The Oracle of Apollo Snippets from the life of Apollo Lee

Lights Out on Broadway

Tonight was the musical debut of my friend, Ian Rhett, who began writing music again after a long hiatus. His songs are magnificently written songs that speak of the state of the world today. His signature tune, “(Didn’t Know I Was) Unamerican“, got him invited to perform at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Tonight’s show was at Broadway Studios in San Francisco. After initially parking six blocks away, walking two blocks in a ridiculous torrential downpour, orbiting the blocks again for another half hour, then finding a spot two blocks from the venue, I arrived soaking wet as Ian was performing.

Ian writes with passion and conviction. His proficiency on his old Wurlitzer and that little 1950s (or was it 1920s) acoustic guitar surprised me. I knew he could play—but wow! He shared the stage with a small band and played a great set, including a newish song called “(I Know Why You’re) Semper Fi“.

David Shakiban took the stage next and played a set of nifty rock tunes with his band. His skills on the electric guitar were good. The band was well-rehearsed and the songs were good, although some of the players in the band seemed shy. The music was upbeat and a bunch of people got up to dance.

Ian’s second set featured a bunch more songs, a smaller crowd, and a more intimate vibe. He played his signature song, and a few love songs. I’m really glad I came to hear him play. Someday, I hope to write songs half as well and with a tenth as much passion as he does.

A good show, overall. I didn’t know anybody there, except Ian and my long-lost friend, Jason, whom I haven’t seen in three years or so (is that right?). After the lights came on and I said hello to everyone, it was time for me to split.

Thanks for the invite, Ian.

For the Funk of It

Last weekend, I called Greg, whom I haven’t talked to in eons, and left him a voice mail. He responded with a text message that said he was back in San Francisco again. Later, when Ernie called, I told him about the UNEAQ show at Shadow Lounge.

When I arrived at the spot, Ernie, Fe Ann, and Greg were there (wow, is it good to see you guys!), along with the lovely Natasha, who I danced with at Second Sunday a while back, and a really nifty cyclist named Debbie. They were all going to Yosemite tomorrow, so they didn’t stay long, but it was great hanging out with them.

UNEAQ took over the sound system from the DJs about 12:30, playing their amazing set that gets better every single time I hear them. By the time Andrew and Joshua got to where they were playing both basses at the same time, they had the tiny little crowd going. Jessica showed us exactly how soul is correctly sung. Unfortunately, somebody forgot to tell the guy behind the turntables how to segue into a live act, because the yutz faded his music in during the middle of one of UNEAQ’s songs. Hopefully, that was a learning experience for him.

Week 8

I had a full riding week this week. It’s forecast to storm next week and I could definitely feel it toward the end of the week. The wind was breezier. I’m still early in my training schedule, so my rides are mostly flat and easy. This week, I rode my fourth 20 mph average ride of the month, which is the same number as I did in all of 2005. I am on a drastically lighter bike now, but I’m still recovering my power and my legs after the long recovery.

20 Feb:  13.53 mi;  0:42:13 (19.2 mph avg; 30.0 mph max)
21 Feb:  13.53 mi;  0:41:40 (19.5 mph avg; 30.0 mph max)
22 Feb:  13.54 mi;  0:40:34 (20.0 mph avg; 32.5 mph max)
23 Feb:  13.53 mi;  0:40:45 (19.9 mph avg; 30.5 mph max)
24 Feb:  13.53 mi;  0:41:04 (19.8 mph avg; 31.5 mph max)
25 Feb:  23.54 mi;  1:11:58 (19.6 mph avg; 33.0 mph max)
Total :  91.20 mi;  4:38:14 (19.7 mph avg; 33.0 mph max)

Month so far:  251.36 mi. 2006 so far :  344.93 mi (5.75% of goal).
2006 goal   : 6000.00 mi.
Remaining   : 5655.07 mi (128.52 mi / wk avg)

Week 7

This week, unlike the previous three weeks, was very short. On Monday, the temperature after work was a balmy 67°F. Tuesday, on the other hand, was ten degrees cooler and much more windy. After Wednesday, it was very chilly and quite windy, so I decided to sit it out. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were downright cold (yeah, I know that people on the East Coast are experiencing temperatures in the mid-20s), especially compared with last week’s warmth.

So, next week, I’ll do week 4 over, this time with all of my miles. I’m expecting blustery headwinds in the afternoon (which just leaves me a tailwind for part of my ride). Sometimes, like on Tuesday, they help me save a trudgy first half. On that ride, my cyclometer showed me an 18.3 mph average speed when I hit my turnaround point at mile 6 after battling a 20 mph headwind. “I am not writing down an 18.3,” I decided. 7½ miles later, as I pulled the brakes and stopped in front of my house, that average speed was 19.9 mph. Zoom!

13 Feb:  13.53 mi;  0:40:28 (20.1 mph avg; 30.5 mph max)
14 Feb:  13.53 mi;  0:36:39 (19.9 mph avg; 32.0 mph max)
Total :  27.06 mi;  1:21:21 (20.0 mph avg; 32.0 mph max)

Month so far:  160.16 mi. 2006 so far :  253.73 mi (4.23% of goal).
2006 goal   : 6000.00 mi.
Remaining   : 5746.27 mi (127.69 mi / wk avg)

Nokia 6101

A couple of months ago, T-Mobile, my cell provider, sent me a special offer for a nifty new cell phone, the Nokia 6101. This particular phone has a camera in it, a bunch of extra features, and the offer comes with an extra hundred minutes a month. Well, eventually, I decided to extend my contract with them and accept the new phone.

On Wednesday, I called the guy at the 800 number on the flier and we walked through the whole process. I expected to receive the phone at the end of next week. I guess they’re a little faster than they think.

It took less than 48 hours to get the phone to me. After charging it up, I realized that my card held my number, but it didn’t bring my saved numbers and contacts. Fortunately, I didn’t mind entering them by hand. The phone is handsome, it flips open, and it has a mind-blowingly weird hands-free/headphone unit. So, the 3595 I carried for 2½ years is officially retired. Despite having fallen on the roadway and separating into 20 parts on several occasions (and snapping right back together again), the old phone worked just fine that entire time until I turned it off a couple of hours ago. What a bad ass phone.

This one only has one video game and one demo (four moves and then a “buy the full version for $4.99” nag), which is quite ridiculous. But, I carry a Palm with 10 games on it, plus 7 eBooks (I should consider making some more). So, I guess I can live without that bowling game.

New phone’s shiny. I guess I’ll try to see how long I can avoid messing it all up.

ReCycle 2.1

It was extra cold this afternoon, so I decided not to ride my bike and, instead, head over to Guitar Center and pick up a new weapon in my arsenal to wrangle house beats (or, at least, get closer to finishing something releasable). This particular piece of software is another Propellerhead product, called ReCycle 2.1. ReCycle is a tool that enables you to put slices into an audio sample so it can be manipulated in a sampler or a REX Player (Reason). Such a chunk can be slowed down or sped up without affecting the pitch, or the slices can be played out of order.

When I got home, I started playing around with an old audio file from Monty Python—“Oh, Lord, bless this thy holy hand grenade, that thou mayest blow thy enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.” I added chop slices into it, exported the REX, imported it into Reason, and manipulated it with my Oxygen 8. It’s pretty nifty. With AudioHijack and a whole crapload of DVDs, I’m going to really have to be extra vigilant not to spend all my time yoinking various samples, obscure and not, from movies I love.

I guess once I learn ReCycle a little better, I can use it to borrow hits, percussion lines, horn riffs, and other things. Next, I’m gonna have to upgrade Live. Then, you’ll all worship me.

Or something.

Week 6

I just finished my third week back. Wow, is the third time a charm or what? Somehow, I was extra inspired on Monday and stomped out a rambunctious 19.9 mph average on a longer route (my weekdays were 12.1 miles this week). I changed my route somewhat to include about five miles a day on Foothill Expressway. I had really forgotten how fast that road is for cyclists. The new route headed from my house to Fremont Avenue, past Outfitter, and onto the expressway for 2.5 miles each way. After a short climb, the turn around spot is at Edith Avenue, just past downtown Los Altos, for a fun pseudo-descent and a slightly downhill route home.

After Monday, I decided to see if I could get a 20 mph average on Tuesday. I missed my previous day’s time by only two seconds. The third time was the charm, although I ended up three miles longer. It was a beautiful day for a ride and I simply spaced out. I had passed my turn around before I realized it and tacked an extra couple of miles. By the time I got home, I had averaged 20.1.

A little more wind on Thursday had me slightly more sluggish than any of the other days this week (although as fast as any ride in 2006 before this week). Friday was the magic day with an absolutely explosive rampage up and down the smooth, wide Expressway that had me hurtling toward an average speed record. Unfortunately, I missed it by just a smudge, but still wrote 20.2 in my log book.

The weather was so beautiful this week, giving me five riding days in a row with temperatures over 70°F (21°C). Perhaps that helped me throw the gauntlet down and finish my fastest week ever.

06 Feb:  12.15 mi;  0:36:37 (19.9 mph avg; 32.0 mph max)
07 Feb:  12.15 mi;  0:36:39 (19.9 mph avg; 32.5 mph max)
08 Feb:  14.96 mi;  0:44:34 (20.1 mph avg; 33.5 mph max) *
09 Feb:  12.15 mi;  0:37:15 (19.6 mph avg; 30.0 mph max)
10 Feb:  12.15 mi;  0:36:08 (20.2 mph avg; 35.5 mph max) *
11 Feb:  20.56 mi;  1:21:42 (19.6 mph avg; 32.0 mph max)
Total :  84.12 mi;  4:14:09 (19.9 mph avg; 35.5 mph max)

Month so far:  133.10 mi. 2006 so far :  226.67 mi (3.78% of goal).
2006 goal   : 6000.00 mi.
Remaining   : 5773.33 mi (125.50 mi / wk avg)

Week 5

I got rained out twice this week, but I was not going to miss my mileage goal on my second week back on my bike. On Monday, I sat out because of a rain storm. I redeemed myself somewhat on Tuesday, with a longer-than-scheduled ride to celebrate my 35th birthday. I was rained out again on Wednesday, but adding extra miles to my ride on Saturday redeemed the week.

31 Jan:  24.43 mi;  1:17:29 (18.9 mph avg; 32.5 mph max)
02 Feb:  11.88 mi;  0:36:24 (19.6 mph avg; 25.0 mph max)
03 Feb:  11.17 mi;  0:34:46 (19.3 mph avg; 26.5 mph max)
04 Feb:  25.93 mi;  1:21:42 (19.0 mph avg; 34.0 mph max)
Total :  73.14 mi;  3:50:21 (18.8 mph avg; 34.0 mph max)

Month so far:   48.98 mi. 2006 so far :  142.55 mi (2.38% of goal).
2006 goal   : 6000.00 mi.
Remaining   : 5857.45 mi (124.63 mi / wk avg)

Ten Years of Om

In celebration of my birthday on Tuesday, I decided to go out to Ten Year of Om party at Mezzanine in San Francisco. I was really excited for this party because—well, click the link and look at that lineup!

I arrived at the party just after 11, waited in line for a fairly short time, paid my $25, and went inside. The crowd was fairly thin in the main room at J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science finished up and passed microphones over to the jazz-influenced hip-hop of Colossus. After a few songs, I decided to go upstairs and see what was going on there. Unfortunately, I missed Afro-Mystik, who I was looking forward to the most.

Chuck Love and Four Feet were playing to a packed upstairs room. Chuck spun CDs and soloed over the top with a dizzying array of instruments. First, he was on a funky nylon-stringed electric guitar. Then, he pulled out a pocket trumpet, blew a couple of solos on a flute, whipped out a melodica, and played some solos on a normal electric guitar. The crowd was pumped the entire time and it was a hell of a show.

Rithma was next, singing along with his records as best he could (his mic level was low). The crowd thinned out a little bit, which gave me a little more room to dance without killing anybody. His track selection was perfect and the atmosphere was charged. Rithma really wrecked it with an amazing set.

I headed downstairs for a few minutes to get a drink and check out Mark Farina. He was ripping it up with a style that leaves little room to guess why he’s the label’s marquee DJ. The dancefloor downstairs was absurdly packed and moving around nearly impossible. After a bit, I thought I’d be better off back upstairs.

Andy Caldwell was on it upstairs, playing a set of acid jazz complete with 303-inspired basslines. Then, we wander into the funky house territory. Andy was in prime form tonight to the great appreciation of the crowd. John Howard took over after him and continued the techno and house tracks.

At the end of the night, I wandered downstairs to catch Johnny Fiasco wailing on those turntables. He unleashed a non-stop barrage of deep house classics, including his own remix of Only U by my friends, UNEAQ, which has only just been finished.

This was a magnificent party full of familiar faces, good friends, a fun atmosphere, and a stellar line-up of the best house DJs in the world. Happy 10 years, Om! Keep on doing it.

Birthday Ride

After work today, I came home, got all kitted up, jumped into my SPDs, and went for my birthday ride. Last year, I rode a mile for every year I’ve lived, but that wasn’t during the first couple of weeks after almost three months off the road. Today, I opted for 24 miles—enough to make up for the rain day yesterday, today’s 11 miles, and a little extra for the birthday boy’s log book. It is, in fact, my 35th birthday today.

It was quite cold and fairly windy. Despite reaching inside for as much extra as I could for what amounts to my longest ride of 2006 so far (of seven official riding days), I still missed my 19 mile per hour average speed. The combination of the winds and the chilly 52°F temperatures kept me a little slower than I wanted.

I’m just really damn grateful I made it this far.

This ride: 24.43 mi in 1:17:29 (18.9 mph avg; 32.5 mph max).