Last Night's Rehearsal

Good morning Santa Cruz!
No special topic to write about this morning - having my coffee and slowly bringing the world into focus.
Last night I had the first Altared Christmas rehearsal of the year with Bob Burnett, Patti Maxine, and Matt Bohn.

As it seems to be my rehearsal style, I probably talked too much and over explained everything, and the first part of the rehearsal had me thinking, "Oh my, is this ever going to make sense?"

Soon however, after the talking had been done, the break had been taken, and we resumed our places in my cramped, little rehearsal space, the music started again and it began to sound the way I was hoping it would - inspired.

This is the hardest of the music I am doing for the show. It is also the easiest. Not much to it really - jazzy, solos... but it is the connection between the artists that must be there, and to create a connection with just a few rehearsals is a challenge.

I so look forward to it.

I hope you all can make it to the show.

Click on I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT AN ALTARED CHRISTMAS!

Signs of Peace

It occurs to me from time to time that some people may wonder why I am collecting peace signs on the web (see www.signsofpeace.com). After all, anyone can flash a peace sign or stick on a bumper sticker - heck, it's a trendy thing to do nowadays and even The Gap uses a peace sign in it's advertising campaign.
Shouldn't we be actively protesting the war, getting involved in community projects and visiting schools - educating people?

Of course, those are excellent ways to get involved in our community and thank goodness for people who are doing those very things, but that isn't what my web site is about.

I am simply asking people to take the time to notice what is around them, then to make the effort to take a picture and send it to me. It is that act in itself , I believe, that can bring about some personal awareness of the idea of peace.

Is "peace" a sticker on a car's bumper? Maybe. It took effort of some sort to put that sticker there, and even a little more effort for you (or me) to grab a camera or cell phone and take the picture and email it. Then, when I get it, I spend time on the computer putting it on the web site. Other people look at the site, and tell their friends about it, hopefully.

All this awareness of a "sign of peace" certainly can't hurt, can it?

Does a morning walk on the beach or in the woods bring about an inner peace? Send me a picture!

You see, this isn't really about politics and the war, nasty things as those are. It is about peace and generating more of it, however it may happen.

I don't bring up politics and the war on my site because that seems to bring up all sorts of feelings: aggravation, anger, frustration - feelings that are sort of the opposite of peace.

Instead, I prefer to paint a picture of what I want to see and feel and then think about that.

What?

Well, if I say to you: "Don't think about lemons!", what is the first thing you think of?

That is why I am simply asking for you to be aware of "signs of peace" and then make the effort to get pictures to me. It is that effort that I really want from you. Please don't point me to a web site with peace signs or tell me the address of a house that is near you that I should take a picture of - I simply don't have the time to do all this myself, that is why I ask you to help me - to help yourself.

Though this may seem like a guilt trip - begging you to do something - please don't think that. No worries - many of you have sent me photos, and there are many peace signs I have seen and not photographed - all in good time, my friends - all in good time.

It's just that I have been wanting to write about this for some time now. It is a peaceful morning, there is dew on my ginger plants and the bamboo..., well, the bamboo is just amazing this foggy morning... towering high above my garden... so peaceful...