About

My name is Michael, but you may know me better by my Internet character alias, "PorpoiseMuffins." I am an aspiring recording/sound engineer, musician, and new media designer working out of my basement for The Tuning Spoon, my home recording studio and freelance audio production business. I provide budget recording and mixing services for local musicians, and am personally a part of several musical projects as a drummer or bass player (and occasionally a guitarist or vocalist, to a limited extent). I play drums for a worship band called Tabernacle. I love music because it is such a powerful medium, capable of communicating emotions and truths that cannot be conveyed solely through words. I am currently pursuing a degree in Multimedia Web Design and Development with a specialization in Sound Technology and a minor in Communications. I have also worked doing live productions in the area and often run sound for events at my church. I would love to work in the larger music industry some day, although a lot of artistic-technical and communications-related occupations interest me. One of my dreams is to be involved in the recording and production end of the creation of a new musical movement or record label locally.

I'm a generally quiet and hopefully level-headed guy in person. I do my best work when self-motivated, and I'd like to think that I put my all into whatever I choose to do; I don't think I've uttered the words "I'm bored" once in the last 4 years. I tend to do my own thing and don't relate or conform to a lot of the modern norms of people my age. I like people and networking, but I tend to be a bit of a loner and prefer to express myself through writing. I enjoy spending a good deal of time in thought, driving in my car, listening to music, and writing on the net. Thanks for visiting!

Who I'd Like to Meet

Friendly people, thinking people, authentic people, musicians, music and entertainment industry professionals and hobbyists, designers, artists, techies, Sonic fans, Pixar enthusiasts, nerds, anyone looking for a recording engineer.

As for some specific people... meeting Aaron Sprinkle, the guys from Run Kid Run, J.R. McNeely, Ian Eskelin, and Andrew Osenga, among others, could be quite cool.

Blog - see all 42

New Run Kid Run!!! Mar 28

These guys are the best kept secret in pop-punk/powerpop. The music is fantastically catchy, and there's just something different about them... It's deeper and more genuine than most bands in the genre. If this new single is any indication, their new CD is going ...

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Likes/Interests

Acoustics, Animals, Animation, AoStH, Alternative Rock, Apple, Architecture, Audio Engineering, Audio Production, Art and Entertainment, Authenticity, Badminton, Balance, Bass Guitar, Beautiful places, Blimpie Club subs, Broadcasting, Business, Carpentry, Cars the Movie, Cartoons, Changing seasons, Character interaction, Childhood memories, Chili's Cajun chicken sandwiches, Christian music scene, Christmastime, Classic Gaming, Communications, Computers, Consciousness, Copy writing and editing, Cosmology, Cute things, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Design, Different Cultures, Digital Editing, Driving, Dreaming, Drums, Eating out, Electric Cars, Electronics & Gadgets, Ethics, Faith, Film, Fantasy, Fooseball, Free Mobius, Guitar tone, History, Home, Hope, Humility, Ideals, Indie Rock, Imagination, Innovation, Integrity, Introspection, Java Chip Frappuccinos, Jesus Christ, Web Journalism, Kindness, Landscapes, Layout, Level-headedness, Live Sound, Logic, Loyalty, Marketing, Mastering, Media Literacy, Mega Structures, Melody, Memories, Metaphysics, Miles "Tails" Prower, Mixing, Moderation, Multimedia, Music, Music Composition, Music Gear, Music Production, My basement, My car, Mystery, My studio, Nerdiness, Networking, New Media, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Nostalgia, Objectivity, Organized Simplicity, Peace, Pemaquid Point, Perception, Philosophy, Ping-Pong, Pixar, Pop-Rock, Porpoises, Positivity, Powerpop, Programming, Psychology, Punk Rock, Rational Balance, Recording, Relaxing, Respect, Restoration, Retail history, SatAM, Sega, Shelties, Shopping for cool stuff, Singing harmony, Skyscrapers, Sociology, Soda, Songwriting, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sound, Spirituality, Starbucks, Starfox, Straightedge, Suburban Culture, Summertime, Technology, The 80s and 90s, The big picture, The human condition, The Internet, The Legend of Zelda, Time, Tooth & Nail, Truth, Twix bars, Understanding, User Interface, Video games, Volleyball, Web Design and Development, Wii, Wisdom, Writing

Dislikes/Disinterests

Conformity, Non-conformist conformity, Pretentiousness in all forms and when people buy into it, Political Parties, Monopolization, When people don't bother responding to carefully thought out e-mails, People who treat others like punching bags to exercise their own arrogant egos

Quotes

"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."

"Peace is normally a great good, and normally it coincides with righteousness, but it is righteousness and not peace which should bind the conscience of a nation as it should bind the conscience of an individual; and neither a nation nor an individual can surrender conscience to another's keeping."

-Theodore Roosevelt

"Sooner or later you just figure out there are some guys who don't believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove that He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now it's about who is smarter, and honestly I don't care. I don't believe I will ever walk away from God for intellectual reasons. Who knows anything anyway? If I walk away from Him I will walk away for social reasons, identity reasons, deep emotional reasons, the same reasons that any of us do anything."

-Donald Miller

"It's hard to understand why anyone would willingly (or worse, proudly) wish to be known as a "Skeptic", which is to say an organized (pathological, pseudo) skeptic. From my standpoint, that labels an individual as someone whose mental processes are continually and rigidly out of balance, in the direction of disbelief. I would no more wish to be known as such a Skeptic, than I would wish to be known as a dupe, the opposite extreme, i.e. someone who is extremely gullible. For me, the most desirable mind-set is exactly in the center of these two extremes, in a middle ground I would call rational balance."

-L. David Leiter

"Tolerance is the wisdom to know which bad things to put up with, when, why, and to what degree--along with the strength of character to act on that wisdom."

-J. Budziszewski

"Intolerance is an unacceptable, unbiblical stance. Do not fall into the temptation to be right about an issue at the expense of the people with whom you are talking. On the other hand, do not become victim to the idea that in order to be tolerant, you must lack conviction."

-Rob Tims

"Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid."

"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected."

-G.K. Chesterton

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."

-Galatians 5

"I sit and watch the clock on the wall as it counts down the end of my life,
It leaves a bad taste in my mouth,
Like sending letters with no replies"

-New Found Glory

"I've learned a little something
I'm sure of almost nothing
I know that I have yet to know
I don't have the answers
My brain is like a hamster's
On the wheel
Learning as I go"

-Hokus Pick

"Do you remember when we were just kids
And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss
Schoolyard conversations taken to heart
And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not
I wanna break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)
For the rest of our lives
Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now?"

-Anberlin

"Competition swallows me
From a life where what you hear ain't always what you see
Competition worries me
Brings out the best in you
And the worst in me"

-Fanmail

"I don't know where I fit in
But every time that record spins
I know the way it makes me feel
I never tried to be your trend
Never asked to be everyone's friend
I'm just who I am and that's life for real"

-FM Static

"Though impossible it seems, it's time to just believe
From here on out you're just getting older
Pick up yourself, you'll keep getting closer"

-Run Kid Run

Avatar

PorpoiseMuffins

michael@thetuningspoon.com
aim: spoonstar

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My Links

The Tuning Spoon
deviantART
YouTube
MySpace
Facebook
Tabernacle
Aim and Miss
UConn Crusade Worship Team
United Creation
Nameless Streets
AuxPhase
Amazon Profile
eBay Profile

Activities

The Tuning Spoon, Tabernacle worship band, Sound Engineer for Trinity Covenant Church, Aim and Miss, ETx Sound Guy, Jamming with friends, Webmaster of Saturday Morning Sonic

My Music

Music

Run Kid Run, New Found Glory, Sherwood, Number One Gun, Mae, Rascal Flatts, Anberlin, Falling Up, Relient K, Delirious, John Reuben, The Normals, The Pillows, Acceptance, All American Rejects, All Star United, Amber Pacific, Andrew Osenga, Angels and Airwaves, The Ataris, Audio Adrenaline, Bleach, Blindside, Brave Saint Saturn, Capital Lights, Celebrity, Chevelle, Counting Crows, Crush 40, dc Talk, Dead Poetic, Derek Webb, Disciple, Dogwood, The Elms, Fair, Fanmail, Five Iron Frenzy, FM Static, Fono, The Franchise, Gasoline Heart, Ghoti Hook, Goo Goo Dolls, Hammock, Hawk Nelson, Hokus Pick, Ian Eskelin, The Insyderz, Josiah Jones, The Juliana Theory, Kutless, LaRue, Linkin Park, Lloyd, Mae, Michael W Smith, Model Engine, MxPx, Newsboys, Nickel Creek, Octoberwar, Parkway, Pillar, Plankeye, Roper, Sara Groves, Satellite Soul, Seven Day Jesus, Side Walk Slam, Sigur Ros, Silage, Simon and Garfunkel, Sixpence None the Richer, Skillet, Slick Shoes, Spoken, The Supertones, Switchfoot, Tait, Thousand Foot Krutch, Toby Mac, Waking Ashland, Yellowcard, 3G iPod nano black + 256kbps AAC + iSimple car interface = love.

Favorite Albums

Run Kid Run "This Is Who We Are"
Delirious "King of Fools"
Falling Up "Dawn Escapes"

Movies

Cars, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Wall-E, The Truman Show, Spiderman series, Surf's Up, The Sixth Sense, What About Bob?, In Good Company, Newsboys: Down Under the Big Top, A Goofy Movie, Signs, The Others, The Sixth Sense, Bridge to Terabithia, Pirates of the Caribbean series, Napoleon Dynamite, Big Fish, A Beautiful Mind, Scrooge, The Count of Monte Cristo, Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings series, The Santa Clause, The Mask of Zorro, Matchstick Men, Waking Ned Devine, Dark Water, Red Eye, The Lion King, Milo and Otis, The Black Cauldron, Nick of Time, The Brave Little Toaster, Wallace and Gromit

Television

Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Lost, The Office, Sonic the Hedgehog (especially SatAM & AoStH), Keeping Up Appearances, The Wonder Years, Frasier, Animaniacs, The Angry Beavers, Spongebob Squarepants, Tiny Toon Adventures, Garfield and Friends, Early Edition, 24, Walker Texas Ranger, Home Improvement, FNC, Colbert Report, Interesting PBS/History/Discovery/etc specials

In Print

The Bible, The Book of Three, Calvin and Hobbes, CCM Magazine, Dilbert, East of Eden, Fahrenheit 451, Get Fuzzy, The Kite Runner, Mere Christianity, Nintendo Power Magazine, Of Mice and Men, Popular Science, Mix Magazine, Sound on Sound, Pro Audio Review, TapeOP, Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)

Video Games

All things action-adventure and platforming, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Super Paper Mario, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Zelda: Link's Awakening, Zelda: Wind Waker, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, New Super Mario Bros., Starfox Adventures, Banjo-Kazooie, Legend of the Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, Mario Kart 64, LostWinds, Ristar, Rocketknight Adventures, Diddy Kong Racing