Aerie (Opus 379) by Daniel J Hay

Fingerlessly...

I wonder what those of us with brains tied to our fingers did before we had typewriters or computer keyboards? Had surgery at the beginning of the week to fuse a crushed joint that has been bothering me for three years. Already less pain but so much more cumbersome with this solid cast than dealing with the pain of the broken finger. Well, mostly.

I remember the vise-like handshake that dropped me to the floor the fifth time the right pinky finger was the wrong pinky to put in a handshake. Or, the first time it broke after I fell down a mountain far out from civilization. The pain was more than I could imagine. And yet, there are people who have dealt with or still deal with more pain than I ever have.My experience is paltry compared to others. It makes me more aware of them and perhaps less egocentric.

So, as I close this left-handed entry let's all take note that in a week I'll be typing with a stiff finger instead of a fingerless...

Which Winch Wench...

After being stuck in the slush and then the mud about a dozen times this spring I went searching for a portable winch. I have the old "come-along" and fifty feet of cable, and a forty foot chain, and a twenty-foot towing strap, and a twenty-foot stretchy tow cord -- and all have been put to use in various combinations. I now have  biceps with more numbers than my I.Q.

I remember the portable winch that I want. I went to the magazine storage and pulled out a copy of the advertisement and there it was. So I tried to order it. Oops! Nobody at that phone, nobody at that address, no winches laying around. Off to the internet I went because you can find anything there, right?

Apparently the last time the winch was available was in 1981 which just happens to be the same date as the advertisement I saved. Various combinations of the name, deep digging, searching at the speed of WiFi, and nothing returns the product I want, nor anything similar.

I thought this was the age when you could find anything you wanted. I need a special winch but can't find it. Perhaps I should be looking for a wench instead?

NPR...

Here we are in the rainy season....which of course means that part of the time it is snowing and raining together. Yesterday I saw six different types of snow mixed in with the rain and perioddically got hail rattling across the tin roof.

Now that I have a larger solar panel bolted to the cabin the two batteries I use for powering things are staying charged much better. This allows me to use the laptop for 3-5 hours a day. Soon I should be adding WiFi to that as well. I took advantage of the power available to write up a proposal for NPR (National Public Radio). A new show concept for music from living composers. I hope that they will be interested in the program concept. I've already got a few potential sponsors planned for the show and also took the time to write up proposals for them.

Now I just wait on the proverbial pins and needles and see if perhaps they stick...

Yes, we have no bananas (mp3s)...

You can bet that I am upset to discover that all of my links to mp3 files have disappeared. I was unaware that podbean.com had canceled and removed me. Fortunately I received an email telling me that the links I had posted weren't working. So I've removed podbean from my blog page side-bar and will continue trying to locate and remove and other links. However, if you run across any links that don't work please take a moment to drop me a note with the URL of the web page you found it on. Then I'll go cut it out. Thanks.

In the meantime, I will see if I can figure out a better method to present sample listening files to the pieces of music that I compose.

Short timing...

Does it ever amaze you how fast time continues to fly by? I look at how long it has been since I posted to my own blog and wonder where time has gone? I distinctly remember numerous times when I had things to add to it, and yet, my short time left me in the lurch so the blog got postponed.

I have been living off-grid (no power) for a a long time time and haul the laptop to town to access the internet when I have time. Seems to me I have more of the short time than I can find a use for. I need some of the long time phases to get stuff done.

So, quickly, I built a cabin in the woods. It snowed a lot. The wood stove was warm. The bed has lots of blankets that my dogs love to lay upon. I have two car batteries for power of small items and a few small solar panels for juicing some life back into the batteries. Last week I put a large solar panel up and have gotten much more done in the same short times than what I used to get done.

I still read dozens of books per year, and in the past twelve months have averaged two baker's dozens per week of most any genre. Still writing and submitting manuscripts to agents - someday, someday, someday I'll get them in print.

After a long hiatus, mentally forced, during 2012 I am again composing and as of today I'm at Opus 629. I've begun composing instrumentals with piano, and have done some arranging of soprano/piano into soprano/tenor/piano pieces, and wrote a piano concerto with five movements (Pentamerous). And just this week I bought a Casio electronic piano even though I can't play piano. Ah ha~you think I'm crazy? Nope! Just got it because I can input compositions quicker by playing the notes on the keyboard instead of clicking, clicking, clicking on the mouse-pad in the laptop. Much nicer being able to add an entire staff of notes in chords than having to do all that clicking. Whew!!!! Even finished up two older incomplete pieces.

So nothing else for now ~~ hoping that I don't take such a long time to update the blog.

Last Shepherd...

Do I have the right to be proud of my music compositions? Oh heavens, yes. The difference between a machine generated playback and a professional performance (even though she called it a practice) is so thrilling that you just can't miss this YouTube of International Clarinetist Marion Harrington playing my music. "The Last Shepherd" was written for her and may be included on her 2012 Christmas Charity CD or even on tour (which you can help with by visiting her link). Marion has called my music "melodic and atmospheric". Listen to her play and its a slice of heaven. http://goo.gl/Cde37

And now I'll go off and cry...