In the heat of July

As a musician, I have not been very busy with gigs this summer, due to the fact that recession-prone restaurants and clubs are cutting their entertainment. However, this week was busy--Wed., Thurs. and Friday I played 2 concerts and a private party with my band. The second concert at a Russian restaurant in Brookline, MA, was particularly enjoyable.

I have been at work on a book I'm writing for use in the Berklee comping labs. ("Comping" means accompanying by playing chords.) I
have about 40 pages of the manuscript so far. I am quite proud of my work--this is by far the best comping book I have ever seen for beginners. Amazingly, Berklee doesn't already have one. This is part of the dossier I must submit this fall in order to bepromoted from Assistant to Associate Professor at Berklee. I spend a ridiculous amount of time rendering my music examples in Finale, which has got to be one of the world's worst computer programs and certainly the worst notation program--but it's the one Berklee uses!

Other projects this summer include taking bead stringing and wire wrapping classes. My plans for a second career include jewelry making but I need to improve my techniques. Beading is very addictive and calming (knitting is supposed to be that way but it doesn't interest me.) I have been wearing some of my bead creations. They look good!
On the health front: I'm recovering from a bout of mono (Epstein-Barr virus) which left me very fatigued--it's just as well that I decided not to teach this summer although I am broke as a result. At least my boyfriend has some money and we are getting by OK until I resume teaching in Sept. Actually, this break from teaching is good for my sanity.
BF and I just finished watching 4 seasons of The Wire on DVD--the 5th season is coming out soon. I never saw the HBO drama when it was on TV. It is a masterpiece of the caliber of The Sopranos and I highly recommend it, although the level of violence is quite
high. There are scenes that are very difficult to watch.

As the mother of a 21 year old son, I could not help feeling protective of the teenage characters caught in the unescapable misery and horror of the Baltimore drug trade. What makes the show even more upsetting is that it is certain that the drug wars are still going on and children are being hurt and killed in the crossfire.

But you should watch it. Every American should watch it--particularly us white folks--we all need a reality check from time to time.