Album February.

Tomorrow starts Album February.

This is what happens: 14 songs get written and recorded in 28 days.

I'll blog here daily with my progress. I miss the daily blogging and am glad to have an excuse to get back to it.

I spent today scribbling in colors on a large easel pad. There is now a list of 40 solid, but incomplete snippets that could become songs. A lot of juicy bits here. The actual writing of the songs, I'm not worried about at all.

The recording, however, is another matter. I do, occasionally, record rough demos at home. But it's difficult. I get frustrated with my limited playing, or my limited knowledge of the equipment, and can only go for very short bursts. With long stretches between to quell the frustration. Ack! No breaks this month.

In addition to the FAWM goal, I'm setting a couple extra tasks for myself: Three pages of freewriting in my song notebook every day. And, another note added to the top end of my chest-voice vocal range. I just tried it (it's the D). Oof. A *lot* of work to do.

Also on the slate for February are a new computer and recording equipment, and a new electric guitar. I have my system staked out. Not *quite* sure where the money is to come from, but I'll figure something out.

It will be interesting to see what effect the 4 day Canadian drum session has on all of this. My drummer played a *great* gig Monday night in spite of his discomfort. He says his finger is healing more and more every day, so he should be in fine form by the 13th.

So, yay!

jules

Book Report.

Hi there. I hope you're good.

These days I've been communing with lonely souls in literature.

Just finished Catcher in the Rye. I think I mentioned in a previous entry that I had started this book before and couldn't finish, because Holden Caufield made me angry. I forgot my anger the second time around, and was able to feel so much sympathy this boy. For all the emotions he didn't have words for. For all the times he attempted to reach out to people who let him down, spiraling out of control, through surprising moments of honest and self-knowledge. The book left me speechless.

Perfume's Jean-Baptiste Grenouille's impulses got perverted due to a complete absence of love and care in his life. Even Ignatius J. Reilly (A Confederacy of Dunces), who covers his insecurity in overblown language and food, makes hilarious, sad sense to me.

I also read the Griffin and Sabine box set. This is a beautiful work. It's a series of letters between people who live on the opposite sides of the world. Actual letters and postcards. It's gorgeous.

But.

I found myself more than a little frustrated with the characters, specifically with the way they run from what they claim they want the most. My anger at their wasted opportunity forced me back into my own life, to my own focus on what I want the most.

And all the ways in which I run from it myself.

Next up: Jeanette Winterson's The Passion.

Bizarreness on the recording front: My drummer/producer broke his finger. Ack! He's recovering well though, and all should be on track for the mid February record date. This is getting surreal.

I am going to do February Album Writing Month, if only to counteract the surreality.

http://www.fawm.org

jules

A Good Read.

I'm bushed at the end of a long, long workweek. There's a car coming to pick me up and take me home in ten minutes.

I finished A Confederacy of Dunces today. What a great book.

I'm surprised, actually, that the story was as touching to me as it was.

There's an interesting story behind the book, as well - the author committed suicide at age 32 - 11 years before the book was published. His mother forced her way into the office of a Loyola University professor, and browbeat the man into reading the book, which led to its publication and winning of the Pulitzer Prize.

There have been plans to make it a movie forever, but the potential leads kept dying - John Belushi, John Candy, Chris Farley.

Catcher in the Rye is next, novel-wise. I started reading it before, actually, but got so annoyed at Holden Caufield that I put it down. I'll get through it this time.

Time to run...home. Bed. It's the end of the week, baybee!

jules

I Am No Longer A Snot Factory.

God, has it been *10* days since I last said hello? My little corner of the net has all kinds of dust and lint on it.

It's 4:30am. I have the Doobie Brothers playing on my computer. It's freezing in my apartment.

Where have I been the last ten days?

My recording sessions didn't really happen. Lots of stuff that couldn't be helped. I was a mass of disappointment. And phlegm. I got sick and was down for the count until midnight tonight, when I decided I had to do something productive. I have a list of *20* emails that I have to return before I sleep. I finished email #12 and decided to check in.

These days find me reflective and more than a little sad. About lots of things. I hate approaching you with less than a cheerful attitude, but it has to be said, I'm feeling the knocks.

I have been reading. Perfume by Patrick Suskind, which wasn't even on my list of 75 books. I'd heard so many things about it that I had to pick it up. Suskind's descriptive power is incredible. I am also reading A Confederacy of Dunces. This book has me laughing out loud on the subway. Ignatius Reilly is so brilliantly absurd - I don't think I've ever been so hilariously repulsed.

Netflix sent me 12 Angry Men. *Great* movie. I don't watch a lot of "classic" movies, to be honest. I was really surprised how much I liked this one. So many great character actors in one place. There were quite a few actors there I'm more familiar with as older men. Jack Klugman was there, looking very young and vulnerable (and oddly attractive. Almost like a cousin of Michael Penn!?!).

I started a short story, but stopped after a page or two. It needs a twist of some kind.

Anyhow, I'm trying to keep my wits about me. The plan of the moment is to record the drums in Canada in February. Which maybe isn't that far away after all.

Jules

What A Week.

This week has stretched me out. I'm all gummy and pink and thin in the middle.

I originally had four days booked in the studio this week. Without taking you through all the painful and absurd happenings, I did a total of one day in the studio this week. No drums got played, at all. It wasn't anyone's fault, per se. Just one thing on top of another. One thing on top of another thing. Ack. Ack, ack, ack. It was a difficult week.

And, I got sick!

I am a wheezing, sneezing, screeching, phlegm-filled, tired human being with a red, peeling, flaking nose. I've blown so much today that my nose hurts, all on its own.

*sigh*

It's okay, though. It's all okay.

All the bed tracks for my album are finished, at least. I'm headed up to Canada in the next couple of weeks, to finally get the drums done. This is a good plan, there are too many variables and distractions in the Brooklyn rehearsal space.

I've been reading a ton in preparation to re-start my novel. Writing the Breakout Novel was delicious. I am reading Creating Character Emotions. Quick read, but good stuff here. I bought the Best American Short Stories of 2006, and am tucking into that now.

Here's to a happy weekend.

jules

Coupons. #1 and #2.

I am constantly turning down opportunites to save money. It's silly, the way I toss coupons around, then away. I do need to save. You should see my keychain - I have little UPC codes for at least eight different places. I've even signed up by email to get savings announcements from various sources.

In spite of all this, I always find myself at some register again, cursing myself for not minding that little piece of paper.

So.

I'm looking out for my coupons now. Here we go:

Coupon #1 - Border's Books.
20% off the list price of any one item.

Coupon #2 - CVS.
Four dollars off. That's two protein bars.

Good start, eh?

jules

The Bloom From The Rose.

Howdy.

God, I feel like it's been *ages* since I checked in.

I have been riding a turbulent wave ever since New Year's. The bloom seemed to fall off of many of the projects that I'm involved in right now. And I am *swimming* in projects. There's so much to do that I can't focus properly on any one thing. And when I try, some other thing I'm doing nags from the backgroud. And then when I do manage to slow down my attention span, I get frustrated because things don't turn out like I want them to.

*sigh*

There's nothing wrong, really. It's just that reality is descending. People aren't perfect. No one is here to do my bidding. Not even me.

It's taking *forever* to finish the burgundy scarf that I'm knitting. I need to get another skein of yarn; the scarf is nowhere near as long as I want it to be. One more skein will do it. I caught up with a friend who said she knitted scarfs for four friends as Christmas presents, and they took her two days each to do. Why does it feel like my simple burgundy scarf is taking *years*?

Still haven't officially started rewriting my novel. I went on a buying frenzy and bought a ton of "Writer's Digest" type books to try to fill the holes in my (lack of) technique. Polished off Lord of the Flies in a few days, am revising my list of books to include a few more gems I've heard of. I am *devouring* Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass. *Loads* of good stuff here forcing me to push the boundaries on my characters and make my story matter more.

Got an idea for a short story today.

It's just after seven. Work is *dead*. Tonight I have to go sing backing vocals at the Mercury Lounge at 10pm.

I am not a backup singer. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I do this gig because of the novelty of it, and because I get to play "backup girl" along with a friend of mine. We do minor girl group choreography on stage. It's fun music, rootsy rock, and we have a good time. It's good to be involved in a musical situation without the stress and pressure of it being my own gig.

I'm in the studio the rest of the week. This week we finish all the bed tracks and start adding drums to my songs. Maybe this "making an album" thing will feel more real to me once someone else starts playing.

Hm.

jules

Okay. It's On.

I feel the last vestiges of my holiday moodiness snaking away, and so I decided to turn up the heat on my 101.

I won't describe the emotional blackmail I used to get myself to the gym today. But, I went to the gym for the first time in months, and did 20 minutes of cardio. Life always feels better after cardio.

I started Plot, my next foray into the Writer's Digest Elements of Fiction Writing series. Dropped by Borders, picked up the Griffin and Sabine trilogy, Description (another one in the Writer's Digest series) and Lord of the Flies.

I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and got my new kitchen trashcan, which I'll show you later. They have a fabulous sale on Christmas lights, they're less than two bucks a box. I'm going back to get at least 6 more boxes of lights.

Heaven only knows what's going to happen after that.

I'd like to stop by the Morgan Library Bob Dylan exhibit this week.

There are four days of recording next week. I'm eating my Wheaties for that one now.


jules

Plunging In.

I'm beginning to edit the novel, in spite of myself.

Finished Characters and Viewpoint today at work (it's been slow).

Dragging out the sewing kit for the plot holes. But in the meantime, I will try my hand at Chapter 1. It should ultimately be around 3000 words or so, heavy, heavy description. I'll try to see if I can make it halfway convincing.

I've never been on drugs of any kind, and my character wakes up hallucinating...

jules

Happy 2007.

It's almost 11:30am. I'm at work. It's Tuesday.

I'm late wishing you this, but Happy 2007.

Didn't do much in the way of celebration. Caught up on the second series of House. Watched my favorite film (again) - Truly, Madly, Deeply. I have never seen anyone grieve so completely like Juliet Stevenson in that film. Or be as romantically heroic as Michael Maloney.

At some point I looked up, and there were fireworks going outside my window.

Hm.

Had Monday off from work. Frogged the burgundy hat I was knitting and used the yarn to start a scarf that I will actually wear.

I'm inching my way through Characters and Viewpoint. This is a very good book. I had said that I wanted to start revising the novel on January 1, but I realize I'm nowhere *near* ready. My story needs some serious restructuring, and I'd rather spend more time thinking about the plot than going off half cocked in some wrong direction before my foundations are solid.

Still wish I had a critical, experienced buddy to talk my way through the plot. But I've decided to use the other half of my brain. It will, occasionally, ask some good questions.

I'll dress it like Neil Gaiman and give it a British accent.

Have been thinking a *lot* about music, and the amount of concentration, focus and work the next year will need. I *need* to be a better piano player.

Happy 2007.

jules