So, I've been thinking about what the first post in 2012 should be, and I've been drawing a blank.   I could talk about all the cool gear I've upgraded, and the success we had in 2011, but I've talked a lot about that stuff already  (although the new RME Madi interface, ADI-8 QS converters, and Focusrite 828 preamps are pretty stink...

Herod the Fink is a Christmas collaboration project between Jesse Crowley and Jason Jones which has been going on now for 3 glorious years at Advanced Budget Studios.  This year's offering is a 4-song EP. The music this year ranges from a bluegrass crossing punk style of "Joy To The World" to an introspective look in to each of our...

So I haven't written in a while, and that's both a great thing, and a not-so-great thing.  It's great because since September, the studio has been busier than I thought possible.  Honestly...  It's been a whirlwind, and I'm not quite sure what caused it - but I'm so grateful for it.  It's a not-so-great thing because I can't kee...

I've gotta say, October was crazy.  It was the busiest month the studio has ever seen.  That said, it has allowed us to upgrade some microphones! Might you join with me in welcoming our two newest microphones to the pack: The Joly Edition - "Gomez" Cascade ribbon mic! In our initial tests, I found the Gomez to be anothe...

Today I started my entry titled Lost In The Past for Nano month. This is where writers try to write 50,000 words in one month. Mine is a young adult novel. Here is the synopsis for it. Lost in the Past Synopsis   Her millionaire father thought it would be great to raise her without the problems of today, so he builds a house free of elec...

 My apologies for not writing lately.  I assure you, it's because I've been too busy recording! So...  Updates:  As some of you know, for now, 100% of the money which comes into this studio, stays in the studio, which means all the proceeds from your recordings go directly back into ways to make your recordings even better. &...

 ...and so we've come to the last chapter, and the closing of the book I opened almost 4 years ago.  The goal was to read and write about each and every chapter in the Book of Mormon, no matter how long it took me.  Tonight, I'm gonna complete that goal.   Wow.  That just feels good. Let's charge on to Moroni 10, shall w...

 What a horrible, yet extremely personal and hopeful chapter.   The nature of it reminds me of the psalm of Nephi (2 nephi  4:15-end).  What horrible, horrible things were going on at the end, but it just amazes me, the strength of Mormon, and his constant prayers for Moroni - and his pleading to God for his soul to be brought b...

So... I just checked, and throughout all canonized scripture, know how many times the phrase "solemn mockery" is used?   Yup - you guessed it.  Once.  And it happens to refer to the baptizing of children.  For some reason, I think God dislikes this act a bit. Verse 14 seems kind of harsh, but if a person has nei...

Today is a good day!  So...  Beginning in verse 12, the main theme I'm getting here is the complete polarization between God and Satan.  Within the rules God has set (such as, "Satan can't kill people", and "Man has free agency", and "God won't save someone just because they're His offspring", and such.....

So, this weekend I had the pleasure of meeting yet another one of Utah's finest bands.  The band's name is "Shallow Sky", and if their music is any indicator, these guys are gonna stick around. To be honest, I expected the 3 sessions (totalling 26-hours) with these guys to be a bit rough, due to only my incredible lack of sleep las...

Here's a little something we did during the day today.  Luci had a bit of a mis-understanding of what the easter bunny really was at first.  She got the hang of it, though.  Video above:...

Well I was going to do this last night but it was just to much to do.  So here it goes.  Wow what a life changing event.  This might be a little bit graphic for some but I am going to tell it how it is.  So here it goes.  Yesterday I worked at the airport I transport people to and from the airport.  I was called to go ...

Okay...  So lately the studio has been getting some serious upgrades, thanks to all of you who have been supporting me, and creating awesome music. About a month ago, I was chatting it up with a good friend, Jesse Crowley, about how in the world we were going to sell our fabulous new Herod the Fink album this season.  You see, there ar...

Approximately 4 years ago, sometime during the summer, from time to time I would go outside our back door and lay out on the concrete slab and look up at the stars.  We had been in our home about 7 years and had no intention of moving, or changing, or doing anything but doing what we were doing.  I was in love with my wife, trying my best...

When I originally mixed a tune from Sugar Stone, I didn't have enough time to really nail it.  I did a good enough job for the time allotted, but when the product was delivered, I thought there could be a lot of improvements made. So, I decided to spend a few hours today seeing what I could do about it.  Before I go any further, here's...

I've been reading a few books and websites lately on the "geography of the Book of Mormon", and see that it is quite a contentious point for many people!  A desire to understand the BOM geography was the specific thing that got me into reading the Boook of Mormon for the first time on my own.  That isn't to say that my testimony...

~I just feel so much in my heart right now. Words truly cannot express how full my heart is. I just finished watching the movie "A Far Off Place". It has always been one of my favorites since I was a little girl. The music in it has always stirred deep emotions within me. It is just gorgeous. It has a melody that tugs at my heart. I ...

Okay, friend, family, and others.  I just wanted to let you know that the season has finally arrived! Jesse and I have been working all year long on Herod the Fink's 2nd studio album.  We are so excited to announce that it's finally available for purchase! The album has eight songs on it, and all of them are awesome.  I'll post...

It's about 10 minutes before I have to leave to go to the airport to fly to Wisconsin to meet my new boss and co-workers.  The situation at Nature's Way is definitely changing. Right now, I just wanted to write down some thoughts and feelings to see how they would contrast against what I think after-the-fact. Right now, quite honestly, I d...

So, I just got a new Logitech C910 web cam, and when trying to join or create google hangouts, I couldn't see myself in the stream at all, nor anyone else's.  I can hear everyone, and everyone can see me, but I can see nobody, nor myself.  I found this gem of a site with a very easy solution. I'm using gentoo Linux, and this simple tric...

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...

Journal entry is contained within the attached audio file....

Well...  I just spent about 2 hours writing a how-to on going from an Nvidia-based graphics system in gentoo Linux to an ATI one, but I accidentally erased the whole thing, so I'm going to try my best to be patient and do it again. When I originally got the box for my new ATI Radeon HD4850 video card this morning, I was impressed even in the ...

Yeah, I'm tired, but man - life is good.  I spent way too much time on our Herod The Fink project last night (and into the wee-hours of this morning), but it was so worth it.  We are really cranking to release a truly unique Christmas album.  My only regret is that we didn't start this sooner, so we could get more content.  But ...

Today I was commissioned to create an FTP server here at work.  Through persistent pestering of the hideously insecure nature of FTP in general, my boss let me dedicate an entire server just for the company's need to FTP.  This was to negate the possibility of any hacking of the web server, should the FTP server be compromised.  It's...

Recently, I have had the opportunity to have my mind opened to various opportunities having to do with mortgages and investment properties, and whatnot, and in the midst of all this, we have had to contact the lending company on our primary mortgage. Yesterday, I was on hold for 1.5 hours with Citibank's collections department, after being transf...

So lately I haven't had any major projects going on involving programming, and I started to miss it, so I decided to act upon a thought I had about a month ago. That thought consisted of me wanting a definitive answer to my almost 10,000-photo collection of digital images which seems to keep growing, and staying totally unorganized. So, two day...

I just thought I'd write a little something.... Since about a year ago, Collin's elbow has been easily pulled out of joint, and thus, has had issues with what is known as a nursemaid elbow. Today, his elbow got pulled out of the socket again, and my wife called me with another appointment to the doctor's office. Well, this time, I got to t...

Since I created this blogging software, I've been thinking that it's quite static.  Although I might enjoy the way the current style is laid out, not everyone does. I'm now in the process of making the stylesheet almost completely customizable.  Keep your eyes out for a new button which will allow you to customize and personalize your ...