Eric Whitacre

I liked this so much I stole it -- from my son's blog:

From The Art of Choices blog: This second one is not for the faint of heart. It is fifteen minutes of utter harmonic bliss. Full of what have become known as Whitacre chords which are repeating diatonic clusters of Major triads with seconds and occasionally perfect fourths above. It is called When David Heard and the words are from 2 Samuel 18:33. It had not been set to music by any major composer for over four hundred years until Whitacre composed this. It's a very dramatic and powerful piece full of the wailing of a father losing his son. Do not listen to this piece unless you have the fifteen minutes to spare to fully enjoy the beauty and scope of the entire piece. Enjoy 

Not everyone will like this but for those who like complex harmonies sung VERY well, this is as good as it gets. (BYU singers, Lynn).

A few lessons learned, 1000 posts later.

I started this blog 1000 posts ago.

I did so because I like to write, I like to eat, I like to talk about food, and I wanted to learn what this new medium called blogging was all about. I had never read another food blog, as a matter of fact, I'm not sure if I had read a blog post of any kind.

Now, anyone who writes wants to think that he or she can write something worth reading, at least once in a while. Even though that goal is yet unreached on these pages, I have learned about blogging while trying. In particular:

1. Writing well is damned hard.
2. Posting something that is even remotely interesting to read, written well or not, is damned harder.
3. Most food blog readers are looking for an opinion: "Yes, I liked it," or "No I didn't like it."
4. The writing pros are right: cut the adverbs and adjectives.
5. If you have an opinion and you make it public someone will criticize not only your opinion but you for having said opinion.
6. Sooner or later you're going to say something stupid and something you regret saying. In my case, this is a frequent occurrence.
7. You are not the person people think you are if they only read your blog.
8. In re-writing, there is a point of diminishing returns, at some point you're making the piece worse.
9. Be happy with having just a pretty good, local, food blog. Mark Bittman is in no danger of losing his job.
10. You never know which posts will be the most read. "How to Make Oatmeal, Properly." is the most popular post in 4 years. Second is "Zestfest, 2009." The first is a recipe, the second is an announcement. Not exactly inspired writing, if you get my meaning.

For fellow blog writers who are interested in blog statistics, here are mine:

1. 1000 posts in almost 4 years
2. Of the 1000, about 200 pieces have never been publicly posted, they are, usually, opinion pieces of a  philosophical, political, or religious nature, or attempts at humor (emphasis on attempt). 
3. About 65% of readers come from search engines.
4. This blog gets 350 - 400 page views a day 
5. I have made $200 from the Google ads. That's about 20 cents per post. Each post takes me between 15 minutes to an hour to write. The longer, more essay-like posts take days and sometimes weeks.

I have made many friends through this blog, most of whom I have met but some not, and most of whom I would have never met if not for the blog. For that I am very grateful. I don't know if other bloggers feel that way, but I do.

Thanks for reading.

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Happy Easter, 2011.

Granbury Wine Walk. April 29 - 30, 2011.

I like Granbury, and I like that part of Texas that's easing its way into the Hill Country. So, I am happy to help promote next weekend's, Granbury Wine Walk.

At $20 for two days, it looks like a great deal. The following is from their Press Release:

The 2011 Granbury Wine Walk, to be held on Friday and Saturday, April 29-30, will be featuring the most popular Texas wineries, gourmet cuisine from DFW’s prominent chefs and unique neighborhood restaurants, along with an eclectic mix of live music and art exhibitions from regionally acclaimed artists. The cost is $20 per person for a two-day ticket ($15 if purchased in advance), with proceeds benefiting Tarleton State University’s Langdon Cultural and Educational Center – the community’s cultural hub that supports and showcases music and the arts from regionally and nationally renowned artists.
Culinary patrons can ‘Swirl, Sip and Stroll’ through the intimate Square where they can taste and sample Texas wines paired with palatable foods from the Square’s boutique eateries, while enjoying live music and art exhibits along the Wine Walk. An education station will also be available for those curious to learn more about grape growing and Texas wineries. Many of the wineries will also offer their wines for sale by the glass or bottle. In addition, local downtown shops and restaurants will have special offers for Wine Walk attendees to shop and dine.

Of course, there will be plenty of good food for the festivities. See the website for more information.

Granbury Wine Walk
201 E. Pearl Street C-200
Granbury, Texas USA 76048
817-579-9181 (local)

Searches. Not Google.

Life is full of searches, indeed, it is an endless succession of searches.

It begins with childhood, looking out the front door for another boy or girl looking out their front door. And it never stops: a boy friend, girl friend, a job, a husband or wife, another husband or another . . . (kidding). A house and a neighborhood to live a life. Schools for the kids, little league, Church, a Doctor, a mechanic and plumber. We never stop looking for a dependable plumber.

We search, we find, we lose, we search again.

And then there is that somewhat sub-conscious search of adulthood. The search for home after we leave home. The lucky ones find it, many do not.

Everyone must find his or her own way in this world, do his own searches, then, later in life, after the success and failure, you return to the old place and remember the past in light of the present. Yesterday's sounds, smells, faces, they'll all be there, but in a movie-like way.

At least, that's the way I see it.

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