Annie Fischer

Every now and then, I will hear a performer who stands out from the crowd. I remember feeling that way about Chihiro Onitsuka. Recently I stumbled upon the amazing recordings of concert pianist Annie Fischer. She was Hungarian and a child prodigy. Very few of her recordings were released during her lifetime because she did not like the sterility of studio sound. After her death in 1995, all of her recordings of the Beethoven sonatas were released. They are anything but sterile. Instead they possess power and beauty. I think the only pianist who is in the same league as her when it comes to interpreting Beethoven is Arthur Schnabel. There have been many fine recordings of the 32 sonatas. Hers are like a revelation.

Haystack

No reason for posting this painting by Claude Monet, aside from the fact that I like it. :) Monet had a number of paintings showing the relationship of haystacks to the surrounding landscape and the sunlight.

Growing old

Earlier this month was my birthday. I stopped celebrating my birth date a long time ago. Just another reminder that I'm growing old. I never thought much about my age until my recent medical problems. As you grow older, the body just doesn't respond the way it used to. Granted, I haven't helped myself in that regard. I don't exercise and spend too much time in front of computer screens. I know I have to change my ways. But I'm not quite ready to do it yet. Laziness, I suppose.

Rain

We are finally getting some much-needed rain. January was very dry which is unusual for this area. The snowpack in the Sierra is the life blood for the entire state. The runoff supplies water for both homes and farms. We need the rain, so I doubt there will be many complaints about the wet weather.

I'm feeling a little better. The hormone and muscle relaxant pills seem to have helped. I'm not getting muscle cramps as often as I used to.

Update

I wish I had better news to report about my health, but I don't. The road to recovery is going to be a long one. After taking the radioactive iodine pill, I felt great for a couple of weeks. But then things started going downhill again. Tests showed my hormone levels went from abnormally high to very low. One awful side effect are muscle cramps I mentioned in an earlier blog entry. I get them several times a day and they hurt like hell. The doctor prescribed medicine to boost my hormone level, but it hasn't helped yet. I've put off building the Woodcrest system indefinitely because every time I bend or do strenuous physical work, I get cramps. Frustrating.