Idle Time Idle Mind....What's Going On in There?

With all this time on my hands I do a lot of thinking. Most of it is what I could be doing right at that moment. On a regular day off I sometimes spend my day shopping, not necessarily buying anything, just scanning racks, looking for deals. I do have a bit of an addiction to shoes and jackets, as my bulging closets suggest. Anyways, I have been passing time looking for certain things I apparently need, or think I need, or want at that specific moment where my brain drifts off into space. Recently rearranging my apartment has me wishing I had a stereo system. I don't have expendable money, as almost everyone is experiencing in this time of Covid 19, but when I look at my vinyl record collection, it brings back the fond memories of listening to music with all the pops and crackling sounds, especially now that I have all the funny old vinyl my parents had while I was growing up. Sure we all could easily look it all up online, but it takes all those warm fuzzy memories away. I have all The Beatles albums on CD, and it's wonderful, but I also have most of them on vinyl and I love the sounds better. 

I also have an extensive CD collection which I refuse to store virtually. I like having all this music in reach, being able to listen at home. As I said, reminiscing of all those days where music was an extension of your personality, made me think of my old compact stereo system and how I loved it. It had a turntable, CD player, double cassette deck and AM/FM radio tuner. It was perfect for an apartment. I remember I gave it to my Grandfather when he moved the George Derby Seniors Care Society, so he could play his old Don Ho Hawaiian music and dance with the ladies in the hallways. It made him smile when he could listen to his music and considering his surroundings he needed anything to brighten his long days and nights and the end of his 92 years of life.



 I  have been thinking about learning something new, and when I was young I played the clarinet. I had my clarinet forever until I realized it had collected so much dust in my closet, and thus it found a new home with a friend, her boyfriend bringing it back to life. I was in grade 4 when I got to chose the instrument I wanted to play, as long as it was portable of course. No tubas, pianos, harps, or any other instrument that was bigger than me. I guess my mother decided this because she was bogged down with her own musical instrument that was hard to drag around to lessons - a mesmerizing accordion that was stored in a huge case. I was awed at her ability to play this strange music machine - Spanish Eyes was her go-to at gatherings - and even my father was able to play the contraption, too! She was a tiny mouse of a child and told me of dragging this case the size of her body on to buses to her lessons, and how she had wished she chose a different instrument. My oldest brother played the clarinet and was quite talented, which probably was the reason for my equal selection. My next oldest brother had chosen the alto saxophone, which seem too clunky to drag for me, although the brassy colour was quite flashy. In my later high school years, I also picked up the tenor saxophone, similar to my oldest brother. I believe I used his actual instrument then too. I was always better at playing by ear, not quite being able to translate written music at the ease of musicians. I can read music, although similarly to how I read books, I feel myself translating the notes (or words) in my head - speed reading is virtually impossible for my brain. Perhaps I have a reading impediment I never knew about? I was thinking about what I really should have chosen as an instrument at the ripe young age of 9, was the flute. I played the clarinet well, I remember I was convinced that playing it would be useful as it was a reed instrument, and this skill could be transferred to any reed instrument. I liked the woody sound but the flute was what I really liked. I don't know why I didn't stand up and chose without the coaxing of my family.

So now, I have been casually looking through the Facebook marketplace for a compact stereo and a flute. I probably won't buy either but I know from my previous shopping expertise, if I find a deal on either, I will make that purchase. The thought of playing my records, or goofing around with relearning to play an instrument on my terms, could pass some self-isolation time. It looks like it won't end soon and everyone is getting prepared for more hunkering down in our caves. Why not fill it with music, whether on a turntable or from a flute? Perhaps these desires will pass just like the many other ideas drifting through the space between my two ears. In the meantime, I spend my time thinking about what to write in this blog. The wind is blowing outside, pushing the clouds across the sky, similarly, my thoughts move on by, pushing others out making room for new ones. Idle time idle mind.....