Inspiring perspective on making music:
Welcome address to freshman parents at Boston Conservatory, given by
Karl Paulnack, pianist and director of music division at Boston
Conservatory.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
December 28, 2009 - Thanks for another year!
I still remember sitting in my Aunt Alice's living room, when she told me I should write a journal. That was before I had children, before I was married. Periodically, I would try to get started, never succeeding. What a great book I would have now if I'd followed her advice. 30 years' worth. Well, perhaps I'll begin today.
I'd planned to write a post-Christmas letter today; seems like a good beginning. I told my family at the dinner table that this was my favorite Christmas ever. I think I've said that for the past few years. We had all of our kids home again in our recently emptied nest.
John and I had pondered whether we would have a difficult adjustment to Mary's moving out. We'd been through Daniel and Amber's going forth, but still had another child at home, and Mary was such great company for us. Mary transferred from Berkeley City College to UC Santa Cruz and moved into her own apartment near the campus in August. She wanted to go away for college, (even though she was also accepted by UC Berkeley), to have her own adventure. Wise choice. We discovered, to our surprise, that we love our empty nest phase. It's a blend of newly-wed time together with over 28 years of maturing love, experiences, and wisdom, plus the extended communities of our three wonderful children. We love to hear from them, to have them come home, and to have them go back again to their own adventures. Good times!
Fortunately, we are all in stable work situations. As noted, Mary is a student at UCSC with a merit scholarship, majoring in Sociology, considering a minor in History. Amber is in her second year as a Jesuit Volunteer, having moved from her job and community in Houston to Santa Clara, (CA - hurray), where she lives with seven other JVC volunteers in an old mortuary, and works in San Jose as a refugee resettlement case manager with Catholic Charities. Amber and Mary catch the 17 bus between San Jose and Santa Cruz to spend occasional times together.
The recession has not hit pizza, at least not Lanesplitter Pizza Pub, which is booming and keeping Daniel busy as pizza chef and one of the managers. Between long hours at work and active social life, he is developing his skills in photography, and has exhibited his photos in several shows this year. We were very proud parents at the beer reception closing one of his shows, as he mingled amiably with many friends and admirers. He led the cycling Team Lanesplitter again this year in a fund raising ride for diabetes research, cycling 100 miles through Napa Valley.
John joined Daniel on the team, and also completed 100 miles, though a little behind Daniel. John, as Daniel, rides his bike to work, errands, and for recreation. John often rides up into Tilden Park, sometimes as far as Inspiration Point, in the early morning before work. Then, on days off, he goes on more challenging rides, up to 40 hilly miles. John continues to manage the desk and communications at Newman Hall/Holy Spirit Parish. Though not his ideal job, he does his work excellently, is well appreciated, and we're glad for it in these days of disappearing jobs.
A year ago, I'd just completed my wound nursing course and certification exam and changed from my long-time job to a new job in home health nursing. Wow, it seems so long ago! During this year, I completed my ostomy nursing course (UW) and certification exam, decided that I didn't love home health nursing as much as I thought I would, and that I didn't want to start a new career in wound/ostomy nursing, realized what a great job (and benefits) I had in rehabilitation nursing, and got back in just in time to keep my seniority. I value the intensive learning experiences I had this year, and I am happy to be back at my old job, with new appreciation. And they are happy to have me back. :-)
John and I have expanded our Irish traditional music playing together to include Quebecois music. We host a small group of friends in our home at least monthly, called the Jolly Clamdiggers (taken from a tune name). We learn Irish tunes from each other and from recordings of great musicians, play together for several hours, talk about all sorts of things, and eat soup and goodies together. This group and our time together is one of the highlights of our lives; fun music, great food, wonderful friends! Now we've also joined a Quebecois session hosted by another friend, where we learn and play tunes that share many of the qualities we enjoy in Irish music, with an added punch of "crookedness," an uneven count of measures that surprises the expectation.
And, I have a new accordion! Tommy, from Italy,
arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I unpacked it/him at our Jolly Clamdiggers session the week before Christmas, knowing they would delight in the shared experience. Tommy is made by Castagnari, a company that names all of their accordion models after the children of the accordion builders. I love Tommy, am having lots of fun playing! This is a 2-row button accordion, on which I play all my Irish tunes. At the Quebecois session I play both button and piano accordion. Earlier this month, I had fun playing in a Polish band for a Slavic Christmas concert, and in January will play again at the Pelican Inn Robbie Burns night, Scottish music, with my friend Chris, as Mr. Cummings' Rant. I also fill in occasionally for our music director on piano at church.
Piano is my first instrument, but I've been unclear as to what I want to play, and since I've been playing less at church, I've just been playing less. I'm discovering that I love to improvise (on piano) with tunes that I've learned with accordion, and I want to focus in this direction as a major goal for the new year.
We're happy that all of our parents are well and active. My Mom, in Escondido, has an active social life at age 92. John's Mom successfully weathered being snow-bound with her cat in New Jersey. Both are avid readers. John's Dad continues his editing work for the Millennium Project, a Washington based global think-tank researching and proposing solutions for the world's major social and ecological challenges. Fortunately, he can do this even while snow-bound in Maryland. My sister Jane and her husband Dennis are also in Escondido, for which I am very grateful, with their children and grandchildren spread around the country and in China. We're very thankful for our parents and families.
So, this is both a letter and the beginning, hopefully, of my journal/blog, Garnet, Ivory, and Myrrh. Garnet, my birthstone, represents me and my family life. Ivory, of piano keys, represents music in my life. Myrrh represents healing, my work in nursing, along with concerns for social and environmental care. My spiritual journey to ponder, thank, and love God is infused by, and infuses, all.
I'd planned to write a post-Christmas letter today; seems like a good beginning. I told my family at the dinner table that this was my favorite Christmas ever. I think I've said that for the past few years. We had all of our kids home again in our recently emptied nest.
John and I had pondered whether we would have a difficult adjustment to Mary's moving out. We'd been through Daniel and Amber's going forth, but still had another child at home, and Mary was such great company for us. Mary transferred from Berkeley City College to UC Santa Cruz and moved into her own apartment near the campus in August. She wanted to go away for college, (even though she was also accepted by UC Berkeley), to have her own adventure. Wise choice. We discovered, to our surprise, that we love our empty nest phase. It's a blend of newly-wed time together with over 28 years of maturing love, experiences, and wisdom, plus the extended communities of our three wonderful children. We love to hear from them, to have them come home, and to have them go back again to their own adventures. Good times!
Fortunately, we are all in stable work situations. As noted, Mary is a student at UCSC with a merit scholarship, majoring in Sociology, considering a minor in History. Amber is in her second year as a Jesuit Volunteer, having moved from her job and community in Houston to Santa Clara, (CA - hurray), where she lives with seven other JVC volunteers in an old mortuary, and works in San Jose as a refugee resettlement case manager with Catholic Charities. Amber and Mary catch the 17 bus between San Jose and Santa Cruz to spend occasional times together.
The recession has not hit pizza, at least not Lanesplitter Pizza Pub, which is booming and keeping Daniel busy as pizza chef and one of the managers. Between long hours at work and active social life, he is developing his skills in photography, and has exhibited his photos in several shows this year. We were very proud parents at the beer reception closing one of his shows, as he mingled amiably with many friends and admirers. He led the cycling Team Lanesplitter again this year in a fund raising ride for diabetes research, cycling 100 miles through Napa Valley.
John joined Daniel on the team, and also completed 100 miles, though a little behind Daniel. John, as Daniel, rides his bike to work, errands, and for recreation. John often rides up into Tilden Park, sometimes as far as Inspiration Point, in the early morning before work. Then, on days off, he goes on more challenging rides, up to 40 hilly miles. John continues to manage the desk and communications at Newman Hall/Holy Spirit Parish. Though not his ideal job, he does his work excellently, is well appreciated, and we're glad for it in these days of disappearing jobs.
A year ago, I'd just completed my wound nursing course and certification exam and changed from my long-time job to a new job in home health nursing. Wow, it seems so long ago! During this year, I completed my ostomy nursing course (UW) and certification exam, decided that I didn't love home health nursing as much as I thought I would, and that I didn't want to start a new career in wound/ostomy nursing, realized what a great job (and benefits) I had in rehabilitation nursing, and got back in just in time to keep my seniority. I value the intensive learning experiences I had this year, and I am happy to be back at my old job, with new appreciation. And they are happy to have me back. :-)
John and I have expanded our Irish traditional music playing together to include Quebecois music. We host a small group of friends in our home at least monthly, called the Jolly Clamdiggers (taken from a tune name). We learn Irish tunes from each other and from recordings of great musicians, play together for several hours, talk about all sorts of things, and eat soup and goodies together. This group and our time together is one of the highlights of our lives; fun music, great food, wonderful friends! Now we've also joined a Quebecois session hosted by another friend, where we learn and play tunes that share many of the qualities we enjoy in Irish music, with an added punch of "crookedness," an uneven count of measures that surprises the expectation.
And, I have a new accordion! Tommy, from Italy,
arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I unpacked it/him at our Jolly Clamdiggers session the week before Christmas, knowing they would delight in the shared experience. Tommy is made by Castagnari, a company that names all of their accordion models after the children of the accordion builders. I love Tommy, am having lots of fun playing! This is a 2-row button accordion, on which I play all my Irish tunes. At the Quebecois session I play both button and piano accordion. Earlier this month, I had fun playing in a Polish band for a Slavic Christmas concert, and in January will play again at the Pelican Inn Robbie Burns night, Scottish music, with my friend Chris, as Mr. Cummings' Rant. I also fill in occasionally for our music director on piano at church.Piano is my first instrument, but I've been unclear as to what I want to play, and since I've been playing less at church, I've just been playing less. I'm discovering that I love to improvise (on piano) with tunes that I've learned with accordion, and I want to focus in this direction as a major goal for the new year.
We're happy that all of our parents are well and active. My Mom, in Escondido, has an active social life at age 92. John's Mom successfully weathered being snow-bound with her cat in New Jersey. Both are avid readers. John's Dad continues his editing work for the Millennium Project, a Washington based global think-tank researching and proposing solutions for the world's major social and ecological challenges. Fortunately, he can do this even while snow-bound in Maryland. My sister Jane and her husband Dennis are also in Escondido, for which I am very grateful, with their children and grandchildren spread around the country and in China. We're very thankful for our parents and families.
So, this is both a letter and the beginning, hopefully, of my journal/blog, Garnet, Ivory, and Myrrh. Garnet, my birthstone, represents me and my family life. Ivory, of piano keys, represents music in my life. Myrrh represents healing, my work in nursing, along with concerns for social and environmental care. My spiritual journey to ponder, thank, and love God is infused by, and infuses, all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)