Up 5:30. Weighed 203; another 2 lbs.
Breakfast, coffee, watched Last Week Tonight segment ft. “Look For the Union Label” (based on Kern). Did some dishes, started water.
Read 30 p. Mackey. “They lived in a dream/house one of whose rooms they’d never been in.” (292)
Made an edit w/ fades of “Your Cheatin’ Heart” for the podcast; only took a few minutes. (I did the 2 Taylor Swift examples last night, but didn’t note it.) Bought a ticket for another screening of the gospel doc tonight. Began looking into a new primary care physician locally; didn’t immediately find someone who takes my insurance. Work in progress.
Therapy w/ Bree at 9.
Worked at E77 10:30-12:30, reorganizing chorus section based on last night’s mark up. Worked through revisions to about graf 4.
Picked up groceries on the way home. Lunch. Read to end of chapter of Mehta.
Called dad. Talked to Jenny about coming up to her brother’s for Thanksgiving.
Therapy.
Took a break and watched the end of a BBC suspense film, Element of Doubt.
Attended books-in-process Zoom session Zoom on Laurie Anderson (Alex Reed) & Janet Jackson (Craig Seymour). Cleaned kitchen and unloaded dishwasher during part of talk (w/ camera off), asked a question later.
Quiet evening. Finished Mehta, listened to Wesley Stace, Late Style (w/ David Nagler’s composition/production). Missed a movie I’d thought about seeing. Lights out 11.
11.14.21
Up too early - 4:30, watched SNL clips (but not the 10-min Taylor Swift performance, though I will). Put on an episode of Midsommer Murders and drifted back to sleep. Up 7:30, quick breakfast and coffee, talked to Bree on WhatsApp 8-9.
Got an email from the podcast producers that we can actually split this up into two 30-40 min episodes, which will made editing a lot easier. Honestly a big relief.
Left for a gospel documentary I had tickets for, but started worrying I’d left the stove on (to dry my cast-iron pan before oiling) after a couple train stations. Went back; I hadn’t. But I read 30 p. Mackey on the trip.
[…] Fugitivity, he insisted/was-
n’t just getting away. Flight was being subject
to being caught carried back. Fugitivity’s haunted
side he said it was… (237)
Back in the apt. about 11:15. Updated this and writing group check-in.
Made some broccoli + bucatini w/ oil and garlic for lunch. (Ate it all). Placed a grocery order for tomorrow.
Another slow/bleh afternoon. Read some Mehta, did domestic tasks.
Printed draft of chorus section (changed toner cartridge), went to E77 and marked it up for re-organization 6:30-7:30. Also started a new to-do list to process via Mark Forster’s “Final Version” technique. This can help if I keep it up - I usually peter out after a couple weeks and become “dead to the list,” but I feel like I’m spinning a lot of plates.
Came back and got into a long (friendly) twitter exchange w/ J. Clover about the form of “All Too Well.” Directly relevant to what I’m doing; also turns out his partner has written at length on burdens; found and downloaded her book.
Read another 20 p. Mehta. Lights out midnight.
11.13.21
Up 7:30. Slept through.
Went to E77 before 9 for coffee, ordered oatmeal for breakfast for a change. Read to p. 120 in Mehta, and about 15 p. of Mackey. (Sometimes it’s easier to read out, and on trains.)
Picked up some vegetables on the way home.
Listened to some of the first take of the podcast before we re-recorded at 1. Got going, but I didn’t feel like it was good - I was in my head, trying to remember and anticipate points. Perhaps fortunately, a very audible thunderstorm came up, so we stopped at about 2:30.
Dithered a bit, then spent 20 min. or so paging through one of 2 Lomax collections for songs he/they print w/ choruses. Took the other w/ me on the train to Brooklyn, went through that, listened to Wendy Eisenberg’s Bent Ring, and read another 50 or so p. of Mehta, also while waiting for her set to start at Public Records (fancy “listening room” vibe w/ restaurant attached, I hadn’t been before). Said hi, also chatted w/ Brendan Gilmartin, who’s doing publicity for the headliner, Patricia Brennan. Had one cider. Wendy was good - solo electric/vocal, so none of the banjo songs from the current record, but some new songs, particularly liked one w/ some Tarot imagery and a third verse beginning “AAA - that is the form you write.” Brennan is a vibes/marimba composer/improvisor w/ a solo record - sonorous, a lot of interesting extended technique. Four-mallet marimba and pedal steel are 2 instruments I can’t even imagine learning to play.
First notably cold night to be out walking. Read more Mackey on the train back. Thought about getting tacos, just made a couple eggs at home. Lights out midnight.
11.12.21
Up 6:30; breakfast, coffee; late night clips, part of a psychoanalysis podcast.
Replied to EN suggesting we re-record Sat.
Read 25 p. Mehta.
Too wet to go out. Managed to write for a scant 30 min. - messy first draft of a missing graf -- and read most of the section on form in Everett, The Foundations of Rock.
Therapy - started a bit late; call to dad. Started some tomato sauce w/ chicken in between, also roasted some Brussel sprouts.
After calls, cleaned kitchen, bathroom, tidied elsewhere. More of psych podcast.
Had Laura Cantrell over about 5-7:30 for a songwriting session; talked a lot and had some wine, but started doing something w/ one of 3 ideas she had, probably titled something like “Credit for Your Sweetness.” Changed some chords, got some idea of the form. Will work on it. One other also has possibilities. Played her “Our Hearts Do.” Turns out we’re not doing a States of Country show in Dec.
Had thought for most of the day that I’d go to a (late) happy hour Jack Silbert invited people in Manhattan, but realized I had completely misread the invite - it isn’t ’til Dec. 10. Not sure how that happened.
Bought tickets for Wendy Eisenberg tomorrow, and to the Jasper Johns show for Dylan Hicks’ visit. Picked a slot for KSPC shows during CA trip. Put some things in my calendar.
Read a little more Mehta, but tired out quickly. Watched a couple more episodes of Shrill. Lights out around 11.
11.11.21
Up 7, breakfast, coffee.
Watched the end of The Green Years.
Talked to Bree 9-10:15. Have to find a tax document (emailed about this later).
Bought plane ticket to CA, Dec. 14-Jan. 15.
Several unproductive hours, interrupted by a Zoom call w/ writing group. Mildly useful, but it’s the last one and I’m glad not to have the commitment. I’ll just admit it: I watched a bunch of ok TV online. Maybe I still needed to recover from the podcast.
Worked at E77 6:30-8:00. Felt like I should touch on the book instead of giving up for the day, but it didn’t feel like much.
Wrote to KSPC about Winter Break shows, and Dylan Hicks about seeing him on a trip here in Dec. Got an email from EN about rerecording the podcast interview for length and pace.
Also didn’t feel like I handled meals that well today - didn’t wildly overeat, but didn’t take time to cook and ended up having to each what was around in mid-evening.
Lights out midnight.