This is what it's all about (World Series '08, Game 4).

Maybe I should consider writing game summaries on side of whatever my job is after college...

Jimmy Rollins set the tone (2 for 3 after 4 innings) again tonight, leading off with a double that ricocheted off the concrete down the first base line.

But it did take some time for the Phillies to heat up.

After scoring their second run in the third inning, Joe Blanton let up a solo shot to Carl Crawford, cutting the Phils' lead in half.

The Phillies have not been doing well with RISP in the World Series (and their big hitters have not had great postseason performances), but this was all they needed:

The pitch to Ryan Howard. Belt high and away; he's crushed this one! No doubt about it; that ball's outta' here!* Three run home run, Ryan Howard!

Howard's homer in the fourth put the Phillies up, 5-1. Previous to Game 3, Howard was in a huge slump. Then he hit a home run, and everything turned around, indicated by his numbers in tonight's game (2 for 3, 3 RBI at that point).

Blanton let up another home run in the fifth to pinch hitter Eric Hinske (Note: It was the Rays' third home run of the series - putting their total in the postseason at twenty-six). Still, Blanton had pitched superbly through five innings (besides the two home runs).

FiOS, Music and More

With Comcast's recent price increase (our basic plan became $60 a month because of new HD channels they now offer to other people), my parents seriously considered cutting TV off completely.

They had seen ads for FiOS Triple Freedom for a good price, but whenever they tried to go through the internet signup advertised, the price ended up being considerably more.

Well, they were finally able to get the advertised deal, which means we get better value for what we pay, as FiOS is, as far as I can tell... just about as good as they say it is.

Now, I'm not always able to get the internet to work, but that's mostly because of the computer I'm using and its modem (shoutout to my brother here). And all problems so far have been quick fixes. This may take some getting used to.

The TV: We don't have an HD TV, but the picture is significantly improved from what we had. We also get more channels.

The only problems I've had are the DVR and the connection with our combined DVD-R/W & VHS - we'll be checking in on that.

Hopefully, the last major feature change - reliability of the phone in case of emergency - won't need to be utilized.

All in all, I like this change. Honestly, I never really liked Comcast to begin with.

Also, I'm basically finished writing my first ever choral composition. Which means having all the parts, then taking a couple months to edit, expand, modify, and consult, before actually having a finished product. But hey, I've got the basic idea.

School is, to say the least, still hectic. Plus coronation tomorrow and Spirit Week...

And everything else that I do.

Because if it weren't this way, it wouldn't be me.

Mixing

I just figured out how to mix using Audacity! I used some newgrounds music - Reasoner's "Instrumental #4" and Bjra's remix. I used the original and rearranged the other one. Though it sounds kinda weird in some parts, probably because the remix was extended, expanded... and just plain crafted differently. And I have nothing on these guys (haha). They've got cool software, mad skills and beats... good stuff.
The primary focus of this project was to explore the software's capability... and it's pretty darn good.
The reason I'm saying this? Well, this is what I've been doing for the past couple of hours. It might be of interest to someone, somewhere.

Music You've Probably Never Heard

Really, there's some pretty good songs out there on the internet amongst all the not so good ones. A little patience is all it takes to find a good one.

The Beginning of Time

Champions Green

When I Wake

The Last Flight

Sand Castles

Reasoner and MilkMan-Dan are two of the better artists I found, and both find a way of working piano into their pieces.

The Past Week

...Has been crazy. Thus, I adopt Trebuchet as my font.

Not much to say about it, except there were some really good things that happened, and some not so good things (nothing too serious).

The Phils won the first two; last time I checked, they were down big today.

Oh well. They'll get the next one.

And... I'm doing alright. Quite a bit of homework left to do, so I'm right back to work.

Another Monday...

Well, another crazy Monday. Guitar club, Soccer, Jr. Leaders meeting and Scouts...
And homework in every subject.
Men's Choir and Chamber performance tomorrow - we can only look to Thursday.

Anyway, on Guitar Club - today it was just an informational meeting, but we had a jam session afterwards; my first one... so that was cool.
I have very little time for just sitting down and playing nowadays, so that's a nice little break.
Still working on a choral piece I started a couple weeks ago... well, not actively.

I may revise this post later. But that's all for now.

Phillies silence Brewers with their own thunder

Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a solo shot, setting the tone, over the deafening ThunderStix given out to fans in Milwaukee yesterday. While this put the Phils on the board, they would need something more to quiet the crowd. And Pat Burrell provided it, with a three-run blast in the third.

Ken Mandel's article puts it quite nicely:

Perhaps the only noticeable phenomenon amid the earsplitting roar of nearly 44,000 ThunderStix was the moment they stopped thundering.

The instant Pat Burrell smacked a belt-high fastball through the controlled temperature of Miller Park, the atmosphere become controlled, too.

Subdued, even.

"That's when I knew something good had happened," Burrell said. "I didn't see where the ball landed. I hit it and ran, and it got quiet."

Real quiet.

The roar from those wanting an inning-ending out fell eerily silent. When Jayson Werth followed with another homer, the thunder transformed to boos, then resignation. By the third inning, those in the building just knew.

The Phillies actually ended up with four home runs, a post season high for the club, and every run for the Phils was scored on a homer (Prince Fielder hit a homer for Milwaukee). Burrell went 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs, and was the obvious choice for player of the game. The Phillies' power silenced the futile efforts of Brewers fans to get in their heads.

Winning this game put the Phils in the National League Championship Series, where they'll face the red-hot Dodgers. And we can only hope they can douse the flames.

Note: Pat Burrell and Jayson Werth's back-to-back homers in the third inning was the second time it happened in Phillies postseason history. The first time: Last year, when Aaron Rowand and - you guessed it - Pat Burrell - hit consecutive home runs in the third inning off Jeff Francis (Jeff Suppan let up today's double shots).

Why Civil Clash?

Civil Clash was the first decent band name I thought up...
It never got any further than that.
So, I put the name aside, and recently realized just what this name could mean.
Despite what we are told nowadays, truth is not relative - it is absolute. When those who know this make it known, there is a clash that can be not so civil.
This confrontation can be found in many places other than simply in the realization of absolute truth. It is found between cultures, opinions, etc.
I find myself on the other side of these battles much of the time - which is probably why it makes itself so clear to me.
Take that as you will, but for now, the Clash has resurfaced.
You cannot go through life without disagreement. So stand for the truth.
That's my plan.