This morning I awoke with the feeling something was off and then I remembered the plane crash that happened lastnight. It is terrible when that is the last thing you are thinking about when you go to sleep.
Those late-night flights from Newark, we have all been on them. And Buffalo being like a big room, you know you will know some of those people on Flight 3407, or people you know will know them. I am off work this week because I am trying to get my book on Leonard Pennario into some kind of shape. So I am standing there with my coffee wondering who I am going to find out was on that plane. I am hoping there were no people I work with on the flight, no Buffalo Philharmonic musicians ...
But the trouble is, there's no good news. If it's not these people, all that means is that it's other people. It is so very sad!
So anyway, what happened was my friend Gary came over and we walked the Delaware Park Ring Road. That is a nice thing to do at a time like this. No use worrying and listening to any more rumors. It will all be sorted out and in the meantime there is no use making it worse for yourself, or for anyone else by spreading stuff around.
Above is a picture of my favorite oak tree in Delaware Park. I found the picture on the Internet and it is calming to look at on a day like this. So is this old picture of the park that I found. It is of a canoe race.
As we passed that oak tree today, Gary and I were talking about lounge sensation Guy Boleri. He can always take our minds off anything. Guy Boleri besides being a great lounge pianist is a yogi. And he does meditation. He has a Meditation Night every Thursday where he goes somewhere and sits in a room with people and meditates.
That brought us to the question: Why is meditation a group activity? Isn't it something that should be done in silence, with the meditator looking inwards?
Why doesn't Guy sit in a room by himself and meditate?
That was how we passed the time, kicking around things like that. Now I am home again and it feels pretty good to crawl back into my book.
Speaking of which, I have to say one thing. Keep in mind I have never written a book before, so this is all new to me. I am working and working on this. And I love working on it. I do not get bored with my story, I will say that! But early this morning, deep into Chapter 6, I find myself thinking:
Either this is the greatest, wildest book about music ever written ...
OR ....
... it is the biggest piece of trash and totally unworthy of the great man it is being written about!
It is one of these extremes, I do know that. There is no middle ground with my book, no sirree Bob! Is this normal, to feel this way? Will some book author out there in Blog-O-Land please tell me?
Where is the Magic Eight Ball when I need it?
2 comments:
One victim of the flight 3407 crash was Susan Wehle, cantor of Temple Beth Am in Amherst. A fine and generous person.
The husband of a girl that grew up across the street from me when I grew up was on the plane. I see her parents regularly as they still live across the street from my mother. I don't know as of yet if I will know anyone else, but even knowing one is very hard. As far as book writing I can not offer any opinions, since I have never done it. I guess you take it day by day, and put your best into it. I am sure it will turn out great. I'll definitely have to read it once you have it published.
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