Home Again

I'm finally home after 5 days in New York. My son's recital was specatucular. He played some difficult music very well and it was well attended. On top of having his degree recital in the evening, he played in another recital in the afternoon. Not just playing in an ensemble, he played a solo, and a trio. That is up and beyond requirements. Then on Tuesday, he played in another program.
The drive to Rochester was horrible, we drove through snow from Cleveland to Erie PA. The drive back was great--nothing exciting at all.
Our trip to the Finger Lakes area went well. We drove around Lakes Keuka and Seneca. The wineries were interesting and we were educated. This is a very slow period for them, so they had plenty of time to pour wine. We tried some nice wines, but I don't think that I am much of a expert yet. We bought quite a few bottles, so many that we had to buy a wine rack--acutally modular wine racks that can be expanded.
I volunteered at the Botanic Garden today. I had a group of 6th grader from Racine WI. The program was Sansho En--the Japanese Island gardens. It is a good program, the kids look at the garden, then they make a zen dish garden with sand, rocks and gravel. They also make a scroll, and write a haiku. They seemed to enjoy the activities, they were very involved and didn't talk. I signed up for a couple of groups next week. Teaching at the Botanic Garden is a lot of fun--the kids like the lessons, and I can say goodby after 2 hours.
Tomorrow I am doing a class at the Botanic--setting up flower borders. It is a part of my Master Garden education requirement. This is a big change from what I have been doing since January.
A final word on Nichols--the testing is over and went well. We had to test 95% of the students--I thing that we had 99.9%--all the kids were tested except 4. The school has an enrollment of about 595. I just hope that they did well.

Hall of Fame

This is a very weird post. My brother, Pete, was inducted into the Evanston Township High School Athletic Hall of Fame last night.
I am so proud of him. His track team won the state title twice, and was undefeated for two years. He said that 8 of the members and the coach came to the festivities. Evanston High was such an athletic power in the 1960's, it was sort of like the NY Yankees of high school sports. They started the Hall of Fame about 5 years ago. There have been many athletes who were very sucessful in college sports, and some even make the pros--like Emery Moorhead of the Bears.
Our old nieghbor, Charlie came up from Springfield to be inducted. He was on the track team with Pete. Another kid from the old neighborhood, Fred S. was inducted for swimming. He was a champion in high school and continued at Indiania.
Pete really enjoyed the whole thing.
I just finished spending a lot of money. I booked a Mediterannean cruise. We will be cruising at the end of May. I have been to most of the places on the cruise, but the dates worked the best for everybody. My son and husband haven't been to any of the stops. We are going out of Venice and ending in Monaco.
I will finally get a chance to put a coin into the Trevi Fountain in Rome. I did that on my first trip to Rome, and forgot to do it on my second. I am so glad to be able to go back to Rome, and insure another trip by doing the fountain thing. I loved Dubrovnik when I was there in 1976. I am glad to be able to see it again. Then it was Yugoslavia, today is is in Croatia.
In Rome, we have only one day. Should we go the the Vatican, and see all the art and the restored Sistine Chapel, or see the antiquities, the forum and the coliseum? I have seen both, and sort of favor the Vatican, but I will do what the guys want.
I also want to see the Blue Grotto in Capri. There is a small picture of the Blue Grotto at Glessner House that interested me when I used to be a docent there. This is why I want to go there. I know that it is a big tourist trap, but it sounds so cool. We have two days in Sorrento, I haven't been there. We can see the antiquities in Pompei. I did see that. We are also stopping in Sicily. This whole thing is very exciting!

Tying up some loose ends

It is a cold, cloudy and windy March day. Yesterday was the first day of spring, but it is still winter out there.
Today I am finishing up some old business. I just completed putting together the claims on my Dad's life insurance. I have been dragging my feet on this for no particular reason, except that is is so final. I really have no more excuses. I have to mail a check for my Mom today, so I will have to go to the post office. I might as well take care of the insurance.
More old business. I have only 3 more days at Nichols. Test administration is really boring. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be make up days. My boss told me that I have saved his life, because he is on top of the testing and make up testing. The state expects that most of the students, I think that it is 95% must take the tests. So, I am tying up the loose ends of ISAT testing.
We are driving to Rochester on Saturday for my son's degree recital. Actually he is playing in two recitals on Sunday, and in a concert on Tuesday. The four years have really sped by. I wrote my last check to University of Rochester at the beginning of March. My April balance is zero. Thank goodness.
I am taking my Mom's taxes to the accountant today. She has finished adding up the last figures, so they are ready to go. Another loose end is tied up.
Today is also primary election day in Illinois. I am going to vote later. Voting is always so positive. Candidates make promises, the future is always looking good. On that note, I will end for today.

Politics

Next Tuesday is primary election day in Illinois. This election hasn't had a lot of interest, since we have an incumbent goveneror, and no other interesting races to speak of.

What is interesting to me is that one of my former student teachers is running for governor in the democratic primary. Edwin Eisendrath was my student teacher in 1981. It is weird to see his commericals on TV and his signs in the community. Edwin was getting a teaching certificate so he could teach in the Chicago schools. He was one of the brightest students I have worked with, but he didn't take student teaching very seriously. He did teach for a while, and then went on to other things. He has dabbled in politics in the past, running against Sidney Yates, who by the way was a great supporter of the arts, in a primary. Edwin didn't win, and he inspired a lot of resentment because he challenged a very established Congressman. I don't think that he has much of a chance to beat Blagojevich either. I plan to vote for Edwin, however, because Blago raided the teacher's pension fund. Blago is one of those politicians who start out looking great, but fail to do much of anything good once he is elected. Big talk, little or no real action. I just hate it when politicians promise all kinds of things, like universal preschool, and say that they will not raise any taxes. The solution--raid the pension funds again.
I rarely vote for Republicans, so Edwin gives me the chance to vote in the democratic primary, and not vote for Blago.

Another thing--one of my former students, Simon Ribiero is running for congress in the republican primary. Again, not a chance of defeating Jan Schakowsky in the general election. Simon's claim to fame is that his uncle is Alfonse D'Amato, former senator from NY.

Rochester and wine

I have just finished booking a little vacation to the wine country in upstate NY. We are going to our son's recital in Rochester, and have an extra day to spend, so my husband and I are going to check out some wineries. Today, my husband told me that I booked a bed and breakfast that is home to 3 cats. I should have know, since the place is called Los Gatos. I am allergeric to cats. I hope that they won't be running around the guest rooms. Actually I like cats, but my allergy is pretty bad.
We are going to concetrate on Lake Keuka, which looks tp be quite beautiful. I am excited to be trying some NY state wines, since we can't buy them in Illinois. I really don't know about tasting the wines, since I have no palate at all. When people say that the wine has hints of strawberries, or whatever, I have no idea what I am supposed to be looking or sniffing for. I saw Sideways, and those guys were really into the wine. I can tell the differences in sweet and dry wines, red, rose , but beyond that I am clueless. I usually order chardonnay or pinot grigio. Red wines all taste alike to me. Well I hope that these wineries will educate me.
I checked several out on line and they seem to be very serious about their wine.

Pippin at New Trier

I saw the New Trier High School production of Pippin on Friday.
For those of you who are not familiar with New Trier, it is the closest thing in this area to a performing arts school. It has a renowned music, theater and dance program. The band and orchestra program regularly win Grammy awards. I subbed in a dance class last fall and found out that New Trier employs a full time accompanist just for the dance classes.
I haven't been to any musicals since my son graduated, so this was a nice visit.
The production wass exceptionally well done. The lead, a young man named Stephen West is a very talented young man. He was on the stage for almost every scene, had to do a lot of dancing, has a good singing voice and can act. Productions at New Trier are very well done, the singing, the orchestra, the dancing--much more polished than most high school musicals.
Now about Pippin. This is a 70's muscial--and very light on plot. It seemed to me that it was trying to be the next Hair. It was anti-war, and the story was about finding one's self, and finding self fullfillment--both very 70's themes. There wasn't any tune that you could remember--everything musical was a little bit forgetable. There was no nude scene like in Hair, but there were a few scenes that I think were a little out there. I am sure glad that my daughter wasn't dancing on that stage. I really can say that this wasn't a very appropriate choice for a high school musical.
Today I went to the Botanic Garden for a short class on pruning. Nothing new was presented, so I was a little disappointed.
The ISAT tests begin tomorrow. I am changing hats from tutor to test administrator.

The dreaded tests are almost here

I am almost finished tutoring the students for the ISAT tests. The math tests will be next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The reading tests, which I prepped the kids for, are Thursday, Friday and Monday. What I am hoping for is that they pass. Hopefully, the passing grade will be about 65%. I know that it sounds low, and it is, but that is within striking distance for the kids I work with. All they have to get is 2 or 3 more questions correct. If they read the passages, which many of them don't, or haven't in the past, they have a chance to pass. The big problem is the extended response--essay question to the rest of you. Most of them have just ignored this in the past. Oh well.
Next week I will be administering the test to kids who go to the high school for geometry. They are the direct opposite of the kids I have been working with. In the afternoon, I start the make-up tests for those who missed the tests because absence. This is really boring. I just have to walk around and provide pencils and tissues for those in need. Well, it's only two more weeks, and then I am back to gainful unemployment.

A Night at the Opera

Last night my husband and I went to the opera. We saw Der Rosenkavaleir at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. It was an interesting evening for us. For me, it was like seeing an old friend, one I haven't seen for years. I was a season ticket holder for many years in the 1970's. Things have changed for the better at Lyric. The season is longer, there is more variety in the repretory, but best of all, the quality of the production was so much better. In the 70's , some of the productions were spectacular, but too many missed the mark. The opera we saw last night was spectacular. The artists were all excellent. The quality of their singing was wonderful, and their acting was very good. I didn't hear any intonation problems, which happened too often in the 1970's. In those days, I saw a lot of wooden acting by very big stars then, names that you all know. The big star of the show was Susan Graham, playing a young man, who masquerades as a woman. The plot was quite spicy--the young man is having an affair with an older woman. That leads me to my next topic, my husband's reaction to the whole thing.
He did come to the show with an open mind. I told him that the music would be spectacular, which it was, but he expected a lot more action. He found the first act boring, plotwise and musically. After he figured out what was going on, he said that he thought that the Three Stooges used a similar plot in one of their movies. Actually, many opera plots do have a lot in common with The Stooges' movies. The Rosenkavalier certainly does. He just expected more slapsticky stuff. The third act, especially the end, did win him over, though grdugingly. The last trio, featuring Octavian, The Marschalin and Sophie was just spectacular.
The other part of the opera are the intermissions. It certainly a seen and be seen venue. Looking at the outfits was almost as entertaining as the opera itself. It is certainly a dressier crowd that you see at Symphony Center.
I don't know if he will ever go to see an opera again. He did like the fact that the restaurant across the street had valet parking, so we got out fairly quickly. You have to remember that he is a person who had no knowledge of classical music when we married in 1981. He had kept an open mind, and enjoys it now, especially since our son is a classical musician.

Shopping the bargin spots--on Oprah's advice.

Today was a day off from work. I decided to get my hair colored, and do some shopping on my way home. I went to the gym for a yoga class, and some cardio.
Riding the recumbent bike at the gym today, I tuned into Oprah. She was discussing the Oscars, which was about over when I started to watch. Oprah ended the show with a trip to Target. I don't know which Target she visited, but I have never seen Sonia Kashuk, the makeup guru, at any Target I have shopped. Anyway, I stopped at my local Target on my way home from the hairdresser, and lo and behold, none of the stuff that Oprah admired was in the store. There was plenty of stuff, but none of that stuff. I did end up spending money. I bought some gym clothing, and some very glamourous sun glasses, designed by Issac Mizrachi. They were movie star huge, with some rhinestones on the temples. I was quite taken with them, and they were the last pair like that in the store. When I got home, My husband said that they looked like I was a resident of Del Boca Vista. ( for those of you who don't watch Sienfeld reruns every day like we do, that is where Jerry's parent's live in Florida.) Well, I don't agree with my husband, I have read that big sunglasses are very hot this year. I saw tables of them at Nordstrom's. Who know better about what is hot than Nordstroms. Well, I had a very good time checking out the clearance racks at Target, and actually finding a bargin. I also checked out the Issac Mizrachi shoes. Caitlyn, the fashionista, said that they were pretty nice. I have to agree with her. You can get some trendy shoes for less than $20. I didn't buy any, but who knows, maybe I will next time. After Target, I went to Trader Joe's to get some pills for the dog. I did get Dog's pills, but I also got all kinds of other stuff. All organic, of course. Very healthy. All in all, a fun day.

It's steep at the top

A few years age, my son was attending a summer festival in Maine. My husband and I spent a week there, attending the concerts in the evening and enjoying the area during the day. We stayed at the Brunswick Inn, which has wonderful, home cooked breakfasts. One of the guests was a well known accompanist, who was also at the festival. We shared the NY Times and chatted a little.
I thought of him today, when I watched American Idol. Today was the results show. One of the contestants was a young man from a suburb near here. He is a high school senior, has a nice voice, is good looking and talented. He was voted off tonight. The young man, whose name is David Radford, must have been on top of the world when he got his ticket to Hollywood, but that was only the beginning. He made it to nationwide TV. He was on for two weeks. Now he is going home. I think that he is relieved. The arts are brutal. Music is brutal. Everyone has talent. All the young men and women on Idol are good. I thought about what the pianist said --it's steep at the top of the pyramid. Only a few get that far, and only a few make it to the top.
There are still 3 young men 18 years old or younger on Idol. Would they be better served staying at home, or attending college, getting more training and trying again when they are more mature? Should they jump at the chance to make it to the top now? Perhaps David Radford is the real winner.