This is one of those "I always disliked jazz, but then..." stories.
In first year at UTSC I took an intro to music course, which is where I met Noam. He was a TA for the practical sessions, and he was also completing his music dissertation or something or other. He was a jazz pianist that was doing some project or other and performing his pieces here and there on campus. I went to a couple of his performances and I was hooked. His song The Nagila Mayster was my favourite song. I think I asked him about writing pieces during the course and he said it was hard work and that a song has many layers. I wrote about his performance in the concert report, about how that song sounded like it was raining and the sunshine afterwards.
Last night I went to another performance by the Amos Hoffman / Noam Lemish quartet, with some toronto dude i didn't know on the bass. Some of their songs were not that jazzy, but the live music still sounded great. At one point performing "the god of forgiveness" Noam forgot to start his piano solo lmao
He asked me if I took any more music courses and I said no, and at that point I felt it was kind of a waste of my skills to not further my piano playing. But he was nice about it anyways. When I went home, there was a guy standing in the middle of Queen St. in front of a car just blankly staring ahead. A police officer was planning to remove him and was putting on sterile gloves.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Saturday, August 12, 2017
I think my laptop speakers are subtly fucked
I saw this posting for "laboratory assistant" on cln:
The laboratory assistants will provide important supportive roles for the scientific research in a cell and developmental biology laboratory. In fulfilling the work, the students will learn technical skills and the care and precision needed in research. They will be mentored by our Laboratory Technician and work as a team. Importantly, the positions are also entry points for getting directly involved in our experimental work. Thus, applicants should have a strong interest in pursuing future research (e.g. research courses in the lab).
Please provide a cover letter, your resume, and a copy of your marks from ROSI.
Positions begin in early September.
Qualifications:
-an interest in laboratory research, especially in molecular, cellular and developmental biology
-past work experience in any area (science or non-science)
Duties:
-washing glassware
-preparing solutions and media
-maintaining Drosophila (fruit fly) stocks
-possibility of directly participating in experiments
HAHAHAH. That's incredible. Who the fuck would want to do this. How does this help your "research career" in any way.
The laboratory assistants will provide important supportive roles for the scientific research in a cell and developmental biology laboratory. In fulfilling the work, the students will learn technical skills and the care and precision needed in research. They will be mentored by our Laboratory Technician and work as a team. Importantly, the positions are also entry points for getting directly involved in our experimental work. Thus, applicants should have a strong interest in pursuing future research (e.g. research courses in the lab).
Please provide a cover letter, your resume, and a copy of your marks from ROSI.
Positions begin in early September.
Qualifications:
-an interest in laboratory research, especially in molecular, cellular and developmental biology
-past work experience in any area (science or non-science)
Duties:
-washing glassware
-preparing solutions and media
-maintaining Drosophila (fruit fly) stocks
-possibility of directly participating in experiments
HAHAHAH. That's incredible. Who the fuck would want to do this. How does this help your "research career" in any way.
Wednesday, August 09, 2017
Insight
Olga says that she would like to go to school for computer science. She was anticipating having to take upgraded high school classes in order to apply to u of c. It is hard to get out of the monotony that is working, though. She did not seem happy. However, always pursuing something she wants to do may not be the best for her. I feel it's important to experience both, and not let disappointment stop you. Perhaps that's the difference between high school dropouts and people who went to university.
meditation
"I’d been meditating in a halfhearted way since I was a teenager, but when my father died, I got serious about it. I couldn’t do anything about sickness, old age, death, terrorism, war, or even writer’s block, but I could do something about my grief-stricken state of mind."
-Ruth Ozeki on meditation
She has some good points on writing. It seems every post on her weblog is a published piece of writing. I wish I valued completeness and polishedness as much as her. I want my pieces to mean something, or to give insight into something. It seems like this blog is heading nowhere, just as an aesthetically pleasing site hosting my thoughts. It doesn't really matter.
It is hard to multitask. I'm in a google hangouts room for the DRC meeting this bright and hot wednesday morning and also trying to focus on learning about buddhism. I'm going to keep listening to zencast after the meeting. And maybe try to sleep.
update: I did not sleep, instead I looked at zen buddism centers in toronto. It seems a lot of them require monetary donation except the one at school: http://www.truepeace.ca/events. I e-mailed the Toronto Zen Centre about the next intro workshop and they got back to me in 10 minutes saying they are still planning it. It seems silly to pay money for a workshop where you are taught to let go of worldly desires and attachment.
-Ruth Ozeki on meditation
She has some good points on writing. It seems every post on her weblog is a published piece of writing. I wish I valued completeness and polishedness as much as her. I want my pieces to mean something, or to give insight into something. It seems like this blog is heading nowhere, just as an aesthetically pleasing site hosting my thoughts. It doesn't really matter.
It is hard to multitask. I'm in a google hangouts room for the DRC meeting this bright and hot wednesday morning and also trying to focus on learning about buddhism. I'm going to keep listening to zencast after the meeting. And maybe try to sleep.
update: I did not sleep, instead I looked at zen buddism centers in toronto. It seems a lot of them require monetary donation except the one at school: http://www.truepeace.ca/events. I e-mailed the Toronto Zen Centre about the next intro workshop and they got back to me in 10 minutes saying they are still planning it. It seems silly to pay money for a workshop where you are taught to let go of worldly desires and attachment.
Friday, August 04, 2017
thoughts on "traffic signals" by bukowski
i think the paragraph about the women and men's appearances show his distain at people going to great lengths to look good while sacrificing comfort. And age is a big factor because it adds to the lack of comfort. Does he mean to say as you get older it is harder to appear put-together, and that this is inevitable? He hates this. He'd rather kill than see suffering.
He is disgusted in a not pitying but almost angry way, because deep down he cares about these older people and wish they would live their lives more freely instead of predictable, like a traffic signal. Are we to believe he himself does not believe in advertisements or celebrate holidays? It's likely, as with his hermit lifestyle he is his own man.
I stopped reading when I came back, mostly because I lent Selina Annihilation and Kevin Sputnik Sweetheart. When I get those back I'll read them. Or I'll borrow some margaret atwood. I'm excited to read Ariel by Sylvia Plath for school, though.
He is disgusted in a not pitying but almost angry way, because deep down he cares about these older people and wish they would live their lives more freely instead of predictable, like a traffic signal. Are we to believe he himself does not believe in advertisements or celebrate holidays? It's likely, as with his hermit lifestyle he is his own man.
I stopped reading when I came back, mostly because I lent Selina Annihilation and Kevin Sputnik Sweetheart. When I get those back I'll read them. Or I'll borrow some margaret atwood. I'm excited to read Ariel by Sylvia Plath for school, though.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
dark thought
Today while I was on the last season of Avatar I zoned out and had a deep thought about my life. What practical knowledge did I know--nothing, the times I've wasted, me as a nobody, living in poverty and dependence on my parents. This show I was watching was wasting so much of my time when I could have been learning a useful skill. Lots of regrets coming back all at once.
It was too terrifying to think about, so I turned my attention back to Avatar.
It was too terrifying to think about, so I turned my attention back to Avatar.
tonight
I dropped off my film at london drugs today and saw Olga. She said she wasn't too into being social and the reason she didn't go to drumheller with ileana was because she was "socialed out". I felt bad talking to her but I understood and tried to be patient. We talked for a while about movies and Spiderman, and we attempted to make plans for saturday for pho.
Me, Tony, Selina, John, and Evan went to this ramen place called Wami Ootoya which might have been run by chinese ppl and i got a spicy tomato soup ramen which was surprisingly good. John ate the ramen challenge and wordlessly threw up later. He did not win the $45 meal because he left a centimeter of soup in his bowl, which was big enough for a rabbit's bath, or as a pot for a very large bonsai.
We talked about toronto and hamilton and what people were up to, and when John finally got back to the table after taking a walk outside we left to go to the duck pond which was a surprisingly short and sweet walk from the ramen place.
I frickin saw Yihe!! at the duck pond, which was shocking. There were so many people playing pokemon GO around the pond but only we stopped to admire its beauty and talked about walking in it with our bare feet. We did a lap around the entire park and I did the exercises, because I was very excited to be out with a group of people. I was at an "advanced' chin-ups level but only "beginner" lifting leg level. I think Yihe left antisocially after he heard our group. We talked more about research and school and it was pretty nice (at least I thought). I dunno, maybe they were bored but I had a great time.
We walked back to the cars and Selina drove us to bubblemania. She needed to pee and we parked in the regular spot (not the parking lot). There was a yellow Audi car with a pikachu in the mirror. We get a table and order milk teas. Although Nina called before and wisely said if I want to sleep I should get a slushie. Now I regret it because I'm awake, which is why this post is so long.
Me, Tony, Selina, John, and Evan went to this ramen place called Wami Ootoya which might have been run by chinese ppl and i got a spicy tomato soup ramen which was surprisingly good. John ate the ramen challenge and wordlessly threw up later. He did not win the $45 meal because he left a centimeter of soup in his bowl, which was big enough for a rabbit's bath, or as a pot for a very large bonsai.
We talked about toronto and hamilton and what people were up to, and when John finally got back to the table after taking a walk outside we left to go to the duck pond which was a surprisingly short and sweet walk from the ramen place.
 |
| the result |
We walked back to the cars and Selina drove us to bubblemania. She needed to pee and we parked in the regular spot (not the parking lot). There was a yellow Audi car with a pikachu in the mirror. We get a table and order milk teas. Although Nina called before and wisely said if I want to sleep I should get a slushie. Now I regret it because I'm awake, which is why this post is so long.
