
Please donate to Eden in Babylon.
Anything Helps – God Bless!
Please donate to Eden in Babylon.
Anything Helps – God Bless!
1. Slept well, from about 9 – 4:30, seven and a half hours or so.
2. Should have a good run this morning.
3. Did a six mile walk yesterday.
4. Got the check for the November article in Street Spirit.
5. Terry published “The Voices That Count” (changed the title to “The Class Gap”). This was the one I was hoping he would publish.
6. Got a really nice note from Sally, which I put up on my wall:
Hi dear Andy,
Enclosed is a check to pay you for your wonderful November article.
Thank you again for your deep concern for justice and compassion.
It’s awesome having you as a contributor to Street Spirit.
Love and blessings,
Sally
7. I keep noticing how many things are so much easier now that I live indoors, and especially inside this spacious apartment, replete with commodity and accoutrement. I can take my own shower, I never lose my glasses any more, and everything is just where I want it.
8. Just downed a first cup of coffee and am feeling rested and alert. Coffee tastes great this morning — I think I’m finally getting the hang of the coffee maker, and what exactly to do with the grounds.
9. If I get that city job, I can buy a new computer after the first two weeks paychecks. Then, even if they were to let go of me after two weeks or so, I would still have acquired a computer out of the deal. (Not that I’m only in it for the computer, mind you.)
10. I get to sing with the Choir tomorrow. We’re going to do “For the Beauty of the Earth.” Also, I’ve begun working on “Oracle” — that being the next logical song to do with the new 15-system template — and the computer hasn’t freaked out yet. I noticed that some of the lyrics, written hastily toward the End of Act One, are inconsistent with the (minor) characters as they had developed. But this is a good thing. I can work from there — backwards and forwards — and the character development will be stronger, less puzzling, and more engaging. Life is Good, and God is Love.
“Oracle”
from the new musical Eden in Babylon
Copyright © 2017 by Andrew Michael Pope
All Rights Reserved
Please donate to Eden in Babylon.
Anything Helps – God Bless!
This version of my song “Bone of My Bones” is far superior to whatever I posted the other day. (Incidentally, it’s Version 18-Y, for whoever’s counting.)
It still isn’t quite “complete” yet — at least not in terms of its capacity to replicate what I’ve got going on in my head. But is it ever complete? I don’t think so!
In any case, as of this morning, I’ve moved on to new arrangement of the song Bubbles Taboo, intended to segue into Bones as part of the larger work described in this entry. It’s all rolling along so sweetly that, to be honest with you, I’m having a hard time stopping all the composing in order to attend to the more mundane functions of modern life.
A lot of this newfound enthusiasm for composing is based on my having become more endeared to the software itself. Somehow, the challenge of getting all these computer commands to resemble what’s going on in my head has begun to fascinate me, rather than intimidate me. It’s also helping with a second aspect of my creative-artistic trip these days. It’s helping me to enjoy the process of notating the vocal score to Eden in Babylon.
Note how I didn’t say “Piano-Vocal Score.” I’ve lowered my expectations, and have taken to writing out only a vocal score, without the piano accompaniment. This will still be some representation of the music, and it might even be enough to get a producer interested in the show. In any case, it’s forward motion.
I also made it to Jazz Choir finally, and enjoyed singing the interesting music of Dan Bukvich in a context consisting mostly of University students, but also including members of the community, several of whom were my age or older. I saw Erika there, the new Director of Music at my church, and she again said she’d be happy to sing on the Eden in Babylon demo. Maybe she knows some other Jazz Choir members who might be interested. Perhaps I won’t even have to pay them — although frankly, the idea of not being able to do so is irksome to me. Again, if anybody wants to donate, that’s where the first money will go — to pay singers and musicians something, even if it’s not what they’re actually worth.
But not to get off on all that. I’ve been snagged on this demo thing, mostly in a depressed or discouraged state, for over five months now. It really is time for this thing to pick up steam again. But whether it does or not, there’s a third aspect to my “trip” these days, and I can’t overlook the fact that it’s the aspect that’s been getting me some recognition lately, even though I didn’t really do anything consciously to attract it.
It’s all the writing I’m doing on the Homeless Experience. People are tuning into it. After A New Pair of Glasses was published in Street Spirit in August, I had three more pieces published in September. Then I offered to come up with three more by Friday, and Terry Messman the publisher asked me to nudge him when they were done. It’s beginning to look as though I’m becoming a regular columnist all of a sudden. This is something I never dreamed would happen.
So, between the three, you might see a few more postings from me than usual. There will probably be more for me to report here than ever before. I’ll try to keep them short. But be advised that as far as WordPress is concerned, you’re going to be dealing with a “frequent flyer” until further notice.
Please donate to Eden in Babylon.
Anything Helps – God Bless!
For anyone who may have been following my recent journey, I must say that as I attended church for the first time today as a mere parishioner, and not a paid employee, I was blessed far beyond my expectations.
It was refreshing not to have to be worried about what was supposed to come next in the order of worship, but only to sit in the pews and soak it all in. I found myself focusing on the language in the prayer of confession, the hymns, the sermon, and all other aspects of the service. When I still had the job, all I could do was nervously worry about what was going to come next. Would I wind up in the wrong key? Would I play too fast, too slow, too loud, or too soft? Was I about to be heavily criticized for my failings after it was all done? Or, even if they were to compliment me, were they complimenting me for the wrong reasons? In short:
Did I come across more like a musical theatre or pop-contemporary accompanist, or worse yet, a lounge lizard, in the sacred context?
My God – my anxiety increases as I even indulge the memory. Be that as it may. The “good news” is that I was very blessed to be a simple participant. I also was freed up to attend a book study before the service, where only six people were present. Moreover, I can go to another book study on Wednesday evenings when the Choir would have rehearsed.
I’m a little concerned about the substantial decrease in my monthly cash flow — but not too much. It seems to me that I was living high on the hog to begin with. I’m used to living on almost nothing at all. Suddenly having even a little money left over after paying the rent was almost too much for me. Ah – but I hyperbolize. As someone said this morning, there is probably a better job in store for me. All I need do is look.
So, I just wanted to submit a brief blog to share the glad tidings. I’ll now return to my Writer’s Guild meeting. Ta ta for now.