Recently in Music Category

I'll give you countless amounts of outright acceptance if you want it. I will give you encouragement to choose the path that you want if you need it. You can speak of anger and doubts your fears and freak outs and I'll hold it. You can share your so-called shame filled accounts of times in your life and I won't judge it - and there are no strings attached. You owe me nothing for giving the love that I give; you owe me nothing for caring the way that I have. I give you thanks for receiving, it's my privilege - and you owe me nothing in return. You can ask for space for yourself and only yourself and I'll grant it. You can ask for freedom as well or time to travel and you'll have it. You can ask to live by yourself or love someone else and I'll support it. You can ask for anything you want anything at all and I'll understand it - and there are no strings attached. You owe me nothing for giving the love that I give; you owe me nothing for caring the way that I have. I give you thanks for receiving, it's my privilege - and you owe me nothing in return. I bet you're wondering when the next payback shoe will eventually drop. I bet you're wondering when my conditional police will force you to cough up. I bet you're wonderin' how far you have now danced you way back into debt. This is the only kind of love as I understand it that there really is. You can express your deepest of truths even if it means I'll lose you and I'll hear it. You can fall into the abyss on your way to your bliss I'll empathize with. You can say that you have to skip town to chase your passion I'll hear it. You can even hit rock bottom have a mid-life crisis and I'll hold it - and there are no strings attached. You owe me nothing for giving the love that I give; you owe me nothing for caring the way that I have. I give you thanks for receiving, it's my privilege - and you owe me nothing in return.

Check out the video of John Cage's 4'33" over at the Unclutterer, then come back. No, really, I'll wait. I would sincerely like to say that I am as capable of laughing as any other human being on the planet, and that I'm more appreciative of new forms of music than your average bear. But this isn't funny. And it's not music. If you want four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence, say so. And also? Don't invite an entire orchestra to come "play" it for you once you've custom-printed three-page scores for each member, containing only movement numbers and the word "tacet" (it is silent). You don't need a paintbrush if your favorite color is transparent, and you can do silence without calling up the philharmonic. Knowing as I do what magnificent sounds those instruments and their players are capable of, it very nearly causes me physical pain to see them assembled and abused in this way. Please have enough respect for the assembled talent and instrumentation to play some music. You know. They kind you can hear?

ColorJack has a killer little Dashboard widget for learning music theory via the piano. Check out Piano Theory.

Because it had to be published: 11:24:08 AM Ty: So this band, right? 11:25:34 AM Erica: yeah? 11:25:55 AM Ty: It's like, I'm trying to figure out how this band came into existence. 11:26:46 AM Erica: What band? 11:26:55 AM Ty: Name's Sonata Arctica. 11:27:24 AM Ty: Here's my best guess. 11:27:35 AM Ty: There are a bunch of Finns sitting around one day. 11:27:42 AM Ty: "Let's form a metal band," one of them says. 11:27:49 AM Ty: "But all we have is a piano," another one protests. 11:28:03 AM Ty: "And we don't know anything about how to write music," says another. 11:28:24 AM Ty: The first one solemnly considers this for a moment. 11:28:27 AM Ty: "OK," he says. 11:28:45 AM Ty: "We'll have to start with just having a piano, then. We can pick up some electric guitars and all that jazz later." 11:28:58 AM Ty: The second one interrupts. "And do we get rid of the piano then?" 11:29:07 AM Ty: "No," says the first one. "We keep the piano." 11:30:50 AM Ty: The third one says, "We still don't know how to write music." 11:30:58 AM Ty: The first one ponders this for a moment. "Well..." 11:31:11 AM Ty: "I have an idea!" says the piano detractor. 11:31:19 AM Ty: The two turn to him, waiting expectantly. 11:31:57 AM Ty: "Well," he explains. "For some unexplained reason, there's a renaissance faire in Helsinki next weekend. We can go ask the renfaire people." 11:32:10 AM Ty: The other two stare blankly. "What's a renaissance faire?" 11:32:25 AM Ty: And I'm convinced that that's basically how this band happened. 11:32:48 AM Ty: They're a English-speaking Finnish symphonic power metal band, very high on renfaire-ish melodies and piano. 11:32:57 AM Ty: Quite good, really. But very weird.

Review:

• Taking 12 credits this semester, rather than my typical 15-20. Sensible. Sane.
• Teaching two sections of lab. Still sane.
• Was not hired for the position at the new Apple retail store in town.

Given that my schedule this semester has stabilized into something eminently sane, I should actually have some decompression time. So, I have a few goals for this semester:

• School: Finish those labs from last semester. For real. All the way.
• Design: Get the blog redesign project I started done. All the way. It's really mostly done - I just need to convert to templates and make a few more decisions about how to display archives.
• Photo: Take 100 photos per week. I have a camera which it is reasonable to carry around (the Casio EX-S600EO) with a freaking 2GB SD card; I no longer have any excuse not to go crazy with the taking of pictures.
• Photo: Enter at least one contest at DPChallenge per month. (Why not use that for inspiration?)
• Video: Get approved as a video stock contributor at iStockPhoto.
• Writing: Write a substantial piece of short fiction. I'm not talking about serious "literary fiction" - I'm not even sure I know what that means, actually - I just mean something longer than the look-at-me-we-all-have-ADHD flash fiction I can bang out in a single sitting. A plot would be good. Characters required. I'm thinking 3,000-5,000 words. (I just know that if I can get one done, I'll have loosened up the knotty problem of how to turn my ideas into words.)
• Music: Finish one of the songs I have started. I've got about six sitting around, each with about half of the lyrics written, an idea of the melody line for those lyrics... then nothing.

I think the overall idea here is very much like throwing spaghetti at a wall; I want to see what sticks. I do a lot of disparate stuff, and seeing what holds my attention when I genuinely have time for it seems like a good idea. ...and then there's the lab thing, which I threw in there as my own personal guilt-trip. Any thoughts? Things I've mentioned to you or that you (knowing me like you do) think I want to be doing this semester that I've left out? Comment!

I feel as if I should write something, but today, I'm not certain what that something is. I have a vague tug telling me to write something on gender and sexual identities, but it's still sort of stewing. I have an even vaguer tug telling me to write something about my fundamentally whacked-out relationship with uncertainty, but that's very, very still stewing. I have a hideous compulsion to post a lot of song lyrics. I refuse to do this without having something to say about them, preferably something insightful. Mutter. Vote? Leave a comment - what do you want to see me write about? What opinion of mine do you desperately need word-i-fied?

This is not a post about the Dixie Chicks.

* * *

I bought a pair of earrings yesterday - little cubic zirconia studs. I've been wearing them since I got home from that shopping trip. I've been feeling a lot girlier than I have in the past - doing a lot of the lace and lipstick and yes, even the long-resisted jewelry. I'd say that it's almost annoying that feeling feminine is something that can be put on with a few pieces of metal and stone and a swipe of gloss, but that would be disingenuous. It's not as simple or immediate as all that - it's the gradual process, watching daily dress-up sessions change how I perceive myself and how I am most attractive. This is not a post about narcissism.

* * *

It's summer, and I'm through the month or so I had off between the end of spring classes and teaching, plus the first two weeks of the four weeks of physics I'm teaching. I managed to pull decent grades last semester, in spite of succumbing to the temptation to take Way Too Many Credits - again. I think I've learned some valuable study skills in the process. I didn't manage to finish doing my lab write-ups, so I have an incomplete in my lab. I'll finish them over the summer, probably during one of the remaining couple free weeks I have. I'm limiting myself to twelve credits in the fall, because I'm simply not willing to put myself through that kind of unnecessary stress again.

Teaching is going well; I'm pleased with my students, a diligent bunch this semester. I'm also taking a couple of online classes through the community college - black history and human geography. They're both ridiculously non-rigorous and completely insipid, but they both fulfill requirements for graduation, and I save about two thirds off university tuition by taking them at the community college, plus driving money by taking them online.

This is not a post about academics.

* * *

This post is actually about me being really, severely happy. I haven't been posting much, but for once, it's not because I'm stressed out and miserable; it's because life is simply so good that I find myself not wanting to blog much. Hell, I've actually been getting away from the computer altogether. I know, right?

Some of the absolute killer happiness is brought on by the time off. I really needed that month. This makes consecutive semester number seven with me taking at least half-time classes; this summer actually marks my lightest load, as I'm only taking 6 credits, teaching 1.5, and counseling at summer camp for two weeks.

Some of it is love. I'm at various stages of falling-in-love with a few people; Sam and Jess have spoken about this at length, and better than I can (I'm more private about these things than they are, I think; I don't mind them publishing details, but I just don't feel like it), so read them if you want to know what's going on. (The other two people involved may be more private about things than even me, so I'll just leave it at that.) Also in the love genre, Kolya, the youngest of our cats, is finally maturing out of his most kittenish stage, and is given to cuddling much more than usual.

Some of my happiness is coming from a feeling I have of progress and success - those sorts of things. I've been riding a creative wave for the last few months, and I've been doing well in things that I've tried, and that, more than anything, makes me feel fantastic.

That's what this post is about.

* * *

Ok, so this post is going to be a little bit about the Dixie Chicks. They have a relatively new track out called "Not Ready To Make Nice". Let's take a look at it, quick.

Forgive, sounds good Forget, I’m not sure I could They say time heals everything But I’m still waiting I’m through with doubt There’s nothing left for me to figure out I’ve paid a price And I’ll keep paying I’m not ready to make nice I’m not ready to back down I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go round and round and round It’s too late to make it right I probably wouldn’t if I could ‘Cause I’m mad as hell Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should I know you said Can’t you just get over it It turned my whole world around And I kind of like it I made my bed and I sleep like a baby With no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’ It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger And how in the world can the words that I said Send somebody so over the edge That they’d write me a letter Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing Or my life will be over

...Jesus Christ, where do I start? Here, the beginning. "Forgive - sounds good." Apparently this song is about how the Dixie Chicks want to be forgiven - I'd guess for the whole debacle in which they said on stage that they were ashamed that George W. Bush was from Texas. You know, Dixie* - can I call you Dixie? - I honestly wasn't all that sore about it. I thought it was a little immature and short-sighted of you to say something like that while abroad, and that's in large measure because I recognize the power of celebrity in the world today. When people go to your concerts, they go to listen to you. You have a platform. Having been abroad, I see how people view Americans when one speaks: as a whole. Saying that you're ashamed that the president is from Texas is fine. Saying it in front of someone from another country could well suggest to them that this is an attitude shared by the majority of Americans. I don't care what you think of the president; I'm mature enough to understand that in a country with 295,734,134 people, you're going to have 295,734,134 subtly different opinions. But not everyone gets that, and if I was upset at all, I was upset that you might have given the impression, intentionally or not, that I agreed with you. But your ridiculous attempt at begging for forgiveness, lamenting how awful people have been to you - it just sounds lame. Forgiveness is for when you've done something wrong, and you're sorry, and you want someone to recognize that you're sorry. It's not for when you're mad as hell, for when you don't have time for apologies, for when you can't bring yourself to apologize, or for when you think that all of the wrong that was done, was done to you. Stop asking for forgiveness if you haven't done anything wrong. Stop telling everyone how you refuse to apologize if you want forgiveness. If you'd like some help, here it is:

Dear American who may have been bothered by my statements abroad, I apologize. The sentiment I expressed while overseas was my own, and while the words are no less true than they were when I said them, I understand that not everyone in the U.S.A. feels the same way, and the nature of celebrity is such that I might have given that impression. Whether you agree with what I said or not, I have enough respect for you as a person to not use my stage to speak for you. I hope that you can forgive me, and I hope that the people out there who heard what I said will understand that I am only one of the 295,734,134 citizens of my country. Though I suspect there are others who feel similarly, it is only fair to let them voice such for themselves. Sincerely, Dixie

That I can get behind. I forgive you! See how easy that was? But if you're really not ready to make nice, I bet you'll find that no-one else is, either.

* Yes, I am completely aware that the group known as the Dixie Chicks is comprised of three separate people; I know the history of apologies and retracted apologies and all. This is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek way of respectfully requesting that Maines, Robison and Maguire make up their freakin' minds.

Update, October 29, 2006: I've disabled comments on this post, as I was getting several spam comments per day on just this one. Thanks for understanding.

I so rarely get involved with blog-memes, but this one seems like fun: Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random. Step 2: Post the first line from the first 15 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song. Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from. Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly. Step 5: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING! Step 6: World domination!

1. Glue stuck to my shoe / does anyone know why / you play with an orange rind
2. All alone on the floor / next to your twin bed box-spring and mattress
3. Some summers, in the evening, after 6 or so / walk on down the hill, maybe buy a beer
4. Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin / Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
5. I used to get away with so much / now I can't get away
6. Well it's a 1, 2, 3, take my hand and come with me because you look so fine that I really wanna make you mine -Jill gets this! (Jet - Be My Girl)
7. I don't know if it was real or in a dream / lately waking up I'm not sure where I've been
8. Hey, your glass is empty / it's a hell of a long way home -Jill gets this! (Sarah McLachlan - Good Enough)
9. The world is a vampire / sent to drain / secret destroyers / hold you up to the flames -Jill gets this! (Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings)
10. Blushing a cue for her falsities / advantage is my only masterpiece
11. My foundation was rocked / my tried and true way to deal was to vanish
12. Days like this I don't know what to do with myself all day and all night
13. I / I know what you did / Like a boy of summer gives his first kiss
14. Nunca pense que doliera el amor asi / Cuando se entierra en el medio de un no y un si
15. Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by? / We never get to stop and open our eyes

Leave your guesses in the comments. I'll cross them off as people get them. (Also watching the LJ comments.)

With Band Trusted Zak and Sara Jesusland All you can eat Still Fighting it You To Thank Gone Bastard Landed Bitches Ain't Shit Solo Lullabye Luckiest Emaline Gracie Best Imitation of Myself Army Band Returns Ascent of Stan Narcolepsy Omaha, I don't rock this bitch anymore or rock out with my c*ck out improv Philosophy (into Dr. Pyser) Dr. Pyser Rockin The Suburbs Not The Same Encore Brick (without band) One Angry Dwarf (with band)

...it's real conversation for your ass. The concert ruled. Read Sam's short review. I'll have a lengthier, set-list-ier version soon.