So I went online and entered in my now six-month old Seattle address into the system, and clicked the link to renew my tabs online.

The bill to renew, thanks to the word "Seattle" now appearing on my incoming mail: $235.75

Um. Ouch.

I note that the biggest chunk of the tax is for the proposed monorail extension, that got voted out of existence last November.

I just love paying for things that will never happen.

I have a storage locker on the second floor of the building. I keep lots of stuff there - stuff that I don't need on a day-to-day basis: merch for the Wonky Records store, several boxes of empty DVD cases, Christmas decorations, my luggage, all of that sort of thing. I have my own padlock on the door of the locker, and then the door into the storage area has a lock on it for which I have a key. I assume everyone who also has a locker in that storage area has the same key.

The note told me that a Building Management employee had noticed that the padlock on my storage locker had been "altered", and that the lock to the storage area was being replaced, and so I would be getting a new key for the new lock in a few days. They apologized for any trouble and offered to replace the lock that had been... altered.

Well, I didn't freak out. While the stuff I keep in that space is valuable to me personally, I can't imagine what any thief would want with several boxes of Any Raw Flesh? CD's.

It took until yesterday for them to get me a new key, so I hadn't actually been into the storage area to inspect it for myself. I talked to some of the staffers, expressed my amusement at their use of the word altered, and tried to get a feel for what had happened. One of the staffers told me that it looked like someone had mistakenly believed that the storage space belonged to them, and they had mistakenly tried to remove the lock.

Under my door yesterday was another note, with the new key attached. So I went down to the second floor to see for myself.

The first thing I noticed, when I turned the corner to the hallway where my locker is located, was a big pile of stuff blocking my path to the door. It's a little dark back there, so I needed a flashlight.

My first thought was, "That's all my stuff sitting out here." It wasn't, though. There were two large Samsonite bags (not mine). One was on it's back and open. Inside was a box. That was mine. I had taped it shut when I took it into storage, but now the tape had been neatly sliced open. Inside were a number of DVD cases - I have a pretty substantial DVD collection these days, but I don't have room for all of the packaging in my small apartment. So, when I get a new DVD, I remove the discs and put them into a large DVD wallet that I can keep on a bookshelf, and store the boxes away.

So, someone had opened my boxes of DVD boxes, hoping to find something good, I expect. I bet they were pretty happy until they found out that there were no DVDs inside any of them.

There were other boxes and things strewn in the hallway that weren't mine. But it was clear that mine wasn't the only storage locker that had been altered. And speaking of that... when I examined my padlock, I found that it hadn't been touched at all. It was still locked securely on the catch. It was the catch that had received alterations, the catch being a flimsy piece of metal screwed into the door that had been cut completely in two. Who needs to worry about the lock when you can just cut through the barrier it's securing?

I opened the door to my locker and peered in.

Ransacked.

Someone had sliced open just about every box (neatly, though - they can all be resealed). I had to smile at the frustration the perpetrator must have felt - there were BOXES for all kinds of valuable items in there - but all of the boxes were empty. The perp didn't bother opening the box for the old VCR (the VCR was in the box) - I guess that's a dead technology now, huh?

The T-shirt boxes had been sifted through - I guess Half Zaftig tees aren't big on the black market? A small stack of Any Raw Flesh? discs sat on the floor. They'd even opened the box of Christmas decorations. They cut off the little padlock on one of my luggage bags, and had searched it, but they didn't steal it.

This didn't look like an "Oopsie, wrong locker" situation to me.

So, I guess there was really no great loss on my account - other than the time it took me to clean up the space. It was a little weird, maybe creepy, thinking about somebody looking through my stuff. Some of the boxes had my apartment number written on them - but I guess I can't worry my head about that. This had been done by someone with a key to the area, and now that key is useless to them. A new, heavier-duty catch is intalled on the door. I can still use my old padlock.

I guess for now I'll just adhere to the words of old Obi-Wan: "We must be cautious."

Anyway. Two thumbs up and a wiggly pinky for Inside Man.

As mentioned, I've been sitting at my desk ALL DAY so far, doing the kind of tedious update work on my Wonky.Net Web site that makes one PUT OFF such work for another day - and so far there's been a couple of years worth of put off days, and I'm getting stuff finished that very much needs to be done. I have further work to do on both the Wonky Records site and the Half Zaftig site, but I started with the most boring tasks first. And I've killed something like 8 hours today doing them. I need a break.

Oh wait - I'm unemployed! I can take a break whenever I feel like it! Huzzah!

I was still forlorn that I couldn't continue work on the Half Zaftig movie with my new version of the Pinnacle software I'd bought - I was excited (for no real reason, really) about being able to make clips in the format for the new video iPods. I do love the iPods. So, I started hunting around Apple's site and found that if I dropped $30 on a license for Quicktime Pro, I could make iPod video files AND any other sort of Quicktime files I wanted! I already had the software installed, I just needed to type a key into it, and BOOM!

So I did, and I did encode my new movie files in Quicktime. And... MAN. Quicktime doesn't just beat the sound and display capability of both Windows Media and Real Video - it stomps them both into the dirt. It's not even close. I guess the possibility exists that I don't know how to use the Real Producer or Windows Media encoders correctly - but I have no more knowledge of what I'm doing in Quicktime-Land, either - and so being the complete novice that I am - there's just no contest.

Unfortunately, most of the people I asked to give the new clips a test viewing are doing so on Windows machines - and they're having issues. So I haven't made Part 1 of the HZ doc public yet. And I guess I'm going to have to put up a version in Windows Media just in case you folks out there run into the same issue with Quicktime that others I know are seeing. Talk about deflating - I was so excited about the Quicktime versions.

I used Quicktime version 7 to do the encoding of the movies - those of you who keep your installation of iTunes up-to-date already have Quicktime 7 installed. For the rest of you - can you pretty please go ahead and get the FREE Quicktime 7 Player from Apple, so you'll be ready when the movie is viewable? I promise it's worth the extra effort. Thanks.

During the first third or so of V For Vendetta, I was practically bouncing in my seat, thinking to myself: this movie is fucking AWESOME. Now, being completely honest, the flick isn't able to sustain that early momentum, but it really doesn't matter. This movie grabbed me and held my attention and left me dazed at the end. I don't know if the movie is "revolutionary." I don't know if it will be more than a blip on the Public Consciousness. I don't know if it should be. But what I do know is that movies can still reach people, and this one is saying things that I think we need to hear, right now, today.

Did I mention it's also a kick-ass thrill-ride? Hugo Weaving rocks so hard it's not even describable. I've read other reviewers say that anyone could have played the part beccause V is always wearing a mask - it could be anyone under there. But I call bullshit on that. Hugo makes that mask really emote, unlike any other masked character since, oh... well, Darth Vader for one thing, who V somewhat resembles.

Seattle people: don't bother going anywhere to see this other than the Cinerama. You are robbing yourself of an amazing experience otherwise. Unless... are they showing this at the local IMAX theater?

Hmmmmm (EDIT - they are NOT - yet).

This is easily the best movie so far this year.

Well, Winter Passing does a good job. I realize more and more that more movies that work than don't owe the fact that they work well solely to how well they are cast. You get some great actors to fill roles, I'm thinking that you're more than halfway to making a movie worth watching. The most interesting performance in this flick, simply because it's obviously going against type is Will Ferrell's. If I'm not incorrect, this may be his first totally "dramatic" part - not that his character isn't funny, because he is. But he's not being WILL FERRELL, Hysterically Funny Man. And he does good work with a character that could have been, and maybe should have been, a one-note joke.

Movies like this are about mood, and if you buy into the mood, you're gonna like it. I bought into it.

Oh well. I'm reinstalling the old software. No more flights of fancy for me. For now.

Gotta go play a show. You coming?

So a dilemma showed up in the mail today, in the form of my recently ordered upgrade of the software I use to capture and edit video. I've been blabbing a lot here lately about how hard I'm working on putting together some documentary content together for the upcoming new album from my band Half Zaftig, and work does in fact continue on that (thanks for the comments left on the last blog entry, BTW). I think last time we talked about this I had assembled about 25 minutes of footage I thought would be fun to include in a short film (really, sort of a long-form "trailer" for the album). I've now started to actually really edit the footage into something vaguely "story-like" and hopefully entertaining - but that sort of editing requires a lot of work and right now the "official" cut has about two minutes of finished work. This is with titles, and sync'ed up video to actual rough mixes of the new songs and stuff. Two minutes down, I guess that leaves 23 minutes to go.

And so then, my software upgrade shows up today.

I can hear you out there saying: uh-oh.

I thought about it for a while: clearly I already had momentum going with the old version of the software - maybe I should finish my mini-HZ movie, and THEN upgrade the software.

Or I could upgrade the software NOW, and be able to do things to my final edit that I could never do with my old version.

I chose to carefully backup all my files, and install the upgrade now. I figure if the worst happens, I can re-install the old version to finish the movie up.

Let's hope that last paragraph doesn't turn out to be famous last words.

We have a show tonight - I have to leave to pack up for load-in in about 30 minutes. I have a little case of the usual pre-show jitters, but not too bad. I will, as always, be glad to have played, more so than I look forward to actually playing. We're doing a slightly longer set than normal, but it's pretty much the same set we did last month for Hodgy's Birthday. There is a live premiere though of a new song I really like from the new album called "Mold On My Soles." I'm glad to finally get to play that one live. You'll get to hear bits from it in the movie I'm working on. Actually, you'll be getting to hear quite a lot of bits of music from the new album in the movie. I hope you don't mind spoilers!

The cut that I ended the day with (and it's not even close to being finished) is over twenty-five minutes long. My inner Spielberg has been having a spectacular time doing all of this. Lizzy was saying something the other day about making some sort of bonus DVD for the album, sort of like a Keneally-esque Special Edition or something like that. I have no idea if there'd be demand for such a thing, so let me know if you'd be up for it. We'd need to have some more content to make the DVD worthwhile - hmmm... now that I think about it, I've got some ideas.

Whatever happens (or doesn't happen) with any perspective DVD, you're going to see some of this stuff posted on the Wonky Records Web site soon. Maybe I'll break the thing up into five-minute chunks as I get through that much. I dunno. It seems likely that there will be a Web version of this "documentary" and maybe a more hi-fi version down the road.

I like daydreams like this one. They keep me sane.

Well, I'm here to tell ya, that if you live in a high-rise apartment building in a Big City, within a block or so of other high-rise dwellings, you too can have your very own Ugly Naked Guy. I have mine.

I was sitting here, drowsily not-really-watching the umpteenth video take of myself tuning a guitar (STILL not done getting through all the band video we have) when I happened to glance out my window and across the way at the adjacent condominium. There was a STARK NAKED DUDE prancing leisurely around his place right in my field of view. I don't know any more than that, because immediately following my surprised reaction ("What th..!?! Aw, JEEZ!!"), I quickly focused my attention back upon the now Wildly Interesting tuning video.

So now I have to wonder... how many times have I been somebody else's "Ugly Naked Guy"?

To any of those out there that I may have accidentally affronted in such a way: too bad. For what I'm paying in rent on this place, I feel I have earned the right to tool around here all starkers if I feel like it.

Guilty as charged. And it feels good.

Already at that point when I'm off for more than a few days in a row where I forget what day it is unless I really think hard about it. Obviously the weekend is here because I can go and spend pretty much a whole day in the studio. The band all convened at DP Sound for a completely vocals-oriented day - nothin' but sangin'. I'll write up a proper entry over at the studio diary soon, probably after tomorrow's sessions. We are working like fiends on this thing. We got a bunch of backup vocals done today, but there sure are a lot more on the list.

Came home to tend to the dachshund kids, and together we finished up the seven-season run of Buffy. I loved the last season, I love this show. Having it end is a little less bittersweet, since now I've got five seasons of Angel to get through - and I know Spike didn't really die - since he's on the front of the box for Angel Season 5. Suh-weet. I hear Faith shows up a lot in Angel, too, which makes me very happy. That's my girl, yo.

Slow progress on the video front, but it will be here soon. I just captured a bunch of stuff from Darin's DV camera, and boy, is working with digital video a night vs. day experience over working with analog video. Not that the Lizzy-Cam (analog) hasn't served us well - but boy, is working in the digital realm ever easier. I covet, covet, covet a digital video cam.

But I need to pay for sessions more. Must... finish... new... album... at... all... costs!

Hey, didja see my exciting new MySpace page? Well, OK, it's not all that exciting, but I'll spruce it up eventually. So many projects, so little time.

Getting older kinda blows. The other thing I've been intending to do while off, is really cement a workout regimen. There's an exercise room here in my building, with plenty of cardio machines and a few Nautilus-type resistance training machines. I've been getting down there sporadically, usually riding the LifeCycle - I like walking the treadmill, but my joints ache after a while, so I choose the LifeCycle for the low-impact-ness of it. Well, today I woke up (after working out yesterday) and now my hip has got this achiness in it. Somehow, I don't recall this sort of thing happening when I was 20. Getting older kinda blows.

Another beautiful day here in Seattle, the second day in a row of "light jacket weather." We're starting to see cherry blossoms. Bojangles has been itching like crazy - her allergies are kicking in, poor thing. In fact, she's scratching on the sofa behind me right now as I type this. Allergies kinda blow.

I wonder if Darin will also be sneezing when I see him this weekend at the studio - he's the only person I know who's got worse allergies than Bojangles.

I've nearly gotten through one whole hard drive's worth of video clips - soon I can start going through the second one, and finding all the good stuff in that - and then I can capture the recent stuff from the last couple of weeks. Going through two huge hard drives of video can get pretty tedious. Tedium kinda blows.

I almost went to see Match Point today - but I was late getting out of the house and I missed the one show I had time to go to. I also found out that as of tomorrow, The New World is only playing in one theater in the area, over on Bainbridge Island. I'm not taking a ferry just to go see a movie. So I guess I have to wait for DVD for that flick - and waiting kinda blows.

I have rehearsal in two hours. I need to get ready for that; I'm kinda rusty. I have a feeling with only two weeks to prepare for the next gig, we won't change the set list we've been playing too much - just for expediency's sake. We're supposed to play longer, so I think we'll be adding some songs back to the list. I doubt we'll do "Cinnamon Girl", as that was sort of a special dealy for Hodgy's birthday. Maybe we can dust off our version of "Tomorrow Never Knows." Did you know that TNK is the Number One most downloaded track of mine from the various digital services (like iTunes, MusicNet, etc.)? Somehow I think that has a lot more to do with The Beatles than it has to do with how bitchen our version is.

That kinda blows.

I worked onsite at the client for whom the product I've been working on was made for two days this week. Mostly I sat around reading until somebody there had a question. I was supposed to do this all week, but I talked to them yesterday, and we all agreed that was sort of a dumb idea.

So now, I'm off the rest of the week! And probably next week, too - and maybe even the week after that.

And then, they might need me for two weeks, for more sitting and reading, until they have a question. Or something. I don't really know. I know that I was going to take a couple of weeks off when this job was done, and I guess even though I'm not quite sure that I'm completely finished, I can go ahead and be happy and take that time off right now, please. YES!

I wasted no time getting busy with my bad self this morning, I knocked out and had printed up the gig poster for the show HZ is doing in two weeks. I had to do a run to the post office and pick up groceries, so that I'm not tempted to waste a lot of money eating out every day while I'm off - I managed to do the whole run in less than twelve parsecs. She's got it where it counts, kid.

I also went by the rehearsal space and set up the guitar rig for practice tomorrow - I think we haven't actually rehearsed since the last gig, though we obviously have spent time together playing in the studio recently.

Then I continued the arduous task of going through all of the video footage HZ has amassed over the last year of recording projects - oh my freakin' LORD do we have a lot of video. I'm going through it ALL to notate good bits so that I can edit together some fun little shorts that will let y'all see what we've been up to, and there will be snippets from the current rough mixes for the new album interspersed.

Nothing makes you more inspired to diet than seeing yourself on video.

But I didn't. There are some absolutely beautiful shots and images, but this flick is the very definition of style over substance. And I'm not saying this because the movie is in Russian with subtitles. I don't mind "reading" movies. The plot was just so convoluted that somewhere around 50% of the way through I gave up on figuring out who was who, and who was bad, and who was the Chosen One's father (uh-huh), and whatever. I actually dozed off a couple of times, and this was a 7 PM screening.

I wanted to like it a lot. And I didn't. It was like John-Pierre Jeunet on crack.

The Betas do seem to have an interest in V For Vendetta - I have high hopes for that one.