One of the projects I’ve been working on at Sony is a video series entitled 60 Second Soundtracks.  The concept is simple.  I work with some of the biggest music geeks I know, but we’re rarely given the opportunity to share our love of music professionally from a personal viewpoint.  The series was conceived to give us all a place to talk about our favorite albums and why we love them so much.

There was no direction given as to which albums to choose, other than that they were in the SonyBMG (now Sony Music) catalog.  I encouraged people to pick albums from deep in our catalog rather than the obvious choice (I strictly forbid anyone from picking “London Calling,” for example, we have so many Clash fans!)

The result is, I think, a really interesting collection of stories of people’s love of a wide range of albums and songs, and reminiscences of their own personal histories.  Nobody picked albums we ‘happened to be working on this quarter’.  There was no business reason behind the choices, other than that they felt that these albums needed to be heard by more people.

Thanks to Chris at Etc. Productions and Joe at Vella Interactive for making the vision a reality.

I hope you enjoy them.

This is the part of the blog post where I would embed a YouTube player, except that my companies YouTube strategy is to disable sharing on all the videos that we deliver to them.  So you will have to make do with a:

Link: 60 Second Soundtracks playlist on YouTube

Update: here’s a widget with some of the vids, not all.

Came across this in my Documents folder.

I am the only one who ultimately controls my emotions and situation, and the only person whose habits I can change.  Trying to change someone else’s habits is fruitless and frustrating.

I am entitled to feel whatever I feel whenever I feel it, and to love and be loved in return. Anything else is selling myself short.

I am entitled to pay attention to my own needs.  This does not have to lead to a fight, and does not invalidate my needs if It does.

I am entitled to fulfillment, and for people to treat me well.

There are many things that I am good at, and I should feel proud of them.

I don’t have to feel trapped by life.  When I do, I can change my responses to behavior in order to not feel trapped.

Identifying patterns that are destructive or no longer productive is the first step to improving my quality of life.

Growing up is a process that is not easy, takes time and requires patience and courage.  I have more of that than I think I do.
See Also: Jeremy’s Rules For A Better Life

I’m a big fan in the concepts of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, which basically states (in the most simple terms) that we are controlled not by what happens to us, but by what how we process what happens to us. This bit of knowledge has helped me to no end, to learn to focus on the “automatic” behavioral patterns that are so destructive to ones everyday life, so that the patterns that keep you from being the kind of person that you’d like to be can be controlled and revised as necessary.

Required reading, if this sounds like something that you’d be interested in learning more about, here are a few suggestions)

http://www.hackyourself.org

Found this whilst digging through some old backups, thought it was kinda good.

Date: 12/11/2001

1:30 in the morning
konkrete jungle
suddenly
al green
so tired of bein alone
smiles break
so tired of on-my-own
heads bob
wont you help me girl
as soon as you can

later
empty street
again
stranger sings
music passes over the bluster
words don’t fare as well
from a city with an open wound
music

The Cello Hut
Originally uploaded by claudez.



I miss camp.

I was a cute kid.
Originally uploaded by softlord.

07.03.15-28 New York (132)
Originally uploaded by istutu.



Arent we cute?

But I guess I do: my match.com favorites list.

Thinking Deeeeep Thoughts

Originally uploaded by Urch.

My friends are beautiful.

That is all.