oooops.

Posted on April 26, 2012 by ace

Why yes, yes I DID fall off the face of the earth!
Once you fall off the face of the earth, it’s kind of difficult to find your way back. It’s possible – sometimes it just takes a while.
Since I got back from my Boston trip in March, I haven’t felt like doing much. Well OK, so I’ve also been a little preoccupied with a few things. But I’ve just been floating along for a while. It’s been nice.

Some recent events of note:

-I had to euthanize the cat last week. Not for a medical issue exactly, but more of a behavioral issue. You could argue that that counts as a medical issue, I guess. Anyway, I thought long and hard about it, for 3 weeks. I consulted with vets, members of local animal organizations, spiritual mentors. I came to the conclusion that I could not, in good conscience, give her away to another person. I couldn’t let her roam around outside, as she had no front claws. I could not keep her with me anymore either. Our worlds had become smaller and smaller… she didn’t trust me, I didn’t trust her. She wasn’t happy, I wasn’t happy… so, I finally came to the conclusion that maybe it would be best to send her on her way, on to the next leg of her journey. I hope that she is in a much better place now (as my Uncle Jan put it , now “she can be the cat of a god…”). I also hope that she has forgiven me. I miss her.

-I traveled to Dallas twice. My first trip, at the end of March, was to visit one of my best friends, Dayl, who currently lives in Australia but is moving back to the states in May. She will be living in Fort Worth with her husband. I’m so excited that we will both in the same time zone again! Anyway, she was visiting Fort Worth and I went for a quick weekend trip to hang out and do girlie stuff with her. It was great. I’m so happy she’s moving back.
The second trip was last weekend – The Neighbor and I went down for a quick weekend trip to buy furniture. We rented a cargo van and drove down Saturday. Most of our shopping occurred at Ikea. Oh god, that PLACE! I love their stuff, it’s definitely in my price range… but I am so painfully aware of being part of the mass-consumer culture when I’m there. It makes me rather uneasy. But – I did find some good stuff there, and soon my living room will look completely different… The Neighbor and I had a fantastic time together – he’s pretty easy to be around. I’m so glad that we’re friends.

-I have been hiking almost every Sunday. The Neighbor and I go over to Turkey Mountain here in Tulsa, and hit the trails. The last time we went out, we did 10 miles. I find myself looking forward to it all week long. We’ve been going since probably early March, or maybe even late February, and it’s been nice to watch everything slowly turn greener. Maybe it’ll get too hot to go at some point soon… but for now, it’s been great. Our hikes are a lot like Life In General – sometimes uphill, always better with a friend. We’ve gotten to know each other quite well by spending 3-4 hours together every Sunday, hiking those trails.

So, that’s about it. I hope to get back into blogging and writing more often… but no guarantees. I’ve just been enjoying the ride lately… I think I kind of deserve it.

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ace at home.

Posted on March 28, 2012 by ace

I just had a Perfect Moment. In my living room. With the cat.
I am tired – I just did all the dishes, ground some coffee for the morning, texting with some peeps. I made myself some ginger tea and sat down to listen to the Blues station I created on Pandora. The Cat came and sat down next to me. Well, sort of next to me… We often keep a respectful distance from each other, but show enough attention so the other knows we care.
Ray Charles and the Count Basie Orchestra were playing. It was mighty smooth and fine. The name of the song was “Come Live With Me.” I felt really relaxed, and I stretched out my left hand so that it lay on the couch next to the Cat. Before I knew it, she stretched out her front leg so that the tip of her paw lay on my index finger. We shared A Moment.
They say that owners are like their pets. I used to not think so. This cat keeps her distance. She likes me, but doesn’t show it, she spooks easily and has a hard time being close to anyo- hey wait… Ok so we are a little more similar than I thought…
So a little hand/paw holding was Good. The music, the tea, the shared friendship – it was nice. Of course after a few minutes the Cat had had enough, and moved on to more important things, like staring at the ceiling and cleaning her paw (right now she’s curled up on my left, just out of reach, facing the other way).
Perfect Moments never last. Maybe that’s what makes them all the more sweet. Enjoy them and treasure them when they happen.

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travelogue – the polar exhibition concludes.

Posted on March 19, 2012 by ace

Last week, my 15-month Polar Exhibition finally came to an end. What started in Tulsa, in December 2010 concluded on March 13, 2012 in Boston Massachusetts.
It was a cold journey. It was kind of lonely in places. And it was damn difficult. But – fortunately, when you come home after traveling so far, and your feet hurt and you have no clean clothes left… it is so nice to come home.
I was in BOS for 5 days. My Dad made the trek from SoCal and we stayed with my Aunt and Uncle who live in Waltham. I traveled with my clothes, my knitting, and my Mother’s ashes.
Before she passed away last March, my Mom said she wanted her ashes scattered in Boston, in some running water. Her request to end up in Boston kind of surprised me, but hey, who am I to question these things. Over the course of last year, it became apparent that the best thing to do would be to wait one year to make this journey, and to scatter her ashes on the one-year anniversary of her death. So that’s what we did.
We spent time as a family. We expressed our gratitude. We broke bread together. We scattered my Mom’s ashes and now she is back where she started. We celebrated her life and we celebrated our lives. We ate a lot of cheese and I bought way too much stuff at Trader Joe’s. Coffee was drunk and socks were knit. Good times.

So now I’m home, my travels are done for a while. It was a real Labor of Love, carrying my Mom’s ashes halfway across the country in my backpack – those things are heavier than you think… Now I feel lighter. I am happy that she is in a good place. I am happy that I am in a good place. Yes, I can travel all over the place, and look for things like love, entertainment, friendship… and I learned that sometimes, these things are right in your own back yard. Quite literally.

Traveling is good, but I am happy to be home.

Posted in buen camino, family, mom, on the road, polar exhibition, travelogue | 1 Comment

travelogue – the final leg of the polar exhibition

Posted on March 9, 2012 by ace

Tomorrow I am starting the last leg of my Polar Exhibition journey.
I have to get up very early, to catch a 6 a.m. flight and make my way East. I’ll take some pictures, and maybe some video, and when I get back next week, I’ll give you an update. By then this particular chapter will be finished. And because of that, a new one can begin.
Buen Camino!

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the scene – goin’ out with a friend.

Posted on February 29, 2012 by ace

Last Friday night, I Went Out, to see some music for an article I wrote for Horton Records.
But – oh my, get this – I didn’t go alone. This time, my friend Holly came with me.
I’ve known Holly for a few years now – we met through Tulsa’s Indie Craft community. I’ve always thought she was pretty darn hep, and a very crafty young lady. She kept leaving comments on the music posts on this blog, like “when are you going to take me with you!” So, this time I finally remembered to – gasp – take a friend with me.
We met at my house – Holly knows exactly where it is because she drives past it every time she goes to visit her mother-in-law (but is too polite to drop in and say hello – she knows I’m a little anti-social). We drove up to the Treehouse on Boston a little early – I needed to check out the Paul Benjaman Band and talk to Paul for a little while. We didn’t actually have time to talk until after he played though – so Holly and I had plenty of time to hang out before the music started.
I am not really sure why Holly was so interested in coming out to see live music with me – she is young, cute, married to a super nice guy – sounds like a great life to me! So to hang out with the older single woman who is trying, occasionally successfully, to be a more positive, outgoing person – yeah I really just don’t see it! But, we ended up having a great time. I think this young lady has got her shit together. I have real respect for people who put real thought into the decisions they make in their lives and who seem to be doing alright. I wasn’t quite as lucky.
So it turned out to be a good match. She says she’ll make me a CD of gansta rap. I will make her a CD of some kick-ass Austin music, like the Scabs. I will introduce her to the parts of the Tulsa Music Scene that I know about, and she will teach me how to be more bitchin. It’s a good trade off.
So thanks for a great night out Holly! Even though we were back by 11. We can rock it, granny style.

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travelogue – the polar exhibition continues

Posted on February 23, 2012 by ace

So, my journey through the frozen tundra continues.

Thursday, February 23, 2012:
Day 19 of my Polar Exhibition – the sun’s been out and birds are chirping. Realized that everything in life can be explained by mathematical equations.
When you think about it – doesn’t it make perfect sense?
Do you want a = b?
Does a = b?
Maybe it needs to be a + c = b
If you are a, and what you want is b, then just figure out what c is…
Maybe everything in life is dividing, multiplying, or adding or subtracting until you get it right. You just have to hope that by the time you perform your mathematical functions, the original “a” and “b” are still there…
It doesn’t have to be precise – maybe life and math are just different forms of art. it’s all made up, anyway.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

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travelogue – the polar exhibition, part 3

Posted on February 13, 2012 by ace

the third video entry from my polar exhibition.

Posted in buen camino, polar exhibition, video | 2 Comments

the scene – hortonfest.

Posted on February 11, 2012 by ace

Two Saturday nights ago, on January 28, to be exact, found me traveling yet again to good ol’ Downtown Tulsa, to check out Hortonfest 2012 at Fassler Hall.

From what I understand, this year’s Hortonfest got quite abit of publicity, but just in case you didn’t hear about it, Hortonfest was a night of fantastic local music to celebrate the birthday of Brian Horton. Well who the heck is Brian Horton, you might ask…

Brian is a Tulsan who has singlehandedly done more for the local music scene in the last few years than just about anyone else. He helped Paul Benjaman get to SXSW 2010 with a CD in hand, has bankrolled multiple production and merchandising efforts for quite a few local bands, and even started a not-for-profit record label, Horton Records. In 2010 Horton released the New Tulsa Sound CD, a compilation of Tulsa bands that’s a great example of the talent and diversity of our local music scene. If you don’t own it – you should. Buy it NOW.

So to celebrate Brian’s birthday, a night of New Tulsa Sound music was on the agenda for the evening. I trekked up to FasslerHall and after moseying up to the bar for my big tall glass of water, I found Dylan Layton, guitarist/bassist extraordinaire, at the back of the room. By the sound board. Would you expect anything different from a musician?

Actually Dylan was in the back because Fassler was packed –I’ll bet it was part “usual crowd,” part “friends of the band” and the rest e“people wanting to party with Brian Horton.” In any event, there were tons of people everywhere. I missed Desi & Cody & Friends, which I am sad about, but I’ve bought one of their EPs so hopefully that makes up for something…

The first band I saw take the stage was a reunion of Dustin and Jesse’s Higher Education – a group of musicians that used to play every week at McNellie’s. This was the first time I’d seen them – and I’m so sorry about that! Dustin Pittsley and Jesse Aycock were on guitar, Skin Tight Dave White on bass, Rocky Frisco on keys, Dylan Aycock and Andrew Bones sharing drum duty… oh and let’s see, Seth Lee Jones sat in on guitar, and there were 2 (2!) fiddle players at one point –Jocelyn Hughes and Sharla Pember.

Whew! And YES it was all that and a bag of chips.

And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, Paul Benjaman took the stage. With him was Jesse Aycock and Lloyd Price also on guitar, and Seth Lee Jones sat in for a while too, Bo Wayne Hallford on bass, Andrew Bones on drums, Scott Masonwith percussion duty, Jeff Newsome on keys, and Jocelyn Hughes on the fiddle. Whoa! That Paul Benjaman boy can play guitar alright. He’s RED DIRT for sure. He’s also really fun to watch – he always looks like he’s having a fantastic time. It’s great to see people being so joyous doing what they love and you definitely get that feeling when watching Paul play.

Let’s see, there was also a giant HORTONFEST birthday cake (complete with Motorhead-style lettering, nice touch guys), Horton Records merch for sale – I got a nice light grey tee – and the usual mix of interesting folks, a huge beer selection, and of course hearty food choices that go great with beer…

It finally became a little too crowded for me and I left for the evening… I know I missed the end of Paul Benjaman’s set and I’m sad about this – but fortunately I can catch him every Sunday night at The Colony. Maybe next time I have a Monday off…

Happy Birthday Brian, and thanks for everything you do for the Tulsa Music Scene – here’s to many more years of the New Tulsa Sound.

jesse aycock, left, and dustin pittsley of higher education

jesse aycock, left, and paul benjaman, bo hallford on bass

merch

and here’s a video from when i managed to get up front for a bit.

Posted in music, the scene, video | 2 Comments

travelogue – the polar exhibition, part 2

Posted on February 9, 2012 by ace

My travels continue…

Written entry from Tuesday, February 7, 2012:
Tuesday. Continuing my north-bound trek through the Polar Regions of my mental health. Visibility is limited, temps are chilly.

Written entry from Wednesday, February 8, 2012:
Day 4 of my Polar Exhibition. Had recurring dream of smoking with Jim Carrey. Starting to dread getting in bed – may go back to sleeping in chair.

Video entry from Thursday, February 9, 2012:

Posted in buen camino, polar exhibition, travelogue, video | 1 Comment

travelogue – the polar exhibition.

Posted on February 7, 2012 by ace

I am starting an expedition. Well, it started already, last Friday. It started a little suddenly, so I’m not sure that I’ve packed everything I need, but I’ll just wing it, and I’m sure everything will work out great.

I’m going to document my trip here on my blog, with words, maybe photos and/or video.
I looked up “travelogue” in MS Word, and it says “a film, video, or piece of writing, or a lecture accompanied by pictures, video, or film, about travel, especially to interesting or remote places, or about one’s travels.” (Hello, Department of Redundancy Department!)
Well, I’m not sure this qualifies as an interesting place, but it is probably rather remote… I’m certainly not going to lecture anyone… Instead of calling it an expedition, I’m calling it an Exhibition.

So, from time to time over the next month, you will see some travelogue journal entries showing up. Here is the first one.

Date: Sunday, February 5, 2012
Location: Turkey Mountain, Tulsa, OK, USA
Conditions: Cold, Still, and Reflective.