And I Have Been

It's catch up section. I guess I checked in late last week?
Friday night after work Shitting Glitter headed to Vincent Free Sound studio, joined there by a founding member, Mag Edwards, a vocal harmony for the song Grady was recorded. Mag doesn't count me as a friend anymore, and never will, she proved here mettle Friday night in placing herself before someone she does not trust for the sake of expression. I am glad she did, the song better for it, as am I and hopefully so is she.
Friday Night turned very long, I stayed up late finishing guitar for Static Cling and a possible intro for Mondo Di Corpo. I also had to go through all the track assignments and make note of where everything was.
Saturday morning Amy and I still had not slept, I was taking notes and Amy was finishing up the last of the words for the song The Amnesty Party. We took a break for coffee and Amy returned to finish the album. Relief is not yet in scope.
At 1:00pm Devin arrived and we loaded up in Amy's car for the long drive to Malibu, which wasn't that long.
Hoagie had warned us not to expect the usual Malibu glamour, and later commented that he may be the poorest property owner in Malibu, but I never expected to be confronted with the splendor that is Seamonster Sounds. Just pulling down the driveway, which overlooks the ocean unobstructed I found my self inspired. The initial tour of the grounds proved to be just as breath taking, there is for lack of better description a feeling about the place. I was full on giddy.
immediately I was impressed by Hoagie, his competence is apparent, and I found the studio to be soothing and capable environment. We worked for nearly six hours straight, and transferred 13 songs for Free Alongside Ship. A few tiny issues came up, but they were all dealt with simply and efficiently. The biggest and only lasting issue was entirely my fault, and I have now learned a lesson about input levels in the Digital Medium, some major clipping occurs on some tracks, this is something we do not wish to force on the listener, I do regret that Hoagie himself will have to spend more time fixing my mistakes.
We called it a day around 9:00 and headed back into the land of the weird, stopping at a hillside fast food restaurant to nourish our body's on the way home. We were all pretty excited, except for Amy who was basically asleep, but I am sure her dreams were warm.
Saturday night was wonderful delirious sleep, hours stacked on hours, maybe the best sleep I've had in months now that the album has crossed a line and turned a corner and found it's way safely though a little worn for the wear in someone else's hands.
Sunday was crazy.
Amy and Brandon had celebration on the mind. We had bagels at our favorite Noah's, the world is always so possible when it's warm and sunny there, I can't stop myself from sitting in optimism at all the thoughts then and now bouncing off the inside of my boney skull.
We begin our Sunday Celebration in a questionable manor, seeking out what to some are strange forms of delight, but old friends to a pair like we. A long and extreme day spent wandering our city, ending up in our old neighborhood talking to certain bartenders we used to know.
All was about to end, as we sat on the floor talking, when for some reason Amy begins proving that she can in fact forge still perfectly her mother and father's signatures, I am intrigued to see a dead man's named, scrawled nearly in his own hand, when it occurs to me I've never seen a thing he written, I ask Amy is she has anything, she does. The letters he wrote, in the months before he died.
I will not inflict upon an online blog the contents of those letters, there is no need and I'd be cheap to try. We cried and cried, I had no idea before what it really must have been like to be Amy at that time, and now all I can claim from the experience is that I at least have an idea, it's not full but I can see it and for a while I felt it.
We really didn't sleep again Sunday night. My eyes were closed when the alarm peeled, I hated leaving. It was so early. I pulled myself out of the house and boarded a bus, getting off the coffee store on Hollywood, where I generally take in my liquid breakfast. Usually the place is empty except for a high school aged girl who is there nearly every morning speaking to the employees, today not even she is there. I slide to the counter and order a great deal of caffeine in a small iced cup. As I pay the high school girl fixture runs into the store and nearly clobbers the counter.
"I graduate today!"
It was a strange and shocking announcement, and I could tell the coffee employee was shocked and sad.
I received my beverage and walked into the slightly warm empty morning. Passing the Chinese Theater on the opposite side I chance to see them removing some signage. A large banner for the latest Batman movie is being pulled from left to right on two large cables, crumpling into a ball at the end, I watch the second word of the title collapse on itself and I can't help but feel like I get it, that word, "Begins".