Siggy’s Blurbs

I was appreciating my MP3 player just now.  Two birthdays ago it was a present.  She literally spent hours downloading several hundred songs on it.  She thought I might use it for the cross country train ride we took then.  I really did not appreciate what she did.  Until now.  The fact is I don’t like listening to my MP3 player through my head phones.  Recently we bought a new car that has an auxiliary to the stereo.  Now I can enjoy the music she downloaded almost two years ago through the car stereo.  She knows my musical tastes and she also has her own preferences.  I usually play “DJ” in the house.  Now it is her turn.

Tags: birthday present, cross country train, DJ, head phones, MP3 player, music, new car, songs, stereo
Posted in beauty, music, relationships | No Comments »

It is always about the music.  I could never understand music collectors who have thousands and thousands of pieces of music (LP’s, cassettes , CD’s ,etc).  How you store the music in an accessible fashion is another question.  There is a point your collection becomes unwieldy.  I never collected for the sake of collecting.  It was always about the music.  Each person has the same limitations:  you can only play one piece of music at one time.  Besides when you have too much music too much becomes undiscovered or underplayed.  The best music gets played over and over.  My collection is always about the music.

Tags: cassette, CD, LP, music, music collection, store music
Posted in balance, music | No Comments »

I have thousands of LP’s, CD’s and cassettes but always return to this one.  My nerves are ragged and when this happens I “pull out” this 60’s album “Clouds” by Joni Mitchell.  I did put it on cassette years ago.

The music is soothing and I will play it over and over and also search for other quiet music until this phase of mine passes.  I can’t listen to uptempo music right now.  I don’t think my episode will last too long.  I am still sleeping whole nights so I am not overly concerned.  I will play it by ear.  The more I can soothe my nerves the quicker I will return to normal.

Tags: "Clouds" album, 1960's, cassette, CD, Joni Mitchell, LP, music, my nerves, quiet music, sleep, soothing, uptempo music
Posted in balance, health, life, mental health, music, time, wisdom | 3 Comments »

All I could do was dust.  And listen to some music to counter my dark mood (the latest “Sugarland” CD).  Dusting is a mindless task.  In this house there is no lack of dust:  we have four dogs and seven cats.  Dusting is an unending job in this house.  In the process I changed a light bulb.  At least, I kept moving.  That is a good thing.  When I am depressed I don’t feel like doing that.  It can’t hurt.  And I may go on to something else after dusting.  Let us see what is going to happen next.

Tags: "Sugarland", cats, dark mood, depressed, dogs, dusting, keep moving, music, pets
Posted in balance, life, local, mental health, music, time, wisdom | No Comments »

We have too many things in our house.  And that has me depressed.  I want greater order in our house.  I don’t know how to get there.

There are too many books, too much music particularly LP’s, too many knickknacks, electronic, computer and stereo equipment.  Some of it is broken down and other equipment is obsolete.

I just want to throw away some stuff, give it away, whatever.  Some of it is not mine.  It belongs to my wife.  I don’t know how to straighten up our house.  I am surrounded by things.

I just want to throw up my hands.  I don’t know where to start.  It is driving me crazy.  The disorder that is.  I want to say “abracadabra” and wake up and most of the stuff is gone.  I just don’t know what to do.

Tags: abracadabra, books, broken down, clutter, computer, depressed, disorder, driving me crazy, electronics, give away stuff, knickknacks, LP's, music, my wife, obsolete, records, stereo equipment, straighten up the house, throw away stuff, throw up my hands, too many things, too much stuff, want order in our house
Posted in balance, life, local, love, marriage, relationships, wisdom | 3 Comments »

‘Your window to the world might be your own front door.  Your shiniest day might come in the middle of the night.’  Two lines from the Blackhawk song “That’s Just About Right”.  I identify with those two lines.

I am not sure I will ever do any thing earthshaking.  Nor will I ever be the President or some CEO of a corporation.  I realize maybe what I do in my own backyard might be important.

Notoriety or fame is overrated.  I remember reading in Bob Dylan’s autobiography how he wanted fame early on and then got it and wished he didn’t have it.  He wanted his children to have a normal existence and they could not.

Some weirdo was always showing up on his doorsteps.  Anonymity is really a gift.  And the famous lose it.  Dylan bemoaned its loss.  And realized fame was not what it was cut out to be.

I will continue to do what the Lord has called me to do.  Whether or not others recognize it.  The words I write if they impact at least one person they served their purpose.  I will continue to reach out and love the people around me.

The words from this song remind me to continue writing for it still matters to me no matter how many people read it.  So I continue for I know I have to.

Tags: "That's Just About Right", anonymity, Blackhawk, Bob Dylan, children, continue writing, famous, God, God calls you, music, notoriety or fame, reach out and love, the Lord, window to the world, words I write, write, writing, writing matters, your backyard, your own front door
Posted in God, balance, life, music, wisdom, writing, your job/mission/profession | No Comments »

I spend an inordinate amount of time straightening up my house.  It seems I mess it up, then I reach a point I can no longer tolerate my own disorder so I have to do something about it and then this cycle repeats itself.  And over and over.

I remember the few times my family went on vacation without me (I raised a boy and girl) things actually did not move.  They stayed in the same spot.

But I have to live with my own messes.  So does my wife.  I try to logically place items I put away.  Currently we are running out of space for books.  And we still buy more.  And I have run out of space for newly recorded cassettes.

We have empty cassette racks but we have to agree where to place them.  And that has not occurred yet.  It would take me another lifetime to play all the cassettes I have not heard.  Don’t ask me where we got them that is another story.

All this drives me crazy (and my wife).  Sometimes parts of my house actually looks neat and organized.  Until next time.

Tags: books, cassettes, cycle repeats itself, daughter, disorder, drive me crazy, mess, music, my family, my house, my messes, my wife, neat and organized, over and over, play music, son, straightening up the house, vacation
Posted in balance, beauty, children, humor, life, local, marriage, music, relationships, time | No Comments »

I know it was magic:  it was my first concert.  The year was 1965 and it was Carnegie Hall and Peter, Paul & Mary and they were great.

Mary Travers died last year of leukemia.  I loved Peter, Paul & Mary.  My wife fell in love with them again when she listened over and over to the ninety minute cassette I had made of the group.

Every once in awhile I listen to the first album they made (titled Peter, Paul & Mary) (1962).  It is still my favorite one of theirs.  Every time I play it I have to sing along.

Listening to that album again is still like a spiritual experience to me.  It is still magic.  I have no regrets.  I saw them in concert when I wanted to.  I will miss Mary Travers and Peter, Paul & Mary although they left behind a fine musical legacy.

Tags: 1965, Carnegie Hall, first album 1962, it was magic, leukemia, LP, Mary Travers, music, music cassette, musical legacy, my first concert, my wife, no regrets, Peter Paul & Mary, sing along, spiritual experience
Posted in art, beauty, death, health, marriage, music, time | No Comments »

I have lost touch with the current musical scene.  “Mojo” magazine, an English musical magazine I get, listed the top fifty releases of 2009:  I had only bought one.  A lot of the names of the groups I never heard.  At best, they were names of groups I had come across and usually was not familiar with their music.  I had  become almost completely unaware of “what was out there”.  The thing is I really do not care although my antenna is always up for artists I have never heard of yet are very good.  Most of the time, though, they are not in the “mainstream”.

Tags: 2009, England, mainstream music, Mojo magazine, music, music groups, music magazine, music scene, musical artists
Posted in art, music, time | No Comments »

The music is always about the feelings it engenders.  At an intuitive level.  In songs, there always has to be a balance between the the music (the instrumental part) and the lyrics.  In the best songs the music reinforces the lyrics and the lyrics reinforce the music.

Sure you can fall in love just with the music.  And never care about the lyrics.  “Baker Street” is such an example for me.  I have no idea what the lyricist is talking about but I love the song because the music is so strong but those songs are the exceptions.

And sometimes I love a line here and there of a song, love the music and fall in love with the whole song.  “My Back Pages” written by Dylan and performed by The Byrds is such a song.  I absolutely love that song.

When I listen to a new song it is always the music I listen to first and then the lyrics unless it is a great song and I capture both at the same time.

Usually if I like the music of a song, I eventually listen to the lyrics to see if they have substance and are well written.  I may dismiss the song if the lyrics have no substance and are not well put together.  It all depends how strong the music is.

Nevertheless, it is always about the music.  And that comes first.  Then I pay attention to the lyrics.

Tags: always about the music, Baker Street, Bob Dylan, Gerry Rafferty, instrumental, intuitive, lyrics, music, music engenders feelings, musical balance, My Back Pages, the Byrds, well written lyrics
Posted in balance, beauty, music | No Comments »

When death is knocking at your door, money fades in importance.  It is so easy to delude ourselves:  that your time on this earth is forever.  But when the realization comes it is running out (often due to illness or old age) your money (and possessions) are no longer that important.

All of a sudden other things come to the forefront:  your relationship with loved ones, maybe your legacy also.  Your possessions which maybe you spent a lifetime accumulating do not matter that much.

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and the richest person in the whole world, realized that;   when he founded with his wife what is today’s largest private foundation pouring in it more and more of his energy and resources (billions of dollars) in that endeavor.

In my case, I can not take my journals, books and music I spent a lifetime collecting with me when I go.  I have to figure out what is truly important in my life.  I do not want to waste time.

Often when someone faces his/her deathbed and realizes the way they spent their time really does not matter.  Your impending death shifts your priorities and also forces you to reexamine your value system.

Too many people die alone because they did not invest time in others.  Did not Jesus say, “When you lose your life, you find it”.  I think that is a paraphrase.

When you are in the dusk of your life, you find out the most valuable commodity you possess is time.  All the money in the world can not buy you one more minute on earth.

That realization  forces you to examine your life carefully.  It is never too late to make a change although it is easy to regret the time you lost in fruitless endeavors.  You can never turn back the clock but there is always today.

Tags: accumulating things, Bill Gates, billions of dollars, books, death knocking at your door, deathbed, die alone, do not waste time, dusk of your life, examine your life, fruitless endeavors, God, illness, impending death, invest time in others, Jesus, journals, loved ones, make a change, Microsoft, money, music, never too late, old age, our time on earth, possessions, private foundation, regrets, relationships, richest person in the world, shift your priorities, spend your time, there is always today, time, turn back the clock, when you lose your life you find it, writer, writing, your legacy, your value system
Posted in God, art, balance, beauty, death, health, knowledge&learning, life, local, love, mental health, money, music, relationships, seasons, time, wisdom, writing, your job/mission/profession | No Comments »

Music is mathematics.  A beautiful piece of music is composed of empty spaces and notes of various intensity and pitch and somehow they all fit together and become a composition.  I can not tell you how to get it there but I can tell you when it works.

I can tell you when I string together on a cassette, let us say forty minutes of music, composed, maybe, of thirteen songs, it somehow fits together.  It is done intuitively and is based on forty years of listening ten of thousands of hours.

An anthology of music I put together that way contains the “best” of what is out there and fits together.  Ultimately taste in the quality of music is a gift.  Music is mathematics and my experience in listening enables me to separate the mediocre from the very good and also know what music blends together.

The best songs from the “Stones” and “The Beatles” to name two familiar groups hold up well because the musicianship is impeccable and holds up well to repeated listening.  The composers had a superb ear and the ability to get it “right”.  Music is always mathematics.

Tags: a good ear for music, Beatles, beautiful piece of music, best songs, cassette, composers, composition, empty spaces, music, music anthology, music is mathematics, musical notes, musicians, musicianship, pitch, quality of music, Rolling Stones, years of listening to music
Posted in art, balance, beauty, knowledge&learning, local, music, time | No Comments »