Quick Life Update

Originally postedon http://digitaldiatribes.wordpress.com on June14, 2007.

Let’s see, since the last time I posted, you will be pleased to hear that there are no apparent ramifications from the killer wood tick. Outburst is his normal self, with no symptoms of the feared Lyme’s disease. For that, we are all thankful. We are less thankful that he is acting the way he normally does. The head of the tick appears to have either worked its way out on its own, or has dissolved or something. No scab remains, and no redness indicating infection is there.

I have continued to work on the CD. Yes, it takes a while. Here is the progress report: After the very initial mix, I realized every song needed to be completely re-mixed and pre-mastered. Some songs needed a new lead vocal recorded. All this was completed, and the last week to ten days has been spent listening to the new versions on various sound equipment. I am pleased to report that 2/3 of what was done is being considered final! Only one song needs a complete re-mix and pre-mastering effort. Four other songs need a re-mix of the vocal level only. The music and vocals are mixed separately, so this enables me to bypass working from scratch. Tonight I think I completed the song that needed the complete re-work. I am now backing it up along with another song I did not back up previously. The other four should not take too long to re-do, so I’m cautiously optimistic that I’ll have this next phase done by the end of the weekend. Then, I’ll spend a few more days listening to make sure it’s what I want.

I can afford to spend a few days listening, though, because the graphic design is in its infancy. I have the cover concept in the hands of the designer, but I have yet to take the pictures I need to choose from to complete the effort. I am hoping to get the pictures done this weekend as well so that on Monday I can get her everything she needs to get the design completed.

In the meantime, life moves on. It is summer, and the weather here has been generally fantastic. Last weekend was spent up in the northwoods at our camper. It could possibly be the nicest weekend we’ve ever spent up there as a family. Perfect weather! The kids loved swimming and fishing all weekend.

This week has been busy for my dear wife. Morning has brought Bible Camp at a local church. Kids 2-4 participate in that, and our oldest is an assistant. It’s hard to believe one of our kids is now old enough to assist rather than participate! I guess that happens, though. Then, in the evening, the top four have skating lessons at the local skating arena. yes, they are skating in the middle of summer. It’s actually kind of nice, though, because by offering these lessons throughout the year, the kids really learn it well, and you can also skip a session without waiting for a long time to get back in. The 4 and 6 year old are in the beginner’s group for the first time. It’s kind of funny to watch them. Outburst has taken a couple of nasty falls because he always thinks he can go faster than he really can. So far, no blood or broken bones, so we’re doing OK.

Next week brings Orchestra Camp for ByTheBook. She’s excited to play the violin in a real setting. In July, there will be swimming lessons.

Now, we typically do not make a special effort to get the kids into too many things. We prefer to let them be kids. The skating thing was their choice. It’s one of the few things they all seem truly excited about, and us adults both agreed that it’s one of those nice things that you can reasonably do forever once you learn. Swimming is a safety issue, since we are up at a lake often during the summer. Orchestra Camp was a special add-in since ByTheBook really loves music and is doing well. It just so happens that all these things hit at the same time!

So, that’s our life in a nutshell. Oh… and we bought another new-to-us used minivan. It doesn’t get much more exciting than that.