What'chu lookin' at?

Sarge wants to know.  Sarge's full name is Sergeant Stripes (named by her former owner), and she's not quite a sarge, despite the stripes.  More like a petite-pawed Daddy's Girl diva.  And we love her profusely, diva or no.

She's also a messy eater, but don't tell anyone.  Except me, her cleaner-upper-after.

Sarge sent me to announce that my blog will survive (yay!) but with a format change.  A considerable change in format, I'm afraid.  No more vinyl and shellac ripping.  Sad, but true.  My reasons for doing so are too many (and too complicated) to list, but suffice it to say I no longer have the time.  And that's the truth, in spades.  As Bev gets elder, my elder care duties increase--the free time I once enjoyed is no longer available, and this blog has always been time-intensive, due in part to my fanatical devotion to sound editing. And, since I put up a lot of stuff, people expect a lot of stuff (and many expect past "links" to stay unbroken), and it's all my fault.  That is to say, perhaps I've promised a level of output that I can't realistically sustain (minus a staff).  I should have stuck to my original plan of a few tracks per week, but I didn't.  The thing is, when I started blogging in 2005, I had ZERO idea that my past, archived posts would be sitting out there, prompting "Why is the link broken?" comments.  I just jumped into music blogging with both feet, not knowing what to expect.  I remember how stunned I was when I first put up a site counter and discovered how much traffic I was getting.  For all I knew, no one was coming here.  Not.

Anyway, lots of great experiences here.  For one thing, it's great to get noticed in the blogosphere, given the considerable odds against same.  I was even in the Top 40 most visited blog posts back in 2006--briefly, but for a few hours.  I was rubbing shoulders with Crooks and Liars, Michelle Malkin (glegh!), and others.  Just as quickly, I returned to being a regular blog, but what a moment!  And it's been a joy to find that the stuff I put up is stuff people want to hear--and, in some cases, keep.  Especially after my message board experiences, in which my musical interests were met with "Is this guy nuts?" silence, mostly.

Music blogging has been fun and challenging, and I wish I could keep it up.  But with less free time, with a more rabid copyright-cop effort (1950 Merv Griffin Christmas sides MUST be protected from sharing between we cyber-rabble, you understand), and the awkwardness of thousands of "broken" links hanging around like silent ghosts in cyberspace, the writing is on the LP jacket.  I mean, the wall.  But it's been fun.  A million thanks to those who have taken the journey with me (how sappy can I get?), and I hope you'll consider staying on with the revamped MYPWHAE.  I will explain....

The revamped MYPWHAE (and you can tell it's revamped on account of the dropped ( )'s) will feature me playing my own music, i.e. pieces composed by me, as well as hymns, old songs, etc.  In short, an All Lee Blog.  (Notice how I'm avoiding the word "vanity.")  If that's your cup o' Lee, I mean, Joe, I mean, tea, then... stick around.  But I suspect a blog of Lee Music is going to attract, and retain, somewhat fewer followers and visitors than the MY(P)WHAE of old.  Just a guess.

Thanks, all.  And you may have noticed that few archived posts remain.   That's because I deleted them.  Funny--I thought this would be a week-long task, what with 2000+ posts, but I did it in one sitting.  Blogger makes it pretty easy, really.  Deleting the blog would have been easier, but you don't get to keep a blog you've deleted.  So I opted for cleaning out the archives.

Again, a much better option than having dead posts sit around, confusing anyone who stumbles upon them.  And understandably.  So, stick around if you like cat photos and Lee playing hymns, songs, and/or his own compositions (Christmas at Halloween, Halloween in Space, Godzilla Suite, Fiscal Cliff Suite, various preludes, offertories, and mini-fugues, etc.).  The MY(P)WHAE of old, however, is no more.  I write this with a mixture of regret and relief.  I loved it, but minus a staff (and, God knows, a budget!), I really can't do this anymore.  This aging Boomer thanks you for your support.  Those who choose to take off, I'll hate you forever, but otherwise no hard feelings.  (:  Just kidding, just kidding.

Your humble cyber-servant,

Lee