TrulyGrace: April 2013

Stopped in another Art Store

Today I stopped in yet another art store. Took a survey of the materials there, for future reference. Also received a catalog.

Medical Appointments and Xrays

Today, I had a medical appointment and more X rays. More X rays and more future appointments were made/ discussed.

I hope this works out.

Eating...

Joined Jen & Bri for lunch of BBQ burger and sweet potato fries at the Waterfront this afternoon. Bri went to Barnes & Noble, the bookstore, and Jen and I walked around the circle. I enjoyed the scents at the hand soap/ lotion/ candle store. We met Bri back at the front of the bookstore. They gave me a ride back home.

Walked to Shadyside for Mexican food with Marissa & the children. We read a couple of books while waiting for our food. I ordered the waitress's favorite dish on the whole menu. We enjoyed the burrito sundae, as well. They gave me a ride chez Mom & Dad.

Life is good.

Updating Hypertext Links

This morning I'm updating my hypertext links to my template for this blog. I'm struck by the sounds of Dawn Norfleet's song "Love Will Find You," and added a link which includes this piece. Am currently listening to "19 Gone: Requiem for Tyisha Miller." I 'm not familiar with the story behind this song, but here is an article from CNN about the case: http://www.cnn.com/US/9906/12/riverside.firing/

and a UC Riverside Theater Department faculty member has written a play about the incident called Dreamscape. It has toured Southern California.

Been weeding links, as well.

~~~
In the news headlines, online, an interesting case:

http://news.msn.com/us/court-may-limit-use-of-race-in-college-admissions

~~~
In one of my social network groups:

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/how-to-be-happier-work-10-things-stop-doing.html?comid=89533

~~~

Monday in the Fifth Week of Easter 2013

Today we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor. I proclaimed/ read the Word from the Acts of the Apostles at this morning's Mass. I arrived to find the hymnals prepared, with thin slips of paper indicating the entrance ("Come, Holy Ghost") and recessional hymns ("How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds"). A maintenance fellow unlocked the door to the altar for me. Audrey C set up a table by the altar, as there was no server. J.R. retrieved his equipment to sing and play the Beckerath organ for music ministry. Fr. Joe F truly honored St. Catherine in his opening remarks of the Mass.

Before Mass I checked out the readings---a good thing, as I thought that my printed copy of the Monday of the "Fourth" week of Easter was the reading for today! I also looked over the general intercessions, which included our special intention for the soul of Carol P, a great Cathedral sacristan, one of the "uber-Sacristans" of her generation. I am honored to have known her.

I spotted Maureen and her sister Elaine, and Frank in the congregation. In addition to them, there were approximately forty people in the congregation receiving Holy Communion this morning.

I will relax this morning, eating breakfast, cleaning house, and recycling clothes and papers. This weekend I did a bit of that, dropping off five bags of clothes and shoes to donate on Sunday morning before choir practice.

Fifth Sunday of Easter 2013

There was a lot of singing and proclaiming of "[God's] grace" at Mass today. The readings were those discussed at Bible study at the Oratory Wednesday morning (13 of us attended, including Fr. Drew). Adam joined us for choir today, I caught up on correspondence with friends and with students from this Spring semester, and I took a nap before returning to the 6.00 PM Mass with Don at the organ and the handbell choir, the Cathedral Ringers, directed by Ken. They played "Gymnopédie No.1" by Satie.

Don offered to be a reference for me Thursday, and today he promised "not to talk about [my] vocal technique but how [I] work." I was grateful.

I have started to collect my references Saturday, in preparation. I have five references as of this morning.

Empowering Women at the CMNH, the Penguins beat the Hurricanes

Yesterday morning I caught up with correspondence to friends. I talked to Charles about the end of the semester and invited him and Susan to an event at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in conjunction with the Empowering Women exhibit. The scheduled event listed on the CMNH website was local art demonstrations organized by Nina Marie Barbuto, which was facilitated by Elizabeth Fortunato and her sister Stephanie. They provided glass, glue, tiles, grout, and guidance in the creation of self-designed mosaics. It was the first time I had designed and created a mosaic! I worked on a pattern I have been playing with before the beginning of the semester/ calendar year. Stephanie explained that many of the materials were from Construction Junction and Creative Reuse, organizations of recycle here in Pittsburgh. Upon completion of grouting the mosaic and gently cleaning the glass surfaces with a damp sponge, Stephanie kindly wrapped my tile in plastic, instructed me to allow it to dry at home, and to buff the surface with a dry towel once the grout has set.

I walked about the Hillman Hall of Geology and its temporary exhibit of designed jewelry, Polar World (Judy H's and my collectively favorite exhibit), the Alcoa American Indian exhibit hall, and ended up in the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh exhibition. There was a faux mosaic, which had sold, and a set of bowls called "It's the pits" which drew a smile across my face. The security guard in the exhibit noted to me that I was "like a kid in a candy store" in this exhibit.

I walked home with my tile, had a couple of glasses of Indian chai brewed with Irish tea (hmmm..Mmm!) and prepared to go to the Penguins game at the Consol Energy Center with Deb. I caught an earlier bus (traffic, yesterday's/Friday's experience travelling, and the mass exodus from Pitt this weekend), arrived at her place to apply lotion to my hands, and we left for a dinner of French fries and pastrami sandwich halves at the venue. We sat in section 121 this time, across from the goal as last time (section 115). Sid didn't play this time, but his jersey was ubiquitous as we entered and found our seats. Sid Crosby is a joy to watch in action, as his skates skip across the ice as he changes direction while skating. He was injured in an earlier game this month when a puck hit him in the face, causing facial and dental injuries. He's a great team player and leader, and is excited to get back in play as soon as the doctors give him the go-ahead.

The Pens started out ranked in the top 3 of the Eastern division before the game, and the Carolina Hurricanes (who have J. Staal now) were ranked a few dozen lower.

We slayed the Hurricanes. 8-3....There was a presentation to the ticket winners of the "Shirt off my Back" giveaway where the players came out individually, met the winners before the bank of television cameras and were photographed there, and then signed the jersey. Most of the winners sported Pens jerseys on their backs already....those who didn't were discussed by Deb and me:

me: S/he hasn't got a jersey yet...Now s/he does...
Deb: ..and a good one, too!

The children who won were discussed with equal gusto.

We greeted her cats after the grrreat game, refilled her water bottle, and she gave me a ride home. What a wonderful way to end the week.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, World Premiere of THE GIFT; Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

Last night I took the tickets I scored from WQED yesterday morning in their first line of ticket-gifting and met up with Ellen Y at Heinz Hall (Ketchup Hall, as I invoke the influence of my friend, S). I met Ellen, a friend who recently retired from my department at work, and we heard The Gift, a humorous piece a la Gilbert and Sullivan; and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony performed in the original tempi which Beethoven intended.

We met prior to the pre-concert talk, which was led by assistant conductor Fawzi Haimor, with a talk also led by Chris Theofanidis. A short question and answer period ended the half-hour-long talk. We relocated from 7th row of the Orchestra level to our seats in the Family Circle Left, perfect seats to hear and see the full orchestra, conductor, soloists, and choir.

The first piece was The Gift, that night being its world premiere. The Gift is a piece commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The libretto was projected on either side of the apron, and was printed conveniently in the program as well. It was, however, not needed to catch the humor in the piece. As Chris Theofanidis said in the pre-concert talk, the "humor is in the timing." There were elements of verbal and musical humor, too, such as the mention of the Queen being announced with a vibraphone-like instrument, bringing to mind the entrance of the King in the play-within-a-play of the musical The King and I. The piece was introduced by thanking Dick Simmons, who stood with his wife before Manfred Honeck. Richard Simmons is a long-time donor of the PSO. The piece was conducted by Manfred Honeck, with Anthony Dean Griffey as the farmer (tenor), and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. After the piece ended, Chris Theofanidis and his wife stood happily next to Manfred Honeck. If I were to commission a choral-orchestral piece of Voltaire's work, Candide, it would definitely be by Chris Theofanidis, a master of comedic phrasing, so difficult to do well orchestrally.

After intermission, we enjoyed Manfred's quick lecture-demo (with orchestra and choir) giving his reasoning for choosing Beethoven's original pre-metronomic tempi choices of the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op 125. Then, we were enveloped by the waves of sound which were at times gentle and powerful. I recalled before the concert to Ellen that the first time I recall hearing the "Ode to Joy" performed was at the ceremonies for the Montreal Olympics. This performance last night far surpassed that experience, with its drama and quick changes of tempi and of dynamics. In addition to the Mendelssohn Choir's joining with the PSO, four soloists accompanied them, as well: Angela Meade (soprano), Kelley O'Connor (mezzo-soprano), Anthony Dean Griffey (tenor), and Alexander Vinogradov (baritone). Upon the last chord, the crowd was on its feet, raving with rousing applause.

Ellen and I did not stay for the post-concert dessert to meet the musicians. I caught a bus back to mom and dad's home, had a snack, and went home. Ellen kindly called me as I arrived indoors.

What a wonderful, uplifting evening it was! This performance concludes a series of performances
this week called "Music for the Spirit" in Pittsburgh conducted by Manfred Honeck,
conductor of the PSO who hails originally from Austria.

Grading Meeting, Ellen's Retirement Party, and a PSO World Premier & Beethoven's Ninth

Yesterday morning brought one of two meetings with students to view their finals, followed by our subdepartment's grading meeting. The average for all sections was over 80%. I was pleased with the outcome of my students as a whole. This was followed by Ellen's retirement party, which ended with discussion of post-surgery helpful hints ("follow that PT, and let them know if it bothers you so they can modify the exercises" and "watch where the post-surgery IV drip goes in"), and a small cadre of us discussing jury duty experiences.

I stopped by Mom and Dad's before going home for a nap in the afternoon and a light dinner of pesto/ egg pasta. I took the bus downtown to Heinz Hall before picking up the pair of tickets I won earlier on a WQED call-in (being the fifth of 5 or 6 callers). I mentioned that THAT is the only way I would hear my name on the radio (may not be such a bad thing). During the pre-concert talk, Ellen stated that she has no desire to be famous/ infamous---no fifteen minutes of fame!

More discussion of the pre-concert talk, program, and performance in my next post.

Interview, Mass, Meetings tomorrow

I signed up for interview times via email today. I got some more artwork on paper done this morning (have been working each day this week). I went to 12.05 Mass today, celebrated by Fr. Steve P, with Jim serving and Audrey C proclaiming the Word.

I have two meetings with two separate students tomorrow morning, our meeting tomorrow with colleagues, and a party to send Ellen Y off on her retirement! Need to bring food for Ellen's party.

Back on Campus Yesterday

I found myself back on campus Tuesday (yesterday) because the Internet service was down at Mom and Dad's home. On the way into the building, I asked Heather S to take my photo by the forsythia shrubs. She kindly did.

Uncle Ben passed away, Auntie Benita passed within days of his passing. What a fun couple. The angels and God are smiling at them; we miss their presence.

Final and Course Means Reported, Spring 2013

After doing quality control/ quality assurance on the practical finals yesterday evening, I posted my means for the final and course for each section I taught this Spring 2013 semester. Despite having one student not show up for class at the last half of the semester, all my means for all my sections were above average. On the whole, I am proud of my students and their work in this course.

Finished Grading and Scoring Finals, Spring 2013

This morning before choir practice I finished grading and scoring the practical finals, and entered them manually in my grade sheet. I need to do quality control/ quality assurance on the scoring before I report them.

Grading: 5/6ths finished with the practical exams for Spring 2013

I've graded 15 out of 18 stations of the final practical, as of tonight. Some stations were longer grading.

I watched on WQED the 48 hours film shorts from the Pittsburgh area. Some were quite amusing.

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles...

again ride and fly through Beantown.

No Trains, Planes, or Automobiles...

...in or out of the Boston area. Boston is on lockdown to catch the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings...

Forsythias Bloom throughout Final Practical Week

The forsythia are blooming before and during final practical week. This morning I just completed administration of this Spring's last of my final practical examinations. Whew! I've been grading lightly all week, and graded 15/72 of the total stations to be graded, that is, a little over one fifth of the stations to be graded. Also had a student make up in another instructor's section today, so I need to score that one as well. Heather, Jess, and Lauren have arrived approximately halfway through each exam to inquire whether we need a break. I haven't needed one (yet).

William's Birthday Party

After singing noon Mass and engaging in food and fellowship afterwards, where I saw Regina C and her brother and parents. I went to William's birthday party at NoodleHead in Shadyside (where I enjoyed Green Curry Linguine with arctic clams and basil). The progressive party continued as a movable feast at Oh Yeah! where I enjoyed mint chocolate chip soy frozen delight. William opened his gifts for him. My main gift to him was a book on Buddhist thought. I also gave him two different sizes of Rubik's cubes, which he duly demonstrated to Beatrice and Solomon.

An afternoon nap followed, and emails to students.

Solomon's Birthday Parties

Talked to Cherie Thursday night---she and Les went to Solomon's family party at Chuck E Cheese (which we missed) on Wednesday.

We saw her, Les, and Solomon's classmates (avec siblings, some of them) at his birthday party at the Toy Lending Library. The theme was pirates! The favors focused on this theme. We all enjoyed dinner at the beginning. Beatrice and two of her friends presented a trampoline show for us. Solomon, Beatrice, and Solomon's friends presented a puppet show for the delighted audience.

We watched Lincoln, an historical film, as an evening delight.

This Day!

I had breakfast of leftover salmon marinade tossed over mini pasta shells and tuna, heated up. I'm currently blogging and got a songster call from William's family. They called to invite me to lunch. I will pick up Lolo and Lola early this afternoon, too. We will try to meet with them today after I grade, pick up Mom and Dad, and go to Church.

I will pick up Lolo and Lola, then we will freshen up to go to Mass this afternoon. After, we will meet with William's family for frozen yogurt treats. It will be a great day!

Festival Weekend: Breakfast, Shopping, and Thurgood

This is a Festival Weekend! Maureen and I went to McKnight Road for great breakfasts: She for strawberry blintzes, and I for a short stack of pancakes and bacon. We then went shopping (window, grocery, and otherwise), back to our respective homes, and then I graded (until an alarm went off at Lolo and Lola's building). I got ready to go to Thurgood, a play by George Stevens, Jr. It is a one-man play acted by Montae Russell, who sounded natural as the Supreme Court Justice recalling various times of his life while standing in the Howard University Law School Auditorium. The play was directed by Ted Pappas, a bright star in the field of Pittsburgh. What a treat made possible by the generosity of Maureen and Nancy. Thoroughgood made good!

While at the mall, I had an brief ocular migraine, probably brought on by the nitrates in the bacon.

After Work This Friday...Flight of the Butterflies

After work yesterday (Friday) I graded papers, had dinner of pot roast, and Maureen and I met Nancy for a cinema/ movie and laser show fest at Carnegie Science Center last night. Maureen and I saw the eight o'clock show of Flight of the Butterflies at the IMAX theater. Nancy had already told us that she had viewed this movie and that it was marvelous. She saw the Bob Marley show upstairs in the Buhl Planetarium concurrently.

I had found someone's belongings in the ladies room before, and had turned it in to the concession desk. Just as we were entering the theater, I asked a gentleman working there where he recommended we sit. We sat as close to the dome as we could....The scenes from the movie were magnificent, especially the flying scenes and the scenes filmed in Mexico. Like many field workers, the workers in Mexico were questioned as to whether they were searching for lost treasure or precious metals.

After the movie, we met at a table in the concession area. I told Nancy and Maureen my two butterfly stories (involving Pittsburgh butterflies and involving Monarchs of the California coast). Maureen and I left Nancy to go home and watch the Pirates game from Dodger Stadium. Maureen and I just got under the wire to get our favorite sweet potato fries in my neighborhood. We ate them with sassy mayonnaise and then surfed Facebook chez Maureen. I went home and slept soundly.

Shadyside Bible Study-

This evening after dinner I went to Bible Study with Todd and Stephanie in Shadyside. We discussed this coming Sunday's readings.

Easter Monday 2013-- Bible Study; Newman's Sermon 23

Yesterday (Monday) night I went to the Oratory for Bible study with Fr. Steve L. We read and discussed Newman's Sermon 23: Keeping Fast and Festival.

I noted that, as Newman stated, one tends to forget the spiritual reflections one has during illness after one is well again--- not so with the liturgical year cycle and with everytime we celebrate the Mass...we remember the Resurrection.

With the liturgical cycle, there is the difference between Lent and Advent...Lent is more inward-directed, and Advent is looking outside ourselves, with hope, toward the arrival of the Christ. Advent requires a preparation of one's inner being, as well, but the gist of the preparation is outward toward the arrival of Christ.

We talked about the first "feast, then fast": as demonstrated by our brother and sister Adam and Eve.

I met Coral, Leland, Chris, John, and James and others there. A great discussion!

Easter Sunday Lunch

Lots of food, fun, and family! When I arrived from Mass, there was the first of two egg hunts for decorated eggs happening at Lolo and Lola's home. First Solomon was looking for eggs hidden by Kelly and Kyle, and then Beatrice had her turn, after waiting in the guest bathroom.

The litany of food follows:
Appetizer
devilled eggs

Les Viandes
pot roast with potatoes and baby carrots
marinated, broiled salmon

Side dishes
rice pilaf with whole cloves and cinnamon pieces
kale with lemon juice, pine nuts, and currents
green bean casserole
pancit with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables
white rice
homemade macaroni and cheese

Desserts
red flavor jello with strawberries
Mom's leche plan
coconut sponge cake
pineapple upside-down cake

We had lots of fun, too. We saw Kelly and Kyle off before her bus, and gave Kyle verbal directions to the highway after...

TrulyGrace

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Stopped in another Art Store

Medical Appointments and Xrays

Monday, April 29, 2013

Eating...

Updating Hypertext Links

Monday in the Fifth Week of Easter 2013

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Fifth Sunday of Easter 2013

Empowering Women at the CMNH, the Penguins beat the Hurricanes

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, World Premiere of THE GIFT; Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

Grading Meeting, Ellen's Retirement Party, and a PSO World Premier & Beethoven's Ninth

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Interview, Mass, Meetings tomorrow

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Back on Campus Yesterday

Monday, April 22, 2013

Final and Course Means Reported, Spring 2013

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Finished Grading and Scoring Finals, Spring 2013

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Grading: 5/6ths finished with the practical exams for Spring 2013

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles...

Friday, April 19, 2013

No Trains, Planes, or Automobiles...

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Forsythias Bloom throughout Final Practical Week

Monday, April 15, 2013

William's Birthday Party

Solomon's Birthday Parties

Sunday, April 07, 2013

This Day!

Festival Weekend: Breakfast, Shopping, and Thurgood

Saturday, April 06, 2013

After Work This Friday...Flight of the Butterflies

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Shadyside Bible Study-

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Easter Monday 2013-- Bible Study; Newman's Sermon 23

Easter Sunday Lunch

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