Began Beelzebub last night. This first reading will be difficult, and my brain was unprepared for the language in the book.

Boston news tempered by the information that my current boss will be moving into another position at the end of the year. This means my ninth manager in just under 3 years. Yay.

Dragging now, after lunch. Too many carbs, too much heavy stuff. Fun time, though - watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show (it's close to Halloween, after all).

A good bit of work with Sean last night, perhaps a bit optimistic about what I could present to him. Got through basic guitar position, right hand basics, left hand basics, first and second primaries and C Major. We have a plan to work one day a week until the Intro course, which will do me as much good as it will him.

Late meetings bring me to class late this evening. Some discussion about confidence intervals and the ability to apply the results of statistical sampling to the general population. Interesting how this really applies to real life. I can look at a sample of people and look at a characteristic. From there I can predict, within a certain confidence interval, that the population will have the same characteristic to the same degree, on the whole. From there, you can't predict for any one individual, only for the population. Of course this gives you an idea of where that individual might fall, within a reasonable degree of confidence.

Most of this lecture is flying by me at the moment. I'm sure it has to do with my excessive level of "dreaming" this week. Of course, this comes after the AAD Theme that applied to it, but that's OK. I'm sure I'll catch up.

Dreams last night were very vivid. Of those that are printable in a public forum, the main ones that stand out dealt with:

- Sideslipping and time travel. Sideslipping is the idea that you move to a different universe, but at a time in history the same as where you started. I was given an offer I couldn't refuse to go into space. By the end of the dream, I had second guessed the whole thing becuase I couldn't take my guitar (not enough space, ironically) and the fact that no one would be around to take care of the dog.
- Driving a car, and dreaming while driving and going off the road. Part of the car that looked like a plow (it was a car that looked like a citroen) fell off as I got to the median. Message, maybe?

Full moon, lunar eclipse, Game 4, Red Sox up 3-0. As Curt said, it's not Hell freezing over, but it's close enough to the planets aligning for me...

Heading home. Tonight, I'm going to do some work with a potential Crafty, one who has registered for the Intro course in January. I hesitate to call this a lesson, as he has far more musical experience than I, and I can't say, in good conscience, that I'm really going to be teaching him anything. Some ideas for the evening are lurking, but we'll just have to see what presents itself.

A new buffet in town has taken hold of us. Broad selection of food, at a really good price. An exercise in restraint, working not to over-indulge. Some work after this; I continue to wonder why people don't do as I ask. I have explained what I need very clearly, yet things were not completed.

More meetings, and trying to get my research proposal into shape. I can't wait for school to be over. Talked with a friend about this last night, and we're both of the same mind: we like to learn, but dislike school.

A full day of meetings ahead. Not likely to get much actual work done.

Finishing more work and watching a movie called "New Scenes frm America". A very quiet documentary that is basically shots of people and pleaces in America, many in New York, bit also others from Texas, New Mexico and LA. One scene caugt me, a former New York Yankee (Rafael Torres?) swinging a bat on a rooftop, and introducing himself. In the background are the Towers. One of Dennis Hopper made me laugh, and another of John Cale with violin took me by surprise.

Wondering at the sudden disappearance of the Level 1/2 course in New Jersey this spring. It doesn't cause me great agitation, mind you. I accept that there are no guarantees about courses being offered at all, so it's not really that big a deal. There's work to be done, with or without the course. Mind you, more is possible when there are courses. Perhaps necessity will drive us to other countries for courses. I get the sense that the U.S. participants take some things for granted, things that may not be available in other parts of the world. Perhaps it's time for us to support the rest of the world.

Talking with other returning travellers about their trip to Vegas. My trip was fun, but theirs was funner.

Listening to some of Steve Ball's "sketches". What he calls sketches, I'd be thrilled to call music, if I had composed them.

Back from the gym, more awake and aware, as well as a bit more relaxed. Surprisingly, despite a week of eating and general inactivity, I only gained a pound from the Thursday before I left. We shall see how the rest of the week plays out.

Phone conference

Decent sitting this morning, in the dark. Daylight savings time cannot come soon enough. Had some hot chocolate for breakfast (I'm not a big breakfast person anymore, unless it's for dinner, or after a really long drinking night.)

Work, work, work. I am feeling the pull of time off, but I'm not sure when that will be. I am planning to roll over as much time as I am allowed for next year, so I can attend the Introductory course as well as the Level 1/2, and still have some time left for the rest of the year.

Low grade discomfort, caused by the environment

Tuesday night, I stayed up a bit later than usual to watch a special on "SMiLE". Had some very interesting moments, and for me, illuminating on the process of creating music, and how groups can help or hinder that process. Near the end of the special, there was a bit of the concert premier, and the opening a capella piece was stunning. Tears.

Early Wednesday morning, I got paged for a server (which wasn't brought up until 9:00 AM, but that's a different story). I had a lot of difficulty getting to sleep. I'm in denial about the season, and hadn't added a comforter to the bed, so I was cold. That was remedied last night.

So, grinding it out again this morning, working to prepare myself for next week's trip to Pittsburgh.

Progress made in fits and starts. Trying to escape, so we can go walk the dog...

Gym for lunch. I gained 7 pound from this time last week. Isn't stress eating wonderful? Also heard that a position I was posting for was "re-analyzed" and had elements that were appropriate for higher grade levels. Now it will be a month more for a decision on this position, and more candidates. Grrrrr.

Really good tomato from my garden for lunch today, along with fresh mozzarella, cucumber, olives and chicken.

Cleaning up some work things from Friday. Need to do something around the house today.

I don't mind the dog being on the bed. I mind the fact that there are crumbs of whatever he's been chewing on from head to toe ON MY SIDE OF THE BED. I mean, who does that? I'm just asking.

About 0330, I've had enough of sleeping in the 30 grit of whatever the dog has left for me, tear apart the bed in an attempt to clean it, then go downstairs to sleep on the couch.

Angry.

Up early and out to some fun things, after addressing a server issue (different one this time). Out to get a paeonie, lunch, then a visit to a winery. Great dinner at Puerto Vallarta: a red snapper filet with garlic, onion and squid, plus garlic shrimp. Way.

2004.10.01 - Friday
A groovy, yet exhausting day working from home today. A rare thing for me to be working from home, but welcome, at this point. I could feel the results of stress on my body from yesterday: headache, soreness and stiffness in the neck, shoulders and a particular spot between my shoulder blades, muscles in my ribcage sore as if I had been working out. Also, a feeling in my chest like heartburn, but without the burn.

Welcoming the energy generated in Lunlunta, doing my best to give some back. Much Level 2 behavior this week, some of it my own. We only reflect back the energy we receive.

A wedding this afternoon, in a park near our house. The wedding was in a new area of the park, soon to be an English Garden. I'm not so sure about that, but the roses they've planted look good, as does the sunken garden. We saw a woman we hadn't seen since we moved into our house 4 years ago. Wilda was a neighbor in our giant Victorian house-converted-to-apartments. When we were there, she was just beginning celtic harp lessons. Today, she was the music for the ceremony.

Left the reception early, to begin a server upgrade. Hopefully, this one will go smoother (and quicker) than the last few. So far, things look hopeful. Time to grab the guitar and work on the new bits of the Chaconne.