I've released 'The Ogre's Door' short story on Amazon Kindle (ebook)!!

I added the link to my 'Check out my short stories' list on the right bar, so check it out!

I really enjoyed doing a short and I'll be doing many more.

Stay tuned for more fun!

The Ogre's Door (link here)

Nectar of the Gods...

 A pepper-infused Vodka martini with marinated jalapeno slices... yes!

This is the ultimate nightcap to cap a great day of writing! Smooth, cold, salty with that snap of jalapeno at the end!

One of our favorite restaurants (now closed!) served these at the bar. We would go get a plate of appetizers or two and order this to end the day. Awesome.

 This was the 'Snow-Mageden' from last week. A inch of snow here is like two feet in Colorado. Problem here is really the ice below it, not the snow. 'Black Ice' is a real danger here during any freeze storm. You just don't go out, because they can't seem to get the sanding/melting timing correct. That and drivers in Texas are already, uh, 'challenged', when it comes to any snow driving. ;-)

And finally, this is just too close to home... ;-)

Make it a great week, everyone!

Time to start guitar lessons again...

 At almost 70, I'm going to get back on the music train. I'm going to start taking guitar lessons again!

I was taking lessons for a few years before my heart attack in 2016. Loved it! I would put in a 10 hour day at work (software developer) and then scoot off to a local music store to spend an hour with a great instructor. I have to check with him before I say who it was. I'm hoping he will be able to take me in again.

We split our time between playing classical spanish guitar music on my Yamaha C-40 and blues on my Gretsch G5120 Electromatic  guitars. That's a little practice Fender amp and a Vox amp in the corner.

I have a bazillion books and sheet music to work with. I'm one of those poor shmucks that can't help buying every new piece of music that I hear and trying to learn it. Then I promptly forget I have it instead of learning it and making it part of my practice. Going to try and fix that flaw this time.

What's different this time? I'm retired now. No work to deal with. I spent over 40 years twiddling bits in the software industry. It was great! I still play around with little s/w projects. BUT... it isn't all consuming like it used to be. I can put that aside and stoke the fires of creating and playing music I love.

My current piece to learn is 'Con te partio', which literally is 'I'll leave with you' but is known as 'Time to say Goodbye.' I first heard it sung by Andrea Bocelli on a TV special. It is a heart wrenching, soaring melody that makes me weep. My emotions are always on full display, you just have to deal with it ;-)

    

I found the music for guitar and I'm trying to learn it by myself until I can take lessons again. 

One of the things I've found is that pieces like this sound 'right' on my classical guitar, BUT I really enjoy finding ways to play them on my Gretsch! Being able to release huge tonal swings and effects through my Fender amp turns any piece into a flight of fantasy! Truly 'My guitar gently weeps...'.

I'll keep you up to date on my musical journey. Maybe I can post a movie of my playing with Jeff (hopefully my teacher) later in the year.

For now I'll end with a cartoon that nails my thoughts on life!

Be good to yourself and to others.