Letter to Julia 20130327

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi Julia.  How are you, luv?  I went to the dentist yesterday.  Did you know?  It was a minor filling: one of my back teeth is longer than the rest.  The dentist was more interested in that major filling I got 4 weeks ago.  It almost seemed like... politics.  Anyway, I got the impression that they didn't want to work on my teeth unless I'm in pain.  Private dentists don't give me that attitude.  But I guess I get what I pay for. 

I suppose I'm not completely free of cronyism.  The mysterious piano player and his sister have been part of Shadowplay history for many decades already.  But he really is a darned good pianist.  And I often eat at my brother's restaurant, but that doesn't mean I would have him play lead guitar in my band.  I've always tried to keep Shadowplay made of the best musicians possible, but it didn't always work out that way.  Then being alone and forced to do everything myself changed everything.  MashaAllah, I became better at guitar, bass, drums, singing, and production.  But I didn't want to be ostracized.  Apart from the lynch mobs, I guess I could have been more political.  But I'm a musician, not a politician.

But even old friends like the mysterious piano player and his sister are stuck in their own lives and circumstances, that they can allow no room for themselves in the massiveness mashaAllah that is Shadowplay.  I can't even talk to them regularly.  Again, the person I speak with most is.... you.