I marked a lot of papers today and many more to go. Took a break and viewed the Picard trailer. The most exciting thing, realizing Amanda Plummer is the villain. What a woman. How cool of whoever it was that realized she should get the big role. My favourite part in Pulp Fiction is every time she’s on screen, well that and Samuel Jackson calling the guy on the couch “Hey You, Flock of Seagulls”. I scored a film once which Amanda Plummer was in, I felt so honoured. Sometimes I think she and Patti Smith are the same woman. Sadly, it was never released. I don’t know how often that happens but it happened. The director from Ireland and the producer from Canada didn’t exactly get along, something like that. A lot of money for something that stayed on the shelf. One student has plagiarized, caught by software showing the difference between the two pieces which was not really any difference at all. Not sure what sort of fuss to make or not to make. Decided it too can stay on the shelf, as in I will tell him about this being identified and offer him a chance to do it again but I won’t go through academic channels and all the politics that comes with pretending we’re lawyers now. Not this time. I found a new way to move the piece in Bb forward, no surprise it has to do with Barry Harris and the diminished 6th. When I write these things I also fantasize a live appreciative audience but that never happens, not the way I wish it could, still I like the fantasy and maybe it eggs me on and helps me finish. I heard a young boy play piano earlier today and he was connected to playing differently than most younger people I’ve met and taught insofar as he knew how to play without obstruction from his mind. Connected directly, no self conscious voices interrupting his primary objective, improvising. HIs mother later told me he’s partly on the spectrum and I wondered if that’s what it means, that the voices that insert negative criticism don’t get to shut him down like they so successfully do in others. Got to get back to marking now, supplying criticism over and over.