Plundering the Web

Muahahaha!

:sets down bag of cyberplunder:

Every once in a while, I skim various audio software websites looking for "plunder" - free stuff that I can use in my projects. Today I picked up some more goodies, including a few reverbs, a tuner, a synthesizer, and some amp simulators. I also downloaded a video editor which I'm going to have to try out sometime in here.

Many thanks to all the people out there who take the time to create free software for all of us on shoestring budgets! :-)

Being Still

'tis the season for . . . HUNTING!

Yes, I enjoy it. And not just because you get to use guns :-) I have actually had some of my best private prayer and worship times sitting in the woods, watching the sun rise, and listening to everything come to life. It really puts me in a worshipful mood. I can just be still and commune with God. I took a couple of pictures with my cell phone but they didn't turn out very well:

I hope they give a glimpse of how beautiful that morning was!

~Mac

Fashion Plate

That's what Mom is calling me now - her "fashion plate son." Hmmm . . .

Anyway, here are some pictures of my new threads. I epically fail at fashion photography, but this is the best that I could do.

The jeans shrunk just a bit after I washed them the first time but they still fit pretty well, I think! :-)

~Mac

DIY eDrum Build: In Action!

Well here it is folks . . . a VIDEO of my eDrum Kit in action! :-)

I'm using the MIDI output on my drum module to trigger DrumCore 3 FREE drum software on my computer. I'm not much of a drummer :-P, but you can see how well it turned out! :-)

~Mac

I Repent!

It may surprise some of you to know that for many years I have avoided jeans like the plague.

Freud would probably say that the fact that I was suppressed as a child caused this phobia, and to some extent that would be true. The jeans I wore when I was younger were made of thick, stiff fabric, were too tight, had waists that were too high, and usually legs that were too short. I did not like them at all! So for about 10 years I have never worn a pair of jeans.

However, after some recent reflections and reading this:

http://www.empoweredtraditionalist.com/2010/09/22/homeschool-fashion-faux-pas-for-the-guys/ ;-)

I thought I would give them another try. After all, the design must have changed after so many years, right?

Fortunately I was correct. I purchased two pairs of Wrangler Men's Relaxed Bootcut jeans and am quite pleased with them. They improve everything that was bad about the old jeans! :-) Now I have something else to wear to nicer events besides cargo pants and slacks.

~Mac

DIY eDrum Build: Part 5 - FINISHED!

Well, it's done . . . I'm FINISHED! :-)

It was a blast to make (the only casualty - I sliced my left index finger open with a utility knife), and even more fun to play - nice and responsive yet it seems durable. Hopefully it will give me years of use :-)

Special thanks to my brother who helped me out with the construction, and lent his construction and power tool expertise to the project, as well as his tools and some hardware :-)

~Mac

My Busy Life . . .

I almost feel like a "normal" person, hurrying from one activity to another (lol). These last few days have been quite busy!

Thursday night, we attended a surprise party for a friend. He was surprised to say the least!

Friday night, my brother and I went to a Halloween party for our church's community groups. It was a costume party, so my brother and I went as the Blues Brothers :-) We had a great time - there was good food and a sweet dance floor with disco balls and a sweet sound system (that I helped install!)

Saturday I went to a local CollegePlus! gathering. We had lunch, hung out, and shopped for and filled our boxes for Operation Christmas Child! :-)

Sunday our family helped with our church's first Reformation Celebration. We had a skit, games, activities, candy, and dinner. It went very well, and several people said that they had a great time!

Today was of course voting day! So I went to the polls this morning. Now I have to study because I have a test coming up tomorrow morning, followed by a coaching call and choir practice.

And of course, through it all, I've been doing chores, working on my eDrum build, and studying for other classes and tests.

It's been one of those weeks . . .

~Mac

The Seder

Earlier this month, our family had the privilege of celebrating a Messianic Seder (passover).

^ The Seder plate contains much of the symbolism of the Seder.

It was a great blessing to follow the order of the Seder and see the symbols as pointing forward to what for the Jews was an unknown Messiah, but for us is our Savior Jesus Christ! The parallels between the history of the Jewish nation and our lives of sanctification as believers were also quite striking.