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Kathleen, thank you very much for your words of support. After all, yes I could complain. We all could. I have this list and my shrink for that. But every day I am reminded of all the people who love me and are pulling for me, and of all the relative material wealth I have. No, not rich, but I live in a roomy house, etc. I have skills. I have a good credit score. I have options. I remember before PD, I was at the store and there was this old guy who obviously had something like PD. His hand was wagging like a tail, and he was having difficulty, moving slowly. I remember the pity and the revulsion that I felt, and the fervent wish, not granted, that I would avoid such a maddening and frustrating state. Well, now that I'm inside it, I don't want people to feel that way about me. I just want people to interact with me normally, to ignore my problems and not treat me like a freak, not ostracize me, nor to defer to my difficulty or pamper me. If I knew then what I know now, I might have at least said 'howdy' to that guy. In the Buffalo vernacular that would read 'haya doo-un'. But I remember, when I was younger, not wanting anything to do with people who weren't 'cool', wanting to move fast and not be burdened or slowed down or to have to even think about disabilities and people afflicted with them. Seems like ages ago already. Image is much more important to the young. Now I couldn't care less how people judge me in a social context, because I now know that that stuff is very superficial. My concern remains that as a person who is often on a stage somewhere, that my colleagues on stage will shun me for considerations of image. Def Leopard tried to stick with their drummer after he lost his arm in a car crash. Fickle fans wouldn't go for it. I must say that having PD has opened my eyes to the fact that there are real people inside these malfunctioning bodies, with invaluable stories to tell. I see people differently now. The healthy ones don't appreciate how fragile their image and their independence are, nor do they realize the depth and breadth that still glows in the hearts of the afflicted. Adversity does enrich your outlook. So that's my rant for today. Thanks again. Enjoy Fall! Rick McGirr Email: [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kathleen Cochran" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 8:42 AM Subject: Re: PD/artistic ability/All/Rick > Rick, > > I haven't been talking much on the list lately because I, like you, > am scurrying to earn while I can. Your remark below about people > feeling uncomfortable with your wobbliness caught my eye. > > I have mostly stopped worrying about whether people notice my > trermor or not. Strangers' level of comfort with my condition is not > my concern. It does help, if I'm with people I know or work with, to > tell them I have PD. Then they know what's going on, and I don't > have to wonder what they're wondering. > > I like to think that one day PD will go the way of polio. Someone > will luck out, the break will come, and it'll be over. > > Sooner rather than later would be good.... In the meantime, hang in. > Sounds like you're doing very, very well. > > Kathleen > > -----Original Message----- > From: Rick McGirr <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Sent: Tue, 1 Nov 2005 07:51:36 -0500 > Subject: Re: PD/artistic ability/All/Rick > > Them's the breaks. I'm alright. Can't lay down and take it. Gotta > fight. Gotta keep going. Gotta have faith. We'll win out. Something > good'll happen. You wait n see. OK? > Rick ----- Original Message ----- > From: "rayilynlee" <[log in to unmask]> To: > <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 > 10:52 PM Subject: Re: PD/artistic ability/All/Rick > > Rick, here I was bemoaning the loss of a hobby, not a profession. > > Well, I can't teach any more either, but it really brings home to > > me the outrage of the wait for help from Singapore or South Korea. > > I "dance" on the treadmill but it is getting kind of pitiful. I > > was 60 when I got PD, you are way too young to have it. It just > > breaks my heart. ((((Rick)))) from Ray ----- Original > > Message ----- > > From: "Rick McGirr" <[log in to unmask]> To: > > <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2005 > > 6:10 AM Subject: Re: PD/artistic ability/All > >>I think if I was a major league ball player, I wouldn't be one of > >>the noble greats who leave the game before they have to. I would > >>play until I couldn't make a team, just for the love of the game. > >>What do you mean? No, the $3 million a year has nothing to do with > >>it! Actually, Scott, the thing that's getting me down a bit right > >>now is the fact that I have so many commitments, most having to do > >>with bringing in a few bucks, that I can't work on my playing the > >>way I need to. I can still get through a rock or blues gig fine. > >>Most of that stuff is 'flash and trash', as my college prof used > >>to say. 'But I like it, like it, yes I do!' I feel like I still > >>have some years left before I can't fake it anymore. I find that > >>the individual identity of each finger is what's diminishing, ever > >>so slowly. But I still have the 'groove', and if you have that, > >>you can rock til you're blue in the mouth. But actually, there's a > >>bigger fear than playing wrong notes in public (like that's never > >>happened before). I think about being a spectacle off stage. If I > >>had to hang around numerous venues between sets and waddle and > >>wobble and wiggle, which I do a little bit now, it would be hard > >>for people and me to feel comfortable with it. (Hey! This could be > >>a way to get people to move my gear for me!) This would lead to me > >>explaining myself and PD quite a bit, which wouldn't be the worst > >>thing politically, but the bar owner might look a bit perturbed > >>(like that's never happened before). Once it gets back to the > >>booking agent, then you have a problem, 'cause word, like rot, > >>would spread around town fast, and then the phone stops ringing > >>and you're done. I have a bunch of piano students, and pretty soon > >>I'm going to have to tell them why my arm shakes during lessons. > >>I'll have to start sitting behind them while they play, instead of > >>beside them. I short, I may be going down, but I'm going to take > >>as many of them with me as I can. And afterwards, my son can > >>entertain me. We have similar, broad tastes, (Hey, get your mind > >>out of the gutter!) and he's recently done his first few > >>decent-paying gigs with a band. I am blessed with a wonderful wife > >>and family, so I'm sure I'll be fine, whatever happens to me > >>professionally. I also think of my mom, a painter, who had her > >>abilities taken away by a stroke a few years back. She's in a home > >>now, and they've been trying to encourage her to try some > >>sketching with her left (non-dominant) hand, and she's been doing > >>a bit. Such a struggle for her. I got it great in comparison. > >>Enjoy Fall! Rick McGirr Email: [log in to unmask] ----- > >>Original Message ----- > >> From: "Scott E. Antes" <[log in to unmask]> To: > >> <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 > >> 1:42 PM Subject: Re: PD/artistic ability/All > >>> Hi Ray and Rick and All. Out of town over the weekend, and saw > >>> this message first. I, too, would like to know if more of our > >>> list members are musical/artistic--or if anyone knows of PD > >>> people who are artistic. Laureen (my wife) doesn't really talk > >>> about not playing piano/organ any more. It's only been few > >>> months since she stopped--and she stopped when she felt (not > >>> anyone else)her abilites were going downhill. Scott > >>>>===== Original Message From "Parkinson's Information Exchange > >>>>Network" > >>> <[log in to unmask]> ===== > >>>>Scott, interesting idea. Well we have Rick, our hip, humorous > >>>>musician. Some people thought I played a pretty mean piano, but > >>>>I knew enough about music to know I didn't know anything. Have > >>>>small hands and was too lazy to practice too. Years ago my > >>>>musician teacher of 3 months asked me to "sit in for him" at an > >>>>almost empty piano bar. I froze with fear. Does it bother your > >>>>wife like it does me that she can't play any more? PD is such an > >>>>awful thief. Also could paint copies of great art, but nothing > >>>>original. I wonder who else on our List has/had artistic > >>>>abilities. Ray > >>> > >>> Scott E. Antes Department of Anthropology Northern Arizona > >>> University Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5200 > >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > >>> mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message > >>> put: signoff parkinsn > >> > >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > >> mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message > >> put: signoff parkinsn > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > > mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message > > put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > > mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message > > put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: > signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn