Smelling the Middle

Friday (good?):

Last night, I awoke from an unpleasant dream... not a nightmare exactly, but disturbing... The snoring in the room sounded like souls in torment. Then the fellow in the bunk beneath mine punched the upper bunk again... except in my half awake state, it felt as if he was directly punching me. "It's going to be a long night," I thought to myself. But, I found sleep again easily, and slept until my alarm went off.

Up at 5:30, and morning practices in the classroom. A sneeze and some sniffs, I think the pollen must be heavy today. Then to the ballroom for the group sitting at 7:15. Heard many sniffs sneezes coughs and fidgets.

Back to the room briefly for a lie-down, then breakfast at 8. The line was long, so just coffee at first. The muslix ran out, so they brought out cornflakes. I was "helpful" after a person asked if there was more yogurt... should have just let the breakfast crew do their job. I asked RF for a personal meeting, even though the slots were all gone. He said he would see what could be done.

I volunteered for Level T, but then Bill R called a meeting of the "coffee/tea" crew that conflicted with the L.T. activities. We got our plan for handling the beverages straightened out, and then went to find out what was up with Level T... But Tom thanked me and said maybe tomorrow. Then, someone from the L1 asked me from toilet paper. I went and got him a roll, and passing Tom said "I'm doing your work."

Picked up some trash in the backyard... Overcast and chilly today. Apparently the water is not functioning again. Then some guitar work in the backyard: C Harmonic Minor in thirds. Too darn cold. Had a conversation about history, and American's connection to their heritage. MB came out... then we went back in. More guitar in the hallway. C Harmonic Minor in 5th position. Ouch! MB's having a conversation with Debra.

The backyard, being very unpopular today due to the temperature, of course, was where I wanted to be. Sat out there wrapped in my sleeping bag for about 45 minutes. Others came and went, enduring the chill long enough for a smoke, or bravely trying some guitar practice before turning tail. The time is now 12:22 PM.

Connected with Igor in the classroom for a moment before lunch. He let me give his guitar a spin. It's neck is very similar to the guitar I'm having built... so, good thing I enjoyed playing it. A troupe passed me going to play in the dining hall. We were a little short on food today, and I'm not sure they got much when they were done.

After lunch, I took over coffee/tea duty from Bill R and John P. Got into a bit of a tangle with some other folks in the kitchen team over which pots were OK to use to warm milk on the stove. One fellow had told me something that seemed to contradict what they were telling me now... And feeling pressured to refill the pots, I just followed what made sense to me, a bit annoyed. Later I found that they were correct and the owners of the facility (the monks and nuns) had asked that some pans not be used on the stove. I'm not sure what good a pan is that can't be used on the stove, but they you have it. Valentina helped me by finding a pan that could be used to warm milk. They have finally gotten serious about sterilization in the kitchen, and have implemented a bleach soak. This should have been in place from the beginning. Rob R showed up and helped with the coffee/tea station. A light that had burned out, rather spectacularly, at lunch was being replaced by a man teetering on a high ladder.

I practiced guitar for a bit in the ballroom, then it was time for the KT AT lie-down. Almost fell asleep, but not quite. Very relaxing. The time is now 4:07.

At 4:30, there was a kitchen meeting in the ballroom. Several points were raised. Ants had gotten into the muslix because the container was left on the floor. It was asked that photos not be taken in the kitchen. Debra was very contrite, and had come to the conclusion that because she had done it, others had followed. I outed myself as the other shutterbug, and let her know I was acting on my own impulse. Robert was very generous in his comments... Later, I went and deleted that photo, and a few others that had the sense of violation about them. This didn't quite set things right, but it was a first step.

Getting the coffee ready for dinner was a major undertaking. The team in kitchen monopolized the burners until 6 or so... But Rob and I did manage to pull it together. There were many performances this evening, of varying quality... Some quite amazing. A new method of washing dishes was put in place by Bill R and Tom R.

Rob said earlier "You can smell the middle, can't you?" Indeed!

An uber-circle was formed in the ballroom, and we all marched in and sat down. Tom R led some circulation, and then a conducted improvisation of sorts. While I thought "man this is a drag" at some points, I also thought "what if this is as good as it gets?" Tony said a few words about banking energy, and we dispersed. The time is now 10:30.

Wandered around and found MB, drank a cup of herbal tea with her and a fellow from Rome. Walked around looking for a place to practice Invention 1. Didn't find place unfilled by Crafties loudly being crafty, or just being loud. Tony's message about energy apparently wasn't well processed. So, I decided to go to bed. My room was filled with Crafties being crafty. I took my sleeping bag and went wandering, looking for a place to sleep... but even the chapel had a hoard of Crafties being crafty right next to it. Despair set in. Back to the room, figuring I would just grit my teeth until things calmed down. Igor, Taylor and Al were working on a Nine Inch Nails piece and invited me to play bass... So, I did, and it was fun. Never thought I'd be redeemed by Trent Reznor. The time is now 12:09. To sleep around 1 AM.