Thursdays find me weary and today is no exception. Choir rehearsal went very well last night. I mentioned to Eileen the other day that the warm ups that I begin even before time to convene have the advantage that I don’t have to say anything to the choir. This may help people to not react to me (something leaders have to deal with). Just plunging in with memorized vocalise exercises means that we begin by singing (usually “oo”ing together. This allows people to join in and not have to deal with me.

Anyway choir morale is high these days and no wonder we sound great. I am thinking of scheduling several hoary old anglican style choir and organ anthems for the Easter season. I think it would be fun for the choir and would fit our sound and show off our organ a bit.

This morning I had the first of my “body checks” by the dermatologist. I will have these every three months for several years as a follow up to my skin cancer. The doctor remarked that my rash saved my life because it was in the course of attempting to treat it that he discovered  my carcinoma. For him to use language like that makes me think that it may be that Eileen and I were not overreacting to be so worried before the surgery.

At any rate, he found a few things on my skin but nothing serious.

Then piano trio and now sitting at home trying to build up energy to return to church and practice organ.

My friend Rhonda loaned me her editions of Sweelinck and Scheideman’s organ music. Yesterday I ordered my own copies and spent over three hundred dollars on music. My church gives me an annual music allowances of five hundred so that doesn’t even drain that account.

Eileen and I have been watching this interview on and off. I admire Kalb and am slightly interested in his 2018 book that he plugs in this video.

Then today I was reading the NYT and ran across this article.

Trump Attacks The Times, in a Week of Unease for the American Press – The New York Times

Sheesh. This morning I was listening to the news on NPR. When they insisted on talking about the news and always including Trump nonsense I turned it off and listened to the BBC world news service. BBC was covering some of the same stuff but didn’t always have to report how Trump felt about it.

IN BRIEF: Huttar delivers lectures in Europe – Entertainment & Life – Holland Sentinel – Holland, MI

I have had difficulty getting any sort of coverage  or even recital announcement into the local paper. The little article above is about Charles Huttar who is a long time member of my church and sings in my choir. He mentioned that the College PR people had given the local paper extensive info about his European trip. You can see that they give it short shrift. If they don’t cover the retired Hope prof, they never will cover the renegade gay church where I so happily work. Fuck em.

YouTube Unleashed a Conspiracy Theory Boom. Can It Be Contained? – The New York Times

I am still reading LikeWars. The social media is having an unbelievable effect globally right now. There are many people skilled in getting it to respond not the least of which is the US president. God help us.