Music, Dreams, Films & Means

You know sometimes you just seem to get into gear with things.  I have just one more song to do for my other blog, to record a cover version of it and write about it.  That would be the end of that first album that I am looking at, bar a little dissection I was thinking of doing where I discuss that album in general.

I think it is probably just the fact of how the song is to be honest.  It's an experimental piece which, although I actually like it and can't fully explain why at the moment, I just can't seem to get motivated.  Perhaps I should have stuck to just learning and recording some songs and not everything?  That's rhetorical really though because the whole pushing myself could be a valuable exercise for me.  I already feel like it's making me better musically, as well as with my own composing.  I find myself thinking more about that side, rather than just picking up a guitar and strumming or riffing something that I hope I'll find the find the words for and then make up a melody, or slam it together with any set of lyrics that I already have.

I'm just basically saying that sometimes we lack the motivation to do the things that we need to do.  Perhaps I should just do something else, and maybe the motivation will come.

Another irritation is the quality of my recordings, which is basically using the built-in laptop microphone.  It's bloody noisy to say the least, and noise removal is horrendous, which is why I've not used it!  I'll be honest, the first thing I'd do with a big lottery win is buy a place and set up a home studio with ProTools or something.  That would be so sweet.  It would probably mean that I'd be in there spending time away from Louise rather than the same time spent at work presently.  For a man who can't get to a studio much (finances), I love recording in one - it's magical.  Especially when all you go in with is the basic song or even a little inkling or something, and see it grow into a produced piece.  There is absolutely nothing else like that.

Anyway, here I am gabbing on as per usual.  For a round-up of what's been going on since last time, let me tell you that it is basically the same old story.  Work for the most part as always.  Went visiting on the Wednesday of last week, basically because I needed to drop a car off that someone loaned me while mine was in the garage getting it's brakes repaired.  More bloody money!  Then there was the inevitable lift back home.

On Sunday we went to Louise's parents for a lovely dinner, which for me included some really gorgeous chicken.  It's nice to get some meat sometimes, although that may offend those who are vegetarian, so I'm sorry if I have.

I was absolutely shattered come the Monday morning drive home from work, mainly because Saturday's shift finished at midnight, and then when we were trying to get some sleep, the neighbours were making a racket until about half past five in the morning.  We had obviously arranged to go out for Sunday dinner, so Louise got up about 9 and I got up at 10 I think, which meant both of us got very little sleep.  We spent a good while at Louise's parent's house, and came back in the thick fog, whereupon arrival home meant readying my things for work that night, with that shift finishing at 9 in the morning.  It's a frightening thing to say, but I am surprised I made it home alive because I really thought my eyes were close to going at times on the way back.  I'm sorry to say this but my old trick of stopping off on the way home from a tiring shift wasn't utilised because quite frankly I didn't know where I would have stopped or what I would have done if I had stopped.

When I used to do that, it was when I was working at Chesterfield, and I used to stop at a roadside cafe on the way there that was on the road from Mansfield to Newark, where I would have a small cup of tea.  Where I am working now, I don't actually use any roads that have a roadside cafe, and a flask of tea in the car would have gone cold by the time my shift had finished.

I don't remember if I did anything musically inclined over the last week or so, but I do know that last night and the night before I watched a couple of films for the first time.  The night before this I watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  I liked the film, but did think that it could have been better.  The bit towards the end with Professor Xavier was really weird because it looked like there was something seriously wrong the face and that.  There were other things that I thought were strange as well, such as the bullet in the head at the end and everything, if it was that easy why didn't they just do that sooner?  Enjoyable movie if you don't think too much.

This last night though I watched a film that people are shocked I have never seen before - The Searchers starring John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter (famous to me as Captain Pike in the Star Trek pilot episode known as The Cage, which I really like).  It also featured a very young Natalie Wood, which is quite topical considering the thing with her death being reopened, but I won't go there.

I really did like the film very much, although I still sense something weird about John Wayne's acting, but I don't know what it is.  The locations were absolutely gorgeous, with the mountains and everything.  The opening shot of the film where someone walks out and you see the mountains and the range around the house the people live in is just incredible.  John Ford really knew how to shoot a film.  I'm beginning to think that I should give some more John Wayne films that I haven't seen a good chance.  I have seen Rio Bravo before with him, Dean Martin & Ricky Nelson (yes, the singer), and I really liked that.  I also liked The Cowboys and The Shootist.  My favourite westerns are still Clint Eastwood though, with my mind stuck between High Plains Drifter and Pale Rider.

Saying that though, I have never considered myself a fan of the genre.  Everyone knows that I am a Science Fiction nerd.  That's why after reading a review from Moo-V, that I know I have to check out The Green Hornet, because they gave it a favourable review.  Me and Louise are both hoping to see Hugo and the new Sherlock Holmes film, money permitting, especially considering that Christmas is coming up and presents must be bought.  I could be like someone I work with who doesn't buy a present for anyone and doesn't even celebrate it, but that just wouldn't be me.

I know that me and Louise will be soon getting ready to watch Albert Finney's Scrooge film, and she mentioned last night that she wants to watch the Jim Carrey animated version of A Christmas Carol, which is closer in tone and dialogue to the original short story by Charles Dickens.  We're also likely to dig out National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Elf, to name just a couple of other films that we have.  I am tempted to suggest Oliver!  Not sure how she would take that idea though?

Anyway, have I really been going on for this long?  Blinking heck!  I had best leave it there.

Christmas shopping is late for me.  I have just started this past week and was scared to do so.  It has meant forgoing a bill or two, but I hope that I can catch that up.  As I said I enjoy Christmas and I enjoy giving people presents.  A small amount of debt in my opinion is bearable when it comes to seeing people being happy with a small gift from the heart.

Thank you for reading.  Please take care.

22 November 2011 (40 years, 11 months, and 27 days old).