This is likely my last opportunity to log in during the festival. One event to go. We had some down time, so a group of us took the Gondola ride to the top of Mammouth mountain - 11,000+ feet. The air back at the village doesn't seem so thin now. I expected to get a headache or something up there. That didn't happen, but shortness of breath came almost immediately upon exertion (like: walking). I am also struggling out here with the application of "spiritual" music-making that I have come to understand. It makes sense, though; "falling out of self-absorption" doesn't always just happen. In fact, given what I understand about human nature, it is counter-indicated. Stepping outside of (all?) self-concern is a spiritual exercise in and of itself. "Self-absorption" is indeed deep rooted in us (me). It is the reaction of the human condition, it seems, to reach down into the well of one's self when struggling with whatever to find the strength, or clarity, or whatever we need. That doesn't help to relieve the "trapped" condition, that I now understand to be the source of my trouble. The first step in successfully stepping outside of all this, I've discovered, is do remember it's necessity.

I'm sitting in the rec room of the Sunshine Village Condos, in Mammouth Lakes, Calif. This is my sloe option for internet (wi-fi) access here. We're appraoching the mid-point of the jazz festival http://mammothjazz.org/ , and I am (still) enjoying being a part of this scene. Speaking of scene(ary), it is strikingly beautiful here, and a far cry from anything back east. The town is about 8,000 ft above sea level, and you do feel it. Other than being more strenuous to catch my breath, the big place I feel it is when sleeping (I have learned now that insomnia is one of the altitude adjustment symptoms). The first night I woke up 5 times, last night 3, so I'm probably adjusting. Even so, I still don't feel quite right, and am looking forward to more air. I still think it's funny that they hold an (in essense) arts festival where the medium for the art (air) is compromised. They say the trumpet players feel it the most. Glad I left mine home (so are the patrons, but they don't know that).