No matter how neatly I try to wrap them, my earphones always become the most tangled clump of wires they possibly could. In searching for an explanation for this maddening phenomenon, I researched knot theory and learned a bit about Topology. There was also pretty pictures.
Inspired by the more than 6 billion tabulated knots that can be constructed from an unbroken circle, I composed some rhythmic knots in 5/4 and 7/4 time…
Restlessness
Pure
To look at my last post, written two weeks ago at the cabin in Maine and consider describing all that has happened since then is too daunting a task, so we are going to the abridged and illustrated notes instead:
Caitlin/Sam engagement party -camping and partying at beautiful Reiche property in Freeport, Me
Tuna Boat with Andrew and Will -Many tuna seen, but none that wanted any piece of our deadly trap…
Land Party -camping and partying at beautiful Buckland property in Warwick, NY
The weekend of my year has begun and it has been an incredible vacation so far. It will only get better; this weekend we leave for three weeks in Elba, Barcelona and Borde Neuve. I hope to be updating the org regularly so check in and let me know how your summer is going…
Last night was as hard as it comes to be a fan; Game 7 loss to the Lakers, collapsing in the second half and reminding Beantowners of our dour pessimistic hard-loss character. It is always hardest to lose when winning is closest, in a game or in a season, and almost makes me wish they had blown their chances months ago so I could have avoided all the recent trauma… But I guess its more about the thrill of potential victory than victory itself that makes sports fun. How else could it be that people continue to invest their time, money and energy into an experience that is almost always a losing effort in the end (if one can really consider there to be an end…)?
I have a very short list of things that disappoint me regularly, and sports are at the very top.
And just as I put the period on that sentence, the US soccer team scored a goal to tie it up from a two goal deficit. Sports excite! A US World Cup victory seems unlikely, but every strike is a jolt of euphoria. Moments like that, strung across a lifetime, easily outweigh the handful of championships I have witnessed.
But while sports ultimately disappoints me, I have a much longer list of things that never let me down and Alaina and nature are at the very top. The rest of my day will be spent hiking on Sargent and Penobscot mountains in Acadia National Park; it is a glorious day and I am in need of some eternal inspiration.
Tennis, Golfing, Boating, Beaching, Cocktails, Croquet, BBQ, Family and Friends make for a quintessential Cape Cod long weekend. Despite the haze and burning smell from the Quebec forest fires, the air still has that sea-salty sweetness to it and brings me back to the summers of youth, spent engaged in all aforementioned activities for months at a time… Today I am lucky to find one or two weekends a year to spend in Osterville, but every day there is a master class in relaxation. This Memorial Day weekend’s tasty tease of summer has whet my appetite for the next few months, which will include travel, relaxation and recreation in Maine, Vermont, Italy, Spain, France and of course, Brooklyn!
Life sucks. Anyone who believes otherwise is an ignorant fool. Being alive is nothing but ugly disappointment everywhere you look: all your hopes and dreams will be crushed by reality, which is just a painful death march. Every day depletes your soul as you become the zombie slave our society feeds on. In the grand scheme of things, you are nothing, infinitesimal in the pointless existence of the universe. Joy is a fleeting illusion. Love will only break your heart. Good is dead.
I love my job. Teaching music to kids all day is awesome and my workweek is Monday – Friday with siestas most days. It is very satisfying work, but while I love doing it, I l also love not doing it. The weekend is so crucial and this weekend was MLK Day so the time was increased by 50%. I took advantage. Friday night was a final blow out at Monkeytown. I will always remember that space as the site of special times and will miss VJing and being inside the giant video projection box. I can only hope to find a suitable alternative soon…
Saturday was a day of travel to the Adirondacks, where Phil was having a final celebration of bachelorhood with the men in his life. It featured the requisite Poker, Beer Pong and Asshole tournaments, as well as a nerf dart gun to add just a little bit of danger. It also involved a day of skiing at Gore Mountain and although they had not had snow in over two weeks, the slopes were well covered. Even in the trees there was a good base, and I always love some rocks and ice mixed in to add that classic Eastern element…
Monday I returned to Brooklyn and added a new member to our family. Lynx was adopted on January 18, 2010 so he now shares a birthday into my life with Caitlin! He is an amazing kitten and I am excited to give him a great cat’s life.
We will miss you tomorrow, Wes, and we wish you a speedy recovery.
This song is for you and all your fellow gladiators.
Wes Welker
Sometimes sports are so disgusting they make me physically ill just from watching it. I remember watching Joe Theismann’s leg shatter under Lawrence Taylor and feeling sick and scared at the violence of it. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain that he must have felt and I seriously hope I am never injured that badly. I have now seen enough destroyed knees in football (and I hope it is never worse than Willis McGahee) that I have become somewhat desensitized to the awkward leg angles that can occur when caught in the path of a powerful force. But Wes wasn’t even hit. He was just making a cut like he has probably done a million times in his lifetime and his knee just snapped! I have not been able to get it out of my mind since it happened two days ago and have actually been having nightmares about it. Of course, part of my dread comes simply from losing my favorite player on my favorite team on the eve of the playoffs but it is so much sadder than that. He looked devastated on the bench, screaming and crying into a towel; I don’t think it was from the physical pain but a deeper frustration knowing that he had played his last down for the season. His whole life has been devoted to competitive football and the pursuit of a championship; he has been an outstanding receiver but his help now will be as supportive fan. I hope he never forgets what he contributed this season and also never feels guilty in any way should the Patriots (somehow) not win the Superbowl…
Last season when Tom Brady’s knee was destroyed, it was Bernard Pollard making the hit. It was barely even a hit because Pollard was already on the ground, but it was still enough. On Sunday, Welker was making a cut to avoid the lunging Bernard Pollard. Pollard missed him completely, but it was still enough… This is the nature of football and I don’t believe Pollard should in any way feel responsible, but I never want to see him across the ball again.
I attended another amazing Vimeo offline event at Monkeytown last night and was extremely disappointed to learn that the space is closing due to “landlord issues”. Without a doubt this was my favorite performance/party space in the city. It was truly unique in its four-projection surround screen setup and its affordable and delicious gastropub food. I had the pleasure of performing there many times as VJ, DJ and bandmember and will always remember it as a perfect storm of social supergoodness; it opened up so many artistic possibilities from the typical NYC venue. It seems like a successful business so I hope that the owners can reincarnate the model soon. On the bright side, Reggie Watts performed there last night and inspired me with his acapella loop and delay improvisational wizardry. He creates his music entirely in the moment which allows the audience to discover new surprises with the artist; conceptually it is beautiful and he executes it flawlessly. At least he will continue to perform…
Rock was born from the Blues and Memphis delivered it. As our holiday party for Music Together of Park Slope, we went to see this new Broadway musical and I was definitely inspired by the voices and story on stage. It is about a culture clash divided along racial lines and the few who fought to bridge the gap. A white disc jockey is determined to bring black music to the masses and refuses to compromise his morality in the face of unrelenting hatred. He falls in love with a black woman and though his crazy antics are what bring him fame, a public interracial kiss destroys him. I would say that most audience members can probably see the absurdity of prudishness in 1950s Memphis, but some of them would probably still be disgusted by a homosexual embrace… The eternal battle for true equality wages on.
