Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Another application

Tuesday: Got up around 9. Email, shower, breakfast. Squandered time on the computer. Down basement for morning practices. Warm out today. Spoke with S. Paid my parking fine.

In to work. Spent the day working on the infrastructure for determining which add-ons can be used ahead of time. Lunch at my desk. Didn't connect with a women that needed a ride in time for her to come to yoga. Sent in an application to a workshop. Left at 6:40.

KKC, and yoga. Class was arranged a little oddly tonight because of the way things are set up for CR. We wound up facing each wall. Very good to get some yoga practice in. A little sleepy at the end. Talked with Wendy about the upcoming events. Not sure what I'm going to do.

Back home, emptied the dishwasher. Drink of water. Shower in the basement, then converence call with folks from the workshop of a couple weeks ago. Very enjoyable. One fellow was at a hockey match.

Upstairs, some guitar. Talked to MB about the gyrations her company is being put through. The parent company needs to make some losses look more acceptable to investors, so they are decimating MB's company and chalking the losses up as "integration expenses." Bean-counters... gotta love 'em.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

bowls first/threw pen

Monday: Slept late. Much needed. Woke briefly as MB headed out, then more sleep. Then, email, shower, fed cats. Decided to go to KKC and do water bowls before anything else. Found my car had gotten a ticket again. Rats. Had to take down the bowls from the day before. CR's translator was in the kitchen when I arrived. In a lovely UK sounding accent she said "Twice the work!" I just smiled and got on with it. A woman came to just be in the room. I accidentally made a sharp sound with the broom hitting the floor, but she didn't startle. Ngwang asked me if I wanted to eat lunch, but I begged off explaining "Me no eat meat."

Back home, ate breakfast (cereal, coffee) Morning practices. The phone rang during, but they didn't leave a message. Tidied up a little. Off.

At work, began with a little research for the next phase of my project. Got pulled into a long meeting on modes of monitoring. Threw a pen at Dv, in a playful way. Stayed to write that up. And that's about all I did today.

Back home, hello to MB. Sat with the cats for a bit. Showed her John Cleese's eulogy for Graham Chapman. Looked at plane fares. Next April is coming into focus. Guitar for about 20 minutes. Hands are out of shape.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Blue Man

Sunday: Eventually decided to drive home, rather than sleeping in Maine. Coffee (red French press). Enjoyable conversation in the kitchen of the guesthouse. Packed up my car and hit the road around 3:45 AM. Stopped for some fast breakfast food (for which I was quite grateful) on the way. Otherwise an uneventful drive. Arrived back home a little after 6 AM. Checked email. Sitting. In bed by 7 AM.

Slept until about 10:30. Then slept some more. Shower. My old friend Grf called. Sounds like he's having some health problems. Talked about my 'float.' Ate some cheese on toast while chatting. Down basement for morning practices. Took a little nap. By the time I came up, it was after 3 PM. MB had made an apple pie. We ate a piece while watching "Twin Peaks." Guitar for an hour. Email. Around 6 we headed in to Boston.

Attended the Blue Man Group. The show has been tweaked a bit since last time I went. Good stuff. It was fun watching the outline of Victor do a dance with a neon fishing pole. After the show, chatted with Victor a bit in the lobby. Headed home.

Heated up Thanksgiving leftovers. Jim W stopped by with something for MB to sign. After he left, she and I ate. After cleaning up, more email. Now this. Very sleepy, so soon bed.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Sauna with NEFFF

Saturday: Slept until around 10:30. Lovely. But the day is shorter. So it goes. Shower and email, then breakfast with MB (eggs and soy sausages). We also made some orange juice. A bit of a mess, because I forgot to switch the juicer attachment.

After cleaning up, took Leo for a wander around the back yard. The little birds that were hovering around the feeder backed off a step. Stowed the tiki torches for next year. Stowed some birdseed in the shed. Some email. Took a walk around the block, then down basement for morning (afternoon at this point) practices.

Sent a song off into the internet space. Packed for my little adventure. Pulled some food together for snacks. Said goodbye to MB and headed out around 4:30.

North, up 95. A light snow falling. Uneventful drive. Called my friend A.R. to wish her a happy birthday.

Arrived at the sauna complex around 7:15. Quite a set-up: At least 4 or 5 individual wood-fired saunas, a large cedar hot tub, and a big enclosed swimming pool, all nestled in the Maine woods. The next 2 and a half hours were spent soaking, and sweating. Some interesting conversation as well. People ran from the hot tub to roll in the snow. One of the organizers scalded his knee.

Around 9:45 we headed back over to the main house. Snacks. Someone began passing around a pipe, and I took an exit from the room to avoid the second-hand smoke. Complications involving who is sleeping where.

Don't buy anything today

Friday: Slept in a bit, having had a spotty sleep, firmly pinned under two cats for most of the night. MB went out to do some yard-work, and I got up. Email. Shower. Downstairs and had some breakfast (cereal, coffee) with MB. We took turns reading a Guitar Player interview with RF from January 1986. Would like to have seen RF play an ocarina. Cold out today. Down basement for morning practices. Sent in my Mendoza '06 application.

MB and I watched the rest of "Sin City." A visually stunning film, if a bit substanceless. Ate some pumpkin kibbie. Headed in to work. Dropped off a video, and picked up another. Dropped off some unwanted books at the library.

At the office, one other fellow was around. I put in 3 hours or so, getting my new code up on its feet enough to run some data. Left a little before 10 PM.

Back home, MB wasn't back from her BD gig. I called her on the cell and she was almost home. So I waited. We walked to the store and picked up a few necessities. On returning, I heated up some leftovers, and ate while we watched the Twin Peaks pilot. Such a good, creepy, show.

Ryan Tassone in a message to ET challenges RF to prove his "Preternatural sensitivities" by way of the famous debunker James Randi. I wonder, could Ryan scientifically prove that his mother loves him? Life is not a controlled experiment.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Thankful for what we've already got

Thursday: A lovely relaxed morning, MB and I making sure to stay in bed until after the noon bell. "Love Cannot Bear" provided the soundtrack. MB had a notable emotional response to the affirmations in the liner notes. Then, a leisurely breakfast (eggs, soy sausages, etc). Down basement for morning practices.

On surfacing, and after a shower, we got to work on dinner. We were both in the kitchen pretty much continually until we ate, around 7:30. The menu included: mashed potatoes, steamed cauliflower and broccoli, mushroom gravy, cranberry sauce with orange zest, pumpkin pie and marinated baked tempeh. We had most of this stuff on hand. MB bought the tempeh a day or so ago. Quite a feast. After the main course I called my mom (MB doing some clean up thought I was talking to her), and later on we talked to MB's parents who told us about the state of the SC school system and how to make a bookmark from a blueberry. Pie and ice-cream. We watched the rest of "Airplane" ("I can make a hat, or a broach, or a Pterodactyl!"). A little guitar, having missed practice for a few days.

The Pilgrim's Thanksgiving was not a traditional meal. They ate what was at hand. And so, I believe that we should institute a new model. Stop shopping for food one week before Thanksgiving. Then, on the day, make do with whatever is in the house. Be inventive, creative, and maybe even a little thankful.

Future Starlets AAD

Wednesday: MB heading out, and out of bed around 8:30. Brief email and shower. Down basement for morning practices. Carried some furniture up from the basement, still re-setting the house after the party. Boiled water for coffee. Set up the humidifier. The fan in it wasn't working. I was giving it a gentle whack, thinking the bearing had probably just gotten gummed up, when I accidentally dropped it. After that, it worked perfectly. Breakfast (cereal, coffee). Wrote a check to Mark B for picks. On my way to work, dropped this in the mailbox.

Cold out today. In the office, realized that my assessment at the end of the day yesterday was completely off base. Things were not working, simply because there was an entire connection that I had not yet made. Did a bit of work on that. Decided I needed more coffee. Walked out. Picked up "Love Cannot Bear" and a Pork-U-Pine Tree CD. Drinking my coffee and eating a tasty raspberry/chocolate tart, with "Acceptance-Affirming" on in the 'phones, I noticed I wasn't listening. But I was enjoying the coffee and tart. At least a little. Good progress on my project. Headed out at 7:40.

Drove over to the Abbey Lounge to see Melisande perform. Ran into Crazy Eddie and Gene Dante, two of my cohorts from Project Eno. Their band was playing at 9. MB showed up after a bit. We watched Meli's set. It was enjoyable, but I kept being distracted by the hockey game on the TV right above the stage. Somehow appropriate given her country of origin. Stayed also for some of Gene Dante and the Future Starlets. Good stuff.

On my way home, stopped to pick up a movie and a couple slices (where "a couple" means "three") of pizza. Had an enjoyable "Lazy-Boy Friday Night" (on a Wednesday) watching "Sin City," eating pizza and leftover Chinese food. Down basement for some practices. MB called, and then returned later on. When I emerged she was asleep. Two cats now seek heat in my lap.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

completed winding

Tuesday: MB's alarm went off at 6, but we didn't really wake up until 8 or so. She headed out. I felt pretty energized this morning. Still getting over sleep deprivation. Email. Shower. Down basement. After mp, completed the mantra winding I'd begun ages ago. Rainy day today.

Drove across town to work, listening to the radio. A brief day at the office. Got my new code up on its feet just enough to run an little data. It seems like it is requesting the same block over and over again though, so more investigation tomorrow. Add-on support. Headed down to see Wnd.

Drove to Newton. The Mass Pike looked terrible, so I decided to take back-roads. Gave Wnd a call and figured out where I was going. It took over an hour to get to her place. We hung out, ate left-overs, watched a pretty grim (but fascinating) show on the Spanish Flu. She gave me some incense for my birthday.

Back home, MB was still out. I went down basement, and had a conference call with some of the folks from the workshop last week. Good to hear their voices. Most doing well. MB returned. She was upstairs practicing guitar when I emerged. I made the bed and folded some sheets and towels while she made lunches. Sorted through mail. It would be nice if bed came before too long.

Monday, November 21, 2005

putting away music gear

Monday: Woke around 8:30 as MB headed out. Web. Downstairs to feed cats. Spent a good chunk of time coiling mic cables and so on, putting the room where the music went on, back in order. Shower. Found my toothbrush had been thrown in the trash. Morning practices. Put things away in the basement. Email. Headed over to KKC.

I couldn't tell if the water bowls had already been done or not, so to be on the safe side, I took them down. Hln said later they already had been. Lots of laughter coming from the living room. Hln gave me a cup of tea.

In to work. Continued my 'feature removal' project, eventually getting things running and hitting bugs in my new code by the end of the day. Also found out what was up with an add-on that we are marketing under our name. Mac and cheese leftovers for lunch. Headed home around 8:10. Rainy out.

MB had just arrived when I got home. I gave her a massage, then we ate some more leftovers, talking about bananas and social action. Some concluding practices and bed soon.

40

Woke around 9. MB had to go to OCBC for a bit. Shower. Mom was up too. I headed down to the basement for some morning practices. Then, breakfast with MB and mom. Eggs, little toasts, soy sausage etc. Some unwrapping of presents. We listened to some music, and watched a bit of a DVD. I game my mom a ride to South Station and dropped her in from of the train entrance.

Over to KKC. Choden Rinpoche, day 2. I was a little less sleepy today, but still drifted in and out. The sound system was better behaved, except we had some interference with the wireless mic. Afterwards, home.

Leftover Chinese food. Got a call from Shawn saying he wouldn't be able to pick up his drums for a week or so. Decided to deal with them sooner rather than later. Packed them up. Noticed a little ding on my electric guitar that hadn't been there before. Drove Shawn's drums over to his house, and left them on the porch. Back home, some daily practices in the basement.

Guitar Circle: MB's friend Ivny was observing. Circulation. IBE counting. Askesis. Thrack clapping. Talking. Improvisation.

Back home, and some more food and cake, talking about the universal end game. Sleepy.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

party

no breakfast, mp, setting up, dangling (MB rescued me), kkc at 1:50. Slightly late. trouble with the mic. Sleepy. Back home to get directions. Slept a little. Socialize. Back home continue setting up. Bn. MB and gang take off. Kit arrives. Jm and Jul. Jun. Shawn.

Jun
Bird Mancini
Shawn and Glenn
Shawn Glenn and Jun, plus Billy from Bird Mancini.
Shawn Glenn and Victor
Guitar Circle New England

F showed but didn't play.
RT wouldn't play.

MB returned and danced (in costume) to IBE and BI (and maybe another). Good stuff. Ngwangs eyes got big. Mta showed up for a bit and ate some food. RT entered with pizza and I said "Pizza man!" I floated and mingled as best I could. Mom seemed to have a good time. Victor was the last to leave. MB and I cleaned up the kitchen. Quite a night!

Friday, November 18, 2005

Floating

Friday: Saw MB leave, then slept in. Web and shower. M arrived to do house cleaning. Down basement for morning practices. Put away laundry. Went out to the grocery store and bought stuff for the party. Unpacked the perishable part of it, then headed out.

Drove to Guitar Center and picked up a couple of PA speakers and some mic cables. Parked at work, and walked to the Gnomon to pick up my b-day flyers. Then in to work finally. A very brief day. Handed out some invites. Continued ripping an old feature out of the program. Shawn gave me a call at 5:30. I walked out and met hum around 5:50.

Back to my place, we unloaded the PA speakers and MB arrived. We all headed off to Manchester NH. There, I spent two hours in a 'sensory deprivation' tank, and MB one hour. It's a bit of a misnomer, because your senses have plenty of input, except for the eyes. But it was a very good experience. A real chance to allow relaxation to occur. I thought I heard bird song near the end, but apparently I was hallucinating. Then, they put a little b-day creation that Shawn had put together over the speakers in the pod. Many friends and relatives wishing me a happy one. Very touching... feeling isolated floating in the dark, yet surrounded by so much love.

The three of us had a nice post-float dinner at an Italian restaurant around the corner (I had eggplant parm, a salad, and tiramisu for dessert. Yum!) Quite an evening.

Back home, Shawn assembled his drums in our dining room. We played each other some little vids on our laptops, then I gave him a ride to a friend's house in the city. Hit construction traffic on the way back, making it a long ride. Now, completing practices for the day.

Reentry

Thursday: Woke around 8:30 as MB headed out, but slept in after she left. Brief web. Shower. Unpacking and laundry. Eventually down basement for morning practices. Packed the car with my electric rig, and headed out.

A good but brief day at work. B said I had been missed, which was nice of him. Continued removing a feature that is no longer needed in the application. Consulted with Dv about adding a new feature for developers that need to analyze data as a pre-pass to processing. Left work around 7:20.

In Arlington, chilly out. Walked up the street and hooked up with Shawn. We got some pizza and then I got a tea and little cookies at Starbucks. Ran through our set a couple of times in the rehearsal space. The first run through was rough, but the second significantly improved. Ended at 10:15. Loaded Shawn's drums into my car and gave him a ride home. On my drive home, ironed out a few details about tomorrow's plans, and the line up for Saturday's party.

Back home, unloaded the drums, carried stuff from the dining room downstairs. Made a stage sort of area. Gave MB a back-rub. She told me about a health-care informational meeting that she had at work today. I made some directions to my place and sent them out. A few things left to do, then bed.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Day 3

Monday: Rain.
Woke at 5:50, but stayed in bed until 6:30 or so. Shower.
7 AM Session 1, physical warm up
8 AM breakfast (waffles)
Took a walk up the hill to the east. Looked in to the two teepees in the small field.
9:30 Session 2
12:30 Lunch (Enchiladas)
Downtime (a sort of nap and some daily practice)
3:00 Session 3
5:45 Half of team back to farm house.
6 PM Dinner (rice, salad, soup)
another half nap. Guitar practice
7 PM Session 4, ending around 10:30
Back to the farm house. Hanging out. Played some guitar while people chatted.