The Chapman Stick

Lyon Street, San Francisco, 1990: I'd been playing keyboards, and I found the strange instrument in the keyboard magazines. It looked like a black board about four feet long, with lots of strings. It was kind of like a guitar, but more strings.

You played it by tapping the strings to the frets with both hands. Though it was expensive, I was intrigued. I called up the company and asked if they had any used ones. No, they didn't. I scouted music stores. I found one, and bought it, then set to learning to play.

I was lousy.

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That Which Drives the World

Japan, Long Ago: One of the younger monks climbed up the mountain for two days, and when he was admitted to the presence of the master, he asked, "O Master, please tell me, what is Fate?"

The master contemplated for a time, and then said, "It is that which gives meaning to the Beasts of Burden. It is that which Man must bear upon his back. It is that which drives the urgency of the cities and causes men to build roads and highways, and upon them inns and roadhouses."

The young monk thought a minute and said, "Oh. So that is Fate." The master looked up, startled.

"Fate? Fate did you say?" said the master. "I'm sorry. I thought you said Freight."

"Oh?" said the young monk. "Well, I wanted to know what Freight was, too."