Saturday: Slept in. Much needed. Out of bed sometime around 11. Had a brief sitting as MB showered. Downstairs, I did some typing as MB and my mom worked on getting breakfast together. We ate (waffles, soy sausage, yogurt, berries, etc). We made up the term 'fawaffles' (waffels made from falafel) at fatwahfell (a death edict brought on the head of breakfast foods).
After cleaning up from breakfast, my mom went down to the swimming pool. I typed up my recollections from yesterday, then did my morning practice. When this was ending, it was amazingly time for lunch (around 2:30). We had a very good meal of leftovers. Then we began packing the car for our trip to Martin's luau. MB had forgotten her stool, but we took one of my mom's that would probably fill in well. We set out just before 4. Stopped at a grocery store, and I bought two packs of veggie burgers. A store discount, plus a coupon brought the cost of 8 veggie burgers down to $3.75. Quite a bargain.
We made good time heading up to Martin's. Conversation about real estate on the drive. We arrived just after 6 PM. I introduced my mom to some of the guitar circle folks. A blues/Southern rock band cranked away. She seemed at ease, sitting at the side of the lake in a folding camping chair. MB and I took a paddle out on the lake, enjoying the breeze and the view. We decided that our best stroke, was turning the boat in a circle, and not really going anywhere. I joked that this was a good metaphor for our marriage, but that it was not a problem, because "getting somewhere" is an illusion best not fostered. Terry and Ln took the boat out for a 'spin' after us. I cooked some veggie burgers for MB, mom and me. The guy tending the grill seemed anxious to put his animal grease laden tongs all over my veggie bugers. Victor showed up around 7:45.
After a bit, we congregated in the attic. We stood in a circle and played in the heat. The JSB invention was deemed performable. My work of this week paid off. The base-line folks did some section work. A dragonfly humped the florescent bulb above my head. We ran Israel. And, I gave birth to a new aphorism: "There are no bad notes, only bad musicians."
Stage set-up. Victor had a crazy leopard drum-throne for MB to borrow. We ran the cables, and started getting sounds. Did a circulation to check levels, and then we regrouped in the living room. Reviewed "star circulation" pattern and JSB bass. Then we headed on stage.
We played a good set, running though most of our current material (Bartok, Invention, Israel, Third Relation, Calliope, Moving Force, Lark's Thrak, Hope, Growing Circle, star circulation, embroidery, etc...) The Bartok piece was a bit of a mess as was Bicycling. In Bicycling, the mid-lead was in and out, and the two bass players (of which I'm one) managed to step on each other's toes at the end. Other numbers were more successful. My mom really enjoyed it. It seemed some other folks did also. I had a couple of distinct moments of 'wrist release.'
We struck our gear from the stage. I tried to cook a couple veggie burgers for Victor on what remained of the embers, but he wound up microwaving them in the end. Packed the car, said goodbyes, and headed home. A quiet drive, not hitting much traffic, arriving back in Norwalk at a little after 1 AM. Stayed up a bit longer completing the day, then bed.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Friday, August 12, 2005
Childhood Development gig/Caramoor
Friday: Up at 5:07 AM. Shower, and morning practices. Packed car. Fed cats. Took out garbage, and was on the road by about 7:20. Stopped at the donut shop and got a bagel and coffee and a danish, which I ate while driving down 93. The traffic was not bad at all, and I made good time. Somewhere north of Providence on 95, Victor passed me with a wave. Arrived at the G-Tech Early Childhood Development Center (aka day-care) a little before 9.
Victor and Terry were already there. Martin arrived slightly thereafter, and Alex not much after that. We hauled speakers and gear in, and set up in their main space. The front automatic sliding door was being obstinate. I said hello to a lonely goldfish in a small dirty tank. At the back of the room, on a riser, stood a tall-as-a-man paisley Mr Potato Head. We got our sounds going. My guitar sounds quite a bit better after my treatment of last night. We used the teacher's conference room as a green room. Circled up, then went on right at 10.
The kids were still getting seated (cross-legged on the floor). Age range, I'd say about 3 to 7. Victor did some fussing with our mix as we played an opening circulation. The gremlins had crawled into Alex's guitar. We played a good set, running though much of our available material (Third Relation, Asturias, Eye of the Needle, star circulation, Moving Force, Aspiration, embroidery etc) The bass line in Moving Force was a mess, but otherwise things went pretty well. The kids bounced around like Mexican jumping beans, and were very appreciative.
Afterwards, after our concluding circle in the green room, we loaded back up. I asked Martin where to go for some pizza. He told me about a place called Venus Pizza. I commented that this would be a dangerous name, if one was inclined to spoonerisms. After saying bye to all, I drove off, and found the Venus Pizza... but was sorely disappointed that it was closed for the summer. Next to Venus Pizza, a woman sitting outside a neglected nicknack store called The Briar Patch looked disappointed, but not surprised, when I sped away. Found another pizza place, but they had no slices. Settled for a spinach pie and some energy drinks at the convenience store. Uneventful drive down to my mom's, hitting some traffic in New Haven. Interesting interview with Dan Akroyd on Fresh Air.
Arrived at my mom's around 1:30 PM. She was just getting in the shower. I took a bit of a nap. Around 2 we took a drive out to her internist's office. She introduced me to him. She and I sat around for a while in the waiting room chatting. I watched a salesman from a drug company ply his trade. My mom had some blood drawn. We stopped for gas, and I bought us some refreshments. We drove a few towns over and picked up some food for a picnic planned for this evening: Middle Eastern yummies. The people at the restaurant (that does most of its business in catering) were very friendly, and said that almost everything was cooked in a kitchen under the store-front. We drove back home on side-roads, since we'd noticed the highway was crawling. MB called on the cell to say she was going to be on the 5:20 train out of NYC. Back at my mom's place, she transferred our goodies to picnic totes. I played some guitar, working on our JSB piece, Bicycling and some of my compositions. A little after 5 we headed out to pick up MB. Yay!
We were going to head straight off to our concert, but MB wanted to stop off at home. I rested my eyes, sitting on the couch, while she took a shower. Then, off to Caramoor, in NY state. This drive was a trip back in time for me, passing through many old haunts of my teenage years. We got a little lost, Mapquest letting us down. Eventually found our way to the place. Automatically operated motors swung open the chain-link gate, and we almost lost fillings driving over the grooved pavement just beyond.
Some kids helped us park (college freshman probably). We found our way over to the picnic area, and had quite a lovely feast, sitting on a wooden bench, with our blanket spread as a table cloth. At 7:30 we walked to the venue entrance and picked up our tickets. A little more wandering around, looking at some plantings around a large oriental "dove coat" fountain. We joined the line to be seated. They wouldn't let the expensive coffee drink we'd just purchased into the courtyard. Finally we were seated. A lovely medieval looking courtyard, evocative of a Spanish monastery, large red tasseled awnings, many folding chairs. On stage, a technician tuned a harpsichord, and a stage-hand lit large white candles on tall stands. The program of the evening began with a selection of JSB Brandenburgs. Violin, Viola, Cello (three each), plus one double bass and a harpsichordist. Young players, but obviously very talented, and enthusiastic. They had added some nice touches, passing phrases around and through the ensemble, for example. Lightening flashed in the distance, then closer. Thunder rumbled. They concluded the JSB portion of the program as the first raindrops were falling. The program was paused, and we were told that they were going to wait and see what happened with the weather. We moved in under the overhang formed by one of the side paths along the courtyard. The rain became torrential, with wind whipping the sheeting water, blowing it under the shelters where the audience were now huddled, accompanied by great flashes of lightening, and shortly following booming of thunder. Quite a spectacle. MB entertained my mom and me, showing us some dance moves she'd learned at the workshop in NYC, including a very fun handkerchief dance.
After a time, the rain subsided. They announced the concert would be moved to the larger tented theater. The audience slowly began migrating in that direction. We found very good seats in the new space, and after awhile, the concert picked up where it had left off. Next up was a work (Last Round) by a young Argentinean composer (Oswaldo Golijov), that was an homage to Piazzolla. Very good. Some of these young players have yet to learn that less is more when it comes to body language. One in particular, a cellist in a red dress, telegraphed her interpretation of the emotion of every line with her madly swaying body, grimacing face, arched (or furrowed) eyebrows, and her impassioned tossing around of the head. I had to close my eyes several times, because it was such a distraction from the music. But, her playing was absolutely brilliant, and so, taken as a whole, it was easy to forgive her, the passions of youth. The last piece was Mendelssohn (String octet in E-flat Maj). The first violinists bearing seemed to say that he had every faith in the purity and efficacy of the elixir, distilled by the composer, and brought to life by the bow of his instrument. It could have been Popeye's sales pitch for spinach, for example. I dozed a bit in the middle, but the last movement in particular was fiery and enjoyable.
We took a short walk around. The concert went into "overtime" (a less structured portion of the evening, with smaller ensembles). The first piece was a virtuosic duo between the first violinist and the aforementioned cellist. It was a re-composing of themes from Handel's messiah, I believe. Quite amazing. Such lightness and speed... and very enjoyable uses of advanced violin techniques (playing close to the bridge squeeky harmonics, etc). Next, a Theremin piece. The announcer said something about a Russian device named the ANS (after Scriabin). They played some prerecorded electronic twitterings, but the Theremin was having technical problems and so that portion of the performance was abandoned. Next, a string trio took on some Dvorak's miniatures. The violist seemed to not like playing near the Theremin, thinking perhaps it would explode or give off radiation if he turned his back on it. We left after this piece.
My mom would have sent us off in the wrong direction, but I managed to get us home, despite being quite sleepy by this point. Set up our bedding situation, and after a brief evening sitting, to bed.
Victor and Terry were already there. Martin arrived slightly thereafter, and Alex not much after that. We hauled speakers and gear in, and set up in their main space. The front automatic sliding door was being obstinate. I said hello to a lonely goldfish in a small dirty tank. At the back of the room, on a riser, stood a tall-as-a-man paisley Mr Potato Head. We got our sounds going. My guitar sounds quite a bit better after my treatment of last night. We used the teacher's conference room as a green room. Circled up, then went on right at 10.
The kids were still getting seated (cross-legged on the floor). Age range, I'd say about 3 to 7. Victor did some fussing with our mix as we played an opening circulation. The gremlins had crawled into Alex's guitar. We played a good set, running though much of our available material (Third Relation, Asturias, Eye of the Needle, star circulation, Moving Force, Aspiration, embroidery etc) The bass line in Moving Force was a mess, but otherwise things went pretty well. The kids bounced around like Mexican jumping beans, and were very appreciative.
Afterwards, after our concluding circle in the green room, we loaded back up. I asked Martin where to go for some pizza. He told me about a place called Venus Pizza. I commented that this would be a dangerous name, if one was inclined to spoonerisms. After saying bye to all, I drove off, and found the Venus Pizza... but was sorely disappointed that it was closed for the summer. Next to Venus Pizza, a woman sitting outside a neglected nicknack store called The Briar Patch looked disappointed, but not surprised, when I sped away. Found another pizza place, but they had no slices. Settled for a spinach pie and some energy drinks at the convenience store. Uneventful drive down to my mom's, hitting some traffic in New Haven. Interesting interview with Dan Akroyd on Fresh Air.
Arrived at my mom's around 1:30 PM. She was just getting in the shower. I took a bit of a nap. Around 2 we took a drive out to her internist's office. She introduced me to him. She and I sat around for a while in the waiting room chatting. I watched a salesman from a drug company ply his trade. My mom had some blood drawn. We stopped for gas, and I bought us some refreshments. We drove a few towns over and picked up some food for a picnic planned for this evening: Middle Eastern yummies. The people at the restaurant (that does most of its business in catering) were very friendly, and said that almost everything was cooked in a kitchen under the store-front. We drove back home on side-roads, since we'd noticed the highway was crawling. MB called on the cell to say she was going to be on the 5:20 train out of NYC. Back at my mom's place, she transferred our goodies to picnic totes. I played some guitar, working on our JSB piece, Bicycling and some of my compositions. A little after 5 we headed out to pick up MB. Yay!
We were going to head straight off to our concert, but MB wanted to stop off at home. I rested my eyes, sitting on the couch, while she took a shower. Then, off to Caramoor, in NY state. This drive was a trip back in time for me, passing through many old haunts of my teenage years. We got a little lost, Mapquest letting us down. Eventually found our way to the place. Automatically operated motors swung open the chain-link gate, and we almost lost fillings driving over the grooved pavement just beyond.
Some kids helped us park (college freshman probably). We found our way over to the picnic area, and had quite a lovely feast, sitting on a wooden bench, with our blanket spread as a table cloth. At 7:30 we walked to the venue entrance and picked up our tickets. A little more wandering around, looking at some plantings around a large oriental "dove coat" fountain. We joined the line to be seated. They wouldn't let the expensive coffee drink we'd just purchased into the courtyard. Finally we were seated. A lovely medieval looking courtyard, evocative of a Spanish monastery, large red tasseled awnings, many folding chairs. On stage, a technician tuned a harpsichord, and a stage-hand lit large white candles on tall stands. The program of the evening began with a selection of JSB Brandenburgs. Violin, Viola, Cello (three each), plus one double bass and a harpsichordist. Young players, but obviously very talented, and enthusiastic. They had added some nice touches, passing phrases around and through the ensemble, for example. Lightening flashed in the distance, then closer. Thunder rumbled. They concluded the JSB portion of the program as the first raindrops were falling. The program was paused, and we were told that they were going to wait and see what happened with the weather. We moved in under the overhang formed by one of the side paths along the courtyard. The rain became torrential, with wind whipping the sheeting water, blowing it under the shelters where the audience were now huddled, accompanied by great flashes of lightening, and shortly following booming of thunder. Quite a spectacle. MB entertained my mom and me, showing us some dance moves she'd learned at the workshop in NYC, including a very fun handkerchief dance.
After a time, the rain subsided. They announced the concert would be moved to the larger tented theater. The audience slowly began migrating in that direction. We found very good seats in the new space, and after awhile, the concert picked up where it had left off. Next up was a work (Last Round) by a young Argentinean composer (Oswaldo Golijov), that was an homage to Piazzolla. Very good. Some of these young players have yet to learn that less is more when it comes to body language. One in particular, a cellist in a red dress, telegraphed her interpretation of the emotion of every line with her madly swaying body, grimacing face, arched (or furrowed) eyebrows, and her impassioned tossing around of the head. I had to close my eyes several times, because it was such a distraction from the music. But, her playing was absolutely brilliant, and so, taken as a whole, it was easy to forgive her, the passions of youth. The last piece was Mendelssohn (String octet in E-flat Maj). The first violinists bearing seemed to say that he had every faith in the purity and efficacy of the elixir, distilled by the composer, and brought to life by the bow of his instrument. It could have been Popeye's sales pitch for spinach, for example. I dozed a bit in the middle, but the last movement in particular was fiery and enjoyable.
We took a short walk around. The concert went into "overtime" (a less structured portion of the evening, with smaller ensembles). The first piece was a virtuosic duo between the first violinist and the aforementioned cellist. It was a re-composing of themes from Handel's messiah, I believe. Quite amazing. Such lightness and speed... and very enjoyable uses of advanced violin techniques (playing close to the bridge squeeky harmonics, etc). Next, a Theremin piece. The announcer said something about a Russian device named the ANS (after Scriabin). They played some prerecorded electronic twitterings, but the Theremin was having technical problems and so that portion of the performance was abandoned. Next, a string trio took on some Dvorak's miniatures. The violist seemed to not like playing near the Theremin, thinking perhaps it would explode or give off radiation if he turned his back on it. We left after this piece.
My mom would have sent us off in the wrong direction, but I managed to get us home, despite being quite sleepy by this point. Set up our bedding situation, and after a brief evening sitting, to bed.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Jun, after break
Thursday: Up a little after 7:30. Sitting of sorts. Shower. Morning practices. Phone rang, but didn't answer it. Later when I checked messages, it was Shawn saying he needed to cancel tonight's rehearsal. This actually worked well for me. Fed the cats. Packed the car and headed out.
More great weather, though a little humid today. Went to Jun's for the first time in over a month (he's been in Japan). I was feeling a little sheepish, because I hadn't put as much time into my homework as I would have liked. He talked about some exercises, and then we worked on some improvisation. We're going to play a little recital at the end of the month. I walked out, and got an energy drink (why so expensive?) and some pizza. Sat in my car eating.
In to work. The mysterious bandwidth issue remains mysterious, although I unraveled a little of it. Part of the problem was, I was looking at the median, when actually the average was quite a bit better (I was expecting the throughput to be more consistent, which is why looking at the median seemed to make sense... but actually there was a fairly even distribution, so the average gave a better picture.) Walked out and got coffee and a burrito. Found a bug that was causing things to get gummed up if part of the process took too long. Headed home around 9.
Put a picture in a frame. Changed strings on my guitar and raised the action slightly, also resetting the position of the bridge pick-up. Better tone, although now I think the action is a little too high. Packed a bit. Went out and got a veggie burger at a fast food joint. Printed out directions, a note for the cat sitter, and so on. Still a bit of guitar practice to do, then bed.
More great weather, though a little humid today. Went to Jun's for the first time in over a month (he's been in Japan). I was feeling a little sheepish, because I hadn't put as much time into my homework as I would have liked. He talked about some exercises, and then we worked on some improvisation. We're going to play a little recital at the end of the month. I walked out, and got an energy drink (why so expensive?) and some pizza. Sat in my car eating.
In to work. The mysterious bandwidth issue remains mysterious, although I unraveled a little of it. Part of the problem was, I was looking at the median, when actually the average was quite a bit better (I was expecting the throughput to be more consistent, which is why looking at the median seemed to make sense... but actually there was a fairly even distribution, so the average gave a better picture.) Walked out and got coffee and a burrito. Found a bug that was causing things to get gummed up if part of the process took too long. Headed home around 9.
Put a picture in a frame. Changed strings on my guitar and raised the action slightly, also resetting the position of the bridge pick-up. Better tone, although now I think the action is a little too high. Packed a bit. Went out and got a veggie burger at a fast food joint. Printed out directions, a note for the cat sitter, and so on. Still a bit of guitar practice to do, then bed.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
framing
Wednesday: Up around 8:30. Brief email. I've decided for now I can take a quick peek at the internet when I get up, as long as I don't sit down. Shower. Fed cats. They seem to not like the fish oil I've been putting on their food. Hmmm. Morning practices. Put away laundry. Called the picture framing store. Called the guitar repair shop. Typed up a letter to go along with the house-key for the cat sitter. Loaded up the car with guitars, pictures and so on. Headed off.
First stop: the cat sitters to drop off the key. Once again, couldn't find the direct route I know must be there from my house. The speaker in my cell-phone sounds like it has developed a loose connection. As I drove away, realized the direct route is even more direct than I had thought. Over to a shopping plaza in Everett. Talked to a lady at the picture frame store, and decided to only get one custom frame job. Bought 4 stock frames. Not sure what to do about one other. Looked for some gifts there, but didn't find anything. Stopped in at another store, and again didn't find anything (shopping for mums). Another store proved more successful, though on the pricey side. Plotted a course back to Cambridge. Parked behind Cambridge Music, and dropped off a couple of guitars I'm about to sell. They said that Craig's List is sometimes better for selling guitars than eBay.
In to H Sq. Another pizza breakfast. I wonder why I like pizza so much. It's weird. Finally in to work. Continued in my performance quest. Made some more progress. Retooled my performance measuring code. Still a bit of a mystery why I'm not seeing better transfer rate. I've put in all the optimizations that I know of. Things are moving forward on the NST Weekend. Didn't talk to anyone in the office today, other than a hello or two. Walked out and went to the bank. Saw a man carving a piece of wood, and it looked sort of sad to me. Humans shouldn't spend too much of their time interfacing with inanimate objects. But then it struck me, that's all I do most of the day. Electronic embroidery. Got a coffee and a pastry. Tried three different coffee blends, and they all tasted pretty much identical to me. Got a call from MB. She had a nice night with a friend of hers from the L1. They did some NYC sightseeing. I stayed at work until about 10 PM.
Back home, put out the garbage and recycling. Heated up leftover food from the Grasshopper. Fed the cats. They definitely do not like the fish oil. Leo won't even go near the bowls. Bizarre. Ate while watching the rest of Being John Malkovich. Such a great movie. Now, some emailing, and soon bed.
First stop: the cat sitters to drop off the key. Once again, couldn't find the direct route I know must be there from my house. The speaker in my cell-phone sounds like it has developed a loose connection. As I drove away, realized the direct route is even more direct than I had thought. Over to a shopping plaza in Everett. Talked to a lady at the picture frame store, and decided to only get one custom frame job. Bought 4 stock frames. Not sure what to do about one other. Looked for some gifts there, but didn't find anything. Stopped in at another store, and again didn't find anything (shopping for mums). Another store proved more successful, though on the pricey side. Plotted a course back to Cambridge. Parked behind Cambridge Music, and dropped off a couple of guitars I'm about to sell. They said that Craig's List is sometimes better for selling guitars than eBay.
In to H Sq. Another pizza breakfast. I wonder why I like pizza so much. It's weird. Finally in to work. Continued in my performance quest. Made some more progress. Retooled my performance measuring code. Still a bit of a mystery why I'm not seeing better transfer rate. I've put in all the optimizations that I know of. Things are moving forward on the NST Weekend. Didn't talk to anyone in the office today, other than a hello or two. Walked out and went to the bank. Saw a man carving a piece of wood, and it looked sort of sad to me. Humans shouldn't spend too much of their time interfacing with inanimate objects. But then it struck me, that's all I do most of the day. Electronic embroidery. Got a coffee and a pastry. Tried three different coffee blends, and they all tasted pretty much identical to me. Got a call from MB. She had a nice night with a friend of hers from the L1. They did some NYC sightseeing. I stayed at work until about 10 PM.
Back home, put out the garbage and recycling. Heated up leftover food from the Grasshopper. Fed the cats. They definitely do not like the fish oil. Leo won't even go near the bowls. Bizarre. Ate while watching the rest of Being John Malkovich. Such a great movie. Now, some emailing, and soon bed.
sukhavati
Tuesday: Slept in a bit, up around 10. Laundry. Fed cats. Shower. Morning practices. Cleaned cat box. Headed off to work.
Drove across town. Quiet day in the office. After settling in, walked out and got a couple slices of pizza (which I brought back to my desk to eat). Asked the guy behind the counter about the new owners of the restaurant. He told me a story about a guy who poured a milkshake into a bag. Continued working on performance tuning. The system is getting better, but still is not as good as the existing one, for total bandwidth. Started looking into why my megabytes per second is so low. Decreased the pre-generation time for some substantial gain. Need to make the whole system self tuning... but before I do that, I need to really understand how the variables interact with each other. Email flurry around the NST Weekend course. By the end of the day, we had a date (which should be posted to guitarcraft.com soon), and I put a check in the mail. Headed home around 9.
Back home, made some soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, which I ate while watching a little more of Being John Malkovich (which I'd started in on last night). Saw a little of a film on Joseph Campbell Quite brilliant, but some of the details regarding Tibetan Buddhism were a little off. In a creative synthesis, distortion is introduced. Worked on guitar, Bicycling and JSB Invention 10. Got a call from MB. Some emailing. Now bed.
Drove across town. Quiet day in the office. After settling in, walked out and got a couple slices of pizza (which I brought back to my desk to eat). Asked the guy behind the counter about the new owners of the restaurant. He told me a story about a guy who poured a milkshake into a bag. Continued working on performance tuning. The system is getting better, but still is not as good as the existing one, for total bandwidth. Started looking into why my megabytes per second is so low. Decreased the pre-generation time for some substantial gain. Need to make the whole system self tuning... but before I do that, I need to really understand how the variables interact with each other. Email flurry around the NST Weekend course. By the end of the day, we had a date (which should be posted to guitarcraft.com soon), and I put a check in the mail. Headed home around 9.
Back home, made some soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, which I ate while watching a little more of Being John Malkovich (which I'd started in on last night). Saw a little of a film on Joseph Campbell Quite brilliant, but some of the details regarding Tibetan Buddhism were a little off. In a creative synthesis, distortion is introduced. Worked on guitar, Bicycling and JSB Invention 10. Got a call from MB. Some emailing. Now bed.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
grasshopper
Monday: Slept in, having been up late last night wrapping things up from the weekend. Shower, morning practices. Checked email (while standing up to minimize dawdling), fed cats, and headed to work. Skipped filling water bowls at KKC, since no one is around the week any way.
Ate a pizza breakfast. A mellow day in the office. New bugs floating my way, now that Dn has left the company. Sending some of them off to other folks, closing a couple out. Email. Finally figured out why my code wasn't working as expected. A throttling issue. B is out of the office this week it seems, but it also seems like he tried to not let on that he's out of the office. Some emailing with Wnd. We decided to have dinner at the Grasshopper. Headed over there around 7 PM.
Found a parking spot, and hung around drinking a soda waiting for her to arrive. She did, and we had a nice dinner, then took a walk around Alston, getting some ice cream. MB called on the cell. I talked to her and my mom about plans for the weekend.
Back home, fed the cats. Got a call from MB and we caught up on our weekends. Sounds like she's having a nice time at her workshop. Stayed up late watching the end of a trashy horror DVD I'd rented, and some of Being John Malkovich. Drove out and returned the DVD, a light rain falling. Bed.
Ate a pizza breakfast. A mellow day in the office. New bugs floating my way, now that Dn has left the company. Sending some of them off to other folks, closing a couple out. Email. Finally figured out why my code wasn't working as expected. A throttling issue. B is out of the office this week it seems, but it also seems like he tried to not let on that he's out of the office. Some emailing with Wnd. We decided to have dinner at the Grasshopper. Headed over there around 7 PM.
Found a parking spot, and hung around drinking a soda waiting for her to arrive. She did, and we had a nice dinner, then took a walk around Alston, getting some ice cream. MB called on the cell. I talked to her and my mom about plans for the weekend.
Back home, fed the cats. Got a call from MB and we caught up on our weekends. Sounds like she's having a nice time at her workshop. Stayed up late watching the end of a trashy horror DVD I'd rented, and some of Being John Malkovich. Drove out and returned the DVD, a light rain falling. Bed.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, day 2
Sunday: Up at 6:30. No explicit requests to change my sleeping posture last night, but the bed did vibrate mysteriously at one point. Shower, then headed up to my tent for some morning practices. Down for breakfast at 8:15. Sat inside, and ate a decadent donut, while getting a report on what it was doing to my intestines from Mk. Talked to a fellow named Bl about who might take over the job of 'A/V dude' since Bb was only staying through Wednesday. We found our man, and I gave him a rundown of the equipment, and what needed to be returned to KKC (and me).
9 AM, and the days first teaching block. We were deep into a complex topic, that I enjoy thinking about, so I had a lot less trouble staying awake. Prsla had some interesting questions. She asked me for help in navigating the logical snares laid out for her. I had my hand up a few times but didn't get to ask any questions. Interesting new terminology introduced. (General and particular I)
There wasn't a whole lot of time between the end of class and lunch. I did some packing and tidying. More instructions for the A/V fellow. Sat with Wnd and Sn at lunch, talking about perception, the sense of smell, and so on. (Salad, bean soup, pasta with pesto). The very lovely woman running the kitchen offered us some Tibetan soup, but it was not vegetarian.
Got involved with a couple more conversations about the A/V situation, and ran out of time to complete my practices before the next teaching block. Packed up my tent and put the last few things in my car.
The next block continued on the same material as the previous. I think I got to the bottom (relatively) of some long standing questions I've had. I asked a question, and the answer was less helpful than the confirmation that the question made sense. I would have liked to stay until the very end, but, my circle needed me, so I slipped out the back of the large tent where the teachings were being held just after 4 PM, and got on the road.
Quite another stunningly beautiful day. Drove with the top down, applying sunscreen while driving, then having to wipe it off my sunglasses. Stopped to get gas, use the facilities, get an energy drink, and make sure I was on the right track... all of which were accomplished. I noticed an injured wasp on my windshield, but couldn't think what to do for it. Hit a little traffic near the Massachusetts boarder, and beyond, but still made it back to Somerville by about 7:10 PM. Stopped and got a fast food veggie burger and so on. Back home, fed the cats, unloaded the car, ate my food, checked email... which reminded me that circle was at Victor's tonight.
Back on the road, and down to Victor's house by 8:25 (10 minutes late). Terry, Martin, Victor and myself in attendance, supplemented by Alex L (who will be known from now on at the Big Lahoski, or simply "the Dude" from now on) later in the evening. Bdg was lying on the floor when I arrived, listening to Martin sing a song. We played 3rd Relation for him, and then he went off to bed. We worked amplified: Bicycling, EotN, Growing Circle, Asturias, Lark's Thrak, Moving Force, Calliope, Hope, Circulation (same pattern as last week, but with 5 of us rather than 7), "Embroidery." When Alex arrived and was getting tuned up and amplified, I helped Jn move their bed so she could get at the dust bunnies. Terrible intonation issues. Before Alex showed up, I was the only Ovation in the circle. I wonder if, as circles become more diverse in terms of the makes of guitars represented, intonation problems will also increase. Some talk about the possible NST Weekend and the venue that Martin looked at. Headed home around 11:30.
When I got in around midnight, MB had left a message saying she was going to bed (She's staying with my mom while she takes a belly dance workshop in NYC). I unpacked, shuffled cars around, and so on. Now, the bulk of my duties for the day are complete, but some daily practice remains, so, I will now attend to that, and then go to bed.
9 AM, and the days first teaching block. We were deep into a complex topic, that I enjoy thinking about, so I had a lot less trouble staying awake. Prsla had some interesting questions. She asked me for help in navigating the logical snares laid out for her. I had my hand up a few times but didn't get to ask any questions. Interesting new terminology introduced. (General and particular I)
There wasn't a whole lot of time between the end of class and lunch. I did some packing and tidying. More instructions for the A/V fellow. Sat with Wnd and Sn at lunch, talking about perception, the sense of smell, and so on. (Salad, bean soup, pasta with pesto). The very lovely woman running the kitchen offered us some Tibetan soup, but it was not vegetarian.
Got involved with a couple more conversations about the A/V situation, and ran out of time to complete my practices before the next teaching block. Packed up my tent and put the last few things in my car.
The next block continued on the same material as the previous. I think I got to the bottom (relatively) of some long standing questions I've had. I asked a question, and the answer was less helpful than the confirmation that the question made sense. I would have liked to stay until the very end, but, my circle needed me, so I slipped out the back of the large tent where the teachings were being held just after 4 PM, and got on the road.
Quite another stunningly beautiful day. Drove with the top down, applying sunscreen while driving, then having to wipe it off my sunglasses. Stopped to get gas, use the facilities, get an energy drink, and make sure I was on the right track... all of which were accomplished. I noticed an injured wasp on my windshield, but couldn't think what to do for it. Hit a little traffic near the Massachusetts boarder, and beyond, but still made it back to Somerville by about 7:10 PM. Stopped and got a fast food veggie burger and so on. Back home, fed the cats, unloaded the car, ate my food, checked email... which reminded me that circle was at Victor's tonight.
Back on the road, and down to Victor's house by 8:25 (10 minutes late). Terry, Martin, Victor and myself in attendance, supplemented by Alex L (who will be known from now on at the Big Lahoski, or simply "the Dude" from now on) later in the evening. Bdg was lying on the floor when I arrived, listening to Martin sing a song. We played 3rd Relation for him, and then he went off to bed. We worked amplified: Bicycling, EotN, Growing Circle, Asturias, Lark's Thrak, Moving Force, Calliope, Hope, Circulation (same pattern as last week, but with 5 of us rather than 7), "Embroidery." When Alex arrived and was getting tuned up and amplified, I helped Jn move their bed so she could get at the dust bunnies. Terrible intonation issues. Before Alex showed up, I was the only Ovation in the circle. I wonder if, as circles become more diverse in terms of the makes of guitars represented, intonation problems will also increase. Some talk about the possible NST Weekend and the venue that Martin looked at. Headed home around 11:30.
When I got in around midnight, MB had left a message saying she was going to bed (She's staying with my mom while she takes a belly dance workshop in NYC). I unpacked, shuffled cars around, and so on. Now, the bulk of my duties for the day are complete, but some daily practice remains, so, I will now attend to that, and then go to bed.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, day 1
Saturday: Milarepa Center, Barnet VT. Last night, I was sleeping. My eyes flew open and a face a foot or two from mine said, "Could you sleep not on your back, so you'll stop snoring?" I said, in a surprisingly lucid tone (given I'd been asleep a moment before), "Uh sure. Thanks." Slightly fitful sleep, checking that I was still sleeping on my side. Woke slightly after 6:30. Not quite sure how the morning would go, I wandered over to the main house (I was sleeping in the barn). Took a shower and so on.
Walked up the hill and set up my tent. Same spot as last time I was here. About 3/4 of morning practices in the tent. Then down to breakfast. Had a bowl of Muselix, talking to Wendy and Jn Lc (who I almost gave a ride to). I was recounting the nocturnal demand placed on me, when the fellow standing next to me in the breakfast line said "That was me." He said I was quiet the rest of the night, so that was nice.
Over to the large tent where the teachings were going to take place. Showed Bb how to run the MP3 recorder, and use the video camera. Around 9 the first teaching session began. The lama is a very small and cute elderly Tibetan, with sparkly eyes and an infectious smile. An interesting overview of the history of Buddhism. Then into a commentary on one of Tsongkapa's shortest texts. I was a bit sleepy. Interesting how when the teaching catches my attention, the sleepiness evaporates.
Carried a plastic chair up the hill to my tent and continued with some practices. The weather is amazing. Clear blue sky. They very kindly mowed the meadow, making it nicer for us to walk out to our tents.
Headed down for lunch a bit after noon. Rice, veggies and tofu with ginger tahini sauce. Salad. Sat with Wnd and a woman who live not far from Montpelier. Several people I've met here are relatively new to Buddhism. We talked about carpentry and psychology. Back up to the tent. Almost took a nap, but just lay on my back for a while. Too hot.
Back down for the next teaching block around 1:45. We're washing dishes "commune style" where everyone washes their own. (In fact we each were assigned a set of dishes when we arrived, and a cubby to park them in. How's that for organization.) I had been lobbying for a sterilizing rinse as part of the dish-washing line. I said, in a not soft voice, to one of the organizers "What if someone here had hepatitis?" She blanched and said "Sssshhh.. that's how rumors get started." But, next meal, there was a sterilizing rinse. Teaching continued. I was pretty sleepy. He gave an interesting discussion about some of the ways that Buddhism is unique among religions, and as a result more compatible with a science based world-view. Wrapped up after some Q&A around, 4:30. Up to my tent, and some more practices, sweating in my own private sauna.
Dinner was a bit late. Standing around with Wnd and others. One fellow here has been exploring several other paths of self realization, some of which I'm pretty leery. I think there's a danger in relying too heavily on external means. Listening to hypnotic tapes for example. I think there's a certain stupefaction that occurs, when meditation is being done to you, rather than by you. Sat with Nick and Wnd. Nick had gone swimming in a river up here (not the CT river, but joins up with it.)
Nick ran a discussion group. Quite a lively and informative discussion. I threw a couple of interesting, but not necessarily burning, questions into the mix. Afterwards, took a walk down to the stupa with Debra, Wnd and Sn. Met Damchoe and Geshe Ngawang. We talked about building a stupa at KKC. Back up to my tent for a last few practices of the day. The evening sky... so lovely, the contrast with the blackness of the trees in shadow, far more distinct than you will ever see in the city, the stars and planets slowly being revealed.
Now, having cut my nails and brushed my teeth, sitting in the main house, listening to Wendy talk about yoga. 10:36 PM.
Walked up the hill and set up my tent. Same spot as last time I was here. About 3/4 of morning practices in the tent. Then down to breakfast. Had a bowl of Muselix, talking to Wendy and Jn Lc (who I almost gave a ride to). I was recounting the nocturnal demand placed on me, when the fellow standing next to me in the breakfast line said "That was me." He said I was quiet the rest of the night, so that was nice.
Over to the large tent where the teachings were going to take place. Showed Bb how to run the MP3 recorder, and use the video camera. Around 9 the first teaching session began. The lama is a very small and cute elderly Tibetan, with sparkly eyes and an infectious smile. An interesting overview of the history of Buddhism. Then into a commentary on one of Tsongkapa's shortest texts. I was a bit sleepy. Interesting how when the teaching catches my attention, the sleepiness evaporates.
Carried a plastic chair up the hill to my tent and continued with some practices. The weather is amazing. Clear blue sky. They very kindly mowed the meadow, making it nicer for us to walk out to our tents.
Headed down for lunch a bit after noon. Rice, veggies and tofu with ginger tahini sauce. Salad. Sat with Wnd and a woman who live not far from Montpelier. Several people I've met here are relatively new to Buddhism. We talked about carpentry and psychology. Back up to the tent. Almost took a nap, but just lay on my back for a while. Too hot.
Back down for the next teaching block around 1:45. We're washing dishes "commune style" where everyone washes their own. (In fact we each were assigned a set of dishes when we arrived, and a cubby to park them in. How's that for organization.) I had been lobbying for a sterilizing rinse as part of the dish-washing line. I said, in a not soft voice, to one of the organizers "What if someone here had hepatitis?" She blanched and said "Sssshhh.. that's how rumors get started." But, next meal, there was a sterilizing rinse. Teaching continued. I was pretty sleepy. He gave an interesting discussion about some of the ways that Buddhism is unique among religions, and as a result more compatible with a science based world-view. Wrapped up after some Q&A around, 4:30. Up to my tent, and some more practices, sweating in my own private sauna.
Dinner was a bit late. Standing around with Wnd and others. One fellow here has been exploring several other paths of self realization, some of which I'm pretty leery. I think there's a danger in relying too heavily on external means. Listening to hypnotic tapes for example. I think there's a certain stupefaction that occurs, when meditation is being done to you, rather than by you. Sat with Nick and Wnd. Nick had gone swimming in a river up here (not the CT river, but joins up with it.)
Nick ran a discussion group. Quite a lively and informative discussion. I threw a couple of interesting, but not necessarily burning, questions into the mix. Afterwards, took a walk down to the stupa with Debra, Wnd and Sn. Met Damchoe and Geshe Ngawang. We talked about building a stupa at KKC. Back up to my tent for a last few practices of the day. The evening sky... so lovely, the contrast with the blackness of the trees in shadow, far more distinct than you will ever see in the city, the stars and planets slowly being revealed.
Now, having cut my nails and brushed my teeth, sitting in the main house, listening to Wendy talk about yoga. 10:36 PM.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Heading to Milarepa
Friday: Up later than I should have been last night... I'm a nocturnal animal. Woke around 8:30 as MB was heading out. Last we'll see of each other for about a week. Feeling tired. Shower. Made a list of stuff to take to Milarepa. Packing. Morning practices. Fed cats. More packing. Down basement briefly. Loaded up the car, and headed out.
Quite nice out today, but a little hotter and more humid than the last few days. As I arrived at work, a group was just organizing to have a farewell lunch for Dn. Couldn't say no to that. Walked out with the bunch, and found ourselves at "Smile! Thai Cafe" We had a pleasant but unremarkable lunch, some of the food coming late. Perhaps the most remarkable thing was, that no one said anything about Dn leaving the company. Stopped at CVS on my way back, and got my prescription, and some other items. Eventually actually got down to business. Didn't quite figure out what is going on, but getting closer. Calls from MB and Wnd. Walked out to get a coffee and some ice cream. T walked out with me. It was interesting to hear that despite her different role in the company, our perceptions of our career prospects are very similar. Headed out around 4:30. Saw Rbt in the basement. He looked unhappy.
Just as I got on the road, the clouds opened up. Thunder etc. Decided to take Mem Drive rather than Storrow. Arrived at KKC, as the rain was petering out, at 5:10. Wnd was waiting for me. We packed her stuff into my car and headed off (after retrieving the directions from her car.) Stopped in Concord for some food. The young waiter thought that when I said we were both having the same dish, that I meant we wanted to split one order. As it turned out there was more than enough food for the two of us, so this was a happy mistake. All day I've been very thirsty, perhaps having to do with my renewed coffee intake. And, having drank a lot of water, during the drive I suffered the equal and opposite reaction. We arrived at Milarepa center about 9:30. It's very dark at night in northern Vermont.
People had been trying to raise me, but cell phones don't work up here. I got myself settled, first finding a place in the big tent where the teachings will be given, setting up the audio visual equipment, then staking out a mattress for myself in the carriage house. The time between exiting the car, and my first insect bite was approximately 15 seconds. Still, it's lovely up here, and people are very friendly. I met a woman from Oklahoma who had her first encounter with Buddhism two months ago, and has already sold her business and is now travelling around attending teachings. Sometimes a spark that burns so bright runs out of fuel quickly. I hope that's not true in her case. The brushing of the teeth and so on.
Quite nice out today, but a little hotter and more humid than the last few days. As I arrived at work, a group was just organizing to have a farewell lunch for Dn. Couldn't say no to that. Walked out with the bunch, and found ourselves at "Smile! Thai Cafe" We had a pleasant but unremarkable lunch, some of the food coming late. Perhaps the most remarkable thing was, that no one said anything about Dn leaving the company. Stopped at CVS on my way back, and got my prescription, and some other items. Eventually actually got down to business. Didn't quite figure out what is going on, but getting closer. Calls from MB and Wnd. Walked out to get a coffee and some ice cream. T walked out with me. It was interesting to hear that despite her different role in the company, our perceptions of our career prospects are very similar. Headed out around 4:30. Saw Rbt in the basement. He looked unhappy.
Just as I got on the road, the clouds opened up. Thunder etc. Decided to take Mem Drive rather than Storrow. Arrived at KKC, as the rain was petering out, at 5:10. Wnd was waiting for me. We packed her stuff into my car and headed off (after retrieving the directions from her car.) Stopped in Concord for some food. The young waiter thought that when I said we were both having the same dish, that I meant we wanted to split one order. As it turned out there was more than enough food for the two of us, so this was a happy mistake. All day I've been very thirsty, perhaps having to do with my renewed coffee intake. And, having drank a lot of water, during the drive I suffered the equal and opposite reaction. We arrived at Milarepa center about 9:30. It's very dark at night in northern Vermont.
People had been trying to raise me, but cell phones don't work up here. I got myself settled, first finding a place in the big tent where the teachings will be given, setting up the audio visual equipment, then staking out a mattress for myself in the carriage house. The time between exiting the car, and my first insect bite was approximately 15 seconds. Still, it's lovely up here, and people are very friendly. I met a woman from Oklahoma who had her first encounter with Buddhism two months ago, and has already sold her business and is now travelling around attending teachings. Sometimes a spark that burns so bright runs out of fuel quickly. I hope that's not true in her case. The brushing of the teeth and so on.
Friday, August 05, 2005
jun is back
Thursday: Woke a little later than I would have liked today, but needed the sleep. MB headed off to work. I got up not long after. Shower. Morning practices in guest room. Did a brief bit of emailing, despite my injunction against using the computer in the morning. I said this was going to be hard, right? Called Shawn and confirmed our plans this evening. Paid bills. Some coffee and cereal. Made an appointment with my doctor for a physical. Loaded up the car with my electric rig. Leo was sleeping under a table. Maybe the antibiotics are making him feel ill. Headed out. Dropped the bills in a mailbox.
In to work. Another really lovely day out. More work looking at why my new code fizzles out on larger data sets. Found and fixed some interesting performance problems, but that didn't solve the main issue. Jm asked me and B some questions for a magazine review that is coming out on lag issues. Took a walk out to the pharmacy, but they didn't have my prescription ready. Made a deposit at the bank, picked up some pizza from Pinocchio's. Talked to Dv about something minor. Talked to Mk and B about saving to server volumes. Wnd's dad had an operation today. Email flurry about NST Weekend locations. Think I have a solution to my bandwidth issue. Left around 7:35.
Good session with Shawn (more of the same piece we worked on last week). He had some sad and disturbing news about a mutual friend. Took a walk out and got something to drink (very thirsty). Some more work. We're to think about cover tunes for next week. (Oh, and I got a note from Jun today... he's back from Japan.)
Back home, went live with the KKC image gallery, helped MB with some audio stuff, looked into registering a domain (but it was taken)... And the day is complete.
In to work. Another really lovely day out. More work looking at why my new code fizzles out on larger data sets. Found and fixed some interesting performance problems, but that didn't solve the main issue. Jm asked me and B some questions for a magazine review that is coming out on lag issues. Took a walk out to the pharmacy, but they didn't have my prescription ready. Made a deposit at the bank, picked up some pizza from Pinocchio's. Talked to Dv about something minor. Talked to Mk and B about saving to server volumes. Wnd's dad had an operation today. Email flurry about NST Weekend locations. Think I have a solution to my bandwidth issue. Left around 7:35.
Good session with Shawn (more of the same piece we worked on last week). He had some sad and disturbing news about a mutual friend. Took a walk out and got something to drink (very thirsty). Some more work. We're to think about cover tunes for next week. (Oh, and I got a note from Jun today... he's back from Japan.)
Back home, went live with the KKC image gallery, helped MB with some audio stuff, looked into registering a domain (but it was taken)... And the day is complete.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
tail in the door
Wednesday: Up around 7:40. Shower as MB headed out. Morning practice upstairs. Grabbed the cat carrier from the basement, and the cats from the first floor, then headed to the vets.
A nice woman saw to the cats this time. Leo's tail got caught in the door as she was bringing him back in. A definite vet faux-pas.
Dropped them back home, put away laundry, headed out again. Stopped at Circuit City and bought DV tapes for the upcoming weekend. In to work (great weather again). More performance testing. Trying to figure out why things fall apart with my system when pumping larger chunks of data. Around the time I left for the day I decided it was a duty cycle issue.
Headed to KKC around 6:30. Quite sleepy in class today. I asked a question at the end that continued our discussion of the Tibetan view of the mind/body distinction. Interesting answer. Afterwards, tried to move some files off the MP3 player, but the drive of the computer had been wiped, and I was unable to figure out what software needed to be reinstalled on in. Hung out with Wnd briefly. Headed home about 10:20.
MB was there when I returned. There had been a drumming class and a party at our place tonight, all of which I missed. I made a sandwich of fried onions and soy based Italian sausages. Played guitar. Found some software that was supposed to let me download stuff from the Nomad onto my Mac, but it hangs during file transfer. Soon bed.
A nice woman saw to the cats this time. Leo's tail got caught in the door as she was bringing him back in. A definite vet faux-pas.
Dropped them back home, put away laundry, headed out again. Stopped at Circuit City and bought DV tapes for the upcoming weekend. In to work (great weather again). More performance testing. Trying to figure out why things fall apart with my system when pumping larger chunks of data. Around the time I left for the day I decided it was a duty cycle issue.
Headed to KKC around 6:30. Quite sleepy in class today. I asked a question at the end that continued our discussion of the Tibetan view of the mind/body distinction. Interesting answer. Afterwards, tried to move some files off the MP3 player, but the drive of the computer had been wiped, and I was unable to figure out what software needed to be reinstalled on in. Hung out with Wnd briefly. Headed home about 10:20.
MB was there when I returned. There had been a drumming class and a party at our place tonight, all of which I missed. I made a sandwich of fried onions and soy based Italian sausages. Played guitar. Found some software that was supposed to let me download stuff from the Nomad onto my Mac, but it hangs during file transfer. Soon bed.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
resonance hi-rise
Tuesday: Up at 7:30. Shower, and down basement just before MB headed out. In a stroke of good fortune, the basement was not flooded. We caught it in time last night. Still, the dehumidifier had been working hard, and I felt my practice would be better upstairs. So, that's where I went.
Headed out. Another lovely day. A good day at work. Got my performance measuring code up and running, uncovering some bugs in the process. Began running some stress tests at the end of the day. Dnl told me a strange theory of his about data structures and a programming language he is developing. It's no surprise he is headed back into academia. Martin was off in Western MA looking at a place where an NST Weekend may be held in the near future.
Off to yoga around 6:30. A strenuous session tonight. There was a new person with experience in some of the 'hot' schools of yoga, and I think perhaps Wendy wanted to show her we weren't too wimpy. I gave the new person some tips on establishing a sitting practice (Wendy also gave her some good pointers.) Headed home at 9:15.
Spent a mellow evening at home with the wife. Some soup and a veggie burger. Soon bed.
Headed out. Another lovely day. A good day at work. Got my performance measuring code up and running, uncovering some bugs in the process. Began running some stress tests at the end of the day. Dnl told me a strange theory of his about data structures and a programming language he is developing. It's no surprise he is headed back into academia. Martin was off in Western MA looking at a place where an NST Weekend may be held in the near future.
Off to yoga around 6:30. A strenuous session tonight. There was a new person with experience in some of the 'hot' schools of yoga, and I think perhaps Wendy wanted to show her we weren't too wimpy. I gave the new person some tips on establishing a sitting practice (Wendy also gave her some good pointers.) Headed home at 9:15.
Spent a mellow evening at home with the wife. Some soup and a veggie burger. Soon bed.
Monday, August 01, 2005
up early/glenn's mind/financial summit/deluge
Monday: Up at 7:30, trying to shift my days a little earlier. MB got up as well, and some contention for the bathroom, but easily resolved. Shower, then down basement for morning practices. New goals: get up a bit earlier, and do not use the computer before getting to work. I already violated the second rule, in unplugging my laptop from the hard-drive, and simultaneously checking email. This will be a struggle. I'm an internet junkie. Back upstairs, and breakfast.
It rained a little in the morning, but cleared by the time I headed out. Stopped at the library and dropped off a score, then to KKC. Geshela and Hln were eating lunch when I arrived and Geshela asked "Who is there?" when I walked in the door. I said "Glenn" and then he replied "Just Glenn?" I said "Uh... Glenn's mind" then he said "Last week you didn't exist at all." and he and Hln laughed... Then we had a nice conversation about Buddhist philosophy, and Geshela encouraged me to keep studying. I swept up in the Gompa, and did water bowls. Hln offered me fruit and coffee, but I declined.
In to work. B was back from vacation, but seemed in an off mood. I worked on some performance monitoring code for my new subsystem. Talked to Jm and B a bit about an idea I had. Ordered cat pills. Made a vet appointment (for the cats, not for me.) Around 6 I took a break and walked out around the block. A woman gave me a sob story, asking for money... but it was obviously rehearsed. I said no and walked on. Got a slice of pizza at the garage. Some music, by and for, teeny-boppers played on wide-screen. I should say performed by teeny-boppers... most likely written by old pros. Very slick and packaged. The kids on stage were pretending to be entertainers, and the kids watching were pretending to be an audience. But this could perhaps be said of us all.
Back at my desk, spent some time working on my financial spreadsheet for my official budget meeting with MB. More work, feeling sleepy and finding it a bit difficult to concentrate.
Back home, talked to MB's folks briefly, then had the financial summit with MB. I think the surprising thing was, once you factor out the mortgage and bills, how similar our levels of spending are. She ate some food and packed lunches, and I played a little guitar... Sleepy... Thunder outside now.
After writing this entry, a massive thunder and lightening storm got underway. I realized that the large amount of rain that was falling might give me a clue to what was going on with the flooding in the basement. I went outside, and sure enough, the whole little stairwell going down into the basement was flooded. MB came down to help (and couldn't find me at first because I was around back.) I bailed out the stairwell, and made a little hatch to temporarily keep more water from getting in. The flooding was caused by: water coming from the little area between the house and the garage overflowing into the stairwell, the fact that rain can fall directly into the stairwell, and the gutter on the house above the stairwell is clogged and was overflowing in that spot as well.
It rained a little in the morning, but cleared by the time I headed out. Stopped at the library and dropped off a score, then to KKC. Geshela and Hln were eating lunch when I arrived and Geshela asked "Who is there?" when I walked in the door. I said "Glenn" and then he replied "Just Glenn?" I said "Uh... Glenn's mind" then he said "Last week you didn't exist at all." and he and Hln laughed... Then we had a nice conversation about Buddhist philosophy, and Geshela encouraged me to keep studying. I swept up in the Gompa, and did water bowls. Hln offered me fruit and coffee, but I declined.
In to work. B was back from vacation, but seemed in an off mood. I worked on some performance monitoring code for my new subsystem. Talked to Jm and B a bit about an idea I had. Ordered cat pills. Made a vet appointment (for the cats, not for me.) Around 6 I took a break and walked out around the block. A woman gave me a sob story, asking for money... but it was obviously rehearsed. I said no and walked on. Got a slice of pizza at the garage. Some music, by and for, teeny-boppers played on wide-screen. I should say performed by teeny-boppers... most likely written by old pros. Very slick and packaged. The kids on stage were pretending to be entertainers, and the kids watching were pretending to be an audience. But this could perhaps be said of us all.
Back at my desk, spent some time working on my financial spreadsheet for my official budget meeting with MB. More work, feeling sleepy and finding it a bit difficult to concentrate.
Back home, talked to MB's folks briefly, then had the financial summit with MB. I think the surprising thing was, once you factor out the mortgage and bills, how similar our levels of spending are. She ate some food and packed lunches, and I played a little guitar... Sleepy... Thunder outside now.
After writing this entry, a massive thunder and lightening storm got underway. I realized that the large amount of rain that was falling might give me a clue to what was going on with the flooding in the basement. I went outside, and sure enough, the whole little stairwell going down into the basement was flooded. MB came down to help (and couldn't find me at first because I was around back.) I bailed out the stairwell, and made a little hatch to temporarily keep more water from getting in. The flooding was caused by: water coming from the little area between the house and the garage overflowing into the stairwell, the fact that rain can fall directly into the stairwell, and the gutter on the house above the stairwell is clogged and was overflowing in that spot as well.
shunyata
Sunday: Left a DV tape spooling into my laptop last night. Woke at 6:30 to change tapes, then back to bed for a couple hours. At 8:30, up again, and the last tape in. Shower. Quick breakfast with MB, and headed to KKC at 9:20.
Arrived 9:31. Gave Tsunma-la back the video deck. Suggested a woman who has been having trouble hearing sit behind me near the audio console and listen through headphones. She did, and said later it was a help. Very interesting teaching today about the nature of self (body? mind? both? neither?). I asked a question, but the answer was essentially, "hang on." After class, after some socializing, a pot-luck lunch welcoming Geshela back from India. I talked with Mk about his time spent with a particular well known spiritual guide. Then talked about pigeons and squirrels with Nk and company. Spent a little time hanging with Wnd and Pt. Wnd was supposed to get some help from Ed, but he had a family emergency come up. Jf and Sn gave me a thoughtful little gift. Headed home, but took a drive on the way.
Back home, said hello to MB who was in the front mulching, some emailing, then down basement for practices. When I surfaced, MB was in the backyard doing more gardening. I helped out a little, doing some weeding, also giving Leo the cat a little outdoor time. The weather was a little mixed today: cool with patches of rain, clearing in the late afternoon. When we wrapped up outside, we both washed our hands with poison-ivy antidote. I walked up the street to make a deposit at the bank. Exiting the ATM stall, the fellow entering seemed truly thankful that I held the door open for him. I saw a ladybug (or ladybird) on a concrete pillar, and suddenly it was on my hand. This reminded me of an anecdote from the recent Lebanon course, and of the sometimes futile nature of attempting to provide help. I walked the ladybug back to the end of the parking lot, and let it crawl up onto some leaves in the large stand of weeds there.
Back home, I scanned part of the score of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. I need to return it to the library, and there's a part of it Jun wants me to look at. MB printed out directions to a party she was going to. She headed out. I continued scanning. Some emailing. Before long, it was time for me to leave as well.
South Boston, and an NEGC meeting. Victor, Glenn, David, Alex, Martin, Terry. We worked on playing the first few bars of Third Relation without mistakes. Same with the intro to Calliope. I thought it was a very good thing that Victor pushed us in this way. MB arrived around 9:30, and we switched to working on a circulation pattern (skipping none, 1, 2, 3, etc.) then clapping. We got better at it as we internalized the pattern. The whole evening was a little strange for me, sitting in a new location in the circle (next to Victor). We worked on other repertoire. Hope, fast circulations giving us some trouble. We split into two groups Terry MB and Martin staying put to work on the Bach piece, the rest of us going in the next room to work on Askesis. David picked up the rest of the lead line. Terry MB and Martin played the Bach piece through a couple of times for us. Work on more repertoire. Victor enjoined us to be the circle we could be. I noticed a sign on the wall of the dojo with a similar message. Victor said he was going to get me a Xena poster for my practice room. Talk about the gigs that are coming up. Then just talk.
Walking back to the cars, a neighborhood resident asked if we were playing at the party he was just at. Then he told us about the worst night of his life, which was when the ATM ate his card. I wish that was the worst night of my life! Stopped for gas, and the pump did not eat my ATM card. Back home, heated some soup and made toast as MB fixed us lunches for tomorrow. Ate. Soon bed.
Arrived 9:31. Gave Tsunma-la back the video deck. Suggested a woman who has been having trouble hearing sit behind me near the audio console and listen through headphones. She did, and said later it was a help. Very interesting teaching today about the nature of self (body? mind? both? neither?). I asked a question, but the answer was essentially, "hang on." After class, after some socializing, a pot-luck lunch welcoming Geshela back from India. I talked with Mk about his time spent with a particular well known spiritual guide. Then talked about pigeons and squirrels with Nk and company. Spent a little time hanging with Wnd and Pt. Wnd was supposed to get some help from Ed, but he had a family emergency come up. Jf and Sn gave me a thoughtful little gift. Headed home, but took a drive on the way.
Back home, said hello to MB who was in the front mulching, some emailing, then down basement for practices. When I surfaced, MB was in the backyard doing more gardening. I helped out a little, doing some weeding, also giving Leo the cat a little outdoor time. The weather was a little mixed today: cool with patches of rain, clearing in the late afternoon. When we wrapped up outside, we both washed our hands with poison-ivy antidote. I walked up the street to make a deposit at the bank. Exiting the ATM stall, the fellow entering seemed truly thankful that I held the door open for him. I saw a ladybug (or ladybird) on a concrete pillar, and suddenly it was on my hand. This reminded me of an anecdote from the recent Lebanon course, and of the sometimes futile nature of attempting to provide help. I walked the ladybug back to the end of the parking lot, and let it crawl up onto some leaves in the large stand of weeds there.
Back home, I scanned part of the score of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. I need to return it to the library, and there's a part of it Jun wants me to look at. MB printed out directions to a party she was going to. She headed out. I continued scanning. Some emailing. Before long, it was time for me to leave as well.
South Boston, and an NEGC meeting. Victor, Glenn, David, Alex, Martin, Terry. We worked on playing the first few bars of Third Relation without mistakes. Same with the intro to Calliope. I thought it was a very good thing that Victor pushed us in this way. MB arrived around 9:30, and we switched to working on a circulation pattern (skipping none, 1, 2, 3, etc.) then clapping. We got better at it as we internalized the pattern. The whole evening was a little strange for me, sitting in a new location in the circle (next to Victor). We worked on other repertoire. Hope, fast circulations giving us some trouble. We split into two groups Terry MB and Martin staying put to work on the Bach piece, the rest of us going in the next room to work on Askesis. David picked up the rest of the lead line. Terry MB and Martin played the Bach piece through a couple of times for us. Work on more repertoire. Victor enjoined us to be the circle we could be. I noticed a sign on the wall of the dojo with a similar message. Victor said he was going to get me a Xena poster for my practice room. Talk about the gigs that are coming up. Then just talk.
Walking back to the cars, a neighborhood resident asked if we were playing at the party he was just at. Then he told us about the worst night of his life, which was when the ATM ate his card. I wish that was the worst night of my life! Stopped for gas, and the pump did not eat my ATM card. Back home, heated some soup and made toast as MB fixed us lunches for tomorrow. Ate. Soon bed.
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