September 16th, 2009
Cool things happen/are happening to me. I've been in town less than a week and already have been to an awesome beatles concert (for free – see previous post), got a job, had dinner with my good friends from nashville Adam and Kate, Shot a bunch of awesome photos, met other nice folks, popped my NYC-cyclist cherry, and saw rodrigo y gabriela perform.
You might say to yourself, “Gee, I like the couple of songs by Rodrigo y Gabriela that I've heard, but they're pretty similar. I wonder how they keep their two hour set from all sounding the same.” Well, they don't.
To be fair, they do the thing that that do very well. They play spanish sounding music...really fast. They can thump on their guitars...really fast. Oh, and loud. Seriously, Gabriela strums so quickly I didn't mind hearing the same song for two hours.
Occasionally Rodrigo would get different sections of the crowd clapping different paterns. I think most people enjoyed that but at one point a frat boy behind me yelled, “This shit is so complex! What the fuck dude!”
So did I enjoy myself? Yes. Do I think it was a good concert? Well, if you're wowed my speed and dexterity you might have thought it was a good concert. If I made a checklist of things at a good concert, instrumental acrobatics probably wouldn't be on it.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
England is Mine and it Owes Me a Living
September 15th, 2009
Dear Universe Earth-Bird,
Thank you for supplying me with awesome experiences and giving me what I ask for. I don't know what was up with that weird segment in New Brunswick, NJ, but I can let it go if you can. I think we both said some things we didn't mean and regret and we can just leave it at that.
I enjoy the job that you gave me and am glad that it pays well. I also appreciate all the nice weather you always give me like a spotlight in a dark room.
I would also like to that you for all the good people who are in my life and who I meet every day, and for the mind-blowing and edifying interactions I have with them.
I'm grateful also for the gifts of music, photography, writing, acting, and comedy.
Thank you for a little computer that I can take everywhere and use as an outlet, and thank you for skype so I can talk to Anna.
Thanks for rodrigo y gabriela who I am seeing in concert and for all the other great enriching artists I've seen over the course of my life.
I was happy to find that you saved that bike for me at amber lion aniques all year, and that I got it for such a damn cheap price.
Thanks for the best apartment in this city, and for this view from my window at night.
Yours litterally,
Enoch – Age 6
Dear Universe Earth-Bird,
Thank you for supplying me with awesome experiences and giving me what I ask for. I don't know what was up with that weird segment in New Brunswick, NJ, but I can let it go if you can. I think we both said some things we didn't mean and regret and we can just leave it at that.
I enjoy the job that you gave me and am glad that it pays well. I also appreciate all the nice weather you always give me like a spotlight in a dark room.
I would also like to that you for all the good people who are in my life and who I meet every day, and for the mind-blowing and edifying interactions I have with them.
I'm grateful also for the gifts of music, photography, writing, acting, and comedy.
Thank you for a little computer that I can take everywhere and use as an outlet, and thank you for skype so I can talk to Anna.
Thanks for rodrigo y gabriela who I am seeing in concert and for all the other great enriching artists I've seen over the course of my life.
I was happy to find that you saved that bike for me at amber lion aniques all year, and that I got it for such a damn cheap price.
Thanks for the best apartment in this city, and for this view from my window at night.
Yours litterally,
Enoch – Age 6
Monday, September 14, 2009
Oh what a world we live in
September 14th, 2009
On Biking in New York City:
It's totally not as daunting as I thought. People seem cautious to watch for cyclists and even understanding when they have to yield to them. It's easy as anywhere really. There's a lot of traffic but everyone driving knows that, so if they're on the road their eyes are open. Better than I can say for Tennessee drivers actually.
On Memory:
I often think mine is not that sharp. People quote me from time to time and I ask who they're quoting. It's nice to always have a new take on things, even if they're my things, but sometimes I think it makes me less sentimental, or at least slows down certain kinds of social learning, or learning about my own patterns.
So, if you're a friend of mine and you're reading this and thinking you've noticed a flaw in my that I haven't, I would ask that you present it to me (please be gentle if you can) because I might just not be picking up on something.
On Subconscious Learning:
I think it's my strength, but that only good for certain types of tasks. Non-fact work is my speciality.
On Vegetarianism:
Notable vegetarians include Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla, Socrates, Confucius, Budda, Thich Nhat Hanh, Pythagoras, and Ghandi.
On Fluorescent Light Bulbs:
First off, fluorescent lights look horrible. Apparently you can search out CFLs with specific light temps, which emulate natural light better than others, but the overlooked fact is that color temperature is a poor indicator of the quality of light. A better one is the CRI - Color Rendering Index, which measures "the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects faithfully in comparison with an ideal or natural light source." (so says Wikipedia) If you look at a spectral analysis of Compact Fluorescent and Incandescent lamps. You will see that a very small part of the spectrum is actually delivered with CF lamps. This causes problems with illustrators, textiles, and any other business or hobby that requires good color rendition.
As far as the mercury part goes...As I understand it, waste from burning coal to produce power ends up as mercury. Someone more knowledgeable than I needs to do the math and figure out if the waste from an incandescent is less or greater than the 5 mg or less of mercury in CFLs.
The trouble is that neither kind of light bulb is sustainable. Both produce waste and absorb the resources faster than nature produces them. We build an un sustainable system in the first place, and until we 1.) Have some brilliant idea and 2.)want to (or are forced) to restructure our society from the ground up, we'll keep having to live with (or die by) inadequate stabs in the dark,
For the record I'm all about decreasing pollution for the general well-being of all organisms (including humans). Global warming may or may not be man-made or whatever. I don't care; I just don't see anything good about breathing, eating, and drinking carcinogens.
On Biking in New York City:
It's totally not as daunting as I thought. People seem cautious to watch for cyclists and even understanding when they have to yield to them. It's easy as anywhere really. There's a lot of traffic but everyone driving knows that, so if they're on the road their eyes are open. Better than I can say for Tennessee drivers actually.
On Memory:
I often think mine is not that sharp. People quote me from time to time and I ask who they're quoting. It's nice to always have a new take on things, even if they're my things, but sometimes I think it makes me less sentimental, or at least slows down certain kinds of social learning, or learning about my own patterns.
So, if you're a friend of mine and you're reading this and thinking you've noticed a flaw in my that I haven't, I would ask that you present it to me (please be gentle if you can) because I might just not be picking up on something.
On Subconscious Learning:
I think it's my strength, but that only good for certain types of tasks. Non-fact work is my speciality.
On Vegetarianism:
Notable vegetarians include Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla, Socrates, Confucius, Budda, Thich Nhat Hanh, Pythagoras, and Ghandi.
On Fluorescent Light Bulbs:
First off, fluorescent lights look horrible. Apparently you can search out CFLs with specific light temps, which emulate natural light better than others, but the overlooked fact is that color temperature is a poor indicator of the quality of light. A better one is the CRI - Color Rendering Index, which measures "the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects faithfully in comparison with an ideal or natural light source." (so says Wikipedia) If you look at a spectral analysis of Compact Fluorescent and Incandescent lamps. You will see that a very small part of the spectrum is actually delivered with CF lamps. This causes problems with illustrators, textiles, and any other business or hobby that requires good color rendition.
As far as the mercury part goes...As I understand it, waste from burning coal to produce power ends up as mercury. Someone more knowledgeable than I needs to do the math and figure out if the waste from an incandescent is less or greater than the 5 mg or less of mercury in CFLs.
The trouble is that neither kind of light bulb is sustainable. Both produce waste and absorb the resources faster than nature produces them. We build an un sustainable system in the first place, and until we 1.) Have some brilliant idea and 2.)want to (or are forced) to restructure our society from the ground up, we'll keep having to live with (or die by) inadequate stabs in the dark,
For the record I'm all about decreasing pollution for the general well-being of all organisms (including humans). Global warming may or may not be man-made or whatever. I don't care; I just don't see anything good about breathing, eating, and drinking carcinogens.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The meat in your mouth as you savour the flavour...
September 13th, 2009
There is an area in Nashville called Hillsboro. There is an area in New Jersey called Hillsborough. I never really thought of the Tennessee spelling as a bastardized version of the word until this week, but I suppose it makes sense. By the time the word spread that far across the country language was already evolving.
You can't think about photographing anything in new york city. Well, of course you can, but what I mean is that if you think about it you'll find it pointless. How many photos have there been of new york city? From how many different perspectives? What does my bundle of glass and plastic have to offer that has not already been. This, of course, is not intuitive knowledge. It's intelectual mumbo jumbo, which untimately fails. Because for that matter it's pointless to photograph a sunset or the human eyeball. That's just not true. Not true to my soul. I have shot many a photo here. Not all are pointless. Novelty comes from the uniqueness of your nervous system, not from the objects you record.
This is a vomit story. More acurately, this is a near-vomit story. Recently, until a few hours ago I haven't eaten much flesh, or any cooked food for that matter. I've been consuming fresh fruits, vegetables, sprouts, and such. I visited my friends Adam and Kate tonight and Kate made this delicious caserole with lots of...CHICKEN FLESH!!! It was perfect tasting, but I nearly puked later. I don't think Adam or Kate knew, but I'm kind of like a robot in that I can disconnect certain discomforts from my immediate consciousness for the sake social interaction, productivity, or general fun. The moral of this story is that eating flesh is actually as weird as it seems in those strangely lucid moments that flash through the long gooey continuum of my mental adventure, and that I'd be better off sticking with the foods that make my body feel good, and which appeal to my common sense.
Strangely, cow flesh doesn't appeal to my common sense, but has more often than not made my body feel good. Insert subjective theory here:
There is an area in Nashville called Hillsboro. There is an area in New Jersey called Hillsborough. I never really thought of the Tennessee spelling as a bastardized version of the word until this week, but I suppose it makes sense. By the time the word spread that far across the country language was already evolving.
You can't think about photographing anything in new york city. Well, of course you can, but what I mean is that if you think about it you'll find it pointless. How many photos have there been of new york city? From how many different perspectives? What does my bundle of glass and plastic have to offer that has not already been. This, of course, is not intuitive knowledge. It's intelectual mumbo jumbo, which untimately fails. Because for that matter it's pointless to photograph a sunset or the human eyeball. That's just not true. Not true to my soul. I have shot many a photo here. Not all are pointless. Novelty comes from the uniqueness of your nervous system, not from the objects you record.
This is a vomit story. More acurately, this is a near-vomit story. Recently, until a few hours ago I haven't eaten much flesh, or any cooked food for that matter. I've been consuming fresh fruits, vegetables, sprouts, and such. I visited my friends Adam and Kate tonight and Kate made this delicious caserole with lots of...CHICKEN FLESH!!! It was perfect tasting, but I nearly puked later. I don't think Adam or Kate knew, but I'm kind of like a robot in that I can disconnect certain discomforts from my immediate consciousness for the sake social interaction, productivity, or general fun. The moral of this story is that eating flesh is actually as weird as it seems in those strangely lucid moments that flash through the long gooey continuum of my mental adventure, and that I'd be better off sticking with the foods that make my body feel good, and which appeal to my common sense.
Strangely, cow flesh doesn't appeal to my common sense, but has more often than not made my body feel good. Insert subjective theory here:
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Rain, I don't mind.
September 12th, 2009
Last night in my dream I had a guru. The trouble is, I can't remember what the guru taught me. I guess I'll just have to trust that whatever there was to be learned seeped into my subconscious and will make most effect from there. Strangely, the guru took the form of a busser at Cafe Coco named Emily who I barely know. Strangeness.
Meet my job: Peacefood Cafe. All vegan. All organic. BAD ASS VIBES. Anna and I went there for breakfast this morning. “A macchiato, anything else?”, “Yes, can I work here?”, “Uhm...Maybe The owner is looking for somebody.”, “Is the owner here?”, “Yeah, he's around here somewhere.”. The owners name is Eric. We chatted for a long time about food and yoga. He wanted to tell me all about his Guru. Was that the guru in my dream? Synchronicity.
Anna just left for JFK Airport. She's going to London for the year. The last two days leading up to here departure were really hard for her. Not so much for me; I don't feel preemptive sadness or loss about much of anything. Sometimes I fear I'm just not emotional enough. But then, as I waved through the taxi window, it hit me. Right on time. Now is real as shit.
People are nice as hell in New York. I mean, it's not like Nashville, but when considering my recent experiences in New Brunswick, NJ, folks are comparatively lovely! School starts on Thursday. I didn't realize it was so close until I checked the date on my watch just now.
As if today wasn't already a motherfucker, I accidentally had one of the most awesome concert experiences of my life tonight. A friend of my hosts mentioned he had an extra ticket to a beatles tribute show. Although I wouldn't typically pay money to see not-the-beatles, I figured since it was free I'd give it a shot.
I showed up at the Beacon, which it turns out is a beautiful beyond description and worth the trip alone, then Richard starts filling me in on this band we're about to see. They're called The Fab Faux. Clever, right? The band consists of bassistWill Lee from The Late Show with David Letterman and guitarist Jimmy Vivino from Late Night with Conan O'Brien along with three other totally bad ass musicians (all five of them are stellar vocalists), a full horn section, string section, and a harpist. The first half of their set was the record Revolver in its entirety, then after an intermission, they played about an hour of songs the people who bought tickets to the show had voted for, including I Am the Walrus, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, a legendary sounding A Day In The Life, and ending with Hey Jude.
But out of all the great songs they nailed I was most moved by Rain. My friend John has a gentle spirit and loves animals. He's moved around a lot in his life so his social group naturally has always changed. The one friend he was constantly with for 17 years was his cat Bukka. Bukka was actually the coolest cat I've come into contact with, for many reasons I shant recount here. Back in 2006, while john was in the process of moving out of his apartment in Nashville to relocate to Texas Bukka died. John was really torn up about it and stayed in Nashville an extra week to take care of his friend's remains. John's lease was up so he stayed at my house. The day John left he told me that the song Rain was going to carry him through his heartache. He took my guitar down off the wall and there in my bedroom played this song with about as much passion as I've ever witnessed:
If the rain comes they run and hide their heads.
They might as well be dead.
If the rain comes, if the rain comes.
When the sun shines they slip into the shade
(When the sun shines down.)
And sip their lemonade.
(When the sun shines down.)
When the sun shines, when the sun shines.
Rain, I don't mind.
Shine, the world looks fine.
I can show you that when it starts to rain,
(When the Rain comes down.)
Everything's the same.
(When the Rain comes down.)
I can show you, I can show you.
Rain, I don't mind.
Shine, the world looks fine.
Can you hear me, that when it rains and shines,
(When it Rains and shines.)
It's just a state of mind?
(When it rains and shines.)
Can you hear me, can you hear me?
Last night in my dream I had a guru. The trouble is, I can't remember what the guru taught me. I guess I'll just have to trust that whatever there was to be learned seeped into my subconscious and will make most effect from there. Strangely, the guru took the form of a busser at Cafe Coco named Emily who I barely know. Strangeness.
Meet my job: Peacefood Cafe. All vegan. All organic. BAD ASS VIBES. Anna and I went there for breakfast this morning. “A macchiato, anything else?”, “Yes, can I work here?”, “Uhm...Maybe The owner is looking for somebody.”, “Is the owner here?”, “Yeah, he's around here somewhere.”. The owners name is Eric. We chatted for a long time about food and yoga. He wanted to tell me all about his Guru. Was that the guru in my dream? Synchronicity.
Anna just left for JFK Airport. She's going to London for the year. The last two days leading up to here departure were really hard for her. Not so much for me; I don't feel preemptive sadness or loss about much of anything. Sometimes I fear I'm just not emotional enough. But then, as I waved through the taxi window, it hit me. Right on time. Now is real as shit.
People are nice as hell in New York. I mean, it's not like Nashville, but when considering my recent experiences in New Brunswick, NJ, folks are comparatively lovely! School starts on Thursday. I didn't realize it was so close until I checked the date on my watch just now.
As if today wasn't already a motherfucker, I accidentally had one of the most awesome concert experiences of my life tonight. A friend of my hosts mentioned he had an extra ticket to a beatles tribute show. Although I wouldn't typically pay money to see not-the-beatles, I figured since it was free I'd give it a shot.
I showed up at the Beacon, which it turns out is a beautiful beyond description and worth the trip alone, then Richard starts filling me in on this band we're about to see. They're called The Fab Faux. Clever, right? The band consists of bassistWill Lee from The Late Show with David Letterman and guitarist Jimmy Vivino from Late Night with Conan O'Brien along with three other totally bad ass musicians (all five of them are stellar vocalists), a full horn section, string section, and a harpist. The first half of their set was the record Revolver in its entirety, then after an intermission, they played about an hour of songs the people who bought tickets to the show had voted for, including I Am the Walrus, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, a legendary sounding A Day In The Life, and ending with Hey Jude.
But out of all the great songs they nailed I was most moved by Rain. My friend John has a gentle spirit and loves animals. He's moved around a lot in his life so his social group naturally has always changed. The one friend he was constantly with for 17 years was his cat Bukka. Bukka was actually the coolest cat I've come into contact with, for many reasons I shant recount here. Back in 2006, while john was in the process of moving out of his apartment in Nashville to relocate to Texas Bukka died. John was really torn up about it and stayed in Nashville an extra week to take care of his friend's remains. John's lease was up so he stayed at my house. The day John left he told me that the song Rain was going to carry him through his heartache. He took my guitar down off the wall and there in my bedroom played this song with about as much passion as I've ever witnessed:
If the rain comes they run and hide their heads.
They might as well be dead.
If the rain comes, if the rain comes.
When the sun shines they slip into the shade
(When the sun shines down.)
And sip their lemonade.
(When the sun shines down.)
When the sun shines, when the sun shines.
Rain, I don't mind.
Shine, the world looks fine.
I can show you that when it starts to rain,
(When the Rain comes down.)
Everything's the same.
(When the Rain comes down.)
I can show you, I can show you.
Rain, I don't mind.
Shine, the world looks fine.
Can you hear me, that when it rains and shines,
(When it Rains and shines.)
It's just a state of mind?
(When it rains and shines.)
Can you hear me, can you hear me?
Friday, September 11, 2009
Repackage, repackage, repackage, re-evaluate the songs
September 11th, 2009
There was a large snake in my dream last night. It was fucking huge. Here's how it went down: I was helping Chuck Cinelli (my friend and old boss) start another new business. He had this huge warehouse and we were loading things into it. A large box arrived. “This must be the cobra I ordered” he said. WTF? A cobra? He commenced opening the box and sure enough, out slithered a giant snake. The thing seemed content enough around chuck, but he got a glance of me and suddenly rose up into an attack position. I must have looked scared as balls because chuck started trying to calm me down. “Don't worry, Enoch. Just hold your hand up as high as you can and he'll see you as an equal. You'll be fine. Apparently Chuck was all kinds of wrong because the snake lunged forward and sank it's fangs into my hand. Chuck tried to coach me through this one as well, “Ok look, just relax your hand and your whole body so he knows you're not a threat. He'll only inject poison into you if he feels you're a threat. I had no reason to believe this, but what else was I gonna do? To my surprise, the snake carefully pulled his fangs out of my flesh and laid down against the floor again.
I stood there, not as shocked as I should have been by the whole experience. I should have died just then. Madness. Then the snake started to shift forms. I watched him change from a snake into a fairy child, wings and all! He waved his wand and suddenly a big dinner table appeared full of food. “Do you like the foods with egg in them”? The child fairy asked. “Mommy says they're the best for you!” Utterly confused I just stared at the fairy. Then he looked back at me and spoke without speaking. He said that he really was a snake, but he hated being a snake because nobody loved him when they saw him. He said he'd take on different forms so people wouldn't be scared of him. “Maybe people wouldn't be scared of you if you'd simply avoid biting them”, I thought back at him. His response was fair enough; “What can I say? I'm a snake.”
Just then chuck handed me a letter to deliver to someone, but as he was handing it to me the fairy flew over and snatched it away. Chuck and I stood there and watched him fly away as he transformed again from a fairy into a carrier pigeon.
“That dumb snake”, Chuck said, “Always trying to please everybody.”
There was a large snake in my dream last night. It was fucking huge. Here's how it went down: I was helping Chuck Cinelli (my friend and old boss) start another new business. He had this huge warehouse and we were loading things into it. A large box arrived. “This must be the cobra I ordered” he said. WTF? A cobra? He commenced opening the box and sure enough, out slithered a giant snake. The thing seemed content enough around chuck, but he got a glance of me and suddenly rose up into an attack position. I must have looked scared as balls because chuck started trying to calm me down. “Don't worry, Enoch. Just hold your hand up as high as you can and he'll see you as an equal. You'll be fine. Apparently Chuck was all kinds of wrong because the snake lunged forward and sank it's fangs into my hand. Chuck tried to coach me through this one as well, “Ok look, just relax your hand and your whole body so he knows you're not a threat. He'll only inject poison into you if he feels you're a threat. I had no reason to believe this, but what else was I gonna do? To my surprise, the snake carefully pulled his fangs out of my flesh and laid down against the floor again.
I stood there, not as shocked as I should have been by the whole experience. I should have died just then. Madness. Then the snake started to shift forms. I watched him change from a snake into a fairy child, wings and all! He waved his wand and suddenly a big dinner table appeared full of food. “Do you like the foods with egg in them”? The child fairy asked. “Mommy says they're the best for you!” Utterly confused I just stared at the fairy. Then he looked back at me and spoke without speaking. He said that he really was a snake, but he hated being a snake because nobody loved him when they saw him. He said he'd take on different forms so people wouldn't be scared of him. “Maybe people wouldn't be scared of you if you'd simply avoid biting them”, I thought back at him. His response was fair enough; “What can I say? I'm a snake.”
Just then chuck handed me a letter to deliver to someone, but as he was handing it to me the fairy flew over and snatched it away. Chuck and I stood there and watched him fly away as he transformed again from a fairy into a carrier pigeon.
“That dumb snake”, Chuck said, “Always trying to please everybody.”
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Do you have a vacancy for a back-scrubber?
September 10th, 2009
Today is the day I might move into New York. I say “might” not because New York died or because we had a falling out. It's just that Anna and I are in New Hampshire waiting on her visa to show up in the mail so she can fly to London for school. The Chicago consulate has had her passport and information for 3 weeks and her flight is tomorrow. Hmm...
I lost my job in NYC. How did you lose a job you haven't even started, Enoch? Well, you see, I was to replace someone at a bakery/cafe when I arrived, but the guy quit before I got there, so the manager hired somebody else. Life salad.
Today is the day I might move into New York. I say “might” not because New York died or because we had a falling out. It's just that Anna and I are in New Hampshire waiting on her visa to show up in the mail so she can fly to London for school. The Chicago consulate has had her passport and information for 3 weeks and her flight is tomorrow. Hmm...
I lost my job in NYC. How did you lose a job you haven't even started, Enoch? Well, you see, I was to replace someone at a bakery/cafe when I arrived, but the guy quit before I got there, so the manager hired somebody else. Life salad.
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