pre-historic blogging

[gusl]

In early 2001, before I knew what a blog was, I decided to write some diary entries in a web page. This could have been inspired by what I saw in neurogirl's website.

I learned of the concept of LiveJournal in October 2001, spread by Boston people through amanda42. I got my invitation from ninjalawyer.

Without further ado, let me introduce you the me of 4 years ago:

15 April 2001

It's 5:07am. Today (yesterday), it was very nice and sunny. At night,
I decided to go bar-hopping in Lewisburg. Took me 10 minutes to check out
all the bars.

Saw Justin briefly. Went back to the Bull Run. Saw some friend of an
old graduated friend, who said that my friend [Gregg Lithgow? -GL2005] had been looking for me.
Turns out there was an Ultimate Frisbee reunion tournament  So he
gave me directions. I met a like-minded mathematician who is working on
linguistics [this was Steve Grimes -GL2005]

 

14 April 2001

It was the 13th a few minutes ago. We are finally getting some nice
weather here. This week was my first chance to go out in shorts for a whole
day.

Yesterday, the 12th, there was a "junior class" talent show featuring
the Bison Chips. I had forgotten about that, but when I saw Sean, he invited
me to go up with them... I really didn't want to disrupt their group, but
he insisted. At the Bison, he usually acts as leader. He called me up to
join them... I was a little shy, but he had given me a warning, I had decided
that I would accept it. I didn't know some of the songs, so Sean held my
hand (literally). So, despite not having prepared at all, I went up there
and jammed with them for three whole songs. It felt great to be singing
in public. It would have been better if I knew what I was doing though.

So, I told Sean that we have to seriously jam some time this month
(before we graduate). Maybe this weekend.

He is the most all-around talented musician I know personally, and
a great entertainer too. When he's famous, I can legitimately claim that
I have played with him.

Music really is his life... His lives with his band, and almost every
time I see him, he is doing something related with music. He is a management
major (I guess that's why he has so much time left for music, hehe).

 

7 April 2001

Went to NY today. Saw the trading floor at the stock exchange. Not that
exciting.

Since I woke up at 6am, I figured I would benefit from some caffeine.
I never drink coffee, and I avoid carbonated drinks, so the dose of "energy
pills" had a significant effect on me. Although I am not sure it significantly
decreased my sleepiness, I could write very very fast, albeit shakingly.
Since I sat around for most of the "high", I got tics on my shoulder/arm
joints. It was almost involuntary, but definitely interesting... 

I felt that I lacked peace. I took them at noon, and I think they wore
off completely by 6pm. At the end of the day, I spent 9 hours on the bus.

Back in Lewisburg, I went to the SluTrane concert at Baha (better known
as its previous name, Skip's, the strip joint).

Keyboard improv whiz Sean Kirnan, along with one bass guitarist, two
treble guitarists, a singer, a drummer, and two brass instrumentalists,
did an excellent job. I'm glad someone recorded it. I'll try to make a
copy.

 

5 April 2001

This Saturday I have my first opera. For me, it's two small appearances,
and no solos, which is a good thing.

I was a late-comer in Chorale: I joined my second semester junior year,
but by now I feel acquainted with most of the "music community", which
by the way, tends to be an interesting group of people. Also, there is
nothing quite like being in the middle of the ensemble, being PART of the
ensemble... At our concert, DP, our wonderful conductor, told us to not
use the scores. Somehow this made me feel empowered. I sang by heart...
with my heart. I suppose if my hands have nothing to do, my mind concentrates
more on the music, or maybe it's the fact that I'm not reading, or both.

This Tuesday I grabbed my computer's microphone, and recorded my helium-enhanced
voice, performing Ralph Vaughan Williams's "Serenade to Music": the soprano
part! If Rachel's high A (in a D major part) gave me musical orgasms, then
what I did that day was truly masturbation. Now, since this was the top
of her range, I didn't think I would be able to reach it... but I did,
with little difficulty. Of course I was in falsetto, but I reached it anyway.
Not bad for a bass. Had I not used helium, it would have come out very
soft
and halting, and possibly out of tune.

Helium has interesting effects: it brings up my normal talking pitch
by about a fifth. But it also changes the quality of the sound, perhaps
making it more nasal.

The interesting scientific result here was that I could sing a given
note, even before I heard my new voice. So, somehow the shaping of sung
notes is independent of the helium, while the speaking voice isn't.

 

26 March 2001

This Saturday, Bucknell had its first International Auction.

I brought four items from Brazil. Altogether, they cost me $11, and
they sold for $52 (because one of the better one was broken and taken off
the auction). Actually, I could have bought them for US$6 if I went to
the right place. It's amazing what distances can do to prices.