It all becomes clear

The Cloudpump

the black-tinted World-Spirit blows from carafes
wind-legs spreadout like fin and
wing in water and air
so that he damns himself decomposer juggler of his
bones cottonwool bridges
he who rolls fruits and rolls birds across the sky
and grinds guidestones like an organ
thus we climb out of him nothing holds us back
and measure twelve bushels of shadow three ells of owls
and are fathomdeep rosegrass
he seduced the swan
he reversed the watershed
he makes neither flowers or ado
he carries a small glass cask

vain is the crown of his head and his mind and carries
mountains and lustre within
at dawn-red at cannon-messinger he must die along with
his core and choir and individual voice
and taps the tuning forks on the thin trunks of his bodies'
nightteats
and mints his blood in small kettles
and splashes the angular night with stars
yes waxwardrobe weather-sheaf-chimes
and when someone doesn't want to there is someone who
wants to and must and can again and would like to and
fills the glasses to the rim and laughs and
neither feels nor smells the other therefore the cradles
rock quickly



The Butterfly incident

A butterfly flashed into my face
A stopwatch image of colorful contrasts
Gold as the promise of love
Black as the trap of hate
Just an instant, then away
A slight smudge on my glasses
Where has it gone
Is it still alive?


Hello Vera

What balm for the bites have you
brought for me

What balm for bites you
brought to me

What balm
What lotion
What salve

For the burns I've got

For the burns you brought


DNA

Late last night about to have a fit
Trying to write a new musical hit
Early in the morning, about a quarter to three
Picking on my guitar till my fingers bleed
I couldn't think of what it could be
Till i finally decided I could write about me
So, by golly, I've written an ode
Here it is my own genetic code

It's a big long string of chemical goo
All mooshed together in a sticky brew
It makes my nose and it makes my toes
And all that gooey stuff inside, I suppose
It makes my head, up under my hat
My brains too, I'm not sure about that
It's what puts my foot in front of my heel
It's what gives me my sex appeal

Four basic lumps thar come in pairs
Making the hip and making the squares
About a billion or so making you and me
Just a couple more than a chimpanzee
All twisted up in a great long rope
Making the mailman, making the pope
You've got some too, don't feel slighted
Just remember now mine's copyrighted.


Heartburn

I used to keep my heart
Locked safe in a steel vault
I've learned since then
I've grown
An imprisoned heart cannot breathe
Now I keep it in a bullet proof vest
Strong but flexible
I'm OK

Getting ready today to leave on the Arizona trip bright and early tomorrow morn.
Probably won't be able to post for awhile.
We are not taking any computers with us on the train..
Maybe I'll be able to go to a coffee shop and mug some nerd, I mean borrow or rent someone else's
But don't plan on it,
Talk amongst yourselves.

A picture, then good bye

Hmmmm........I was going to put the picture here but I like it better up there.
It's a famous rock in Wyoming.
Independence or steamboat or waffle iron or something.

No Comment

Die Wolkenpompe


aus karaffen blast der scwarzgefärbte weltgeist
gleicher windsbeinen ist ausgespannt wie flosse und
Flügel in wasser und luft
daß er sich vermaledeit vervesses jongleurer seiner
knochenstangen watterbrücken
der früchte der vögel über himmel rollt
und steuersteine wie eine orgel dreht
also steigen wir aus ihm
kein haschen hat uns mehr
und messen zwölf scheffel schatten drei ellen eulen
und sind fadentief rosengras
er hat den schwan verfürt
er hat die wasserscheide umge stellt
er macht kein blumen noch federlesens
er träßchen aus glas

eitel ist sein scheitel und sinn und trageit bergen und
glanz darin
am morgenroten am kanonboten muß er sterben samt
seinem kem und chor und einzelvox
und klopft mit den stimmgabein an dis dürren stolen
seiner leiber nachzizn
und münst in kleinen kesseln sein blut
und bespritz mit stemen die eckige nacht
ja wachgarderobe wettergarbengeläute
und wenn einer nicht will ist einer da der will und
mußss und wieder kann und möchte und die gläser
bis zum ranr vollstreicht und lacht und den anderen
weder fühlt noch riecht darum bewegen sich die
weigen im galopp

Jean Hans Arp

And who would dare disagree?




Me and ex wives and business partners

Whew!

I thought I remembered my password, but I was spelling it wrong, so here I am again.

Anyway, today after Derrick's 4th birthday party, we went once more into the Chapel, dear friends.
Where we heard Simple Measures play a program dedicated to DaDa. (sorta)

The first half consisted of Bach's "Coffee Cantata".
"Moon's Ending" set by Andrew Thomas to a poem of Sara Teasdale.
"The Inward Morning" by Don Krishnaswami (brother of Rajan Krishnaswami, the head honcho and chief cello scraper of the group) to the poetry of Henery David Thoreau.
"Die Wolkenpumpe" (The Cloudpump) by Erwin Schulhoff, Hans Jean Arp.
And finally "The Swan" by Camille Saint-Saëns and poetry of Ogden Nash.

Intermission; chocolate chip cookies.
No spinach,(a joke for all you Picasso aficionados)

After that, We had Façade by William Walton, poetry of Dame Edith Sitwell.

Here's the DaDa part; The Bass-baratone who was to sing theThoreau and the Arp got stuck in traffic or somewhat forcing Rajan to reschedule.
"Coffee Cantata" was first, as originally planned but the others, which needed the singer were changed to after intermission, so we got to hear Façade first.
So whatever I told you above intermission is backwards.

Was a great show, anyway.

The musicians were;
Susan Telford, flute/piccolo (you can hear Susan's voice on "Nightmare Prelude" over on my MySpace site)
Sean Osborn, Several clarinets; Brian Chin, trumpet; Michael Brockman, saxophones;
Matthew Kocmieroski, percussion; Rajan Krishnaswami, cello; Ellen Mclain, of the impeccable diction, did the oration and soprano duties; Dave Beck, orator (although he is also a fine cellist who I last heard at the Bach unaccompanied cello extravaganza)And late but not least, Jonathan Silvia, bass-baritone.

DaDa was an art movement inspired by the insanity of the 1st World war when the world(the ones left alive after the guns and the influenza)were knocked silly
by that event.
It was as if the artists involved were saying "if that's an example of humankind's highest most noble behavior, then anything can make sense.

We've gotten worse since then.
Art has apparently given up.

Here's some of the poetry;

Moon's Ending

Moon, worn thin to the width of a quill,
In the dawn, clouds flying,
How good to go, light into light, and still
Giving light, dying

Sara Teasdale

The Swan

Scholars call the masculine swan a cobb;
I call him a narcissistic snob.
He looks in the mirror over and over,
And claims to never heard of Pavlova.

Ogden Nash

It's still poetry month.

Not nice to fool with html?

Yesterday my computer decided that I need a new password.
I didn't even know I had a password.
I no longer have the use of my computer.
Fortunately, Meredith has a new laptop.
At least until she needs a new password.







Salt Creek falls a little further down.

O.K. Glenn has forwarded me something from Alex's site.
I already did this one a while back, but what the heck?
I'm going to cheat a bit because there are no books handy, so I'm going to go back to my other computer, the snooty one that's not talking to me and pick a book there.

'ang on a mo'

O.K. page 123, sentence 5, next 3 sentences.
Unfortunatly, the book is Finnegans Wake, so I'll have to approximate where sentences start and stop.
Hmmm....
I'll start at the paragraph;

Duff Mugly, who now may be quoted by very kind arrangement (his dectroscophonious phyotosensition under suprasonic light control may be logged for by our non too distant futures as soon astone values can be turned out from Chromophilomos, Limited at a millicentime the microamp), first called this kind of paddygoeasy partnershipthe ulykkhean or tetrachiric or quad-rumane or ducks and drakes or debts and dishes perplex ( Some Forestallings over that studium of Sexophonologistic Schizophre-nesis, vol xxiv,pp.2-555)

That's gotta be at least three sentances.
I'm not going to forward this to anyone else.

OOps! there's smoke coming out of my spell-checker, I'd better go

Every Day

Fooling with html again

---

A picture of me, going around the bend.



This area is known as the Mima mounds
It's in Washington, I think.
Nobody can figure out what they are or how they got there.
It's just lumps of dirt.
And, in a greater sense, aren't we all?
With grass growing atop?

Gnarly tree Thursday

O Gnarly tree
O Gnarly tree
I feel just like
You look to me.

You flinch beside one
Straight and true
I wonder what hap-
pened to you.

The same amount
of soil and sun
Why are you the
Unlucky one?

O Gnarly tree
O Gnarly tree
It all seems so
unfair to me.

Will poetry month ever end?
How much of this stuff can you stand?

In spite of the absurd poesy, it's been a good Thursday.
Besides all the comment traffic, the cello project marches on.
Whilst waiting for my coffee, I met up with Seattle's preeminent and most dearly beloved cellist.
I've got contact info and will be sending the cello duet score asap.

For some reason, the toy train whistle and right hand only strings project is producing stuff that actually resembles music of some sort or other.

Long way down

Salt Creek falls.
And so would you,
Faced with a challenge like this.

Less talk, more pictures

At the beach

Tracks off the end of the earth.
The choice, sky or sea?
A lone figure contemplates

Meredith faces the sea,
where will it all end?
I take a picture for you.

Also this weekend, at the Chapel, three o'clock, we are planning to hear "Facade"
I don't remember who it's by or who's playing it.
"Facade" is one of Meredith's favorites
I've never heard it before.

Less talk, more pictures

Planked road, foot traffic only.
Volvos can't come here.
We look back to our way home.

Look at those hills, those valleys.
The earth is not flat.
No matter what my uncle says

This isn't Arizona, it's Oregon, I think.
There might be scenes like this in Arizona, but the Volvo won't be there.
We're taking the train.
I won't have to drive, for what it's worth.
There's always some kind of trade off.
The Volvo used to be named "Leah" because the license plate had a LYA in it.
Since then the plates have been changed twice, last time it was LUU
Now its XGE, make a name out of that.
How do you like your browneyedstationwagon now, Mr death?.

Cat news

The Cat came back, a little worse for the wear.
She's at the vet getting a tune, lube, wash and wax.

Musical events

This Friday, I, or We, may be going to the chapel again to hear the Seattle Chamber Players. I say "may" 'cause even though I do want to go, I may forget, or other impediments to the best laid plans may intrude.

Two new mp3s, Quasimodo is a waltz in 5/4 for piano bass and flute.
Piano Pi was originally to be for four hands but wasn't complicated enough and is now for 3.14159 hands.

MySpace site now has it's fill of palmermusic with the addition of four poems of Joyce poems for piano and tenor, with an oboe in place of the singer because I didn't want to publish the text because Steven, James' grandson, holds on to copyrights so tenaciously.
And besides I don't have a recording of it's one performance.
Bryan did a good job on it and I will try to record it again sometime.

Same story with the Quasimodo piece.

And a computer simulated string quartet.

Early next week Meredith and I will board a train for Los Angeles and thence to Arizona to look at Indian archaeological sites, something she has wanted to do since she studied archeology in college.

We will be back in time for the opera (I Puritani), but any itinerant house guests may have to fend for themselves for a while.
No guarantees as to the diurnal cycle of the hard working Keth.


Here's a picture of the amphibian now rusting in my backyard.
I don't know why I didn't paint the battery cover




Maybe I'll have some more interesting pictures when we get back from the trip.

Splog

Got in a good ride today.
A trip around half of Lake Washington. Down around Renton airport
Then up the Lk Wash trail to I-90 lake to lake trail which is part of the 100 mile
"Mountains to sound" (or something like that) trail.
Then across the floating bridge to Lk Wash Blvd back to Rainier Beach.

So anyway;

Distance, 24.1 miles
Time, 2:21:20
Average speed, 10.2 miles per hour
Maximum speed, 36.9 miles per hour
Total miles since I got the counter, 314 miles.

All on a bowl of Cheerios and a package of Top Ramen

Update

They play once more in Tukwila Today, Sunday, April 20, 3:00 pm, at the Foster PAC 4242 S. 144th St.

ERRATA ALERT!

I thought I had been anticipating the Bruch concert for a long time, turns out it was the last Rainier Symphony concert, the one we forgot to go to.
Sheesh!

This concert featured Beethoven's fourth symphony.
Program opened with Holst's St. Paul's Suite. for this performance the Rainier strings were joined by the Normandy Park Youth Orchestra Advanced Ensemble.
I was duly impressed.
Not only by the Normans themselves but also by how well the whole conglomeration of orchestras worked together.

Then they played Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, and I was even more impressed with the strings.

During intermission, I ran into someone I knew from my volunteer days at the other
symphony.
I didn't finish my sentence about how good they sounded before she said "Illka"
So I had to agree with her although I had been hoping that she would agree with me.
Life's little chicanes.

Ludwig's fourth is a difficult piece.

They play once more in Tukwila tomorrow 3:00 pm at the Foster PAC 4242 S. 144th St.

How an all volunteer orchestra can sound that good with only one concertmaster is quite amazing.
Gosh, The SSO has four cooks stirring the broth, and they, well I can't really say what they sound like these days. So I will just assume they are bereft of the necessary organizational skills to become the second tier band that Paul Meecham said they could be if, well I forget what if.
It was at least four years ago.
Maybe it was if they got rid of me.

Speaking of coincidence, I was wearing a shirt, the one with the SSO logo on the front, that I had been given by another volunteer (back when they still liked me) and this was the first time I ever met someone in Renton from that part of my shadowed past.

Before the show, we ate at the Whistle stop in Renton Had a very tasty shrimp and salmon teriyaki bowl and Meredith had a wonderful looking chicken briata.
She said it tasted terrific. Go there sometime.

Hazelnut

What's the big deal?

Here id the letter I sent to the times in response to an article by a ID believer slamming science.

"Intelligent design" is not a theory. "Intelligent design" is a paradox.
If we need to invoke a "God" to explain the existence of complicated natural mechanisms, how do we explain this "God"?
If this "God" is more complicated than the things it creates, how was it created?
This line of logic leads to infinite regression.
If this "God" is less complicated than the things it creates, the "theory" disproves itself.

What's all the fuss about?
Logical impossibilities are fun to contemplate.

Science is a matter of measuring things so governments can find bigger and better ways to kill people.
Religion is a matter of convincing people to pretend they don't have to die.
They work together to keep us all cowering in fear of one sort or other.

Spent today so far cleaning up the basement, throwing out trash and organizing recycling stuff.

And doing this.

I am in a slump right now, I'll have something more amusing sooner or later.

At least I think it will be Bruch's

This is one of my favorite photos.
I think it is a corporate logo of some sort.


Tomorrow, Saturday 19 @ 7:30, we will listen to Illka Talvi play Bruch's violin concerto with the Rainier Symphony Orchestra doing the doo-wops.
We will enjoy it thoroughly.
There will undoubtedly be some other stuff on the program, but I'd have to go look it up and you can tell by the fact that I've posted a photo that I'm feeling lazy.

Sunday it's the book group.
I can't even remember the book.
I read it, but that was last month.
And it's a whole new ball game now!
A ball game about which I do not intend to write haiku.

I'm sure I enjoyed it.
Or pretended to.
Or perhaps I hated it but am too well bred to make negative comments about anything.
Or anybody.

So don't quote me.

Long day

Got up too early today.
Day got long by the time my 2:00 pm class started. I'm not sure I remember it.
Oh yeah, Rhythm......Gotta work on that.
I'm using my "concerto" for violin and cello right hand only and toy train whistle.

Ooh, I got a great joke, next time you go to a performance of Hamlet, just before it starts up say "knock knock"
Think about it.

Look in Tomorrows Seattle times letters to the editors section.
I've finally got a serious comment printed.
At least that's what I was told.

When I'm out of ideas, I post a picture.
Let's see if I can find a good one





That's the first page of the violin duet.
The composer is listed as Mel O'drama, but it's my copyright.

My Myspace site is working pretty well. I need more live recordings.
I'm working on it.

The cat and M's finger

Today has consisted so far of a trip to the hospital to get M's finger operated on.
She needed a driver because her hand was to be (and still is) all wrapped up.

Last night's NOVA was about Health related issues the of Boston Marathon.
I was interested to see that I am doing approximately what I should be doing when I ride.
Well, except for lack of carbs on the fated last north Lk Wash run.
I remember I had a nice big cinnamon roll at Redmond which took me at a good clip almost to what's it's name city just north of Kenmore.
Where I crashed, so to speak.

By the way, this is the cat that has disappeared.


O.K. It's a picture of the cat

I'm reading an hilarious book called "Wittgenstein's Mistress" maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.
It's by David Markson.

Here's a quote;

"If one wishes to see a cat badly enough, one will doubtless see one."

So, apparently, you've been wishing to see a cat.


Bothell, that's the city's name.

New site

O.K. I've set up the My Space music site.
There's only one tune on right at the moment.
It's the Cello Duet.

My Site

I want to thank Alex Shapiro for showing me how to do this.

Poetry month

I found out this morning that April is supposed to be "Poetry Month".
Now that it's half over.
Here's what I think of poetry.

Th’expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action; and till action, lust
Is perjured, murd’rous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust;
Enjoyed no sooner but despised straight;
Past reason hunted, and no sooner had,
Past reason hated as a swallowed bait,
On purpose laid to make the taker mad;
Mad in pursuit, and in possession so,
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe;
Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.
All this the world well knows, yet none knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

Nice walking bass type of meter
Clever rhyme scheme.
As incomprehensible as war.

Did somebody stuff his OED in a shredder or what?

Is there someone out there who can translate this into English Or even one of the eusual European languages (I can run it through Babelfish)

Anyway, I stole itfrom Jeremy Denk, who can probably make sense of it.

Jeremy Denk is not incomprehensible.
Jeremy Denk is a genius of clarity.
Go to his site (over to your right in the links column) and click on "if you are a brave soul"

---

I suppose I should, but I still refuse to apologize for the following.

1,

The fog rolls in on little cat feet -
Takes a dump in the bay -
Then runs around like a crazy thing -
Chasing nothing.

2,

I must away to the toilet go -
Perhaps to take a leak -
What once was a mighty river flow -
Is now a dribbling creek -

3,

I must go down to the garage again -
Where the lonely Volvo beds -
And all I ask is a good stout wrench -
Faith, courage, and leverage.

4,

Living my freeze dried life -
A spoonful and water makes Thursday -
A spoonful and water makes Friday -
It's easy.

5,

If you are a young man and still full of it -
The symbols mean one thing -
If you are an old man and damn near through with it
The symbols mean other things

So leave me alone, leave me alone.

6,

I was young -
I would rule the world -
With my own brilliant hand -
But I had to sell my lever -
To rent a place to stand.

P.S.

You cannot stop the river's flow -
Dammit!

---

But I can stop this.

Thus to Monday's cats

Drove out to the animal shelter to see if they had found the cat that strayed a few days ago.
Not the Toyota tilter, the other, seemingly more sensible one.
Sic semper felix mundi.
Then spent the rest of the day putting together the last of the cabinetry.
It's still not done, but almost.

Tschüß

Here's a picture of something




You know, this is a sharp lookin' ride.
I wish I could find a better picture.
I have some somewhere.

This not so sunny afternoon.

The Philharmonia Northwest concert consisted of;

1,
Der Freischüts Overture
by Carl Maria von Weber.
This is from an opera about shooting, impressing girls, and dealing with the Devil.
And coming to terms with the realization that these things do not
constitute the wisest course of action.

2,
Piano Concerto No 20
by Wolfgang A Mozart.
Allegro
Romanze
Rondo: Allegro assai

David Shimoni played the piano without swaying, making faces or appealing to heaven for guidance.
Which would have been a disappointment to me if he hadn't done such a good job.
David brought out more depth and substance than I'm used to hearing in Little Joe's
stuff.
My opinion of W.A.M is improved.
It's pretty good music,
but I wouldn't want my kids to listen to it.

The program notes state that;
"The opening movement introduces two distinct voices - the piano, it is amazing how the piano never plays what the orchestra introduces.
Kinda reminds me of P.D.Q.'s theme and variations wherein the variations have nothing whatsoever to do with the theme.
Quoth Professer Schikele "Why not"

A philosophy I allowed to run free in my "12 variations on an imaginary folk song".
Who needs a theme in the first place?

intermission

Symphony No.1 "Spring"
by Robert Schuman.

A difficult piece, (strings and horns, if you catch my drift), I don't blame them for slowing it down a bit.
Still, I've heard it so many times a little variation don't hurt.

It was a slightly gray and partially dribbly day.

Suddenly Freischüts rang out.




Here's a picture of Emily

This sunny afternoon

A warm, languid day at the Chapel, colorful afternoon sunlight through the west facing stained glass windows.

"Gavin and Friends" was pretty good.
The highlight was Hope Wechkin singing settings of Stevie Smith (who I'm going to look up as soon as I finish this)'s poetry
I will risk the wrath of the copyright god and print one;

O Happy Dogs of England

O Happy Dogs of England
Bark well as well you may
If you lived anywhere else
You would not be so gay

O Happy Dogs of England
Bark well at errand boys
If you lived anywhere else
You would not be allowed to make such an infernal noise

The settings (by Gavin Borchert) were lively, humorous and entirely appropriate to the text.
Hope sang beautifully.

After the intermission the stained glass windows were opened and breezes fluttered programs and raw sun rebounded, all equally-angled as is it's wont, off the bright yellow socks of an internationally recognized clarinetist.

After the show M and I repaired to the Moon Temple for lemon chicken and other Asian delights.
I don't know what the yellow socks (actually one of them was orange)had to to with anything.
You know? We also ordered orange chicken.

Freud might have had something going for him after all.

Here's a picture of Stevie Smith (Florence Margaret Smith)

Still uninspired

O.K. I failed to go to the Paul Rucker show, but I;m definitely going to Gavin & friends. That's today @ 4:00 at the Chapel.

The Cello Duet is finished.
Now to get ahold of cellists.
I'm going to go and mow the lawn.
The tile has been grouted and sealed.

When all else fails, show a picture of one of my cars;
this one is one of my exes



I know I've shown this picture before, but I can't think of anything else to say today.

O.K. I've canceled my "My Space" site so I can open a "Band" site. That should happen early next week.
If it works, I'll be able to post more mp3s
Just what you've always wanted.

Katy

.........................................................^

---

Most of my blog time today has been taken up reading yesterday's comments.
I am most gratified to see that Bob Dylan has gotten the recognition he so richly deserves.
There seems to be an inordinate amount of anonymous chatter. I guess that dialogue is what it's all about.

Anyway, I missed the moisture festival 'cuz it's all sold out.

C'est la vie.

I've got work to do, "bye.

First blog of the day, car of the day.

It's early yet, I'm still at home. I'll post something later.

O.K. It's later...at the library....bus ride and coffee done.

Even after all the excitement on the comments section of yesterday's post, I find myself uninspired.
There appears to be no link to Janet Leigh's site, perhaps she heard us coming.
Still, I think that you could try her comment on FFTR, If you click on the picture, it should take you to her site.

Yeah, I just tried that and it worked.

Heres a dumb haiku-like satire on a poem by a guy named Dylan

I wont go gentle
Into that good night
I will drink sixteen straight whiskeys
And put up a fight.

Heres Fido,

Bike ride spec log (splog)

O.K.
Got a ride in.
Here to Boeing field than down the Green a bit to monster road then sort of along the Black into Renton through Fred Meyer's parking lot and on to Rainier blvd to Holyoke and back to here again.
14.2 miles
1:28:04 trip time
9.6 avg speed including several gear change and chain loss incidents.
40.2 maximum speed.

I found a delightful back road with nice curves and a terrific long steep hill (see max speed)

O.K. only 15 miles but it was a relative breeze.
Coulda done two of 'em.
Musta been still a bit sub-meteorological last outing.

Here's Spot,




Whifty as that front bumper looks, it's (was) still a lot stronger than any thing it was fastened to.

New link

Here's Katy's site.

Katy Webber

That's Katy of the moisture festival.
One of the friends I met whilst wasting my time trying to bring some semblance of civilization to the SSO's Soundbridge.
You will recall that I failed miserably at that task.
Or, maybe you wont recall that.

It's early in the day yet.
I'll be Bach.
Or, better, you be Bach,
Albinoni

Ciao!

Naw...you need more than that;

Here's a picture of a car I built, it's in an unfinished state here, but I don't have many pics of it finished.
Maybe I'll do a post on all of 'em someday.
You've already seen the Amphibian.






Actually, it came out rather ugly looking.
This is the only shot that makes it seem even a little bit interesting.

Biblical referance

This just in from God,

Vote ye not for the black man,
Lest ye become an Obama nation.

Wow! I guess that settles it.

Is Ross Perot still running?
Mit Romney?

Back home again, the counter top on the sink side of the kitchen
(where we keep our kitch)
is nailed down and grouted, another milestone.
Actually, it just looks like stone, it is ceramic, I think.
Nailing it is not easy, the stuff is really brittle.

Oh ha, ha!

Anyway doing the grouting took all the time I had yesterday for Fidelio.
Then, in this morning's Times is an article about a cyclist who broke his neck riding where I often ride.
Scary.
This guy used to ride the STP (200 miles) in one day.
My riding partner likes to do that.
I think she has abandoned me 'cuz I'm such a wimp.
Flaking out on a measly 30 miler.

Sic semper gloria mundi (not her real name)

This week looms large for me music-wise.
Thursday, besides school, I will be attending Moisture Festival to hear Katy Webber.
Last time I went to one of these things, both Jeremy and Stuart were in the band.
Jeremy is out in the world somewhere last I heard, maybe Stuart is still with.
We'll see.
Moisture Fest is at Hale's brewery on Leary way between Fremont and Ballard
Music, comedy and thrilling aerialists.
Show starts at 7:30.

Friday, it's Paul Rucker, bassist and visual artist.
His wall art uses musical notation as a theme and his videos feature flaming money.
Reminding me of the last time I gassed up the Volvo.
He'll be at the Chapel, 8:00.

Saturday, it's a matinée, 4:00 at the Chapel
With music by Gavin Borchert and friends.
Read all about it here;

Good Shepard Chapel

Zach?

Zach, the piano player?
Zach, the blogger?
Zach, the dead president?
Send me an address.

Even though I have comments from dead poets, dead imaginary composers, and dead imaginary drug swilling goth poets, I doubt that I'll ever have any communication from any dead presidents.
But, you never know.

So anyway, now it's Monday morning and I've done nothing worth writing about yet but the sun seems to be peeking through so maybe I'll get to ride the bike today.

This just in

While looking through my contacts list trying to find Zach's address, I ran across this SSO and Haiku related e-mail. ROFLOL

Mr. Palmer: Your email is the first that the Symphony has heard
concerning the score that you referenced. It has now been located and
is being sent to you today by Federal Express. The Symphony is not
retaining any copy of it.

Mark Berry

-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Palmer [mailto:lanesavant@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 11:11 AM
To: Berry, Mark
Subject: RE: Seattle Symphony

F. Y.I. You may not know this, but Copyright violations are a Federal
offense

If the SSO wishes to keep my copyrighted material, the price is $10,000.

This price includes all copies that I have, copy of the file on my
computer, and the copyright.
The score that the SSO seems to covet is a 8x11 bound in a pink cover
with a black plastic spiral binding.
The title of the piece is "Six Mechanical Haiku" with the pseudonym of
Chris Shendo overwritten with my crude signature. It was placed on the
shelf in Soundbridge without my knowledge by Bryan Stratton. The SSO has
deprived me of it and continues to hold it illegally.
The SSO has thirty days to submit payment.
In my 13 years running my auto repair shop, I have made the acquaintance
with several very effective collection agencies and your failure to pay
for goods
taken will force me to use their services.

What a hoot!!!

I used to give them money and subscribe annually and subscribe to Soundbridge.

Actually it's more fun this way.

I have more of these things, I saved all my correspondence pertaining to these guys.

Anyway, I gotta run.

Sunday

Reading "Baseball Haiku" edited by Cor van den Heuvel and Nanae Tamura

Besuboru haiku

1,
Fans in the bleachers
Three men on base
I watch the pitchers eyes

2,
I would have been
Fourth out
If they allowed such things

3,
Snow on the field
My glove hanging in the closet
I wait

4,
Crocuses bloom
Grass up
Batter up

5,
Sun in my eyes
Dust in my nose
I'm traded

O.K. enough of that, one last on a non baseball theme.

6,
Tapping plastic keys
Haiku? not Haiku?
Close enough.

Good exercise in learning how to edit, how to cut the bs and expose the core of your
thought.

Sayonara

It's Opera, doc. What did you expect, a happy ending?

This just in from Arts Journal;

Arts Journal

Well, The Tragic Ending's There For The Taking
The composer who created a surprise hit opera from The Jerry Springer Show is setting his sights even lower, planning an opera based on the life of former Playboy centerfold and general train wreck Anna Nicole Smith. "The production, still in the early stages of development, is intended to be shown on the main stage at the Royal Opera House, accompanied by a 90-piece orchestra." The Telegraph (UK) 04/04/08

Those are the things opera is made of.

For me, the day will consist of kitchen projects.

I heard back from the guy I sold the cars to, he's getting a kick out of the Bristol.
That's good to hear.

Speaking of cars Here's some semi-haiku from a piece I wrote about my favorite internal combustion engines.
For wind quartet and piano.

Six Mechanical Haiku.

1, For Karl;

Adventure

Bertha Benz drove a car
Down to the chemist's shop
In eighteen eighty five

2, For Rudy;

Commerce

If you squeeze air it becomes
hot enough to burn
Add fuel
Bang!

3, For Henry;

Joy

Bouncing, Rattling
Model T Ford
Banging, popping
The ragtime car

4, For Enzo;

Freedom

Isn't it lovely
Bright red paint
Twelve cylinders
We go very fast

5, For all the drivers in the world;

Traffic jam

Look at that road
All those cars
Damn, I'm late
Honking only makes it worse

6, For a few brief seconds;

Escape

Quarter mile...
Four seconds...
Not enough time...

Haiku, lowku, you decide.

Real Haiku, yer s'posed to reference the appropriate season.

Also, syllable count is different in Japanese.

Not that I've even got that right.

So, once again, our brief union is rent asunder by the intransigent exigencies of hard cruel fate.

Thursday and Anna

Preparatory to anything else, visit Ilkka's blog about antisemitism. Wicked jab at someone we all know and .....?

So, school back in session.
The usual bus downtown (#7)
Coffee at Ladro
The library, where I made some changes to the mp3 list.
The violin duet is now the salon performance.
The Cello duet is the almost final version. (couple of cuts maybe)
Watched Omniscient Mussel's u-tubes about flying penguins. Whatta larf!

Ummmm.....where I used to get a pizza slice is now a place to get crepes made on site and in sight.
Egg, cheese, mushrooms, and spinach. Yum!

Yum.

Wrapped up in paper so's you can walk and ingest at the same time.
Finished it about the same time I passed Victrola.

David likes the piece (Cello duet) very encouraging, as usual.
I have contacted a local well known Cellist about a performance. We'll see

Oh yeah, Miss Mussel also has a hilarious u-tube of a hockey game/ballet performance.

Think Denk has a typically insightful analysis of a Charles Ives work and fails once again to mention Will Marion Cook.

Unfortunately I had assumed that Paul Taub was going to be performing at the Chapel tonight (Friday) when in actuality the show was last night.
Phoo...I really like what he can do with that silver tube.

Flute music always reminds of......

The hitherandthithering waters of....

Floating world

Elizabeth's concert last night was wonderful.

Duo En

Is the name of the ensemble, consisting of Elizabeth and her husband John, with guest appearance by Marcia Takamura on shamisen

Koto music always makes me feel like I've shed a hundred pounds of earthly care.
It was a shame that after the show, I had to get into a car and drive along a freeway to get home.
I should have been able to stroll along a wooded path next to a languid stream lined with lanterns.

Something I can do over at Kobota Gardens a few blocks away, however.

Besides the koto, bass koto, shakuhachi, and shamisen pieces, there was a short video called "27 Mornings in Winter" an integrated stream of black and white nature images filmed by

Douglas Ethridge

Which was exquisite in it's beauty, even though or maybe because it was in many many shades of gray, just like winter itself.

One outstanding piece was "Harpo's Blues" by Phoebe Snow.
Played on koto and shakuhachi it managed to be blue and ethereal at the same time, a bit like Native American flute music but with less sense of infinite space.

Here's the program;

1 "Haru no Gotoku' (Spell of spring) by Sawai Tadao. Duet for shakuhachi and koto.
2 "Silver River" by John and Elizabeth. Duet for shakuhachi and bass koto.
3 "Ginga" (Milky way) by Sawai Tadao. Duet for koto and shamisen.
Guest artist Marcia Takamura on shamisen
4 "27 Mornings in Winter" Multimedia presentation by Douglas Ethridge.
With "Call of the Cranes" a traditional work arranged by John Falconer

Intermission with cookies

5 "Kazi no Uta" (Song of the Wind) by Sawai Tadao. Duet for shakuhachi and koto.
6 "Moonlit Garden" by John and Elizabeth. Duet for shakuhachi and koto.
7 "Harpo's Blues by Phoebe Snow. Duet for shakuhachi and bass koto.
8 "Hana" (Flourish) by Sawai Tadao. Duet for shakuhachi and koto.

Lovely lovely stuff.

I think Alex would have loved it.

Andre Rieu new music director?

Amazing news from Seattle!
Andre Rieu has been selected as Seattle Symphony's new music director!!!
According to board president;
"We've decided that what the symphony needed was music that our audiences can relate to, rather than complicated stuff that you have to think about.
We want our audiences to be able to relax at a concert and enjoy themselves.

Plus there's all that gorgeous hair.
We expect a great change in our ticket sales........

You know, this isn't working.
The problem is that I've been reading an history of Saturday Night Live
and I've gotten used to imagining that I had a cadre of top notch writers at my beck and call.
I don't and it needs to be posted today or it won't work.
So you see my dilemma,

The original idea was to announce that the new music director would be Ilkka Talvi, with myself, Doug Palmer new composer in residence.
And a list of other highly unlikely changes.

At least I've got my provocative title.
Which is bit too scarily close to being possible, thereby diminishing it's shock value.

I'm sorry for this failure. It could have been funny.
Here's a picture of my favorite car;