Now

Music Making

Lately, I’ve been more intentional about writing music. I’m more pragmatic about it, and not precious and aggressively self-critical, which is a psychological trap I fell into that stymied my composing pursuits for years. To that end, I’m spending time most days sitting down to just write. To simply put in the work. Some days are more productive than others, but taken together, the forward progress is heartening.

I’m composing new music for Amanda and I to perform in our flute and guitar duo. It’s the first time I’m writing original music for us, and I’m quite enjoying how the ideas I’ve been playing with are developing. I’ve got a couple of other half-finished compositions that I plan to get back to after finishing what I’m working on for the duo.

I’m also gestating plans for us to record an album before the year is out. There’s not a lot of time left to pull it together!

Parenting

My daughter is starting her senior year in high school, and the next few months are going to be hot and heavy with college application drama. She’s got a lot of schools that she wants to apply to, and she’s aiming high with a number of them. I’ll do my best help guide her in her decisions.

Caretaking

I continue to support my dog, Luke, who started showing signs of Degenerative Myelopathy in February, 2024. Since then, the condition has progressed from him subtly scuffing his paws and having trouble on the the stairs to him not being able to stand on his rear limbs at all. He uses a wheelchair to get around when we’re out on walks, and is still in good spirits when we do go out, but simple things—things like eating and drinking, scratching himself, and getting himself back in bed—are now a tremendous struggle for him, and I feel I have to be close by most of the time to attend to him. It’s tough to watch his body break down while his sense of self and friendly disposition are still very much intact. The day is coming soon where we’ll have to make the humane choice and say goodbye to him because his body will have failed him too profoundly for him to continue with dignity.

Additionally, being a middle aged person with elderly parents, I spend time each week helping them manage their day-to-day affairs. They live a few hundred miles away, and I can get easily frustrated dealing with them, but still, I do what I can to help them make their days a little more organized.