Graphic for local youth theater

This is the vector drawing I created for the t-shirts, fliers and posters of a play that my young son is in this spring. I can't take all the credit; I used Adobe Illustrator CS3 to recreate the work of artist Joseph Gleeson,which I found in a scan of a public domain printing of the stories on Project Gutenburg.

Still, it represents about 20 hours of work. I also acquired a new Genius G-Pen and I used the hell out of it. I'm looking forward to another project. Guess I can now finish the project I've been slowly working on for my teenage son's metal band.

The most engaging Alice Cooper album of all

Alice Cooper - From the Inside

Five of five stars

Alice Cooper has been reinventing himself and his sound over and over again for decades, but 1978's From the Inside stands out as the most transparent, personal and honest effort to date. Too, the musicality is unmatched in the Cooper catalog. A deeply introspective exploration of Alice's thoughts and of the characters he claimed to have met while in a sanitarium addressing his alcoholism, this is a rock album that everyone should give a spin.

Worthy of mentioning is that Cooper's songwriting collaborator on this album was Bernie Taupin, most famous for his long-time professional association with Sir Elton John. Personally, this particular Alice Cooper album ranks as one of my top three favorites, in such diverse company as Killer and Raise Your Fist & Yell, though it's more accessible than the other two for newbies to the Alice Cooper catalog or those who like their rock a little less hard. Be warned, though - it's definitely dated and a few tracks have a distinct, funky kind of '70s vibe.

Something that really grinds my gears (tip of the hat to Family Guy)

I’m only going to say this once. “Hysterical” is an adjective that refers to a specific medical/emotional condition, not an incident. As in “marked by or related to hysteria.” The root of the word is “hyster,” meaning “of or from the womb.” The word “hysterical” was originally used to describe women suffering from a neurotic ailment thought to have been caused by some sort of uterine dysfunction. Though some dictionaries will list “very funny” as a sixth or seventh definition, no doubt due to popular usage, sixth doesn’t count in my book. Screw popular usage. So although a HILARIOUS joke might cause a HYSTERICAL person to break out in unadulterated, HYSTERICAL fits of laughter, the joke itself is not hysterical.

Crazy, lazy, trippy, unforgettable chill fest

Cranes - Wings of Joy
four of five stars

This 1991 major-label debut from the alternative band Cranes is truly something to behold. Unique and hypnotic, Wings of Joy is unlike anything else you have ever heard. Though barely a single lyric on the entire album is decipherable, the songs have such a dark, flowing, trance inducing, creepy calmness that the marble-mouthed delivery is not only forgivable, but valued as an integral piece of the album as a whole. It reminds me quite a bit of some of Angelo Badalamenti's work on the Twin Peaks soundtrack. Standouts are "Watersong," "Leaves of Summer" and "Sixth of May."

Cranes have undergone an interesting metamorphosis over the years since this disc's release, now leaning heavily toward an electronic based sound, yet over all that time and change they have maintained their one-of-a-kind "Crane-ness." Each album can stand on its own merits, but if you purchase only one, make it Wings of Joy - on vinyl if you can find it. This is one of those albums that really does have so much more character on vinyl.

Guillermo del Toro to work with THQ on Lovecraftian horror game

Okay, so I'm late to get some news. I just read about this in the latest Game Informer magazine. I can't be the last one to know, though, so I figured I'd share because this is truly exciting news.

Guillermo del Toro, whom you probably know best as director of the very original and eerily atmospheric film Pan's Labyrinth, has engaged the assistance of THQ and Volition to bring to life a video game he's been envisioning for years. The story will arc over three installments, the first of which, titled Insane, is scheduled for release in 2013.

In a Game Informer interview, del Toro confirmed that the game series, "falls squarely in the H.P. Lovecraft horror universe. We are talking about very nasty tentacle things." And it's not your typical survival horror game. Insane promises to be very immersive and strongly emotional. Think about beginning the game believing one thing and by the end, the entire game is reinterpreted in a different light. Del Toro says, "The game is called Insane for a reason. Let me put it that way. I was very attracted to the idea of insanity in-game. That's the origin."

Well, I am definitely interested. Check out this teaser trailer, first revealed during the Video Game Awards.

I can't imagine who would want to purchase this image

Hmmm . . . I've been working on a news story about a confused Alzheimer's patient swiping a huge laptop computer from the front desk at his nursing home and wandering out the door and into the corn field across the street, where he whiled away a couple of hours fondling ripe ears of corn and asking them to cough. Where on earth will I get a photo to illustrate that? Oh, here we go.

An initial impression of the new iPod Shuffle

Just got my new iPod Shuffle yesterday at Best Buy. I've been putting it off for a while, since my 30GB iPod headphone port went kaput last year. It still works fine on my dock or when connected to anything else via USB so I just muddled through until I could take it no longer.

So after one day, here are my initial impressions of the 2GB iPod Shuffle:

God, it's small! About 3 x 3 centimeters.
The comparatively large click wheel on the front of the unit is just big enough for ease of operation, but the main operation slide-button on top is a bit tiny for my fat little sausage fingers and gnawed nails.

Speaking of function, this Shuffle offers two play modes via that sliding button on top: straight play and shuffle songs. Additionally, it does support playlists via the voice-over button in the center of the top of the unit. Yeah, I said voice-over.

At any time during playback, you can press this button and hear a familiar (if you're an Apple owner) computer-generated voice telling you the song title and artist information. Hold the button down and you will hear a list of all the playlists you have stored on the iPod. Whenever you hear the one you want, simply press the play button.

As I unboxed this thing, one impression hit me immediately: it charges via USB through its 3.5mm headphone port. First time I'd seen that. No other comment on that, other than it just being a weird sight--a short little wire with USB on one end and 3.5mm headphone on the other.

The clip on the back presents a bit of a problem. It's tough to open without punching buttons accidentally. There's not enough casing on the front to attain the leverage you need to open it unless you press on the outer ring of the click wheel.

My other gripe is regarding the earbuds packaged with the unit. These earbuds are garbage. The last two iPods I got included decent buds with foam covers. This unit's included buds really needs those foam covers because there is no traction on the buds at all--they are very prone to dislodging easily. Keep 'em as a backup, but use only as a last resort; that's my advice.

All in all, this seems to be a pretty good deal for around 40 bucks. Can't get more portable than 2.5 square inches. Can't get much more lightweight. If only it stored more than 2GB.

If you're not a real audiophile and don't mind lower bit rate music, there is an option in the iPod management screen of iTunes that will automatically resample any higher bit rate music stored on the iPod to 128 kbps. That would allow for more music storage than the 200 or so songs that you can keep on it at 320 kbps. I'm not that desperate yet. Think I'll just keep a fresh rotation going constantly.

You might scoff before you hear it, but it really is very good

Darius Rucker - Learn to Live

Five of five stars

I am personally more of a fan of classic country (1960-1990) than the contemporary stuff, but I think Learn to Live is easily one of the best modern country albums out there. Darius Rucker, former singer for soulful pop band Hootie and the Blowfish, couldn’t be a better fit for the genre. In my opinion this is another one of those must-have albums for anyone who loves music. If you love country music specifically, do not hesitate to purchase this one immediately. Every song on it is a potential hit.

A very somber and beautiful album

Neil Diamond - Dreams

Four of five stars

Neil Diamond's music has always been one of my guilty pleasures. I don't own a huge catalog of his albums but prior to this release I did have two volumes of greatest hits on CD and vinyl. Neil Diamond is one of the great singer-songwriters we have left in the 21st Century, a true legend in his own time.

Dreams is a special compilation of some of the greatest songs of the rock era, hand-chosen by Neil Diamond as the music that's personally touched him, recorded in a very honest and stripped-down fashion. Dreams is a great disc, especially if you happen to be in a reflective mood. However, if you feel like tapping your toes to "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," this ain't your record.

Highlights for me are "Alone Again (Naturally)," originally recorded by Gilbert O'Sullivan, "Randy Newman's "Feels Like Home," the Everly Brothers' "Let It Be Me," and "Don't Forget Me," originally by Nilsson.

A long walk

The kids & I took Daisy for a long walk last night. After about 15 minutes the conversation with my five-year-old daughter turned philosophical: "Dad, why are there people? How'd they get here?"
 
I took a deep breath and said, "There are a lot of ideas about that, but nobody here now was around then, to know for sure. Basically there are two main ideas: either God created people in one day, or people became what they are today by very slowly changing over millions of years from apes to apelike people to caveman-type people and eventually to us."
 
My eight-year-old son interrupted: "The first one is right. God created everybody. At least all Americans, but not people from other countries." D'oh! It was then I saw this was going to be a longer conversation than I'd originally anticipated. Good thing it was a LONG walk.
 
"Okay, why would you say that? Why didn't he create people from other countries?"
 
"Because they don't believe in God."
 
"Ash, if you believe God created people, then you have to believe that he created ALL people, not just the ones who believe in him. Whether THEY believe or not is immaterial."
 
Ash says, "I guess, but some people don't believe in our God. They believe in other stuff."
 
I agreed and reminded him of the poster at school that shows at least a dozen different versions of the Golden Rule from faiths around the world.
 
Calliope, quiet most of this time, chimed back in: "Dad, how many gods ARE there?"
 
"Well, most people will tell you there is only one. The problem is agreeing on WHICH one. Lots of faiths claim to worship what they call the true God, but as it turns out, they are not all the same God and each faith denies the existence of the other 'true' gods."
 
That's when Ash steered the conversation naturally toward the Greek pantheon. That was more solid ground for me. And soon the conversation was over. Whew. I should have just answered Calliope's original question with a simple "42" and quickly changed the subject to cartoons or something.

I welcome another writing opportunity

A couple of years ago I wrote a few reviews on iTunes then promptly forgot about them. Lately, with the launch of Ping, I started thinking about those reviews again. I reread them the other day and really liked the content. That's when I decided to add another branch to my regular writing. If you're interested in what I'm listening to or what my musical opinions are, please check me out on iTunes. Just go to iTunes Ping and search people for me. More reviews to come.

Who's the new guy?

Savatage - Edge of Thorns

Two of five stars

Savatage minus the vocal style of Jon Oliva has always been a disappointment to me. Edge of Thorns begins that trend and as such it holds a special place in my own private hell. That having been said, I’ll admit the disc is not without its high points. The title track is a solid tune and Stevens does a mighty fine job fitting in with the band’s signature progressive, melodic style.

 The next two or three tracks leave a lot more to be desired. Here is where the presence of a new vocalist brings to mind the difference between Sabbath with Ozzy and Sabbath with Tony Martin. In other words, you’re listening to a decent band, but it no longer resembles the band you’ve come to love.

The instrumental tracks give a little glimpse of hope, the penultimate three tracks deliver the goods, and the final song, “Sleep,” is a very good acoustic ballad that is not at all reminiscent of Savatage. Remember those high points I mentioned? In the end I can’t help but think of how much higher those highs would be if Oliva were at the helm instead. This is not Savatage.

A defining change of direction

Savatage - Gutter Ballet
Five of five stars

This album is a conundrum for me. Being an early Savatage purist, I find Gutter Ballet is at once a complete change of direction into a decidedly more progressive (and in my opinion, overly melodramatic) sound, yet still one of my favorites in the band’s 25-year catalog.

Savatage’s first five albums, minus the more pop-driven Fight for the Rock, to me define that classic Savatage sound that the band has almost completely abandoned in the 21^st century. This album is the first stepping stone on the way down that path.

I remember purchasing Gutter Ballet on cassette in 1989, popping it into my Walkman (R.I.P.) and walking around my local shopping mall with the familiar sound of Savatage echoing in my head as the opening track, “Of Rage and War,” played. Sounded like a solid, classic Savatage tune, not too far at all removed from 1987’s Hall of the Mountain King.

It was the title track that woke me up to the fact that this band had matured immensely. So dynamic, so powerful and melodic; heavy on the piano. Too bad it would eventually morph into the melodramatic and self-important monstrosity known as Trans-Siberian Orchestra. As it stands on this album, though, the virgin outing of this new sound is incredible and highly recommended. For TSO fans and Savatage fans alike.

New banner is up!

I finally decided to throw together a header yesterday. I knocked this out after I finished another Photoshop job for a friend during the kids' gymnastics classes. Probably not done yet. I think it needs some more layering effects, but not sure what yet. Let's call it a work in progress.

New post at Examiner.com

http://www.examiner.com/family-entertainment-in-peoria/santa-claus-is-coming-to-spread-christmas-cheer-peoria-this-weekend
Okay, so I was a bit off as far as the weather prediction. I'm not a meteorologist.

More on Netflix + a film review

It's been a few weeks now since Netflix rolled out disc-free access on PS3 and I gotta say--I'm loving it. I prefer to browse now on my console rather than on the PC. Browsing for movies and managing my queue has never been easier.

I thought I was going to like it from day one, but it's way more than that. The best feature? If I had to pick a favorite it would be the new release function. I just added Disney's Alice in Wonderland to my instant queue today. The kids have been wanting to watch that one again, but I'm not going to be purchasing it because I wasn't too fond of it.

Anyway, I just had to offer a follow-up to my original post so you could see the impression I am left with a few weeks after the conversion. Still in love with Netflix. So in love that I'm adding to my queue faster than I can watch. 

Last week on instant view I checked out Call of Cthulhu, a 2006 short film (45 minutes) produced as though it were a '20s era silent film. This was easily the best Cthulhu mythos film I've ever seen. The silent film style perfectly meshed with Lovecraft's vision of creeping horror. I think the key is that the effects were not over-the-top and since there was no spoken dialogue, the mind of the viewer can fill in the gaps better than any movie could. It's the perfect synthesis of film and reading. What an original concept.

Okay, that's it for this week. Thanks for reading. If you have Netflix and are a Lovecraft fan, do yourself a favor and check out Call of Cthulhu. Catch you again soon.

Link to my Examiner.com page

As I mentioned before, I have become a writer for Examiner.com. I've totally flaked on this site because of everything else going on. I wanted to at least give out a link to my page, which will be updated weekly at least. My goal is two to three articles per week, but as it's all going to have to be on one topic, that might be a lofty number to keep up while maintaining originality.

If you're interested in checking it out, you can find my Examiner page at http://www.examiner.com/family-entertainment-in-peoria/shane-mcgraw. Wish me luck!

New online ad for my company's upcoming profitability workshop tour

Busy busy busy

New earlier work hours, application for promotion, kids, ballet, gym, dinners, pets, photography, blogging, writing for Examiner.com, Netflix, PS3 (now connected to wireless signal in the living room), full DVR, dishes, laundry, leaves to rake, spending more time with more friends . . . Holy crap! When did lazy ol' me get to be so damn busy? Somebody get me a beer! And a holiday.

I promise I'll post more soon. Oh, wait. I have one. I'll post it next.

Hooray!

Congrats to me! I just received notification that I will be joining the writing staff of Examiner.com as the local family & entertainment writer for Peoria! I'm stoked. As soon as I get my Examiner page up and running I will post more information here. Woohoo!