(Edit: Skipped an entry, and ended up w/ this one mis-dated; simpler to combine two.)
5.24
Woke up before 4, listened to Pink Flag and two podcasts before I could get to sleep.
Not really up for real until almost 10. Gym. It’s a start. Listened to154 during cardio (forgot to put Chairs Missing on my phone), read a few more pages of de Unamuno and re-read some of Jordan’s book (also on my iPad).
Coffee and a salad.
Put on a new water bottle for Bree, got my directions together for later today, read to p. 100 of Keene, inc. excerpts from a few literary diaries.
Wrote an email to the Buddhist center that posts the dharma talks I listen to, to ask if they could tell me who wrote something the main teacher (Gil Fronsdal) quoted - no spelling of the name he said, at least as I heard it, brings up anything relevant.
Saw an acquaintance’s blog post about “St. Louis Blues” that makes exactly the mistakes (the bridge is a “Tin Pan Alley” compromise) that I argue against at length. Wondering whether to contact him.
Left about 3, walked to 74th b/c 7 at 82nd was announced as having “major delays.” Read a bit of Copyrights/wrongs (off and on on trains during the day). Lincoln Center - returned my outstanding books.
Rushed through 500 words on “Sex Machine” - I’d have felt guilty if I didn’t. Realized I left my phone at home.
Met Bree at an event her stepdad was appearing at in midtown - the rest of her family is also in town. Not unpleasant, but an obligation.
Left a bit early to make Jordan’s book party, w/ Justin Jamail about 20 blocks away. Chatted w/ John Coletti, Max Winter, Anselm Berrigan. Brief readings by both poets - I hadn’t realized that some of Jordan’s amended translations are from the Man'yōshū, the very collection I’d been reading yesterday. Will compare.
Went back to the restaurant that the after-event reception was at - ran into Bree’s brother-in-law Timbo, who was kind about my folks, but Bree had already headed home. So did I.
Lights out midnight.
5.25
In and out of bed from about 5:30. Went to E77 at 8.
Read this review of the new Alain Locke biography (because Scott Saul mentioned it on Facebook), and an essay by Vivian Gornick about Roth and Bellow (b/c the author of the Locke review mentioned it on Twitter).
Spent a couple hours trying to edit my transcribed responses to a phone interview w/ Stephen Plummer for his website.
Home at noon, read in Keene and napped before we had to go out.
Lunch w/ Bree’s family and their friends in Chelsea.
Took their leave around 5, browsed at the Strand - Laura C. called while I was outside (phone/text tag w/ her all day), and we went over the basics for the show Wed. Bought some dollar poetry, and volume one of a translation of the Man'yōshū.
Went to Think on Fourth. Another 500 of bridge piece, mainly on Adorno.
Read to 150 in Keene. The long excerpt from The Tale of Genji felt like a slog, tbh, but The Pillow Book made up for it.
Joe Morris/Peter Evans/Mat Maneri at the Stone. Free, mutually responsive, alternately busy and drone-textured. Read a few pages of Copyrights/wrongs waiting for it begin (but I’m behind on this), and wrote 2 p. ahead toward the “day”book (though in a different notebook).
Listened to the bonus tracks on 154 (“Go Ahead” turns out to be about chart placement, with an “Anthrax”-style spoken section), and most of The Ideal Copy, a dense record that has always been something of a mystery to me.
Home at 11.