In Which Ryan Is No Longer On (Non-OTC) Drugs
February 2024 | 5:2
Looking back, Koopa and Goomba mainly wonder why the leg nook keeps moving.
What's Been Happening
January has definitely been eventful, and most of it was even planned! Unusually for me it is very distinctly divided into three parts:
First, the annual JEN Conference was a success and it was great as always to be back in New Orleans. On a personal level, it's nice that such a team has developed in production where I work. Beyond just making it a great chance to catch up with friends and meet new ones, the crazy amount of logistics work involved gets spread around more which makes the whole experience smoother and more enjoyable.
Second, immediately after returning from New Orleans we were supposed to have DCI callback auditions... which quickly turned into a cancellation from the extreme cold and snow that came through Chicago. While it's disappointing to have to reschedule and adjust so many plans on the fly, it was definitely the right decision from both a safety and a "which logistics nightmare would you prefer to deal with" standpoint. The season is shaping up to be a good one, and in no small part to our very learned ability to pivot on a dime and chart the best path forward when we get new information.
Third, I finally had surgery to repair three hernias that I've had for as long as I can remember. Those of you who are saying "wait, why in the world have you just been walking around with three hernias?" that was my reaction when my doctor first told me several years ago, so no I was not just toughing it out or anything. Both my doctor and surgeon were clear that since they had never bothered me or caused pain there wasn't any reason I needed to have them fixed... but they also don't improve on their own and I figured it was best to take care of it when I actually can make a window in my schedule. Plus not that I'm old and decrepit, but I'm not made of magic and rubber anymore either so this is as easy as the recovery is ever going to be.
The surgery itself was by all accounts routine and successful, and as of this writing I'm on a sleep schedule and have been off the prescription pain meds for several days, so there's still plenty of recovery to do but all is on track. As final thoughts, I offer some highlights and insights from my surgical process:
I don't know what this says about me, but my biggest anxiety going in was that I would say something stupid coming out of anesthesia. You'd think I have enough practice saying stupid things even without excuses.
Have I mentioned recently how amazing my wife is? Yes she was in the loop as we planned things and of course she's kind and caring, but I literally can't imagine doing this without her. She's the difference between this being borderline trauma throughout and "I'm fine."
I understand the need for the question when it's to clarify something over the phone, but "yes I'm sure I have a urinary catheter in" is not something I thought I'd ever need to clarify.
I've said it before but it definitely rings true regardless of how sympathetic or empathetic you are; minor surgery is surgery that happens to someone else.
"You can do anything you want, you just won't want to for a while" was an extremely vague but very accurate assessment in advance by my surgeon.
It is a really good thing I'm not a woman in a time period where I'm responsible for keeping society going by having kids, because I assume this is less traumatic than childbirth and yet I'm a big ol' pansy about it.
By the same token, it's only a couple days out and I already cannot really remember any of the worst sensations involved so my overall gut reaction (no pun intended) is that it wasn't that bad. Human psychology is fascinating.
May your masks smell pleasant and your packages arrive without incident,
Ryan
Chart O' The Month
This is one of the very first charts I did for the Medium Ensemble and also one of my favorite Mingus compositions, so I suspect it's only taken this long to share because it's a fairly straightforward version as opposed to a highly inventive arrangement. In the words of one of my mentors though; there's nothing wrong with doing it right, and this is almost always the first chart on every Medium gig for a reason.
Compositionally, I simply love the development and balance of contrasting elements which is part of why I haven't changed much at all about the original. Even the only thing I added (a unison sax soli with me doubling) is actually a reference to a version played by my teacher's band from my undergrad (the Bop Stop Jazz Unit). The soli itself is quirky if nothing else because it's the only spot in the tune where it's an 11 bar phrase instead of 12; I initially left it because of a time crunch to have charts for the first gig and I've definitely thought about changing it over the years. It's stuck this far though, and if nothing else I think "seems wrong but definitely works" is fairly on brand for Mingus even if it was unintentional to start.
Look, Nature!
This is a picture of a rainbow eucalyptus tree from Wahiawa Botanical Garden on Oahu. Beyond being interesting and pretty, I highly recommend seeing one in person if you have the opportunity because it looks like a tree from a Van Gogh painting dropped into reality, so the effect is even more stark when a screen isn't involved.
Education Notes
The aforementioned cancellation of the DCI callback camp we had scheduled and subsequent re-planning has made me realize how much calmer and better I've gotten at doing things like that. I actually went back and re-read an article I did for Denis Wick on trying to plan for the future during the height of the pandemic, and I'm struck by both how well it's aged and how much of that thinking I still use constantly even now that things are as normal as they ever get. It's led me to two specific ideas moving forward:
First, being able to pivot quickly and re-plan major events due to issues is a skill set I wish I didn't need, but one I'm really glad I have and that I've developed over time. Sub-optimal situations are often the best ways to learn to create optimal ones.
Second, I'm going to be on the lookout for other skills like this that I've picked up. Partly it's pragmatic to keep track of what I'm learning and can use, but also as a reminder for myself that lemonade isn't the only thing you can do with lemons.