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Tuesday December 17
Wednesday December 18
Thursday December 19
Friday December 20
Saturday December 21
Sunday December 22
Read the archive
Tuesday December 24
Wednesday December 25
Thursday December 26
Friday December 27
Saturday December 28
Sunday December 29
Monday December 16
Work continues to evolve in parallel to the growing SBRS recording project:
ambitious goals lined up with resource constraints and occasional setbacks.
But both 'projects' embody great potential, significant challenges, and
wonderful opportunities to work in groups to actualize something of value.
Working to capacity = one definition of happiness.
MS eHome staff hosted a private all-day meeting for companies who wish to develop on top of Windows Media Center Edition. Nice to run into old Tattoo Media cohort Jorge at the after event wind-down in the MS Home. Somehow, I missed seeing KimO who dropped off a xmas gift Lava Lamp in my office with etched silver plates that read: "Wax Blobs Roasting on an Open Bulb..." followed by warm holiday wishes from the staff at Tattoo. A great gift, and coincidentally, the lamp complements the IE5.0 Lava Lamp that I brought from home two days earlier.
Mini-Skirt at SC Headquarters. GregM began with a short but rousing spoken poem accompanied by 12-string appreggios. I enjoyed the piece, although Greg appeared to be in a hurry both during and after the performance, and he did not stick around long enough to absorb feedback from the audience despite numerous attempts to bring him back during his rocket-like exit from the stage.
Next up was the debut of an adventurous vocal trio featuring JaxieB, JeanetteR, and SandraP (with special guest BobW on tasteful bass.) In contrast to GregM, the trio patiently presented a diverse array of songs, snapshots, and vocal tone poems that left sufficient breathing room for audience reflection, feedback, and suggestions.
One observation on Seattle logistics: on many Guitar Craft courses, performance opportunities for aspiring musicians flash by (at least) three times per day. If the current 'Skirt' schedule in Seattle were to continue at its current rate, it would take roughly seven years to match the performance opportunities available in one average five day GC course.
Other kitchen analogies spring to mind; none so un-obvious that they are worth sharing.
* * *
Thursday December 19
Evening session with TM, cleaning up the backing guitars of Running Up that
Hill.
Lunch with SteveT, JohnH, and ElisabethP in MS building 50. A mostly social affair designed to plug us each in to alternative energy sources. A good group to eat and greet with.
Measure of a good meeting: do I have more energy/excitement/joie-de-vivre leaving the room than I had when I entered?
* * *
Friday December 20
I received a summary email report back from CurtG on the 'Wegen' Herdim-copy
pick that I gave him on Wednesday evening. Curt's assessment: "brown."
(Translation: not very good.)
I also gave copies to TravisM and Bob/Jaxie; no reports back yet, but I suspect the same.
Another valiant but failed attempt to replicate the tone, touch, and performance of the original Herdim picks. It is impossible to underestimate the unlikely combination of cash and and care necessary to create a usable Crafty guitar pick.
There have been at least six attempts that I know of (including my own) to replace the no-longer-commercially available triangular embossed Herdim Ebonite picks.
Next?
Or perhaps Mr. Wegen would like to go back to the drawing board and try again? The other problem: at $15 cost per pick to manufacturer, who in their right mind would finance and/or pay for such an obscure tool with such a meager potential customer base?
Once again, the economics of obscurity (among other forces of inertia) keep us safely buried in our current rut.
* * *
Saturday December 21
Leaving tomorrow morning at 6am. Juggling the normal last minute
pre-travel stresses. Evening: Christmas Party at an old BTV partner's
house. Nice to see at least a few BTV veterans doing well. Nearing
the three year anniversary of the inception of BTV.
Coincidentally, I see (via mail from TH) that Phish has initiated a web-based live music distribution/subscription system.
* * *
Sunday December 22
In-direct flight east for 'vacation.' I will be literally and figuratively
offline for the next six days. And when I return: an intense drive
to complete the epic SBRS Recording Project of 2002.
* * *
home
Way Offline.
* * *
Wednesday December 25
Merry
Christmas. Still offline.
Offline.
* * *
Friday December 27
Back home, and still offline.
* * *
Saturday December 28
Catching up on logistics back home. Documenting events in this diary
reduced to Pri3 luxury task. Considering dropping diary entries until
recording process is completed.
Focus, focus, focus.
Adopting aforementioned strategy: see you back here when the recording project is completed.
* * *
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