Blogging every day

Can be frustrating when one has nothing new either to say or to report.
Which is the present sitch'

I had a cup of coffee this morning.
And a bowl of cheerios onto which I poured some milk (2%, not Harvey)
and a spoon full of sugar.
Scanned the news paper and filled out the crossword puzzle.

Are you bored yet?

Fooled around on the computer and added 7 seconds to the first movement of the Viola concerto.

Went to the store.

Bought pork chops, tortillas, Oreos, and toilet paper.

In that order, as a matter of fact.

And now here I am, trying to find anything even remotely amazing or absurd or funny in any of it.

Oh yeah, the library,
Went to Rainier branch of the Seattle Library, returned a book, and checked out a book.
A book that M had reserved.
Had to take her card and PIN.

Ho - Hum.....

I guess there's always pictures.





Somewhere in Arizona.

Or New Mexico.

Wait here,
I'll go look it up

New Mexico.



Bandelier.




There's some poetry about violas on the last post's comment section.

Suddenly last Friday

In agony as to how the heck I could finish the Viola concerto, I cut and pasted some bars and it seemed to appear as if by magic.

A little polishing and I'll be on to the agony of trying to come up with a 'cello concerto.

There's a lot of competition for a 'cello concerto.

Not so much for a viola, viola is not as appreciated as it ought to be.
people think of it as a low violin when it really does have a distinct voice.

I managed to collect a passel of facebook friends this morning.
People I actually know, some of them, and people who go to the salon others of them.

In this case, a passel is about six, tho there are more pending.

Nothing like gathering friends and loved ones for the season.

Although why the separation between "friends" and "loved ones" I dunno.

Different degrees, I suppose.

Love, the word has so many definitions that even "enemies" falls under one of them.

Theoretically loving one's enemies is supposed to make the world a better place.

As long as I don't have to live with them.

Anyway, Scores and parts are off to the gang of four and the recording project is proceeding apace.





Not very funny today, here's a picture.

Inasmuch as it's getting cold here, I thought you might like something warm and sunny.


It is, or used to be, a church.

Typos

Found this site at

Oboeinsight

It's called

Typealyzer

You enter the address of your blog and it tells you what "type" your blog is.

This is FFTL

ISTP - The Mechanics
[ISTP]
The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.

This is FFTR

ESFP - The Performers
[ESFP]
The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.


I've now got to go due domestic stuff.

Ciao Marcello

Sitting out side the coffee house in the cool November afternoon.
The sun is raimented in it's winter garb but still brings a cheerful note to the season.
I talked to the guy on the corner about Proposition 8 .
We shored up each others philosophy on the matter.

The ACLU plans a supreme court challenge to the disgusting thing.
Shame on California for that.

The religiosos of the world should remember that God created the sun and the stars, the world, and homosexuality.
But he did not create religion.
And yea, they should practice a little appropriate humility.

As this season dawns, I seem to remember that many of our entertainments contain the concept of miracles.

Maybe it's just a prophylactic for Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I'm looking forward to a miracle or two this year.

Perhaps we drained our miracle account with the election, but why not give them a chance to happen?

Che sempre una prima volta

Any it's a kick to sit at an outside table watching the world revolve.

Feel like I'm in an Italian movie.

Arrivederci....Amici!

Horoscope

My horoscope this morning told me to mind my own business.
Wish they had put it on the front page so I could avoid all the "celebrity" nonsense.

And politician's sex lives.

But it was too late, horoscope's in the back with the crossword and I had my nose in other peoples business before I knew.

sorry

Anyway, yesterday was a nice one, snarly weather and all.
Somehow, when the sun shines through evil looking clouds it gives a somewhat Easter like promise of rebirth.

But you know, Promises, eh?

Drove to my old neighborhood to one of my favorite Thai restaurants for lunch(I can never get M to go to Asian food places)

Then to Starbucks for a little apres-midi coffee.

I've got this Tully's gift card I got from my dentist that I ought to use up.
The Queen Anne Tully's seems to have closed.
There's a tea shop going in.
Is tea going to be the big thing now?

Then a short blast down Hwy 99 and up Denny to the SCCC parking lot (5 bucks after noon) and a bipedal jog to the library past Benaroya where I mooned the Symphony as I passed.

Here is something I found while surfing there.
If I remember right this is a French string quartet making fun of our national music.

What?

But that was yesterday, maybe I misremember

I was in an inexplicable good mood.
If I were still a youngster, I might even think I was in love with something.
The horrible dreams I had this morning seem to shore up that analysis.

But still, why waste a good mood?

Why not enjoy the time between now and the inauguration in blissful anticipation of a country turned back to it's yet to be realized former glory?

Why not?

So I went down to the Pike Place Brewery and hoisted a pint of XXXXX Stout
Mooning the Symphony once again as I passed.

Cheers to ya!

Walked most of it off on the return voyage to the school, pausing at the Borders along the way to fall for 75 bucks worth of books.
Never go to a bookstore drunk. Not even if it's only a pint of thick creamy Pike Place Stout.
God loves me and wants me to be happy.

John Adam's new book (pretty good so far, 3 chapters in)
Eric Clapton's biography. Seems to be the same thing as any other Brit guitarist's story.
Change the names and it could be any of 'em.
Still it's Eric Clapton
A CD would have made more sense.
A book about the English language which kept me up until 5 AM.
And a Lemony Snicket that I donated to the Children's Hospital.

And had an amusing time with David and the 2nd movement of the viola concerto (or whatever it may turn out to be)

After hybriding my way along the lake back home, M and I decided to walk the three blocks to Cafe Vignole for a very nice Italian dinner, with Chianti (still working on that alcoholism thing)

Then I read all night.

Remember those leaves I was going to rake days ago.
I'll do that today, I promise.

Now, a reward for reading this far,

Another pretty picture.

Salt Creek Falls, Oregon

Yet another scorecard

On my "myspace" site I have 6 pieces listed.
This is how many times each has been listened to.

Cello duet - 16
Nightmare Prelude - 16
Sad song for solo piano - 35
Four songs for piano and oboe - 9
A string quartet - 10
Far. Cry. Blue - 4

Not the string quartet we'll be recording.

It's after a nice day downtown and I'm reading some books I bought at Borders

I'll tell you about them tomorrow.

Jack Bruce, by the way.

Good night to you all.

And good night Ms Ophelia, wherever you are.

No Volvo

Been fooling around with this poem for years, finally read it.


I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.



- John Masefield

Well, I always thought it was by Jayne Mansfield


My version is;

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

Not as good as Johns, I suppose, but I have been down to the sea
and it didn't turn out well.

It was a lot of work
Cost a lot of money

And my Porsche got vandalized in the marina parking lot.

In the mean time

I'd like to put this on the table for discussion

Elementary, my dear Watson

And You, too Crick.

Say What ?

I'm planning to work an the viola concerto today.
And print out some scores.

Here's some of my favorites;

8 to 2,

14 to 7,

98 to 63 (that was a good one)

113 to 0 (my home team, yechh)

1 to 1.

Also, I've got to practice my check writing skills for the upcoming recording session.



Here's another thousand words.





Once when I was in school the teacher asked for a five hundred word essay.
So I cut a photograph in half and turned that in.

At least, I wish I had done things like that.

Music history

O.K. I've got the quartet together and a date set.
This is destined to be the greatest congregation of musical talent since Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and that other guy got together.

Who was that other guy?

Bruce something,

Nigel Bruce?

No.

Anyway yesterday I stopped and looked at the lake again.

At Leschi.

Where Slo-mo 4 and 5 used to hang out in the 50's



This isn't that view.
I don't have a picture of that view.

This is the Pacific ocean.

More of the murder

Anonomann is worried whether the dead in the mystery is a (or will be was) an "ex" volunteer or an extant one.
Fear not anono, he's an an Ex,
He was found at the door with a mysterious 3/4 inch hole bored into his heart.
The cops tazed him 3 times because he wouldn't stand up so that they could knock him down and cuff him after the hysterical 5th floor employee complained that he was annoying her by laying on the ground crying something about "help" and bleeding all over the new "welcome" mat.

It will be later found out that due to the particles of silver found in the wound, that he was killed by having a flute bored into his chest.
His last words, according to a passerby who didn't want to get involved, were.
"Tell Merghblaaaah" something or other.
but we don't know any of that yet.

More splog

Aw rite.
Finally a nice enough day.
Went to bed early last night hoping I would get up early to make the ride but didn't fall asleep 'till 5 AM!
Just as I decided to bag it and get up then, it suddenly turned into 10 AM!
Phooey!!
But I did it anyway!!!

32.6 miles
in 3:00:40 hours
Average speed 10.8, a fast ride for me considering the hills and all.(3rd West is approx a kilo long)
Max speed 37.8, going down 3rd West (wheeeee!)
1124 accumulated miles.
63 degree temperature.

No wonder I'm out of breath, although I'm not usually.
Then again My legs aren't rubber as per usual.
My legs seem to be developing better than my lungs.
Or, maybe the sweatshirt I wore caused some overheating, ya never know.
Sure felt good to run cold water over my wrists and face, though.

So what else is gnu?
I'm reading Immanuel Velikovsky's account of the time God played pool with the planets.

"WORLDS IN COLLISION"

I mean, Einstein wouldn't let God play dice, he never said anything about pool.

I'm going now to catch some z's so I can be awake all night tonight, too.

So long and remember to hang by your thumbs.

Just making it up as we goes along

I've just been over to Jannie Funster's place

Jannie Funster

leaving esoteric Finnegans Wake quotes.
I spent an inordinate amount of time reading the infernal thing and am desperate to
find some use for those temps perdu.

Also I've been reading some of the father related comments from the kelp

Alex Shapiro, Kelp

So I thought I might as well remember all of mine, being as how I usually remember Mercer at this time of the year.

So in order of appearance;

Palmer, Phillip Carrol, Cowboy, pole climber for Puget Sound Power and Light (Reddy Kilowatt's gang)

Johnson, Harold Orville, Farmer's son, small appliance repair, boxer, homosexual.
taught me an interesting difference between hollywood fighting and the real thing.
Coast Guard during WWII had a plaque in the shape of Iwo Jima.

Mercer, Dean Chabreau, Fire boat pilot, Navy veteran, Pharmacist's mate on the California, survivor of the pearl harbor attack.

Billman, ?,? Didn't ever get to know him, lived on Billman street in N. Las Vegas.
Had some amazingly delicious scotch.
Mom's fantasy rich guy. Didn't last long, turned out to be human, I guess.

Father-in-law,
Col. William Chenoweth, survived the Bataan death march.
Met him only once, lived in San Antonio. (nice river walk) (is that all there is to the Alamo?)

Bob Means, humorist, air traffic controller, German-American Bund until Hitler started sounding weird, brewer, painter, author of, "All in all, a good Life" a tribute to his heroic wife Lois, who never was my mother-in-law.

I lift a pint ta yez all!

More story

O.K. I've figured out who dies in the mystery story.

Here's the story, as per the comment section of an earlier post.

Actually I thought of writing a murder mystery.
Involving "Triangle man" the least employed member of some obscure orchestra.
But thanks to so some creative politicking, the highest paid.
When a murder is committed , he takes it upon himself to solve it.
Remember inspector Clouseau? (you try to spell it)
After he fouls up the case and virtually destroys the orchestra, he is, of course promoted and given a seat on the board.

I havn't decided who dies yet.

With any luck, I never will.

Unfortunately I've determined that the victim must be that loyal hard working volunteer in the education department.
Hellova nice guy.
A decent sort.
Just the type who always gets it in the back.
The innocent, somewhat naive schmuck type
Makes the crime more poignant.

So there's that.

Today is another of those days of siren like meteorological appeal.
An attractive brightness in the sky tempts me to ride.
But there are reasons, reasons.
It's a little late in the day for one thing, a 30 mile ride (which I'm beginning to see as a minimum) takes 3 hours of riding time plus sitting around at a coffee shop or restaurant time.
The temperature is O.K.
There are leaves to rake up.
We bought a new antenna for the TV and it still rests on a chair in the living room.
It would probably work better if we put it on the roof or something.
Gotta do that before the family comes over for Thanksgiving.

AND, Meredith has been forcing alcoholism on me by serving wine for dinner for the last 5 or so meals.
Besides talking me into going to Stellars for pizza and a Guinness.

One Guinness a week is really more like it for me.

If that.

Makes me sleepy.

Dopey.

Probably why I'm sleeping late this week.

That and the remnants of that cold I told you about.

And reading books into the inky depths of the stygian night.

I'll probably settle for raking leaves and hope that tomorrow will be another nice day.

Orphan Annie assures me that it will.

As does Scarlet O'Hara.

And Pollyanna.

Emily, of course does not worry about the weather.

Weather -
Is that thing with wet feathers -
That tracks mud on tour carpet.

Whatta nice day

Perfect for a bike ride.
Sun's out.
Blue skies.
Few clouds.

Took the Toyota instead.

Stopped for coffee and at my fave starbucks.

Parked at SCCC.

Walked downtown to the library.

I guess I'll be talking about the viola concerto today.
First movement, I like. I'll post it one of there days.

Not sure about the start of the second.
Maybe it won't be multi movement.

We never know about such things.

Anyway, I'm not really in the mood for being inside, so perhaps I'll go stroll around searching for bears.
Or bunny rabbits.
Or naked mole rats.

How 'bout a picture?


This is apparently yesterday

I stayed home yesterday because it was cold and rainy.
Wetherman predicted it.
I believed it.
Today was supposed to be worse.
It's not.
It's nice.
Real nice.

If you catch my drift.

Cold wet overcast day.

Yesterday was a nice enough day for a bike ride.
Today is not
Shoulda

Anyway, this link is probably funny.

Palin

I can't watch it from here cause, cause.........whatever it's called, it's too slow.

Sent to me by the other Meredith.
The one from the book group.
Well be getting together on Dec 7 for the next book a book which I haven't read yet.
I'll have to do something about it.
If I have to.
I guess.
They always want to read serious stuff.
Stuff with social redeeming value.

I jist wanna read trash.

Detective stories.
Cop stories.
I especially like spy stories written by former employees where the bad guy turns out to be the boss.
This seems to be most of them
Cop stories are like that, too, if it isn't the chief it's the mayor.

Also, I just read an historic novel.
One about fools.
Specifically Yorick.
You know, that bald guy in Hamlet?

The story is basically a prehash of Hamlet with some extra bells and whistles.
And a happy ending.
Sort of.
There's lots of unhappy middle.
Which makes the ending not totally happy.
But then again it all took place in Denmark in 1100 so they'd all be dead by now anyway.
So, like all endings it's just an ending, a couple of fly leaves, and ads for the next of the series.

But now I'm reading about some drunk geologist about to save the world from environmentalists.

Sorry, I mean he is a tough, hard drinking, two fisted, college educated, oil company suck up.....whoops, Freudian slip.

Any whatever he is there's enough of the usual gunfights, knife fights, fistfights and torture to keep it's comedy mask firmly in place.
Kinda like the Clint Eastwood stuff.
But not as pretty.
It's just a book, white pages, black type.
No blue eyes.

As long as I'm drifting away from the subject here, I jist wanna say if I had some guy with a pistol out to kill me and I had him in my high powered rifle sights at 100 yards and my first shot hit him in the chest with a metallic clang and didn't stop him, my next shot would be a head shot.
But I wasn't directing the thing, was I?

Now, I suppose I should drift back to the subject at hand.
But damned if I can find one.

Other than the ones giving purpose to the predicates

In the sentences.

That's a joke.

The string quartet recording deal is proceeding apace. (crochets = 76)

Meredith the other other one (this one) wants to go to Office Max or some such place for a binder to organize the trip pictures.
So, beware if you ever come to visit, you might have to look at them.

so.....

A tale of two coffee shops.

The cold I thought I had seems to have mostly disappeared, so there was no excuse for not going to class.
There was, however an excuse for not taking the scooter.
Rain.
Cold.
Two excuses.
TWO!
Hahahahaha!

So I drove the Prius to Queen Anne Starbucks because free parking at SCCC is for scooters only and and parking in the morning is for card carrying members only.
AND Q.A. Mercantile is the only place I know that carries enough Ala Francaise bread.
Bread that I could do without since they sold out to Sara Lee.
And I can't get it fresh out of the oven at University Mall anymore.
But it is bread that Keth likes exclusively.
And gives me a chance to visit my old 'hood.
And where I can get that little thrill visiting the place where
I was assaulted in a SSO related traffic incident.

Which just goes to show how truly uneventful my life has been.

Arriving at SCCC early gave me a chance to trot downtown to my favorite Caffe Ladro and load up on even more carbs & caffeine.

Two coffee shops.
In one day!

Anyway The class is always a lift to my spirits.
I've moved on to the viola concerto.
Using the bones of my setting of James Joyce's Ecce Puer
(Ecce Puer means "That's my boy" in Latin)

I am going to take a copyright chance here, hoping that Stevenadams doesn't catch me and print that poem.

Of the dark past
A child is born
With joy and grief
My heart is torn
Calm in his cradle
The living lies
May love and mercy unclose his eyes
Young life is breathed on the glass
The world that was not.
Comes to pass
A child is sleeping
An old man gone
O father forsaken, forgive thy son

David also assures me that he is still on the program to organize the string quartet
recording session

When I got home Meredith suggested a trip to the Whistlestop in Renton in lieu of cooking anything for dinner.

Which is, was, and will be a good idea.

Garlic prawns and a Guinness.

So, as it stands, I am not only under the influence of the Guinness, but also the Very Nice comments from M.K.T about my music on a previous post.

So if my speesth is shlurred a bit and my breath is a bit off,

Thatsh why.

Last post is the same vahze and tile as last time but the flowers are new.

Don't feel like it today

Goin' back to bed

DIABELLI VARIATIONS

I just left a blatant plug for my mediocre music at Oboeinsight.
If anyone actually wants to hear the piece I advertised, it's on

Myspace Site Mp3s

#2 on the list called "Nightmare Prelude"

What about it?

Elektra was a great show.
Wish I could have watched more performances.
The singing, the music, the acting, the lighting and the setting gelled in several places to create very moving moments.

The denouement where Elektra is being torn in two by the combination of utter joy and utter horror is truly terrifying.

Made even more terrific by the acting, which made Elektra quite intelligent.
Which makes the "madness" deeper.

The way all you intelligent people are driven apoplectic by the incredible stupidity and tortured logic of election campaigns.

I, personally, would like to be able to vote all of them off the planet.

Come to think of it, she's being pulled in many directions.
there's the Joy/horror strain and the Mad/intelligent strain.
Makes me think of Hamlet in many ways.

Especially when she gets her chance to kill her nemesis and balks.

After the show, at the Q and A session, Mr Jenkins explained that the appeal of these Greek dramas is that they are about family.

Traditional family values.

Like Hamlet's family, like the family in Godfather or the Sopranos or the
Bushes or some family I never had.

Or the Belfrys, with all the bats at home.

Heckelphones were also discussed.

They are German Bassoons.

If anybody ever asks.

Glenn has received an honor.

Check out Glenn's work at

Glenn

Well deserved honor, I might add. Go read it.