Upgrading My Music Software and My Brain (and Other News)

Greetings!

In approximately another month, Reason 5 and Record 1.5 upgrades will be released!  I’m looking forward to this upgrade, especially Neptune, Record’s pitch correction tool.  I will FINALLY be able to sing to my own tracks for a change…  In correct pitch, no less!

Also, if the financial aid grants come through, I should be starting Full Sail University this autumn.  I will work towards a BS degree in Music Production.  The coursework is a dream-come-true for me.  Needless to say (but I will say it anyway) I will be VERY occupied with my college work, along with my music productions, but hopefully this will be a step in the right direction for me.  While I would LOVE to have the degree, it’s the education that I’m striving for, the knowledge to be a better music producer.  But it all rests on whether or not the grant money comes my way – It would be impossible to pay my way through this program out-of-pocket.

Finally, the future of this blog is in doubt.  Because I’ve been so busy with music, and especially if I enroll at Full Sail University, I will have little time to update this site…  But it’s not like I update it that often anyway, and most of the hits I get are my posts regarding Xanax – I think I feel the pulse of the nation by the hit stats I receive.  In the future, this URL might be the home of my business site, after I graduate and am prepared to get back into the workforce.  I hope to provide services such as music for television, film, and other media.

I will update again soon, once I have more information about my education plans and have the new upgrades for my music software.

Oh, and Paul Todaro, if you are reading this, leave a comment.  It’s creepy that you lurk around here and not leave a calling card.  😉

Best wishes to all!
Shannon

Technical Difficulties

WordPress had some “issues” this morning.  If my blog looks messed up again, please know that it is system-wide, not just my page.

Hopefully things will stay stable from here on out.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Best wishes!
Shannon

Meebo Added

Greetings!

I added a chat application called Meebo to my page today.  Please feel free to leave me a message or chat with me if you see me online.

Best wishes!
Shannon

Have You “Plurked” Today?

Twitter has grown drastically in just the past year.  It even helped bring information out of Iran during the crackdown of the last Presidential election.

But are you familiar with Plurk?  It’s another micro-blogging network, not as robust as Twitter, but still very enjoyable to use and to make new friends.

If you are looking for another micro-blogging system, I highly recommend checking it out.

My username at Plurk is: shanm1971

Feel free to add me as a friend or a fan.

Best wishes,
Shannon

Brian Lephew: Death of a Former Co-Worker (Updated Post)

Lawrence Brian Lephew

I have sad news to report this morning.  Brian Lephew, a former co-worker of mine and a great guitarist, died of an apparent heart attack while he slept.

He was a quiet man, quite young (not sure about his age), and a friendly sort of person.

He was considered a possible candidate for my band, Gunslinger Saints, since he was very talented on the electric guitar and close friends with Tony Smith, the bass player.

I will update this post when more information is available.

For now, I send a silent prayer for him that he should rest in peace, for he was a tormented soul in life.

Due to respect for the dead, I will not blog about his personal issues.  I will let him take them with him to the grave.

Sincerely,
Shannon

UPDATE: Obituary from Morristown’s Citizen Tribune  

 

LAWRENCE BRIAN LEPHEW

 

Lawrence Brian Lephew, age 34, of Morristown, passed away Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009 at his residence.

He attended White Oak Grove Baptist Church.

He is survived by his parents, Lawrence and Jessie Lephew; daughter, Kattie Grace Lephew; sister, Sandy (Phil) Taylor; special niece, Christy Taylor; aunt, Hazel Winstead; uncle, Leroy (Becky) Evans; and several cousins.

Funeral services will be at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 at Westside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Jeff Holt officiating. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at St. Paul Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6–8 p.m. Saturday, prior to the service at the funeral home. Arrangements by Westside Chapel Funeral Home in Morristown.

The Number One Search Word for My Blog

Here is an interesting statistic:  The articles most searched for and read on my blog are those concerning Xanax.

I suppose there is a lot of anxiety these days.

Just be aware of the dangers of addiction when taking Xanax.  Luckily, I’m free from that drug.

To read my account of Xanax Addiction, you may want to see my series starting at Little Blue Footballs: Xanax Addiction (Part 1).

Best wishes!
Shannon

Blog Traffic (Or Stating the Obvious)

Greetings!

Here is a helpful tip to keep traffic coming to your blog: Do NOT under any circumstances let your hostname expire!

Sounds simple enough.

However, due to neglect on my part, I forgot to pay the web host’s bill and my URL expired for a period of time.  My blog traffic?  It sunk faster than the Lusitania.

True, I took time off from blogging for quite a while due to illness, but I’m back in the saddle again, hopefully for good.

But in the meantime, I only have a trickle of readers viewing my blog now.  Fortunately, I’m not relying on advertisements for my income; I don’t have any advertisement on my blog, and I like it that way.

Still, I will continue to do regular updates and hope the readers will return in time.

Please feel free to comment or send me an e-mail if there is a topic (within reason) you would like to see on my blog, and I will do my best to accomodate.

Best wishes!
Shannon

Back in Action

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to dust off the cobwebs here and begin posting again on a regular basis.

I FINALLY was able to update my complete home music studio and PC.   I’m looking forward to composing new material to be released here on my blog.  I’m also in the beginning stages of composing a New Age CD for distribution later in the year.

As far as my atypical bipolar disorder, I have found some relief with Effexor XR and Abilify.  I still have some very bad days, but they aren’t as severe or as often as they once were.  I feel that it’s a new start though, and I’m beginning to look towards the future once again.

Will post more very soon and respond to the comments that have piled up since I’ve been away.  😉

Best wishes to all,
Shannon

If Content Is King, My Blog Must Be the Queen

I love to write. It’s become a passion of mine. I don’t know how well I write: some say I’m doing fine, others seem confused by it. But I hope to continue writing and to improve with time.

But the hardest part I find is knowing what to write. I have a list of topics I want to share, but they need research before I present them to the public. While I would like to be entertaining, I do want to present the facts as best as I can.

Some things I think about are just too boring. Who wants to read about a cat… even a sweet, lovable one like I have?

Other topics I think of are just too silly, such as “Would You Prefer a Zombie Attack or a Robot Apocalypse?”

And other topics are a little too embarrassing, such as the time I went to South Carolina to see a woman I met over the Internet. (I have a sneaky suspicion that many would love to read about THAT post.)

One thing I don’t want to have is a blog listing all the problems and personal hells I’m going through. There seems to be a surplus of those around the net.

So I sit and ponder what subject I will present next. I’ve already told you my personal life in the “Surviving Mental Illness” series. And my Xanax-related series still seems to be a popular read.

Or I could just write about writing… like I just did with this post. There. I did my blog entry for today.

Maybe tomorrow I will actually write something with actual content. Today, consider this post as filler.

And if you are still reading to this point, I send you well wishes and will hope to have you visit my blog again soon.

How Can I Improve This Blog?

Looking for suggestions, opinions, and constructive criticism on how I can improve this blog site. Please feel free to leave comments below with your ideas. (Only realistic suggestions will be considered.) 😉

Thank you,
Shannon

Update:

Since I haven’t received any feedback, I assume I’m doing well as is. 😉 That said, I will probably break down my longer entries and post them into setions for easier viewing.  Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions at anytime.