Sacred Miscellany

Thanks to all who came to the Singing the Psalms workshop at Marywood. It was great! There are lots of hidden voices out there. And a special treat was the appearance of Arlene from Alabama. (Who can resist alliteration?) If you'd be interested in bringing a 2-hour workshop that shows ANYBODY how to chant psalms, get in touch with me. I'm happy to spread the word.

What Artists Should Learn from Steve Jobs

There is a terrific post over at The Savvy Musician by David Cutler.  I can't recommend it highly enough.  And I plan to re-read it about once a month or whenever I want to "be just like everyone else, wouldn't that be easier?"

It expands on a Forbes article about Steve Jobs.  And you don't have to be a musician to benefit.  Because, hey - your life is your art, isn't it?  It should be.

And if you don't know this blog, you should check it out.

Thought for the Day on Expectations and Resentment

Yom Kippur starts at sundown this evening.  And it probably doesn't hurt for those of us who aren't Jewish to do a little bit of reflection ourselves.  (Don't worry - you can do this again at the end of the calendar year, if you like.)

Here's the thought I came across:

Unrealistic expectations are premeditated resentments.

How often do we set ourselves up to be dissatisfied - with our performances, with our friends and family, with other musicians, with the clerk at the store?

Maybe I'll just try being pleased at what I get done, at how things sound right now, with all the kindness people show me.  Not that I won't strive to improve my own work (not improving others).

Maybe I'll be grateful.  To God and to everyone else.  And maybe my happiness will be contagious.

Thank you, Steve Jobs!

Everyone has their memories that relate to Steve Jobs.  Mine is my Apple IIE in California in 1983/84.  You had to swap out disks.  The version we had of Where in the World is Carmen San Diego is laughable by today's standards.  I also had a daisy wheel printer that made an ungodly amount of noise.

And we loved it!  It was a quantum leap from the typewriter - and as a former legal secretary and grad student, it was a leap of pure delight!  (Remember the backing sheet you used to keep your footnotes under control?  If you don't, you're lucky.)

Thanks for an individual who had ideas that he made realities - and then built the organization that could share them with the rest of the world.

Thanks, Steve.  With the saints.