Well, I started this website! I didn't know how it was going to work out, but it seems pretty cool. I'd like to write in it everyday, but I might slack off. This will be a cool way to keep track of things. Already, I have a whole 12 years to tell, so let's get started!...

Life just can't get much better.  Well...  Let's not speak too soon, but man, life for the studio this past week has just been really, really awesome. One of our clients recently decided to help us out by designing a logo and refreshing the look and feel of our website.  His name is Jesse Crowley, and, well...  He's just awes...

So, we've been considering how to best improve the studio in recent weeks, and have decided that our complete lack of guitar amplification needs to be taken care of.  We looked at all sorts of amps and decided that one which could possibly provide the most diverse sounds would be a wise choice.  We've recorded pretty much everything here ...

Even before the speakers begin, I've gotta note that the music played and sung during this conference has moved me just as much as the speakers' messages have.  Simply superb.  Maybe this is because music is playing a much bigger role than it ever has in my life now...  The music and spirit it brings with it is simply sublime. &nbs...

I love the feeling of Elder Uchtdorf's talk.  We really have no basis upon which to judge each other.  We need to accept and love each other.  "Do unto others that which we would hope they would do unto us" Seems like we need to actually do the work we need to do.  Christ "did" the work, he didn't delegate ...

The hymn the choir sang "I Feel My Savior's Love" was absolutely gorgeous!  Well done, Orem Institute Choir!  What a great way to begin a general conference.  Had me in tears by the end of the hymn.  Thank you, Institute Choir! L Tom Perry's talk about teaching in the home brought back both thoughts of my upbringing,...

The opening talk by President Monson was inspiring.  I love how he talked about his wife, the stories of them meeting, and the fact that her parents were converted to the Gospel by his grandfather's brother.  (I'm amazed he knew that, by looking at his photo!)... Also..  When Pte. Monson said that the presidency loves all those of t...

We've done it.  We've hit the mother load.  The golden goose has landed. I had the opportunity yesterday to work with one of the most talented musicians I've ever met.  It's somebody I've highly respected the past few years, and have wanted to work with ever since I heard him play.  He's largely unknown, and has requested me om...

When I began reading this chapter, I was pretty anxious, internally - for unrelated reasons.  Now, having finished this chapter, I feel very calm and peaceful.  What a great story this chapter tells. While reading, I saw some curious verses, but all of those questions feel relatively meaningless right now.  The thing that matters t...

This entire week, so far, has been spent mixing, mastering, and nit-picking The Blue Aces' 4-song demo debut.  I'm not at liberty to give many details (yet), but let me just say that this group has some of the most rocking tunes I've ever heard come out of a group like this. More to come later!  The demo should be finished by this weeke...

I don't even know where to begin on this one.  Maybe I'll start by screaming in frustration due to Microsoft's complete incompetence.....  or is it incompetence?  Maybe, and more likely, it's completely calculated, thought-through, planned, and executed.... Apparently, Microsoft sent out an "automatic update" to all XP a...

Wow....  Ya know those news stories about that sickness being spread by people in swimming pools this summer?  Well... I've got one thing to say about em': BELIEVE THEM.  THEY'RE TRUE. I'm just getting over a sickness that pretty much was a worst case scenario of what they explain as a parasite called "cryptosporidium", w...

So...  This week has been just one blessing after the other.  I mean, seriously, it's been an amazing week!  I've been recording this great band in my studio, I've been rockin' the code at my day-job, and things are just great. So, to celebrate my happiness, and general good mood, I decided to take myself out to lunch.  I wen...

Sitting here before I begin this entry, I have to sit and sigh...  A sigh of gratitude. Today has been a Sabbath of great spiritual confirmations of simple truths. While reading this entry, I suggest you click the "play" icon button  in the upper right-hand corner of this entry window.  Instead of playing the usual En...

When will I ever learn to trust my wife, my brother, and my instinct?  Probably never. You see, Ryan, my brother, noted how bald the tires are on my Mustang GT about a month ago.  My wife also noted the same thing, as well as a pretty big storm coming this weekend.  Anyway...  I'll get on with the story. Sarah and I celebra...

Take a moment, now, and think about what you'd do if you had access to unlimited funds, and didn't have to "work" another day of your life. I once heard a multi-millionaire state that, "money brings out with clarity, that which is inside you."  If you love to watch football with a passion, then having loads of money would...

The beginning of this talk was set by talking about the experience President Gordon B. Hinckley had as a deacon.  He spoke of the moving power of the men singing "Praise To The Man", at a Stake Priesthood Meeting. While reading that experience, my mind immediately turned back to a very similar experience I had when beginning my mis...

Ya know...  I didn't quite know what to write about today, but I knew I had to write about something.  Some days, I've just got to write. Fasting.  Fasting, to me, is simply going without food or water for a duration of time with the purpose of showing God I am willing to sacrifice something which is very important to me, having h...

This entry begins the documenting of my studies of the Book of Mormon in my "journal".  One of my new year's resolutions for 2008 is to read, study, and write about every chapter in the Book of Mormon.  I figured today was as good a time as any to begin. And so I begin with the Introduction of the Book of Mormon. --- I nev...

I'm not entirely sure what to write.  Half because I'm still reeling, and half because I'm still asleep. I'm now in the International Airport in Las Vegas, heading back home after a trip which put my 5-year anniversary trip to absolute shame.  I'm just shaking my head in disbelief. During the trip, we went and saw the show Ka by Ci...

At Advanced Budget Studios, we certainly can take an idea and create a masterpiece from nothing, but what if you've already got a great recording, but you just need that certain something to make it really stand out?  In the case of the G and M Project, they already a great recording of their song, Heartbreaker, but it wasn't quite where they ...

Update:  Due to the popularity of this post, some people are having a hard time viewing the video posted above.  If it won't play for you, simply wait until the gray progress bar has filled 1/4 to 1/2 of the way before you press play.  That should do the trick. Yesterday I took the day off work to go to my bother's sealing to his w...

I've been pondering, and struggling somewhat, on how exactly to write what I'm going to write today - for quite some time. Growing up, I was encompassed by stability.  I had a stable religion which required us to attend meetings once per week, which we did religiously (pun intended).  I had two parents who loved one another.  My m...

I got down here to my studio tonight, after playing with the kids, putting Sam to bed, and taking care of a few other odds 'n' ends, and I got to feeling like I should write in my journal.  Not entirely sure about what, but it's been months, if not a few years since I have just sat down to write, with nothing in mind beforehand.  Some of ...

*sigh*.....  Where do I ever begin?  I mean....  I shudder when I say this, but, I've been a Microsoft user longer than I've been a Linux user.  What have you done, Microsoft? I'm referring to this "new and improved" piece of software they've recently released called Vista.  In all honesty, I hoped it would fai...

 So, I used to use the -dumpaudio switch in mplayer to get audio extracted from random videos, but now that seems to do not much of anything.  I found this site which had a great explanation of how to get it done a different way, but was a bit out of date.  The newer version is found below: mplayer -vo null -ao pcm:file=audio_file_...

I cannot remember the last time it actually full-on snowed on Christmas day.  For the past 5 years or so, there have been seasons where it almost snowed and threatened to snow, but it's always been a disappointment. This year, however, I believe there's hope.  At least that's what the weather people are saying.  Let's cross our fi...

I wrote for 2nd Nephi 6, that I was having a hard time understanding Isaiah.  Well...  This chapter is nothing but Isaiah, and I thought it was very beautiful. Verses 1-3 are poetry. I immediately thought of a person asking the question: "Where is the Lord now, during my time of suffering and trial?"... ...and this chapter...

This entry begins the documenting of my studies of the Book of Mormon in my "journal".  One of my new year's resolutions for 2008 is to read, study, and write about every chapter in the Book of Mormon.  I figured today was as good a time as any to begin. And so I begin with the Introduction of the Book of Mormon. --- I nev...

First thing which caught my attention this time around is verse 6. I relate that verse to the way the Lord works.  Basically, God lets everyone know about his plan, and those who believe Him will follow him. This makes me wonder if Nephi, through some sort of parable, told Laman and Lemuel what he was planning to do as well, but they didn'...