Belief

I believe in certain things.

I believe in music. I believe in the power of tones and sounds and chords and rhythms. I believe in it's ability to heal. I believe in the blues scale. I believe in singing, badly or otherwise. I believe in drum circles. I believe in synthesizers and even DJs. I believe in instruments. I believe in breaking instruments (the power of music compels you, right?). I believe in the twelve-bar blues. I believe in the AABA. I believe in music.

I believe in food. I believe that when food is cooked from scratch with the best ingredients, that it cannot be bad for you. I believe in the power of baking bread. I believe in yeast and warm water. I believe in salt (sparingly) and I believe in black pepper. I believe in red meat, steaks cooked rare. I believe in seafood, even shellfish. I believe in the grill, the oven, and the stovetop. I believe in food.

I believe in exercise. I believe in running till I can't run any more. I believe in swimming till my arms and legs refuse to move. I believe in biking and hiking. I believe in the power of teamwork and sportsmanship. I believe in hard work. I believe in breaking human limits. I believe in exercise.

I believe in something bigger. I believe that He is the same, as Jehovah or Allah or G_D or Buddha or Shiva. I believe that He can see us, and that sometimes He can even interact with us. I believe that sometimes He is just the wind, and that sometimes He is an earthquake or a hurricane. I believe that in some way, shape or form, He loves us. I believe even He cannot control the stream of events in everyone's lives, but He is here to help us. I also believe that theology is a very fast way to distance yourselves from others, and I say these things with the upmost consideration of other doctrines, beliefs, and ways of life.

And that leads me to ask you:

What do you believe in?

Thoughts

Five. Phone. Pick. Vicarious Viking.

God. I really screwed it up. I am just now realizing my shit-crap mistake. Usually I remember mistakes and shudder, smile, roll my eyes, and pass on, but this mistake is too far-fetched for a traditional rememberance. I'm just too damn creepy. It could have happened. I need the courage. Honestly, I missed my quota. Ponder, lately.

Ok. I hope you have seen the new Pizza Hut commercial. The one about "the Edge". It makes me want to strangle someone, for instance the young child in question or the particular commercial writer. Yarg! Pizza is NOT about the toppings, adolescent fool! Pizza is about the crust. If you knew your pizza history, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Pizza evolved from an herbed flatbread thousands of years ago, a flatbread baked on the hearth, underneath the fire. The word 'focaccia,' (an Italian cornbread that is very similar to pizza) actually derives from a Latin stem that means ashcake. Before 1890, pizza was often a flatbread with with onions, anchovies, or tomatoes on top. Then Pizza Margherita was introduced in honor of Queen Margherita (not the alcoholic beverage). Pizza Margherita was topped with simply sliced tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese (for the first time ever)! The point of this tangent is that pizza is about the crust, not the toppings. Before one masters pizza, one must master the dough. Ponder, "herbed" is probably not a word.

Night you all.
Vosotros.
Hey, when in Spain!

Blogger Returns

Quantum of Solace, Burn After Reading, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and The Truman Show.

So. Hello again. We haven't spoken in a while; my name is Cameron. You are the world-wide Web. It was nice catching up. Let's get to business.

I went on a pilgrimage. It opened my eyes. They were shut; now they are receptive. I realise the power of silence. Before I had acknowledged it, but now I understand and embrace it. People are too loud. I wish people could slow down, and just go to the library or go for a walk or read a book. Instead we are trapped in our cars and schedules. We do it to ourselves. We should stop. Busy-ness is overrated. I'm not encouraging idleness, just contemplation. Have you ever just laid down in the grass for no reason? Have you ever meditated? Have you ever just sat and thought? Sometimes the answers to these questions are "no." Then I tell them they were rhetorical questions, and they needn't answer. But nonetheless, everyone should try to slow down. Ponder, 2(3+2) = 10.

I like making things from scratch. I shun pre-made pizza crusts and pre-mixed ingredients because that is cheating. One time, I made tomato ketchup just for a barbecue sauce. It was cool. Did you know that tomato ketchup or catsup evolved from a Chinese fish-based condiment called ketsiap. It was adapted by English sailors and eventually brought to America. Different varieties ensued, such as mushroom ketchup, but in the 19th century it was tomatoes that gain their rightful place as the ketchup base. I like to say that I made everything. When I do New-York pizza, I always make my own sauce and my own dough. I don't have a cow to make the cheese, but I always choose the mozzarella blocks so I can cut it myself. I started an herb garden. Basil is so awesome and aromatic. Best herb. And then oregano. Marjoram. Ever heard of it? It's a cousin of oregano. I think spinach and basil are related. Anyways, when things are made from scratch, then they are usually healthier. At least in my kitchen, because I don't own high fructose corn syrup. Corn products, and pork products, are bad for your body because it doesn't really know what to do with them. Besides, Coca-Cola made without high fructose is better for you and it tastes better. If you want some, order it from Mexico. They make it without that corn-crap. Europe also shuns corn syrup. But they are just smarter than America. The food industry in America has a monopoly over the business. They completely control food in America. So fight back! Become a locavore (one who uses local ingredients and such) and make food from scratch. Ponder, pizza neopolitan.

I don't like people who pretend like there smart. Yes, it's possible. They will just repeat things smart people say, or just know one fact and simply reprocess that fact. Sometimes they will read things out loud. I'm at a museum, and this anti-smartsy is going through an exhibit and he just says "Oh yeah, there's the 'Landlocked stage' and then 'Continental shift and motion' with 'Shallow Seas'", reading off the titles of some of the micro-articles. I'm sorry, I'm pretty sure all of us can read. Thanks for making a fool of yourself though. It was fun. Let's do this again sometime.

Oh well. In heart, everyone means good. Whether for themselves or otherwise, they all strive to get attention in some way. No one means to come off as a moron. It just happens. Speaking of the word "moron," John Malkovich manages to say the word nearly a million times in the movie Burn After Reading. It was funny, but I want to see The Big Lebowski. Ponder, why the hell did Brad Pitt have to die?

Cool, cats.
Chill.
Sleep.
Tightly.

Cameron.

March is National Toaster Month

Stella By Starlight

Real Book, failed CD burn, note on water-stained paper, and tiny-cheap headphones.

I am terrified of talking on the phone. I don't know why. I just freeze up, and for some reason I just want to email instead. Sometimes I beg for the answering machine. But today I faced my fears, and now I have a gig. Good deal. In retrospect, it seems my fear was irrational. I guess, the phone is a commitment. You can leave an email or a text message, but if someone calls you, you can't just up and leave. I'm scared of commitment. That's why I don't have a girl. That and I'm part creeper. But I fear that I may not be committed. Or that she may not be committed. But in the end, I will figure it out. Ponder, eh.

I am Episcopalian. I love the Episcopal Church. We have freedom, and instead of just handing you a set of beliefs and rules and curriculum, we have questions. What does God mean to you? Why? If you disagree with this person, that's fine. Let's go have some drinks. We still have wine, and it tastes pretty good. There is such a variety of people, and we all love each other. We accept gays and lesbians, and they are some of the most awesome members of our congregation. The Anglican sect (Episcopal is the American Anglican) is the second largest in the world, next to Catholicism. Speaking of religion, I heard an interesting point - sometimes the people who doubt a religion also know more than the average church-goer. Because if you doubt, you think. If you have "faith," then sometimes that means you are just a blind follower. I encourage you to think about your own morals and ethics and beliefs and question them. C.S. Lewis, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia, was originally a scientist. His goal was to prove that God didn't exist, but instead he ended up embracing Christianity. You might be thinking "'Deus ex machina' much, pal" but I want you to think about who you are and what you believe. Ponder, and also with you.

I hate bugs. And bug bites.
Go to sleep.
Good night.

Band Camp

Thoughts and Things I learned from Band Camp.

I flew there, on a plane. Being in a big airport is confusing and enlightening. So many people, of all shades and hues, different clothing and different faces and different smiles. Overhead, the announcements ring like Big Brother or Fahrenheit 451 in sweet strange tones. People walking, machines talking and the old-people cart beeping out of time. Sandwich inflation is rampant; water costs money; this is airport.

The plane is also interesting. I still don't know why I can't listen to my iPod during takeoff or landing. People coughing. The air hostess shows us how to save ourselves. We barely listen. Fasten our seat belts, get ready for takeoff. In the air in no time. Fly through and above the water mountains and finally I can listen to music. Not a long flight, but we still get soda. I just sight-read some music. I did not sleep. This is airplane.

Family. Gasp. Some are incredible. Others are talkative, and some discourse on matters that never seemed important. They are still not important. I'm sorry that you had to stay extra hour at work. I don't really care. Token grandfather popcorn. A board game with dice. Luck is always involved, but strategy never takes back seat. The drive to the university was cool. My aunt and uncle bought me dried apples at the Trader Joe's.

Camp. Making new friends. Always hard, the first day. An unfamiliar place, with faces and smells and sights to boot. At least the lobby had a piano. Found old friends. Made new ones. Played music. I auditioned and was placed into the top wind ensemble, second chair to someone who had never played tenor before. It angered me, but it was an angsty teenage anger, the kind that comes from jealousy and hate. I practiced hard. I auditioned for jazz band. I am a horrible sight reader, but my improv turned out well. I don't think the auditioner dug my sound, and I was second chair tenor in the second band. With my bravado and general enthusiasm and jazz style I convinced everyone I was first tenor. Ha. I love music.

Jazz music is free. I cannot emphasize this enough. It is not something that should be controlled or forced. It should flow, light from light, true jazz from true jazz. Jazz is improvisation; Jazz is personal expression and telling a story without using any words. Jazz should not be arranged and caged, like in the sense of middle school jazz bands, where there aren't any solos at all. To them, jazz is just notes on a page, placed and played. Oh boy! Gee willickers! By golly, jazz is swell and kosher! Huge vibrato, big claps, smiles and snaps on one and three. I'm sorry, but this is not the case. Jazz is heavy. If you can't say "I'm angry" or "I love you" in words, Jazz can say all that and a bag of chips. The salt and vinegar kind. Something that takes class and taste, acquired and always different. To those seek to contain jazz with tangible notes on a piece of paper and destroy the solo, I despise you. To those who seek to bring jazz into it's true setting, the unknown and the ever-changing, I admire you. Jazz ponder.

I also learned that using the word "gay" instead of "stupid" is in essence idiotic. No, really that idea can not be gay. Any jokes, for that matter, that insert the word "gay" are completely foolish. Gay people are often much cooler than straight people. On a side note (with zest of sarcasm) Fox News should go screw itself.

Anyways,

enjoy life. Don't postpone it. Let is happen. Nothing good comes from holding things back. Except the Hoover Dam.

I want to be Chet Baker.