Title: Duptribe’s Electronica Remix of Simon & Garfunkle’s Classic
“The Sound Of Silence”

I’ve been a music lover my whole life. My first memory of music is
listening to Simon & Garfunkel’s song Mrs. Robinson on my rocking
horse when I was three. Like most kids, I cried a lot. One day my
parents realized that if they put me on my rocking horse and played
Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits, I would instantly stop crying and
be happy.

Since then, music has been my salvation and Simon & Garfunkel are
still one of my favorite artists. So when a friend of mine gave me an
electronica remix of of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “The Sounds of
Silence” by Duptribe, I was interested in hearing it. At the time I
wasn’t familiar with Duptribe or electronica, so I didn’t know what to
expect, but by the end of the first verse, my mind was blown!

The remix begins with the first verse’s original vocal track, a clean
electric guitar playing the original chords, backwards piano, ambient
and pulsating synthesizer sounds, tasteful background percussion, and
sweeping electronic noise. By the second verse, a crisp, big sounding
breakbeat comes in that really starts to make the track groove,
practically forcing the listener to get up and dance. The song
continues to the end, tastefully mixing the instrumentation and
breaking the beat in and out of the song, until the end. Suffice it to
say, I never knew a mellow folk song could be so danceable.

Since hearing that song, my life has changed. I have become a big fan
of electronica and electronica remixes. The official title of the
track is “S.O.S. (The Sound Of Silence)” by Duptribe. It was released
in 2003 by German record label EastWest Records. Whether you are a fan
of electronica or not, I highly recommend checking this track out. It
could change your life.

About the author: James Mowery is a computer geek who writes about
technology and related topics. To read more blog posts by him, go to
led tv.

I know I’ve gotten lax about blogging again lately, and I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t do that. But I wonder after being at this for eight years if I’ve just not finally fizzled out? Then again, I’ve never been a ‘personal blogger’ and don’t really want to be. I know people who put everything on their blogs. I just can’t do that.

Granted I’ve blogged quite a bit about Thomas’ kidney disease and surgery and stuff, but I’ve not blogged everything about it. Since I got my ADHD preliminary diagnosis in June, I started blogging a little bit about that, but I’ve not blogged everything about it, either. Some things are just intensely personal, and I just can’t put that stuff out there. Other people can and often to, but they’re not me.

That being said, that in a nutshell is probably why I’ve not been blogging lately.

Since Thomas moved in with us in June of last year, our lives have changed and have become full of challenges. I haven’t and won’t be blogging about everything involved with that, either. Until the beginning of this Summer, I didn’t have the time or the energy to engage in my normal daily routine. I did what I was able and kept up with Thomas; that’s all I could do. Also by then, my therapist and I agreed that my depression had spiraled into the need of medication and that I needed more help than she could give me. I’ve blogged a bit about that, but yet again I won’t be blogging about everything about it. What passes between me and my therapist stays between us. And unlike how some people are so willing to do, I won’t be talking about my therapist by name here, either. Some people do; that’s their right.

This may sound really mean and hateful and ranty. But my private life is private, and I intend to do what I can to keep it that way. People who post absolutely everything, I’m sure they still have bits and pieces of their private lives that they’d never dream of blogging about.

Now. I said all of that because I want to say this.

Having Thomas here has never meant to be a permanent living arrangement. The plan and goal from before he moved in was to get him into assisted living housing just as soon as possible. This has proven a lot more difficult than I ever imagined it could be. It’s slow going. But as of May he was put on the SCL waiting list as “urgent need”, backdated to March. Honestly, though, his chances of getting housing will be greater if I can push him onto the “emergency need” list, which I’m fighting tooth and nail to do. It’s involved bunches of visits in various medical offices and the endless collection of copious paperwork.

I mentioned the following on Twitter a couple of weeks ago and was met with tons of negative feedback that I just didn’t want or need. Like anything else in my life – more negativity received than understanding. Which is another reason I’ve put off writing this particular blog post. I was all fired up after the exchange to write it but had a migraine and didn’t feel like writing about it just then.

Like I said above, the plan has always been to get Thomas into assisted living housing. But it’s become clear over the last year that he also needs a guardian – and he more than proved that over this Summer. I’ve been keeping detailed records of his behavior and other things to back this up. So I’ve been gathering up even more paperwork and more endless appointments – including the petition I need to apply for guardianship. Luckily, about 95% of this paperwork overlaps, so I only have to make/collect copies.

This is what people on my Twitter feed were upset about. That I’m considering state guardianship for Thomas. A lot of people said, “That is such a difficult decision,” and became appalled when I said in return, “No, it’s not.” Then went off in a huff and didn’t give me any chance to explain.

See, I’m a Gwyddon, and I live in this place called Reality where some other people don’t seem to reside. They want everything all tied up in neat, pretty packages with neat, pretty bows, rainbows, and happy endings. Well, real life doesn’t work that way, and I prefer to be in it with my eyes wide open. And part of that is doing what’s best for Thomas and Tayler. And I always have.

I went through this same crap four years ago when I started testing to give Thomas a kidney. People couldn’t believe that I’d “do something like that” to myself, that I’d endanger my life and my health for my child. Just thinking about it gives me a headache. I mean, really. This is my child. If his left arm fell off, I’d give him mine. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work? I was shocked and appalled when Thomas’ nephrologist told me that I’d be shocked if I knew the number of parents who never consider donating an organ to save their child’s life.

What’s best for Thomas in this current circumstance is a state guardian and assisted living – and I’m trying to acquire these for him. I don’t want or need this responsibility, for one thing. My mental and physical health have nosedived since this time last year; I can’t keep doing this. Besides, if I’m not healthy, I’m of no use to anyone else. Thomas doesn’t need or require twenty-four hour care, but he does require care during his waking hours for a host of reasons.

Because of his chronic nephritis*, he’s mildly mentally retarded – although I’m trying to get him retested; when he tested in high school, he tested in with an IQ of 69; when I had him tested last year, he tested in at 72. He also has Explosive Mood Disorder and is bipolar and has slight ADHD. (*he received a transplant because he had what they call “end stage renal failure”)

Thomas is unable and unwilling to take care of himself.

He will take his medication when he’s supposed to (he’s on eight different medications, by the way), but any responsibility for himself other than that, he refuses. He fights tooth and nail about taking a shower and putting on clean clothes. It’s been over a month now that he’s done his laundry and had clean clothes (because I no longer do his laundry for him). He refuses to clean up after himself (and doesn’t understand why Preston and I won’t hire a ‘maid’). He has no interest in ordering / picking up any of his medications. He has no idea how to make or keep his various medical appointments or when they are or why he’s going. He can’t manage his own finances; and while he owns a car and has a driver’s license, I feel he shouldn’t be driving at all.

And on and on. This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg, to use a timeworn cliché.

So, no. Making the decision for housing and state guardianship wasn’t hard. This is what Thomas needs. I can’t provide these things for him. I can’t keep up with him. He needs way more than I can give him on a daily basis. So I’m busting my ass getting the information together so we and the courts can find someone who can.

Okay. Part of why I’ve not been blogging.

I’ve been sucked into Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum. I am not ashamed.

I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood. That the speaking profits me, beyond any other effect the silence will not protect you. — Audre Lorde

KINDLE GIVEAWAY BLOG TOUR

Author Scott Nicholson and Amazon.com are giving away two Kindles as part of his fall book blog tour from September through November. A Kindle DX will be given away through the participating blogs, and a Kindle 3 will be given away through the tour newsletter at scottsinnercircle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. A Pandora’s Box of free ebooks will be given away through Nicholson’s hauntedcomputer Twitter account.

Nicholson is author of twelve novels, including The Skull Ring and Speed Dating with the Dead, as well as five story collections, four comics series, and six screenplays. A freelance editor and journalist, he lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

As a bonus, if Nicholson hits the Top 100 in the U.S. or U.K. Kindle Store during the tour between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, he will give away an extra Kindle 3 through the blogs.

No purchase necessary, and the contest is international. Co-sponsored by Kindle Nation Daily and Dellaster Design. Details at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/blogtour.htm

I was showing Thomas satellite images of hurricane earl (we’d been talking about the typhoon Tayler is experiencing in Okinawa right now) and was telling him how similar it is to hurricane Hugo the month before he was born. Earl is shaping up to be a monster and is on a similar track as Hugo – although they’re saying because of a high pressure system moving onto the Atlantic coast, earl will brush the coast on Friday morning instead of making landfall like Hugo did. This remains to be seen, of course. Patterns shift, etc, etc.

I was telling Thomas, too, about Sandhi calling after she got telephone service restored. She said, “We’re just fine.” They had a few trees down. But she also said that, “All the pecans that were on the trees in the front yard are now all over the ground in the backyard.” When she came in to see Thomas that November, she brought bags and bags of fresh pecans.

People like to tell me that hurricanes never affect Kentucky. This always makes me laugh. Hurricane Gustav brought us rain from Texas and hurricane Ivan two weeks later brought northern Kentucky and southern Ohio a world of hurt. I lost the pictures i took of the rains and winds we got from Katrina (this makes me very sad!). We had flash floods and winds from Opal in September 1995; and I remember that as being some of the coldest rain this side of Hugo that I’d ever been in (Katrina was much colder than Opal).

Hugo was a monster. I remember him so readily because he did so much damage and because I was so close to having Thomas at the time — in fact, when the rains came through Corbin, I went and stayed at Mommy’s for two days just to be safe and so forth. That and it’s not every day that Corbin, Kentucky, gets hurricane force winds and rain! (although we did get our share of tornadoes and the place still does) Pike County (in the v at the far-eastern edge of Kentucky) got the worst of it. I remember at the time they weren’t real sure just how far Hugo was going to come inland. But he managed to find a pass in the Appalachians and moved on through east of us.

I went into Pet Supermarket to buy two goldfish and four neon tetras. I came out with this gorgeous lavender betta and two black neon tetras – and a betta bowl and betta food. I’ve got to remove the greenery from the betta bowl though. Little ijit is swimming behind them and getting stuck.

APEXOLOGY:Horror

1. The study of literature-based artifacts left by the authors and editors of Apex Publications, particularly dark or horrific stories.
2. An anthology of horror containing disturbing, dark imagery and twisted fiction.

Contained within are twenty-one stories to showcase the unique talents that Apex has published and employed in the past five years. Apexology: Horror contains work from two Campbell Award winners, a Hollywood screenwriter, a NYT Bestselling Author, Nebula and Hugo nominees, Stoker Award winners, and Mari Adkins!

Get a taste of some of the best Apex has to offer. Study Apexology: Horror.

This is a digital only release!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: Five Years and Counting by Jason Sizemore
“It Tasted Like the Sea” by Paul Jessup
“Summon, Bind, Banish” by Nick Mamatas
“To Every Thing There is a Season” by Dru Pagliassotti
“Life’s a Beach” by Alethea Kontis and Ariell Branson
“Kusatenda Uroyi” by Gill Ainsworth
“Lottery” by Gene O’Neill
“Cerbo en Vitra ujo” by Mary Robinette Kowal
“The Spider in the Hairdo” by Michael A. Burstein
“The Dark Side” by Guy Hasson
“With the Beating of their Wings” by Martel Sardina
“Enough to Make a Devil” by R. Thomas Riley
“Flash of Light” by Jason Sizemore
“Transylvania Mission” by Lavie Tidhar
“Inside Looking Out (or: Falling Through the Worlds)” by Mari Adkins
“Powered” by Deb Taber
“Disturbing Things” by B.J. Burrow
“Eulogy for Muffin” by Jennifer Brozek
“Hands of Heritage” by Elizabeth Engstrom
“The Junkyard God” by M. Zak Anwar and O.M.R. Anwar
“Bessie Green’s Thumb” by Fran Friel
“Big Sister/Little Sister” by Jennifer Pelland

Download your copy here today!

Available as PDF, EPUB, MOBI, LRF, PDB, and LIT.

I like that I can automagically update many things within the software now. What I don’t like is that when I update a theme, it eats all of my settings. Afterward, I have to redo my header and reupload my sidebar. Pain in my ass.

Many people have asked how I’ve been doing. And I’m here to report that I’m doing very good, thank you very much!

My strong recommendation, though, is that she doesn’t up the dose to 30mg when I go back on the 24th. I think I’m just fine where I am. This has been great. It’s really helped me be able to sit and work on the lessons, charts, and notes I took in panic disorder therapy – and work on developing that “Teflon mind”.

The Trazadone was too strong. I’ve had to take the 50s and quarter them – much better – so I don’t wake up with “medication hangover”. I need to talk to her about all of that. But it’s true. I take my quarter, lay down an hour later, and pretty much go right to sleep. And then I rest. My god I’d forgotten what that was like. It’s been since … High school? Middle school? It’s been a long fucking time.

I’ve got a little notebook where I’ve been keeping notes on my moods, how I’ve felt, side effects when I’ve noticed them, etc, etc. I’ll take that with me when I go back on the 24th.

What’s impressed me the most? My mind is quiet. It’s totally not been this quiet since I was in high school that I can remember. Seriously. I noticed that on the first day. I was sitting here and all I could hear was the air filter on the aquarium. Everything else was so still and peaceful. And I could string two thoughts together. Incredible! My mind simply doesn’t race any more. Getting on the Prozac for that alone has been worth it to me; screw the calming effect.

And we know I’ll never be a day person by any stretch of the imagination, but I find that I do wake up and get around easier in the mornings now. Now that has been weird to adjust to. By the time I get up, take my meds, eat, shower, putter around, and then get Thomas up, I’ve read all my boards, twitter, and have probably read a chapter or two in the current book I’m reading. Or written 300 words or so. I’ve been productive.

I’ve not wanted to nap during the say. I still get draggy around 2pm. But I think that’s my natural rhythm – I’ve always been that way because waking up at 8am is hard. But I’m not so draggy that I want / need to sleep. Before all of this, when I’d send Thomas off to CLS, I’d just go into the bedroom and crash. Now I do housework / read / write. Sometimes around two, miss kitty and I’ll go lay down and read, but I don’t sleep.

Prozac has given me the energy I need to get through the day and to deal with everything. I’m happy with that and grateful. I’d have done this years ago but it just wasn’t time – I needed to find the right time and place, and I did. Finally.

I updated my site after coming over here and seeing that the latest WordPress update had reverted the sidebar back to default for some reason (never had that happen before!

I corrected something that should have been there since last May (as in May 2009 when we went on pre-order) and especially since last October. :blush: I finally put an order link for Harlan County Horrors on the sidebar. Whoops. I can’t believe I didn’t have that up there before now. Total and complete oversight on my part. Big and huge oversight. Jeeze.

I also set the tagcloud so that it is left-flush instead of centered. I didn’t like the way it looked centered.

As well, I updated the header image. We’re not into Fall yet, but we will be before we know it even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. As well, as much as I loved that picture of the mountains at Cumberland Gap, it just didn’t match the background image. So, it’s all better now.

If you’re on Google FriendConnect, please feel free to add yourself to the widget on the sidebar.

I think that’s it. Have a good Sunday.

tally for july ~> 29398

This doesn’t take into account all of the editing I did. And I believe, unless something else crops up somewhere, I’m down to rewriting the last scene of this book. (Then I get to go back and edit the “April through March” chapters)

I had my hair cut last payday (two Friday’s back). She had to take off an inch as opposed to the half-inch I requested – I hadn’t been in since April, and the woman who did my hair in April made a mess of it to boot. Honestly my hair has gotten so long over the last year, I can’t tell she took any at all!

She said my hair was in good shape considering it’d been so long since I’d been in. I told her that after I got my helix piercing in early March I realized my hair was long enough again to braid at bedtime.

She dropped her scissors and comb onto the counter and went on a tear about women who braid their own hair. The whole shop was laughing. This woman’s been cutting my hair since 2006, and this was the first time I’ve ever heard her use a swear word. She said ‘damn’ several times. The first thing out of her mouth was, “What is it with you women and braiding your own damn hair? It’s not natural.” The whole shop just went up in laughter.

Maybe it’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ things. But it was hilarious.

Preston and I have a little book – it has blue butterflies on it, of course – with our Gwyddon wedding vows, handwritten notes from our guests (with the cards they gave us saved in the back), a copy of the invitation, tickets to the Elton John / Billy Joel concert, tickets to the Barenaked Ladies concert, and stubs to every movie we’ve seen together since Shrek (May 2001). It also includes the addendum to the wedding ritual I added in to honor Mommy after she passed away July 20, 2000 – nine days before.

And beginning July 29, 2001, we started writing notes to each other. We promised the Gwyddon who performed the ritual that we would write a yearly note to each other.

We’ve kept that promise, although a couple of years we didn’t remember until some time in August to do the writing. But it’s in there. We’ve never forgotten entirely.

This year we both wrote a page.

One day we’ll run out of room, but we’ve not even reached the middle of the book yet!

Harris: I like the relationships. I mean, each character has his own story. The puppy is a bit too much, but you have to over look things like that in these kinds of paintings. The way he’s *holding* her… it’s almost… filthy. I mean, he’s about to kiss her and she’s pulling away. The way the leg’s sort of smashed up against her… Phew… Look how he’s painted the blouse sort of translucent. You can just make out her breasts underneath and it’s sort of touching him about here. It’s really… pretty torrid, don’t you think? Then of course you have the onlookers peeking at them from behind the doorway like they’re all shocked. They wish. Yeah, I must admit, when I see a painting like this, I get emotionally… erect.

[the painting is revealed to be of a red rectangle]