My quasi-romantic, digitally-cultivated encounter went well. I think the trouble with Internet courting, either via dating website or social network, is the build-up of false expectations. Text and images leave much to the imagination, and what we imagine is easy to mistake for reality, and burdens the natural flow of what would otherwise be an ordinary interaction. I've been the victim of this kind of affectation a few times. People have conflated my art with my everyday being. Sorry, it's just not gonna happen -- I can't compare to what's in your head. I smartly took a jog to counteract this effect, and it worked. I felt entirely at ease, though I knew no one else there. There was no sense of desperation or hurry in our conversation, either from myself or from her. I could actually listen to the bands, too. What a fucking relief! I'm happy neither of us blew it. Good pacing is attractive. I hope she thinks so too.

Another positive: I believe I've unraveled the riddle of a particular song of mine that has remained steadfastly opaque. It involves repurposing a melody I wrote a decade ago, which just so happens to utilize the same chords, but in reverse order. So clever, I thought! I need to make a list of these simple compositional tricks. There are no dead ends in the creative process, just a self-imposed rigidity.

I'm glad it all worked out today. I thought that second too-much cup of coffee was gonna be the end of it.