This is my new favorite video featuring one of my songs.

Seven months without updating this thing.  Holy crap, that is like 77% of a pregnancy.  I’ve been making money instead of music.  My new job is very challenging.  I would say it is equally challenging to making an album, but in a completely different way.

In other news, I have been playing music with another human being on Monday nights.  I think there may be additional human beings added in Mondays to come.  I don’t want to jinx it by calling it a thing. 

God help them if a matchbox car or Cheez-It should find its way into this one.

After not having played in a tourney for four years, I played in this on October 21.  It felt great.  My rating going into this was a paltry 1249, much lower than I thought.  I played U1625 and won my first game in about forty minutes, after which I played three intense 3-hour long games, all of which I lost.  They were good games against stronger players, so I learned a lot and didn’t feel bad.

Before the next one, I need to learn openings again.  Maybe I’ll bring my MCO along next time I take the kids to the filthy McDonald’s Playplace.

I was the only female player in the open section (not uncommon) but only one guy was flirting with me in an inappropriate way.  The TD pretty much told him to shut up the first time he said something, and the second time he said something my round two opponent told him to shut up.  So that was pretty cool.  Overall the best-behaved and friendliest bunch of players I’ve experienced at a tourney.

Anyway, since this is my blog and this is the place where I brag, here is my win!  My opponent here is a 1600 player who was probably having a bad day.

I have white…

1. e4      Nf6 

2. Nc3    d5 

3. exd5  Nxd5 

4. Nxd5  Qxd5 

5. d4      Bf5 

6. Nf3     Qe4+ 

7. Be3     Qxc2 

8. Qxc2    Bxc2 

9. Rc1      Be4 

10. Rxc7   Bxf3 

11. gxf3   Nc6 

12. Bb5    Kd8 

13. Rxb7   Na5 

14. Rd7+   Kc8 

15. 0-0      Nb7 

16. Rfc1+  Kb8 

17. Ba6     Black resigns…then kicks my ass in a bunch of blitz games down the hall. 

Today I renewed my USCF membership, which had expired in 2002.  This weekend I am playing in a tournament and also spending two nights in a hotel with Bernie.  The kids will not be there.  Chess will be played, and drinks will be had.  Because dammit, it is my birthday.

Sold two music licenses through Magnatune so far this month, which is notable for me in and of itself.  One is for the Lonelygirl15 internet movie series, and the one I just sold is for the song “Fruitless” which apparently will play during a slideshow at a wedding party. 

That’s awesome, but I never imaged this as a wedding background song, as it is a break-up song and the lyrics are pretty much full of hatred!

Oh well - no one listens to lyrics anyway.

Today my son asked me if I was a “Water Mommy” or a “Fire Mommy.” 

Too much anime.

I don’t know why I’ve been too lazy to blog this when everyone is talking to me and e-mailing me about it.  Grant Robertson blogged it on Monday (thanks).  A NY writer called me for an interview last weekend.

 As usual I’m the last one on the wagon, even when it’s my song (or Pat’s remix of my song) in the video.

The video, with Pat’s “Daze are Confused” remix of “Brilliant Day” is here.

The story of the LonelyGirl15 phenomenon is here.

“If you’re losing your soul and you know it, then you’ve still got a soul left to lose”

-Charles Bukowski

Here I am, at Bebo. I am compulsive, so every time there’s a new music site I will spend forty-five minutes putting myself on it, because, you know, maybe I’ll get one new fan. Now it’s 1:57 A.M. and I’m going to be tired at work.

Not a bad little hosting site. The layout is pretty clean, and you can upload as many songs as you want.