General Discussion & Chat: Coffee...and for July 31, 2006, 1 by ViolaAnn

ViolaAnn wrote:
Hi folks,

In from the evening concert. It's still nearly 80 F here. Sure glad the concert was in the air-conditioned venue. This afternoon I did the unthinkable and walked! Left a concert I was working at before it was over. All new music. Some of it was quite nice. But not all. The first piece after the intermission was like caterwalling. After about 10 minutes of it, I packed up everything and left. But that's not the main reason. Traditionally the 2 pm concerts have, like all the other daytime concerts, been about an hour long. This year, half of them have intermissions. Trouble is, the preliminary booklet we use when we ask to work certain concerts doesn't indicate that some will be longer. It catches vols off guard at times. Once I realized there was an intermission, I still figured the concert would be over by 4. At intermission, it was clear that it would not be; so I told a few people (house manager) that I had to leave at 4 and I did exactly that. The concert went on until 4:30. I feel that is taking advantage of the good will of the volunteers who sign up for them and I will tell them so, but after the Festival is over. These two days of the Festival are traditionally given over to contemporary music and we've heard some really fine new music and, of course, some not so fine new music.

The concert this evening was in celebration of the 90th birthday of an Ottawa composer who spent most of his career writing music for the National Film Board of Canada and in his retirement had written quite a bit of chamber music and very fine stuff. As my husband said, he seems to be able to write music that leaves you wishing there was just a bit more instead of wondering if it will ever end.

Catching up, I hope.

McCool - I'm prepared to take thread starting through the 17th, but I'll let you know if I panic at the end.

Jan - welcome back. Where in IL are you? I did my post-graduate work at the U of I in Chambana, but back in the mid 60's. And my first teaching job - for 5 months (Jan-May) was just over the border in Danville, IN. I can remember how warm it got in the spring before the term was up. I never got to experience it in the summer, but DH did.

cececoogan - sure hope you are able to save that fern.

Mary - makes me tired reading your list of jobs for the day. Hope you got it all done. Baker City is in eastern OR - right? We'll get to Portland, but only to Portland late on the 18th for a couple of days. It's the 90th birthday of DH's aunt who lives there. But DD and her partner and DH's cousin from Vancouver all have to work on Monday; so it's not an extended trip.

Darius - sorry your help didn't show up. And too bad about your sister's hours. I sure hope her place sells soon.

Sheila - the trip - We leave Ottawa on the 18th. Are trying to see if we can leave later than early in the morning. Are using points; so even if it costs us, it will be worthwhile. Once in Vancouver, we pick up a rental van and after they finish work, drive with DH's cousin and her mother (another of DH's aunts), DD and her partner and head for Portland. Will be VERY late for us Easterners and probably around midnight when we get there. From Monday to Friday we are bumming around Vancouver. Other than I'm going to get my hair cut (have a lead on a good hairdresser who can handle thick, coarse, wiry hair), we don't have an agenda that week. May go out to Vancouver Island where DH has another cousin. Or DD wants us to start working on the back yard of her new house (picture attached). I think it will be a BIG job. They take possession of the house on the 15th but won't have moved yet. However, we will stay (camp) there.
Then on Friday (25th, I think) we go to Japan - Sapporo - via Kyoto's sinking airport. We were there once before for a conference and were treated extremely well. We return to Ottawa on September 2 or 3.

Suzi - sorry about your coworker's DH. I hope he's able to be kept comfortable. Also sorry about the acquaintance who died in the plane crash. Your experience in the courts sounds other-worldly.
What a bummer - the database error. (No back-up you could return to? I guess not if you're complaining.) Won't comment on the step-daughter's problems, but hope she gets herself sorted out one of these days.

Bonnie - how can you even think of all that canning in the heat? You make me tired. Best I could do (other than attend the Festival) was grate 2 huge Zucchini's I found yesterday in the garden. Got about 11 cups. Threw some into dinner and froze the rest in 2 cup quantities.

Sheila - thanks for the important reminder of the things we need to say to others. We probably are all guilty of omissions.

Well it's getting late. I hear thunder rumbling in the distance, I think. The laundry monster is definitely not tamed in this household and I think he has friends in the dirty bathrooms, kitchen, etc. Haven't done much cleaning in the last while.

Waving ~~~ to anyone I didn't directly address. Hope you all have a good night.

Ann