One Step Closer...

Over the Easter weekend, I finally got some time to finish wiring up my recording studio. I can’t put into words how much I enjoy this process. First mapping it out on paper and coming up with the best way for the signals to flow from microphone to pre-amp to converter to computer and back out to monitor speakers. Then pawing through my piles of cables and finding the right ones for each application. Once it is all plugged in, I carefully separate all of the power cables from the signal cables to help minimize noise in the system. Finally, I power up the system and make sure that everything is working as it should be by plugging a microphone into each channel and listening to the output on the monitors. Luckily, everything is working, so the equipment made the move with no casualties. If you look at the cables now, you wouldn’t think that someone spent hours carefully arranging them all. They look like a giant rat’s nest to the casual observer. But I know better, there is a beautiful method to the madness and everything is in its place. The last thing to do before I can start working on any real projects is to put up some acoustic treatment (foam and insulation on the walls and in the corners of the room). Hopefully 2006 will see the release of my first full length album…

JE

The latest injury...

Throughout my life I have managed to maintain a steady stream of decent injuries: broken bones, stitches, sprains, strains and other miscellaneous maladies. Here is the story of my latest:


Last week, I broke the chain on my bicycle on the way home from work. Not a big deal, as I was almost home, so I just walked the rest of the way. It was bad timing because I had just placed an order for some other new parts for my bike (including speedy road tires that fit my mountain bikes wheels), but I had not ordered a new chain.

So over the weekend, I put the new tires on my bike, and fixed the chain (so I thought at the time). I gave the bike a quick tune up and then went out to give it a test ride. I was so excited about how quickly and smoothly I could cruise around on my new tires. Suddenly, as I was really starting to pick up the pace, my "fixed" chain broke again sending me flying off the bike. I scraped my elbow and ankle, but nothing serious (so I thought at the time).

The accident happened on Sunday and on Monday I was feeling okay, just moving a little slowly. Monday night I started getting horrible pains in my ankle and Tuesday I could hardly walk on it. I limped my way to work, and by lunch time I was in enough pain that I decided it was time to have someone look at it (I hate hospitals and only go in as a last resort).

Luckily, I work right by one of the largest hospitals in London. They have a service called the Minor Injuries Unit. It is set up to deal with cuts, sprains, broken bones and things like that. I was so amazed by the service they provided. I just walked in and a few minutes later a nurse was looking at my ankle. Apparently the scrape had become infected, thus the pain and swelling two days after the actual injury. She sent me away with a course of antibiotics and instructions on things to look out for. It was all completely free! It’s great to see that all the tax I pay actually goes to something that can benefit me!

Wednesday I spent the day at home, not feeling too well due to the ankle and the antibiotics messing with my system. Today (Thursday) I am back at work and it is starting to feel a bit better (although I noticed that my ankle is starting to turn some interesting colors).

One good thing is that today is the last day of work for me this week. Friday and Monday are holidays for Easter. In addition, it is okay for me to mix alcohol with the antibiotics that I am taking, and Sunday is the end of lent and I can drink beer again!

I hope this post finds you all well and without infected ankles...

JE

Spring is not quite here yet...

It was a beautiful weekend here in London-town. I decided to wear shorts to ride my bike to work in today. I froze. I have this test that I do when I first wake up. I look out the window and I judge the weather to see if it is suitable to ride my bike. It was dry and sunny, so I went for my shorts for the first time this year. By the time I was ready to go, the weather had turned. It was completely cloudy, windy and spitting rain. The weather here is always changing. It is sunny again now. The weather forecasts for England seem so futile. It is always "partly sunny with clouds and rain likely..."

The big news from last week is that Heather has found a new job. She will be a library assistant in a big library in West Kensington (probably the wealthiest part of London). Today is her first day and she is really looking forward to working in a library again. It is really exciting that she has found something that she will enjoy. It is the final thing that we were waiting for to really justify our move to London. Plus it means that we can keep on buying groceries and paying the rent.

This year I have been observing lent by abstaining from alcohol. It has been a long month so far, but with two weeks left until Easter, the end is in sight. The other day, I went to the pub to watch a football match and I had to drink a coke. It was a very sad sight. The other thing that was rough was when they were giving out free samples of beer at a local market and I had to turn it down! Imagine that, passing by free beer! I am trying to see the spiritual side of denying myself something for lent, but I end up just being grumpy about it.

The other news is that we have sold our car. It was a really good car for us for the last year and a half or so, but it really wasn't getting put to good use here in London. So now I am looking for a cheaper replacement. We have decided to get a VW camper for trips to the coast with the dogs and hopefully trips to Europe some time.

Rather than just getting the standard rusty English VW camper, we are going to go to Germany to import a van. The selection is greater, the vans are cheaper and they have less rust. The savings in cost for the van easily covers all the expenses of going to Germany to get it. And since we will be going after lent, I will also be importing plenty of German beer with the van.

JE