Overdue Library Books
 

10:30AM PST 
At Home In Scripps Ranch   

I woke up as I realized my younger son was in bed with me talking.   He'd been staying over at his cousin's house up the street for the last two days.   So,  it was a bit of a surprise to find the little guy trying to wake me up.
 
We watched cartoons together while we ate cereal.   I had lots of plans for today,  which is something I always try to do,  but you can only do so much in a given 24 hour time period.   I know one of my tasks for today was to return a few library books that were overdue.   It seems I always have library fines because of overdue books.   I hate the feeling,  but it's something I haven't gotten quite together.   I definitely need to get my act together as far as keeping track of the books I borrow.   And we as a family borrow a lot!    Maybe if I make a rule to only borrow 4 books at a time?   And to make sure these books are always in one place,  a spot reserved for library books only.   This is something I must implement and hold as one of my New Year's resolutions.   I had to pay a 1.25 fine a few days ago,  but I HAVE had fines up to 9 or 10 dollars before.   Well,  at least I'm acknowledging the problem and talking to myself about it,  that's a step in the right direction,  anyway.
 
 
 
11:30AM PST
At Home In The Dining Room
 
I helped my younger son build another of his lego sets today.   There are more toys that haven't been opened yet,  and so there are a few more LEGO sets to build.   The boys want to build this whole LEGO city,  but I don't know where we are going to find room for it.   The dining room is definitely not the place for it,  and I'm trying to clear all the toys from here,  since they seemed to have gathered here after Christmas.  
 
 
 
12:40PM PST
Lunch In The Kitchen
 
I have lots of ideas for the house as far as the sound system is concerned.   I'd like to have music piped into all the rooms,  and to have one central location for the stereo system.   Yes,  I know I'm dreaming,  but I've read a lot of Audio/Video Interiors magazines and know there are a lot of creative ideas that can be done with a house sound system,  unfortunately much of it custom work and very expensive.   But it would be nice to have a system with speakers built into the walls and controlled from a central location as well as in each room.   Wow!   
 
Lunch consisted of a fresh green salad in red wine vinegar dressing,  broiled salmon,  and rice.
 
We've been playing music all day so far.   I'm in a Russian composer mood,  so I had been playing the music of Stravinsky,  Prokofiev,  and Shostakovich.   Shostakovich can be very dark and ominous,  but I love the way he created these deep,  dark depressing moods in his music.   No wonder the Russian Communists banned his music,  because it told the truth about the situation in Russia.    Stravinsky on the other hand not only created very dark moods but also produced works of fire and orgiasmic musical splendor and grandeur.   Stravinsky is my all-time favorite of the Russian composers.   Once I get into this music I really get deep down into the feelings and passion behind the notes.   If you really listen hard,  the music really tells you a lot.

 
2:30PM PST
At Home
 
Boy, I feel like a homemaker,  a house husband,  cleaning house and getting things in order.   But while my son worked on a CD-ROM called The Art Lesson,  I practiced for a good solid hour on the practice pad,  working again on ultra-fast solo routines,  just trying to get my body used to the faster pace.   I'm not memorizing a specific routine...   that's a no-no to me.   I need to constantly be improvising new things,  and new combinations of routines.   To get into a "rut" doing the same stuff would be "death" for a soloist.   The practice went well,  but I'm a bit sore all over.   But,  no pain,  no gain.
 
 

3:30PM PST
At Home
  
I cleaned the entire first floor of our home,  took down all the Christmas tree ornaments and the tree.   I bundled all the stuff for storage in the garage.   I mean,  I really CLEANED house...   I got down...   I got into the Zen of detailing...   everything looks emaculate,  you can eat off the floors,  well,  maybe that's going a little too far.   But clean is clean,  and it's a happy feeling!
 
 

5:30PM PST
Gold's Gym In Scripps Ranch
 
My wife and I took the boys to their swimming lessons with their swim teacher,  Sherry.   They've been having private lessons for about six months now,  but it's been more than a month since I'd last taken them to a lesson.   I noticed a vast improvement in my older son's swimming.   He could do a nice freestyle stroke and a pretty good breast stroke.   I was really impressed on the improvement.   And he was treading water quite well too.   My younger son had improved a lot,  but not as dramatically as the older one.   But my younger son usually has his lesson first,  and while the older son is having his lesson,  the younger one practices what he had learned in the corner of the pool.   
  
Usually,  it had been a ritual to drop by the local Baskin-Robbins for some ice cream,  as a treat for doing well in their swimming lessons.   This time,  we just went home and had dinner.
 
 
 
7:15PM PST
At Home At The Dinner Table
 
It had been a while since we sat down as a family and had a nice dinner.   With me performing with the band in L.A. and Orange County,  and just the fact that I've had to prepare for gigs at night,  five to six nights a week,  I would seldom get the chance to sit down and have a nice dinner with the family.

Tonight we were able to eat a decent dinner and sit down together.   It was something we seldom did,  and we'd typically eat when we could because of our hectic schedules.   When we had soccer practice and swimming lessons it made it difficult to schedule dinners properly,  and then with gigs at night,  I usually had to prepare,  get dressed and load the drums around the time we would normally eat dinner.   It's been a schedule that has been hectic and stressful because of me and my wife's different schedules.
 
We were able to eat a rather healthy dinner of broiled orange roughy fillets,  baked salmon fillets,  green salad,  steamed vegetables,  rice,  and watermelon.   Pretty healthy stuff...
Of course we allowed ourselves one sinful treat,  a small cup of chocolate and vanilla ice cream.   Oh well,  what can I say...
 
 
 
10:00PM PST
Blockbuster Video Store
 
I borrowed another video for my younger son,   Since he's been into this Indiana Jones kick,  I rented the last movie in the trilogy,  "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".   
 
I got the clerk to make me a new card.   I had lost the old card and since I was coming to this particular video store on a fairly regular basis,  I might as well get another card.   
 
I don't have a DVD player yet,  but I'm tempted to buy a DVD player,  since the prices have come down and most of the new movies are already coming out in DVD format.   I've heard a lot of great things about the new DVD format.   If this is the new format of choice then we won't have to worry about getting video tape rewinders in the near future.   And the fact that you can access various parts of the movie instantly like laser discs is a very attractive feature.   I've always wanted to own a laser disc player,  but DVD would be the way to go.
 
 
 
10:45PM PST
Border Books and Music
  
I've been getting interested in Zen Meditation again and so,  after mailing bills at the local post office,  getting gas for the car,  and buying a few more groceries at the local supermarket,  I dropped by a local book store and perused the World Religions shelves for a book on Zen Meditation.   I had been practicing my own form of Zen Meditation back when I was in my 20's,  and I believe it has helped me become a better person and musician,  and it has helped me open up channels in which I could freely express myself through various creative outlets.   Well,  I was able to chance upon a little book entitled,  "The Essence of Zen"  by Sekkei Harada,  a Buddhist monk from a Zen temple in Fukui Prefecture,  near the Japan Sea coast of central Japan.   I also purchased a book with cards called "The Zen Koan Card Pack".   In the box was a book on Zen,  and Koan Cards beautifully printed.   Koans are Zen Riddles that one must ponder upon in meditation.   The cards are to be placed in a circle and a random card picked.   Whatever question or Zen saying is presented on the card must be pondered upon during meditation.   I thought this was an elegant way of helping in the practice of Zen meditation.   When I got home from the bookstore I quickly got into the books and played a CD that I hadn't played in a long time,  "Music for Zen Meditation"  which features masters of Japanese music as performed on two traditional Japanese instruments,  the Shakuhachi and the Shamisen.   
 
 
11:45PM PST
At Home In The Study
 
Overall,  I felt I had a very fulfilling day.   Even though I spent most of my time at home,  I think I got a lot accomplished...   it was a good day.   And,  I listened to an awful lot of music today!!   What's in store for tomorrow?   Well,  I'm hoping to clean my garage and maybe get some gardening done...  
 

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Today's Listenings: 
 

Stravinsky - Firebird Suite
Stravinsky - Petroushka Suite
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10
Mussourgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
Prokofiev - Classical Symphony
Holst - The Planets
Big Time Operator - High Altitude Swing
Vaughn-Williams -
        Variations on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Weather Report - Heavy Weather
Fourplay - Greatest Hits
Mozart - Clarinet Concerto

Current Readings: 
 

Downbeat - January 1999 Issue
 
The Essence Of Zen - Sekkei Harada
 
Zen Koan Card Pack - Timothy Freke