My other hobbies and addictions (Part Deux)

This will probably more likely run over into a few blogs, but technically, it is a continuation of my previous blog...

Another hobby that I enjoy and one that can make me absent from gaming is auto detailing. So let me just humbly say this:

PLEASE, WASH YOUR CARS!!!!!

Now, I was never obsessed with my cars being clean. Like most people, I only saw a car as a way to get to point A to point B (and on weekends point C) and figured if it rained...hey, mother nature wants to wash my car for free. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that.

I got into detailing after looking online for help for an issue I was having with my Ford. And yes, I know all the acronyms for FORD so you can save your fingers the extra keystrokes! This'll be my last Ford anyhow. Ha!

Anyway, I found a site that solved my problem (bad cam sync) and saw that there was a section on cleaning/detailing and I happened to poke my head in. After that, I was drawn into the world of detailing and like most hobbies I've ever had, I was going to find out that it isn't a cheap hobby to pursue. But I find it to be a nice way to relax, while at the same time get a bit of a workout!

Let me just say, I'm not one of those people who puts their car over everything else. Heck, I have a 97 Taurus. If anything happens to it, there's thousands of others that can take it's place. Just look around at the next stop light...you're bound to see one! But I've seen new model BMW's, Audi's, etc, that look like crap against my over the hill, 100k+ Taurus. Seems like the more expensive the car, the less the owners take care of it.

For some people, a car will be the most expensive property they'll ever own. Up until my wife and I bought a house, that was the case for me as well. So, it makes sense that you'd want to keep that expensive piece of metal and plastic not only running its best, but looking its best also.

Some assume that the most expensive part of a car, is it's engine. It's actually the paint. If you get into a fender bender, most of the cost for repair will most likely come from the repaint. Not taking care of it can lead to paint oxidation, clearcoat failure and the cancer of metal...rust. When it reaches to that point...oh well.

The panel of most cars consists of a two stage paint system:

• The metal (of course)
• Primer
• Base coat - actual paint color
  
• Clear coat - clear paint
  

Older cars (I think those before 1975 - not sure) had single stage paint, where the paint color and clear coat are mixed in. I believe, some companies like Toyota still use SS paint for their white and black colored vehicles. When polishing a car, you can tell if it's SS paint if you see the paint color come off on your polishing pad. But I'll get into that later.

Here's something you can do to tell if your car can benefit from a detail. The next time you're parked in the sun (any light will do, but the sun is the best, followed by halogen lamps) look at the surface of the car. Do you see what looks little silvery strands gleaming in the sun? Those aren't supposed to be there. Those are actually scratches in your paint's clearcoat! Some call them spiderwebs. Hardcore detailers call them a few choice other names as well. They look worse on a black car; especially one that has SS paint. Basically, the darker the color, the more noticeable they become. A white or silver car are the best at hiding them. All the reflecting light robs the car of it's true color and just gives an uneven look to the entire car.

You can get these scratches a number of ways. Just regular driving can cause them. There's plenty of things floating around in the air or getting kicked up by other cars (trucks without mudflaps especially) to scratch up your paint. But most likely, you get them from not washing and/or not washing correctly. Depending on how deep the scratch is, you might be able to remove them by polishing them out. If you can "catch" the scratch with your fingernail, that is, if when you gently run your finger over the scratch and your nail can drop into the groove...then polishing won't work; you'd have to do the more dangerous procedure called wet sanding, where you use sandpaper and water and hope you have enough paint to play with to safely remove the scratch and not reach the primer . I can benefit from it myself, but it's something I haven't even attempted to tackle yet.

I should probably talk about what polishing and waxing are, because sometimes people use the two terms interchangeably, and that's not the case.

• Polish - the true workhorse when it comes to getting a flawless (or close to it) paint finish. Think of it as exfoliation for your car's "skin". You actually remove the paint around the scratch to bring it level to the lowest point of the scratch. By doing this, light won't reflect and cause that spider webbing effect. It'll also add moisture and revitalize the paint.

• Waxing - the true purpose of wax is to protect the paint. It does help on some level in producing a shine, but you won't nearly get as good a look as you would if you polish first.

There's many polishes and waxes on the market and with many things in detailing, it's a matter of personal preference. There are also cleaner waxes available. They are usually used for paint that doesn't need any heavy correction or if you simply don't have the time for a full paint correction session.

Then there's automotive clay, paint cleaners, compounds...so many chemicals, so little time.

I'll go over proper washing/drying techniques next blog and why you shouldn't use dishwashing soap to wash your car and dry with that old T-shirt and to avoid those touchless car washes. Or at least save them for when you absolutely have no other choice.




Posted by NutmegeR @ 11:08 am EDT | Permalink | 0 Comments

My other hobbies and addictions (Part I)

So, besides playing games, I've been composing original music since I was...maybe 15 or so.

I think musically, I couldn't have grown up in a better time. I was able to catch the tail end of the 70's, got through the 80's and experienced the 90's. After that, I dunno...something happened to music where it's become the stale, cookie-cutter, stuff I seem to hear more of nowadays.

Of course, this is all my opinion. You might like and be satisfied with what you hear on the radio. If so, that's fine. Every generation has got their soundtrack...

Anyway, I was inspired to get into music after listening to "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones. After that, I decided to take drumming lessons. Much to my Mother's dismay, and my neighbors (imagine playing the drums in a NYC apartment!) Although, with all the noise from people's stereos blasting out the windows...you'd think me banging the drums would fit right in. Pffft...

After a while, I switched to bass guitar. By then, Heavy Metal was on the rise and I got swept up in it. After listening to Iron Maiden's Steve Harris (Up the Irons!) I had to try the bass, which was my main instrument for most of that period. I also dabbled with guitar off and on during this time. I used to compose on the guitar, but still play bass mainly.

Then came Grunge. By then, I wasn't into writing music much since I had other things taking my time away from it. But I was still listening to Grunge and started to get back into writing.

Then after Kurt Cobain killed himself (and I think Grunge along with him) I was kind of left in the cold. With Grunge slowly dying and "Alternative" becoming more mainstream, From a songwriters perspective, personally, I was kind of stumped. I had nothing to bitch or moan about, really. At the time, my life wasn't so bad and I didn't have the gloomy outlook that pretty much accompanied those genres.

That was when I heard "Satellite" by the Dave Matthews Band. It was different, it was fresh, it wasn't so gloomy. He came out at the right time, when music needed something else. I picked up the album on a whim, and it pretty much re-energized my love for writing music.

After maybe a good 5 years more or less I got into classical and film score. That is what I compose pretty much exclusively now. It's a lot less of a hassle (and cheaper) for me to sit in my basement with my Mac and compose, than it is to book studio time, deal with other people who might not share the same vision as you, drunks, potheads, etc...

The only thing, nowadays, you have to be a jack of all trades. Not only do you have to compose interesting material, but you have to be the producer, mixing engineer, and mastering house. Wearing all those hats isn't easy, and mastering is an art form all on its own. That's where most of my pieces suffer the most.

So, if you care to hear what sometimes keeps me away from gaming, here's a few selections you can listen to:

• Me - A mixture of different genres. Mostly a rocking tune. When I wrote it, I had an idea for a melody line for lyrics, which is what you hear during the first two "verses". After the breakdown part, the rest is supposed to be just music. I can't solo, otherwise, I'd like to have some solo work over the rocking part after the breakdown. I've always enjoyed and was content with playing rhythm guitar.
  

• Here and Now - An example of what I'm composing mostly now. After hearing the great Carmina Burana (O Fortuna being the most popular and familiar movement) I wanted to compose something where the chorus had as much a part as the orchestra. I still want to do more with this one, but it isn't easy getting a synthesized chorus to do what you want either!

• From My Eyes - I was feeling moody when I was writing this. I was thinking about that piece called "Lux Aeterna" later redone for a trailer for Lord of the Rings, called "Requiem for a Tower". Personally, I seem to have a knack for writing moody, to downright depressing pieces. Not sure what that says about me, but I'll take talent where I can get it!

Anyway, those are a sample of some of my work. So if I appear to have fallen off the face of XBOX Live, I could be composing my next opus...lol!

Posted by NutmegeR @ 4:46 pm EDT | Permalink | 2 Comments

Allow myself to introduce...myself

I figured my first blog would be an expansion of my post in the "New In Town" section. Kind of a more formal way to say hello and to paint a better picture of who you'll be playing with...and to answer any questions you might be asking yourself after playing with me.

37 years old...not sure when that happened. I still feel like I'm twenty something on the inside! Although, one morning I thew out my back...and all I did was get out of bed! Ugh, I think that was the one moment I thought: man, I'm getting old...

Either that, or it's time to get a new mattress. I'll opt for the latter, yeah...that's it.

So, why do I feel like you might be wondering about a few things about me during/after a multiplayer match with me?

*cue People are Strange by The Doors*

Well, I'm pretty much an introvert; INFJ, or, Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging to be exact. In laymen terms, I more comfortable being alone, with the exception of my wife and the very select few I let into my inner circle. So outside of the internet, I'm pretty much socially awkward, and rather stick to the wall if I happen to be in a social gathering, yet, I'm still friendly and willing to help anyone if they need it and it's within my means.

Also, having a slight speech impediment doesn't help either. It's not heavy, but there are times when I might stammer a touch. Usually when I have to explain something about myself, because I'm not all that comfortable talking about myself.


Ok, enough of that bullshtine. (any Johnny Dangerously fans out there?)

So, as I said in my intro thread, I'm a stay at home husband. I used to be a cook, until I finally realized it wasn't for me. In 2001, I was part of a culinary program that would take me to northern Italy for 6 months to learn everything about Italian cooking (I love Italian cooking and their whole approach to life) Anyway, my flight was to leave JFK,  and on towards Germany where I'd make my connection to Italy.

Thing is, my flight was scheduled to depart Sept. 11th...and I was at 4 WTC the night before having dinner at an Italian restaurant with my travel group.

My wife and I lived in NYC for almost 30 years before moving to New England; her grandmother who lives on Long Island (Lon Giland for you locals) was away, so we stayed there to be closer to the airport. My wife got up early to go get some breakfast. When I woke up I turned on the news, and saw one of the towers smoking. Like everyone else at the time, thought it was a fire. That's when I saw, live on TV, the second plane crashing into the tower.

Fast forward a few hours, days, weeks...I had thoughts that I think most people did: being reminded how precious life is, and am I doing what I really want to do with it? So I hung up my chef's jacket and tried a few other things. Recently, it's been auto detailing. But, for much longer, it's been music. I've been playing instruments and composing original compositions and songs since I was maybe 15 years old.

Right now, I mostly compose film score type orchestral pieces. I'm not thinking rockstar like I was when I was starting out. Not that I really wanted to be one...I just wanted to do what I enjoyed doing and get paid for it. (don't we all) Even then, I wasn't looking to make a mark on the musical world. (I wonder if I would've end up being one of those famous artists who hated being famous–lol!) I'll post some of my pieces some other time.

Of course, the music industry is a "it's who you know" business, and I don't know anyone. lol! There's organizations that act as a middle man for you (Taxi being the most popular one) but it's really expensive and there is still no guarantee that any of your music will be heard by people who can actually sign you up. So, I'd have to build my library of songs just to have enough to make it worth it to join up and send out material.

Okay, I feel like I should wrap this up now...as it's way past my bedtime *yawn*

But, that's me in a NUTshell. There's darker things, but why bum people out when I don't have to. Ha!


So if you happen to be matched up with me, and it seems like I'm not interested in what's being said or seem distant, or anything along those lines, it's not you (or is it?  ) and I'm not being a jerk...it's just me learning how to interact with all you weirdos again. lol!














Posted by NutmegeR @ 11:49 pm EDT | Permalink | 4 Comments