Oh, The Things I Have Been Doing Lately...

You know you've really neglected a blog when you can't even remember the last time you did a 'miscellany post'...though, I'm sure in my instance that it was not super long ago. Just a couple of months, worst case.

But, as noted previously, it does not help that the Canes have not had a ton of news during this off-season. AND because of that, I've had one of my busier off-seasons project-wise since...hmmm...probably 2003, when I was constantly working on my now defunct (as in I can't provide a link) Canes fandom website...

- Music geek I am, I have been constantly working on improving the audio quality of my computer/Gigabeat music collection. Originally, I was converting my files from 96 KBPS quality WMAs to 96 KBPS* quality MP3s, because I found out the hard way that RockBox, my semi-new firmware for "Stanley", does not like WMA files. Well, I was nearly halfway through that project, when curiosity got the better of me, and I started to explore the world of Ogg Vorbis files after reading so many other music/audio geeks proclaiming the said format to be the best they've ever worked with AND THE overall format they use for their computer/MP3 player music. So, I went and found a freeware Ogg Vorbis converter (BonkEnc, to be precise), and started playing around with a couple of tracks from my current most beloved concert albums, King Crimson's Absent Lovers and KISS' Symphony-Alive IV...

OH. MY. GAWD.

I used to think that Ogg Vorbis was so freakin' overrated...how could I be so, well, deaf? I cannot describe how ecstatically amazing the tracks I tested ("Discipline" and "Heartbeat" from AL, and "Let Me Go, Rock and Roll" and "Sure Know Something" from S-A4) sounded through Ogg Vorbis. And normally, I would be ticked off about having to repeat what I did last year right before I got the Gigabeat/"Stanley" in going through all of my CDs and files to convert them to the preferred format. But in this instance, it's like having presents to open almost every day.

And for the audio/techno/etc. geeks in my audience, I am converting my files to 65 quality Ogg Vorbis...which I find to be perfect in not only quality, but also the space taken up by the files. Any higher, and way too much space would be taken up...something one has to mind, especially with a 40 GB player.

- My other huge project, which I just started late last week, is finally getting pictures up on my Ron Francis collection site. Completed the Book section this past weekend, and am now working on the Apparel section. I plan to go down the list, with the exceptions of the Card, Multimedia, and Newspaper sections, which I plan to tackle last, as rather extensive as they are.

All of that said, for those of you interested, be sure to check back every day or two or three...I'm trying my best to update as frequently as I can, given that the pictures of my collection have been a long time in coming.

- Last, but certainly not least for now: I cannot stand it anymore. I have GOT TO GET Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) on DVD. Especially after happening upon this site when I was telling a friend about the series (spawned from our discussion of The Saint and similar shows). Even before I came across the site, I had been looking up various things about R&H on and off, because I absolutely adore the series that was shown on BBC America during the summer of 2004. That particular series was not the 60's original, but instead the 2000-01 remake starring the then infamous British comedy team of Vic (Reeves) and Bob (Mortimer), and I thought it was a damn good show...to the point that it was EASILY the show that I looked the most forward to every week that summer. The acting was not bad, especially considering that R&H was Vic and Bob's first (and probably only) "serious" acting deal. Not to mention that the supernatural aspect was pretty darn unique for a detective show. Even as a remake, I found the R&H idea of a ghost of a detective getting back up with his living partner and helping to solve crimes rather outstanding and just downright cool.

And to think that my happening upon the show was somewhat an accident...usually, on the Monday nights I would have BBC America on for my dinnertime viewing (back when they showed Blackadder, Monty Python, and/or Benny Hill from 7-8:00 in the evening), I would immediately turn away before they would start their big "Mystery Monday" deals. Well, it turned out that one night, I didn't turn away quick enough...and the title that was uttered by the host of MM, particularly the "(Deceased)" part, caught my interest. And that interest only further grew with the opening sequence and its rather haunting, no pun intended, theme...and thus began yet another television addiction.

All of that said, as a lover of the Vic and Bob treatment of the series, it kind of broke my heart at first to read a great chunk of the franchise's fanbase say that the 60's original was so much better. But the more time passes, the more such comments, along with the aforementioned fan site, *really* make me want to see the original, which is available on DVDs playable here in the US of A. And easily the one I will get, most likely sometime this week. Unfortunately, the Vic and Bob remake, along with the final thirteen episodes of the original, is only available on European/Australian DVDs...but if the price is right, I may eventually get those to play on my computer, which is certainly better than not having the entire original series AND remake at all.

As the saying goes, you never get over your first love...and best case, I will end up liking both versions of R&H equally. From the descriptions I have read AND what I know of the remake, it is my observation that the original series seems to have focused on actual mysteries and crimes more than the remake, which took the supernatural element and ran with it in the cases presented on that.

Current Music: "Hockey Night In Canada Jam" (Live) by the Jimmy Swift Band

* - I have found that in terms of minimum size AND sound quality preservation, 96 KBPS is what works best...despite now having found a better format.

Congratulations, Music Choice.

If you've been trying to give me nightmares, I think you may have finally succeeded.

So I'm sitting here, getting my nighty Adventure Quest dose, and listening to the MC's Smooth Jazz station...when all of a sudden, I glance up at the TV to see what song is playing, and THIS embraces my eyes and mind. o_O

Between that, and "Thelonious Moog's" interesting rendition of Focus' "Hocus Pocus" somehow passing for Smooth Jazz*, AND Talking Book being considered Smooth Jazz**, it's a freakin' miracle that I have not totally quit on Music Choice, period. ESPECIALLY ever since I've made Stanley, my Gigabeat digital music player, a practical radio station on my stereo, thanks to my discovery of RockBox a couple of months ago.

But alas, I have to have a source for discovering new tunes to like...especially since I'm not enamoured with XM/Sirius' fees currently, AND VH1 Classic has become VH1 Crap. I mean, seriously, where have all the videos gone? If I wanted lists, artist/band bios, etcetera, I'd watch the "normal" VH1 instead...that is, whenever they're not showing "Celeb-Reality" and/or "I Love New York". *sighs and rolls her eyes*

Current Music: "Feeling Good" by Randy Crawford and Joe Sample

* - It's not necessarily Thelonious Moog themselves and their material I have a problem with...just the fact that Music Choice has the damned gall to consider said material "Smooth Jazz". Heck, it's not even regular Jazz for that matter. BUT overall, other than that, it's really hard to complain about two guys who have an obvious delightful sense of humor, as demonstrated by their American Standard album's cover sporting the two drawn as cartoons holding toilet implements. Just like why Dave Barry excluded The Rivingtons (makers of such fine, classic, booty-shakin' tunes like "Papa Oom Mow Mow" and "The Bird Is The Word") from his infamous Bad Song Survey: Thelonious Moog's concept is so bad, it's good.

** - I do like two songs by Talking Book..."Your Soul Baby" and "Now (Instrumental)". The latter is easily the only thing by them that passes for Smooth Jazz. The former is a *very good* song, but is definitely more of a 70's Pop/Soul throwback than Smooth Jazz.

Not to mention that "Story of Life" seriously needs to go...did the world *really* need another bad O-Jays soundalike song? Ugh. Come to think of it, the only O-Jays songs I like are "Love Train", "Back Stabbers", and "For The Love of Money" (a.k.a. the 'Money, Money, Money' song), and those are guilty pleasures at best. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I think I like "FtLoM" because I think I could plink out the first few notes of that song the next time I happen upon a Casio/Yamaha keyboard set up for people to goof around on at a Sam's Warehouse or Wal-Mart. Hey, if I could/can plink out the legendary keyboard sequence backing up Greg Lake's vocals in the first couple of verses of ELP's "Knife Edge", then why not the opening to "$,$,$"?

A Brief Review of... Happy Feet

Yes, I finally saw the movie with the dancing penguins "that somehow made #1 for two weeks" according to a bunch of people and Best Week Ever.

Well, I have to say that Happy Feet's being numero uno for those two weeks AND numero dose last week was *very well deserved*.

Now, even though I really like/love penguins (not just the hockey team in Pittsburgh, but also the birds they're named after) AND music, I went into this movie with rather low expectations. Thinking that its worthiness would lie in the cleverly animated penguins, and there being not much of a plot. Boy, was I ever wrong. There is a plot, and it makes you actually feel for Mumble, the lead penguin and character, voiced by Elijah Wood.

While the plot was much better than I expected it to be, I don't want to give away too much since the gist of this is I want you to see the picture. ;D BUT, I will also say that the main stars of the picture were the animation, music. AND ESPECIALLY some of the voices. If I had to pick an absolute favorite voice, and it would not be an easy task, I'd probably have to go with Hugh Jackman, and his very, VERY appropriate Elvis Presley voice for Memphis, the penguin who fathered Mumble. Though, Robin Williams' soul/preacher man voice for Lovelace, the narrating Rockhopper Penguin, runs an extremely close second.

As for the music...all I will say is that if it doesn't get your toes a'tappin' at least once, then you are truly not human. Loved, ABSOLUTELY LOVED the combination of genres represented, from funk ("Tell Me Something Good"), old school rap ("The Message"), 80's (Prince's "Kiss"), disco ("Boogie Wonderland"), and even classic rock ("Somebody To Love" and The Beatles' "The End"). As a matter of fact, I just might have to add the CD of the soundtrack to my (greedily huge) Amazon Wish List.

So yes, go see this movie while it's still in theatres...you won't regret it, trust me.

Current Music: "Christmas Canon In D" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

All I Really Need To Know I Learned From Robert Fripp

A couple of days ago, I happened upon a marvelous little site that I cannot believe I did not discover earlier: The Discipline Mobile Globile Official Website a.k.a. http://www.dgmlive.com/.

As a good chunk of my more frequent readers know, I am an unabashed King Crimson/Robert Fripp nut. Fell in love with the "band" (More like various project groups put together by Fripp...my most favorite of those groups being the 1980-84 lineup featuring Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Bill Bruford. All being favorite individual musicians of mine.) around 1998, when I bought In The Court of the Crimson King during one of my infamous (in my family, anyway) CD shopping sprees. My fandom has only grown more ever since, to the point where if I *had* to name one, just one favorite band/artist, I'd more than likely say King Crimson (or, if I wanted to get real technical (and on the asker's nerves), Robert Fripp).

Anyway, DGM's site is the official one for King Crimson/Robert Fripp. I had known about the site previously, but only about their being the home of the notorious King Crimson Collector's Club. I say 'notorious' 'cause as much as I love KC, the KCCC wanted you to pay a gawdawful fee of some kind to be able to have access to whenever they decided to release a concert from the vaults and onto CD. And in all honesty, I probably would have paid the fee if my KC fandom wasn't so era-oriented...specifically the aforementioned 1980-84, 1973-75 (Larks' Tongues In Aspic and Red), and 2002-04 (Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With and The Power To Believe). Not that the other KC eras are chopped liver, but I find myself listening to those three periods of the band's career more-so than any other. Hopefully, that will change whenever I get my hands on the other early 70's albums, the ProjeKCts, and The ConstruKCtion of Light. Maybe Thrak too...though, I think the only release I want from the 90's era is the Deja-VROOOOM concert DVD.

Among my discoveries on the DGM site was that my decision to not fall for the KCCC membership has paid off handsomely. All of the KCCC releases are individually available through the site's store...whoo-hoo!! Which means that I get to choose the concerts I want to hear from my favorite eras...another whoo-hoo!! And not just from the KCCC releases, but also the MP3s/FLAC files too.

Other discoveries I've made include:

- The DGM site has LiveJournal feeds...for Robert Fripp's diary, new MP3/FLAC releases, "Hot Tickles", and general news.

- The said store can get mighty addictive. Not just for Crimson/Fripp nuts like moi, but also progressive/experimental rock fans in general.

- On certain pages, one will notice a quotable or "aphorism"...more than likely said or penned by Robert Fripp, given that DGM is practically his outfit. If you click on the "Discipline Knot" graphic to the left of the quote, you can run through the whole lot of them. Well, at the risk of *really* proving what a geek I tend to be, I liked the quotes so much that I spent a couple of hours going through and compiling them in a Word file on my PC. And then, I printed up a couple of copies...one to have at my computer, and another to keep in the nightstand by the bed, so whenever I feel stressed out and/or just mad about something, I can take the booklet closest to me and read/scan through it to cool down.

A good chunk of the quotes are aimed towards musician/performer types, but just like the following quote by Paul Coffey applies to hockey...

"Hockey's a funny game. You have to prove yourself every shift, every game. It's not up to anybody else. You have to take pride in yourself."

...most of those quotes, including Coffey's, can apply to life in general too when you think about it.

A few of my favorite collected Frippisms...

"Accept nothing less than what is right."

"It is not asked of us that we never fall over. It is asked of us that we always get up."

"May we wish for others what we wish for ourselves."

"Nothing worthwhile is achieved suddenly."

"The more failures, the more successes."

"The problem with knowing what we want is we just might get it."

"There are no mistakes, save one: the failure to learn from a mistake."

Oh, almost forgot to mention that you can get a free account set up at the DGM site...which allows you to search Fripp and "The Vicar"'s diaries and have access to reviewing the various works featured and available throughout the site. Should there be a way for members to communicate in a real forum/message board (the current "Forum" is really a guestbook) and search for one another, my name there is "Absent_Lover", taken from my absolute more favorite KC concert album thus far.

Current Music: "Discipline" by King Crimson (Live - Absent Lovers: Live In Montreal 1984 Version)