#TBT: February 2001

I was on the academic climb, and being published in refereed journals was a primary aim. Over the period of a couple of years, I had numerous reviews published in the Choral Journal, the peer-reviewed publication of the American Choral Directors Association. While I did have one article published, most of my contributions were invited

11 hours

In the midst of 11 hours of on-line Zoom and FaceTime activities yesterday, two great happinesses occurred. 1. Willis White. My once-upon-a-time student, now a successful singer/attorney/producer/actor, joined my music-directing students for a talk. 2. DenDen. He turned 14. Nelson and I got some Zoom time with the whole family.

White House

Book #4 of the Year: The Residence. A reporter interviews former First Ladies, White House political and administrative staff, and most importantly White House residence staff. The book would benefit from 20% fewer pages and less repetition, but the read was a delight anyhow.

Cold

Friday afternoon. Mariele the Volvo is running on fumes. The outdoor temperature is 17 degrees F. A mostly empty tank is not a good thing in these temperatures. So, after finishing my workday and while the sun is still up, I pile Nelson into the car and drive the two blocks to BP on the

President Biden

I am seeing some chatter on social media that all the Left can do is complain about Trump, that none of us are saying what great things President Joe Biden is doing. So here we go: Facts are facts. Truth matters. Alternative facts are no more. Science is science. The United States of America’s international

Happy new year!

Happy lunar new year, in this year of the Ox, also known as the year of the Bull, the sign under which I was born.

Life

I was doing some deep-ish pondering last weekend. The-one-who-got-away texted me a week ago, from his home in China. His Lunar New Year holiday has commenced, and he had time to eke out a few lines in between being husband and taking care of baby. I texted him “I’ll be 60 in July.” And that

A year later . . .

. . . And still division and even disagreement on fundamental facts. Alas.

Vultures

I love my birdy garden. This time of year it’s all finches and robins and mourning doves, with some cardinals showing up most days. The finches in particular cannot seem to feast enough on the seed in the feeder. Those little vultures!

USPS

#FAIL! Last week this box arrived by USPS. The end of it was dripping wet with what was clearly coffee. The smell overtook my house pretty quickly. I’m glad that the contents were plastic-wrapped. But come on! Really, USPS??? And by that I mean “Really, my postperson???”.