Pre California
The time has finally come… My last week in New York before going home to California for the holidays. It’s been a pretty eventful week.
Monday: I can’t even begin to remember what I did on Monday. Pass
Tuesday: Meet up with a friend for her last day in New York. We grab a delicious bowl of pho at 5ive Spice (a huge fan of their food but not a fan at all of the way they spell their name):
Probably my favorite bowl of pho in New York (so far). Pretty rich in fat and left me feeling very satiated
I actually get the day off for election day and make plans to hang with the girl I’d been seeing these past few weeks (henceforth known as C) to watch the election news. We grab pizza from my favorite neighborhood spot (Brooklyn Homeslice). I also take some edibles and end up zoning out for the rest of the night—not a big deal since nothing really happened that night…
Wednesday/Thursday: Cannot begin to remember what I did this day either… Probably just work and music
Friday: end up working later than expected (7pmish). Afterwards head over to LES to hang with some ex-work friends. We drink (espresso martinis and white claws) and order Lions Tigers and Squares Pizza (which I was super excited to eat before I left New York) and generally enjoy vibes on the rooftop. It saddens me a little to think of all the people I used to work with that have gone on to other companies. It feels like we’ve been robbed of our times together and our goodbyes by the rona but you gotta do what you gotta do. I’m grateful at least to still keep in touch with these particular ex-work friends.
Saturday: I wake up earlier in the morning and squeeze in a good amount of producing. In the middle of my session cars start honking like crazy. Whoops of joy. Sounds of celebration. I check my phone and confirm my suspicions. Joe Biden has won the election!!!! Feel relieved and happy and am surprised to realize that this is the first time in a long time that I’ve seen so many people celebrating something at all. I feel good for a while until the incessant honking starts annoying me…
Two friends visit from Chelsea (finally! Living in Prospect Heights I don’t get that many visitors willing to come all the way out here). We order Hometown Barbecue (often called the best bbq in NY) and order the following: spareribs, queso mac n cheese, brisket, honey cornbread and banana pudding. Not usually a fan of ribs but these are the best I think I’ve ever had. The brisket is pretty good too.
We eat all of this on a bench in Prospect Park and waddle back to my apartment to hang for a few hours before my friends go home.
Sunday: Bike down to Bensonhurst to hang out with C. We grab dim sum in Sunset Park and walk around after food. It’s my first time visiting the Chinatown there. Although the streets are significantly wider than the Manhattan Chinatown, I’m surprised to find that they are as (if not more) crowded than the Manhattan Chinatown ones. We end up at Sunrise Market and decide to talk about what’s next for us. She’s definitely looking for something more serious while I’m not. We sadly end things but decide to remain friends. I bike back taking the long way home.
I make it back home in time for a video call with my friend.
That’s most of the life stuff. For a long overdue music update… Been making consistent progress on my Thanksgiving song. I have most of the vocals comped and tuned and aligned.
The vocal process for this track was a huge pain in the ass overall. I think I went a little overboard on the layers and tried to add way too many doubles, harmonies and backing vocals. I’m still not certain I know how to record vocals that well—which at this point seems hands down the most important part of the process. But I tried not to overly obsess on the little details and really pave my way through to the end of the song. I will say—thank god for Melodyne and Vocalign. Vocalign alone saved me probably hours of time in terms of making sure all the doubles and harmonies were aligned with the lead.
Anyways—here it is:
At this point I’m in a race against time. I still have to set up the second verse and mix the song in general as well. I’m trying to get it done by Wednesday (or end of week at the latest).
Ok bye!