Gina Harris's Blog, page 166
September 17, 2015
Band Review: Inventions
I've enjoyed listening to Inventions.
An alternative rock band from Melbourne, Australia, Inventions has the energy of youth but still sounding polished and professional. They feel fresh, and I appreciate that.
Guitars are usually the focus, but keyboards are used to heighten the impact on "Heritage". "Shadows" is probably still my favorite track, and has a well executed video.
They should be checked out.
http://www.inventionsband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/intoinvention
https://itunes.apple.com/album/id874942416
http://inventionsmusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC51R5sAZB4t11-tiSzBsdRQ
https://twitter.com/inventionsaus
September 16, 2015
Pre-Halloween reading
Some of the books I read on vacation were ones I'd been meaning to get to for a long time.
Once upon a time I had four books that I wanted to read before Halloween last year. I only managed one, Killing Monsters: Our Children's Need for Fantasy, Heroism, and Make-Believe Violence by Gerard Jones.
Part of the issue is that Jones' book was the only one in libraries. It was also the best of them, so if only one is going to be in libraries, that's the right one to be there. It was an excellent read, valuable for parents, but also as a writer who might sometimes write about monsters, or find things going a little dark there was good insight.
For my birthday I got Powells and Amazon gift cards, allowing me to acquire the other books. The next month I finished one of the others, Better Off Dead: The Evolution of the Zombie as Post-Human.
This was a bit more academic. Well, Killing Monsters is non-fiction, and it is smart, and it refers to other academic studies, but some books feel more academic. The language is more formal, and more stale, but should language about zombies really be fresh? It still had interesting thoughts, but I wouldn't say that everyone should read it.
I finally got to the last two: Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon by Cindy Ott, and The Romance of Dracula: A Personal Journey of the Count on Celluloid by Charles Butler.
Dracula is not academic at all. It is just reviews and synopses of Dracula movies by someone who really loves them. I can respect that. It is again a book that I can't recommend, but it was interesting reading some movies that I had not previously heard of.
Pumpkin was better. It started out slow, but it was well-researched and I learned things, though it does not really explain the obsession with pumpkin spice everything that happens this time of year. I guess after explaining how pumpkin got its mystique that is the natural extension, but some of the points could have been made more clearly.
It is not a big deal. Once I started grouping the books I want to read, there is a sense of accomplishment when a group is completed, whether it turns out that the grouping was logical or not.
However, it is also nice finishing it in the fall. Halloween decorations and candy are already out, and it makes me feel like this could be the year that last year was meant to be. Maybe this time I will finish the movie list I had too. Last year I only watched I Married a Witch and Practical Magic - maybe this year I can do better. Maybe this year I will finish that needlepoint project. Maybe I will wear a costume somewhere.
New years come around, and new Halloweens come around. There is always another chance.
September 15, 2015
Almost home
We leave for the airport in a few hours and I will be home tonight.
Obviously I will be writing about this for weeks on the travel blog, but I have a few thoughts here.
One thing about vacation? Even with a lot of activity time, I have finished three books and am deep into a fourth. I brought five, but Julie read the fifth one after she finished the one I loaned her, so even if I don't get into it, it was good to have it along. We have several hours of airport and airplane time, though, so I could easily end up finished with the fourth and starting the fifth. The one I am reading now is rather academic, so alternating might not hurt either.
I can't seem to read, write, and work all at the same time. I don't feel great about that, and there are some more books I am anxious to get to, but of course getting Morgan and Family Reunion out the door will be the priority.
What is it like vacationing poor? Hard! And I don't want to sound like an ingrate. I am very blessed that my sister decided that having me along was worth paying for me, but it's still hard being dependent and not having my own money. I am so grateful to be here, but I so wish that things were different as well.
I guess my laptop and camera breaking kind of punctuates that. I do not have the funds to replace them. If I don't go anywhere for a while, I don't really need them, but in November I am supposed to start doing the daily selfie. That would be better with a phone anyway, but I'm not sure how that is going to happen either.
So this was a break, and it was a good one. I am proud of maintaining the blog and the songs, and getting my Throwback Thursday photo up, through a combination of planning ahead and sheer determination and sometimes luck. If the laptop had gone out in Hershey, I would have missed some days, because that motel did not have a business center.
Anyway, back to life. Back to reality.
Obviously I will be writing about this for weeks on the travel blog, but I have a few thoughts here.
One thing about vacation? Even with a lot of activity time, I have finished three books and am deep into a fourth. I brought five, but Julie read the fifth one after she finished the one I loaned her, so even if I don't get into it, it was good to have it along. We have several hours of airport and airplane time, though, so I could easily end up finished with the fourth and starting the fifth. The one I am reading now is rather academic, so alternating might not hurt either.
I can't seem to read, write, and work all at the same time. I don't feel great about that, and there are some more books I am anxious to get to, but of course getting Morgan and Family Reunion out the door will be the priority.
What is it like vacationing poor? Hard! And I don't want to sound like an ingrate. I am very blessed that my sister decided that having me along was worth paying for me, but it's still hard being dependent and not having my own money. I am so grateful to be here, but I so wish that things were different as well.
I guess my laptop and camera breaking kind of punctuates that. I do not have the funds to replace them. If I don't go anywhere for a while, I don't really need them, but in November I am supposed to start doing the daily selfie. That would be better with a phone anyway, but I'm not sure how that is going to happen either.
So this was a break, and it was a good one. I am proud of maintaining the blog and the songs, and getting my Throwback Thursday photo up, through a combination of planning ahead and sheer determination and sometimes luck. If the laptop had gone out in Hershey, I would have missed some days, because that motel did not have a business center.
Anyway, back to life. Back to reality.
September 14, 2015
Everything is breaking
Still on the road.
Our second day in Hershey it was raining hard, and at one point my camera stopped working. I hoped drying it out would help, and I tried changing batteries and also hooking it up to the laptop. It's toast.
I think I got this camera in 2007. I definitely had it by 2008. I know it's old, and that people with cell phones take better concert pictures than I do, but we've had some good times and I really like taking pictures. I will feel better once I can confirm that the memory card is fine.
My Chromebook was newer, purchased in 2012. I really only use it for travel. It was starting to act up quite a bit on this trip. Last night looked bad, but I decided to let it sit overnight and see. It's dead too.
Obviously, this is not going to be great for my posting. This is our last hotel and it has a business center, so I can probably still write something up tomorrow morning and then we are home tomorrow night. Fortunately I did not really have anything saved on it, so this could be much worse. Still, it's a little sad, especially that I still need to cart them around to see if I can repair them.
My phone and glaucometer should hold out okay, but I think the rubber band for my hair may give out before I get home too.
Our second day in Hershey it was raining hard, and at one point my camera stopped working. I hoped drying it out would help, and I tried changing batteries and also hooking it up to the laptop. It's toast.
I think I got this camera in 2007. I definitely had it by 2008. I know it's old, and that people with cell phones take better concert pictures than I do, but we've had some good times and I really like taking pictures. I will feel better once I can confirm that the memory card is fine.
My Chromebook was newer, purchased in 2012. I really only use it for travel. It was starting to act up quite a bit on this trip. Last night looked bad, but I decided to let it sit overnight and see. It's dead too.
Obviously, this is not going to be great for my posting. This is our last hotel and it has a business center, so I can probably still write something up tomorrow morning and then we are home tomorrow night. Fortunately I did not really have anything saved on it, so this could be much worse. Still, it's a little sad, especially that I still need to cart them around to see if I can repair them.
My phone and glaucometer should hold out okay, but I think the rubber band for my hair may give out before I get home too.
September 11, 2015
Concert Review: The Get Up Kids
Each band on the line-up was good individually, but there was also an aggregate effect.
More people had arrived by the time The Get Up Kids came on, but it was more than that.
It appears that the backstage area at the Hawthorne Theater must be rather small. There were staircases on each side, with hardly any wing space.
I know that because sometimes you would see a person here or there watching one of the acts, and when gear was being loaded and unloaded there was obviously not a lot of extra space.
As The Get Up Kids came on, the stairways were full. There were members from the Josh Berwanger Band and The Hotelier, and at least one person from Mean Jeans if I am not mistaken, and some other people I can't place. They wanted to watch.
So there was a densely packed energy in the audience, surging against the stage. The sides were also packed, and then on the stage there was the interplay between the band. There was a great sense of unity, but also a sense of something building. Toward the end Josh Berwanger came out and took over some vocals. It felt fitting that more people were being pulled in.
The Get Up Kids is who the audience came for. That's not taking anything away from their enjoyment of the opening acts, but there was a sense of recognition on every intro, people sung along, and even though many people in the audience seemed young for a band that was celebrating their twentieth anniversary, that didn't matter: this was their band!
It was something to be there, and see Jim Suptic throw his arm around Rob Pope, and say that they were in first grade together. Here they are now, playing music and making a crowd of people happy.
I'll periodically go back and watch the "Action & Action" video, and yes, they're older, but there is so much that is the same. Ryan Pope has the same expressions drumming. It's not that the time hasn't passed, or that it passed completely smoothly, but this is still pretty good, and it's touching. Suptic said he owed us a good show since he had been sick they last time they played there, and we got it. (I still don't think he will be allowed to live it down though.)
They were having a good time, and there was a lot of playfulness. At one point Matt Pryor came really close to James Dewees, without trying (the stage is pretty small too), but then that led to how close can we get, and backing into each other, and it didn't interrupt the song at all.
I was against the stage - right in front of Matt Pryor - with a good view of the clock. I had been keeping an eye on how well the bands were keeping to the schedule. I was impressed - they run a pretty tight ship - but then it all went out the window. The Get Up Kids went long, and no one wanted them to stop. (I think it only went about 20 minutes longer, but I had quit keeping time.)
I know the band has at times rejected the emo label, and there are legitimate reasons for that. I'll get everything I want to say about it out in this paragraph. It reminded me of this horrible Dashboard Confessional concert I went too, and some other concerts I have read about, where everyone is all into the music and singing along, knowing every word. I'd had a bad view of that because at the concert I saw it sucked all the life out the music. This concert showed me what those other concerts could have been. It doesn't have to be horrible and depressing. Maybe it just takes better music.
This was good music. Great show. I'm glad to see them still around.
https://www.facebook.com/TheGetUpKids
https://twitter.com/thegetupkids
September 10, 2015
Band Review: Electric Century
I wanted to review Electric Century a while ago, but with only a few tracks out I thought I would wait and see if they released a full album. With only three bands playing the concert I have been reviewing, I needed something to round out the reviews, and this seemed like a good fit. Four songs is still something to work with.
Composed of Mikey Way and David Debiak, the obvious question is whether this sounds like their previous work. No.
Actually, there is a part in "Let You Get Away" that builds in a somewhat similar manner to New London Fire's "For My Own", and they are both songs that stop me with their beauty, but if you listen to them you will see they are very different.
The sound is very hard to categorize. "Right There" starts with a bit that is almost '80s, but then there is something really futuristic sounding that builds alongside it. There is more synthesizer than seen in their respective earlier bands, but it is not techno. It is electric - and electrifying - and it is something new. Perhaps the era that it ushers in is the electric century. The name works, anyway, and Way is known for being good at coming up with band names.
There are interesting thoughts behind the music, with an almost militaristic chanting on "Hail The Saints" and an abrupt, unsettling ending to "I Lied." I think it is a band that could be greatly enjoyed on an intellectual level.
I think that, but for me it keeps coming back to the emotions evoked by "Let You Get Away", making me stop and let feeling sweep over me. It's not losing its power.
http://www.electriccentury.com/
https://www.facebook.com/electriccentury?_rdr=p
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtycPs6MwXyoVqq4m5v94fQ
https://twitter.com/electriccentury
Composed of Mikey Way and David Debiak, the obvious question is whether this sounds like their previous work. No.
Actually, there is a part in "Let You Get Away" that builds in a somewhat similar manner to New London Fire's "For My Own", and they are both songs that stop me with their beauty, but if you listen to them you will see they are very different.
The sound is very hard to categorize. "Right There" starts with a bit that is almost '80s, but then there is something really futuristic sounding that builds alongside it. There is more synthesizer than seen in their respective earlier bands, but it is not techno. It is electric - and electrifying - and it is something new. Perhaps the era that it ushers in is the electric century. The name works, anyway, and Way is known for being good at coming up with band names.
There are interesting thoughts behind the music, with an almost militaristic chanting on "Hail The Saints" and an abrupt, unsettling ending to "I Lied." I think it is a band that could be greatly enjoyed on an intellectual level.
I think that, but for me it keeps coming back to the emotions evoked by "Let You Get Away", making me stop and let feeling sweep over me. It's not losing its power.
http://www.electriccentury.com/
https://www.facebook.com/electriccentury?_rdr=p
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtycPs6MwXyoVqq4m5v94fQ
https://twitter.com/electriccentury
September 9, 2015
Starving artists
Two Wednesdays ago, I helped a friend get to a food bank. She is not homeless, but many of the people waiting were. While waiting I listened to a conversation where I learned that the best place to bum cigarettes is at the strip club. You learn something every day, I thought, but I am not sure that I will ever be able to use that.
Last Wednesday I was at a concert, which I will finish reviewing this week. After it was over one of the band members saw a pack of cigarettes on the floor with four lying loose, and he scooped them up for his own use.
Cigarettes are expensive. I don't remember now if it was one of the guys who needed new pants, but it's probably safe to say that while the guys in the headliner are comfortable (not rich), the guys in the opening acts don't have a lot of money.
I did not suggest to him that he try bumming cigarettes at strip clubs, because maybe that's only that one in Hillsboro. If strippers (a stripper at the one club will give you three at a time) in general are generous, I can believe that. Often you find the greatest generosity among the most marginalized.
It also reminded me of this:
http://qz.com/455109/entrepreneurs-dont-have-a-special-gene-for-risk-they-come-from-families-with-money/
Yes, not only does having money allow you to safely take risks; it also allows you to be creative. I see that more now. I have been trying to refinance the house, which is really stressful but also necessary. I am also taking a lot longer to finish my next book than I should. Some days I just don't have it in me to put forth any additional mental effort. I submit to you that those two things are not a coincidence.
One thing I also can't help but notice is that refinancing would be a lot easier for someone who didn't need it as much. There are sums required for paying for the appraisal, and there are other sums they said they would need that turned out to be mistaken (like the property taxes for the end of the year), but the reason I am trying to do this is because I am left with no extra money each month, not for fun.
So that of course reminds me of my recent post on Paul Allen, and how not liking the terms of his loan didn't stop him from defaulting and still owning the building anyway. I don't know how much stress that was for him, but I know he never stops being rich.
It also reminds me of Culture Crash:
http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Crash-Killing-Creative-Class/dp/0300195885
One of his points was that we are getting to where only those who are already wealthy will be able to be artists and musicians, but also journalists, so the options for the working class to get good information about these changes is going down too.
I had seen the demise of journalism as being more dangerous, but there would be great poverty in losing the creative voices that are out there now, and the ones that haven't spoken yet. It is important on a personal level, but it impoverishes us as a society as well.
So I know I said I was moving from political back to personal, but this is personal. I can live with working a day job if I still get to write, but if I become so worn down and so stressed that I can't write, life is much worse.
Watch that happen over and over again, for multiple people. No young bands coming up and following random people on Twitter. No one making art criticizing the oligarchy. Children don't learn art and music and schools, how are they even going to start? It doesn't even send ripples out into the world; it's just stagnation.
One thing that makes it easier for us to judge others is when we don't know their stories. Art helps people find ways to share their stories., via song, prose, poetry, pictures, and every other way. The more money that gets more tied up with the one percent, the more it strangles everything else.
And you know, I still think Black Lives Matter supersedes the economy, because economic fear is still better then fear that you will be pulled over for making eye contact, or not making eye contact, and where not signalling on a courtesy lane change leaves you dead in your jail cell.
If these are my vacation thoughts, you can see why I'm such a buzzkill when I'm working.
Last Wednesday I was at a concert, which I will finish reviewing this week. After it was over one of the band members saw a pack of cigarettes on the floor with four lying loose, and he scooped them up for his own use.
Cigarettes are expensive. I don't remember now if it was one of the guys who needed new pants, but it's probably safe to say that while the guys in the headliner are comfortable (not rich), the guys in the opening acts don't have a lot of money.
I did not suggest to him that he try bumming cigarettes at strip clubs, because maybe that's only that one in Hillsboro. If strippers (a stripper at the one club will give you three at a time) in general are generous, I can believe that. Often you find the greatest generosity among the most marginalized.
It also reminded me of this:
http://qz.com/455109/entrepreneurs-dont-have-a-special-gene-for-risk-they-come-from-families-with-money/
Yes, not only does having money allow you to safely take risks; it also allows you to be creative. I see that more now. I have been trying to refinance the house, which is really stressful but also necessary. I am also taking a lot longer to finish my next book than I should. Some days I just don't have it in me to put forth any additional mental effort. I submit to you that those two things are not a coincidence.
One thing I also can't help but notice is that refinancing would be a lot easier for someone who didn't need it as much. There are sums required for paying for the appraisal, and there are other sums they said they would need that turned out to be mistaken (like the property taxes for the end of the year), but the reason I am trying to do this is because I am left with no extra money each month, not for fun.
So that of course reminds me of my recent post on Paul Allen, and how not liking the terms of his loan didn't stop him from defaulting and still owning the building anyway. I don't know how much stress that was for him, but I know he never stops being rich.
It also reminds me of Culture Crash:
http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Crash-Killing-Creative-Class/dp/0300195885
One of his points was that we are getting to where only those who are already wealthy will be able to be artists and musicians, but also journalists, so the options for the working class to get good information about these changes is going down too.
I had seen the demise of journalism as being more dangerous, but there would be great poverty in losing the creative voices that are out there now, and the ones that haven't spoken yet. It is important on a personal level, but it impoverishes us as a society as well.
So I know I said I was moving from political back to personal, but this is personal. I can live with working a day job if I still get to write, but if I become so worn down and so stressed that I can't write, life is much worse.
Watch that happen over and over again, for multiple people. No young bands coming up and following random people on Twitter. No one making art criticizing the oligarchy. Children don't learn art and music and schools, how are they even going to start? It doesn't even send ripples out into the world; it's just stagnation.
One thing that makes it easier for us to judge others is when we don't know their stories. Art helps people find ways to share their stories., via song, prose, poetry, pictures, and every other way. The more money that gets more tied up with the one percent, the more it strangles everything else.
And you know, I still think Black Lives Matter supersedes the economy, because economic fear is still better then fear that you will be pulled over for making eye contact, or not making eye contact, and where not signalling on a courtesy lane change leaves you dead in your jail cell.
If these are my vacation thoughts, you can see why I'm such a buzzkill when I'm working.
September 8, 2015
Another MOOC bites the dust
I am mostly done with the nutrition MOOC. I have listened to and read all of the material and completed the section exams. I just have to do the essay, which I will have to do after I get back, currently being on the road.
(If you notice some irregularity in quality or posting from the road, don't be too surprised.)
I am taking the class for knowledge, not credit, so nothing terrible would happen if I didn't do the essay, but if you really want to know that you have learned, it is helpful to do everything, and an essay is especially helpful for putting thoughts in order.
One of the last discussion threads the class had - and what I believe my essay will focus on - is about personal responsibility versus the state regarding the growing obesity crisis.
Most people leaned toward personal responsibility, at least initially, and I would have too except for one thing. It's not that I personally am fat, because I have always blamed myself for that.
Some of the reading I have been doing lately, often via Shakesville.com, has made me think more. There are many stories of doctors ignoring patient complaints or blaming them on weight when there were other issues that needed treatment. There is more of a push now from the pharmaceutical industry to treat obesity before other issues. They ignore the signs of good health, like activity levels, cardiovascular fitness, and good blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Without saying that fat equals good health, I have become somewhat cautious on the topic of an obesity crisis - the indicators and priorities may be a little off.
The other thing that came up recently was talking to a friend who has been unemployed for a while now. She has always been slender, but has gained twenty-five pounds during this. One of the really cheap foods she has been able to buy has been bulk peanuts, which she has been relying on for protein. They are a cheap source of protein, but without starch or fiber they are not very filling, and they are still high in calories and fat.
It's not necessarily the only factor and I'm sure the constant stress doesn't help, but it reminded me that when we talk about personal responsibility we assume that people have real options for healthy eating and physical activity, without thinking about how much that is tied to economic status.
Poorer neighborhoods are less likely to have sidewalks and lighting for walking. They will often have less options for fresh and affordable produce. They probably have a lot of access to highly processed foods. Lots of poor people survive on ramen noodles and boxed macaroni and cheese because they are so cheap. Hipsters will pay good money for ramen, and with vegetables and an egg thrown in, it probably is healthier. When the key selling point is that you get five for a dollar, maybe the vegetables cost too much.
We've all heard jokes about poor obese people: well it looks like she can afford to eat. Maybe, but it doesn't mean that they aren't hungry or malnourished, and it certainly doesn't mean that they are lazy. A job can still be exhausting without being active. Then there may be children who need time and attention, and more often now, aging parents, and it can be really hard to find time for exercise.
Maybe they could be making better choices - I could - but I keep becoming more aware of how many obstacles get placed in the way. Some are based on city planning, or corporate influence, or the state of the economy, so there are things working together that are not easily fixed. That happens, and they are most likely to receive recrimination and jokes. Looks like he could afford to miss a few meals. Well, there's a good chance he has. That will help the body be really aggressive about storing fat.
Those are just some thoughts. A little more on that tomorrow.
(If you notice some irregularity in quality or posting from the road, don't be too surprised.)
I am taking the class for knowledge, not credit, so nothing terrible would happen if I didn't do the essay, but if you really want to know that you have learned, it is helpful to do everything, and an essay is especially helpful for putting thoughts in order.
One of the last discussion threads the class had - and what I believe my essay will focus on - is about personal responsibility versus the state regarding the growing obesity crisis.
Most people leaned toward personal responsibility, at least initially, and I would have too except for one thing. It's not that I personally am fat, because I have always blamed myself for that.
Some of the reading I have been doing lately, often via Shakesville.com, has made me think more. There are many stories of doctors ignoring patient complaints or blaming them on weight when there were other issues that needed treatment. There is more of a push now from the pharmaceutical industry to treat obesity before other issues. They ignore the signs of good health, like activity levels, cardiovascular fitness, and good blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Without saying that fat equals good health, I have become somewhat cautious on the topic of an obesity crisis - the indicators and priorities may be a little off.
The other thing that came up recently was talking to a friend who has been unemployed for a while now. She has always been slender, but has gained twenty-five pounds during this. One of the really cheap foods she has been able to buy has been bulk peanuts, which she has been relying on for protein. They are a cheap source of protein, but without starch or fiber they are not very filling, and they are still high in calories and fat.
It's not necessarily the only factor and I'm sure the constant stress doesn't help, but it reminded me that when we talk about personal responsibility we assume that people have real options for healthy eating and physical activity, without thinking about how much that is tied to economic status.
Poorer neighborhoods are less likely to have sidewalks and lighting for walking. They will often have less options for fresh and affordable produce. They probably have a lot of access to highly processed foods. Lots of poor people survive on ramen noodles and boxed macaroni and cheese because they are so cheap. Hipsters will pay good money for ramen, and with vegetables and an egg thrown in, it probably is healthier. When the key selling point is that you get five for a dollar, maybe the vegetables cost too much.
We've all heard jokes about poor obese people: well it looks like she can afford to eat. Maybe, but it doesn't mean that they aren't hungry or malnourished, and it certainly doesn't mean that they are lazy. A job can still be exhausting without being active. Then there may be children who need time and attention, and more often now, aging parents, and it can be really hard to find time for exercise.
Maybe they could be making better choices - I could - but I keep becoming more aware of how many obstacles get placed in the way. Some are based on city planning, or corporate influence, or the state of the economy, so there are things working together that are not easily fixed. That happens, and they are most likely to receive recrimination and jokes. Looks like he could afford to miss a few meals. Well, there's a good chance he has. That will help the body be really aggressive about storing fat.
Those are just some thoughts. A little more on that tomorrow.
September 7, 2015
Reading proofs
I have now gone through the process for submitting the files for print on demand. I ordered some proofs to look and also to be able to give some hard copies of the books to some musicians who were coming through. (Not the All American Rejects though; Frank Iero and James Dewees.)
You may have noticed that there are still only electronic versions showing as available:
http://www.amazon.com/Gina-Harris/e/B00OC0N218/
I'm working on it, but I've run into a few issues, and I'm learning some things.
For one thing, not having title pages or end pages looks really horrible, but they are not added automatically. Also, even though I checked and re-checked the originals, I am still finding errors. I found two on the front page of Family Ghosts, which horrifies me.
I believe I notice different things with the physical copies when I am proofreading. That would tempt me to start with the CreateSpace first, instead of Kindle Direct, if the process of getting the proofs were not so slow.
They aren't completely error-ridden. For example, in Cara I found five. Those include an extra space between two words, a period instead of a question mark at the end of a rhetorical question, and a line break in the middle of a sentence. And I know I entered that Family Ghosts was Book 2 in Family Blood, so why doesn't it say that on the cover? Plus the cover for Family Blood is hideous.
Since I think the cover for Cara works, it is tempting to forget the errors and just go with it. If I make changes, then I have to order proofs again, and then approve them. What if I find more? Also, now I know those errors are in the electronic files. I could correct them, but then that's two electronic editions, plus the print edition, and that feels excessive for what is essentially a hobby. Yes, that sounds self-negating.
When people act impressed, I get a touch of impostor syndrome. I mean, it's only self-publishing, which has been made remarkably easy. It could be utter trash and it would still be just as easy. I do realize there is some accomplishment in going through the process. And yet, when I was reading through and finding those remaining typos, I still got caught up in the story again.
With Frank and James, I really wanted to give them the books, because they have inspired me and they might enjoy them and it is basically what I have to give, but then when they thanked me I felt so guilty. What if they read it and don't like it? Life is too short for bad books.
I can't keep on an even keel about it. If only professional musicians had some way of understanding the emotional ups and downs of putting your artistic input into the world.
I had written previously about concerns with the covers:
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2015/07/quick-update.html
I may look into creating my own files before printing. I guess technically I don't have to push all of the print on demand books live at once. I could probably get Cara ready pretty quickly, and then agonize over the Family books a little longer.
Ultimately I am still working out best practices. It would be lovely to have an agent who worried about all of those things, leaving me to just focus on the writing, but it works out.
Morgan is still being worked on, and will be followed by Family Reunion.
September 4, 2015
Concert Review: The Hotelier
Yesterday's review was really positive, and that is going to continue - it was a great show all around. So remembering that I had a great time and enjoyed every single set, it needs to be understood that when I use the term "emo" it is not in any way an insult or criticism.
When I started listening to The Hotelier this week, my first thought was that they sounded really emo, and like a perfect match for The Get Up Kids.
Let me clarify that where I am in my listening now is around 1993 to 1994 - Braid, Texas is the Reason, Christie Front Drive - with strong emotional delivery and an almost acoustic feel. (And what a perfect time for The Get Up Kids to come, you might think, but I've been in this section for quite a while.)
That's where I was at listening to recorded The Hotelier. Some things reminded me a little of Green Day, and even a little bit of Oasis but not as much, and it was cool. I was looking forward to the show.
They were so much better in person.
That's not saying they were not good recorded, but they came in and all of the energy and passion in their playing was suddenly visible and seemed more audible.
Maybe it is seeing the hair flying. Of the two members who have long hair, their hair isn't really even that long, but in motion it was still magnificent. It all worked together, and it was a really good set. It gave me a better idea of what some shows must have been like when I read about how people still remember them, and also an idea of how some shows should have been.
So I came away really impressed.
They played a new song, indicating that there is new material forthcoming. I hope it does well. If nothing else, it looks like at least two of them need new pants. And that reminds me of some other bands too.
https://thehotelyear.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thehotelier
http://thehotelier.bigcartel.com/
https://twitter.com/thehotelyear
