- 30 -

My Boulder

Sisyphus, by Franz von Stuck

Although I had hoped to maintain the daily blogging in this space until at least May 19, the two-year anniversary of its launch, when it became clear that I could not reach that goal I decided I would settle for ending this Sisyphean project on the final day of March.

In the 682 entries I have published, counting this one, I have done my best
to stay true to the blog's stated purpose from the very first entry.





Whether I succeeded is not for me to judge, of course, but unlike my previous exercise in blogging I am not turning this one off. The site will remain "live" online, and its archives will be there for interested folks to read if they choose. At the very least, some might find the evolution of the blog's content and appearance amusing...

I might also try to implement a couple of enhancements I could never quite find the time to work on before. It has always bugged me a little that the Thought for the Day and various recommendation links do not "anchor" to the entries on particular dates. When you use the Archives to go back and read an entry from a year ago, for instance, the Thought you'll read is not the one that appeared that day, but rather the most recent one I've posted. Same with the Book, Video, and Music recommendations (although the "Until Next Time..." songs are embedded and don't have that problem). What I'd like to add here is an archive of Thoughts for the Day, and another for the various recommendations I've made in the nearly two years I've been doing this.
An index of all the musical artists and songs I've featured would also appeal to me.

I did find this project helpful in giving me an outlet for my desire to write, and that urge is deeply enough ingrained in me that I might actually return to blogging again, someday. If I do, though, it will not be a resumption of this particular project, which has run its course. That's why I chose "- 30 -" as the title today. Back during my days
as an ink-stained wretch writing for newspapers that was how you ended every submission, to let the copy editors know that there was no more to the story...

I know, I know...but at least we'll still be together, no matter what comes next...

One More Time...

When this blog began back on May 19, 2015 the very first song featured in this space was my hero Joe Bonamassa's "Asking Around for You," recorded live on May 4, 2009 at his Royal Albert Hall concert. The idea of revisiting the song again to serve as a sort of "bookend" appeals to me, especially since its lyrics are as poignant as ever given the circumstances of my life. (I also did the "bookend" thing with the Thought for the Day, featuring my writing hero Raymond Chandler today as I did on Day One.)

2013 was a watershed year in my life emotionally, and so it seems especially apt
to choose a rendition of the song recorded that year. In late March of 2013 Joe did
a series of shows in London that he called his "Tour de Force," four concerts on four different nights in one week at four different venues featuring four different backing bands and set lists. It was an amazing feat, and fortunately for his fans it was filmed and released on CD and DVD.

The show on March 27 was at Shepherd's Bush Empire, and the set list that night included "Asking Around for You," with Joe playing his signature Gibson ES 335.
This is the official concert video of that performance, from Joe's YouTube channel...