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[30 Apr 2009|11:09am] |
I found my keys today. I lost them something like 6 months ago, and I just found them today in the tiniest pocket of my backpack.
I am dumb.
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[26 Apr 2009|10:18pm] |
It was brought to my attention that I have not posted here for 25 days. I'm finishing up a project involving transcribing jazz solos so I can't post much now, but I will say this: maybe Toronto isn't all bad.
Also: New Math
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[03 Apr 2009|02:10pm] |
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Apparently my arrangement of Lullaby of Birdland is being performed by the Douglas College chorale this evening. Sadly I'm in another province so I can't attend, but hopefully a recording will be made so I can hear how it goes. I'm kind of proud that something I wrote is being performed by an ensemble I'm not in, and not at my request. And by a group that is actually quite good. I just wish I could be there.
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[05 Mar 2009|11:36pm] |
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Wow. I never knew that this footage was available on the web: one small step
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| Because not enough people on the internet hate me... |
[15 Feb 2009|11:51pm] |
Has anyone ever seen a decent "Female Privilege" checklist? I see the one for men around the internet, but I haven't been able to find one for women that was more factual than inflammatory in tone. Not that the one I see most often for men isn't trying to be inflammatory. :P
I've been thinking and reading about race and gender relations a lot lately. Mainly trying to figure out why things have turned out the way they have, and why white men (i.e. me) are so vilified. About a week ago (the middle of black history month) I found myself realizing that the questions that were bothering me were actually: "Should I be proud to be white? Or male? And whether or not I should, is it societally allowed? And what does 'proud' even mean in this context?" I don't really have any answers yet, but I have some ideas. Except for the last one. What does being proud of your race or gender mean? Is it just a self-promotion thing, or does it have some sort of group cohesion function?
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[14 Feb 2009|03:21pm] |
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Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. I'm spending most of the day alone, but I'm actually not unhappy about it. Life's treating me pretty well these days.... at least when I get enough sleep.
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[07 Feb 2009|01:36am] |
I went to a concert of 'new music' tonight in Toronto. I figure that since I'm an aspiring composer I should know what's 'in' nowadays, and also my composition teacher recommended it. So despite the cold and delays on the subway, I went.
I hate going to concerts that make me angry. I keep waiting to hear some 'new music' piece that I can appreciate, that I can enjoy, and I keep being dissapointed. What is the point of music designed to fill you with anxiety and stress? What is the point of exploring sounds if you're not going to do anything coherent with them? What is the point of writing a piece that the audience will not only not look forward to hearing again, but will look forward to when it will be over? Imagine, if you will, a poem. Let's say this poem has a few swear words or some violent imagery thrown in at dramatic moments. This might upset your delicate sensibilities, but in doing so it could give you a greater sense of the emotion of the poem, to give it some visceral quality. Like adding spice to a meal. Now imagine that this poem consists of nothing but swear words and graphic descriptions of rather unpleasant things. No clever word play, no grace, just raw intensity. Doesn't it lose its meaning in such quantity? Doesn't food doused in spice lose all its original flavor? This 'new music' consists of nothing but dissonance, clashing sounds and chord, jarring accents and entries.... what is the point? There's no sense of tension and release, only eternal tension. There's no development of ideas, only a constant stream of incoherent quasi-musical babbling.
It's like that old Deep Thought from Jack Handy: "Would we feel bad about cutting down trees if they could scream? Probably not, if they screamed all the time for no reason."
This is a matter on which I can get rather vehement, so I probably shouldn't write too much more. I just hate going to concerts of music that aren't enjoyable to listen to. And the part that really gets me is that I've already been rejected from several composition programs I've applied to because I want to write music that sounds good. I'm too old fashioned, or mainstream. Maybe I am both, but I don't mind being labelled a cheesy hack as long as I'm writing music that I want to listen to. When your message overwhelms the medium, you'll lose your audience. And what is music not listened to? Nothing. Just a sequence of vibrations whose only lasting effect is on the minds of those who hear it.
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[27 Jan 2009|11:49am] |
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In another dastardly tale of police garnering too much power, two young Germans were taken into custody by the police as they were attempting to flee to Africa to elope. Details on this terrifying story can be found here.
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[26 Jan 2009|12:50am] |
Well, the Ontario government finally got off its collective ass and is legislating the TA union back to work, but the NDP is fighting it. They can't possibly win, only delay it, but they're hell-bent on delaying it as long as possible, it seems. Still, I'll probably be leaving Vancouver next weekend. I'll be happy to be back to school, but I'm worried about how hard getting back in the swing of things will be. Still, I'm a clever lad, I'll be able to handle it. I hope.
In other news... Well, my life is as filled with irony as it ever has been. I'm getting pretty resigned to it by this point, and it's not as bad as it could be. Once I get back to school things will be better. And worse. Depends how I do at reconnecting with people.
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[21 Jan 2009|02:33am] |
Up and down. Up and down. Apparently, my life is a yo-yo these days. Currently on the down: There's really no end in sight for the york strike. looking at other colleges/universities with good music programs now. any suggestions? My focus is composition (and jazz (and classical) piano).
The places I'm looking into now are Berklee (yeah, right), Cap college, maybe UVic again, and.... well, anybody know anything about the Australian National University? It has a selection of courses that fix with my interests... I'm just not sure whether going to Australia to study is really a good move at this point.
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[02 Jan 2009|12:47am] |
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After having been in a serious dry spell for something like two months, I got out of the shower tonight and wrote a whole tune. It's nothing fancy, just 32 bars, but it's kinda catchy and I like it. Just like back in 2000-2001, except now I know what the hell I'm doing. Can I keep it up? Maybe.
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[26 Dec 2008|01:47am] |
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Merry christmas, everyone. It's been a long, interesting year for me, and I hope that the new one brings opportunities and dreams for us all.
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| A subject! I hear these are used occasionally. |
[14 Dec 2008|11:16pm] |
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Hurricane - Jamie Liddel |
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The theme of my year appears to be 'irony.' I find myself not liking the things I get (most notably my school year) and wanting things I know I can't have. A conversation I had with the person sitting next to me on the flight from Toronto to Vancouver had me thinking about that, and especially about how I always seem to make better impressions with people I'll never see again (or at least for a long time).
Putting wistful thinking about the impossible aside, my life has taken a dramatic turn for the better since I left Toronto. Nearly a week of hanging out with one of the coolest people I never knew at Reed, and today I went snowboarding with my brother on Whistler mountain. I'll be sore as hell tomorrow, but we had a great time. There was so little snow that most of the mountain was closed, and it was about -20°C, but with some hiking we found some untracked powder. On Whistler mountain! Amazing. I almost broke my wrist on the last run of the day, though. We decided to ski down to the bottom, and that's when the snow base got REALLY small. At one point I realized that there was a ditch coming up, about 2 feet wide. If there was more snow the ground would have been more even, but the way it was I would have broken either my board or my neck if it went in. So at the last minute I tried to hop over it. I made it over, but started to fall backwards. I put out my hand to break my fall, and it went through the snow, luckily just between two rocks. I could have seriously messed myself up if my hand had landed on one of those rocks. Then again, I could have seriously messed myself up several times today. Heh. Depending on how sore I am tomorrow, I'll be coming down either Tuesday or Wednesday. Hopefully I'll be able to do my christmas shopping and hang out with Vancouver friends! Because you rock.
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[12 Dec 2008|10:53pm] |
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Ain't Gwine Whistle Dixie (Any Mo') - Taj Mahal |
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And so I return to Vancouver from Toronto, after a stop off in Philly to visit a friend I hadn't seen in a while. The sense of being alone was getting pretty soul-crushing in Toronto, so getting to spend time with her felt sorta like being released from a jail cell. I hate being in Toronto. Anyway, we had a lot of fun, although I need to learn West Coast Swing. And since she'll read this... thanks again for having me over, and I'm working on it. :)
Being at home again with my entire family is amusing. We're loud and boisterous and make jokes constantly. It feels like home. We're heading up to whistler tomorrow. Not sure how long we'll be there... at least until tuesday or wednesday next week. We may or may not have internet access. So... 'bye for now.
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[06 Nov 2008|02:05am] |
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No classes for me, 'cause York's TAs are on strike! That actually works out well, because I'm sick and I'd miss class anyway. I hope it doesn't last long, though. :/
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[04 Nov 2008|12:14am] |
So... there's a girl in my Salsa dance class who, except for being slightly taller, looks exactly like my ex-girlfriend. EXACTLY. It scared the crap out of me the first time I saw her. I've talked to her once or twice so it's not so freaky, but it's still strange.
I'll make an actual what's-going-on-in-my-life post sometime soon, but not tonight.
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[18 Oct 2008|12:30am] |
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Note to self: Find the music/lyrics to "I wanna be a sideman"
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[14 Oct 2008|01:37am] |
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So, I need to find a poem in the public domain for my next composition studio project. I'll be setting it to music, and though it doesn't have to be public domain, it needs to be something I don't have to worry about recording/performing rights for. Anyone have any suggestions? Currently I'm considering some Yeats or something by Robert Frost, but I don't have a lot of examples.
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coriakin's journal