I think the secret is out now; if any of you happened to get a copy of the latest issue (#2) of the MBM Times we were handing out at the Manhattan Beach Music booth at Midwest, you may have flipped to the back cover to see a cool promo for my latest work, Turkey in the Straw. It’s been in the works for some time now, but I keep coming back to it and deleting and deleting and rewriting and rewriting. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much trouble with what otherwise might be just a fun and jovial piece. I’m sure we all know the melody (I know it too well) so how do I go about making this short, 4 or 5 minute dance be even the least bit original? How do I write it and not be cliche? Predictable? How do I write it and not go overboard and make it too hard for 8th and 9th graders to play? How do I do all of this and still make it fun? These are only some of the questions that have been pecking my brain the past several weeks. But maybe I’m trying too hard–trying too hard to make this “mine”–perhaps in worrying so much over whether or not this will be my next “great” work I’ve forgotton how to just make it a “fun” work. I don’t know. These turkeys are getting to my head. I’m hearing voices and those voices are saying, “Gobble, gobble.” Oh God, I’m losing it.