Let's Make that 41

I didn't realize that I was going to read another book before the new year, but The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker came into the library for me yesterday. It's short, and once I started, I was swept into it. I found out about this book from reading this review in the New York Times. If I told you that it is a treatise on rhythm and rhyme in poetry told in a novel where not much happens, that may not grab you, but I have actually found it charming. I wonder if it would be a good book to discuss at a book club meeting?

LA Superior Court

I finished jury duty today without appearing in court all week. Apparently the courts aren't quite so busy during the week between Christmas and New Year. Now I just have to fill in the jury summons and return it to the court by mail.

40 Books in 2009

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery has been on the bestseller list and piqued my interest. Several months ago at book club, Jan brought it along wanting to know if anyone wanted to read it. She just couldn't get into it. I took it, but it sat around for awhile. Then another friend told me that it was actually good, once you got past the first third of the book. With nothing else lying around, I picked it up on Sunday and finished it today.

It's the kind of book that gets better as it goes along, which I find unusual. Many start out strong and flounder in the middle.

That being said, as I look over my list for 2009, I think my favorite reads were: Hallelujah Junction by John Adams (the composer, not the president), Homer and Langley by E. L. Doctorow, and Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Wall.

A Happy Last

Today I put the last college tuition payment in the mail! The seven years (between two children) worth of tuition went by very fast, though.

Wilderness Park

Hal and I took the loop at the Claremont Wilderness Park this morning. We saw a number of people we know (Rebecca, Gaby, Louisa, Eric, Margaret and Matt), dogs, horses, bike riders, families pushing strollers, people with canes, and pregnant women. The sky was overcast and the recent rains have left much green growth. I need to remember to take this hike more often.

Christmas 2009

• Christmas Eve trip to Fry's
• Seeing the house in Hacienda Heights where Chris' mom grew up
• Christmas Eve menu: Tokyo Express for Lunch, Hal's Thai food for dinner
• 5:00 Christmas Eve service at church
• Homemade bagels for Christmas breakfast
• Hanging out all day at home (one exception: Claire went out taking care of cats)
• All food vegan except for the free-range, no-antibiotic turkey
• Watching the Monty Python DVD we got for Christmas
• Hal and Liesl soldering the Frank Lloyd Wright window they started last Christmas
• Eating apple pie (made by Liesl) and gingerbread (made by Claire) for dinner
• Playing Settlers of Catan which Liesl and Chris gave us for Christmas

Magic Castle

Here we are, ready to take on Hollywood! First stop, parking near Madame Tussauds so we could walk by the Chinese Theater and down the Hollywood Walk of Fame until we reached La Loteria. Excellent, excellent food. I had vegetable enchiladas with a pumpkin seed sauce.

In order to reach our final destination, we walked back the way we came, admiring all the people dressed in costume - from Michael Jackson, to Darth Vader, to Barney and a transformer.

Walking up the hill, we came to the Magic Castle. We know someone who is a member of this exclusive club. He performs about twice a year and can invite people to come. You have to be 21 to go, so we've been waiting until Claire reached that milestone. We saw the mathemagic show by Art Benjamin. You can actually watch his show here. The castle was so crowded last night that we did not have a chance to see the big show, but we did get to see Latimer, an up and coming magician.

We have a pretty good concept of how this whole place works. Everybody drinks, bars and waitresses everywhere, everybody has a great time and thoroughly enjoys the shows. They don't seem to mind the wait for the shows, either. We thought that people-watching was fun.

Family Togetherness

Liesl and Chris came bearing games to Claremont. First thing Monday morning they hooked up the Wii to our tv, and we have been playing tennis, bowling, Mario Kart and a few others. Also, they made us open our gift early so we could have more time to play it. It's Settlers of Catan, which we played in Oregon with them this summer.

A 99-Cent Tradition

A number of years ago we started a tradition. Just before Christmas we all go to the 99-cent store to buy each other stocking stuffers. We all wander around the store by ourselves, trying to avoid each other as we choose silly gifts for each other.

So, today, the electricity went out at 4:15, so we drove to the store and found what we needed. We came back in the dark to a dark street - no electricity yet. Hal found the camping lamp which sits fully charged in the closet, and by the time we got the gas log lit in the fireplace, the electricity came back on. Good thing, since we wanted to eat dinner and heat the house.

Hooray, again!

Liesl and Chris made it to Claremont early this morning - 12:40 after a marathon day of driving from Eugene with a little side trip to the Bay Area. Now the holidays are really here!

Journey to Bethlehem

Here are the adorable angels in our church's Journey to Bethlehem this morning. They were so good, we don't have any stories to tell about them. The shepherds were equally well-behaved. The baby Jesus watched the entire pageant with great interest, "no crying he makes."

Annual Newsletter

Click on photo for larger, more readable version.

Ishiguro

I have really enjoyed the other three Kazuo Ishiguro works I've read, so I was excited to get his latest book - Nocturnes. This is a collection of 5 stories of which some are loosely related, each about relationships falling apart, music and the night. I am surprised to say that I did not really find anything compelling about any of the stories. I always read a book wondering if it might be a good pick for book club, but I will not be choosing this one.

Winter Sing

Another year, another Winter Sing over! Here are my string students who did a lovely job. The beginners played Jingle Bells, and the orchestra played Simple Gifts and Sing We Now of Christmas. I teach one private lesson tomorrow, after which I am done teaching until January!

Hooray!

Claire came home tonight!

Study Break!

Tonight was the annual chemistry dept study break at HMC where students have a cookie-decorating contest. Faculty bring eats, students work very hard on their entries to win a chance at a prize. This year the possible choices were gift cards from Starbucks or In-n-Out. The categories this year were: Best Chemical Theme, Best Use of Frosting, Best Story across Two or More Cookies, Judge's Choice, and Best Overall. This cookie won for Best Use of Frosting.

Night Before Christmas

Here is a picture of my childhood version of The Night Before Christmas. It was published in 1960 and illustrated by Catherine Barnes, published by Golden Books. My own copy probably disappeared in our family's move from Chicago to Kansas when I was 9. A number of years ago, I decided to start searching for some of my favorite books. I wanted this one, but had no idea how to search for it, not knowing the illustrator. Do you know how many versions there are of this famous poem? After looking all over the internet, I finally found the information, only to discover that copies of this book sell for $70-150. Well, I managed to find a copy on eBay about 4-5 years ago with a "buy it now" price of $35, and you can be sure I "bought it now."

Getting Ready for Christmas

My daughters will be relieved to know that we put up the tree today - before they get here! However, we will still leave some of the decorating up to them.

I also pulled out my favorite Nativity. My grandfather, a Mennonite minister, was also a woodworker, and he made many of these sets. I love the simplicity of the lines.

Blue Christmas

Last night our trio played in our church's first ever Blue Christmas. This service is for people who have a hard time during the holidays, for whatever reason. Even though I am not blue at Christmas, and I was part of the service as a musician, I found it beautiful and meaningful. People were invited to light candles, and by the end, a tableful of candles was blazing.

Waiting for Snow . . .

I'm not actually waiting for snow. There's plenty right now on Mt. Baldy. More to come tomorrow. Good time to stay warm and read.

I just finished our book for book club which we will discuss on Sunday. It's a memoir by Carlos Eire, Waiting for Snow in Havana. Eire grew up in the 50s in Havana, and most of the book is about his wild childhood, the son of a judge. Throughout the book he talks about how his parents sent him and his brother to the US after Fidel Castro came to power.

WINTER!

Rain and snow yesterday, blue skies and great views today! It is pretty darn cold (for Claremont). (Disclaimer: I stole this photo from Facebook since I didn't get outside with my camera today.)

Winter Workout

The rain has started today, for which we are thankful. However, I didn't exactly feel like riding my bike to the gym, so I decided that I could stream a workout video from Netflix and start the day in my living room. I tried the Cardio Sculpt which is cardio mixed with weights and reminds me very much of my body shaping class I took while in Chicago. However, this workout was a little bit beyond me. If I worked at it, I could get it. Next time I'll find something easier, and probably do some yoga, too.

Winter in Claremont

Continuing the prep for winter, Hal cleaned out the gutters today in anticipation of the rain moving in tonight.

I wore a sweater for the first time today. Brrr. I am such a So. Cal. wimp!

Winter Gardening II

December in Claremont means:

Raking leaves with more still to fall

Waiting for the promised rain to start soon

Adding to the vegetable garden (planted broccoli, onions and green beans today)

Picking the remaining the persimmons

Fridays at Noon

One of many things I like about my Life in Claremont is that I have Fridays off this year. (Well, I have one private student for a 1/2 hour in the afternoon, but that's more like fun.) Another thing is that the Claremont Colleges offer a rich variety of opportunities for concerts, plays, talks, etc. Today I went to the Friday Noon Concert Series at Scripps to hear the Quartet Euphoria play the Brahms Quartet Op. 51 #1. Balch Auditorium was nearly full.

RIP iPod

On Monday, my 3 1/2-year-old iPod died. It was not a natural death. It was an accident. It took a 3-foot fall without its protective case and smashed onto a tile floor. Hal did all he could, but he pronounced it unrevivable.

Since I rely heavily on my iPod for teaching, I will need to replace it, and I have my eye on a new nano. The questions I have to answer first are 1) what color 2) what to have engraved on it. Also, should I wait until Christmas so Santa can bring it to me?

El Roble and CHS Orchestras

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the winter concert for the El Roble and CHS Orchestras. It is especially gratifying to see students of mine from elementary school still playing their instruments, and doing so well. I have to admit that string students are the very best!

Monitoring the 'Ole Heart

So, today I got my Holter monitor to follow my heart for 24 hours. Since I am feeling so much better, nearly normal, I'm sure it won't find anything. I am left wondering, though, what if I really needed it? Here is the timeline: saw my regular doctor on a Monday, saw the cardiologist on Thursday, took a week to get approval from my health care, then another week to schedule the wearing of the monitor.