He Revved...Then He Resisted

I promised Tim (or perhaps threatened him) that this story would someday be a Blog. Let's see how long it takes him to find out that I carried through!

Let me preface by giving you a little context for my story. You see, not only are Tim and I musicians by trade, but musicians who are completely absorbed right now with trying on a whole range of literature and styles. We are constantly listening and looking for musical ideas. We listen to the radio differently, seek out song kernels in stories that we hear, and tinker with any music we can get our hands on to see if might fit a scene that we're writing, or if it can be reconstructed in some interesting way.

Did I mention getting our hands on music? Where might one do that? Ah, yes..how about one of the largest sheet music stores IN THE COUNTRY. Colony Music Store. Where is that, you ask? Why, in Times Square, my friend! The heart of broadway! A mecca, if you will, for musical artists. Musical artists faaaaaaaar from home and wrapped in the creative frenzy of a New York business trip. Away from everyday routines. Bursting with streams of consciousness, notepads chock full with the frantic scribbles of new ideas. Vulnerable to purchases that they might not normally splurge on.

This...I PROMISE you...was the state of being that BOTH of us were in as we made our way to Colony. It was late in the conference. We were on a full tear. We actually were feeling so primed, that I made a half-serious, half-joking little remark about the danger of going to this store. Tim, as I recall, chuckled lightly as he brushed aside the comment. And then the full revving began. "Yes," he said, "but when else do we have this opportunity? And, it's only once a year, right?" He (and I) mused about the variety of music we might look for. We pre-rationalized what we might spend. I believe that he mentioned something along the lines of it being a "critical time" in the creative output of Plunge! Cabaret and a justified business expense. And then we entered the store.

Things get a little blurry for me here. Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush...a left-brain brown out of sorts. I remember starting out together and I do remember starting a list of potentials, but quickly there were more books in hand than there were books on list. Tim offered to hold some for me. A gesture that I first took for a chivalrous act. It was, in fact, an act designed to deceive!! To empty my hands and give my poor, over-stimulated brain the impression that I was proceeding reasonably!!!! An act that simultaneously made it seem to anyone who glanced that HE was also stocking up on purchases!!!!!! But I digress...

We drifted to different aisles. This is good. On my own, the impulses snowballed. I kept grabbing books - trying to reason my way out of them but inevitably concluding that each one was an irresistable gem! A must have! After a few aisles, I was having some trouble breathing calmly. I knew that I was headed out of control and I sought out my friend. He was not far from where I had left him (this should have raised my suspicions.) He had books in his hand (see above) and, in my half-mad state, I assumed he was buying. I dragged him about to 3 or 4 displays to show him books that were tugging at me but that I was trying to resist. He laughed (with me, I thought.)

Finally, I knew we had to go. I started assessing the damage - picking up each book and reconsidering it. One by one, they went into the purchase pile. Then...Tim started handing me the books that he was carrying for me. Just feeding them into the stream, casually...as though he were only carrying them for me. That's when I remembered that he had been carrying them for me.

I believe his pile shrunk to two books. One was something that might have been for our use and the second was a wafer-thin supplement for a piano instruction course that he was using for a student. My world started to get very, very clear. And then... (I'll pause here for a deep, restorative breath) ... He put the first book back. I'll just let this moment sink in for a bit. He looked at it and, with a small shrug, decided that it wasn't really necessary. He walked back to its bin and calmly (I won't go so far as to say smugly) returned it to it's proper place. He then looked at me (with my pile of...oh, I don't know, 11 books?) and said...and I quote..."You ready?"

He said this while standing with his "Play Piano Today! Level 2" book (or whatever it was). He was clear-eyed, calm, and happy. He didn't seem to sense that anything might be not as it should be. Then he noticed that I was a little frozen in my place. That my nostrils were a little flared. I might have twitched slightly. I took in the situation, mentally reviewed my purchases, gave a swift little nod, and a made a sharp turn for the cash register. I bantered sharply and playfully with the cashier about the dangerous nature of Colony and how glad I was that it was only once a year. He was a funny, good-natured man. I spent my $200+ dollars (emphasis on the +) and out we went.

The walk back to the hotel was intensely hilarious. I skewered him within the first few steps and parried his every attempt to soften or skirt what had happened. He admitted that he was fully involved in the revving process. He admitted that he, somehow, fully resisted. He could not explain his actions. He tried to defend himself, but was caught in the cross fire. You see, had he revved and then indulged, I obviously would understand that mentality. And, truly, had he NOT revved and then resisted, I also would have understood. Even possibly respected!

But no.
My friends.
The crux lies in this.
He revved.
Oh!! Did he rev!!
And THEN he resisted.

-written by jen

Entrepreneur...Me?

Some years ago, I had to get a new primary care physician (ah...the joys of HMOs) and in our first meeting, she asked me what I did for a living. At the time, I had just left my "day job" and had just started to piece together the various things that I've ended up doing (plus a couple more) and so I was a little tongue-tied with my answer. I briefly touched on the basics: the performing and teaching, my new organizational development firm, the game design company that I have with my husband...and she summed it all up by writing "entrepreneur" in the tiny line of the form for Occupation.

I looked at that word and felt confused. It seemed pretentious and both too complicated and too simple at the same time. It didn't indicate any field of expertise, any of the years of education or experience. It was vague. I'm not a huge fan of vague.

What if I just started answering that ever-present conversation starter question of "What do you do?" with "I'm an entrepreneur." First, I'm pretty sure that I'd have to assume an accent and possibly reconsider my dress code. And what about the poor, unsuspecting question-poser? Would they furrow their brows and look about desperately for help? Would they muse something like, "well, la di da" and realize their drink needed refilling? Or would they say, "interesting...go on..." and we'd be in a real conversation?

Wikipedia says that the term is applied to the type of personality who is willing to take on a new venture or enterprise and accepts full responsibility for the outcome. Yup, that has happened a few times. It also says that entrepreneurs are successful because their passion for an outcome leads them to organize available resources in new and more valuable ways. That's pretty cool. And I *SO* love organizing available resources!

I'm not sure that I'll start using the word, but I do embrace the concept. Looking at new ventures (or adventures!) with a figure-it-out mentality, passion-driven organization, and a willingness to jump in with both feet and fully accept the outcome. Yup, I'm pretty sure that my friends and family would be nodding vigorously at this description (with perhaps small, bemused shakes of their heads and a little stockpiling of contingency insurance plans).
-written by jen

The Forbidden Turnpike

In preparation for our upcoming show, Jen and I decided to bike the "forbidden turnpike."

Okay...so there really wasn't that much "preparation" involved... and, well, the turnpike isn't really..."forbidden." It IS abandoned, however, and can I say just how cool it was to be biking along a very deserted stretch of road with no other humans in sight? We did encounter two people from Philly walking along as we rode. They informed us that the other two people we saw were the "mole people." We never actually saw their faces...just two little bright pinpoints of light, which brings me to....

Did I mention there were 2 tunnels??? Yup. 2 long, dark, tunnels close to a mile long each! There was a sign at the entrance to the forbidden turnpike (we're still going to call it that anyway, okay?) that said helmets and lights were required for bikers. Once Jen and I started in the first tunnel I said, "Look! you can see a tiny light at the end. Cool. We can just ride right towards that!" I then proceeded to pick up speed and say, "Hey, we don't need our lights. Let's just keep our eye on the prize." Faster still.

Then...

The light from the entrance began to fade and the light from the exit was still...um....far away. The pinpoint of light stayed just that and now we were barrelling through the tunnel with no lights. Strange and a little bit freaky.

We used our lights for the other tunnel and for both tunnels on the way back.

The FT entrance is located in Breezewood, PA and you can do a search for abandoned highway PA or something like that to find out more information. It was a really interesting day and I think we would both recommend it to anyone. Heck, we should get a group to go together. At least that way we could outnumber the mole people.
written by tim

Haunted? Hell Yeah!

I absolutely can not believe this is my first blog topic...

We just found out today that the theater we are playing in at the beginning of September has a well documented history of paranormal activity! Since I have been practicing "Patterns" till my fingers are numb lately, I will be extremely upset if I get slimed with 5 gallons of proto-plasm and slip all over the keys when the time comes for the show!

Seriously, actual ghost hunters have taken infared pictures of the stage and we most definitely will not be alone........

Curious?

Hope you're in Pittsburgh to come see it! (...or them...)
written by tim

Creative Process

I’ve been stuck on the precipice of blogging. I want to blog. I want to be a blogger. Blogging is different than journaling -- which for me has always been something that I thought I should do, but just never really did. Blogging is more like a conversation. Granted, it’s one side of a conversation with unknown counterparts who aren’t actually talking yet, but at least it’s tossed out there like an invitation. Journals are often meant only for the author, a private communication. Maybe I hear myself think too much already for that. I don’t have the patience to document all those complicated strands.

So, like a conversation, I think of blogging as very free-form, often spontaneous, capable of suiting any mood and timeframe. Very much like the creative process. So why am I on the precipice? I adore the creative process! Except, well, it turns out, that sometimes the process part kind of gets in the way. You see, I say that I love it, and I do! But then, when I sit down ready to be creative…I often try to just jump to the end. Write the perfect words, sing the perfect notes, craft the perfect scenario. No first attempts. No backspacing. I must wordsmith from the title and on down. It turns out that this is possibly unrealistic. [sigh]

Actually, all snideness (snidity?) aside, it’s not only unrealistic…it’s completely counter to the whole point of doing something creative! Half the fun, half the reward and nearly all of the leaning come from the process. It incredibly dumb of me, but I’m only just figuring out that the process is part of the process! Allowing half-formed thoughts and imperfect metaphors, acting out awkward reactions and fodder for improvisational moments, rambling a little, tripping up as I work in a physical gesture. All of these things just start the ball rolling and get the gears all oiled up. If I don’t allow that to happen, is it no wonder that I would be frustrated?

I have many more things to say on the creative process and what’s happening to it in our current environment. The pressure to be perfect from the start is getting higher. We need more freedom to fail in our education, our offices, and our lives. We need creative juices flowing and time to play with ideas. But I’ll save some of those for another day. For now, I believe that I will consider this my jump off the blogging cliff. That’s right! I’m posting without spellchecking! Wild and crazy am I! Here it goes…
written by Jen