Uncle Keith

This past weekend we received a call from H's family that his uncle who lived in Missouri had been out plowing snow with his tractor when it flipped over and killed him. It hardly seems possible that something like this can happen, perhaps because it is so unexpected and sudden.

H wanted to go to the funeral which was yesterday, and he found some flights that would allow him to miss as little of school as possible, but the more we looked at the weather map, the more it seemed unlikely that any flights would make it into Kansas City. He decided not to risk the trip. (Living in So. Cal., it is sometimes hard to remember that the rest of the world has such hazardous weather.)

Tonight while talking to his mom, H discovered that she had not been able to drive to the funeral either. The roads from Des Moines were difficult to traverse due to the continuing storm, so after 11 miles, she and H's sister turned around and went home.

iPod

This morning while working out at the gym, my iPod nano stopped working. I thought maybe that I had charged it too many times (I usually keep it fully charged), so I tried plugging it in to my computer when I got home.

Nothing.

I use my iPod every day when I teach, and every time I go to the gym. Today my quick fix at school will be to use iTunes from my computer which I can connect to my speakers. This is slightly awkward, but I have done it before, and it will work.

Friends on Facebook suggested that I submerse the thing in a bag of rice, and I am trying that, but I think that solution is good for a wet device. Mine was not wet.

Tonight I will think about my options.

---Later--- All it took was a reset. Dear H figured it out, and now I am up and running again. Thank goodness.

Also, at school today, the heater refused to turn on, but one of the teachers who came in fiddled with it, and soon the room was warm.

Oh, how we depend upon technology!

Spirit of Women - As Exhibited in the Arts

Celebrating women at church yesterday included the morning service with litany derived from the poetry written at the women's retreat, an anthem sung by Joyful Voices (the women's choir) and a hymn composed by one of our members.

In the evening, the Spirit of Women dinner featured a presentation by one of Claremont's artists, Eleanor Scott Meyers.  She showed us a number of her paintings, some of which can be seen at her beautiful website. Her art style of Plein Air comes from the French "in the open air" as the French impressionists who paid particular attention to the effects of light in their paintings.

Eleanor Scott (the name Scott is part of her first name, not last) is another example of the tremendous talent at Pilgrim Place, and another reason why it would be great to retire there. I would not mind owning one of her works.

Best Picture

Just now tuning in late to watch the Academy Awards, just now watching Argo win the Best Picture. This year we managed to see Argo, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook and Lincoln before the awards, and Argo was my favorite of these. I still want to see Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amour, and Les Mis.

Glad that Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor and Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress.

Food Truck Fridays

Claremont Craft Ales introduces Food Truck Fridays, thus making this a go-to place to celebrate the end of the work week. CCA opened last summer and is steadily gaining in popularity. Last night,  Asian Cravings Food Truck parked outside where we found a short line, but nothing like the line inside for beer. We had pork and beef Asian tacos and Ninja fries, and although the tacos were pretty good, the fries were just okay, and the 30-minute wait was a little much.

Never mind, next week there will be a different truck outside. I asked at the bar if they knew about Kogi, and they said, yes, they were working on getting that truck there some Friday. Hooray!

However, not only did we get to chat with friends and marvel at the huge crowd of people, I got to try the new Coffee Mawes beer which uses coffee beans from the local Klatch coffee, and it was very, very good. Recommended! 

I also heard that CCA has leased the space next door and plans to expand. I don't think this little hobby is going to stay a hobby much longer. It's poised to be a full-time operation in the near future.

Coffee Mawes

Busting at the seams - lots of people!

Jean Platt

The HMC community is saddened to learn of the passing of Jean Platt, its founding first lady. Jean is preceded in death by her husband, Joe, and is greatly missed. We knew both Jean and Joe not only through HMC, but also from their involvement in CUCC.

You can read a brief bio of Jean and her remarkable life at the HMC site here, but it does not mention a story that she told me. As a high school student in Massachusetts, Jean wanted to attend Stanford University, but her parents advised against it since she would not be able to see her family for the four years she would be in school. California was just too far away to have her come home. So, she went to college in Ohio at Miami University instead.

While a student, she did some computational work for a researcher who was interviewing housewives in Indiana. She had no idea about the content of the research at the time since she worked as a number-cruncher. You may have guessed it though, she had a part in the Kinsey Report.

A gracious, intelligent, kind and funny woman - we miss you, Jean.

Union on Yale

Not being one to hurry into a new food establishment (okay, I often try out a new place right away), we finally made it to Union on Yale last night. We had the opportunity to take out the HMC chemistry seminar speaker, so we thought we'd try this place. Since it was so cold and rainy out, no one was sitting outside, so the inside, while cozy, got pretty loud for carrying on a conversation. We'll go back sometime when we can sit outside.

Anyway, I had the salad with pecorino cheese and the soup of the day which was a corn chowder. Both were delicious, although pricey. The salad was $7, and you can see that it had some greens, a bit of cheese and some kind of dressing. I believe the soup was $8. H had the Bianca pizza which he consumed nearly all by himself, but it could also have been shared. I had one of the pieces, and it was also delicious. 

Thoughts on Cell Phones

I am still holding out on getting a smart phone. I know I want one, but I also know that I can get by without one.

However, I am starting to get into the swing of things with texting. Last month I got a new phone with a little keyboard that looks like a Blackberry, so now I can text without being frustrated. In fact, I have been known to text more than once a week now! I can see the appeal of sending quick notes to people, mostly my family.

On Friday, while walking home, I dropped my phone on the ground and promptly broke it. I think it still calls and works, but the screen is blank, so it is basically useless. Not a big deal in terms of money - I just went online and ordered an identical phone for just $17 including shipping.

The bad news is that I have to recreate my entire contact list since I can't read the screen.

So, do I feel at a loss without my phone? Nope. I've spent the past 3 days without it and feel no twinge.  I will be glad to get my new phone up and running, though, when it does manage to appear.

On a side note, my cell phone carrier is Virgin Mobile, pay-as-you-go, and I am mostly happy with it. I have an old plan which charges $5/month as long as I top up every 90 days. I do that, especially since it  is automatic. (For this rate, phone calls are 18 cents a minute and texts are 15 cents. I am running a $50+ balance which shows how little I do use the phone.)

However, when I when online to see if I had any texts since my phone died, I noticed that I had some charges for "xtras" which came to 15 cents a day going back to January, when I got this new phone. After 15 minutes on the phone (still like my landline!) with Virgin Mobile, they said that it was a feature by which I could access games, etc. Huh? I never asked for that. She said she would take it off my account and credit me with $5. I think I got the short end of that stick, but it was not worth my time to add up all the little charges, so I let it go.

I might not have noticed that if not for my broken phone, so that is another reason that my glass is half-full.

Constantine Family Garden and Orchard

Just over in San Dimas, tucked behind a family home, abundance is growing, blooming and producing a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables. At church I kept hearing about The Constantine Family Garden and Orchard, but I wasn't exactly sure what it was. Last night, Tim Constantine spoke to our church's social group about what has happened here since the garden's inception about a year ago.

Tim and his sisters grew up in this house and now the backyard has been transformed into gardens and an orchard, the bounty of which goes to feed the hungry through Inland Valley Hope Partners in their food pantries and family shelter. The garden has a communal work day on the first Saturday of the month, and volunteers are encouraged to drop by and help for an hour or more.

Many students have already used this opportunity to gain volunteer credit from Damian High School, the University of LaVerne, as well as the Claremont Colleges. 

You can help by going to the Facebook page and contacting Tim, who coordinates what gets planted, etc. Or you can make out a check to Hope Partners with the Constantine Family Garden and Orchard in the memo. I can't wait to go see this gem for myself.

(S)Trolling

Recently I noticed that there was a new hand-painted crosswalk on College Ave. just south of 6th St in front of Alexander Hall. It said (S)troll. This is a place where pedestrians love to jaywalk. I don't necessarily disapprove of jaywalking, but if you do so, I believe that traffic has the right-of-way. Since College Ave. is a frustrating drive during change of classes at Pomona College anyway, an additional pedestrian crossing is quite unwelcome to motorists. Most often I try to use College Ave. between classes, if I can remember when that is.

Turns out that this crossing was a prank, and the colleges blocked the break in the hedges to prevent jaywalkers, and yesterday crews painted over the graffiti. According to the Courier, officials found the spray paint can and are dusting it for fingerprints.

Faith Alive

Valentine's Day is pretty low-key around here - or maybe it's just that it feels like Valentine's Day is every day when you are married to your best friend.

Anyway, I noticed that in many of my past posts on Feb. 14 I blogged about a book, and then I found out at my sister's blog that the book she has written is just being published. She has been in a love affair with an AIDS hospital in Jos, Nigeria for a number of years now and has written about the remarkable people who make Faith Alive the place that it is. The book is not quite available in the US, but will be soon - on Amazon and B&N, etc. If you happen to be in Fort Collins, Colorado this coming Sunday, you can stop by the First Presbyterian Church and get yourself a copy!

ICE - In Case of Emergency

I have now labeled my husband's phone number in my cell phone under the name - ICE Husband. He's not cold, but I learned a while ago from my daughter that ICE indicates to anyone who needs it the number that you should call "In Case of Emergency". She has me listed as ICE in her phone.

You can read a bit about it on the Wikipedia page.

An Hour in San Bernardino

I had an hour to kill yesterday while L was interviewing at San Bernardino Valley College, so I looked up places to see in San Bernardino. Many sites recommended places outside the city, but I discovered that the original McDonald's is not far from the college, so I drove there to have a look-see.

The yelp reviews are pretty positive, but I was not overly impressed. Perhaps if I had been there on tour day I might have had a different opinion. I guess I'm not enough of a McDonald's fan to appreciate the various Happy Meal toys and the "Original Straw", but I would not recommend this place as a destination. At least it was free.

Entertaining

Daughter No. 1 is visiting for a few days while she has a job interview (!), and she contacted one of her long-time friends who came over for the afternoon and dinner with her boyfriend. Of course, we had to include Daughter No. 2 and her boyfriend, so we had a happy table full of great conversation and fun.

To celebrate all this togetherness, I decided to try a salad that we had enjoyed at a dinner party last year which I had really loved. This Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad from Epicurious (Bon Appetit) is time-consuming what with the hand shredding of the sprouts and kale, but I know that I am going to take it to book club soon since it is so delicious.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts

Toasting Almonds in Olive Oil

Thinly slicing kale

Finished product

Unlikely Pilgrimages

 On the recommendation of two friends, I read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. This British story of a man who sets out, almost by accident, on a 600 mile + walking journey across England in order to reach an old friend/co-worker who is dying of cancer made me think about a movie I had seen many years ago - The Straight Story. The movie is also about a man who sets out on a journey, this one on a John Deere riding mower for over 300 miles from Iowa to Wisconsin, to see his estranged brother who has just suffered a stroke.

This got me to thinking about why I enjoy stories of journeys, and perhaps it is because they are antithetical to the goal-oriented society we inhabit. Certainly Harold Fry and Alvin Straight have an end goal, but the focus of the book and movie is on the journeys and what each character learns and sees along the way.

I think I also like them because I would like to someday take a road trip where I can stop along the way and see things that aren't listed in guidebooks.

Spa Boutique

Yesterday I got my first-ever manicure. Usually I don't pay any attention to my nails, except to keep them short for playing the violin and viola. But my friend Kim (of Superbowl spread fame) and I wanted to do something together, so we headed to Spa Boutique on 2nd Street. I usually go there for a pedicure, but thought that I ought to have something done about my horrific cuticles. Although I was very pleased with how my cuticles turned out, I see that it didn't take long for my hands to start drying out. I could probably use one of these once a week in the winter...

after

before

Hail!

In sympathy with the massive storm hitting the east coast today, Claremont has some hail.

Throwback Thursday

After our great concert on Tuesday, I had a little lunchtime party with the Vista string students yesterday. They brought their lunches, I provided cupcakes. For entertainment I thought I would play them a few short videos, and these Bugs Bunny clips take me back to my childhood. The kids had never seen these classic cartoons, and they laughed good and hard at all the right spots. Plus, they heard some great classical music....

You can see The Rabbit of Seville here.

You can see What's Opera Doc? here.

Concertizing

For the past 17 years my students have given quite a few concerts, and I think they keep getting better and better. I count myself fortunate to have a job I love - and these kids are the reason why. I used to get a big high after each successful performance, but lately I come to expect things to go well. That doesn't mean I don't look forward to these festivities.

What I really enjoy about these evenings now is that I get to see people I don't always run into. While I see the kids every week, I don't always see their parents. I also love seeing the El Roble musicians who started with us in elementary school. They look so mature, they play more complex music, and they are happy to come hug me and say hi. That's it - I look forward to all the hugs!

Free Yogurt

Last night on my way up Indian Hill, I saw a long line of people outside of Yogurtland. Since I almost always have my camera handy, I snapped this shot (while stopped at the stoplight), and if you look closely, you see the line extends past Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and almost to Jamba Juice. I figured they must be giving yogurt away, and as much as I like me some free Yogurtland, I did not feel like waiting in line.

Once home, the Yogurtland Facebook page confirmed my suspicions.

Superbowl

My friend Kim sure knows how to throw a Superbowl party. This was her spread, and there were only three of us there! While I didn't really care who won, I was rooting for the Ravens as well as a good game, and I got both of my wishes.

My favorite commercial? The TIDE ad. Watch here if you missed it!

Progress on the Taco Shop

From the website called The Claremontian, I learned that the owners of The Back Abbey and Union on Yale will be opening up a taco shop in the little building that I remember as Shrimps (years ago) on First Street. Last December I took a photo of the place, and today I took another of the progress that has been made. I look forward to trying out the fare, whenever it opens....

December 2012

February 2013

Spring Softball

Hooray! It's softball season! Here are some shots from yesterday's game at CMS (CMC, HMC, Scripps). It was a perfect 70 degrees, slightly overcast, no breeze. 

A Declaration

In the past several weeks I have lost my cell phone (for a day), my iPod (for a day), my coffee cup (also for a day). In the past several months I have found myself sending last-minute emails that I had meant to send out a day or two earlier, prepping my music classes far too close to start time (thus preventing me from doing some of the things I wanted to because I needed additional time to get ready for that particular lesson). I have also neglected practicing my violin and viola, I have read fewer books, and I don't compose and arrange nearly as much music as I would like. When I do have some free time in the evenings, my thoughts are so fragmented that I end up just watching tv when I could be reading since my brain power seems to be diminished.

I am most comfortable with myself when I am organized, and lately I have felt pulled in too many directions.

So, I wrote down a list of things that I am involved in, and it looks something like this:

My Music Life
Teaching music (6 preps a week)
Teaching string classes (4 preps a week)
Teaching 5 private students (some prep)
Serving on the board of the ICCAOSA (sporadic prep which also includes creating newsletters)
Playing in the Claremont Concert Orchestra (two rehearsals a week, plus practicing)
Playing Celtic Music with my friend once a week (should be practicing that)
Occasional work with the Village Pipers recorder group
Composing and arranging music for various groups (would love to be doing more of this)

My Church Life
Co-organizing the Women's Choir
Music Committee (once a month as a liaison for the choir)
Organizing string chamber music
Once a month social group (which I host once a year)
Organizing annual Women's Retreat
Helped with Sunday School for 8 weeks

My other life
Two book clubs

Wow. That's a long list. To be fair, some of those items just require me to show up. I really enjoy everything on that list, but it is time to start shedding some of those things. This is a tough choice, and perhaps I will just take a sabbatical from some of them, and them come back to some as time and energy permit.