once a year

The Starbucks Red Cup. It's a thing! Once a year, Starbucks gives out a free red cup with the purchase of a holiday drink. I don't actually use them but my husband likes that they keep his drink warm so he does. I love that it gives me an excuse to get it :) I was determined to get mine this year because last year, I ordered my drink on the app and when I got there, the store was swamped with orders and after waiting around 15 minutes, I decided that I needed to leave because I would be late for work. I knew it wasn't a big deal to them, and I already texted the attendance clerk where I was and that I might be held up for a few minutes, but it didn't feel good to arrive late. In radio, there's no excuse for it. The show doesn't start late because the announcer wasn't in. The schedule stays as it is and you just look bad because you're late. So I went up to someone, asked for a refund and arrived at work just in time. I was kind of mad the whole day though.

This year, I was on it! Plus it helps that I didn't have anywhere I needed to be. It's nice to get back to my laid back schedule: school drop off, get some coffee... breakfast, get some writing in, watch the Today show. I even managed to pop in some laundry, some bags that needed washing, and when the noise is all done (dishwasher is done!), I could settle down to record. 

I am happy to get some things figured out all on my own after some recording time yesterday. First, the metronome. Apparently, there was nothing wrong with it. I could change the sound and there are four different selections or combinations and they just all sound bad, like a little distorted. I could pop some .wav files in there and change it to something I like or I might just go with the one called Square. I also realized that there was a real reason one needed to keep in time with it because when I totally ignored it, I couldn't line up the 3 recorded tracks properly. It was big.... aaaaahhhhh moment. But the good news is, plugging in the instrument does allow me to not have to deal with noise as long as my cables are good and I am able to concentrate on the playing. It does reveal very clearly when the playing is not up to snuff but improving my game is a necessary effort. Once I've got all this down, it's off to the closet to record vocals in there to see if that will take care of the background disturbances. 

Alright, we've got a plan and I should get started. Let me hang up the freshly-washed bags and get to work!

Playlist Recommendation: Sucker, Jonas Brothers