5/13/16

Haven't been up to too much in the last few weeks. I've mainly just been trying to finish off my first year of college as best as I can. My English professor is really happy with my writing. She told me that she thinks I am an A-level writer and that she is very impressed with my essays. That makes me feel really good. My poetry class is going pretty well too. I like having at least one class that allows me to exercise my creativity. Grading is pretty loose in that class, so it's hard to not do well in it. My computer science class is a little tough, though. Some concepts are basic while others are more technical. Oh, well. I'm doing what I can.

Concert-wise, I have a few more things to look forward to. First, my dad and I will be seeing Yes in Santa Barbara in late August. We're essentially giving them one more chance. If this show is as low-energy as the last one, then we will have to retire from going to Yes concerts. I hope that's not the case, though. I also learned yesterday that the new Jon Anderson project with Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin will be at the Orpheum on November 22. A Tuesday night, yes, but I'm thrilled. I wish it had been a day later though, since that is the week of Thanksgiving vacation, and I will be going home the very next day.

Since today is Stevie Wonder's 66th birthday, I played a couple of his albums while I was baking this evening. I played Fulfillingness' First Finale and Disc One of Songs in the Key of Life. Great tunes.

5/2/16

Can't believe it's already May and Week 6 of spring quarter. Before you know it, it will be time to move out!

Anyway, I went home this weekend. I did homework, which included finishing an essay for English class. I really think that I should make English my second major if I'm going to do a double major because I have been doing really well in my English classes. I got off to a bumpy start in the fall but I have improved since then. I got an A- on my first essay for this quarter's English class and I feel great about that. My professor thinks that I write very nicely and that I structure my arguments really well.

Another homework assignment I worked on was a visual project for my poetry class. We've been reading one collection of poetry per week since the beginning of the quarter. For this assignment (which will count as our midterm), we had to pick one of the collections we read and create a visual representation of the themes of that collection. It could be a diorama, a video, a picture, or some other kind of visual creation. It couldn't be a poem, though, since we've been doing that too. If I had been given more time, I would have tried to make a stop-motion video since I have tried that in the past and have enjoyed it. It's a ton of work, but it's really fun. I have made a few 3-4 second-long videos in the past. Those 3-4 seconds contain up to 60 frames, so you can see what I mean when I say that stop-motion is a ton of work. It pays off, though. 

Instead, I made a shoebox diorama using fabric, markers, a little bit of molding clay, and a small doll that I don't really use that much. I used all those things to make a bedroom with the doll representing the author. The poetry collection I chose was the first one we read: Stag's Leap, by Sharon Olds. The entire collection centers on her divorce from her husband of thirty years. From what I read, there were all kinds of thoughts and emotions running through Sharon's mind during that time. There was an overwhelming amount of pain from it. I went through the entire collection and took out words that stood out to me ("pain," "dying," "broken," "fuck," whirlpool…") and typed them into a Word document. I typed a lot of words. After that, I printed them out and cut them out of the paper. I taped them all to the "floor" of the diorama to represent the variety of thoughts going through the author's head. It was as if they were all spilled out onto the floor in a big mess. Then, using fabric from my mom's sewing kit and extra cardboard, I made a small "bed" and some wallpaper. I made the bed small since she now sleeps alone. I taped the doll in the middle of the "room." I used a little bit of clay to mold two wine glasses, one which is upright, and one which is spilled, since Stag's Leap is a brand of wine, apparently.

On Sunday, dad and I went to the Regent Theater in downtown LA for the monthly Great Rock and Roll Flea Market. I had been wanting to check that out for a while but we never got the chance to go since we always had something to do on the first Sunday of every month. The venue where it was held was really small. Not quite as small as places like the Whiskey or Roxy, but small enough. There weren't just records available. There were guitar straps, vintage posters, shirts, and even handicrafts. I mainly focused on the vinyl. My main goal was to look for Stevie Wonder material. I actually found quite a few things. First, I got an album called Uptight for $10. The rest of what I got were 45s. I picked up five Stevie 45s. To be exact, I got: Big Brother/You Haven't Done Nothin', Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer/We Can Work it Out, I Was Made to Love Her/Hold Me, Higher Ground/Too High, and Sir Duke/He's Misstra Know-It-All. I haven't had much luck finding Stevie 45s in other record stores so I was very happy to find all of these. There were more available, but I was happy with these five. I also grabbed a 45 of "Dancing in the Street" by David Bowie and Mick Jagger just for fun.

I played two Stevie albums on the drive back to campus: Fulfillingness' First Finale and Innervisions. I'm having a hard time picking a favorite Stevie album because I've really liked every one that I've heard. I told Dylan that I was tied between Innervisions and Music of My Mind but now I think Fulfillingness' First Finale may be up there. Songs in the Key of Life has grown on me a lot lately. I played the entire record recently and it really stuck with me that time. I brought all my Stevie LPs and 45s with me to campus so I can really give them a good listen. Hopefully I will pick a favorite some day.

4/25/16

Today is the 6th anniversary of a very special show I attended. It was my first time at the Orpheum, which is now my favorite concert venue. It was also my first time seeing Keith Emerson and Greg Lake. What makes that night particularly special is the fact that a number of people who were in that audience are now my friends. We all found each other through Facebook and the memory of that night connected us. Meeting those people led me to meet their friends, who, over time, became my friends. I now have a very special group of people I bond with through music and concerts. Sadly, I don't get to see them very often, but when I do, I make sure to cherish every moment.

The night of April 25, 2010, is now somewhat of a bittersweet memory to me, because it marked my first, and sadly, only time, seeing the late Keith Emerson. He blew everyone away and arguably stole the show. He put so much passion into every note he played. ELP were the first band to show me that you could have a successful band with piano as the dominant instrument. I had never heard of anything like that before, and I was stunned by it. It led me to develop a whole new appreciation for keyboard players.

I remember that Keith had so much to say that night, particularly during the Q&A session about halfway through the show. He told great stories about playing with The Nice and joining ELP. I enjoyed hearing the memories he shared. He really was a joy to watch and listen to. I will always remember that.

Thanks for an unforgettable night, Keith. We all miss you <3

4/23/16

I had the day to myself and decided to spend it in Hollywood. I had never gone down there all by myself before, so I was excited to try it out. I drove to North Hollywood Station and took the subway to Hollywood and Vine. After a lunch of buttermilk pancakes at The Waffle, I walked to Amoeba Music. This was my first trip to Amoeba of 2016. I spent most of the time looking for Stevie Wonder music. I found some good things. Firstly, I found a better used vinyl copy of Music of My Mind. In addition, I also got a copy of In Square Circle, which was available for just a few dollars. On CD, I got Songs in the Key of Life as well as Signed, Sealed, and Delivered. I haven't heard the latter yet, but I'm pretty confident that I will like it. I have a lot of confidence in Stevie's music.

On a sad note, I found out that a good music friend of mine died this morning. He and I never got to meet in person, but he often commented on my postings and had such nice things to say. For my birthday one year, he even sent me a very special gift: a drumstick he had caught from Graeme Edge at a Moody Blues concert he went to back in about 1987. I have that stick kept safely in the box in which it was shipped. It's very sad to see these friends of mine go. It's sad, but I know that everything that lives faces death someday. I wish that weren't the case, though…

Death has been a subject on the minds of many people lately, with so many musicians and celebrities dying, the latest being Prince. It's sad to see all these people going, not just because their lives are ending, but also because it reminds us of our own mortality. Everyone will die at some point, but hardly anyone wants to be reminded of that fact. Since I have had my share of loss in the past, I have learned to enjoy every moment I have with people I care about, because you just don't know when they won't be here anymore.

4/12/16

I wrote my first poem for poetry class. It had to be at least 20 lines long so it was a good start. I thought I would share it. I will keep the inspiration for it a secret and let you all interpret it in your own way.



At home, one day,
when the sun was out,
and the dogs began their daily ritual of watching the house,
I wondered if maybe something could have been done
so that he may still be here today.
Suddenly, I heard a strange and distinct sound-
Knock-knock-knock - on my front door,
though the dogs were not disturbed,
(as they normally would be)
and nothing was out of place.
I went and opened the door,
but there was no one there.
No one, not a person in sight,
though one dog followed an invisible sight across the yard with his eyes.
The wind was steady as a rock.
We tried to imagine what his last hour was like.
His last our on this earth, in our lives.
Ideally, he was at home, behind the keys,
playing a piece called “The Parting.”
When the song ended, so did he.

4/8/16

Week 2 of the third quarter is done. Spring quarter is already going by fast. 

Anyway, I've made a number of Stevie Wonder additions to my music collection. I ordered a CD of Fulfillingness' First Finale off of Amazon, which arrived yesterday. I played it on my portable CD player (yes, I have one of those). It sounds great, but I enjoy my vinyl copy of it as well. On vinyl, I also ordered copies of Stevie Wonder's Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants and Music of My Mind off of eBay last week. The Secret Life of Plants arrived yesterday but I'm still waiting on Music of My Mind. I gave The Secret Life of Plants a complete listen last night since I had time. Dylan suggested that I not listen to that one until I had heard Fulfillingness' First Finale, since it's very different from Stevie's other albums. From what I've read, it was the album that marked the end of his "classic" era, which supposedly lasted from Music of My Mind to Songs in the Key of Life. I liked it, but I will admit it definitely was not like the other Stevie albums I have heard. It's a soundtrack to a documentary, so maybe that's why. Apparently a lot of people were confused by it when it was first released. I'm going home next weekend so I think I will grab my other vinyl Stevie albums to take back with me.

I think of the two David Gilmour shows I went to every day. It really was an incredible experience both times, though the first show was the most special since it was the first time. I had never been moved to tears at a concert before, not even when I saw Roger Waters perform The Wall in 2010, but that was because it was not David who was playing the solo during "Comfortably Numb" at that show. As much as I loved hearing The Wall performed live, I longed to hear David play it with my own ears.

4/3/16

I don't have very long because I have to finish a close reading assignment for poetry class.

I came home this weekend. I left early Thursday afternoon since class got out early. I came home because on Friday night, dad and I went to see Steve Hackett at our favorite concert venue, the Orpheum. I know my way around that place as though it were my second home. We had front row mezzanine seats, but in reality, there's no such thing as a bad seat at the Orpheum. No matter where you're seated, you always have a good view of the stage and the sound is always perfect. We've seen more shows at this venue than anywhere else, so we've experienced shows from many different vantage points.

This Steve Hackett show was different from the Genesis Revisited show we saw back in December 2014. We loved that show so much that we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see Steve again. This show consisted of two sets: one of solo material, and one of Genesis material. I was surprised that only two Genesis songs that were played during the 2014 tour were included in this set. Everything else was different. That's good, though. It's nice to mix things up and play some tunes that you haven't played in a while. I actually liked the solo material a lot. I think I will have to start getting Steve's solo albums since we don't have any at the moment.

I saw a number of people at the show with David Gilmour shirts from the Rattle That Lock tour. It's great that so many people were able to see him at least once. I'm still reeling from that week. It's only been a week since the second show but it feels like it's been much longer. Part of me wishes I could go back and do it all over again, but that usually happens when I go to a great concert, especially a concert I had been looking forward to for a long time.

Dylan is very excited for my trip to Portland and our drive to the Gorge for the two Phish concerts. I am too. I need to get more familiar with Phish's music, though. So far, I've only heard Rift and Billy Breathes. The biggest record store near campus often has a large selection of Phish CDs and vinyl available, so I will look there once I get back to campus.