You think I would be better at updating this site! Well, unfortunately life sometimes carries me totally away! I'm sure that's understandable. But No excuses! Here we go for the latest developments in Luci's life!
1. Music. Yes. So back in February (or was it March) I met a lovely and talented singer (well actually I was reunited with a friend I had met before, but we were unaware that we were both working toward the same things). We are collaborating to write some of the fun-est and most delicious music around. Right now we're steadily working towards many goals - composing, performing, and recording! We have some good (talented) friends to help us out with all of these items, so things are looking great! It's all very exciting! Here is a picture of our practice room upstate at Moby's. We went up there for a weekend to make loud (but beautiful) noise with some friends. It was fantastic - I mean, look at this scenario, and no one around for miles and miles to hear us. Nice break from NYC!
2. One night, actually it was right after that wild party upstate at Moby's, when I hadn't had much sleep and I was mostly unconscious on the subway I had a great thought hit me: I need to play drums. Yes, yes, this might sound weird, but I was so determined I bought sticks and a how-to play rock and roll drums DVD the next day! It just so happened that one of the music therapy interns at the hospital was a drummer, so I got lessons, and within a month I had my own electronic kit sitting in my apartment!!! Yes, an absolutely gracious and wonderful god of a friend let me borrow his drum kit while he has been too busy to use them. Wow, the luck! NOW I have a fantastic drumkit, a teacher, and all the music of itunes to practice to. And let me just tell you the exhilaration of playing drums! Honestly it's not worth me describing until you sit behind a drum kit, and pound on them, rhythmically of course and know for yourself! AMAZING!!! Here is a picture of my new kit!
3. The Hospital and Music Therapy. Wow, what a beautiful world, the world of music therapy! So many exciting things are happening. Most excitingly, one of my patients from last year (just before the tour), has had a major triumph. He was a very successful New York City artist before an accident which left him quadriplegic. (Quadriplegia, as you know, is when you are paralyzed from the neck down, can you imagine?!) When I met him his range of motion was very limited in his hands and arms, and there was relatively none in his legs and feet. With a rigorous music therapy and physical/occupational therapy schedule we were able to help him increase his range of motion from just a few centimeters to where he could feed himself using adapted silverware by the time he left Beth Abraham. A year later he has completed numerous watercolor paintings (some of the brightest and clearest watercolors I have ever seen) and has them on display in a Manhattan Art Gallery. This gallery is FULL of paintings, I couldn't believe how many he had completed in just one year. WOW!!! I am so happy for him and his family! Some of his work is displayed on the internet at this address: http://www.shelbygallery.com/exhibits/color_abstract/image01.php
Here are some pictures from his art gallery opening.
Luci and Cliff
His personal (written by his own hand) statement:
The head is as important as the hand. The heart is as important as both.
This series of watercolors is decorative and abstract rather than realistic and is meant to celebrate color and music.
Music, because I have listened to so much during my recovery, and color because it seems to be a direct segue from music to my watercolors.
I have used a grid format in many of these paintings because of my limited arm range made me feel more secure with the grid. I hope that these watercolors bring the same joy to my viewers that I have had in painting them.
Cliff
The wall of flowers
4. Vacation! I had the luxury of traveling to beautiful England and ohhhh, I don't even want to mention how much I'd like to live there (ignore that statement parents!). I was visiting my dear friend Nicholas, and in addition to living up the high style of London, we drove all over the English countryside visiting historic sites, watching sheep, following around the rain, and more!!! Better than words, how about some pictures!!!
The Thames just after sunset
The vehicle that transported us
A lovely historic site (can you guess which one!) I was so excited to go there and it was so windy and cold that we could only stay for 10 minutes. AHHH!
Warwick Castle (from the side, but OHH I love castles!!!)
Back in London, Brick Lane
5. Two days after I got back from London my mother and her mother (my grandmother) came to vsit me! What a packed weekend of shopping, Broadway, and fun! Here is one picture to sum it up!
We entitled the weekend Tres Generaciones (3 Generations!)
Here they are.
OK! That's all in the current news! There will be more soon! And this time it won't be so long I promise!!!!
Love!
Luci
