Tag Archive: music

GAFilk, life, love, music, Pagan, Vacatioin

09

Jan

2017

Major Stuph

Saturday I drove to St. Matthews, SC for a housefilk at Larry and Deborah Kirby’s house. Had a grand time, might have been 20 people there but for the most part it was Larry, me, and Frank Parker, then Teri Wachoviak, and then Harry Coburn with a couple of other songs by others. Teri made my head explode with praise for my performances. I spent the night, and drove back Sunday.

Sunday afternoon Suzanne and I looked at how to go about getting her to move here on a Marriage Visa (K-1). Its going to cost $390 for the visa itself, but filing to get the process started is free, so I printed out the paperwork and filled it in. I made a copy, and was going to mail it Monday, but… noticed that nobody had proposed to anybody. So I called Suzanne and did so. She is now bouncing around the room up there in Longueuil, PQ.

So here is how it works. I have to mail this document to somebody in the government (have to look that up, but shouldn’t be difficult). After the initial document is approved, a case number is assigned, and the matter is referred to the US Consulate in Canada (the website says only the Montreal office handles these, but perhaps the Halifax office can, as by the end of this month she will be back at her father’s house in New Brunswick). Then after all the interviews and such, they bill me for the K-1 Visa and it goes through, and then I go pick her up and drive back to Tennessee. We have a full year to finish the task, and if not completed she can go back to Canada. If successful, she applies for permanent residency with the skids already greased.

OK?

Hugs,
Me

Barding, Filk, friends, home, love, music, paganism

22

Aug

Top Performance

I just got back from playing at the Hard Knox Roller Girls Carnival. There weren’t a lot of people, but they were good people. I got a tip specifically for playing “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy”, and a child (probably prompted by his parent, who had done her homework) asked me to play “The Last Wolf”. I got $15 in tips for a 45-minute performance, better than I was getting at my last job. I had a good time. It was indoors but in a non-cooled building. This was an almost impromptu performance — someone invited me to the event site on Facebook about a week and a half ago, and I opened my mouth about performing; a few days ago someone on the planning committee asked what kind of music I played, listened to some of my online stuff, and asked me on Thursday to perform. I almost didn’t get up on time — my Echo did not do my alarm. But all is well, and I had a nice time.

Housefilk

We held our third monthly housefilk (Feb, Apr, May – March had us all going to Larry Kirby’s in South Carolina) tonight. It is always such a joy to have Cat Faber and Lauren Cox come over, and this month we added to the number with Cynthia Andresen and Ken Muller. Cyn and Ken stayed until 9, we went on until 10:30. Next month’s housefilk is scheduled for the 20th.

Nothing new today on the job or other means of income.

Hugs,
Me

Barding, Filk, folk, friends, life, Moss Bliss, music, work

23

May

Treading water

Well, GAFilk is over for another year. I had a terrific time as I always do (that’s why I keep going, y’all) but it’s over. I have no concrete plans for any other cons this year, although there are 3 cons I’m considering (ConCarolinas, OVFF, and Chambanacon, if you’re curious) depending on funds (of which I have virtually none and have run up too much credit card debt).

Even so, I have a high point every year to look forward to, and it’s not all that expensive ($50 or less for the con, $35 for the banquet, half a hotel room, and some food and parking money). I even wrote a new song this year (not a cheerful one, sadly) and got to perform it.

There were around 160 people this year, and I know and love probably half of that number and would say the same about the other half if I took the time to get to know them. It can also be said that, of the people I know and love and/or respect, 80% of them were or had been in that room this year and/or one of the previous four.

Only 51 weeks to go…

Apparently my position is being eliminated on the 21st of this month, although the company claims they have other positions for me. Until they offer one, I have no idea how that will work out, so it’s a bit itchy.

I don’t believe I mentioned that my new coffeepot (42-cup Hamilton Beach percolator) stopped perking after only 10 weeks and they are dragging their feet replacing it even though they have already charged me for the shipping cost. So, no coffee, have to go to Pilot for a while. Which saves me money on gas…

Hugs,
Me

Barding, Budgeting, family, Filk, friends, home, love, Moss Bliss, music, paganism, weekend, work

12

Jan

New Year

Like many people, I have not been at my best for the past several weeks. The weather has been strange, with only one very light snowfall yet, and often reaches temperatures in the 70s. Either this is the Winter of Global Warming or we’re being set up.

This weekend, I will be celebrating with many friends at GAFilk. Lots of music, lots of love.

People wonder what this blog is about. I’m a psychiatric survivor, musician, direct support professional, disabled person, pagan priest, bard, friend, online groups manager, science fiction and fantasy fan, reader of much non-fiction, editor… and I love my two cats.

I get criticism that I don’t just pick one subject and blog on it, but that would mean I would need many blogs. This blog reflects my humanity, in all my failures and successes, joys and degradations. I have been trying to make myself the best person I can be, and have had a lot of success in doing so, but it is far from a finished product.

If you are someone I have helped, thank you for being there so that I could practice being the good person I intent to be. If you are someone I have refused to help, thank you for helping me set boundaries on what I can and cannot do.

Hugs,
Me

Filk, friends, health, help, home, life, Moss Bliss, music, paganism

05

Jan

Synopsis

2015 has been a great year for me. I have a new, permanent home, a new purpose, a new confidence. My role in my Family has grown, as has my role in my various outside activities, helping the homeless and ministering to prisoners and my position as a bard.

I suppose the downside was my burgeoning debt. Some of that debt was incurred to fund my future; some of it was to move, or to fill the needs presented by the new house. Some of it, admittedly, was from poor decisions, not sure if I’ll ever completely get rid of those. 2016 is when I pay for that. So long as I keep my job, this should not be an issue. Aum shrim Mahalaxmiyei svaha!

I’m not really making any resolutions for the new year, other than to consolidate and grow the seeds already planted (and shrink the debt). This will be a very organic year for me, probably won’t be a whole lot for me to report upon other than road signs.

Blessings on all your endeavors!

Hugs,
Me

Barding, family, friends, home, Moss Bliss, music, paganism, Prison Ministry, work

31

Dec

2015

I Circle Around

Today marks the completion of my personal 63rd trip around the Home Star. I thank many of you reading this for this accomplishment, as I may not have gotten this far without you.

It is nice to be living at a time and place where, barring some really tin-foil hat government paranoia, I am safe and welcome and have all my needs met. As tin foil is extremely difficult to find these days, I should be all right. (Accept no substitutes! Aluminum is the devil!)

I don’t really have anything planned for today, except that I want to get my trusty Blue (guitar) repaired (he busted a nut — guitarists will know what I’m talking about while they’re snickering, the rest of you can just snicker and be ignorant). I also am getting a new recliner delivered (well, I have the back, just need the base — it wouldn’t fit into my little Cobalt). I may or may not go out to eat in celebration; but it’s not as though I haven’t gained enough fat storage to survive on for months. I may have friends coming over to help me in my foray for comestibles, or that may be put off until Sunday, or it may not happen at all. Rest assured, I am fat and happy — fatter than I want to be and happier than I ever imagined being. I’ve actually been breaking out into smiling fits the last two days.

If you want to do something for me, I have several suggestions. Donate to a homeless project, or even go serve food at one. Maybe find a hippo recovery project, or a zoo hippo who is under provided for. If you want to aid me directly, my CD download is still available for sale at http://mordewis.bandcamp.com .

And if you’re in the area, you are more than welcome to come hang out in the woods with me. That’s the nice thing about my current residence, lots of woods of my own to hang out in.

Hugs,
Me

life, Moss Bliss, music

04

Dec

2015

Busy Guy

Today I drove to Knoxville to donate another bag of 30 knit caps to Knox Area Rescue Ministries (to add to the 28 I donated last weekend). After that, I drove to Piedmont to see Johnny Rushing and get my two 12-string guitars looked at. He fixed my old Ibanez Performance model, made a new bridge for it, then looked at my newer Dean and determined all that was wrong with it was bad strings. For that he charged me a whopping $10, to be paid when I get cash in hand. I need to go back and get the nut fixed on my blue 6-string, so I’ll just take $20 with me then. After that I went and got my car washed.

It’s nice to have my trusty Ibanez (Disciple) back in action.

Tomorrow I drive to Newport to donate a (smaller) bag of hats to a homeless project there. And on Sunday my friends Wayne and Amber are coming over to help me get some of the old shattered glass off the property — it looks like sometime 20 years ago a greenhouse fell down and was allowed to stay there. Roots and leaves and other dirt and growing things have woven through it. Every time I go pull out a layer I find five more layers beneath it. Maybe we can get it all done on Sunday.

Not much is actually going on. Just being organic about life. I have no known performances planned until GAFilk in January.

Hugs,
Me

Relaxing

Not much going on.

I performed at the inaugural WolfStock a couple weekends ago, and even (eventually) got paid for it. It was a fundraiser for Wolf PAWS, Inc., a wolf/wolf-dog rescue and recovery program just outside of Dandridge. The fundraiser was a success by the organizer’s accounting, raising at least a couple thousand dollars for the project, but it was clear to the performers that they really need lessons in promoting events (they could easily have had four times as many people there with decent promotion).

I just learned this week that I’m not losing my job when my client moves closer to Knoxville. It will be a bit longer of a drive but not too bad. My little car keeps plugging along nicely. A couple cosmetic things need to be done on him, but nothing at all major. I never did, for instance, get the lock fixed on the trunk (don’t know why, but the key does not fit the trunk lock, a fact mitigated by the trunk release button inside the car), and the left headlight lens assembly could stand to be replaced. Also the driver’s seat need replacing, the foam pulled apart on the right side and my back sometimes is contacting the steel frame of the seat. All trivia.

Nothing at all going on here until January. Well, my birthday in December, but there are probably very few who will help me celebrate it. Another trip around the homestar, yessiree.

Still doing fine medically, only take one blood pressure med (which doesn’t like me, but it’s better than the other ones they’ve tried on me) and one injection every two weeks (my body is not producing an important hormone, ’nuff said). Otherwise, I take my handful (and it takes a large hand) of supplements every day.

So like I said, it’s snooze time here in the Tennessee mountains. Hope y’all are having a great time. Nobody ever said things had to be exciting to be good.

Hugs,
Me