This, ladies and gentlemen, is proof that summer is over and autumn is here. The last few days I've stripped the basil plants out back, and made a mountain of pesto. A small taste of summer in the midst of winter. (I put a little bit of capers and olives in my pesto. It adds a little sumthin' sumthin'.)

Ok, I'm about to say something that might piss some people off. I've been avoiding political rants simply because the concentrated effort of writing about 'President' Bush will likely give me an aneurysm. However, be that as it may, I'm going to break my habit of not talking about political things lately on my blog and make a little comment about the Democratic candidates for President.

First, let's preface this by saying that I'm probably about as liberal as they come. I think the Republicans are wrong about pretty much everything. Demonstratively. Things, despite the Republicans being in control of both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the Presidency for a number of years, things are by and large, WORSE than they were a decade ago. Ok. That aside.

Hillary Clinton. Just because you have a vagina, slept with the former President in the White House for a number of years, and are the junior Senator from New York, that does NOT mean that you have any more 'experience' than Barrack Obama, or anyone else for that matter, or that you would represent women's interests any better than anyone else, simply because of your shared anatomy.

I think she's pretty much unelectable (she's too polarizing, since you asked), and it makes me frickin' livid that the so-called 'liberal media' has all but anointed her as the Democratic candidate, without so much as a vote being cast.

Rant mode off.

Ok, a few VST finds for Mike (and whoever) here, mostly flanging effects but one synth:

First is Charsiesis, a delay/chorus/flanger with a very good organic sound. Works great as an insert effect on some hi-hats.

Next is Classic Flanger, by the unpronounceable Kjaerhus Audio. It's what it sounds like.

Next is TAL-Flanger. It's got a very good analoguish flange sound.

These all sound good alone, but stacked together and you get a really full sweeping sound on drums or synths.

Finally, is the STS-26, Space Transition Synthesizer, with a sound not unlike Krakli Cygnus. It's quite versatile, and there's a free version that gives you only 2 oscillators. I think the pay version gives you 8, which kind of blows my mind.

If you'd like to hear an mp3 of my latest psytrance tune, Consciousness, you can download it here. It's long, and kind of a stomper, full-on psychedelic trance tune. It's designed to be of use for a DJ, which is why the ending is so boring.

Finally, the other day Beth and Jack and I went to the pumpkin patch. Here's a picture.