Uncle Dave's House of Useless Crap

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Once again, a long impasse between blogs. Blogging well requires the discipline of finding the spot in one’s day where one’s comments may be transcribed and then publicked. In my case, there are times when I can do this, but lack of motivation is an issue; why blog when you can lie in bed? It is true that in compiling radio programs, composing and writing other stuff I do direct energies – when I have them – in positive ways. At times when my back is flaring up, or when I’m just miserable due to misfortunes such as you will read about below, none of that seems attractive. The prospect of bed, of moving forward my time without expending effort in any direction, really seems like the most viable option, and that sucks, but it works.
Many blogs that I see are very short, and really don’t go into much depth; others redact material found elsewhere. I prefer to write something “really good,” and that takes time. Right now I’ve managed to sleep away most of the day – apart from shopping, singing none too well at church and an interesting adventure where a friend pushed my poor, dead car from behind into the lot of a mechanic’s – so what follows is summary.

Ohhh, my Achin’ Back (voice of Fred Flintstone)

I discovered in December that I have a broken back. Really – I had this terrible back pain all this time, so long that my ex thought it a vestige of my imagination. Finally I wound up with this terrible numbness in my left arm that wouldn’t go away and got worse if I stood for long periods of time. I went into the doctors and was told that it was probably a degenerative condition in my shoulder – “typical for people your age,” funny how young docs find that so easy to say – but we’ll take an x-ray to make sure. X-ray showed that my shoulder is okay, no degenerative bone disease at all, but revealed the compound fracture in my spinal column in one corner of one x-ray.

I guess I should be thankful that I can still walk around.

Recent Pieces and Not Reese’s

I have been composing quite a bit. I wrote a chamber piece called “Momoi in America” as a presentation piece to Japanese film director Kaori Momoi in November that was, I thought, especially good. In October-November I composed several pieces towards an intended collaboration with a singer. In December, in advance of my NY trip, I wrote a free fantasia for piano on themes of The Beatles entitled “Lucy Walrus” which runs about six minutes. I was unsatisfied with the ending, and am now working on an addition that will lengthen it by about a minute or so. I also began setting some poems in Homer Rodeheaver’s little book, “Worth While Poems” – light little verses that he used to read at revivals. The first one, “Old Mothers,” is a genuine art song and a mother song. They used to say that you could never go wrong with a good mother song, and as I haven’t heard one in many years, perhaps this is the time to write one. It’s turning out well; the melody is finished, but the harmonization is a lot of work. It’s funny; I try things that are complex, clever and crafty, and yet it seems the simpler it is, the better.


A Holiday Shocker

Allisyn, my ex-wife, suffered a stroke on Christmas Day. I tried to make it out to see her this weekend, but couldn’t get a ride out there – she’s in a hospital well north of Detroit. Al is recovering and working hard on her rehab – I’m proud of her, really – but she is not well. I really wish that there was more that I could do for her. If the car does get fixed, then I’ll at least be able to make it out there more.

I hope that I am able to resume all of this soon to recount some of my adventures on the subways of New York.

Uncle Dave Lewis

Labels: back trouble, strokes, Uncle Dave Lewis Music, winter