About 2 months ago, we stopped taking the local paper, the Durham Herald. This was actually a big decision for me and my husband, since we had been regular subscribers for 30 years. So, we ignored the last bill. After delivering the paper for a couple of weeks past our "subscription renew" date, one morning the front walk was empty. About a week later, we got a bill for $12 for those last weeks of unpaid delivery. Then, today, we got a letter with an offer to resubscribe at a new, improved rate, plus a questionnaire asking why we had let our subscription lapse.
Hallelujah, a chance at last to articulate what has been making me crazy for the past few years.
I understand that newspapers, especially and specifically local ones, have really suffered with the change to electronic media. They've been swallowed up by large corporations. They've lost the local staff, folks who actually knew something about the city and the region. They've lost advertising because of the economic downturn and because they can no longer brag about their wonderful subscriber base. There's a generation of people to whom an actual daily newspaper is fast becoming a quaint relic of "olden times", right up there with paying bills by writing a check and sending it through the US Mail. With a stamp.
Fighting these tentacles of change is, I'm certain, really hard, really disheartening, and probably destined to not turn out well. But gosh, if I were in the newspaper business, I would die trying to save my honorable profession. I'd use every trick I could possibly conjure to lure new subscribers and keep old ones happy. I'd have a live person answering the telephone, and not one of those heinous computerized "press 1, press 2" option trees. I'd make sure the folks delivering my papers to customers got an education in little things like actually putting the paper within reach of the front door, and making sure it was properly protected from the elements. I'd give subscribers perks that were not available to others. I'd do everything I could to make a subscription seem attractive, affordable, and absolutely essential in order to get one's fingers on Durham's pulse.
But most of all, I'd respect my customers--who are, after all, READERS--by making sure my newspaper was the best edited daily record I could possibly produce. And oh, how the Durham Herald has woefully, miserably failed in that respect. I can forgive a lot of things but not poor writing. Over the last year, breakfast with the Herald has become a sport for my husband and me. We each used to take a section of the paper and use a red Sharpie to circle grammatical errors, misspellings, or just plain big old mistakes. (Whoever identified the fewest mistakes was the one who had to get up and refill both coffee cups.) Not one day ever went by when the marker was not wielded.
My all-time least favorite trick, though was the "Disappearing Article". These were articles which were purchased from the wire services and reprinted in the Herald. I have no problem with this as a concept; it keeps reporters, somewhere, writing, and it affords local readers information on national and international affairs that would be otherwise unavailable to them if they had to depend on the resources of the local press. Almost every day, though, I used to find a good article about, say, the war in Afghanistan, or some explanation of one of the finer points of economics, I would get all settled in, and the article would JUST STOP. As in, the editors just printed what they had room for, and to hell with the rest of the article. Often I would end up going to the computer and looking up the article on the Associated Press website, just so I could read the rest of it.
How insulting to readers! Did someone think nobody would notice? Or that we don't care? What could possibly be the justification for such a ridiculous decision? I imagine access to reprints of AP articles is not free, that papers pay a subscription or membership fee. So why bother to pay the fee and print only half, or a third, or a tenth of the article? As many times as this particular scenario happened, it left me with the indelible impression that the Herald was basically using the AP stories as filler, to take up the space left over after all the advertisements were laid out. And I just couldn't stand it another day.
If the management of the Herald can convince me that they've really changed, I'll try again, because in fact I miss the daily local newspaper. We subscribe to The Wall St. Journal even though I find their right-leaning editorial opinions offensive. Skipping the op-ed page keeps my blood pressure under control. But it's an incredibly well-written paper, which never insults the intelligence of its readers with misspellings, mislabeled photographs, or truncated articles. And somehow they manage to get it to my door six days a week for $100/year. Of course the owner, Rupert Murdoch, is subsidizing the paper to make sure it stays important and viable, and I get it that the Herald can't afford to lose millions of dollars a year. Really, I'm not asking them to compete with The Wall St. Journal. I'm just asking them to be the best local paper they can be.....but apparently, that's too much to ask.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
September 18, 1981
It's my anniversary today: thirty-one years married! Just an unbelievable number. Not in terms of events, not in terms of experiences, not in terms of the ups and downs of life. But where did the time go? In some ways it feels like seven lifetimes ago that I was taking a long, hot bath in my parent's house, hoping the rain would stop before the ceremony at 5PM (it did). Certainly I'm a far different person now than I was then. But in some ways it feels like last week that Arturo and I started down the road of our lives together. It's been full of bumps and detours, that's for sure. But we're still here, a duo, holding hands, dealing with problems, laughing, sharing music and wine and movies and wonderful conversation and dear friends. I'm humble, immensely grateful, and very, very happy today..........and I'm still hoping the rain will stop by the time we go out to dinner tonight. Somehow, I think it will.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
concert prep--Next Concert on Sept. 30th!
I've been working long and hard on preparation for my next concert. I've probably spent a hundred hours or more not only actively rehearsing, but also just THINKING about the subject matter and the songs. I often say in my shows that the "problem" with cabaret is that the more you look, the more you find. No matter how few songs I initially come up with when I start preparing, ridiculously soon I have far more possibilities than I could ever imagine.
The show is called "The Songs of Fashion", but really it's turned into more a rumination on how fashion impacts everyone's life. Even if you're a fashion hater and your idea of getting dressed every day runs to a t-shirt and jeans. Even if you're a Tibetan monk and wear only red robes. Even if you're a corporate guy who chooses which navy blue, black, or gray suit to pair with which pastel shirt and which diagonally striped tie. Even if no matter what, you're still choosing to wear something which conforms or doesn't conform. Heck, even if you're a nudist, it's still a fashion choice!
On the most elementary level, I suppose, clothing exists to shield us from the elements and to speak of our place in society. (And by "clothing" I mean not only the actual garments but also all the accoutrements: shoes, hairstyles, makeup, eyeglasses, jewelry, tattoos......whatever is on you before you go out the door.) People are trained from an early age to make certain choices about clothing. It should be clean. If there are two of them (like shoes, socks, gloves) they should match. It should be seasonally appropriate if you'd like to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In many ways it is gender specific, although there seems to be less and less of that nowadays. Then, there's the economics. Thrift shop? Walmart? Penney's? Nordstrom? Ralph Lauren? Every item from hair ribbons to insoles exists in multiple incarnations for every pocketbook. Heck, there's even an app, or seventy, to help you with your sartorial skills, or lack thereof.
And then, after you're all put together to your own satisfaction, what happens? Someone else expresses an opinion. "Where did you get that shirt?", of course, is a question whose intent depends absolutely upon the inflection of the inquirer. Kids learn pretty early to distinguish designer duds in their peer group, and are abetted in this by wily creative types who make sure their logo and/or name is emblazoned somewhere on each garment. And don't even get me started about the athletic apparel markets......
So everyone is touched by fashion, whether they like it, accept it, or not. The choices each of us makes broadcast something very elemental about us. Do you prefer classic or trendy? Designer or no-name? Hairy or clean-shaven? Functional? Haute couture? Hippie? Debutante? Nerd? Artist? People all around us are drawing conclusions about us every minute, without ever talking with us or even making eye contact, all based on what we are wearing. They infer intelligence, economic status, likability, political leanings, sexuality, and a myriad of other characteristics. Naturally these conclusions can be right or wrong, and those folks will never know. They happen, nonetheless.
That's a lot of introduction for a 70 minute cabaret show! I'd never use all that on the stage, because after all this is entertainment and not a lecture. But it's the kind of stuff I've been thinking about for months now, and trying to distill into 15 songs and associated patter. Who ever said art was easy? HAH!
As a teaser, here are the lyrics for the opening number, "Style", by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn. (Van Heusen, by the way, was born with the name of Edward Babcock. He decided that wasn't a good name for a composer and picked a new one, taking the name of the famous shirt maker--talk about STYLE!!) Go to my website, www.ellenciompi.com, for information about my concert, "The Songs of Fashion", and watch this space for more musings! Love, Ellen
Oh, and PS: be sure to comment if you come visit. I LOOOOOOVE comments!
-->
The show is called "The Songs of Fashion", but really it's turned into more a rumination on how fashion impacts everyone's life. Even if you're a fashion hater and your idea of getting dressed every day runs to a t-shirt and jeans. Even if you're a Tibetan monk and wear only red robes. Even if you're a corporate guy who chooses which navy blue, black, or gray suit to pair with which pastel shirt and which diagonally striped tie. Even if no matter what, you're still choosing to wear something which conforms or doesn't conform. Heck, even if you're a nudist, it's still a fashion choice!
On the most elementary level, I suppose, clothing exists to shield us from the elements and to speak of our place in society. (And by "clothing" I mean not only the actual garments but also all the accoutrements: shoes, hairstyles, makeup, eyeglasses, jewelry, tattoos......whatever is on you before you go out the door.) People are trained from an early age to make certain choices about clothing. It should be clean. If there are two of them (like shoes, socks, gloves) they should match. It should be seasonally appropriate if you'd like to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In many ways it is gender specific, although there seems to be less and less of that nowadays. Then, there's the economics. Thrift shop? Walmart? Penney's? Nordstrom? Ralph Lauren? Every item from hair ribbons to insoles exists in multiple incarnations for every pocketbook. Heck, there's even an app, or seventy, to help you with your sartorial skills, or lack thereof.
And then, after you're all put together to your own satisfaction, what happens? Someone else expresses an opinion. "Where did you get that shirt?", of course, is a question whose intent depends absolutely upon the inflection of the inquirer. Kids learn pretty early to distinguish designer duds in their peer group, and are abetted in this by wily creative types who make sure their logo and/or name is emblazoned somewhere on each garment. And don't even get me started about the athletic apparel markets......
So everyone is touched by fashion, whether they like it, accept it, or not. The choices each of us makes broadcast something very elemental about us. Do you prefer classic or trendy? Designer or no-name? Hairy or clean-shaven? Functional? Haute couture? Hippie? Debutante? Nerd? Artist? People all around us are drawing conclusions about us every minute, without ever talking with us or even making eye contact, all based on what we are wearing. They infer intelligence, economic status, likability, political leanings, sexuality, and a myriad of other characteristics. Naturally these conclusions can be right or wrong, and those folks will never know. They happen, nonetheless.
That's a lot of introduction for a 70 minute cabaret show! I'd never use all that on the stage, because after all this is entertainment and not a lecture. But it's the kind of stuff I've been thinking about for months now, and trying to distill into 15 songs and associated patter. Who ever said art was easy? HAH!
As a teaser, here are the lyrics for the opening number, "Style", by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn. (Van Heusen, by the way, was born with the name of Edward Babcock. He decided that wasn't a good name for a composer and picked a new one, taking the name of the famous shirt maker--talk about STYLE!!) Go to my website, www.ellenciompi.com, for information about my concert, "The Songs of Fashion", and watch this space for more musings! Love, Ellen
Oh, and PS: be sure to comment if you come visit. I LOOOOOOVE comments!
-->
Some people dress
'cause they dress when they dress,
But some get dressed to get dressed.
Always be sure when you walk out the door
Your sartorial taste is expressed
From the tip of your toes to your head,
Don’t look like an unmade bed.
You've either got or you haven't got style.
If you’ve got it, you stand out a mile.
A flower's not a flower if it's wilted,
A hat's not a hat till it's tilted.
You either got or you haven't got class.
How it draws the applause of the masses.
But some get dressed to get dressed.
Always be sure when you walk out the door
Your sartorial taste is expressed
From the tip of your toes to your head,
Don’t look like an unmade bed.
You've either got or you haven't got style.
If you’ve got it, you stand out a mile.
A flower's not a flower if it's wilted,
A hat's not a hat till it's tilted.
You either got or you haven't got class.
How it draws the applause of the masses.
When you wear
lapels like the swellest of swells
You can pass any
mirror and smile
You’ve either got, or you haven't got,
Style!
You've either got or you haven't got charm,
Style and charm sort of go arm in arm,
With mother of pearl kind of buttons,
You’ll look like the Astors and Huttons.
You’ve either got or you haven't got flair
You’ve either got, or you haven't got,
Style!
You've either got or you haven't got charm,
Style and charm sort of go arm in arm,
With mother of pearl kind of buttons,
You’ll look like the Astors and Huttons.
You’ve either got or you haven't got flair
Here’s the plot:
flair is what keeps them staring
Your coat must
have scads, scads of wide Scottish plaids
And your shoes
must be real crocodile
You've either got
or you haven't got,
Style!
Style!
You’ve either got
or you haven’t got taste
It’s an art, so be
smart and don’t waste it
If you flaunt a
skirt like the flirtiest flirt
You can pass any
mirror and smile
You've either got
or you haven't got,
Got or you haven't got,
Style!
Got or you haven't got,
Style!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Mother's Day! Concert!
My family hosted a great Mother's Day for me. Nature cooperated by providing gorgeous weather. I worked out in the yard for a little bit in the morning. Then Laura came over and cooked a scrumptious brunch for me, Arturo, and herself: asparagus & leek quiche, salad, and iced lemon cupcakes with fresh strawberries on top. Add a bottle of champagne and there's a perfect meal! After she left, Diana & Griffin came over for a while. I got lots of books, including the new biography of Robert Redford, plus I got the new Paul Simon CD, "So Beautiful or So What", which I had been lusting for. It will make the ride to work today easier to give it an initial hearing.
Had a concert sponsored by the Durham Library last week. We did a repeat of the "Hearts in 3/4 Time" show and it was far better than at the first g0-round in February. Amazing what a little extra rehearsal time can do! Too bad the audience was so sparse (I think there were maybe 25 people) but for once it wasn't my responsibility to do publicity, so I'm trying to let go of the disappointing numbers.
I'm so grateful for my family and all the good things in my life!
Had a concert sponsored by the Durham Library last week. We did a repeat of the "Hearts in 3/4 Time" show and it was far better than at the first g0-round in February. Amazing what a little extra rehearsal time can do! Too bad the audience was so sparse (I think there were maybe 25 people) but for once it wasn't my responsibility to do publicity, so I'm trying to let go of the disappointing numbers.
I'm so grateful for my family and all the good things in my life!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Osama Bin Laden's death
I'm posting some correspondence I had with a relative about the raid which resulted in the death of OBL.
My original Facebook stauts post:
From a speech, by MLK Jr., 8/16/67: "I'm concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate... violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that."
**********************
My correspondent's response:
Hi Ellen,
I guess I should start with the obligatory...you know I love you and if we were sitting in a kitchen drinking tea I would be smiling, and calm and this would NOT be an 'argument starter'.
I am just so surprised by your comments regarding Bin Laden's death. You are a self proclaimed New Yorker and the man and his followers made New Yorkers and people all over the world live in fear wondering what evils would come our way by his hand. He master minded the attacks on New York that killed thousands. I saw families torn apart, friends going to many funerals and not to mention the FDNY who, by doing their jobs and being fearless, were killed trying to save others. It lead the news for months when in other parts of the ocuntry it was an after thought..a footnote following the news of that part of the country.
It was such a dark day for New York and Americans. I felt unsafe in large crowds and avoided going to the city for quite sometime. HE did all that to us!
I understand HATE is not a good emotion, but the man was pure evil and now he is no more. Understandably, there are others, who will glorify this evil into something wonderful and follow his path of destruction.
I just wanted you to know that although a few loved your comments and those of your friends...I venture to guess most people from NY didn't comment online for a reason.
***********************
And here is my response to her:
figure anyone who wants to comment, will, and anyone who wants to bitch about me privately will do that, too.
Please understand that I am not by any means underestimating the impact OBL's tentacles had on NYC and on the entire world. I despise what he did to thousands of innocent working people and heroic first responders. I have no doubt of his complete, unrepentant evil. Certainly nobody with that much blood on his hands deserves to be out walking around anyplace in the world. Most of the time I do not miss the so-called comforts of religion but occasionally I do wistfully long for the certainty of a heaven and a hell; it would be pleasing to think that the wicked were being punished for eternity. When I think of what the long-term effect of 9/11 has been on my city, our country, and our world, I could cry--in fact, I have cried. An entire thesaurus worth of epithets is not enough to describe the utter malevolence of this man and his followers. I agree 100% with everything you say about the evil he wrought.
What I also remember is the video footage of his followers burning flags and dancing in the streets after 9/11, and how it steeled America's resolve to take revenge. And what has come of it? Wasted money, wasted time. An all-volunteer military that is stretched to the limit with wars on multiple fronts. Horrible physical and psychological damage to those who come home from those wars. So many body bags that for years the government wouldn't allow them to be even photographed. Untold thousands of dead civilians. Ever-tightening circles of surveillance, agencies whose sole job is to monitor citizens like you and me, and a much-diminished political position in the world at large. Tragedy #2 of 9/11 is that America deliberately and systematically squandered the incredible store of international support and goodwill which that horrific day generated. The thing that set America apart from most other countries, up until somewhere around the turn of the 21st century, was our moral imperative. It's an intangible but very powerful asset, and it exists no more.
We can do a pretty good job of punishment here on earth if we so choose. Personally, I could think of a lot more horrible things than a quick death. I'd rather die than spend the rest of my life incarcerated. Kill someone and you can be as sure as sunrise that there is a faction that will elevate that person's execution to martyrdom.
I don't intend my thoughts to be a slap in the face to anyone, especially to my family or anyone who was affected by 9/11. I do not denigrate their fears, their sense of loss, and the upending their lives took. But (to say it again) I simply have no more stomach for violence. I don't see where it ever solves anything, not even on the smallest level. (By the way, do not confuse "violence" with "discipline"...I don't think any parent who whacks her kid's backside should be reported.) All it does is perpetuate the cycle of escalation, revenge, reprisal, and bitterness.
If you're still reading (which is likely but not assured!), I want to say I admire you for writing to me. It couldn't have been easy. You can share this as you see fit; perhaps those who are less understanding than you will get some small insight into how I am thinking, should they care to spend the time.
************
And that's all for this post. 'Nuff said.
My original Facebook stauts post:
From a speech, by MLK Jr., 8/16/67: "I'm concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate... violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that."
**********************
My correspondent's response:
Hi Ellen,
I guess I should start with the obligatory...you know I love you and if we were sitting in a kitchen drinking tea I would be smiling, and calm and this would NOT be an 'argument starter'.
I am just so surprised by your comments regarding Bin Laden's death. You are a self proclaimed New Yorker and the man and his followers made New Yorkers and people all over the world live in fear wondering what evils would come our way by his hand. He master minded the attacks on New York that killed thousands. I saw families torn apart, friends going to many funerals and not to mention the FDNY who, by doing their jobs and being fearless, were killed trying to save others. It lead the news for months when in other parts of the ocuntry it was an after thought..a footnote following the news of that part of the country.
It was such a dark day for New York and Americans. I felt unsafe in large crowds and avoided going to the city for quite sometime. HE did all that to us!
I understand HATE is not a good emotion, but the man was pure evil and now he is no more. Understandably, there are others, who will glorify this evil into something wonderful and follow his path of destruction.
I just wanted you to know that although a few loved your comments and those of your friends...I venture to guess most people from NY didn't comment online for a reason.
***********************
And here is my response to her:
figure anyone who wants to comment, will, and anyone who wants to bitch about me privately will do that, too.
Please understand that I am not by any means underestimating the impact OBL's tentacles had on NYC and on the entire world. I despise what he did to thousands of innocent working people and heroic first responders. I have no doubt of his complete, unrepentant evil. Certainly nobody with that much blood on his hands deserves to be out walking around anyplace in the world. Most of the time I do not miss the so-called comforts of religion but occasionally I do wistfully long for the certainty of a heaven and a hell; it would be pleasing to think that the wicked were being punished for eternity. When I think of what the long-term effect of 9/11 has been on my city, our country, and our world, I could cry--in fact, I have cried. An entire thesaurus worth of epithets is not enough to describe the utter malevolence of this man and his followers. I agree 100% with everything you say about the evil he wrought.
What I also remember is the video footage of his followers burning flags and dancing in the streets after 9/11, and how it steeled America's resolve to take revenge. And what has come of it? Wasted money, wasted time. An all-volunteer military that is stretched to the limit with wars on multiple fronts. Horrible physical and psychological damage to those who come home from those wars. So many body bags that for years the government wouldn't allow them to be even photographed. Untold thousands of dead civilians. Ever-tightening circles of surveillance, agencies whose sole job is to monitor citizens like you and me, and a much-diminished political position in the world at large. Tragedy #2 of 9/11 is that America deliberately and systematically squandered the incredible store of international support and goodwill which that horrific day generated. The thing that set America apart from most other countries, up until somewhere around the turn of the 21st century, was our moral imperative. It's an intangible but very powerful asset, and it exists no more.
We can do a pretty good job of punishment here on earth if we so choose. Personally, I could think of a lot more horrible things than a quick death. I'd rather die than spend the rest of my life incarcerated. Kill someone and you can be as sure as sunrise that there is a faction that will elevate that person's execution to martyrdom.
I don't intend my thoughts to be a slap in the face to anyone, especially to my family or anyone who was affected by 9/11. I do not denigrate their fears, their sense of loss, and the upending their lives took. But (to say it again) I simply have no more stomach for violence. I don't see where it ever solves anything, not even on the smallest level. (By the way, do not confuse "violence" with "discipline"...I don't think any parent who whacks her kid's backside should be reported.) All it does is perpetuate the cycle of escalation, revenge, reprisal, and bitterness.
If you're still reading (which is likely but not assured!), I want to say I admire you for writing to me. It couldn't have been easy. You can share this as you see fit; perhaps those who are less understanding than you will get some small insight into how I am thinking, should they care to spend the time.
************
And that's all for this post. 'Nuff said.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Busy weekend, minus a voice
I had a little cold last week, and woke up yesterday without a voice. All I can do is croak or whisper. It hasn't cramped my style at all--I feel fine, lots of energy--but gosh, it's annoying. Between my impaired volume and Arturo's impaired hearing, we're spending a lot of time saying "What?" to each other!
We went to Rick & Erin's annual joint birthday party on Saturday evening and watched a rather spectacular rainstorm from the safety of their home. I've never quite seen the sky look so ominous--and the thunder--and lightning--yikes, it was awful, and impressive. Fortunately by the time we drove home most of the spectacular stuff was over. There were a lot of branches down in the yard this morning; I guess storms like that are nature's way of pruning.
I've been working a lot in the garden, weeding the iris bed & laying down new mulch. Also fixing all the bricks in the edge. It's good work because the results are immediate and obvious; however, all the time I am working outside, all I see is more stuff that needs to be done. I could put in 2-3 hours per day for a year, I think, and still have stuff to do. There are so many demands on my free time, between the house and the yard and the kids and rehearsing, and book club, and crosswords, and all the things I want to read, and all the movies I want to see, and updating my website, and seeing friends, and EVERYTHING! It's all good stuff and I am so very blessed to have these things in my life but they can be overwhelming.
Another project that has been taking up my time is working on my CD. The editing is finished and I have a master copy. Now I am working on the cover & artwork. This is more of a headache than I had anticipated, not because my designer friend is unhelpful, but mostly because I am having trouble articulating what I want from him. When you get right down to it, I'm not even sure I know what I want! It's easier to say what I don't want, but that's not very useful. In reality, probably none of this agonizing matters very much, since--let's face it--we are talking about maybe 200 copies that will ever be "out there". But still, I'd like it to be something I'm proud to distribute in every way. I'm so happy with the audio quality and I'd like the packaging to be wonderful too.
That's it for now. I'm going to drink another cup of tea in the hope that it soothes my vocal cords, and go to bed. Love to all!
We went to Rick & Erin's annual joint birthday party on Saturday evening and watched a rather spectacular rainstorm from the safety of their home. I've never quite seen the sky look so ominous--and the thunder--and lightning--yikes, it was awful, and impressive. Fortunately by the time we drove home most of the spectacular stuff was over. There were a lot of branches down in the yard this morning; I guess storms like that are nature's way of pruning.
I've been working a lot in the garden, weeding the iris bed & laying down new mulch. Also fixing all the bricks in the edge. It's good work because the results are immediate and obvious; however, all the time I am working outside, all I see is more stuff that needs to be done. I could put in 2-3 hours per day for a year, I think, and still have stuff to do. There are so many demands on my free time, between the house and the yard and the kids and rehearsing, and book club, and crosswords, and all the things I want to read, and all the movies I want to see, and updating my website, and seeing friends, and EVERYTHING! It's all good stuff and I am so very blessed to have these things in my life but they can be overwhelming.
Another project that has been taking up my time is working on my CD. The editing is finished and I have a master copy. Now I am working on the cover & artwork. This is more of a headache than I had anticipated, not because my designer friend is unhelpful, but mostly because I am having trouble articulating what I want from him. When you get right down to it, I'm not even sure I know what I want! It's easier to say what I don't want, but that's not very useful. In reality, probably none of this agonizing matters very much, since--let's face it--we are talking about maybe 200 copies that will ever be "out there". But still, I'd like it to be something I'm proud to distribute in every way. I'm so happy with the audio quality and I'd like the packaging to be wonderful too.
That's it for now. I'm going to drink another cup of tea in the hope that it soothes my vocal cords, and go to bed. Love to all!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Working Girl
It's been a busy time, what with shows to sing, holidays to celebrate, websites to update, etc. Obviously this blog has gotten shunted aside big time. But since I have a few extra minutes, I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts.
Here's thought #1: I wish I were rich. I'd do all the right things with money, like give some away, help my family, be philanthropic with my favorite causes, etc. And I'd travel! But the thing that would give me the most pleasure would be hiring people to do all the things that have to be done, that I hate doing. Like, cleaning the house. Tending the yard. Sorting through the "to do" list that never seems to get shorter. Actually, I don't mind cleaning, gardening is fun and relaxing, and there's a certain satisfaction in crossing chores off a list. But it all gets so tedious. Having these things done for me, so that if I WANTED to do some of them I could and wouldn't feel overwhelmed, would be sheer heaven.
Thought #2: I have three friends/relatives who have lost their dogs in the past year. Whether through old age or accident, they each spent many sad hours mourning their much-loved pooches. And yet each one has acquired a new pet. I don't understand; but then again, I've never been a pet owner. (Goldfish don't count, and the bunny we had was not exactly an interactive family member.) It's like saying, my 12 year old child died, so I'm going to acquire another child to make up for the loss. I'm not condemning--I get it that this is clearly my inability to empathize. But I just don't get it.
Thought #3: Creativity has to be nurtured. It needs time & space, encouragement, support, feedback, and critical interaction. Gosh, it's hard to be an artist when doing it is another thing on the "list of things to do".....see thought #1 above.
Thought #4: Anything that makes you laugh is good!! I've been listening to old George Carlin routines and I am falling out laughing. The one that really got me going was about things that pissed him off. One was "people who put bumper stickers about their child's school on their cars", which is something that makes me crazy, too. He proposed a bumper sticker that I wish I could have made, because I would put it on my old van in a heartbeat: "Proud parent of a child who has enough self-esteem that he doesn't need his parents trumpeting his minor educational achievements on their car's bumper"!!
Thought #5: It's time to go to bed. Enough computer time for one night!
Here's thought #1: I wish I were rich. I'd do all the right things with money, like give some away, help my family, be philanthropic with my favorite causes, etc. And I'd travel! But the thing that would give me the most pleasure would be hiring people to do all the things that have to be done, that I hate doing. Like, cleaning the house. Tending the yard. Sorting through the "to do" list that never seems to get shorter. Actually, I don't mind cleaning, gardening is fun and relaxing, and there's a certain satisfaction in crossing chores off a list. But it all gets so tedious. Having these things done for me, so that if I WANTED to do some of them I could and wouldn't feel overwhelmed, would be sheer heaven.
Thought #2: I have three friends/relatives who have lost their dogs in the past year. Whether through old age or accident, they each spent many sad hours mourning their much-loved pooches. And yet each one has acquired a new pet. I don't understand; but then again, I've never been a pet owner. (Goldfish don't count, and the bunny we had was not exactly an interactive family member.) It's like saying, my 12 year old child died, so I'm going to acquire another child to make up for the loss. I'm not condemning--I get it that this is clearly my inability to empathize. But I just don't get it.
Thought #3: Creativity has to be nurtured. It needs time & space, encouragement, support, feedback, and critical interaction. Gosh, it's hard to be an artist when doing it is another thing on the "list of things to do".....see thought #1 above.
Thought #4: Anything that makes you laugh is good!! I've been listening to old George Carlin routines and I am falling out laughing. The one that really got me going was about things that pissed him off. One was "people who put bumper stickers about their child's school on their cars", which is something that makes me crazy, too. He proposed a bumper sticker that I wish I could have made, because I would put it on my old van in a heartbeat: "Proud parent of a child who has enough self-esteem that he doesn't need his parents trumpeting his minor educational achievements on their car's bumper"!!
Thought #5: It's time to go to bed. Enough computer time for one night!
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