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Up at 4:30am for a 6am flight to SF.  Three good meetings today with the cream of the crop.   Feeling creamed now, just home now at 11:44pm.

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I keep reaching for the back of my neck to rub the nubbies and wonder where is my hair... ?

Yesterday was a turning point.   

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JN and JK did more magic In my new downtown  home today.  The piano arrived in tact.  Clearly, JN is a saint even if she does not like to be called such things.   

The facts speak so much louder than these bold Verdana,Helvetica words.

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Missed SGC rehearsal this evening.  Bob and Jax are back from the east coast.  Wonder how their trip went and how rehearsal was as a pelota-less quintet?    I'll guess I'll find out on Wednesday when we rehearse electrically in Medina -- one last time.

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There was spontaneous applause when I walked into the office this morning.  Wonder why:

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10:07pm  From my front window, I can see a tiny sliver of the Puget Sound.  Just saw the ferry go by.  Slightly different view than the tree lined streets of Medina.  

No need to talk about the intensity of the day today.  It is given.  And anyone foolish enough to read this diary already knows about the never ending tired-early-late-can't-talk-about-t sob story which replays daily in this space.  

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Nice RIP BTV email from RF this evening.     

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Time to practice.  Better turn this phone off.

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Today was a yeoman's day, filled with the mundane -- no major shocks, excitements, or surprises for a change.   A nice change.  Settling into my new hair slowly.   Still used about eight gallons of shampoo (mostly down the drain) this morning.  

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Mail from SteveE today:

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Enstad
To: Steve Ball
Sent: 8/23/00 12:12 AM
Subject: SGCManifesto99

SB:

Stumbling through diaries, I found these words of yours. Thanks!

SE

* * * * *

A. One Dozen Debilitating Assumptions

1. This is only an experiment.
2. This is only a rehearsal.
3. I am too busy.
4. Someone else will take care of it.
5. Success is optional.
6. Failure is inevitable. 
7. Meetings suck.
8. Commerce sucks.
9. I suck.
10. You suck.
11. We suck.
12. This will fail.

Bonus Debilitating Assumption

13. I will be punished for this.


B. Eight Enabling Assumptions

1. This is real.
2. This is necessary.
3. My work has value.
4. I will make this a success.
5. I will be paid for this.
6. I am not alone.
7. I need help.
8. Help is available. 

* * *

SGC rehearsal this evening - our last rehearsal in Medina, ever.  After 4 years and two months, time to say goodbye to that house in the trees.   Tobin commented that this house was the first place he stayed when he moved to Seattle (on a DirectMusic whim) after driving 3000 miles from Georgia four years ago.   Felt like a completion this evening, running our Bumbershoot set top to bottom in this living room where 15+ albums were recorded over the past four years.  And the SGC sextet sounds great!    

No one really took my standard Pelotaesque comments about looking forward to continued and ongoing work with this sextet post-bumbershoot seriously.   Tobin, for someone who allegedly hates the sound of an Ovation guitar, sure plays like a mofo (that means he is a monster, that is, he is really, really good.)

* * *

Reading before bed:  

There are seven kinds of offering which can be practiced by even those who are not wealthy.  The first is the physical offering.  This is to offer service by one's labor.  The highest type of this offering is to offer one's one life as shown in the following story.  The second is the spiritual offering.  This is to offer a compassionate heart to others.  The third is the offering of the eyes.  This is to offer a warm glance to others which will give them tranquility.  The fourth is the offering of countenance.  This is to offer a soft countenance with smile to others.  The fifth is the oral offering.  This is to offer kind and warm words to others.  The sixth is the seat offering.  This is to offer one's seat to others.  The seventh is the offering of shelter.  This is to let others spend the night at one's home.  These kinds of offering can be practiced by any one in everyday life.

- the way of practical attainment, from the teachings of Buddha, p336

* * *

An enabling day.  I have seen two potential new hires in the past two days that give me hope that the possible may in fact become.   The quality of people coming in the door seems to be rising -- not sure if this is simply LJ hitting her stride or if something is attracting these people to us.  Doesn't really matter -- it's encouraging.

* * *

My wise counsel, JL, calculates that my time over the next few weeks is worth roughly $120K per hour.  His advice at dinner this evening: be very careful with my time during this next period.  Point taken.   Hence, this brief diary entry, short because my time is being spent on technology. 

* * *

GeorgeM insisted on sending me out for a revised haircut this afternoon -- he was right.  Much better.  Less Flock of Seagulls,., more Laurie Anderson.   This was certainly worth $120K for the hour that it took... 

* * *

Happy Birthday Richard Nelson.   

Saw your magnificent painting today in SteveA's office.  Sorry your pick broke -- Curt can help you with that, and I can replace that which is broken.

SGC sextet at Mr. Spots this evening.  An unsettled show for a kind audience.  Felt like playing underwater from the bottom of a barrel.  But good energy for a Bumbershoot dress rehearsal... 

* * *

An hour with a dear old friend in the late afternoon.  Many entangled, overlapping, and unresolved issues in the air.  It is a time of great movements, inside and out.

* * *

Whatever it is you wish to marry, 
go absorb yourself in that beloved,
assume its shape and qualities.
If you wish for the light, prepare yourself
to receive it; if you wish to be far from God,
nourish your egoism and drive yourself away.
If you wish to find a way out of this ruined prison,
don't turn your head away from the Beloved,
but bow in worship and draw near.

       - Rumi, Mathnawi, 1, 3605-607

* * *

Must listen to the advice of close friends and learn to turn off the phone.

* * *

A long morning of spec writing at Uptown Espresso.  Good progress.  Nice to get this stuff out of my brain and onto paper.  Also nice to have such and amazing living room downstairs for quiet reading and meetings.

* * *

Was looking forward to a social dinner this evening with CG and DG.  But it did not happen - I made the right decision, and bailed.   I have to much to do before my 6:40am flight.

* * *

Kind message on my machine from BL looking for help booking or finding a show in Seattle.  Passed on this message to the Seattle network.  No time or energy for my own direct involvement in this process.  

* * *

Wonderful afternoon in Belltown; continued spec writing into the evening after a relaxing, much needed, break in the late afternoon.

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