On the Eighth Day of 2025. . .

. . . while my friends in the east and the middle are freezing off their nards, and my Southern California friends are guarding against wildfires, here in the Pacific Northwest, during a miraculous dry spell of three straight days and counting, I worked in the yard today wearing a t-shirt. Today was one ofContinue reading “On the Eighth Day of 2025. . .”

On the Seventh Day of 2025. . .

I would like to say that I rested. I cannot say that. I can say, however, that I spent 20 minutes on the meditation cushion and had some difficulty quieting the mind. I just wanted to think about stuff. That’s the real difficulty, isn’t it, because it’s one thing to sit on a cushion withContinue reading “On the Seventh Day of 2025. . .”

On the Sixth Day of 2025. . .

. . .I was on that meditation cushion at 7:45, not out of some overzealous enthusiasm for an early start, but because I had a Telehealth appointment at 8:30. My doctor has covid, so the in-person appointment was moved to the computer. He seemed healthy, his usual self, in the zoom meeting, but the protocolContinue reading “On the Sixth Day of 2025. . .”

On the Fifth Day of 2025. . .

. . .I had a nightmare of sorts in the duration of sleep between 7:30 and 9 AM. It was one of those deals where you wake up too early, say, 6, and lie awake hoping to sleep again for something like an hour and a half, and then suddenly you’re out, dreaming these super-realisticContinue reading “On the Fifth Day of 2025. . .”

On the Fourth Day of 2025. . .

. . . the proposed morning routine went to hell in a hand basket. Last night’s gig was brutal on the body and I slept in until 9. I’ve had zero alcohol in two days, but all night the body was complaining and the sleep was mediocre. Get up. Dogs and coffee, breakfast. The stupidContinue reading “On the Fourth Day of 2025. . .”

On the Third Day of 2025. . .

. . . I rose again out of bed and came downstairs to begin the day. I found my way to the meditation cushion this morning, but circuitously and late. One of my projects for myself post retirement (going on the third straight year and still not yet mastered) is the development of a routine,Continue reading “On the Third Day of 2025. . .”

The Second Day of 2025. . .

. . . began early in the studio, recording some vocals for a SuperWave demo, a cover band I’ve been playing in over the last six months or so, a band that emerged from the ashes of another cover band that three of us had been with for quite some time–for one of us, nearlyContinue reading “The Second Day of 2025. . .”

The First Day of 2025. . .

. . . was spent doing all of the things (or most of the things) I love and want to do more of. To wit, a list: There could almost not be a more perfect day. I would have liked to have spent more time with my parter. But she was super engaged in herContinue reading “The First Day of 2025. . .”

Notes Toward a Musical Autobiography: Volume XVII—Here Comes Everybody into the 21st Century

Note: All of the albums mentioned in this blog post are streaming on your favorite streaming services, but if you are a person who truly supports and loves independent music, and you’d like specifically to support Michael Jarmer and Here Comes Everybody, these albums are available for purchase HERE. Prologue: In February of the yearContinue reading “Notes Toward a Musical Autobiography: Volume XVII—Here Comes Everybody into the 21st Century”

With Just a Tinge of Shame, I Present My Guiltiest Musical Pleasure: Taylor Swift

I have been as surprised as anyone might be who knows anything about my musical tastes to discover that I like Taylor Swift. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not hard core. I own only two of her records on vinyl, the pandemic era mega-hit Folklore, and the 2024 record store day release of The Tortured Poets Department: TheContinue reading “With Just a Tinge of Shame, I Present My Guiltiest Musical Pleasure: Taylor Swift”