Stuff By Number (kind of like Paint by Number, only different)
1. Summer stretches out. Sometimes it's long days of bored kids and nothing much to do. Days and nights turned around. Summer is different now than when I was a kid. We could leave the house early in the morning, take our bikes and go explore. We could build forts down the street, up the hill. We could be gone for hours, it seemed, and no one had to worry. Not any more. There's no way I'd let my kids take off on their bikes, be gone and be out of sight for long stretches of time. They're missing out on some summer freedom that we had. I wish it could be different.
2. My oldest son and I were interviewed by a local television news station and so we had our two seconds of fame. I was rather hoping it wouldn't air since I looked like the wreck of the Hesperus, but alas it did.
3. I'm reading a thoroughly enjoyable novel right now: "Hunting and Gathering" by Anna Gavalda. My to-read list is quite long and this book wasn't even on it, but I grabbed it off the library shelf and am really liking it. Amy, Darci, Lisa---I think it's up your alley. Also I checked out Tom Sawyer because it seems wrong, somehow, to become 40 and not have read such a classic. I was hoping to get that read and Huckleberry Finn but I'm not sure I'll make it before the impending 4-0. "Hunting and Gathering" moves along a bit faster than ole Tom so it seems to be monopolizing more of my reading time.
4. While I was driving today, I heard a song on the radio that I really liked. I wound up getting the album and I love it: "The Story" by Brandi Carlile. If you're a fan of Lucinda Williams, for instance, you'll like Brandi Carlile. She sounds a lot like Lucinda---she has more of a rock sound sometimes than a folk sound, which is what I prefer, but her voice is great and buying the album was a good move. Since I buy about one a year, I got my money's worth for sure.
5. I'm determined this year to learn how to play the guitar. My cousin bought me a quite nice guitar about twenty some-odd years ago and I have yet to play it. I've moved it around with me from place to place because it's one of the nicest gifts I've ever gotten and because it's a guitar, for cryin' out loud! and so now I have to learn how to play it. I can't stand to see it sitting there in its case any longer. For 20 faithful years it has waited and now the time has come. I may try, foolishly, to teach myself. We shall see how far I get with that.
6. Speaking of years ago, about 17 years ago I started a court reporting program. For various and sundry reasons I got off-track and didn't finish. I am now in the process of finishing what I started all that time ago. It's hard and it's a bit overwhelming---I tend to look ahead and think "I'll never be able to write that fast" and get discouraged---but I'm determined to do it and to finish. Not to mention that the hefty sum they bring home will come in right handy. Sometimes that's a decent incentive.
7. I don't think I have any more boring details to tell you about my life right now, so I suppose I'll close on this note.
posted by jay are at 6:53 PM
8 Comments:
jay are: i want to learn how to play the guitar too! actually, there are a few instruments i've wanted to learn but the guitar seems the most logistically reasonable, size-wise and portability. my b-i-l plays a little and he tried to teach me a few chords but let's just say it was a lesson of amusement rather than learning... i *used* to play the clarinet and technically know how to read music (or i should say, i also *used* to read music). but you definitely have the advantage of having a guitar handy -- just to make you feel guilty, if nothing else. :)
agree with your #1 -- used to be gone all day-long in the country w/o anyone being concerned. it's sad that times have changed (for the worse).
and, couldn't you get the video of your interview and include it on your blog?? i'd be interested in seeing it!
12:17 PM, July 14, 2007
oh, and good luck in the court reporting-thing. i admire your determination to complete it.
12:19 PM, July 14, 2007
Ah, the guitar. Or the kin-tar as my 3 yr old says. What I'd give to play, namely for the portability factor, as mentioned by si.
I too was gone for hours on summer days. I'm sure I'll wish I could let my kids do that when my kids are older...
I am determined to learn how to sew. Just to make myself laugh if nothing else.
3:52 PM, July 16, 2007
it's good to self-entertain, yeah? :) I failed to amuse even myself with my sewing so I decided to find a different hobby.
and thanks for the encouragement, si!
5:41 PM, July 16, 2007
So much do I remember those days of freedom long ago, with a paper route to supply spending money and a mostly safe world to live in. You have quite a list there, good luck with that. ec
8:51 PM, July 16, 2007
Wow! Lots of neat stuff in that post.
Learn the guitar! I’ve been playing for over 50 years and its great.
7:06 PM, July 18, 2007
Ah, yes, I think summers were even more carefree when I was a kid than when you were. "Bye mom, I'm going for a ride." Could be all day or just an hour or two. When we lived out west, we'd take a hike into the desert with a canteen of water (all of us were 11 or under at the time). Of course, we also used to do things like play in construction sites and throw dirt clods at each other(probably not wise in any era).
Now, regarding the guitar, the most wonderful of all instruments (IMHO):
1. Clip those left hand fingernails - short. You push the strings down with the ends of your fingers, not your fingerpads.
2. Practice in a straight back chair and either a) place the guitar on your LEFT knee by either setting your left foot on a small stool or b) cross your left leg over your right -- this gives your left arm better freedom of movement (This is actually the "classical guitar" position" and is generally not used by most casual players but, believe me, it's the best).
3. Don't grip the fingerboard like you would an axe handle. Generally, speaking, the web between your thumb and index finger should not touch the back of the fingerboard. Let your thumb pad do this.
4. Bend your left wrist a bit to help position the tips of your fingers over the strings.
5. When you start learning the standard chords in the first position, remember that the hardest part is not remembering where your fingers go but moving from one chord to another--that's what you should practice. Slow down the pace of the song so that you can make the transition without a break.
6. Rest your left hand frequently by placing it flat on a table, palm down.
7. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm excited for you.
6:16 AM, July 20, 2007
oh, that's great!! you need to move here for the next year or so and give me personal lessons, unca! :) And I know I'd be learning from a pro.
I'll be in touch.
10:04 AM, July 20, 2007
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