Notes on the week

A shuffling of Keith Jarrett. I loaded the music from his Vienna, Paris, and Koln concerts, and one track from the Munich concert and I'm listening to them on Winamp with the shuffle play on. Nice effect. Wish I had the Lausanne concert on disc instead of just an old tape. I love this stuff after the week I've had. I don't know if it is the softness, the phrases building on each other, the wild improvisation, or what, but these tracks really calm me in a way that no quieter music can do. However, gentle reader, I very much recommend The Melody at Night With You and the two disc Rarum set from ECI.

Committees. I can't be specific right now, but I will say that committee work sucks much of the time. I'm glad to serve and I can say that I've been blessed to serve on committee doing work that I think is important and certainly interesting to me. However, the work has come for me at a very bad time. Okay, is there ever a good time? Anyway, I have not been able to grade papers as quickly as I want to (who does?), and so I feel more behind than every before. I'm going to quit complaining about it now, because my problems are no worse than any other person, and bitching doesn't get the job done.

Writing. Got an email from Mark Long this week about the essay I've submitted to Best Practices. He suggested adding material about how I practice getting my students to read and hopefully read more effectively. I ran something together and sent it off. He sent me a note I need to read in the coming days. But I think the piece is getting better. Still don't like the title.

Nothing else written this week except for responses to student papers and a couple things for committee work.

Publishing. Other than the aforementioned essay, I did get an email this week from someone about two of my personal essays. He said he'd like to "hold them for consideration" for a Spring or Winter issue. That sounded good when I read it, but it isn't really an acceptance. The journal (?), Ducts, seems like a good place, so I'm sure that it will be worth the wait to find out. The only problem is that ethically, I should not send it anywhere else until they either accept or reject it. But as I said, this is a pretty good zine. I think I'm willing to wait.

About a year ago I submitted an essay to an online zine, one that I felt published some pretty good stuff. I got a note back suggesting some things about my piece. I enthusiastically revised the essay and sent it to them again because I thought their ideas made my essay stronger. I have yet to hear from them.

Uncle Bryan. Today is my brother Bryan's birthday. I didn't get around to sending him a card, but I do have some pictures my kids drew for him. Of course, when I got my hair cut a couple weeks ago, my devoted children said they liked it because i looked like Uncle Bryan. Christina told me a couple days ago that I needed to go back to Mr. Aubrey (my barber for many many years and friend for even longer). Apparently, I don't look like my brother anymore and need to be fixed. Can't win.

A bientot. Well dear readers, I must go. There is much more to write about (like the jerk that keeps messing with my office), but it is ugly o'clock in the morning and Alex has a game (unless the rain gets to us) in the real morning time. I do wish to leave you with this. If you like what you see here, please check back often and tell your friends.

Enjoy the peace of Christ.
mnm