Humboldt
MUSIC Information:
- California Sessions
- G Major / E minor
- 36 Measures
- Cello and Piano
- 3:10 min
- 3 Pages
Even when the skies are gray in California, they’re a different shade of gray. - Oscar Levant
McKINLEYVILLE
For everything that happens in life, there’s always a beginning and—whether we like it or not—a conclusion. When I moved to Humboldt County back in 1998, landing in a little town called McKinleyville, it felt like opening the first page of a brand-new book. It was the beginning of a life filled with excitement, where every corner held a fresh adventure and the sense that anything—absolutely anything—could happen. And there I was, living in a small town where, apparently, nothing much happens. Yet somehow, in that quiet little nowhere, chaos, wonder, and a kind of magic kept finding their way to me.
I was twenty-seven years old, my body full of energy and my mind packed with dreams far too big for a small town. And although that fascinating little enterprise in Humboldt came to an end two years later - much sooner that I would've liked - it didn't die as much as make room for something else. Something far bigger, and way wilder than anything I'd ever dared to dream.
1998
The year 1998—I claimed it as my own. I was determined, overflowing with energy, and bursting with new ideas. But I have to admit, I was also a little afraid, there were so many questions. Meanwhile, the world around me felt like a tiny blue marble spinning through political and social chaos.
Former President Bill Clinton was under investigation over his indiscretions, Titanic was still making everyone ugly-cry, Google was launching out of a garage in Menlo Park, and the FDA had just approved Viagra - instantly boosting the morale (and other things) of middle-aged men everywhere. Microsoft for its part, dropped Windows 98 like it was the second coming of Christ, and the Spice Girls somehow became the most unstoppable pop force on the planet none of us could escape.
WHAT IF
The year was officially designated as the International Year of the Ocean, which feels appropriate, since looking back, the whole damn world was already drowning. And if I'd known what humanity was turning into at the end of the millennium, I probably would've taken a different path - maybe even run the other way. But which way could've been safe?
It scares me to think what would've happened if I had known, in detail, every international mess waiting to happen in the years ahead. I would probably have let myself fall apart in disbelief. Wars, natural disasters, death, riots, division, illness - the whole apocalyptic buffet. Any of them could have brought me down to my knees, and life itself at the end, could have delivered the final blow, pressing my head into the cutting block without hesitation.
LAUGHTER AND TEARS
Meanwhile - ignorant to the pain and all the future events that shaped the world. I met a lot of people from Eureka, Arcata and McKinleyville. And along with people comes laughter and tears, _ it's a whole package_ The experiences I have had in life, had taught me that laughter and tears are the same thing. They blend into an amalgamation of feelings that flustered me, since, often I laughed only to end up in tears, and many times a good laugh after crying is even a better medicine.
Nevertheless, in between laughter and tears, I was looking to accomplish so many things. In those years living in Norther California, I invested time, and devoted hard work to acquired familiarity to new people and situations. I was desperately craving for a taste of a full life, and those years were indeed, full and productive. If I have to do it all over again, I'd probably not changed anything, I'd simply let my life replay the exact same way.
JUST ONE WORD
Humboldt is a place where past and future merge as one, and it seems to me that is covered by a perpetual, strangely beautiful gray sky. If I close my eyes, I can still visualize the perfect postcard-like views of nature. The forest, with its majestic redwoods, has a way of humbling anyone's sense of importance. The ever present fog, so thick that seems to roll like a living thing and let's not forget the rain, which makes everything look clean and shiny, are part of its beauty.
Humboldt feels alive in a way most people and places don't. If I have to describe it in just one word, it would be - intense. The kind of isolation you find here isn't for the faint-hearten, although once you are immerse in its quiet magic, you begin to feel a sense of belonging.
PEOPLE I MET
Back in 1998, I never gave it a second thought that changes are imminent. And here I am, all these years later, writing this letter. I'm immerse now in a new life, thinking in different ways to engage in brand new adventures, and remembering fondly, all the wonderful people I met:
Carlitos
Senora Yolanda
Inma
Michael
Ramon
Pedro
Lupita
These names don't mean anything without a meaningful story to tell about the person; however for me, all it takes is a quick remembrance at their faces to feel an array of good memories invading my whole existence. It has been twenty five years since I moved away, and I still remember clearly, and with great detail, their smiles. Surprisingly, the great moments we shared, still feel fresh as if it was yesterday when they happened. How I wish well to each of them. With their only presence, no doubt, they've enhanced my life.
DIGGING THE PAST
Music is the closest thing we have to a time machine. If I dare opening its doors, I can dig up the past with surprising accuracy - thinking, perhaps because of the nostalgia, that the earth was a much better place to live in. Other times, music brings back so many memories that surprisingly, I didn't expected to be there.
The pop songs I used to hear at the end of the millennium - especially the ones from 1998 - are now packed with nostalgia. Just a few notes can send me straight back to McKinleyville.
Angel by Sarah McLachlan
My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
If You Had My Love by Jennifer Lopez
Blue by Eiffel 65
You Drive Me Crazy by Britney Spears
QUIET MARCH
Everything has a beginning and everything has an end. I have composed a piano-cello duet that tells the story of my short life in Humboldt County - a place that I fell in love with immediately. Through this piece, I know my fondness for that magical corner of the world will remain, long after the years themselves have slipped away. Music is a way I can hold on to the things that the quiet march of time keeps trying to take.
When you listen to the piece, pay attention to the melody. It's trying to tell you that the world was simpler. I know you'd agree. It's exactly just how I feel whenever I think back on my short life in Humboldt. Those days now seem quieter, as if time was less of a hurry. But the world hasn't really changed all that much since then, it's just throwing a new tantrum our way to keep us busy and confused.