I’d been noticing that a subset of the substack crew would use their weekly social media posts as the basis for blogging. That sounded nice. I missed blogging!
Then I went on vacation, came back and the semester turned into a sprint, and I stopped posting much on social media. So I guess I’ll just have to try again. The next couple months will likely be on the quiet side though.
Nice things; Lessons in humility
I’ve had a fantastic year for awards. In fall 2022 I was elected to the Royal Society of Canada (had to wait on formal induction till fall 2023 due to existing travel plans); in the last week I was elected a Fellow of the International Communication Association; and Diminished Faculties won the Gertrude J. Robinson Book Award from the Canadian Communication Association.
These are all nice, as I’m still the kid who sits at the front of the class and raises his hand, so a little approval is honestly nice. But it’s important to maintain some humility and beginner’s mind as well.
Here’s a quote from Morton Subotnik, on trying to buy a copy of Silver Apples of the Moon, after he was signed to his first big recording contract:
I went in and said to the clerk, “I hear there’s this record, Silver Apples of the Moon.” He said, “Yeah, but it’s shit. We’ve sold it out. I don’t know why they’re buying it. I can show you some really good LPs.” He brings out the Columbia-Princeton [Electronic Music Center] LP. I said, “No, no! I really want Silver Apples of the Moon.” He said, “Maybe we have one more copy,” and I bought it. I walked in a giant; I walked out a midget. It really put me in my place. I walked down the stairs feeling so big, but I could barely make it back up the stairs, they were so big. I thanked him for that.”
“We Are Who We Invent” Tape Op
In related news, Volte spent a weekend in May recording with Ky Brooks, and I have to say I managed to hear every little mistake I made. More time with the metronome for me.