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  Steve Ball Diary
 
Monday November 04 
Tuesday November 05 
Wednesday November 06 
Thursday November 07 
Friday November 08 
Saturday November 09 
Sunday November 10 
 
 
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Monday November 11 
Tuesday November 12 
Wednesday November 13 
Thursday November 14 
Friday November 15 
Saturday November 16 
Sunday November 17 

Monday November 04

Played a dismal and depressing (but well played) 3-hour show at Seattle's Steel Sky Bistro a few weeks ago.  It is often hard to measure what is going on elsewhere (in the audience, for example) when things on stage seem dreadful.  And occasionally I receive reminders that the performers experience is not even remotely close to objective.  For example:

----- Original Message -----
From: TravisM
To: SB, TravisH
Sent: Mon, Nov 04, 2002 8:56 AM
Subject: feedback from the steel sky show


"By the way, catching you, Travis and Steve Ball last month was fantastic. I would most definitely want to catch you again. Mike is still commenting on how good that was. Please be kind enough to give me some schedule info as to where/when you're playing next. My personal favorite was the Talking Heads cover. Can't wait for the XTC stuff (wink)."

 

Of course, the audience experience is certainly as subjective as that of the performer, but I still find it amazing that multiple people can experience the same event so differently.

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Tuesday November 05

Letting go of Seattle Circle and Seattle Guitar Circle activities has been liberating and healthy.  (As if you had not noticed) I've been intentionally 'staying away' from these (and GC-related) functions, factions, family, and fashions in favor of following my own footsteps for most of the past two quarters. 

I have noticed that in my absence, the group formerly known as the Seattle Guitar Circle performance team seems to be happily planning a 'name change' so that the larger body of Seattle Circle players might be free to perform under the (apt, accurate, and precise) SGC brand to continue to promote the GC-related work that has been ongoing here since 1992.     

I originally wrote more here, but then common sense kicked in and the rest of the thoughts in this direction have been tactfully poured into my private diary.  Maybe I have learned something after almost three years of public diary keeping?  

Naaaaaah. 

Ah well.  On to other (foreground) matters.

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Wednesday November 06

Recorded with TravisM this evening, primarily working on a new song.  No word from TravisH in quite some time.  Most of our tracking is done, and it is difficult to make arrangement decisions by committee.   TH seemsto be letting it rest for now, I guess.  

Looking fwd to getting back to some rehearsals and live work when this recording process is complete.

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Thursday November 07


Late night of packing and homework.  Tying up loose ends. Missing a few, I'm sure.  But staying focused on Priority One tasks.

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Friday November 08


Unplugging completely for the next ten days.  Only three things on my agenda between now and one week from Sunday:

1. read Stephen King's On Writing
2. send b-day present to my sister
3. make no lists, check no mail or messages 

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Saturday November 09


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Sunday November 10

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Monday November 11


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Tuesday November 12


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Wednesday November 13

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Thursday November 14

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Friday November 15


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Saturday November 16

'Vacation goals' accomplished, or is that an oxymoron?

Either way, Stephen King's "On Writing" is and was worth reading.  Very inspiring.   I intend to email him and tell him as much (since he already receives and reads my mail anyway...)  Hi Stephen, btw if you are reading. Thanks again for forwarding my mail....

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Sunday November 17

Flying home.  Feeling peaceful, hopeful, and at ease.  Looking forward to this next period, a period of necessary productivity just ahead.  Must really turn up the steam on three CDs, a new OS, and preparations for shifting up a couple of gears in 2003.  Could read almost anything between those lines, eh?

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Picked up a Time magazine at the airport and was pleasantly surprised to see my old pal and bandmate Sanford Ponder mentioned as the inventor of one of the cool inventions of 2002.  See http://www.thepod.net/ for details.

Nice to see Prometheus rising (again.)   

Also reminds me that I should pull out and dust off an old song "Buckminster" that was almost a Prometheus song ('too pop' for Sanford's taste back in 1992.)  Somewhat fitting that ten years later, Sanford is building a Bucky-based company.

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Ran into Michael and Lisa Rose, owners of Seattle's famous Sit-n-Spin at the airport on the way home.  Michael and Lisa (as well as the entire Sit-n-Spin staff) were very kind to me in my early club-playing days in Seattle. 

Great to see them again; gives me an idea for my CD-release party.  Duh.

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