Well, it’s a Saturday afternoon. I finally got up around noon. Alice left
for parts unknown shortly after that. The Wallaces are gone for the weekend,
so it’s just me, the cats, and the computer.

And George Winston. I found a couple of hi CDs in the Wallaces’ collection.
I’ve heard bits and pieces of his stuff now and then but never seriously
listened to any of it. Paul, after hearing me play, asked if I listened
to/was influenced by George Winston. I suppose what I play is closer in
genre to him than anyone else I know of, but to say I play like George
Winston would be quite arrogant indeed. I listened to _Autumn_ and am now on
_December_. I think the director used some of the stuff off of this one in
our production of _The Best Christmas Pageant Ever_. That was fun doing that
play. I loved watching the teachers who accompanied the kids who came to see
it cry afterward.

Some of this stuff is simple. I got out of bed this morning and sat down and
played the intro to _Autumn_. Or close to it. I’ll have to sit down the the
CD player and the keyboard and see if I can work it out. I gave up on “If
These Walls Could Speak”. I think the batteries in my walkman are a little
weak, because the song sounds like it’s flat. I can’t play along with the
tape (since it sounds really aweful), and trying to transpose it isn’t
working. Plus when someone’s singing, it’s hard to hear all the notes.

Dick wrote me saying he plays along with the tape I made him sometimes. Till
he falls asleep and the guitar falls out of his hands.

I’ve also listened to Paul Simon _Negotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986_.
It’s got “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” on it. That’s the only one
I’d heard before other than “You Can Call Me Al”. I saw the video to that
back in the eighties sometime and thought it was hilarious. That was my
first exposure to Paul Simon except for maybe a thing on TV where he and
another guy were singing into a microphone and my parents said, “Look, that’s
Simon and Garfunkel (Garfunkle?).”

Now George Winston is playing his version of Pachelbel’s Kanon. I learned
the first part of the the top part of it a while back. Steph learned the
bottom, and we’d play together till one of us messed up and didn’t know
anymore.

I played all the “experts” at checkers and beat them all. So then I switched
to Gin and got beat soundly. Tried Poker and lost every cent… twice. I’m
too reckless. I guess I don’t bluff well. Maybe I should try playing more
unpredictably. Although the computer probably wouldn’t care. I ought to do
some reading.

Hmm.. he must have done a couple of tracks to this part. I don’t think one
person could handle it. Some heavy metal guitar players just record layer on
layer of guitar riffs and stick it all together. So it sounds like they’re
tearing up their ax when all it’s really is just a bunch of tracks all at the
same time.

Oh, now this has a neat bass hand part. I’ll have to see if I can get it
sometime.

I wonder what George Winston’s concerts are like. Probably all different. I
bet he improvises a bunch.

He doesn’t change chords much. I change chords all the time. Guess I get
too bored with one.

I’ve decided I don’t really like heavy metal. I like King’s X, but they’re
atypical. Too distinctive a sound.

Maybe I’ll go back to bed. I should exercise, but my motivation level is at
about zip. Joanne Wallace started training for a marathon one year never
having ran a mile before. She trained and ran the marathon the next year.
Doug said he’d drop her off and she’d run 10 or 15 miles. Then he’d come
back and pick her up. I can’t really imagine that. I hate running. I mean,
for short distances it’s great, or while playing sports. But just running
for the sake of making one’s lungs and knees as uncomfortable as possible….
Walking is good though. I can handle that. Hiking works. Or biking. As
long as it’s not all uphill.

Well, the CD is over. I love the way he ends without resolving the piece.