1/1/2026
Here it is, January 1 again! This time things have changed. I'm
officially retired! Things have started (ended 2025) strangely though:
I had developed an infection of my 2nd left-foot toe, and I had to
have the tip amputated! The infection was potentially serious, but
thanks to good health-care here in Washington state I think it's all
good now. So I sit at home, here on New Year's Day, with my foot elevated.
That's it!
2025 was a pretty bad year for the planet, but it surely ended pretty
well for our close family. We'll work on the world in 2026. Yeah!
1/14/2026
Perhaps today my 'retirement' can truly start. I just returned
from the podiatrist and it seems my infected toe (and subsequent
tip-amputation) is pretty much all healed. Yay! It has put a
bit of a damper on things for these first two weeks of January.
This is what I wrote to several friends about it:
A couple of months ago, I developed a sore on the second toe of my left
foot. No pain, so I didn't think too much about it. Well, it got worse
and worse, and when I arrived out here in Whidbey I went to see my doctor.
He *very* quickly arranged for X-rays and an MRI, and I found myself in a
podiatrist's office a few days later. My toe infection had indeed worsened,
and in fact (for various genetic reasons) the bone in my toe had become
infected. Apparently this is a potentially serious problem (osteomyelitis),
so the podiatrist said "we'll get you scheduled for surgery". I got out my
calendar, thinking it would be sometime the first week or two of January.
She said: "put your calendar away. We're doing this tomorrow."
So New Year's eve I got the tip of my second-left toe removed. Now I sit
at home with my foot up, waiting for it to heal (should be in a couple of
weeks). It was out-patient surgery done in their clinic, so I was able to
get home to watch the Times Square ball drop. Whoo-hoo! The good news for
me was that there was no pain through this whole episode. Pain is not good!
I'm thinking about getting a golf tee and cutting it in half, mounting it
on my amputated toe and asking people to refer to me as "Peg-toe Brad,
Scourge of the Computer Music Seas"! Yarrrrr!
I've also been floored by the insane news that comes every day from
the horrible Trump administration... Venezuela, Iran, Greenland(!),
Gaza, the Epstein files,
the list goes on and one. But the one that really got to me was the
murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis. A few days after it happened
I went down into my studio and did this:
There are no words, really.
I had done a set of pieces the week prior to the Minneapolis
shooting, but I hadn't really sent them out into 'the world'.
They're based on an idea I had almost 50 years ago:
I guess it's good to have some peaceful music around, too. I'll post it
on Facebook and send it around to some friends in awhile.
Right now
I can see Mt. Rainier glowing pink in the setting sun. This is one of
the few clear days we've had so far. The light is returning; the days
are marginally (but noticeably) longer. I hope these things
can act as harbingers of better times to come. They have to!
1/25/2026
I truly, truly hate Donald Trump and his allies. The news coming
from virtually all corners of the world that he touches is just terrible.
The killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis is pure evil. WE HAVE TO
DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING!
1/28/2026
I flew out from Seattle to Indiana today to go visit Dad. I had a late
flight and am staying up near the airport. I'll drive down to see Dad
tomorrow. It's a short trip this time, I'm heading back the day
after tomorrow.
On the flight, I put on the piece
HOME
I did after selling our Wood Lake house. I thought of life, the times
lived, how memories come and inform who you are. And the memories
we are making now. Some good, some bad. Somehow it became
overwhelming. It did. The flood, the family, the love, the times.
Who are we? Who were we? Where are we going? What will be the memories
that Lian/Daniel and now Shai and Naomi carry? There I was, happy
and sad, simultaneously. I can't even find the words. The music
was working, though.
2/19/2026
After the first of the year,
I'm finally getting relaxed into Whidbey life, I think. It's
taken a little longer than it has in past winter breaks (and this
one is no longer a break!)
mainly because of the toe-surgery and
subsequent recovery. It's still not 100% there from what I
can see, but it's pretty much all healed. I'm not aware of
it much anymore. Not like I was. I have an appointment
with my podiatrist tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.
I've been walking more, and I just returned earlier this
week to Island Athletics to swim laps. I'm out of shape, of
course, but it wasn't as bad as I had feared. I'm back on
my 'maintenance dose' of Lenalidomide (formerly Revlimid)
after pausing for the toe antibiotics. Just like normal!
I've been crankin' out the hits again, too. I mentioned
the Ambient Bach
pieces above along with the anguish of
TheyShotHerInTheFace,
but I've also done the 'try-out-the-new-synthesis-modules' thing
resulting in these:
More on the way! And of course, now that I'm getting settled in to
Island Life, I plan to head back to NY for several weeks next Wednesday.
Gotta get some stuff done (office clean-out, a few lectures, Mom's
birthday on March 1, check on the apartment, etc.).
2/22/2026
HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCA JOHN!!!!!!!
3/1/2026
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!
Wow, 82 years! And still amazing! What an example you have set for
us all. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!
3/9/2026
After weeks of cold and snow, today was an uncannily beautiful day
in New York. The temperature topped-out at 72 degrees F, and the
sky was an intense blue.
I went down to my office for one final go-through to grab anything I
wanted to keep. When the weather is nice, I often (used to!) walk
from our apartment up at 181st street down to the subway station
at 168th instead of catching it at the 181st street station. For the
walk, I played this piece through my headphones:
It was one of the pieces I recorded with Gregory and Terry. Time.
Nostalgia. Not really melancholy, but a strong sense of change.
In my office, several people were there going through my books
and LPs to take anything they'd like. I'm not attached to objects
like I once was. Will I reread any of the many books I have?
I did save some art-work that Lian made when she was about 5 years
old "to make Daddy happy". Attachment there, still.
3/11/2026
I'm on my way back to Seattle, about two hours away. I've worked
a bit on my new "piano+synth" pieces. I'm liking the way they sound.
The past couple of weeks has been interesting. I'm not feeling
sad/melancholy, but (as I said above) there is a strong
awareness of change. Will I hold up in the coming days, months, years?
I start to wonder what the point of my retirement --
doing all these pieces -- will be, but then I don't chase down that
trail of wondering about this very much.
I do music because that's what I do. I truly
enjoy doing it. This approach has sustained me through my
life, even though it might wind up being a life predicated on a
pretty flimsy foundation. Ha! There I go again!
I hope I can hold up. I want to see how things go with everyone.
3/28/2026
I'm back in Indiana, but heading to the airport later today to fly home
to Seattle. My good friends John Gibson and Alicyn Warren set me up
with a talk and student-meetings at Indiana University, and it allowed
me to see Dad for a bit. I'm going over to say good-bye to him shortly.
The IU talk/meetings went well, and things actually went well with
Dad. Each time we visit he gets a little farther away, but all-in-all
he seems relatively stable and happy at Traditions.
Things just keep coming up. Tax season, Mom and Dad, medical issues
(I have to see a surgeon on Monday to take care of an 'umbilical
hernia'). When will this retirement business start?