Star Wars

well well, what to say. Quite a lot since my last post.
Hadn't been in the writing (right) mood for a while, so the posts on here slacked quite significantly.
I'm also realizing I haven't done any longform writing, academic or otherwise, in a really long time. So I'm even worse now than I was before, when I was saying "wow I need to get better at writing".
I'm afraid to go read my essays from back in college.
(back in college will still probably feel weird to say 6 months from now.)

Anyway, changes.
I started a job at Sirius XM.

I started a job at Sirius XM!
I'm a part-time board operator, currently doing phone screening and training on production and board-op. Short run through before I forget six months from now:
Screening for Freewheelin' on Road Dog Network. Meredith and Christ T cohosting, Ash on the boards. Noah producer, Christina Columbo guest host. Me and Christina bonded over wrestling today.
Also screening for the Focus Group on Saturdays, very very fun show. We drank proseco and ate oreos for the show before Christmas. John Nash and Tim ----- host. Me and John bonded over Star Wars. Barry on the boards.
Also screened for the Breitbart show with James and Angie, who are very fun and nice. Breitbart show is Tea Party bombast, so it's entertaining and terrifying. I'm glad its listeners seem to live far away from New York.
Now I'm training on the Today Show for production with Matt and Mike. Matt seems a lot like Kyle (my boss at 95.7), which is cool. A very knows-his-shit chill radio type.
Celebrity sightings: first off, my coworkers are Sway and Jim Norton. That's tight. I've walked past them both in the halls multiple times. Sightings: George Takei, Mario Cantone, Pusha T, Foals, Kurt Russel, Tarantino near miss, Tom Green, Judy Gold, Judah Friedlander.
Celebrity meetings: Nils Lofgren, Brian Kilmeade.

Anyways.
writing fuel has gone out a bit. Obviously I need more regular practice.
Star Wars.
Where to begin?
I grew up with Star Wars, though not in the way people who grew up with it when first came out did. I had the trilogy on VHS, before any of the "Specialized" crap but after some audio and visual restoration, so I feel like I had the best possible home viewing experience. I would watch it whenever I was home sick (along with Indiana Jones, and later LOTR), or whenever I felt like it. I grew up with the video games as well, especially Shadows of the Empire. I have a very vivid memory of being very young and waking up around 5am or some such, and deciding the best thing to do would be go downstairs wearing a blanket and play Shadows of the Empire until my family woke up. My Dad, a perennial early bird, woke up a little later and found me, and was more perplexed than mad. He was basically like "uh...well it's too early to be playing video games, go back upstairs and go to sleep."
Further Star Wars upbringing: I had (and still have) a book of illustrated Star Wars info and trivia, things like how C-3P0 works and lightsaber diagrams etc. Also copious Legos (tm), toys, AT-AT action figures etc.

Time for real soul baring? Luke Skywalker is figuratively and literally my hero. As in I love his heroic character and he's one of the heroes in all of media I most identify with and want to be like. That probably has a lot to do with growing up with him as the hero of Star Wars, an iconic and ever present influence on my life and interests. But I also think it's a perfectly written heroes journey, and one of the things I like most about the Original Trilogy (hereafter referred to as Star Wars, where the Prequels will be referred to as the Prequels, or not referred to at all). He changes drastically over the three movies, and within each movie. Even moreso than the other characters, who also develop.
I could probably write a whole other post (read: Essay) about Luke and a celebration of him, so I will. At some point.

The Force Awakens.
yes it does! Spoiler alert I guess. Go see it if you haven't. It is very very good. Great, even. Maybe not as good as Empire, but I'd say as good as A New Hope, and better than Jedi. Empire benefits from better pacing and amazing art direction/film direction. Force Awakens is also great in those realms, but suffers a bit under the weight of having to bridge the two series. Weirdly, it could definitely have some fat trimmed, but I also wanted it to be longer. I think the reason is that the new characters are great. Very great. Like, far surpassed my expectations great. I wanted to spend more time with them in their environments. Rey especially, I think she's the Luke of the new series (and seems to be written as such). Finn is very good, though I think could use a bit more characterization. I liked that the movie did a bait and switch of him supposedly being the new jedi, then having it be Rey, but I also think his character development suffered a bit for having to try to be the jedi candidate to the audience for most of the film. At first I thought Boyega's portrayal was too everyman, but I actually like how that developed, that from the start Finn is a fish out of water thrust into these situations he'd rather run from but eventually becomes a leader in.
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron is even better than I expected it to be. I thought he'd be all glowering or serious and dramatic, but instead he's smarmy and likeable and fun, which is great. Rey is 10/10.
BB-8 is 11/10.
Han and Chewie were great, Leia and C-3P0 were the right tone and amount, R2-D2 will obviously have more work to come. I predict R2 will bond with Rey while BB-8 goes back to Poe and by extension Finn.
Luke. The whole film I was like "we better see goddamn Luke in this film", then towards the end I was like "we won't but that's okay". Then at the very end I was like "oh my god this is perfect." That shot of him standing at the (beautiful Irish) cliff edge with the astral monk hair and beard, with the hair blowing the same way it did towards the beginning of a New Hope. It was like, damn, this really is Luke Skywalker. Which is what Rey was feeling, so great job J.J. Abrams.
Now the long 17 month wait until we finally get scenes of Luke training Rey, which I couldn't have imagined I would want so badly.
Very good movie.


Very long post. Not what I was expecting. Whatever writing fuel I ran out of was replenished once I got going about Star Wars I guess. I still could write pages and pages about it. I guess I'll finish by saying it's very nice to be able to grow up with Star Wars again. And this time it's new for everybody else too. Pretty cool.
Music! I have a few things  I could post, lately I've been into James Brown (still), ragtime piano and R&B oldies. But to keep it thematic, here's :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIjBl0T3q1Y
Han Solo and the Princess (Love Theme), from Empire Jazz, arranged by Ron Carter. May the Force be with you.

Halloween

Short post but it's been a while. Currently watching the World Series and listening to Tim Heidecker on WTF with Marc Maron rather than Joe Buck on Fox.

The living room is still decorated from Halloween last night, we had a great party. Me and Laura set up decorations together during the day while I listened to the new Computer Magic album Davos. Great album.
We all got ready in costumes and drinks and food and music and such and people arrived after 9pm. I was Gustave H. from the Grand Budapest hotel, a costume put together over a few days with some lucky thrift store finds. $40 total for a purple blazer, vest, pants, bow tie, keys and sewing.
Sewed it myself.
Anna, her sister, Zach, Thuto, Thea, Kevin, Yuan, and Paula all came to the party, so it was a great crowd for my contingent. Laura's school friends came and some of Lauren's and Sarah's, about 40-50 people total. It was a rocking time and I DJed well (first time in a while) and we danced and drank and nothing was broken. Actually Lauren broke a shot glass before anyone arrived. But other than that nothing was broken.
Friday was a Halloween party at Kevin and Yuan (and Richard and Edgar's) place, a very fun time. Great to see them all again.
The week was nothing much, meeting at Sirius that hopefully proves fruitful. Comics on Wednesday. 4CC.  Tuesday and Monday uneventful (I'm sure Tuesday and Monday me would disagree).

Last weekend was Kent, Connecticut, for some amazing autumnal adventures. Went pumpkin picking in a real pumpkin patch with East coast family. David, Mark, Colleen, Jackson, Natalie, Mary-Beth, Breana, Melinda and Denis all went (and me). Later we carved and cooked, and Guille and Liz came with Ale and Javi. Javi is walking and adorable. I babysat him for part of the night at it was pretty cool.
Watched football, On the Waterfront, White Chicks, and generally a great weekend.

Weekend before that my parents were here, I've missed writing on lots of things I guess.
I'd say I'll write more about it next time but I never do. But short shots anyway:
We went to dinner at Denis and Melinda's with Peter and Britney (and Anderson), we went to the Highline and the New Whitney, saw Damian Lewis at the New Whitney (not on exhibit), went to some nice lunches and dinners in Crown Heights and around the city.
We went to King's County distillery in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and got a tour from the Co-Founder which was very cool, and saw Fool For Love on Broadway with Sam Rockwell and Nina Ariadna which was very great.  I wish I could see Broadway plays and music concerts every day, but money. That's how I'd live if I were a millionaire. No flashy cars or yachts, just expensive daily events.
We went to dinner with Steve, Andrea and Ken in Bushwhick, and had some great pie in Greenpoint.

Early October saw.....
USA lose to Mexico. Bummer. Very Bummer.
Toni's in town! We've been gallivanting and having fun times.
Maybe the circus party? Or was that in September? Who knows. Facebook knows.
Until the next post!
Oh yeah, music.
Claudio Simonetti, I Love The Piano.
because I do love the piano.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w612sFBJJTU

Monday Night Football

Watching the Packers and Chiefs. The 49ers have been godawful.
Well it's an odd year so not a good sports year anyway.

Short, necessary post because I haven't written in a while. Have I written about Labor Day? It was fun, hanging out in Connecticut with family, golfing, seeing cousin's babies, tennis, great food.
Weeks have been mostly work, which has been boring but money. Philharmonic telefundraising. I enjoy it when I make extra money.

The weekend after was cousin Peter's wife Brittany's 30th birthday party, Anna came which was cool to have her meet my family. I try to have my friends and family hang out as much as possible. It works well because I like them all.
Getting over a slight cold now, doing some reading, looking for more jobs. Hung out with Emilie and Anna a few days ago, also Lizzy's birthday party. Saw Laurel for the first time in forever! We picked up right where we left off. Laurel's great.
Then Kat's birthday last weekend, very fun. Thea and Fiona and O'Gara were there which was cool. Kat is back which is also cool.
I just had a thought to write but forgot.
Oh! I remembered. I watched all of Narcos, which is a very good show. One of my favorites from a long while. I also finished Firefly, which was equally great but way too short. Watching Serenity afterwards was cool.
I went to a record store faire on Saturday and got a bunch of great record, it was really fun. Like a playground. I got 18 for $13, and 4 good quality rare-ish jazz records for $15. Also some jambalaya.

Otherwise this is how I've spent my time: http://imgur.com/onejXFS
I think I have a career in gimmick art (a very lucrative field).

The Isley Brothers covering The Doobie Brothers, Listen To The Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUO5qAYf8So

Pedrito Martinez Concert Report

                        Pedrito Martinez Group Concert Report                  
      A virtuoso is a musician with masterful control of their instrument and their playing, able to give a commanding and emotionally moving performance to the audience with relative ease.  Pedrito Martinez encapsulated all of these ideas on December 17^th at Subrosa in the Meatpacking district, leading his Afro-Cuban jazz group to give a rousing hour long performance.  Using his mastery of percussion as well as an impressive singing voice to provide both melodies and harmonies with the other band members, Martinez fully displayed the heights a virtuoso can reach.
      Upon entering Subrosa I was excited just by the intimacy of the venue.   Subrosa is an extension of the Blue Note focusing on Cuban music and Latin groups, a club still in its introductory stages but with a promising future.  The space featured room for about 100 people at most, but at 7pm on this Wednesday only had about 25 people seated in the audience.  The event was 21 and over, and my friend and I were the youngest in the crowd, with the event drawing a wide ranging audience unified in their musical and cultural interest in the performance to come.  Subrosa was lit with red bulbs and candled tables, conveying both an older elegance and the contemporary chic of the meatpacking district.  Sitting at a table about ten feet from the stage I was very close to the music and musicians, and recognized them as they took the stage as having hung out with their friends in the audience before the show.  This was a show for us in the audience, not just a regular paid concert event, and the intimacy of the venue as well as the band themselves provided this connection. 
      The Pedrito Martinez group themselves are an up and coming Afro-Cuban band, featuring Cuban members who were very happy with Obama’s recent announcement of opening relations with Cuba (they remarked “Obama is in the house” before the show).   The group includes more members on their new Grammy nominated album than were present at the show, but the members present more than made up for their smaller numbers.  Pedrito was featured on congas, stomp pad, African drums and singing, both in lead and harmonic parts.  He was joined by a bassist, another percussionist playing cowbell and bongos, and a keyboardist on a Yamaha keyboard and Korg synthesizer.  The whole group was obviously virtuosic, able to weave through prepared and improvised material and transitions with ease.  It was especially impressive when one musician would start a phrase or introduction of a song, and the other players would seemingly know exactly when to come in with the head of the song despite the solo introduction being completely improvised and without much direct conversation or implications given by the soloist.  The players were so in tune with each other and the direction of the music that they could hear what the audience couldn’t, and even myself being a musician with experience in Afro-Cuban music the rhythms and transitions they played were challenging and intimidating.  The second percussionist was especially impressive, at times creating an entire rhythmic and melodic sound from only a cowbell, taking what is usually considered a simple or blasé instrument and using it with as much technique and variance as a classical cellist. 
      However, Pedrito Martinez was the obvious standout of the night.  He energized and connected with the audience both in playing and conversation, at one point even leaving the stage to come dance with women in the crowd (displaying dance skills as impressive as his playing).  His voice was soaring and strong, and especially impressive considering he was simultaneously playing complex polyrhythms on percussion while singing.  His utilized his voice as both an extra percussive instrument as well as a leading melody, with the other three band members matching his harmonies to provide a driving chorus of voices.  At one point towards the end of the show Pedrito was alone on stage with a set of African drums, about five all set up on one large stand for him to play.  Starting slow and eventually gaining momentum and complexity, the true virtuosic nature of his playing was on powerful display as he mixed polyrhythms with his right hand on three separate drums while providing melodic notes and impressions on a wooden drum block with his left hand.  Pedrito provided the sound of an entire band by himself, at such speeds that would confound a band of regular players each trying to accomplish only one of the voices he was providing. 
      More than anything, the music of the night was exciting.  People in the audience got up and danced, some of them in their 70’s or even 80’s it seemed, and yet still moved by  the music enough to dance in a crowd of at most two dozen.  Lasting a bit over an hour, most of the songs of the concert induced head-bobbing and foot tapping, and even the slower songs less focused on dancing were extremely interesting and captivating.  I was lucky enough to get into the show for free from a mailing list deal, but had I paid the regular twenty dollars for the show I would not have been disappointed in my purchase.  It’s not often you get to see a masterful display of talent and musical prowess, and even less so that you get to be in such an intimate setting to receive it.  Hopefully the Pedrito Martinez Group wins the Grammy for their album, and hopefully this means many more opportunities for me to see them.  This is definitely a group and a leading musician in Pedrito everyone should watch out for.  
Pedrito Martinez Group, Tu Tienes Mala Mana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVKGsCQrAJ8

Obama

What did I promise to write about last time? Bands and bananas? I'll try to get to the bands here but that's not where my inspiration is at currently. I'll write about my day and probably get there though.
I'm listening to Marc Maron's interview with Obama finally. I'm also eating leftover fried chicken from last night (dipped in Sweet Baby Ray's of course), blueberries and fries.
Just finished the fried chicken.
It's a warm summer night, as Chic would say (astute readers can guess this week's song by now).
Our neighbors left a bookcase outside our door for free, I took it for keeps and cleaned it up a bit, threw it in our living room and threw my records on it. I'll pick up my turntable from Brooklyn Heights tomorrow hopefully. More feelings of settlement into the apartment and neighborhood.

I went and practiced soccer against the wall in the playground of the school a few blocks down from us.  Some neighborhood kids were playing basketball across the fence, (I assume they're neighborhood kids), and an older guy was exercising. He eventually joined me in playing soccer, but pulled a muscle while playing. Tough guy though, walked it off and started shadowboxing. Tougher than me.
The kids were loud and betting on the games. Mostly 1 on 1 games, kids wearing jeans on the outside of the court, shorts in the key.
Lost the thread here.
I guess I've just settled into the neighborhood more. On the walk back I played a piano that was sitting out for sale, and accepted a brochure from a local waitress. Cars, birds, reggaeton, sirens crop up in the background occasionally.

We played our last show two Mondays ago.  It was even more of a last show because half our band wasn't there, so it was barely a Metrofono show.  But it was fun. We played one song, thought we were playing two, it was a slow jam version of Miss You that transitioned into a funk jam of Miss You.  We meant to play Fooled Around and Fell in Love after but were cut short because of the jam packed guest list of the open mic.  The guy running the open mic bought our band drinks at the end of the night, which was very nice of him. He didn't have to, he could have just said "tough luck sorry", but he bought us drinks, said sorry, complimented our sound, and shook all our hands. That's the kind of guy I want to be when I'm his age.

What have I done since then? Had some interviews at a razor company, didn't get the job, but oh well. There's lots of jobs I haven't gotten. Socrates didn't get a lot of jobs, he kept true to himself instead. Not that I have a hankering for hemlock, but you get me.

Is this blog stream of consciousness? I should ask my comparative literature roommate.

That last line was tongue in cheek. Blueberry in cheek actually.
I need to get better at writing. It's been a while since I've done serious writing, an essay or something, so forgive me. I'll post my Pedrito Martinez concert review, I'm told it's a good read and a good example of my good writing.
The biggest challenge is trying to be honest instead of clever. Clever is a wall you can easily hide behind. Honest is
a tree facing a wave? A Raisin in the Sun? as honest does?
Clever again. Brevity is the soul of wit, but James Brown had more soul than wit.
That last line is supposed to mean something or be deep, but I think I muddled it.



Alright this post got waaaay to self indulgent. Here's some music for y'all, Chic with A Warm Summer Night from Risque.  Some truly pretty guitar playing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoyMam0Iv2I


Bananas will be discussed at some point.

Beaches, Bands and Bananas

have all been great in my life recently.  Last weekend saw me in Connecticut, but Westport with Emilie instead of Kent with the family as usual. I did Offbeat the Thursday before, which was fun but very tiring (I got home at 7:30AM).  I was worried I'd be too tired to enjoy the weekend, but got lots of sleep and rest Friday and woke up ready for adventure Saturday. And adventure there was! Westport is beautiful, very rich but also very comfortable and homey. It's like a beach town but not the same surfer vibe as California beach towns, more of an outdoorsman country vibe. We felt very outdoorsman as we set up the rusty tent on the beach, it took a while but would prove to be worth it. Me, Emilie, King, Souha and Dan all had a cookout on the beach, made hot dogs, sausages and veggies,  enjoyed a beautiful sunset and lots of fun.  Afterwards we went back to the tent on the beach for a bonfire (which I expertly crafted, years of fireplace stoking experience at home coming in handy). We had s'mores, beers, and played guitar and sang (a particularly weird and funny Simon & Garfunkel version of "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone), and had a generally great night. We slept in the spacious tent right on the beach as the tide rolled in and out.
Waking up to waves and seagulls is pretty unbeatable as far as alarms go.  It was very hot in the tent, which made the wake-up swim all the better. Lots of flies on the beach but flies are flies, worth it for the water.  We got breakfast at a nearby deli, bacon and cheese for me, bacon egg and cheese for them, and fruit galore.  Lots of nice convertibles drove by, many old school, and the whole town breathed a similar mindset.  If I had to call the atmosphere one thing I'd say disarming.
We played soccer on the sandbars during low tide, as well as some volleyball, and went further into the water to play frisbee. Tides are a funny thing. In the morning we swam out 20 yards or so, comfortably in the water by a buoy.  By the afternoon we could walk a hundred, two hundred yards past that buoy, and the water we swam and played frisbee in was only thigh deep.  Its interesting to see people having a pizza party in a spot that will in a few hours time be teeming with fish.
That late afternoon we played some music, ate some food, and hung out with pets. Cats, dogs and wild rabbits, to compliment the egrets, crabs, fish, skunks, shellfish and all manner of wildlife. Not to mention the trees. It was the first time in 6 months I'd been surrounded by so much nature. It was nice.

We kayaked in the sunset, my first kayaking I can remember since Alaska.  No narwhals here, but the beautiful day made up for it.  Striking off into the water on my lone kayak I felt a sincere sense of calm and righteousness.  I think I'll need to sail the world someday, I really belong on the water.  I feel like an adventurer there, maybe its just the physical demand and proximity to watery peril requiring concentration of the mind akin to a zenlike meditation, but it feels nice. Dan decided to trade his paddleboard for a kayak with Emilie's family friend while they were in the water, to expectedly bad results.  The kayak capsized and took on water, unable to overturn, and Emilie and Souha had to tow Dan and the kayak into shore.  I paddled by nearby, feeling somewhat bad about being unable to help significantly, but also just having too much fun in the water to impose on myself.  Oh King had left during the bonfire the night before. He had financial exams, we missed him a lot.
I left with Dan and Souha on the train back to Grand Central, ran into a Columbia acquaintance on it, and got back home around 11PM. A great weekend all in all.

I'm short on time now so I guess I'll get to the Bands and Bananas later.
Tune in next time for a farewell concert at Prohibition, a night of tequila, jazz and pingpong with my cousin John, and something I'll come up with about bananas.

need a minute or two now to think of a song to capture the atmosphere of my time in Westport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7soRMmkUpI
Neil Young, Journey Through the Past

Tell A Friend

Well, I feel like writing again. I reread my first post, it made me cringe in some spots and feel good in other spots. I think these next few posts are going to be more of the stream of consciousness type, try to force myself to write in the moment and without agenda.
Still with the recaps for my own memory though:
Yesterday I interviewed with Fox News Radio. Long delays on the subway from the Women's world cup ticker tape parade. Go USA! I met a nice HR girl named Jennifer, took a written test where I realized I'm still fairly ignorant about American government.  I'm going to study more, regardless of whether I get the job (hopefully). I don't really mind working at Fox News, what I've found at interviewing at a few places and talking to people (read: WNYC and Fox News) is that most people are just there for a paycheck and work, they're not die hard passionate about their ideology.  The head guy I spoke to at Fox News said as much, that he wanted headlines and news, that's it, no politicking or opinions. I liked that. If I have to work in news that's where I'd want to work, though I tried to add a Fox News edge to my written test. When in Rome, or in this case 1211 Avenue of the America's. I met with Jennifer, two nice media desk people, the head guy, and a nice radio woman.  All in all a good experience!
After that I went to midtown comics, though not much good new stuff was out. Still waiting on the next Secret Wars, last days of Ms. Marvel, The Infinity Gauntlet, and Old Man Logan. The new Lando Calrissian comic was good though, nice writing and art style.  Art style is usually my number one priority in a comic, and by art style I basically mean if I like how it looks.  I also went to Guitar Center and actually made some cool sounding stuff on a synth, and less cool sounding stuff on drums. My piano paying is getting pretty good, I need to buy one soon. Craigslist probably.

I got home, turned around and went right back out to watch the USMNT against Haiti game at Amir's in Morninngside Heights. Had great chicken and fries, Dan came and we talked, then me Dan and Anna went to Eric's birthday party at his apartment, which was very fun. Had some good scotch and good conversation. Me and Anna got into an argument over Sweden's laws about free speech and public protest, which is a funny thing to get into an argument about but that's why I like being friends with her. Got home late, woke up late.
Today I'm going to the Met and it's rooftop bar with Anna, Dan, Zach, and lots of people hopefully. Should be fun! I'm making myself late by writing this, so quick recap of other things.

Thursday, went to the Botanical Gardens with Anna, they're beautiful, really nice. After that went on a date with Abby, got sushi and saw Punch Brothers play at a concert in the Prospect Park bandshell. Great concert, though a thunderstorm started and we had to huddle (read: cuddle) under an umbrella. I didn't mind, and lightning occasionally struck in the sky, once even at the climax of their song which was really cool. The crowd was awesome.

Don't know if I wrote about July 4th but it was great, if not I'll write more about it. I've been watching lots of soccer and enjoying summer weather, hopefully that continues. On to the Met!

Here's the Punch Brothers covering Reptilia for the A.V. Club, a website I enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy-bVutHC-s

Shady's Back

Yet another long interim, though I've been doing lots of fun things! Saw D'Angelo and Gary Clark Jr. for free with Dan, James, Bella, Thuto and more. Great show, it rained during Gary Clark Jr.'s set but it made his whirlwind music even more spectacular. I've bee doing more museum trips with Anna, hanging out with Abby, and watching the Women's World Cup. England just lost to Japan in the semifinal on an own goal, it was a heartbreaker. I watched it in a bar around the corner with young black people and an old black man. A Japanese guy walked in during the second half as well. I watched the USA-Germany semifinal's second half there last night, watched the first half in a bar called Tyre? in the lower East Side near Fulton St. It was an old bar my grandpa would like, the kind of bar you'd get stabbed by an old stock broker in.  It's been an eye opener and I don't want to spend too much time in bars. Or at least those kinds of bars. More job applications, some interviews, hopefully I hear back from WNYC tomorrow. I've been playing lots of bass, I'm trying to buy a piano, I bought guitar strings for the old beat up acoustic I got for free in Brooklyn at 285 Kent.

Air conditioners are splendid. I finally paid off the one I had on lending from the girl who previously lived here. I'll try not to use it to much.
I'm most of the way through Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari, I finished The Coloring Book by Colin Quinn a few weeks back. I'm reading full books more often than I did in college, it's a nice feeling. It's also easier to read comedy book than metaphysics papers.

Secret Wars #4 came out today, it was cool! It's been a great run so far, I wish it came out more regularly, which means it's a good book.

Off to listen to some new James Blake and other recommendations from Zack, who has been staying here and visiting NY for the week. Good times all around.
Moonlight Feels Right, Starbuck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD-7ly19vTE
I think I've posted that already, so here also is the OST to Whiplash.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2lWF8ohXuI

Back again

Well well, been a while hasn't it. Over two weeks! Lots happened since then, and lots hasn't happened. Still no job, though things are looking up on the horizon. In the interim I played a gig I haven't yet been paid for, got in business with a temp staffing agency I haven't yet worked for, and I got an apartment I haven't yet slept in. But things are looking up! At least I'm not stuck on the smelly streets of Inwood Heights.
 Melinda had surgery, got out of it and back home, went in for surgery again today. Peter and Britney had a child, Andy, and he's amazing. I saw Liz and Guille and their kids, saw John and more fam. I've been going to museums and concerts with Anna, saw Lucky Chops, saw the Philharmonic, saw the Warriors win the NBA finals.
As I said, things are looking up. I've been eating good food on family dimes, I'd feel bad about it but I've learned to enjoy good food when I can get it. I may start an online radio station.
I'm playing music, I need to play more. Need to get a small drum set, a cheap keyboard, and just go out and gig. Wherever, whoever will take me. I need it.
Losing steam, this wasn't meant to be a long post anyway.
Here's Buddy Miles with "Them Changes", a song title Thundercat just used for the single off his new EP. I'm excited for that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w05CYrXe4p4

Back

Been a long long time since I wrote. Should I even reflect on graduation? I'll post some buzzwords for my own remembering. Getting up early, Friday show was great, played with Metrophono again for my parents and other parents it was really nice, rapped, saw Mad Max with Thuto, had Class Day, Eric Garcetti was awesome Garcetti 2024, sat with Davis and Yuan and co.  Went to lunch after with Denis, Melinda, Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Steve and Andrea. Really nice lunch. Fiori?  long cab ride to get there.  Wednesday saw commencement, sat with GS, it was really great. More early wakeups. Kevin was there went and took pictures, walked into the radio station and the board was there and met my family.  After we went to Artopolis for a final crepe, then we went downtown and walked near NYU, ate at Babbo, and went to Wogie's bar after. Fun times, hung out with Kevin's friends. After that I went to a rooftop lounge, at...The Matriarch? Matador? Near the empire state building. Hung out with Dan and Tim and met their German friends. Then ubered with the rich Germans to The Jane, which was fun because my friends were there. Danced with Metrophono and GS people. Went home around 1:30 because
I had to get up at 9am to clean my room to move out. Columbia has no chill. After moving my stuff down to Brooklyn Heights hung out with parents, talked about the future, still nervous about it.
Sidenote: currently watching wheel of fortune and Pat Sajak just said "why is it the days drag and the years go by so fast?"  Wow thanks Pat now I'm feeling great.
Anyway Thursday and Friday and Saturday saw various family hangouts, saw my brother and his friends some more, got breakfast with him and Jessie. Two days ago Jessie Wyatt stopped in New York for lunch before going to England.  I also got dinner with Peter and Britney, who is due to give birth tomorrow.
These last two weeks or so since graduation have been a blur of apartment hunting, job applications and family hanging out.  Right now its between a place in Crown Heights and at 125th and Broadway.  Inwood Heights and Washington Heights weren't very cool.
Eating reheated Chinese food now. I'll miss Brooklyn Heights luxury. I actually will though. But looking forward to the future!
Music?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sti_tuBiv5g
I Second That Emotion, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles.

Graduation

Starts tomorrow. Been another long time since I posted. Finals are over, grades were great, music has been great.  Played the best concert of my life on Friday. Definitely a highpoint of my life. And I was even on keyboards, not drums! I also rapped express yourself and gettin jiggy with it.  Quite the day.  Last Thursday saw my last Club Soda and Offbeat, both of which were very emotional. Last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were mostly finals and then relaxation after finals. I think I went down to Midtown comics and guitar center on one of the days.  Also rehearsals for the Friday show.

The floor is empty now, except my neighbor Malik who I don't really like. Guys came in to install air conditioners for the summer today. Thanks Columbia.

My Grandpa came to NYC today for the first time in decades. All for me. My parents are here to. It was a really nice day and evening, had a great steak and great drinks and great conversations. Pretty emotional now, but getting ready for everything coming forward. Hopefully tomorrow our Metrophono concert for parents happens and goes well.  Right now I'm emotionally singing along to D'Angelo.  I'm in really love with you.

Hanging up my cap and gown to straighten them out before Class Day tomorrow morning. What a ride.

Si Tu Vois Ma Mere, Sidney Bechet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkdCr9HlRE0

Finals

Haven't written in a long long while, finals will do that I guess. I've had my fill of writing for the past week or so. Pages and pages. And still more pages to come. All good though, and exciting! Hopefully some job stuff comes my way soon, I'm seeing about it now. In other news, not much in other news. Today is Mother's day, called the momma and even the grandmama. I saw Avengers: Age of Ultron yesterday and it was great! I was pleasantly surprised. Now I've been writing papers and watching soccer and writing cover letters, also I took the swim test today. I had to bail on movie watching with Thuto, which I felt bad about, but hopefully we'll see Mad Max next weekend, and with Lizzy! Now I'm going to watch Game of Thrones and go to sleep. Very sleepy, but tomorrow should be alright. Just got 2 quick essays to write. Onwards and upwards!
Some Calypso music which I wrote about a bit today. Uncle Joe, with even a little Carmen at the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AES-P51gzgY

Fight of the Century

What a wonderful day today! I started off with my last drum lesson with Tony, which was a good duo combo playing with Beulah that went well and got good feedback from Tony. I'm still very emotional about it being my last lesson, and if I stay in NY (which it's looking I will) I plan on scheduling more lessons with him, outside of Columbia.
After that I walked down to 96th St. in beautiful sunshine (the 1 was not running downtown from 116, but I didn't mind). I got a banana along the way with change at a street cart. It was delicious.
I arrived at Times Square for Free Comic Day at Midtown Comics. The free selection was plentiful, I got All-New Avengers, Secret Wars, DC Divergence, and two kids comics.  I liked All-New Avengers the best. DC was a bit lacking.  I also bought the final chapter of the Black Vortex saga to support the store. I guess I owe them after reading the whole saga for free in their store.
Before  I entered midtown comics and after I exited the subway however, I encountered a great Egyptian band playing on 7th ave and 41st.  They were there to promote tourism to Egypt, which I thought was a bit odd but they sounded great so I enjoyed it. They had a few people dressed in Egypt costumes dancing, and balloons attached to a sign reading "Travel to Egypt".  When I left midtown comics they were still playing, and they released the balloons to the crowd's pleasure watching them fly up into the Times Square buildings.
I walked uptown towards the park to read my comics, but drifted towards the MoMa and ended up walking in to see if my ID got me free entry. It did, so I spent an hour or so wandering the MoMa and enjoying the art, enjoying the sixth floor most of all. The collection of Monet's, Magritte's, Picasso's and Van Gogh's there is astounding, and the whole floor is spectacular. The Monet Water Lily room remains a favorite of mine, I think it would be difficult to be unhappy or stressed in there.
I left the MoMa and journeyed onward to the park, stopping at the entrance to get two sausages from a cart vendor for far too much money, but they were delicious and better than the hot dogs I'd been planning to get. I ate one at a table at the Columbus Circle entrance, then walked into the park and sunshine to read some comics.  I read the All-New Avengers, moved further into the park chasing the sunshine, and settled at a nice bench next to a softball game to read another. As the sun drifted it started to get chilly, so I walked to the 72 st. station and subwayed back uptown, to finish reading the stack of comics in my room. The end of the Black Vortex saga was particularly nice, and not just because I'd paid for it (though that lent it some extra reverence).
I was tired then and relaxed for a while, watch Louie and some of the Spring 2015 4CCup, then called a bunch of bars to find that the Mayweather-Pacquiao was either not showing or costing 25$. Because of this I had to scrap my viewing plans with Kevin, though it may have been for the best because the fight was very boring. Lots of missed punches and running away.
I also learned that David found two roommates already in Bed-Stuy, which I wasn't expecting, so I sadly won't be leaving there. I'd been looking forward to that, though probably hyping it up too much. I think just the idea of living with musicians and having a piano in my apartment sounded nice. I can probably just get cousin John's keyboard from Denis and Melinda's, and if my future roommates aren't musicians that's more reason for me to get out of the house (apartment) and seek my musician friends out.
Lots of trepidation and panic and nerve wracking about my future, but also lots of hope and excitement and WORK, which is good. I need to do more work. Tomorrow I write a Shakespeare paper, let's hope it's good. My wit needs a whetstone to sharpen its steel. Even that wasn't a very witty sentence. All the more reason.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWG2dsXV5HI
My Favorite Things, by John Coltrane, something my day was filled with.

Oh also I went to WKCR and hung out with Stepan at Saturday Night at the Opera for a while, though I was too preoccupied with my worries and trying to find a stream for the fight to be a good hang outer. I'll go back next week and connect more. Stepan is great and his passion for opera is inspiring.

Midnight Shakespeare

Health has markedly improved since last post! Still a bit sluggish, but I worked out today so that should be a good sign. Spent a lazy Friday mostly in bed, watching Daredevil and soccer, then went out and played drums, played pool, and saw the Columbia Shakespeare company do Much Ado About Nothing at midnight! A fun time running around campus seeing a great version of one of my favorite plays. Anna came too, it was fun to hang out with her. Gemma from my freshman lithum class played Beatrice and was phenomenal. I kind of want to marry her. Not really joking.  Ione played Hero and was also great! Now I'm lying in bed again watching Giants highlights (wearing a Giants shirt) and thinking about how tough it would be to play like Charlie Parker, but it would also be fun. I want to have Questlove's life, and ?uestlove works hard, so I need to work hard. Cowards die many times before their deaths, so I must become valiant and let die only my cowardly life. I have to write a Shakespeare paper on Sunday that I'm still not sure what about.
I wrote a 10-page paper on Duke Ellington and his WWII radio broadcasts on Wednesday, his birthday, very proud of that.  Monday and Tuesday were fun but flued, so more of a blur.  Lots of last classes coming up. Jazz was an amazing semester and Prof. Washburne is an amazing teacher.  I love learning, I hope I learn as much at whatever job I get as I am learning now.
More to come later, it's late now. Maybe I'll write a play one day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMuItUv9xZc
Anthropology, by Charlie Parker.  Reading along with the transcribed solo, you realize how ridiculously crazily good and difficult this is.

Flu

It's been a week since I wrote. An eventful week is the reason.  Monday saw jazz band practice. Went to the Intrepid on Tuesday and spent another nice day in Midtown. On my walks there I listened to the new albums by Miami Horror and Alabama Shakes, both of which were phenomenal.  I also went to the comic store and guitar center. One more issue of The Black Vortex left to read!
Wednesday I don't remember much from. I think I helped at the fundraiser, which I also did Tuesday night. The fundraiser ended today! We made it yo.
Thursday was busy, I had jazz, filled out a Cedar Rapids radio application, then practiced music, then had a small jazz rehearsal that saw lots of obstacles. Afterwards I rushed over to do Club Soda, and after that I hung out with Emilie until our small band rehearsal for Postcrypt.
Friday was fun, slept in fairly late and went to the Met for Jazz and Colors at the Met. No particular bands I was going to see this time but they were all great, especially a solo pianist and a drummer named Kimberly Thompson with her trio.  The art was nice too!
After the Met I cabbed over to Lincoln Center for the Muddy Waters tribute I got tickets from my aunt and uncle for.  Taj Mahal was unfortunately sick (maybe we have the same bug!) and couldn't play, but John Scofield more than made up for it. He's a hell of a musician.  Afterwards I went to Stephanie's and watched Daredevil with  Abby.
Saturday was WbarBQ, which was alright, not that great. I left after a little while to hang out with Emilie and Anna and eat Swedish pancakes, which are kind of like crepes and pretty tasty (though not as good as crepes).  Afterwards I went to the Yankee game and met Steve and Andrea and their friend there. The lines were long! The metal detectors slow things down but are a good thing imo.  The Yankees lost 8-2 so it wasn't a super exciting game but it was my first in months. I love baseball. I missed baseball. I miss going to Giants games with my Dad.  Don't know what you got till it's gone and such.
Saturday night was postcrypt which I rushed over to after accidentally taking the A train (heh) too far down, then the 1 wasn't stopping at 110th so I had to get off at 96th and bus up.  Made it in time, played with Dan and his friend on an original Dan tune, and Emilie/Beaulah/Bryan on The Neighbor Song and Molasses/Fall in Love. They both went pretty well, I could have played better.  It was a night of great music though. Afterwards I went to KCR for the last vestiges of the fundraiser, which was very nice.
Today was my last CU Jazz ensemble performance. Ever. Hasn't really set in yet. I still want to go to ensemble class tomorrow night. The performance went pretty well, could have played Recorda-me and the James Brown stuff better, but Footprints went well thankfully. Didn't get the sixteenths in three down like I wanted, but I got the 3 to 4 switch during the solos which was tight.  After that was dinner at Pisticci's with Denis and Melinda, but by that point the flu had really startled to settle in. I got the shivers during dinner, and on the walk back was in cold agony despite it being 62 outside. My abs were flexing so hard it was extremely painful, and I couldn't stop them. Came home and watched some Norm Macdonald videos to decompress and ignore the flu, took a 90 minute nap finally, then woke up and wrote a paper about Gallipoli based on Lawrence in Arabia. It's pretty good but I'm going to revise it in the morning when I'm less flu-brained.
Now I'm listening to Morris Day and the Time and deciding whether to watch Game of Thrones now or save it for tomorrow. I'll probably watch it now since I'm not yet super sleepy. I'd probably stay up for the next hour anyway trying to sleep or watching youtube videos or both.
This post is way longer than I originally intended. Sweet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0DfcvabVS0
777-9311 by The Time, from What Time Is It?

Funds

Big weekend! I should write more about it than I'll devote here, but hopefully I'll return to it in an Exposition post as I hope to return to my spring break post.
Thursday saw Jazz class, some TV Drama class, then a trip to the Atrium at Lincoln Center to watch my ensemble teacher Amir ElSaffar's 17-member band play Iraqi maqam music, with some jazz flourish. It was amazing, incredible, and invigorating. He is a seriously talented musician and bandleader, and I got to hear him sing for my first time and he was great. The rhythms were very complex and following along with them was very fun.  Also it was free and the Atrium is a nice space. Before the show I walked around Columbus Circle looking for food, and settled on two hot dogs from a vendor at the entrance to Central Park. I was lucky and snagged a table at the park to eat at. I'd considered going to Whole Foods but the food was too expensive and the lines much much much too long.  Instead I enjoyed the hot dogs surrounded by sprinters, Europeans, and dogs.
After the concert I raced back uptown as quickly as the subway will allow, and went to rehearsal for Metro Fono in Dodge. Dan had just accepted his graduate position in Boulder so some of our friends came along and our band gave an impromptu concert rather than a rehearsal. I was tipsy from Atrium beer and new champagne but I thought I played very well. After that I went to fundraising at WKCR and Offbeat, which were both very enjoyable.
Friday saw more fundraising, in which I gave a well received pitch and raised some funds. The vibes have been very good at fundraising so far. I'm going to miss this atmosphere. I also enjoy working, and really look forward to it in the future. Hopefully a job comes through soon. After fundraising I practiced the drums, then went to Davis and co's suite for a nice party. Probably the last of the year, though maybe not.  The party was fun, played some fun beer pong and sang to Rage Against the Machine songs with Yuan and Kevin. All good times. After that I went to Dodge and hung out with Emilie's girl band, played a bit. Hung out on the steps, made smart choices, and headed home accomplished.
Saturday saw a drum lesson, pretty good but I need to improve. Following this was more fundraising which went well. It got hectic but good because hectic means funds. I didn't even have time to go home and change before soundcheck or playing in a concert for Deantini with Dan and Emilie, but it was all good. I got a free T-shirt. The concert went well, we played "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones, Emilie's girl band played a couple songs, and Olivia Harris (an old alumni friend) came with a band and knocked the house down, they were amazing.  I want to keep playing and playing more and more gigs. It's addictive. I like the lifestyle. I was tired after that so I went home to prepare for Moonshine show.
Sunday, today, saw me doing Moonshine show from 10am-noon on WKCR, and giving two pitches that went very well, especially the first. My parents listened in and liked them and the bluegrass music I played, I also got appreciative listener calls from locals, so I feel very accomplished. Also I raised a good amount of money.  After that I came home and watched a bunch of Daredevil, which has been really impressive so far. Vincent D'Onofrio has been great, and Charlie Cox as well. Around dinner I went and got pasta, went to Hartley and shot a few games of pool, then came home and watched Game of Thrones. This season is good so far!
Now I'm typing this, might finish Coriolanus (I will), then sleep and Monday. Busy week coming up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKEuOO0lQPc
Come Away With Me, by Norah Jones, the song our band played.

Africa

This isn't a post about Africa, in case you were hoping for that. Right now I'm listening to Africa, by D'Angelo, a really amazing song from a really amazing album by a really amazing artist. I'd like to go see Africa some day. I've already seen D'Angelo but I'd like to see him again.  Now I'm listening to Coleman Hawkins' take on Desafinado. We'll see how it stacks up to Stan Getz.
Damn Hawkins can swing. How can something sound so funky and so pretty at the same time. I want to play saxophone like Coleman Hawkins, I'm seriously considering picking it up. Because I don't already have enough on my plate. (drums piano bass jobs essays money food life).
I've got to share this music with people somehow. Like what's the best way to reach the people who need to hear this music? How do I send 8000 songs from my iPod out to people without annoying them?
My goal is to be the human Pandora, and basically step up the playlist game of all the bars/restaurants/clubs that rely on Pandora or Spotify for their background music during dinner. Brianify. Briandora. Panbrian. Pantify? Spotifandora? Could you legally call a music service Spotifandora and not receive a cease and desist from either company? I'll take that as a challenge.

Thought I'd have more to say but I'm all out of ideas. Recap of the day I suppose. Went to war class and Shakespeare, both of which were good, talked about the Battle of the Bulge (which my Grandfather fought in) and Coriolanus. After that I played some piano and went to a pitch class for WKCR, fundraiser coming up! Following that I got food and went to Davis' EC suite, and after much technical difficulties was able to pull up a (legal!) stream of the US vs. Mexico soccer game on his laptop.  The USA won 2-0! Dos a cero! Go USA! Very excited for the Women's World Cup and Gold Cup.
This Coleman Hawkins bossa nova album is extremely good. I'm on the third song now (Samba Para Bean) and man is it good.
My laundry should be done drying in 6 minutes. Here's a double dose for patience, Africa by D'Angelo from Voodoo, and Desafinado by Coleman Hawkins from Coleman Hawkins Plays Bossa Nova and Jazz Samba. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF_EQxQftWU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sBz6WP7UaI

Coriolanus

Watched the first half of Coriolanus tonight, it was very good! Ralph Fiennes is the man, and everyone else in the cast is good too. The action was intense and intriguing.  Earlier I had jazz class, learned that being a musician=no money, then came home and watched Daredevil, which has been excellent so far.  I've been trying to walk around with my eyes closed, being blind is extremely difficult. Utmost respect to people who have to deal with it.
SpaceX launched successfully but crashed its first stage on the landing barge. Hopefully they get it to be able to land safely soon. We just got our first color image of Pluto and found signs of liquid water under the surface of Mars, so space is doing well these days.
I learned some D'Angelo songs on piano, played a few games of pool, and ate some pasta. All in all a good day!
Sometime soon I'll write another long novelistic post like the first one I did. The decline in readership on this blog will allow for more experimentation/navel gazing like that. Or if you're reading, suggest topics and I'll write about them! A good DJ always takes requests.
Some Japanese funk, Minako Yoshida, Tornado, 1981.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gOvDgkZDU0

Smoke

Started the day tired and Starbucked, but had a good day! Watched Saving Private Ryan in war class, learned about Antony and Cleopatra in Shakespeare, and talked about The Wire in TV drama discussion section. I also got a bacon cheeseburger, listened to the new Tyler the Creator album, and watched Last Week Tonight. All in all a good day. Then at night I played music in ensemble practice, then went out to Smoke and watched music! It was a house band jamming, they played Autumn Leaves, Alone Together and Lazy Bird.  They were great! I took notes for Jazz class. Had a good pint of Guinness while I watched. After them some open mic-ers started playing who were only alright, so I decided to leave. On the way back I passed by a GameStop where 15 or so people were playing Mortal Kombat X because it had just been released in the store, which was cool to see. I like going to places that have a shared sense of community like that. 

A good day! And tomorrow looks good too.
My favorite version of Autumn Leaves, Bill Evans swangs like a mofo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Z8KuwI7Gc

Good Times

What a weekend of music! On Thursday I had my Club Soda then Offbeat, both were great. The intern even brought a playlist for Offbeat! Also on Thursday we watched The Wire in class, and listened to A Love Supreme in class. So really what more can you ask for? That's basically the perfect day. On Friday I DJed for Dan's DEES group party, small shindig of 20 or so people but it was very fun! Met some nice people and had some nice conversations.  Also I used the mixer from KCR for it and felt very professional. It was a blast. This morning I watched the 1st episode of the new Daredevil netflix show and was very impressed! I look forward to binge watching it. Tomorrow (sunday, today since it's 4am) will be lots of tv, with Game of Thrones coming back and new John Oliver. Good times!
Tonight I played at Postcrypt for the first and sadly probably last time. I wish I'd known about it earlier in my tenure here at Columbia, though I wouldn't have known all the people who I went to it with tonight so maybe it wouldn't have been the same. It was a very fun and thrilling experience, like a microcosm of what I imagine it's like to be a gigging club musician. It was fun. Super fun. We played the Cat Power version of "New York, New York" and Simon & Garfunkel's "The Last Living Boy in New York". We being me on conga, Dan on guitar/vocals and Bella on backup vocal. The other musicians playing were mostly very good too! Later in the night there was open spots for extra songs so me and Dan played Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" though there were some forgotten chords and lyrics but we made it work. Ultimately I think it played well. Later one of the Postcrypt runners asked me and Dan to play "Chameleon" with him, so we did and it was a fun jam session to end the set, though it went on maybe a bit too long. It was cool though because it was very very improvised so it was a jazz/folk blend. I had fun anyway.
After that I went to Prentis for the first time and played around with the equipment there while Emilie finished recording her EP. Sadly the Moog they had and their synthesizers weren't working, but we had fun times with drum pads and ableton/logic. Although Logic is actually extremely grating and difficult to figure out and annoying to record in, but we had fun anyway. We're going record her song for real soon hopefully, and maybe even one of mine. A step up from my soundcloud jams! Though I like messing with beats on Ableton, I'll do it live at a party sometime soon. If it doesn't crash. We'll see.
I've been lucky enough to see the Alabama Shakes live set at Coachella via stream, but I heard this artist Charles Bradley was great and have since loved his music. I missed his Coachella set but hope to see it if it's recorded,which it should be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6slbqEMiKsI
Charles Bradley, Lovin' You Baby, live on KEXP.

Baseball

Baseball is back in full! It's the greatest. I missed today's Giants game because I was playing great music with great people, but I caught most of yesterday's and it's very fun to be able to hear baseball on the radio again.  Played music for four hours today and it was boatloads of fun, learned how to play Miss You by The Rolling Stones which was a great jam.
I really do enjoy playing music. And listening to music. It's all the best.
I've also been going through the first season of The Sopranos recently and it's really great, James Gandolfini was an amazing actor. Tony Soprano just feels like such a real person, not a character.
It's late and those are my thoughts. Picked up some pomegranate blueberry juice from westside along with croissants and blueberries, skipped the cookies for financial/health reasons. Been eating way too many cookies this week. But they're so delicious.
I ate a pound of spaghetti tonight though.
Today's tune, Mariposa (Butterfly) by Freeez live on Old Grey Whistle Test

Easter!

I miss Easter egg hunts, but brunch with friends is the next best thing. Perfect minty rum drinks, great salsa, and fun times! I even got to bring Club Soda, how appropriate. (The store only had seltzer water though). Afterwards we went to PostCrypt in the middle of campus for a great folk music festival in nice enough weather. I especially enjoyed The Leatherbound Books, they were very fun and solid on stage, good big sound.
After that I went and played some piano, then went and got a cheeseburger, then went to the Barnard library and brushed up on Bay Area sports news and hung out with Claire. Opening day is soon!

Came home and just finished watching Twelfth Night on youtube, the Helena Bonham Carter and Ben Kingsley version. It was great, Ben Kingsley is amazing. I need to see Gandhi because I've never seen it and I assume he's great in it.  I also want to watch the Fast & Furious 6, then 7, so lots of varied culture this week.
I get to sleep in tomorrow!
Here's the website of The Leatherbound Books, with two of their nice songs on it. Check it out!
http://theleatherboundbooks.com/index/

Bacchanal

Lots of fun stuff today and this week, been playing a lot of music. Had a drum lesson today, played a gig with Emilie at a nude model drawing convention yesterday, and played piano in Lerner again. Went to Bacchanal for the last part, saw some of Big Sean from the fringes of campus, it was fine. The Bacchanal itself was lame and crippled by Columbia, but it was still a good day. Hung out with Zach for most of it, we got Taqueria y la Fonda after. I grabbed 8 CDs from WKCR, Sidney Bechet, Count Basie and Django Reinhardt.  Tomorrow is Easter! Yesterday was Passover, had a nice hang out at Stephanie and Claire's.  Still looking for a job.
I want to take a train ride in the snow. I've already done this kind of, but it was on Metro North, I want to do it in the countryside on a clear day.  With hot cocoa. I think I like train rides a lot without knowing it. Especially if I could get a cabin or compartment or whatever you call. I would not at all mind a cross-country train ride with a bed and everything.  In fact that's a goal of mine.
Baseball is back soon. Louie is back soon. Game of Thrones is back soon. Lots of things are back soon, lots of albums coming out, lots of things to look forward to. April will be a good month. And if not, well I've always got my French music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6MNx_WvY4E
Sidney Bechet, Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me

Work

Very tired, but the good kind of tired because I've been getting a lot done. Wrote a paper last night, had class today, helped a friend apartment hunt, wrote a song, played jazz and transcribed some drum beats! All a good day's work. Tomorrow I look forward to watching part of the USMNT international friendly game. The Gold Cup isn't so far away! Altidore has been scoring a lot of our goals so hopefully he's recovered from his World Cup injury.  It got up to 52 today, people were sitting out on the steps and playing soccer. Spring is right around the corner! Here's some good spring music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4b8LDCF4LI
Pebble Beach, by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, from A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Art

Another fun day! Lots of gallivanting around Manhattan. Went to the New Museum in the lower east side for Thuto's birthday day, it was fun and we saw good views of New York from the roof.  The art wasn't that great, I'm not such a fan of modern art though so maybe I'm just a curmudgeon. Most modern art seems to be more about statements and "effect" than about talent or display of skill, like the art is about having a clever idea or striking/shocking subject matter rather than being a great painting of a rabbit. There's a Duchamp quote I have a picture of on my phone that I'm too lazy/comfortable to go grab, but it's to the effect of "Dada was cool at first but people misinterpreted it and now it's lame." I feel that way about most modern art. Give me an impressionist painting of a rainy Paris street and I'm a happy boy.
There was a cool piece where "E 3" was made with aquarium material, including live aquatic plants and anemones. That's cool because its interesting and looks nice and is a fun idea. Teletubbies in riot gear in front of a CGI video of Obama is not interesting or fun or nice looking. It's bootsy.

After that we went to a nice but chaotic cafe and stayed there until it closed at 6:30, had lots of fun conversation. It's nice to be around people who don't feel the need to check their phones every few minutes, who can talk and be silent equally comfortably.
Following that we trekked around Lower Manhattan a bunch, (or South Manhattan as my brother calls it). Went to some nice bars, had more nice conversation, and it got colder and colder. Hopefully the cold abates soon, Spring would be nice. Snow should not be falling so close to April. But now I'm warm in bed, so I can't complain.
A good song for a journey, Dragon Roost Island theme from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXGGvsHq6iA

Prohibition

Played an awesome gig tonight with the funk band at a bar called Prohibition on 84th/Columbus. Went well, some technical difficulties and I played some parts badly but overall the crowd loved it and that's all that matters.  We had to cut our set short yet again, but the crowd was chanting  "encore" and "one more song", so at least we weren't booed off stage! It was very fun and I want to keep playing gigs and music forever. Also need to get serious serious about this piano. Going to actually buy one (hopefully) and practice the scales until I have them memorized. Muusic theory here I come!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3hDQZ21AQQ
Kiss You All Over, by Exile, another song I want to learn.

Blueberries

It feels like it's starting to get warmer here in New York, which is very welcome.  I'm eating blueberries right now trying to will the climate into Spring. I'm also eating a twix bar, I guess trying to will the year into Halloween? There's not many good Spring festivities until Easter, St. Patrick's was fun, but I don't really count that as a seasonal holiday the way I would Halloween and Christmas.  Once Halloween rolls around again I need to watch Over the Garden Wall. I'm really looking forward to that. It's become a new Charlie Brown Christmas for me.  Psyched.
I like small blueberries better than large ones, the texture and less bitterness is nice.
I like larger twix bars better because it means you get more twix bar. Getting a full size Twix on Halloween was always a great achievement.
Also going to maybe eat some carrots and celery. I feel weird about them now because I'm trying to gain weight so they seem like a waste of stomach space since they provide so few calories. But they're also healthy for me. I think a solid mix of veggies and pizza and steak is the way to go. Also twix bars.

Got a good jazz midterm back today, so hooray. Still waiting on the rest but I feel pretty confident. I think I'm tired right now because I'm messing up my spellings, almost typed roles for rolls and weighting for waiting.  I'll watch some comedy central shows and go to sleep.
I got two jugs of apple juice for 5$ last night. The come up.
After Jazz I went and practiced pool for a while, I want to say played but it was really practice.  Last night the fire alarm went off in Harmony literally right after I posted my post, so I went to 1020 and read Lawrence in Arabia, noticed the pool table was active, and signed up on the list to play.  I ended up waiting until about 3:20 AM to play my game, it was one of those things where I waited and read until 2:50 and thought "Well I've been waiting here so long already I might as well keep waiting until it's my turn than give up and go home." I lost the game to a great player, I had two balls left on the table when he sunk the 8, but I played pretty well overall except the time I accidentally hit the cue ball off the table. Also I still want to call the cue ball the white ball so I guess I'm not pro yet. I might start going there more often though, I've been looking for a good pool hall. The OG's at the table seemed friendly but raucous, the best combination. It reminds me of my days bowling back in Alameda, on the Skyline team and in the little practice squad I was in, and the OG's who bowled there. I should pick up bowling again too, although bowling is a much more expensive hobby.  I can't believe some people golf as a hobby, since it costs hundreds and thousands of dollars.  I'll stick with my 1$ pool games and 12$ bowling sessions. After practicing pool I got a crepe and came home to watch Better Call Saul and Best of the Worst.
Twix and blueberries make for a great taste combination, in case you were wondering.
Not sure if I've posted this already but if I have it's worth listening to again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyEc8KAB_Mo
Fly Me to the Moon, by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, from the A Boy Named Charlie Brown soundtrack.

Muuuuusic

Just got done playing music for 6 hours straight. 3 hours on drums, 3 hours on keyboard.  It was great, exciting, interesting, invigorating, and exhausting.  I was happy everything was sounding solid since I hadn't been able to play on an actual drumset (or keyboard) for over a week during spring break.  But everything sounded solid, got some James Brown breakbeats down, played some good jazz, then played some great funk. We have a gig Friday night, I'm excited for it and I think it will go well.  Hopefully we won't get cut off partway through this time! Though if the cops shut down the bar that would be cool, and appropriate since the bar is called Prohibition.
Classes were also good today. Not too much work in the next few days, which is nice because I'll be very busy with music. Onwards and upwards!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhCIeXFyiis
Ligia, by Stan Getz, from The Best of Both Worlds. If I start trying to sing for real this is the first song I'm going to try to sing.

Comics

Went down to midtown comics again today, it was very fun! I didn't even mind the 1 train being out for construction, although the walk from 96-110th was cold.  I read the newest parts of All New Captain America and the Black Vortex saga, the Guardians of the Galaxy portion. Now that I know that many of these comic series will end in some form by the end of the summer I feel more of a rush to read them. I also read Princess Leia #1, the Star Wars comics have been pretty good so far!
I spent the earlier part of the day watching Game of Thrones clips on youtube. 3 or 4 clips turned into 12 or 15, but it was a nice way to spend the early afternoon. I'm getting very hyped for the new season. Also the new book, whenever that will be.
Tonight I transcribed a bunch of drum beats from James Brown songs and some ?uestlove beats, and it was really fun and challenging and invigorating.  I got a lot done relatively, and I look forward to doing more. Also to practicing them since some of them seem pretty tough, but it's good because I need to improve at being a solid pocket for a band.
Now I'm watching Weird Al videos until I nod off. Until next time true believers! Excelsior!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAkL2-vh2Sk
The X-Men theme song from the 90's show, a classic. The classic.

Back to back

I'm back in New York! Spring break was great, a really fun refreshing time and I miss it already,  But it's nice to be back and have work to do.
Last night we watched Ru Paul's Drag Race (weirdly a tongue twister for me, I keep wanting to say Drew Paul's Rag Race).  It was extremely entertaining and weird and grating and great.  Had some nice Acacia pinot with it and then went back and cuddled with the cat for a while.
Still need to do a recap of the trip but I'm lazy.
It's weird I have less energy to write the earlier I go to bed. At 3am and 4am I'm up for writing paragraphs. At midnight or earlier I can't think straight enough to write well. Aka now. My wit wants to sleep.  So I will it to!
Still in the Shakespeare mindset. Although I've been reading lots of Lawrence in Arabia recently, great book. But tomorrow night back to Shakespeare!
Funkadelic, Not Just Knee Deep, 1979
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-20v1b5jKY

Ginger Snaps

Eating a box of ginger snaps currently.  I didn't post last night, I guess I hadn't drank as much tequila as the night before.  Tonight I haven't drank any tequila.
I've made friends with a cat here, Jacki's roommate's cat. It's fat and fluffy and funny, and I like petting it. We watched baseball together the other day.  I've also made some human friends, many people in Boulder and Denver are nice.  Some of the people here in Boulder are not nice. Drugs seem to be a big culture here, and while I know some people can be druggies and still function, most can't. Not even in the health sense, people into drug culture tend to 1. Not understand that other people aren't into drug culture, and 2. Let drugs influence most other aspects of their life.
Also one of my new friends got roofied yesterday apparently, so Boulder is on thin ice for me.
But there's also lots of great people, and the people I've met around bars and restaurants have been especially nice.  It's refreshing to have people want to talk to you and want to make friends, a trend I've found in the pubs and coffeeshops that is severely lacking in New York.  New York has some great people too, but it takes the idea of not making eye contact or acknowledging strangers and raises it to quite the exponent.

Thankfully my sleep schedule is also starting to get more reasonable.  No more 5am-2pm sleeping for me when I get back to NY. I'm going back so soon, break has gone fast but also slowly. Lots of great memories every day, I'm liking it out here but also ready to get back to other things.  I miss playing music the most, and some people back in New York.  Obviously I'd prefer to combine the best of both worlds, but maybe having them separate is what makes them special.

I watched High School Musical for the first time all the way through today. It was surprisingly satisfying, not great but not terrible or cringeworthy.  I think it's a good example of a right way to do that kind of movie.  Simplistic, but not overly dumbed down or grating.
That's about all I have to say for now. I didn't get too much reading of Lawrence In Arabia done today despite spending a long while in Starbucks to read it, but I'm enjoying these reading excursions a lot and plan to continue them now that it's getting warmer back in New York.
Jacki has a very comfy couch.
Here's Wilhelm Kempff, an amazing pianist giving an amazing rendition of the Third Movement from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqSulR9Fymg

Swings

Reading Norm Macdonald's twitter always brings up feelings for me.
I'm still having good times in Colorado and I'll elaborate on my previous adventure's and today's relaxed book reading in the sunshine while listening to Kendrick's new album sometime soon.
Right now I'm of a mind to write about standup comedy, which I've been meaning to do or a while. It won't be the full post the subject deserves, but at least one part of it.
Standup (and comedian culture, whatever that is) has been my second passion behind music for a while now. Comedy in general, though I gravitate more towards standup driven acts.  My love for comedy productions probably started with Conan, at least how I conceive of comedy productions.  For example it really probably started with the Simpsons but I wouldn't categorize the Simpsons under "comedy" as I'm referring to it here.  The connotation makes sense in my head but would be difficult and pointless to explain, lots of arbitrary boundaries for my own checklists.
Anyways, this particular train of thought follows the tracks of a day last semester, I think in September or October. I'll google it now to get the correct date.

It was October 22nd, 2014. http://thecomicscomic.com/2014/10/27/new-yorks-comedy-community-turns-out-to-dedicate-george-carlin-way-on-west-121st-street/
Here's a review of it for objective information.  If you look directly above Carlin's daughter's hat in the opening remarks video, and between the two faces above it you'll occasionally see my pasty face pop into frame behind them.
I think I heard about the event days before on twitter, so twitter is constantly increasing it's importance to me.  I went after class, I believe Metaphysics, and walked up to 121st, hoping to catch the crowd and know where the George Carlin dedication was occurring.  As I stood next to a coffee shop that other people seemed to be standing next to, hoping I was in the right group, Colin Quinn and entourage walked out of the shop at a determined pace. This was my first time seeing Colin Quinn in person, a big moment for me because I'd been getting deep into Tough Crowd and the whole crew of Tough Crowd over the last year or so.  Butterflies started immediately, and I followed the crowd out to the site of the dedication.
Thankfully the rain had stopped and the event went off without a hitch. Everyone gave great speeches, especially Quinn likening Carlin to a priest. It was great to see everyone so passionate about Carlin and about the event.  Carlin's brother also gave a hilarious, impassioned speech, and the sign was ceremoniously unveiled to great applause.
During and after the event I noticed the celebrities and comics in attendance.  Judah Friedlander was recognizable for his look, and while he'd count as a famous celebrity sighting for me on a normal day here he was an afterthought.  Walking among the crowd were Gilbert Gottfried, Jim Norton, Dave Attell.  More too, but especially these great comedians who I'd become so enthralled with recently.  Norton I'd had the pleasure to meet when he came in for an interview at 95.7 The Game over the summer, though since I was just an intern it's not like we spent the day together. But at least we made eye contact.
Gilbert Gottfried was interesting to see because he looms so small and reserved in person despite being so gargantuan and bombastic on stage. He seemed an exquisitely kind man.  I don't think I regarded him as Iago from Aladdin, but he is Iago from Aladdin, a very formative series of movies from my youth, and it was interesting to see him in person yet not really associate him as the embodiment of the character.
Dave Attell was the second most interesting experience for me, maybe even the most, behind Colin Quinn.  I'd been watching Insomniac a lot on sleepless nights as a comfort show during the semester, burning through lots of episodes.  Dave Attell had gotten me through tough times, shown me interesting and hilarious sides of cities, and provided me with hours of unique entertainment that I cherished and hadn't found anywhere else.

Shouldn't I thank him for that? He literally walked right by me, I stood next to him at times. A few other people were coming up to him and asking for pictures and autographs, or just to say "Hey Dave", I chickened out. Or I rationalized that I didn't want to be like that, didn't want to impose on him and be just another groupie, it was his day off and he was here to celebrate a friend, not to be a celebrity and sign autographs, so why should I bother him. I'd be just another demanding fan, even worse is he'd see me as just another demanding fan.  That's not who I wanted him to see me as. I'd rather not be known by him at all than be known as another groupie.
I chickened out.  What would have been so wrong about saying "Hey Dave"? Wouldn't he probably appreciate hearing how much his show, his work had meant to me? Who cares if he gets it all the time, it would still mean a lot to him right? And it would mean a lot to me. I want this, I want to let him know what his work meant for me. I'm being selfish, I'm turning his day of celebration for a departed friend into a day about serving me, giving me this experience because it's what's most important to me today, but not what's most important today.  But is it so wrong to satisfy a few selfish desires? I'm sure he gets asked for autographs and banal photographs all the time, would he really be bothered by my compliments?
These thoughts extended to my probably stalker seeming standing near Colin Quinn without getting the nerve to go up to him and talk to him.  The real fear that was under the groupie-stigma nervousness, that I only realized while walking home later and rationalizing, was what would I say if they were nice enough to talk to me? After "hey, I really appreciate your work and it's meant a lot to me, got me through tough times etc., you're amazing and keep doing what you're doing etc.", what do I really have to say? What do I have to provide?
I've known these comedians for months and years and spent hours with them, all without ever talking to them or knowing them, seeing their faces in daylight and not on a screen for the first time.  Dave looks old, his jolly chubby Comedy Central self into a hat and cigarette sporting bearded thinner self. Colin Quinn has less hair but wiser eyes, a fire of anger simmered to a heat of contemplation. Norton is pulling a reverse Benjamin Button, looking a boy in a man's body aging into a man in a boy's body.
What can I provide? What do I want them to provide me with? If I pour my heart out, what I think is in my heart, and get a kind "thank you", "I appreciate it", is that what I wanted, would I have been satisfied?
I wanted more, to be appreciated, to be friends with them. To be a part of that inner circle, a part of the inside jokes and atmosphere that I'd only watched as a fly on the wall, removed even further because my vision had been through a computer screen.  Here were my heroes and idols, more than that my friends who I'd shared so many laughs with, laughs they'd never heard. I wanted to share that laughter with them, not even to contribute jokes or opinions or self but to just be acknowledged, to be in the audience. Coming face to face with the real thing I was reminded even more the separation and distance between my time watching their videos and the real thing of being in their circle, being a part of their club, sitting at their cool kids table.
Why should I deserve that? They'd made the shows, produced, written, starred. Worked. I'd just consumed, I had nothing to provide in the conversation if it went past "I enjoyed your work." That's all I'd done, enjoyed their work. What more did I have to offer that they should appreciate me as I revered them? Why should I deserve that love? Isn't it selfish, to want to have my cake and eat it too, take all their hard work and give nothing back but "thanks, can we take a picture so I can remember meeting you."
I probably should have said something though.
Even if I had I'd probably still agonize over it, how I should have said more or less, that I didn't say the right thing, that if I'd just done this or that right it would have gone exactly how I wanted (with how I wanted being that they come to all my family dinners, of course.)
I probably could have said something though.

This extends beyond comedy, to things like meeting Thundercat and further encounters with Colin Quinn. But this day was special in my realization (or rationalization) of this on the walk home.  To be a part of that inner circle, to warrant appreciation and respect, you have to have something worthy of it. More than just the idea that I'd spent time with them without actually being with them, without their knowledge, even if I did spend time in their presence I needed something of value to be valued for. Rather than trying to reel the fish in against their will you have to sit in a really well made boat for the fish to come hang out in, and its funner that way anyway. If you build it they will come etc. I was trying to put on a baseball game with no field, trying to join the team with no glove and bat.
Basically, I need to get on my game and work. Produce, in the true sense of the word.  The problem obviously is that by the time I have anything of worth it will be past their time. We'll never be contemporaries, by the nature of time.  But the good thing about contemporaries is they come up at the same time as you.  If I become a Colin Quinn I'll have my own Patrice O'Neal's and Norton's and Macdonald's and Attell's to work with, to create with, to produce with. And while they won't be the same as the greats I revere, I'll know them in a truer sense than the way I knew the greats through the screen. I was never going to have that friendship with Norm Macdonald, and the distanced reverence is satisfying enough for me as is, so better to build a friendship with my contemporary version of Colin Quinn, whoever that may be.  Maybe one day someone will come up to me and tell me how much my work has meant to them. I've experienced this in small doses playing music for people, DJing for people. I hope to experience this appreciation for my work as a person as well as in my job.  Hopefully I can be someone's Patrice O'Neal, their Norm Macdonald, their Thundercat. I'm not very good at public speaking (read: horrible), so comedy's probably out of the bag, but through radio or music or what have you.
If I get so lucky as to be someone's Brian O'Connell, hopefully they get up the nerve to say so, and hopefully I'm not too old and crotchety to remember that day, October 22nd, 2014, the day my heroes dedicated George Carlin Way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Ogs4ThQiY
Dave Van Ronk, Green Green Rocky Road.

Colorado

Short post because I'm so busy, but Colorado's been great so far. Some quick reminders for later long writing:
bus ride, walking around Boulder when I arrived.
Disco party, Sara's parents, Kaya, great times djing, drunk people.
Fun breakfast, nice times cleaning up. went to a nice mediterranean dinner. Went to Regis and Denver, had fun times, drunk times. Cats and dogs and rooster calls.  Drove back to Boulder, spent fun times in the sun. Went up to Frozen Dead Guy Festival in Nederland, very beautiful area with snowy lakes and mountains in 75 degree weather. Perfect day. Throwing rocks in the river and running with Kaya and walking with Sara. Saw a wolf. Ate a hot dog in a sleeve.  Came back and napped. All around great day.  Now going to eat home cooked dinner with her family.
Spring break is nice.

La Guardia

I'm currently sitting in La Guardia airport, it's 6 am. I woke up at 4:40 after going to sleep at 1:30, being like "oh there might be traffic so I'll need two hours to get to the airport!". It took about 30 minutes. But, it's better to be here way early and chill and watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt than be running late and stressing the whole cab ride over.  I'm debating getting a cheeseburger for breakfast. Is that ethical?
There's about 8000000 ipads in the terminal in LGA, for no apparent reason. Like, every table and chair there's just an ipad or two installed in the table. No one's even really using them. I have no idea what's up with them.  I guess they're to entice people to buy drinks and food in the terminal or sign up for things but it seems like a waste of ipads. I assume these are faulty ones that couldn't sell retail so the airline got them wholesale or something like that.
I got to hear Emilie do daybreak express in the cab ride over, which was very nice. This week was midterms and busy and sickness but I made it through the wilderness, you know I made it throuuuuughh. Didn't know how lost I was until I found you. After midterms yesterday I had a fun Club Soda, then went and saw Marlen and friends at EC, played some smash bros, then went and briefly saw Lizzie and Jocelyn at Mel's to sign up for a paper airplane competition.  Good night overall.
Eating a croissant now, watching CNN on the gate's tv. The Iraqi army is close to retaking Tikrit, which is very good. Looking forward to being in Denver, hopefully I will have good things to write! Love y'all.
It's 6am uggggghhhhhhhhhh
on to warmer weather (but not quite LA), here's Miami Horror with Real Slow, off their forthcoming album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8aOgkBut70

Midtermz

I wrote about Richard III tonight! I also wrote about Much Ado About Nothing.  It was pretty fun but I'm now pretty tired and also pretty under the weather. Nothing too bad, just going through a cold and right now I'm at the aches stage.  My body feels creaky. But that's what beds are for, and Dayquil, so it will all be good. Also got to teach a friend how to play the drums tonight and jammed with her, so successful day all around!  I tried a pizza truck on Broadway, it was pretty good though the slice was kind of small for 3$ but it tasted better than Famiglia so I may go there more often.
On to more midterms tomorrow!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRFyKRlPfEg
99 Red Balloons, by Nena, a fun song with a fun bassline that I jammed on today.

Richard III

I watched Richard III tonight! The version with Ian McKellen. Ian McKellen was outstanding.  It was much more emotive than his usual reserved or commanding performances like Gandalf and Magneto, you really got a sense of how wily Richard was.  Also Frank Underwood is totally based off of Ian's performance.
I also had good classes on Stalingrad, Shakespeare and a discussion section about Oz, which we watched last Thursday. I liked Oz, but it was very young if that makes sense. It was made in the early days of HBO and it shows, the show is much more spectacle than anything. I thought the acting in it was good though, it managed to be riveting and interesting despite the corny writing and cutout characters. I also played some great jazz tonight in ensemble! The whole band was grooving and me and the teacher were communicating really well during his solo. Also I'm starting to comprehend scales and such, y'all bouta be in trouble.
Bad news for the 49ers today but such is the ebb and flow of life.
Lots of midterms coming up, but they look interesting and challenging so I'm ready for them!
In honor of great music and intellectual stuff, here's some music to train your mind and body to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0uDwgUOUbI
Chasin the Trane, by John Coltrane live at the Village Vanguard.

Time

Haven't posted in almost a week, though I'm not sure it's been missed. Lots of fun things happened over the weekend! The funk band I play keyboards in played a St. Patrick's day show in an apartment building on Friday that got crazy, we were unfortunately shut down partway through our set. Thankfully I got to DJ a lot of the party which was fun, even got to use vinyls! I need a real DJ booth though, the dancing and jumping made the vinyls bounce too much and the records skipped.  The party went till 5am, which might be a new record for me for DJing. The guitarist for Kid Cudi was there and we ended up jamming out to Chic tunes and more, there was a snare drum and cowbell I played on.  It was very fun.
Saturday involved playing in a new Jazz band that a few friends formed, it was really fun and looks promising, we might do some shows! After that went to the KCRty which was sparsely attended but still very fun.  It was a good night overall, but Sunday left me very tired though I got to do an interview with Spec about WKCR and WBAR which was cool.  I'm usually the one interviewing others so it was cool to be on the other side of things.
Playing music with others is both the best way to learn and experience music, there's really nothing in the world like it.  It's good for fun, happiness, body and soul.  You should try it sometime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mmx68VmTEo
Here's a song I've always wanted to play with people, Showdown by ELO. ELO is very underrated.

Midterms

Can't talk, studying. Have some Django.
Wars and generals and ships and dates! It's actually pretty interesting, but tough to know what's important to know. Hopefully it goes well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq0tPjdfHME
Django Reinhardt, full album.

More

Writing two posts tonight to make up for the one I missed on Sunday.  I was busy finishing Twin Peaks and studying with friends in the Barnard Library, both of which were great.  I ate a delicious bacon cheeseburger.  Today I gave my discussion presentation on Twin Peaks, which went pretty well, I'd give myself a solid B-.  After that I had a brief WBAR meeting then Jazz ensemble class, both of which were fun.  We were learning a Charlie Parker tune by ear, which is at least making me better at singing.  After that I went over to Carman to play in the funk band I'm in, we were short a few people but had a really nice jam session, I'm excited for the party we're playing in on Friday.  Lots of job stuff to do tomorrow, hopefully it goes well. I've been putting off job stuff for too long because I don't really want to accept all the change that comes with it, but oh well. It's almost spring, time for cleaning and change etc.
There's some really great TV shows out there right now.  Man Seeking Woman has been great, just watched the premiere of Last Man on Earth which looks promising, and Better Call Saul has been better than I expected it to be.  I thought it was going to be more of a case-of-the-week "how will Saul get them off this time?" type of deal but it's been great narrative so far.  I watch lots of television, so this American Television Drama class I'm taking is very relevant and fun.
Should I start beginning these posts with "Diane- "?
Here's a song from a show, or at least a show's version of a song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caWY7uOlakU
Moanin', from Sakamichi no Apollon, an anime from a few years ago about some high school students learning jazz in 1960's Japan.  It gets a little (a lot) too wrapped up in love triangles and tropes partway through the series, but it's good overall and especially nice if you're a jazz fan.

Woohoo

It's been a minute, so let me get with it, carrots and celery and blueberries I'm chillin.

I'm not very good at rapping. But I am eating carrots and celery and blueberries! On that healthy grind, I plan on running again tomorrow as well.  I'm not going to stop eating bacon cheeseburgers though. I need the iron from the red meat anyway.  And the protein.  And the bacon.

I'm so excited for baseball to start up you have no idea. The two day wait is killing me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7rOMU7-jyQ
Baseball Theme, by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, from A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Street Fighter II

Ronda Rousey won her match in 14 seconds. With an armbar too, not a KO. That's very impressive. In honor of this I'm playing Street Fighter II (though I've also been playing it for the last week since chess is getting frustrating).  Twin Peaks will be done tomorrow, Alabama Shakes performed on SNL so I'm looking forward to watching that.  Today I had a fun drum lesson, then went down to Midtown Comics in Times Square and did my sometime-a-month comic reading journey.  I thought the Darth Vader comic wasn't written that well, but the Legendary Starlord//All New X-Men crossover was pretty entertaining. I also thought All New Captain America was very impressive, good characterization and a very engaging story that immerses you (apparently immersive isn't actually a word?).  After that I went to Guitar Center and messed around on drum machines and synths and electronic drum sets which is always fun.  It's already March! I always forget how much shorter February feels even though it's only a few days.
In case you haven't heard all of Alabama Shakes' debut album Boys & Girls listen to the entire thing, it's great and one of the best rock albums of the last few years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ5pqykFMDY

Twin Peaks

I'm almost done with Twin Peaks! I plan on finishing it tomorrow because I have to write a semi-report about it Sunday, or at least the first two episodes.  After Twin Peaks I'm looking forward to House of Cards season 3, and then maybe I'll start watching The Sopranos finally if I have time before Game of Thrones starts.  I've been really wanting to rewatch The Wire, but I feel like I need to get through new things first. But it's always so good. But supposedly so is the Sopranos.
Anyway, saw some great music today, all the bands at Bacchanal Battle of the Bands were great and impressive and intimidating, but in a good way where now I want to go practice and play a bunch. I'm so tired.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD-7ly19vTE&feature=youtu.be
Moonlight Feels Right, by Starbuck, via ?uestlove. That marimba solo is amazing.

Radio Radio

Lots of radio today, lots of music. which is all great. Also Twin Peaks! and I got some Krispy Kreme. Good day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOWwN3T2xkc
Radio Radio, by Elvis Costello

pineapple

Pineapple chunks are delicious but very acidic.  My mouth feels like I've been licking batteries for a half hour.  I feel great though because I jogged two miles today, which I consider an accomplishment because I can't remember the last time I did that.  Tomorrow is the first Club Soda! Be sure to tune in, it's gonna be a great playlist.  8pm-10pm Thursday!
Today's song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzauF0VkECQ
Five Hundred Miles, by Carey Mulligan, Stark Sands, and Justin Timberlake, from the Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack.
A great movie, go see it!