Out of touch...

Out of touch...

I haven't exactly gone underground for the last few weeks, but I've been busy and posting has slipped in my priorities.

Part of it is that a lot of my energy is going into business travel to places that don't rate very high on the exotic scale. (Truthfully: Newbury, OH? Salt Lake City? Indianapolis? Chicago?)

Tonight I received the most wonderful gift! At 7:30 I walked downtown to my orchestra rehearsal. I hadn't double checked my calendar, and after walking the five blocks to First Pres I discovered practice isn't until next week.

Yippee - 2 hours I wasn't expecting.

So I sat down with the Amazing Slow Downer and worked on two new tunes. After about an hour I have the intro and basic melody down of Sinti Rhapsodie, and thanks to sheet music I found on the web, the outline for the Banks Hornpipe.

Now I'm playing old LPs (When was the last time I listened to Joni Mitchell's Blue?).

Book reviews...

I've been catching up on some reading lately. I'm about 1/3rd of the way through Heat. I felt a little overwhelmed with everything else I have going on that I decided to let it rest a little.

Last week I had a ball re-reading Robertson Davies' "Fifth Business". If you've never read Davies, pick up something at the library. His books are so full of myth and rich with characters.

(Now I'm on to "Court & Spark".)

I had picked up the "The Deptford Trilogy", which includes "Fifth Business" in a used book store on Charing Cross Road in London on my birthday. I don't often reread novels, but I make an exception for Davies.

Then a friend loaned me a copy of "The Secret" (the book, not the movie). What can I say? I'm both intrigued and repelled by it. On one hand, I agree that what you focus on expands. And we all know people who exude positive vibes and seem to attract them back in return, and others who ooze negativity and get exactly what they expect. On the other hand, as Tevya says, it's a lot of magical thinking.

(I forgot how short LPs are! Its already time to flip it over.)

I'd be interested if anyone else has any thoughts about it.