Jay C. Batzner is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida where he teaches theory, composition, and technology courses as well as coordinates the composition program. He holds degrees in composition and/or theory from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, the University of Louisville, and the University of Kansas.
Jay's music is primarily focused around instrumental chamber works as well as electroacoustic composition. His music has been recorded on the Capstone, Vox Novus, and Beauport Classical labels and is published by Unsafe Bull Music.
Jay is a sci-fi geek, an amateur banjoist, a home brewer, and juggler.
|
5/20/2009
Attachments
My position at UCF came to a more abrupt ending than I would have liked. While I was planning on using my office and equipment (correction, UCF's office and equipment) through the summer, I was told by the upper administration that I had to have my office packed and equipment returned on May 7th. Since I was told this late in the afternoon on May 7th, there was no way to comply. Yesterday, though, I turned in my laptop, keys, and fully vacated my office space.
I get attached to computers. I work with them a lot and develop relationships with them after the many hours spent together. When my Performa 6320 died in 2001, I wrote a eulogy for it. My UCF laptop, a first-gen MacBook Pro, served me quite well for three years. I generated hours of music (no exaggeration, here, since every podcast episode I made was done on the thing). My most performed work to date was created on it. It had a quirky side and would manage to express its personality at the most appropriate times (like crashing twice during a job interview). Earlier this year, during the three times it had to be sent to California for new logic boards, I was pretty much lost without it.
Tuesday, I took the install discs, zeroed all the data on the hard drive, and did a clean install. I felt a little bit like Paul seeing Millie/November with a different personality imprint on Dollhouse. It was still my laptop, but it wasn't anymore. Yesterday, I left the laptop on what was my desk, closed the locked door on what was my office, and turned in what used to be my keys. I feel a bit ungrounded and unattached. And I'm trying to move my work to my home computer which just isn't the same (MDD G4 tower).
Anyhow, we vacate the "sunshine" state in about 10 days. I'm under deadline for three pieces, none of which are going well. My brain is having a hard time letting go, all because of a silly thing like a laptop. Of course it isn't just because of a laptop, the laptop is serving as an icon of the whole situation. I get that. Doesn't make the composing easier, though.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
|
| |
