Today is back to the studio with Rough Church. We have four more songs to record, plus a soundscape. It’s raining, so I’m feeling Seattle, which ought to be right for these tunes … one is a punky cover from New Zealand, two are moody electric guitar grooves slid back behind the beat, one is (sort of) in the style of a 1950s-r&b throwback, there’s a little acoustic guitar duo tune (it’s part A of one of the grooves) and then the soundscape, which will be noise and found sound, so all in all a Seattle-y batch of material. I’ve even got plans involving droning open tunings.

Which reminds me, my earlier report that spring had arrived on January 30th has borne fruit … almost a month later we have flowers blooming and birds singing (and it’s raining for the 2nd time this month) … and I ran into a Southern California native who agrees (volunteers, even) that Los Angeles has distinct weather, you just have to know where to look … she hipped me to a day to watch for in the fall, weather-wise, and I will report on that when it comes around.

It rained again, less dramatically, for a couple-few days. No tornadoes, little in the way of mudslides, the mania all wrought out in the first go rounds.

It was a spring rain. It was a subtle difference. It had less of a density to it, not so much in the way of sodden snowpants and slightly more along the line of still-wearing-those-wet-clothes-are-you?

Then it got clear, like it does. Best air here is right after a rain. I go outside just to breathe.

It got hot. I had heard it was going to, and then it happened, in the middle of the night. I could tell cos I woke up sweaty and had to take some clothes off. Sure sign of a heat wave.

And the next two days of February in southern California were as hot as Vermont ever gets in July (maybe a couple of hotter days in August). The heat was nice – got my first light sunburn of the year, it passed quickly when I applied Aloe, or Arnica, or Something – but also a reminder that it ONLY GETS HOTTER FROM HERE, HA HAAAAA!!!

Then two days that could be described as relatively cool (even bordering on chilly on at least one evening) and now it is raining again.

A return to the One.

Yesterday was a hair on the chilly side, tho not unpleasant… like Seattle in the spring. Like there’s a mild, debatably damp bite in the air. But not overtly damp. And not a nip. No teeth to it. Just a chill. And besides, it was sunny. I was outside mainly in the late afternoon, just before sunset, attempting to contend with what turns out to be a double-filament bulb in our 1999 Nissan Altima’s tail/brake-lights. Hassle upon hassle - but pleasant enough to deal with until you get a fix-it ticket. Which we haven’t got, so rite on it is.

Was also out briefly driving to Greg’s for Rough Church rehearsal. It was nice enough up his way, but not spectacularly so (measured by that I didn’t notice, and I usually do). I mean, it was clear and the air and temperature were pleasant. I just didn’t get any sense of the cosmic ambience. Which could in itself be telling.

Previous afternoon I was rehearsing on Simon’s Drum Satellite with Cricket & The 2:19. I brought an extra shirt thinking I’d need one. Didn’t really, though it wasn’t too much either. Also pleasant and cool, but a little drier in the air. Like, micro-clicks drier. Notably unnotable, also, except in relations to the days surrounding.

Micro-clicks of individuation are, I suspect, what I am after.

Today it is raining again. I haven’t been out yet. I will soon be on my way back to Greg’s, but I don’t see much to sample today in the way of meteorological micro-clicks. It is wet, and probably a bit chilly. I don’t mind.

Several days of rain - putting the lie for sure to my assertion that there is no weather here. I am as happy as a pig in the rain.

The day before yesterday, Z felt that it was a bit cooler than is normal for this time of year. And maybe a bit on the clear side. I did not notice anything.

Yesterday (really only yesterday?) we began the day with a hike up above Mandeville Canyon. Beautiful day, cool and clear (both of which are the case with pleasing frequency in that part of town and at that elevation but which were accentuated on this occasion). We spoke with many ravens and observed a red-tailed hawk. The crows don’t talk - they tick!

We felt the first drops at the top of the hill, and it was sprinkling softly but without urgency by the time we reached the car. This became a more certain rain, but that did not prevent us from taking lunch on a vaguely-roofed patio by a koi pond. “Beatific” comes to mind.

Later in the evening it became a solid downpour and has continued as such. On the street we’re seeing umbrellas, last year’s shoes, refugees from mudslides, inexplicable traffic accidents, nasty moods and terrible driving. But we are not on the street today. We are inside, drinking tea and talking to the cat. I haven’t had a day like this since Seattle (two years).