"I Ain't Somebody with a lot of Sympathy"

I can be a brooding guy. I love those moody, sensual, personal songs that get under you skin and stay in your head. Like songs by the Police and Sting.

This gravitation to these songs subconsciously led me to land on the key of E flat minor for the name of my blog.

Gary Goldschneider, the author of The Secret Language of Birthdays: Personology Profiles for Each Day of the Year has also analyzed key signatures:

The key of E flat minor is not used much because of the six flats, including C flat, but it is associated by me with the sign of Cancer, paired with e minor. E minor and E flat minor are keys of melancholy, E minor more so, but E flat minor is a highly spiritualized, inward and emotional key, one of great and deep feeling. Very water, also. There are so few pieces in E flat minor that we can almost name them all in one breath. A prelude from the Well Tempered Clavier (its fugue is in D sharp minor with a hideous number of sharps), a couple of shorter pieces by Brahms, not one sonata in the whole literature, no symphony… It must be a highly personal piece, and not very popular with the audiences. (However, the key of E flat major is the key of the sun and of the sign of Leo. Blazing, warm, radiant and golden. Think of other pieces in E flat, like the Eroica Symphony of Beethoven (number 3), and all the standards originally in that key (concert) like Over the Rainbow, and Misty by Errol Garner. D major is the trumpet key, E flat the key of the French Horn. Get to know the four horn concertos of Mozart, three in E flat and one in D.) Hey, I think I just remembered that Round Midnight is in E flat minor, also.

By the way, about the “beliefs” of certain keys. Like my birthday system, I just look at all the pieces written in any given key, in the entire music literature, and then try to abstract from them what they all have in common. I don’t pull any of this stuff out of the cosmos, but rather just look at the history and factual expression (the pieces of music or birthdays themselves become data for me) and then construct the theory.

Two songs that should be in the keys of E flat minor are Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me a River and What Comes Around … Both of which I got to see in concert this Tuesday at his show.

Both of which I love because they are moody, brooding, infectious and personal.

"But I Promise to Try."

I lost a former co-worker today. He was 34.

He had some elective surgery that was unnecessary; he was affected by its complications. Regardless of that, it is a very sad day for me and for my family of friends who know Carlos.

We are fighting any anger or misgivings with the great sense of lose that we feel and even more so with the love we have for him and the good and funny memories. It’s amazing that we all came through one place that took so many different people from so many different backgrounds and cauterized them into a family. It’s a testament to our openness and our human need to be in the fabric of life, woven into a tapestry that tells a larger story than the sum of our individual lives.

My former boss hits the nail on the head:

Today is the saddest of days, a day in which we were shocked to learn of the untimely passing of a friend and a colleague, a person who has passed on far too early in life. Quick with a smile, quick with a helping hand, quick with a memorable sense of humor, Carlos was a person who brought vibrancy and life to our organization. He will be deeply missed.

Carlos’ life provides us with perspective on our own lives and of those that we love. His passing reminds us of how precious life is. No matter what challenges we face, we are reminded that we are indeed fortunate. We would all gladly give something of ourselves in order for Carlos to have had the opportunity to grow old.

At a time like this, there are no appropriate words to convey the sense of loss that we all feel. Please feel free to take whatever time you may need to reflect on Carlos’ life.

It’s all not fair. However that’s the beauty of faith and love – that we are charged to remember someone we love and care for and try to make meaning out of it all. There has to be a silver lining in all of us, or else life is just meaningless. And I won’t accept that life is just meaningless, so I’m looking for the lesson for us to learn and grow.

Carlos, may the Angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs greet you at your arrival and lead you into the holy city, Jerusalem. May the choir of Angels greet you and like Lazarus, who once was a poor man, may you have eternal rest. Amen.

But why Caseyloveswombats?

Laura asked me today, "But why Caseyloveswombats?" in reference to my gmail accound. To which I responded, "because I love wombats."

It's true. These fuzzy marsupial tanks of an animal have been come my totem. I have come to love their stocky little stature and their potential strength stored deeply in their thick musclature .

In additon to the power that they have stored in them, wombats are cute animals. That’s rather misleading since they are not docile, domesticated created. However, they aren’t typically treatened by man so wombats usually don’t attack. Yet they can and they have.

My true fascination started in Featherdale Wildlife Park almost two years ago. Before I embarked on my trip to Australia, Terry told me that he would disown me if I did not get a picture of myself with a kangaroo. My first chance with a potential picture when during a visit to the Taronga Zoo, however it was not easy to get close to the animals. There was an opportunity to get a picture with a koala, but it cost A$5 and you couldn’t touch or pet the koala. David assured me that I would have a better chance at Featherdale, which we were visiting in a few days.

While dodging the heards of kindergarteners on their fieldtips to Featherdale, we had several photo opportunities with many of the animals. I got the picture I needed of my petting a kangaroo. In addition, there are pictures of me with a koala, a cockatoo and a cassowary. However, for the reasons mentioned above, I sought out and fell in love with the wombat, and I made sure that I got a picture of me petting one.

$168.51 worth of booze. Ah!

Ainsley was having a bad day, but she was a sport and took me with Lisa accompanying us to Delaware for a liquor run for CaseyFest2007.

$168.51 later, I have three types of beer, two boxes of decent Australian red wine, Jack as in Daniels and the fixings for the specialty drink "Blue Balls."

Blue Balls comes to us from Maggie and Lisa, during my birthday dinner. We went to the Mexican Post and saw Maggie, and said that we would need to do a shot on her for my birthday. Originally, she was going to make a Chocolate Cake, but she was out of Frangelico. So she whipped up something fruity which went down like Kool Aid. It was something with Blueberry vodka, blue curacao and other ingredients. Maggie could make the drink but she couldn't name it. Lisa pipped up with Blue Balls and the name stuck.

After walking through the doors of Total Wine, Anisley announced that this liquor store was even better than anything that she had seen in her home state of New Hampshire and the low prices for the champaign, wine and booze turned her frown upside down.

It was worth the trip and tomorrow night will be full of alcohol! L'chaim.

...Cathedrals are broken//Heaven's no longer above

In one of my last acts as a 33 year old, I got ordained for Laura and Jon's wedding this spring. If I couldn't tackle turning water into wine, I figured that I could help my friends out and get the credentials to actually marry them under the law before I leave my Jesus year.

I did some soul searching before I went ahead with the process. In their email to me and Suzanne (Jon's closest friend), they said according to New Jersey law, that they "will need at least one of you to become ordained online (it's free). Please let us know if you don't feel comfortable with this... we totally understand if you don't want to do this."

So I really thought about it. I was excited when Laura asked if I would do this. I immediately said yes and that I would be the Joey at their wedding. However in looking at the websites for ordaination (and ending up at http://www.universalministries.com/), I took it seriously what I was doing. I don't plan on doing anything more with the ordaination but officiate at Laura and Jon's wedding. Yet, I have made a commitment to my God and my God alone to do my best for Him on earth.

I'm thrilled now to be able to officiate Laura and Jon's wedding.

Forward-Party-Looking

There are only three more days to my birthday, and only six more days to my party. I haven’t CaseyFested in such a long time. I’m excited to celebrate, and to have a party in my house. It’s been so long.

Here’s to a year of hosting parties.

I enjoy gathering friends and family into my home to celebrate. In the past, Brian and I were lucky to have some great annual events like Oktoberfest, Christmas and CaseyFest (my birthday). We also had great and fun events based on Chinese New Year, Flag Day and Madonnamas (think Madonna's birthday meets Christmas.)

I really appreciate when my friends get to my other friends. I love my friends so much -- I think they are some of the greatest people on the face of the earth. Therefore, when two people whom I adore get to talk with each other and make a connection, I love it. I am so excited for that.

So my 34th year will begin ceremoniously on Saturday, drinking and spending it with my best favorite people.

Fly, Virgin, Fly on the road to victory

I got my Virgin America update today.

Over 30,000 people have signed Virgin America’s LetVAFly.com online petition and made their voices heard to Congress and the DOT. To that end, VA responded to the DOT in January with a comprehensive reply that revealed sweeping changes designed to address concerns about its ownership and control. In February, VA announced $30 million in additional equity and debt investment from its majority U.S. investors. It is the best-financed new entrant U.S. airline in history. Samuel K. Skinner joined Virgin America’s Board of Directors as Vice Chairman. He is a former Secretary of Transportation and White House Chief of Staff.

I would like to see this airline succeed, and fly into Philadelphia. For now, Virgin America will be providing service from San Francisco – SFO, New York – JFK, Los Angeles – LAX, San Diego – SAN, Washington, DC – IAD, and Las Vegas – LAS with the airline’s inaugural flight being from SFO to JFK.

So sign the petition on LetVAFly.com and vote for Philadelphia as a destination.

Wah, wah, wah, call the wambulance.

In the past few days, I have been so overwhelmed. Just a lot of a crap going around, rattling in my head. I haven't been sleeping and I'm just on edge and irritable.

I feel like I'm suffering from the grumpy version of ennui.