Very odd. My traffic fell to a low of 30 hits yesterday. I have been averaging about twice that, but I’m not really sure what it means. But at the same time my spam skyrocketed to over 1,000. Usually my daily spam is more like three or four hundred.
I have continued to practice guitar, playing my way through a collection of easy pieces. Whether I have a guitar in my hands or I’m seated at the piano or organ, I continue to ponder how eccentric my life approach is. I find it a bit weird when people keep me at a distance, but at the same time I realize that it’s largely a result of my own choice not to present a false, more acceptable self. It’s tricky to do this without offending people. I know that I have failed at that sometimes. I don’t mean to offend but I also am happy with who I am even though it’s outside the conventional parameters of so many people I run across.
People who are intentionally avoiding me are easy to confuse with people who don’t notice me. I wish this didn’t bother me at all. As it is, it’s not that big a deal to me. I continue to feel lucky in my life.
A Brief Pause
The link above is to a blog started a few days ago by Molly Coyle, a brave young woman facing cancer. I have known her family for years. It is well written and worth the time to read. I attempted to leave a comment of support for her, but it hasn’t been approved yet.
Don’t Go to Music School – NYTimes.com
Articles like this contribute to my own feelings of eccentricity. My musical ways and my life don’t seem to factor into many conversations and ideas about music in our culture these days. It’s one of the reasons I feel so lucky to have a place to practice and a bit of an outlet in church work. I continue to recall when one landlord in Detroit expressed his skepticism at the source of my income working as a church musician, “They pay you for that?” he asked.
Flawed Humans, Flawed Justice – NYTimes.com
I hadn’t really thought of the ideas in this article, but they are very logical and helpful.
Our legal system is based on an inaccurate model of human behavior
Scientists discover what’s killing the bees and it’s worse than you thought – Quartz
Complex interaction between long time usage of pesticides and its effect on bees immune system. Very discouraging.