Feel free to laugh

For Sax and Piano

2011-12-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

More mediocre music I've written

Merry

2011-12-19T07:21:00.001-08:00

Ah, the harvest is in and we can all be so grateful we once again have enough to survive another winter, unless we get found out by the christians and they come and burn us all crispy in a big bonfire in honor of their zombie prince.

I've been wondering

2011-12-10T14:22:00.001-08:00

Do flautists lay aside their flutes
And listen when a prostitutes?

Ballet Mecanique Pt. 1

2011-11-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

Looks like my mom, in the swing

Daisy.mpg

2011-11-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

Daisy2.mpg

2011-11-19T14:51:00.000-08:00

2011-11-11T09:24:00.001-08:00

Dean Chabreau Mercer.
Pharmacist's mate, USS California,
Fireboat pilot, Seattle Fire Dept.
Pearl Harbor survivor and a great guy.

The Count Censored

2011-11-10T15:29:00.000-08:00

The downside of dreams and the realizations thereof

2011-10-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

1;
Rotundo, the elephant, after decades of hard work, anguish, and prayer, finally achieves his dream of flight only to notice upon landing how sore and weak his abused feet have become over the years.

2;

Humano, the hairless biped, after millenia spent in dreams of flight, finally submits to a full body scan and being packed and shipped like freight to Mississippi in order to visit the family for the ritual thanksgiving dinner and religious fistfights.

3;

Monsanto, the spirit of invention, having achieved major success in bio-engineering, becomes suddenly aware of unforeseen consequences of this work after being knocked unconscious by falling elephant dung.

How "trickle down" economic theory works

2011-10-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

Politics

2011-09-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

Remember folks, the boat has sunk.
President Obama is our raft.
Don't complain about the lack of amenities.
Start paddling.

Poem at the end of the universe

2011-09-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

"Ode to Helwithet"

by

Ike Witt

Words fail me.

2011-09-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

41.69
11.9
29.3
2413.1
3:30:19

Ralph friggin Nadir

2011-09-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Shut up Ralph Nadir, shut up shut up shutupshutup.
The whole Bush era is your fault.
Even 9-11, as far as I'm concerned.
You know nothing about how the world works,
even less than how cars work
You are a complete idiot.
Seriously, get some psychiatric help.
Go hide in a cave.
Go back to Mars.
And SHUT the f*** UP!

Images of the music

2011-09-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

Images for the recent music

Play it here.

"Guitar Quintet"

Martin 00018 I've had since 1966,
Japanese 12 string I got in LA in 1965
Gigantic acoustic bass guitar I built in '08 of thereabouts
A mandora I made a couple years ago six strings and tuned like a guitar
A cheap plywood guitar, the one I use the most because I don't mind leaving it laying around where I can grab it whenever I want. This is the one I got the material for the guitar quintet.

Play it here

"String Quintet"

String quintet;
I made all of these things.
The 'cello the small viola and one of the violins are made out of plywood and are of an experimental rectangular design.
The big viola and the other violin are of conventional design and made of better woods.
Had a quartet performed at Soundbridge with these instruments back in '02 or '03 or sometime or other

Hemo Hero

2011-09-13T07:59:00.001-07:00

Off to the blood bank today.
Why don't you all join me?
We can all give a pint then head to the Whistlestop and I'll buy us all a pint.
Then we can stand up, get dizzy, and fall down.
It'll be just like the 60's again.

Vicar of dibley (I cant believe its not butter)

2011-09-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

Latest work.

2011-09-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

Managed to re build the guitar version after the great computer fail of 2011
Worked into this version for string quartet.

"frustration"

2 violins
2 violas
1 cello

Been too busy with my music to play with words.

More bike stuff

2011-09-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Short ride this morn.
Coasted down to Seward park, did a lap around the park, rode up and over the center of the isthmus and back home.
A measly 10 miles.
But, I rode all the way up Waters to Redwing.
Thought I was gonna die.
But I didn't

Splog

10.81 miles
11.1 average speed
32.0 maximum speed
58.01 minutes
2371.4 odometer

Cicero

2011-09-04T09:40:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Googgle, I find I do know what it means.
It means Oh the times - Oh the customs.
Or perhaps Oh the times - Oh the manners.

By the way, I deliberately misspelled The G-word as a sign of disrespect.

Ditto

2011-09-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

Did the lower half of Lake Washington, felt awful chased my breath all the way, only now did I catch it.
Renton, otherwise known as "Alzheimer's Junction" has changed it's speed limit on it's puny little
river trail from 15 mph to 10 mph and posted a $101 fine. I'm tempted to go ahead and blast through just to help them out of their financial difficulties, but it is probably futile.
Renton continues to rot away,motorcycle shop's gone, car dealers leaving, even dear old Saint Vincent is abandoning this sinking tugboat of a town.
Ah, well, it's inevitable, the average age there is "deceased".
Look for the ramps for some cheap real estate deals.

Anyway, you are not interested in centuries past.

You're not interested in the following either

SPLOG!!!

24.82 miles
10.7 average speed
30.7 maximum speed
2360.6 on the odometer
2:18:38 road time.

BTW, I found the password for FFTL, so now I've got 2 blog sites.
The pisser is, it was the same as my e-mail password but that is gone forever because of my stupid attempts to try to sign in there.

O tempores!, O mores! (I have no idea what that means)

More '60's Rock and Roll

2011-08-04T02:21:00.000-07:00

Sympathy for the Daisy

Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a pretty little flower

I've been growing in your garden, braving sun and braving shower

Smelling nice, attracting bees, and playing in the breeze.

Living life so peacefully, here among the trees

Pleased to meet you hope you caught my name

Whoo Whooo

Then you had to come along, and pull me from the ground.

Yank my petals, one by one, 'cause of a boy you found.

He loves you, or he loves you not, as you pick away with glee.

Your hormones are your problem, what's it got to do with me.

But what's troubling me is the nature of your game

Whoo Whooo

There's no need to dismember me, and leave me here for mulch

Discarded like a worn out shoe, abandoned in a gulch.

Why don't you just go ask him, you silly little twat.

Maybe he might love you, but I most certainly do not.

Sunflower

2011-07-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

A faded sunflower, it's seeds have been eaten by iron butterflies.

Ekekiel

2011-07-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Riding my bicycle up a some big long hill

Goin' up's a lotta work but to me it's a thrill

Pushin' on the pedals, and I'm panting like a dog

It's worth it when I get there 'cause it leads to my girl.

Come ride with me baby, let's us give it a whirl.

Sundays with my baby on my new tandem bike.

She's holdin' on behind me, yeah you know that's what I like

Zoomin' down by lakeside, through some morning fog

Speedin' 'round the corners with the wind in our hair.

Best thing about her is, she likes to ride bare.

Ya gotta put your self into it

2011-07-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

The most powerful totems of the world have no power hanging on a wall.
Unoccupied, they have no soul

Hoopty - Doo and Timber

2011-07-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, the computer prob is more or less fixed and I'm ready to begin again to infect the netways with more sophomoric mp3s.
The first piece to come out of this new setup is called "Frustration 1" for 4 or 5 guitars.
I spent lots of time with my guitar while cursing my cyber fate while I was sans-computer.
I wrote down some little licks and put them together for the piece.

A tree fell out of the hill in our back yard, just a little broad leaf maple; fell across the stairway next to the yard.
Spent 40 minutes clearing the path with a hand saw.
That's two days of the Group Health recommended amount of exercise needed to live forever.
Actually, I haven't used up the two hours of bike ride time I got in last Thursday on my Auburn to Flaming Geyser ride.
Wish to hell I could donate some of this health to certain friends of mine who need the damn stuff.

More bike ride minutiae

2011-07-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

Took the Prius to the dealer for something they said it needed.
All on the guarantee.
Rode from North Auburn to Flaming Geyser Park and back.
Nice curvy road, (flat road, only one bridge to gear down for), little flocks of goldfinches, some cows, shorn sheep, horses whinnying, and a barking dog.
Numerous country odors, cows (again), and skunks.
Gave 'em two hours to fix the water pump that I didn't know was leaking.
They had it ready when I got back to the shop.
Nice work Doxon Toyota.

splog;
27.07 miles
11.5 mph average speed (flat road)
21.1 mph maximum speed
2:21:42 hours on the road.
2281.11 odometer.
Then, all of a sudden, it was now.

Just a touch, a few sprinkles, of the great Pacific Northwest's version of sunshine.

And what's in it for me?

2011-07-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

At the strained meniscus of civilization.
Will I know which way to jump when cooperation fails?

Minnit2.mpg

2011-07-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

Written for and rejected by a call for scores, this one- minute piece was originally for solo clarinet.
Here it's played four times, first by solo clarinet, then solo piano, then piano and clarinet, then I switch scores and they play it again, in different keys due to the transposing nature of the clarinet.

Who wins?

2011-07-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Art is not for artists
Art is for audiences
Art is for collectors
Art is for "posterity"

But those who create?

They should be happy just to be able to enjoy their talent.

Ozymandias

2011-06-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Went in for a checkup.
Doc said I better have the whole routine.
Thumps, prods, needles, scans, MRIs, PBYs, FBIs, and PDQs
Whatever.
So anyway after all that he shows me a pic of what's going on in there.
Kinda pretty.

Nice.

That red one in the middle, with the stripes?

Means I got about two weeks to live.

Finally -

2011-06-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

A use for these boring bike statistic blogs.
Got ready for a ride this morning only to find the battery in the computer dead.
Replacing it required re setting the time and wheel circumference.
And I could look up what the previous odometer total was
right here on this very blogsite.

35.07 miles
9.5 average speed (tired and a pint low on blood)
33.5 max speed.
3:41:02 hours on the trail.
2254 on the previously mentioned odometer.

Nice day, sun in the morning and light clouds later -
when the mad dogs and Englishmen came out.

I'm contemplating the irony of a bicycle having a dead battery.
Actually it has two, like an MGA.

Ecce Homo

2011-06-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

There are millions of human stories relegated to the thrift store bins,
worth only the price of the frame.

Some violins finished, so to speak

2011-06-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

All stained and lacquered and shined up. It turned out to be a worse mess than I thought it would be.

Looks kinda like a ducky decoy for when you are out hunting in your bathtub.

This thing started out to be a tenor ukulele, but it looked so horrible I decided to use it for scientific experiments. I put a heavy X-bracing and tilted the neck like a violin. Didn't have to go to the trouble of trying to get frets straight and spaced right that way.

Bike ride

2011-06-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

Took off early today to do a half lake ride.
Ran into a event at Seward Park.
It was a race for dogs!
They called it the Furry 5.
For five miles, I guess.
Anyway it was so cute to see the dogs on their little bicycles.
The had two sets of pedals staggered to match the dogs natural gait.
They steered with their noses!
They had a little muzzle like thing where the handlebars would normally be and the dog stuck his nose in it and steered with it.
Makes sense when you think about it, that's pretty much how the get around anyway.
The little ones were funny, their tiny little legs buzzing away in a blur.
The big dogs managed some truly impressive speeds.
Anyway, I didn't watch the whole race.
Went around the park and up to Madrona Beach and up the trail to the floating bridge and down the trail to Renton and around the airport and up Holyoke through Dead Horse Canyon,
for a total of;
24.71 miles
10.2 Average speed
34.0 max speed
2:24:36 trail time
2219.1 odometer.
Nonstop (except for stop signs)

That little violin I told you about

2011-06-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

As expected, putting a finish on the 1/8 violin has, as usual, added even more flaws and exacerbated some of the old ones.
Scratches I thought I had sanded out pop into brilliant relief with the addition of a little stain.
Ah well, Maybe ten or twelve coats of clear lacquer will make everything come out looking sharp, or at least reflect enough light so as to make the scratches, the uneven staining, the wood filler in the holes caused by the sloppy carving, the ets and the ceteras, disappear from the face of the eye.

Maybe, I'll paint the ducky's head green and his bill orange as a distraction, camouflage, if you will.

Or if you won't.

After that, I've got the 1/4 size one to finish up.
Then some mods on the mandora and the ukulele and all the other little projects that litter the benches and floors of a hebephrenic imagination such as mine.

By the way, I've received notice that my one minute piece for clarinet has been rejected. This means I may now post the video of it's performance at SCCC.
Where it was accompanied by piano and lasted longer than a minnit.

Stay tuned.

AH!Believable-Vol. 1-"Ridiculous Speed Sign"

2011-06-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

I get some of my best ideas in the bathroom

2011-06-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Sitting on the john, I noticed this personage on the edge of the tub and said to myself, "why not?"

All done "in the white"
Now I fix up a few more mistakes and then make some more mistakes in the finish and it's ready to hang on the wall and forget.
Unless Ruby actually wants to learn how to play.
Kind of thick looking, more like a miniature cello than a 1/8 violin.

Music Matters - Bernard Butler

2011-05-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Working for a living

2011-05-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

I hate these snootocrats!
This fancy doofus comes in to my studio, all dressed up in more silk and feathers than I would be embarrassed to even own, let alone wear in public.
Says he wants a portrait of the most beautiful woman in the world, his "one and only" his "true love".
I tell him how much I charge and he goes all "pshaw" on me, money is no object.

You'd think I'd learn.

So the dame shows up, she's not ugly or anything, but the dude obviously has his rose-colored glasses on.
She also doesn't look too happy about the project
There's all this flumphing around about who and what and where is gonna be in the picture.
As if he knew what he's talking about.
He don't.
He wants to be in it, of course, with his silly hat and his spy glass looking at heaven or some damn thing
He wants some musician friend in the picture.
Whatever.
So I get it done, leaving out his most idiotic ideas.
Comes to pick it up, he starts griping about everything in the piece, color's wrong, she don't look right, this is too dark, that is too bright, shouldn't the lute be on the other side, blah, blah, what an idiot.

Yeah, you're right, he don't want to pay.

No dough, no show, pal.

So it sits in the back, nobody wants the thing.
Week or so later, his girlfriend dumps him.
What took her so long, I wanna know.
Guess whose fault that was?
He comes by and chucks a brick through my window.
It's the way these people are, privileged a-holes, the lot.

Busted

2011-05-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Finally got the little violin assembled and the #$%$$% soundpost in only to drop it and poke a hole in the side. More bending of thin wood. More gluing, Tedium, tedium, tedium.

Weekend

2011-05-22T18:15:00.001-07:00

Well...a weekend of finales, Metropolitan, Seattle Opera, SNL, The Rainier Symphony's rousing Pop's concert, and that apaperclips thingy.
Four out of five ain't bad

Lookin' out my back door

2011-05-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

I was worried about the length of the grass in my back yard.

I planned on mowing the very next day.

But, during the night....

Some friendly aliens from the planet Cropcircle flew down and mowed it for me.

Fog

2011-05-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

I used to dream of having a big library, with the roller ladder and all.
I'd wear a tweed jacket with the leather elbow patches.
Peruse ancient tomes.
Big overstuffed arm chair and a cello in the corner that I had always wanted to get around to learning how to play.
I would have "colleagues" and we would discuss importantia.
I would be fluent in Greek and Latin...

Now I'm just glad that my basement ceiling is high enough so that I can walk upright there.

Now, no matter what I read it seems like I've read it before.

Now, I've taken more books to Half-Price than are dreamed of in your philosophies.

Splog

2011-05-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Overall;
45.5 miles
10 mph avg
36.6 max
4:29:54 hours
2104 odo

Last half
19.94 miles
2:19 hours
8.6 avg

Today

2011-05-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Looks like God wants me to ride today.
Might as well, my music computer is sick.

8½ theme - Nino Rota

2011-05-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

Life as a circus of pain and glory

St Frank

2011-05-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our lovely little cat brought in a baby duck.
The duck was barely alive.
We dithered around wondering how we could save it.
But that was clearly impossible.
We laid it in a warm place where it emitted a few pathetic cheeps and died.

What I want to know is -
What do you think of your big eyed animal friends now?

Mister Saint Francis.

Verdant

2011-05-07T09:15:00.001-07:00

It's not spring when a young man turns fancy.
It's not spring because of the infernal Eskimo.
It only gets to be spring when my Prius starts getting 50 mpg again.
And that hasn't happened yet!

Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly

2011-05-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here's one for Friko.

Pity the Windsors couldn't get him for the wedding.

The meek shall inherit.

2011-05-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Look out there, son, look at the smoke of progress.
Look at the needs of this great country being fed by industry.
Think of the warmth we provide to the people of our nation.
Consider all this and then realize that someday it will all be yours.

After the mine owners are through with it and it is nothing but an arid, lifeless, poisonous wasteland.

Bike ride

2011-05-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

21.83 dist
11.0 avg
31.9 max
1:58:52 time
2149.3 odo
21 miles in under 2 hours.

Music for Oboe and Orchestra

2011-05-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

http://soundcloud.com/lanesavant/kaboom

Inspired by a joke in Peter Schekele's satire of Beethoven's fifth symphony

"TheRock" Obama

2011-05-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

Great start to a presidential campaign, President Obama nailed Trump's ass and bin Laden's ass in the same week

Last time the twin towers were bombed the president had someone in jail in weeks.
What was his name again?

Had something to do with a balanced budget too, as I recall

Night ride on highway 101

2011-04-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Bus Trip

Speeding

through the clouded night

binary stars passing

at the speed of light

distant red stars pulsing

left and right

square, round, diamond

galaxies reflecting

far off

buffeted by dark matter,

unseen hands

interstellar winds

rocking the bus

the cradle

Latest music; Guitar and Bassoon

2011-04-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

Check out the piece for guitar and bassoon on the jukebox

Spring means green stuff

2011-04-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Steamed

Hot humid days of spring here in Seattle and environs bring with them a renewal of such fascinating flora.

Vast herds of wild moss thundering across the yard.

Green fuzz gathering in my window sills.

Congregations of verdance on the bathroom tiles.

Mushroom families fungal parties rampaging between my toes.

The greening of the cat

Ah, spring.

Ah, pollen.

Ah, choo!

Bike stuff!!

2011-04-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

40.62 miles
9.6 mph average
28.4 max speed
4:12:40 time
2127.5 odometer
Weather was good cool with some sun and no rain.
Bit of confusion by where they are building the tunnel disaster.
Good Taco at Aqua Verde by the U.
Lots of fun but my neck hurts.

Chips, chips, rocky hardwood chips, Horrid!

2011-04-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm making a couple small ones. Hoping that the kiddies take an interest in playing.

Showing the back colors better.
I don't know what kind of wood that is on the right.
The one on the left is apple from the back yard.
Both the bellies are pine.

These Days

2011-04-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

I tried to sleep 'til 10 but when I did get up, it was only 8:30.
Boiled some water, poured a bowl of Cheerios, poured the water into a cup containing a guessed at amount of instant coffee, poured milk on the Cheerios, and put sugar on that.

While I was eating,
I was visited by the ghost of breakfast past.

More poetry month

2011-04-17T12:37:00.001-07:00

TheFog

Some Beacon hill climbing

2011-04-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

11.17 miles
9.1 average
30.5 max
1:13:17 time
2086.8 odo

What I did today

2011-04-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Catpatch Choir sings it's signature tune "Aspice Quod Felis Attraxit"

April is poetry month

2011-04-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

O Gnarly tree

I feel just like

You look to me.

You flinch beside one

Straight and true

I wonder what hap-

pened to you.

The same amount

of soil and sun

Why are you the

Unlucky one?

O Gnarly tree

It all seems so

unfair to me.

Just a bike ride, no reason to get excited.

2011-04-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

20.52 miles
10.8 mph avg
34.8 max speed
1:53:10 hours
768.6 on the odometer
1307+768.6=2075.6

Bar fight

2011-04-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is what really happened.
Not what the cops said.
Not what the lawyers made out of what the cops said.
And not what the judge said, which was based mainly on his own set of prejudices.

Coming home from my guitar lesson where I was studying how to play blues, I stopped at a bar for a drink and to sit for awhile. I parked my case at a table in the back and ordered a Guinness.
This guy comes up, he's drinking wine out of one of those long stem glasses.
He starts talking to me and asks me about my music. I told him I was just learning and couldn't play very well at all.
So he says "C'mon, I betcha you can play up a storm"
I begged off "No," I said "not really, I'm just learning"
"Yeah, yeah," he says, "don't mean to pressure you. Buy you a drink?"
"Sure"
We got to talking about guitars and music and stuff.
About three beers later he asks me again to play.
Three beers is right at the edge for me and I was kind of flattered that he would ask.
Mostly, for me, it's "Do you take requests?, how 'bout "stop playing?"
So I pulled out the guitar and hit some chords.
They sounded nice.
Nobody complained.
I had another beer.
Pretty soon I was wailin', really getting into it, the guy was smiling and everybody seemed to be enjoying it, so I just kept on, getting all creative and having a good time.
But soon the beer caught up with me and I started missing the strings and whatnot.
So I had to quit.
Got a nice bit of applause.
So I packed it up and told them I had to leave.
When I stood up, I realized I had had more than I usually drink.
Feeling kind of unstable, I asked for some coffee.
My wine drinking fan got up to leave, paid for all the drinks "thanks for the music", he said.
I sat for a while, drinking the coffee.
About a half hour later I felt better and tried to stand up, but I stumbled and fell face first into the wine glass on the table in front of me. The glass shattered and cut my face up and the stem shoved up into my cheek and jammed into my sinus.
Somebody called an ambulance and the bartender tried to stop the bleeding with a bar towel.
The doctor fixed me up. It wasn't really very serious.
I think it was the ambulance guys who assumed it was a fight, and they told the cops. The cops took it from there, they wanted to know who the other guy was, I couldn't tell them anything co I had to listen to a shitload of humiliating crap
from the judge.
At least I didn't get jailed.
Anyway,couple days, I went back to the bar and asked about the guitar.
They remembered me, saved it for me, and had it stored in the back.
I felt like buying the house a drink.
But it wasn't the same people.
And I only had five bucks on me.

Tour de Beacon hill country.

2011-04-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

18.18 miles, no yellow jersey.
Not that I didn't have the fastest time.
I had the only time,
And no jersey, of any color, was offered.
I did get up to 32.8 mph, but only averaged 8.9
Took 2.02 hours.
Lots of hills there, had to walk one of 'em.
Explored several dead ends (sometimes there are paths)looking for a way off the hill to the waterfront.
Ended up using Columbian-Spokane street ramp to the industrial area.
Didn't go to the waterfront, didn't want to do that big a ride.
puffed and panted my way back to Airport and thence to M.L.K-Henderson-Renton-Roxbury.

18.18,
8.9,
32.8,
2.02,
2055.1

April is looking up.

Faith and other sources of light.

2011-04-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

So I asked him, what motivates you? What do you believe in?

What does this picture inspire in you?

He says, "I believe that for every drop of rain that falls, something gets wet."
"Come on be serious" I counter.
"I am being serious, I only let myself believe in things that I can actually observe. They are the only things I can react to, and so few, if any, can I do anything about."
"Yeah," (me again) "that's all very nice, but it's not what I'm asking."
I think I've got him on the hook now
"What do you imagine happens where you can't see? Don't you ever speculate about the mysteries? Where do we come from, why are we here?"
"Matters of imagination I let run free," he says "but I don't believe in or assign any credence." he snorts "any thing can be anything in the mind."
"So these rain drops are just raindrops to you?"
"Not even that" the smug little smartass says, "You've shown me a picture, how do I know it's not some kind of fake?"
"Well, for inst..." I started to say.
"Could be a photomicrograph of the surface of highly polished metal."
"Well, for inst..." I started to say again.
"Or the surface of some outer space asteroid"
"Well, for inst..." I started to say once more, then changed my mind when I realized I was arguing with a figment of my own imagination.

Which is not a very productive way of filling in blog space.

I think my carotid arteries are filling up with cholesterol shutting off the flow of blood to my brain.

Poetry month.

2011-04-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my favorites; from Finnegans Wake

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

Even more relevant today.

Provenance

2011-03-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

I accidentally painted a picture once and it came out real nice.
It was a really beautiful painting
Not the picture above, that's a good one too, but mine was really nice.
Everybody I showed it to thought it was something special.
So I took it to a gallery. The gallery liked it they would show it, but they wanted more similar work.
But I only painted the one.
And, like I said, it was an accident.
I only wanted to paint one - to see what it was like.
They told me to stay in contact and when I got enough paintings, we could talk about a show.
The other galleries I went to said the same.
I never painted any more.

I took it home and hung it in my living room.
A few years later, when I painted the living room, I took it down and stored it in the basement.
I forgot about it.
Twenty years later I found it again while throwing out a bunch of basement junk.
I still thought it was a real good picture, but I didn't know what to do with it.
So, reluctantly, I tossed it in the trash can.
But when the garbage man came by, he thought it was real nice and brought it to my front door and told me he found it in the trash and it was such a good painting that surely it was in the trash by mistake.
I told him, if he liked it, he could have it.
But he didn't want it, so I took it back inside.

Later, while I was out walking, I saw a yard sale and got an idea.
I went home and got the painting and went back to the yard sale and pretended I found it there.
I asked the man how much they wanted for it. He said he didn't know and asked his wife.
She didn't recognize it either but said "A hundred dollars"
I talked them down to seventy five and took it home again.

I am still not sure what to do with it.

Put that pen down and raise your hands

2011-03-24T23:03:00.000-07:00

They say the pen is mightier,
but
if somebody comes at me with a sword,
I'm gonna run

'Twas an hillarious day.

2011-03-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Rode a bunch of South Seattle/Renton/Skyway/Tukwila hills today.
Ten miles of 'em.
Thought I'd see if the exercise had any effect on the migraine.
Can't say as it had, but who knows?
I was wondering how to refer to my lowest ratio gearset, so I asked my old pal, Hamlet.
This is what he said.
This is what Hamlet said.
"Well" he said, Hamlet said, "You could call it your "Granny Gear" 'cause it's the easiest one to push, but that makes you sound kinda wimpy.
That could be humorous if everyone could see that you are an incredibly, massively strong biking monster.
Which they can't
And which you're not.
Or" he continued, "you could call it your "Stump Puller" which adds a touch of the absurd in picturing pulling stumps with a bicycle. That has a bit of appeal.
On the other hand...we have a thumb..hahahaha"
Not not a great sense of humor, but he continues;
"Compound Low is another possibility, or..."
Anyway, I stopped listening about then, trying to get a straight answer from the guy is next to impossible.

Anyway, I still see stars around my head and feel like shit.
Speaking of shit;
Life is shit, and money is toilet paper.
The bigger the ass, the more paper needed.

12.20 miles
7.8 average
36.4 maximum speed (What goes up slow, comes down fast)
1:33:25 trail time.
729 + 1307 = 2036.9

Monster Mash

2011-03-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday's concert

1 - Igor's Polka

2 - Quasimodo's Dream Waltz

3 - Dracula's Gavotte

David Mesler on piano

Tony Rondolone on flute

Hard luck archipelago

2011-03-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

Boy... it seems Japan is once again being menaced by possible nuclear disaster.
You'd think, already holding the world record, they wouldn't need any more.

Sandra Boynton's ONE SHOE BLUES starring B.B. King

2011-03-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

B.B. King and Lucille!

My music; Admission free.

2011-03-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

Later on, on the 8th of March, David will be hosting a recital for his students.
I will be represented there with three short pieces for piano and flute;
"Dracula's Gavotte", "Igor's Polka", and "Quasimodo's Dream Waltz".

This will take place in the Erickson theater at Seattle Central Community College.

"Dracula's Gavotte" is in 7/4 time.
"Igor's Polka" is 6/4,
and "Quasimodo's Dream Waltz" is 5/4.

The whole 6 minnit extravaganza is sometimes referred to as "Monster Mash".

This is neither a piano nor is it a flute

It's a vielle

Scientific exploration

2011-02-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

So.., When they tell me you can't get blood out of a turnip, naturally, I have to try.
Well. it ain't easy, but it can be done.
Takes a lot of pressure, you don't get much blood, and the turnip ends up looking all anemic and wrinkly.
But it can be done, you don't get much, though .
What you'd want turnip blood for anyway, I can't imagine.
What are you gonna do with it?
You can do it at home.
Best not to try it at the breakfast table, though.

The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil

2011-02-27T22:04:00.000-08:00

As relevant today as it was in 3500 B.C.

Zen what?

2011-02-24T00:17:00.000-08:00

I finally heard the sound of one hand clapping, so now I'm moving on to contemplate the sound of the other hand clapping.

My new truck

2011-02-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

I bought a new Chevy Avalanche and returned to the dealer yesterday because I couldn't get the radio to work.

The salesman explained that the radio was voice activated.

''Nelson,'' the salesman said to the radio. The radio replied, ''Ricky or Willie?''

''Willie!'' and 'On The Road Again' came from the speakers.

Then he said, ''Ray Charles," and ' Georgia On My Mind' replaced Willie Nelson.

I drove away happy, and for the next few days every time I'd say, ''Beethoven,''

I'd hear his music, and if I said, ''Beatles,'' I'd get one of their songs.

Yesterday, some guy ran a red light and nearly creamed my new truck, but I swerved in time to avoid him.

I yelled, ''Ass Hole!''

Immediately the radio responded, "Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, or Sarah Palin?"
Damn, I love this truck.

Got live if you want it.

2011-02-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

Free!
Broadway performance hall!
March 1st at 7:30
David Mesler and friends present improvised jazz!
New and Improved!

..........

Later on, on the 8th of March, David will be hosting a recital for his students.

I will be represented there with three short pieces for piano and flute;

"Dracula's Gavotte", "Igor's Polka", and "Quasimodo's Dream Waltz".

This will take place in the Erickson theater at Seattle Central Community College.

Admission free.

Talking Cat - Cat Nip Trip

2011-02-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

Music bizz

2011-02-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

Besides the clarinet, I am also carving the plates for two small size violins in case that Ruby might want to try to learn to play.
She said she'd like to try.
Everything is possible at that age.
And I've posted two pieces for brass ensembles on the jukebox over there.
"Quasimodo's Dream Waltz" and "Promenade" for brass quartet and quintet respectively

Also I've got a show coming up.
March 8 at the Erickson theater at Seattle Central Community College.
I'll be presenting "Quasimodo's Dream Waltz" (piano and flute this time) and two new pieces written especially for the occasion.
"Dracula's Gavottet" and "Igor's Polka".
All for piano and flute.
None of these pieces have anything to do with the dances mention in their titles.
Later today I'll post them here.

"Quasi" was written in 2002 and performed at the composers salon that year.
Originally for piano, bass and flute.

Couple of good comments from highly regarded artists.

Iditerod ride

2011-02-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

26.87 miles.
2:15:30 hours.
11.8 mph average.
59.6 max speed. There is apparently some kind of electrical field along the Sammamish Slough trail that does this kind of thing to my CatEye.
717.7 + 1307 = 2024.7 odometer.

Clear blue skies, ice on the grass, cold.
Dressed for it, no prob.

Amazon

2011-02-08T10:55:00.000-08:00

Just spent over a half hour trying to buy 25 bucks worth of stuff.
Now I either have six new "accounts" and no stuff.
Or I have twenty two times what I wanted.
Or who knows WTF is going on.
I could have driven to Everett and bought it at a real store by now.
Repeat line 3

I still can't play the clarinet.

Dead of winter

2011-02-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

Took a couple short walks this week and had dinner at Ivar's salmon house.
practiced a lot on the clarinet.
Nothing is funny these days.
Just look at it...."0".... isn't that a hoot?

Ukulele

2011-01-31T17:52:00.000-08:00

Here's what I was talkin' about.
the fresh finished Ukulele and the 12 gauge double barrel flute.

Seven tries at getting a good shot of the uke, this one isn't very good, most of the inlay detail doesn't show, but at least it's in focus.

Thought I'd do 20 but it was too cold.

2011-01-31T11:22:00.000-08:00

8.34 miles
1:00:24 hours
8.2 average
32.9 max speed
690.9 + 1307 = 1997.9 odometers

Sticky keys

2011-01-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

Just linked "TubaTuba"as an audio clip on my profile.
Been practicing clarinet 2 hours a day for a week.
Had a bunch of technical malfunctions with the clarinet but I think I've got them licked. For a while there the thing would suddenly shut off and refuse to play anything. I had to stop and slap it around a little before it would straighten up and fly right for a while.
Sticky keys
Now when it plays the wrong note it's because I'm pushing the wrong button.
Got the fancy ukulele finished finally, the new fretboard, the one that fits the 13" string length, seems to finally be in tune. Also I thinned out the soundboard hoping it would sound a bit livelier. Sounds almost like a real ukulele now. Got a bunch of other awful sounding "musical" instruments on the bench. I have no idea why I do this kind of thing.
Or why I feel the need to write about it.
Watched "Barber of Seville" Saturday.
Seattle Opera
Heard Mendelssohn's violin concerto this afternoon.
James Garlik with the Simphonia Northwest.
Great performance of an exciting hunk of music.
Also Beethoven's fourth symphony.
And some Delius.
Birds ascending and rivers flowing
Got a double barrel Native Indian style flute for Christmas.
Sounds nice.
I'm setting up a sort of studio in my basement so I may be able to record some live stuff.
If I ever manage to play anything all the way through.

CedarRiver.MOV

2011-01-24T12:36:00.000-08:00

After the ride, we took a walk along the Cedar River. Trying out the camera on it's movie setting, we got four videos of the very full river.
The other three came out sideways.
They are posted on my Youtube site.
My Youtube site

Here are some stills.

A ride

2011-01-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd take a five miler to the hardware store for some ABS plumbing parts for a stupid invention I'm wasting my time on.
Ended up wandering around and doing a little more.
13.78 miles
1:18:24 hours
10.5 average
26.3 max
682.5 + 1307 = 1989

Been putting 2hrs a day practicing clarinet always getting better but never getting good.

Recycle bin

2011-01-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

thing growing in my brain this thing this accumulation of flotsam tucked away in the interstices of practical knowledge and deflated dreams this dead end storage of lost hopes unrequited loves broken promises unpaid debts insults dishonored contracts
missed trains and misunderstood words? What is this

You only go around once and there is no delete button

Charles Mingus - Moanin'

2011-01-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

Egad

First ride of the year.

2011-01-05T15:01:00.001-08:00

83 1/3 feet in my basement.
Shop to laundry room and back.
abt 20 seconds on the trail.
1 mph.

Michael Jackson

2011-01-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

After a month of migraine, rhinovirus, exsanguinating nasal passages, blackout inducing coughing, blackouts induced by trying to read a poorly written murder mystery while trying at the same time to ignore the jabbering of beloved family members as they went on and on about how the world is incompetently constructed and how it should be constructed without ever mentioning any paths that might lead to it's proper construction thereby leaving it (the world) with it's usual construction which is not, nor will it ever be constructed any better than this sentence and other joyous holiday activities, I managed to stay awake until the end of the year during the celebration at Len & Miriam's Sou'Wester lodge in Seaview.
At one point I dropped and did ten push-ups just to check and see if there was still a real seeming aspect to this seemingly eternal bad dream
The new year has yet to heed the millions and millions (est.) of exhortations to be a happy one.
But that's not too surprising.
It's a black ugly twisted enigma and lethargy is still the boss of me.

I wash my hands, but I don't wear gloves.

Seasons Gratings, one more time

2010-12-24T13:29:00.001-08:00

Lump of coal

Twas the night before
the 25th of December, and
all through the house
there was crap strewn about
The cats were hissing
and smacking each other;
and nary a dry Kleenex
to be found

I and my wife
had just settled down
to an evening
of computer games,
each to his own;
when suddenly
from the front door
there came
such a sound;
as if
religious proselytizers
were knocking
thereupon

That turned out
to be the case
and we were then
faced
with odd little beings
who demanded
that we accept
the true meaning
of this cold icy time of year;
to celebrate
the birth
of someone
who was born
sometime in March,
as far as anybody
who ever actually studied
the subject
could figure.

So we listened
and nodded
and uh-huhed
in agreement,
and they soon
went away.
Jesus Christ!

Paco

2010-12-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

Went downtown again for the Picasso exhibit today.
What's a class act like that doing in a backwater hick town like Seattle?
Loads of fun but too many people interfere with contemplation.

http://picassoinseattle.org/

Captain Beefheart - Clear Spot

2010-12-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

R.I.P Don van Vliet

Bike ride

2010-12-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

10.73 miles.
9.2 avg speed.
35.5 max speed.
1:10:04 hours.
668.7 + 1307 = 1975.7

This week

2010-12-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

Missed the Book group meeting Sunday, just flaked out.
Most likely was a good one, poetry.
That's probably why I missed it.
Can't decide whether I want to feel like a wimp for not reading anything or an idiot for reading some of mine.
Monday started out with a donated pint of blood.
Meredith fainted a bit at the blood center.
She still seems weak but is basically O.K.
Tuesday was the 7th and my annual pearl Harbor joke.
Fooled around with Duke Nukem.
Wednesday was class.
Watched and critiqued the video.
Met up with some old friends on top of old Queen Anne hill.
Couldn't talk anyone into taking any of my CDs
Fooled around with Duke Nukem some more.
Thursday I edited the video and posted it in various places, mainly Facebook.
I don't think I did anything Friday.
Maybe I did, maybe I didn't.
I don't remember.
Saturday, I went out in the cold with a bucket and a brush and washed the mold off the VW.
And fooled around with Duke Nukem.
and I watched as much of the original "Little Shop of Horrors" as I could
before SNL came on.
Paul McCartney,
Today I contacted some people about putting the piano/sax piece on the next salon.
That's Friday, January 7.
Got all my musicians on line. Got the amended scores printed got the CD burned.
Got all that in the envelope stamped and ready to mail.
Hope there's room on the show.

Now I'm doing this.
Only now I'm not.

Feel free to laugh

For Sax and Piano

Merry

I've been wondering

Ballet Mecanique Pt. 1

Daisy.mpg

Daisy2.mpg

The Count Censored

The downside of dreams and the realizations thereof

How "trickle down" economic theory works

Politics

Poem at the end of the universe

Words fail me.

Ralph friggin Nadir

Images of the music

Hemo Hero

Off to the blood bank today.Why don't you all join me?We can all give a pint then head to the Whistlestop and I'll buy us all a pint.Then we can stand up, get dizzy, and fall down.It'll be just like the 60's again.

Vicar of dibley (I cant believe its not butter)

Latest work.

More bike stuff

Cicero

Ditto

More '60's Rock and Roll

Sunflower

Ekekiel

Ya gotta put your self into it

Hoopty - Doo and Timber

More bike ride minutiae

And what's in it for me?

Minnit2.mpg

Who wins?

Ozymandias

Finally -

Ecce Homo

Some violins finished, so to speak

Bike ride

That little violin I told you about

AH!Believable-Vol. 1-"Ridiculous Speed Sign"

I get some of my best ideas in the bathroom

Music Matters - Bernard Butler

Working for a living

Busted

Weekend

Lookin' out my back door

Fog

Splog

Today

8½ theme - Nino Rota

St Frank

Verdant

Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly

The meek shall inherit.

Bike ride

Music for Oboe and Orchestra

"TheRock" Obama

Great start to a presidential campaign, President Obama nailed Trump's ass and bin Laden's ass in the same week

Last time the twin towers were bombed the president had someone in jail in weeks.What was his name again?

Had something to do with a balanced budget too, as I recall

Night ride on highway 101

Latest music; Guitar and Bassoon

Spring means green stuff

Bike stuff!!

Chips, chips, rocky hardwood chips, Horrid!

These Days

More poetry month

Some Beacon hill climbing

What I did today

April is poetry month

Just a bike ride, no reason to get excited.

Bar fight

Tour de Beacon hill country.

Faith and other sources of light.

Poetry month.

Provenance

Put that pen down and raise your hands

'Twas an hillarious day.

Monster Mash

Hard luck archipelago

Sandra Boynton's ONE SHOE BLUES starring B.B. King

My music; Admission free.

Off to the blood bank today.
Why don't you all join me?
We can all give a pint then head to the Whistlestop and I'll buy us all a pint.
Then we can stand up, get dizzy, and fall down.
It'll be just like the 60's again.

Last time the twin towers were bombed the president had someone in jail in weeks.
What was his name again?

Free!
Broadway performance hall!
March 1st at 7:30
David Mesler and friends present improvised jazz!
New and Improved!