Archive | Work-Life

If You Won’t Practice, Don’t Bother Learning

As I mentioned in my previous post, “practice makes perfect,” my childhood piano teacher, Corella Johnson, insisted that all her piano and organ students practice their instrument(s) at least 30 minutes a day. The first thing she did at every lesson was ask her students to play the piece of music they were learning, so […]

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Childhood music lessons didn’t work well for me.  I tried guitar and piano but found I’d much rather go fishing or tromp through the woods than hone those skills.  Perhaps it was also because my early music lessons focused too much on fundamentals, rather than playing a song, these music experiences were not attractive to […]

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Hallowed Ground at Modern Music

By the time I started taking weekly bass guitar lessons at Modern Music, it was anything but modern. Having opened for business in 1970, it was well past its prime by the time I started going there in 2003. Modern Music sold new and used guitars (it was a Fender retailer), amplifiers, PA systems, sheet […]

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It is amazing to think of all that Melissa and I have learned based on the decision I made to get her a bass guitar.  It was time for her to do what she’d always told me she regretted not being able to do when she was a teen.  Modern Music has been one of […]

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The Hang

When my first bass guitar teacher, Doug, decided to teach bass and guitar lessons from a music store in Fort Lauderdale called Modern Music, it was the third location where I went for my lessons. The first place was Mars Music, a large and impersonal music store that went out of business a couple years […]

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Melissa tried to explain the hang to me when she first started observing it but it was difficult for me to comprehend.  The more she told me, the more it reminded me of the 2000 movie High Fidelity staring John Cusack, which involved people doing the hang in a record store.  But, it still seemed […]

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A Friend I Never Thought I’d Have

David reminded me of something recently when we spent the day at the home of our friend, Diana. David remarked that it had been a “musical weekend” because we went to a performance of the band in which one of my friends plays guitar, followed the next day by our visit with Diana, followed the […]

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I feel like I’m always 1 step removed from the musician friends Melissa has made since picking up the bass.  Most of what I knew for a long time was 2nd hand – her experiences.  But, because I enjoy seeing and hearing live music, I enjoyed going to hear these guys play out.  I remember […]

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Musical Friends

I have been a musician since 1964, when I began playing the piano, and following that, the organ. I learned a lot about music from my wonderful teacher and friend, Corella Johnson. Although Corella was an adult, who was married with children, she and I became close friends over the 12 years I took piano […]

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I had no way to anticipate what would happen when I went shopping for a bass guitar and accessories to give to Melissa.  All I knew was that she’d been interested in playing bass for quite a while and it was time to give her that chance.  I figured, and as it turns out, I […]

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Nothing To Do Except Write a Book

With Magnus’ long term business downturn related to the pandemic and its hugely negative impact on the court system in the U.S.A., I have found myself with little work to do. Although David is busy trying to find new clients and cases, handling routine administrative duties, and operating our business, my job consists primarily of […]

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Melissa stayed home recently to get a few things done, work and otherwise. I had little idea what she was planning to do that day so, when I asked what she’d been up to that evening, I smiled when she responded that she’d been planning her latest book.  Not many people can say that, but […]

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Try it – once

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 11, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, RoadWarrior, Travel, Work-Life

How does one know if he/she will like something absent trying it, at least once? This isn’t limited to trying new and/or unfamiliar foods, however, that is certainly one area in which people with varying personality types differ greatly. Some people are risk adverse, while others are open to taking risks, to some degree or […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 11, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, RoadWarrior, Travel, Work-Life

Perhaps it is because Melissa and I share the “try it” attitude that we are generally compatible.  I am more adventurous than she is in some ways – I like SCUBA diving for example, though I haven’t been underwater like that in some time.  For me, the mold was broken when I accepted the opportunity […]

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Get Back

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 4, 2022

Category: Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Work-Life

“Get Back” is the name The Beatles wanted as the title of their second to last album, however, the album ended up being called “Let It Be.” (As many people know, the “Let It Be” album was the final studio album released by The Beatles, however, it was recorded prior to “Abbey Road,” which was […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 4, 2022

Category: Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Work-Life

I had not seen Melissa as excited about anything as she was anticipating and then watching Get Back.  Well, that is since going to Abbey Road Studios and Liverpool a couple years ago that is!  Anyway, it was fascinating to observe how this televised event played out.  As changes were made in the movie production, […]

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Champagne on 1st

David and I celebrate life. If we look around, there is something to celebrate every day. One event David and I have always celebrated is our anniversary. We were married on New Year’s Day, January 1. We selected January 1 because it is a holiday and, therefore, we would never have to work on our […]

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The sound of the pop of a cork always brings a smile to our faces.  Opening our many bottles of champagne (or non-French “sparkling wine”) has made me pretty good at it.  I have only had a cork fly away 1 or 2 times in all these years.  We try to keep well stocked so […]

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Being Rich

Two recent things prompted me to write this post. This post is mostly about the first of these, the loss of a long time friend of over 40 years named Vince. COVID cut his rich life short. The second thing was a conversation I had with another friend who is rich – financially. These things […]

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Characterizing someone as rich only because he or she has a lot of money misses the point, in my opinion.  My mom used to describe herself as “rich” because to her, she was rich as a child of God while she lived her life on Earth awaiting her heavenly home with streets paved of gold.  […]

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