This is where I get to talk about anything I want to, and provide links to some places I hope you will like. I am interested in all sorts of different things; literature, dancing, theater, all of the arts, really. I also have a long-standing fascination with science. I briefly considered the idea of being a scientist, but gave it up for music. Actually, I think I briefly considered being just about everything at one time or another: doctor, musical therapist, environmentalist, and, when I was in fifth grade, gas station attendant. That was because I saw an inept guy working in a gas station, and I figured I could do it much better. (That only lasted for a couple of days) Those who know me well know that I am quite a fanatical environmentalist. Fanatical to the point of carrying plastic containers with me to restaurants, so that I don't have to use Styrofoam for doggie bags. I also carry a bandana (or two) everywhere I go. One of the primary reasons for this is so that I don't have to use disposable hand towels in restaurants and public restrooms, etc. This may seem over-the-top, but I still pale in comparison to my friend Karen who refuses to own a car, and bicycles 15 miles to and from work every day in order to minimize her impact on the environment. One of my fondest dreams is to move to the country and become self-sufficient in a low-impact home. 
Anyway, back to music. I think that one of the greatest crimes of this century is that people don't make their own music anymore. I think this is a result of the invention of recorded music in the 1880s. Before the invention of recorded music, the only way to have music in your own home was to hire it, which was pretty expensive, or to make it yourself. In the 19th century, anybody who could afford to owned a piano, and in the evening when people wanted to listen to music, they gathered around the piano and someone played it, and everyone sang. Sounds like fun to me!
Of course, a lot of the music they made was probably not worth recording, but sometimes that doesn't matter. It's the making of the music that's important. Since we have so much “studio perfect” music, people think they're "not good enough" if they can't reproduce that sound live. I think that's a real tragedy. Music is a part of every human being's life, no matter what the level of skill, and I think we've all been intimidated by the great recording artists into thinking that if we "aren't good enough," then we shouldn't make music. I believe that making music is as natural to humans as breathing is, and that we should all do it as often as possible. Of course, we should always strive to be as good as possible, but if we aren't "star" material, what difference does it make?
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Luck favors the prepared mind." - Louis Pasteur
"It is not quite enough to know how to escape restrictions; sooner or later one also has to think of arriving somewhere." - Arthur Miller
”One does nothing good without passion; nothing excellent by passion alone.” - Nadia Boulanger
"I'm more afraid of being nothing than I am of being hurt." - Tom Cruise, Days of Thunder
"Just because something moves you profoundly does not mean that it's true." - Me
- Links -
Allied Pix - This is the website of the guy who took almost all of the pictures featured on my website. If you need a photographer...he's great! (Plus he's a really nice guy.)
Manada Conservancy - If you've read anything about me, you know that I am a dedicated environmentalist. The Manada Conservancy is a land conservancy started (in part) by my sister Sally Zaino. This conservancy is specifically focused on the Manada area in Central Pennsylvania .
Livingston Taylor - As I mentioned in my bio, I'm very fond of this lesser-known brother of James. I've seen him in concert many times since I first discovered him in the 70s, and I really think he is under-appreciated.
Nightingale Health Centers - My husband Eric is a Nurse Practitioner and a Classical Homeopath. He has his own practice in Harrisburg , PA. This is its official website.
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