Mid-day news of another horrific school massacre --
now Uvalde,
in the Texas
Hill Country --
this 10 days after the Buffalo Tops Market killings, which bracket Joe Biden's overseas trip, the President finally able, virtually immediately upon re-landing in the U.S., to address the
chaotic, evolving situation (at present, contrary to above -- 19 students and 2 teachers).
Chris Murphy (b. 1973) speaks for most of us, existentially, to Congress and the world: What are we doing? Why are we here?
This well-nigh eclipses what everyone would have thought to be the coverage of the day --
primaries across the nation.
But, as Samuel Beckett wrote in
The Unnamable (1953) -- You must go on. I can't go on. I'll go on.”
To that effect,
out with Harriet on the 68th Vacaville Streets Walk,
currently southeast from Pine Fence Parking to Woodstock Bend Circle,
then
backtracking and beyond northwest to Rosita southwest,
on the
83rd day of summer,
high up 4 to a toasty 102 -- the warmest day of the year so far, and second beyond 100 -- also the anniversary for the settlement of
Jamestown (1607, hmm, wasn't there already something along these lines this year?) and birthday of
Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793), whose death was memorably memorialized by the amazingly-survived-through-it-all Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825), and in other paintings including that of
Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry (1828-1886 -- what's the deal w/ all the hyphenated-French-first-names?), who depicted him with his patriot-assassin Charlotte Corday, 1761-1793.
Let the hours also count for the creation of new title and
complete Works web page re
Viola Concerto ("Felicitations"), Op. 119 (2004)
I. Allegro moderato
as well as editing pages 17-18 of same,
beginning an edit of
Jeremiah (Lamentations), Op. 278 (2018)
VIII. Bones / Balm
and chronicling the surreality of
Book of Dreams, 2022, Op. 376 (2022).
May 23-24
4am In Choir, a Very Short Female, Moving to the 2nd Row, Up Music Room Tiers, Says,
"I Mean, a Little Midget!"... Brass to Soldier: "Do You Know Where We Can Get a Drink?"
"Sir, No, Sir!" And, Immediately, Upon His Departure, Private Unearths Bottle from Under a
Tree...
5am With a Few Students, Who Descend a Couple of Noisy Steps to the Consternation of Two
Not-From-This-Place Young People, a Relaxation Spot Is Set Up Around a Triangular Area,
Under Metal White Spiral Staircase, Adjacent to an Unatttended Bicycle...
People I'm w/ Criticize the Outsiders for Their Aversion to Noise...
6am I Cross Northwest at 1st and E in Davis, w/ Cliff...
8am Transgendered Choir Director, Family Living in Cloister in Part of Church,
Upper Northeast House / Apartment... An Alarm That Is Not...
10am Singing as Piglets...
11am A Multicultural Array of Folks Rendezvouzing at a Grassy East Bay Urban Park and
Sitting Quietly at a Social Distance from One Another in a Semi-Circle,
Some Elaborately Masked, in Expectation of Concert...
Ah, yes, also the last San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra Zoom planning meeting, before our first rehearsal tomorrow, in expectation for our 8pm, Saturday, May 28 Concert at Lakeside Presbyterian Church (201 Eucalyptus, SF) -- at present with 2 Marks, as Michael Cooke sets up the Zooming protocol for the show...