Being...

Being...

the adventures of a youngish man whose principal interests are knowledge, beauty, and music
© 2006 by Andersen Silva (1-1-06)

Last updated 6-28-2022  


Hang on to your hopes, my friend;
  That's an easy thing to say, but if your hopes should pass away,
Simply pretend
  That you can build them again...

I was home alone for New Year's Eve. Not that I didn't have options, I just really didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything. Watching "Evil Dead 2" 'til about 11:45 PM was fun enough, and I think having a cup of cocoa at midnight instead of several glasses of champagne ensured that my head was feeling better than most this morning. I also did a lot of work on a new song, "Souls Broken," which I hope to finish up tomorrow, perhaps along with the "Hate Theme from 'Waiting for X.'"

My last recording, "Christmas Lonely," has generated a little bit of buzz, and I'm pleased to see it; I happen to really like the song myself. Michael Lamendola of the South Bergenite interviewed me in the apartment and wrote an article on my music and my life after I sent a CD copy of the track to the newspaper care of Kelly Nicholaides, who wrote the original article last year after Joy in the New was released. Michael's reference to my "lanky, pale skinny body" aside, the piece was very cool. Heh-heh. One of our neighbors at work even asked for my autograph... so I gave it to her.

With all the music I've made available on my Web site, though, it's still my 'hongry' remix of Nine Inch Nails' "The Hand That Feeds" that gets the most downloads! Of my original music, "Extreme Close-Up, then Fade to Black" seems to be the most popular. "Christmas Lonely" did get heard a lot, but of course the season's over now.

Speaking of the season, I got a 'video' iPod from Microwize, a verrry cool gift indeed. I've already ripped the three "Matrix" movies and loaded them up; maybe I'll put the "Animatrix" stuff on there tomorrow. Still plenty of room left over, too... I got "Evil Dead" and "Evil Dead 2" from my parents for Christmas, but I don't know that those are going to occupy the iPod as well. As many times as I've seen "Army of Darkness," I'd never gotten a chance to see the two original movies until I got them; I liked them both, though I preferred #2. I especially liked the panoramic shots in each movie, starting and ending with Ash's face. Groovy.

It occurred to me as I was listening to a female busker (a buskerette?) in the 14th Street PATH station on my way back from some rapid-fire Christmas shopping that I'm currently more alone than I have been in a very long time. Not only do I have no girlfriend, I have no roommate and no cat, either. The last time I lived without any of the three was for a few brief weeks in early 1999; Ozzy waited for me at Barbara's house while I stayed alone in the apartment Karen and I had shared, waiting for someone to rent it. Five years or so before that, I'd lived on my own in Garfield, catless.

There are good and bad points to living by oneself, as there are to most things in life. It's mildly amusing that Jon and Karin are now striving to get all their belongings into a one-bedroom apartment while I'm trying to figure out what else to buy to fill up the three-bedroom that's suddenly all mine. It's nice that I don't have to keep a lot of things crammed into my bedroom anymore; the studio can easily accommodate all my computer and musical equipment, and the third bedroom makes a good storage room. I've got less and less reason not to work on music now, too. I'm planning on recording a sophomore CD, tentatively titled Tougher Than Flannel, this year. God knows I've got enough sadness inside to write enough material (grief, as is well known, is great for creativity)... but relax. Not everything I write and record is going to be about the one that ran away.

As for tonight, I'm considering watching a few episodes of "The Muppet Show." Whaddaya think?
  - A (webmaster@andersensilva.com)


June 2006 - "Desperation," concerts, where's my music been?
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May 2006 - Nothing too exciting for Cinco de Mayo, fresh blood at Microwize, Apple v. Apple
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April 2006 - Late night at the office, a trip to DC
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March 2006 - Aimee Mann, fillin' up the iPod, science fiction, a trigger-happy veep?
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February 2006 - One seat per customer, Amigas, MySpace
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December 2005 - Where is everybody?!? "Christmas Lonely"
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November 2005 - Arizona, the Palisades Center, alone again... naturally
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October 2005 - 35 and still alive, an Ovation and not a Tanglewood, anyone for tennis?
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September 2005 - The city of New Orleans, Rome, CBGB, let's joust!
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August 2005 - Microsoft Winblows, no Transit Village for you!, songs 'n guitars
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July 2005 - The Fourth, the Ozonic, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"
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June 2005 - Lunch with Gina, a penguin from her penguin, hongry for Nine Inch Nails, "Episode III" and "Hitchhiker's"
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May 2005 - My new PowerBook, HHGttG, the end of the Astronomy Tip of the Day
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April 2005 - The Children's Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Dark Tower, the Dell
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March 2005 - Snow, my sushi valentine, technical difficulties (please stand by)
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February 2005 - It's BSD, it's dynamite! the Dalai Lama, Zhao Ziyang, fruit with "Raymond"
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January 2005 - A frightening New Year's, spaghetti and meatballs (and Christmas gifts!) with Gina and Hannah, Samichlaus
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December 2004 - A fun evening with Gina and Hannah, test-taking, partaking of the library
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November 2004 - A lot can change in twelve months
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October 2004 - My birthday and my honey
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September 2004 - Anniversary, spreadin' the word about the CD, dumb E-mails and the women who send them
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August 2004 - Philadelphia freedom, the album is finished, where did my parents go?
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July 2004 - Together again!; playin' guitar in the park, promoting the album
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June 2004 - Mother's Day, Gina's day, preparing the CD... don't dream it's over. Please don't
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May 2004 - Gina being so far away from me, chicken cordon bleu, Macintosh consulting, the album
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April 2004 - No more Vitriol, lovin' and cookin' for my pretty baby, upgrading to a Treo 600, working on my music
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Last updated 6-28-2022