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From: Ross
Remote Name: 76.101.5.142
Date: 17 Sep 2007
Time: 07:40:49 -0400
Luthier’s Weblog 9/17/07 Addition through subtraction. Seems to be a popular catch phrase. It appears to mean stripping away unnecessary elements to arrive at the essence. Boy Howdy! Everywhere I look I see unnecessary elements! I look inside I see ‘em; I look outside I see ‘em. Even looking at the computer as I write this, I know that there is a prominently displayed recycle bin on the desktop just waiting for me to jettison all the unnecessary programs, files, and electronic detritus that exponentially expands to clog my hard drive and…..slow…… me…….. down. And wouldn’t you know it, I never even notice the encroachment of all this digital impedimentia until a creeping sense of frustration begins to underline all my computer efforts, like the “Jaws” theme, becoming more and more front-and-center. Until finally, I drop everything and painstakingly root out enough….just enough, garbage to allow me to continue at a reasonable rate. What I should really do is set a large block of time aside, back up everything to CD, and do a wholesale wipeout of all the Unnecessary Elements (U.E.). Take time to save time. And then…………..expand this concept to my clothes closet. My garage. My shop attic. My workbench. And then, the biggest magnet for U.E. that I possess- my brain! Gosh, do I hold a lot of nonessential material in my brain. How do I get it all to the recycle bin? The most extreme option is the Big Dump……lobotomy. Unfortunately, this is like clearing your entire hard drive and reinstalling Windows: you lose a lot of important stuff along with the U.E. Perhaps a better approach would be what a previous administration referred to as Benign Neglect. This means that if you actually stop watching American Idol, it will eventually take less and less space on your hard drive. Unlike on the computer, where unwanted files are resident forever, or at least until Windows next crashes. I envy my robot luthier in this. He chooses not to acquire U.E. It keeps him from his mission. He is single minded. His filters send up red flags when any nonessential elements of instrument design present themselves. He recognizes the folly of incorporating any feature for purely marketing-based reasons. He takes care of his health and practices moderation so that his hand is steady and his mind is clear. He observes the need to get away from the work and pursue occasional recreation so that he maintains perspective. He listens to good music to reaffirm his commitment to his work. He loves. All in all, he has much to recommend him. Ross Teigen 8:54 am