Musical Nights

Since last we met, I've kept myself very busy.

Monday afternoon I wrote Meg a note (and got a reply back - they're doing well in Thailand), played minesweeper (becoming a bad habit?), ate snacks for lunch, posted about the day, watched the movie "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985), read "The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes" (1911), then headed off early to the La Mesa suburb of SD. Had plenty of time to kill before the Beethoven concert at the local synagogue started. Shopped at RiteAid for some feminine necessities that I forgot to bring along... found a nice watch too. Had dinner at Wendy's... burger, salad, chili, iced tea. :) Then I looked in at the pet store. Parakeets, fishes, and the cutest little baby guinea pig you've ever seen; it was fun. Looked in at the grocery store too and picked up some cheese.








It was almost a quarter after seven when I got back in my car. I thought it was earlier, because my new watch stopped an hour after I bought it. Concert started at 7:30, so I was glad I was dawdling just down the street from where it was. Went right in (it was easy to find) and even got a front row seat on the left side of the orchestra. It looked rather casual at first, since my seat was but 15 feet from the first row of cellos, but the decorum and sound the 75 member volunteer community orchestra (based at the synagogue) was highly professional. Their guest artist, concert pianist Daniel Wnukowski, was fantastic! When he came in to perform Piano Concerto No. 4, he took the music rack off and walked it to the side. He proceeded to play the concerto from memory, and without the rack, I could see his face much better. Very expressive while playing... he got into it.

Not only did he know that by heart, but at tonight's concert (it was a two-night ticket for $20) he played Concertos No. 2 & No. 5... from memory and only with a 15-minute break between them! It made me very happy to be able to enjoy such music. Going to symphonies these days gives me some sort of release from the crude nastiness of my world. I remember I actually shed tears at my first since joining the Navy... 3 Tchaikovsky pieces at the Chicago Symphony on Dec 12, 2010.

Before this, today, I had Panera for lunch, got milk & groceries at Trader Joe's (dropped them at home and read another Beatrix Potter: "The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle" from 1905) then volunteered for another 2 hours (getting the holds ready for folks and then more audiobooks) at the library, and finally stopped by the NEX for a new set of NSUs, a toaster, and a fill-up, before heading off to get a bite to eat at Rubio's on my way to the freeway. (pictured at left: lilies from T. Joe's for something fresh in my room... using the "sweet nov. 12 vase")

Guess I forgot to mention on Monday I finished the Jeeves & Wooster audiobook, then between both days I finished Agatha Christie's "Dead Man's Mirror" read by Hugh Fraser. Started into "Sharpe's Triumph" by Cornwall. Gosh, I love the library.

Jw
P.S. it's my 777th post... :)