5 for 11/11/11

Songbird hosts today's 11.11.11 5; here's the drill: "For today's Friday Five, share five ways you or someone you know likes to turn it up to 11. How have you gone beyond the usual expected limits? Feel free to interpret this as eccentrically as possible."

My first throughout was this one's for me, since I tend to run everything into the ground... then I had difficulties coming up with 5, though eventually these fell into line and besides, I srsly wanted to blog for 11/11/11.

1. Long ago, probably in HS, I compiled a collage from magazine pictures and words to read, "Your opinion? Follow your heart, the best is yet to come!" and added the essential kicker, "but... you've got to be an expert." I've done whatever it has taken to achieve a level of expertise or close to it in most of what I've attempted, and I've found that most of the time my abilities have lead to my exclusion rather than inclusion. A few years ago someone was looking over my shoulder at this blog and some of my design I had up on the computer and she said, "You're a treasure! People should be exploiting you!" I agreed and still agree with that assessment, they should be and I wanted to reply, "That's just my art and my theology. You should hear me play the piano..." (but of course I didn't.)

2. Slowly and carefully making my way through most of J.S. Bach's organ music: about 18 of the arguably couple dozen major preludes/fantasies/toccatas and fugues; the 4 concerto transcriptions, 4 of the 6 trio sonatas; all of the 18 Great, Leipziger chorale preludes; the 6 Schübler chorale preludes; large and small catechism chorales (Clavierübung part 3); some assorted other pieces with no intention ever of making a life as a musician. The level of discipline and each accomplishment simply feels so good!

3. I wait for people to come through (for me) and I wait for situations to develop, ripen and resolve, which is most cases has been a fruitful, healthy practice and discipline, but occasionally it hasn't been. As they say, most psychological pathology is an exaggeration of normal, usually healthy traits.

4. I couldn't think of 5 in time to publish this blog, so this #4 continues #3. However, I've moderated in some important ways. For example, I've been able to take my own advice not to continue pursuing situation "m" or making excuses for individual "n," but still to stay open to them for future developments.