I'm not certain what happened two weekends ago. Probably the same as most weekends. Oh - I was sick. I'm fine now, after days of antibiotics and rest. My eye is fine, thanks for the well wishes.

Last week was very busy. More mixing, photo shoots, art conspiracies and theories. Shirts off in various places, happy hours and cold rainy weather. A very fun Blowoff, lots of folks packing the joint, including Sam from Interpol. The guys were playing upstairs earlier in the evening - a great gig, the best I've heard them. The entire day was crazy busy, shopping for Easter dinner.

Sunday was Easter, as some of you may know. I didn't take any pictures, but I'm sure some will turn up on the Internet somewhere. Another busy day, lots of cooking and preparing for the meal. A good group of guys, including Clickboo and the visiting Allterrain. LiveJournal usually equals drama, but not this time. The leftovers are almost gone.

Postings will be few and far between the next few weeks. I'm on the home stretch.

A great article in today's New York Times about pro wrestling legend Harley Race. My first time seeing Harley work live was in Kansas City, MO, in 1985. I had the pleasure of meeting Harley (and many other legends from my childhood days) at the grand opening of the International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Newton, IA. When I worked at WCW, Harley was the special guest ring announcer for the main event match of the October 4, 1999 episode of Monday Nitro. He is a legitimate tough guy, and well respected by most in the industry.

Here's the home page for my new North American record company. I guess people are reading my blog!

Health update: prescriptions for Avelox, Guaifenex, and Ciprofloxacin eye drops. My Cipro scrip has nothing to do with today's anthrax concerns. Work goes on.

Where to begin? The days are blurring into each other, as often happens when I'm finishing an album. Yes, I use the word album. An album is:

n 1: one or more recordings issued together; originally released on 12-inch phonograph records (usually with attractive record covers) and later on cassette audio tape and compact disc 2: a book of blank pages with pockets or envelopes; for organizing photographs or stamp collections etc.

Am I showing my age yet? Does anyone remember what it was like to purchase a new album by one of your favorite bands? I used to wait impatiently through the first two tracks; knowing, more often than not, track 3 was the money song. The HIT. The single. The end of side 1 would typically be a cacophonous, layered affair; the listener gets up slowly to flip the record over, and side 2 would normally start with an elegiac piece, maybe something in 3/4 time.

I digress. Work has been going well. Monday through Wednesday, listening through drum tracks, picking the keepers. Strings added on Thursday. Out for a few hours with the guys that evening. Friday, continue compiling / sorting / aligning tracks. Saturday, prepare sets for BLOWOFF. Spent most of the afternoon / early evening with one of my best friends; he is three weeks ahead of me, in that he has now turned in his 450 page manuscript which will be published later this year. Congratulations to S. We talk a lot about editing, publishing, letting go. Rich and I talk a lot about loving / hating the work, when to stop, what not to do. BLOWOFF was fierce. Linda and Ruthie from Magnapop stopped by (they were playing at our former home that evening). Clickboo brought two buddies from Detroit. Who's smoking a cigar? I am dead on my feet at this point, being propped up by music and men. Sunday, all the coffee in the world was not going to make me feel human. Get out of the house and walk. Ran into lots of friends. More sleep. Went to see the preview of the new Burn To Shine at Warehouse Gallery. It's amazing - props to Brendan, Christop, and all others involved. This installment documents the Chicago scene, including Wilco, Shellac, Tortoise, Pit Er Pat, and others. Some short animated films (accompanied by live improvisational score), and a few new local music videos. The weekend is over.

This morning, I wake up with a sore throat and a blurry eye. If it's the same way tomorrow, I am going to the doctor. Clearly, I'm a little beat up. I don't need conjunctivitis or strep throat right now. Made it to the gym for a light workout, and am on my second work break.

Band of the week. First spotted at Coolfer. "A Man" is the coolest song.

Over the past two weeks, since this post, I have received more e-mails dealing with one's affinity for Kashi products than any other subject I have mentioned in 14 months. I am sitting here at home after a healthy legs and shoulders workout, having devoured one large can of Progresso Chickarina soup and two cans of tuna fish; I am topping off lunch with another bowl of Kashi Go Lean with blueberries and soy milk. At first, I didn't know what to make of these e-mails. As I think about them while eating my cereal, I have come to a conclusion: with all the insanity going on around us, war, tsunami, gay marriage, problem children, recording sessions, infirmed family or friends, whatever it is, people can still find solace and enjoyment in talking about how much they enjoy a certain type of cereal. There's something truly wonderful and awesome about that. I am 100% serious - it's a simple and beautiful thing.

From 70 degrees on Monday afternoon, to a brief blizzard-type snowfall yesterday morning, to freezing cold clear skies last night, the winds of change have roared through the DC area. I am hunkering down for the next three weeks, I need to make my deadline. I will get out a few times, of course; BLOWOFF this Saturday night being the first opportunity. I hope to have a few more songs mixed by then. I am very pleased with how things are sounding, and blessed to have such a great crew of people helping out with the music and artwork. This has been a great year so far.

Oh, forgot to put a link to the new machines in my life. Add 1 GB of RAM and an AirPort card to the stock model, a terabyte of hard disk space, and that's what I'm driving these days. If you're an audio geek, check out these plug-ins from DUY, Elemental Audio, and PSP - they make everything sound louder and / or better!

Deus, qui per Verbum tuum humani generis reconciliationem mirabiliter operatis, praestra, quaesumus, ut populus christianus prompta devotione et alacri fide ad ventura sollemnia valeat festinare.

Per Domimum nostrum Jesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

To listen to a live recording from Brazil, go here. The main page is here.

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A busy and fruitful week. Brendan and I went to work at Inner Ear Studios, the site of many famous recording sessions in DC history. 4 days and 10 songs later, almost all the tracking for Body Of Song is complete. A few more bits and pieces, then more mixing, mastering, and the audio portion of the project will be done.

Saturday night, I took a break from loading up the new studio computer, and went to the Black Cat to see VHS Or Beta. They were sharing the bill with Ambulance LTD, another band I'm quite fond of. A fun night, and a sold out show!

Just returned home from the presentation of the Vespers for the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Very moving. No organ accompaniment, only voices.

This coming week will be as busy as ever. Postings will be sporadic. Enjoy the coming of Spring - it's going to be 60 degrees here tomorrow!

This is one heck of a promo stunt. I was within a block of the 2001 Lil' Kim shootout at the Hot 97 offices. I thought someone had lit off a round of firecrackers. (First spotted at Coolfer.)

Back to the safety of the studio for me.