A Bit Of A Smorgasbord

It’s another Saturday in the ‘supposed summer’ - it doesn’t feel like it, at least relaxing-wise. The Mets suck, I’m uninspired and despite the ‘need’ to contribute to this blog, I don’t have anything of import or interest to say.

Recently I’ve been binging on Conan O’Brien videos on YouTube. He just recently had his last network broadcast and NOW I’m trying to get caught up. The nice thing about YouTube, as you all know, is you can pick and choose the videos one wants to watch. I’ve been gravitating to Conan’s ‘Scraps’ videos which are made up of interesting bits usually from his rehearsals. They’re the perfect length - 2 to 4 minutes and usually at least amusing if not hilarious. As I write this, I come to realize I’m not so much watching Conan on YouTube (although I am) but more so avoiding doing creative work and work in general.

“It’s wafer thin!”

I’m also eating a lot more than I should - when I got out of the hospital I had lost approx 20 pounds. This is due to the fact that for most of my time in the hospital I was hooked up to an IV with liquid nutrition. Now that I’m back to ‘normal’ I’ve overcompensated and already gained 8 pounds since being ‘set free’.

Some of this behavior suggests to me that it’s my way of dealing with issues which are out of my control. Basically, I sublimate my worries with basic self-pleasuring (of the non-sexual kind, mostly). My higher mind suggests to me that I should meditate, exercise and express my anxiety through art. We’ll see how this pans out.

Another aspect of this “creeping malaise” is the fact that I do have a need to wind down from the insanity that is/was being a full-time teacher with lots and lots of responsibilities. So a little mindless ‘me time’ is getting a pass at this point. It’s a fine balance don’t you know…?

Another idea that has become a recurring theme as of late is “do a little at a time”. I have many irons in the fire - my own musical projects, learning new techniques in Blender, et al, working on kids music projects for an old friend, learning a new SIS and LMS for our school and lastly, learning how to perform self-administered minor plastic surgery (I’m kidding on that one). All of these need attention, but if I spend too much time on any one of them, then the others suffer. Hence, do a little at a time. I’m talking about at least 30 minutes of attentive work and no more than 90. We’ll see how this pans out - hopefully all the plates will continue to spin.

THOUGHT: in line with “do a little at a time” is the idea that tasks don’t have to take as long as one would think. One should always be on the lookout for viable, effective shortcuts. Mind you, one mustn’t sacrifice quality for efficiency but many times we presume the long and time-consuming path is the one that needs to be taken when in fact that are shorter, more effective ways of getting the job done.

King Crimson circa 2020

THOUGHT: old rock bands that still make new, viable music shouldn’t rely so heavily on their hits. And we should give them the listening time needed to truly enjoy their newer expressions, just like we did with their stuff from back in the day.

THOUGHT: I am much less scared and grossed out by the appearance of insects in my existence. I respect and understand the need for spiders in our environment. In particular with spiders, I kind of regard them as the used car salesmen of nature - they set up shop with their web, inviting ‘customers’ and once he has them hooked, he ‘goes in for the kill’ much like that guy in the checkered suit, creepy moustache and aviator sunglasses that got your dad to buy that old Oldsmobile station wagon that lasted only six months.

Got any ideas?

THOUGHT: I have lots of music that’s about 85% completed, all I need is a lyricist that has a knack for socially conscious prog lyrics and I’d be good to go. Anyone interested, please contact me at rob@houghtoonz.com.

THOUGHT: I wanna learn how to make Bahn Mi baguettes - I even got the baguette pan for baking!

That’s about it for now, please feel free to comment on anything that stirs your expression and I’ll see you next time!

Cheers!