Renaissance

Often one must attempt to do something multiple times before succeeding at it--and enjoying it. The first time I read to read Beckett's Endgame, I stopped after about 15 pages and said (to myself... not out loud...), "I don't understand what's going on. I don't know who these people are, where they are, what they are, what they're doing, or what they want. There is no forward progress. I am utterly nonplussed. In spite of the fact that I have been told by reputable authorities that this is one of the greatest plays in the English language, I derive no enjoyment from reading it. I give up," and I gave up and put the book back on the shelf. Six months or so later, I tried again. Perhaps I approached it with a different mindset, or perhaps I was in a lighter (and less verbose) mood that particular day, but not only did I finish it on the second try, I absolutely loved it. I've reread it once or twice since then, and it is now one of my favorite plays. (And the moral of this story is...)

Similarly, I stopped at about Chapter 7 of the Silmarillion the first time I read it because I forgot who begat whom by what and I was bored by all the highfalutin language, but on the second try, a few years later, I finished and enjoyed it--though not as much as I did Endgame. The first few times I tried to start a journal, it swiftly turned into a list of what I'd eaten and what computer games I'd played each day, and I got bored and stopped. After a while, though, I started being a little more observant about my diurnal activities, and it became more enjoyable to keep a journal and write random stuff in it.

The upshot of all this is that I'm trying, yet again, to do the same thing with blogging. I've tried and failed to keep up with several blogs, but I'm going to try one more time. I have a new, firm idea in mind for what to write about, with the occasional diversion, of course: the world through the eyes of a wannabe musician, with musical criticism, reviews, recommendations, soliloquys, and plenty of griping about how hard it is to write lyrics. I hope to emphasize the universal and cross-cultural aspect of music, and bring to light any interesting "fusion" music which I may encounter. I encourage you, Gentle Reader, to do the same. There will also be periodic rampages on my other interests, such as ice hockey, Walkers Shortbread, and my cats.

For anyone who has taken the time to read all this, let me assure you that future posts will be far more concise, pictorial, and linky, which, if it's not a word, should be.