“I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on The Wiz and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the 80’s. To this day, the music we created together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all…talent, grace, professionalism and dedication.He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.” --Quincy Jones



A part of my childhood and musical heritage was ripped from me yesterday. I know a lot of people did not like MJ, but I have always had a deep respect for his music. It's sad that it takes his death for people to realize the incredible contribution he made to pop music and culture. And while I am fully aware that Quincy Jones "made" MJ into the megastar that he became, MJ had to have the talent to begin with. RIP Michael Jackson.

Review of the CSO's "Daphnis et Chloe" on SA-CD.net

This recording is a technical DISASTER! BEWARE!!!

I am wondering if these other two men who listened to this SACD, really listened to it in SURROUND. I am SO disappointed!!! Daphnis et Chloe is one of the greatest of orchestral masterpieces, and it has SO needed a recent recording in DSD.

To save you some reading, the mix-down encoded for SACD by Classic Sound Limited, UK, is completely MESSED UP. The orchestra and performers, who should be spread between the front two channels, are on the left rear and left front channels. The hall ambience, which should be in the REAR two channels, is in the right front and right rear channels. HOW, you may ask? Some incompetent idiot did not listen to the Master as it was being pressed. NO QUALITY CONTROL, or worse still, NO ONE at the Chicago Symphony bothered to really listen to the product they are selling. THIS IS SHAMEFUL and a huge WASTE of their money and MINE!!!

Sure, it sounds fine in SACD stereo, and everything is where it should be, but I will have something to say about Haitink's Daphnis below. Also, the bass response, unless it is due to the hall's acoustics, is ANEMIC!!!

About the performance... Remember, the end of the Daphnis ballet is supposed to be an orgy in honor of the great god Pan. Here, the performance is so tepid, I wish someone had mixed some Viagra in Haitink's Metamucil. The peformance PLODS. Listen to the fire of Munch with Boston Symphony and hear how a FRENCH conductor understands this music has to have sweep, virtuosity, and total drunkenness... AND SEX!!! YES, SEX!!! These people sound like they are having tea and brioches, NOT at an orgy... The biggest shame is that, while one of the greatest of virtuoso orchestras is on tap, they are NOT challenged to play at that level.

While the CSO plays splendidly, Haitink is BORING!!! The Poulenc Gloria has NO bounce. It is just as polite as the Daphnis...

Also, the Dutoit recording on DECCA RBCD is just as dull. Yes, the sound is beautiful, but the spirit of the music is NOT there, and it most certainly is NOT here... Even Boulez, in his CBS and DG RBCD performances, often accused of being clinical, gets his orchestras to play this music with great sweep and blazing white heat...

MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT... I am going to write to the CSO, who sold me this turkey and ask for my money back... or at least (impossible in my view) a repressing of what is now a 30-dollar drink coaster... STAY AWAY FROM THIS TURKEY!!! Haitink is DEAD in LIFE!!!

Ravel and Poulenc live on in better hands, but Haitink is UNDEAD!!!

PS: I just went back and relistened to the Munch/Boston SO performance on Living Stereo SACD. Even in TWO channels, this performance gets ALL the notes and the sweep and spirit of the performance. Get THAT one, if you want one of the best performances of Daphnis. If you want surround, do not buy this unless CSO Resound remasters and represses it. The worst thing is that they actually have a donor who underwrites these discs, and NO ONE really listened to the surround version of this mess. Never mind that Haitink pedantically gets every note of the score but completely misses the MUSIC!!!

PPS: Yes, I love this music very much, and I know the work, VERY well, having studied the score for years, and yes, I am a professional orchestra conductor with 42 years of experience on the podium.

PPPS: What is really missing in these performances? PASSION. There is absolutely NO PASSION. That is a shame. Everyone is so proficient at what they do, they sound BORED. If I want to revisit this lack of passion, I could save the 30 dollars and call my ex-wife... UGH!!!

PPPPS: I called the CSO to alert them to the technical problem in this disc, and talked to the person in charge of their CSO Resound recording program. My report was met with skepticism, and I was then given an extensive list of the qualifications of the personnel who put the release together, followed by all the reasons why I should NOT be hearing what I was hearing with their defective disc. His reaction should have been to ask me to send him the disc, to prove what I am saying. That is simple customer service, but that is NOT the case here. He told me to contact the store where I bought it, the same employer as his own, the Chicago Symphony Store, and they MIGHT give me store credit. I then called my bank and had them reverse the charge on the CSO Store. So, BUYER BEWARE!!! Find some other place to buy SACD's, this is corporate idiocy at it worst. Never mind the dull performance... I guess it matches the administration...

PPPPPS: (Yes, enough, already!!!) I just read, in the discussion thread about this release, that someone else has received another copy of this disc that has defective channel assignments in the Surround SACD layer. I did not think my ears were lying to me... and my system is calibrated for balance and the SACDs are playing straight from the player to the 6-channel preamp to the power amps. The audio path is analog direct...(end of review)






This is the type of shit I see everyday from audiophiles. it's crazy how serious these people take surround sound recordings. I posted this because one of the engineers who recorded and QC'd the discs (listened to the masters before they were sent to duplication) called my boss yesterday in a frenzy - the same one that told the reviewer that there was nothing wrong with the disc. Apparently news has spread of this channel fuck up and it does not bode well for the CSO's reputation or their staff. The producer of the album is James Mallinson, the same producer we've been working with for the past year on the Mariinsky recordings in Russia. James is a British gentleman and has made a name for himself as a successful classical music producer for the past 30 years. He's like the Phil Ramone of the classical world. Anyways, James has this thing for using the London based Classic Sound studios for editing/mixing/mastering of the projects that he works on simply because he can walk or drive to the studios and sit in on the sessions as they happen. I'm also sure that James is trying to help out his countrymen with providing work. Unfortunately, in the recording business you get what you pay for and Classic Sound is cheap. James has been trying to shift (on the sly) the post production of the Mariinsky material that Soundmirror recorded to Classic Sound. My boss and the engineers have worked with James many times in the past and know that he is kinda slimy, BUT the Russian gig is good and pays well - it's something that we're not going to give up that easily. It will be really interesting to see what comes from all of this. My boss told the CSO engineer that next time he should take up our offer to do the recording and get it done right.

I thought it was great that the reviewer mentioned the RCA Living Stereo version of Daphnis as being better in stereo than the CSO surround version. Soundmirror mastered all of the RCA Living Stereo titles years ago. Hell yeah.

One of my young engineers just told me that he wants to go to the West Coast for 2 months and be a hippie. My initial reaction was to smack him upside the head for wanting to be a hippie ;) I told him he would have to stop bathing and start wearing patchouli...he didn't like that too much.

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her hands through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw anyone away.
Remember, if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others."

A person from the US Coast Guard Band called the studio today asking if we had any recommendations for engineers with a classical music background to hire. Get this: although the engineer would be enlisted in the Coast Guard for 4 years, they wouldn't have to go through basic training or even go on a boat! the pay is $50K per year and it's a normal 9-5 workday, 4 days a week (plus 2 weekend concerts a month and several tours a year). This is a dream job for a young engineer who has completed their internship!

Having an animal companion go missing is one of the most terrifying realities a pet parent can face. Proper ID tags and microchipping have proven essential in reuniting lost pets with their families—in the recent case of one missing California puppy, however, it was the ASPCA MySpace page that helped bring her home!

On March 3, two days after being adopted, nine-month-old Chihuahua mix Buei Buei (pronounced Bebe) escaped from her Corona, CA, home through a window left open a crack when owners Xinfeng Liu and his girlfriend went out for a few hours. After returning to find their puppy gone, the couple spent the next few days frantically knocking on neighbors’ doors and calling local animal shelters. Meanwhile, Buei Buei had wandered to the freeway two miles away.

At 6:30 the following morning, Yvonne Ansite was driving home from her shift at a Corona Wal-Mart. “About a quarter of a mile onto the freeway, I saw a little white puppy. She was almost hit a few times," Yvonne remembers. "I pulled over to pick her up and she climbed right into my car.”

When Yvonne arrived home, she and her sister searched the Internet for a local animal shelter where they could report the found pup. As their search proved unsuccessful, they emailed a request for help to the ASPCA MySpace page. Elyse Orecchio, Associate Editor of Social Media, directed them to the Find a Shelter tool at ASPCA.org, a database of more than 3,000 animal care facilities across the country. “I was touched by Yvonne's determination to reunite the pup with her pet parents,” Orecchio comments.” I'm so glad our friends on social networks like MySpace feel they can reach out to us for help—and that we can give it to them!”

Says Yvonne, “We used the shelter locator to get the phone number of Corona Animal Control, and that was the key that helped reunite the puppy with her family.” After Buei Buei was dropped off, one of the shelter’s animal trainers, aware of the missing Chihuahua mix, contacted Liu. On March 7, pup and owner were reunited.

Not every pet parent is as lucky. To increase the chances of bringing a lost pet home, please make sure your animal companion has proper ID tags and a microchip with updated information.

Today on my way to work I saw something that was a bit of a downer, so I posted my thoughts on the pets forum in craigslist. Check it out below and then read a response I received.

Subject: To the people who helped an injured dog on 93N

Thank you for stopping to help an injured dog on one of the most dangerous highways in MA. As I was coming on 93N from 128S to get to the train station at Anderson/Woburn this morning, there was more traffic than usual. I was a little aggravated at first because the traffic was bad on 128S and I was going to miss my train, but then I saw a couple of women walking along the side of the highway with a leash and a bowl of food in their hands, obviously looking for a runaway dog...As I inched my way closer, I noticed there was at least 5 or 6 cars parked along the breakdown lane and several people helping an injured dog on the side of the road with blankets and whatever else they had. I couldn't bear to look at the condition of the dog, but my heart leaped to my throat as I slowly made my way to the Commerce Way exit. I don't know what happened, but at least the dog was surrounded by loving people and that is what matters most. Of all the horrible things that humans do (especially after the recent rash of violent outbursts throughout the country) it was comforting to see a small group of people drop whatever they were doing to help a hurt dog. These are truly beautiful people.


RESPONSE: Thank you for that posting. It has been a very rough day today. I left right before the cops arrived. When I had left the dog was getting worse and appeared to be giving up, I was emotional and had to leave. I could not bare to watch him suffer anymore. I have done nothing all day but think about him and whether or not he had made it or not. Your posting was a nice gesture on a heart wrenching day. Again thank you!

Cannot stand people on the train. Must constrain my desire to scream. 15 more minutes. I can do it. Maybe.

Saw this on craiglist today in the Pets forum:

Saying Goodbye Every Day

by Amy Espie

Sunday. A friend and I take our dogs for a run in the park. The late-afternoon sunlight is pure gold, and a fresh breeze rustles the tall grass. A family approaches us on the trail: a man, woman, and two small boys. They are accompanied by a large tan dog with the distended nipples of motherhood and an adorable pup who looks just like his mom. The pup pesters his mom, taking five steps for every one of hers. She patiently tolerates his rambunctiousness.

It's a heartwarming scene that totally depresses me.

What has happened to me? I love dogs. I love puppies. And yet the sight of puppies makes me sad. Every time I see or hear of a litter of kittens or pups, I also see cages full of homeless ones and the bins full of dead ones at the shelter where I work.

Monday. It's 8 PM, time to go home. I walk past the cages in the Stray Cat Room. A calico cat and her two kittens sit quietly on the shelf in their cage. The mother grooms one of the kittens. A pink card attached to the cage tells me it�s time to say goodby to these three. I feel the familiar mixture of sadness, anger, and bitterness.

A huddled gray ball of fur in an adjoining cage catches my eye. In the farthest corner of her cage, a bedraggled cat hides her head under a sheet of newspaper. I peer between the bars. "Hi, Kitty," I say softly. "Are you totally miserable? I don't blame you." I chatter on, more for my own benefit than for hers. I put some treats into her bowl and leave.

Tuesday. A small, frightened black rabbit is rescued from a cellar by one of our Humane Officers. That evening she gives birth to five babies. Four days later, when her stray period is up, the babies are injected with sodium pentobarbital. A few seconds later, they are dead. The mother is put up for adoption.

Gray Cat clings to her corner, still facing the wall. I notice that she's eaten the treats I left, which encourages me. I talk to her again. "I know it's hard to believe, but actually you're pretty lucky. Decent food, a clean litterbox, people who care about you; and, with a little luck, one special person to appreciate and adore you forever." Gray Cat is not impressed.

Wednesday. I talk to the people in my dog-training class about spaying and neutering. "Of the ten million dogs and cats who are killed every year at animal shelters in the US, nearly three million are purebreds," I explain. "And the other seven million had a purebred in their very recent past. Stand at our front counter any day of the week and you will hear the same stories again and again: 'We're moving'; 'The landlord says no'; 'He barks and the neighbors called the cops on us'; 'She messes in the house.' An expensive dog with a behavior problem is just as disposable as an all-American mutt.

"Spend a day at the shelter and you'll also hear the repertoire of reasons people give for not having their animals spayed or neutered: 'We want the children to experience the miracle of birth'; 'Neutering is unnatural'; 'It's cruel'; "I wouldn't want anyone to do it to me'; 'My cat is from champion stock'; 'We've already got homes lined up for all the babies.' But try to explain these reasons to a loving, beautiful animal (or even an ill-tempered, homely one) whose time is up, who is receiving a death sentence when his only crime is that some human let him be born instead of facing the reality of the overpopulation disaster. I've never heard a rationalization that didn't fade into nothing in the face of even one death."

On my way out, I stop at Gray Cat's cage again. "Hi, Gray C. Still memorizing that bit of wall, I see." A miracle! She turns and looks at me. Her emerald eyes size me up. Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but she seems a little less frightened, her body a shade more relaxed. "Listen," I tell her, "you've probably met some pretty unevolved humans out there. We're not all like that. Give us another chance, okay?" She blinks dubiously. This is progress.

Thursday. The animal care technicians at the shelter are the bravest people in the world. I watch them scrub kennels and clean litterboxes. I see them take a moment to play with a kitten or hold a lonely pup. I hear them calm the frightened ones with a gentle word. And every now and then I force myself to witness what they must face every day. That same dog who they cared for, petted, and talked to must finally be given the only thing we have left to offer: a gentle, respectful death. What have we come to when the best we can do is to kill them kindly?

Jim puts a leash on the Labrador retriever. She cowers in the back of the kennel, tail between her legs. He tugs on the leash. She whimpers and crouches down lower. He kneels beside her. "It's okay, pup. Don't be scared." She stops whimpering but won't move. He scoops her up in his arms and carries her to the Euthanasia Room. She's been at the shelter for two weeks. She's so frightened that all she does is lie in the corner. No one wants her. Now she will die. Carol holds her while Jim shaves a small patch of fur from her leg. She is quiet and trembling. Jim continues to talk to her. He gives her the injection. She slumps onto the table. Carol carries her body to the Chill Room and adds it to the pile.

In the Cat Room, Gray Cat is sitting in her usual corner, but she's not facing the wall today. The room is noisy. Adorable kittens fill row upon row of cages. Friendly adult cats come forward, asking for attention. I open her cage to give her a treat. "It isn't fair," I tell her. "You have every right to distrust people, but if you don't act adoptable, how can you compete with all these other cats?" I reach my hand closer to her. I touch her. She lets me! I thank her.

Friday. At home, a veterinary clinic calls me to find out if I have room for another unwanted. The owners brought a young mini-lop in to be euthanized. Why? They're moving out of state. They don't want to take the rabbit. They haven't found any friend who will take him, and they don't want "a bunch of strangers" coming to their house to see the rabbit.

When I get to work, Gray C. is not in her cage. I look everywhere. I try not to be too hopeful. I tell myself, Don't pursue it. I ignore my own good advice. I go to the Chill Room. She is there, in one of the bins, her body curled up against that of a terrier. I touch her, for the second and last time. Her body is getting cold. She is gone. I mourn her. But who will mourn the calico kitten underneath her, and the angora rabbit in the next bin? Who will mourn all ten million of them, one by one?

I am sick of the snow. Every couple of days there is a storm and luckily the last 2 or 3 hasn't amounted to much, but it was combined with rain and then it froze over. My car was encased in a thick layer of ice this morning and let me tell ya, that was a joy to scrape off. My knee cap still hurts like a bitch from when I fell on the ice before Thanksgiving, so I haven't gone skiing. Frankie's friend in WV, who is a doctor, took a look at my knee over Christmas and said that it should be x-rayed because I may have cracked it. I have an appointment with my doctor in April, so he'll have to look at my stupid knee again. My dad suggested I take this season off from skiing, especially with the wedding coming up - eek!

The cold has been brutal too. I am putting off from walking to the bank right now because one of my engineers just came back from lunch and made a big deal about how cold and windy it is outside...brrr!

ugh...I need to suck it up and go to the bank now. I cannot wait for spring!

and other days I love my engineers. I think to work in the music industry you have to have a bi-polar personality. I can't exclude myself from the equation, because I know there are some days when I can be a total bitch, but then turn on a dime to a "sweetheart" if tempted. Today for instance, I got my period so I was feeling like shit. The guys were so nice to me (without knowing that I felt sick) and my mood just switched like that.

I wore my "Hell hath no fury like a woman with a sword" shirt today...perhaps that is the reason all of my engineers were so nice to me? who knows. Like i said - they are a bunch of moody bums.

Frankie gave me his opinion last night on what our wedding first dance song should be - "Sea of Love" by the Honeydrippers (Robert Plant). I was like, what?! It's a cute song and upbeat, but here are the lyrics:

Do you remember when we met
That's the day I knew you were my pet
I want to tell you how much I love you

Come with me, my love
To the sea, the sea of love
I want to tell you how much I love you

Come with me, to the sea

Do you remember when we met
That's the day I knew you were my pet
I want to tell you how much I love you

GUITAR SOLO

Come with me, to the sea

Come with me, my love
To the sea, the sea of love
I want to tell you how much I love you

Come with me, to the sea



as you can see, not much to the lyrics. and the lyric "I knew you were my pet"?! I DON'T THINK SO!!! I think we can do better than that. If anyone has ideas for upbeat first dance songs that do not refer your loved one to a "pet", please let me know!

I just found some original wellington boots at a horse tack place I used to frequent back in the day...SCORE!!! Now, I have to save some cash for these babies :)

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
-move into a nice apartment complex
-work at a studio
-received my own health insurance

2.. Did anyone close to you die?
No


3. What countries did you visit?
Just the good old USA. my boss threatened to send me to Russia though


4. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The day Aaron stabbed me in the back by telling Liz my plans to leave the company. I have learned from this lesson.


5. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Studio Manager. Helping to build a studio in Russia from scratch.


6. What was your biggest failure?
parking my car in Salem!


7. Did you suffer illness or injury?
i busted my knee in the parking lot outside my apartment. it still hurts a bit today.


8. What was the best thing you bought?
so far, auto insurance. Hopefully I will have a new car soon too.


9. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Janice - for putting up with John everyday. I don't know how she does it.


10. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Aaron


11. Where did most of your money go?
rent, utilities, train passes


12. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
my new job


13. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Break away - Kelly Clarkson


14. Compared to this time last year, are you
i. happier or sadder?: Happier
ii. thinner or fatter?: i think fatter
iii. richer or poorer?: richer


15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
go to concerts


16. How will you be spending Christmas?
in West Virginia with Frankie and his family. Belle will be staying with my parents in NH.


17. How will you be spending New Years Eve?
at work and then buying a new car if I haven't already


18. Did you fall in love in 2008?
already in love


19. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I dislike Aaron very much


20. What was the best book you read?
Sharon Osbourne: Extreme


21. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Katy Perry


22. What did you want and get?
a nice apartment, a good job


23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
As I recall, I had to work and Liz bit my head off for no apparent reason other than I was the only one in the office and she wanted to take her frustration out on me rather than the person who deserved it. I cried the entire way home on the train.


24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
not having to deal with car problems


25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
dark denim or linen pants; cotton or silk blouses; fitted tshirts; boots; my trusty pumas

26. What kept you sane?
Frankie and Belle


27. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Harrison Ford. I dunno.


28. What political issue stirred you the most?
the election


29. Who did you miss?
The megs


30. Who was the best new person you met?
all of the guys here at Soundmirror

Well, after shit hit the fan last week, I think life has calmed down a bit. To start off, my poor little car was hit by some douchebag in Salem where I park it near the train station. I walked up to my car and saw that the driver's side mirror was hanging by the wires. I flipped out but I was able to drive my car home without losing my mirror. Frankie bolted my mirror back on my car and I was all set to go. That happened on a Friday night. The following week at work was a nightmare because I was dealing with the last of the Russian shipment and getting all of the engineers ready for the holiday break (making sure they got all of their projects done). I also had to get one of my engineers a rush multi-entry Russian business visa and get him on a flight that will leave tomorrow because we finally received confirmation that Gergiev will record some cello concerto on Dec 23rd, so my boss will need extra hands to help set up a studio before the recording begins. We're building a first class recording studio in Russia of all places in one week - crazy. My boss will get it done - he doesn't stop until something is completed. In any case, my job was made very difficult by these huge projects coupled with stressed-out engineers. Friday last week we had a major snow/ice/rain storm hit the northeast. In my area, all we received was rain, but several inches of it. My parking spot in Salem was located next to a small tidal stream that did not have flood warning signs posted as did other streets in Salem. When I came home Friday night, I noticed the inside of my car was all foggy. I thought that was weird until I sat down on my seat...it was soaking wet. I looked all around me and I saw that there was puddles of water on my floorboards. I tried starting my car, but the engine wouldn't turn over. The street where I park has several businesses, and a guy from the oil company that is located directly across from where my car was parked came over and told me that the street had flooded during the day. I called Frankie and he picked me up after his lessons in Marblehead. The following day, I was supposed to go dress shopping with my mom but I had to reschedule because I still couldn't get my car to start. In the sunlight, we were able to see the waterline from the flood - up to my windows, which means salt water had covered my engine. I realized that my car was officially dead.

Frankie called our insurance provider and they were very helpful. Progressive told me that my car was most likely a total loss. I met with the agent on Monday and she confirmed that my car was indeed a total loss. Yesterday I talked with my insurance rep and he gave me the figures on what my car was worth and how much they were going to pay me for it. Let's just say that is where my luck turned and now I will have a decent amount to use as a down payment on a brand spankin' new car. I'm not thrilled that I will now have a car payment to pay every month, but I'll have the peace of mind that my car will be in good shape for several years.

I have already looked at several cars and I have narrowed my choices down the the 2009 Hyundai Accent or the Elantra. I will most likely test drive these two cars this weekend before we leave for West Virginia on the 23rd. I will buy a car on the 30th or 31st when dealers are trying to get rid of their stock for tax purposes.

Saturday, I'm going to go pick up my check from Progressive and hand them the title to my defunct car. After that, I will go meet my mom for my first dress shopping appointment! Wish me luck :)

The bits that I've heard about the series sound interesting enough, but I've never really been into the vampire stuff to begin with. I also cannot stand anything overly emotional - if I get a whiff of Emo, I immediately head for the hills. I know - this is coming from the chick obsessed with Phantom of the Opera and has the ability to become an emotional wreck at any point during the day...but, I want to know if anyone else has read the books and whether they thought they were worth the time and money (both of which are in short supply for me).

Thanks in advance

When I lived in NY and rode the commuter rail, I think there were maybe 2 times when my train was late and that was due to massive flooding in westchester county. Even when there was a major snowstorm, my train to Poughkeepsie was on time. The MTA takes pride in their on-time performance and publishes their rating every month in little pamphlets that they give to commuters...now that I live back in MA, my disappointment in the T has grown to an all time high as nearly every week there is at least one train late. As I sit on this overcrowded late train going into Boston, I have come to realize how good I had it in NY as far as public transportation goes...the subway is a different story, but at least traveling into the city was not the nightmare that my T commute has become.

I seriously considered driving into work until I realized that there was no way of avoiding the northshore traffic. So, I am forced to take the T for as long as I work in Boston. I guess the only plus is that I have the freedom to come into my studio late if I want or need to. It's just aggravating because I like to be on time.

Oh well. Until the day where I can start my own management company out of my house, I will have to accept the fact that commuting sucks.

The Russians paid their overdue deposit this afternoon. I am shocked, amazed, and relieved. My boss was ecstatic to say the least. Just goes to show what a bit of old-fashioned bitching to the right people can do...lol

Yesterday was my bro's and liz's second bridal shower and it went without a hitch. Afterwards, we went to the seafood fest down at hampton beach - always fun to people watch there :) I heard a guy singing a whitesnake song in one of the restaurants and he was pretty good so I went up to him to get a card - when I got close enough to get a closer look at the dude, I found him very unattractive and not frontman material for frankie's band. Ew. The search continues.

I've agreed to help out frankie's school by teaching violin for one student because their other violin teacher walked out last semester...I'm a little stressed out by this mainly because all of my violins are in their "dormant" state and it's going to take me hours just to set up one of them to play. I suppose this will be good for me because teaching lessons forces me to practice and to keep my skills sharp. It's also a little extra cash, which would be nice considering I'm just scraping by with a number of expenses related to rob's wedding and surprises like getting my car's muffler fixed today...ouch. I just need to kick my butt into getting started.

Work is doing fine. The russians had not paid us as of today, which really pisses me off. I don't trust them one bit and it aggravates me that my boss believes everyday they will pay us - this has been going on for the past month and a half. I am so worried about this deal my boss made with them too. We're suppossed to order a million and a half dollars worth of studio equipment for the russians and have it delivered by December 15th, but they're only going to pay 25% deposit and pay the rest on December 26th AFTER all of the equipment had been delivered to russia. Does anyone else get bad vibes from this deal? We haven't ordered anything yet (I would kill my engineers if they did without my peemission and russian cash in hand). This is one of those things where I don't want to wait and see what happens.

I have taken a new band under my wing for management: Your Pain is Endearing. They are a death metal group and I think they could do well provided they get on the right label. I also hope they get a singer who has commercial appeal. The rest of the dudes are fine, but I think a singer makes or breaks a band when it comes to commercial success.

That's about it for right now.

I received a call yesterday from my replacement at Emcee in NYC...apparently she was having an awful day at the office and wanted to know how I dealt with my former boss Liz. Poor thing. I know exactly how she feels - Liz is difficult to work for under the best of cicumstances. I hope the advice I gave helped.

Well, the day started off good with my out of state license conversion going smoothly the second time around at the Boston RMV. I walked into the studio and a couple of the engineers were already here, along with my boss. Everything was going fine until my boss pulled one of the engineers into my office and told him that 4 tracks needed to be mixed by the end of today for this stupid album we're producing. Cranky engineer responded that our chief mix/mastering engineer was already working on another album this morning. My boss asked how that happened, and cranky engineer replied he didn't know and gave me an indignant look, which I caught. My boss said "whatever, as long as those tracks get done" and then he left my office. As soon as my boss left, I snarled at cranky engineer that I didn't schedule the mix engineer to work on that different album today. I gave him a look that translated to "don't fucking blame me for your poor time management". Mr cranky pants stormed off to his studio. I swear, I could have smacked him when he made that comment and he knows better than to cross me. Cranky engineer is back on my shit list.