In the words of Amanda, “God it’s been a lovely day! Everything’s been going my way. I took out the trash today, and I’m on fire!”

Why so lovely? Well, first of all, I did take out the trash today. That’s always a cause for celebration.

Second, tomorrow I return for more partial hospitalization in the latest institution at which I’ve matriculated, and possibly the one contributing ultimately the most to my success and happiness in life, McLean Hospital, “America’s Premier Mental Hospital,” the subject of the book Gracefully Insane, and the refuge of lots of smart crazy people (Plath, Sexton, Lowell, Ginsburg, Wurzel, Kaysen, and Greta).

Third, I haven’t imbibed any alcohol — aside from 3.5 oz. of wine with dinner on Saturday — since last Tuesday.

Fourth, today someone routinely described as “easily one of the most talented, energetic, and charismatic drummers in the business” or alternatively “one of the best drummers around today,” agreed enthusiastically to give lessons to my 15-year-old, Banana! At an incredibly reasonable price! I love him!

Fifth, today someone sent me this email:

Mika.

I listened to the [sic] Emotional Piano Lunar Strings out on a website. It was used as background music for an Anti-Piracy Public Service Annoucement that our College Student Organization put together. This is not something we are earning money for; it is part of a Anti-Piracy Campaign to bring awareness to the issues surrounding the impact of piracy. Our organization teaches Ethics. Your Emotional Piano Lunar Strings just made it more impactful of a message. We wish to credit the Emotional Piano Lunar Strings, but how do you wish that we list the information?

Kevin

OK, fine, so I don’t, um, quite support the political position guiding the video with its . . . uh, invisible hand. (It turns out you can watch the video with its affecting soundtrack on YouTube.) It’s a visual reductio argument implicitly against electronic “piracy” that relies on unsupported assumptions, e.g., that people’s ability to download music for free costs record companies income (after all, people’s ability to watch television for free hasn’t hurt the broadcast networks much, because their business model assumes it) and that empty cd racks necessarily go hand in hand with a net loss of music available to the world.

If I were a composer for whose music people were clamoring, I could afford to be picky about who may use it. When I wrote that piece, I imagined its being used in a soundtrack to enhance just the very feeling of loss this misguided psa wants to communicate. It makes me really happy that someone listened to it and thought adding it to their video just made it more impactful of a message.

[(7/31/2007 2:19) Yes, the last sentence was meant to ring sarcastic. I would not use the word “impactful” under torture. OK, well, maybe I’d, like, yodel it or something, to register irony the torturers couldn’t detect. I don’t know a lot of torturers, but my sense is they’re terrible at detecting irony.]

Sixth, I just this evening discovered (could it be . . . Google?) that last November I was the object of some extraordinarily flattering attention, as these posts to the Newton Blog can attest:

# GDM Says:
November 15th, 2006 at 12:32 pm

In this weeks Tab we see a letter to the editor congratulating Moveon.org for the Democratic victory. Moveon.org is an extreme left wing group that hates what America stands for. Its typical for some Newtonites to endorse this group as these are probably the same people who spit in returning war soldiers faces. Moveon.org has no place in Newton as it preaches hate towards anyone who disagrees with them. In addition, Mika Cooper once again added her hate/censor anyone she disagrees with comments to the editor. People like Mika Cooper offer nothing to Newton or the United States, she should ship herself to northern Canada where she can hate all who she disagrees with up there.

1. Kurt Says:
   November 15th, 2006 at 12:51 pm

   An open letter to Mika Cooper:

   Mika, please feel free to leave to Newton. Maybe San Francisco would be a better place for you. Just because you disagree with someone does not mean that their speech should be censored. I know you like to have everyone to think like you, but thankfully most people have had real lives and life expierences in which they think totally different from you. Mika, do us all a favor here Newton, JUST LEAVE!!!
   

Funny, I’ve been saying exactly that about San Francisco and me ever since I moved here from there in 1982. Google led me to discover also my similar position of honor on this site, which posted the letter I wrote to the Newton Tab last fall, introduced by these words:

[Note this “woman” has written letters to the Tab before. He was originally Michael Cooper, and has claimed to have children in the Newton schools. Check him/her out at:
http://www.mikarrhea.com/ and
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=342635 ]

I love learning of new fans!!!!!!!

What a great day!

  ·  anecdotage

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