The Simple Joys

There's a safe haven in the town of Seward. A place where one can go and truly remove himself/herself from the rigors of a fast paced, small town life. That place is the deck of the Gallery at approx. 5 pm on a warm spring evening. I mentioned in an earlier post about a place called Theronland. I believe this setting was where Theronland was first created. All it takes is an ice cold Corona, an extra chair to prop the feet up on, a daydream of sorts, and bingo....you've arrived. Today I was able to experience the perfect state of happiness with a couple of friends (Jesse and Emily) while we waited for Mr. Responsibility to drag us back into reality with its firm grip. It might have only been an hour or so, but it felt like we were there for the entire day; shooting the breeze (not to mention feeling the breeze...stupid Nebraska winds) and knocking back a few brews. Just thinking about it makes me want to get back there as soon as possible. Here's to you Mr. Deck, Mr. Beer, and Mr. Sunshine. It's never a bad day when the three amigos come to town for a visit. Until next time...cheers!

ps- Just when you thought the gummi bears couldn't get any more delicious than they already are...here come...the mini gummi bears. Look for them at a Wal-Mart near you

Dead Week

And here we are...the final dead week of my college career. The title is pretty fitting since the O's are currently 3-16, Arsenal have nothing but pride left to play for, and I am certain that I got a 12% on the World Music test that I took today. The good news is, the Orioles weren't going to the playoffs anyway, Arsenal are riddled with injuries (we'll be back next year), and seriously...World Music? I've got far bigger fish to fry these days. I am virtually less than 100 days till...the plunge...and there are so many uncertainties still left to figure out. I'm confident everything will get figured out soon. If not...well...let's just avoid that topic for now. In other news, I have this brilliant idea for a new composition once I get a free moment to work on it. It's going to be a three movement instrumental work based on a Japanese haiku by Matsuo Basho. The text is as follows:

An old pond

A frog leaps in

Splash

Each line will serve as an individual movement. This will be my first venture into solely instrumental writing, but I am excited to get some of these initial ideas down on paper soon. I have a good feeling about this. The work will be titled Basho and I will hopefully have something to show in the next couple of months...perhaps even sooner.

This just in...it's almost summer!

That's all for now...keep fighting the good fight. Cheers!

Zebulon

It is rare to build up so much excitement for an event and then have the event supersede expectations. I was fortunate enough to have one of those moments this week when I purchased Rufus Wainwrights latest album, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu. Few people can sit at a piano and hold my attention the way he does. His haunting melodies that consume you more and more with each listen...the virtuosic nature of his piano playing, evoking so much more passion and pain than the words could ever convey by themselves. I think that is the beauty of vocal music. I have learned to appreciate both forms on their own; at times becoming consumed by them. There becomes this marriage between lyrics and melody and born from their union is a song. The truly great partnerships sacrifice for one another; each giving the other an opportunity to shine and each considering the other more important than themselves. Perhaps this is a gross over-personification of the matter, but the imagery helps me when I am analyzing the parts and pieces of songs. Anywho, back to Rufus. This new album is not nearly as orchestrated as prior albums. He seem to be hearkening back to more Romantic forms of writing. I think the connection I have to this new album also comes from having performed a senior recital just a couple of weeks ago. From the standpoint of a vocalist, I found that I was able to gain much more of an appreciation for a work when I spent time listening for how the piano accompaniment told the story along with the words that I sang. Rufus captures this interplay perfectly in this album with each song cradled by flourishing piano lines that are as free and breathtaking as his all too perfect voice. As I mentioned to a friend earlier today, I truly envy the way me almost appears to not even breathe when he is singing. As I listen, I sometimes have to remember to breathe myself. I am in the process of trying to expose as many people as I can to this album. In a day an age where layering and extraneous sounds are added to maintain interest, it is truly refreshing to see a contemporary artist use the bare minimum to create a cohesive work that stops time itself when listening to it. So please...go get it...or at least talk to me and obtain. I recommend finding a chair in a library or somewhere else secluded from distraction and soaking all in from start to finish. Brace yourself for the final song, Zebulon...it stopped me dead in my tracks as I was biking to work last night. Stunning...simple stunning. Cheers!

Strange things can happen if you go to a Female dorm alone

Rule #1: Don't ever...EVER go to David dorm alone if you are not totally certain that the people you want to visit are there. Tonight, I went to visit Caledonia Gerth to ask her how things we coming on our project that is due tomorrow. Little did I know that there were three utterly crazy girls waiting for some naive 23 year old man to come along so they could harass him...and harass they did. It is times like these when I realize that if there is one lesson that I need to learn and learn quick, it is the ability to say "No" when the time warrants it. I have always been the moron who would say yes to something even when every faint voice in my head (yes, there is more than one faint voice speaking to me at any given time) is saying "RUN YOU IDIOT!" My question is, "Where do you draw the line between being polite and self-preservation?" It's neither here nor there at this point, but eventually I need figure this whole thing out. Anyway, I sat there and was berated by a myriad of questions including, "What is your pants size?", "Have you ever thought about getting a mohawk?"...etc. I sat there for upwards to 45 minutes...really regretting sitting down after minute number 6. The good news is...it's over...for now.

In other news, I had a really cool daydream during lunch today. It had been raining all day long...AND THEN...out came the sun. I saw it. He began by poking his head out and saying to me, "I'm just not feeling it today." I beseeched him to stick around for a bit. Of course he abided. I then began imagining what it would be like if the sun had feelings. This all transpired during a lunch period in which nobody was doing much talking...so naturally, I ventured off into TheronLand...it's truly a lovely place.

Ok...over and out...cheers!

p.s.- My roomate thinks he's Shel Silverstein

p.p.s.- All of this was written in a flow of thought that was totally devoid of grammar and spell checking...please be kind

Disclaimer

If you do not enjoy humor, music, animals, and things that have little or nothing to do with reality...than this blog is not for you.

p.s.- If you long to be Mr. Darcy, wear male capri pants, and eat lemon rinds...than this blog is for you

Personal History Has Been Made

The intent of this blog is to give family and friends a chance to keep up with my incredibly busy life. Enjoy following all of my crazy adventures!