With My Gift Cards

I got two gift cards from my bosses so combined with the $50 one I got in September, this is what I bought. Now I can make professionally sounding recordings with my unspectacular voice and my average guitar playing.

M-Audio MobilePre USB Portable Audio Interface

#701368

USB bus-powered preamp and audio interface for laptop recording on the go.

The M-Audio MobilePre USB is the preamp with a built-in audio interface designed for your laptop's needs. 3 kinds of audio inputs and outputs provide maximum flexibility, including 2 onboard microphone/instrument preamps and high impedance instrument inputs ideal for connecting guitars and basses. It's completely bus-powered, allowing you to record and play music anywhere, including field recording and sampling expeditions with your laptop. Zero-latency monitoring provides you with a streamlined professional recording experience. 2x2 16-bit/48kHz analog I/O. 2 XLR mic inputs, 1/8" stereo mic input, 2 - 1/4" hi-impedance instrument/line inputs, 2 - 1/4" -10dBV line outputs, and 1/8" stereo line output.

M-Audio MobilePre USB Portable Audio Interface Features:

• 2 - 16-bit/48kHz analog I/O
• 2 microphone inputs (XLR balanced) with 48V phantom power
• Stereo mic input (1/8")
• 2 high-impedance instrument/line inputs (balanced/unbalanced 1/4" TRS)
• 2 line outputs (unbalanced 1/4" @ -10DBV)
• Stereo line output (1/8")
• Stereo headphone output (1/8") with level control knob
• Gain control knob for each input channel (+40dB max)
• Zero-latency hardware direct monitoring (mono/stereo with software level control)
• USB-powered for total mobility

Turkey Trot Race Results

I am pleased with my performance in the Buffalo Turkey Trot. I was about 7 minutes faster than last year and finished in the top 20% of men my age. The odds of me improving as much next year are remote but maybe I could take a minute or so off if I really pushed myself. I stopped to tie my shoes so I might have lost 20 seconds for that. In any case, I had a good time racing with Rachel and Jimmy. I didn't see anyone I knew although I did see my first girlfriend's mother was a finisher at 75 years old.


































I am writing this from the Detroit airport en route to my niece's wedding. I just had a Fuddrucker's hamburger for lunch, substituting baked beans for french fries.I am staying an extra two days because it was cheaper to fly home on Tuesday. I will probably do some work on Monday since I don't expect my visit to be action packed. Fortunately, the weather is clear so I don't anticipate any flight delays.

Update

It's a fractured finger. The doc sent me for x-rays which showed a clean break right near the tip of the finger. Not that much pain but I am wearing a splint. I will be wearing it for a month or so. I went to an orthopedic surgeon after the xray. First the physicians assistant came in. "Wait a minute. I am not paying good money just to be seen by this guy." I was going to demand the doctor come in but the PA said, "I need to get the doctor to look at this." He said the fracture had pierced the tissue a bit so to prevent infection I am on an antibiotic for 10 days. I go back next Wednesday.

I was determined to kill myself today

Figuratively, that it. :-) The safety indicator on my car said there was a door open. So I walked around the car slamming the doors to make sure they were shut. When I closed the back door hard the window came down a millisecond later directly on my right ring finger,splitting my nail. I was in excruciating pain as I grabbed a paper towel to stop the bleeding. So I drove off for my two hour ride home from campus with my finger throbbing . I considered going to the emergency room but decided instead to stop at a Wendy's to get some ice to reduce the swelling. I missed the turn off and pulled into the parking lot of a Loehmann's next door. I walked through a path between some bushes not noticing the watering hose stretched across the ground. I tripped and went sprawling breaking my fall with my damaged finger and my other hand, scraping it too. So I was a real sight going into Wendy's. No more guitar playing or any other activity with my right hand for a while. :-)

NY Times 36 Hours in Seattle

But you all ready know this right? :-)

36 Hours in Seattle

Brian Wilson

The concert was good. It was actually pretty similar to the last one Marty and I saw in 2004. Brian still has a voice which is a ghost of his prime. The band how ever is superb. At points they have 8 singers doing the various parts of the song. The instrumentation was amazing too. One of the guitarist tripled on French horn and flute. They did lots of the hits and a few less known ones from the Beach Boys 60s albums

After intermission, they performed his new album Lucky Old Sun which I am not that impressed with on CD. They did it very well live. The theme is growing up in California in the 60s so there was a screen with images and animations. I heartily recommend the show if there is ever an opportunity to see him. They also weren't very loud so no one's ears will be ringing afterwards.

The crowd was really old: lots of grey hair and paunchy faces standing and singing along. You really couldn't call it dancing. It was amusing to look at. Of course good old Lloyd was there with a free ticket. I talked with him a bit. If he had known I was going to be there he probably would have suggested a dinner on CL.

The weather was really frigid. It didn't seem so bad when we first started walking. Our original plan was to go to some galleries in Chelsea or SoHo. After a while we just decided to go to MOMA. It was free Friday but the line was long for tickets. We paid the $20 each so we wouldn't have to stand in the cold. Lots of greatest hits there. I had never seen it before. There was also a sold out Van Gogh show. It was very crowded. There was a cool video installation with large two floor high images posted on three walls with ambient music playing. I am not sure whether it was recently installed or not.

All in all it was a nice bonding day. No discussion of my personal issues.

Quantum of Solace review

Good but not great. I agree with AO Scott about Daniel Craig as JB. He just has no sense of humor or playfulness about him. He doesn't come across as charming like the others before him. In this one he is almost a psychopath. There is not a lot of suspense in it either. Casino Royale had that with the card game and it also had the love story. I really want to see Slum Dog Millionaire. It sounds very good to me.

Off to see Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys this Friday in NYC with Marty. He is flying up to Philly at noon. I am picking him up and we are taking the train to Manhattan to hang out before the show. He is an artist so I suggested we do some galleries in the afternoon. Unfortunately it is going to be very cold and windy so it is not the lovely fall day I always like to talk about.

No More Kelly

She is leaving to work for Joel's company as of next Monday. I was going to help her with an Intro Biz workshop at one of my old schools. Now I need someone to help me do it. I have asked Maureen for assistance. No more Mark V either. I heard that today. He works for Wiley.

The Election

Needless to say, I am ecstatic. I spent Election day canvassing for votes in NJ. I was originally planning to go to a campaign office in Pennsylvania to work there as it was supposed to be a close race. I decided to go to my local office which was just as well. He won 55-45 in PA so he didn't need my help. Since I was taking the entire day off as a paid community service day, I walked the streets from 9:30 until 5. My legs were aching by the time I was done. I was amazed at the number of volunteers there were at the office. At one point I walked through a conference room filled with probably 25 people on cell phones, all calling voters. The "get out the vote" drive was very impressive. Just last week I spent the night worrying that both the Phillies and Barack would lose. I am happy that I was wrong.

Results from Race

I made my goal of under 2 hours but just barely. It was a beautiful day in the low 60s at the start. It wasn't all that difficult although I did pick up the pace quite a bit from mile 11 on to the finish. I never could have sustained that pace for the duration. I am pleased but would like to have finished in the top half for my age group. Maybe next year.

Philly Half Marathon on Sunday

The run starts and ends at the Art Museum in Philly, made famous in Rocky. I am fairly confident that I can do it. I ran 12 miles the past two Saturdays and both times felt that I had the extra 1.1 miles in me. Weather for Sunday is supposed to be nice: Sunday: A mainly sunny sky. High 81F. Winds light and variable. The race starts at 7.30 so it should be in the mid 60s. My goal is to do it in under 2 hours.

Yael Naim's New Soul

Yael Naim on the World Cafe