finally got behind a camera again, this time dave benham's nikon coolpix 995, which model i think i'll buy as soon as i get together the cash. i shot a lot at bugs, bluegrass, and beer party at jim simmons', who i first met in aug '001 catching a ride down to burning man in his oasis of denile shower truck. i wrote a long, egotistical tract about the trip. the only point i think i hit right was that christ had had 2000 years to come back. time was up. it was the Year One again. days later,  sep 11 seemed to hold a kind of promise that it was in fact time to start from scratch. so far, things have gotten worse thanks to the Bu$h gangster crew, but one hopes that a backlash is brewing. jerry, playing here, 72, was optimistic and asked that we the younger fix the world for him. he looked at my tapelifts and suggested i follow my subconscious. he spoke of riding high-speed trains in ohio in 1956 and other sensible technolgies that were actually in practice before being shut down by vested interests. a metallurgist, his knowledge is now outdated so he spends his time playing piano and riding a bicycle. i like the way dave's camera caught the big finish to this composition, the last note still vibrating the air, the trace of his hand between here and there. ever read cyrano de bergerac? he was the victim of a political hit, but even facing death he retained his panache. i don't know why i think of it, other than it's good to see people living with a flourish.