For the past 6 months I have had too much time on my hands and no sense of direction.  I didn't know what job I might get, how I would get to said job, or how long I would stay in NC.  The fact that I won't be able to go back simplifies things, which is good because the uncertainty has been distracting me from working on the novel.  

My circumstances may be a blessing in disguise.  On top of feeding and sheltering me, both my parents are very supportive of me finishing the novel I started last year and taking a serious step towards becoming a published novelist.  So, since I have not been able to find another job, I need to treat that like my job -- in the hopes that it some day will be.

I have set myself a goal of writing 5 pages a day, 5 days a week, which is ambitious but should be doable since I have few other demands on my time.  Right now I am re-writing what I have written so far from the beginning, editing in new material and including adjustments to plot, character, and pacing.  So although I have written 119 pages (36,376) words, I only count the first 12 pages (3904) words as complete.  Those are pages that I feel are ready to be seen by the agents expressed interest in my novel after the Oct 1 reading last year.

Between now and Oct 1 of this year, there are 12 weeks.  At the pace I am setting, that should give me time to produce 300 pages.  I don't know that the novel will end up quite that long, but I believe that I will have a completed manuscript by that time.  After over a year of planning and making notes and receiving peer commentary on excerpts, I know the direction I want to take it in and I am confident in my choices.  Now all I have to do is do it, and I think it is a fitting goal to begin contacting agents about my novel on the 1-year anniversary of receiving such encouraging responses.

Recently, I've been looking at my situation and accepting that, since I have not been able to secure steady employment in the past 6 months, I will not be able to save up the money that I would need in time to meet the visa requirements to return to the UK.  It looks like I am staying here.  

I am also expecting to be with my parents for some time.  Whenever I do get a significant income, I will have to save up at least as much money as going back to the UK would have cost me, possibly more, in order to buy a car and move into a place of my own. So last week I turned my room into a space I could call my own, rather than just somewhere I sleep, a space that I can do some writing in.

 

The Nightsound Show is a veritable cornucopia of local and independent music, literature, philosophy, spirituality, culture, comedy, and politics. It is a magazine for your ears, fueled by your submissions. And in this open forum we will delve into the unknown and the mundane with as much geeky and entertaining over-analysis as unpretentiously as possible.

Episode 150: Mom's Milk of Amnesia
To download, click HERE.

In this episode:

• The first show from our new time slot -- will it change a f**king thing?
• Community Badass Chris Frank helps us with the FCC.
• Chris Wimberley presents "Cat Hospital"
• Go behind the scenes of Nightsound Show comedy. 
• Where is Lost Harold?
• Viewer mail from Jennifer, Josh, Danielle, Quinton and Richard!
• "Eat the Children."

Featuring music from:

• "Space" by Rachel Keil
  
• "What I Thought" by Dylan Sneed
• "Out of Here" by Lauren Mulderrig
• "Globe Stomp" by Crash
• "I Predicted the Future Once" by Hi Ho Silver Oh
• "Robots vs. Dinosaurs" by Sam Ortallano
• "Reptiliana" by Jessica Hiltabidle
• "Mojo Hand" by Stranger Spirits
• "Just Like Bruce Campbell Did" by Joe Hero
• "Spencer" by Harmute
• "Mumbo Jumbo" by Davis Coen
• "All Dressed Up" by Joe Romeo and the Orange County Volunteers
• Featuring "Power and Energy" by Dan Datiles.

This month's Lyrics Junkie Charity Challenge was won by WCOM DJ Matt Welborn! He correctly identified the following lyrics from Iron Maiden's "Two Minutes to Midnight":
 

The glamor, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
But don't you pray for my soul anymore.

At his request, $25 has been donated to Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF)!

Join us Friday July 17th, 8pm for Live Episode 151!

Submit your music, literature, and opinions to radio@nightsound.com.

 
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No, your eyes do not deceive you. The good folks at WCOM have decreed that after over 3 years on the mic, The Nightsound Show is now ready for prime time! And this is not just a one-time deal From here on out, The Nightsound Show will air on Friday nights from 8pm-10pm EST.

Wherever in the world you may be at the time, if you are by a computer, just click this link to listen!!
http://audio-mp3.ibiblio.org:8000/wcom-hifi.mp3.m3u

For those of you who are used to waking up early in the morning, now you can listen without staying up late! For those of you used to going out on a Friday night, now you have a chance to listen before you head out on the town!

West coast listeners, we'll be on from 5pm-7pm your time. Stay late and listen at the office, and make your boss think you are putting in overtime!

UK listeners, we'll be on from 1am-3am your time. Turn us on when you get back after the clubs close, and listen while enjoying a well-deserved curry!

This still means that we will produce the episodic podcast of The Nightsound Show only once a month, and we will continue to let you know when these air. However, now ever week we will bring you Nightsound Radio. So when we aren't doing the big show, you will still get to hear at least one of the voices of The Nightsound Show playing music and maybe even some of the comedy from The Nighsound Show.

We are so damn excited about this, we just don't know what to do with ourselves. But we know what you should do with yourselves -- LISTEN LIVE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!!!

 I came up with a custom character to celebrate an 80th birthday.  The Fairy Godfather will be delivering a half-hour "This is Your Life" speech with jokes and 2 songs that have been requested.  Very happy with how the costume came out.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Scamalot
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

I laughed so hard at this. After 15 months of jokes about Americans being fat, it was refreshing to hear some American comedians ripping on them. Of course, I'm sure the sketch was largely written by British correspondent John Oliver. No one can rip on the Brits like they rip on themselves.

 It's not that my hairline is receding so much as my forehead is advancing.

Tomorrow morning, I have a reason to set my alarm clock.  I am volunteering with the bookstore at The Kadampa Center, the Raleigh Buddhist community.  My sister started going back in the fall I think, and when I got back she brought me along with her.  I've gone now for most of the Sundays the past few months, only missing a few here and there.  

Just a couple weeks ago I joined officially, so I've got a name badge there and I'm on their directory.  They need help keeping the center operating, and since I don't have money to contribute, I wanted to volunteer my time.  I thought it was important to give something back since I've been enjoying the services so much.

The Center makes no attempt at conversion.  In the lessons they say that the practices they teach are open to people of any creed.  There are no articles of faith required.  They draw a lesson from Buddha himself saying that people should put his teachings to the test and question them and only keep those truths that hold up. 

I don't feel like I am a Buddhist.  That involves a little bit more.  I get something out of it though.  The lessons that the priest gives are all very fun and practical.  They make me think in good ways.  It isn't all about how you have to shed yourself of emotion like some retarded Vulcan Jedi, or even securing the promises of an afterlife, but how you get along in this world with all the imperfections you have.  And the priest and nun who teach there make no pretense of holiness or spiritual perfection.  They acknowledge that they themselves are also on the path of being better people and finding the best ways to help make the world better too.

What I really appreciate as someone who has studied religion is their understanding of their own practices.  Prayer does not mean asking a god to give you something you cannot do yourself.  It means focusing your intention on something you want to make happen -- to have a calmer heart, to be more loving to your family, to help reduce the suffering in the world.  

And there are no gods who control the universe.  The universe obeys laws of causality.  Buddha is not a god but a man who achieved perfect understanding.  The Buddhist "deities" are also not gods but other enlightened beings.  They are not idols to be worshipped but examples to emulate.

So this is a religious experience that satisfies my intellect.  And the little bits of chanting we do are fun too, pleasingly calming. And I have to say that it's nice to take part in a community.

 

I've been enjoying the clowning recently.

 

The Nightsound Show is a veritable cornucopia of local and independent music, literature, philosophy, spirituality, culture, comedy, and politics. It is a magazine for your ears, fueled by your submissions. And in this open forum we will delve into the unknown and the mundane with as much geeky and entertaining over-analysis as unpretentiously as possible. 

Episode 148: Flag's Up!  Outgoing Male! (Apr. 18th, 2009)
To download, click HERE.

In this episode

• Jenn interviews vegetarian zombies. 
• Chris and Andy compete on the game show, "Don't Stick it in Crazy." 
• A mysterious letter from Nigel Tangelo. 
• "Cookie" a chapter from Andy's novel-in-progress. 
• Jenn offers her Lyrics Junkie Charity Contest.
•  Let's Be Honest: What do you find attractive that our culture usually doesn't?

Featuring music from

• Opening theme: "Power and Energy" by Dan Datiles
• "Same Difference" by The Old Ceremony
• "All Dressed Up" by Joe Romeo and the Orange County Volunteers
• "While We're Still Young" by Harmute
• "Lady in the Mountain" by Sarah Goss
• "Alone" by Stranger Spirits
• "The Same (I'll Always Be This Way)" by Alex Michaud
• "What I Thought" by Dylan Sneed
• "Never Know" by Emil McGloin
• "Greatness" by Aubrey Adcock
• "Homebodies" by A Rooster for the Masses

Submit your music, literature, and opinions to radio@nightsound.com.

 
Show More Subscription Options   

• 1 box of short pasta (penne, shells, bowtie)
• about 30 oz frozen spinach
• 6 cloves of garlic (I've learned different heads are different sizes...), 
• 2 med unions, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt, pepper
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 3 eggs

Okay, here is a casserole to freakin' blow the minds of some folks you want to seriously impress.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Microwave the spinach for 4-6 min and try to squeeze out excess water of the sink.  Mince the garlic and dice the onions.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt.  Drop in you pasta.  Cook for only 5 min.  You want it al dente, because it's going to finish cooking in the oven.  Drain the pasta and pour into casserole dish.

Set a large skillet on medium heat.  Add olive oil and let warm until it start to smoke a little.  Drop in the onion and garlic.  Stir until the onions brown slightly.  Then add the spinach to the skillet and mix it in.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   When the spinach is warmed through, add to casserole dish and mix spinach with pasta.

Return skillet to stove top and melt 2 tbsp of butter on med heat.  When butter begins to bubble, add 2 tbsp of flour.  Mix together butter is fully absorbed.  Let cook for a couple of minutes.  Then add 1/4 cup of milk.  Stir until mixed thoroughly.  Then add another 1/4 cup and mix thoroughly, and so on until full cup is mixed in.  Makes sure all chunks are smoothed out.  Add mozzarella cheese and mix until it is melted.  Pour cheese sauce into casserole dish and mix in with spinach and pasta.

Feel awesome about yourself, because making that sauce takes patience, and you know this is starting to look good.

Here's where you're going to add a bit of flair with the eggs.  The eggs are optional.  You can skip this part.  If you like, you could also add a couple of chopped chicken breasts.  I'm going to leave that up to you.  But let's assume you try the eggs.

Once you've mixed the pasta, spinach, and sauce, take a big spoon and press down into the surface of the casserole to make some wells for your eggs to fit in.  Space them evenly.  They don't have to be neat because the egg will fill in whatever hole you give it.

Set the casserole in the middle rack of your oven.  Bake for 20 min.  If you skipped the eggs, go for a full 30.  If you didn't, pull it out and switch your oven from bake to broil.  Then crack an egg over each of your wells.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the yolk of each egg.  Return to the top rack of your oven and broil for 10 min.  

This will cook the eggs so that they whites harden and the yolks remain only slightly soft.  That is part of the slightly awesome bit, having a bit of the egg in each serving.  That way each person can have the pasta on its own or mix in a bit of the egg, however much they want.  So you get to play with the food to make a different texture for each bite.  The egg adds a bit of creaminess.  It's pretty sweet.

 

The Nightsound Show is a veritable cornucopia of local and independent music, literature, philosophy, spirituality, culture, comedy, and politics. It is a magazine for your ears, fueled by your submissions. And in this open forum we will delve into the unknown and the mundane with as much geeky and entertaining over-analysis as unpretentiously as possible.

Episode 147: Algonquin Kitten Pancakes (Mar. 13th, 2009)
To download, click HERE.

In this episode

• Andy and Jenn return to rescue Chris! 
• Amanda from the Carnivore Preservation Trust tells us about the Black Tie & Tails Ball (March 21st) 
• Second chances and unexpected turns. 
• We get calls from Jennifer, Marty, and Josh. 
• Trains a story from the Cat & Cthulhu podcast. 
• IMing, F-Bombs, and don't drop baby lions!

Featuring music from

• Opening theme: "Power and Energy" by Dan Datiles
• "March of Nothing" by The Stolypins
• "While We're Still Young" by Harmute
• "What I Thought" by Dylan Sneed
• "Greatness" by Aubrey Adcock
• "Wheelbarrow Blues" by Emil McGloin
• "Mumbo Jumbo" by Davis Coen
• "The Same (I'll Always Be This Way)" by Alex Michaud
• "Lady in the Mountain" by Sarah Goss
• "How the Wars are Won" by Lake Inferior

Next LIVE Broadcast: Friday, April 17th on WCOM 103.5 FM!

Submit your music, literature, and opinions to radio@nightsound.com.

 
   

Monday was a surprise late snow, a rare second blanketing for NC. I woke to the sound of my parents home from work, bickering gently about whether or not the roads were drivable. When I poked my head out, Mom said, "Be careful. Your Dad is probably going to ask you to go with him to the drug store and the library." As if on cue, Dad called out from his office.

I pressed my face to the patterned glass of the front door so I could see through. The roads didn't look too bad. Dad was determined to go anyway, so I figured it was better for me to go with him, just in case he did need help pushing the car out of a ditch. I figure that's why he asked me along. I didn't really want to go, but knew I should.

There was no problem driving. It was about 10 a.m., and the roads had cleared off a lot since that morning. There were a few bad accidents on the news, but they looked like they were mostly before dawn.

When we got to the drug store, I told Dad, "Now, in order to repay me for coming out with you, I'm going to allow you the opportunity to buy me a clock radio." Dad got the joke. That's how he talks. He delivers pronouncements on everyday things, which I know is where I get it from.

He bought the clock radio, which was something I really could use right now. I didn't want some fancy CD player / iPod dock thing. Just something that would pick up radio signals, show me the time when I'm in my room and not on the computer, and help me wake up when I need to. It was less than $20, and Dad seemed happy to get a tool to help my productivity.

Yesterday I followed behind him in one of the family cars while he drove the other to the mechanic. He struggled to get up to even 30mph, so I followed closely. As we turned the corner off the main road with maybe a quarter mile to go, I saw him stop in front of me.

As I pulled up behind him, Dad got out f the car and said exactly what I expected him to, that he wanted me to use my car to push his up the road. He put the car in neutral and I rolled forward carefully.

I think this is one of those places where the physics lessons learned in video games come in handy. I knew I needed to stay at a steady, slow speed and attempt to keep the two cars in contact rather then shoving his car forward, catching up to it, shoving it, catching up, shoving... I did lose contact when we came up over a raised railroad track, but I was able to catch up without ramming him.

So we made our way up the hill with both our hazard lights on and Dad waving other drivers around us. It was actually kind of fun. The only hiccup came when we needed to take a right turn into the mechanic's parking lot. We took it as easily as we could. He started by steering left, so we could take the turn at a wider angle. I matched him okay at first, but there was a cracking sound as we made the right. The mechanics rushed out to help. I didn't see any damage, though.

Later in the day, Dad got a call from the mechanic to say the engine was completely dead. We saw it coming. Mom and Dad talked about it, and they are going to pick up another used car from that same mechanic.

Too many think of thoughtlessness as confidence.

*****

People who demand all or nothing often end up with nothing.