sømand (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
soemand) wrote2026-02-07 03:22 pm
soemand) wrote2026-02-07 03:22 pm📼
Chilling out today, doing QA on my first analog tape recording in decades.
Excerpts from Stereolab – Dots and Loops on one side, The Police – Synchronicity on the other.
There’s something about hearing those textures roll through tape again—the warmth, the wobble, the little imperfections that make it all feel alive. Nice reminder of why I fell in love with this stuff in the first place.
Also, thanks for the Stereolab recommendation. Somehow I completely missed them the first time around, and now I’m wondering how that even happened. Perfect fit for this little analog experiment.
green_knight (green_knight) wrote2026-02-06 10:48 pm
green_knight) wrote2026-02-06 10:48 pm
Entry tags:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star...
… or, you can play THAT on a violin?
Two Set Violin are enormously talented performers; they put the fun into classical music, they take the time to explain things, and they’re always having a lot of fun playing.
And the best thing: I have a ticket for Sunday, March 15! I missed snagging a ticket when the first batch was released because I wanted to check availability and blam! sold out.
This time I logged on as soon as I got the e-mail and while the best seats have already gone (not that I can afford them), there was still a pretty good choice.
I, err, may be a bit of a fan.
(Yes, I have a lot of half-drafted posts that I mean to finish, a lot of other things on my plate, and never enough time; I read some of my flist but not all, and I am trying to tame a lot of things that got left undone for years.)
Two Set Violin are enormously talented performers; they put the fun into classical music, they take the time to explain things, and they’re always having a lot of fun playing.
And the best thing: I have a ticket for Sunday, March 15! I missed snagging a ticket when the first batch was released because I wanted to check availability and blam! sold out.
This time I logged on as soon as I got the e-mail and while the best seats have already gone (not that I can afford them), there was still a pretty good choice.
I, err, may be a bit of a fan.
(Yes, I have a lot of half-drafted posts that I mean to finish, a lot of other things on my plate, and never enough time; I read some of my flist but not all, and I am trying to tame a lot of things that got left undone for years.)
sømand (soemand) wrote2026-02-06 06:15 pm
soemand) wrote2026-02-06 06:15 pmEntry tags:
📼
Scored a tiny but satisfying win today. That Rock ’N’ Roll High School: Class of ’88 cassette I grabbed for a buck? Turns out I didn’t overpay at all — if anything, I lucked into a solid little find for the test pile. Even better, the mix actually got a thumbs‑up from my wife, which might be the rarest achievement of all. Moments like this make the hunt feel worth it.
| Side | Track | Artist | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | Cutting Crew | (I Just Died) In Your Arms |
| A | 2 | The Box | Closer Together |
| A | 3 | Feargal Sharkey | A Good Heart |
| A | 4 | OMD | Forever Live And Die |
| A | 5 | Honeymoon Suite | What Does It Take |
| B | 1 | The Human League | Human |
| B | 2 | Steve Winwood | Higher Love |
| B | 3 | Janet Jackson | Nasty |
| B | 4 | Kim Mitchell | Patio Lanterns |
| B | 5 | Starship | We Built This City |
dorchadas (dorchadas) wrote2026-02-04 12:46 pm
dorchadas) wrote2026-02-04 12:46 pm
Entry tags:
Down with the Sickness
So Laila spent some time at the grandparents over the weekend, which was good because I got a nasty cold that knocked me out most of the weekend. I had meant to spend it cleaning up some of the post-game content in Clair Obscur, but what actually happened is that I started dragging on Friday night, woke up Saturday morning and helped pass off Laila to Poppa and Nana. Then after lunch, with no energy, I thought "Oh I'll just go lie down for twenty minutes or so, then I'll feel better."
What happened is that I fell asleep for two hours and then when![[instagram.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/profile_icons/instagram.png)
sashagee checked, I had a fever. So I spent the next couple days recovering and not accomplishing any of things I wanted to get done while Laila was out of town, spent yesterday and today working from home, and now when my nose has finally stopped running my throat is hurting and it's not from too much coughing. Sigh.
That meme I saw was right. I did used to think I had a good immune system before I became an abba, but it was just that I didn't have anyone around who would roughly cough directly into my open mouth.
What happened is that I fell asleep for two hours and then when
sashagee checked, I had a fever. So I spent the next couple days recovering and not accomplishing any of things I wanted to get done while Laila was out of town, spent yesterday and today working from home, and now when my nose has finally stopped running my throat is hurting and it's not from too much coughing. Sigh. That meme I saw was right. I did used to think I had a good immune system before I became an abba, but it was just that I didn't have anyone around who would roughly cough directly into my open mouth.
sømand (soemand) wrote2026-02-06 05:20 am
soemand) wrote2026-02-06 05:20 am📼
A freshly delivered cassette deck, a quick test spin before the household quiet hours kick in, and a handful of thrift‑store treasures (Willie Nelson plus an ’80s rock mix is a chef’s kiss combo). There’s something charming about rediscovering a format you haven’t touched since the boombox era. Those old portable decks were fun, but they weren’t exactly known for nuance, so it’s no surprise this new one feels like a leap forward.
flaviomatani (flaviomatani) wrote2026-02-05 06:42 pm
flaviomatani) wrote2026-02-05 06:42 pmthe grey, wet, dark and cold
The combination of London winter (not that it is extremely cold, it isn't; just grey, wet, dark and miserable), all the stuff out there in the world and finding myself running out of energy so easily and rapidly (and the uncertainty after all those medical appointments, tests and scans even though they keep drawing blanks), is making this time of year difficult to bear this time.
Can't wait for the spring.
IADOFT, Need to think how to find a few more little venues suitable for my classical guitar recitals. Wish I could rekindle the house concerts of twelve, fifteen years ago. Those were lovely occasions to play and people came out happy -and so did I. But I'm hopeless at persuading people they need me to play for them. One of those things.
Can't wait for the spring.
IADOFT, Need to think how to find a few more little venues suitable for my classical guitar recitals. Wish I could rekindle the house concerts of twelve, fifteen years ago. Those were lovely occasions to play and people came out happy -and so did I. But I'm hopeless at persuading people they need me to play for them. One of those things.
sømand (soemand) wrote2026-02-05 09:49 am
soemand) wrote2026-02-05 09:49 amEntry tags:
Lightning in a bottle
After Catherine O’Hara's passing, we were discussing at work on how much of her work is ephemeral, for example her work on SCTV, like most comedy shows of the era.
The time when VCRs were rare, if you weren't watching you missed it, and the throwaway nature of the shows.
Notwithstanding many of the situations and jokes wouldn't fly today. While I have a soft spot for Dr. Tongue's Evil House of Pancakes; whole generations don't.
And you can easily date someone in Canada by this joke:
The scene takes place in an ancient Roman bar, where the detective, Flavius, orders a drink:
Flavius: "Give me a martinus.
Bartender: "Don't you mean a martini?"
Flavius: "If I wanted two, I'd have asked for them!"
The time when VCRs were rare, if you weren't watching you missed it, and the throwaway nature of the shows.
Notwithstanding many of the situations and jokes wouldn't fly today. While I have a soft spot for Dr. Tongue's Evil House of Pancakes; whole generations don't.
And you can easily date someone in Canada by this joke:
The scene takes place in an ancient Roman bar, where the detective, Flavius, orders a drink:
Flavius: "Give me a martinus.
Bartender: "Don't you mean a martini?"
Flavius: "If I wanted two, I'd have asked for them!"
sømand (soemand) wrote2026-02-04 05:39 am
soemand) wrote2026-02-04 05:39 amEntry tags:
From Ski Tracks to Soundtracks (and Soon, Boat Work)
My wife should get her wish until about February 15, when the weather finally turns milder and whatever snow we have left for XC skiing starts to disappear. As for me, I’m perfectly happy indoors right now, sketching out my tape‑deck setup and getting ready to dive back into making mixtapes. Winter priorities, right?
I do need to shift gears soon, though, because boat‑maintenance season is creeping up on me. There’s a whole list of little fixes and tune‑ups waiting, and if I don’t get ahead of it now, spring will arrive with a vengeance and I’ll be scrambling to catch up.
I do need to shift gears soon, though, because boat‑maintenance season is creeping up on me. There’s a whole list of little fixes and tune‑ups waiting, and if I don’t get ahead of it now, spring will arrive with a vengeance and I’ll be scrambling to catch up.
sømand (soemand) wrote2026-02-02 12:24 pm
soemand) wrote2026-02-02 12:24 pmEntry tags:
☔️ or ❄️?
Just checked the long‑range forecast for my wife’s cross‑country skiing adventures. So far things look decent through February 13—after that, the rain will likely wipe out whatever snow we’ve managed to accumulate. Long‑range forecasts can shift, of course, but getting a solid month or more of skiable conditions in our maritime climate is rare enough that I’ll take any good news.
As I’ve mentioned before, it doesn’t take much to change our fortunes. A shift of the storm track by as little as 50 nautical miles can mean the difference between a fresh snowfall and a cold, miserable rain. Life on the edge of the rain–snow line keeps things interesting.
As I’ve mentioned before, it doesn’t take much to change our fortunes. A shift of the storm track by as little as 50 nautical miles can mean the difference between a fresh snowfall and a cold, miserable rain. Life on the edge of the rain–snow line keeps things interesting.
sømand (soemand) wrote2026-02-02 09:00 am
soemand) wrote2026-02-02 09:00 amGroundhog day
I’m a little torn on the new “groundhog” making waves this year. Lucy the Lobster has apparently joined the weather‑forecasting circuit, and I have questions.
For starters, a lobster has no burrow. That alone feels like a major strike against any shadow‑based meteorological authority. And even if Lucy did have a burrow, I’m not convinced a lobster is equipped to interpret its own shadow in the first place.
All of this lands, fittingly enough, on the anniversary of the Groundhog Day Gale—a reminder that real weather doesn’t care much for mascots, crustacean or otherwise. It’s charming, it’s quirky, it’s very East Coast, but as forecasting methods go, it’s… let’s say unconventional.
For starters, a lobster has no burrow. That alone feels like a major strike against any shadow‑based meteorological authority. And even if Lucy did have a burrow, I’m not convinced a lobster is equipped to interpret its own shadow in the first place.
All of this lands, fittingly enough, on the anniversary of the Groundhog Day Gale—a reminder that real weather doesn’t care much for mascots, crustacean or otherwise. It’s charming, it’s quirky, it’s very East Coast, but as forecasting methods go, it’s… let’s say unconventional.