Running out of weekends

[illusionofjoy]

I like to think that something is being accomplished when it comes to turning this mere apartment space into an actual living environment. Yesterday, joi_division went mad on some boxes and their contents. We now have a stack of empties which need to be taken out to the dumpster. Meanwhile, I managed to rescue my CD collection from the boxes it was packed away in and re-alphabetise everything. I really don't know why I did that, as it's really for show for the most part. Every CD that could be ripped, I've ripped into my computer. I suppose that if I ever DJ again, I'll need access to actual CDs. I'm not someone who will ever DJ from a computer at a club...yet I have nothing against doing so at a radio station. I suppose it has something to do with the nature of each venue, but I'll reflect on that some other time.

I've been feeling under it for most of this weekend. While I managed to set up my CDs, I just felt defeated when looking at the other boxes in my room. Not only that, but I felt physically exhausted. I didn't sleep well Friday night, nor did I sleep very well last night either. It was this, combined with the storm outside that made me forgo The Oaks' annual screening of A Clockwork Orange, a movie which I am loathe to miss when it is played on the big screen (I feel that The Oaks has made the right decision in showing Clockwork Orange annually, rather than The Rocky Horror Picture Show - I love campy transvestites and all, but Stanley Kubrick has no equal and that particular film is one of the few that just hits me hard every time I see it - particularly on the silver screen).

Last night's storm was wonderful and dearly needed around here. This has been a very hot and humid summer; in a word: miserable. Some violent thunder and lightening with some very heavy rain is just what was needed. They say cooler days are ahead. I hope they are right.

So, last night Joi and I stayed up having a few drinks and wasting brain cells on the internet. She loves that she has a DSL connection now, which keeps her off of my computer. Call me possessive, but I did build the machine by myself, so I do feel a bit selfish whenever anyone else wants to use it. Joi bought her computer pre-built. In fact, the only part in it that wasn't chosen by the manufacturer is her WiFi card.

I have been trying to figure out where I am going to plug my keyboard in. It's not so much that outlets are at a premium in my room, but that there are outlet and electrical issues in the new place. The major one that comes to mind is that the circuit breaker trips far too easily for my tastes. Joi managed to kill the power to the living room and my room by plugging in her iron. I did the same thing less than week later by running the vacuum cleaner. While the keyboard doesn't draw nearly as much wattage as a vacuum or an iron (if pressed, I could run the thing on four D batteries), I do wonder if plugging it into the same power strips as my computer (tower and monitor), tube amp, modem, WiFi router, scanner, printer and stereo (that's a receiver and a CD player) is really such a hot idea. If nothing else, I guess I could calculate the watts that each item uses against the wattage coming out of your average outlet.

I do have a free outlet on another wall. There are two issues with that one. The first is its location: I wish to avoid draping cords all over the place in the room. While I'd be pissed off if I were to trip over one (probably first thing in the morning while I'm groggy, cranky and trying to get ready for work), I'm more concerned about Joi's cat, who is...shall we say...a bit dim. The second issue is mechanical; I have tried to plug things into that outlet before, but the slots are tighter than a virgin who does Kegels religiously. I've tried to slide a plug in, but it just won't seem to go and much like the aforementioned virgin, this is not something you want to force.

I've decided to mount my speakers on the wall. For what I do, I need a good idea of where a sound lies in the stereo spectrum (Illusion of Joy LPs are in good old-fashioned >>>STEREO<<< - none of that newfangled 5.1 sound here...and shame on every recording engineer who is remastering old albums in 5.1 and distorting history). Where my speakers are now – at opposing corners of my dresser, which is located in a corner of the room next to the closer – does not give good stereo separation. In fact, locating the speakers here also changes their frequency response. For the first time since I bought my stereo, I've had to adjust the equalisation so that the treble is actually higher than the bass.

I also need a carpet on the floor and some posters on the walls to absorb stray sounds. Though, I must admit, being that this building is mostly made of poured concrete, noise really hasn't been an issue, even from room to room. I can yell for Joi in the living room from my room and she doesn't even hear me. It's amazing.

So, it looks like I have a lot of little things to do this week. I just need to pull myself through the exhaustion I feel after a day at work and do them. Easier said that actually accomplished...