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NOVEMBER 14 Breakfast was bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, potato pancakes, orange juice, and coffee -- and with Geoffy! Dinner last night was salmon aioli, asparagus, salad, and red wine. Lunch was Shepherd's Pie and fried artichokes at the Cast Iron Kitchen. TEMPERATURE EXTREMES SINCE LAST UPDATE 26.2 and 73.4. MUSIC GOING THROUGH MY HEAD AS I TYPE THIS The MIDI of the beginning of the last movement of Mikronomicon. LARGE EXPENSES SINCE LAST UPDATE Car rental in California, $397. Parking at Logan Airport, $192. House gift for SamNLaurie $undisclosed. COMPANIES THAT HAVE NOT COVERED THEMSELVES IN GLORY Toyota, for making the "MAINT REQD" light come on every 5,000 miles, as has just happened on my Corolla. Dudes -- distinguish between necessary and recommended maintenance, I mean, duh. COMPANIES THAT HAVE COVERED THEMSELVES IN GLORY Garmin, I guess, which for $159 got me to everywhere I needed to get when in California -- 'ceptin' it didn't have Arch Street in Berkeley in its database. And Pyramid Brewery in Berkeleyness, for the lovely wings. PET PEEVE SUVs that park in spots marked "COMPACT" POINTLESS NOSTALGIC REMINISCENCE: I lived in the NEC dormitory my freshman year of college, and it was a strange place. People rehearsing stuff in their rooms, violists getting high and walking around with frozen shit-eating grins, people practicing in the hallways, etc. My "fanfare for Christmas" for brass septet which I'd done in high school but was never performed, got an airing in the cafeteria (Deck the Halls in parallel major triads is, in retrospect, not as funny as it was then). And now the story can be told (statute of limitations). On a very cold, icy day, a small window in the bathroom was iced and it would not close. I kicked it trying to close it, and it shattered. Whistling did I, and left. Later, someone who saw it said it was obvious by the debris patterns that someone threw something at it from outside. Whistling did I. NUMBER OF HAIRCUTS I GOT LAST WEEK: 0. CUTE CAT THINGS TO REPORT: They're back from Maine, and occasionally strangely vocal. Still sleeping at the foot of the bed. UPDATED ON THIS SITE THIS WEEK: This page. THIS WEEK'S MADE-UP WORD: schifaginox, a gelatinous compound used to slow down the speed of electrical impulses. RECOMMENDATION AND PROFESSIONAL LETTERS WRITTEN THIS LAST TWO WEEKS: 6. FUN DAVY FACT YOU WON'T READ ANYWHERE ELSE I no longer own any striped socks. WHAT THE NEXT BIG TREND WOULD BE IF I WERE IN CHARGE: Funk is a five-letter word. PHOTOS IN MY IPHOTO LIBRARY: 14, 148. WHAT I PAID FOR GASOLINE RECENTLY $2.97 in California, $2.94 in California, $2.53 in Maynard. THERE'S NO GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS my head, ladybugs, a tree trunk, manhole covers, 'Round Midnight.

I write this to you on a another dreary Saturday morning -- the Day of Rain, as we are calling it, until we stop calling it that. Rather than splaining right here, I will sum up: I went to California and came back. The cats came back. Things back to the median. And Geoffy is here for most of the next week, except for when he's not.

After that last so-called update, raking did I, and much so, too. Since I was getting as much done before The Trip as I possibly could. Things went as expected at the 'Deis on Monday, at which time I introduced the concepts of chorale harmonization (despite insisting that the original chorale tune is immutable, I predict at least 4 instances in which students change the notes to match their dastardly harmonic schemes -- plus, I predict several instances where harmonizations plow right through the fermatas ... for you see, I have done, before, this). Getting back after class was key, since, well, you know, I had my alarm set for 3 am in order to be plenty on time for my departing-at-6 flight.

And so. As is almost always the case, I was up before off went the alarm. All was uneventful, I got into the car and drove airportwards, only to find a confusing sign about exiting at Copley Square. Crappoliciously, part of the Mass Pike had been closed for ... for something ... and there was a confusing, mediocrely marked detour down Stuart Street, et al, with a plethora of options for reentering the highway when the time came. I chose one, not understanding my fate, and it happened to be the right one. 4 in the morning is not a good time for driving anxiety, but what choice was there?

The aiport experiences and the flights were nonevents, mostly. In the second flight -- Chicago to Sacramento -- unexplainable, the pilot came on and said, "people on the left of the plane..." (I was on the right) "... that's Denver below us, and that means just an hour or an hour and a half to Sacramento". Which, when I looked at my watch, seemed that we would be an hour to an hour and a half early. Turns out the pilot wasn't correct. We were exactly on time. Got my luggage I did, got my rental car I did, and drive to Sam and Laurie's I did, in record time. My new Garmin did a good job getting me there (though it left out the "turn left" off the exit, but I got it), Laurie was home and composing, Sam was at work, and two black cats were there to be cats. Sam shortly took me to lunch (I paid, but he drove) at In-N-Out nearby, which was pretty good fast food, made to order. Sam got the Animal Fries, or maybe it was Monster Fries, I don't recall. Sort of like an Ultimate Nacho, except with fries. I declared it edible, and ate it. It was also 80 degrees out, and that ain't Celsius, baby.

The next day was Wednesday, by virtue of the calendar. For this day I was to colloquialize at Berkeley, which had been set up by Ken. He had never told me a time, but it was online as 3-5. Which turned out to be the time of a music department faculty meeting. So it got recast as 5:15. And I drove to Berkeley (one hour, approximately), though a bunch of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stuff on University Ave that added at least 15 minutes to the trip (to cover about a mile), and after voluminous circling in the neighborhood, I found parking. Then found parking again, later, right in front of CNMAT, a building where tech stuff happens. As well as my colloquiage. Ken drove up in the 4:50 dusk and tried to set up playback and ... given that the building generates the forefront of sound technology ... was amused that the first setup for playback produced massive distortion. More things involving wires and boxes and plugs happened, and I was able to play my stuff without worry, and soon I was done. The group then headed to Jupiter -- not the planet (I wish), just the pizza joint. Where I had a red beer and a red pizza. And drove back to Sam n Laurie's, where at 10:30 they were still up. Kids, you know.

Thursday was Keynote Speech Day, and I arranged meeting with Steve Blumberg, who directs the Festival of New American Music, which is the event at which I keynoted speeched -- and the Garmin helped get me there, I parked in faculty parking, and got ready for a speech. Several classes were brought in for this event, as well as locals, and what I presumed were faculty. I got introduced by Steve, yet more people poured in, and I read my speech. Which was 20 minutes, and then opened up the floor to questions. Plenty of which I got, and in the end, I can reasonably say ... I totally killed. After the speech, Steve took me and Asha Srinivasan, a visiting composer from Wisconsin, to lunch. I had a panini, because there is no such thing as a panini no-no. Then I went back to Woodland (Sam and Laurie) and then back to the festival for the gala concert ... at 6:30, Marilyn Nonken was doing her dress rehearsal, and I made movies of the two tood she was doing on the gala concert for UToob (see green links on left). Marilyn sounded great as usual.

And the gala itself was broadcast live on local NPR, with an emcee from the station and the format was ... talk to composer, play some music, repeat. I was first. Asha, and Andy Rindfleisch, and Rich Festinger were other composers on the docket, and all went according to plan. The other acts on the concert were a fl/cl duo and the Meridian Arts Ensemble, who sounded fantastic, especially in this totally bitchin David Sanford piece. When the concert was over, I was totally ready to go to the bathroom. And drive back to Woodside. So I did.

Friday morning I played and talked about Stolen Moments for a composer thing back at the festival, and then I drove to Berkeley for a day and night with His Rossness. The Garmin got me there splendiferously, and we went to the Pyramid Brewery -- in the rain! -- for lunch and let his two lovely dogs off at a local park for exercise on the way back. Then there was computer play, Ross went to a rehearsal of a piece of his while I formatted the two videos for UToob and uploaded them, and we went Italian for dinner. Then more computer play, and to bed. Separately. The next day there was a long hike with the dogs in Tilden Park (from which we could see the Bay), and back I went to Woodland. For you see, Noche Cerveza dell'Ouest was to happen there, and Ken made it all happen, as usual. Ken brought sausages for dinner, and we went to Food4Less for firewood and ice, had our sausages, and indulged ourselves with beerness. The Meridian Arts guys, Ross, and even Ed E.J. Cubs came over, and boy, there ain't no stoppin' us now! So there.

Sunday Laurie had to go to concerts for performances of a big piece she tossed together quickly, so I took Sam and Annabel to lunch in Davis. Then there was nap time. Then there wasn't. And there was an Empyrean Ensemble concert with pieces by Ross and Eddie to hear that very night. That very night. That very, very night. They were great. And so we drove back to Woodland. Again.

Monday was the night of Marilyn's concert. So in the interval before, there was time to movieize the other two toods Marilyn was doing (see green links on left), and I did. There was a pre-concert thing with Steve Blumberg, Elizabeth Hoffman, Rich Festinger and me, and that was short and slightly tart, and then there was the concert. All went fantastically, and Marilyn ended with a Drew Baker piece that used only the extremes of the piano and eighth notes for a long time, got louder, and louder, and ended. And I liked it! Then back I came, went to sleep, woke up at 3:45 am for my 6:21 plane, drove to Avis, took my flights, paid for parking, and drove home in the twinking of an eye before the beginning of rush hour. And the house was both as and where I left it.

Meanwhile, I had caught the cold that was going around the SamNLaurie household, and it has grown in stature within my body since my return. Wednesday was a normal teaching day, and even with the help of lozenge-like things, making it all the way through the teaching day turned out to be nothing short of miraculous. Nonetheless, the raking beckoned. For you see, Beff's help was available this weekend but not next, so getting as much done as possible was much to have been being desired. So before the sun set -- which was not much time after my re-arrival -- I finished up the two side yards. Which was quite a lot, actually. Thursday morning before I set off for school -- and at 7:45, it turns out -- I cleaned up the front and back yards, and the area to the side of the garage. And went in to teach and for Rand Steiger's colloquium -- which it turns out, was FANTASTIC. And that night, Beff was back with the cats, and Geoffy got in late. All is as it should be.

So yesterday morning Beff and I spent cleaning up the back behind the shed and the "L" part of the yard. And right now the season raking total stands at 94 barrels. After today's storm, all that will be left is the oak tree detritus behind the garage, and that will be maybe 10 or 15 barrels. And, sigh, another raking year will have a-passed. Stay tuned here for the final totals. After the raking was lunch at the Cast Iron Kitchen, as usual for a Friday, a trip to Trader Joe's, and a long fire in the fireplace. For you see, Beff got a cold, too, but for once not from me (or mine from her). Fire good. I made salmon. Fire good.

And soon after this update is posted I am to be phone-interviewed for something or other in Classical Notes in Friday's Globe. Apparently a microconcerto world premiere AND an etudes CD release is overwhelming. Or something.

And so what's coming up. Mikronomicon is next Friday, at Tsai. The Marine Band is recording Cantina next week, and I have been made privy to some online rehearsal recordings. All is totally bitchin. This morning Geoffy played through some Mikronomicon licks -- it is a concerto just for him, dontcha know -- and they sounded amaziferouslitudinousness. On a good piano, even better. And then there's the melodica. Woo hoo! Geoff learned how to play the melodica, which is good, because he has to in my piece.

Tomorrow Beff leaves early for Maine, and I may do some raking. Otherwise, much grading to do. Monday, photo for Globe. Thursday, rehearsal. Friday, concert. More Marine Band rehearsals to listen to. Life is ... actually, just slightly complicated. But then ... there is Thanksgiving, which we are doing in Albany. Big sigh. Oh yeah -- Tuesday to Toyota for RECOMMENDED required maintenance, eye appointment, and much grading. Wednesday, the Chopin 2nd Sonata slow movement and something about rhythm in Theory.

And so, to the rest of the week. Today's pix include Sam and Laurie's treehouse, the view of the Golden Gate from Tilden Park, Ross's trampoline, Ross's dog June, Ross, and moi. Bye.