The unscrupulous blogger

I had a couple of weeks off from work so my husband bought me this blog. The idea is that it's supposed to relax me, because I'm not away on vacation or anything -- I'm home, working away at this book I have to have done by next month. The book is the authorized biography of a great concert pianist, Leonard Pennario. (That's him in the picture, playing the piano for Judy Garland.) I just spent three months in California with Mr. Pennario, and I promised him I would fly back with the book in May. We do not want to work on it for 10 years the way other biographers do. I see that all the time on the back covers of books I read: "In the making for 10 years..." Forget that. We prefer instant gratification.

So I am spending my vacation at my desk sifting through hundreds of newspaper clippings I have unearthed about Leonard, reviews of his concerts at places like Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, interviews with him over the years, mostly by starry-eyed women (I get the idea I am just the latest in a long line of them) and pictures of him, often with people he worked with, like Fritz Reiner and Jascha Heifetz. Looking at the pictures, I am glad I am writing about someone so great looking. A dumpy pianist would not be as much fun. Leonard is also brilliant and funny and outspoken, which I love. And the biggest reason I'm enjoying this is that I love music and I love unlocking the mysteries of a great musician's life. So for me this book is a tremendous thrill.

Once in a while, though, it's good for me to step away and switch gears for a few minutes. Hence, this blog. I am drawn to the art of blogging. I like how you can go back and revise what you write -- and don't think I won't. If anyone wants to catch me making a mistake, he or she had better be ready to check up on my blog every day and print out what I write. I like that about blogging.

What else do I like? That I can write what I want, and not only that, I can delete it. Hmmm. If someone writes something negative about me, can I change it and make it into a positive? I will have to look into that. Meanwhile, another thing I like about my brand-new blog is I can write about personal things. Such as my braces. I think I'll start tomorrow by blogging about them.