Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Reinforcement

From a Gmail exchange, today, 10:45 a.m., with Piano Man:

(Who still lives in Brooklyn, who I still haven't met in person and might never and I wonder even if we did if e would have any chemistry, who I nonetheless communicate with daily, who is 40-plus but slings internet slang as guilelessly as a teenager, who is exhaustively opinionated about music, who scanned and sent me the Ferruccio Busoni transcription of Bach's organ chorale "In dir ist Freude" and has been asking ever since when I'll be not too tired or not too wimpy to try playing it.)
Karin: You awake?
Piano Man: depends what the meaning of "awake" is... ;)
K: I have set the bar low, so I'm sure you're over it.
PM: What I'm talkin 'bout
K:  I _think_ I got that. (see previous e-mail about the low bar)
PM: s'ok. have you had a chance to fool around w/ the Bach/Busoni (herinafter B/B) yet?  It's not so easy. But it rocks, as you know.
I do know. Do you? Here's a reminder both of how much it rocks and how not easy it is:


K: I haven't. I had to print it out at work, and it is sitting here on my desk. It actually makes me afraid. Tomorrow night, I have time and a night off, so perhaps I'll experiment with the futility of trying to play it.
PM: "afraid"? An intrepid NoDakian like you? HA!
IN·TREP·ID [ in tréppid ]
ADJ   fearless: courageous and bold
To recap:

I say, "I'm futile."

He replies, "You're fearless, courageous and bold."

Is there really any reason, even if we'll never meet in person, to rid myself of a correspondent with such powers of positive reinforcement?
Day 11 of 30: 1.57 miles
Day 12 of 30: 1.68 miles
April Total: 22.18
2011 Total: 176.17

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