Happy Thanksgiving


By: Daniel Date: Nov 23, 2006 - 10:07 AM

It is a bright and glorious day in California's central valley. The maple trees in my front yard are yielding their now-yellow leaves to the children of families who pass my home on the way to the neighborhood park. My wife has discovered that Dish Network is broadcasting Christmas songs on one of its music channels, so I am being serenaded by Stevie Nicks and Annie Lennox to the tune of "Silent Night." Seems not incongruous, oddly, to this kid from Pennsylvania who feels holidays should be cold rather than glorious.

As you may or may not have noticed, I have not written in a while. The stuff I do for money has interfered a great deal with making music in the past few weeks. Stories of databases and reluctant secretaries who really should read Who Moved My Cheese? have been dancing in my head.

My jamming buddies have left town for visits to family members in distant parts of the country. So my guitar has gotten a solo workout at home. I paged through my old notebook of original songs and rediscovered a few. I've also learned that some of those songs would not have been written on my current guitar. It's too good, and it does not achieve the kind of tone that makes those songs sound "right" in my head. That's pretty interesting.

So GAS will rear its ugly head again if I stay plugged into these originals. I'll need an Orchestra Model or a little Gibson LG-2 to get that ringing tone that a few of these songs require. But I think I'll wait at least util I've been enjoying my new mandolin (due on Feb 1) for a few months before I inform my wife that I'm looking for a new guitar too.

Before I wander off into "I Want" land, allow me to dwell on a few things for which I am thankful.
- A loving wife and a stable marriage
- Food, clothing, and shelter, commodities that are scarce in so many parts of the world
- Vocations (teaching and tech administration) that allow me to easily afford the above items, but more importantly provide me with a sense of fulfillment and the ability to make my little corner of the world a better place for kids
- The love of and the ability to play music.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,
Daniel

Posted: Fri - May 4, 2007 at 10:22 AM          

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