I'm preparing for music directing Paul Kirby's The Boy Who Listened to Paintings, also by Dean Kostos.

That means I confront the content of this piece which is about a boy growing up to be the author. His life included some time in an assylum, a place of refuge, as he confronts the tendency toward suicide. We can connect with childhoods. The stories of our development allow us to be the center of attention. Once again I'm searching for the issues I want to confront, by writing freely, not so freely, pausing constantly. Paul's music remains engaging and sincere. It's what I will focus on creating nightly at the piano, and there are the voices that piano will support. They will be learning and singing together. There's the ongoing discussions of the script, searching for a state of being that allows for one's release into the world, from the institute, or tute, that specializes in housing us. This is the author's story and how it intersects with ours, we who are different, all of us being so. I suppose anyone engaging in this question of differences is by definitition different. My own human interaction is called into question as I sit here, concerned about my inability to convey my concerns to people I'm helping, how do I even get into that helping environment? by working. What can I do to help and earn money? Ok I just heard it. Thorazine is the antidote to LSD. Meanwhile, I am trying to collect money for people through claims. The money I collected for someone comes to me in a check that must be endorsed by that same someone, and he has not endorsed it. The check validity expires in a week. As I read into this I conclude that he is not currently able to assume the responsibility of having money as the state of not having any allows him to receive much needed benefits for housing and food. This is the kind of thing that can occupy 90% of my mind, as the recovery of any money for this incident might be looked upon as something of a success. Instead we're sharing a limbo which, objectively, is where everything is. I like Paul Kirby's music and am excited to be bringing it to a piano. I'm hesitant about adding to my own creativity and question what I have already done. end note: I did my best to play the score exactly as written... NOTE ON THE YIP HARBURG BALDWIN PIANO WE USED: (Baldwin built the piano in 1940. As there is a little placque I'm thinking Yip Harburg purchased it from Birkel Richards while he was in Los Angeles.) For the first weekend of performances we had limited use of the sustain pedals and no access to the soft pedal. Over time the hammers on the piano had become loose and misaligned, such that pressing the soft pedal and sustain pedals caused them to hit adjacent strings. Jeff Holck repaired it! Tightened Piano Bench, Loose Leg Screws Removed key cover, key blocks, music desk, restored parts and moving quilt / cover & music desk to closed piano lid Cleaned debris from inside Piano Action Bed Adjusted Hammer Alignments as needed to prevent hammers from hitting adjacent note strings with or without soft pedal Adjusted Soft Pedal travel as needed to prevent hammers hitting adjacent note strings Tweaked tuning at several notes with bad unisons Note: Not all hammer alignments were adjusted for precise soft pedal travel. Adjustments made only with problematic hammers to allow using soft pedal and sustain pedal without issues.