The New Year

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."
~ Bill Vaughan

Wishing whomever comes by this blog a very Happy New Year! May you find much meaning and be blessed in 2007.

Cookie Kookiness

Every year around this time I create holiday sugar cookies with some of my family. I'm proud to announce Mr. Snowman and Ms. Star betrothed this year. I look forward to the wedding. May you bear many children (snowstars? starmen?), Ms. Star.

Merry Christmas

"At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year."
~ Thomas Tusser

"A good conscience is a continual Christmas."
~ Benjamin Franklin

"And so this is Christmas for black and for white, for yellow and red, let's stop all the fight."
~ John Lennon

"At Christmas I no more desire a rose than wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth; But like of each thing that in season grows."
~ William Shakespeare

A child this day is born, A child of high renown.

New Music Video

Trucker Tom's (http://truckertom.podshow.com/) "Montana Oblivion" video set to "Meant To Be." The video is Tom driving in southeast Montana on a two-lane road.

The video was in a nice crisp MPEG-4 format, but was having technical difficulties. I'll update if I receive a copy that works.

The World of Pink

My wife hit 9 months today and our baby girl is officially due in 4 weeks. With that, I've never seen so many pink items in my life. Our baby's closet is full of pink. I'm amazed at the various shades a single color can manage.

Aside from discovering baby clothes and my new fascination with pink, I've been having fun putting together the Pack-n-Play, mobiles and searching for toys that entertain both me and the baby. :)

My wife is glowing and we can't hardly wait to welcome our child into the world. 2007 is bound to be full of surprising, challenging and rewarding moments.

We have a name picked out. However, I won't announce it until she is born (hint: the name has an antique charm).

Quacks

Thanks to the Kalle Anka & Quacks Podcast for featuring my music.

Check out the site.

Deliver your message

"Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness."
~ Margaret Millar, US-Canadian mystery and suspense writer, (1915-1994)

New music search service - this is the way to find music

Creative Commons and Owl Multimedia, Inc. launched a clever new music discovery service today.

How it works:

• You upload your favorite song
• Select your favorite part of the song
• OWL finds songs similar to the sound you selected

How wicked is this!?

Over 10,000 tracks released under the Creative Commons licensed are currently available. Search results can be refined by several characteristics (i.e. year, genre). Per John Buckman, founder of Magnatune.com (who's music is featured on Owl Music Search), "Owl’s search engine uses acoustic analysis, audio description and similarity algorithms to create and compare digital descriptions of thousands of tracks, and return similar sounding songs. With the site’s browser-based application, which includes a built-in media player, a user can open a song, pinpoint a region of interest, and then search for tracks containing similar sounds."

Wow. I believe this is a great way to discover new music. I have a favorite part for every song I love. For example, John Mayer's new song "Belief." When it kicks into the chorus and he's singing "we're never gonna win the world." Love the guitar and bass work as well as the vocal harmonies.

Does Practice Make Perfect?

"Have no fear of perfection. You'll never reach it."
~ Salvadore Dali, 2oth century Spanish artist, (1904- 1989)

This hits home as I'm an aspiring perfectionist. I openly admit it. My wife can fully vouch.

Everything is a work in progress and will not truly reach perfection. There's always room for improvement.

Have fun on your journey

"Getting there isn't half the fun, it's all the fun."
~ Robert Townsend, Contemporary American businessman, writer, best known for Up the Organization