Independence Day

Today I grabbed Nicki's car keys (still haven't replaced the car I totalled back in May), and headed to Home Depot. I bought two 5-gallon paint buckets, some 1/4" dowels (which I cut to 15" lengths), and 6" clay flower pot base. Hooked up with two friends -- Lennox Armstrong and Jeremy Rumas, and proceeded to beat the Hell outta this stuff... all part of the creative process, I assure you. I'm experimenting with some different textures and techniques for "TranZendental Danse of Joi". I've seen kids playing these buckets on the streets, and I really want to work this sound into "TZDoJ".

I then went to a do-it-yer-own-dang-self-car-wash and cleaned out Nic's car. She drives dogs around in it all the time, and the car now has thick fur upholstery. It took almost 2 hours to get the better part of the interior clean -- not a perfect job, but its a big improvement, and was a nice surprise for her when I brought it back.

Then went home to orchestrate, and under the rockets red glare and the bombs bursting in air, I FINALLY finished that section I'd been agonizing over for the past few days. I consulted my Blatter "Instrumentation/Orchestration" textbook and Rimsky-Korsakoff's "Scheherezade" to double-check my woodwind flourishes, and bit the bullet and made the section-in-question one long, two-and-a-half octave climb. Should be a hoot.