Day 200: In 36 years, life hasn’t changed
36yearsago.com
Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing &
friends.
Day
200 — In 36 years, life hasn’t changed
18-February-1972
(Freitag–Fri.)
TRANSCRIPT
What a day! As I sit here at night, my back aching,
my ears killing me, my stomach growling, my ego
shattered, my fingers hurting me and my brain tired—I
say to myself, “Listen you idiot, you’re working too
hard.”
My horn playing this morning shattered my ego (not so
good today); and then I progressed to a whole day of
El. Musik (partially profitable), which made my brain
tired. Then on the way to practice again, I decided
instead to go and type at the Library for 2-1/2
hours, thus my tired fingers and aching back. I am
now waiting for my supper to finish itself—soup and
baloney sandwiches. That’s one good thing—did I make
a find today—I bought a stick of baloney (1 kg) for
30s, and I saved about 40s. So, what do I do, I go
out and spend half of it on chocolate.
Anyway, even though I’m doing all these things and
going strong, and I like doing it, I’m becoming
depressed. I think what I need is to meet a nice
girl—here in Wien. Just think, if I had one
[girlfriend] now, she could massage my aching back,
and cook my supper for me. What a life! What a dream!
It seems like every time I get “into school,” I
suddenly become more lacking in the female dept.
(hope things change)
REFLECTIONS
Life
hasn’t changed at all in over 36 years. I step
through a time-travel portal from 1972 to 2009.
1972
Prophecies! Wow! As I
sit here 36 years later, actually 37 years due to my
year of stress-of-life-sabbatical, I am sitting here
in a hotel in California, just ending the NAMM music
show, getting ready to head back home. What is
prophetic?
Compare my complaints below in 2009 to 1972.
Aching
back. My back is
aching. Really aching! I have always had lower back
problems, but for some reason, I have aggravated some
back muscle that gives me great pain when sleeping
and getting up.
Stomach.
My stomach
is still growling. It’s also quite a bit fatter.
Ego.
My ego is
shattered. I am not famous, or well-known. Almost no
one has ever heard the music I have written. [Why
hasn’t someone come into my living room to discover
me?] No one reads this blog. Not my wife. Not my
step-kids. My relatives. My friends did read it for a
while but then I lost them on sabbatical. My dog
reads, once in a while.
Brain.
My brain
is still tired.
Work,
projects, not enough time. I am
working too hard. I’m doing too many things in both
my work life and personal life. Not enough time. Oh,
don’t forget—not enough money—from my post of a
couple of days ago.
Stress.
Stress, 36
years later, is still around, if not more, prevalent.
And…
Chocolate.
I eat a
lot of sweets and chocolate, leading to my
up-and-down weight (down, then mostly up). Ah,
chocolate. Related to stress, for sure.
Girlfriends.
Throughout
my life, I have always been lacking in girlfriends,
especially after marriage (not one, yet). I tend to
become really good “friends” with many people. And I
like that! Great friends! Although, my good friends
don’t give me back-rubs for my aching back and
fingers, home-cooked meals for my growling stomach,
emotional support for my bruised ego and tired brain,
and chocolate for my life-stresses. That’s what
girlfriends are good at. Wait a second! Where’s my
wife? Excuse me, it’s time to take out the garbage.
John
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