Life In A Northern Town

i've been plunking away on the piano tonight, all that remains of my conservatory training is the ability to play scales in every key very fast and draw accidentals on paper very quickly and messy-like. i have always used the sustain pedal incorrectly and preserve a hatred for contemporary compositions that insist on being in the same book as Rachmaninoff, Dvorak and my homeboy, the less-celebrated Muzio Clementi.

speaking of contemporary nonsensery...i have a new song in my head (in the key of C...as Mikey Rowe says..."keep to the white keys"...which is a splendid metaphor for life) but won't do much with it yet. as soon as my new album gets up and rolling I am going to write the whole next album. busy makes for busy. one album at a time, i say.

this week our town flooded and suddenly i became aware how many people have digital cameras. the flood brings out people and people with digital cameras who i've never seen before. people that only leave the house once a year for christmas shopping probably to buy digital cameras. these are the people who limber up their stiff legs to trot down to the park to photograph it as it becomes the next Great Lake.

i also learned today that our next door neighbour, who last year put up the sign on his lawn complaining of our unkempt lawn, was arrested this week on charges of internet luring. way to go with trying to ruin the lives of tomorrow's adults. this year, i am going to insist that our grass grow to 1000 feet high and the garden be overrun with weeds and thistles of all shapes and sizes. and yes, you can actually make cheese from thistles. i will make 400 bricks of cheese from our yard of thistles.

i can't stop buying Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass LPs!!! I also bought 3 Burton Cummings records today. I thought I purchased Mr. Mister, Asia and Howard Jones but someone who misses the 80's more than I do must have stolen them from my bag. On a newer front, I discovered Anna Ternheim today. Fabulous Swedish singer-songwriter lady. I heard a familiar Joel Plaskett song and remembered how much I love Joel Plaskett. I heard Toto's "Africa" at a restaurant today and I missed my friends who have a long-standing tradition of chugging beer at every chorus.