I'm Only the Trombone Player

Just your Basic Rant ... Sorry!

This is definitely a rant and a whiny complaint, if you don't like reading things like that RUN AWAY!

You have been Warned!

Usually I tend not to be a "sharer" of problems and those testy little things that bother me, but lately several items have been sapping my strength.

Since those things are affecting my participation here on WdC, I thought that maybe sketching them out might exorcise them and give me a bit of peace to move forward.

Retirement; How can something be exciting, scary and annoying all at the same time?

Yes, I know it's an exciting new chapter in life. I'm going to have time to do all those neat things I've been waiting to do, but haven't had the time. I get to be a better trombone player and have the time to find places and bands to play with. I'll get to play and write on WdC, without keeping an eye on the clock. I'll get the travel I've always wanted to do, without any time constraints or having to worry about crowds. Yup! Very Exciting!

But scary too; Is this the right time to retire? Will a bad economy eat my savings and pension? Band, What bands? Nobodies rehearsing or playing live ANYWHERE! Travel? Nope, can't go there. Maybe I should wait to retire? But what if I wait too long? Sigh.

And, it's annoying. This was my last year. I should be in this year; playing solos with the Concert Band (Sammy Nestico's "Reflective Moods") and Jazz Ensemble (Any one of a million great tunes), conducting the High School Musical ("Brigadoon"), it was the first show I conducted when I started teaching). Not to mention all the other goodies that won't be happening ... Thanks Pandemic.

On a personal, relative related note; My niece almost a year ago decided to become pregnant and have a baby, she decided to put the cart before the horse and have the baby before marrying the babies Daddy. Because she and the baby had no real place to live, I offered them a room in my home. Refurbishing my home office in to a bedroom/nursery. The agreement was that my niece and Daddy would contribute towards household expenses. Daddy is a lawyer for NY State DMV and makes a comfortable living.

Emily, my grandniece is a lovely baby, all smiles and giggles. She was and remains the "perfect baby", sleeping through the night pretty much as soon as she arrived home. Eating almost anything and everything. Very little crying, unless she's hungry, needs a new diaper or gets overly tired (a frequent occurrence)

Slowly but surely reality set in and showed me the error of my ways; Seems Part-time Baby Daddy is still married, and indeed still shares an abode with his wife. They do supposedly still intend to set up a house, but are looking for the "perfect home ~ must be new construction". I offered them my house upon my retirement, at whatever rate they had it appraised at — "but it's not new".

I haven't received anything for household expenses since December of last year, granted I can carry the house. But I can't understand how "part-time Daddy can justify someone else paying for the roof over his child's head.

To top it all off my niece is pregnant yet again — with apparently no plan or urgency on anyone's part for a suitable Family Dwelling for this, now family of three (or four if you count Part-time Daddies’ wife).

Lastly are two specifically WdC bugaboos;

It would seem my Muse has run off, returning briefly to taunt me, only to scamper away mid story. I’m chalking that up to the stress and concerns above, but I really think I need to lock her (the Muse … she has to be a she — no guy would have the patients to put up with me) and myself in a room and hash this out.

And the Newbie Contest? Whoever said “if you build it they will come” (actually it was “… he will come”) was fibbing to me.

Sorry to rant and whine, maybe this little entry will reignite something. Thanks for reading if you did!