jul 26

Up closer to 7 - internal clock resetting. Read 15 p. on Williams to get a jump. After breakfast, started Boyer - it reads quickly. Bedroom had gotten chaotic, tidied 1/2 hr., with Josh Whedon’s mumblecore adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing on in the background. Did a bit more of Dad’s office work - email and looking things up. Started a potentially distracting twitter exchange about music w/ 2 poets, wisely didn’t pursue it beyond 1 response. Left 12:30, had been shooting for 12. Put on the first disc of the 1967 volume of the complete Motown singles - man doesn’t live by Schubert alone. Went to Rev Up coffee 1-5 instead of the office, finished/polished a draft of the intro section, about 1500 words, sent to Holbo. Got a snack at Wolfe’s, headed home. The Miracles’ “The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage Came On.” Great song. Read rest of 50 p. quota of Wms. book, and to p. 75 of Boyer. Remembered that I’d said I’d make zucchini for dinner, did so. Jeopardy! Went out at 8:20 to buy a fan for my room at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, stopped in a nearby Starbuck’s for a bit (in the evening, a quiet location I don’t frequent - worth remembering), finished reading Katz. There are individual poems I like quite a bit, inc. an odd 2-column piece called “Hadrian” quite different from the rest of the book - the historical notes give the observational/lyric-ish material something to react against. That’s worth remembering. Home before 10.

I had a much better batting average of doing what I told myself what I’d do today than most. 

jul 25

Up, kind of, at 5:30. Read a bit more Katz, though the prose title sequence “Swimming Home.” After breakfast, spent 8-9 on office work for my dad, read a few pages of that Bert Williams book, which I’d like to finish off soon. Discussed some outstanding issues/next steps w/ my dad, made a related phone call. Some progress. Watched the rest of Laura. Went out for errands before noon. Stopped at Upland Library book sale (I think I’ve been to all of them except Ontario this week), main find was a copy of John Strom Robert’s The Latin Tinge, another book I should have read long ago. Coffee at Rad in downtown Upland. Office from 2-5, got a couple more grafs in. Borrowed an advance copy of Anne Boyer’s The Undying. Home, dinner, Jeopardy! Nothing dramatic after that - hot and tired. Made a list of tomorrow’s to-dos. Lights out 11.

jul 24

Up 6:30 am. Figured out a key piece of financial info for my dad. Met Kyle for breakfast at Brandon’s in Rancho Cucamonga, caught up. Went by the Rancho Cucamonga library book sale, bought a book about Oskar Fischinger, that Stuart Hall-edited Representation textbook (I might already have a copy somewhere), and a medical CD of lung sounds - $1 each. Home around 11, finished the A&L book in the family room while my dad watched an Olivia De Havilland movie w/ the sound off. Got an email from the Pomona English dept. secretary that she was closing the office at 2, so drove over to get my keys to JL’s office. Dithered a bit, worked from 3-5 polishing the first few grafs of chapter intro. Dinner, Jeopardy!, read a good chunk of the Vincent Katz book I’d started before leaving, watched about 1/2 of Laura before getting sleepy. Lights out 11.

Have also been trying to play/learn a piano piece, La carcajada (translated variously as “The Peal of Laughter” or “Hearty Laughter” by Ignacio Cervantes, from his Danzas Cubanas. It’s probably no more than intermediate for a real pianist, and the proto-tango rhythm isn’t unlike things I play in pop contexts (e.g. “Sad & Afraid”) but it will be challenging for me to get both hands. 

jul 23

Up in time for therapy via Skype - 6 am, b/c of the time difference. Tried to go back to sleep a bit, up at 8, got to KSPC by 10, did my first show. Playlist: https://spinitron.com/KSPC/pl/9157087/The-Manila-Folder

Stopped into Claremont Library book sale room, picked up some cheap classical CDs, inc. some Rorem and Britten, and a book of poems by someone I dislike personally, and one called Packs Small Plays Big, an insider term among magicians. Treated myself to lunch at the Meat Cellar. Went to Rhino - 2 Carla Bley LPs (they also have an Escalator Over the Hill), a v. early gospel box (Arizona Dranes, Washington Phillips), and a CD of Han Bennink and a pianist I don’t know (though they do one Misha M. tune). Home around 3, exhausted, called Bree and then napped through a terrible airplane disaster movie w/ Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, Anne Francis, Keenan Wynn, and Patsy Kelly. (Oh, ok: The Crowded Sky, Joseph Penvey 1960). Managed about 20 p. of the Art & Language book, and an interview w/ Green Gartside, in which A&L also come up, from a post-punk anthology. Dinner, Jeopardy! w/ dad, went out to Starbuck’s a little after 8. Worked on chapter intro until 10:30. Came home, listened to jazz interview podcasts until I fell asleep. 

Listening to a CD of Die Schoene Mullerin in the car, forgetting the singer right now. Its been 100+ degrees here, little end in sight. 

jul 22

Up in the middle of the night - watched this and that on YouTube. Up for good, more or less, at 7. Got an overview of practical stuff I need to help my dad w/ after breakfast, some printing and email connected w/ that. Indolent for most of late morning, afternoon - watched a B musical, Breakfast in Hollywood on Bree’s recommendation, napped to Alfred Brendel paying Schubert. Couldn’t get it up to read about Art & Language. Finally went out to a local Starbuck’s 4-6, pulled together a Frankenstein of current chapter from various existing documents. Dinner at home, left for Highland Park at about 8, for the Mekons show at the Lodge Room. Opening band, Skokie Girl were well-intentioned, w/ a combination of live and programmed rhythms and post-punk/disco elements I’m in favor of in principle, but their songwriting and vocal chops were limited. Mekons put on a great two-encore show, with a few key tracks from the new album (“Lawrence of Arabia,” “How Many Stars?”, the one about Rimbaud in Abyssinia) but ranging over the entire catalog, from “Last Dance” to “Millionaire” to “Orpheus.” Hung out w/ RJ Smith and Mike McGonigal a bit, saw Tara Jane O’Neil and John Herndon, and Daniel Brodo, briefly. Said hello to Jon, Sally, and David Trumfio on the way out - floated the idea of rec’ding a vocal at his studio while I’m here. Listened to Elis Regina and some very late Ellington, from a ‘60s pop tune session (“Alfie,” “Soon Its Gonna Rain,” and the like) done for a Reader’s Digest LP on the drive there and back. Home at 1 am, said hello to dad’s overnight caregiver, Nicole, before going to bed.