GETTING ORGANIZED

Yep, this time I'm gonna do it, get myself completely organized, a place for everything and everything in it's place. That should please the lovely Louise. One less reason for me to exasperate her. Where do I start, where do I start? My tools? Nah, they're fine. My clothes? Not just yet, it's almost change of seasons time and I'll do it then, maybe throw some stuff out too. My dresser? I don't even know what half the stuff is on top of it, never mind organize it. My papers? No way, that'd take forever.

Oh, I know! I'll get my music things in order. I've just got a bunch of new stuff to record with and it's kind of sitting all over the living room. There's a lot to deal with but I'll get right on it. I sold the last home recording studio I bought, a state of the art technical wonder that I couldn't figure out how to use, nor could any of the so-called tech wizards that I consulted. This time I went with the I-Mac computer with the Garage Band recording studio built right in. It's a much simpler deal and the sounds are just as good as a regular recording studio.

The only problem is that I put my I-Mac on my computer desk, where my old computer had already taken up residence. And above it on some shelves are my monitor speakers run by my power amp, which is nestled comfortably in the bottom of my desk next to the hard drive of the old computer. And to plug my microphones, guitars, bass and keyboard into the Mac computer I have a little interface box that's got to be hooked to the computer and to the power amp. At least I think so. Then there's my guitar amp on the floor across the room, my booms stands for the microphones and my electric keyboard, which at the moment is sitting precariously on a tray table meant for nothing heavier than a plate of food and a TV remote.

And there's so many wires! I've got to make sure they're all connected to the right plug of the right device so the the music in my head and hands gets through all these circuits and microchips and into the computer. I already had a nightmare with the last recorder, which as it turned out was set up just fine but was way too complex to operate for somebody without an advanced degree in computer science. I can see right away that the MAC computer is pretty straightforward and user friendly so once I'm hooked up right with all my instruments and gizmos I can start recording pretty quick.

It's where to put all this stuff that's the problem. I have a small corner of our living room in which to work. Our house is pretty small and the only other space available is the garage, and that's already got a car in it and a washer and dryer plus it gets a mite chilly in January. So tomorrow I tackle my little corner of the world. I already have some guitars hanging from one wall, so maybe a wall rack for the keyboard is in order. I can make a little folding stand for it when I use It. I'm sure not going to buy one for 80 bucks. This set-up has already cost me more than I can afford. And I have to do all this so that the room still looks like a living room. Louise does draw the line with my clutter when it comes to the portions of the our home where our guests congregate. Women are funny that way I suppose, but not ha-ha funny if you know what I mean so I'd better come up with something acceptable.

Just the thought of makes me want to put it off, which is exactly what I'd do if I were not so eager to start recording and I like to stay on my wife's sunny side. And who knows, maybe organizing my little studio will be the start of a new phase of my life. Why stop there? I can build more shelves in the garage and organize my tools and hardware in neat little bins. Then I can tackle my papers and actually use that nifty oak file cabinet that Louise assigned to me years ago. At the moment I believe it holds some old mystery paperbacks I've already read so they're no mystery to me anymore since I already know who-dun-it and a bunch of warped vinyl records that I save for the record jackets but never look at anymore but I can't be certain because the cabinet's buried under a pile of shoes and clothes in the back of my closet. But I'll get started on that after I sort my tools and hardware.

Then once the file cabinet is out of the closet and filled with my crisply filed papers, I'll organize my clothes and shoes, hanging them carefully in the closet, lining up all my shoes and organizing my sock and underwear drawers and the two bottom drawers that have who-knows-what in them. I'll finally toss out a bunch of stuff I never wear anymore and maybe even some of the stuff Louise says I shouldn't wear anymore. I'll implement a fool-proof system for rotating the seasonal changes in wardrobe.

That done, it's time to tackle the top of the dresser and my night stand too, where I'm having trouble locating my alarm clock. I've accumulated a lot of junk there, an amazing amount when you consider we only bought this house four years ago. The part of the dresser top that I actually use is only a few square inches where I dump my money, keys and wallet when i come in before I ditch my pants across a chair. At least I assume it's a chair under the pile of stuff I've tossed there.

Well, that was fun planning all that. I'm already huffing and puffing. What are the chances I'll accomplish any of it? Not so good, I'm afraid. Oh, the music stuff I'll do because I pretty much have to. But all that other stuff? Organized? Tidy? The very thought of it makes me shudder. How would I find anything? Sorry, Louise, but I'll try to minimize the chaos with the music gear, but I need to have stuff handy when I'm recording, and maybe it won't look that way but I'll know where every little gizmo and adapter is. If I organized it I'd never find anything.

See, the music's the easy part for me, writing, playing, singing, arranging and mixing. That's the kind of thing I'm good at. I've recorded plenty and it's a gas. It's the equipment you need to record a song that gets a little unwieldy. I guess that's why I always liked recording studios, with you and the other musicians doing your thing in the big room while the engineer sits in a booth behind the glass worrying about the gadgets and wires. But recording studios are expensive, a real luxury for a financially challenged artist like myself, so it's the home recording route for me. Well, here goes. Watch the SONGS portion of this website in the near future for some new tunes, recorded in my living room amid the sublime chaos that I call my life. And if you're not a cheapskate, you can buy some. Satisfaction guaranteed.