My New Blog

DAILY MUSE | I started another blog titled This Blog is Habit-Forming. I’m not sure how much I will be updating this one. So check out my new project over there.

Excuses, Excuses

DAILY MUSE | Boy, do I have excuses for not having posted since… November! I-yigh-yigh! Here they are. Work. The Holidays. Family. Sloth. Working out (I have lost 14 pounds and am getting in great shape). Oh and there’s my newly rekindled interest in cooking. Yesterday, I made a killer pot roast recipe. Lately, I have been interested in making ‘one-pot’ meals and also revisiting old classics (but finding killer recipes of them with lots of flavor… no boring old foods pass these lips). Anyway… that’s a sampling of the many excuses I have for not having posted in a while. I’m not going to make any puffed up promises, either. At this point, I’ll just take it one day a a time.

p.s. Did I forget to mention ‘Project Runway’?

It’s Been So Long

DAILY MUSE | Well, I sure didn’t live up to my promises did I? I spent the summer wrapped up in work, my Miata convertible and my new MAC book. This past week I restarted a work-out program (Power 90) that I had done a few years ago to magnificent results. Hoping for that, and then some, this time around.

Here is a picture I took for my avatar on the P90 website… in case any of you are wondering what I actually look like. I’m hoping in six months I won’t look anything like this. Well that’s a bit too much self loathing isn’t it. Well, maybe I’m hoping I’ll just look like a better version of the me in that picture. You know that fit guy with the totally sick body that’s lurking underneath there… somewhere.

TODAY’S MUSE: The Faith Middleton Show

DAILY MUSE | One of my favorite radio programs broadcast locally here in Connecticut is fortunately available over the internet and through podcasts– it’s ‘The Faith Middleton Show’, a constant breathe of fresh air in my day. Whether it be her ‘Food Schmooze’ show, made famous by it’s Saturday Night Live parody, or her Book Show, or her general shows on the richness of life, I always look forward to listening in– it helps me make it though my 3 o’clock slump in the afternoons. She has a special knack for interviews as well. Check her show out.

Listen via internet stream…

Podcast link via iTunes

Well, Well…

DAILY MUSE | It’s been quite a summer and I haven’t been around here very much. Besides the general barage of summer activities, there have been family hospitaliations, a funeral, work dealines and general exhaustion that cused me to drop my posting commitments to this blog. I’m not gonna make any promises yet, but I’m gonna try to make it around here more often… so check back sometime. Thanks.

THE SUNDAY SERVING: ‘Twin Peaks’ Pilot Episode

DAILY MUSE | I’ve been finding alot of great TV links over the course of getting my new Macbook set up. One of these links is of the pilot episode of David Lynch’s masterpiece of the surreal, ‘Twin Peaks’. This highly creative, ground breaking series, which lasted a mere two seasons on ABC, revolutionized TV production to follow. It elevated the the overall prodcution quality of TV series, blurring the boundary between cinema and television. It’s quirky style pioneered that of other series to follow including ‘Northern Exposure’, ‘The X- Files’, ‘Six Feet Under’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’. It also pioneered the use of a season long and/or series long plot arc that has come to be commonplace, as in recent series like ‘24′ and ‘Lost’. Enjoy!

(Not the best quality video, but still watchable.)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

UPDATE | Please tell me if you are having any trouble with the links.

GENERAL UPDATE |For the time being, I wil not be posting daily as I did and I intended when I started this blog. I will try to post a weekly ‘Sunday Serving’ and on occassion a ‘Today’s Muse’ post. Once the summer passes and my life responsibilities attain a better balance I’ll look to return to daily posts.

THE SUNDAY SERVING: ‘The Complete Beatles’

DAILY MUSE | Continuing the theme of honoring the 40th anniversary of the Sgt. Pepper’s album, I’ve located links to a full length documentary called ‘The Complete Beatles’. Hope you enjoy this expansive review of their epic creative journey and arguably unrivalled cultural impact.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

via Joosealvva of YouTube

TODAY’S MUSE: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

DAILY MUSE | Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the release of The Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in Britian. Today is the 40th of its release in the US. In honor of it, and the immense creativity offered by The Beatles over the years they were together, I offer links to various Sgt. Pepper homages.

Documentary called “The Making of Sgt. Pepper”

A mini documentary done on the 20 year anniversary

The portion of the ABC’s ‘Revolutions’ documentary regarding the album

Paul discussing the album

More dicussion about the creative backgound of the album

Paul and Bono’s version at Live 8

Kelly Clarkson’s version on Americn Idol. I have to say, she does have a killer voice

Animated version of the Sgt. Pepper song from the movie ‘Yellow Submarine’

Cover Art outakes

ABC News report yesterday

Another News Report

Here’s a real trip… a Japanese Beatles tribute band

I’m spending the night in tribute listening to my brother Jay’s band “The British Beat” playing at the Central Cafe in Palinville, CT. He’s ‘Ringo’. My brother Terry just got asked to join the band as ‘George’, although he is not playing tonight. If anyone is in the area, come on out an join us. It’s a fun evening of sing-along.

TODAY’S MUSE: Watch TV on Your Computer… for Free!

DAILY MUSE | Today I just came across this very interesting website that provides links to nearly 2500 TV stations from around the world. I have already saved links to several BBC stations and programs and have browsed stations quite literally from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Found several classic movie channels and unique lifestyle channels. The enormous number of news channels should serve to broaden horizons and viewpoints beyond those available from our narrow minded corporate owned news media outlets. Check it out and broaden your world view.

UPDATE | Here is another link that shows free streaming movie channels along with lists of what is currently playing. Right now I am watching Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in “Charade”.

Sorry Everyone!

DAILY MUSE | Sorry everyone! Between recovering from my computer problem, formatting and gettting my new computer up to speed, ever present work loads and general spring fever (enjoyed greatly with the top down in the driver seat of my new Miata) I’ve been spending time away from the blog. Spring has been gorgeous. And I have never so much looked forward to the summer as much I am am right now– everytime I get in my little convertible I feel like I’m on vacation. I’ve been much more apt to go out for a cruise than sit inside and write a post. Nonethelss, I am henceforth rededicating my efforts towards this blog… yeah I know I said that before… but I really mean it this time.

TODAY’S MUSE: Keep a Sketchbook

DAILY MUSE | If you don’t already, start keeping a sketchbook.

I’m a firm believer that creativity is a gift from God/ the creator/ the universe (whichever way one looks at it) and that ideas are gifted spontaneously. They come in spurts and streams. One has to be ready at anytime to receive them (capture them) when they come. And it’s the responible and courteous thing to do when bestowed with such wonderful gifts. Consider your sketchbook entries as thank you notes to the universe acknowledging the creative source for the generous gifts.

I have kept sketchbooks all my adult life. I think the count is up to thirty. I fill them with whatever comes my way in inspiration: words, drawings, concepts, diagrams, poems, lyrics, inventions, to do lists, solutions to probelms, etc. It’s quite interesting going through my collection of acquired ideas ever know and then. There are some real gems in there.

If you are and active person a good one is made by Moleskine– and they come in all sizes from small pocketsized ones on up.

TODAY’S MUSE: Your Local Artist Guild

DAILY MUSE | Today, look up your local artist’s guild and visit it, or make a plan to visit it this weekend. Consider joining it as an artist member or supporting member. Here’s mine of which I am a member.

Musical Code Found in “DaVinci Code” Chapel

DAILY MUSE | Here’s an absolutely fascinating find. A father and son team studying the Rossyln Chapel in Scotland (made famous in “The DaVinci Code”) have found a code in geometric stone carvings inside the chapel from which they have decoded musical compositos. Check it out here and here. Quite beautiful!

Here is a physical demonstration of their theory used in deciphering the code.

Whew… It’s been a Few Tough Weeks

DAILY MUSE | Well… I’m still still here! It’s been a few tough weeks with the weather (rain and floods), work (critical deadlines) and most recently computer problems (my home PC at died… waa waahhh). I think it was a virus… still not sure what exactly happened. But I’m happy to say that I have made the move to Mac- bought a new MacBook Pro today. I just walkd into the Mac Store and 45 minutes later… voila! I’m so excited. It’s beautiful!

I’m going to have my PC fixed. I can only hope that I can save certain things that I hadn’t backed up. Not sure when the last ime was that I backed up my documents on my removable hard drive (lesson learned for anyone in earshot… back up often). Keep your fingers crossed.

Sorry about not keeping up with the postings lately. Now that I’m back online, I can return to posting. Hopefully, before I go to bed tonight I can get a real post up and I’ll be back on track. In the meantime… thanks for your patience.

THE SUNDAY SERVING: The Missing Secrets of Nikola Tesla

DAILY MUSE | Enjoy this intriguing BBC documentary about Nikola Tesla, perhaps humanity’s greatest inventor, much ridiculed, now largely forgotten and overshadowed by others in history.

I’m Still Here…

DAILY MUSE | I’m still here. I just haven’t had any posts the last few days because of the flooding up here in the Northeast. (That and I’m also dealing with an impending deadline here at work.) I literally couldn’t get to my house the other day because of flood blocked roads– had to sleep at my brother’s house. I’ll get back to my routine later this week after my deadline passes.

TODAY’S MUSE: Neko Case

DAILY MUSE | Neko Case’s “Hold On, Hold On” is one of my favorite songs from last year. The studio recording and something about her voice give it the feel of 1960’s pop classic– one of those songs that sound inevitable. Here it is sung live.

Learn about TODAY’S MUSE here.
See all TODAY’S MUSE here.

THE SUNDAY SERVING: Making “Taxi Driver”

DAILY MUSE | Here is an excellent in depth documentary about the making of the film “Taxi Driver”. It includes interviews with Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybil Shepard, Harvey Keitel, Albert Brooks and writer Paul Schrader and others– a wonderful peek inside the creative process. (Video in 8 Parts) VIEWER ALERT: Contains strong language and scenes of intense violence. For mature audiences only.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Pieces of Bob

DAILY MUSE | My bosses daughter, Nicole, lives in Philadelphia and works with a creative group that does film, print, advertising etc. They participated this year in the 48 Hour Film Project– a national contest in which teams have only 48 hours to write, produce, film and edit a 5 minute short film. Each team has to incorporate two of the same things: a particular character (this year it was home inspector, Kevin Oman- or something like that) and a particular prop (this year it was lotion).

This is their entry. It’s very clever, funny and well done. I’m amazed that they can pull this entire thing off in 48 hours– must have involved some all nighters. Watch for the lotion and the “K Man”. Nicole did the graphics at the beginning (pretty nifty) and end credits.

VIEWER ALERT | This film is for mature audiences only. It contains Strong Language and (Really Funny) Nudity.

TODAY’S MUSE: Fairground Attraction

DAILY MUSE | As I listen to music like Madeleine Peyroux and Norah Jones, who have garnered popularity nowadays, I recall one of my favorite groups from the late 80s– Fairground Attraction. They had one phenomenal album called “The First of A Millions Kisses”, which did well in alternative programming radio stations at the time, but did not fair that well in general POPularity. I listen to them now ( in relation to Peyroux and Jones) and think how much they were ahead of their time. How their music is still fresh and new. How every song on that album had a great hit-like hook… kinda like how the Cranberry’s first album was as well. FAs sound and sensibility seems to be a strong precursory influence of the current popularity of Peyroux and Jones and the like– which is a very good thing. Check out a few links below and listen to the sounds of Fairground Attraction.

Find My Love

Clare

Not sure what this video has to do with their music, but here’s another one of their tracks– Perfect

Live TV footage- Smile And A Whisper

More live TV footage- The Wind Knows My Name

The Moon is Mine- Live (not great sound)

More live concert footage (not great sound)- Allelujah

Find My Love (Live)

Learn about TODAY’S MUSE here.
See all TODAY’S MUSE here.