A couple days ago I recorded a cover in an hour and a half. I'll post it later today or tomorrow (I don't have the file on this computer). Bonus points to anyone who can name the title and artist. It shouldn't be too difficult.

Somehow I got myself into five NCAA basketball pools this year. I decided to maximize my chances of winning one of them by making each bracket different. I soon found out that this is a double-edged strategy, since after each game I was both happy and upset on different levels.

The strategy might still pay off. One of the pools has 291 entries, and as of right now, after the first two rounds, team Beer in second place. I tried to post a screenshot of the standings but for some reason it's not working. If anyone can influence the outcome of the Memphis and UNLV games I need both of them to win. Thank you.

I am very, very close to finishing the new CD. The final product is beginning to take shape in my mind. Some songs are nearly fully mixed. I still have some tracks to record, and lyrics to write for a couple songs, but it's coming along. Keep truckin.

After I post the aforementioned cover I will repost a more mixed version of the demo I posted last week. Then hopefully I will post another song, and then hopefully the album will be done. Before the official release there might be a partial EP release on a British netlabel. We will see.

Just pointing out the obvious today.

Screw it, I'm posting an mp3.

Obviously it needs a lot of work - a few new parts, better vocals in places, definitely a lot of mixing, but you get the idea.

It might get a new title too. Suggestions welcome.

I think this is the first song I've posted in about a year.

return_to_glory.mp3

Yesterday I scored 5 goals in my weekly soccer pickup game. I am much more proud of that than I should be. And now I have announced it to the world, or at least the two people who read this.

Saturday I added some much-needed (keyboard) strings to a couple songs. I think there are a few more that could use some digitally-produced sounds to fill in some gaps. After that I'm having a friend come over and record some drums - a first for LOP recordings. We'll see how it goes (I don't know if I'll be able to get good sounds with my equipment/technical know-how).

Aside from the above I still have a few vocal overdubs to do, and I need to replace guitar parts here and there. Then after mixing, I will be done.

A while ago I said I'd post a few demos/works in progress, but I haven't done that. I would still like to, but I don't think I'll be able to decide on just one or two songs. We'll see.

I have a feeling today is not going to down in the history books for me. It's still early here in LA, but I'm at work, after which I will probably work on some music or my friend's website, then I have a rehearsal at 8:30, followed by an hour or two of free time before I go to bed in preparation for work tomorrow. Not exactly a day I'll remember a year from now. I probably won't remember it a week from now either.

In a related note, I could hop on a plane and be in the heart of Switzerland within 17 hours. I'm only missing ample time and money.

The Merchant of Venice and Othello were both set in Venice, but I don't think any evidence exists showing that Shakespeare visited there. This is probably one of the reasons why a lot of people don't think he was the author of many of his plays. You don't see me writing many songs about the Iditarod. Then again, I'm not Shakespeare.

Yes, I still do music.

I will say that Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is the only album I have liked more each time I listen to it. As my friend Jeremy said, it is as close as you'll get to a perfect album. It's 10 years old but sounds like it could have been released yesterday. Bravo, Magnum.

I don't buy many CDs. The last one was Band of Horses, which was the first album I bought on itunes, but I can't remember what I bought before that. So it's a rare occurrence that in a few days I'll be buying three CDs (maybe more). They are:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Of Montreal - the newest album (based on a strong recommendation from a friend)
Built to Spill - There's Nothing Wrong With Love (I used to own this but it was stolen)

I'll try to do a little write up of each after I get through enough listens.

I just realized that in the picture below, you can actually see Mike Brown on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets. Fitting.

To Mike Brown: When your team is on offense, and the first pass is to LeBron James, who holds the ball still for five or six seconds, while everyone else stands motionless around the perimeter, and then takes a long jumper; or when Larry Hughes receives the ball, then dribbles in place for three seconds before launching a long jumper rather than driving to the basket and getting his shot blocked because he hasn't learned to drive and kick, please - PLEASE - don't stand on the sidelines with your hands in your pockets.

Did you watch the same game as I did yesterday? Did you see how the Heat made an entry pass to Shaq, who held the ball while all 4 (!) other players rotated around him? That was a basketball play! Couldn't Z do that? Did you see the Heat set screens for Jason Kapono, one of the best shooters in the NBA, allowing him to catch and shoot a la Rip Hamilton? The only person we have running through screens is LeBron. He is not a catch and shoot player. He is consistently the first or second person to touch the ball in a given possesion, which allows the defense to set up for the possibility of him driving the ball. If you run a successful pick and roll with, say Gibson and Ilgauskas, the result will either be a mismatch (good) or the defense will have to send a third player over to help. One or two passes later LeBron will have the ball without three or four players directly in front of him. His drives will be unstoppable.

There is a lot of talk about posting LeBron up. Why don't we do this? Why can't he pass out of the post like Shaq?

Hire an offensive coordinator. And while you're at it, hire a free throw coach like the Mavericks. Unbelieveable.

Thank you Danny Ferry, although I should probably thank Geoff Petrie (the Kings' GM) for not agreeing to a deal. But Danny, please don't sign Bibby after he opts out of his contract at the end of the season.

Now just figure out a way to unload Larry Hughes, resign Varejao and Pavlovic or possibly pull off a sign and trade with Pavlovic. It will be difficult to keep him, but I don't think the Cavs can afford to give up Varejao in a sign and trade unless we get a major guard asset in return - which is possible. But Bibby is not the guard Cleveland should be looking for. Also, forwards Donyell Marshall and Z will be one year older next season. Best to dump Hughes; salary for a more efficient guard or two. Good luck.

In other news, check out this great write up of a massive prank pulled off at the Super Bowl. There's no epilogue in the write up, although there is one at Zug.com, who came up with the prank. But the writing quality is far worse, so once you finish reading the epilogue-less version go to Wikipedia for a better version of how it ended up. (I was going to post the link to the prank entry, but strangely, although I just read it about an hour ago, the post now auto-redirects to the Zug.com entry).

I just got my first laptop, so once I transfer the necessary files I will be able to mix and master songs from the comfort of a cable car sliding up a Swiss mountain, should I ever wish to do so.

To Danny Ferry: Please don't trade Drew Gooden for Mike Bibby.

Two months ago I would have been ecstatic about this trade. But since I discovered The Wages of Wins I am living in constant fear of another move like the Hughes signing. How is it that I seem to have a greater desire to seek out objective statistical analysis of NBA players than a GM getting paid millions for the same job? This vexes me; I'm terribly vexed.

Basically we would be trading a high percentage shooter and good rebounder for a low percentage shooter who takes a lot of shots. Also, Bibby's assist-to-turnover ratio is worse than Eric Snow's, and he only gets one more assist per game than Snow. This does not bode well for a team with offensive troubles, especially one that already has an expensive but inefficient guard (Larry Hughes). Our current starting point guard, Daniel Gibson, is already stretching the floor with his three point shooting and is much, much cheaper than Bibby. I'm not saying Gibson is the answer, especially since he can't make an assist to save his life (not good for a PG), but Bibby certainly isn't the answer either.

Ferry, please don't make a trade just to make a trade. The team will be worse off in the long run and you will need Gooden (and the salary cap space) to bring in the right point guard for this team whenever he becomes available.

Off to work now...