Kurt R.A. Giambastiani's Blog, page 50

Getting my Music Geek On

The world of classical music has changed a lot, since I was last playing on a regular basis. I mean alot. Example 1: When I got my viola repaired I purchased a backup-bow. It is not made of pernambuco wood. In fact, it is not made of wood at all. It’s made of carbon fiber.Carbon […]

You, Your Money, and Me

To behonest, Istartedthis blog because I want your money. That’snot the only reason, but it’s definitely in the mix. As a writer, I want people (i.e.,you) to read my books. I’ve worked hard writingthem, I’m proud of them, and I want folks to read them and enjoy them. I think my books are worth something, […]

Changing the Conversation

The USA is beginning another of its quadrennialconversations. Whassat? You weren’t aware that wehadregular national conversations? Not to worry; most folks aren’t aware of it either, but we do have them. You probably know them better by their more common name, the General Election, where every four years we have this big national discussion in […]

Don’t Call It a “Jaffa” Cake

The last time I was in Britain there was a flap over the use of the phrase “Jaffa Cake.” McVities, the biscuit company who introduced the original Jaffa Cakes in 1927, neglected to trademark the name and thus it was open for others to use. I adore Jaffa Cakes–small disks of sponge cake topped with […]

At Last, My Arm Is Complete Again

While I’m taking a hiatus from writing (and if you didn’t realize I’m on hiatus, you haven’t been paying attention), I’ve been reconnecting with the musicalavocation I put down when I picked up the author’spen. David T Stoneand company did anexcellent job repairing my instruments, including fixing the divots left in my viola when a […]

Let Me Get This Straight

I’ve been on vacation/sick as a dog for the past week, and a ton of topics have stacked up, but this Indiana…thing…has taken up all my thinking time and must be addressed first. If you’re not aware, this week, Indiana’s governor Mike Pence signed a law that will allow businesses to turn away anyone if […]

Limerick

There once was a young man from Limerick Who had no idea that short, usually humorous poems oftenthatbore the same name as his hometown. k

Vignette 12Mar2015

In time, he knew, his transgression would be forgiven(though not forgotten, for during their thirty tumultuous years, his wife had proven the tenacious nature of her memory when it came to remembered wrongs),but oh, in those first raw moments when his sleeping, animal mind awoke to action,its raging mouth spewingvowel-filled vomit and its sharp-clawed arms […]

Cat Gut and Horse Hair

The last time I walked into David T. Stone‘s luthier shop, I didn’t have much money. It was a quarter century ago, and I wasgoing through tough financial times. My wife’s health prevented her from working outside the home, we were suffering through a long string of cheap but unreliable cars, and we were trying […]

Tuning Up

I used to be a musician. In my early years, it was my destiny, my fate, and my doom. It was my destiny because ofmy mother. Her father was a music teacher and she herself played piano. She encouraged all her children to enjoy and play music, leading us in “kitchen band” sessions where we […]