Ad Libitum

 

(PCS - continuing at a strong 9 today)

I was very pleased when both Tom Cochrun and Ol'Buzzard mentioned their own appreciation of jazz in comments to me!  It is regrettably sad IMO that jazz has declined considerably in popularity, especially during the last thirty years.  While I enjoy many forms of music, there is something so captivating and unique about jazz (especially modal jazz) that I find it surprising that it is becoming so obscure to so many.  

There are so many exceptional jazz artists, that I could not do adequate justice here.  But, off the top of my head, some of my own personal favorites include:

Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, Paul Desmond, Sonny Rollins, Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordon, and Stan Getz are just some of my personal favorites.  It is nearly impossible to pick ONE song as the ultimate favorite, but I would have to say that this Miles Davis song is always going to be in my top five... both for Mile's trumpet... but for the piano accompaniment as well.  Just exceptional in all regards:

It Never Entered My Mind - Miles Davis Quintet 

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The term ad libitum is one I tend to hear and use frequently in my work at the U.  It is a Latin phrase and it means..... "as much or as often as desired"..... in other words, "at will".   I use it in regards to many of my rodent research projects, and it is common in different aspects of the research I read related to my own work.  

In my post yesterday I mentioned how I would very much like to find/figure out some way to return to my pipes and pipe tobaccos with two caveats:

1.  In returning, I would want to do so, so that I would not feel the worry/anxiety I had been feeling creep into the hobby during the last few years  

2.  In returning, I would want to do so, in a manner that would be low stress.... "easy" and not requiring from me a lot of work or effort.  

And as it stands currently, to me, the two caveats above seem diametrically opposed to each other.... at least in the way my brain currently operates. 

During the more than four decades where I had indulged in pipes and pipe tobacco smoking, it had always been pretty much ad libitum... at will.... as desired.  I mean.... technically that was not always true, for there were times when I would abstain when I may have wanted to indulge, but these were generally minor and short term pauses..... sleeping, in my vehicle when driving with the kids or my wife, at Mass, in the classroom, etc.  But, for the most part, other than that, I was always WITH THE OPTION to indulge if I so desired.  It was a very flexible, innate..... and "organic" activity.  

But, in order to have little or even better, no worry if I were to return.... my indulgence would require regulation, limiting, most likely scheduling.  Those facets feel like WORK, not just living "in the moment".  And, I am not sure at this time, if I were to indulge in a pipeful, would that INTENSIFY the desires to drive me back to my multi-decade indulgence patterns of.... simply "at will"... or at the very least make my following of a plan more difficult?  

So, in many ways.... until I figure things out more to try to find some sort of happy medium in the two caveats..... it is easier to continue to refrain.... rather than risk jumping back into the hobby I so desire to return to ..... ill-prepared and... end up satisfying neither caveat.  

PipeTobacco