Well, Friday night, I'm sitting at my new desk (given to me by my generous roommate), under a beautiful lamp (also gifted to me from a friend), and there probably isn't anywhere else I would like to be right now. This reminds me quite a bit of my freshman year of college when I wanted nothing more on a Friday night than to sit alone at my desk and watch movies.
For the first time since moving to my new home my room is organized and I must admit, though it may seem silly, that my everyday life really has augmented quite a bit as a result of a neat and clutter-less room (well, a few papers here and there). There definitely has to be some universal truth in my findings but to be honest, I rarely have lived in a tidy and functional living arrangement...ha, serious, in 25 years. I feel like such a caveman, late to the findings of the normal and functioning adult. I mean, I come home, I turn on the lamp, I sit at my desk, and I take care of business. There is now beautiful couch (thanks to my roomie, again) that sits in the corner of my room so you are more than welcome to come into he humble abode. Clearly, living with two guys who really like to keep things tidy has rubbed off on me.
In other news, life as a musician has been good. I've made some dramatic improvements in my playing (much having to do with the wonderful people who have helped guide my efforts through lessons) in the past half year or so. However, and this is very common, I've come across a string of a few weeks of not so good playing/achievement in my practice and those rough patches are very hard to work through.Who knows exactly what the problem may be but things aren't quite clicking like they might have in the passed months...but these types of things are inevitable. I feel happy that I am able to deal with this better than I have in the past. Rather than being discouraged or puzzled at what is happening, I have peace in knowing that no one is always perfect and that the enjoyment and love of music making shall always be greater than any anxiety. Rough patches are inevitable and when people encounter them, I feel that it is necessary to look to perspective for a sense of peace. For me, music and the joys it brings me will always be greater than the anxiety involved with playing a brass instrument. When I remember what it is about making music that I love, my problems in the physical world become very trivial. When I am in this mindset, my fear of playing leaves me and I can enjoy it the very same way I did when I first picked up the horn at the age of 11.
I do want to write about this in a bit more detail but I do think I shall save that for another time.
Big game this weekend, Texans vs. Cowboys.
I need to first start by saying, I really have no idea who will win. I know for a fact that the Texans are the better team. However, one of the amazing beauties of any competition in general (be it sports, music, art, whatever) is that the best contender doesn't always win.
The Dallas Cowboys, despite lacking a win in their first two outings, are still considered to be a top notch team in the NFL and have been for the passed several years. An 0-2 start for any team would make them hungry to make sure that the number is not 0-2. This Cowboys team is going to come out with some major fire under their bellies and they are hoping to prove something against a Texans team that is slowly earning national recognition as the best team in the state.
In order to win this game, the Texans need to let go of any sub-conscience morals and decide to beat someone down when they are already down. No inch of sympathy should be anywhere near that locker room and the Texans need to come out with a continuous chip on their shoulder to prove to the nation that the Texans are for real. See, we aren't a team that can depend on our past of winning experience...well, because we aren't traditionally "winners". The Colts have lots of security within themselves. They may lose a game, get their ass kicked, but they know one thing; they have one of the greatest players to ever play the game quarterbacking their offense.
The Texans do not have that luxury or comfort. Our only success has resulted from an amazingly high amount of energy that has stirred from a whole off-season's worth of preparation and a need to prove something. We have to maintain this throughout the whole season to garner any real success that would hopefully lead into a nice post-season birth.
ok, time to go buy some water,
good night friends
yours
James Lee
