After the Jazz

This one's called after the jazz because last night (July 19) we went to the Montreaux Jazz Festival with our great friends the Levins. I saw 2 groups: one big band from Maryland and a few songs of this French/Swiss group. The American jazz band had this guy that kept remarking how beautiful their female singer was. She was an ok singer, and so was the guy but it got a little annoying. They also had this 18-year old trombone player and a 89-year old trumpet player. Dang. It was cool. There were tons of people, though. I got this Mexican food and for dessert we had these fatty, sugary pasteries. They were like star-shaped dough filled with stuff and deep-fried with sugar. Quite good. Before that we all sat on the rocks near the Lake (Lake Geneva) and I sat with Oren putting my feet in the water. Ah. It was great. There would be these big waves coming up, and we'd both yell and scream as they approached. I got sorta soaked. But the water felt so good. It was hot that day. We had a great view of the mountains. There was also this English-speaking guy that was somewhat a jerk. He had these motor-cycle like glasses and drank lots of beer. He also like rattled off a bunch of swearwords at this other guy and insulted him. And he dripped beer on my backpack. Oh well. So then we rode the train home at like 9. I was so tired. We had to sit somewhat apart because there were lots of people. Trains are cool. Fast, and you get a good view. So at the festival I bought these posters. They're cool. We got home at around 10:15 and then I wrote this:

Ah, some things just can't be replaced. I stand leaning against our apartment porch railing, just gazing up and around at my surroundings. It's 10:30. The distant rumble and hustle of the city road can be heard but I'm past that. Still I stop to think about what those people are doing, where they are going. Yet then the constant beat of the cicadas are now recognized and seem more important. I can see the faint outline of the Salev, with one yellowish dot glowing on top. There are a few clouds in the sky, looking like greyish scabs that were picked at all day by cloud-looker-aters against the deep blue evening. Calmly inhaling, the smells of laundry, sweat, some horse poop, the grass and the crisp night air that had been inhaled and exhaled throughout the whole day all create a picture in my mind., But the best is yet to come. My head, my tired head, drifts up to admire the sky. The moon peeks up over a clump of clouds, casting a faint haze over the nearest pillows. It rises! As I write, the yellow-white body of rock orbiting our Earth floats higher and higher into the atmosphere until I can see all of it through a gap in the wet clouds. Ahh.... And then, and airplane flying off is head and I can glimpse a traveling blinking light high in the night sky. And then. Although great white puffs cover almost half of the half-sphere I gaze up at, I can see a few trembling stars, glowing as reminders or proof of how lovely, how amazing, human comprehension of this life can be. My worries are temporarily forgotten and all those rules, those sterotypes, society and "normal" are forgotten. Even though I long to be with my wonderful friends, I can live. Because no matter how mean, how terrible and hard the school will be and no matter how hard and unfair and stupid life can be, I can always come back to this. My mouth suddenly forms a smile. Ah...just...this is great. The simplest, blissful things can hurt-hurt your mouth muscles from smiling, that is.The moon is yet again rising. My parents are still up; my mom calling people on the phone and my dad looking at a map. We're planning on going on a hike tomorrow. This is now, though This is both now and then. 10:57 and 35 seconds. Ahh...contentment. bliss. happiness. You cannot...it's not...sometimes money doesn't mean anything. It's not worth anything. It can't replace human emotion. Everything isn't bought, everything is experienced. There was no mail today. But there is yet another day to be taken in, and yet another night. I just wish we could all take time to do this. To stop our constant pursuit of...of what we don't even know, and think. Close your eyes maybe. Just listen. Smell....Be "in the moment"......The moon is now enveloped behind clouds. The stars continue to blink and wink. It's all...unknown. But is it? It's all what you perceive, or none of your perception. It's whatever you want to think, and maybe (probably) can't be transferred into language perhaps. Whatever. Even if we (or at least I) don't necessarily know the answer to life, or anything for that matter- one thing is clear, at least: Life is good (goosd).

I'll add jazz festival pictures later, and update about my hike another time. Thanks for reading! Please do comment!