Some photographs from last weekend's trip to the north georgia mountains:
L and I are working our way through The Lord of the Rings films. We did something like this a while back with the six Star Wars movies, which was great fun. The general plan is to watch one installment per Sunday (when possible) until the project is complete. We're currently a little behind schedule - halfway through The Return of the King. Lots of good times...
I picked up a copy of a game called Three Dragon Ante which Ellie and I played when we visited two friends of hers, Sean and Jenny. The game makes me nostalgic for my dorky D&D days and is terrific fun. Maybe the next time you come over to the Nunnery we can play some.
I also just bought a copy of Back in Black by AC/DC, which somehow also makes me nostalgic for dorkier days. AC/DC are not on iTunes so for the first time in a long time I had to buy an actual CD through the actual internet. Buying music anywhere except through the iTunes store makes me feel like I'm living in 1983, as does listening to AC/DC.
Tracie walked into my office today and we had lunch together. First time I've seen her since her father passed. I invited her and her boyfriend over to play Three Dragon Ante.
LBC last night. Jason, Rashid, and myself in attendance. Lots of good times.
Received a call this morning from my friend Scott G, the DJ on 1690 WMLB, making sure I was tuned in to his morning show. I wasn't then, but I am now. He just finished playing Bobby Darrin singing Duke's I'm Beginning to See the Light and now he's spinning Billie Holiday doing He's Funny That Way.
I'm busy with auditions, which are this Friday the 13th.
A student-friend just texted me saying her life is "falling into shambles."
I returned a phonecall to the Deputy Director of the Office of Archaeological Studies in Santa Fe this morning to give a warm-but-not-glowing recommendation for someone who used to work with me.
I was surprised to receive a phonecall from a woman I've seen once in six years who wants to have lunch on Wednesday.
A new aphorism from RF: A reliable sign of an impoverished nature is the seeking of fault in others.
Amen.
In a dream last night: I was in some trouble with the law and laying low. Sitting on a bench in a room with other people and needing to relieve my bladder, I noticed there was a confessional to my left and, ruminating on the similarities between confessionals and bathroom stalls, I entered and closed the door behind me. I said:
"Forgive me Father for I have sinned.
It has been... a long time since my last confession.
Many, many years..."
I hesitated before giving voice to the litany of my sins because I realized I feel guilty about some things which would surely sound benign if I were to speak them aloud, yet feel a lack of contrition about other things which would scandalize anyone who heard me talk about them.
While I'm deciding what to do next, I look around and notice that the walls of the confessional have vanished and I can now see and hear the other people sitting on the benches. They can hear and see me too. My confession is no longer a private activity, but is apparently now to be shared by the community.
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I attended a Quaker meeting this morning. Ellie came with and a fine time was had by all.
Then off to endure the manifestations of those-who-aspire-to-be-extroverts at a local cafe.
The weather continues to warmen up. This after a terrible cold spell, one of the worst I can remember here in the South.
I spent my afternoon and evening working on various projects while L took Cupid to the dog park. I made a final mix of Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun and created two ringtones - "trailers" for the song - and sent them off to various parties. Reception has been eh.
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Currently reading Dune and Rosencratz and Guildenstern are Dead.
The weather's warming up so Ellie and I went for a walk today around my hood.
Um, I'd like to buy a vowel?
It's Friday, and there have been more girls crying in my office (what's up, C!). She was pretty funny about it though. After she calmed down a bit I began teasing her:
Sabitathica: Aww, that's okay. You know what they say: "the weepy shall inherit the Earth."
C: (after a pause) Wait, I thought it was the meek who inherited the Earth.
Sabitathica: Oh yeah, right. I forgot about the meek. I tell you what though - you can both inherit it.
C: (with humorous sarcasm) Oh... okay, thanks.
Sabitathica: But you'd probably have to fight over it.
C: (interested now) Fight over it?
Sabitathica: Yeah, like an all out war between the Weepy and the Meek. And the prize? Earth. Inheriting the Earth. I can't wait. It's gonna be awesome!
C: Yeah (imitating the Meek in a quiet voice) um... it's okay, you can have the Earth, I don't want to inherit it. Really. (now imitating the Weepy in an emo voice) I don't want to inherit it either! (sniffle) It'd probably just be stupid anyway! (sigh) My life sucks...
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In other news, I am freshly returned from an hour of observing (an approximation of) humanity at the loud bar where I eat my lunch every day (Sidebar - so named because it faces the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals), and I would like to suggest that there are fewer extroverts living among us than we've been led to believe.
Most people who act like extroverts are only imitating extroverts. Living lives based on shame and hurting, they admire the apparent confidence and security they see (on billboard-like display) all around them everyday, everywhere.
But those who aspire to self-confidence (or more accurately, those who aspire to have other people think of them as self-confident) sound false notes constantly. You can hear it in their laughter, which sits somewhere south of genuine. You can see it in their mannerisms, which house hesitation and self-reproach. You can feel it in their self-awareness, which is approval-seeking. They're con men, and they buy each moment of their lives with make-believe monopoly money.
Plus my fries were undercooked.
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And you'll be happy to know that heat at the Nunnery is back on! Apparently the gas valve (which has already been replaced twice) went bad again. But, I am told, it shouldn't happen again. This time everything's fixed for good and we don't anticipate any more trouble. Really, swear to god. No worries, everything's fine.
What could possibly go wrong?
The heat at the Nunnery went out again last night, after it had been "fixed finally" for the fifth time. And this, on a night when it was 15 degrees outside - zero with the windchill. Luckily I had put up some insulation around my draughty bedroom window yesterday when I got home from school - I mean work. When I got home from work.
Everybody: Is it cold enough for ya? Heh heh.
Sabitathica: Shut up.
Musicmaking with Mark last night (before the heat went out). There are some new things happening. I'm now using an Edirol midi controller. Good times.
Thanks, Number Six.
The 50-year anniversary of the death of Buddy Holly.
Very busy these days. Work is dense and productive. Home life is filled with good times.
Spring semester is my busiest time of the year - auditions to manage, girls crying in my office (what's up D!), workmen drilling and hammering and generally renovationalizing outside my door.
L got a new job which she's very happy about. Which I'm very happy about.
On the tech front, I am now the proud owner of a bouncing baby iPhone, which I sometimes refer to as "my precious" and stare at covetously when no one else is around.
Once upon a time I was excited to get to work on editing together the video footage from this past holiday season's awesome festivities, but Josh - who has asked to be called Number Six - hasn't send me the items I need to get started, even though he's told me twice that I would have them "by the end of the week." But a month later and my interest in this project has waned and there may not be a Robert Browning New Year after all. I am drawn to other things.
Among said other things are several musical projects. Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun is now complete and I'm finishing up a spiffy rendition of Cirrus Minor. Also in rotation is a lovely piece called September in Lake Sane by Mr. O which I've been recruited to work on, my instructions being to "think of it as a painting and you can add layers to it," qualified only by the cryptic question: "Can you hear Kate St. John?"
Speaking of the iPhone, Crayon Physics Deluxe, a version of which is available as an app and a trailer for which can be seen here, has stolen several hours from my life. I also like the Ocarina application, which turns your iPhone into - believe it or not - a functional wind instrument. It's a little hard to explain, but you can see a demonstration here. It's pretty cool, but it'll be better when it has
1. polyphonicism
2. chromaticism
3. the ability to program/adjust the sound attributes, especially timbre.
