Thoughts about Peru

Morning in Machu Picchu

Even since I was a little girl for some reason I've wanted to walk the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and so  I did, finishing a four day trek and waking up the next day at the site on my 50th birthday.  When people ask what it was like, my answer is often that I learned if you keep putting one foot in front of the other, no matter how slowly you're going, eventually you get someplace.  

The trail isn't technically hard, but it's high (crossing three high passes, almost 14,000 feet) and steep.  The scenery is utterly incredible, simply spectacular.   There's an annotated photo album on Facebook and also many more photos at http://gallery.me.com/buzzarte.     There are far, far, too many things to go into here, but let me close with one more image:

This giant monolith, an immense irregular boulder about 60 feet high, stands on the trail between the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu itself, facing north and overlooking the Machu Picchu site almost as a guardian.  I was drawn to it very strongly.  Later on I found out that about four feet in front of this rock was found "the finest burial" at Machu Picchu:  a female human skeleton, with artifacts, along with the skeleton of a small collie-like dog.   It's no accident that this burial was here, or that I felt its power.

Vault

Vault 201

The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Triennial exhibition “Why Design Now?” New York, NY : 2010 

Lara Davis, Construction Manager

Ochsendorf DeJong & Block, L.L.C. - Structural Engineering Consultants 

I suppose one of things about getting older is that younger friends begin to make their mark in the world.
I'm so fond of Lara Davis, one of my friends, and an artist through and through.  I first meet her when she was an undergraduate, an intern for the Pauline Oliveros Foundation, now known as the Deep Listening Institute, and we have been friends since.  The singing (and splashing boiling water) tea kettle.  A lift to the all-night gas station in Rhode Island.  The house on the lake and the dog lured in with beef stew.  The brief stay in 4J.  The times she worked as a human backhoe.  A life in Brooklyn.  And then...  The book portfolio.  MIT.  (All architects should be artists!)  Vaults.   Ethiopia...Switzerland.  Look out, world!

Two Years

Much has happened in the last six months (two CD releases!  trekking in Peru!  how to best resolve conflicts between Arizona's SB 1070 and professional conferences scheduled to be held in Arizona in 2011?) and it's quite evident to me that I'm not much of a blogger.    At least, not a timely blogger.  However,  tonight's post is about something that happened two years ago the day before yesterday, when Sealy (then known as Cieli) came into my life.

She was perhaps five months old then, very sick, and had been sick for over three months at that point with reoccurring pneumonia and a collapsed lung, living in the medical kennels of an animal shelter.

It had been almost four years by that time since Suki had died, and I'd gone out  to the shelter that day to put my name on a list to be called if border collie mixes came in.  For some reason I happened to ask if they could use someone to take in dogs short-term, and I was sent next door to the medical kennels to meet with the foster dog coordinator, who quite atypically was willing to place Cieli with me even though I was a stranger off the street (she did contact my references first!). 

First night:  October 21, 2008

The shelter hoped that a foster home placement might break the cycle of reinfection, and I agreed to keep her for two weeks to two months, and take her in for checkups as needed (usually every two weeks).   We walked around the block at the shelter, and she was curious about a leaf blower and kids skateboarding, not frightened of them.   Despite her life so far - in the medical kennel, Cieli seemed...well, happy!  

Time passed, but her pneumonia continued, her lung remained collapsed.  Eventually the shelter agreed to pay for surgery to remove the collapsed lung (close to $4,000 at NYC prices).  In January 2009 she had the operation,  survived the operation (!), and came home with a giant red bandage and instructions not to let her run or jump for about a month, which crated or confined in a small area.

After lung surgery:  January 10, 2009

After the bandage came off, the angel puppy - who by then had lived with me for 2 1/2 months never crated, never destructive, was feeling a lot better.   It took me a day or two to realize that puppy mischief was now a factor.  In the meantime...

  

Sealy fished this off the desk (inside a plastic case).  No harm done to her, thank goodness!

(She also ate through my gig bag!)

Sealy was cleared for adoption and on March 19. 2009 to no one's surprise (except mine) she became mine.   I changed the spelling of her name to Sealy since she reminded me of a little black seal, and I love the sea ("Sea-lee" or maybe "See-lee" was one of the three ways people pronounced the Cieli spelling - the others were "kay-lee" and "chay-lee").

  

Happy Sealy (happier Monique) with fur growing back:  April 9, 2009

In the year and a half since that adoption, Sealy's presence has brought joy and happiness into my life each day.   Thank you, Sealy.

Remembered

I attend an awful lot of arts events each year, and in truth most of them don't stick with me.  One of the questions in a radio interview today was what were the most memorable performances I've recently attended.  Four sprang immediately to mind, and since they're so diverse I thought I'd share them here.

The incomparable Sarah Cahill, performing Ingram Marshell's Authentic Presence on a March 28, 2010 program at Caramoor.   (Disclaimer - this photo is of another composition on her program.)  I adore Sarah's playing, and I still have this piece - heard by me for the first time that evening - resounding inside my head (and heart).


The Metropolitan Opera's production of Phillip Glass' Satyagraha (from the 2007-2008 season).  Yes, of course, that last tenor aria is sublime, but what really struck me - and stuck with me - was the incredible stage magic of the Improbable Theater Company.


Pauline Oliveros and Susie Ibarra's set at The Stone last Saturday night.   Two incredible artists (that night using digital accordion and percussion).  I often "hear" colors, but this was the first time that listening invoked a smell.  (Skunk!).  


Les Éphémères by Le Thèâtre du Soleil at the Lincoln Center Festival (summer 2009).   A transcendently compassionate transformative production, directed by Ariane Mnouchkine.

An Outdoor Match

On May 2, Sealy went to her second match.   This was an outdoor event, and also sponsored by the First Dog Training Dog of Northern New Jersey, where we've been attending classes.  


It was a hot, hot day (about 90) but fortunately there were kiddie wading pools - and a garden hose - to cool down the dogs.  (I'd wet her down,  and she'd be dry in about twenty minutes.)


I did two entries again at this match, with similar results as the last time, which was indoors, not outdoors.   


Probably the most amusing thing happened in the first entry during the long down:  Sealy became absorbed in something - presumably a bug in the ground -  and first stretched and then crawled out of her long down to keep track of it.   My fault, of course!   I was remiss, and hadn't worked her outside - a textbook example of how all kinds of proofing is so important.  (In the long sit she became absorbed in a - yikes - slow moving bumblebee, but didn't break...).


I'm planning to trial her late July - mid August.  It's early - my work is cut out for me! -  but after late June I'll have time to train, and it will be good for me to be working towards a goal.  

Is Music Gay?

This fall, Joseph Dalton began a blog called My Gay Ears about gay composers and musicians, and up yesterday went a profile/interview of me in his  "queeries" section.

As anyone who knows me might have predicted, I'm not especially easy to categorize - I identify with my name, as a musician, but not with much else.  While it's rather difficult  for me to imagine just how the noun or verb or even adjective of being "lesbian" translates audibly into my performances or compositions (and even if it does, what would it matter?)  at the same time I am the sum of my parts, and this is a part of me, so when invited to be "queeried" by Jody I said yes.  I'm very curious to read how people respond to this piece, so please - leave a comment on that site!  (The comments section is at the very end of the story, under the box for the Amazon store.)

PS For those who don't know, Jody (as he's known) was CRI's Executive Director for about a decade (remember the Gay American Composers Vol. 1 & 2, and Lesbian American Composers compilations CDs?).    Now he's an arts writer and consultant.  (He was also a congressional page and an Eagle scout...)

The Clock Starts Over

Today's match, inside at the First Dog Training Club of Northern New Jersey where we've been attending classes, could have gone much, much worse.   Sealy did better than I had any reason to expect (given the modest amount of  practicing we did) but she didn't achieve anywhere near her potential.  We had two entries:   for the first one I decided to do the stand and off-lead heeling on lead, and formally (no talking to her), and then for the second to do the stand and off-lead heeling off-lead.

I need to work with her on attention (especially when I'm not talking to her, encouraging her), fronts, and the automatic sit.   In the long down for the first entry the dog next to her got up, came over, stood over her, and finally nuzzled her side, at which point she broke.  In the long-down for the second entry,  the same dog did the same thing, but this time Sealy didn't break.  Yay Sealy!   

Countdown - 3 Days!

Truth be told, I don't do too many other things in my life aside from working, and my dog Sealy is my main outlet for NOT working!    There are the daily walks with her, both in the woods in the morning and late evening, and in the afternoon in the neighborhood and dog run.  (In her company the amount of human interaction for me increases ten-fold.)  I love to watch her run and gambol, and her sheer joy exuberance in the world is a model for me to emulate.  She's a happy, happy, dog - good for Monique-as-a-Melancholy-Jaques to be around.   I find working with Sealy on these obediences exercises fun, and even though we're not as "ready" for the match on Saturday as I'd hoped to be, knowing there would be intermittent reports on this blog of our progress helped me train more than I likely would have otherwise.  

Sealy's recall has always been fast, like a rocket, but in the last few days she's begun to stop herself by rebounding off me at the end (instead of sitting in front).  Part of this is that as I've increased the distance, and the time before I call her (and distractions) she's gotten herself rather wound up - it's hard for her to wait to start with, and now the release for her of finally being called by me results in her imitating a popping champagne cork.   First I tried adding back in the sit command (she's so fast it's "Sealy, Come! Sit!!!"   at 30 feet), and then  I went back to shorter distances (and on-lead) so she can't get up much speed and can be right more often.  Handler error here - I tried to do too much too soon.

My four goals from nine days ago were:  automatic sits when heeling, straight fronts on the recall, stand, and fading my feet from finish.  While there's been progress on all of them, the two that "most improved" are the stand and the finish.  Based on what I've watched Novice trials online on YouTube, I still think she could qualify on each excercise.  This is amazing to me - the scoring seem to be far higher than it was years ago (15? or so) , the last time I did this, when I was working with Suki. 

Dear, sweet Suki... this is her near the end of her life, at about age 14.   And let's not forget Leika, either, the dog before Suki and my first dog.

Countdown - 5 Days!

Sealy and I have mostly been training outside the past few days,  so there have lots of distractions (for both of us).  Yesterday and again today a cherry tree was in that state I like so much, the  three-in-one state  (simultaneously blossom, flower, and leaf).  

How in the world did I ever go from  having 9 days left to train, to only having 5 days left?   Oh well... I have been doing a little bit each day, not all that much, but a little bit.  Which is a lot more than I was doing before holding myself publicly accountable on this blog (then it was just one day a week in class).

It's  been  interesting to identify the gaps in Sealy's knowledge -  once I take away this cue, or that one, it's been evident that she often really doesn't understand what I'm asking her to do.    Once I teach her - show her, help her - she does gets things, especially when I reinforce it every day a few times a day for several days in a row.   Starting tomorrow I'm going to try and do one run-through each day, so Sealy gets used to concentrating for longer periods, and I get used to the flow of one exercise to the next.  

Countdown - 9 days!

Yesterday was H-O-T (92 degrees) and I didn't work Sealy.  Hell, I could barely work me!   I did, however, realize that the progress Sealy made on the finish the other day wasn't as good as I'd initially thought.  Handler error strikes again - yeah, sure, I faded out my feet, but I was still giving a command and a signal, and I can only use one or the other.  Arrg!  


Early this morning we did some quick sit games on the way to a grassy area near the Hudson River not too far from the apartment.   Her sits were quick and straight (it helped a lot that my left shoulder wasn't all twisted back).    Now to get that into healing patterns as the automatic sit!   You can see from today's photo even after a short walk (before 7am) she was panting a bit.  And today was a lot cooler than yesterday! 


I also realized that I need to work on my footwork more - at the school where I'm working now the instructor encourages the slow-slow-sit approach for automatic sits, and I haven't been consistent in remembering to start this on my left foot.   I've also been sloppy about my left and right turns.  When I do these correctly - surprise, surprise - Sealy does much better.  


For a break I watched some of the Crufts competition videos on YouTube!

Countdown - 11 days!

The good news is that with a modest amount of work last night I managed to fade moving my feet from the "finish" command (at the end of the recall the dog sits - straight! - in front of and facing the handler, and then on finish command moves into heel position, sitting by the handler's left side).  Yay Sealy!    Dogs finish either with "flip" on the left side (moving towards the handlers and then pivoting) or a "swing" (moving forward to the handler's right, and pass behind the handler's back, ending up sitting by the left side.)   I've taught Sealy both ways to finish, but always liked the flip better, so worked last night on fading my feet for that one.  A little bit of work, quite a lot of success!   One goal down, three more to go - now my goals are to work on with Sealy in the next ten days are:

 

1) getting Sealy to have a quicker, straighter automatic sit during the heeling and figure eight exercises (I tend to drop my left shoulder back, and could do a better job easing into the halt with my footwork);

2)  a semblance of a straight front after the recall (as opposed to bouncing off me);  and 

3) getting more distance away from her on the stand.

PS Today marked the usual "boom" of the change of seasons here in New York.  It's hot like summer!  (Although not yet humid, thank goodness.)  Tomorrow is supposed to get up to 89.  Way too hot, way too early to my way of thinking, but then I actually do like snow...

Countdown - 12 days!

Twelve days left before Sealy's first practice match (Novice A).  

(For the people out there who don't know the first thing about dog obedience:  think of this as a sport where the human and canine partners work together as a team.  It's quite wonderful to watch - the dogs obviously enjoy working! In fact the regulations specify that it's essential for the dogs to demonstrate willingness and enjoyment.)

Yesterday I printed out the regulations  (Novice is on p. 43-47) and read them over carefully.  I also wrote up a list of common handler errors I've witnessed in the past - things that I need to remember avoid doing myself!  

Here are the Novice exercises and how's Sealy's doing so far:

Heel on Leash and Figure Eight – these exercises show that the dog has learned to watch its handler and to adjust both its direction and pace (faster or slower) to stay with the handler. Together these are worth 40 points.

Sealy's attention (looking at me) wanders when I'm not talking to her and praising her, but it's probably good enough to qualify.  Her about turns are good, she sometimes lags on the right turn and crowds on the left turn.  She has good changes of pace.  I need to work with her on the automatic sits (and with me to avoid twisting myself around to try and see her!).

Stand for Examination – the dog stays in a standing position off-leash as its handler walks six feet away, and continues to stand without moving as the the judge approaches the dog and  lightly touches the its head, body and hindquarters, and the handler returns to the dog.  This is worth 30 points.

Oh, this is a hard one for wiggly happy Sealy who wants more than anything to jump up and greet people with kisses and licks!  I'm still working with her on-leash for this, and so far have only moved about two feet away, not six.  When the person approaching her makes eye contact she's far likely to move her paws;  with direct no eye contact she's much steadier. 

Heel Free – the dog and handler perform a heeling pattern with the dog off-leash.  This is worth 40 points.

I haven't done this at all with her yet, so far have just placed the leash over my shoulder.  At the match I will ask to do this on-leash since she's not ready yet off-leash. 

Recall – demonstrates that the dog will come to the handler on command.  30 points.

Sealy has a reliable sit, a very fast recall, but no front and is still getting help from me (my feet) for the finish.     

Long Sit - the dog must remain sitting for one minute in the presence of other dogs while the handler stands across the ring.  30 points.

Sealy's very steady on this (I've been working her far longer periods of time.)

Long Down – the dog must remain in a down position for three minutes in the presence of other dogs while the handler stands across the ring.  30 points.

Sealy's very steady on this (I've been working her for far longer periods of time.)

In summary:  we likely could "qualify" (awarded at least half the points) on all the exercises except for Heel Free.   My goals for the match, what I want to work on the most in the next 12 days:  automatic sits, straight(er) front,  getting more distance on the stand, and fading my feet from the finish command.

Now...time to leave the computer and go practice with Sealy!

The Egg

I'm not big on religious holidays of any persuasion, but today is Easter and yesterday while hiking with Sealy I did come across a large egg-shaped boulder...glacial erratic... if it had only been on the equinox!

Speaking of Sealy, maybe I should blog about her?  (More regular postings for sure!).   Here she is on Bluff Point at the northern tip of Connecticut earlier in the week - the photo looks out eastwardly towards the Long Island Sound.  If it had been a clear day supposedly one can see three states (New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) but this was right around the rain storm that flooded the area, especially Rhode Island, where  I-95 was closed for 2 1/2 days.  Amtrak trains, too.

Aren't photos of black dogs fascinating?  So much facial expression!   (A good thing she has a red collar and red tongue!)

I've entered her in an obedience match later this month, so perhaps I'll document her progress here (which might spur me to train more regularly than once-a-week-in-class!).  

April marks the first time registered mixed-breed dogs ("Canine Partners") have been allowed to compete at sanctioned AKC Agility, Obedience, and Rally events.

I never, ever, dreamed that the AKC would move in this direction back when I was first introduced to obedience training as a sport twenty (?) years ago, first with Leika and then with Suki (who both mixed-breed dogs) so I was pretty shocked - to say the least - when I heard that the AKC had begun seriously discussing the inclusion of mixed-breed dogs in non-conformation activities.  I was stunned last April when it actually adopted that policy.  I was delighted in January, when the word came down that mixed-breed dogs would be allowed to compete in the same ring as the purebred ones, with the purebred ones, and earn the same titles.  (Originally neither was the case, although it seemed to me to be only a matter of time before those "separate-but-equal" distinctions would have to fall by the wayside.)  Kudos to the AKC!   The January decision is what prompted me to enroll Sealy (AKC #MA00246801).

Pauline Oliveros - William Schuman Award

On Saturday evening Pauline Oliveros was presented with the William Schuman Award at a concert of her works at Columbia University's Miller Theater.   This award honors the lifetime achievement and lasting significance of a contemporary American composer.  I was one of many artists gathered together for a most remarkable evening of compositions spanning 50 years of Pauline's creative work.


A friend of mine who attended the concert - a musician of the very highest calibre - emailed me afterwards that "Last night, I realized the extent to which she made a direct impact on so many people, from musicians to non-musicians, and what an amazing human being she must be."   Pauline recently asked if I would contribute a Midword to her forthcoming book  Sounding the Margins:  Collected Writings 1992-2009.   I'd like to offer that Midword here, too, as a written tribute along side of my aural contributions to the other night. 

Have you ever stopped, mid-word, and then continued on?   Have you ever listened, in seemingly slowed-down time, as each syllable of your voice crumbles into sound, a division continuing without end?  Have you ever found yourself on stage performing and then - suddenly – listened as something totally unexpected sounded forth from your body? Have you ever listened - really listened - and then, mid-word, or mid-phrase, or mid-life, changed directions?

Pauline Oliveros has a knack of being a catalyst to those surrounding her, for changes of every sort;  musical and personal, outward and visible,  inner and transformational.  One of the most revolutionary aspects of her professional life has been to reject the conventional hierarchical role of a composer.  Rather than asking performers to set aside their creativity in service to hers, she invites them to develop their own musical potential.  Rather than asking audiences to be recipients of the creative efforts of others, she invites them to participate in the process.  In Pauline’s music there is an elision between the traditionally authoritarian role of the composer and the resulting subservient roles of the performer and audience.   She offers instead a continuum where performers also compose, audiences also perform, and most importantly of all, everyone listens.   The energy created by this type of intentional listening is palpable, and it is in this listening that the transformational power of Pauline’s compositions becomes most evident.

In “Sounding the Margins”, Pauline Oliveros brings to the foreground the importance of developing the creative potential of all individuals, including those which have been unfortunately – and sometimes deliberately – marginalized.   By consciously moving away from structures of power where the composer’s creativity is the sole one in evidence,  Pauline is able to realize her musical vision while at the same explicitly encouraging and supporting the development of creative potential in others.  As a world-renowned performing composer, she continually provides opportunities for lesser-known artists to join her onstage. 

Unparalleled as a collaborative artist, her generosity of spirit defines her teaching as it does her music and her life. In the most literal sense, what I offer as a Midword will be centrally placed within this volume.  However, what I have received from Pauline - what she has offered me, and the world, though her compositions, performances, teaching, and listening - has been centrally placed in my life.  

It is fitting that Pauline herself have last words of this Midword, words that from my own experience I know can change a thought, a musical phrase, and a life:   “Deep Listening is listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear no matter what you are doing.”