Monday in Banff

This is supposed to be a Sunday blog.. hehe.. well well. You know, it´s kinda hard to keep track of the days up here. Sunday, Monday, Friday.. doesn´t really make much of a difference. But that´s just a lame excuse for forgetting to write my blog. I guess I could say that there´s really not that much to say. I get up, meditate, practice, eat, practice, eat, practice, meditate.. or something like that. But today I went swimming! Oh yes. That was hard. Banff is pretty high up from what I´m used to so I was pretty much out of breath after 5 minutes. And when I swim, I swim pretty fast.. not because I´m necessarily so good at it, but that´s just the natural way to swim for me. So I swim across, then back again, and then I take a break to catch my breath. haha. Hopefully my stamina will improve pretty fast... But actually, I heard that the best way to exercise is short and hard. But I´m impressed though by some people, mostly women, mostly my moms age, that can stay in the pool for over an hour swimming without getting their hair wet! That´s just amazing to me.. I´m surprised they don´t sink. It must be like threading the water in a certain angel that produces a certain forward thrust. Vertical swimming.. Anyway..

I think I´ve figured out the next recital program now, "From Grieg to Gershwin." It will be Grieg op 6, the Humoresques, the Nocturne and a couple of pieces from op 71 lyric pieces ending with Summer Evenings (no 2). Then Ravel, Sonatine before the intermission. After intermission: Rachmaninov, 6 Moment Musicals and a selection of Gerswhin/Wild piano transcriptions of famous songs. It should be a fun and pretty likable program I think. I´m lining up some concerts in April and May in the US now, so I´m hoping for a long-term visa + a place to stay in Palm Springs! It would be nice to have a base in the US so I don´t have to go across the atlantic or living in a suitcase all the time.

I think that´s it for this time! I´m really enjoying Banff of course. You know, people always say that this is like escaping "reality." But I´d say that "reality" is wrong. We should bring "reality" to Banff instead. This is an international, creative environment where everybody is doing what they like doing. I think more people should be "filtered" through Banff and bring this life out to the so-called real world. Reality is psychological, and it´s fully possible to live in "heaven" anywhere on the planet.