Spoilers...
You know, the problem with doing everything in real time is that sometimes it's necessary to have semi-filler episodes like this in order to maintain some semblance of realism. Ending the show with a huge-ass explosion doesn't fully make up for spending half the time on "you're a drunk!" "No I'm not!" "Yes, you are!" "No, I'm really not!!!"
That's just how I feel.
Anyway, I think it's rather obvious that Assad is dead, but Palmer will survive. However, he'll be in a coma for a few episodes, if not the rest of the season.
My prediction of Tom Lennox dying still stands. It should be interesting to see if Reed goes with him.
I see that the writers managed to work in the classic "have the antagonist explain his scheme and the motivations behind it to his cronies who should already know what's going on" scene with Gredenko. Come on, guys. There are better ways to handle exposition.
Logan is still a douchebag, and I hope he dies. Redemption be damned. Let whatever deity presides over the 24 universe sort it out.
I am very tired right now, and I think I'm getting sick again. Hooray.
Remember that 8-10 page paper I mentioned in the last post?
It's, uh...due in 8 hours, and I haven't started writing it yet.
Fuck this shit. I want to graduate now. My knowledge of the presidential election of 1800 will not affect my ability to get a job in the film industry, you stupid bastards.
UPDATE (9:09 AM)
Well...the paper is finished. It's due in less than half an hour, so...I guess I won't be sleeping until this afternoon.
This is one of the few times in life that having ADD is an advantage. The medicine I take for it is also used to treat narcolepsy, so I usually don't have to worry about falling asleep in class.
Fun stuff.
Spoilers ahead...
Wow. The writers have managed to keep the show interesting by not killing off every major character who gets into a life threatening situation. Big improvement in creativity over last season.
I guess I was right about the assassination plot...although it was really pretty obvious. I doubt that they'll kill Palmer.
NEW PREDICTION: Assad will somehow manage to figure out the plot and will sacrifice himself to save the president, thereby fully redeeming his character or some shit.
Tom Lennox will die. That's pretty much a given.
Going back to something I wrote last week, Jack really needs to look back and realize how many times he's had to say "how could I have been so stupid?!"
I'm really not sure about this bringing Logan back business. From the previews, it looks like he's become a physical hybrid of Richard Nixon and Al Gore. I guess it does make sense to talk to him, since he was working with Graem, but still...
I really, really wish this show was on more than once a week. The only other way I can get an adrenaline rush into my boring-ass life is to wait until the last minute to do my homework.
8-10 page paper due Thursday morning? WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!!!
I've mentioned at least once that I can't stand the smell of coffee. Specifically, Dunkin' Donuts coffee. I don't know how people can get their faces close enough to the cup to actually drink that shit.
Given this fact, I'm rather pissed off that the dude sitting next to me in TRF this morning spilled his Dunkin' Donuts coffee all over my coat and backpack, and now my entire dorm room smells like Satan's diarrhea.
Woooooo.
First of all, as usual, fuck Valentine's Day. I'm celebrating by being single for the 22nd year in a row.
Second, check this out:
It's hard to tell from this terrible cell phone picture, but it's snowing a lot. So much so that classes were cancelled. I don't remember this ever happening before. When the snowiest university in the country cancels classes due to snow, that pretty much tells you that there's a lot of snow.
However, I didn't have class today anyway (I just got up half an hour ago), so I'm hoping this extends to tomorrow so I don't have to do my bullshit history homework and can concentrate on writing my script.
In summary: Snow is awesome, Valentine's Day can suck it.
Spoilers...
Tonight fully made up for the mediocrity of the last couple episodes. Damn.
Predictions:
- Milo is pretty much dead at this point.
- The government conspiracy is to assassinate Palmer and blame Assad somehow.
- Jack will eventually be forced to kill his own father. This will happen as they stand a few paces apart pointing guns at each other. His father will pull the trigger first, but he'll be out of ammo. Jack will then blow his brains out.
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST.
- Chloe will be in some sort of danger in the next few episodes. Morris will have to save her.
- Not really a prediction, but you'd think that by this point, Jack would learn to NEVER TRUST ANYBODY FOR ANY REASON EVER. Fuck, dude. How many times do you have to be betrayed before it sinks in?
Holy shit! Best episode of the season so far! I was literally on the edge of my seat!
Let's see what the second hour brings...
HAMBURGERS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE BLACK AND CRUNCHY, YOU FUCKS!!!
That is all.
I seem to no longer be sick, so I might actually blog next week. Until then, here's another song.
Remember Lounge Pirate? I re-recorded it with the Les Paul and sped it up a bit. Check this out:
For those who may actually care, production specifics are in the extended entry:
- Clean lead guitar = Roland JC-120 model ("Jazz Clean") with some type of chorus effect, and the Auto Wah effect in the verses.
- Distorted rhythm guitars = 2 tracks of the Bogner Uberschall model ("Bomber Uber") and 2 tracks of the Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier model ("Diamond Plate"), all played with the bridge pickup.
- Clean rhythm guitars = Cornford mk50h model ("Connor 50"), with Phaser effect in the bridge before the final chorus.
- Distorted lead guitar = Marshall JCM-2000 model ("Brit J-2000") with Conductor wah effect in the solo and Tube Screamer stompbox throughout the song.
You know, being sick is a lot better when it's extremely cold, dry, and windy outside, and you spend most of your day at a desk right next to a heater that's continuously blowing even more dry air directly into your face, but if you close it, the temperature in the room drops by about 20 degrees. Especially when you also have asthma!
Wait, did I say "a lot better?" I meant "much, much, much worse."
Fuck germs. And also fuck the retarded new laws that make pseudoephedrine really hard to get. Making my nasal congestion more irritating and trying to pass off this phenylephrine bullshit as a legitimate substitute isn't stopping meth production, you fucking dumbshits. Get back to fighting terrorism and let me have some Dayquil and/or Sudafed that actually works.
Fuck.
All right, like I always say, I know there doesn't seem to be a lot of interest in the songs I post, but I really encourage you to check these out, as they have at least three things going for them:
1. They're full-length, unlike a lot of stuff I've posted recently.
2. They're not covers.
3. The production is the best of any recordings I've done since I started playing guitar.
With that said, on to the backstory/files.
Over the break, I mentioned that I was planning to do some better recordings that included live drums. That didn't happen, but it's because I chose to put my epic song on hold to work on another project.
I've mentioned before that my mom teaches 6th grade. One of her students this year considers herself something of a lyricist, and I volunteered (at their suggestion, but still) to write music to go with a few of these lyrics. There were about 20 songs to choose from, and I ended up picking 3 that stood out and writing guitars and drum loops.
I was pretty much given a choice of what style to go with, but I did make these specifically for the girl who wrote them, and I was told that she likes Evanescence, so I tried to give them a darker vibe than some of the stuff I write on my own. I've been told she's happy with them, so I guess that's good enough.
Anyway, that's pretty much all the background you need to know. I won't post the lyrics since I don't have permission, but as the writer of the music, I can post that. I'm very proud of these, as I think they demonstrate both the progress I've made on guitar over the last year and the awesome power of the Epiphone Les Paul and PODxt. Here they are (for those who don't like reading, just click on the links, but I really like explaining the process behind my work, so...yeah):
1. Revenge of the Derived (Link)
The main riff of this song came to me almost immediately upon reading the verse lyrics, and the rest pretty much wrote itself. It starts off slow and quiet, then kicks in at full power after about 30 seconds. It has kind of a Sevendust feel to it. Be sure to listen after the final chord for the ridiculous Les Paul sustain.
Production info:
- Rhythm guitars = Dual Rectifier amp model; 2 tracks of neck pickup and 2 tracks of bridge pickup.
- Clean guitars = I honestly don't remember the model, but I used the Phaser modulation effect, and that's what's important because it sounds really cool.
2. Open Arms (Link)
This song has more of a Creed-ish feel to it. I also show off my mediocre but slowly improving lead skills with a solo inspired by the chorus lyrics. Full disclosure: I kind of ripped off part of the main riff from "After the Rain" by Revelation Theory, but I changed the chord and added a lead lick, so it's not really that big a deal. Finally, I tuned down to drop-Db for this. Just thought I'd mention it.
Production info:
- Rhythm guitars = Dual Rectifier again, this time with reduced mids and more room/reverb. The lead in the intro is also the Dual Rectifier with the Expo Flange modulation effect.
- Clean guitar = Fender Twin amp model.
- Lead guitar = Marshall JCM-2000 amp model with Tube Screamer stompbox.
- Bass guitar = The crappy bass that my dad "borrowed" from work, probably played through the Fender Bassman amp model.
3. Break (Link)
This is, without a doubt, the heaviest song I've ever recorded. It's an aggressive, up-tempo riff rocker in drop-C tuning, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out. The lyrics seemed pretty angry (I think they're about the girl's parents getting drunk and fighting or something), and I tried to make the music match that.
Production info:
- Rhythm guitars = Dual Rectifier yet again, but using the same preset as RotD and cranked up a bit in the mix.
- Clean guitar = Vox AC-30 amp model (I think) with opto tremolo effect.
- Lead guitar = Marshall JCM-2000 amp with Tube Screamer effect.
That's it. Seriously, I'd really appreciate some feedback on this stuff. These actually sound good now that I have a real guitar to work with.
Sorry for the lack of posting lately. I've been feeling pretty shitty for the last few days (it currently feels like there are hundreds of fire ants waging war on my throat), and the combination of this and the resulting sleep deprivation have kind of made me not feel like blogging. What can you do? It's winter.
When I get around to it, however, I'll write reviews of the classes I'm taking this semester and post some guitar recordings I did over the break.