If life has taught me one lesson repeatedly, it's to know when I'm beat...

Seriously? It can't be! Has it really been a month since my last post? Urg...blogging is hard! Well, I suppose I ought to do a quick update:

First of all, FAWM has been, for me, an abject failure. Sure I could place the blame for this failure on external factors...in fact, yeah, that's what I'll do. Pretty much the entire month of February was dedicated to finishing my rough draft of my novel from NaNoWriMo (tentative title: Grave Accent. Or, maybe, Imp. Haven't decided yet.)

But it's finally done! At least, as much as you can call the first draft of writing "done". Now begins the work of editing. Ugg. If writing were basketball, the task of editing would be analogous to wiping up the sweat from the floorboards. I'll also start to deconstruct my writing methods, to try to make future NaNoWriMos a little more smooth and manageable. Kinda like ScarJo's hair.

You're welcome.

Despite not having the time to finish FAWM, I was somehow able to squeeze in a few movies this weekend, all of which I'd recommend heartily:

Zombieland: Not the best zombie movie ever (Shaun of the Dead takes the honors there), but definitely makes the short list. You know any movie where the sentence "The worst part was the bit with Bill Murray" has to be pretty awesome.

Moon: Trippy, heady movie with great atmosphere (Ha! Get it?!?).

A Serious Man: Man oh man, I love the Cohen Bros. This is not their best movie ever; in fact, I thought it was a little weak after I saw it. But the more I think about it, the more I realize what a great job they did with the theme of "The Uncertainty of Life". Very meta.

The Invention of Lying: Ricky Gervais has an amazing talent for combining comedy with a genuinely touching story. On a whole other level than almost all other RomComs.


Oh, and one more recommendation: Check out this cover of Britney Spear's Toxic, by alt-country band "Or, the Whale" (no idea what the story is with the name...). Seriously. Better than the original (don't get me started on my love/hate Britney sentiments; maybe some other time). Free download here.

That is all.


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Listening to: The Pixies - (In Heaven) Lady In The Radiator Song
via FoxyTunes

FAWM Update I

Not much progress so far on FAWM; just a couple of tracks begun and nowhere near finished. Still lots to do, hours and hours of mixing and editing.

Anything that makes my life, vis-a-vis music production, easier is, by definition, awesome. I'd like to share a couple of resources that I've found very helpful:

Freesound is a huge online interactive community where people and/or possibly cyborgs come together to share and find sound samples. Whether it's a mellow atmospheric pad to back your composition, or just a really cool sound, such as an old school ringing phone, you can find it at freesound.org.

Digifish is an Australian site with sound samples so shockingly good I'm surprised that the Australian government hasn't shut it down yet. Just make sure to get permission before using their sounds in your compositions (it's super easy, even I could do it - just shoot them an email).

Best of luck to everyone in their endeavors this month!


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Listening to: Mogwai - Like Herod
via FoxyTunes