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Tag: vox

Strike up the Band

Published by NiteMayr on October 1, 2006

Do you play any musical instruments?

I have played:

  • A Baritone
  • A Drum
  • An Accoustic Guitar
  • An Electric Guitar
  • A Trumpet
  • A Piano
  • An Electronic Keyboard/Midi Controller

I’m Actually Trying to Lean

  • The Electric Guitar
  • An Electronic Keyboard/Midi Controller

I have produced a number of musical compositions on my various computers (Mods/S3m) Actual songs in Mp3 and Wav format.  My “best” work is lost to me as the tape that contained the only recordings of them was leant out and lost, it had some great songs as “The Killer Grass” and “I don’t wanna” all of which were based around samples of real phone conversations.

Sigh.

[song removed for now]

Here is a song I perfomed ages ago on (what I think) was a Cyrix 486 computer… or a P133 class one.  I forget if I made it before I got my first P2/p3 machine.  It was encoded on my p2/p3 machine.

I’d say enjoy, but I think in this case “tolerate” would be better.

I’m writing this while I listen to a cover of the Dr. Who theme I made in 2003, I love this a great deal more.

All my Pets

Published by NiteMayr on September 28, 2006

How many pets have you owned in your lifetime? Tell us about them.
Submitted by jennajellopy.vox.com.

Ignoring Fish…

Cindy the Dog (A Black Lab) she was our Dog when I was 6-7, we gave her away when we moved to Kincardine.  I remember her name and that she had white patches and we got her for free (I think) that’s about it.  We didn’t take good care of her (My sister and I, My Mum DID take good care of her)

More Fish… My sister had a tank.

When I was 10 we Got “Lady” a black Lab retriever.  She was some sort of “Mega” Lab as she was almost as big as a Newfie and built like a tank. As is usual for such Dogs she was a giant puppy dog and sweet as she was timid of leaving our yard on her own.  She only ever barked/snapped at one person and he was threatening My Sister and I.  She got Cancer and Epilepsy when I was 15-16 and we thought she would die.  She lived on (bouncing back from ever deeper lows) until I was 21-22.

I vividly remember how we discovered her epilepsy, I was walking into the kitchen and heard a funny sucking sloshing noice coming from her, she was swallowing her own tongue!  I reached into her mouth and snatched it out.  She bit through my thumb and left me with what has proven to be a permanent scar.  I was so sad because I thought she would ahve to be put down the next day.  6 years later when she actually was put down she had lived a long and happy life.

While living in Toronto we had two cats:  Cat number one was a black alley cat kitten named “NiteMayr” after me.  He never took to Jenny (even though he was hers) and ended up staying with our room mate. Our Second Cat “Skittles” was never suited for life around computers.  He went to a family that had just lost their cat.

We had something like 24 hamsters in Toronto, none of them liked to be held but they bred out as these giant Sable-Rex cross breeds, think puffy rat sized hamsters.  I ended up having to euthenize whole litters. It sucked alot.

We have had lots of fish here in Eugene.

We had a bunch of Hamsters too, although only the last two have been handleable, Ginger and Shebo.  I had forgotten the name of the one in the cage until right now.

We have had two cats, Milkshake (a sweetie who slept on my head and made my allergies go crazy) and Kodos who is a giant bastard who hates humans and only lets me pet him.

I'm Grateful for…

Published by NiteMayr on September 27, 2006

Let’s make a list.  What are 20 things in your life that you’re grateful for?
Inspired by wyndslash.vox.com.

  1. Daughter
  2. Wife
  3. Mum & Dad
  4. Family
  5. Good Friends
  6. Women (In General)
  7. Poetry
  8. Fiction
  9. History
  10. Fish and Chips
  11. Scotland
  12. Irn Bru
  13. Dance Music (Techno/House/Electronica)
  14. Rap Music (Old School/New School)
  15. Political Consciousness
  16. My Job and the money it generates
  17. Comics
  18. Computers
  19. Television
  20. Rum and Coke

New Book Day!

Published by NiteMayr on September 25, 2006

Every couple of weeks now I get a new stack of books from the Interweb:

This week it is “War Lord – A Hellblazer Novel”  “Hellblazer – Staring at the Wall”  “Hellblazer – All His Engines”  “World war Z – An Oral History of the Zombie Wars (Max Brooks)”

Last week it was Irvine welsh books.

I’m all full on books now.  I should jus tread these now.  [But it’s my Birthday next week, so we will see]

Set your DVR

Published by NiteMayr on September 25, 2006

What TV show(s) will you be watching this season? Why?
Submitted by ducnly.vox.com.

House: I’m a total addict and am a medical mystery freak.  I love the character too, ascerbic is awesome.

Simpsons: Come on, of course I’ll watch the Simpsons after this long you don’t break that habit.

Venture Brothers: This season is actually just about done, it has been great thus far.

Scrubs: This may be the last season, but I have loved all of them thus far.

Ghost Whisperer/Medium: I won’t be watching them (if I can help it) but My wife loves these; I just can’t get past the “Lifetime Network” feel to them, they are like X-Files for Hausefraus.

Legion of Super Heroes:  New Show, I enjoy the Warner Brothers/DC Cartoons (Except for Teen Titans)

The Batman: A good adaption of Batman that seems to keep getting better.

Avatar the Last Airbender:  Good show, good story. (I don’t DVR this one)

Coming up on iTunes

Published by NiteMayr on September 25, 2006
  1. Weather Storm – Massive Attack
  2. God blasts the queen – Urban Dance Squad
  3. Caught In The Middle (Love & Light) – DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince
  4. Bird, The – Charly lownoise & Menthal Theo
  5. Painted On My Heart – The Cult
  6. this fine social scene – Zero 7
  7. Get this Party Started – Stretch Arm Strong
  8. Love Is A Battlefield – Skin Of Tears
  9. This Time – Smashing Pumpkins
  10. Funhouse – Kid ‘N Play
  11. Play Dead – Bjørk
  12. Harpie – Voodoo Child
  13. Its No Good – Depeche Mode
  14. I’m Not In Love – Tori Amos
  15. Hurt (duet With Bowie) – Nine Inch Nails
  16. The Deathstar Canteen – Eddie Izzard
  17. Barbie Girl – Aqua
  18. Judy is A Punk – Ramones
  19. Here It Comes Again – Korn
  20. not your business – Atari Teenage Riot
  21. Bring The Pain – Method Man
  22. Charlie – Thurston Moore
  23. Laid So Low – Tears For Fears
  24. Wopbabalubop – Funkdoobiest
  25. Semi Charmed Life – Third Eye Blind

Sometimes the Neighbours are okay

Published by NiteMayr on September 23, 2006

Other Times they suck

Our newest set of neighbours have decided that the anti-smoking rules don’t apply and I really don’t want to have to alienate another set of neighbours by complaining about their late night habits.

I can’t stand having my house stink of cigs though.

I’ll have to take this up with the managers and let them sort it out.

Both my house and my direct neighbours have small kids, along with long residencies in these places.  I wish that counted for something.

Nap and Dream

Published by NiteMayr on September 21, 2006

I came home tonight, spent some time with “TheSpawn” and tried to share one of the great thrills of my childhood “Return of the Jedi” but she was only really interested in “Empire”

No Joke.  She said that she’d rather watch Empire (It’s a down ending, and that’s what life is daddy.  A series of Down Endings)

okay, she didn’t say the last part, she just can’t wait to see the big “Reveal Scene” in Empire.

I had been waiting to see this version of Jedi again for ages (I bought the DVD collection last year and was crestfallen about the changes to things I remembered so well.  Being able to watch the “crappy original” was manna to me)
After she went to bed (she watched the climax and ending of Jedi, but wasn’t really into it; I had a nap.

It was a 2 and a half hour nap, filled with the kind of vivid dreams one only gets when one is not in a deep enough sleep to get total rest, but a deep enough one for REM sleep to come on.  Some highlights:

1)  Driving a very tall mobile platform through a swamp.
2)  Sneaking into some building and operating a pirate radio station, then trying to hide from the owners.
3)  Picking up friends to go out to some social event.
4)  A long form riff on the behavior of wealthy kids.
5)  Some sort of post-war malaise.

I think that the TV (on in the room) was affecting what I dreamed about.

It was a good nap, but I’m still tired and I’ll be back in bed soon.

Late nights at the Office

Published by NiteMayr on September 21, 2006

I work on the West Coast, so this is a relative term.   May day starts at 5-6 am at work so when I talk about late evenings I’m usually saying 4-6 PM.

Last night I was in the office from 6AM until 11PM.

It was a helaciously long day and I still made it in to the office before 9AM, so I have that to be proud of.