12/4

Up 8:30 - did the crossword, breakfast/coffee, worked 10:30-1:30.

Practiced piano around 2. Scales, chord etude around the circle of fifths, played through the head of “Donna Lee” and several choruses of “Everything Happens to Me” w/ metronome - hard, really shows you where you’re slacking. Played a slow, dissonantly reharmonizes version of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” Kinda fit my mood, as I spent too much of the day in a funk over some online exchanges and reminders of my sense of personal failure. Managed to articulate this to Bree, which helped, as did a DM exchange w/ a friend. Feel quite a bit better.

Only read 25 p. of Prof. Schlick, and didn’t get to Carnap. Also way behind on email.

Made a bandcamp purchase for jubilee Friday (of items I’d put in the cart off and on since the last one). Unreleased Anthony Moore album (from the ‘80s?), Cecil Taylor/Tony Oxley duo, Wyatt’s ’68 demos, Bless the Mad (Chicago hip-hop collective that uses AACM samples), Shelley Hirsch, both Supercollider albums (though I turned up the CDs recently), Anemone (another out duo, Andrew Barker/Jon Irabagon), and Michael Moore (of ICP/Clusone 3) w/ a Dutch big band.

Trash/recycling, short walk around 10, had idea for the next step/paragraph, wrote some quick notes when I came in.

3 one-page JA poems, very slight. “In world aesthetics, a bundle in the straw.”

12/3

Up 8-ish. Breakfast, coffee, finished last night’s entry. 4 JA poems, dharma talk. 
Other Carnap reading group, 10-11 am. I think I like this one better.
Bridge work 11:30-1:30 w/ a couple short breaks. Editing next section.
Called Dad, 1:45-2:30. Rested. Zoom chat w/ Bree’s cousin Alicia + kids, about 3:20-3:40.
Made more coffee. 
Read 50 p. Prof. Schlick.
DM exchange w/ Evan Kindley.
Signed on to book launch/reading for Thulani Davis, Nothing But the Music, w/ Fred Moten, Jessica Hagedorn, Daphne Brooks, Tobi Haslett, Anthony Davis. Roscoe Mitchell. Davis did quite a Monk imitation. Tempted to order the book.
Did a little ear training (intervals) and practiced my chromatic scales (hanging up on fingering at one point when playing w/ both hands), but then Bree got on the phone w/ Ron. Try again tomorrow.
A few more JA poems.

12/2

Woke up between 7-7:30. Didn’t stay in bed for long. (Doing NYT crossword and spelling bee most days). Breakfast, coffee, did one last pass on the grafs from last night, mostly between 8-10:30; I think they’re sufficient now. Interruptions: there’s FIOS installation in our building today; they don’t need to come into our apartment, but there’s noise, and the bldg. president texted me about posting a notice, which I wasn’t informed about and don’t have time to do.

Carnap Zoom seminar 11-1:30; took a few notes. I don’t have much to say about it here. Lunch. Doesn’t seem like I did much between 2-4. Therapy w/ Bree. Read 20-some pages of Logical Syntax of Language, to 177. Needed a nap.

Practiced piano - scales and etudes, in a couple of keys. Played around w/ some Bill Evans pentatonic voicings, found an interesting one for FM9. Did some light editing before and after that, organized files to reduce friction next few days. Took out recycling; short walk around 10:15. Forgot to get JA book out of bedroom before Bree went to bed. Lights out before midnight.

12/1

Up 7-ish. Listened to a jazz podcast in bed, NYT Spelling Bee (did Tue. crossword last night), read 2 JA poems. Got an email that the mic I ordered on Mon is out of stock/on backorder; a little disappointing. Bridge work 10 am until a little after 1 pm, on the same passages as yesterday. 

Since it’s December 1st, I should mention that my #1 goal/practice for the next 6 months again is to work on the book 3 hrs/day every day that does not involve a real emergency (e.g. medical). Depending on where the vaccine arrives, I expect to be holed up here for about that lawn, and I don’t want to regret that I didn’t do much with the time when life begins again, even if I don’t complete the MS by June 1. Tbh, the main reason I’ve started posting these entries again is to keep myself honest and accountable (to the anonymous non-readership!).

Nothing much from then until 3:30: Lunch, listened to readings of a couple of Agatha Christie stories, opened some mail and unpacked a box from Bree’s mom, who called later. Read a kind of op-ed about higher-ed diversity/inclusion Aaron Kunin sent me. Seems like a lost cause (cf. “successor ideology”.) Btw, 3 people have sent me a piece about Armed Forces from The Atlantic that liberally cribs from my 33 1/3, w/o credit. Hard to believe author didn’t read it. A mild annoyance.

Read about 20 p. Aufbau; finally getting to something of the nitty-gritty of what his “construction system” will look like, why we choose basic elements (“autopsychological” experiences) of one kind rather than another. Dubious of a section that illustrates some of his principles w/ music theory, but this sentence is heavy (and obscure if you’re not reading the book): “Quasi-analysis is a synthesis which wears the linguistic garb of an analysis.” 

Reading took until almost 7, w/ some breaks. Played piano, some blues in Eb, in there, but not a full practice session; watched the first lesson of week 2. The ear training - on chord qualities rather than intervals - is much easier for me. 

Listened to Wyatt, Old Rottenhat (on the reissue I turned up last week); it’s very good, and distinctive. Also just better musically than his slightly faux-naif rep suggests - e.g. the nimble ride cymbal on “Speechless,” or the vocal beds and layered percussion on “The Ages of Self.” Practiced piano after all - just some scales w/o metronome and a chordal etude that is probably too simple, even for me; will do it in other keys. 

Read 10 p. Edmonds (the VC book). Took out several loads of trash and recycling, then short walk around 10:30. Worked on the bridge passage from until 12:30 am; lights out after that.

11/30

Up 8:30, did a couple of crossword puzzles in bed, listened to a dharma talk. Breakfast/coffee. Had to reboot computer again, and register Office. Worked from 11-2, or a little after. Found/revised/cut grafs from an early draft on “Respect” and “Sweet Jane,” should finish this little bit tomorrow. Glad I started before Dec. 1.

Therapy 3-4. Read Edmonds, got to p. 100 around 6:45. The book is getting better - I found a chapter on Viennese coffeehouse culture quite moving. Read Bree some key passages (she’s fascinated by Austro-Hungary for different reasons: operetta). Practiced piano, inc. some ear training. Tried to play “Giant Steps” at 286 - ridiculous. Could barely manage it at 200. Played free a little. Sat w/ Bree at dinner (had made some pasta earlier); ended up watching the songs by the Mosquitos, Gnats, and Honeybees from the rock ’n’ roll episode of Gilligan’s Island.

Ordered a mic, interface, and a bass sequencer (recent copy of the Roland 303) - had been planning this soon, now that I have a newer computer w/ Logic, but I realized things were on sale today. Ripped Wyatt, Mid-Eighties, using Bree’s external drive; disadvantage of new laptop. Read 3-4 p. Carnap, Aufbau. Short walk after 10, dithered for a while, skipped Ashbery. Lights out 11:30.