Marty’s blog

Wow!  I had no idea Ida Haendel was still playing, and still going strong at 80!

(Here’s part two).  The Chausson is not an easy piece to play, and it takes some stamina.  She still plays with such intensity.  And she still makes it look easy!  (Though she was never one to be jumping all over the stage, dodging and weaving, like some of today’s overacting and tasteless performers.)

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I came across this Youtube video of Charlie Rose interviewing Riccardo Muti (first half is with Ozawa).

Sensitive, smart, charismatic, humble, confident, educated, growing…I still can’t believe he’s coming to Chicago as music director with the CSO!  The part where he talks about every orchestra today sounding the same really strikes me - it’s so true. 

I doubt the era of McSymphonyOrchestra, McConductor or McClassicalMusic will end any time soon, but at least for a short time in Chicago, we can be free of it.

Oh, if only he can breathe life into classical music again in Chicago!  I’m eagerly looking forward to his tenure here.  If I can afford it, 2009/10 will be my first ever subscription to the CSO.

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John McCain.  Just a regular guy like me.  Don’t know about you, but I always lose count of my mansions.

Now that Obama guy, he’s just too strange!  Too different!  Not like me at all.  And his father is from a foreign country - in AFRICA!  OHMYGOD!  How could he be patriotic?  Anyhow, those black people just can’t be patriotic, they have such a big chip on their shoulders! Always fucking whining about slavery.

Oops, I forgot, my grandparents are all from foreign countries.  But that’s okay ’cause they were from Europe.  Y’know, that birthplace of Western culture and things like fascism.

But still, I’m a REAL patriotic American, ’cause I’m WHITE!  Go team!  No big chip on my shoulder.  I just looove the way things are!

Vote fascist - vote Republican.

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Started cleaning out the garage today, and whaddayaknow?  Space.  Well some space.  Almost enough for a car.  It doesn’t look like it, but it’s actually a pretty large 2 car garage.

A local contractor took a bunch of lumber and durock off my hands that was left over from jobs and work on the house.  A collector friend took away some building artifacts from some historic buildings that I’ve salvaged during demolitions.  I’m hoping a local historical society will take the rest.  I’ll only keep a few things.

What am I going to do with all this stuff, anyhow?.  I’m not the Smithsonian!  If I die tomorrow, it’ll all just go into a dumpster.

Got to figure out if I still need all these tools and what I can get rid of.  And still more plywood cutouts and wood scraps to toss or cut up for firewood.  And maybe get rid of a bike or two.

Still two or three days before we can actually get a car in there, but I think I have the bull by the horns.  I don’t want to store stuff in the house anymore - I intend to travel more lightly from this time forward.  I’m just tired of all the baggage!  So the garage will still be storage and workshop - not the house.  But, maybe, someday, we can get actually two cars in the garage.

In your dreams.

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Another reason I moved out here is to get away from the noise.  And it is really quiet — most of the time. 

And then occasionally it’s not.  Like when I think it will be a quiet morning, I can actually move my fingers (some mornings they’re like wood!), and I finally get enough nerve to take out the microphone again, and try to record my violin playing (I need to get some of that unforgiving feedback on my intonation, phrasing, etc.).

So I set up the computer, started to get warmed up, and after about three short practice takes, the house painters working next door decide to start adjusting their aluminum ladders and banging them against the house.  But was that it?   Nooo.  Neighbor on same side decides to take out his old riding mower and cut his grass (even though it’s not growing because it’s August and it’s been dry for two weeks).

Wait, not finished yet.  It’s turns out to be a fine day for a neighbor down the road to have their driveway regraded or something.  so a constant rumble of heavy equipment;  and you know how every time a bulldozer or back hoe goes into reverse  - like every ten seconds - and they do that annoying beeping?  Hour after hour?

So I give up.  Lost the mood, my ambition to practice and my confidence to record it.  Sheesh!  Going to clean the garage for the rest of the day.

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This is driving me nuts! I’ve got some Satie on the hi-fi, and am trying to listen quietly and get in a zone, and this VERY ANNOYING insect is right outside the window and won’t stop its VERY LOUD singing!

It does it every night outside the bedroom window until about three in the morning.  And when it’s indisposed, it turns the job over to a relative.

SHUT THE F___ UP!

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Referring to Barack Obama’s position on the war in Iraq and other issues where the two candidates differ, John McCain made it clear to all voters:

“Behind all of these claims and positions by Senator Obama lies the ambition to be president.”

Oh please, challenge me! This one is way too easy to decode:

“Damn that uppity negro! Who does he think he is, contradicting me and coveting the office and the power that rightfully belongs only to old white guys like me?!”

Simple, and well put McCain! Easy enough for even stupid racist white people to understand. Couldn’t ‘ve said it it better myself! You old dope.

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A nice Sunday drive to rural…

and oldurban, kitchy, touristy Woodstock, about 20 minutes from home. (BTW, kitchy, touristy is a bravo! It helps the town survive and keeps its old architecture intact.)

Somebody please restore the exterior of the old courthouse - it looks like shit!

And this new-ish library that shows that sometimes today’s architects can get it right.  A library not built for the glory of the architect, or of the mayor, or some big donor, but just good, creative, original and not-completely-in-your-face design, for the community.

And then a detour - all of five minutes - through Ridgefield on the way back, with two prominent (well, prominent for Ridgefield) places of worship.  First, the only synagogue I’ve yet to discover in the whole region (hooray for a microscopic speck of diversity!), in a converted schoolhouse tucked well away from anywhere…

and this fantiastic 19th Century church (now Baptist), where it seems that the aluminum siding guys could not quite make it to the top of the spire (cuppola, belltower, whatever) and ruin entirely the whole edifice - thank you Jesus!

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Rick Warren, who the fuck do you think you are?!!  Where did you get idea that you were in any position to interrogate candidates for the presidency of the United States about their moral and religious attitudes?  You fucking self righteous, self promoting asshole!  And you, McCain, and you, Obama, kissing up to this pompous asshole!  You’re running for president for God’s sake (unintentional pun) - let’s not strip all the dignity away from the office…well, whatever dignity remains after BushCo leaves office.

Obama, you only have my vote now because the other guy is worse.  I’m not voting for you, I’m only voting against him.  And I’m thinking of not voting all together.  Barack, what you don’t seem to understand is how all this religion and Jesus stuff is a HUGE turn-off to a lot of Americans.  Maybe a bigger voting block than the evangelicals you’re kissing up to.

If there is no candidate I like, then the choice is basically between the lesser of two evils.  But when the two evils both turn out to be theocrats, I don’t care to make a choice at all.

I understand you have to counter all this “Obama is a Muslim” stuff - which is just too pathetic in its own right.  And by spouting off about your own Christian beliefs, you’ve maybe found a tool to counteract some of it.  It’s still pathetic.

And I’ll tell you Barack.  Personally, all this religion stuff in politics and government –  and now you joining in whole hog — it’s making me absolutely sick!

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Madonna…50?!  Coool!

Not into your thing, but love your originality!!  50 more I hope. And keep shaking things up.

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