tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83735730525825817172024-03-13T23:56:13.613-07:00Cinder BridgeMay the bridges we burn light our way.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.comBlogger561125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-78814559385539997392023-05-12T02:22:00.001-07:002023-05-12T02:22:38.625-07:00#MillionsMissing 2023<p>It's May 12, which means it's ME/CFS Awareness Day, <a href="https://millionsmissing.meaction.net/protest2023/" target="_blank">#MillionsMissing Day</a>, and time for my now-yearly blog post.</p>
<p>(If you've somehow reached this page without knowing what ME/CFS is, <a href="https://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/2022/05/me-awareness-day-2022.html">go here</a>.)</p>
<p>The last time Ron and I performed was for a #MillionsMissing event in 2019. After that, the pandemic happened and everybody isolated. These days, most people are acting like it's over, but I'm currently living with somebody who's immunocompromised and thus still keeping semi-isolated. We haven't rehearsed since February 2020.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7S4tbZ8nlY/XUyOhfvQnwI/AAAAAAAAAbM/4q53RZFV-JEK1McuHLI6gKBv--rpgq_9wCLcBGAs/s1600/together-we-act-2019_by-nancy_serious-looking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7S4tbZ8nlY/XUyOhfvQnwI/AAAAAAAAAbM/4q53RZFV-JEK1McuHLI6gKBv--rpgq_9wCLcBGAs/s400/together-we-act-2019_by-nancy_serious-looking.jpg" width="400" height="195" data-original-width="1316" data-original-height="640" /></a></div><br />
<p>What I've given up is likely temporary, and it's just a fraction of what people with ME and long covid have lost.</p>
<p>I'm tired, and I'm a little sad, and I hope we're all in a better place by next year.</p>cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-12649178073076343012022-05-12T12:46:00.004-07:002022-05-12T12:57:57.130-07:00ME Awareness Day 2022<p><a href="http://meaware.wordpress.com" target=_"blank"><img title="ME/CFS Awareness" src="https://meaware.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/ribbon_orangeback_small_sq.jpg" alt="ME/CFS Awareness" width="150" height="150" align="right" hspace="5"></a>It's that time again. I honestly wasn't sure if it was worthwhile to do another post about ME Awareness Day. It's hard to say anything new after writing these for 13 years, and nobody really reads blogs anymore. I posted something about this last night in a private Facebook group, and one of the members responded, "What's ME?"</p>
<p>Okay, okay, I guess we're doing this. Since I don't have anything new to say, let's get back to the basics, starting with an answer to that guy's question.</p>
<p><b>What's ME?</b></p>
<p>A disease. "ME" stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis. It's more commonly known as "chronic fatigue syndrome."</p>
<p><b>Oh, chronic fatigue syndrome! Yeah, I've heard of that. I don't get what the big deal is, though. I get tired too.</b></p>
<p>ME isn't just being tired. Symptoms vary from person to person, but commonly include:</p>
<ul><li>Chronic, debilitating pain</li>
<li>Post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion—symptoms get worse after physical or mental exertion and require an extended recovery period</li>
<li>Greater susceptibility to fatal cancers and heart failure</li>
<li>Flu-like symptoms, such as joint and muscle pain</li>
<li>Cognitive impairment, including problems with short-term memory</li>
<li>Crushing fatigue, which is not relieved by rest</li>
<li>Other common symptoms include cardiac arrhythmias, chemical sensitivities, food sensitivities, blurry vision, eye pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and a host of other conditions that are nasty in their own right</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Huh. Some of that sounds kind of like long covid.</b></p>
<p>Yeppers. They're both post-viral syndromes, and while long covid has some symptoms not present in ME (loss of smell, "covid toes"), there's quite a bit of overlap. The ME community was predicting that long covid would become a thing before there were any documented cases. Please, please, if you're not someone who has bad reactions to vaccines generally, PLEASE get vaccinated. Vaccination doesn't guarantee that you won't get infected, but it does reduce the odds that you'll die, be hospitalized, or contract long covid.</p>
<p><b>A friend of mine says she has this thing, but every time I see her, she seems fine. I think she's a hypochondriac.</b></p>
<p>Probably not. It's typical for sufferers to have good days and bad days (though a "good day" can still be pretty awful from a healthy person's perspective). If you see someone with ME out and about, you've probably caught them on a good day. You don't see them lying flat on their back for the rest of the week, in the privacy of their own home, recovering from their trip to the grocery store.</p>
<p><b>Maybe they just need more exercise.</b></p>
<p>Exercise is extremely dangerous for people with ME. If they push themselves too hard, they'll make themselves worse—possibly much worse—not better. Also, if you barely had enough energy to feed yourself each day, would you waste it on push-ups?</p>
<p><b>If it's not psychological, and it's not due to lack of exercise, then what causes ME?</b></p>
<p>Probably a <a href="https://www.omf.ngo/what-is-mecfs/" target="_blank">combination of genetic and environmental factors</a>, but nobody knows the specifics.</p>
<p><b>Is there a cure?</b></p>
<p>No.</p>
<p><b>Any hope for a cure sometime soon?</b></p>
<p>Hard to say. More research is needed. Problem is, this disease still gets inadequate funding, largely due to the perception that it's not a real thing. Much of what it has gotten has gone toward questionable psychological research.</p>
<p><b>That's messed up.</b></p>
<p>Yeah.</p>
<p><b>What about treatments?</b></p>
<p>There have been a few advancements on this front in recent years, though no one-size-fits-all therapy. Some people have benefited from <a href="https://me-pedia.org/wiki/Tethered_cord_syndrome#:~:text=Tethered%20cord%20syndrome%20is%20a,It%20is%20considered%20progressive." target=_"blank">tethered cord surgery</a>. Evidence suggests that some patients might benefit from <a href="https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-021-02721-9" target="_blank">a low dose of the dopamine-modulating drug aripiprazole</a>, although further research is needed.</p>
<p><b>Is there anything I can do to help?</b></p>
<p>Yes! The most important thing right now is funding. We need more research to find out what causes ME and, eventually, discover effective treatments. <a href="https://www.omf.ngo/?form=donatenow" target=_"blank">Donate to the Open Medicine Foundation</a> to help this along.</p>
<p><b>Cool. Anything else I can do?</b></p>
<p>Absolutely there is. Here are just a few things.</p>
<ul><li>If you know someone with ME, don't automatically assume they should get psychiatric help or suck it up because you "feel tired too sometimes." If this person wasn't a neurotic pathological liar before getting sick, it's unlikely they've suddenly turned into one. (Same goes for people with Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivities, and other <a href="http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/2008/09/invisible-but-not-inaudible.html">invisible illnesses</a>.)</li>
<li>Participate in <a href="https://millionsmissing.meaction.net/millionsmissing-2022/?mc_cid=3bf74a67a6&mc_eid=711ed48a25" target="_blank">#MillionsMissing</a>.
<li>Accompany the sufferer in your life to doctors' appointments. This serves two purposes. First, if you know enough about the person's symptoms, you can remind them of questions they wanted to ask if they're fogged and forget. Second, doctors who don't acknowledge the reality of ME tend to display better manners when there's a healthy witness present. I'm not sure why this is. Maybe rude doctors don't feel they can bully healthy people as easily; maybe the healthy person's belief in the sick person's illness lends it more credibility. In any case, it works.</li>
<li>Quit calling it "chronic fatigue syndrome." Before someone invented that name, it was called myalgic encephalomyelitis. Refer to it as ME and the response will likely be "What's that?" rather than "Whatever, I get tired too."</li>
<li>If someone else calls it chronic fatigue syndrome, correct them without being annoyingly self-righteous about it. For instance, "It was called myalgic encephalomyelitis until 1988, when the insurance lobbyists got involved."</li>
<li>If you have trouble pronouncing myalgic encephalomyelitis (<i>my-AL-jik en-SEH-fa-lo-my-el-I-tis</i>), just say ME.</li>
<li>Share <a href="https://soundcloud.com/cinderbridge/sets/everybody-knows-about-me" target=_"blank">Everybody Knows About Me</a>, our song about living with undiagnosed ME.</li>
<li>If you're a creative type yourself, create something of your own—a song, a painting, an essay—that helps people understand. Sometimes it's easier to communicate through art than facts, regardless of how true and compelling the facts are.</li>
</ul>cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-54507698642481735552021-05-12T00:17:00.001-07:002021-05-12T00:20:25.999-07:00Long covid and silver linings<p><a href="http://meaware.wordpress.com"><img title="ME/CFS Awareness" src="https://meaware.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/ribbon_orangeback_small_sq.jpg" alt="ME/CFS Awareness" width="150" height="150" align="right" hspace="5"></a>ME/CFS has been in the news a lot this year.</p>
<p>In case you're unfamiliar, ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome) is a chronic disease that involves debilitating pain, cognitive impairment, crushing exhaustion, and many other nasty symptoms. Sufferers also experience post-exertional morbidity, which means they feel worse following even light exertion and require an extended recovery period. Many people with ME/CFS are housebound or bedbound.</p>
<p>Despite the severity of the disease, it isn't on most people's radar the way, say, breast cancer or multiple sclerosis are. At least not until recently, when a pandemic struck and some of the people who got sick never got better. Long covid, they call it. It bears <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/magazine/covid-aftereffects.html" target="_blank">some similarity to ME/CFS</a>.</p>
<p>Living through the pandemic—for those of us who've survived it—has absolutely sucked. Nothing will compensate for the lives lost, or the lives devestated by the version of covid-19 that doesn't go away. But if we can find a silver lining in the increased funding for <a href="https://www.omf.ngo/" target="_blank">research on postviral syndromes</a>, I will take it.</p>
<p>In the meantime, happy <a href="http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/2016/05/">ME/CFS Awareness Day</a>.</p>cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-82514020979683776282020-05-12T02:56:00.001-07:002020-05-12T03:06:23.806-07:00A temporary voyage in the same boat2020 is shaping up to be an interesting year, huh.<br />
<br />
I haven't updated this blog since last August, mostly because blogging doesn't seem like much of a thing anymore, but lately because nothing is happening. The band hasn't rehearsed since everyone was advised to go into hiding. We have no gigs. No one has any gigs in the traditional sense. We're not set up to perform virtually. Setting us up to perform virtually seems like something I ought to look into, but between paid work (which I thankfully still have because I've freelanced since 2011), caregiving duties, and attempting to obtain basic necessities without ever leaving the house because I live with someone who's immunocompromised, I'm stretched kind of thin as it is.<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EQMrAQ0QvSU/XrplSJv6dGI/AAAAAAAAAcs/xT-GADz3q28iZILgqE6VM9-Hu-xYDusggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/dentist-waiting-room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EQMrAQ0QvSU/XrplSJv6dGI/AAAAAAAAAcs/xT-GADz3q28iZILgqE6VM9-Hu-xYDusggCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/dentist-waiting-room.jpg" alt="Are we having fun yet?" title="Are we having fun yet?" width="320" height="240" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="960" /></a></div><div align="center"><i>Me on the first errand that's required my physical presence since late March. I tilted the camera to symbolize the askew-ness of the world. This is literally as much creativity as I can manage right now.</i></div><br />
So why the new post? I glanced at my computer clock to see what time it was and noticed the date: May 12. ME/CFS Awareness Day. The thing I blogged about even when I stopped blogging about everything else.<br />
<br />
In the past I've explained <a href="http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/p/about-mecfs.html">what ME/CFS is</a>. (tl;dr: It's a disease where you hurt all the time, feel really sick, experience crushing exhaustion, and often die long before you should). I've encouraged readers to <a href="https://www.omf.ngo/?form=maymomentum2020" target="_blank">kick in some money to discover a cure</a>. I've talked about <a href="https://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/2009/05/awareness.html">why raising awareness about the disease is important</a> and linked to articles on <a href="https://millionsmissing.meaction.net/" target=_"blank">what we're doing to raise it</a>. This time I'm going to relate something somebody said during a meeting with local <a href="https://www.meaction.net/" target="_blank">#MEAction</a> members after the pandemic hit.<br />
<br />
The meeting was virtual, of course, but we didn't teleconference because of coronavirus-related self-isolation. We teleconferenced because most of the members have ME/CFS and are too sick to leave the house. Instead of starting with official advocacy business, we took turns talking about how our lives were going in the midst of all the chaos. One woman said she was doing pretty okay, actually. Her entire life had already consisted of staying at home, shut away from the world. Now, at least temporarily, everyone else was in the same boat. She didn't want other people to suffer. She just enjoyed feeling, for once, like she wasn't the only person who couldn't go outside, couldn't contribute to society, couldn't partake in the normal activities that most of us take for granted.<br />
<br />
That about sums up Awareness 2020 for me: knowing that what's been chipping away at so many people's mental health on a temporary basis is just life for people with ME/CFS, except that people with ME/CFS also have to deal with chronic pain and possibly dying young.<br />
<br />
Oh, and research suggests that the surge in covid-19 cases could lead to a <a href="https://www.meaction.net/2020/05/10/researchers-expect-covid-19-will-cause-surge-of-chronic-illness-including-me/" target="_blank">greater number of people who have chronic illnesses, including ME/CFS</a>.<br />
<br />
Stay safe, everyone. If you're healthy, it's good to become aware of what ME/CFS is by reading posts like these. You don't want to become aware by getting it yourself.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-26330279577136627492019-08-08T14:17:00.001-07:002019-08-08T14:17:43.581-07:00Severe ME DayMay 12 was <a href="http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/p/about-mecfs.html">ME/CFS</a> Awareness Day, which I failed to write about because I've been terrible about blogging this year. There were #MillionsMissing events all over the world to highlight how patients have been missing from their own lives because they suffer from a disease that makes them too sick to work, too sick to socialize, and in some cases, ultimately too sick to survive.<br />
<br />
Tucson's #MillionsMissing event happened on Saturday, May 11, at Monterey Court.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7MCVof9w34/XUyNRHgzW5I/AAAAAAAAAaw/X__ejnz_1OoQPnrfKq4wDKXRYOsniNa_ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7MCVof9w34/XUyNRHgzW5I/AAAAAAAAAaw/X__ejnz_1OoQPnrfKq4wDKXRYOsniNa_ACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_0620.JPG" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a><br />
<i>Sonya Heller Ivey talked about her own experiences with the disease. She's recovered to the extent that she can occasionally leave the house, but she had to sit to speak.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CP2hzW-X48o/XUyNhaIhKoI/AAAAAAAAAa4/8YTb09zyB1k2YxHq4yuNjfr5crSJzTnvACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CP2hzW-X48o/XUyNhaIhKoI/AAAAAAAAAa4/8YTb09zyB1k2YxHq4yuNjfr5crSJzTnvACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_0623.JPG" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a><br />
<i>Amber Frame organized the event for the second year in a row. She has a family member with the disease.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aUeSIgVUbg8/XUyN5B4Xl8I/AAAAAAAAAbA/y8WgsCpw1t8z0HsnwmdZ2_Z3FP24YEfNACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aUeSIgVUbg8/XUyN5B4Xl8I/AAAAAAAAAbA/y8WgsCpw1t8z0HsnwmdZ2_Z3FP24YEfNACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_0625.JPG" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a><br />
<i>Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said a few words, also for the second year in a row.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7S4tbZ8nlY/XUyOhfvQnwI/AAAAAAAAAbM/4q53RZFV-JEK1McuHLI6gKBv--rpgq_9wCLcBGAs/s1600/together-we-act-2019_by-nancy_serious-looking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7S4tbZ8nlY/XUyOhfvQnwI/AAAAAAAAAbM/4q53RZFV-JEK1McuHLI6gKBv--rpgq_9wCLcBGAs/s400/together-we-act-2019_by-nancy_serious-looking.jpg" width="400" height="195" data-original-width="1316" data-original-height="640" /></a><br />
<i>And Cinder Bridge provided the tunes. (Thanks to Nancy Biggins for the photo.)</i></div><br />
So that was ME/CFS Awareness day. Today is Severe ME Day, which honors the most severely affected people. Patients with severe ME often spend their days in darkened rooms so that they can't be hurt by light, sound, or touch. They may not be able to stand, dress themselves, bathe themselves ...<br />
<br />
Severe ME Day is a good day to turn awareness into action and donate to the <a href="https://www.omf.ngo/" target="_blank">Open Medicine Foundation</a>, whose mission is to find a cure, and <a href="https://www.meaction.net/" target="_blank">#MEAction</a>, which educates the population about the disease and advocates for individuals who have it.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-87873195540263830552018-05-12T02:00:00.000-07:002018-05-12T03:03:00.573-07:00Together We Act 2018: A #MillionsMissing Event<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rMuP4T-hTA0/WvaZtH6ND3I/AAAAAAAAAY4/9KuZslVU9cQWO0swmg6kZVSgtDOrQ65AQCLcBGAs/s1600/proclamation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rMuP4T-hTA0/WvaZtH6ND3I/AAAAAAAAAY4/9KuZslVU9cQWO0swmg6kZVSgtDOrQ65AQCLcBGAs/s320/proclamation.jpg" width="189" height="320" data-original-width="568" data-original-height="960" /></a></div>For many years now, May 12 has informally been designated as awareness day for myalgic encephalomyelitis, aka "chronic fatigue syndrome," a devastating neuroimmune disease that involves debilitating pain, cognitive impairment, crushing exhaustion, and a host of other symptoms. As of this particular May 12, the date will <i>officially</i> become ME/CFS Awareness Day in Tucson, Arizona. Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will read the proclamation this afternoon during <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1611722985543921/" target=_blank">Together We Act</a>, an event geared toward (obviously) promoting awareness, and also toward <a href="https://www.omf.ngo/#donatenow" target="_blank">raising money for research into ME</a>.<br />
<br />
If you're in the Tucson area, you should come. The event is at Monterey Court (505 W. Miracle Mile), goes from 1 to 3 p.m. and features ...<br />
<ul><li>Stand-up comics</li>
<li>The aforementioned proclamation by Mayor Rothschild</li>
<li>Music by Cinder Bridge (that's us!)</li>
</ul><br />
Yay! See you there.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-13524399209120267942017-05-12T13:48:00.002-07:002017-05-12T13:48:56.161-07:00ME/CFS Awareness Day 2017<a href="http://meaware.wordpress.com"><img title="ME/CFS Awareness" src="https://meaware.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/ribbon_orangeback_small_sq.jpg" alt="ME/CFS Awareness" width="150" height="150" align="right" hspace="5"></a>ME/CFS is a chronic disease that involves debilitating pain, cognitive impairment, crushing exhaustion, and a host of other nasty symptoms. Sufferers also experience post-exertional morbidity, which means they feel worse following even light exertion and require an extended recovery period. Many people with ME/CFS are housebound or bedbound.<br />
<br />
Despite the severity of the disease, far too many people dismiss "chronic fatigue syndrome" as hypochondria or malingering. It's neither.<br />
<br />
There is no cure. There isn't much in the way of treatment.<br />
<br />
But there has been some progress of late.<br />
<br />
<b>Good research</b><br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.omf.ngo/" target="_blank">Open Medicine Foundation</a> is conducting desperately needed research on the disease. In a study published in fall 2016, they found evidence that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/09/06/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-may-be-a-human-version-of-hibernation/?utm_term=.f0923b4966e4" target="_blank">patients have a metabolic signature similar to animals in hibernation</a>. You can donate to the OMF <a href="https://www.omf.ngo/donate-to-the-end-mecfs-project/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Pushback on bad research</b><br />
<br />
A deeply flawed study from a few years ago claimed that ME/CFS patients could be helped by exercising. They can't. Exercise is harmful to ME/CFS patients. The study gained traction despite complaints from sufferers who called out the study's obvious methodological problems. But within the past year, David Tuller published a series called <a href="http://www.virology.ws/2015/10/21/trial-by-error-i/" target="_blank">Trial by Error</a> that went into great (great great) detail about said methodological problems. The scientific community finally started paying attention. While the flawed paper hasn't been retracted yet, subsequent activity has forced the researchers to release the data so that others can examine it.<br />
<br />
If you don't have time to read all of Trial by Error, this <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/opinion/sunday/getting-it-wrong-on-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html?_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times</a> piece by David Tuller and Julie Rehmeyer will fill you in.<br />
<br />
For more details on ME/CFS 101, try this <a href="http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/2016/05/">handy FAQ</a>.<br />
<br />
And seriously, please donate to the <a href="https://www.omf.ngo/donate-to-the-end-mecfs-project/" target="_blank">Open Medicine Foundation</a>.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/00BZCjVK_6I" width="459"></iframe>cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-21136099063415937262017-03-27T13:29:00.000-07:002017-03-27T13:29:16.884-07:00Eric Hansen<blockquote><i>Someone called me out on "Where's your gratitude?" it's there, it's just pissed off."</i><br />
<div align="right">—Eric Hansen, from a fundraiser update</div></blockquote><br />
It seems like half of my scant posts lately have been about musicians who have recently died. This is the one I didn't want to write.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.erichansen.net/" target="_blank">Eric Hansen</a> was my second vocal coach. After my first teacher showed me how to sing forcefully, Eric taught me how to dial it down. A songwriter himself, he often had suggestions about how I might change my lyrics. I don't think I took a single suggestion, but it always kind of delighted me that he offered them so freely—I knew I could trust him to be honest.<br />
<br />
When my life transitioned into something more difficult, a while after he'd stopped being able to give lessons, he invited me to lunch and offered support. He told me to take care of myself.<br />
<br />
Eric had a congenital lung disease called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Four years ago he got a double lung transplant and a shot at a normal life. After treatments, he could sing again.<br />
<br />
Last year, his lungs started going into rejection. This year they told him they couldn't put him on the donor list again. Today he died.<br />
<br />
I'm grateful that he got a few more good years in. I'm grateful that, shortly after he discovered his donated lungs were in rejection, I got to see him at last year's Tucson Folk Festival, hug him, and listen to him perform one last time.<br />
<br />
The gratitude is there. It's just really, really pissed off right now.<br />
<br />
Now please go sign your damn donor card if you haven't done it already.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_N8qEjJJNkA" width="480"></iframe>cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-23379495451942558572017-02-13T19:38:00.001-07:002017-02-14T11:41:39.960-07:00"Can I start again?"I was seven the first time I ever performed in front of a live audience. My piano teacher had gathered his students and their parents together at his house for an annual piano recital, as piano teachers do. I'd been taking lessons for about a year. While I don't remember being particularly nervous, the excitement of the situation must've gotten to me, because I completely forgot the notes a few measures in.<br />
<br />
"Can I start again?" I asked.<br />
<br />
I could, I did, and I made it all the way through. It didn't occur to me that this might be something to be embarrassed about until years later, when my parents recounted the story.<br />
<br />
The second time it happened was at an open mic, a year or so before Ron the Drummer and I met. I got through one verse of my song "Honky-Tonk Piano" and blanked on the lyrics.<br />
<br />
"I forgot the words!" I said cheerfully. Then I started over.<br />
<br />
By then I understood that performers were supposed to gut their way through a song no matter what. I was a little chagrined, even if I didn't show it. Sadly, I didn't have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI5fU6ZbyaA" target=_"blank">Ella Fitzgerald's genius for vocal improvisation</a>, and there was nothing I could do but stop. The crowd was friendly and forgiving, though, and the second go went fine.<br />
<br />
The third time was in the early days of Cinder Bridge. I played the opening chords of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J469itcDvHA" target="_blank">Moths in Search of the Moon</a>, opened my mouth to sing, and nothing came out but hacking and coughing. We stopped. Ron procured something with honey in it for me. We started again and got through it with no problems. We were playing at a Borders Books & Music—total atmosphere gig—so there's a good chance that a lot of the audience didn't even notice.<br />
<br />
Those are all the times. I remember every one.<br />
<br />
Sunday during the Grammys, it happened to Adele. She was doing a George Michael tribute, sang kinda flat, and stopped because she believed that Michael, whom she'd known and admired, deserved better. Although Adele's kinda-flat sounded better than most mere mortals' in-tune, her do-over was a lot better than the first try.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3hVKLfozkHo" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
Some people are apparently complaining about her lack of professionalism. Whatever. I find it comforting when a mega-talent like Adele has a human moment like that. I think she did her friend proud.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-17415285900193028562016-12-31T15:13:00.000-07:002016-12-31T15:13:39.015-07:00From the desk of 2016Dear everybody,<br />
<br />
It's been a long year, and many of you will be glad to see my back come January. Which is understandable, I suppose. A lot of unpleasant things have happened in our time together. But before I shuffle off, I'd like to make a humble request:<br />
<br />
Please stop blaming me for frickin' everything.<br />
<br />
I mean, David Bowie. I get it. He was beloved and brilliant and it never occurred to you that he was capable of dying. Sadly for all of us, however, rock stardom doesn't confer immortality. Bowie battled cancer for 18 months. I had to fight 2015 to get him. If I'd lost and he died 11 days sooner, would that have made you happier?<br />
<br />
Of course, it isn't just Bowie's death you blame me for. Many others followed. I promise you, it wasn't because I enjoyed the carnage. There was a reason every time. Bowie: liver cancer. Alan Rickman: pancreatic cancer. Prince: prescription drug overdose. Muhammad Ali: Parkinson's disease. Carrie Fisher: heart failure. I could go on, but you get the picture.<br />
<br />
Or maybe not. Because in addition to shaking your fists over people who in theory should've had many good years ahead of them, I've seen you cursing me out for Harper Lee (89), Gene Wilder (83), Leonard Cohen (82), Florence Henderson (82), Debbie Reynolds (84), and John Glenn (95).<br />
<br />
Think about that last one for a second. Ninety. Five. Years. Old.<br />
<br />
People haven't been dying more under my watch. People YOU KNOW OF have been dying more, because they've gotten to the age where that's the thing to do. You think I was bad? From the perspective of everyone who's old enough to be aware of those who are getting up there, every year after me is going to be worse.<br />
<br />
Then there's politics. A significant number of you are angry with me because of the election. If you're one of them, I'd like to refer you back to a recent predecessor of mine, 2000. Remember when your guy didn't become president after winning the popular vote? Remember how you complained about how stupid the Electoral College is? It's been 16 years. What have you done about that since then besides make snarky posts on Facebook?<br />
<br />
Stop blaming me. It doesn't do you any good. And it hurts my feelings.<br />
<br />
That said, I hope 2017 treats you better. Just understand that it's at least partially on you to make that happen. Don't wait too long before you do. As you may have noticed lately, life is short.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
2016cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-12351155966714203882016-11-19T19:10:00.000-07:002016-11-19T19:17:48.838-07:00Normal"This is not normal," said the Bookmans staffer.<br />
<br />
Or something to that effect.<br />
<br />
Bookmans had hired us to play a two-hour set. Ron the Drummer and I were talking to the staffer during our break when the election came up. As weary as I've been of politics lately, it made me feel better. Because the first set had been weird.<br />
<br />
It went well, mind you. People were responding really positively to us. One woman requested that we play a song we'd debuted at a previous gig. A few others came over to sign up for the mailing list and/or buy a CD. But this was our first post-election performance, and—as has been the case every time I've ventured outside since November 8—it was strange to see people walking around and shopping and being happy as if everything were normal. Strange to play and to chat up the crowd as if everything were normal. Tucson, though located in a red state, is a blue city; I was fairly confident that over 50 percent of our listeners shared our sentiments.<br />
<br />
Anyway. The second set felt better, even though we didn't play any differently. After hearing somebody besides me acknowledge how not normal everything was, things seemed more ... normal.<br />
<br />
Of course everybody was going about their lives. It's not like those of us who were unhappy with the outcome were going to do anything else.<br />
<br />
So, it was a good gig. We hope to have many more like them. Especially if anyone wants to hire us for events that benefit the <a href="https://action.aclu.org/secure/protect-rights-freedoms-we-believe?s_src=UNW161102OVL&alt_src=UNV161102OVL&ms=web_161109_postelection_lightbox" target="_blank">ACLU</a>, <br />
the <a href="https://secure2.convio.net/adl/site/SPageNavigator/donation-api/donation_form_single_main_1.html?s_src=TopNavSplitButton&s_subsrc=MainLeftButton-Onetime&_ga=1.82617171.438112140.1479453847" target="_blank">Anti-Defamation League</a>, <a href="https://donate.idex.org/checkout/donation?eid=66399" target="_blank">Black Lives Matter</a>, the <a href="https://secure3.convio.net/cfrr/site/Donation2;jsessionid=51AE89947F5C664E699136071C34BB74.app325a?df_id=4620&4620.donation=form1&s_src=webslide&s_subsrc=datasync&utm_medium=web&utm_source=crr&utm_campaign=webslide&_ga=1.60001582.222925282.1479606832" target="_blank">Center for Reproductive Rights</a>, the <a href="https://www.cair.com/donations/general-donation/campaign/#/donation" target="_blank">Council on American-Islamic Relations</a>, the <a href="http://www.refugeerights.org/" target="_blank">International Refugee Assistance Project</a>, the <a href="https://www.maldef.org/donations/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:jtf" target="_blank">Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund</a> (MALDEF), the <a href="https://donate.naacp.org/page/contribute/make-a-contribution" target="_blank">NAACP Legal Defense Fund</a>, the <a href="https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Donation2?df_id=15743&15743.donation=form1&_ga=1.64206767.1613011440.1479606062" target="_blank">National Resources Defense Council</a> (NRDC), <a href="https://secure.ppaction.org/site/Donation2?df_id=12913&12913.donation=form1" target="_blank">Planned Parenthood</a>, <a href="https://www.propublica.org/donate/" target="_blank">ProPublica</a>, <a href="https://donate.rainn.org/" target="_blank">RAINN</a>, the <a href="https://donate.splcenter.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=463" target="_blank">Southern Poverty Law Center</a>, the <a href="https://give.thetrevorproject.org/checkout/donation?eid=63307" target="_blank">Trevor Project</a>, and other like-minded organizations.<br />
cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-2663209098030469752016-09-22T03:47:00.000-07:002016-09-22T12:53:44.985-07:00Lies, damn lies, and the PACE trialAt long last, the travesty known as the PACE trial has been debunked, and the ME community is in a celebratory mood.<br />
<br />
Don't have the slightest idea what I'm talking about? Lemme back up.<br />
<br />
Every now and again for the past eight years, I've been writing posts on this little band blog about a disease called myalgic encephalomyelitis, aka ME, aka ME/CFS, aka "chronic fatigue syndrome." Symptoms commonly include chronic, debilitating pain; greater susceptibility to fatal cancers and heart failure; crushing exhaustion that isn't relieved by rest; and post-exertional morbidity, in which symptoms get worse after even mild physical exertion.<br />
<br />
(Remember the bit about post-exertional morbility. It will become important soon.)<br />
<br />
Because the cause of ME is unknown, many doctors have written it off as being <a href="http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/2011/11/psychosomatic-or-just-somatic.html">all in the person's head</a>. Back in 2011, a group of UK researchers championed that belief, theorizing that ME develops like this:<br />
<ol><li>Patient becomes ill with a legit virus</li>
<li>When patient gets over the legit virus, they find physical activity more difficult due to deconditioning</li>
<li>Patient develops a fear of physical exertion because it's more difficult</li>
<li>Deconditioning becomes worse due to prolonged lack of activity</li>
</ol>Their proposed solution: Get ME patients to exercise just a tiny bit, then increase the amount of time they devote to exercise in tiny increments. Eventually they'll realize that exertion won't hurt them and they'll get over it. In the meantime, therapy will help them challenge their supposedly false illness beliefs.<br />
<br />
And so they tested their hypothesis in a study they called the PACE trial. The results (they said) supported their claims. Significant numbers of people (they said) recovered after receiving graded exercise therapy (GET) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).<br />
<br />
Great news, right? But actual ME patients were angry. They knew from experience that if they tried to exert themselves past a certain point, they would feel a lot sicker (see "post-exertional morbidity" above). GET was the worst thing they could try.<br />
<br />
Further, the methodology was hinky. While a <a href="http://www.virology.ws/2015/10/21/trial-by-error-i/" target="_blank">number of flaws</a> graced this study, I'll focus on just one: the definition of "recovery." Before the trial began, the researchers decided how healthy the subjects had to be after treatment for them to count as recovered. After the trial ended, the researchers changed their definition of recovery to include sicker people.<br />
<br />
<b>The result: some subjects who were sick enough to get into the study in the first place would count as "recovered" at the end, even if their health remained exactly the same.</b><br />
<br />
The more science-savvy members of the ME community asked to look at the researchers' data so they could do their own analyses. The researchers—some of whom happen to have financial ties to disability insurance companies—refused to give it up.<br />
<br />
And that's how things stood until October 2015, when journalist David Tuller published a <a href="http://www.virology.ws/2015/10/21/trial-by-error-i/" target="_blank">huge article</a> exposing all the flaws. Finally, parties outside the ME community started paying attention. More people requested the data. An ME patient named Alem Matthees forced them to release it through a freedom-of-information request. He and some other patients did analyses on it and came to a SHOCKING conclusion about the study:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7qKcJF4fOPs" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
Yeah, turns out that when you don't move the "recovery" goalposts, <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2016/09/21/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-pace-trial/" target="_blank">neither GET nor CBT have a significant effect</a>.<br />
<br />
So the travesty known as the PACE trial has been debunked, and the ME community is in a celebratory mood.<br />
<br />
Now let's fund some <a href="http://www.openmedicinefoundation.org/" target="_blank">real</a> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/09/06/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-may-be-a-human-version-of-hibernation/" target="_blank">science</a>, shall we?<br />
<br />
<iframe width="100%" height="520" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://www.reverbnation.com/widget_code/html_widget/playlist_1814892?widget_id=55&pwc[included_songs]=1&context_type=playlist&spoid=artist_890018" style="width:0px;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;"></iframe><br />
cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-54322980850449147492016-09-16T23:09:00.001-07:002016-09-16T23:09:10.431-07:00Dancing in the Bookmans, part 2Sometimes the best part of a performance is the goof you almost made but didn't.<br />
<br />
While playing our cover of "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones, I flashed back to a video I saw a day or two ago: Mick Jagger and David Bowie's "Dancing in the Streets" with the music removed.<br />
<br />
It's hard to sing when you're trying not to laugh.<br />
<br />
Here. You have GOT to watch this.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BHkhIjG0DKc" width="459"></iframe>cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-18841009586359421582016-09-16T23:01:00.000-07:002016-09-16T23:08:55.319-07:00Dancing in the Bookmans, part 1While playing at Bookmans on Speedway, a crowd of young people dance-walked past us along with the music. I couldn't tell if they were genuinely grooving or if they were making fun of us. The song, <a href="http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/2011/02/reflected-in-your-eyes.html">Ten Years Later</a>, is kinda sappy, not the sort of thing I imagine the yoots dancing to, so I had to wonder.<br />
<br />
Later, though, somebody who came to see us said she saw those kids dancing to other songs earlier, and they seemed really into them. Cool!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-woY2uIgqIWU/V9zZhPZn0CI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/P71Kyc9Rc30Qii2YfxXlk_9dHPXHuobnwCLcB/s1600/Cinder%2BBridge%2Bat%2BBookmans%2BIna_Matt%2BBruner_cropped_blogsize.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-woY2uIgqIWU/V9zZhPZn0CI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/P71Kyc9Rc30Qii2YfxXlk_9dHPXHuobnwCLcB/s1600/Cinder%2BBridge%2Bat%2BBookmans%2BIna_Matt%2BBruner_cropped_blogsize.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center"><i>Ron and me at Bookmans, not the Bookmans on Speedway where we just played, but a different Bookmans because we didn't get any pics of us at Speedway</i></div><br />
cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-73285739753211873512016-08-30T03:26:00.001-07:002016-08-30T03:26:20.804-07:00The last song you hearAny moment that Gene Wilder died was going to feel like it came too soon. Still, I find <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/news/celebrities-react-gene-wilder-death-social-media-1201846773/" target="_blank">this</a> comforting:<br />
<blockquote><i>As our hands clutched and he performed one last breath the music speaker, which was set to random, began to blare out one of his favorites: Ella Fitzgerald. ... She was singing “Somewhere over the Rainbow” as he was taken away.</i></blockquote><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hc2rTt74Qys" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
Not everybody gets to go out while hearing one of their favorite songs.<br />
<br />
What's the song you'd like playing in the background when you die?cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-8756644949547992982016-05-12T01:25:00.000-07:002016-05-12T01:29:51.444-07:00ME/CFS Awareness Day 2016<a href="http://meaware.wordpress.com"><img title="ME/CFS Awareness" src="https://meaware.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/ribbon_orangeback_small_sq.jpg" alt="ME/CFS Awareness" width="150" height="150" align="right" hspace="5"></a>Today is ME/CFS Awareness Day!<br />
<br />
If you're new to this band blog and you've never heard me sound off on ME/CFS, you may be thinking, "What is ME/CFS, and why should I be aware of it?" I'll answer that question and others in a handy FAQ format.<br />
<br />
<b>What's ME/CFS?</b><br />
<br />
The "ME" part stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis. The "CFS" part stands for chronic fatigue syndrome.<br />
<br />
<b>Oh, chronic fatigue syndrome! Yeah, I've heard of that. I don't get what the big deal is, though. I get tired too.</b><br />
<br />
ME/CFS isn't just being tired. Symptoms vary from person to person, but commonly include:<ul><li>chronic, debilitating pain</li>
<li>post-exertional morbidity—symptoms get worse after physical or mental exertion and require an extended recovery period</li>
<li>flu-like symptoms, such as joint and muscle pain</li>
<li>cognitive impairment, including problems with short-term memory</li>
<li>crushing exhaustion, which is not relieved by rest</li>
<li>Other common symptoms include cardiac arrhythmias, chemical sensitivities, food sensitivities, blurry vision, eye pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and a host of other conditions that are nasty in their own right.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>A friend of mine says she has this thing, but every time I see her, she seems fine. I think she's just a hypochondriac.</b><br />
<br />
Probably not. It's typical for sufferers to have good days and bad days (though a "good day" can still be pretty bad from a healthy person's perspective). If you see someone with ME/CFS out and about, you've probably caught them on a good day. You don't see them lying flat on their back for the rest of the week, in the privacy of their own home, recovering from their trip to the grocery store.<br />
<br />
<b>Is there a cure?</b><br />
<br />
No.<br />
<br />
<b>Any hope for a cure sometime soon?</b><br />
<br />
Hard to say. The <a href="http://www.openmedicinefoundation.org/" target="_blank">Open Medicine Foundation</a> is working to discover biomarkers and effective treatments, but this disease gets very little funding. And despite the considerable evidence that ME/CFS is biological in origin, much of the funding it does get goes toward <a href="http://www.virology.ws/2015/10/21/trial-by-error-i/" target="_blank">questionable psychiatric research</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>That's messed up. I wish there were some way I could help.</b><br />
<br />
You can help in more ways than you know. Here are a few ideas:<ul><li>Donate to the <a href="http://www.openmedicinefoundation.org/donate-to-the-end-mecfs-project/" target="_blank">Open Medicine Foundation</a>, an organization whose primary purpose is finding a cure for ME/CFS.</li>
<li>Wear your underwear on the outside of your clothes. (It's a <a href="http://www.undiesontheoutside.org/#!about-the-challenge/qfgah" target=_blank">fundraising thing</a>, like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.)</li>
<li>Join <a href="http://millionsmissing.meaction.net/" target="_blank">#MillionsMissing</a> on May 25 to protest the lack of funding for ME/CFS research.</li>
<li>If you're too sick or too far away to make it to any of the #MillionsMissing physical protest sites, get involved with the <a href="http://millionsmissing.meaction.net/virtual/" target="_blank">virtual protest</a>.</li>
<li>If you have a friend with ME/CFS, make an effort to keep in touch. Your friend may not have the energy to call you, but he or she would probably love to hear from you.</li>
<li>If someone you know makes a comment about how chronic fatigue syndrome is just laziness, don't let it pass. Explain that ME/CFS involves serious pain and real impairment, not just greater-than-average tiredness.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>Hey, you said this was a band blog. How'd you end up doing ME/CFS advocacy? Seems kinda random.</b><br />
<br />
Same way anyone ends up doing disease-related advocacy: I know someone who has the disease. He had an amazing career and a great life. Now he lies in bed all day, in pain, unable to do any of the things he loved. It sucks. There aren't words to convey how much it sucks.<br />
<br />
But being a songwriter, <a href="http://www.cinderbridge.com/music.html" target="_blank">I wrote a song about it</a>. "Everybody Knows About Me" is told from the perspective of someone who lives with the disease ... and other people's prejudices.<br />
<br />
So that's something else you can do:<br />
<ul><li>Send "Everybody Knows About Me" to anyone who might benefit. That includes people who have the disease and people who don't understand it. You can <a href="http://www.cinderbridge.com/music.html" target="_blank">stream it on our website</a> or download it for free on this page (top of the sidebar). Once you've obtained it, make as many copies as you like and send it to as many people as you like.</li>
</ul><br />
Thanks for listening.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-5348089732421521312016-01-11T01:10:00.001-07:002016-01-11T01:10:33.312-07:00Pretty soon now you're gonna get olderListening to the radio on my way home from rehearsal tonight, I caught a few live David Bowie tunes, which KXCI played in honor of his 69th birthday. I thought about how there'd be an even bigger deal made next year, on his 70th birthday. I wondered what he was up to musically. And thought about how, although he wasn't <i>old</i> old, someday I'd hear of his death. I hoped it wouldn't be soon.<br />
<br />
We don't always get what we wish for.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wd2clb5T8JA" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
RIP.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-49367842131185410792015-12-13T18:15:00.001-07:002015-12-13T18:15:52.941-07:00Adoptable animalsThere was a bit of confusion today when we arrived at <a href="http://www.hopeanimalshelter.net/" target="_blank">HOPE Animal Shelter</a>. The area where we were supposed to play was taken up by tables with food, raffle stuff, and other goodies. After some brainstorming, somebody figured out that we'd fit in the corner.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ttr2efGUrFY/Vm4VCPehVOI/AAAAAAAAAVo/RDRsXk8r4UQ/s1600/HOPE_2015-12-13_ron%2526susan_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ttr2efGUrFY/Vm4VCPehVOI/AAAAAAAAAVo/RDRsXk8r4UQ/s400/HOPE_2015-12-13_ron%2526susan_crop.jpg" /></a></div><br />
"HOPE has adoptable animals," I announced between songs. "Ron is a drummer-sound guy mix, and for a reasonable donation, you can take him home today. I'm a keyboardist-singer mix, but they need to spend more time socializing me, which is why I'm in the enclosure."<br />
<br />
Ron is no longer available, having returned to his forever home with his wife and many cats. If you're looking to adopt a quadrupedal animal, however, <a href="http://www.hopeanimalshelter.net/#!adoptable-animals/c16yq" target="_blank">HOPE</a> is still a great place to go.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-46802638669674468852015-09-16T00:01:00.000-07:002015-09-16T00:01:00.117-07:00Oldies LiteI'm out with a few friends from a professional association, and one of them asks me how things are going with the band. I tell her about our Fountains gig. I recount how they were <a href="http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/2015/09/oldies.html">playing oldies</a> from KTUC-AM on the speakers, and how it made me think about what they'll be playing when I'm ready for the old folks' home.<br />
<br />
"KTUC," one of my friends says. "Isn't that the really conservative oldies station?"<br />
<br />
Huh. I have no idea what the station's political leanings are, but come to think of it, they do play a very specific kind of old music. I look up their playlist later online. Here are a few of the songs they've broadcast tonight:<br />
<br />
"Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin<br />
"Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford<br />
"Love and Marriage" by Frank Sinatra<br />
"September Song" by Tony Bennett<br />
"Teach me Tonight" by the De Castro sisters<br />
<br />
You get the idea: oldies lite. There's no "Splish Splash," no "Rock Around the Clock," definitely no "Louie Louie," for damn sure no "My Generation."<br />
<br />
If a station like this is around when I'm in my 90s, they won't be playing REM. They'll be playing Boyz II Men.<br />
<br />
NOW I'm depressed.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-14738332796717789252015-09-12T15:35:00.000-07:002015-09-13T12:21:16.153-07:00Oldies<blockquote><blockquote><i>It's not like years ago<br />
The fear of getting caught<br />
The recklessness in water<br />
They cannot see me naked<br />
These things they go away<br />
Replaced by every day</i></blockquote></blockquote><br />
Kitchen chores beckon. Some people love to cook. I'm not one of them. To relieve the tedium of food prep, I decide to listen to an album as I chop and fry and clean. I pick REM's <i>Automatic for the People</i> because one of its tracks has been going through my head for the past few days.<br />
<br />
It occurs to me that this album is more than two decades old. When I was a kid listening to the radio in the '70s and '80s, the stations that played '50s and '60s music were oldies stations.<br />
<br />
Wow. REM is oldies now.<br />
<br />
That doesn't seem right. 1992 feels like three lifetimes ago, but when I hear "Man in the Moon" it might as well be three days. For all it belongs to a distinct era, it doesn't sound nostalgic.<br />
<br />
I had a similar line of thought last week when Ron the Drummer and I performed at the Fountains, an assisted living facility on the northwest side of town. Oldies station KTUC 1400 played on the speakers as we set up and broke down. The music of our audience's youth. What will nursing homes be playing when I move into a place like this? The Talking Heads? Nirvana? Sir Mix-a-Lot? Will those bands sound as hopelessly out of date to the visiting grandkids as Tony Bennett does to my generation?<br />
<br />
Time marches on. I can accept that. I pretty much have to accept that. I just don't want it to march on without me.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kmR-PgYGmWk" width="459"></iframe></div>cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-61335069176214528432015-06-14T01:09:00.000-07:002015-06-14T01:09:39.734-07:00How to take a complimentAfter a short performance tonight, an audience member came up to me and told me she'd enjoyed our set. The rest of the exchange went something like this.<br />
<br />
What she said: "You sounded like Alanis Morissette!"<br />
<br />
What I said: "Thanks!"<br />
<br />
What I wanted to say: "Uh oh. <i>Jagged Little Pill</i> Alanis Morissette, or Alanis Morissette after she decided to start singing in key?"<br />
<br />
Score one for knowing when to keep my mouth shut.<br />
<br />
(P.S. I bought <i>Jagged Little Pill</i> in in 1995 and quite liked it, but as an artistic type I reserve the right to be neurotic about everything, including nice stuff people say about me.)cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-89174299849333928272015-05-12T18:49:00.001-07:002015-05-12T18:49:37.415-07:00ME/CFS Awareness Day: Big data<blockquote><i>"I really enjoy working on problems that others think are unsolvable."</i><br />
<div align="right">—Ronald W. Davis</div></blockquote><br />
<a href="http://meaware.wordpress.com"><img title="ME/CFS Awareness" src="http://meaware.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/ribbon_orangeback_small_sq.jpg" alt="ME/CFS Awareness" width="150" height="150" align="right" hspace="5" /></a>Another year, another ME/CFS Awareness Day, and we STILL don't have a cure. What's up with that?<br />
<br />
(If you have no idea what ME/CFS is, <a href="http://cinderbridge.blogspot.com/2009/05/mecfs-awareness-day-2009.html">this awareness-day post from a few years ago</a> will catch you up.)<br />
<br />
I've been feeling discouraged about the lack of progress toward a cure, which is a big reason you haven't seen one of these ME/CFS posts in a while. But a new organization has provided a tiny glimmer of hope:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.openmedicinefoundation.org/" target="_blank">The End ME/CFS Project.</a><br />
<br />
They're doing medical research.<br />
<br />
They'll be conducting a comprehensive <a href="http://www.openmedicinefoundation.org/mecfs-severely-ill-big-data-study/" target="_blank">big data</a> study that includes housebound and bedbound sufferers. This is a <i>big deal</i>, as housebound and bedbound patients tend not to be able to travel to laboratories, which means most research leaves these patients out.<br />
<br />
The board director, Ron W. Davis, is the director of the Stanford Genome Technology Center. His son suffers from a severe case of ME.<br />
<br />
James Watson—one of the guys who discovered the structure of DNA—is also on the advisory board.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.openmedicinefoundation.org/ways-of-giving/donate/" target=_"blank">You can donate here.</a><br />
<br />
Hopefully we'll have more good news to be aware of by next year's Awareness Day.cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-48075333751498934722015-04-09T12:20:00.001-07:002015-04-09T12:20:45.517-07:00Barry + GarryAwww, belated congratulations to Barry Manilow. Last year he <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/644346/barry-manilow-married-manager-garry-kief-in-suprise-ceremony-check-out-details" target="_blank">married his manager</a>, Garry Kief.<br />
<br />
The article I linked to says that people started speculating on Manilow's marital status several months ago, after he started wearing what looked like a wedding ring. Various articles say that while he's extremely private about his love life (understandably), he isn't in the closet.<br />
<br />
And he shouldn't be. I mean, nobody should be, but Barry Manilow fandom is one of the last places I'd expect to find rampant homophobia.<br />
<br />
With all the awful stuff going on today, it's nice to think that some corners of the world are becoming more accepting, one married couple at a time.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D24RnmDzq6U" width="459"></iframe></div>cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-2625696527056707032015-03-01T19:54:00.000-07:002015-03-01T19:54:14.475-07:00Folk Fest, here we come ...Hi! Nice to see you again. It's been a while, huh. Between everything and everything else, I keep forgetting that this blog exists.<br />
<br />
But I didn't pop back in to talk about how much I suck at blogging. I'm here to announce that the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association sent out their selection results for the 30th Annual Tucson Folk Festival today, and Cinder Bridge is playing on Sunday, May 3, 1 p.m., at the Courtyard Stage. ALSO, I made it into this year's Songwriting Competition.<br />
<br />
Woo hoo!<br />
<br />
Now I just have to remember which songs I submitted to the songwriting contest ...cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373573052582581717.post-36384929057842640222014-12-22T22:39:00.000-07:002014-12-22T22:39:12.791-07:00With a little help from Joe CockerMaybe a decade ago, my roommate informed me that Cinder Bridge should quit playing "Layla." His reason? I sounded nothing like Eric Clapton.<br />
<br />
It's true. I don't. Not even a little bit. And ...?<br />
<br />
"You know the song 'Feelin' Alright?" I asked. "Traffic?"<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AIYLZOp_Bzc" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
He did.<br />
<br />
"Okay. Then listen to this."<br />
<br />
I put <i>With a Little Help from My Friends</i> in the CD player. Pressed play. Turned it up.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F8IbIxQ2sxA" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
My roommate had heard it before, of course. And while I don't think I ever convinced him I was worthy of "Layla," he couldn't deny that Joe Cocker's version of "Feelin' Alright," totally different from Traffic's, kicked even more ass than the original.<br />
<br />
Joe Cocker was far from the only artist who could put his own spin on somebody else's song. But he was one of the only artists I knew who could be consistently better. One of the only artists whose albums I'd buy even though he didn't write his own material.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GwQDgUlNOHM" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
I will miss him.<br />
<br />
In the interest of not ending on a total down note, and because I can, I leave you with this.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8G-zmXgrxUU" width="459"></iframe>cinderkeyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578961959712679966noreply@blogger.com0