"The Soloist", the book

Have you found that the movie does not do justice to the book. Must say that The Soloist is one of the few books that does do justice to the book although it does diverge slightly but the essence is there. It certainly does not sugar coat the situation between Steve Lopez, journalist and reporter and Nathaniel Ayers, schizophrenic musician. If you have not read the book or seen the movie, do. Either will give you insight into an aspect of the mental health system in one of the wealthiest nations and cities, the United States and Los Angeles. Frightening what, Steve Lopez describes. Hard to believe that the centre of the problem is just blocks from places like the Disney Theatre which hosts the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Worlds apart.
Steve Lopez does make it clear that he does not have answers to the problem of schizophrenia but more questions. He does question the closing down of mental health institutions allowing patients to be left on the streets to fend for themselves. He also discusses a few places that help, like the Lamp which is closely involved in Nathaniel Ayers situation. Some of the residents from the Lamp were in the movie making it much more relevant.
Hopefully, Steve Lopez and others will continue to investigate this situation and others like it bringing them to the attention of others.

Final Wisdom

It is amazing how much time and energy going to rehearsals takes. Monday night, I subbed for a friend at an orchestra-will be subbing one more week. The friend is in India bird watching! Wow, the birds must be amazing. Maybe, I should insist that he send me pictures of the birds.
Tuesday, I rehearsed with the trio for tonight's gig at a seniors' residence. Wednesday night was orchestra rehearsal. We were rehearsing new music since we just finished our concert on the previous Saturday. I just got back from the trio performance.
Wisdom for the day: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams." Henry David Thoreau. And we must always have dreams that get us up in the morning.
Tomorrow night, I will relax and do laundry after getting a hair cut. Need to look presentable for dinner next week. A good reason for a hair cut.
Time to turn in.

Wisdom

Yes, here are more: "We change the world not by what we say or do, but as a consequence of what we have become." David R. Hawkins. Not sure who Hawkins is but the thought is important. We must remember that we must accomplish things not just talk about them.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." Certainly have a few challenges to face. Hopefully, I will be able to overcome them and extend meaning in my life.

Wisdom continued

Yes, I am continuing with words of wisdom and today we start with a thought from Aesop writer of many fables, "No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted." Words to live by.
And as I am fond of saying to my students, real life is much more entertaining than fiction. Hans Christian Andersen confirms this with "Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale". I have never read about his life but maybe it is time that I did. Wonder about his life. Was it a fairy tale?
More thoughts tomorrow.

More words of Wisdom

As you know from yesterday's entry, there are words of wisdom that I have gleaned from a calendar received recently. "Let no one come to you without leaving better and happier" words from Mother Teresa who certainly lived by these words. If only the rest of could try to live by these words.
Marie Curie who is someone who does not received enough credit for her work said the following: "Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood." Brave words to live. Not sure that some of us are able to do this.
More tomorrow.

Words of Wisdom.

Recently, I received a calendar in the mail that was a little different than the rest. Unlike the cards and labels that I receive regularly, this one had words of wisdom that made you stop and think.
January "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much" Helen Keller.
I love March "You are braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think" Christopher Robin to Pooh. Now there are words of wisdom.
I will leave you with a thought from Confucius "Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall". Words to live by.

Learn from the Past

Recently, I went back to my former school and to my disappointment found that almost all evidence that I had been at the school had been removed by the former teacher. I had met her but always made a point of staying away from the music room because I did not want students to be comparing us. It can be very difficult for some teachers to take over and I did not want to become part of a problem. Little did I know that she would remove any sign that I had ever been at the school.
This has made me think about legacies and how we do not always respect what others have done. We can learn from them and build on what they have done. We need to learn from the past and respect what has been built.
Tomorrow, I will return to the school and this time, I will be helping to build. What a lovely change. (Yes, the teacher who replaced me is gone. The new teacher wants to respect legacies.)

Friday and its time to relax

Finally, the week is over and it is time to relax before starting the next week. Working full-time after three years of part-time or no time is a change. I leave early in the morning for work and then after a full day of work (not as full as working at the elementary level), need to practise, get mail done which I have been very conscientious about-I am caught up on the mail, and try to get some computer work done. Not much time for more than that. Some nights, I have orchestra or chamber trio practise which is why I need to practise. I can not go to practices unprepared.
Tomorrow, I am taking the percussion ensemble from school to a music conference. I am their chaperon for the bus. I have nothing to do with their musical excellence. During the time between practise and performance, there is time to relax and wait which means that I will get to the library and pick up a book that I requested "The Soloist" which should be an interesting read.
I was going to do some drop offs but think that practising, computer work and some errands are the better choice.
Hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and that the week coming up is exciting. More about that tomorrow.

East Side Players

Last night, I attended the first production of the season for East Side Players. What a treat! Since it was Halloween, attendance was low. We had plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy the production. The play was Laughter on the 23rd Floor by Neil Simon. It was an interesting production which reflects Neil Simon's early days in TV with Sid Caesar and the writers Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and Larry Gelbert. This was a touching production that revealed some of the issues of 1953 with McCarthyism, the change in peoples' taste and the drive to deal with commercials.
If you can get to the production do. Support local theatre.