May 2005

Their alive captain!

I propose that if your nose hairs are long enough to be curling around the outside of your nostrils... they need to be trimmed. But maybe that's just me.

A twang in my step?

Last night I saw the Bearfoot Bluegrass band in concert. I've never really cared for bluegrass, but heard amazing things about this band and had a free ticket so I figured it couldn't hurt. I was blown away. They were amazingly skills, animated and entertaining. In the end I'm rethinking my prejudice about bluegrass music all together.

The one snag in the evening was that I was sitting next to someone who smelled like human sausage.

Flippin' sweet

Dance Napoleon, dance! You too can be this cool.

// my personal research assistant: Valette //

Do not attempt this at home

I, Dah-moan the Great, have made it across this entire week without the assistance of wires or a safety net. The appropriate awe and applause will now be accepted.

Quite the charmer

When chatting with someone in Florida and making a comment that they are on the opposite corner of the country... if they were to respond "You're welcome on my face any time." would it be safe to assume that all they want is sex? Yeah? Just checking.

Ease on down the road

In a list of best bets in the Homer News last week:

BEST SIGN 'EM UP, WINDHAM HILL: Forget Jewel. She's like so 1990s. The next big thing to come out of Homer? Sources close to the Betster say it might be Damon McLay. Ya never know. If you want to say you knew him when, check out his concert at...

So I'm the next Jewel huh? Was that intended as a compliment?

Pucker up

Strawberry Lemonade JetTea Smoothies are a wonderful afternoon treat.

Sphincter say what?

It's interesting to note that I can still be moved to sobbing uncontrollably by my asshole of a father. Yep. Interesting.

Here's your bill

My concert was very good for me. In preparation for it (and due to my lovely virus) I took Friday off work, had raindrop therapy, took a specially forumlated Bach Flower concoction, had some energy work (focused on achieving a meditative state), liberally utilized an emotionally balancing essential oil blend and had a therapuetic massage. (how's that for a link storm of goodness?)

On top of my treatment overload... my music is meditative in nature and I took full advantage of that fact. I reached new levels of meditation while playing and could actually feel healing energy flowing through me (let's just forget that little postive thinking post from yesterday, heh). My mono seemed to be less severe after the concert. My energy was better in spite of post-performance blues and I'm continuing to feel much better even though I am supposed to be dragging something fierce for the next month.

Having the (good) stress of the concert behind me is certainly part of the better health, but I while I played on Saturday I could tell that my body was strengthening. It was an amazing thing. The two days before my concert I was reminded to take time for meditation and to be good to myself emotionally. Both were magnified in the concert and the benefit is tangible. Praise God for giving me such an awesome way to pursue health and for bringing me to a much stronger place this week.

Best of intentions

Through the power of positive thinking I will change this creepy ass day into a golden ray of sunshine. I will not dwell on the daunting pile of paperwork on my desk nor the boss who gleefully contributes to said pile. Instead I will imagine a rainbow of happiness circling over my head, showering me with light. I will tune out the droaning, sniveling voice of the office-assistant-of-doom and open my ears to hear the melodious incantations of mother earth...

<cracks open tightly shut eyes> Is it working? Cuz, I'm sooooo not continuing this touchy-feely crap if it's not making my mood a hell of a lot better. Postive thinking, my eye! I'll show you where you can put that rainbow of happiness...

I'll take three

Ah, the blessed Subway chocolate chip cookie. How I love you so. Your evil meddling in my stomach will never sway my affection for your moist, sensual goodness. Your softened dark morsels beckon me in my waking thoughts and taunt me in my dreams. Why do you torture me so? My inner self denies your goodness, tries to sway me toward the path of health. I pay it no heed. I only have eyes for you my sweet little handful of lust.

Just a little Beethoven

Prior to my concert I was standing in the lobby greeting people. One elderly lady came and asked the type of music I played. I told her it was meditative piano improvisation.

"Do you play any jazz?"

"Well... there are some jazz influences in what I play, but I don't really play jazz, no."

"How about any classical?"

"No... I did study classical music when I got my degree, but tonight is all improvisational music."

"Could you just play a little Beethoven?"

"Tonight will be focused on new age improvisation."

"Come on. You need to spice things up a little. Play just a little Beethoven or maybe some jazz."

"<heh> ... Not tonight."

"Well, I don't want to fall asleep. Forget that meditative crap and play something more interesting."

"..."

Puppy Power!

My concert was a nice success. I had about 30 people attend. That's pretty good for how busy this weekend was, though not so good considering the stellar press coverage the event got. Still, there was a very receptive audience and I felt really good about my playing.

At a few points during my "meditative improv" I got into a solid meditative state and was clueless that there was even an audience in the room. That was wonderful though I realized that I needed to actually pay attention to things like time so it didn't end up being midnight by the time I crawled out of my altered state. The concert was about an hour and fifteen minutes long. I don't know what the profit was on ticket sales, but I sold six cds and may have landed two new piano students.

The major bummer was that none of the friends I enjoy just hanging out with actually came to the concert (well one did, but sadly didn't stick around afterwards). I was totally hoping for a bit of party fun with friends after the concert for my much needed post-performance debriefing. Fortunately my trusty mom was reliable as ever. She sat with me at home while I ate my Subway sandwhich and rambled on about the concert. She's the best and if anyone tries to refute that fact I'll put hot sauce in their underwear.

Because my ego isn't big enough

Gee, I guess now I should actually start practicing...

Mono, mono you're so fine...

Infectious mononucleosis - also called "mono" or "the kissing disease" - is an acute infection of the lymphatic system caused by the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). It is usually characterized by fatigue, fever, sore throat, and swollen glands in the neck.

Grrrrrr

Yes Mom

Axe murdering: it's all fun and games and someone pokes an eye out.

Diarrhea of the mouth

My sis posted a bit of conversational fun from the weekend. Makes me sounds like a psychotic freak (is it wrong that I'm so very proud of that fact?).

Color Me Fabulous

I submitted a proposal to have a gallery show at the local arts council and was accepted! I'm going to have a solo showing of my digital art and photography for the month of October of this year. This is my first "all Damon, all live" show... oh, wait, that's something completely different. Um, nevermind. As I was saying, I'm excited to have my first solo show. I need to decide what pieces I'll put in the show (most of my work is small so it'll take a lot to nicely fill a gallery space). Then I need to get all that work framed which is going to take quite a bit of money and/or creative framing options. It'll be worth it, but it's something I'll need to plan out so I can afford it. Anyway, pat me on the back and then simply send me $100 each and I'm sure I'll feel well supported by my blogging family. Gosh, you all are just so swell!

Drum roll please

My second cd, Finding My Way is complete and ready for public consumption. To officially debut the thing I'm giving a concert on Saturday, May 21, 7pm. If you're so inclined to make it to Homer it'll be at the Faith Lutheran Church and I'd love to see ya. You can listen to excerpts from and purchase both cds on my new site even though it isn't fully designed yet. In this case substance wins out over style. Oh well.

Committee Meetings

I'm an effeciency addict. Right now I'm going through withdrawls.

Say a little prayer for you

I'm kinda enjoying doing more people shots. And I'm getting better at giving directions for the models. Andrew and Jennifer got "Um... ah... jump some more." Donnie got more specifics like "tilt your head, cuddle that uncomfortably cold rock..." You know, things like that. Now I just need to get a higher quality camera. That's next up on my spending list.

Conversational snippets

"I just want to go on record as saying a 'woo-woo wand photo shoot' does not sound like my idea of fun."

The envious season

I just smelled my first freshly mown grass of the year. It made me suddenly realize how green things are getting all around here. Spring is a beautiful thing.

Grand returns

Returning to work would be a whole lot more fun if, you know, work were actually fun in the first place.

Where's Ripley when you need her?

Some might foolishly assume the large, tender growth on the side of my neck is simply a swollen limph node from this wicked sore throat I've acquired. I, on the other hand, realize this to be an alien embryonic pod growing just below my jawline. At any moment I expect a snot covered, two mouthed creature with an excellent dental plan to burst through my skin, cocoon all my friends and eat my coworkers for a crunchy midnight snack. I wish it would just hurry up; the suspense is killing me.

untitled

She giggled. The little girl crouching behind the lifeless black filing cabinet giggled. It wasn't the sort of playground laugh you'd expect from a 9 year old. There was almost a cold edge to the sound, something unnatural. The sun barging through the blinds overhead made the large desk in front of her radiate with energy, but encased the frail figure in silhouette. The extreme contrasts in lighting created odd shapes in the empty classroom. The girl's shadowed form became almost a part of the abstract art that was the room. She was completely still. No motion. No sign of joy or fear. Her head leaned against the textured sheetrock, hands folded neatly over bent knees, effortlessly balancing on tiny tennis shoes. She hovered in her black, featureless state and giggled softly.