Gimghoul Castle and its History's Mysteries

     The yellow caution sign dangles from one of the oak trees lining the entrance to Gimghoul Castle.

     It is unclear upon arrival whether the mangled teddy bear by the door lost its eyes to a playful family dog or a satanic ritual. The only indication of modernity is the royal blue tarp covering a corner of the castle.

     The stone-walled dwelling marks the end of Gimghoul Road, part of a subdivision less than 2 from UNC campus.

     Once the Scooby Doo-esque sense of foreboding begins to wane, the natural beauty of the place sets in. The flowering cherry blossoms surrounding the 2-acre area juxtapose the legend of death, secrecy and unrequited love for which the castle is infamous.

A Dogwood tree blooms in front of the castle's
lookout.

     Laurie Beth Harris, a sophomore Southern Studies major, stopped by the area on a walk around campus with some friends. She said her visit to the castle was prompted by personal intrigue.

     "I wanted to go because I heard someone died there," she said. Harris said that although her sense of foreboding upon approaching the castle proved unfounded, she might have had better luck after sunset.

ONCE UPON A TIME: The birth of a lore

     The seemingly out-of-place landmark has a haunted and muddled past.

     Its history begins in  19th century. According to legend, former UNC undergraduate Peter Dromgoole entered the school in 1831.

     While in school, Dromgoole met and fell in love with a young woman known only today as Ms. Fanny. It is said that Dromgoole and Fanny spent most of their courtship exploring the wooded hill where the castle now sits, Piney Prospect.

     Their star-crossed love ended in tragedy when a jealous suitor challenged Dromgoole to a duel in the hopes of winning Fanny's love. Dromgooole, who legend dubs "a great lover but a poor marksman," was shot, killed and laid to rest in the plot of land where his love first flourished — or so the story goes.

     According to a report from the UNC University Library, five UNC students decided to form an exclusive secret society in 1889. The students -- Edward Wray Martin, William W. Davies, Shepard Bryan, Andrew Henry Patterson, and Robert Worth Bingham -- eventually decided that forming a society for the sake of having one was not sufficient.

     When they heard politics professor Dr. Kemp Battle tell his class about the legend of Peter Dromgoole, they found their ticket to legitimacy, or at least a cloak of it.

     The society went through a series of name changes; Dromgool evolved to Gimghoul. One member said the reason for the change was to "accord with midnight and graves and weirdness."

A sparsely wooded area shields the fraternity
from unwelcome tourists.

CITY PARK TO CITADEL

     The story behind the Orders' acquisition of the land upon which their headquarters was built is a tale of its own merit.

     According to "Order of Gimghoul of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records," in 1915 a land company from Durham showed an interest in purchasing what UNC students now know as Battle Park.

     This did not sit well with the Order for which the land represented the resting place of their namesake; legend has it that somewhere in Battle Park is where Peter Dromgoole was murdered.

To preserve the sacred land, each member pitched in $50 and made a counteroffer to the University, ultimately winning the treasured estate.

     Eight years later, the Order decided to parcel up the land: one third of the lot sold as a residential area, one third sold back to the University to be maintained as a campus park, and one third was kept by the group. It was on this final third of land that the Order built their fortress, adding a unique and unnerving landmark to the college town.

     According to the Gimghoul Records, Nathaniel Cortlandt Curtis, an architect and Gimghoul alumnus, drafted the castle’s blueprint in 1924. After enlisting the help of stone masons from Valdese, NC, to provide the castle walls, by 1926, the Order’s fortress was complete.

     The records state that the Order’s and the castle’s upkeep was under control of one Gimghoul alumnus after another — each of them caring for the place until their death. The most recent of these custodians was George Watts Hill, who contributed much of his own money to the welfare of the castle until his death in 1993.

     According to the association's records, the castle and its neighboring suburb was deemed a historic district in 1993. Since then, the land has been owned by the Gimghoul Corporation and is leased out to the Active Order on a yearly basis.

UPHOLDING THE TRADITION

     Today, the Order's existence, although the details are murky to the general public, is said to be similar to that of a typical fraternity — with one major exception.

     "I'm not a Gimghoulian," said Aaron Moore, a UNC junior, "but if I was, you wouldn't know."

     "From what I've heard, they're pretty much a secret fraternity now. They don't invite very many in, and those they do invite are sworn to secrecy," he said. Moore said he has heard the list of members is only released 50 years after they are inducted so the society maintains its mystery.

A view of Gimghoul Castle not visible from the road. Behind
the manor, more than an acre of land is covered with
winter's foliage.

     The structure's recent history is vague at best. But the campus grapevine wraps around the story that the Order still holds a dedicated membership. Or, at the very least, there is usually one or two cars parked in the driveway.

     "When I went, a blue CR-V there and a silver sedan were parked there," said Todd Lewis, a drama major. "I stood on the back porch and looked through a window to try and get a view of the inside. But I couldn't see anything."

     But he said the red Solo cups he found behind the castle helps develop the Order's image as a modern fraternity in his mind. Lewis said the only invitation he would accept from the Order would be to a house-party they were holding. But, as of now, it doesn't seem like the secret society will be hosting many social gatherings open to outsiders.

     Upon arriving at the castle's entry, a baby's cry could be faintly heard from the other side of the door. After repeated knocks without answer, the door came ajar and something black and shiny protruded from with it. The large dog began to bark for back up.

     A shirtless man in his thirties came to the door with a toddler in his arms. "We don't do interviews," he said, peeking through the crack between the door and its frame. "This is private property," he said in response to a reporter's plea.

     "We don't do interviews," he repeated and shut the door. The last audible sound coming from inside the castle was the metallic creak of a heavy lock sliding shut.

S I D E  B A R

Mentioned Gimghoul Alumni Worth Noting

• The surname Watts Hill may sound familiar to current and former UNC students. He is the UNC alumni center’s namesake. According to UNC-Greensboro’s University Library collection, Watts Hill played an integral part in the desegregation and socioeconomic development Durham, UNC and North Carolina as a whole.He was also influential in the removal of the UNC-system Speaker Ban Law, which forbade anyone advocating the Communist Party to speak on campus. Another of his philanthropic ventures produced The Hill Center, a K-12 school designed to help individuals with learning disablilites.

• Nathaniel Cortlandt Curtis, Jr. was half of a two-man architecture firm, Curtis and Davis Architects. KnowLA, the encyclopedia of all things Louisiana, states that the firm designed close to 400 buildings on four continents and received approximately 100 design awards. The most well-known project emblazoned with the Curtis and Davis seal is the Superdome— the largest fixed domed structure in the world. In 2005, the Superdome was essential to the survival of the thousands of people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

• Robert Worth Bingham, one of the Order’s founding fathers, didn’t actually graduate from UNC. After he helped established the society, he moved to the University of Louisiana where he received a law degree. His occupations have included politician, journalist and judge. Bingham’s legacy is more expansive than one might suspect. He inspired the 1997 book “Robert Worth Bingham and the Southern Mystique” and he married Mary Lily Flagler, the widow of UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School’s benefactor.

Look ma, both hands!

Today I caved.

"Alfred's Basic Piano Library: Ages 5-8+" is in my book bag right now.

So far I've successfully played the first four measures of a children's song. And I'm pretty impressed with it.

How I look playing my first song.
(Photo credit: pianoandsyth.com)

How I feel playing my first song.
(Photo credit: peninsulareviews.com)

This is the easiest, but definitely not the best, technique I have found for reading sheet music...without actually knowing how to read sheet music: 

• Use FACE to count up the spaces of a treble clef and Every Good Boy Does Fine to count up the lines.
• Find the corresponding note on the piano: CDEFGAB (the C is the white key just to the left of a group of two black keys)
• From now until the time I am confident about where each note is written, I use relativity to help me play faster. E.g. if a note is one step down from the note before, I play the note directly to the left of the first one. If it is two steps down, I play two notes away, etc.

This method is the easy way out of learning the notes. It is not recommended, since really learning them can help you in the long run. But until then, I have found this to be a quicker way of just jumping into the melody without having to stop and recite a mnemonic device before playing each note. 

Scattered Fingerprints

Since I've picked up keyboard, my workload has followed suit. Being a college student while also being lazy is pretty much a full time job. And learning a new instrument is at least a part-time occupation.

Here are a few techniques to keep me practicing that are worth sharing:

• Work it into the routine you already have.

For example, make it a habit to practice for at least 20 minutes before you hop in shower. That way, you'll have a (hopefully) regular time set aside to play. It's probably best to schedule it before doing something you enjoy so you can establish a reward system.

• Listen differently.

Since attempting to playing music, I have come to realize that there is one key step missing in my formula to composition. Listening.

Before setting my fingertips on the plastic Yamaha, I used music as a vessel for voice, for singing. I would mindlessly sing along with catchy tunes played continuously on the radio.

After beginning to play, I have learned to try and isolate the melody and identify what exactly I like about the tune. Then I try to discern the ways in which the rest of the song complements it (rhythm, bass-line, lyrics, etc.). With this added layer of attention given to the music, I can appreciate songs more fully while trying to apply the scales and intervals I am practicing at home. Which leads me directly to:

• Play what you enjoy.

Although I have attempted to master the basics of fundamental music theory, my fingers and I still have a long way to go before they can erupt into anything pleasant-sounding. To ward off discouragement and future frown-lines, I have started to practice "playing by ear."

After I can pinpoint the specific sounds I enjoy and the approximate distances between the tones well enough to hear it in my head, I translate that with my fingers.

After familiarizing yourself with the basic tune, the tempo and dynamics come more naturally. Plus, if it's something you like hearing in the first place, replicating it will be an electrifying experience.

Albeit I am nowhere close to being the virtuoso I had hoped to have transformed into by now, using these few guidelines has helped me to develop a routine of at least sitting in front of the checkered row every few days.

UNC's Shani Watson Makes History

The commotion coming from Swain Studio 6 could be heard from a few yards away.

Inside, the room was teeming with personality.

The cast of Shani Watson’s first production conversed affably behind her.

“We’re OK with black here,” Watson said, disarming the looming threat of tension.

“When you’re addressing topics like racism, you have to get past the awkwardness.”

Watson is an archetype of sorts.

She organized and lead Thomas A. Edison High School's first assembly showcasing various performance groups from around the school.  This year at UNC she's breaking new ground once again.

Shani Watson
Photo by Josh Clinard

With her production, “Imitation of Life” — which opened Thursday — Watson has become the first black female undergraduate to adapt, produce and direct a play at UNC.

The UNC senior said she was first introduced to the 1934 film because it was her mother's favorite. The show focuses on the coming-of-age experience of Sarah Jane, a light-skinned black girl, and her struggle to define an identity for herself.

Watson said this is her first venture into creative writing. But since the story's message was so meaningful to her life, she decided to take on the challenge.

"The themes in it were definitely pertinent to my life," Watson said.

"The common misperception that black isn't beautiful is constantly portrayed in the film," she said.

"Growing up in a world where I was constantly bombarded with the notion that black is inferior definitely impacted my life. It had a negative influence on how I perceived myself."

As the play's plot progresses, Sarah Jane and her best friend, who is white, learn about the societal implications of race.

Watson said one particularly poignant scene is what got the project started.

"I started writing the script in the middle of the play with a scene I had a big connection with--The Nigger Scene," she said. "It spoke to me because I was called 'Oreo' growing up."

"When I was younger, I was really light-skinned, so I had to decide if I was going to act mixed or black," Watson said. "There's racism within the black community."

Watson said she is aware of the potential offense the scene might arouse in some viewers but that the scene's purpose is to enlighten.

Watson's partner in bringing "Imitation of Life" to the stage was her assistant director and fellow undergrad Kallie Wray. The two met at UNC their sophomore year. Watson is quick to acknowledge that without Wray's help, putting together the production would not have been possible.

Wray, who is white, said her pairing with Watson helped the cast become comfortable addressing the topic of racial identity, a theme predominant throughout the play.

Wray said her presence was of asset in rehearsing the scene in which the girls learn the meaning of "nigger."

"It was so hard getting the cast comfortable with saying 'nigger' on stage, but the way they say it is really important to the play," said Wray.

"Coming at it from a white-and-black approach definitely helped to set them at ease."

Izzy Francke, a sophomore at UNC and an actor in the show, said she has been impressed with Watson’s work ethic. Francke, who is white, will play the role of Sarah Jane.

Francke said that Watson played an important part in developing her performance as Sarah Jane — especially since Francke and her character are of different races.

“It’s extremely daunting to play this role, but Shani is really good at helping me understand Sarah Jane’s dilemma,” she said.

“Being in college, a lot of us are confused about our identity and who we are.”

But she said bridging the gap between being a white person and playing a black one is still a challenge.

“Shani’s direction helps me feed the right energy into the character,” she said.

Although she is grateful to be able to use the play as a platform to address and heal social issues, Watson said she wouldn't do it again.

"I never wanted to write a play, I wish the play had been written and I was the director. I think I'm a good writer, I just don’t enjoy the process," said Watson. She said has revised the script completely 11 times.

"I don't think writing's my forte, I'd rather be directing."

But Watson said finding her passion didn't come easily. She originally came to UNC planning to major in biology/premed. Knowing she wanted to be a pediatrician so she could work with children, she took a drama class that changed her mind.

"I took Paul Ferguson's  class, Performance of Children's Literature and learned I loved performing," Watson said.

She changed her major to communications after discovering she could incorporate her love of children with her love of performance.

Paul Ferguson, a performance studies professor at UNC and a production advisor to the show, holds his former student in high esteem.

"Shani is one of the smartest, most organized, committed and talented students I've worked with since being at Carolina," he said.

Ferguson said it should be a testament to Watson that he is taking time off his leave to help oversee "Imitation of Life."

Not only is Watson using the play to "educate through performance," but it will also serve as her honors thesis project.

"I was going to research and write a paper, but that wasn't going to do anything to benefit the community or myself," Watson said, "I wanted to do something that had a greater impact than a paper that would be put away somewhere that no one would  see it."

Watson said the greatest reward of the job of producing the performance is being able to get her story out into the society and giving back to communities. Tickets to the show are free but donations are accepted. Watson said she will give the donations to charities whose missions are in alignment with the play's themes.

"Local ones, not big names," Watson added, "They always get the money."

Despite some setbacks early in the production process, Watson said pushing through to the end was worth it.

“The greatest reward for me is being able to get my story out and into society.”

The play will be performed Feb. 23-25 at 7 pm, and on Feb. 26 at 2pm and 7 p.m., in Swain Hall, Studio Six. Tickets are free and will be distributed through the UNC Memorial Box Office.

Ocean by John Butler Trio

You may have noticed M.I.A. flipping you off in the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. Maybe you caught wind of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's wife cussing out Giants fans after the event.

One Super Bowl Sunday controversy you might not have picked up on is the one surrounding Oikos Yogurt, John Stamos and John Butler, as seen in the following commercial.

If you have heard Butler's 2003 song "Zebra," the commercial's backing ditty might sound somewhat familiar. The 36-year-old Australian musician is currently seeking legal advice over possible plagiarism of the tune.

Butler, who started his music career busking on the streets of Australia, is the singer/songwriter of the jam band John Butler Trio. Although his music has gotten some recognition in the U.S., it deserves more.

In his instrumental "Ocean," Butler says what our hearts cannot in a 12-minute flurry of skillful guitar picking.

The first minute of the song is similar to an  overture, introducing the sounds to come. Since the song is somewhat improvised each time it is played, the opening segment probably also serves as Butler's warm up.

Near the 1:25 mark, the core of the piece begins to show as the melody of the song develops and gives the listener something they are able to follow and predict. The piece's moderate tempo and mellow sound established thus far continues for another 4 minutes into the piece.

Around the middle of the song, the pace suddenly abandons its former tranquility and quickens to a more intensely played tempest of finger-picking. Butler keeps the melody uplifting by playing high-pitched tones—never wandering far from the frets closest to the body of the guitar.

The most intriguing quality of the piece is the fullness of the sound coming from one man and his instrument.

The song exudes vibrancy as Butler forms a progression from the adagio tempo in which the tune begins until the eventual crescendo at the song’s finale.

Towards the end of the number, he strays from the fundamental riff that has been established thus far, to play what can only be described as a “solo.” In this cadenza, he manages to keep the melody lucid while adding a section even more dynamic and brisk than anything heard in the song previously. Butler returns to the lulling riff from the intro before letting the sound fade out.

The title “Ocean” could allude to the rhythmic, wave-like melody repeated throughout the song—perhaps inspired by the landscape of the island on which he wrote. The song was composed by Butler while he was busking, or street-performing for income, in Australia.

While his ability to create a melody, supporting harmony and rhythm using only his body and his 11-string guitar is undeniably impressive, his real talent comes from his ability to communicate.

Most musicians can agree that making "sad" poignant in music is no easy task, it is a much easier emotion to convey instrumentally than its cheerful counterpart. (See Adele.) 

Butler is able to produce an empowering and beautiful melody without relying on the readily available crutch of reminding listeners of their impending death. His music speaks the language of the soul, and his song tells it to keep its chin up.

Be sure to check out this shortened version of "Ocean":

Reviewing Reviewers

So meta.

Although there is not a particular reviewer I can point to, the Rolling Stone is definitely in my top tier publication-wise.

Their appreciation of classic rock paired with their ability to discern inspired talent from the rest, across a multitude of genres, gives them their edge. It's refreshing to hear what current music Hendrix fans are listening to, because Dad won't give Eminem a chance.

But it's not just their ability to untangle the good from the popular that is commendable, it's their proficiency at honing in on what exactly makes the good good.

Take, for example, their examination of the catchiness of the Black Keys' newest release:

The single "Lonely Boy" works the same way, launched on a gnarly, looped guitar riff whose last note slides down like a turntable that someone keeps stopping. Then a sugar-crusted keyboard comes in, along with what sounds like a boy-girl chorus, changing the swampy chug into a seductive singalong.

The level of scrutiny applied here is strict, to say the least.

The Rolling Stone boasts the aptitude of pinpointing exactly what's happening in a song, for better or for worse. It's the attention to detail and the apparent thought behind the critique that makes them worth the $12.99 subscription.

Finder's Keepers...

UNC cafeteria workers and campus custodians surround the door to Room 3203, eager to get in.

"Do you still have that iPod from last September?" one of them asks. "I know it's in there because I'm the one who turned it in."

That was one year ago. And yes, they still had the iPod.

The UNC service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, hosts the Lost and Found Sale every semester. This year, APO is holding the free event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in  Room 3203 of the Student Union.

The lost and found desk is located at the bottom of the union, where the bowling alley was once lodged. APO volunteers man the desk every day of the week.

The fraternity sells the collection of items that have been turned in to the campus lost and found the previous semester if attempts to return the items to their owner have been unsuccessful. 

"We get about 10 to 15 items in each day," said Thomas Ferguson, APO's Lost and Found chair. "We log the items in a spreadsheet so if someone contacts us about losing something, we know immediately whether we have it or not."

Last year, the fraternity made hundreds from the sale. The profit from the sale goes into their Campus Chest fund, a cache the fraternity adds to over the semester. The money is then doled out to various charities in the community.

Ferguson said the usual inventory consists of water bottles, sunglasses, textbooks, jewelry, keys (which are not sold), clothes and assorted electronics.

So come out and sort through strangers' forgotten stuff. You never know what you might find — literally.

Week One

Thus far in my journey into piano composition I:

-got a piano teacher, albeit on YouTube

-learned where each key is on the keyboard

-thought of names for said keyboard

-decided on Ken Kesey

-learned how to draw a treble clef

-made flashcards for half of the notes on a staff

-learned the intro to an Adele song

-mastered the thumb-leap technique

-played the gamelan

The last bullet didn't actually have to do with piano. But it has to do with music.

This is a gamelan. It is a type of Indonesian orchestra. Most instruments included in the ensemble are idiophones, meaning their sound rings out from the vibrational resonance after being struck.  The only exception is the membranophone seen above. Basically a drum, it produces sound from being struck on its membranous covering--which is a disgusting way of saying "top."

The xylophone-like  instrument I first played taught me about notes and scales. The "saron" had 7 plates available for  hitting, but instead of the 7-note C-scale I was used to seeing on the keyboard, it consisted of the notes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, and 2. The second 1 and 2 are an octave above the first couple of notes.

Playing with the gamelan provided me with some much-needed practice in rhythm and beats. With the keyboard, like any other instrument, it's not just finger placement and melody-memorizing that makes a piece worth listening to. The pulse of the song must be regular and steady. In my case, this requires a silent but constant "one-two-three-four" to be playing  in my head while I strike the keys.

After mallet-ing the xylophone for a few verses, I moved on to the "bonang," seen at the foreground in the picture above. Their sound is generally used to accent the melody produced by the sarons. By experimenting with the bonangs, I was able to hit them on the rhythm's "off-beat," or in the period of time left silent between sounds. This embellishment of the rhythm gave the song a more dynamic feel.

Hopefully, I will be able to translate the rhythmic timing I felt in the gamelan room back to my bedroom in my apartment with the keyboard sitting in front of me expectantly. I'll keep you posted...

Sites Deserving of a Shout Out

Zen Habits
 The first place I went searching for a New Years Resolution this year was Zen Habits. Hailed by Time Magazine as the #1 blog of 2010, this how-to blog is dedicated to helping people make the least out of life. Author Leo Babauta's message is one of simplicity--do more by having less. The wisdom he dispenses ranges from "Recipe for a Flat Stomach" to, most recently, "Learning to Sit Alone, in a Quiet Empty Room." Although some of his counsel seems counterintuitive, such as striving to be goal-free, his posts address the audience's probable resistance and provides a rationally-sound explanation of his way of thinking.

Instructables
Recommended to me from my best anti-mass-production friend Taylor, Instructables is a DIY website. From chicken pot pie recipes to "How to make and use the arduino as an ISP for an ATtiny 45/85," Instructables has got it all.

LIFE

For days when literacy seems too tedious, Life Magazine has a relatively comprehensive collection of photos from around the world. The photos are updated daily and has many other interesting slideshows (i.e. Writer and Musician Suicides, Dr. Seuss: A Tribute, etc.).

Hyperbole and a Half
Hyperbole and a Half is the humorous diary blog of Allie Brosh. Simply put, I like her style. Some posts straddle the line between genuinely funny and over-reaching, but for the most part, our senses of humor play nicely together. I also appreciate her use of MS Paint images to complement the posts.

StumbleUpon
I have a love/hate relationship with Stumbleupon. It is an amazing tool for exposing yourself to a plethora of information about your interests. However, it's basically the internet version of T.V. I can be entertained for hours without much to show for it. Although it's a chance to learn more about what you love, the STUMBLE button at the top of the page is like kryptonite for my short attention span. I am constantly surfing the pages for something better, or more interesting. That being said, it remains one of the best methods of broadening your horizons on the web without too much fear of being bludgeoned with viruses.

Overture

ABOUT ME:

My name is Faith. I'm a 21-year-old reporting major/creative writing minor. I'd also consider myself a Holocaust minor, but UNC probably wouldn’t.

After a nasty divorce fragmented my home-life, my older sister and I were raised in Salisbury, NC, by our single mother. I went to a Catholic school until seventh grade when our tuition money ran dry.  I switched to a public school. After learning how to use a combination lock and several four letter words, I was well-adjusted.

In high school, I was a co-anchor for the morning news, a proud member of chess club and was elected student body president my senior year.

Now days, when I'm not procrastinating by making lists of things I'd rather be doing than homework, I can be found: reading metaphysical  books I've promised high school teachers I would get to eventually, dumping ingredients into a crock pot, writing for pleasure, writing for the DTH, writing for class, or attempting to think philosophically.

ABOUT THE BLOG:

Thirteen years ago, I stared at the thick mustache of the man sitting beside me in my basement. On a weekly basis. As we sat on the miniscule piano bench, he corrected my hand position on the keys. I wondered what he would sound like with a French accent.

As a chronic day-dreamer in my youth, my mind tended to sort out any useless information, like the order of the months, how to read an analog clock, which direction is left, and why exactly Every Good Boy Does Fine.

I wasn't particularly bad at piano, I learned what I needed to know to pull off a modest din at recital--and not much else. When my mustached mentor became too expensive, I was left on my own with the piano in the basement. Which means it sat untouched, collecting dust for the next decade or so.

Since those days, I've always considered music a language I can comprehend but not speak. When I listen to instrumentals, my soul becomes an eavesdropping mute, taking in the musician's sentiments but unable to articulate anything in response.

Eventually, 'learn an instrument' kept ascending the queue of my bucket list and the guilt of not acting towards it began to grow. My best friend, a guitar virtuoso and maven of all things musical, didn't mind augmenting the guilt in hopes of finding someone to play with.

I casually began surfing Craigslist, looking for a keyboard under $50. After a few rejection emails, winter break came into view and the search was abandoned. After making the trip home for December, I spent most of my time helping Mom box up her belongings to move to a smaller place a few roads away.

One fateful afternoon of moving ended my Craigslist scanning for good. Up against the new house's garage wall leaned a dingy keyboard left by the last inhabitants. The landlord happened to be at the house when I saw the dismal instrument. Luckily, he honored my call of "dibs."

So now there's no excuse. I'm going to learn on my own, or possibly with the help of a few friends, how to make music, the language of the world. The purpose of this blog is to document my progress as well as hold me accountable for following through with this project.