Not much going on this week. I did a last minute tracking session for Blake Shelton on Thurs. That went very smoothly and was fun. I was once again able to work at a new-to-me studio in town which is great. I was lucky that when I first went freelance, I was still booked a lot at Emerald Studios, where I used to be on staff for a few years. This spoiled me and allowed me to not have to work very hard to find sessions. Now that Emerald is closed, I've been forced to worked harder and exploit my contacts. It has allowed me though to work at a lot of different studios around town, each time making new contacts; which is something I really should of been doing when I first went freelance back in 2004.

Thurs night tap room was a lot of fun. I got off work just in time to get over there and have two pints before last call. The place was full of Yazoo guys with an appearance from Clay of DSG. We rolled to Pizza Perfect afterwards for some dinner and more beer. Beth had just finished doing a truck show at Queen Bee in the Edgehill Village area so she met us at Pizza Perfect. She enjoyed meeting some more of my biking friends. She got a good dose of Sharpie at his best, cracking constant jokes and impersonations.

Thad invited us to sushi last night at Peter's Sushi in Brentwood. Beth and I loved the food and the company! Peter's has some unique rolls. Unfortunately it's in Brentwood, but atleast it's not across the river right? Thad was supposed to browse through Beth's jewelry but we all forgot on the way out. Don't forget Beth has a website: Freshie and Zero where you can shop from the comfort of your own home, in your skivies if you want! (this is a reminder for everyone, not just Thad! )

This weekends weather is going to be crummy so it doesn't look like I'll get much riding in, probably none. I was able to do some more xmas shopping today. I dare say I'm finished at this point. I just need to get some stocking stuffers for Beth, I mean for santa to put in Beth's stocking.

The spot won't be empty for long

It has been done...
2 years in the making...
Choices have been made...
The waiting has begun...

new techie stuff

Alright I admit that I still have iphone envy and in a perfect world, I think I'd still like to have one on a Sprint network. I just found out about this guy who is building this amazing software for the iphone/ipod touch and it is really making me jealous!!


Check out this link:

ProRemote Protools Controler


He is developing an iphone remote for Protools software that will allow you to control the software from anywhere. Engineers have been asking for a way to control their mix from either the back of the control room or even a different room. This would allow the engineer to listen in a different environment than right in front of the console and yet still be able to have real-time control over their software! No more walking up to the console to make small tweaks and then heading back to where you are listening; no more having the assistant go and start the mix again or do a little tweak for you.

I think it is just brilliant and really shows you what the iphone/touch is capable of and what people are capable of given the correct tools and ingenuity.

I didn't work today, but I feel especially accomplished!! I was finally able to get my Sprint account setup the way I wanted. I'm sure this doesn't sound like a big task, but it took about 10 customer service calls where I probably spoke with 15 different people. I won't go into all the details but I basically have my new phone working on my old phone number with a very nice plan. The power of persistence and patience is amazing!

So much has happened this past week it's hard to know where to start. I'll work to keep giving the short version.

Last tuesday I did a tracking session at a new (to me) studio at Sony Tree. I hadn't done a tracking date in a month so I was a little rusty but the guys on the session were a lot of fun and made the day really enjoyable. The studio just got a new (to them) console installed and there are still some bugs to work out. We were able to work around it all, but it would of been a pain if we were working there for more than 1 day. I really do enjoy tracking though. I wasn't the engineer on this session but tracking is still so rewarding to me. You get a great sense of accomplishment that you don't always get from mixing. At the end of the day you can look and see the fruits of your hard work. With mixing you're always second guessing yourself and the clients has little changes, and many times continues to have little changes until they learn to let go. Tracking is a more final process. You come in, setup, record music, and then you're done. You've helped create something that didn't exist at the beginning of the day.

On thurs afternoon Thad and I headed down to MOAB to hang and I started building my "dream bike" aka the crosscheck, or aka "the spot filler". I admit I was underprepared, but I also didn't know what to expect. Brian (at MOAB) and I worked through some different builds and then hit some internet trouble. Thankfully about 1/2 an hour later Thad was able to rescue us and fix their laptop. I'm happy with most of the build. Now that I've had a few days to ponder it more there are a few changes I'd like to make and I still haven't decided on a wheelset. I'm thinking of sticking with a pretty standard 105 group but can't pick wheels. I know so little about road components that it's hard to know what things cost. Even without wheels, I'm pretty close to the top of my budget so I'm trying to get some affordable, durable, non-tank wheels. So far the ideas are 105 hub/Delgado CX rim, XT hub/Delgado rim, or something cheap like the Mavis Aksium. I'm not sure what a 105/xt with delgado wheel will cost so I need to get back to MOAB and work some more and ask some more questions. I'd like to order this by the end of the week if I can... then my spot won't be void for much longer.

Beth and I traveled to Decatur, GA this weekend for a craft show. It went well and we were able to have dinner at a place we both love there called the Brick Store Pub. They have great fish and chips and amazing beer. They have some great microbrews from across the US. They had the Great Divide Hibernation ale again so I was in heaven! There are few beers that I enjoy as much as this one. I mean its a hoppy, dark, strong ale with a 8.2% alcohol content, what's not to love.

Grant posted a great update to DSG 2.0 on NMB and has really got me pumped. I keep forgetting about DSG and that I have a team set up. I wasn't able to go last year because of my wedding so I am super psyched for this year. Our team needs to get our butts in gear and get registered!


Here are the photos from our weekend adventure. (sorry there aren't many this time)

Mimosas are nice

It's been a fun week since Thanksgiving break. I helped Beth setup and tear down two shows in one day and Thurs night tap room was fun. I've been glued to my new Centro, personalizing it and downloading programs. On Saturday, Thad and I rode Chickasaw in the amazing weather we had. Our bodies didn't know what was up with the 70 degree temps and clear skies. We were both feeling less than 100% but we still managed a great ride. The trail was in perfect shape. I really enjoyed riding the Soma, it was one of those good mojo days. Even with the lack of riding lately, I managed to have a great ride and not feel empty after. I really need to try to step up the riding in December to be ready for Snake Creek.

I took it easy on Sunday and got a lot of errands done with Beth. We had brunch with her parents and Beth did some needed rearranging of the office. Today was the first day I've had engineering work since before Thanksgiving. I'm assisting on a demo session with the Warren Brothers tomorrow so I went and setup the studio this afternoon. It's a new-to-me studio so the setup took a bit longer than I'd have liked. It should be a fun day tomorrow though (I hope). The engineer is always fun to work with and the Warren Bros are a trip.

The town is turning into one big Xmas decoration. It feels strange to think we are so close to Christmas. All the decorations are helping get me in the mood but it still feels like we've rushed into it. At least people waited until after Thanksgiving this year.

My brother and sister-in-law are having a baby girl on Wednesday! My first niece ever! It is so exciting, I can't imagine what they are feeling! We are going to try to go and see them before Christmas if we can.


There is rumor that there may be a new bike ordered soon for the Lawrence's.... It already has a place waiting for it in the living room. (shut up Thad!)