Friday I go in for the first of the age related maintenance procedures. Carpal tunnel syndrome. The first three fingers of my left hand started going numb a few months back. Now they're number 24/7. Tests have shown that my carpal tunnels have progressed from 'moderate' to 'severe' in two years. 

Computer nerd life, yo.

So, pins and needs this morning, worse in the left than the right. Fortunately the left is getting addressed first. Right gets done next month.

Fuck this. I'm ready. Let's go!

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3/4 '19
 

Yesterday morning Matt had to get some bloodwork done, so we got up early (well, early for us) and got that taken care of, and then went to brunch.  When we got back, Matt said, "Oh man, I think I might be coming down with something. I'm not entirely sure... I just feel kinda off." That was around 1:30.

By 5:00 Matt had a 99.4 degree fever, and by 8:30 it was 101.7 and he was praying that the sweet lord would just let him die. He had the power-pukes of doom (though he admittedly felt better after Round 3), and the cold/hot/ugh of the fever, and this awful cough that came from the pit of his soul.

Around 11pm my pal Kerry texted me and mentioned that she had the similar plague the day before, but thankfully it seemed to be a 24 hour thing because she felt 89% better.  

Matt debated taking something to knock his fever down, but we agreed that we shouldn't mess with millennia of evolution, and that we should just let the fever cook out whatever it needed to.  We did give him a delicious Wal-Som to knock him out though, and he slept fairly well through the night despite a few puke-breaks.

He woke up this morning and his fever is back down to 99.4, and he feels better than he did yesterday but is still bed-ridden.

I am avoiding him as much as possible, which means I'm sleeping in the guest room, and staying out of our bedroom unless I absolutely have to go in there to bring him something.  Poor guy.

This wouldn't be a big deal, but this weekend is a Really Important Weekend.

On Friday, Matt has his very first gig with 53rd & 3rd, which is a brand-new Ramones tribute band that he's the lead singer for.  Matt has never fronted a band without also holding a guitar before, and he's nervous (though very prepared). He reaaaaaally doesn't want to be sick for this. I suppose the good news is that the gig is at Bar XIII, which is about 7 minutes from our house, and if worse came to worst, he could show up, sing, and leave.  This isn't what we want, of course.

On Saturday, Matt and I are part of this really neat show called "Shine a Light," which is a 50+ musician fundraising show that raises dinero for the Light Up The Queen Foundation, which raises money for Delaware schools that lost their arts/music funding. It also runs a jazz school, and does some other cool things, too.  It's held on the big stage downstairs at The Queen, and it's almost already sold out. Tickets are $125 each, and VIP tix are $250... so it's a pretty big to-do.  Anyway, each year's concert has a theme, and this year we're doing all songs from 1969. It's a prestigious thing, and this is our first year being a part of it.  As Freshmen members, we are singing backups and are in the horn section... so no lead singer or guitar duties, but honestly, we really like being right where we are. 

Anyway, Saturday's show is an all-day thing... we have to arrive by 3 so we can be all sound-checked and cleared off the stage by 6 because that's when the house opens for the VIPs.  The music starts at 8.

The downside to this show is that there are over 50 players involved, so there are going to be over 50 musicians crammed into the backstage area where there is not enough room for even 20 people, really... plus I'm sure many will be drinking throughout the day/night... and as an introvert it's hard to endure not having a place to be quiet where there isn't a person (drunk or not) trying to talk to you... but it's a billion times worse when you're sick.  So I'm thinking about bringing a pillow or some kind of cushion so we can sit in the stairwell where (hopefully) nobody else will be. 

As for me, I feel like my body is working really hard to fight something. I'm doing everything in my power to make sure it wins.

We were in Austin all last week for work and got home on Saturday, and then Matt had a Ramones rehearsal at 10:00am on Sunday because we had an all-day dress rehearsal for Shine a Light that started at noon and went until around 7 or 8-ish (can't remember).  So between travel, being on an airplane, being in two rehearsal spaces crammed with people and sharing mics and stuff and just running running running, it's no surprise the plague got a foothold.

So, we're hoping Matt feels better ASAP.

In the last bit of news: I'm typing this in procrastination, because I'm an idiot and always wait until the last possible second to get my books in shape in time for my accountant to do my business taxes and then my personal taxes. I see my accountant tomorrow at 2pm, and I am just now starting to hand-type in all of my bank and credit card transactions for the year, because naturally I am too cheap to spend the $9.95/month for Quickbooks access.

Anyway, if I owe you an email or some kind of reply, it'll likely be next week sometime. I've gotta get through this week and the weekend.

xo

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2/28 '19 2 Comments
Sending love and strength.
O lawd. Good luck kids.
 

I created a FaceBook Group (groan) for my coworkers and myself. Just those of us who are 'grunts'. Working at a job like ours, it's suuuuper easy to feel alienated and alone. This was a little way for us to band together for everything from support in work stuff to telling random funny stories that the others would appreciate.

It's one of the (very) few reasons I check back into FB occasionally.

Recently, someone posted to the group and asked about "Ultimate Road Music". They didn't give much in the way of stipulations. A bunch of folks dove in and presented what I think is a rather excellent list of music.

While much of it is what you might expect - classic rock is a high percentage of the list - there are a lot of gems that I either didn't know or had forgotten.

Instead of doing any one of the million things I should be doing right now, I just took a bit and sorted through all the comments to compile a list of all the recommendations. Since it has a very 'mix tape' feel to it, I thought I would present it here for your enjoyment.

Feel free to add to the list if you've got something that has to be added!

Individual Songs
AC/DC - Are You Ready
AC/DC - Highway to Hell
AC/DC - Riff Raff
Allman Brothers - Midnight Rider
Allman Brothers - Ramblin Man
Animals - It’s My Life
Arlo Guthrie - City of New Orleans
Billy Joel - New York State of Mind
Black Sabbath - Fairy’s Wear Boots
Black Sabbath - Neon Knights
Black Sabbath - War Pigs
Blackfoot - Highway Song
Blackmore Night - Locked Within the Crystal Ball
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
Boston - Peace of Mind
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
Buffalo Springfield - For What it’s Worth
Cake - The Distance
Canned Heat - Going up the Country
Christopher Cross - Ride Like the Wind
Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through the Grapevine
​​​​​​​Credence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary
Crosby Stills and Nash - Marakesh Express
Cyndi Lauper - I Drove All Night
Damn Yankees - High Enough
Darryl Worley - A Good Day to Run
Deep Purple - Highway Star
Depeche Mode - Route 66
Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing
Eddie Rabbit - Drivin my Life Away
Elvis Presley - Hi-Heel Sneakers
Eric Clapton - Let It Grow
Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
Fleetwood Mac - Gypsy
Focus - Hocus Pocus
Foghat - Drivin' Wheel
Freddy Jones Band - In a Daydream
Gary Allen - Highway Junkie
Get Set Go - I Hate Everyone
Gladys Knight - Midnight Train to Georgia
Golden Earring - Radar Love
Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway
Grateful Dead - Truckin
Hank Snow - I've Been Everywhere
Heart - Straight On For You
Honeymoon Suite - New Girl Now
Howlin’ Wolf - Highway 49
Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills
Iron Maiden - Wasted Years
Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
James Taylor - Carolina in my Mind
Jefferson Airplane - Wooden Ships
Jimmy Buffet - Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes
John Denver - Travelling Song
John Deniver - Country Roads
John Deniver - Leaving on a Jet Plane
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Johnny Cash - I've Been Everywhere
Joni Mitchell - Circle Game
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Led Zeppelin - Dancing Days
Led Zeppelin - Tea for One
Led Zeppelin - Ramble On
Lee Clayton - Silver Stallion
Lindsay Buckingham - Holiday Road
Linkin Park - Castle of Glass
Lulu Santos - Como Uma Onda
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Call me the Breeze
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
Megadeth - Peace Sells
Men At Work - Down Under
Metallica - Wherever I May Roam
Molly Hatchet - Boogie No More
Montrose - Bad Motor Scooter
Motorhead - Going To Brazil
Nat King Cole - Route 66
Outlaws - Green Grass and High Tides
Pantera - Cemetary Gates
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
Prince - Little Red Corvette
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Rare Earth - Born to Wander
Ray Charles - Hit the Road Jack
Rise Against - Ready to Fall
Roger Miller - King of the Road
Rolling Stones - 2000 Light Years
Ronnie Milsap - Prisoner of the Highway
Rush - A Passage to Bangkok
Rush - Red Barchetta
Rush - YYZ Slayer - Seasons In the Abyss
Steppenwolf - Born to be Wild
Steppenwolf - The Pusher
Steve Miller Band - Jet Airliner
Sting - Desert Rose
Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song
Sweet - Set Me Free
Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
Tesla - Comin' Atcha
The B-52s - Roam
The Doors - Horse Lattitudes
The Doors - Riders on the Storm
The Eagles - Take It Easy
The Mamas and the Papas - California Dreaming
The Marshall Tucker Band - Heard it in a Love Song
The Proclaimers - I Would Walk 500 Miles
The Way - Fastball
The Who - Who Are You
Toad the Wet Sprocket - Walk on the Ocean
Tom Cochrane - Life is a Highway
Tom Petty - Running Down a Dream
Tom Petty - Time to Move On
Tony Bennet - I Left My Heart in San Francisco
Tool - Sober
Tracy Chapman - Fast Car
Traveling Wilburys - End of the Line
U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
Van Halen - Poundcake
Waylon Jennings - Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings - Lonesome Ornery and Mean
Whitesnake - Love Ain't No Stranger
Willie Nelson - On the Road Again
Yes - Rhythm Of Love
ZZ Top - I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide
ZZ Top - La Grange

Whole Album Recommendations
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
Metallica - Black Album
Metallica - Unforgiven
Pink Floyd - Animals
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd - Division Bell
Pink Floyd - The Wall
U2 - Actung Baby

Band Recommendations
5 Finger Death Punch
Avenged Sevenfold

ETA:
New Additions from OPW Folks
Beastie Boys (See below)
Black Sabbath - Johnny Blade
Black Sabbath - Never Say Die
Black Sabbath - Psycho Man
Blue Oyster Cult - Godzilla
Blue Oyster Cult - Veterans of the Psychic Wars
Deep Purple - Space Truckin'
Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
Depeche Mode - Nothing
Don Felder - Heavy Metal
Eagles - On the Border
Eagles - Witchy Woman
Eagles - Victim of Love
Eagles - Heartache Tonight
Eddie Grant - Electric Avenue
Golden Earring - Twilight Zone
Nazareth - Crazy
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magick (entire album)
Sammy Hagar - Heavy Metal

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2/23 '19 15 Comments
We have a lot of similar music tastes. To fit in with your theme here, I'd suggest adding in Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blood Sugar Sex Magick, the whole album, is one of my all-time fave road trip CDs. I would also add in Beastie Boys (too many songs & albums to pick from, but I'd prioritize Funky Boss, So What'cha Want, Professor Booty, Super Disco Breakin', Sabotage, Brass Monkey, High Plains Drifter, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, Car Thief, Ch-Check it Out, Hey Fuck You. From Black Sabbath, I'd add Never Say Die, Johnny Blade and Psycho Man. Blue Oyster Cult--Godzilla and Veterans of the Psychic Wars. Deep Purple--Space Truckin'. I'd add waaaay more Depeche Mode, but if you only would add in one or two, it would be Never Let Me Down Again and Nothing. How bout some Eagles? On the Border, Witchy Woman, Victim of Love, Heartache Tonight. Eddie Grant--Electric Avenue. Golden Earring--Twilight Zone. Sammy Hagar--Heavy Metal. Don Felder--Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride). Nazareth (Crazy)...

and a million more, if I can think of 'em :-)
Damn. You've got seriously good taste lady. Hope you don't mind - I added them above. :)
Thank you! I think we *both* have seriously good tastes. ;-)

And of course I don't mind...I mean, that was kinda the intent and I'm glad you liked my suggestions.

I gots more...if you're still interested?
Sounds great! But I should probably make a document somewhere that you can edit so we don't keep double working. :P
Sure, whatever works for you. :-)
I loooooove Space Truckin’ as a road trip song. I thought I was the only one!
:-) It's a road trip classic! Well...in our worlds, apparently.

As are...

"Cars" by Gary Numan
"Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads
"Little Red Corvette" by Prince
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver

And I'd also ask, Matt, do you know Joe Bonamassa? He's amaaaazzzziiingggg and I get the feeling you'd totally love him. He's great solo, and with a band he plays in called Black Country Communion.

From Black Country Communion, check out:

Down Again
The Revolution in Me
Stand (At the Burning Tree)
Too Late For the Sun
Man in the Middle

Joe Bonamassa, from the album An Acoustic Evening, "Live at the Vienna Operahouse"

Slow Train
Black Lung Heartache
Woke Up Dreaming

From Joe's album "Live at the Beacon Theatre"

Blue and Evil

From Joe's album "Live at the Borderline"

Steal Your Heart Away

...and I'll post more suggestions later...
:-) It's a road trip classic! Well...in our worlds, apparently.

As are...

"Cars" by Gary Numan
"Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads
"Little Red Corvette" by Prince
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver

And I'd also ask, Matt, do you know Joe Bonamassa? He's amaaaazzzziiingggg and I get the feeling you'd totally love him. He's great solo, and with a band he plays in called Black Country Communion.

From Black Country Communion, check out:

Down Again
The Revolution in Me
Stand (At the Burning Tree)
Too Late For the Sun
Man in the Middle

Joe Bonamassa, from the album An Acoustic Evening, "Live at the Vienna Operahouse"

Slow Train
Black Lung Heartache
Woke Up Dreaming

From Joe's album "Live at the Beacon Theatre"

Blue and Evil

From Joe's album "Live at the Borderline"

Steal Your Heart Away

...and I'll post more suggestions later...
:-) It's a road trip classic! Well...in our worlds, apparently.

As are...

"Cars" by Gary Numan
"Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads
"Little Red Corvette" by Prince
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver

And I'd also ask, Matt, do you know Joe Bonamassa? He's amaaaazzzziiingggg and I get the feeling you'd totally love him. He's great solo, and with a band he plays in called Black Country Communion.

From Black Country Communion, check out:

Down Again
The Revolution in Me
Stand (At the Burning Tree)
Too Late For the Sun
Man in the Middle

Joe Bonamassa, from the album An Acoustic Evening, "Live at the Vienna Operahouse"

Slow Train
Black Lung Heartache
Woke Up Dreaming

From Joe's album "Live at the Beacon Theatre"

Blue and Evil

From Joe's album "Live at the Borderline"

Steal Your Heart Away

...and I'll post more suggestions later...
:-) It's a road trip classic! Well...in our worlds, apparently.

As are...

"Cars" by Gary Numan
"Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads
"Little Red Corvette" by Prince
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver

And I'd also ask, Matt, do you know Joe Bonamassa? He's amaaaazzzziiingggg and I get the feeling you'd totally love him. He's great solo, and with a band he plays in called Black Country Communion.

From Black Country Communion, check out:

Down Again
The Revolution in Me
Stand (At the Burning Tree)
Too Late For the Sun
Man in the Middle

Joe Bonamassa, from the album An Acoustic Evening, "Live at the Vienna Operahouse"

Slow Train
Black Lung Heartache
Woke Up Dreaming

From Joe's album "Live at the Beacon Theatre"

Blue and Evil

From Joe's album "Live at the Borderline"

Steal Your Heart Away

...and I'll post more suggestions later...
In no particular order...

Willie Nelson - On the Road Again
John Denver - Travelling Song
John Deniver - Country Roads
John Deniver - Leaving on a Jet Plane
Traveling Wilburys - End of the Line
The Eagles - Take It Easy
Prince - Little Red Corvette
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
Johnny Cash - I've Been Everywhere
Nat King Cole - Route 66
Sting - Desert Rose
Tony Bennet - I Left My Heart in San Francisco
Gladys Knight - Midnight Train to Georgia
The B-52s - Roam
Billy Joel - New York State of Mind
James Taylor - Carolina in my Mind
Crosby Stills and Nash - Marakesh Express
Rush - A Passage to Bangkok
Arlo Guthrie - City of New Orleans
Darryl Worley - A Good Day to Run
Tom Cochrane - Life is a Highway
Metallica - Wherever I May Roam
Roger Miller - King of the Road
Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
The Mamas and the Papas - California Dreaming
Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
Canned Heat - Going up the Country
Lindsay Buckingham - Holiday Road
Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song
The Way - Fastball
Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
Cyndi Lauper - I Drove All Night
Tracy Chapman - Fast Car
Ray Charles - Hit the Road Jack
Cake - Going the Distance
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
The Proclaimers - I Would Walk 500 Miles
Men At Work - Down Under
Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
The Allman Brothers - Midnight Rider
Steve Miller Band - Jet Airliner
Credence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary

Nice! I'll have to add these to the list!
I've grabbed the whole list and curated it. (Thank you, mad Excel skillz.) We're at 145 and climbing. I see I'm going to be spending some $$$ at Amazon to cherry pick the songs that aren't already on my driving playlist.
Nice! The list above is sorted already, but I've been thinking I should just create a Google Sheets list so that I can add new elements easily.
Jimmy Barnes - Driving Wheels
REO Speedwagon - Time For Me To Fly
REO Speedwagon - Riding The Storm Out
REO Speedwagon - Roll With The Changes
Styx - Blue Collar Man
Journey - Wheel In The Sky
Journey - Feeling That Way / Anytime
Journey - Anyway Your Want It
Journey - Stone In Love
Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good
 

Greensleeves again, this time with more confidence.

 I tried to make a video of me playing Romance from A Little Night Music, but between the tripod not cooperating and me not being really ready with that piece yet, all I made was myself angry. 

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2/22 '19 1 Comment
Sounds pretty good to me! At a bare minimum, it's 1. forward progress and 2. infinitely better than I could do!
 

I had my wisdom teeth removed today.

I opted for twilight sedation, because why would I want to be awake for that if I had a safe alternative.

They put me on nitrous first. It did nothing for me. Annoying.

Then put an IV in my hand and started me on Fentanyl for pain, telling me I'd feel a hot flash. Which I didn't. Getting a little more annoyed. Dentistry without pain relief is kind of a nightmare for me.

Five minutes later I poked myself with a finger nail and didn't feel much so at least there was that.

Then they started me on Versed. I was having conversations like I don't feel anything, should I feel something? And they said Well you should feel like you've had a drink or two. And I'm like, nope. And they said, well, you get more before the procedure starts. And I'm like, I hope so!

Surgeon shows up at some point and says, "okay let's get started" and they up the sedation, finally I'm feeling a little less like I'm staring at a ceiling for 20 minutes and more like minutes are kind of sliding into each other. I still feel dude freezing up my gums though. 

And at some points there was a lot of yanking and whatever, but it is not very concerning, which is pretty much when I accept that I am going to get the sedation I paid for.

Time stops telescoping around when they remove the IV, and I get sat up and walked to the recovery room for a review of Teh Rulez which include not drinking hot fluids until the freezing is gone -- that one I am ignoring, like seriously, I need my fugging coffee. Also gauze pads to chew on until I stop bleeding so much. Which I have changed a few times. 

And now I'm having oatmeal, just pouring it down my throat, because the last food I had was about 24 hours ago with one thing and another.

There's antibiotics and Tylenol-3 to pick up at the pharmacy later. Apparently I will look like I got in a fight and lost in a day or two.  Whatever.

So that's how I spent my early afternoon. I'll probably spend the rest of the day reading or whatever. I'm sure the pain will kick in at some point, but if it never really does that's fine with me. 


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2/20 '19 5 Comments
Be well!
My horror story is opting into a medication study, which randomized assignment of new-fangled study medication, old-fangled proven medication, or non-fangled placebo medication. Guess which one I got?
Dude. Rest more than you think you need to. When I had mine out I rested less than I needed to and I regretted it.
I am impressed that thus far I am feeling no pain on just a couple ibuprofen. I've got an acet/caff/codeine cocktail pill, but unless something blows up I don't see needing it. There are four dark red clots, which is perfect, unless I fuck them up somehow. I'm hoping healing is fast. Fingers crossed.
 

I’ll be honest. The practicing for 30 minutes a day or 3.5 hours per week thing is not 100% accurate. We were out of town for a bit. Since “30 minutes a day or 3.5 hrs/week” and “16 units of information” does not equal predictable results, I’m finding it harder to explain what the results are. It feels like problem solved or puzzle cracking, but it barely feels like music. 

Anyway, here’s Wonderwall. Plenty of mistakes. You can also hear Sassy playing in the background. 

A result I can guarantee with 100% accuracy is that no matter how well you can play a piece, as soon as the camera is on, you will make mistakes. 

The good news is that I can now move on to learning about sharps & flats, which means the work will sound less boring. Yay for leveling up! 

EDITED TO ADD: this is the next piece I have to work on, which I believe is standard issue for every high school marching band in America. 

All I can think of is the episode of Strangers With Candy when Gerri is in the school jazz band, as a scat singer. 

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/c1ljug/strangers-with-candy-trash-talk

EDITED TO ADD AGAIN: I got Half Time Band and Greensleeves in a pen. Not captured, but in a pen. I think another day of muscle memory practice will do it. 

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2/10 '19 10 Comments
163 days! Wow! You're amazing.
Frederick, you're a poet.
Isn’t that a lovely book?
You're amazing.
Were your ears burning? I keep thinking of you while I practice Greensleeves.
"Hen- Ry- did not write this so-o-ong, he just liked to take cred-it... Hen-Ry was an old horn do-o-og..."
(googles "rhyming dictionary")
(search search search)
"and he bought this to get Annie bed-ed."

You probably know the history of Greensleeves better than I do..
Naah, I just know it's not "What Child Is This?"

Also, I keep trying to listen to Jarnsaxa Season 2 and the sound effects + the Nazis in the first episode actually make me anxious. So ... um, good job for affecting the audience? I have wanted to tell you that for a while.
BTW: if that one makes you anxious, skip it and go on to the rest. The only thing you need to know is that the knife is a Chekov’s gun and metal holds memories.
To be honest: we all had a hard time with it. I was in the room for rehearsal, and there was a lot of very uncomfortable giggling. Just a lot of tension in general.
Oh, thank you! I'll tell Vince. He had a really hard time with that airplane, and complained about it mightily.

Wikipedia says that Greensleeves is too young to be a Tudor era song.
 

Me: “If for some reason NASA wanted to send me to Mars, I would go.”

Son: “You can’t even watch a 3-D movie!”

It’s true.  But hey, I survived Mission: Space at Epcot! (barely)

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2/9 '19
 

I practiced for an hour & seven minutes today, according to my stopwatch. 

Worked on G pentascales and stuff that seemed boring and pedantic, then moved over to this innocent-seeming li’l ditty. 

After about 40 minutes or so or practicing, my left hand can do the left hand part perfectly, my right hand can do the right hand part perfectly, but as soon as I start the metronome and try to sync up the bass clef and the treble clef, a giant concrete wall forms between all the right-hand-left-hand stuff in my brain, and I’m sitting there paralyzed, holding down two notes, while the metronome goes tick... tick... tick...

It’s not fear. It’s just like my brain can’t do it. It’s pat your head & rub your tummy stuff.  I managed to pound my way through it, and measures 3-4 and 7-8 are passable, but 1-2 and 5-6 have given me a headache and a hand ache. I even went back and did the G pentascale exercises to try and make it easier. 

At 67 minutes, I made a mistake that sounded familiar, and started picking it out, or something similar. 

After this, it’s Turkey In The Straw, a theme by Mozart in G major (your guess is as good as mine), and then...SHARPS & FLATS! Finally I can get some variety in here. 

I just realized that as of today, this has been a five month experiment. 

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2/1 '19 8 Comments
I can play that! I started reading the music in your post and realized, hey...I know that! I love that one! I've had it memorized for so long that I oddly didn't recognize at first what that was.

I have a piano in my kitchen (it was my mom's childhood piano, then my brother and I grew up playing it, and now I have it) and that's one of my warm-up tunes or just something when I don't know what else to do. (I'm not saying I'm GOOD at any of it, either)

I know we don't know each other but I believe that you *will* get your hands to coordinate. It will happen. I remember the exact moment it happened for me very clearly (a different tune, a Mozart something or other), though it was a million years ago, when I was a kid. I remember the day when HOLY COW MY LEFT HAND IS DOING SOMETHING *AND* MY RIGHT HAND IS DOING SOMETHING, DIFFERENT THINGS, AT THE SAME TIME OMG. Something will just click and it'll happen.

Or, it won't. :-) But I think it will.
You’re so lucky to have that family piano.

My great grandmother’s piano was dismantled and given to an artist this past summer. It made me sad, but it made me buy a keyboard and a lesson book.
I do feel very lucky to have the piano. It's not a fancy one--a Betsy Ross spinet--but it's got lots of meaning and memory. My grandmother paid for that thing little by little till it was all paid off, so her daughter could have a piano.

I have pictures somewhere of myself as a toddler, standing up on tiptoe to reach the keys. And of myself at probably 8, sitting at the piano looking very, like...befuddled or something. Like I was all "duhWhA?" trying to figure out the piece of music in front of me.

I'm sorry about your great-grandmother's piano.
Thank you. This is the kind of encouragement I needed.

This whole learning to play piano thing isn’t “I want to be David Bowie” or even “I want people to think I’m a great musician.” It’s about effort over time, having an activity that isn’t about words, and having something where I can surprise myself. I love solving the puzzle. As frustrating as it is, I love being at the midpoint with a piece of music where I have it kind of figured out, but not really, and I can find a way to solve it.

Plus, I love the concept of people making their own fun, playing music is a huge part of that, and I want in on that. Even if it’s just pounding out a sloppy arrangement of Bad Romance or King Of The Road, I want to be able to do that.

I just realized that it’s important to me to be able to play LGBT music. Huh. Okay.
You're welcome.

And I totally understand. I'm doing the same thing right now, with Irish flute. Well. Trying. Trying to learn the flute just so I can figure it out and have fun playing music, especially with other people. I've also been re-teaching myself piano over the past few years.
I concur. It takes time to rewire the brain, but it does eventually happen.
Oh, the rewiring! How good it feels to work around or through those barriers!
It does feel good. It makes all the work worth it.
 

I haven't posted on OPW since last year. 

I have a bunch of drafts, but none post-worthy.

Work has picked up; band stuff is busy; winter makes me want to spend all other free time huddled under the covers. 

I managed to avoid the flu and plague that everyone else had that knocked folks out for 2-3 weeks at a time, so I've become even more vigilant about washing my hands so I keep this non-plaguey streak going.  I get nervous around crowds because I don't wanna get sick. I don't want this to turn into a "afraid of crowds For Realzies," of course.

In other news entirely, if you feed birds, make sure you leave fruits (blueberries, slices of apple, soaked raisins, soaked dried fruits) out for the robins, because they don't eat seeds. They only eat worms and fruits, which is why they typically migrate south, with only a few opting to hang back. In recent years, more robins have chosen not to migrate (they're not sure why), so we should leave 'em some fruit-food because worms aren't out right now. 

(Related: TIL that seeing your first red-breasted robin isn't the tell-tale sign that it's spring... especially because so many of them are spending their winters here. Instead, *hearing* your first robin should be your sign, because they don't sing until it's mating season, i.e., spring.)

Okay bye. :)



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1/31 '19 5 Comments
Thank you for reminding me to feed the birds.
Nice tip about robins. Thanks.
Yay! I'm no bird expert, but I had just learned that little tidbit that morning and felt like sharing. :)
I appreciate the bird commentary. I miss the songs so much. Viscerally.
Sing, sing a song
It means robins getting jiggy all night long
 

Just a little something I cooked up since I just finished the first dozen characters for one of my clients. It's nothing really, but I thought he might be able to use it for promotional purposes and the like. Figured I would share it here in case you guys were curious. 

If any of you find yourself curious enough to want to try the game out, it's available on DriveThruRPG:

Tall Tales! Core Rules (Note, this does not contain any of my art, but is required for playing)

Tall Tales! More Classes (Note: This is available as a Pay What You Want product, does contain some of my artwork, and is a supplement to the Core Rules.)

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1/25 '19