Carl Franke's Blog, page 7

Writing Goals For 2022

I plan to have the sequel to “Be Home By Dinner” published in late April of ’22. I’ve thought about publishing the traditional route, opposed to self publishing. But the process of finding an agent (which could take two years) and then the agent finding a publisher (another two years) doesn’t seem worth the wait. Any monetary advance for an unknown author, as well as the marketing, is going to be minimal.

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Terrain in Glen Mills PA

Regardless of how expensive many of the products are at Terrain, Melissa and I continue to visit it every year to indulge our senses in all that it has to offer. Spice and floral scents seduce you as you walk in. Suddenly, you’re pondering whether to buy a clump of sticks with sparkles on it for $30. What’s circulating in the air there? Not sure. The cafe has some great eats, but you need a reservation. So, bring a Clif Bar and cozy up to the outdoor fire pits. Here’s a look at our latest visit:

@genxdada

Christmas at Terrain in Glen Mills #chrismasgifts #christmasshopping #glenmillspa #homeware

♬ Jingle Bells – Best Christmas Songs & Christmas Hits, Christmas Songs & Christmas & Christmas Songs

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Halloween 2021

Each year, we are the first customers to enter the local Spirit Halloween stores. I can’t recall if we visited before or after Labor Day, but it was hot out and the store clerks were still installing the animatronics. If you’ve never been to a Spirit Halloween, animatronics are the $200 to $500 massive, moving decorations that are triggered by footsteps or motion. They usually involve terrifying sounds and gore, although they don’t look that scary in the fluorescent lighted store with “Monster Mash” playing in the background. Here’s a look at our Halloween adventures:

@genxdada

Halloween Eve at @Peddler’s Village #halloween2021

♬ Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

@genxdada

Halloween Night On Tyson Avenue in Glenside PA

♬ Galactic Funk – DJ Spooky

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Santa Plexiglass Blues

We’ve been taking our kids to the Willow Grove Mall Santa since Wes was five months old. Last year, Santa had plexiglass in front of him due to COVID. It was nice to see that removed this year.

The days of playing at Challenges Arcade and buying 8-bit Nintendo and Sega Master System games at Babbages and Electronics Boutique are long gone, but the mall still has that stank of perfume mixed with Cinnabon cinnamon and buttery Auntie Anne’s pretzels. It sticks to your pores.

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Christmas 2021

We’ve been taking our kids to the Willow Grove Mall Santa since Wes was five months old. Last year, Santa had plexiglass in front of him due to COVID. It was nice to see that removed this year.

The days of playing at Challenges Arcade and buying 8-bit Nintendo and Sega Master System games at Babbages and Electronics Boutique are long gone, but the mall still has that stank of perfume mixed with Cinnabon cinnamon and buttery Auntie Anne’s pretzels. It sticks to your pores.

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What Happens After You Save Someone’s Life?

My Dad Raymond D. Franke saved Air Force Brigadier General William W. Spruance’s life back in 1961, pulling him out of a swamp as he sank badly burned. I never researched the General until now, but it altered the course of his life’s mission:

“After surviving a near-fatal crash as a passenger in a T-33 aircraft in 1961, resulting in extensive burns, he began a lifelong and legendary safety mission that took him to dozens of bases in the U.S. and around the world to make over 2,000 presentations on flying safety and crash survival. He was the first reserve officer awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal for one of his three trips to Vietnam when he gave 100 presentations to over 10,000 people, at 58 bases, in 60 days.”

166th Airlift Wing

You can read the full story here.

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“Clouded” New Instrumental and Time Lapse Video

Here’s a new instrumental created with the iOS Groovebox app and my Korg SP-250 piano going through a Zoom G1 Four effects pedal. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, just listen and enjoy! I used the iPhone 11 Time Lapse camera mode to capture some stunning scenes from our backyard, as well as imagery from Melissa’s ever expanding garden. The Mexican sunflowers are a favorite of mine.

Video With Partial Instrumental:Full Instrumental:

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New Spire Studio Instrumentals

I enjoy the idea of creating a track within a limited timeframe and limited constraints. I could fiddle with effects, levels, settings and tones all day long, looking for the perfect sounds — but it’s an endless rabbit hole. Here’s a couple of new tracks that I created with an iZotope Spire Studio, iPad synth / drum apps and my M-Audio MIDI controller.

The Spire Studio is a great little 8-track recorder that can run on batteries and includes a nice omnidirectional condenser microphone for vocals and acoustic instruments. The limitations of 8 tracks is perfect for me as well. It has just a few effects, some mastering / enhancer tools, a mixing section and you can upload straight to social media and cloud drives. The workflow is controlled with an app and is ideal for novices and pros alike.

Back when recording with DAWs like Pro Tools and GarageBand, I was always burnt out from staring at a laptop, which is what I do all day anyway. So, the Spire Studio is a nice little structured escape with limitations. Here’s a couple new tracks created last week:

“Fountain”“Life Event Planner”

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New Instrumentals

I enjoy the idea of creating a track within a limited timeframe. I could fiddle with effects, levels, settings and tones all day long, looking for the perfect sounds — but it’s an endless rabbit hole. Here’s a couple of new tracks that I created with iZotope Spire Studio, iPad synth / drum apps and my M-Audio MIDI controller.

The Spire Studio is a great little 8-track recorder that can run on batteries and includes a nice omnidirectional condenser microphone for vocals and acoustic instruments. The limitations of 8 tracks is perfect for me as well. It has a just a few effects, some mastering / enhancer tools, a mixing section and can upload straight to social media and cloud drives. The workflow is controlled with an app and is ideal for novices and pros alike.

Back when recording with DAWs like Pro Tools and GarageBand, I was always burnt out from staring at a laptop, which is what I do all day anyway. So, the Spire Studio is a nice little structured escape with limitations. Here’s a couple new tracks created last week:

“Fountain”“Life Event Planner”

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Facebook Carousel Ad

Below are the images of a Facebook Carousel Ad that I’m testing. I’ve seen these used for product feeds, but this is a great option to tell a story through toggling stylized photos with text.

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