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Monday February 07 Still feeling like total crap today. Ignored the way I feel for long enough to make some calls, send some crucial mail, and get my butt downtown for some meetings. I only feel at about 1/2 speed today. Must get better. * * * From the pelota mailbag:
Michael Fisher was one of seven North Americans on the second GC course in Argentina in 1996. I was also one of the seven. He also keeps an interesting diary on the Bay Area Guitar Circle site. 1. Yes - Back in NYC = Genesis cover from 'the lamb.' Must hear it to believe it. Had you been on Whidbey Island last Friday evening, you might have heard it. The good news: a version may be available on the web soon... in fact, the whole Whidbey show, audio + video, may be on the web soon. Stay tuned. 2. Pho is Vietnamese soup. Very cheap. Excellent price/calorie ratio for money-conscious musicians. Pho is the Ramen of the 00's. Everyone seems to be mentioning Pho lately in their Seattle diaries. For those who only see Seattle through the eyes of these diaries, here is the equation:
In my reply to Michael, I (of course) asked him when he was planning on moving to Seattle. He is currently one of the driving forces within the Bay Area Guitar Circle. If only he knew about the amazing whole tone circulations that he could be a part of were he in Seattle instead of camping out in that overpriced, quake-infested, silicon graveyard known as Northern California. * * * Also from the mailbag today:
I'm not sure why Bert wears that hat. But Bert can wear what ever he damn well pleases in my book. For the record, Travis (Hartnett, from Austin) was also on that same GC course in Argentina in 1996. It was a good course. This course in Argentina was the first time I met both Travis and Michael. Perhaps they will both be Seattle residents one day? Ah,... but who am I to speculate on such nonsense? If they choose to live away from the real action, this is not my responsibility or concern. Sounds like there may be a few North Americans on the next Argentinean course as well from what I hear through the Curt-vine. * * * Final Whidbey photos:
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* * * SGC rehearsal cancelled tonight at the last minute. I feel both sad about this and a sense of relief. I could really use the night off. Bob is also feeling sick. Hope Dean is feeling better by now. I am happy to stay home and go to be early. I'll be traveling tomorrow evening. Not far, but rumor has it that I have to spend a couple of days in some overpriced, quake-infested, silicon graveyard. * * * Tuesday February 08 Marin County, CA Wednesday February 09 Analogy-king: today Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock met with George Washington, John Adams, John Penn for the first time. It felt like a sort of 'founding fathers' meeting. John Adams even beamed me his e-card from his PalmV. We also received a nice tour of John Adams' studio, and talked shop a bit about TC2290s and ProTools 4.3. The highlight of the day: George Washington, who seems to regularly speak in poetic tones, coined a new phrase which resonates intensely with BTV-ness. Wish I could repeat it here, but better not to steal George's thunder when he and crafty Ben Franklin announce this phrase, and the (declaration behind it) in New York on March the 3rd. * * * Power trio dinner with sister PF at a local tubby-trough. The quality is low, but the portions are huge. All you can eat, if you can bear it. Actually, grandma's tapioca was quite good, and the company was a complete joy which more than upstaged the food. PF had some excellent advice and insights for tightening our ship, and the crew that sail with us. I wish she were looking for a job... * * * Then, back to the hotel for the standard challenge: three geeks with different machines, simultaneously trying to get online in a strange hotel. Earlier in the afternoon, I took a McGiver-esque trip to RadioShack to come up with some scheme for getting RF online with his proprietary IBM thinktrunk. Found just the odd combination of parts for $6.95. Success. Also found an alternate ear-piece for my cell phone which, after one day of experiments, I like better than the old one. Yawn. Pity for the poor souls who read this drivel. Early to bed. Must lose this sore throat. More yapping to do in the morning with George Washington who is coming over for breakfast at 10am. * * * Thursday February 10
9:15pm. Just home from two days in the SF area. My sore throat is back,... morning and evening. It disappeared for most of the afternoon today, but it now feels like there is a piece of jagged glass stuck in my vocal chord. Left Jefferson and Franklin in the international terminal to catch their plane back to the old world at 4pm. Then headed off to catch my own. My plane was delayed getting out of SFIA. Fog. I used my airplane time entering a pile of new names into my PalmVx. Some fun new names to enter. Sorted the names into categories:
Realized again that most of my close friends in Seattle really feel like family, so I lumped them together with family. All in all, our Seattle family is quite functional. And pretty damn busy. Spoke to Jax about the calendar, which is getting pretty crowded for the next few weeks... * * * Quick catch-up calls with DG, SteveE, and VioletL on my drive home. This team is world-class. Counting my blessings every day. Also spoke with BVB on my way home from the airport. I am very happy to be having closer work relations and communications with BVB. He was a guiding light in getting us to move to Seattle seven years ago. In some ways, he is one of the reasons we are all here. * * * No word from TravisH yet on the email I sent last week asking for a resume... heard a rumor he was browsing through Seattle classifieds though. Hmmm... opportunity awaits. 8 ^ ) Perhaps bogus emoticons will lure him up from the bleak south to discover his destiny? * * * Friday February 11 Wow. Just home from the Trey Gunn band show. Last week, I was depressed after reading Trey's accounts of difficulties on the road. Something has obviously changed. Tonight, the music was so strong, that the difficulties as Trey described them in his diary, (and which I know well in my own bones) were blown to smithereens. My whole spirit is rooting for these guys: keep going -- this music needs to be heard LIVE. I felt sad that BobW and FrankS could not be at this show tonight. It was a real inspiration for the Seattle music scene. Also, I hope BillR and FrankieS had the good sense to stick around for the whole show.... didn't see them afterwards, but hope they were there. Nice to see so many faces from the Seattle scene in the audience tonight: among others: TobinB, SteveE, SteveT, JohnH, WalterH, BrianN, GregS, StephenG, TravisM, DanK, JillO, PeterW, PeterK, JeanetteS, EmilyG, BrockP, JoelB, JTM, plus Jax, Curt, Dean. I hope Bob got some great practice in tonight. Go Bob! * * * Went to MS briefly today. I am so out of there. Feels like I've traveled a million miles since I was part of that borg. There is another smaller, kinder, gentler borg brewing now in Seattle. * * * Dion Stewart called me out of the blue on my cellphone this morning. He is visiting Seattle for the weekend -- he seems to be looking for a change from the rut he is in out in the midwest. Dion, Dean, Curt, Trey, Deborah, Tobin, and I spent many months together at Red Lion House in England about 12 years ago. That is the subject of a longer story for another time. But, good to see Dion again. He is obviously visiting to check out the rumors that this is where the action is. DeborahG, Jaxie, Bob, Dean and I are planning to explore Seattle this weekend with Dion. Perhaps we should take a trip out to MS where he can visit my famous couch? Perhaps he might even help me move that famous couch out of MS and into the new BTV headquarters? Or not... * * * And on a final, lighter note, this just in from TravisH:
* * * Saturday February 12 Slept in this morning after the late show last night. My throat was raw as an onion when I woke up the first time at 8, and less so when I woke up the second time at 9:00. Remembered the great conversation last evening before the TGB show with Stephen Golovnin. Stephen noticed something regarding the energy we spend 'complaining' about a particular topic and how the act of complaining may, in fact, require more energy than it would have taken to resolve or address the original source of the complaining. Practical example: repeatedly writing about my own lack of sleep in this diary instead of simply going to bed. * * * A long day of meetings:
* * * Spoke to BillR briefly this afternoon between meetings. He did stay and see the entire TGB show. He was in the back of the hall. Don't think he enjoyed it as much as I did. Perhaps he could not see the joy on Trey, Bob, and Tony's faces as clearly as I could. Perhaps he could not see the joy in my eyes as I looked over at Curt, Dean, and Jax in disbelief about how amazing it was to be present to this music. If I were in my 20s, I would have been in a van with Pete Wislon this morning to go down to see the Portland TGB show. Or, if it were two years from now, I would stay home and watch the Portland show on my BTV. Opps, scratch that last indiscretion. * * * Finally, home at 8:30pm to a house full of laundry which needs doing and bills that need sorting and paying. Another Saturday Night and I ain't got Nobody. Good thing too. Gives me some time to work with my newly tweaked Ovation (care of Brian Nelson!) while the clothes spin. Nice to hear Curt's tired voice tonight -- he's just home from a day with the Bay Area Circle. Plans brewing for Brunch tomorrow with DionS, SteveE, and DeborahG. Curt can't make it: students. * * * Over the next two weeks, my focus is going to evolve from external evangelism to internal execution. I am counting on major support from the core team of self-starters who are now poised and standing at the self-starting line. Many things finally falling into place over the past few days. I am reminded of the curse: may you receive what you ask for. The world seems to be saying 'yes,' and I don't mean in some roundabout sort of 70s way. Here we go. * * * Sunday February 13 Brunch with SteveE and DionS. Seems to be some complementary overlap here. Dion may be back sooner than he expected. * * * Interesting phone conversation with BillR this afternoon regarding an idea he has for a significant global project. News of this will surface soon via word of mouth. Also, perhaps this will become an empirical test of our diary connectedness. There I go again, opening my yapper. * * * Saw "Magnolia" this afternoon. Very intense film. Not a great 'first date' film, I would say. Need to see it again. Many scenes and images are still alive in my present moment. * * * Dinner with BobW, JaxB, IsabelW, CurtG, and DeborahG at I Heart Sushi. Great to see DeborahG more than three times in one week. Reminds me of the many times I visited Trey and Deb in NYC exactly one bazillion years ago. * * * Then, a joyous rehearsal with the Brocksongs band (CurtG on electric guitar, SB on acoustic, BobW on bass, and Brock on drums.) We have an upcoming gig at the Ballard Firehouse. Playing these Brocksongs brings me much Joy. * * * Another call from SC just before rehearsal. Magnolia has somehow altered my perception. The SC call seemed somewhat surreal. What a powerful film. * * *
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