Post of the Year.
September 15th 2003
I said a while back that I would re-post a “post-of-the-year” thingie, since I’ve been writing for a year and some now. So, here it is.
~ Friday, November 15, 2002 at 10:17 p.m. ~
I think I already posted today… ah, well…There is a lot to say, always. I could write constantly– if I could simultaneously live out a completely normal life– and I would never run out of things to write about. So I do this instead. It works.
Some more things I’ve been thinking about:
Music… ahh yes, music… I haven’t played any really good jazz in a long time. Eddie said that after Big Game, we could have all the jam sessions we wanted, because he has a midterm in his Jazz theory class, and he didn’t want to build bad habits by playing how he wanted before the final. So I look forward to that. I did get this program called “Band-in-a-Box” that’s pretty cool — it’s basically an accompianament program for jazz. It’s nice to play along with, though generally prety straight and unfeeling. It also ‘calculates’ solos based on like 200 styles of famous musicians. It generally does a pretty good job. Amazing. But still not real. I like the feeling of really playing with other people and real music. I crave it now, and I have since the last time I did play, which was over two months ago. Man… it’s indescribable, the kind of expression this is… you have to play to know…
Speaking of music, I have addressed Big Game week in my previous entry. Yes. Well, I think I’m going to be overwhelmed. People do say it’s crazy. And I’m going to try to actually keep up in school at the same time… maybe I’m crazy. It’s just a week, though… I’m sure I’ll be able to manage. I always do. And it should be a lot of fun… there’s lots of stuff to do, and no sleep is always fun…
And more music… Tomorrow is a game, and I’m not mentally ready. I know everything — music, charts, the routine — I know it all perfectly. It’s like I’ve done it a million times before. But I don’t feel like it for some reason at this moment tonight. I’m sure I’ll be fine in the morning. Sleep does that. It’s a nice way of getting rid of feelings you don’t really want, and starting things new for a new 10-hour 180-degree period of terrestrial rotation. It’s amazing how relative everything is… example: what if we were nocturnal? Well, in any case, I still must wake up at 6 AM tomorrow and get up, get dressed, stress out for a few minutes thinking of everything I might forget, leave for the field, run back and get the thing I forgot, run back, stuff a donut in my face just three seconds before Jon Stan blows the whistle, practice, run to Sproul plaza to get a mediocre lunch quicker than anyone else (making it somewhat more satisfying), have a grape fight on the steps, walk back to BRH, put on my uniform, have sectional in the plaza, listen to Jon Stan’s speech (newmen in front), run up to Sproul Steps, play the noon concert, walk calmly down to parade block under Sather Gate, march up, get to the tunnel, fight thrugh the crowds to get the water, wait around for a half-hour trying to find interesting things to talk about, get into Tunnel formation, full-hog out into initial wedge, big C - sons - jonah - fight - America - banner - jog off, walk up to the stands (tempted by the cups of gatorade sitting there for the players), watch the first half, play halftime (I could describe every move, but I won’t), watch the second half, play postgame, march down, listen to Jon Stan’s final speech (which I won’t be able to hear because I’m standing behind him), play fight, trudge back to BRH, get out of my uniform and back into real clothes (thankful that I brought pants this time), walk back to TH (yelling “TH! TH!” at the doors to BRH), call my dad on the way home, get out my key after someone yells “newman get the door,” run up the stairs two steps at a time (except the last ones — there are 9 steps to the landing and 7 to the 2nd floor), plop down in my chair, turn on my computer, check my e-mail, turn on some music, write here a little, have dinner (after I hear the bell at 6:42, always slightly late), laugh at Matt and Misha at the table, have dessert, run back upstairs, play some computer games, maybe do a little math, wait for the party to start, go down a couple of times and sit on the couch with sober-comm and eat chex-mix, relax, and wait for the party to finish, and when it does, clean up (I’m on clean up…), and, sleep.
Wake to sleep, that is exactly how it will be. Exactly. The only uncertainties were the score of the game, and whether or not I will do a little math after dinner. But I’ll say anyway: the score, 31 - 14, Cal wins. And the math: I’ll do some. If I’m right on either of those, I’ll be justafiably surprised.
I wish just once that something makes tomorrow interesting. Really truly interesting. Or any day, for that matter, any day from now till forever. Every day would be nice, too… every day interesting, indeed, that would be nice. But unlikely. Thus is the folly of routine. I must live in it, because I myself cannot change the routine. I am stuck in it, as we all must be in some way. We have breaks every so often, definately, but it always returns to us.
Oh, what am I saying? So pessimistic, Tristan… cheer up! Live your routine, and appreciate it, cherish it. It comprises the majority of our time on this earth, and it, too, is a beautiful thing. And change it, if you wish. Make things interesting. Nothing says you can’t.
Such profound thoughts. Routine thoughts, fortunately… ;-). Have an interesting day everyone.
::
The following night, a half-hour before the party, the DJ cancelled on us. So I was the DJ. Most surprisingly interesting day of my life. Not because I didn’t want it to be interesting, but because I expected it to be, well, exactly as I said. Two days after that party, I accidentally set off the fire sprinkler and flooded the basement. Two days after that, my telescope was stolen.
That was the most interesting week of my life. I’m not a religious man, but I have to see the sentence, “I wish just once that something makes tomorrow interesting. Really truly interesting,” and think that something somewhere thought “You want for something interesting?? I’ll give you something interesting. But you get to see the other side of ‘interesting’ too… ”
It was an– interesting– coincidence.
But I’m now the regular DJ, and while it’s not quite as big a rush as the first time, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun, and very interesting.
Still, what the hell. I wish, just once, that I could find true love tomorrow. Just once is all I need. 
It won’t work again, but that post was cool enough to deserve the post-of-the-year title. ::