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Showing posts with the label Music

Songs of Torment

This weblog will focus on my grieving process for a while, and I hope that it will help some people who are going through these things as well. Everyone grieves sometime, but not the same way. There is no "getting over it." Some of these will be short, some long. Music has power. It can influence moods and even cause excitement (such as with rallying songs chosen as anthems). Some become a part of us while others have poor lyrics that were only effective because of the delivery and production. Songs can take us back to times in our lives, both good and bad. I'll hear a song now and remember how Charlene liked it. Some make me think of her even if she didn't know them. She told me that she was playing mix CDs in her car that I had made her years ago. I had label and case insert-printing software, and had fun doing it. What is seen here may be the very first one I made for her. (The picture was taken in the lantern area of the Rondout Lighthouse, and it was quite a feat

A Little Help from Science and Technology

People have hopes and dreams, but those can be shattered by accidents and other circumstances. A surgeon needs intelligence, good vision, skill, and fully functional hands and fingers to do important work. Singers need their voices. Musicians need their appendages. They also need discipline to learn and practice. There is something else that is vitally important. Violin ,  Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, 1916 That other item is talent, which is a gift of God. You can have the desire and practice, but if that talent is missing, there will not be much to show. Rick Allen, drummer for the band Def Leppard, lost his left arm in a car crash. With the support of friends, the band, other musicians, and special equipment, he returned to drumming . We read stories and watch videos of people who have lost limbs in combat, accidents, and in other ways but are equipped to live their lives. Others are handicapped in ways that cannot be overcome yet, and they are able to survive (see my book review an

Piltdown Superman and the Burning Heart

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Strange title, isn't it? Sounds like something in a young adult book series, number eight following  Piltdown Superman and the Clock in the Tower and The Case of the Vanishing Aircar.  Actually, this is a bit of an introspective and autobiographical thing; it helps me get some thoughts spelled out, and also reveals a bit of "behind the scenes" information for the few who may find it a mite interesting. And maybe I can get rid of an earworm . But I can't explain why I felt so compelled to write this article. "Burning Heart" image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net / digitalart People who have heard my interviews and podcasts may remember this part of the story. Way back yonder when I began the " Evolutionary Truth by Piltdown Superman  (There is no truth in goo-to-you evolution)" site, I was wondering what to call it. Piltdown Man was a fraudulent evolutionary ancestor that fooled many scientists for over 40 years, so put