Estrago1

So a couple of days ago, I decided to read over some of my old poetry that I've posted here. I don't know what made me do it, as I've always felt pretty apprehensive reading things that I've written. But I decided to bite the bullet and read a few pieces. And I really liked what I wrote; I really liked the images that my writing gave me, even though a lot of the original meaning behind the poems has been lost to me. It's like rediscovering a different period of my life, but instead of participating in it, I'm part of the audience.

I like my old poetry so much that I've decided that I want to start writing again. I would like to improve my technique, and actually learn the art of writing poetry, as opposed to just flying off the cuff when inspiration hits. It will probably be a very irregular thing, but whatever I write will most likely end up here on DeviantArt.

That's pretty much it. Thanks for reading, and be on the lookout for any of my new poems in the coming future.

It has been one month since my last journal entry and since I put my plan for recording an album into play. Since my last journal entry, I have broken my big goal for 2016 down into three smaller milestones, the first at 1 month, the second at 6 months, and the third at the end of the year. By the end of the first month, I was hoping to achieve two goals:

     Goal #1: Gather all of the materials necessary to start recording.
     Goal #2: Establish productive working habits.

If I were to give myself a grade for the first month milestone, it would be 60/100. I was able to accomplish my first goal easily, as I already had a number of materials that I would need to get started. So goal #1 was almost complete from the start. Goal #2, however, was a little more challenging. To accomplish goal #2, I broke it down into four smaller goals (setting reasonable deadlines for goals, working undistracted for certain periods of time, devoting time everyday to work on my goals, and keeping records of whatever I work I do). Of those goals, I manage to devote time everyday to work on my goals...for about 10 days. As for the other three goals, I didn't even attempt to start them, mostly because of procrastination. Because of this, I've decided to move my deadline of goal #2 to the 6 month milestone.

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Other than reaching my first month milestone, nothing else is really going on. During the first month, I was able to come up with a few song ideas that I hope I'll be able to expand on in the coming months. I've also started saving money to buy myself a couple of new amplifiers and a new guitar in the coming year, but that's another goal for another time.

Thanks for reading, and like always, if you have any questions or comments, by all means leave me a comment!

So another year has finally passed (or rather passed in the blink of an eye), which usually means that it's the season of new resolutions. And that's fair. Fresh year, fresh slate; it's the perfect time to outline what you want to accomplish in the coming year. So, I thought I'd start the new year with a new journal entry to outline some of the goals that I've set for myself.

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So for some time now, I've been wanting to get into writing and producing my own music. But I've just been too distracted in the past, with graduating college, working long shifts, moving out, and general procrastination. So for the past few months, I've been finalizing a plan for the new year that outlines my goals for 2016 and, ultimately, for the next five years.

For 2016, my goal is to write, record, and produce an album's worth of songs by the end of the year.

I've been brainstorming different ideas for songs for quite a while now, but I've never really gone any further than the planning stage with any of them. This year, I'm hoping to change that. I believe that I have everything I need to start creating music; I just need to get up off of my ass and do it.

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I don't really know who this is going to reach, but to the people who it does reach, I appreciate you reading this. I don't know if I'll be able to keep myself on a strict schedule for posting journals, but I will try to post updates as they come. If anyone has any questions, comments, or just wants to say "Hi," by all means, leave me a comment.

So to everyone reading this, may you all have a happy and prosperous 2016!

God, I've been going on a big nuclear destruction kick lately. Dreams, pictures; anything I can possibly get my hands on that is somehow related to nuclear warfare and the end of the world. There's just something so scary yet so awesome about an ICBM in its silo that just makes me wonder about the possibilities. Anyway, I need to start getting this shit out of my head so I can concentrate on other things, like music, for example. I'll probably write and upload a few nuclear-related poems in the coming weeks or months; however long it takes to get nuclear Armageddon out of my head.

I never know what to put in these things, especially first entries. I never know what people are more inclined to hear about, or whether they'll give a fuck or not. But hey, it's worth a shot, and I'm always willing to talk music with someone of they're interested.

Uhhhhhh song ideas...yeah, that's where I'll start. So I've never written a song before in my life. But somehow, I think I'll be able to write two albums worth. Psssshhh xD But it's worth a try, right? Right. Who knows? Maybe it'll turn out better than I expect.

So my first idea was an album consisting of four song suites (I was colored by Progressive rock early in my musical "career"), each one based on the four major Greek gods of wind, called Anemoi, and each song will take on a theme based on the mythology of its respective song. It could take an interesting turn, I think, and its definitely further along than my next idea.

And speaking of which, here's my second idea, which is really just a rough theme based on this dream I had. So maybe I should start with some background and the dream.

So when I sleep, I like to listen to music. Lately, I've been listening to a lot of acid jazz, ambient, trance stuff, and on more than one occasion, the music I was listening to has influenced the course of my dreams. So this song came on that had a Johnny Cash-esque vibe to it; an acoustic guitar and voice only kinda thing. As for the actual dream? I was in some desert in California, somewhere outside of San Diego, in a house that looked like it belonged on an atomic testing range. Any way, I hear on the radio that North Korea has launched an ICBM headed for San Diego. And my girlfriend lives just outside of San Diego. So I called her up and told her what was going on. And I think that's when the music kicked in. It was just one of those very simple songs that had an "This is the end" air about it.

So I'm trying to reassure my girlfriend that everything is going to be alright, and the warhead hits. There's a blinding light, and the house starts to shake. It was such a crazy dream that I could feel the sensation of violent shaking, like an earthquake. Anyway, I look out of a window towards San Diego, and all I see is a mushroom cloud slowly rising in the air. At this point, the song is winding down, and then it just becomes the singer singing the main lyrics again without any accompanying music. And as this happens, I look to my right and I see these silo doors open up in the ground. Smoke starts pouring out of the silo, and then this missile, a Titan II ICBM, rises slowly out of the silo. And then the song ends as the missile leaves my view and then I wake up.

Freaky, right? This happened in May, and I still remember everything vividly. But anyway, I was thinking about this recently, and I decided that I wanted to do some kind of concept album based around a nuclear holocaust. The actual idea is still being hatched, but I've got a general theme, and that's enough for now.

I think I'll end this journal here. I've given a lot of information that I'm pretty sure a lot of people won't read, but regardless, I'll have my ideas written down in a place that will remind to carve out these ideas more. If you read all of that, well, all I can really say is thanks for your time.