New Feet for the Beast

Oct 30, 2010 22:15

Lots of errands today.  The big one was getting an oil change and 4 new tires for the BMW.  I have a 13-passenger Ford BMW.  Well, it would sit 13 if I put 2 more benches back in the cargo area, but I really like that cargo area.  Seating 7 in relative comfort is better.  New windshield wipers too, high-tech silicon that should last a couple years.  Just getting ready for the winter snows waiting in the shadows.  The mountains behind my house already have a light dusting from Tuesday's storm.  Damage just over $600.

And I finally picked up a copy of Beowulf at a used bookstore.  The bookstore used to be in an old turn-of-the-19th-century brick office building and 20 years ago I used to spend Saturday afternoons going through the cellar, the basement, the sub-basement, and the tunnels that led out under the street, searching the stacks for treasures.  They've moved to a new location about 2 years ago and I finally went in to check it out.  It doesn't feel the same without orange and grapefruit boxes of paperbacks stacked in the narrow aisles.  I actually found Beowulf within seconds of being directed to the Classics area.  But, since there were having a 3 for $5, I spent another 40 minutes trying to find something by Eric Flint or Glen Cook or Terry Pratchett or any of the other 20 or so authors on my short list.  I finally settled on "Boundary" by Erick Flint & Ryk E. Spoor and "Diaspora" by Greg Egan.  I have several of Egan's books and Iook forward to this one.  Just as soon as I finish "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke.  Just as soon as I finish Beowulf.  Damn.

I also stopped by our local DJ / Band specialty supply store.  I bought my first guitar there about 15 years ago.  Today I picked up a Eurorack Pro RX1202FX 12-input Mic/Line rack mixer.  And five new vocal microphones and an instrument mic.  And 6 stage quality boom stands.  And cables.  I also plan on picking up a couple of powered speakers and stands for performances.  I don't know about the rest of the group, since they're 40 miles away, but where I live there are a couple of places next to the local Universities that offer stage space to perspiring artists.  Damage done on the tech gear is another $600+ and another $700 when I go back to get the speakers next month.  These are items the group wants to get and I figure I can pick them up now so we can start working on the next CD where we can each actually sing as a group, instead of singing into a single mic and then adding the tracks in.

Then I took SWIAR and younger daughter to see "Dispicable Me" at the dollar-and-a-half theater.  AFterwards, off for Vietnamese Pho and then back home so SWIAR could go to bed.  I'll post more about the noodle house at a later date.

I still have another song to work on.  "Sodium Ghosts" is finished and I'll post that next.  "Queen of Roses" is coming along nicely and I hope to have it finished in a day or two, AND I've started "Persephone," which should also be finished in a day or two.  Plus, I need to color-code the cables and mics.  And read Beowulf.  Damn.

-- thus curseth paiyatamu

auto repair, pho, filk, sound equipment, cinema

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