gifts of music

...GO
No, seriously, that was the title of the first piece from the Winterfest today! The Armstrong Wind Ensemble brought us a total of four works for the free concert this afternoon. All were modern compositions from the past ten years. Wow!
The other three works were the lively "Goddess of Fire", the sweetly moving "Sentimentale", and the boldly jubilant "KHAN". That last was quite lively and certainly my favorite!

Next on my agenda of free music was the "Musique De France"!
Que magnifique!
Here is the empty orchestra...

...and here it is for my favorite piece of the evening, Poulenc's "Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D Minor,
FP 61".
Bugs Bunny cartoons kept flashing through my mind during it - and I was not the only one with those images!
Give a listen and you'll agree!
As for the rest of the concert, I've talked about it here.
'Nuff said!
(smile!)

This afternoon found me at the JEA for "Honoring The Legacy Of Richard Tucker". His son (David), his biographer (Jim Drake), and his fellow opera singer (Sherrill Milnes) hosted the free two-hour program of music.
I admit to going in blind. All I knew at the time was Sherrill Milnes would be there and I was likely to hear some opera.
Boy, did I! The trio had garnered fourteen audio and video samples to showcase the tenor, singing not only in multiple operas, but also performing Jewish services, being interviewed on television, and...singing "The Lord's Prayer". In fact, I realized when I heard it that this 1967 version with this Jewish singer was the one I had grown up hearing in the Southern Baptist church! Amazing!
I know my Grandma and Grandpa must have been smiling at that!
Now, I'm off to the Jonny Lang concert at the Lucas! It'll be free, too, as I'm ushering the event! Hooray! I have been looking forward to hearing this bluesman for so long!
Later, y'all!

i came to watch you dance

Where was I?
At the Lucas Theatre.
I had come to usher and stayed to dance.
After all, it was a concert.
(smile)
The Savannah Philharmonic had their last concert this year at the vintage site. This "Musique De France" featured the "impressionist" works of Berlioz, Debussy, and Poulenc in the first half.
Ravel was the only composer featured after the intermission.
The final piece of the evening was his "Boléro", in all its fifteen-minutes-of-fame glory.
It actually is fifteen minutes long, too.
Composed when Maurice Ravel was 53 years old, the music was deliberately constructed for one purpose: dancing.
That's my kind of music!
And dance to it I did, allowing my arms to weave patterns in the air as my hips swayed to the insistent beat of the snare drum. What joy!
Toward the song's end, an elderly woman with a cane began traveling down the aisle of orchestra left, toward me. She was followed by a gentleman who may have been her son. As they neared the vestibule which I had been using as my private dance hall, I moved to open the side door for their exit.
"Oh, I'm not leaving yet," the woman said. "I came to watch you dance."
And so I resumed dancing for the few minutes remaining.
Give the people what they want, n'est-ce pas?
(smile)

What a different experience than I had on Friday night.
I had ventured out to the Savannah Social event, billed as the "last chance this year for a free dance lesson at Savannah Ballroom!"
Sadly, it seemed to have been misunderstood to be the "last chance to find a date for the holidays" by many in attendance.
During the dance lesson, I shared the floor with two men. In both cases, I had interjected myself into their path as they were headed for someone else. As it was an offer they could not graciously refuse, they acted as gentlemen and danced with me.
The rumba, or box-step, was the first dance we learned. The wiry older gent was not happy with my improvisation of also swinging my hips.
Next, we learned the swing, emphasizing the right side. The very tanned muscle man was actually a pretty good dancer, but his attention was elsewhere the entire time.
Ruth, one of my Lucas-mates, was also present, having been a student of the dance studio for some time. She actually performed with Gabriel! (I knew him from the sockhop following the Jepson lecture in April. Such a sweet young man! I had been dancing solo and he had come over and joined me... and he even remembered that dance with me!)
I stayed until the mixer began.
Then, I quietly ducked out.
No more ballroom for me.
I acknowledge that I am a control freak, but not in that direction.

The lesson learned?
I can dance with prescribed steps or I can move to the music, but I cannot do both.
Not that the lesson is a new one for me.
I've never been proficient as a line dancer.
But I once loved disco, with all the twirling and hip-flashing and arm-waving!
Free-form, that's my style, allowing the music to guide my movements!

Good choice, as I have been told time and time and time and time and time and time and time and time and time and time again.
I could go on, but you catch my drift...
and now, off I go to catch Tyler Perry's latest!
Bye!

fringe and tassels, working and thai!

This is a snippet from one of the two musicals the Savannah Stage Company will be performing this upcoming fifth season!!!
That's right, I said two musicals!!!
You know I'm in heaven about that, right?
(smile)
This scene is from "Working: The Musical", with songs from James Taylor and Lin-Manuel Miranda, among others.
I am so excited about it!
I'm already making plans to attend every production of the play!
(smile)
The teaser was performed at the Season Announcement Party at the Andaz Hotel. "Snack-sized" snippets from the other three plays were also performed, including the scene with the moon being lassoed, "Buffalo Girl" style. Yeehaw!

Afterward, I had about an hour until my next event downtown.
What to do for dinner?
Well, fortunately, I stepped into Ruan Thai Cuisine!
Is this not the most gorgeous plate of Nam Sod you've ever seen?
Tom Yum Gai was excellent, too!
I'll look forward to going there again - it wasn't as pricey as I'd heard it would be.

Then it was time to bop over to Club One for a game show, burlesque-style!
Hallelujah!
Kudos to Deb O'Nair for most creative use of shark hand puppet!
Kudos again to Deb O'Nair for most wonderful use of tassels, placing them on elbows and knees and not just the usual places. What marvelous twirling!!!
And Sallie B. Badd gets honorable mention for the hot pink and teal blue fringe on her third-round costume - shake, shake, shake it, baby!
"1, 2, 3, TEASE!" was worth the ten bucks, and more!
I hope to see more of these fine ladies of Savannah Sweet Tease in the future... I sure have missed going to their shows!

As I was returning to my car, at the square south of the Lucas Theatre, I was struck by this scene.
Moon above, holiday-clad lamp posts staggering across the park, and moss-laden oaks between...
what a serene and blessed setting to end my evening.

i thank You, God.

penultimate lecture of 2016!

Tonight was my next to last lecture for 2016.
In truth, it was the final lecture at Armstrong.
I will reprise it tomorrow morning at SavTech.
So, tonight's was the penultimate.
I like that word: penultimate.
Two Latin words, paene and ultimus, bridged together to form a new word with precise meaning.
Not the last, but the one immediately preceding.
Then, off to a new beginning.
How appropriate as we close this semester, this right-handed bookend of 2016, prior to the start of the holiday festivities! The true closure will occur during the first week of December, during the Final Exams at both institutions of learning.
Then, we will meet no more at these schools until the beginning of the new semester, in the left-handed bookend of 2017.
Some of us at Armstrong will continue to see each other in the second half of the survey chemistry series.
Most will be in different classes, however, with new people, new topics of study, new schedules.
But, for tonight, I had that penultimate experience.
That was nice.
I look forward to the "second verse, same as the first" in the morn.
(smile)

free food for veterans, 2016 edition

Tonight, I celebrated being a veteran for the fourth time in about as many days.
This time, I was being feted by Golden Corral, with a free buffet and free drink.
Hooray!
My first niece joined me for the meal, making it extra special.
(smile)
It had all begun on Thursday.
The physicist and I were long overdue for time together and had arranged to meet "next week on Thursday afternoon"...which happened to be the day before Veteran's Day. I had suggested Red Lobster, as I still had the gift card he had given to me for my birthday. As it so happened, that restaurant was giving free appetizers to veterans! Sah-weet deal for the F-grrl and J-Dawg! We split the free Sweet Chili Shrimp and had a quite leisurely slunch for the next two hours, with Chlorin taking care of all our needs. Oh, yeah! (I gave him his birthday gift then, too. After all, it is Jeff-tember! He very much liked the Dr. Who coloring book and the four different packs of Minions-inspired Crayola crayons. I'm sure he will smile and think of me as he colors during the six-month sabbatical he'll have in New York.)
On Friday, Applebee's was the source of my late lunch. They must have had every one of their wait staff there for the extra business! My free meal was this beautiful piece of fish, flavored with lime and cilantro - totally yummy! Thanks to Corey for keeping my iced tea glass full and a smile on my face!
Saturday night was free food, too, but not because I was a veteran. Nope! It was because I was dining on smoked pork, green beans, and fried rice at Roy's party!
(smile!)
On Sunday night, Carrabbas celebrated my status as a veteran with a free appetizer. This time, I selected the Shrimp Scampi...oh, so very good! Barbara was there to share them with, and to share a very leisurely post-movie dinner, too. (We had seen a delightful Swedish film, "A Man Called Ove", reminding us that love can be found in many forms.) My thanks to Rob for taking care of me so graciously...and the sweet dreams later. Oh, yeah!
And that brings us to tonight, at the buffet, with my niece. Cynthia was the dear who kept the table clear of clutter and our glasses full of drink. Muchas gracias!
All in all, a memorable weekend full of meals with friends...and little cost for me.

My many thanks to all who made that possible.
And, as always, i thank You, God.

cats say hello to dolly and peter pan, with the sound of music!

ASUMC's God On Broadway series was a bit shattered this year.
It began beautifully, and on schedule, with "The Phantom Of the Opera", as I had already written.
Then came the blustery bully, stomping up the coast and crashing the best-made plans all to pieces.
Life was out of kilter for me (and many others) for almost a week.
I had actually gone to the church on the 9th of October, making a three-block detour around downed trees to get there. I had known the service would not be the Broadway piece scheduled, but that would be okay. I just wanted to be there.
I was the only one there.
I had been greeted with the message "No service Sunday" on the marquee when I had finally arrived.
Sigh.
The next three Sundays went as Reverend Billy Hester had originally planned. "The Sound of Music" was to be skipped for now, but would definitely be rescheduled.
Sunday, October 16th, presented us with "Hello, Dolly!" Truly, I had thought I was only familiar with the title tune, but I was wrong! "It Only Takes A Moment" was a reminder of having watched this many years ago with Mama.

My favorite part of the service, besides Don Cohen's song, was the singing of a new hymn. The title song's lyrics were modified, in light of the turmoil caused by the hurricane. "Hello, Savannah" was our joyful response to our beautiful town still standing! Where am I? Look far right, by the piano, behind the man in the white shirt. See that long, graying hair on that swaying woman? That would be me!
Here are the lyrics.

Hello, Sava-nnah....well, hello, Sava-nnah
It's so nice to be with you where we belong.
You're lookin' swell, Sava-nnah,
we can tell, Sava-nnah,
You're still glowin'...you're still crowin'...
you're still goin' strong!
We saw the trees swayin'......as it kept rainin'...
Yes, we know that Matthew tried to do you in.
But...you stayed strong, Sava-nnah,
Found you a brand new song, Sava-nnah!
Savannah will always find a way again!

Hello Sava-nnah....well, hello, Sava-nnah
It's so nice to be with you where we belong.
You're lookin' swell, Sava-nnah,
we can tell, Sava-nnah,
You're still glowin'...you're still crowin'...
you're still goin' strong!
We saw the trees swayin'......as it kept rainin'...
Yes, we know that Matthew tried to do you in.
But...you stayed strong, Sava-nnah,
Found you a brand new song, Sava-nnah
Savannah will always find a way!
Savannah will always find a way!
Savannah will always find a way again!

Afterward, it was good to swap stories about the hurricane in the social hall. Everyone's tale was different, but they all ended the same way... we had survived to live another day.
i thank You, God!

Sunday, October 23rd, was full of "Cats" of all sizes and shapes! "Memory" was so beautifully done, both vocally and artistically. But I must say that the most fun piece was having Pongo and Freckles do the announcements! Hilarious!

Sunday, October 30th, brought what had been intended as the concluding production for this year's God On Broadway series. "Peter Pan" bid us to never grow up, to never lose our child-like wonder of the world we know and love.
My favorite part? I must admit, I had two of them! The first favorite bit was the announcements, done by the Captain Hook and his pirates! Yo, ho, me maties! But Tinkerbell certainly gave those boys a run for the money - literally, as she spoke of stewardship! Helen Downing was perfect as the real Tinkerbell: aged, plump, grandmotherly, as someone centuries old should look!

Now, October was over... but we still had a God On Broadway service to be held. However, it could not be the first Sunday in November, as that was All Saints Day.
No worries!
We were treated to "The Sound Of Music" on this second Sunday in November! What a smorgasbord of songs and productions! "The Morning Hymn" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" featured the choir only! "Do Re Mi" was a puppetry feature from the Creative Kids!
And the announcements? Well, they were done in song, of course! "My Favorite (Asbury) Things" listed them quite nicely!
(smile)
But my very favorite part was during the offertory. Billy's sister, Wendy, who had played Maria on stage years ago, came on to sing "The Sound Of Music". Then, she was joined by Billy and his wife, Cheri. Then came their cousins, John Hester (with my stepsister, Jean, and my niece, Molly!) and Kim Johnson (with husband, Steve)! And then... my favorite part!... Billy and Wendy's mom and aunt came to the stage!
Wow, wow, WOW!!!
But that was not the last "wow!" moment, as we call them here.
No, that came with the very last song, the song where the entire congregation sings together. And that song?
"Edelweiss".
"Bless my homeland forever", it implores.
What a timely message during these post-election woes.
If not for the hurricane's interruption to the schedule, this message would have been a month too early.
If not for the hurricane's effect on the Reverend's planned sermon order, we might not have been able to acknowledge the proffering of hope and healing in such a simple song.
There are no coincidences, right?

i thank You, God.

psychotronic zombie!

I know zombies aren't supposed to grin, but I just couldn't stop!
At 1:00 PM sharp, I was at Lake Mayer to pick up my race packet!
Yes, you heard correctly: race packet.
I was doing it again!
This time was to benefit the Alzheimer's Disease research. Having zombies present is rather appropriate, n'est-ce pas?
I know you're wondering if I've caught race fever from Kevin...
Well... maybe a tinge... but I don't run.
I walk.
Plus, the timing was excellent. Groupon had missed me and had sent a coupon for twenty dollars off the item of my choice. One of the first items to catch my eye was the 5KDeadRun, on a Saturday afternoon, right around the corner from me. "Run, walk, or jog", it proclaimed in the rules. Hooray! Between the Groupon price and my extra voucher, the seventy-dollar price-tag was cut to only nine bucks!!!
Besides the t-shirt and dogtag finisher medal, I could also get zombie make-up!
What great fun! I had never been a zombie before!

First, the base coat
was sprayed on.
That looks pretty
creepy right there!
(smile)

Then came the dark circles
around my eyes
and "sunken" cheekbones!
A bit of bloody veins
on the forehead, too!

Bloody spider veins
on my neck, too,
as well as dark shadows
of shrunken flesh!
(That tickled!)
(smile!)

Last, the bloody
I've-been-munching mouth,
created by
drizzling streams
of red Karo syrup
and then having me bite my hand!
Grrrraawwwrrrr!
(smile!)

He did a really great job,
didn't he?
Had some awesome
zombie tunes, too!
I was dancing
and dancing
there at the pavilion!

This was the race course!
I walked around it the first time with Diana and her mom, Martha, visiting from Arizona.
That took about 44 minutes.
My second lap, walked solo, was only 30 minutes.
Much better!
(I think I may sign up for the next zombie run in April, too.)

Afterward, even with the red stickiness in my hair, I just couldn't bear the thought of washing it all off.
I just couldn't!
I was having so much fun with that look!
Sooooo...
I kept it on for Roy's Annual Trivia Party!
That didn't begin until 7 PM, but by the time everything with the race was done, it was already after 5. Plus, I only had another hour before I needed to leave for Roy's place in Bluffton, SC....
Another reason to stay a zombie!
And so I did, staying in my bloodied race shirt, too!
Guess what?
Everyone liked it! Especially my trivia mates: Jim Reed and his squeeze, Amanda; Axelle and her man, Jordan; and sweet Melissa, stranger no more! Together, we were the Psychotronics! Woohoo!
Here's what we had in common: none of us were really trivia players, but we were all friends of Roy Wood and Heather, so that's how we really ended up there on a Saturday night.
Beginner's luck had us win the warm-up game!
Incredible!
And what did we win???
A package of moustaches!!!

I was the first to go ahead and don one, followed by the other women, then Jim. Jordan has a full 'stache and beard already, so he was set. We became the Psychotronic Moustaches!
We darn near won the real game, too.
Two more points...
Maybe next year!
Now, to shower and wash my hair before bed...
What a fabulous day!

i thank You, God!