"The Best Things in Life Are Free"

. . . but that vet visit is going to be the equivalent of your student loan payment. That's really all I can think about this week. He's not even my dog, and I feel so ambivalent about him: he's perfect for our home and family in so many ways, but I don't love him. Everyone else does, though, so I'll deal. I'm really hoping he doesn't need eye surgery tomorrow, though, or else my student loan payments will be even further behind.

The song? Oh! Yes--this song will not stay long in my memory, but it was good to sing it today, mostly because it's just good to sing. I've been busy for the past few weeks cataloging a lot of music that I already have: I collected a lot of songbooks in this last six months or so, and I want to know what I have in the interests of sharing this music more appropriately (it's a happy anal thing, enabling me to at some point run a search, for example, for three-part Scottish lullabies, or two part Croatian drinking songs suitable for children). Unfortunately, it's been more of a browsing thing than a singing thing, and I do miss the singing. Are the best thing in life free? Now may not be the best time to ask. I'll meditate upon that one, but for now weigh in on the truth that not all the best things cost money. Some, at least, are indeed free, and those mostly around the people I care for, and that various communication options that I have that cost me nothing, or so close to nothing that I'm prepared to almost take them for granted. So American am I.

I had some very satisfying music time today. A few friends and I are attempting to start a band, and our get together after school today was incredibly fun, and encouraging. I have specific homework to practice on my mandolin, which is also very good, since I need the practice badly (different set up than my guitar, much less space to work in on that tiny finger board--and doubled strings!). At times, the three of us sounded almost together and pretty, and our brief performance for an impromptu audience was most gratifying. We admitted that we were in this purely for the money, and received requests for spandex costuming. He said it would boost ticket sales. How can we argue with that?

We're still working on a name. Inspired by a newly learned song, today we proposed 'Colicky Cabbages', but I'm not sure that would really sell, or work with the spandex idea at all.