Yay! Some Semblance of A Life!

SO...

It seems somehow I accidentally did develop a life here at UWO. I"m not really sure how it happened but suddenly I have stuff to do and people to do it with. I think what makes it odd, is that it's not the social life I had been expecting to develop. When I think of social life I think of my social life at Queen's. An example: It's Halloween tomorrow and I keep thinking of last year's crazy 562 Double Keg of Keith Halloween Party in which we had spillover from two parties that got shut down. That was an amazing party with lots of people and costumes and liquor flowing like water from the taps. My social life is not like that here. It is smaller and more conservative and more... um... mature I guess. For one thing with the sheer amount of homework having a social life like before just isn't a possibility anymore. My social life consists of things like going for coffee a lot, watching films, meeting up to discuss music. It's a lot more laid back and suited to the lifestyle of a grad student. I discussed this a lot with Kevin tonight and he agreed that coming to grad school has a sense of isolating you a bit. You come from this place you'd been at for 4 years with lots of friends and a lighter work load. You are suddenly shoved into a new environment with very little time to meet people, no connections and the knowledge that in 2 years you'll be gone. It makes for a feeling of being isolated, and your social life becomes a way to break that isolation through small more mature activity.

That being said, there are opportunities to party and drink they are just less frequent and more risky as the workload never stops. That being said, I like what I'm doing, and the parts I don't like... well they'll be over in a year and a half or less... I find it odd that I'm almost 1/4 done my degree.

Grad students/and those who know Grads take notice of this hilarious comic Ian pointed out to me:

www.toothpastefordinner.com/093004/the-can-factory.gif

Cheers!

Television Worth Watching...

Television.. For the most part sucks.

There is still far too many reality shows, feeding mindless dribble to the masses who seem to suck it up like a fat person with a bowl of gravy. There are also a lot of bad sitcoms and dramas which seem to be unable to come up with the originality and sharp witty writing that made sitcoms like "Seinfeld" so good. And some shows that refuse to be cancelled even though they've long gone past their prime. Sorry "Simpsons"... I loved you but it's time to give it up.

However there are a few shows which still prove that television may yet have a bright future. On the prime time networks the prize goes to ABC and their amazing show "Lost". After being absolutely captivated by the constant mystery which covered the entirety of season 1, JJ Abrahm's and the excellent writers choose a less conservative route and suddenly blow a whole in all the theories about what the island is. Unexpected turns like the discovery of the bunker and the sequenced countdown are the kind of things to shock viewers and make them think. More TV needs to make you think. "Lost" is simply brilliant. However also on the networks FOX does a decent job of keeping things animated with new episodes of the "Family Guy". Though not as bright or satirical as the "Simpsons" or "Futurama", "Family Guy" never the less, is well written a good for a laugh.

What really continues to amaze me is the quality of shows on HBO. Having just wrapped up "Six Feet Under", one of the best and most well acted and written shows I have seen in years. It's actually a lot better then most movies. HBO's new series "Rome" has proven in the few episodes I've seen to be well written and have fantastic production values. Further more going back to the back catalog HBO has had a long string of hit shows that were well written. "Sex and the City", though not my cup of tea, is well written and "Mr. Show" a sketch comedy show pushed the boundaries of what could be considered funny years in advance. Furthermore, I have just begun watching "Band of Brothers" ... And all I can say is WOW! What an amazing show, why can't all TV deliver the kind of entertainment that "Band of Brothers" brings...

Really, all TV could be better if so many people didn't tune in to see what stupid thing Jessica Simpson has to say, to see how much of a dumb slut Paris Hilton can be or to hear that man with the toupee say "you're fired" yet again....

A Change of Scenery

I've been thinking ahead lately. Mostly about what I want to do when I finish my masters in 2007. I suppose it's probably bad for me to be thinking this far ahead and not focusing on my work at the present. It's always a bad idea as my dad says to "put the cart before the horse" (it's amazing how many expressions have become antiquated due to technology), but I can't help thinking about what I want to do when I'm done... Or what I might have the possibility to do.

First on my list of plans is to get out of the country for a while. I'm thinking September 2007 I get on a plane and I go to one of two places:
1) Europe: I get a work visa and fly over to Europe. I travel Europe via the Euro-rail crashing at youth hostels and getting the odd job waiting tables or delivering packages when funds run low. I see the classics which all artist are supposed to revel in; the famous museums, the opera halls, the galleries, the architecture. I study theory with a pedagogical master and take composition lessons across Europe from various composers, soaking in national styles, expanding my musical horizons and growing as a musician. I meet talented people and get wrapped up in artistic ventures. I meet a beautiful intelligent Swedish super model... Well maybe not that.
2) Japan/Asia: I get a work visa and fly over to Japan to teach English and make some money in the process. I travel Japan and parts of Asia seeing the Eastern architecture and soak in this foreign culture. I learn about Japanese musical instruments perhaps even learning to play one and take lessons in composition from composers in Asia learning a whole new style and approach to musical composition and design and grow farther away from traditional Western compositional ideas. I meet a beautiful intelligent Japanese super model....

I've just felt lately that as much as I'm enjoying school right now and I'm learning a lot that I need to take a year or two off and do something totally new. I really think I need a change of scenery and a new direction to really get myself to the next step. What that next step would be, I don't know.

At the very least I'll come back from either place with stories, pictures and pages and pages of music.

Jock U

So after 6 weeks I've noticed one glaring difference between Queen's University and the University of Western Ontario. Without a doubt, UWO is a Jock School. Those people who you called Jocks in high school are all here. Not that UWO isn't a place for academics, I've met many a smart person here, but the sheer amount of sports being played on campus is amazing. Regardless of weather, 7 days a week people are outside playing football, rugby, field hockey, lacrosse and other sports in the fields outside the music building. I thought maybe it was just me, and that most universities are like this, and Queen's was the exception.

So I asked around.

My colleagues, coming from schools across the country and world all agreed with my assessment.

UWO was Jock U.

Seu Jorge is Cool

Seu Jorge is a very talented musician from Brazil. Seu Jorge has been popular for quite a while in his native country, his album "Samba Esporte Fino" won the 1999 Brazil Album of the Year. Seu Jorge has only recently hit it big in North America due to his exposure in the delightful Wes Anderson film "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" starring Bill Murray. Seu Jorge is the guy playing covers of David Bowie in Portuguese throughout the movie on solo guitar. These delightful covers (which in a way I actually prefer over the original) are an excellent compliment to this quirky film, and as well inspired me to do more research into the music of Seu Jorge. I am in the process of hunting down his music so I can hear it as I type this. However while reading up on the music of Seu Jorge, I ended up reading all about Wes Anderson movies.

Wes Andreson is cool.

Wes Anderson's other movies include the classic "Rushmore" also selling Bill Murray and "The Royal Tenenbaums" also featuring Bill Murray and an all star cast including Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Anjelica Houston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson. As well as a movie called Bottlerocket which I have not seen but now plan to. Wes Anderson movies are really hip and cool. They have a really dark sense of humour to them and aren't your typical laugh out loud film. Rather they are this amusing blend of stupidity and sheer amazing intelligence. His movies have also provided a spotlight for the deadpan look that made Bill Murray an Oscar contender for his role in Lost in Translation (and if there was any justice, he should have been an Oscar winner.) An interesting fact is that he has ended all his movies with a slow motion shot. As well he is apparently a big fan of wide angle lens shots. This may seem all well and good but when you view his movies you realize how he uses these devices to great effect and subtle laughter (such as the cut out of the boat in The Life Aquatic). Wes Anderson is quoted as saying:

"In big six-camera shots, you're supposed to have six cameras going. And I don't know what to do with the other five."

Despite my medium being music and not film I can sympathize. Sometimes 1 is enough....

My love affair with Euchre.

I have re-discovered my love for Euchre this weekend, and it got me thinking about the reasons I love it.

I learned to play Euchre because my parents and their best friends, the Connors, would play it everytime they got together. There was lots of laughing, and joking and it generally seemed like a great time. So I had my dad teach me over and over again when I was young. But I would always forget it because it's one of those things you need ingrained in your memory. By the time of BSPS (Bowmanville Senior Public School) other people had discovered the card game but more people seemed to be interested in a game of Asshole, which is a fine card game but pales in comparison to Euchre. Euchre became a pastime in high school. I played it obsessively. Many hours wasted in the far south hallway on floor of BHS (Bowmanville High School) playing cards while cutting class with Joe, Julie, Karen, Chris and the Kreck. It was a great joy watching the teachers patrol the hall to make sure kids weren't loitering, but only stopping to ask us what the score was.
Euchre once again dominated a great deal of time during my first few years at Queen's University. A regular Tuesday outing to Queen's Pub (a staple of my undergrad, having continued on the tradition as best I could once Matt and Mark graduated) became a regular Tuesday night of cards, specifically Euchre. Nothing says good fun like beer, pub grub, and Euchre. In my last few years of undergrad I played the game far less frequently but still played the occasional game in the lobby.
Since I graduated I hadn't played the game all that much till this Thanksgiving weekend where quite a few games were played in Laura's kitchen.

There is something about a game like Euchre that just brings people together. It's far more social then most standard card games and it's more then the fact that it's a team game. Euchre tends to breed friendly competition and social out-bursts. It's a card game in which you have to focus but you don't have to focus that hard. It has lots of strategy but even the best laid plans can go sour due to the cards.

I highly recommend to anyone who is not familiar with this game to learn it. And to those who are... Who's up for a game?

style and rhythm

Well, after being sick for a week straight today was the first day I felt really back in the game. I thought today was going to be the day I catch up on all the stuff I should have been doing while I lay in bed feeling like crap last week. Funny thing is, having recovered and finally able to do work, I didn't do any. Whoops. I guess I wanted to enjoy procrastinating in a healthy state.

So not much real news to report. I just felt since I hadn't posted anything in a while that maybe it was time. So besides being sick I've been in good shape lately. I've really adjusted to the whole Grad student thing and have found my time management is a lot better. I eat more balanced meals, take vitamins and exercise in some way everyday. In terms of schooling, my dedication and interest in my subject are still running on high. As well, social life here in London has improved but no where near the hectic action of Queen's (which I suppose is a good thing considering the workload). As well, things seem more normal as I've finally started into my two big compositions for the year. It feels good to be creative in that way again and have large overall goals. Although I have only rough sketches at this point, I think these compositions will be far superior both in the intricate details as well the overall scope from what I did in previous years.
It's funny how over time, if you're critical, you can watch your own style develop in whatever it is you do. No matter what, my pieces and the sketches always end up sounding like me. It's not that I'm not growing or changing, quite the opposite. Since 4th year and into this year, my work has moved leaps and bounds (In fact, I may actually be good at this composing thing). I think more then anything I'm just becoming more and more like me. Inevitably like all composers, a certain palette of sounds, or a particular motivic design tweak my fancy more then others. I suppose this is true no matter what you do, whether you write words, write music, manage a business or anything else. Inevitably you begin to find your style, your rhythm and you go with it.

Decisions

A rider on horse is in a rush to get home. Coming face to face with a swamp, the rider must make a decision whether to go through the swamp or go around it. A young boy stands near the swamp and the rider asks "is there a bottom to this swamp?". The boy replies "yes a very hard bottom" The rider, reassured of the safety of passing through the swamp rides the horse out into the centre. The rider quickly comes to the realization he is sinking. With his head still above water he calls back to the boy "I thought you said it had a hard bottom." The boy yells back "it does. You're just not there yet."