Course Journal: 8/17 thru 8/18
Friday, August 17 2007
Camp Caravan
9:14
There's some omnipresent low hum sound here. Close to the typical electrical hum, but it's a C. The C below middle C, I think.
Apparently the room door opened and closed during the sitting. Collin and Chris noticed, w/ a gust of cold air. DavidK noticed the chill. Sunny-ish out now, but cool. I think it was this cool before the sitting though.
Robert leaves tomorrow morning. The course ends tomorrow evening.
14:44
Just did Level T w/ BR. Also MB, DavidS, MarkB (elder), Patricia, Jonathan working other locations.
Lunch: bread, tomato, mozzarella, oil, vinegar, olives. Good. Will be hungry by dinner.
Morning work: tough, long circle w/ R. Full group. Divided into teams, on/off beat and "e" and "a" of 16ths. Assigned chromatic notes. Then, interleaved sub-groups: 6 sections of 5, the "ones" as a single sub-group, "2s", etc. Was a "three". Circulated by having all "ones" circulate, then "twos", etc. Around to the left. sequence: 1, 2, 3, 5, 4. Then, later, 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, each to the right this time except us 3s. Next, circulated "boogie" bass lines. In C for a bit, then in Db. I was F#/Gb, so had a pick-up note in C, and a few more in the Db version. 90 minutes of this total.
Tai chi before that.
Coming up: SGC people working in the dining hall at 15:00 [the KT folks requested that some small groups would work near the kitchen, so they could hear].
MB has big Ray-Ban sunglasses, just like Igor's.
16:30
Eleven guitarists initially at SGC group – worked on whizzing, I suggested a harmonic series scale C(1) through F#(11). DLV had to leave, so left out the bottom C. Took a lot of time to get it really cooking, but then it was good. I was the "one" (C2). At the end, I was doing a quick four-count then firing it around.
Tony introduced a circulated "greeting" idea [later revealed to be based on a Mev Levi dervish greeting]. 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, etc, then 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, etc, until (N-1)-N then that is the end. People were arriving for tea at that point. Sounded great, had something to it. One final "1-2-3-4!" then a whiz. Robert chuckled.
now: guitar circle in the MH.
18:59
R asked those who'd led the large group during any circle if they had anything they wished to demonstrate that was learned or gained (my words) from said work. Victor – some (3 minus 1) circulations, skipping seats, but said after last night's work, that spoke for itself. Curt: some tone clockage. Tony: the whizz-building exercise we had done (one player holds a steady pulse, the "two" person builds on it, once they are steady, the third, etcc). Then, his greeting "lattice" thing from before tea (Cmaj notes assigned to the whole group still from Victor's circulations).
R. then took over. 3 sections: chromatic circulation, then whizzes, then magic chord whizzes. Various sequences. 1 left, 2 left, 3 right. Disbanded these groups ("Forever!" laughter). 2 equal-sized – more whizzes. Disbanded. Divided the other way – MB to David S, Bill to me. Had Jax trade seats w/ David S. "Taylor, are you feeling vicious?" I gave a nod "Bill?" "I'm actually extremely vicious". [left me wondering if it was assumed that Jaxie and Mary Beth were vicious, or if he'd chosen them for other reasons!]. Each section: L w/ return, R/ return, alternating. Dev was on my left, in my group (I was the right-most endpoint) and had the "two" seat thing down: just a quick downstroke / upstroke, leaving me to put the endpoint in the middle. A "non-competition" between the two sections again, for the larger group to whizz+return faster than the shorter group. Robert shrunk the small group down again, leaving seven in my group. Again, no idea if the other group actually "overtook" us or not.
Dinner at six. Polenta – YUM. Never had "soup" polenta before, always the drier, solid form. Almost like grits actually. Ben Bennett and a friend (his wife?) are visiting. Elan Sicroff will play for us at 20:30. Then dessert, then the "first" final meeting (final meeting w/ Robert, there will be a "final final" meeting tomorrow night).
19:32
Just had a shower. Very nice outside – sun is below the trees, very mild. Wondering about some things, noticing a change in my internal weather, trying not to wonder about some other things.
There's a diesel engine sound off in the distance to the W / SW. It was more W and now is more S. Trains? Probably the source o fhte C drone I keep hearing. Cooling off a bit. Think I'll change into long pants. Writing this now at the picniac table in the front yard. Not enough outside places to gather here, except grass.
Ah – a train horn in the South. yep.
23:13
Kind a cold now. Elan played for around an hour? Very nice. The sound from the piano was immediate and tactile. My attention span was so-so. Had not heard any of the pieces before. Some were quite stunning.
Dessert afterwards in the dining hall. A pretty quiet affair. An "ice" for dessert – lemon? Kinda too frozen. First bite froze my over-sensitive front tooth –yow. Almost cried out. "Funny" because before the performance, had a cup of tea in the dining hall, it was much hotter than I expected, and I burned my top lip. I think I did say "ow!" at that.
Final meeting at 22:15. MB mentioned working cleanup last night – I'd done the sweeping, and offered to relieve any of the 3 washers if they needed it. Nobody took me up on it, then Lance took a 5-minute rain-check. Anyway, MB noted how she refused my help, and felt it was like missing part of a circulation. Wanted to tell her that maybe Lance needed the help more. Meeting ended w/ three clapped whizzes to the left around the room, those towards the inside (we weren't sitting in a circle) fitting in where appropriate. Then, three clapped "thrangs". Oh – Robert mentioned, "I don't yet know when the 100-guitar Whizz will take place in Seattle, with the audience in the center, but it's going to be something." (not sure about the last part).
Tomorrow will be interesting – w/o R here. Don't expect anything major, but surely a different vibe.
Saturday, August 18 2007
Camp Caravan
07:00
Clear and cool outside.
14:07
Lunch: Thai-style slaw w/ rooster sauce on the side. Corn on the cob. Good! Some tofu-salad kinda thing – like chicken salad in flavor, but w/ sunflower seeds. Many observations and comments shared.
Sitting: much more successful w/ the containment exercise today. Very palpable when allowed thoughts and feelings to quieten. When separating from the thoughts / feelings, very distinct shift in attention / awareness. Back out into my "personal atmosphere", but different than before. Still. Present in the room.
At breakfast: MarkB performed, had technical difficulties. Gave up. Rob R played a blues medley. People entertained. R had his jacket on, ready to go, but sat at the head table drinking coffee for this. A few funny faces (Mark had a very out-of-tune loop saved up). Worked dishes with JohnH, RobR, DavidK, DavidS. I did the wash portion. Pretty quick and smooth. Tai chi at 9:30.
At 10:15: two circles, with Curt in the bell tower and Tony in the MH. They would swap at 11:15. I chose to go to the MH for the first session. Luciano on my left, JohnH on my right. DavidK 2 to the left, MB 2 to the right. First: non-verbal greetings to your neighbors, and their neighbors. Next: eye-contact circulation. three-minus-one to the right, skipping seats. The "3 to 2" pass-back was interesting in this. Tony asked, rhetorically, how you indicate the return. He even said "that's a rhetorical question". MarkB answered. Next, both eye-contact and note circulations at the same time, beginning opposite one another. Then, once through the connection-lattice.
30m break, spent it in the dining hall, had some tea. At one point, Jax said to MB (they were conversing around the corner, and this part she said loudly) "Why don't you move to Seattle?". Then I realized she was telling the story of 10-ish years ago, quoting Steve probably, talking to them.
At 11:45: tone clock w/ Curt. A couple extra people who were happy to sit and watch/listen. Mark chose to be C, so I was F#. Curt demonstrated some triads – major, minor, dim, aug. Then, modes. Beginning w/ F# major, so I was standing for most of it. A few times each, then modulating through the circle of fifths. From F# loc to E lyd. At each transition, we'd go a few times around in both modes to get the different flavors. It's pretty fun to do the stand up – sit down thing, though the way we were sitting I was a bit preoccupied making sure not to hit MB, who was on my left, in the face w/ my headstock. Went all the way down through each mode of each key then, finally landing back on F# major.
The sun has popped out and it is very nice now. A little chilly still – strong breeze. I'm wearing long pants and a pullover. First full day w/o shorts, most likely. Sitting outside on the steps by the dining hall. Quiet time. Will be a group gathering in the enneagram garden at 15:15 (it's 14:50 now), then final big clean-up w/ te in the middle. Will probably have time for another circle before dinner. Need to shave and shower, will see if I have time tonight. After dinner?
Thinking about suggesting we (SGC folks) play KFAD at dinner. The sound of the wind in the trees here is wonderful. A big huge oak here in the main front yard, and the sound moves slowly to the left over 10-15 seconds after a gust comes along. A fairly large cloud just moved under the sun.
My stack of rocks in the "garden" near the showers / cabin 1 has toppled. Not sure when. Last night or this morning. Was surprised it lasted that long.
TomR took R to the airport after breakfast. Came back during lunch.
15:44
Met at the E. garden. Curt walked the cycle, naming the lines: Anticipation, Preparation, Visualization, Realization, Presentation, Restoration. Dev laid out the big picture. For now: cleaning our personal spaces. Not much to do in this room. Jonathan and I had it tidied and swept in 5 minutes. Still some sweeping in the hallway, and Jax and Christina are undoing their changes upstairs.
Next: AT lie-down, then tea. On a team of 4 (me, Bill, Curt, ?) to clean up the first floor of the house. Not sure yet what that will entail.
21:06
Sitting in the dining hall. It's a bit different now. Today we moved all of the big red "picnic" tables and benches back to the "theater", and there are 6 kitchen-style tables in here now.
The big clean-up / re-org was chaotic. Dev identified people in each sub-group, such that I didn't really know who else was in my group. Or when we were metting, or where. Finally got together: Bill, me, Martin, Chris P, Bob. Had about an hour to do the first floor other than the kitchen. I swep the landing and porch, then helped mop the dining hall. Met w/ everyone to complete at 18:00 in the E. garden.
Big circle w/ Curt in the MH at that point. Began / ended w/ the same exercise of the present moment (extending as far as the course beginning / end) as he had at the tone clock session. Then, circulating all the same C (below middle C). Next, whiz that note. Then continuing, one whiz of all Ds, then Es, etc, up to middle C. Circulating in c major, then C harmonic minor, then C Lydian dominant.
Dinner: lasagna, salad w/ artichoke hearts. Good. Cramped at the table. JohnH takes up too much space. Much discussion. Wonderful ice cream (vanilla bean) w/ handmade butterscotch (Nancy stirred it for 3 hours).
Guitar circle scheduled for 10 – rock and roll being the request. Final final meeting will be after that. A car just pulled up. . .
Random moments: in Tony's circle: close your eyes. "Bob, who is two seats to your left". etc. To Jonathan, 2 to your right (me). Couldn't get it. "You can open your eyes". "Ah, Taylor. God bless you, Taylor." Laughter. Practical work: sent to help out Jaxie in the garden. "Rake up the leaves". 5 minutes later, Victor comes by. "I'm pretty sure they were put there intentionally as mulch". So, I put them back down.
Just shaved and brushed my teeth. Coffee stains on them before, really nasty. Face feels raw now. And that was a pretty quick shave. I hate shaving.
Interesting goings-on in the dining hall while writing this.
Foot-stomping upstairs. The Buddies are arranging some rock and roll.
It's been intresting having the G./B. stuff around – pictures of G., pictures of Bennett w/ Elisabeth on the dining room walls, an enneagram painting, the e. garden, etc. I imagin it's not so rare for GC courses on average, as for a long time they were at Claymont, after all. Just that my first 2 or 3 had very little direct reference to the Work. NJ 2 years ago was a change from that, with Ben Bennet and Bob Gerber visiting, discussions of tetrads, etc.
Happy Curt named the E. lines today. I'd never learned those simple terms. It was all very clear right away.
Camp Caravan
9:14
There's some omnipresent low hum sound here. Close to the typical electrical hum, but it's a C. The C below middle C, I think.
Apparently the room door opened and closed during the sitting. Collin and Chris noticed, w/ a gust of cold air. DavidK noticed the chill. Sunny-ish out now, but cool. I think it was this cool before the sitting though.
Robert leaves tomorrow morning. The course ends tomorrow evening.
14:44
Just did Level T w/ BR. Also MB, DavidS, MarkB (elder), Patricia, Jonathan working other locations.
Lunch: bread, tomato, mozzarella, oil, vinegar, olives. Good. Will be hungry by dinner.
Morning work: tough, long circle w/ R. Full group. Divided into teams, on/off beat and "e" and "a" of 16ths. Assigned chromatic notes. Then, interleaved sub-groups: 6 sections of 5, the "ones" as a single sub-group, "2s", etc. Was a "three". Circulated by having all "ones" circulate, then "twos", etc. Around to the left. sequence: 1, 2, 3, 5, 4. Then, later, 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, each to the right this time except us 3s. Next, circulated "boogie" bass lines. In C for a bit, then in Db. I was F#/Gb, so had a pick-up note in C, and a few more in the Db version. 90 minutes of this total.
Tai chi before that.
Coming up: SGC people working in the dining hall at 15:00 [the KT folks requested that some small groups would work near the kitchen, so they could hear].
MB has big Ray-Ban sunglasses, just like Igor's.
16:30
Eleven guitarists initially at SGC group – worked on whizzing, I suggested a harmonic series scale C(1) through F#(11). DLV had to leave, so left out the bottom C. Took a lot of time to get it really cooking, but then it was good. I was the "one" (C2). At the end, I was doing a quick four-count then firing it around.
Tony introduced a circulated "greeting" idea [later revealed to be based on a Mev Levi dervish greeting]. 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, etc, then 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, etc, until (N-1)-N then that is the end. People were arriving for tea at that point. Sounded great, had something to it. One final "1-2-3-4!" then a whiz. Robert chuckled.
now: guitar circle in the MH.
18:59
R asked those who'd led the large group during any circle if they had anything they wished to demonstrate that was learned or gained (my words) from said work. Victor – some (3 minus 1) circulations, skipping seats, but said after last night's work, that spoke for itself. Curt: some tone clockage. Tony: the whizz-building exercise we had done (one player holds a steady pulse, the "two" person builds on it, once they are steady, the third, etcc). Then, his greeting "lattice" thing from before tea (Cmaj notes assigned to the whole group still from Victor's circulations).
R. then took over. 3 sections: chromatic circulation, then whizzes, then magic chord whizzes. Various sequences. 1 left, 2 left, 3 right. Disbanded these groups ("Forever!" laughter). 2 equal-sized – more whizzes. Disbanded. Divided the other way – MB to David S, Bill to me. Had Jax trade seats w/ David S. "Taylor, are you feeling vicious?" I gave a nod "Bill?" "I'm actually extremely vicious". [left me wondering if it was assumed that Jaxie and Mary Beth were vicious, or if he'd chosen them for other reasons!]. Each section: L w/ return, R/ return, alternating. Dev was on my left, in my group (I was the right-most endpoint) and had the "two" seat thing down: just a quick downstroke / upstroke, leaving me to put the endpoint in the middle. A "non-competition" between the two sections again, for the larger group to whizz+return faster than the shorter group. Robert shrunk the small group down again, leaving seven in my group. Again, no idea if the other group actually "overtook" us or not.
Dinner at six. Polenta – YUM. Never had "soup" polenta before, always the drier, solid form. Almost like grits actually. Ben Bennett and a friend (his wife?) are visiting. Elan Sicroff will play for us at 20:30. Then dessert, then the "first" final meeting (final meeting w/ Robert, there will be a "final final" meeting tomorrow night).
19:32
Just had a shower. Very nice outside – sun is below the trees, very mild. Wondering about some things, noticing a change in my internal weather, trying not to wonder about some other things.
There's a diesel engine sound off in the distance to the W / SW. It was more W and now is more S. Trains? Probably the source o fhte C drone I keep hearing. Cooling off a bit. Think I'll change into long pants. Writing this now at the picniac table in the front yard. Not enough outside places to gather here, except grass.
Ah – a train horn in the South. yep.
23:13
Kind a cold now. Elan played for around an hour? Very nice. The sound from the piano was immediate and tactile. My attention span was so-so. Had not heard any of the pieces before. Some were quite stunning.
Dessert afterwards in the dining hall. A pretty quiet affair. An "ice" for dessert – lemon? Kinda too frozen. First bite froze my over-sensitive front tooth –yow. Almost cried out. "Funny" because before the performance, had a cup of tea in the dining hall, it was much hotter than I expected, and I burned my top lip. I think I did say "ow!" at that.
Final meeting at 22:15. MB mentioned working cleanup last night – I'd done the sweeping, and offered to relieve any of the 3 washers if they needed it. Nobody took me up on it, then Lance took a 5-minute rain-check. Anyway, MB noted how she refused my help, and felt it was like missing part of a circulation. Wanted to tell her that maybe Lance needed the help more. Meeting ended w/ three clapped whizzes to the left around the room, those towards the inside (we weren't sitting in a circle) fitting in where appropriate. Then, three clapped "thrangs". Oh – Robert mentioned, "I don't yet know when the 100-guitar Whizz will take place in Seattle, with the audience in the center, but it's going to be something." (not sure about the last part).
Tomorrow will be interesting – w/o R here. Don't expect anything major, but surely a different vibe.
Saturday, August 18 2007
Camp Caravan
07:00
Clear and cool outside.
14:07
Lunch: Thai-style slaw w/ rooster sauce on the side. Corn on the cob. Good! Some tofu-salad kinda thing – like chicken salad in flavor, but w/ sunflower seeds. Many observations and comments shared.
Sitting: much more successful w/ the containment exercise today. Very palpable when allowed thoughts and feelings to quieten. When separating from the thoughts / feelings, very distinct shift in attention / awareness. Back out into my "personal atmosphere", but different than before. Still. Present in the room.
At breakfast: MarkB performed, had technical difficulties. Gave up. Rob R played a blues medley. People entertained. R had his jacket on, ready to go, but sat at the head table drinking coffee for this. A few funny faces (Mark had a very out-of-tune loop saved up). Worked dishes with JohnH, RobR, DavidK, DavidS. I did the wash portion. Pretty quick and smooth. Tai chi at 9:30.
At 10:15: two circles, with Curt in the bell tower and Tony in the MH. They would swap at 11:15. I chose to go to the MH for the first session. Luciano on my left, JohnH on my right. DavidK 2 to the left, MB 2 to the right. First: non-verbal greetings to your neighbors, and their neighbors. Next: eye-contact circulation. three-minus-one to the right, skipping seats. The "3 to 2" pass-back was interesting in this. Tony asked, rhetorically, how you indicate the return. He even said "that's a rhetorical question". MarkB answered. Next, both eye-contact and note circulations at the same time, beginning opposite one another. Then, once through the connection-lattice.
30m break, spent it in the dining hall, had some tea. At one point, Jax said to MB (they were conversing around the corner, and this part she said loudly) "Why don't you move to Seattle?". Then I realized she was telling the story of 10-ish years ago, quoting Steve probably, talking to them.
At 11:45: tone clock w/ Curt. A couple extra people who were happy to sit and watch/listen. Mark chose to be C, so I was F#. Curt demonstrated some triads – major, minor, dim, aug. Then, modes. Beginning w/ F# major, so I was standing for most of it. A few times each, then modulating through the circle of fifths. From F# loc to E lyd. At each transition, we'd go a few times around in both modes to get the different flavors. It's pretty fun to do the stand up – sit down thing, though the way we were sitting I was a bit preoccupied making sure not to hit MB, who was on my left, in the face w/ my headstock. Went all the way down through each mode of each key then, finally landing back on F# major.
The sun has popped out and it is very nice now. A little chilly still – strong breeze. I'm wearing long pants and a pullover. First full day w/o shorts, most likely. Sitting outside on the steps by the dining hall. Quiet time. Will be a group gathering in the enneagram garden at 15:15 (it's 14:50 now), then final big clean-up w/ te in the middle. Will probably have time for another circle before dinner. Need to shave and shower, will see if I have time tonight. After dinner?
Thinking about suggesting we (SGC folks) play KFAD at dinner. The sound of the wind in the trees here is wonderful. A big huge oak here in the main front yard, and the sound moves slowly to the left over 10-15 seconds after a gust comes along. A fairly large cloud just moved under the sun.
My stack of rocks in the "garden" near the showers / cabin 1 has toppled. Not sure when. Last night or this morning. Was surprised it lasted that long.
TomR took R to the airport after breakfast. Came back during lunch.
15:44
Met at the E. garden. Curt walked the cycle, naming the lines: Anticipation, Preparation, Visualization, Realization, Presentation, Restoration. Dev laid out the big picture. For now: cleaning our personal spaces. Not much to do in this room. Jonathan and I had it tidied and swept in 5 minutes. Still some sweeping in the hallway, and Jax and Christina are undoing their changes upstairs.
Next: AT lie-down, then tea. On a team of 4 (me, Bill, Curt, ?) to clean up the first floor of the house. Not sure yet what that will entail.
21:06
Sitting in the dining hall. It's a bit different now. Today we moved all of the big red "picnic" tables and benches back to the "theater", and there are 6 kitchen-style tables in here now.
The big clean-up / re-org was chaotic. Dev identified people in each sub-group, such that I didn't really know who else was in my group. Or when we were metting, or where. Finally got together: Bill, me, Martin, Chris P, Bob. Had about an hour to do the first floor other than the kitchen. I swep the landing and porch, then helped mop the dining hall. Met w/ everyone to complete at 18:00 in the E. garden.
Big circle w/ Curt in the MH at that point. Began / ended w/ the same exercise of the present moment (extending as far as the course beginning / end) as he had at the tone clock session. Then, circulating all the same C (below middle C). Next, whiz that note. Then continuing, one whiz of all Ds, then Es, etc, up to middle C. Circulating in c major, then C harmonic minor, then C Lydian dominant.
Dinner: lasagna, salad w/ artichoke hearts. Good. Cramped at the table. JohnH takes up too much space. Much discussion. Wonderful ice cream (vanilla bean) w/ handmade butterscotch (Nancy stirred it for 3 hours).
Guitar circle scheduled for 10 – rock and roll being the request. Final final meeting will be after that. A car just pulled up. . .
Random moments: in Tony's circle: close your eyes. "Bob, who is two seats to your left". etc. To Jonathan, 2 to your right (me). Couldn't get it. "You can open your eyes". "Ah, Taylor. God bless you, Taylor." Laughter. Practical work: sent to help out Jaxie in the garden. "Rake up the leaves". 5 minutes later, Victor comes by. "I'm pretty sure they were put there intentionally as mulch". So, I put them back down.
Just shaved and brushed my teeth. Coffee stains on them before, really nasty. Face feels raw now. And that was a pretty quick shave. I hate shaving.
Interesting goings-on in the dining hall while writing this.
Foot-stomping upstairs. The Buddies are arranging some rock and roll.
It's been intresting having the G./B. stuff around – pictures of G., pictures of Bennett w/ Elisabeth on the dining room walls, an enneagram painting, the e. garden, etc. I imagin it's not so rare for GC courses on average, as for a long time they were at Claymont, after all. Just that my first 2 or 3 had very little direct reference to the Work. NJ 2 years ago was a change from that, with Ben Bennet and Bob Gerber visiting, discussions of tetrads, etc.
Happy Curt named the E. lines today. I'd never learned those simple terms. It was all very clear right away.
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