Sunday afternoon and I feel like shit. Not unusual. Both physically and mentally I am usually at a low on Sunday afternoon.

For the last two mornings I have made mp3s of a tape of a church service led by my grandfather Benjamin in Broyles Chapel Tennessee. I let the tape run while I read.

I’m not sure these are great recordings but they will do as a preservation of family heritage for a while. I will probably continue making reel to reel tapes into mp3s for a while. I have lots of them to do.

Eileen and I had to rush to get to church on time.

I was to meet with the hand chime ringers and the baritone soloist. We did a clever little arrangement of “Lo, how a rose.” Written by Mark Schweizer, it incorporates a nice little solo singer singing the words of the beginning of the gospel of John over the familiar hymn being sung by the rest of the choir.

I accidentally improvised a prelude way too early. I based it on one of the hymns, “We three kings.”  After I realized I had done it too early, I waited a bit and improvised another prelude on the closing hymn, “On this day.” I improvised on Greensleeves (What child is this) for the postlude. It’s a lazy way to do this, but probably warranted on this Sunday.

I ordered a DVD of “The Hours” yesterday. I have been listening and playing Phillip Glass’s score for this movie and was curious how it is used in the movie.

I now have two days (tomorrow and the next day) to come up with a few more choral anthems for the next season. I have in mind possibly scheduling a Nico Muhly piece. I ordered a bunch of his music last month. It depends on whether it arrives in time and is usable in this situation.

Yesterday I had a record 64 hits on this silly blog. I wonder what that was. Eileen says I probably used a key word that people searched for. Could be.

Eileen and I finished shortening the jacks for the harpsichord yesterday. The next step is a big one: voicing the plectra. As I understand it this is a process that might continue for a while even after the job is basically done, continuing to adjust and refine the way the jacks work and the sound they make.

On Perilous Migrant Trail, Women Often Become Prey to Sexual Abuse – The New York Ties

I continue to read of the extreme circumstances people are living through these days. Good grief.

Comic Book Recalls Effort to Expose ‘Mein Kampf’ – The New York Times

Alan Cranston, eh?

China’s Homeless Find Shelter Under McDonald’s Golden Arches – The New York Times

Another fascinating story about dire circumstances.