mtcodex

Matt Turner: MT, It’s been noted recently that you decided to stop blogging. Could you tell us a bit about that?

MT: Certainly, Matt. There came a time when I realised that a good part of my blogging was stale. Occasionally I would do it for me, occasionally for my SO, mostly just for the sake of blogging.

Matt Turner: Was that the only reason?

MT: Well, to be honest with you, these last weeks have been a most difficult period in my life. I suppose one might say I grew tired of keeping up appearances under the pressure.

Matt Turner: Even though many had thought your latest incarnation of ‘mtcodex’ was the best yet?

MT: Yes, the design was well received. Indeed, I felt it to be my best accomplishment yet on a personal level. However, even though the conception was good, the soul wasn’t there to carry it through. I still remained divided on the purpose, there was no creating spirit there to keep the blog alive. And without creativity, a nice design is like a tramp in a suit.

Matt Turner: I see. So tell me then, with ‘Variation VI’ over, what do you intend for future?

MT: Ah, the future. More tender seeds, less self and more beauty.

Matt Turner: Meaning?

MT: Well, actually, what I hope is more self and more beauty. I’ve had it with trying to write to please an audience. I want to write to please myself.

Matt Turner: But aren’t you a most avid follower of stats. Doesn’t drawing an audience give you the most satisfaction?

MT: Oh yes, but that’s just an exercise in ego inflation most of the time, it’s not what I really care about. I get more joy out of the writing that inspires me, than some dull insipid techy articles that pulls in the page views. Matt Turner. So what are you going to do to please yourself. What will the next version of mtcodex be like? Do you have a name?

MT: I suppose ‘seven’ makes sense.

Matt Turner: Right… but what will the theme be.

MT: Ah, I’m glad you ask that, Matt. The theme will be ‘Veni Creator’. That roughly translates to ‘Come, Creator’. Whatever I do, it will most certainly not follow the common trends in blogging today. It will be solely to please myself. For one thing, there will be no comments. There will probably be no technical or explanatory articles. It will be a pure indulgence in personal creativity. There will be no schedule, no fixed thing to write about… or…

Matt Turner: Or?

MT: Well, writing. It’s a great thing isn’t it. But I want to do more than write. I want to express myself, online, but in whatever medium I like, so long as it can be recorded.

Matt Turner: So when we can expect your future work of art?

MT: When I’m good and ready.

Matt Turner: I see. But for those that are interested in you personally. What are those people to do in the meantime?

MT: Whatever happened to old fashioned things like ‘e-mail’? heard of that? I don’t mean to be abrupt. I have also established myself on a popular communication site called ‘twitter’ where, if you’re interested, you can pick up on what i’m up to day to day.

Matt Turner: How might a reader find that?

MT: Simply follow this link and it will open in your browser – http://twitter.com/mattyturner

Matt Turner: If I may, i’d like to field a few questions from our readers.

MT: Okay.

Matt Turner: Artemis asks, who’s your favorite girl?

MT: Favorite?

Matt Turner: Yes, your favorite.

MT: Well, I would have to say that would be my fiancee, the future Mrs Turner. I hope she’s reading.

Matt Turner: Okay. A mattyturner asks, How do you like your eggs?

MT: I’m sure I know that name. Anyway, shallow fried over a low heat until the whites have just set. Served on hot buttered toast with brown sauce to the side. Sometimes I will substitute brown sauce for marmite on the toast.

Matt Turner: Yes, I like them that way myself. I just can’t stand it when you get those crispy bits on the bottom of a fried egg.

MT: No, quite.

Matt Turner: Gill Sans asks, do you have any suggestions on finding inspiration for creativity?

MT: Gill, do you? I’d love to know. Personally I try to follow a broad base of liberal arts and fine arts. In particular photography. Drawing on things that elicit a response on me I try to use these things to roughly define an aesthetic however the emotional and spiritual reasons that I create, those can only be your own. But it’s only when the inspirations die down, in the quiet moments, that anything resembling unique thought comes. Sometimes you just have to shut up and turn off everything, stop reading, stop listening, stop watching. Just keep still for a minute.
That is part of the reason I think some people have their best ideas in the shower or bath. Their minds are allowed to wander, there is no task other than washing occupying them, there is no mental stimuli distracting the attention. In this environment ones mind may seed an idea you can take up.

Matt Turner: Finally, what are you doing in the near future?

MT: Well, I’m going to spending much more time visiting the states while the future Mrs Turner and I wait for a visa so I can stay there as a resident. In fact I’m going out on the 1st of August.

Matt Turner: Well, before we part and bring this brief era of mtcodex to a formal close. May I ask. What are you listening to right now?

MT: Guess

I remember being very tired. All these unrealised methodics, all I wanted was a beautiful sensation of peace and well-being, expressed in a late evening scene. If it were American – a golden field in summer. English – the corner of some lazy meadow.

Wherever it was, with a soft breeze reassuring me of reality.

So it is, the time has come for the sun to set on this venture. It will be replaced, in due time, with more tender seeds. With less self and more beauty. And no more downward glances at nothing.

Farewell.

I have a few things to say this Saturday and I think I’ll work in reverse chronological order. First off, for James. Fujitsu Siemens are the devil. With that out of the way lets move on to some other things. I’ve been a bit depressed lately. For one thing the future Mrs Turner went home over a week ago. I’ve also been pondering my faith lately and the correspondence between the reality of God and the results in the life of a ‘true believer’.

I still find the existence of God an inescapable reality, but the Bible says that Christians are in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit. Fair enough, but then I have issues with phrases such as I’ve heard lately as “prove we’re in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit”. Think about it, if you have God inside you, how could it be possible to even pretend you don’t? More specifically, speaking of the ministry of the Holy Spirit as it’s described in the Bible – to bear witness to the Truth and Jesus. As a Christian how could my mind be so far away from Jesus and the things which would please him?

As I’m sure anyone that knows me will attest to, I don’t have a lot of time for mysticism or blind faith. Yes, I know faith is trusting in what you can’t see, but it’s not trusting in what you don’t know! Lately I’ve been enjoying modern french composers. Yes, of course I still think J.S. Bach is the greatest composer to have lived but he’s not the only composer. In particular I’ve been listening to Duruflé’s organ works. At first I thought, “it’s okay” but now I’m totally drawn to it. In some ways, it’s like Bach, in as much as when you listen to it unless you’re paying close attention you get an impression. But whereas counterpoint turns out as an expression of interwoven melodies this is designed more from the outside to leave an impression. Lots more registrations are used, true of French organ music in general. But with so much choice it takes discipline to write something worthy. That’s what’s so great about Bach’s organ music. He had serious constraints on him – the number of stops that could play at one time (there was a limit to the air they could generate for the pipes), no pistons for changing multiple stops at a time. It was with those constraints that he composed some phenomenal music. But back to Duruflé, in a way it’s less mathematical and more, dare I say it, colourful. There is still however, lots to draw you in. Lots that demands repeated listening. Themes and notes that you don’t pick up on until you’re listening for them.

So, imagine the great aspects of both these styles – the beauty, intrigue and complexity of Counterpoint, the expression and variety of Expressionism, and then listen to Fugue sur le nom d’Alain. Lets put it this way. I could hum you the theme, but I could not for the life of me remember how the music as a whole goes. It’s less like a mirror and more like kaleidoscope. Like all great music, there are phrases where I am obliged to feel uplifted and transported.

Maybe it’s just me, but I often wonder which would be worse. To lose your sight or your hearing. In some ways I feel sight would be more difficult in terms of getting by. I can’t imagine how one does the shopping if you can’t see, for example. But your hearing. To hear the timbre of a loved one saying ‘I love you’, to be transported by a work of music. I know some people feel that way for paintings, but it’s music for me. Paintings are simply there, once and for all. Music is created freshly every time, it resonates with your being. You can’t switch it off, you can’t close your eyes, it’s inside you exciting every emotion – joy, sadness, awe, happiness, love, fear and so on. Music is alive.

I think it’s interesting that we are told there will be music in Heaven, but not paintings, poetry or sculptures (or art installations!). And I’m sure that Heaven’s high arches reflect the richest echos and most transcendental reverberation as the praise to God melds into the purest and most beautiful outwards expression of worship.

Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.

Finally, an edition of the Saturday Morning Kitchen, other than the inaugural one that’s posted on a Saturday. As you may guess by the title though, I have fallen to the level of talking to cheese. Not any cheese either, an atypical French cheese. In fact I think camembert is probably as French as cheese can get. Yes, I know there are others out there. The other week, when the future Mrs Turner was around, we got a Munster, which despite cast iron stomach made me feel quite off one night. Then there are other famous good ones, in the blue corner Roquefort and St Agur.. hurrah! In the hard corner Comté and Beaufort. In the soft corner Brie and Neufchâtel. Huzzah! Anyway, there’s just something about that velvety edible rind, begging to be caressed and then unwrapped to reveal it’s mellow creamy insides. Or maybe it’s just me.

This week the future Mrs Turner went home to San Francisco. That was Tuesday, it was a sad day. It even prompted me to write something poetical, such is my state. Meanwhile work has finally started to creep back into my life after a few weeks absence. In some ways being self employed is worse morally than working for a company. By that I mean, I would never, for example, do a gambling website. However, I have very strict standards when it comes to work, when you work for an employer and they ask you to bend them to get something done quicker, then at least you can say - well my employer said it. When you’re self employed you have the option of saying no to work up front. Stuff you know is just shockingly bad (work wise) but you don’t want to turn down the money as well as future money. I’m doing one of those jobs right now. I feel really strongly about NOT doing it. I know when I’m working for active ingredients it’s the kind of job they’d never do in the first place, so that’s some comfort. But if I was working for them i’d make sure they know i’d never do it before they agreed to it with the client. And here I am doing it for someone else. Why? Really because if I don’t do it they’ll be stuck (e.g. I’m a nice guy) and if I don’t take it they might not ask me to do any future jobs for them. Man, I can’t wait to be employed again. Brian, if you’re reading this, i’m a pain in the ass, but in the best way. I’ll accommodate whatever I can but unless it’s super duper urgent and there is a very good, or very political reason with lots of money hanging on it i’ll only do it right. Sorry, why would I do otherwise?

The future Mrs Turner also got me something this week. A couple of bottles of plonk from a little place she knows. That was a very sweet gesture of her, the thing is, one of the wine labels is ‘Fetzer’. I’m sure it’s fine, I know their gewürtztraminer it’s pretty good. But Fetzer. I just think of ‘fester’ every time I hear it and picture stagnant pools of souring grape juice waiting to go into giant vats. Maybe some flies are buzzing above it too. By the way, if you like gewürtztraminer try Wolf Blass’s Frontignac Traminer. It’s kind of like a muscat, very good.. exotic fruity flavour, that spicy undertone (which is what I love) and a (to quote the bottle) ‘clean finish’.

Ouai, that’s it.

This Side UpOriginally uploaded by mattyturner. Take me there. Where?
To the place where I can see.
Face to face I stare.
In a mirror, only me.

Now we may only meet where kindred spirits dwell,
until the desire comes – a tree of life.

It’s the fastest place on earth,
Light and sound bring us milliseconds away.
Through fiber optic connexions I bask in your presence,
But I want to be with you. Today.

Patience. Lord grant me to be “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness. Giving thanks to the Father … Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”

And now, not long, soon.
Following lines of rapid transit,
I will join you on life’s journey,
living for Christ and one another,
the hope deferred forgotten.

Escalator Originally uploaded by mattyturner. Once again, due to various distractions from the future Mrs Turner (we spent most of the say in Swanage yesterday) the Saturday Morning Kitchen is late again. It’s also going to be short again, as the future Mrs Turner goes home this week maybe it will be a bit longer next Saturday.

Anyway, on Tuesday we went into London and met up with two friends from CCUK- DJ and Helen. Follow the link after the photo for more of that. For now, that’s me. Adios.

Dandylions! Originally uploaded by mattyturner. Maybe I should just rename the Saturday Morning Kitchen the Sunday Afternoon Nap. Anyway, because anything I have to say would be boring, and because the future Mrs Turner has already said it all, I have uploaded some photos from swizterland for your enjoyment.

As is my habit, i’m posting the Saturday Morning Kitchen late. One week and one day late to be precise as it’s Sunday evening here in Basel. Basel, no, that’s not where i’m normally to be found but i’m here taking a break with the future Mrs Turner. Actually, we only arrived in Basel yesterday, so to recap – Monday we flew into Geneva. This involved going into London and navigating the Tube and the DLR[Docklands Light Railway] on a Monday morning during the rush hour. Not the best thing to be doing but it went okay. We only had Monday afternoon/evening in Geneva. Eating turned out to be an expensive proposition. Still, when I saw escargots on the menu, I couldn’t resist (I have a thing about trying anything, that isn’t detrimental to health, once).

The next day we took a five hour journey to the Graubünden in South East Switzerland. With three connections I really didn’t expect to make it there at the time shown on the itinerary. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy Swiss transport is to navigate. Second class on the inter city trains is nicer than anything you’ll find on a mainstream train in the UK. Also, you can buy your tickets online and print them out. They have a funky barcode thing that the hand held computers the train staff use will read. Note to UK railways – get in the 21st century. Barcodes have been around a while now!

Moving on, we spent the new few days at a small place called Alvaneu Dorf ‘playing house’ as Doug so eloquently put it. Here I was subjected to the ‘Disney Distortion Field’ at work as the future Mrs Turner insisted we took down the paintings on the wall. “They’re creepy and they look like the Haunted Mansion”. So they had to go down and hidden. I will admit the one of the young girl was kind of creepy, though I saw no problem with the old geezer smoking his pipe and others.

Then yesterday, Saturday, we got back on the wonderful railways to head for Basel. We didn’t have a itinerary for this journey, we got off at Chur, a connecting station, and our train was right there waiting for us on the adjacent platform about, oh, five seconds walk away. Swizterland is the only country i’ve been to that really implements integrated public transport. When we arrived about 2 minutes late on the train going towards Alvaneu, the Postal bus was there waiting for us. Oh yes, UK, every tiny middle of no-where in Switzerland still has a post office and the bus service generally connects them.

Okay, really moving on this time, we got to Basel yesterday and didn’t do a whole lot. This morning we went to Basel Christian Fellowship. I found them searching for ‘reformed’ churches on the web. I knew we would be in for a bit of a mixed bag when along with the hymnal we were handed a hymn sheet with ‘Shine Jesus, Shine’ on it. The guy leading the service was a little… he was alright, he was just a bit weird. I’m sure if he hadn’t done a stupid little clapping thing during our Shine Jesus, Shine, no one would have felt compelled to do so. Also, I would like to add that putting visitors on the spot by asking them to stand up and say where they’re from and how they found the church should be banned!

Thankfully we wasn’t preaching the sermon! That was left to an American gentleman who was preaching through the Daniel. We were looking at the verses immediately preceding Daniel being thrown into the Lions den from when King Darius signs an edict making it a crime to worship anyone but him for 30 days to when the King is forced to throw Daniel to the Lions. The thrust of the message was the necessity of trusting in God and how the situation was taken out of everyones hands.Daniel, he was in breach of the law – Darius, he had to adhere to the law of the Medes and Persians. Daniels fate, therefore, was solely in God’s hands who used the event to confirm his power to Darius and us, as readers.

Tomorrow we’re leaving Switzerland and flying to Manchester to spend a few days with my brother. Hopefully next week’s Saturday Morning Kitchen will be a little more timely.

Awesomeness Originally uploaded by mattyturner. Today was a big day. The future Mrs Turner graduated from Mills College with an English B.A (emphasis in creative writing, minor in history!) Needless to say everyone was proud of her, lots came round for an open house afterwards where buffet food was eaten, presents given and so on.

Since i’ve been in California a couple of weeks now I thought it was about time to upload some photos. I did this last night, head over to http://flickr.com/photos/mattyturner/ to see Californian stuff, I expect graduation photos will go up tomorrow. As you can see I uploaded some photos of the organ console at Oakland FCC. After some internal deliberation I uploaded a pretty rough performance of some Bach (Prelude No. 5 in G Major, BWV 557 (sans fugue)). This was just from my laptop sitting on top of the organ so it sounds nothing like it did in the Church with the beautiful reverb. Please note – timing unsteady, fingering unsure, feet painfully missing the right pedals and arpeggios clearly missing the right notes. Still, sometime in the week after June the 12th when the future Mrs Turner returns to America I’ll record a better performance complete with the fugue. Here’s the link: http://mtcodex.net/media/prelude-gmajor.mov

Yes, I should point out, the future Mrs Turner will flying back to the UK with me on Tuesday for a few weeks. We’re going to spend quite a bit of time in Winchester I imagine, spend a week in Switzerland, a few days with my brother Martyn near Chester. We’re also going to spend a day in London with two friends neither of us have met in person before Deejay (Sp?) and Helen. And hopefully also some days out at Kew Gardens, Oxford and Alney. Speaking of the future Mrs T, she just got out the shower and completely unexpectedly, I was in my own little world listening to Bach here, handed me a margarita.

Margaritas have led me to the belief that one can acquire a taste for just about anything, with one categorical exception. The first time I tried a margarita I thought “wow, that’s bad” a taste of salt followed by some yucky sour orange lime stuff spiked with tequila. I mean, what’s right about that? Well, with time, a whole lot! Anyway, what’s the categorical exception to acquiring a taste for anything. It’s tacky.. no.. sweet.. no trashy well, things that are easy to like the first time you try them. Like a catchy pop tune or a sweet tasting thing. You think – yeah, I could like this, but pretty soon you’re sick of them. Things worth acquiring a taste for – classical music, great literature, fine art and yep, margaritas too keep tasting good. I don’t think I’m going to get tired of any of the things I just mentioned whereas I can think of plenty of embarrassing things I enjoyed the first time round that I would not want to experience again – Asia (The Band), McDonalds, Maryland chocolate chip cookies. These things are sweet, tacky, shallow and ultimately unsatisfying.

Okay, that’s all for this Saturday. Martyn, hang in there and one day you too can enjoy sea food.

Now, I realise it’s Monday, not Saturday. So in lieu of SMK I present you with a one off “Monday, where’s my coffee, is it too early in the week to start procrastinating, review”.

For those of you who don’t have the BBC, Saturday Morning Kitchen is an informal cookery show with different guests each week. I don’t know why, but this show struck me as the kind of thing I wanted to do as a weekly blog. Not about cookery, necessarily. Just a chance to put in all those bits and pieces that don’t belong but I’d like to share into my blog.

I plan to do this weekly, I recommend you enjoy with coffee.

This past 10 days or so, since talking about California and Coffee, I have been in California with the future Mrs Turner. She’s nearly ready to graduate, I’m sure there is more than enough on her own blog about that. I’ll just share one funny moment at a reading she did last Monday at Mills College (all girls undergrads) where she studies. I was sitting next to Jeff, her brother. The presenter was asking in turn students, friends, family members and lastly boy and girl friends to raise their hands. I raised my hand. Jeff looked around and leaned over towards me to whisper “Matt, you’re the only guy with your hand up”.

Also Thursday Night. My world was rocked for the second time since being here by the organ at Oakland First Covenant Church. A real pipe organ. I will get the full details later, along with photos, but to sum up there are three manuals, a 32 note radiating pedal board, approximately 50 stops (I’ll have to count), 8 pistons for each manual including pedals, 8 general setting pistons duplicated above the pedals, as far as I can tell everything can be linked and there are are swell and choir expression pedals and a crescendo pedal which can be customised. It really does have all the bells and whistles and is so much fun to play.

I have struck a deal with the future Mrs Turner that if I get her a cello and lessons I can have an organ at home. This seems like a totally fair deal to me, though it might be a little while. First of all we have to get a home… oh, and a Bechstein!