with the Killer Death Crud? For weeks? Bah!)
• Apparently my domain still shows up on website blocking lists as pornography, as noted today by friend karawynn. I’m fairly certain that this is all thanks to The Imperial Princess of Cute and her cleverly-named “thingie.” Not much I can do about that, sorry. It’s not like I’m going to insist she change it at this late date.
• The new season of anime has begun and… I simply don’t care. Nothing on offer grabs my attention in the slightest. This is okay, however, as there’s still “Daughter of Twenty Faces” and “Allison To Lillia” and “Macross Frontier” and (yes, even) “Blassreiter” to finish off before autumn arrives. By the way? If you’re interested in moderately-mature discussion of current running anime series, I may have a forum for you.
• I’m starting to think that I need to ease up on the Twitter and start saving up material to post here. After all, the Twitter stuff isn’t under my control and doesn’t contribute to the journal archives. There’s also that whole pesky “if you don’t update very often you will continue to lose readers” thing…

I’m sure I forgot a few things. I also deliberately left out a few things that aren’t entirely fit for the public record. Such is the way of the little grey journal. It’s past my bedtime (I’m only up this late because it took longer than expected to come up with the track listing for this week’s Project) and I must get horizontal very soon.

Until next time, “Be excellent to each other.”

Not that she’s likely to notice this post, but I’m going to wish my sister a Happy Birthday anyway. She’s… well, let’s say “a handful of years” younger than I am, so I’ll always get to call her my “kid” sister. Ah, the joys of being the big brother!

Her only online presence is, of all things, a MySpace page. Sorry, but I’m not going to dignify that wretched hive of scum and villainy by making a direct link. If you’re familiar with those environs, her username is ‘goddesskiriel’. Feel free to send her birthday wishes and remind her that she should try to stay in touch with her family on occasion…

Things you may find interesting:

• When writing about popular music, album titles should be in italics and song titles should be surrounded by double-quotes. Apparently I’ve been doing it wrong for… oh, let’s not go into how many years. The important thing is that I know this now so I can lend some stylistic validity to the written version of the Summer Music Project commentary.
• The terms “flat” and “sharp,” when referring to musical notes, are apparently known as “accidentals.” I have not yet been able to discern the etymology for this usage; it seems an odd choice of terminology. An “accidental” is something you play deliberately in almost any piece of music, after all.
• If you want a hint about what I might be prepping for the upcoming SMP mix, it may be worth perusing my Last.fm profile. (Of course, as soon as I post this I plan to muddy the waters considerably by listening to a whole bunch of different artists.)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have been awake for an awfully long time and I’d like to soothe my brain with notes both natural and accidental before I seek my slumber.

Well, here’s news I didn’t want to wake up to: George Carlin died yesterday.

Let’s be fair and note that this wasn’t entirely unexpected. He suffered from heart problems for quite some time, and it’s not like he was some spring chicken. He made it to 71, which is a fair bit past my own life expectancy given my genetics.

But still, this is sad news for me. Carlin played a significant role in pointing me toward my current fascination with the power of language for good or ill. He changed his style significantly at several points in his career but at every stage he liked to point out the silly and, later on, the sinister aspects of how we use words in America. Analyzing and understanding the why behind someone’s choice of words is a large part of critical thinking as applied to individuals and society.

Lest I forget: He also made me laugh. A lot. I’m a big fan of laughter. Hell, I still have portions of his routines stuck in memory, to be recited at appropriate times. Well, mostly appropriate. Okay, sometimes.

Anyway.

I think it’s time to grab a few more of Carlin’s comedy albums from eMusic…

Yesterday was a very good day, as you might expect from one which begins with pancakes (with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon) and bacon. In the afternoon, Kyla and I took Erica out to Washington Square for shopping and dining. For all that Erica pooh-pooh’d the idea of eating at a place called “Cheesecake Factory” (“I don’t like cheesecake!”) she came around at the mention of their chocolate cake selection. While she ordered a pepperoni pizza (ending up with enough leftovers to bring home and share with Alex), she did try a bite of my parmesan-crusted chicken and approved. There’s hope for her yet, I say.

There’s hope for me as well. I managed to eat only a couple small pieces of the bread, less than half of the (delicious!) pasta that came with my chicken, and enough of the cake dessert (which I’d left room for!) to feel I’d gotten my money’s worth… and still left the table without feeling the slightest hint that I’d overeaten. I weigh 240 pounds, and one of my goals is to get a handle on my eating habits. I may not be eating healthier, but I’m at least trying to eat a bit smarter. I feel good about yesterday!

We went slightly nuts at the LEGO store; Erica came away with a set which would allow her to build two different creepy bugs or an articulated snake-shaped creature. I’m certain that her mother will be delighted. I spent a bit more than originally planned, but came away with enough medieval-themed minifigs to populate the proposed 4E gaming sessions with the Sunday Evening Group. Kyla picked up a few sets in the Castle theme herself, and spent part of our Doctor-Who-watching time assembling the most sinister prison coach you’ve ever seen.

She says it’s cute. I question her judgment.

We also came away with new shades for everyone (I’d sat on mine Friday at work, Kyla’s were falling apart and Erica didn’t have any) and a new pair of jeans for myself. Not only that, but thanks to various Tri-Met drivers, Erica and I had transfers that lasted until 6pm… which is just about when we boarded the #56 for downtown. Sweet deal!

I’d say that the only downside to the day at all involved a traumatizing sight when we three were beginning our journey westward. Just as the #9 was pulling up at NE 9th and Broadway, a whole bunch of bicyclists rode by.

Naked. Butt naked.

Let’s just say that most people really are better off clothed. I’m not sure which of the three of us came away from that with the most mental scarring…