i just came from the annual close-of-season meeting/potluck/party for the cirque de flambé… it turns out we’re not playing in spokane for first night, because they didn’t bid for a band, so that’s one thing i don’t have to worry about. consensus among the attendent rabble was that it would be a good idea for us to come up with a 5-year-plan for the cirque, because 1) bizarre and exotic places like brazil, oman, and the united arab emirates have expressed interest in having us go and perform for them – really, no shit… and 2) the cirque du soleil has filed an appeal on our copyright (which they contested to begin with, but was given to us anyway), which means that maque is going to have to find an attorney who knows what colour paper to file his briefs on, otherwise they’re going to be summarily thrown out. i bought two cirque de flambé belt buckles…
and then i find out that i’m getting a belt buckle, complete with belt, as a part of my costume for Big Bois With Poise, so now i’ve got two extras… i can’t decide whether i want to give them as presents, sell them, or hang on to them until after the copyright fiasco has been straightened out…
DVR, the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, has become interested in the fact that i’m "unemployed" (although i gather that’s somewhat of a politically incorrect term these days, in spite of the fact that it’s true) since my injury. they gave me a list of professions that are "in demand" and a list of professions that are "in decline", from which i’m supposed to choose, or something like that… the problem is that musicians are listed on the "in demand" side of the list, but musical directors and composers and musical instrument repairers are listed on the "in decline" side, which strikes me as pretty pointless… sure, you can have all the musicians you like, but they can’t play anything, there’s no one to lead them, and even if they could play something, their horns are broken and there’s nobody to fix them… also art directors and graphic designers are "in demand" but graphic artists are "in decline", which makes me think that the list is put together by the crazy person they keep under the dome in olympia… maybe they expect the actual graphic art to just appear or something… and i’m just sniffing around the edges at this point. DVR has just taken my application last week, and they’ve got a 9 month waiting list for people who have "category 1" disabilities, which are the most severe… and in spite of the fact that i can prove that my brain actually exploded, i don’t think they’re going to classify my disability as "category 1".
i’ve already got updates on the absurd thing that happened to me web page, but nothing substantial. i just found out the likely reason for the screwup… it doesn’t make it any less absurd, though… in fact, it makes it even moreso.
attendent rabble I like that 🙂
i’ve screened your comments that contain your email addresses because i know that spammers, scammers and other ne’er-do-wells troll places like livejournal for email addresses to abuse. i hope you don’t mind.
i’ll email you tomorrow, as i’m in the middle of a project today, then i have to go to a rehearsal…
Fred and I have been talking about your journal etc. He is really interested too and usually not many interest him these days because of years of abusive internet users. He had been approached, while playing his guitar in public, and was asked if he’d be interested in a job playing at the Antique Mirror Cocktail Lounge. Fred was wondering if you were that guy who gave him the information. I know all of this sounds absurd but I too believe that there is another connection out there among us. Fred says that he needs to be around more musicians etc because absurdities are the norm. Is there a gathering place, a coffee lounge, or something where such people come together?? If not, there certainly should be. My e-mail address is: [email protected] or you can e-mail Fred at: [email protected]. This way we could exchange phone numbers if you want to.
I love opening my mail from you, I laugh heartily. As you probably could tell from my idiocies, I hadn’t had much sleep and my brain was “malfuncioning”. We would be able to meet anywhere in maybe Renton, Burien or somewhere like that. I just need to schedule ahead of time, I use the Access van as I have a mobility scooter.
Maybe I’ll get a chance to stop by your shop
that would be a good deal easier if we actually had a shop… Hybrid Elephant is a web/home-based business – if i get a consulting job, or if my wife has private dog-training or something like that, we go to where you are located… within reason: i’ve had calls from out of state for my consulting services, but when they realised that they would have to pay my airfare, they chose a more realistic solution… but getting together for coffee or something would be fine.
and, personally, i believe that the things we call “coincidences” are actually one of the most powerful ways God has of speaking directly to us, so i always examine them very carefully when they happen to me. 8)
Sorry, I deleted your recent comments then decided I wanted to respond. Thank you for your comments. I did get that bit about your “brain malfunction” and it went right out of my thoughts when I asked you again about your injury. I live in Burien now, but once lived in the Renton highlands, I had once owned a mobile home there. That was about 8 years ago or so. Maybe I’ll get a chance to stop by your shop and meet you face to face and maybe your wife, you, Fred and I could all get together over coffee or something. Fred is a computer wiz too, the two of you will have lots to talk about. Quite actually, God is sending you special messages all the time, that is why our connection has happened. Nothing is as coincidental as it may seem on the surface.
i think a more appropriate question would be “what instruments don’t i play?” and the answer would be strings (violin, cello, etc.). i have played brasswinds (tuba, trombone, baritone horn, trumpet, etc.) since i was 10 years old, i have played woodwinds (flute, clarinet, saxophone, etc.) since i was 15, i have played keyboards since high school, and i’ve messed around with drums since college or thereabouts. i play guitar, but not very well (even less so since my injury), and i know how to at least make a noise on just about any instrument in existence, because of my training as a musical instrument repair technician. i released my third CD of original music about this time last year, shortly after i got out of the hospital, and i recently discovered that, with a little more work, i’ve actually got enough to release a fourth CD of original music eventually.
briefly, i experienced “a large left-frontal intracerebral hematoma secondary to a left-frontal arteriovenous malformation bleed” (to use the neurologist’s words). details can be seen here, but that will eventually lead you back to this journal, so i’m not sure how much good it will actually do you… 8)
i run a small business in the renton area called Hybrid Elephant which is a company that services a very diverse community. i actually do computer consultation, configuration and setup, and tutoring, so if you need help figuring out “the right way” to do something on your computer, you should give me a call.
I forgot to tell you that if you haven’t already seen his journal to check out Alobar. Here is another truly fascinating person I think you’ll enjoy.
I haven’t had much of a chance to read very far back into your journal yet, so I was surprised to see that you are a musician. What instrument do you play? Fred plays the electric guitar and is very very good, I have a CD of his music. He doesn’t play professionally because he can’t handle all that overwhelming pressure. On his L J bio page, (vitki), is a picture of him, although I don’t think it’s a very good picture, he is a much nicer guy than he looks there. I don’t play anything, nor do I sing – I always wanted to be a singer but what goes into my brain does not come out of my mouth, so I just keep it shut. Sorry to hear that you were injured, what happened?? I was injured on the job over 13 years ago and have been disabled ever since. I can get around just fine but I use a cane and a mobility scooter for longer distances, like grocery shopping. I was pushing a heavy box under a counter, went to stand up and both feet hurt so bad I had to sit down right away. I had what is called Plantar Fasciitis which is damage to the tendons that run the length under the feet, like stretching a rubber band to it’s tightest (without breaking) but it then never returns to normal position. I had a year and a half of physical therapy which got them to a manageable state but they will never be the same as before. At that same time I developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia, which are a real blast, and my sleep patterns are all screwed up, never know when I’ll sleep well and when I won’t. I have a poor immune system (not HIV though) connected with the CFS and I have since developed arthritis and other “fun stuff”. I also have Post Tramatic Stress Disorder from a tramatic childhood and really bad marriage, and this caused me to develop Generalized Anxiety Disorder for which I go to mental health counseling and I take Paxal. Sorry to dump this on you all at once but I wanted to let you know that I’m not psychotic or anything, and I fully understand some of the shit you are dealing with in regards to your injury, disability and that ever wonderful DVR. I was on workman’s comp for about a year after my injury and had to go through their “terrific” rehab shit. I’ve been on Social Security Disability ever since. But despite all of this I’m quite “normal”??? Ha Ha. No, really, I’m a soft spoken, kind hearted person whom most everyone likes right away. I’m quite an extravert and despite most of my moods or inner feelings I usually always smile. So most people are at ease with me, in fact in the mental health groups I could get people to open up to me right away and spill things that the group leaders couldn’t get them to do. Well! I’ve probably told you more than you were really interested in, that is one of my faults, sorry. I did finally get my computer to cooperate and you are now on my friend’s list, I do know how to do it but the computer seemed to have a stupid mind of it’s own. Well I got around it, I figure out other “backdoors” to go through to trick it. Have a really great day, new friend.