open mike report

South Bay Folks Open Mike, 2003-06-19

Philip Rodriguez--a great singer-songwriter who, unbeknownst to him, played a pivotal role in getting me up on stage and singing a couple of years ago--played violin with me on "Snowblinded". That was a real treat, but not actually as much a treat as just getting to hear Philip's set. I also finally obtained a copy of his CD, which I highly recommend.

Daphna suggested a cello would work well with "Snowblinded". I think she's right, and wish I knew a cellist.

Mike Simpson brought his new Epiphone Mandobird, which is really cool. After the open mike was over he asked me to play "Snowblinded" again so he could try out the electric mandolin on a big PA in a big good-sounding room. So we did that. Then I stayed with the late-night jammers and pecked out parts on piano, mandola (Mike's) and even violin (Daphna's).

That was fun, but, in light of my recent medical concerns, really stupid. Pain in the morning.

( Ego story. )

glasses, day one

1 (Internal). Everything's a little weird, but I'm gradually adjusting. Things look a little closer than they really are, which is mostly okay. The main trouble I have is that the ground seems closer to my head than it usually is, which (a) gives me the bizarre feeling that I've shrunk, (b) somehow makes it feel like I'm moving slower than I should be, like running in a dream, and (c) means that my feet get confused about when exactly they should be hitting the ground on the way down. Walking on the uneven pavement of my parking lot, I may look pretty comical.

2 (External). Maybe it's because of the above, maybe it's because I confuse change in perception with change in appearance, maybe it's because I've always been strangely wary of even small changes in how I look. Whatever the cause, I feel really conspicuous. Then I try to figure out what I'm worried about, I imagine someone nudging a friend and saying, "Hey, check it out--a guy wearing glasses! You don't see that every day," I laugh at myself, and I move on.

(no subject)

I finally got around to seeing Spellbound, and it's a shame there are Americans who won't. It hit a lot of the tracks my thoughts often run in: Winners and losers, insiders and outsiders, work vs. faith vs. luck, emigration, immigration, and diversity. Like a good liberal arts student, I see pretty much everything as political, but I don't think I'm wrong to do so here--watch the background for American flags and other symbols, think about the way the film is structured and what the kids and especially the parents have to say. Of course, politics is far from the only thing it's about--it's mostly about a bunch of very hard-working and mostly likable kids.

Fun fact: In the marathon rhyming session that produced the lyrics for "Snowblinded", one of the many words and almost-words that got rejected was "spellbinded."