Quick Thoughts

It's 7am. I'm waiting for my friend and bandmate Randy to pick me up to head out to Saskatoon where we'll be remixing our song Imperfect for release to Canadian Rock and Hot AC radio next month. I'm always up for a road trip, and this is a chance to watch a more experienced engineer handle the track, which means I get to learn and write it off my taxes, so it's all good.

Yoga proceeds apace. Yesterday, due to an inobservant reading of the schedule, I accidentally dropped in on a secret silent class where there is no coaching. Normally there is an instructor talking throughout the practice, offering guidance and encouragement and timing the postures. The silent class allows the studios instructors to participate by removing the coaching. Instead music is played, and a simple 'Change' tells you when to shift to the next position. We were supposed to be leaving town last night, which would have meant this was the only class I could attend. The head instructor kindly allowed me to join, and I'm honoured she did.

Practicing in silence offered up a whole new level of concentration. The group was small, only 10-12 (there's usually at least twice that), making things immediately more intimate, and those that were there were clearly committed to the practice. Music provides a steady, unobstrusive rhythm, leaving only the sounds of controlled breath, and the instructor's soft 'Change', allowing for a focus greater than any I'd previously achieved. In the end, it was almost a sacred atmosphere, probably the closest thing to prayer I've experienced in a while. Yoga is described as a moving meditation, and that's certainly what I experienced yesterday. I will certainly try and attend this class again.

On Wednesday night I saw Syriana. Though I missed a few parts of the movie - when I'm physically weak, a movie's the worst place for me to go as I inevitably end up dozing, no matter how much I like the film - I was impressed. I went in completely cold, not knowing anything about the film, and came out surprised at how bold it was in it's indictment of current and recent American foreign policy, while never stooping to histrionics or cheap emotion.
In fact, the whole film is presented in an incredibly flat and disaffected manner, which serves to heighten it's impact by highlighting the fact that these decisions and choices are not made in dim lit rooms with evil music and maniacal laughter, but as a matter of fact in the day to day. The acting is superb, reminding me again that George Clooney is a consummate actor, and Matt Damon can be surprisingly good given the right film. The score by Alexandre Desplant is dead perfect, offering a subtle undercurrent of tension masked behind indifference underscoring the film's dry presentation. This is one I'm definitely going to have to see again.