Up 9. Weight 215.5. Not a prose day.

Worked on “Rainy Days and Mondays.” Heard Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s arrangement of “Deep River” on WQXR. The pianist sure milked the ending. Coffee, daybook, read in Hartman, started Joseph Massey, Illocality. More Flood than Wave. Bought a flash drive (last one lost in the shuffle of coming back from CA).

Home at 11:30, practiced the Human Hearts set off and on – it’s surprising hard to make oneself sit there and play through songs without pausing to fool w/ a guitar part or forgiving oneself for lyric flubs. The bridge of “Believe in Ghosts” (which I’ll probably rewrite) and finicky variant rhymes in the choruses of “Enemies of Song” are tricky, and I don’t know two newer songs well. Broke around 3 to call my parents (meaning to talk more often, a week goes by easily), w/ Bree.

Left at 5, met Matt at his workplace to help him carry drums to Hi-Fi. Got set up (I don’t like their house amp). Put St. Lenox (Andrew + tracks on phone + bass player) on at 8:00; Allen read briefly, we played our set, then brought Allen up to join us. I’ve played better. Modest turnout, neither embarrassing or encouraging. Glad to see Jenny, David Nagler, Liz & Ed, Matt Kanelos, Pete Galub, Drew. Casey Westerman down from Princeton, but didn’t have a chance to talk. Took $20 out of the door for cab fare, gave the rest to Allen. Debriefed w/ Bree on way home. Fun and all, and good for my karma, but I’m glad I can get back to writing (though we’ll see about tomorrow).

Set list: Enemies of Song/Still In Error/Boring Postcards/A Different City For a Different Life/Our Films, Their Films/Believe in Ghosts/Faith & Credit/Not Just When We Kiss [unaccountably forgot first chorus]/Flag Pin. With Allen: Rainy Days & Mondays [his idea]/Tourists/Going to Fontana/Be Positive/Junk/Bicycle/Lonesome Surprise