Fall 2005

What? Fall? Already? Here's the thing.

I haven't been getting overly excited about new movies lately. Sure, Batman Begins looks good, but it comes with its own limitations. (I'm a huge geek for comics, and I'll be the first to admit it. Look for lots of origin synopsis and a villain that craftily imperils Gotham City, ooo... Yes, of course I'll be there.) The only other summer movie that pops to mind in the must see category is The 40 Year-Old Virgin, because nothing Judd Apatow does could be bad. Plus Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, and Paul Rudd. I'm there too.

Still, nothing I expect to be overwhelmed by, nothing that would make me overly sad if I missed it in theaters, except...

Wow, does this look good. Go now and soak in the biggest trailer bandwidth allows, preferably 2 or 3 times. Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean made a movie. That means Dave McKean's art moves now.

Sweet.

And for anybody still wondering...

Yes, I can still produce bass clarinet multiphonics, and they still sound delightful.

I even found some new ones at a rehearsal last week, in the low part of the upper register. They sound weird and shiny; I am much pleased by them.

LRPP-I Complete, or: The Eagle Has Taken a Long Standardized Test

It's good to have that finished.

Now I'm trying to reassert normality and get back to things I like doing -- spending time with the wife, playing clarinet, talking to friends, reading novels, (um, blogging?), etc. -- as well as things that have to get done now, mainly moving into a new apartment.

And while readjusting I find myself with a question: Where did all of that time come from?

I'll admit I lost my mind a bit, but I found a surprising amount of time to study. And it's not that I want to jettison my sanity again (or that the wife would let me), but I would like to hang on to some of that time and repurpose it in a way that continues to be edifying.

Because as much effort and insanity as test prep was, I liked it. It's a fun skill set to work at, plus I enjoyed the challenge of it, trying to fine tune thought processes and always working to think more rigorously, more quickly. Hopefully I can keep something along those lines going. For one thing it's a hell of a lot more interesting / challenging / rewarding than work.

Of course all of this assumes that I did well enough to not retake the long standardized test. I won't know for another 3 weeks or so. Here's hoping.

Is it just me, or...

Do other people have anxiety dreams where they can't get multiphonics to sound on a bass clarinet?

Anybody? It is just me, isn't it?

Highly disturbing.