Balmy evening

Went to the theatre this evening to see a Noel Coward play - Hay Fever. It was ok - the play was more interesting than the performance... lots of very self-indulgent people on stage (in the play). Team work in Bolton is so good at the moment I found all this self-indulgence a bit odd and not very realistic! But that's not fair to Coward, because most of us are really like this, even if we don't want to admit it...

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comment

I used this improvisation to comment on someone else's music - it strikes me that a musical response to music is the most appropriate response! More bid writing today. knackered!

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Tired

It's always interesting improvising when I'm tired. The general lassitude of this improvisation throws up some surprising moments. Good meeting about bid today.

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Hot day

Bid writing, emailing, sorting out great train disaster next week!

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Water Pistols at the ready

Very hot today... thinking about holiday (next week) and can't be bothered to do any more work. I am looking at the LWJGL and JOPS particle system for doing interesting visualisations of communication in institutions... Nice to do some programming again!

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Saturday

I'm too tired to improvise tonight - but I have still got a bank of previous improvisations I can use. Went to see Wall-E today. Very good...

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Resignation

Sometimes you have to know when to give up. I'm hemorrhaging  money on houses, expending emotional effort on people, and none of it is leading anywhere. So I'm giving up - and proud of it! This is therefore a resigned improvisation - relaxed, spiritual, etc...

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Wednesday

Good meal out at veggie restaurant this evening - though rather expensive. Back late, so this improvisation was done the week before last... one of the "I wonder what I will be feeling like after seeing the comet again" improvisations!

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The comet-observer's perspective

This is an improvisation for the comet observer - what does the comet do? it regulates a turbulent soul, and in so doing creates a clearing. And this clearing stays beyond the vision - it is transformative...

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London Comet

Saw a 'comet' (no, I'm not explaining that!) in London this weekend, not seen for a couple of years. Two years ago it heralded great change - wonder what it means to see it again? This is a comet improvisation... moving through the sky, from an immovable centre, spreading light out to those near, making them reflect, lighting the sky and the ground, getting closer, spreading excitement and laughter, then moving away, unchanged but changing things around it.

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JISC Innovation conference

Sitting outside waiting for day 2 of innovation conference. likes www.myexperiment.com yesterday, but some of it was a bit alienating... obviously pre-prepared this improvisation...

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Mass producing improvisations

I won't be near a piano next week, but I still want to blog some improvisations so I've gone into 'mass production' mode. I'll put them on Youtube anyway and choose which I want to blog as the week goes on. Must do my video for CR conference... but tired now.. will do tomorrow (nothing like the last minute!!)

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Busy day!

Diabetes project meeting in Liverpool - very good, collect Izzy from school, take to nanas, drive to Bolton, another good meeting, collect Izzy, home, knackered. I've done two improvisations this evening partly in preparation for next week when I will be away from the piano. How will I feel next week. don't know.. could be interesting.

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Vaughan Williams Improvisation

I'm not sure what this one is, but it uses a different sort of harmony - very Vaughan Williams.. Still working on evaluation paper.. will get there eventually. Made cakes with Izzy this evening. Liverpool for Diabetes Project tomorrow.

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Fanfare

Continuing the happy mood from yesterday, a very positive day sorting out minutiae from SPLICE. Lovely evening singing at the piano with Isobel... Good work continuing on evaluation, and my probability of communication application. Must be onto something...

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Happy Sunday

I forgot the sermon this morning. "Religion is a great hobby... but don't take it too seriously" .. substitute 'religion' for 'life'. Think of angels sticking their tongues out in the Gozzoli frescos. So I don't stay miserable for long!

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Miserable Sunday

It's rainy and miserable, so this is an improvisation to match the mood. Sullen and menacing. No improvisation yesterday.. for the first time in ages I simply was too tired. Isobel had a nice drama show though which was enjoyable. Went to view houses in afternoon. Nothing happens without hard work and it's taking a toll at the moment...

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Friday Tennis and Singing

Playing with social network stuff as part of my evaluation paper - JUNG looks really exciting - doing something interesting with in Eclipse. Also had a good meeting about the curriculum delivery call - looks like Wookie can be part of a powerful bid...

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Social Networks

Thinking a lot about social network analysis after yesterdays presentation at metaphorum conference. How can it apply to evaluation... the arcs are communications - how does this relate to Luhmann? Playing with diagrams... very interesting in that some communications attenuate others.. tweaking communication knobs, etc... this is a mad improvisation based on a very simply triadic melodic. Going to play with JUNG...

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Metaphorum

No blog yesterday - in Hull for Metaphorum conference. Very interesting and good to meet people who I only know from writings. Some good contacts made. This improvisation is something a response to all this cybernetic stuff - a contrapuntal thing that starts in the style of Bach and gradually ends up more like Hindemith or Tippett. There was some discussion of Hofstadter's 'Pairson' and the challenge of this to constructivism - so given Hofstadter's obsession with Bach, the counterpoint seems appropriate...

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