Welcome to the twenty-third edition of Ephemerata: reflections, observations, and life at the edge.

I'm doing this to stimulate discussion around what I find interesting, and also to share things before they disappear into the void of my journal.

Thanks to Charles E. Lerner and Deta for becoming a backer this week ❤️.

CONTENTS

1. The feeling of being magical
2. Evolution one
3. Fleeting Arrivals
4. Events
5. Asides
6. Music

THE FEELING OF BEING MAGICAL

I may not generally present myself with fancy clothes, or visually obvious ornamentation, but I am that multi-coloured dragon who has a certain thing that cannot be found elsewhere, and it's a privilege to feel when this inspires and brings joy to others.

EVOLUTION ONE

Using a blog system has opened up a new channel of expression for me, curious to see how far this goes.

Since the first edition of Ephemerata, my intention was to share things that give a sense of my world and spur discussion, grouping them in a single digest to avoid overloading people with real-time messages. I still think […]

FLEETING ARRIVALS

I'm starting a Tumblr to practice articulating why I'm sharing something, and to 'distribute the workload' of writing Ephemerata by publishing as I go. This makes it possible to explore or even subscribe to music, articles, or podcasts via tag.

❤️

Help me continue creating projects that are public, accessible for free, and open-source, consider becoming one of my financial backers.

EVENTS

• December 8th to 11th: Visiting Montreal 👋🏼
• December 9th, 2021: Attending Fission MTL DWeb Social

ASIDES

Let's talk about society, laws, and two phrases..... Frames pathways for change in a way that feels approachable: we can start where we are. Interesting to consider representatives without their own voice as mere channels for their constituents. If you want to change society, change the way people think; law is a lagging indicator of what people want.

[Political representatives shouldn't make any decisions, but rather simply vote the way a majority of their constituents want.]

[By the time a law passes, most people have already changed their thinking: it's not a leading indicator but an enforcement mechanism.]

[Societal change happens in your skull.]

Lessons from a Feline Gaze. My former professor started writing in public recently and managed to describe transcendence in what we, here on the Internet, refer to as a "cat picture". I'm fond of lenses that help us see the sublime in ordinary experiences. There is so much we can learn from animals and nature, such as paying attention to our natural reactions and inhibitions. Feels also like a kind of oblique strategy.

Here is Stella, instructing us on how to look at something we’ve never seen before. As our resident cat-comedian with a gift for irony, she is wondering whether this item — a conductor’s baton — can be worked in as “A” material for her next vaudeville show. The baton is also about to become a tooth sharpener, but we’ll explore that in a moment. Here, Stella is elevating attention itself into an art form, and teaching us to do the same. If that idea doesn’t resonate with you, please find your inner still-point and a moment to drink in her lucent, emerald gaze.

lectronice made a cardboard computer, with all the features a young child needs.

MUSIC

All the following items can be accessed as a one-click playlist via Joybox without accounts or sign up—just open and play.

Long

Kidi Band: Gimme Gimme (2016). Another release from Kidi Band (featured in #022). I initially didn't make the connection that this was the same group, so they truly managed to captivate me twice—it became distracting to do anything else and I just wanted to listen. I tend to avoid 'loud' music, but this reminds me that it's possible for me to enjoy it. Thoughtful, complex, and emotional. My favourite moments: How Long with busy, intricate, active drumming in the midst of graceful, expansive, widening sung phrases, plus a polyphonic polyrhythmic sundae in the middle; the rhythmic singing in Mountain, feeling like a collective rhythm machine with sudden metric changes; Fever Driver's dense, rich texture, heavily lilting from side to side (or maybe in circles) might get you high.

Short

Frédéric Chopin: Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 (1835). A live performance (with hands as the focal point) of a friend and pianist from Italy playing this masterpiece, followed by an analysis explaining what makes certain parts of this piece stand out from other repertoire. I enjoy this fluidity of being able to talk about music that one performs, to help other people hear what's going on and find their way in.

Caetano Veloso: O Leãozinho from Caetano Veloso (1986). I'm overwhelmed by the simplicity of this little tune: just voice and simple guitar patterns can vividly paint an entire scene, with this bright, lilting mood. The singing and accompaniment are rhythmically fused in a way that makes it natural to embody. It was written for Caetano's sister Maria Bethânia, whose hair may resemble a lion's mane. The percussive clicking might be unique to this version of the song. See the lyrics for a translation. (via Dani)

More

Check out Fleeting Arrivals for more music.

(I heart music)

I always love receiving music. Send me recommendations anytime, anywhere!

That's all folks!

Feel free to reply and share any reflections you might have, or just say hello. Have a great week 🙂.

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