Category Archive for 'BourlanDiaries'

Friends III

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

The “friends” topic keeps following me wherever I go this week. I notice that as we get older, our friends status is different than when we were students. As a student, the people you hang out with are pretty much like you. Yes, richer or poorer, taller or shorter and so on, but still the […]

Friends II

Monday, June 30th, 2008

“We are friends. I like saying that. No one ever said this to me. I like it. We are friends. It’s good!”
Also sprach Friederich Nietzche to Joseph Breuer in the film “When Nietzche Wept” written, directed and produced by Pinchas Perry based on the best-selling novel by the same name by Irvin Yalom. […]

Friends I

Saturday, June 28th, 2008

As I mentioned the other day, I’ve decided to reread some Hermann Hesse books lately: would they be as stimulating as they were in high school or college?
I started with his first novel, Peter Camenzind. In it, I see how nascent artistic youths (esp. young men) might be truly inspired by this book. There are […]

Books are burning

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

As my summer is beginning, I stepped over to my bookcase and thought it a good idea to pick out something I already had. I drifted over to the Hermann Hesse section. There was Rosshalde, Steppenwolf, Glass Bead Game, Demian, and I chose Peter Camenzind, his first novel.
I loved Hesse in high-school: would I like […]

Bird sees Igor, Corb’s show

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

This weekend was devoted to relaxation. Lots of naps (6 each day), lots of movies (4 on Saturday and 5 on Sunday), cleaning the house a little, doing the dog’s nails, and constantly battling hysterical ants who are hellbound to find every little crumb I leave them. Friday night I photographed Corbin Smith’s fabulous opening […]

Prof Bourland finishes 1st year as Chair

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

Done teaching for the year. Done with most of my major responsibilities. Done with my first year as Chair. Done with Homer in Cyberspace — I’m cutting the songs out of the last two performances putting together the Original Cast Recording. I hope to be posting music from the musical in installments on the blog: […]

Old floppies

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

I had a graduate student help me with an interesting project. I have a lot of MIDI files on my old 1980s IBM-AT PC computer, including all the accompaniments for all my GALA cantatas (HIDDEN LEGACIES, LETTERS TO THE FUTURE, and FLASHPOINT/STONEWALL) as well as all my portable pieces (PORTABLE CONCERTO, SHASTA, MIRABEL, and GLAMOUR […]

Introverted or extroverted?

Sunday, June 15th, 2008

I have taken the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator tests periodically throughout the past 15 years or so. (Daniel and I are both ENFJ’s) Without going into what it all means, the “E” stands for extroverted, as opposed to introverted. Over the years I’ve seen my numbers drift towards introversion. Most of my family are introverts. You’d […]

Music: the invisible vitamin

Monday, June 9th, 2008

I am thinking about the word “moved” as in “I was ‘moved’ by her performance.”
This state of being “moved” is perhaps a self-induced sense of well being, often at the point of tears — being overwhelmed by an emotion, an emotion that if you give into it you will cry, and if you don’t, […]

HOMER IN CYBERSPACE finishes its run

Sunday, June 8th, 2008

HOMER IN CYBERSPACE has finished its run. Since critics are discouraged from reviewing student events at UCLA Theater Department, I can’t offer you reviews. One rather rather grouchy and clueless review appeared in the Santa Monica Mirror online that sounded as though it was expecting a play and was annoyed to find it so cluttered […]