I’m issuing disclaimers first; I’m an old-school acoustically trained musician and educator with advanced music degrees. I’ve studied the classics, undergone vigorous music theory, harmony and composition courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, which included study with leading contemporary classical composers. I’ve studied under Darlene Cowles and George Flynn on the classical side. In jazz performance and arranging, I am a disciple of the late, great Mark McDunn.
I understand the musically creative discipline that it took American songwriters such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers to craft what we now know as the Great American Song Book. I marvel at the melodic, harmonic and lyric genius that these great composers employed, and I am in awe of lyricists like Ira Gershwin and Oscar Hammerstein. Every bar, every strain of their songs is filled with musical wonder: richness of harmonic thought, melodic and rhythmic invention, form, and lyric cleverness. And let us not forget the contribution of Duke Ellington, America’s greatest composer (along with his partner, Billy Strayhorn)
It’s no wonder that great performers of yesteryear reveled in these musical joys; Fitzgerald, Vaughn, Washington, Holiday, Simone, Bennett, just to name a few, all fashioned wonderful, legendary music careers based on the harvest of these composers. The songs were filled with deep emotional feelings of love, loneliness and pathos on the one hand, and joy of life on the other. Listen to Ella Fitzgerald sing Cole Porter’s “Something’s Gotta Give”. No matter how bad a day you’ve had at work that song plays and you can’t help but smile.
The jazz musicians know how sturdy these musical structures are. They have subjected them to endless variation of their musical elements and arranged them countless times into big band arrangements and into every instrumental/vocal jazz ensemble conceivable. They hold up, because THEY ARE WRITTEN SO WELL.
I write this big preamble because there is now a new musical-cultural phenomenon at play in today’s music. The idea is that if a song sells, it must be good. And concurrently, if a performer makes money with this material, he or she must also be good. Well let’s take a look at what we are really dealing with.
First, much but not all of this music is Rap or hip-hop. I have rapper friends and I am not disrespecting their work. They are out in the public eye and are putting their reputations on the line in performance every day. What I am critical of is often the lack of musical scholarship, the lack of craftsmanship, indeed the lack of musicianship that is evident in the “composition” of too much contemporary music. Technology has taken away completely the need to be able to read, write or play music. Anyone who is computer competent can open a ProTools session and in a few minutes, fashion a “beat”, a rhythmic ostinato that can be rapped or sung over.
Beats are sold to performers, looking to get their name out into the public via production of medium such as mixtapes. Some of these performers and their performances are indeed good; but they are covered up in the cacophony of mediocre noise that is flooding the internet. Anyone, if they have the right equipment, can produce and upload a music video to Youtube, and through blog pages such as this, social networks like Facebook, Twitter and yes, even the aging MySpace, disseminating their work to the public. The problem of course is that there is an awful lot of this music out there now and many of the people in the age groups it is intended for recognize mediocrity and won’t buy it.
Alisha Madison, a twenty-something MBA candidate from LA says that rappers define success as commercial success. The problem with this definition she notes is that there are often more talented performers in this genre out there who have not found success. So then according to this doctrine they must be failures musically.
She’s right, it’s not logical; how can somebody more talented but not commercially successful be less of a musician than somebody who just happened to be in the right place at the right time?
Marie Simone, a talented young singer-songwriter from Kansas City bemoans the fact that today’s artists have often lost the craftsmanship of true musicianship. They don’t read or write music and have no knowledge of its conventions or history. They are more concerned with learning computer programs and not musical instruments, which she feels is a must. She also feels that there is a certain lack of integrity and scruples in getting this music out to the public.
The real issue is that there is no longer a screening mechanism. In all previous eras record companies carefully screened out submissions that they deemed unsellable for many reasons. With today’s technology it’s far more democratic. Anyone with an investment of about $2,000 can open a home studio with the right peripherals, programs, microphones and an internet connection. But it also means there is a lot of bad music out there, and too many bad performers too, with far less skills than the musicians of previous generations.
It makes your job harder as the consumer and market target. You have to wade through mediocre music and decide what to buy. Yes the mainstream and independent producers are still screening diligently what they include in their catalog, but too much of even that music is also now influenced by the practice of beat writing and vocalization over stock rhythms, most often slickly produced with computerized, synthesized backgrounds. What is missing? One word: ORIGINALITY.
That’s the true definition of great music, in any genre. How original is it? When the proper skillful mix of human emotions, musical elements, lyrics and orchestration are blended with talented performers, live or recorded, musical art is produced. We sorely need to restore this lost art!
That will be the subject of a future post.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Mexican Chicken Stew
This recipe was taken from television chef Dave Lieberman and is a model of simplicity using ingredients taken leftovers and common spices.
White or dark meat from a leftover supermarket Rotisserie chicken
1 cup cooked white rice, cold
5 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, low salt
1 small onion, chopped medium
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Jalapeño pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1 Serrano pepper, de-seeded and chopped (optional if you want more heat)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Dash salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
Cube or shred the leftover chicken (white, dark or combination) and set aside. Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and dump in the chopped onion, garlic and peppers, stirring until the onions are clear. Add salt to taste at this point and pour in the tomatoes, stock and chicken. Season with the cumin, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce and adjust salt, bringing to a boil. Cut heat back to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cooked rice at the end and simmer for 5 minutes more, or until the rice is heated through. Ladle the stew in bowls and sprinkle the cilantro on top of each serving. Serve with tortilla chips and cold Mexican beer.
White or dark meat from a leftover supermarket Rotisserie chicken
1 cup cooked white rice, cold
5 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, low salt
1 small onion, chopped medium
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Jalapeño pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1 Serrano pepper, de-seeded and chopped (optional if you want more heat)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Dash salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
Cube or shred the leftover chicken (white, dark or combination) and set aside. Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and dump in the chopped onion, garlic and peppers, stirring until the onions are clear. Add salt to taste at this point and pour in the tomatoes, stock and chicken. Season with the cumin, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce and adjust salt, bringing to a boil. Cut heat back to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cooked rice at the end and simmer for 5 minutes more, or until the rice is heated through. Ladle the stew in bowls and sprinkle the cilantro on top of each serving. Serve with tortilla chips and cold Mexican beer.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Father's Day
So what does Father’s Day really mean? To me it has always been love of family, pure and simple. I never once thought that I would not be a father to my young son when he was born two years into our marriage. But that is the perspective of a 28 year old married man.
The fact of the matter is that last year one in four children of all races was born to un-wed single parents. The percentage for unwed Hispanic and black mothers is much higher. Those figures are on the rise. A disproportionate percentage of teenage parents make this trend even more disturbing.
A young man 16 or 17 is not prepared economically, educationally or in maturity to support a child the way children should be supported by loving parents. In fact it’s a fair guess that most aren’t even interested in taking on the job. Being a parent is a low priority and that’s perfectly understandable; they are still children themselves!
We have to do a better job in selling abstinence to our young people, and if that is not possible to be better at educating teens about birth control methods. When a child is born to children it overburdens family support systems and ultimately working people end up being stuck with the bill.
But it’s just not about dollars and cents. It’s about providing the child with a nurturing environment. Children having children very often pass them off to parents and grandparents to raise, so that they can return to being teenagers themselves. But it’s too late then, and it’s unfair to everyone else, most of all the infant.
The fact of the matter is that last year one in four children of all races was born to un-wed single parents. The percentage for unwed Hispanic and black mothers is much higher. Those figures are on the rise. A disproportionate percentage of teenage parents make this trend even more disturbing.
A young man 16 or 17 is not prepared economically, educationally or in maturity to support a child the way children should be supported by loving parents. In fact it’s a fair guess that most aren’t even interested in taking on the job. Being a parent is a low priority and that’s perfectly understandable; they are still children themselves!
We have to do a better job in selling abstinence to our young people, and if that is not possible to be better at educating teens about birth control methods. When a child is born to children it overburdens family support systems and ultimately working people end up being stuck with the bill.
But it’s just not about dollars and cents. It’s about providing the child with a nurturing environment. Children having children very often pass them off to parents and grandparents to raise, so that they can return to being teenagers themselves. But it’s too late then, and it’s unfair to everyone else, most of all the infant.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Easy Jambalaya
I’ve prepared this for my family many times. It’s easy, and can be as healthy as you need it to be with the variations that I use.
1 Smoked sausage link (turkey or reduced fat fine), cut into thin slices
1 ½ cup cubed ham, cooked chicken breast or raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup uncooked white rice
3 ½ cup low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp dry thyme
¼ cup fresh parsley
Dash Tabasco sauce or to taste
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Dash salt (you won’t need much because of the sausage)
Directions:
Heat oil in a casserole pan over medium heat and add the vegetables. Stir until onions are clear. Add the garlic last to prevent burning. Add the meats. If using shrimp add near the end as they will overcook. Stir and add the uncooked rice, stock and tomatoes. Season with the thyme, parsley, Tabasco sauce, optional cayenne pepper, and salt.
Bring this mixture to a boil and reduce to simmer, covering with a lid. Simmer for 45minutes until the liquids have reduced and rice is fluffy. If using shrimp add now and stir in, turning off the heat and leave covered for an additional ten minutes.
Serve with crispy French bread and a light red wine.
1 Smoked sausage link (turkey or reduced fat fine), cut into thin slices
1 ½ cup cubed ham, cooked chicken breast or raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup uncooked white rice
3 ½ cup low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp dry thyme
¼ cup fresh parsley
Dash Tabasco sauce or to taste
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Dash salt (you won’t need much because of the sausage)
Directions:
Heat oil in a casserole pan over medium heat and add the vegetables. Stir until onions are clear. Add the garlic last to prevent burning. Add the meats. If using shrimp add near the end as they will overcook. Stir and add the uncooked rice, stock and tomatoes. Season with the thyme, parsley, Tabasco sauce, optional cayenne pepper, and salt.
Bring this mixture to a boil and reduce to simmer, covering with a lid. Simmer for 45minutes until the liquids have reduced and rice is fluffy. If using shrimp add now and stir in, turning off the heat and leave covered for an additional ten minutes.
Serve with crispy French bread and a light red wine.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Barry Yeoman's School of Hard Knocks Article
Barry Yeoman has written an update to his 1997 article on trade schools, Scam Schools http://www.barryyeoman.com/articles/scamschools.html in this month’s Good Housekeeping Magazine, p. 153, called School of Hard Knocks. For all those considering taking out student loans for one of these day-time TV show schools, the article urges caution, noting that at least at one school, student loan defaults are approaching 30 percent, unheard of figures for traditional state run college and universities.
What is it he’s warning about? Well there are a number of anecdotal stories he tells of students who complete a school’s program only to find that the “credentials” they have earned are not accepted by employers, especially in the medical technology feels. In some cases he states frankly that the degree earned isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on, and cites problems with non-certified, non-qualified teaching staffs, improper clinical programs and other issues.
For-profit schools are big business with federally-guaranteed loans now becoming a major player. The Education Department is currently investigating many of these schools and there have been some fraud cases filed. What Mr. Yeoman urges is proper research and gives some online information designed to help a prospective student make intelligent, informed choices before they commit.
Naturally, the industry is firing back, with a rebuttal put out by the Career College Association refuting Mr. Yeoman’s assertions: http://www.cca-now.com/2010/05/good-housekeeping-magazines-attack-on.html. It’s always good to hear both sides of any argument.
My experience in school accreditation is with North Central Association (NCA), which is responsible for certifying the academic rigor of high school and college programs. I have been responsible for overseeing my school’s accreditation process twice, so I know the steps needed to obtain an NCA seal of approval. Most public and private schools are members of this association; however, for-profit schools generally are not.
Before I would enroll in a medical technology, nursing or law program at one of these schools I would have a number of questions ready, including questions about their true placement rate after graduation. Some schools are boasting rates of 96-99%when in fact it’s been shown the rates are closer to 50-55%. That’s should ring bells, as well as a school’s “hard sell” recruiting approach. Do your research!
A great place to start is with the government database at: http://www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator This will give basic tuition information, demographic information statistics related to graduation rates and loan defaults. Why would you want that information? High dropout rates may reflect quality issues with the school, and high loan defaults could indicate students aren't finding jobs in the fleid they are preparing for.
What is it he’s warning about? Well there are a number of anecdotal stories he tells of students who complete a school’s program only to find that the “credentials” they have earned are not accepted by employers, especially in the medical technology feels. In some cases he states frankly that the degree earned isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on, and cites problems with non-certified, non-qualified teaching staffs, improper clinical programs and other issues.
For-profit schools are big business with federally-guaranteed loans now becoming a major player. The Education Department is currently investigating many of these schools and there have been some fraud cases filed. What Mr. Yeoman urges is proper research and gives some online information designed to help a prospective student make intelligent, informed choices before they commit.
Naturally, the industry is firing back, with a rebuttal put out by the Career College Association refuting Mr. Yeoman’s assertions: http://www.cca-now.com/2010/05/good-housekeeping-magazines-attack-on.html. It’s always good to hear both sides of any argument.
My experience in school accreditation is with North Central Association (NCA), which is responsible for certifying the academic rigor of high school and college programs. I have been responsible for overseeing my school’s accreditation process twice, so I know the steps needed to obtain an NCA seal of approval. Most public and private schools are members of this association; however, for-profit schools generally are not.
Before I would enroll in a medical technology, nursing or law program at one of these schools I would have a number of questions ready, including questions about their true placement rate after graduation. Some schools are boasting rates of 96-99%when in fact it’s been shown the rates are closer to 50-55%. That’s should ring bells, as well as a school’s “hard sell” recruiting approach. Do your research!
A great place to start is with the government database at: http://www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator This will give basic tuition information, demographic information statistics related to graduation rates and loan defaults. Why would you want that information? High dropout rates may reflect quality issues with the school, and high loan defaults could indicate students aren't finding jobs in the fleid they are preparing for.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Politics of Impatience
We live in a ready-made, on-demand, attention-dysfunctional, instant result society that has lost all sense of patience. We can get immediate entertainment satisfaction through our computers, satellite televisions, cell phones and other portable electronic devices. Consequently our time expectation between demand and result has shrunken out of proportion to what is reasonable with respect to real world problems and solutions.
How else can you explain the outrageously unfair demand for the Obama administration to cure our nation’s ills within one month of his taking office? The man had not even completed moving his clothes into the Lincoln bedroom when the talking heads on cable TV were raising instant gratification demands/expectations for a solution to two wars abroad, a banking system on the verge of collapse, record unemployment, bankrupt domestic auto companies, immigration, healthcare reform, and political malaise and gridlock in Washington. And this was only the beginning of the list.
We are to be reminded that none of these developed on or after January 20th, 2008, and some of them were inherited by Mr. Obama’s predecessor, who had 8 years to solve and create his own problems. Yet, here we are, demanding that Mr. Obama’s administration crack the Federal whip on the BP oil spill disaster, roll back the healthcare bill that passed after an entire year of strife, keep us safe from terrorists, reduce big government, crackdown on Mexicans crossing the border illegally, and oh yes, there are those two wars that he didn’t start.
We have become infant children collectively, who demand to be instantly satisfied when they cry. These problems are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional. You can’t open a box that contains instant solutions, unlike some of the simpleton solutions that partisan hawkers and doctrinaires bleat on television and talk radio. Where have healthy debate, negotiation, reasoned compromise and effective teamwork gone? We have ceded those concepts to radio and television political entertainers who blabber on and on at great personal profit and have allowed their narrow viewpoints to influence our national political discourse. This process has rendered the constitutional process irrelevant, and now we see a rise of racist viewpoints take the national stage. And that is the true concern regarding where this is all headed.
How else can you explain the outrageously unfair demand for the Obama administration to cure our nation’s ills within one month of his taking office? The man had not even completed moving his clothes into the Lincoln bedroom when the talking heads on cable TV were raising instant gratification demands/expectations for a solution to two wars abroad, a banking system on the verge of collapse, record unemployment, bankrupt domestic auto companies, immigration, healthcare reform, and political malaise and gridlock in Washington. And this was only the beginning of the list.
We are to be reminded that none of these developed on or after January 20th, 2008, and some of them were inherited by Mr. Obama’s predecessor, who had 8 years to solve and create his own problems. Yet, here we are, demanding that Mr. Obama’s administration crack the Federal whip on the BP oil spill disaster, roll back the healthcare bill that passed after an entire year of strife, keep us safe from terrorists, reduce big government, crackdown on Mexicans crossing the border illegally, and oh yes, there are those two wars that he didn’t start.
We have become infant children collectively, who demand to be instantly satisfied when they cry. These problems are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional. You can’t open a box that contains instant solutions, unlike some of the simpleton solutions that partisan hawkers and doctrinaires bleat on television and talk radio. Where have healthy debate, negotiation, reasoned compromise and effective teamwork gone? We have ceded those concepts to radio and television political entertainers who blabber on and on at great personal profit and have allowed their narrow viewpoints to influence our national political discourse. This process has rendered the constitutional process irrelevant, and now we see a rise of racist viewpoints take the national stage. And that is the true concern regarding where this is all headed.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Favorite Chili Recipe
I love chili and have prepared many types over the years, but this one sticks out in my mind as one of my favorites, probably borrowed from one of TV chef Graham Kerr’s shows in the 1980’s. Yes it requires two types of beef!
1 lb lean ground beef
½ lb lean sirloin tip, cubed
1 cup pinto beans, cooked
1 cup defatted beef stock
1 cup red wine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 can tomato paste
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Marinate the beef in olive oil, adding salt and pepper. Add meat to a large Dutch oven, browning meat on all sides over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and stir, until the paste darkens. Add the onions, green pepper and garlic, cooking until the onions are clear.
Add the stock, wine and the cayenne pepper, cumin and chili powder, stirring the mixture. Reduce the heat and let simmer for two hours to reduce the liquids. Wine or stock may be added to replenish liquids if needed. You may also want to adjust salt level.
Serve the chili over pre-cooked pinto beans, which have been drained and rinsed, and a crusty bread.
1 lb lean ground beef
½ lb lean sirloin tip, cubed
1 cup pinto beans, cooked
1 cup defatted beef stock
1 cup red wine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 can tomato paste
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Marinate the beef in olive oil, adding salt and pepper. Add meat to a large Dutch oven, browning meat on all sides over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and stir, until the paste darkens. Add the onions, green pepper and garlic, cooking until the onions are clear.
Add the stock, wine and the cayenne pepper, cumin and chili powder, stirring the mixture. Reduce the heat and let simmer for two hours to reduce the liquids. Wine or stock may be added to replenish liquids if needed. You may also want to adjust salt level.
Serve the chili over pre-cooked pinto beans, which have been drained and rinsed, and a crusty bread.
Lemon Shrimp Over Pasta
This is one of our favorite summer dishes. We've been doing this dish so long that I don't even remember where we learned it. It’s fast, healthy and is especially good on those hot summer nights when you just don’t feel like eating anything heavy or working too hard in the kitchen:
1 lb tiger shrimp, shelled and deveined
¾ pound thin or angel hair spaghetti, cooked
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lg garlic clove
1 hot red pepper, chopped fine or tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp lemon zest
3 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 tsp cilantro, chopped fine
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pan flavor the oil over medium heat with the garlic cloves and red pepper, removing and disgarding them before they turn dark and burn. Add shrimp to the seasoned oil and sauté lightly. When pink add the cooked pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice and cilantro, tossing lightly to mix well. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. Sprinkle portions with the grated cheese and serve with a green salad and a white wine.
1 lb tiger shrimp, shelled and deveined
¾ pound thin or angel hair spaghetti, cooked
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lg garlic clove
1 hot red pepper, chopped fine or tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp lemon zest
3 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 tsp cilantro, chopped fine
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pan flavor the oil over medium heat with the garlic cloves and red pepper, removing and disgarding them before they turn dark and burn. Add shrimp to the seasoned oil and sauté lightly. When pink add the cooked pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice and cilantro, tossing lightly to mix well. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. Sprinkle portions with the grated cheese and serve with a green salad and a white wine.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Surgery Recovery, Day 5
Recovering from a major shoulder surgery is new to me and really does give me a whole new respect to athletes who have been injured and have worked their way back to competition level. You don’t see all the work they put in until they appear in competition the next season. But I know now that recovery it is difficult, painful and probably long, definitely one day at a time.
So the day after surgery the pain block that they had put into my neck had worn off and feeling had returned to my arm – boy did it ever! I won’t describe it as a sharp pain; more of a dull ache that becomes sharp if I moved my arm in the wrong direction. What made things worse were the pain meds, which made be sleep but really didn’t abate my aching shoulder.
Sleeping has been a real challenge. I slept upright the first night and over-enthusiastically decided that I would try my bed the second night, sleeping on a wedge with pillows to prop up the sling. Uh, no; there was so much pain and discomfort that I was driven from the bed back to the recliner. It’s been like that for four days now and I suspect I will be back on the reclining sofa again tonight.
I began the doctor prescribed exercises on the third day, which consists of leaning over a table supported by your good arm while letting the operative arm dangle free from its harness, making sets of little circles in either direction. It is a challenge because the arm cannot yet be lifted away from my body without sharp pain. I can bend it easily at the elbow close in but not away.
Today I have kept my harness off for at least an hour and want to begin extending that time. The more I have to support the arm with its own weight the stronger the muscles will become. I do suffer muscle spasms from the bicep up, but Linda explains to me that the muscle has been compromised and I can expect that until it heals. I’ll have to be patient but I am just not used to arm weakness, especially in my right arm.
So the day after surgery the pain block that they had put into my neck had worn off and feeling had returned to my arm – boy did it ever! I won’t describe it as a sharp pain; more of a dull ache that becomes sharp if I moved my arm in the wrong direction. What made things worse were the pain meds, which made be sleep but really didn’t abate my aching shoulder.
Sleeping has been a real challenge. I slept upright the first night and over-enthusiastically decided that I would try my bed the second night, sleeping on a wedge with pillows to prop up the sling. Uh, no; there was so much pain and discomfort that I was driven from the bed back to the recliner. It’s been like that for four days now and I suspect I will be back on the reclining sofa again tonight.
I began the doctor prescribed exercises on the third day, which consists of leaning over a table supported by your good arm while letting the operative arm dangle free from its harness, making sets of little circles in either direction. It is a challenge because the arm cannot yet be lifted away from my body without sharp pain. I can bend it easily at the elbow close in but not away.
Today I have kept my harness off for at least an hour and want to begin extending that time. The more I have to support the arm with its own weight the stronger the muscles will become. I do suffer muscle spasms from the bicep up, but Linda explains to me that the muscle has been compromised and I can expect that until it heals. I’ll have to be patient but I am just not used to arm weakness, especially in my right arm.
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