The Get Back Sessions

Oh, since this came up in conversation before the show last night I figure I should put this down in writing before I forget about it again. My sister and I had to explain our rules of dating to an 18 year old girl who is living with us (long story). Of course there are exceptions but that's just how it goes. So, here are the basic rules of dating:
1) If the primary parental figure adores you on first sight (not love, but wants you to start having babies as soon as possible) then run because you're by far the best thing brought home so far.
2) Never date an aspiring anything (artist, musician, writer, whatever). Either you're doing it or you're not.
3) Never let your friends set you up. They'll have a vested interest at that point. Makes for too many people at that party.
4) Never date anyone more fucked up than you are. That's a fine line to walk as you have to find someone no more, but no less fucked up as you are.
5) Never date anyone with an "Oh Shit" aspect of themselves. Like finding out they're an ex-con. That's an "Oh Shit" moment. It's different from an "Aw Fuck" aspect. The "Aw Fuck" comes from finding out something like they lied to their parents about the job they had, then when said parents come to visit, they do everything they can to keep up the lie. Not necessarily a kill shot but certainly a flesh wound. The "Oh Shit" moment, yeah, that's a double tap to the back of the skull.
As stated, there are exceptions, but the rules wouldn't work without them. A close friend of mine has an "Oh Shit" aspect, but she was a different person by the time she started dating the man she would eventually marry. Still, keep these rules in mind when dating someone. They do help filter the people you decide to invest your time in versus dating wasters.

Music Of The Spheres

God it was good to see Centro-Matic last night. Yeah, they played a lot of newer stuff that I've never taken a liking to, but they also threw in some real gems. I've heard the achingly beautiful slow version of "Rock'n'Roll Eyes" but never the album version live. That was followed with "Part Of This Accident" then later "Infernoesque Grande" and "Flashes & Cables" in tandem. And the encore was pure 2000 Centro-Matic: "All The Lightning Rods", "Tied To The Trailer" complete with Matt Pence's madness on the drums and finally "Am I The Manager Or Am I Not?" Only the second time I've heard that song live, the first time was the closer for the best show I've seen by any band. I say that was the best show ever because The Greenhornes opened and it was the only show where the audience actually shushed people during the quiet parts. Didn't hurt that the band was throwin' electricity all over a great set-list on a cool June Sunday night.
Centro-Matic once was a consistent cathartic experience. They lost that for most of the decade but showed little sparks of that again last night. I left content. Also realized I need to see more shows.

Notes From A Jeweler's Bench

Soldering is as much a matter of science as it is of art. All temperature refers to really is how excited molecules and particles are. The use of the appropriate flame is critical but not something a bench jeweler has the time or need to calibrate exactly. Instead it's done more by context and feel. A light brushing flame will produce different results than a tight, sharp flame. Even then, the fuel to oxygen ratio is a matter of feel as similar flame shapes can have vastly different temperatures. Additionally, the aperture of a torch tip affects flame temperature. What works for silver soldering won't work for 14k or platinum soldering.
The lesson here is to realize that a jeweler about to put heat to a piece has put all of this into account before even picking up their torch. The more experienced the jeweler, the more the jeweler knows what they can get away with and what they can't.

The Get Back Sessions

One of the many ways I'm not normal even amongst the abnormal: I still make mix tapes (well, CDs, but you get the idea). Sent off four mixes to a few friends early in April. Had another mailed out to a mix CD club I'm in (yeah, I'm that nerdtastic when it comes to music). Liked making that one as a friend and his wife let me use a recording of their baby's heartbeat in utero on the mix. Little Julien should be here by now since they went to the hospital last night. Brief tangent aside, I'm in the midst of two new mixes. One is themed around songs that make me instantly and almost unconsciously smile. Suppose you could call that a happy mix, but in my timey-wimey sidewalk slant. The second is themed on parkour, the art of movement. I like taking one kind of cultural product and building a new structure atop the founding idea(s).
That first mix though...it makes my heart and soul ache with joy. Who knew you could experience almost divine euphoria and still feel heartache? Or maybe that's the reason. The experience of awe leaving you with a desire to constantly bathe in that light. Imagine those first few moments of feeling true love. How your heart strains your ribs and chest. The lightness you feel--emotionally, spiritually, mentally. Clarity of thought, precision of movement. As if Rodin's statues leapt off their pedestals and began explaining the meaning of everything. That's what I'm capturing aurally. Nietzsche always did see music as the ultimate expression of the Dionysian. Sublime joy is what I'm after.

The Get Back Sessions

Can't say this is a start. No middle, beginning or end. Just sort of is. These are my personal observations, part philosophical, part nonsense. I'm sorting these pages out a bit. My hope is by doing so I can provide a more constant stream of posts. No promises on consistency though. It's my brain plugged directly into these digital magics and my brain is a very varied thing. That's all for the moment. Ain't a start, ain't an end. Just all in it.