these last weeks i have a pretty dumb mustache, sort of handlebar. i think i’m going to get wax and take it to the next level, simple. i figured out the usual voicings randy newman uses. the ones i’ve heard a trillion times but never knew how to do it for sure. like everything else you ever figured out, when or if you actually get it, it’s simple. the long super duper arpeggios art tatum does, often are just his index finger and his thumb. thanks to an amazing obscure guy on youtube for sharing that gold. that’s way simpler than i ever imagined. i made misir wat (ethiopian lentils) and i tried before and failed, then the guy at the restaurant said use five times as much berbere as i had been, then poof – nailed it. had an interview earlier to teach a songwriting course in the united states of america at a little place near the ocean called ucla. i think i did well since she laughed and went “yes i agree”, in all the right places. kept it simple though their application required a diversity statement. i understand how things evolve to a place where that is asked of prospective employees, but it also feels like being asked to explain that you really are an honest person. the proof’s in the pudding not the printing. why should anyone believe me any more just because i wrote a paper insisting i am not the way they hope i am not. i have some doubts about making things more complex.