Hubble Hubble

So...it's been a while. (^_^)

Anyway, let me tell you about my current quest. Hubble--star search, okay I get that, but what could all this possibly have to do with a photograph of me singing and playing the piano?

The Awakening

Eight years later, here we are. Moved a couple of inches, I think. Not bad.

Oh yeah, thought I should mention that in addition to my work in jazz, I've been releasing EDM albums on Apple Music, Spotify, etc., these days.

My latest single: Light Exists In The Darkness.

Apple Music: 

Spotify: 

Album Cover

Oh yeah? Well, my yang is more intense than your yin, so there!

Top: A fireplace and an ancient tablet with mysterious hieroglyphs on it. What message could they possibly hold?

Middle: When contemplating the meaning of the universe, it is well known that failure of this philosophical endeavor is somewhat likely, so a proper expression of resigned dissatisfaction is de rigueur.

Bottom: What lies at the end of the stairway? I descend slowly, my entire being suffused with anticipation and longing. In that very instant, I find myself immersed in the unbearable whiteness of being.

A year full of such sweet sorrow

This has been a year when a number of people (I mean, of course, the ones who held your hand and laughed with you, the ones who spent time with you speaking of things that were) suddenly were no more, suddenly, in fact, became things that were. Can't wait for it to end. :-)

Misconceptions surrounding rainy weather in Vancouver

Some years ago, I knew a guy named Rex. He was a really smart programmer, specializing in 3D animated computer graphics. We didn't really get along all that well, but I really admired the cool stuff he could do.

When I see raindrops on a Vancouver window, I am instantly reminded of 3D particle generators. And of Rex.

Maybe, after all is said and done, just maybe, from the perspective of smart people like Rex, I am a difficult person to get along with; what do you think?

Should I be steering clear of smart people? Or is it like the rain in Vancouver--only a problem when you deem it so?

At last, in rainy Vancouver, the clocks have surged past midnight to Christmas Day. I would like to wish the multitudes that kindly read my blog, a very happy Christmas!

Four successively more terrifying faces

When confronted with evidence that despite all his efforts to be a better person, the aggregate kindness quotient on a planetary scale showed scant improvement, his face not only turned a whiter shade of pale, it underwent a series of transformations, expressing his progressive disappointment.

It soon reached a point where he was no longer sure which of his four faces he liked the least...

The ghosts of Japanese fishermen

Today I was in Steveston Village, at the Tapenades restaurant, shown above.

Same village where it all began in 1888--the migration of Japanese fishermen from Wakayama prefecture in Japan.

I spoke at length with the ghosts of two fishermen lost in storms off Vancouver Island a hundred years ago. They seemed anxious for me to know that although the work was hard and dangerous, they never regretted making the move to Canada from Japan.


A couple of years ago I bought a whole king salmon directly from a fishing boat moored at the Steveston docks for the princely sum of $2 because it was the end of the day. These days the fishing boats are run by Vietnamese and other non-Japanese fishing teams. And there is no longer any salmon cannery.

You looking at me?

Still enjoying the free app Instagram on the iPhone, which lets me take a photograph in square format (as with the old 6x6 120 roll films), and apply a single filter to it, which gives it a retro look and feel.

In this case I used the Nashville filter, which includes the black border with orange text.

First person to see this photograph said, "Not too flattering is it?"

Now, surely, the only proper understanding of that assessment is that I must look better in real life! My Japanese Panasonic digital camera, the very latest model that I purchased in Japan last month, has a "beautification mode" that we are assured emphasizes one's natural beauty and somehow covers up for one's defects, should one have any defects to begin with, of course...what would the algorithm do if such compensation was unnecessary? All those years of research and development...how would the algorithm feel about that, I wonder.

Something...in the way she jams

Why is Bud Powell's Celia (the tune, not the daughter...) so engaging?

The only recording of this I have heard is in the Decca 4-disc set, and it has the characteristic Monk/Powell edginess, where you frequently feel that things are going to completely unravel any second now because they are just that little bit behind the beat and seem to be struggling to keep up, making for the most exhilarating ride ever...

Best video I could find on YouTube is this wonderful rendition by a Japanese lady Hiromi-san (based in the US, I believe), who delivers an on-the-brink performance just like Bud. Audio quality of this live recording is not the best, but this music is so wonderful that it really doesn't matter.

Healing piano: Megumi

For my other music, please see http://rufuslinmusic.com (includes music you can listen to for free).