How I See The World I Live In

Majestic Surroundings

Mount Shasta today, from the dam road. 1/11/09
I was up on the dam road recording vocal tracks today. I like this new way to record vocals on the songs I assemble. It's amazing what we can do with the digital toys out there.

6 months ago I was thinking I needed a laptop to record in unusual locations, but I can use a little digital recorder to record a part while I listen with headphones to an MP3 of the basic track from a little iPod kind of device. I can then import the newly recorded part to the song project on my computer when I get home.

I still need a couple of adapters to make it work smoothly, but it works. You can hear a test that I did yesterday. I recorded the vocal up by the Bridge Bay Resort. The song is an old Charles Calhoun blues that I first recorded in 1962. It's on the right hand side of this blog page, under, My Video Experiments.

I am so happy that I am capable of finding simple solutions to accomplish complex aspirations.
Thank you Marian for helping me believe that I can find a way to do just about anything.

Moonrise last night 1/10/09

Shasta just before the moonrise 1/10/09

Lassen just before the moonrise 1/10/09

I am surrounded by the majesty of God's beautiful earth.
I am filled with gratitude and wonder.

Sometimes I worry about those people who, in their arrogant, ignorance, thoughtlessly destroy God's creations. Somehow we can be led to believe that we know better than God how to operate this planet. We eradicate lifeforms that annoy us without a second thought. We kill off the mosquitoes, then complain that there are no more fish in the pond. We are not being taught that everything on earth is necessary for life to exist.

We kill our own species by the thousands because they do things differently, or they happen to be "in the way" of someones grandiose scheme that doesn't include "those" people.

I wonder about people who praise God, then chop down trees, or level a mountain because it blocks their view.

I wonder about people who will fight for the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, even though it's based on a book that defines women as dirty and sinful.

I wonder.

Can I "fix" those broken, greedy, savages? No.

Can God fix them? If they ask God to be fixed.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

Thank you.

I am at peace, again.

I Am Happy

Louis Armstrong Orchestra, 1929.

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
When Your Smiling

The good I do and feel, defines me.
Happy Phil