Ukulele stuff

The uke arrived. Not sure what to say about it since I have nothing to compare it with. It's obviously not a toy. I bought it 75% off at a closeout. I may want to move up but the earliest I would do such is this summer in L.A. There is little selection here in Portland. L.A. has a guitar shop with 100s of ukes, so I could get anything I want. This one is fine for my present purposes.

Early thoughts: very easy to learn open chords and be a strummer. More difficult to move down the fretboard, especially since it's so damn small. I'm used to playing a 12-string guitar! So getting my fat fingers right will be a challenge. The picking is going to be fun. The clawhammer also will be a challenge. But I'm up to challenges. Ain't senile yet.


There's a Portland Ukulele Association, which meets the last Sunday of the month, i.e. this Sunday. I'm going to check them out. There's also an annual summer Ukulele Fest, at Reed College this year, and the thing is almost sold out! Apparently folks come from all over the country and around the world to these things. It's a tad spendy but there also are some workshops I'd love to take. Not this year. I'll know more about where I'm at with this next year.

I already have a blister on my right finger. I'm used to picking with finger picks.

Just about have the grades wrapped up. An Incomplete that may submit before the deadline next week.

Feeling better today than I have in a while, maybe at 75 or 80%. I have two great uke books, eager to get into them. And much to do on the piano.

I also should print out Baumholder 1961 and see what I have and where I'm at and where I'm going.

Damn, I love Mamet's version of the storytelling paradigm: very elegant. Once upon a time, And then one day, And just when everything was going so well, When at the last minute, And they lived happily ever after (or alternative). Hard to find a story in our culture that doesn't do precisely this!

Well, a busy day. Done.