I am fortunate enough to have a very nice viola on loan from a bluegrass friend. It’s been very fun to play with. The video above is the poignant one; next is the contrast piece:

Details on the songs

Look Up, Look Down That Lonesome Road is an old folk song I learned from a Watson Family album. I have cross-tuned the viola to CGCG (normally it’s CGDA, five steps lower than the violin’s GDAE).

Walk on Boy I also learned from Doc Watson. This is such a fun one to play… every time it comes out a little different because I get different ideas, and make different mistakes that I “get to” incorporate into the song.

These were filmed on our “white wall” because it was nighttime and that room had lights all set up already.

Carl and Luke don’t care about fashion. In fact I would say they are oblivious to it. For them clothing is about comfort. Kyle is the same but with a twist. The three of them wear shorts, shirts, and vests which I pick out at the thrift store. Biology supplies the skin for their ’shoes’.

Kyle is a man of tradition and doesn’t care for change. The clothing he likes, he wears until it’s nearly transparent, worn thin and tattered with holes.

I want to be comfortable too, but I care more about looks than the guys generally. Perhaps it’s a female thing. Although, I know many men who care about looks too, so who knows?

I read on a CD insert where the female singer thanked her daughters for their wardrobe consultation. That was a sweet image. That reminded me of a day when Kyle and Luke helped me with my wardrobe.

Last year we were to play at the Santa Cruz Bluegrass Faire. Per usual before such an event, I don’t feel I have anything to wear. I hit the thrift store and then Ross. I found something cheerful, comfortable and not too bluegrass cliché. Entering the living room wearing my new outfit the boys cried out , “You’re not wearing that!”. I couldn’t believe my ears, and Carl was floored by their reaction!

“Okay”, I said. “You look through my closet and fix me up.” Running back and forth with clothes, the energy was high. Luke found in his opinion, the ‘perfect’ skirt and top. It was a floral print skirt with a paisley shirt. (He’s not into “hip” so the fact they didn’t match didn’t mean cool) He didn’t see them as not matching. Needless to say, Kyle’s choices weren’t any better. While for me their suggestions proved worthless, their entertainment was priceless

Here we are playing at the Santa Cruz Bluegrass Faire.

It can be odd to open your mouth and not know what is coming out.  I’m learning Chinese. The words can be problematic. As you may know, Chinese is a tonal language. Tones rule.   In English, if we say “good”, it doesn’t matter what our accent is; we all understand what it means. This isn’t the case with a tonal language. The same word has countless meanings and it depends on its tone and the context.

Yo Mama

The most common example is the word “ma”. Each word can be either Tone (I) high level, (2) high rising; (3) low rising, (4) high falling to low. ma means in tone one “mother,” ma² means “hemp,” ma³ means ”horse,” and ma⁴ means “to curse.” Oy vey!

I get together once a week with two Chinese friends at different times to practice my Chinese and help  them with their English.. Sometimes there is a look on their faces like “Huh??” They get some good chuckles too. Recently I thought I was telling Hua it’s “the same” which is “yiyang.” I didn’t use the right tone so  he thought I was saying “It’s a sheep”.  I have had some good laughs too. Last week LingLing told me, “I prepare dinner in the chicken”. As that might be true, she meant “I prepare dinner in the kitchen”.  Good clean fun!

Cannes France

While living in France I got a job as “au pair” which is basically a live in baby sitter. I met the parents for dinner and then was flown down to be with  the grandparents. They were very wealthy. Their enormous summer villa was near Picasso’s home. Grandma and her grandkids picked me up from the airport. I wanted to make a good impression and she was rather formal. I decided to tell a story about meeting her daughter. I said, “Your daughter made a delicious duck”, in French. Votre fille a fait un canard délicieux . But instead of saying “canard-duck” I said “connard” “Your daughter cooked a delicious “bastard”. Mon Dieu! That was a good start.

For some more romance I studied some Italian and Spanish. In Pisa, Italy, I saw a traffic accident. They’re some crazy drivers! I wanted to describe the accident to my roommate. As you know, many words sound like English but with an “i” or “o” or “a” at the end. I proceeded to talk about the “accidenti” over and over. Turns out that “accidenti ” in Italian happens to mean “Damn!”, although you might be yelling that after an accident.

Many have made the mistake of saying in Spanish,”Soy embarrassada”  when wanting to say”I’m embarrassed”. .It could lead to a little  red faced moment and a good laugh.  Men,  look out especially for that one! It means”I’m pregnant”.

I bet you have some stories too. Let us know.

You’re gaining credibility… but in the opposite direction.
—A frustrated Kyle, addressing Mama who had him walk from his computer to hers to help her find a computer file… which was right in front of her.

[Humor Alert: it's supposed to look like I'm banging my head against the wall!]

The challenge of helping the technologically challenged...

My heart was racing. I gingerly took off each clamp, expecting to hear the terrifying crinkling sound of the glue separating. To my pinch-to-make-sure-it’s-not-a-dream amazement, no crinkling sound did I hear! However, I didn’t want to expect anything until I glued the flaps down. Only then would I relax. Gluing the flaps down went like clockwork, and so right after we started the AFM meeting which I was holding up because I was taking care of my “baby”, and couldn’t take the meeting minutes at the same time. The meeting went fine (even though I didn’t really pay attention to what was being said), the doughnuts tasted even better.

So that night, Kevin, Masahiro and his girlfriend came over for a bit. It was great. The visiting experience was different this time than previous/first time he came here. The first time he came, two years ago, it was fun. He was friendly, we performed. It was all fun. However, since I barely spoke a word of Japanese, I had to talk to him *through* Kevin (who spoke both Japanese and English). That wasn’t a problem. However, this time felt so much more “cooler”. There was no language barrier between us, so we could just look at each other and talk, rather than rely on another person (well, at least not as much as before). Anyway, that was really fun. He got an almost-first viewing of the new book, Shamisen of Japan.

They could only stay for a short time, but were gonna come back next week. So I was looking forward to that.However, the next day, Luke found out that he got a cold! Where did he get it? Dancing! Just my luck. I hoped I wouldn’t get it until after Masahiro and gang came & left. So, the following week, I got a call from Kevin saying that tomorrow would be their only chance to come. Well, it turned out that tomorrow was the same day as my Driving Test. So, I sorted out my priorities and did the right thing: I canceled the driving test. Sure, the driving test only takes 20 minutes, but I just didn’t want to ruin that day if I didn’t pass or whatever.

So, the next day, I still didn’t have a cold. They came around 2:00. Masahiro checked out the new book, Shamisen of Japan. After that, he went shopping with his girlfriend. We were gonna all play volleyball on the beach, but since it got too late, we’ll be saving that for next year. Anywho, 2 hours later, the whole gang comes back to play on the mall. I packed up my shamisen, and we headed out.

Mall Performance with Masahiro Nitta from Kyle Abbott on Vimeo.

After that, we came home and had a BBQ. We ate, took some pictures, chatted, and then said, “Jya mata rai nen!” (then again next year). Right after, I felt the cold coming on.

Say, what ever happened to the driving test? – a possibly concerned reader

Ah, excellent question! Fortunately, the cold was rather light. (it hit Luke harder) By the time the driving test came around, I felt fine. The test was a cakewalk. The driving critiquer Luke had was a stern, no-chattin’ lady. So, I was bracing myself for some cold air in the seat next to me. However, the guy was really relaxed and we talked practically the whole time (besides when he needed to say “left” or “right”). Of course, I still had to watch myself so I wouldn’t get distracted by talking. But it was a lot better than I thought. He passed my test which didn’t hurt. Now that I have a license, I don’t have to drive anymore! Yay!

I heard that Masahiro Nitta was coming here from Japan. Note, this came to my attention roughly a week before the day he’d come. Mind you, I heard this *just* after I took the skins off my shamisen (so I could lacquer the wood). Talk about timing. Never the less, I was optomistic. I figured, lacquering would only take about 3 days, skinning would take two. Lacquering went so flawlessly (well, I had to redo it once, but that’s beside the point) that I had an extra day to skin. I stretched the backside first. That went on very easy. It held on extra good because I didn’t stretch it as tight as I could’ve. Since I only had two sheets of precious dog skin, I was worried about breaking one of them. I wasn’t used to dog skin, and didn’t know that it can be stretched far tighter than goat. I should’ve stretched it tighter, but that was ok. The front side is what really matters.

So, after letting the back side dry for a day, I stretched the other side much tighter. This is really where it got crazy. I was about to write a friend and say that I finally put the dog skin on, and that we would see how much different it sounded, but I didn’t want to unleash a Murphy’s Law incident and have the skin rupture right after I sent the email. (I know, superstitions are out of style, but frankly, I did’nt want to risk anything with this stuff) So, I waited ’till the skin was fully dry. Then I sent the email. “pwned you Murphy!” I smugly thought. Little did I know that the next day, the glue wouldn’t hold the skin down! Augh! “No worries” I thought, I still had two chances/days left to get the skin on before the troupe arrived. I stretched the skin it on again, same tension (both in the skin, and in my nerves). To not risk anything, I didn’t even write a response to my friend who replied about the shamisen skinning. (yes, it was nuts, but really…)

Well, the next day, it popped off again. I lost most of my emotion the first time it popped off, so it didn’t hit me that hard. Nothing else to lose, I put it on again. As I was putting the rice glue on the gluing surface, I noticed that the glue was getting a bit runny. So I went upstairs and made a new batch, this time thicker and doughier than before. Papa also suggested that I put more acetone on it (rosewood is very oily and needs acetone for optimal gluing) and also roughen up the surface. So I did all of those things and stretched the skin on, this time even tighter than before. I was amazed that the skin didn’t break from the repeated stretchings (with goat skin, it would’ve ruptured by now).

While I was waiting for the skin to dry, rather than being hopeful, I was already expecting that the skin would pop off again. So for the whole day, while I was doing other stuff, I was thinking what I was going to if when the skin pops off.

The next day, I was doing construction work next door, still thinking about the skin, and what I was going to do to stretch it before tomorrow. Mama then called out, saying that Kevin called just now and said that today will be their only day they can come before their tour. Right then, my spirit and aspirations sank down into my intestines. . .

What happens next? Did the skin not only pop off, but rupture into fifty tiny pieces? Did the skin manage to hold? Was the suspense so much that I had a heart attack before I found out? Find out next time!

Kiwi on trellis over compost bin

Kiwi is king of all the fruits. Over the years I’ve compared all the fruits with each other and the kiwi always comes out supreme. Even so, fruit has no where near the overall nutritional value of veggies. Mostly, I see fruit as a healthy candy. Although, it’s true that each variety usually wins high honors in a few nutrient categories. The amazing thing about kiwi is how it even surpasses many a veggie on this score(1).

Watch out though, least you plan to eat scores of them daily. The kiwi contains a lot of papain or something similar that really tenderizes your mouth meat (i.e., papain, an enzyme present in papaya, breaks down the tough meat fibers; it is sold as a component in powdered meat tenderizer).

The kiwi has a few other wonders up its fuzzy sleeve as well. I’ve grown them for twenty plus years and never found an insects or disease on them. Must be the papain? I never water them, which in California means 6 months without rain. They are on river bottom soil here which may explain that somewhat. They produce copiously, and are ready to pick around Christmas here. The only other fruit that’s ripe and ready here in winter are oranges and lemons. Finally, their vines provide great shade in summer and shed leaves in the fall to let the light in. I have my kiwi on a trellis over the compost area which keeps it shady in summer (a good thing), and beautifies that space as well – not that compost isn’t beautiful mind you.

Hmm, I should apply for a job at a kiwi promotional company. It would be a lot easier to promote than Taoism.

(1) This table first shows the nutrients in 3.5 oz of kiwi, next the nutrients in 7 lbs. of kiwi which is the amount you would need to eat to get the necessary (more or less) 2000 calories per day. The surpluses here are based on the 7 lbs. of kiwi. Not that you’d want to eat only kiwi for all your calorie needs of course. Comparing nutrients as though you were just going to eat 2000 calories worth is the best way I’ve found to get the nutritional ‘big picture’.

I’m attracted to statues of the Buddha and over the past few years have bought three. They evoke an emotional gateway to a place inside. Of course the image is of an ideal. The first one I got, the Buddha is sitting in lotus position and represents to me peaceful surrender. I got it at a stressful time. I obtained the big bellied laughing Buddha  when everything felt too intense. The smiling Buddha is historically connected with prosperity and wealth but that is not my attraction.  For me it’s “Lighten up Leslie!”.

I think of different things that attract or affect us.  Whatever is at work is  deep and  biological. I’m sentimental. Seeing pictures of Kyle and Luke when they were little always transports me. But I guess any time we’re thinking, we’re transported out of the deep present reality we all sense. But I digress.

Like most people, women especially, we feel a warm peace inside when  seeing  a picture of a sleeping baby. I wouldn’t be surprised if endorphins are kicking in. Seeing a sports team’s logo on a cap may start the pheromones kicking for some people, I’ll guess more often men. Images of the Hawaiian coast sell so well for calendars because that azure water conjures up feelings of a certain heavenly bliss and freedom. Of course there are zillions of symbols we unconsciously are affected by every day.

When  peaceful surrender isn’t there for me, I’m feeling empty or upset, I want comfort so I may go eat something or buy something that emotionally fills a need temporarily.  I’m not putting a virtue judgment on this but I do feel better if I take that energy and instead take a walk, do inquiry, play music, take care of business, call someone to see how they are doing or whatever. I’m sure I’m not alone here.

When I am being mindful, in essence meditating, I don’t look at the Buddha as separate. I don’t think of anything as separate. When I am feeling happy I don’t look to Hawaii to be some place I “need” to go, etc. It all is a projection from what is going on inside me. Of course the objects that are symbols are not what they appear. This Buddha statue here is a block of resin  (not that that’s nothing but you know what I mean) It’s just the power of imagination and attaching definition to whatever it is.

By the way, I don’t equate the statues with the 4 Noble Truths from the Buddha. I think eternal truths are not connected with objects. I find so true that what Buddha said.   http://www.centertao.org/essays/buddhas-four-noble-truths/

]]> http://www.abbottfamilyblog.com/2009/01/31/buddha-statues/feed 1 http://www.abbottfamilyblog.com/2009/01/22/day-of-bad-judgement http://www.abbottfamilyblog.com/2009/01/22/day-of-bad-judgement#comments Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:40:26 +0000 Kyle Abbott http://www.abbottfamilyblog.com/?p=509 There were some signs that I shouldn’t go to Karate training today. [Meaning, a year ago, when this post was written. —Luke] Starting from the morning on…

#1

We were doing our traditional sunny morning exercise at the beach. After Yoga, the family did Tai Chi. I, on the other hand, decided to try full front flips.

I did many successful ones, but the thing with doing flips is you have to be 100% committed and sure that you can do it. Any shred of fear will probably land you on your head. a few times I’d start running to build up speed but just at the moment of launch (if you know what I mean), I’d get a small feeling of uncertainty, which means I’d have to start over. Well, after a few times of that, I thought, “Kyle, I’m just gonna do it no matter what.” So I ran and jumped. As you’d expect from blindly jumping, I didn’t get enough spin and landed partially on my head/shoulder (fortunately, more on my shoulder than head). I’m glad I did some neck stretches beforehand. Anyway, that wasn’t good. Strike 1!

#2

Later that day, we were stringing up up network cable from our house to our Grandma’s house. We had to get up on the carport. Luke took the sensible approach by using a ladder to get up onto the carport. However, I had the brilliant idea of jumping up, clinging onto the edge of the ‘port and hoisting myself up. Hey, it worked a few years ago.

But not today. It was extra challenging this time. But I pushed through, climbed up, and bloodied both of my elbows in the process. St-eee-rike 2!

#3

Finally, I noticed that the chicken scratch (which the ducks eat, along with lettuce, snails, and other fine delicacies) trough was running low so I went to the bucket (where we store the scratch) to fill it up. However, the bucket was empty, so I got a big bag of chicken scratch and a knife to open it. I went into the greenhouse to get the knife we have there. It’s a small 2.5″ blade (roughly same length for handle) used for cutting apples, tomatoes ‘n such. It is sheathed in a small piece of rubber water hose (the green kind). I took the knife out of the sheath and cut open the scratch bag. After pouring the food into the bucket, I slipped the knife back into the sheath. I was just about to smartly tap the knife into the sheath to kind of, you know, lock it in. But then I suddenly realized that 1, the end of the sheath was facing my palm. 2, the the knife was already fully in place, which means a sharp tap would send the blade into my hand. I caught myself just in time so no harm done. But still, strike 3!

And to top it off…

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. That’s never a good start.

So, after all that, I realized that it probably wasn’t the best day to go up to UCSC for Karate training.

Fast forward to the present and Alma is still manager. Looking back, she hadn’t been in the country long and perhaps thought she was supposed to ask everyone. Or maybe I did look 55. She and I are friends and now everyday is 50% off everything for everyone!. She works very hard making the store run so well.

It’s my favorite thrift store and its proceeds benefit The Cerebral Palsy Foundation. It’s called Thrift Center but I call it “La Boutique”. I must admit I’m a bit of an addict with my L.B. Bar just around the corner.  There are biological studies showing that mood enhancing chemicals, serotonin and dopamine, are released that make us feel good when we buy. That must be a biological reward for when we needed to hunt and gather.

When I “need” something, it’s the first place I go. I found 2 beautiful L.L. Bean down jackets for 4 dollars each, cashmere sweaters, Dockers and Ralph Lauren pants for the guys, dress jackets, overalls, aprons, vases, wallets, on and on.  You name it, they got it. The steak tar tar may be over cooked. You have to be a hunter though. I always know what I am looking for before going in. Most of our family’s clothing has been scored there although I did make many of the boy’s outfits when they were little.  I gathered the material to make the Batman, Superman and Robin outfits they wore. Many a crime was fought.

The atmosphere is relaxing. Mexican music often cheers through the speakers. Even though the bargains are great it’s not like “Black Friday” in there. There is no mad rush to Aisle 4 for a black jacket. People have their minds on varying goals.

This is probably a girl thing. We were going to be on live TV recently. A few days before I looked in the closet and even though it was full I didn’t see anything that would enhance this carcass. I went to La Boutique and found just the ticket. It was a black jacket on Aisle 4.

You might think our house is Clutter City, but it’s not. The deal is to re-donate or give away the clothes as soon as you feel bloated (or before).

Shopping in malls is not my idea of a good time. But I am glad that it is for so many. That’s how there’s so much good booty at La Boutique. Folks get tired of their fine clothes very quickly and donate. Like me they need a new fix. But with the economy changing I notice more and more people who might have been shopping in the malls shopping at the thrift store. Perhaps La Boutique will start having Black Friday, but where will the booty come from?

]]> http://www.abbottfamilyblog.com/2008/12/20/la-boutique-addict/feed 4 http://www.abbottfamilyblog.com/2008/12/01/i-can-see-your-white-house-from-here http://www.abbottfamilyblog.com/2008/12/01/i-can-see-your-white-house-from-here#comments Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:09:37 +0000 Leslie Abbott http://www.abbottfamilyblog.com/?p=930

I am happy Barack Obama got elected.  It is a momentous time. This did not come over night. As intelligent, capable and steadfast as he is, he couldn’t have been elected some years ago because of his race. Now things have changed.

I keep hearing  “Now, anyone can be president”. In 2007 our numbers were 301,139,947 in America. If anyone can be president, the White House would need some major renovation to fit all of us. And if we were all there who would we govern? And who would get dibs on Camp David for the week-end? Just a thought, an image if you will.

The first I heard yodeling was in Switzerland when I was 7. My parents bought me some lederhosen and an Alp horn but none of it went to my voice, if you know what I mean. If you don’t, you’re probably normal. I’ve heard yodeling a few times on records and live. but not much.  Once I heard it and it sounded like the person was a turkey being throttled. I’m not even that good yet.

When the O’Briens stayed with us they went downtown to play music like we do. Santa Cruz is a good place to busk.  Their kids joined us when we played and visa versa. Anyway, the first time I watched them I was taken back to hear this power house housed in this petite young body just belting out songs and yodeling too.  Her brother is a champion yodeler and great singer too. The whole family is awesome.

Kyle gave Maura a throat singing lesson and as I said Maura gave me a yodeling lesson. Watch it and give it a try. Be ready for it to sound bad for awhile. I equate it to trying to learn to sing harmony. It takes time but then it kicks in.  I told Maura that she and Kyle can do a concert. She would yodel and he would throat sing. She said “That’d clear ‘em out”. Throadelling . Stay tuned, and meanwhile get in your shower or car and yodel away.

Thank you Maura!