Today we made musical instruments and recorded ourselves making a racket. We had shakers made out of toilet paper and paper towel tubes, various sticks, drinking straws cut into reeds (which make a horrendous bleating noise), various sticks, rubber band guitars, and a few "real" instruments. I started out playing a ruler held against one of the picnic tables, but soon moved onto jaw harp, penny whistle, and this wooden recorder-like instrument that, according to the sticker on the back, originated in Bolivia. The resulting din sounded like a middle eastern market at midday. Then the parents came and all of the campers went away, leaving a mess for me and my camp aide to clean up. It wouldn't be summer camp if there wasn't at least some mess involved. As I type, my arms and legs are covered with multicolored dots, which is what happens when you hand out "tattoo markers" to elementary school kids and don't run fast enough afterwards.

Now I have to spend the rest of the afternoon getting ready for next week, when I will be teaching a camp called "science sleuths". The Dickens is sleeping in front of the TV set in the other room, and Jen has taken the the boys, with Willow in tow, off to swimming lessons. Alright, off to work for me.

cds I listened to while trying to remember what a full nights sleep feels like: The 3rd and the Mortal "In This Room", Throbbing Gristle "The Second Annual Report of...", and Fred Frith & Larry Ochs, Charming Trilectic, Ben Goldberg, Noe Venable, and 2 Foot Yard at the Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, 5/31/03