Saturday, October 24, 2009

Day 8 - Is It My Imagination, or...

...are the glands in my neck a little less swollen today? Still have headache, stiff neck a little better, pain around my back and ribs a little better, still have sore throat, lack of appetite, feel drained and achy.

I did eat some delicious "breakfast fish" that Pete made, not because I was hungry but because I love breakfast fish. And I did play my keyboard for a few minutes, just a couple of songs, because I miss it...but sitting on the bench was too tiring for any more than that. I'm incredibly bummed that I won't be playing for church tomorrow - or even going to church tomorrow - since I enjoyed my "debut" last week. I'm sorry that they have to use their canned music since so many people told me that they like my keyboard better...

But there are always blessings. I have no choice but to spend my days either in my recliner or in bed...but the view of the yellow, gold, red, and green leaves, with all of the evergreens outside of my window, I wouldn't notice so much if I were busy. Man can't make colors like this, and God is giving me the opportunity to admire His own handiwork in our lovely wooded neighborhood 100' above the lake. There's definitely something to be said for stopping for a while to spend time at quiet pursuits, drawing near to the Lord, and, even with the flu, getting a break from the sometimes-frenetic pace of life.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Remember Last Saturday...

...when I talked about being sick? Well here it is, one week from when this horrible bug hit...and I still have it. Not the after-effects of it, no, but rather the bug itself. I STILL have a sore swollen throat. The glands in my neck are so big that moving my head causes pressure and discomfort. Headache. Stiff neck. Pain in my back and ribs. Body aches. Chills. Sweats. Lethargy. No appetite...the list goes on.

It started Friday, I went from feeling fine to totally miserable within a couple of hours. Saturday was worse than Friday. Sunday was worse than Saturday. Monday was worse than Sunday. Tuesday was worse than Monday - by this point I didn't think I could get any worse! Wednesday, no worse, but no better. Ditto Thursday and today...

I'm so sick, and so tired of being sick...

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Something I never thought would even cross my mind...

It shocked me when I was looking around online yesterday and realized that I was considering a new keyboard! I thought I'd never see the day when the honeymoon would come to an end with my PSR-9000Pro. And indeed, I still love it to pieces! No, I'm not considering a replacement, I'm considering an addition.

It is true that there is still much uncharted territory with my 9000Pro, which I've had for 2 years (plus 2 days, to be exact...although the first week I had it, I was so intimidated that I just looked at it and never turned it on). I've barely scratched the surface of its possibilities, and yet even with my rudimentary knowledge of the beast, it still manages to churn out some pretty impressive music. So no, I absolutely don't want to trade up. I just want to add up.

Part of my longing is based upon using my keyboard at church. It's the last of the big heavy sturdy substantive performer arrangers; it's a tank, and quality through and through. But that nearly-50-pounds of bulky weight is quite a load to remove from the stand, put in its protective wrap, strap to its very own dolly, down stairs, lifted into the van, lifted out of the van, back up more stairs, reverse the strapping and wrapping, perch on the keyboard stand at church, hook up the various cables...and then reverse THAT process an hour later...and again the following week...

So, while my budget won't allow for another keyboard for quite some time, I have started to dream again. I won't be able to afford the Tyros3 top-of-the-line arranger. But perhaps the PSR-S910...T3's cheaper but quite impressive cousin. More voices and styles than I'll know what to do with, and will record straight to a memory stick (my 9000Pro uses a floppy disk, if that tells you anything about its age) - but only 2 RH voices and 1 LH...I really love being able to stack up 4 total voices with my 9000Pro, and don't know if I'd feel cheated with the loss of a voice. I suspect I would, as I was often frustrated by an old Casio with only 3 voices.

Maybe the now-outdated-but-still-way-more-modern-than-the-9000Pro Tyros 2? A used model of course. People trade up to the T3, and while the market isn't exactly flooded with them, I have seen the occasional T2 for sale. Maybe not as new and shiny as the S910, but a big step up from my current model...

For now, it's all talk. It's a lot of money, and we have plenty of other uses for that kind of change. And my trusty 9000Pro is the last of its kind, and way more than adequate for my purpose. Yet, every couple of days I still find myself clicking my way to eBay...just to see...