Monday, February 9, 2004

Duet Music: Kenji Williams - Tektonik Illusion Mood: happy Yesterday right after lunch and before another discussion period I played a spontaneous duet with violinist Kenji Williams. Maybe because of the taste of Big Mind earlier, or maybe because Kenji's playing inspired me, I somehow got a sense of what it means to accompany in Flamenco - something I haven't ever done or even practised. We improvised a Bulerias, and it felt easy to hear the violin's melody and guess the next appropriate chord. It was a wonderful experience for me. In order to go from Nations/tribal culture to Planet/world culture we have to join the many pieces of the puzzle and I feel that musicians are already doing that intuitively. Since the Sixties musicians have fused Western and Eastern styles. There are many wonderful aspects to each culture than become even greater when joined with aspects of another culture. Life follows Art. If musicians can seduce people to enjoy the music of this new diamond (multi-faceted, many views) - then the public's acceptance of other, foreign cultures and views will follow. Ah, how I love music! 9:06:19 AM    comment []; Big Mind Music: silence Mood: thankful Genpo Roshi is amazing. He has created/discovered this process that let's anybody get a taste of Big Mind. He has tested this process on random people from the street and it seems to work with very, very few exceptions. This audio file will give you a taste, but being there in person, having eye-contact with Genpo Roshi, and over the course of a few hours the experience will be even deeper, of course. Here is a quote by Ken Wilber: "My friend Genpo Roshi has developed a series of "pointing-out" instructions that are as effective as anything I know at giving a person a direct glimpse of Big Mind.  I recommend his workshops unconditionally.  Needless to say, any opening needs to be followed by practice, but as for this initial opening, this process is as effective as they come.  Please take advantage of it, you won't be disappointed."  States are free, but stages have to be earned. How wonderful to get this taste...because it makes one want to climb the ladder even more. Ah! What a gift! 8:41:45 AM    comment []; Breakfast in Boulder Music: silence Mood: satisfied Lucile’s offers Boulder diners a taste of Cajun and Creole cuisine. Famous for its beignets, Lucile’s serves breakfast and lunch in a charming atmosphere conducive to business brunches and family dining. Everything on Lucile’s menu is made fresh–nothing comes prepackaged–from ketchup to fluffy buttermilk biscuits to the sensational strawberry-rhubarb jam. I was looking forward to eating at Lucile's again. It is still wonderful! Great oatmeal. 8:25:27 AM    comment []; Bosnia A tale of the evolution of language. There was once, and repeatedly, a comedy on the BBC called "Only Fools and Horses". It was/is/shall ever be much loved by the British viewing public, in a way that probably doesn't translate across either the Ocean or the Channel. There is one sight gag, involving a bar, that is pretty close to being one of the seminal British TV moments; the last-ever-episode broke all viewing records; the lead actor is practically a saint. Anyway, one of the features of the script was that Del, the main character, used a lot of Cockney slang, some genuine, some new, all now introduced into the common argot. One of these words was 'cosmic', to mean really good. i.e. The blog is cosmic. Did you see that, Rodney, totally cosmic! and so on. So, skip a few years, and cosmic then, takes on a new and culturally-ironic pseudo-hip stance as an adjective of choice amidst friends of mine in London. Apparently. I dunno. But, here's the thing: cosmic, when entered into a t9 capable mobile phone, for the SMSing thereof, is not the first word to come out of the t9 dictionary. No: the first word you get when pressing 267642 isn't cosmic at all, but bosnia. If you're not looking, you won't select cosmic: you'll get bosnia and skip onto the next word. A couple of puzzling sentences later, and with little effort and no explanation whatsoever, it seems to have caught on. People, including my wife, continuously, oh-dear-lord-make-it-stop, are using the word 'bosnia' as a synonym for excellent. I say, Tarquin, this quiche is rather bosnia. Did you see the Rigoletto last year? The mezzo-soprano was totally bosnia. The devaluation of the dollar is a tad bosnia for the Asian currency basket. It goes on. So, half-remembered dialogue from classic TV comedy, mixed with new technology, crossed with ironic appreciation of the effects of civil war brings us a new word usage. Bosnia, eh? [Ben Hammersley's Dangerous Precedent] Make him stop. I am laughing too much. Bosnia indeed. 8:24:30 AM    comment [];

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