Two qualities (among others) have dogged me my entire life...

It's been a while. Too long really. I know. After pumping out weekly blogs with each new weekly song, I then turn and virtually disappear from radar. Well, if my blog has been unusually quiet, let me assure you that my life has not... 

So here we are.  I have to say I’m a bit numb.  I just mastered the song and all that’s left is to write this blog entry.  I had high hopes of writing a nice reflection on the year, sharing some of my key insights and takeaways.  But now I’m not so sure.  I actually got choked up typing the file name – “LettingGo_FinalMaster_Dec28_2013.wav” - as I got ready to record it to disk.  I’ll just do the best with this as I can...

Well, well, well.  This week’s song is a little different, isn’t it?  I must have been channeling my inner Trent Reznor or something.  Let me tell you how it all unfolded...

First an update on last week’s computer troubles.  I followed (very carefully) the directions I found on Microsoft’s website about rebuilding the User Profile and - Voilà! – it worked.  Needless to say, it was a big relief.  It was also much less painful than I thought it would be.  I wasted no time moving on to #50 after deciding I wouldn’t shut down the computer this week.  I had rebooted several times successfully but I was a bit paranoid...

So.  What a week.  Things were moving along swimmingly with the new song and I thought I’d get a leg up by starting to record Wednesday evening.  Fired up the old computer workstation, got as far as the log in screen and after typing in my info, received the following message: ‘The User Profile Service failed the logon’.   Strange.  Maybe reboot and try again.  Same result.  Again.  Same result.  Yikes!...

First things first.  Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!   As I said in this week’s email, I have so many things to be grateful for this year and your support is no small part of that.  It really does keep me going...

Are better days coming?  I sure do hope so.  I’m worn out from all of this deadline-driven music making.  I know there is often no way around them but in my opinion, deadlines just go against the spirit of music making.  And speaking of deadlines, this is going to be a quick blog because I need to get this week’s song out...

Yes indeed.  Another birthday to celebrate.  This time around, it’s my daughter who turns nine this week.  The funny thing about it is that I planned to write her birthday song next week as #47.  There’s a little story behind why it came a week early.  Let me explain...

The clock is ticking.  As I mentioned in this week’s email, the end of the year is so close I can taste it.  And the irony for me has been that these last few weeks have been really tough from a creative standpoint.  All year long, I’ve thought that if I could just make it to the final ten songs, I’d breeze my way to the finish.  Not quite...

It was another one of those funny weeks of songwriting for me.  And it wasn’t just the obvious distractions of the Boston Red Sox wrapping up a hard fought and well-earned World Series victory (go Sox!) or my hyped up kids preparing costumes for Halloween. The funny part was my throwing out a song midweek and starting over.  I think it’s only happened one other time this year...

And so the countdown begins.  The final ten songs of 52 in 52.  Hard to believe the end is so close, especially considering the way it’s felt these last few weeks.  I don’t know if it’s the busyness of family life, the emotion spent on the Red Sox post-season or simply the shorter days, but I’ve been worn out.  It’s been a tough month of songwriting.  I guess it’s just been a long year...

It’s October and I’ve got baseball on the brain.  There’s a nice chill in the air, the leaves are falling and my beloved Boston Red Sox are in the playoffs.  Needless to say, it’s been tough finding time and focus for songwriting.  But a commitment’s a commitment and I had a song to get out this week...

So… A boy and his guitar reunited.  That pretty much sums up this week.  Sort of.  As I mentioned in this week’s email, my four week synthesizer binge left me with very little time to play the guitar.  It’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve played my acoustic guitar fewer than thirty minutes in the last month...

Hard to believe.  The forties.  We’ve come quite a way my friends.  As I said in the newsletter, if this year were a marathon, we’ve just finished mile 20 of 26.  And just to make this week a little more interesting for me, I had the extra challenge of having to travel for my freelance video work.  I had hoped to make some headway in the hotel room with my laptop but it just didn’t happen.  So essentially, I had two days to pull it together...

Wow!  We wrap up the thirties this week.  I really can’t believe it.  I still remember the feeling I had those first few weeks.  The thought of how many songs I had ahead of me was completely overwhelming.  The thirteen that I now have left – while still more than an album’s worth – don’t seem all that intimidating.  That said, it’s been an intense journey and I’m pretty worn out from the year.  These days I find my mind wandering (fantasizing?) to thoughts of a post 52 in 52 life.  But let’s put those thoughts aside for now...

So…another week swimming in the computer.  I tell you, it’s fun but turning this stuff into a song is tough for me.  I read an article a few months back about a very well paid woman who’s hired by pop music producers to listen back to the vocal-less tracks they’ve created with their computers and keyboards.  As she’s listening back, she improvises melodies and lyrics that they can then use to finish the songs.  It’s an actual niche in the world of pop music.  I’ve been thinking a lot about that article these past two weeks because I’ve had a similar workflow, only I’m playing all the roles...

37 weeks.  Am I still on track?  I hope so.  I think so.  But I’ve got a head cold and a sore throat and it’s had me feeling a bit off kilter this week.  Maybe that was the inspiration.

Whatever it was, Off Track really kicked my butt...

I have to be honest.  This wasn’t supposed to be this week’s song.  I had made a little commitment to myself not to use the acoustic guitar in writing my next four songs (36 -39).  It’s part of my effort to get more familiar with new technology while also pushing the comfort zone a bit.  If memory serves me, all but one of this year’s 52 in 52 songs were born on the acoustic guitar.  But old habits die hard and I guess this week is case in point...   

Someone asked me recently if I was having any fun with this whole 52 in 52 thing.  I answered, ‘No, not really’.  But as I reflected on it a little more, I added that it has been extraordinarily satisfying.  And to me, that’s just as important...