HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON! ... BONER, THE PIANO DOG ... November 27, 1994 ... February 20, 2010
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HELP! A new Carburetor is needed. SpotFund: Long Live the Traveling Piano Spotfund Venmo: Dan Kean @TravelingPiano 2156399378 - Paypal Direct: Paypal - And of Course this Website Contribution Page. Contribute Or email me for snail mail.
August 31, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Well, it was the first day with the Traveling Piano back in my possession and I am resisting putting the equipment all back in and together until I am sure the truck works. I took it out, there was not a good feeling when I turned it off and back on. It could have to do with the engine adjusting and/or the heat. It is still over a hundred degrees everyday. I took it over the a new repair shop to make arrangements if needed. And then I picked up some water to give out to the homeless. On some levels it does not feel right to be telling people that I work with the homeless. It has always been a personal endeavor but everything with my life even Traveling Piano has been a personal endeavor. When I began to mention it in this blog it was to tell people because it has become part of the story. Now I must keep with all my intent in what I say and do because the old brain waves want to say I am bragging or doing it to get contribution which is not true at all. Sharing resources with the homeless is now part of the story, the work and also I want the people who contribute to know why they contribute and for what.
I took Mo to the park for the first time in months once the sun went down. The truck began to spin and whir in cycles once I got off the highway. Ugh, it continued until we parked. When Mo began to run in the grass after awhile, I saw he really had issues with his legs. Maybe because he has not ran in a long time. I am sure his age also has something to do with it. Riding home I had no trouble with the truck. "Give it time Danny, wait and see, don't over think, one day at a time". The monthly Traveling Piano contribution subscriptions to continue do not cover half of my monthly basic needs. My survival, the fix of the truck has been coming from the fundraiser. Please make a contribution or better create a sustaining monthly contribution through this website..
My photography is some of what I have to show for my love for life. I have invested with the funds people have contributed in framing supplies. Every day I create files for the photo libraries and frame photos that I had printed a few months ago. They are absolutely awesome. Distributing them will be a challenge but life is a challenge, eh? I hope I can make some money from them. I'd rather just give them all away. If I die that is probably what will happen anyway. I've given away thousands of cassettes, cd's and posters throughout the journey. That all lasted until about 2010. I want theses photos in people's hands. The small size, they are 4X7 in 5X7 frames... encourages people to really look at them and spend some time in wonder and enjoyment. My signature on them creates a personal feel. Each photo is stamped on the back with Traveling Piano contact info.
Last night about one in the morning, I took Mo out for a walk and saw the Traveling Piano outside the repair shop, unlocked, the alternator on as I could see the lights for the radio and clock were on. I called Denise the owner of the shop and said I was taking it with me to my parking lot. It was very disrespectful for her to have left it outside. She said she needed the bays for other vehicles. I said finish the job, it has been five weeks! Up to this point it has been kept in the garage over night. It needs to be. The area outside is not safe and she draws nefarious people to her place twenty four hours a day. When inside they will not touch it because she is responsible. This morning she texted me to bring it over to finish the work. At this point, trust has eroded. Maybe she was just nervous about it not being in her possession anymore without having been paid anything. I took it over and sat and waited all day. At seven PM I said, "come on Denise, let me pay you, I want to get out of here". She said come back tomorrow and I said no way that is happening create the invoice I am paying you now and we are making a clean cut with this transaction. I am not leaving here without the truck." I did not get out of there until ten at night. It is done, it is over, she is paid, I have my truck back for better or worse, we shall see. Now... no matter what, I must fight inclinations to take it back there if needed to say what I paid for is not fixed. No matter what, I will take it elsewhere.
August 29, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I've been talking about staying in the homes of different strangers throughout the journey. There were noticeable differences through the ten year period and they were not misconceptions. Through the years people became more cautious about Mo and/or Bo. It was about dogs in general. As asinine over protective public laws developed about dogs, people have become more uptight about them in public. The laws never happened because there was a dog problem. I've written about that extensibly in this blog through the years... the why and how. And also, people became more skeptical about having me visit as I got older. My age, energy level and physical looks began to create an unappetizing perception for many. Of course a man becoming old and worn out from being on the road for ten years and looking it, is not as appealing as a hot, young, healthy, energetic guy raring to go. It is what it was. And then there was the fact that I was a single as well as becoming an old man. One more... as time went on people began more to look for more in return. Part of that might have been from my feeling more needy as time went on with less choices of places to stay, the money running out and no home base to run home to. That last part... was very difficult.
August 28, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Riding on the coat tail of what I was talking about yesterday. There have been some interesting situations when staying with specifically couples over the years where the wife wanted the visit and the husband did not. It also worked the other way around. Sometimes it was very uncomfortable. One time when the woman wanted the visit, the husband left for the few days I was there, maybe to teach her a lesson? He lost on that lesson, lol. Another time, the husband could not take it so he told the wife to just come and tell me to leave with my having no plans or resources set to stay the night anywhere. When I was there for the husband more than the wife, the wives usually were never around. Of course there were also the perfect couples for a visitor. A few times the unfriendly half did their best to make sure I knew I was not welcome through scouring faces every time out paths crossed. More times than not, anyone resistant at first warmed up with friendliness and comfortability by the time I left. It was my job to make them feel that way. After all, they had invited a total stranger into their house to stay over night while they slept!
August 27, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
When I was on the road as I look back personally, it was excruciatingly difficult at times adjusting to people, their personalities and environment but that was part of the job and the nature of the game. I am sure most of the time, they were not aware of how much effort I was putting into the situation. About a hundred and fifty different individuals and families I stayed with from all walks of life from all over the northern hemisphere. It was also challenging for the first timers to have a stranger in their house and a non-conventional one at that. Although, everyone had a way to fact check me, who I am and what I am about beforehand. Some just winged it having no idea. I've called up strangers asking if I could stay the night an hour before I arrived at their home. I began writing this tonight to state some of the more troublesome stays but everything really just turns to gratitude because twenty good stays with people always outweighed one. I mentioned early in this month three difficult stays. Most every stay was an equal partnership of sharing the idea of strangers becoming less afraid of each other... trust, unconditional giving and hospitality. More tomorrow...
August 26, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I've done a short musical video every day now for over a month. Not many people are seeing them off of facebook and the views on facebook are becoming fewer and fewer each day. I get it... it is the same thing everyday and people are distracted with a lot right now concerning life. On Youtube, it shows no views except mine. There is no pizzazz in them and that is by design. Few people are connecting with this website to see anything, that is for sure! It does not even show on many cell phones. It was created for the computer back in 2006. Maybe people see this website... I still come up in the goggle search near the top. When the journey was more active, when I was traveling on the road, interacting with people... there was plenty of people interested in the Traveling Piano. With this virus and my not being able to work outside as I did for several years now, am I being forgotten? Now it is all about viral marketing which I am not interested in. In the beginning I did a video takes of playing a piece of music called Dizzy Fingers and uploaded 100 different takes onto Youtube over 100 days. After ten years they still have not had many views. Thats ok, everything I have done has been for my own fun first and foremost, and then for other people to enjoy however many.
August 25, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Everything fluctuates in the moment. Fear can take me down, a sense of security arises, acceptance, exploration, gratitude, I stay away from needy feelings or nostalgia as much as possible. I've always thought about death. Now, I am doing it out in the open as in here on this blog, online. I am thinking about finding someone to take ownership of the Traveling Piano and its story. It is time and no one I know really wants it. I'd like to keep it alive. I've settled my decision on what to do with my body when I die... nothing. The burial process is an industry scam including church cemetery costs just even to bury ashes. The only think I would want anyway is a tombstone inscription to say I lived. I can do that myself and leave it anywhere in the world, even create a viral tombstone-ing by other people on the internet, that would be fun. Get people around the world to inscribe into large stones Danny Kean ... The Traveling Piano Man ... Ambassador of Musical Fun, Friendship and Respect ... The Love's of His Life, Two Pups ... Bo and Mo ... "I Did It My Way" ... Born... July 9, 1955 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA ... Died... Who Knows When. Hahaha... then they could drop them in the ocean, on mountains, in the desert, etc... I have been enjoying the framing of Traveling Piano Art Photos. Now, I'll need to sell them. I have a few hundred ready to go.
August 24, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
It is difficult for me to keep up with the facebook postings and also I do not feel like I can take people's contributions if I am not doing any Traveling Piano work for it. Mostly because of the truck being in repair. Then again, I've been in situations like this before for periods of time. But then again, I went through them with my own money from the sell of my house. This all will pass, I will get the Traveling Piano up and going again. Everything is happening as it should and in the right time and thank you to all my friends helping me through this period with financial support. The truck, the heat, the virus, my physical age is all playing part in difficulties right now. The challenge is to find ways to keep going in life with joy and gratitude. It can and will be done. That is part of who I am and I guess that is the example I have to show for the world. This is a very long blog entry, writing out todays happening is therapy for the difficulty I am going through.
My energy was really off today since waking. For example I was pouring my coffee and the frying pan chose that moment to fall off the wall after three years and hit the coffee cone full of wet grinds flip it all in the air in my tiny space and splat literally on everything... the floor, counter, walls, appliances, food, sink, my white undershirt, my pants, everything got covered in wet dark coffee grind and coffee itself in a four foot area, in every direction. How could such a simple mishap have done all that? With one large cup dull of coffee grinds? I stayed calm while cleaning it all up immediately while knowing immediately my energy was off. Then other things began to happen and I reminded myself to be careful that my clarity was off. Then I found hundreds of fruit flies breeding in a bag of onions that I had just purchased two days prior and they flew out and every in my room. I told myself, thank God you know everything is out of whack, your life is off balance, the days energy is fragile. Being able to have awareness of that fact, I am so grateful because when it has happened in the past throughout my life I have really hurt myself, innocently without trying to but seriously.
Like once I almost cut my finger off to within a fraction of the main nerve. Another time I was using a screwdriver and hammered it through the palm of my hand, eww... yea, there have been serious mishaps. Not today because I was aware and willing to be very careful, able to... that took a life time of work. Also I knew why the energy was off. I decided I must take the Traveling Piano truck out of the shop in pieces to someplace else and pay them a couple thousand bucks for nothing. It is a matter of boundaries and limits and the fact that they just cannot get the job done for whatever reason. My relationship with them and knowing who they are both the good and bad as people... the need to take a stand against the "power" and do what I needed to do was excruciatingly frightening. I thought, this is the worse thing I have ever gone through. Also, the not having a vehicle to get around for basics like food, to wash my clothes get Mo to a park for months now, ugh. Then I remembered that I have in fact been through situations like this before. I had to throw my son out of my house and call the police to do it.
Although that turned out for the best for both of us, at the time there was nothing more painful because in situations like that you just do not know fully if it is the right thing to do but then again you know it must be done. Then there was the time I had to go sit around a table of nursing home executives and tell them that I was taking my friend Gertrude (I was the only ally she had it life) out of the nursing home forcefully if needed because she was receiving abuse in there. I had no resources to help her except to take her to her house, no experience and it was the first time I had ever stood up to authority in their face to do what was needed even through their threats of repercussion. They knew not to push the situation because they had been in fact abusive. That was a very difficult but also, everything works out. You just have to go through the process. There was also my mothers death when I had to just let go and let the rest of my family do what they did without my having any say. So... I have had experiences like I needed to go through today. I can do this, I will, I have no choice but to continue going through the process.
When inside the shop they were actively working on the truck, Denise the owner was not there yet and so I went back to my apartment and fell into a sort of comma for about three hours. Then I waited and texted here. She replied they were finishing up. I called the repair shop I talked with the other day and they said they just were not interested now, the other repair shop i felt a hesitation towards and so I called up the third place close to me who I knew did not really care about helping but I think will do the job. I have the money to give Denise, the same money to put out again for someone different to take the truck apart and put back together to find the problem... well, one step at a time. Then Denise texted me to say it was done come give it a test drive. It was dark out by now. I took it onto the road and it stalled on the highway exactly as day one. Oh, my God. And... I did not have my phone with me. I got out of the truck and pushed it to the side as much as I could. There was no shoulder for the road.
I sat for no more than three minutes when I young couple pulled up to ask if they could help. They drove to the shop to tell Denise to come get me. Then they drove back to me to tell me they found the place and told her for me. That... a sign from God to just keep going. Denise arrived and asked what happened was it out of gas? I said no, there is plenty of gas. Then she asked when the last time I changed the fuel pump. I thought, this cannot continue, their fixing one thing while breaking another in chain reactions. She was able to start it and got it back to the shop. It was about nine at night by this time. After eating, doing some online asking for contribution, framing and cataloguing some Traveling Piano Art Photography and taking Mo out for a walk I thought... what if life does not get any better than it is right now? There is no way to purchase a vehicle to get out of here. I really do not want to work any more to make money to sustain myself, what if this is it? Then I thought, do I want to just live out my life being glum in suffering disappointment and depression? That is not going to happen.
No matter how bad it gets I will choose to find ways to be grateful for what is. Mo is the main source for that right now. If I end up on the street with just Mo... I can be happy. Then I work my way up through knowing people love me, I have this room and it is air conditioned in this heat, plenty of food, my Traveling Piano Art work, creating live music for online everyday, the ability to stroke people who need support in life as I do... all of what is happening is fodder for more empathy and compassion which I could never get enough of to share with others. I enjoy doing that. It gives purpose for my life. Tomorrow is another day. I went to bed praying for God to help me do what is needed to get through this process and get my truck back in working order. At first I was praying for God to do it for me and then I realized, nope it does not work that way. He will do it with me and help give me direction to do it for myself if I ask... constantly because as as soon as I stop asking I forget he is there to help me.
August 23, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I have come to realize that as a human being, I get to individually choose how I perceive the source of life. This source is where I find the direction in how I want to live life for the paths I choose. I have discovered different perceptions as to the source of life. My perceptions ebb and flow. But, when all is said and done, there is only one real source for me. That, the giver of life an energy, a God of my understanding, the remover of pain and sorrow, creator of the universe, the bestower of happiness, the destroyer of sin. And, I am not the end all of life. I am connected to much more than simply myself. Any other perceived source is an illusion I fall into. What I fall into is often the opposite, the yin and yang, that of fear, the illusion of hell, suffering, chaos and confusion. There are two basic choices for me, faith or fear. The anger and hate I have is nothing but disguised fear.
Desire for control and manipulation in life, this is called creativity for me when enjoyed through gratitude and appreciation, love and joy. My desire for control and manipulation manifests as a negative only when through a perception of need or fear. My feeling of success in life is measured by the effort put into remembering the discovery of my source. Everyday I pray and meditate as much as possible to remind myself of my decision to choose faith and trust in my own personal understanding of life's source. It is in fact a decision. For me choosing that is good, always has been and always will be as negative perceptions always pass. Life is about change whether I want to accept that or not. Remembering to remember all that keeps me from sinking into the depths of despair and destruction. A conscious and ongoing, consistent contact with a power greater than myself is where it is at. When in trouble... run to source spirit manifest because that is all we are. Spirit manifest is a wonderful worldly illusion if we can make friends with that reality.
August 22, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
On Monday the Traveling Piano is leaving the shop no matter what. I told Denise that if it the repair is not finished by Sunday I will pay what is owed (ugh) and I am taking it out of the shop in pieces if necessary. A facebook friend drove me to three repair shops to investigate them so I have three options to get the job done. I joined AAA so I can tow the truck. The cost for towing would be almost as much as an AAA membership which gives me insurance for future towing needs and with what has been going on, I will need that insurance. The stress and anxiety has been horrible over this truck repair. The people I had been developing a friendship, a relationship with, they are neighbors who I must see all the time and them me and... the situation just sucks. My fear of dealing with it all on many levels is excruciating. If they were not nefarious people with addiction issues, etc... the story would not be so bad. Through time as I learned to get to know them I held on hoping for the best. There is no best to be had. They are oblivious to the hell I am going through because they live in that hell for themselves on a constant level and have for most of their lives. They create it for themselves. The one silver lining is in having the finances to cover whatever is needed to get the truck out of the shop thanks to friends who support the Traveling Piano.
August 21, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I have stunning photography that I have been framing to sell. Life will go on. Unfortunately the selling will not be happening at the auto repair shop gallery I had right before the virus closed everything down. The Traveling Piano Art Photo Gallery was short lived at least at that location. The truck is still in there after a month, in pieces needing repair and I must be very careful about it. They failed me. I am going to get screwed big time financially and without a good repair. Getting angry or putting presser on them will only make things worse. One lesson I have yet to learn in life... when I have befriended anyone that has serious defects of character towards other people... I always think they will not dump their pile of shit onto me. But, eventually they always do, it always turns in my direction no matter what. Fucked up people eventaully fuck up everyone. It is not a pick and choose matter. For some reason, I always think that I will be immune. The people at the auto repair shop... they screw each other over, even their own families in serious big ways all the time. Yet, they still stay together. It is a cyclic pattern of dysfunction they all live in without even realizing they create it themselves. I need to just walk away.
August 20, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
So everyday I have been doing a short live stream with musical improvisation. I take Mo for a walk at night once the temperature goes under a hundred... if it goes under a hundred. I spend time uploading Traveling Piano related material online to Facebook. That is very time consuming now since my computer is dying and my browser is no longer compatible for online access. Everything takes three times longer than usual. In September I may not be able to get online. I've been spending a lot of time trying to deal with Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and getting organized to turn everything over to my friend Stephen for if I should die. And then there is the Traveling Piano Photo Art. I've been framing and cataloging prints I've made to sell and get contribution for. I've become lax with the fundraising because of time... it is going so slow.
More fun is needed. Poor Mo is bored to death. Over a thousand people have died here in Las Vegas now and the numbers are rising because... of all the self entitled assholes who need their immediate gratification along with an Im ok, the hell with everyone else, attitude. They are blind to the fact that as more people die, they will be affected economically down the line. The anti-maskers, the I don't care its fake people... are culpable in every death and the are destroying the economy for the future. Please contribute for the Traveling Piano so I can manifest my anger and energy in creating music in neighborhoods that are actually shut down out of responsibility and also so I can help the homeless on the streets. Facebook: Traveling Piano Facebook Fundraiser or GoFundMe: Traveling Piano GoFundMe Fundraiser ...or... Paypal Direct
August 19, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I'm mixing up my days with the online streaming. I've done it every day now for a month and some days have been extremely difficult to make myself do it. But... every time I do it feels good afterwards as well as during. I'm creating music for less than ten minutes a day but still, it is everyday. At least 25 people see it everyday. I must have a consistent commitment in my life. It used to be several commitments as one. Mondays at the field where the homeless get resources, Tuesdays outside of the Salvation Army where a non-profit served dinner, Thursdays and Fridays at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, Sundays once a month at Veterans Village and at least one day a week on the streets, somedays I would do the streets as well as one of the other commitments. All that is gone now with the virus happening. Then it changed to the streets almost everyday and also sharing water and food and other resources by myself with the homeless. Now... I'm just waiting for my truck to get fixed so I can get back to work in maybe some new ways.
August 18, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
We are in a space and time with no map for reality. A ruthless drive exists to make us all to "let go." We are being forced to surrender to what is and that is to succumb to the creation of change. Humanity is going through a lesson. We are learning that we are not in control. It is truly a space for exploration and adventure, a time for new things to happen. This can be beautiful and also not so beautiful. Either way... all is ok. Just keep going with as much acceptance, love and joy as possible. Never give up. Fight and struggle when you must and keep the music alive. Life is all things, ways and thoughts as one. We are all one united in spirit but not in reality. So... run to spirit for the sake of reality. Our spiritual space is a much better place. It is safe and secure. In our spiritual space we will find the solutions needed for reality... ...I keep telling myself.
August 17, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
The ongoing exploration of death for me... I have a spot in a family plot back east in the parish church cemetery where I was raised for my first ten years and looked into that today. Cheap prices... cremation $900, dig the hole $1200, inscribe on the tombstone $600, ship the ashes back costs... if I was to be buried I would have to bay a box and also a cement vault for the box... what a racket. Not going to happen... don't care what happens to my body... I'm going to arrange, maybe do it myself... find a good hard rock and inscribe on it... Danny Kean ... The Traveling Piano Man ... Ambassador of Musical Fun, Friendship and Respect ... The Love's of His Life, Two Pups ... Bo and Mo ... "I Did It My Way" ... Born... July 9, 1955 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA ... Died... Who Knows When. And then I'll just drop that big rock off in the dessert somewhere. Hell, maybe I'll create a viral online craze where people do that for me in different places all over the world! That... be... fun!
August 16, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I am writing my eulogy. Lol, no praise just a goodbye for when I transition. I could leave the earth with everyone wondering what happened but... nah. My friend Cathy who died many years ago and her husband Ed's son Stephen... he has always been "there" for me when needed in life, especially when no one else has been there for me. Stephen will take my archives and the Traveling Piano truck for me and post my goodbye entry for me on this website. Mo will have a good home to go to... am I planning to die? No. I am planning for what to do when and if. I care too much about all my work through the years to let it just disappear. It may after I die who knows and everyone else might die before me. Does this all sound morbid? It is practical. If I had twenty million dollars you can be sure I would take care of that just in case anything happened. Well, my Traveling Piano work and Mo are my twenty million. Mo, by the way is calling to all dog lovers. He wants you to make a contribution now... so that he can continue spreading love into the world with our homeless work on the streets and with music through the Traveling Piano. We live from contributions only. He says, the world needs his love now more than ever. I agree. Do you agree? Please send us a donation. Woof! Woof! Facebook: Traveling Piano Facebook Fundraiser or GoFundMe: Traveling Piano GoFundMe Fundraiser ...or... Paypal Direct
August 14, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Well now, I have found myself in Traveling Piano repair hell. My truck is being held hostage and I am being played for. I'll need to find a reputable place in Las Vegas that will do whatever repairs are needed specifically engine work for a 1987 Toyota pickup. I am not looking for a deal, a hobbyist, or learner. What I need is an expert mechanic who cares about their work, will charge a fair price and who after accepting the truck... will start repairing it and not stop work on it until the job is done. My friend Denise has not been keeping with our agreement. It was to be one week we are now on week three. She was to do the job herself and she has someone else working on it. It is all taken apart and being worked on piecemeal from time to time. Super, dooper, ugh. If it is not done in another week I need to get it out of there whether it is in pieces or not, whether I need to use police or not and I will have to pay her a gouging amount. She tried to get $500 from me today and I said no way. I'm not going to fall for that piece meal payment scam. Its sad. It is what it is. This is where a lot of turning it over to God work comes into play. The serenity prayer to find acceptance, courage and wisdom. Onward...
August 14, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I was walking Mo down the street tonight. I can only do that in the middle of the night because it has been a hundred and twenty degrees in the sun every day. A homeless guy I know asks... where's the water? I said, you need water? And he said, very much. I went home and got him a half gallon from my fridge. After I gave it to him he said, don't go... as he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a good luck piece of paper. It was just a random piece of paper with some scribble on it but that was all he had. Then he pulled out a deck of cards to try and show me a card trick. It was beautiful to see him want to show gratitude in every possible way. It was just a reminder how most people want to have something to give and some will give whatever they have in gratitude for the simplest of gestures. Especially people who are homeless! Help us to keep going, we need your help. Facebook: Traveling Piano Facebook Fundraiser or GoFundMe: Traveling Piano GoFundMe Fundraiser ...or... Paypal Direct
August 13, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I do not see this blog lasting much longer... and I do not know what much longer means. But, I have been thinking how enough time has passed that I can mention some of the more shitty aspects of the journey without people ever knowing I was talking about them in ways not so nice. Most certainly they are not around anyway. So every time I do this I'll write three crazy Traveling Piano Journey experiences that were very uncomfortable. I'm sure I never wrote about them in all these years. I tell them as they come to mind. I once went to stay with someone in a large two story farm house in a neighborhood and the house had many windows with no glass or covers. The place was totally exposed to the outside elements and the woman had a crazy person roaming the place constantly. I could not stay. Another time I stayed with a psychic who held her sister hostage in the cellar. They were both elderly and if the sister was found out of the cellar the keeper would scream at her like she was the devil getting pushed back into hell.
I was not allowed to mention her existence in the house. The woman had a son who was unbelievably verbally abusive to his mother and hostile to me while having no clue to anything about me other than that I was associated with the mother. And the last for today... the truck was packed and I was leaving one place. I went to say goodbye to my hosts. They said I could not leave until I vacuumed my room. I said now was not the time to tell me they wanted to do that with my bags in hand to leave, that I was expected elsewhere and not at all in that frame of mind at all. I should have been told the expectations beforehand. Then they added that I was to do the stairs and every other room in the house also. I said you have got to be kidding, I am not going to clean their house for them as I must leave. How could they expect me to clean rooms I was never in. They were unhappy as I left. We had had a good time, I played music for them, entertained their friends... shared the Traveling Piano etc... I did not owe them anything and the deal was not for them to expect anything from me. Lol... enough for this first go around.
August 12, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
A new record for delay in updating this blog. It has been eight days. It is what it is. And... I have no idea if anyone reads it anymore. So, there is not much incentive except for myself but that should be enough. Mo and I were out walking last night and something happened with his leg. I think genetically he has something wrong with his left front leg. It has been a problem through the years and the same for his paw. He almost could not walk and I thought... how the hell am I going to get him home? He is too heavy to carry and home was about a mile away. We made it. I am staying conscious to the best of my ability to love and enjoy him with out a feeling of lose, doom, the end, etc... He is getting old fast, I see it daily. I wish I could get him out into nature more and where it is not so hot. We are missing the interactions with people. He's getting depressed just sitting in the room with me everyday although I know his primary need/joy is to simply be with me. I'll look forward to getting my truck back out of the shop and going out into an area with some grass and trees with him. I hope he can make a comeback concerning energy and the leg issue is not permanent.
August 11, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
In August of 2011 Mo and I were Traveling Piano-ing it up through Canada and into Alaska! Thank God for having had that life experience and to have been able to share it with my pup! It was absolutely awesome and of course is blogged everyday here in this website. We created music explored in nature and shared the Traveling Piano with people in the Fort St. John and the Laird River areas of British Columbia, Canada. And as well we traveled to Telson Lake, Whitehorse and Dawson City, Yukon Canada and then into Boundary, Chicken, Kenny Lake, Mc Carthy, Kennecott, Fairbanks, Ester, Denali and North Pole Alaska! Please send a contribution to help us continue. We need help especially now with this Corona Virus. You can do it in a variety of ways... Facebook: Traveling Piano Facebook Fundraiser or GoFundMe: Traveling Piano GoFundMe Fundraiser ...or... Paypal Direct
August 10 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I was downright depressed today! The heat at a hundred and ten everyday, the virus, the not having a truck and fear of the cost for repair, the keeping going at my age with the physical limitations, the future, the passing of Mo with his old age, the lack of people interaction, having to inspire myself and motivate myself... what a fucking challenge! Wanting to feel good for everyone to be supportive and helpful... how do I do that? The dilemma has to do with being honest. I want people to know that I am in the same boat with their own personal struggles yet at the same time want them to see that I am trudging on successfully and with spirit in order to be an example.
Lol... I'm just doing the best I can, that is all that can be done, right? I've had some major examples in life of people close to me who have now passed and how they put their best forward for their own sake as well as mine. They did not want me to see them as suffering or looking like shit. My mother comes to mind as well as my best friend Michael and Larry my old neighbor. They lived every moment the best they could until the day they died. I want to be like them and share my best with the world. When I complain and say it as it is... of well, I guess thats my best. As well, I am doing as directed by so many people now passed and also living... "Just Keep Going Danny" ... I am doing that! Depressing moments and days pass... always does, always has.
August 9 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
There was a continuity in my mind when doing this blog up until now. Thats a continuity since 2006. Never a repeat in photos, music, ideas and words. Now I do not know which end is up. I've stopped the daily upload of music. Now it is live stream video but not always on this blog. The pictures are being repeated for obvious reasons. I want this to be all about musical fun, friendship and respect but it is not happening with the Traveling Piano right now. I know there have been periods in the past like this I just can't remember how I handled them. I've always been able to remember up until this year. And... how many times can I talk about working with the homeless? Enough already, lol. Maybe I should begin writing about some of the horrible experiences I've had on this journey? But where is the empowerment and inspiration in that? You know... I have Mo with me. I am enjoying that about life. When I create music for the short while that I do everyday... I really enjoy that. Posting online about this journey and its past... love doing that. Appreciating the space I have to live in and the security in it for whatever that is worth... that is a gratitude that renews itself daily. I have the money to pay for the truck repair, thank God no matter how much I get ripped off. Now to get a piano for the truck once it is repaired...
August 8 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
So the only constant right now is the Facebook Live with a few minutes with music daily. Then I download the videos from facebook and then upload them to You Tube and then also sometimes here. I need to get some traction going with the fundraising to keep on. Time is moving slowly. Sometimes I think about moving on to a new place but what would I do as this journey winds down. Is it winding down? Is it just in a lull? It is amazing to see the world as we know it winding down, at least my world. I know some people are living as normal as usual without the virus in their life as a reality at all. Living in the reality of what is to come for me, the doom and gloom while living in the present moment at the same time to enjoy life and live it to the fullest is tricky to say the least. I guess this is what most people dying go through for just themselves but I am going through it for myself and the entire world at the same time. Mo hangs out with me while raising funds to repair the Traveling Piano truck. If you would like to help I have a few ways you can financially help. Facebook: Traveling Piano Facebook Fundraiser or GoFundMe: Traveling Piano GoFundMe Fundraiser ...or... Paypal Direct
August 6 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
I want to share my personal process today in the Gayatri Mantra. At the core, I want peace of mind. Anger, confusion, frustration, downright hate can dominate. Fear and anxiety can control my spirit. The Gayatri Mantra can help me to not be that way. Peace is where it is at. I must consciously choose that I want peace in and for my life. This is a decision. To get myself to actually spend time with the Gayatri Mantra I make my desire known the day or night before to do it the next day. This helps. I am by nature a habitual person so doing it as much as possible helps me to not have to "try" or push myself. When it is time I just bring myself to the practice without thinking. Just a half hour is good, so is ten minutes. If it is an extremely bad day I run to it and hide like I would in bed under the covers for two hours. This works and I tell myself to just let go of all other concerns, that I am allowed to do that. Screw everything else. Practicing the Gaytri Mantra with music and singing along with Deva's voice helps most.
When starting out, my mind is cluttered with thoughts that do not serve me or the world. As I search for happiness, joy and peace, a way out... God and the universe comes to mind. Humility concerning the source of joy, compassion, forgiveness... the remover of sin, anger and hate, this is the mantra. I remind myself do it with enjoyment, not as a fox hole prayer out of need. Conscious thought of a power greater than myself to steer my mind for me through trust and desire... this brings me to the state of awareness about gratitude and the desire for freedom. Friends who love me and whom I love who have passed come to mind, strangers also. A smile comes across my face. Emotional gratitude then manifests in knowing friends are with me along with many others in a feeling of security, abundance, release, relief and happiness. We spend time together while I focus on the fact that everything is ok. I can relax and am now ready to return into the world to share my spirit with others... for at least five minutes, lol. I'll do it a couple times a day if needed but usually, once is enough.
August 6 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Every day I have been building the Traveling Piano Photo Art Gallery. The process has been taking most of my time. I've had to create a file system to know what I have and do not have... and how much, where it is, what it is, etc... I want to list the process. I have to go through it carefully step by step with every photo or I get very mixed up. The filling system is made in a way where I can find what I need in at least three different ways because I forget completely as soon as I stop for a few days what I was doing and how. So... I take the picture. Then I file it... process it and then file that. Then I backup the file system. Then I put the photos into categories and create the file system for that. I purchase and print the photos as well as the frames and matts, plastic covers and mailers. I hope people will eventually begin to purchase them online.
I must be careful about where and how I store them so I can find them easily. Like... find the one I need out of a storage of two thousand photos? The inventory process and filing is a lot of work. Then I must hand number each photo and as well the matts and sign all the frames. Also the backs of the photos get stamped with contact info. Then it all needs to get assemble while constantly recording the process into the file system. And keeping it all clean and nice is a total challenge. I keep smearing the back stamp and the ink gets on the matts and then transfers to the plastic coating. Sometimes I put the matts on backwards and have to take it all apart to redo the whole piece and then sometimes I mix up the matt numbers up with the photo numbers. I'm sure your getting the insanity that can happen... it is taking all of my concentration. But the end product... awesome!
August 5, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Just for the sake of something different I want to post a joke my friend Dave sent to me. It is a silly joke, a well crafted vintage joke and it just created some light hearted levity for my day. A duck walks…waddles into a pub. Goes up to the bar and says, “Got any bread?” The barman says, “No - we don’t sell bread. Only beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks.” and the duck leaves. The next day, the exact same thing. “Got any bread?” says the duck. “No”, replies the barman, frowning as he remembered the same question from the previous day, “We only sell beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks. No bread.” The duck leaves again. The next day, lo and behold, the very same thing again. “Got any bread?” says the duck? “Listen”, snarls the barman, “we don’t sell bread. We sell beer. We sell wine. We sell spirits and we sell soft drinks. We do not sell bread. If you come in here asking for bread again, I’m going to nail your fucking beak to the bar!” The duck leaves again. One day later, in waddles the duck again. “Got any nails?” he asks. “NO!!!!” shouts the barman. “Got any bread?” the duck asks. Ok, now back to the Traveling Piano. I need your help. Facebook: Traveling Piano Facebook Fundraiser or GoFundMe: Traveling Piano GoFundMe Fundraiser ...or... Paypal Direct
August 4 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Last night when Mo and I were out for our walk I think I pushed myself a little too much in walking. Damm, it was just a slight push but my breathing is more labored as a result today. It does not help that the smoke from the wildfires in California are beginning to drift towards Las Vegas. It is important to be careful because my system is weak. I've not been in nature to exercise and, this little room I am in all the time with fake air (air conditioning) ugh. It is still over a hundred degrees everyday and will be for another month at least. You know... I do not see a future. I see things like... I may not die here. But what does that mean? Does it mean in this room, Las Vegas, the USA? Definitely not seeing myself another year in this place after the lease ends next June. Mo is not with me in the vision. Please God do not let that be a correct vision. Actually, none of that are visions, they are just feelings and thoughts. One of the first things I learned in getting sober 38 years ago was that feelings are not always facts. And, the future for the world beyond next year... the fact is, I know nothing, none of it is up to me. What an opportunity now is, to be learning how to focus best on seeing what I should be seeing... what is right in front of me now... in the present moment... enjoying whatever there is to enjoy in life which is quite a lot! Looking back in time to what I had in the past and wanting that is not a good idea. My past has brought me to now which is the best of all possible worlds as a result. Looking at other peoples lives and seeing them have it "better" than what I have right now is not a good idea. Seeing Mo to enjoy and love, seeing the work I am capable of doing and sharing it with others, seeing the sunlight and creature comforts I have no matter what... creating music in my room even if for only ten minutes a day... and enjoying every detail of life is where it is at.
August 3 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Well, the truck is not repaired...yet. I suspected this would happen when I put it into the shop. There is absolutely no way I can push, pressure or even nudge Denise the mechanic to get a move on with it. With her personality, that will slow the process down even more. It is out of the sun. I waited a month myself before moving on it. I now have the money to pay for it even if she rips me off which I am trusting she will not do, God help us. It is what it is. The days and nights are so hot as it is, I not so gung ho on being out working in this heat. God is in control here, a higher power, the universe, my life in another dimension, lol... whatever. The flow, the ride with awareness as much as possible is where I need to be and stay and practice on living with. The concept of time fades more everyday as does the speed with which I can get things done. Please make a contribution to help keep the Traveling Piano going... on Facebook: Traveling Piano Facebook Fundraiser or GoFundMe: Traveling Piano GoFundMe Fundraiser ...or... Paypal Direct
August 2, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Doing a Facebook Live every night is a good thing. It is something that is consistent. I've always wanted to do this anyway. The video quality is poor and there is little "show" but it lets me be intimate with who I am. That is aside from it being the best I can do. I created a unique live piece of music everyday for this website since the start in 2006 until this year. Now that has graduated to live video. These videos are all on Facebook and Youtube a few are on tis website in the blogs. I get about 25 views a day on Facebook and about 2 on Youtube. LOL, I don't have the time to promote anything and to get people's attention. The best I can do is just throw it all out into the world. As my mission states and always has, just one person is enough. The videos are not the television show I wanted but nothing I have ever done has been "show" quality since the professional part of my work ended. And, I have always overshot my goals. They all have been achieved just not in the vision I have had, that of over the top. Although, my achievements have all been "over the top" in their own ways. There are aspects of professional sensibility with my musical presentation but it has always been more about intimacy and showing for others, that they can simply share for themselves, their own... "it is what it is."
August 1 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
It has been a somewhat fulfilling to get back on track in working with the Traveling Piano Art Photo gallery. I have the supplies I had purchased to frame four by six inch photos for five by seven inch frames. Specializing in miniatures is the way to go because I processed everything for the web at that size. I have the original raw prints to re-process into larger sizes. I'll do that in the next life. Ain't gonna happen in this life. I do want to get as many photos into the world as possible. To have them manifested into physical reality is better than just online so that people can hold and enjoy them and hang them on their walls for inspiration via the love of nature. If needed, I will just give them away as I have done with most everything else in the past. The original promo Raggin' Piano Boogie popup cards wow, I wonder how many of those 5000 are still out in the world from 1987. They were so awesome. As well the thousands of Raggin' Piano Boogie posters, cassettes and cd's over the years. Selling the Art Photos online for $25 bucks a pop is going to be a challenge.
The credibility of being paid as a photographer is not only fun, it makes me credible as a pro with photography. That is a fun feeling for me. As an artist, I already know I am an artist as a photographer. I may also put them into stores that refuse to close for the virus on consignment. They all will eventually go out of business (as well they deserve it) but still, the photos will be out there in the world, especially if I die. I'll figure something out. Most people do not realize that the economies total destruction will be from business and those people leaning into fear and the need for immediate self-gratification verses guaranteeing for a few months. They are the one's sowing the seeds of havoc to come. So, for those reading this blog that do not know. I had opened up a Photo Art Gallery in the Arts District of Las Vegas on the Main street in the most perfect of spots with the Traveling Piano parked outside... had signs, displays and everything set and then... the virus happened.