I’m going to start writing my comments about what’s going on in the Gulf of Mexico by going back to the Common Thread Chorus concerts I sang in a couple of weeks ago.  I couldn’t resist including this photo again; makes me smile just to look at it.   It was a very, very hot day.  We were singing in an old church so the acoustics were wonderful and the temperature soared … sometimes higher than our voices.  I will admit that there were lots of times during the past 10 months that I didn’t think I’d make it to the final concert.  It just isn’t as easy to learn the music – much less the lyrics in foreign languages – as it used to be.  Most of the singers in the 2nd alto section have been with the choir for a number of years; they tended to sit together and frequently their looks and comments made me really self-conscious that it was taking me time to really get into the groove with some of the music.  I’m stubborn though, and the joy of singing in a choir … that wonderful feeling of being right in the middle of such beautiful sound … well, it was definitely worth it to me.  I wasn’t too excited about some of the music that was selected for this year, but next year the regular conductor will be back from her maternity leave and we’re going to do a lot of South American music so it should be fabulous.  One of the special treats of singing in those choirs was looking out at the audience and seeing my mother, David, cousin Pearl and some friends including my dear friend Barb – all beaming up at me.

A few days after the concert, Barb and I had a long talk about the pure pleasure of singing together but – as most of our conversations go – it meandered hither and yon until we came to BP and the Gulf of Mexico.  I don’t know about you, but I can hardly stand to watch the news any more and my heart aches as I see, over and over and over again, the damage that’s being done as pristine beaches and beautiful, tourquoise waters are polluted because we need the oil.  Ah … and that’s where the conversation got really interesting.  It’s really easy to be angry with BP and the other big oil companies.  It’s really easy with governments for not doing more to restrict – or at the very least carefully regulate and continuously monitor – all oil drilling operations.  But can I just put the blame on something evil somewhere else? It’s just so easy to do that!  Easier yet if the ’somebody’ you can put the blame on is a big, multinational company because that touches any of our human heart-strings at all.  Anyhow, before long Barb and I had agreed that there seems to be little doubt that unless we stop relying on oil, unless we’re willing to change our lifestyles (undoubtedly if we keep refusing to make this a choice it will become a reality anyhow – only much harder to deal with) we’re likely going to end up  with power and gas being so expensive that we won’t be able to afford so much of it anyhow.  That’s just the reality I think.  And that’s without even beginning to think about the repercussions that this oil spill is causing and will likely continue to cause for who knows how many years to come?  After all, who knows what permanent damage will be done to the ecosystem and how far ranging that will be.   Each day when I see people wandering along beautiful beaches collecting disgusting wads of oil or gentle oiled-soaked pelicans struggling to breath I can’t help but wonder when I’ll be doing the same.  Indeed, last weekend as I kayaked down the Humber River (yes, that glorious kayak season’s arrived again) I couldn’t help but gaze into the water and wonder what it would be like to be paddling through oil.  Of course if we keep up with drill baby drill – in one form or another – this is just the first of what will undoubtedly be many many such crises / environmental disasters.

Just after Barb and I talked I was sitting drinking a cup of white tea at my new kitchen counter and I looked around the room, counting how many things I could see that were plugged in all of the time.  I counted 16: iPhone charger, computer charger, microwave, iPod dock/speaker, radio, espresso machine, TV, toaster oven, stove, fridge, dishwasher, food processor, emergency light, table lamp, tea kettle, phone.  Right now I’m sitting in my kol-bo (כל-בו Kol Bo in hebrew literally means ‘all is in it’ … and that’s the kind of room it is.  From my comfortable chair (which does swivel) I can see 10 things plugged in:  table lamp, clock radio, VCR, DVD player, TV, computer, speakers, printer, and camera-battery recharger.  Honestly, what have I been thinking?  I spent some time exploring online to try to get a sense of just how much standby power – or as I learned they call it in the field … vampire power – I was wasting.  Nobody knows for sure, but it’s typically 5-10% of residential electricity use in most developed countries and a rising fraction in the developing countries (especially in the cities). Thanks to the GreenWala blog for this great graphic.  When we can’t afford that power any more what are we going to do?  We’re going to have to do a lot more things for ourselves and we’re not going to be able to rely on our 55″ TVs and surround-sound systems and iPads and iPhones and Wiis.  We can’t just keep spending our lives plugging in and charging up and downloading and Facebooking and tweeting and texting …..  If I’m doing that and wasting power … ergo wasting oil indirectly … then that’s the personal-level equivalent to what BP is doing that I’m so angry about; not caring enough about the environment and making decisions based on “because I want to, that’s why”.

So David and I have had a long talk about this and we’ve agreed that we need to make an effort to use less power and ergo be a little less oil-dependent.  Whatever we’re already doing, we’ll try to do it a little better and much more consistently.  It’s a starting place.  Owning up.  Taking responsibility.  Making changes.

I’m going to be more conscious and more careful.  I’m going to lighten my footprint on the earth.  I’m going to spend more time happy.

Which brings me to another train of thought.  We’re not going to have amplifiers to increase sound so perhaps we need to be thinking about designing living spaces that have good acoustics so we can hear each other singing … or talking; after all, we’ll have to be able to hear the music so that we can dance to it don’t we?

And that brings me to yet another thought.  I’ve always particularly loved the sound of a fiddle.  It’s the best instrument to dance to I think and I do love dancing.  My niece Elisheva just got married to Zack who’s a Suzuki violin teacher/expert.   It would be great to be able to play an instrument that folks can dance to.  I wonder if I’m too old to learn how to play the fiddle?

Seems to me that this is one of the blessings of retirement.  I can choose how I devote myself and what I devote myself to.  I’ve been watching and listening to a lot of opera lately … more all the time … and my heart soars when I hear a magnificently beautiful aria.  I’m clearly making music more a part of my life these days, and I love that.  But just like the two women in this beautiful old photo illustrate, music made by two is just that much richer.  So it seems to me that the same would be true for the power of RWwGs; we can each make a difference and imagine what a difference we could make as a group.

So I’ll see what Zack has to say about learning violin and if it’s too late for that then I’m definitely going to look for a drumming group next year.

Meanwhile, here we are in this electronic world together and before I say goodbye for this week let me leave with a wee video of fiddling to lighten your spirits.

And finally, just in case you’re curious, here’s a sample of the kind of power we’re all wasting by just not really turning things off; if you want even more detail just click on this link to power waste.