Hey internet friend, welcome back to another weekly update post. If you want to just see the dog picture, click here. As I like to mention every week, Black Lives Matter! I would rate this as a medium-length post, so without much more further adieu, let's dive in.
I want to start by sharing about my weekend. I finally found the energy/will/motivation (pick your favorite) to work on the drum tracks for the next album I'm writing. This is going to be an EP with only four songs, and I am going to make them all electronic. Each track is going to be my attempt at a different genre, though mostly the starting point is based on the speed (beats per minute or BPM) at which the drums were recorded. So far, everything I've done in "Dude and the missing rugs" has been very heavy on guitar, this album won't have any guitars at all. There is something enjoyable about working with restrictions that forces creativity in a different way. I like it. This idea was inspired (in part) by The Magnetic Fields who were doing a bunch of stuff with electronic instruments and then made a few albums without any electronic instruments. There is much I could (and in the future will) write about The Magnetic Fields, but for now let's just call them a huge inspiration. My health is improving, although not as fast as I would like. Other than making music, most of the weekend I was hanging out with my son and playing video games. There was some work on an essay or two as well, but not as much progress as I would like. I am going to buckle down this week and finish the review of Coders at work and get it published before the next weekly update.
Oh, this morning on our walkie Bark Twain pulled his leash out of my arms and ran after a bird. Eventually I was able to get him back but it was really annoying! Last week he got out on the first day of school and he ran down to the bus stop, barking at everyone. We really need to get him in a training school.
I also got an email this weekend that student loan payments were starting again. I wrote a Tweet about it but essentially the point that others have made better than I have is that if the government can go two and a half years without getting a payment, they can go forever. When there are billions and trillions for the military and the ultra-rich, it is time that working people gets a bailout too. Besides, is the adminsitration afraid it will be too popular? This debbt could be just forgiven as well, it doesn't have to be paid off with tax money. Joe Biden could just forgive the debt and guarantee a vote from a whole generation of people who are saved from a looming financial hardship.
Listen, I'm not saying that everyone who gets their student loans forgiven will vote for Joe Byron and the D's, but what I am saying (writing) is that someone who is milquetoast and unpopular could really help themselves and their party by doing something cool. You know what else would be cool? If the CDC decided not to give up in the war on COVID-19 and the government got together for another round of stimulus. Or an executive order to send people a check. Just because we aren't testing for COVID-19, that doesn't mean it isn't still spreading wildly. Imagine public health officials who cared about public health? Hard to imagine at this point.
Given that I am recovering from health issues, I spent (too much) time on Twitter this weekend. DefCON30 was happening in Vegas and a bunch of my friends were there having fun. While I had a little bit of FOMO (fear of missing out), I was overtaken by the fear of getting COVID-19. Then I also saw torrential flooding and realized that missing out this year was the right call for me.
That's about all I have to report this week, internet friend. I appreciate you reading this far. I hope you have a very nice day and a most excellent week. Cheers!