Travel
Far too long since my last blog entry!
06 04 10 16:45
It’s not that life hasn’t been busy!
We’ve been to Ecuador to see the Galapagos, the rainforest, and Quito over Christmas and New Years Eve...
...been to many Tucson Symphony Orchestra concerts...
...seen Lily Tomlin...
...had another birthday...
...helped a friend get a staffperson of the year award...
...been elected to the board of our Homeowner’s Association...
...continued playing Gamelan...
...finished the pool construction...
...started planting and landscaping the backyard now that construction is completed...
...built a new cluster for processing video and audio at work...
...rejoiced that national healthcare passed...
...been bowling with neighbors...
but even better, Susan arrives tomorrow! I Can’t wait!
Peace,
Gregory
We’ve been to Ecuador to see the Galapagos, the rainforest, and Quito over Christmas and New Years Eve...
...been to many Tucson Symphony Orchestra concerts...
...seen Lily Tomlin...
...had another birthday...
...helped a friend get a staffperson of the year award...
...been elected to the board of our Homeowner’s Association...
...continued playing Gamelan...
...finished the pool construction...
...started planting and landscaping the backyard now that construction is completed...
...built a new cluster for processing video and audio at work...
...rejoiced that national healthcare passed...
...been bowling with neighbors...
but even better, Susan arrives tomorrow! I Can’t wait!
Peace,
Gregory
Thanksgiving Vacation Photo Album
29 11 09 19:37
I just posted a new photo gallery of our Thanksgiving vacation visiting family in Massachusetts. Enjoy!
Salt Lake City
22 04 09 17:52
Now I’m in Salt Lake City! Apple invited me to speak, for a second time, about my work with Podcast Producer. This time I will speak on a panel of three, each of us have been using Podcast Producer to support podcasting on our various campuses. At the University of Arizona, we have just invested a fair amount in a back-end to support the product as it seems to be one of the most cost-effective, standards-friendly ways to deliver video and audio over the internet for a University that is seeing 20% or more budget cuts this year. Ouch.
This is a pretty campus. I had some time to wander around. OK, actually, I had some time to get completely lost! Aargh! LOL. Some of the street names have changed or are not posted well, and there aren’t many campus maps around. That, plus I’m prone to getting lost. Oh well. Nice place to be lost, though. The mountains surrounding the city are stunning.
I don’t suppose you can tell from a panorama photo made small enough to fit on a blog page {smirk}, so you’ll have to take my word for it.
I did get to the workshops they were holding on Podcast Producer 101. Probably I should have gone to the iPhone application development training as the one I went to was too basic for me now that I’ve been working on it for a year. Oh well. It was fun anyway. It’s nice to be surrounded by technical folks interested in the same things I am.
This is a pretty campus. I had some time to wander around. OK, actually, I had some time to get completely lost! Aargh! LOL. Some of the street names have changed or are not posted well, and there aren’t many campus maps around. That, plus I’m prone to getting lost. Oh well. Nice place to be lost, though. The mountains surrounding the city are stunning.
I don’t suppose you can tell from a panorama photo made small enough to fit on a blog page {smirk}, so you’ll have to take my word for it.
I did get to the workshops they were holding on Podcast Producer 101. Probably I should have gone to the iPhone application development training as the one I went to was too basic for me now that I’ve been working on it for a year. Oh well. It was fun anyway. It’s nice to be surrounded by technical folks interested in the same things I am.
Seattle Photos
13 04 09 12:21
I just returned from a week in Seattle. I went for a training related to the Podcast Producer server back-end that my colleague, Bernard, and myself will be building for the University of Arizona campus.
Carl tagged along and we had some fun excursions in the city.
We had some great food! Most notably a Brazilian restaurant, Tempero Do Brazil, at the end of University Way, walking distance from where we stayed at Hotel Deca. We shared Feijoada, and I had Xinju, a black Brazilian beer. Yum!
Carl tagged along and we had some fun excursions in the city.
We had some great food! Most notably a Brazilian restaurant, Tempero Do Brazil, at the end of University Way, walking distance from where we stayed at Hotel Deca. We shared Feijoada, and I had Xinju, a black Brazilian beer. Yum!
Probably our best time was visiting with Garrett and Don. Garrett is a member of a Brazilian drum ensemble in Seattle called VamoLá! and we were able to see them perform on Saturday night at a festival of marching bands in Georgetown. Even better, Garrett and Don invited us to attend a birthday party for one of their friends, David, before Garrett, Carl and I headed off to the performance, and then we capped off the night with a beer at a local bar, C. C. Attle’s. It was a great way to end a week in Seattle!
I have posted some photos I snapped while in town. You have to check out the panorama I took of the cherry blossoms on the quad at the University of Washington!
Tournament of Roses Parade
02 01 09 19:14
Hi everyone! I don’t want to make a long boring blog entry right now. I’m guessing you’re all relieved! I do want to let you know I have posted a new photo album of the Tournament of Roses Parade that Carl and I attended yesterday in Pasadena, CA. It’s on the Photo Albums page, or you can be lazy and click here. Enjoy!
Hawaii
09 09 08 08:29
I see from my last entry that it has been a couple months since I have updated everyone on my activities. My apologies!
In the last two months I have:
• Taught ‘Music Technology’ to mostly middle school age folks composing musique concrete pieces using iPod Recording Kits at the second annual Summer Music Camp at the College of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, NM (July 13 - 19).
• Visiting Steven and Marla one more time before they left for Singapore while in Santa Fe.
• Spending a little time with Steve, my ex, and coming to terms with some of our feelings.
• Watched more cactus bloom, hosted bats on our front porch (our house is a bat cave, apparently!), and discovered a rattlesnake, a tarantula, and an owl living in our yard.
• Travelled to Phoenix twice, once to see Melissa Etheridge and again for Dave Matthews Band.
• Proposed to Carl, who accepted! I’m engaged!
• Travelled to Hawaii, where I am right now, enjoying a 2+ week vacation.
There is probably a story behind every one of these, but I’m not going to go into details on any of them for now. Just to document that they have occurred. Besides, it will give us something to talk about next time we’re together.
For now, I’ll say that Hawaii is great fun. Thus far we have been staying in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. We leave later this morning for Kauai. Pictures say a thousand words, so I am posting a photo album here. Enjoy.
More later.
In the last two months I have:
• Taught ‘Music Technology’ to mostly middle school age folks composing musique concrete pieces using iPod Recording Kits at the second annual Summer Music Camp at the College of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, NM (July 13 - 19).
• Visiting Steven and Marla one more time before they left for Singapore while in Santa Fe.
• Spending a little time with Steve, my ex, and coming to terms with some of our feelings.
• Watched more cactus bloom, hosted bats on our front porch (our house is a bat cave, apparently!), and discovered a rattlesnake, a tarantula, and an owl living in our yard.
• Travelled to Phoenix twice, once to see Melissa Etheridge and again for Dave Matthews Band.
• Proposed to Carl, who accepted! I’m engaged!
• Travelled to Hawaii, where I am right now, enjoying a 2+ week vacation.
There is probably a story behind every one of these, but I’m not going to go into details on any of them for now. Just to document that they have occurred. Besides, it will give us something to talk about next time we’re together.
For now, I’ll say that Hawaii is great fun. Thus far we have been staying in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. We leave later this morning for Kauai. Pictures say a thousand words, so I am posting a photo album here. Enjoy.
More later.
Visiting Steven and Marla in Santa Fe
08 06 08 09:21
I am in Santa Fe this weekend spending time with Steven and Marla. Steven is moving to Singapore to accept a position at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore to design and direct a new graduate program in Sonic Arts Design. He will be gone for at least three years, and possibly significantly longer. Since he has been one of my closest friends for a long time, I wanted to be able to see him before he left.
We have been having a great time. Yesterday we went to a fishing lake at Picuris Pueblo for the day with Deloria and Thomas, nephews Zack and Shane, and Deloria’s brother Wilbur. Zack offered me SPF45 sunscreen the moment I showed up, and it’s a good thing he did! It was a perfect day. The setting was beautiful, too... complete with mountains, some still wearing snowcaps. All we did was hang out, fish, and eat. It was great. It made me feel sad that our little family is going to be so geographically scattered, but I doubt we will ever lose touch with each other. My family is all back East, and maybe thanks to iChat, cell phones, and occasional plane flights, I am just as close as ever. I’m sure it will be the same for Steven, Marla, Thomas, Deloria and me. Carl too, of course! (...being a newcomer to our circle, he wasn’t kicking around with us for the decade we all spent together in Santa Fe...)
After fishing, we changed at Deloria and Thomas’ house in San Juan, then headed off to Chimayo. We all visited the Santuario, and then met up with Marla for dinner at the Rancho de Chimayo.
^ Deloria and Wilbur and -> Steven
^ Thomas and -> Wilbur and Deloria
^ Steven posing with Carl at Santuario de Chimayo
^ Thomas and Deloria
^ Wilbur, Zack, Shane and Steven
We have been having a great time. Yesterday we went to a fishing lake at Picuris Pueblo for the day with Deloria and Thomas, nephews Zack and Shane, and Deloria’s brother Wilbur. Zack offered me SPF45 sunscreen the moment I showed up, and it’s a good thing he did! It was a perfect day. The setting was beautiful, too... complete with mountains, some still wearing snowcaps. All we did was hang out, fish, and eat. It was great. It made me feel sad that our little family is going to be so geographically scattered, but I doubt we will ever lose touch with each other. My family is all back East, and maybe thanks to iChat, cell phones, and occasional plane flights, I am just as close as ever. I’m sure it will be the same for Steven, Marla, Thomas, Deloria and me. Carl too, of course! (...being a newcomer to our circle, he wasn’t kicking around with us for the decade we all spent together in Santa Fe...)
After fishing, we changed at Deloria and Thomas’ house in San Juan, then headed off to Chimayo. We all visited the Santuario, and then met up with Marla for dinner at the Rancho de Chimayo.
^ Deloria and Wilbur and -> Steven
^ Thomas and -> Wilbur and Deloria
^ Steven posing with Carl at Santuario de Chimayo
^ Thomas and Deloria
^ Wilbur, Zack, Shane and Steven
NABshow in Las Vegas
13 04 08 14:36
The Office of Student Computing Resources has sent me off to Las Vegas to attend the National Association of Broadcasters Show, which is a huge training and exhibition conference for people and companies involved in broadcasting of all kinds. I am attending a 'Podcasting Summit,' which is a series of workshops designed to teach people how to podcast. It's been great training for me. I know a lot of the information they are covering, but I have also filled in a LOT of gaps. I also have a broader perspective about the importance and role of podcasting in communications. Podcasting, if it doesn't directly replace broadcasting, will provide important models for delivering 'pull' content to people. In other words, broadcast has been dying out because someone at a radio or TV station decides what will be displayed to their audience and on what schedule. Podcasting allows people to pull the content they want off a server and save it for viewing when they want. Which would you prefer? Most would prefer the choice involved in deciding what content they will watch and when. Our habits are already confirming this reality.
I have a radio in my car with an iPod interface. When I drove to work, what do I listen to? Some creepy, homophobic morning radio show on the local hard rock station or my iPod? (I like listening to hard or alternative rock in the car, but the radio shows that play this content have the most idiotic, biggest asshole radio show hosts imagineable!) Well... I ALWAYS choose my iPod. It has NPR podcasts on it every morning for me to listen to, and once I have listened to NPR I can listen to the music of my choice. This is why more and more people are listening to media content. Radio stations should take note and be afraid! Like it or not, radio is dying because consumers have more pull options available to them than ever before.Tech
Same is true for video. Podcast can also deliver video. Yaay! Maybe this spells the end of crap TV, too!
It is safe to assume from my ramblings that I am enjoying the conference and am learning and thinking a lot. I'm actually excited to get back to work and start collaborating with my work friends on implementing all kinds of new ideas I am learning about...
Carl came with me. In the evenings we have been going out for fun in Las Vegas! Last night, we went to the Wynn hotel to see 'Le Réve,' a technologically awesome acrobatic show underwater. It was wild! It defies description, actually. We ate at an amazing Italian seafood restaurant before the show. Expensive but sooo yummy!
This morning we went to downtown Las Vegas to Fremont Street. Here is a panoramic photo of Carl, and where we were from Google Maps:
View Larger Map
I have a radio in my car with an iPod interface. When I drove to work, what do I listen to? Some creepy, homophobic morning radio show on the local hard rock station or my iPod? (I like listening to hard or alternative rock in the car, but the radio shows that play this content have the most idiotic, biggest asshole radio show hosts imagineable!) Well... I ALWAYS choose my iPod. It has NPR podcasts on it every morning for me to listen to, and once I have listened to NPR I can listen to the music of my choice. This is why more and more people are listening to media content. Radio stations should take note and be afraid! Like it or not, radio is dying because consumers have more pull options available to them than ever before.Tech
Same is true for video. Podcast can also deliver video. Yaay! Maybe this spells the end of crap TV, too!
It is safe to assume from my ramblings that I am enjoying the conference and am learning and thinking a lot. I'm actually excited to get back to work and start collaborating with my work friends on implementing all kinds of new ideas I am learning about...
Carl came with me. In the evenings we have been going out for fun in Las Vegas! Last night, we went to the Wynn hotel to see 'Le Réve,' a technologically awesome acrobatic show underwater. It was wild! It defies description, actually. We ate at an amazing Italian seafood restaurant before the show. Expensive but sooo yummy!
This morning we went to downtown Las Vegas to Fremont Street. Here is a panoramic photo of Carl, and where we were from Google Maps:
View Larger Map
More Friends
27 11 07 08:28
As you know, the plan was to see Circus Luminous at The Lensic with Oliver and Ruthanne Friday evening... it was GREAT! Not so much because it was the best circus show ever, but because it was a really home-brewed Santa Fe performance. All kinds of community members contributed all kinds of talent to the music, tech, and circus acts on stage. I knew a lot of the performers. Brian Mayhall and Paul Groetzinger performed some of their music for the show, as did Dino. What a blast to see everyone!
After the show, the four of us stopped by Hotel Santa Fe for some soup and conversation.
Saturday morning, we met up with Jesse and Cindy for brunch. It was great to catch up with Jesse, and to meet Cindy! I like Cindy a lot. She is really intelligent and generous, and was so friendly socially. We snapped this photo at the rail yard:
That evening we spent time catching up with Steven and Marla. Marla broke her foot rollerblading! Ouch! She is in a wheelchair now. Well, that is to say she scoots around the townhouse in an office chair with teensy wheels. That qualifies as a wheelchair, no? They just moved in to a nice, new, big townhouse with decent rent. Enough room for lots of guests, like everyone they had over for Thanksgiving weekend. They seemed to be basking in the glow of their recent family visit, too.
Marla also has a lot of her Dad's artwork hung in the house. Now that she has earned her PhD, she is trying to sort out her career and future plans. Both Marla and Steven are such gifted people, and it sounds like they have a struggle ahead of themselves to both land someplace where both of their careers can thrive. It will be interesting to see where they land in a decade...
After visiting Marla and Steven, we headed back to the Paxtons and spent a relaxing last night in Santa Fe, leaving early the next morning. We stopped in Albuquerque to have breakfast at iHop with José, then pretty much drove straight home. Wait, no, we stopped in Wilcox for early dinner...
One last picture of the Paxton's kittens:
After the show, the four of us stopped by Hotel Santa Fe for some soup and conversation.
Saturday morning, we met up with Jesse and Cindy for brunch. It was great to catch up with Jesse, and to meet Cindy! I like Cindy a lot. She is really intelligent and generous, and was so friendly socially. We snapped this photo at the rail yard:
That evening we spent time catching up with Steven and Marla. Marla broke her foot rollerblading! Ouch! She is in a wheelchair now. Well, that is to say she scoots around the townhouse in an office chair with teensy wheels. That qualifies as a wheelchair, no? They just moved in to a nice, new, big townhouse with decent rent. Enough room for lots of guests, like everyone they had over for Thanksgiving weekend. They seemed to be basking in the glow of their recent family visit, too.
Marla also has a lot of her Dad's artwork hung in the house. Now that she has earned her PhD, she is trying to sort out her career and future plans. Both Marla and Steven are such gifted people, and it sounds like they have a struggle ahead of themselves to both land someplace where both of their careers can thrive. It will be interesting to see where they land in a decade...
After visiting Marla and Steven, we headed back to the Paxtons and spent a relaxing last night in Santa Fe, leaving early the next morning. We stopped in Albuquerque to have breakfast at iHop with José, then pretty much drove straight home. Wait, no, we stopped in Wilcox for early dinner...
One last picture of the Paxton's kittens:
Day After Thanksgiving
23 11 07 15:06
This morning we had left over chocolate cake and pie for breakfast with the Paxtons, then headed out to meet Jim and Joseph for lunch. At 11am we met up with them at their house, then we walked to the India Palace near the plaza. It was great to catch up with them! We all stuffed ourselves with buffet, then walked back to Jim and Joseph's place to pick up their doggie, passing through the plaza to pause for a photo with Mr. Snowman:
We all took the dog for a walk in an arroyo near their house, then Carl and I parted.
Now we are relaxing with the Paxtons and their kitties, and have plans to meet up with Oliver and Ruthanne to see Circus Luminous at The Lensic this evening.
We all took the dog for a walk in an arroyo near their house, then Carl and I parted.
Now we are relaxing with the Paxtons and their kitties, and have plans to meet up with Oliver and Ruthanne to see Circus Luminous at The Lensic this evening.
Thanksgiving
22 11 07 20:31
We came to Santa Fe for Thanksgiving!
We have an entire weekend of social plans, all of my making... and poor Carl has to tag along! I'm sure he's willing, though. I asked him several times if my making all the plans was OK, and he indicated that it was fine. I think he enjoys my friends and enjoys seeing me with them.
Sooo... Thanksgiving dinner was with the Paxton's. We rolled in about 1:00pm. We spent the night in T or C to break up the drive, and left there at about 9:45 this morning. Since dinner was to happen at Zia Diner at 1:30pm, Carl and I parked in the lot and walked about the neighborhood until we were cold, then went in the diner to wait. Soon enough the maitre d' told us another couple in the Paxton's party had arrived. It was a couple of friends the Paxton's were expecting from Austin: Kim and Robin. Kim and Steve had worked together at Texas Tech. Moments later, Steve and Joy arrived, and minutes later, Oliver and RuthAnne joined us. When seated, Robin (and Kim) were to my right, Carl at the head of the table to my left, and Oliver (and Ruthanne) was directly across from me. Steve was at the other head of the table, with Joy seated between him and RuthAnne.
Oliver, RuthAnne, and I tend to be extremely silly when we are together, so dinner was a LOT of fun!
After dinner we all went up to see the Paxton's new house, as it is almost completed. It is going to be beautiful! I'm sure I will snap some panoramic photos before I leave.
Afterwards, we came home with Steve and Joy, where we will be staying for the weekend. They have two baby kittens, Chandler and Chance, seen here with Joy.
We have an entire weekend of social plans, all of my making... and poor Carl has to tag along! I'm sure he's willing, though. I asked him several times if my making all the plans was OK, and he indicated that it was fine. I think he enjoys my friends and enjoys seeing me with them.
Sooo... Thanksgiving dinner was with the Paxton's. We rolled in about 1:00pm. We spent the night in T or C to break up the drive, and left there at about 9:45 this morning. Since dinner was to happen at Zia Diner at 1:30pm, Carl and I parked in the lot and walked about the neighborhood until we were cold, then went in the diner to wait. Soon enough the maitre d' told us another couple in the Paxton's party had arrived. It was a couple of friends the Paxton's were expecting from Austin: Kim and Robin. Kim and Steve had worked together at Texas Tech. Moments later, Steve and Joy arrived, and minutes later, Oliver and RuthAnne joined us. When seated, Robin (and Kim) were to my right, Carl at the head of the table to my left, and Oliver (and Ruthanne) was directly across from me. Steve was at the other head of the table, with Joy seated between him and RuthAnne.
Oliver, RuthAnne, and I tend to be extremely silly when we are together, so dinner was a LOT of fun!
After dinner we all went up to see the Paxton's new house, as it is almost completed. It is going to be beautiful! I'm sure I will snap some panoramic photos before I leave.
Afterwards, we came home with Steve and Joy, where we will be staying for the weekend. They have two baby kittens, Chandler and Chance, seen here with Joy.
Rocky Point this weekend?
14 09 07 09:55
Carl is going away on Friday for almost a month, waaah!
It's good, actually, because he is going back east to visit family.
Anyway... we decided to have some fun this weekend before he disappears for three weeks, so we are looking to get away to Rocky Point for the weekend. He's at home right now looking to make a reservation on craigslist. He just IMed me... he thinks he found a nice place to stay! Yay!
It's good, actually, because he is going back east to visit family.
Anyway... we decided to have some fun this weekend before he disappears for three weeks, so we are looking to get away to Rocky Point for the weekend. He's at home right now looking to make a reservation on craigslist. He just IMed me... he thinks he found a nice place to stay! Yay!
Opera
21 07 07 09:45
Last night we went to see La Bohème at the Santa Fe Opera.
The day started with breakfast with Steven and Marla, and Deloria and Thomas. I was psyched that Carl came in to town to join us too! We went to our old breakfast hang-out, the Pantry on Cerrillos Road. It was nice to have a last chance this trip to see the four of them. Feasting with them isn't just about the food. It's about raunchy humor too! LOL... OK not just raunchy but the point is I feel more comfortable with these folks than almost anyone on the planet. I miss my Santa Fe friends!
After chorus rehearsals, I helped around the music department a bit, then Carl picked me up and we went to see Kevin over coffee at Downtown Subscription. He was happier than I have seen him in a loooong time. Thank goodness his brain-zapper transplant is helping treat his depression! He let me touch the wires in his neck and the implant in his chest. Medical technology is a trip. Anyway, he looks good.
Kevin has also scored a new computer that a friend helped him build from parts to keep cost down. Too bad I can't be his lil' computer geek any more! Not only that, but his old car finally started causing him enough problems that he has gone and bought himself a spankin' new Accord. Wow! I'm so glad for him, he deserves the best.
After visiting Kevin, we went home to Joy and Steve's and chatted with Joy a bit. Then Steve came home too. We all took naps in preparation for the opera. After nappy time, we had a bit to eat and headed out. It was a simple dinner... Joy said we are the simplest guests she's ever had because I had a PB sandwich, a peach, and a beer. Carl had something similarly easy to prepare. LOL...
I drove one of the college vans again, as I had the other night when we went to see Ghost Opera at the Lensic. No problems getting there, dropping off, or parking.
The opera was fantastic. It's a simple story without a lot of action, made me think of relationships early in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, actually. I was especially impressed with the orchestra and the staging. The set had a building that folded up for street scenes and opened up for indoor scenes. The transitions were so slick the audience applauded. Our campers enjoyed it a lot, and talked about it a fair amount on the way back to the college. The other thing they were excited about was the Harry Potter book that was being released at midnight. After dropping them off at the college, a number of them were heading to Borders at midnight to get themselves a copy! LOL.
After chorus rehearsals, I helped around the music department a bit, then Carl picked me up and we went to see Kevin over coffee at Downtown Subscription. He was happier than I have seen him in a loooong time. Thank goodness his brain-zapper transplant is helping treat his depression! He let me touch the wires in his neck and the implant in his chest. Medical technology is a trip. Anyway, he looks good.
After visiting Kevin, we went home to Joy and Steve's and chatted with Joy a bit. Then Steve came home too. We all took naps in preparation for the opera. After nappy time, we had a bit to eat and headed out. It was a simple dinner... Joy said we are the simplest guests she's ever had because I had a PB sandwich, a peach, and a beer. Carl had something similarly easy to prepare. LOL...
I drove one of the college vans again, as I had the other night when we went to see Ghost Opera at the Lensic. No problems getting there, dropping off, or parking.
The opera was fantastic. It's a simple story without a lot of action, made me think of relationships early in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, actually. I was especially impressed with the orchestra and the staging. The set had a building that folded up for street scenes and opened up for indoor scenes. The transitions were so slick the audience applauded. Our campers enjoyed it a lot, and talked about it a fair amount on the way back to the college. The other thing they were excited about was the Harry Potter book that was being released at midnight. After dropping them off at the college, a number of them were heading to Borders at midnight to get themselves a copy! LOL.
Falling Behind on Blogging!
20 07 07 06:45
Here are a bunch of things I wanted to mention in earlier blogs but didn't:
When I left, pdBean coffee was still in the CSF library. Dan, the coffee man, was one of the most important social organizers on campus. Staff, students and faculty from units all over campus would hang at pdBean, sharing ideas, reading magazines (it's the library, after all), and even arrange formal meetings around the coffee cart. On the first day of Music Camp, Steve asked me to arrange with Dan to make breakfast burritos and a carafe of coffee for us every morning. I discovered through Steve that Dan has moved his operation to a small shop on Cerrillos Road. It's beautiful! Still close to campus, and furnished with plenty of plush chairs, tables, and WiFi, it is a great hang out spot. Dan is doing well, too! The business has picked up, and he is happy with the move. Hurrah! The breakfast burritos have been a hit among our campers too.
Meanwhile, Robert Bond, fellow computer guru and now campus webmeistro, has bought the coffee cart in the library and his wife runs it. OMG. She makes the best iced coffee I have ever had. They actually prepare coffee ice cubes for it. I'm addicted! I don't think I'll find anyplace in Tucson that makes iced coffee with such attention to detail, but I'm sure as hell going to look for just such a place when I return...
Yesterday morning I was really worried about Carl's respiration tribulations! He just can't get enough oxygen at this altitude because of his asthma. He woke during the night and just could not breathe. When we were making plans for the day yesterday, I said 'just don't go to Taos!' thinking the altitude is higher and worrying about his breath.
Later, Carl called me from Taos! LOL. He enjoyed the drive and the area a whole lot. When I got off the phone with Carl, I looked at Steve Paxton and said 'he just called me from Taos!' Steve laughed and said he could tell from the look in Carl's eye when I said not to go to Taos that he would be doing exactly that.
Come to find out Taos isn't really higher in altitude than Santa Fe. The whole time I lived here I was delusional about Taos' altitude.
Steve and Joy are building a new home! It's off of Old Pecos Trail and has views to die for! Steve asked if I wanted to check it out with him yesterday, so off we went in his pickup to see how the construction is coming along.
We passed Bobcat Bite on the way, so I snapped a photo of it out the window for Bernard who had mentioned it to me earlier this week.
So far, the construction site is just a foundation that needs a bit of work before they can begin actual building. Looks great, though. I snapped a few panoramic photos that I will stitch together for him when I get back to work (we have software for such projects in the labs that OSCR maintains).
Last night Carl and I were invited to tag along with Deloria and Thomas, and Marla and Steven for a talk Marla organized at the Institute of American Indian Arts museum. Marla now has her PhD and has been hired to organize such events at the museum. Steven Miller, being married to Marla, gets recruited to run sound. Thomas Atencio still works security at the museum. Deloria Atencio, being married to Thomas, gets recruited to set up and break down chairs. I, being close friend to all of the above, and Carl, being married to me, get recruited to hang out, lend a hand, and look fab.
The talk, Branding the Native Artist: What does it cost to be famous?, was great, although poor Steven struggled with noise in the wireless mics the entire time.
One guy came up to Carl and said "get your hairy arm off my chair: are you Jewish?" Carl said "no." "Israeli?" "No." "Well what are you then?" Carl responded "Armenian." The guy laughed and said "Even worse. Northern Turkey!" Carl and I just looked at each other baffled. So I said to the guy, knowing full well everyone there was American Indian, "Are you Jewish?" "No." "Israeli?" "No, I'm Apache." Darnit... he didn't let me play the whole game. LOL. Then he said "here look at my work," and gave Carl a manilla folder with photos of artwork in it. Some of it was pretty cool.
At the event there was a woman with huge, blonde, hairsprayed hair. Very Texas. We were sitting two rows behind her. I was mesmerized. I pointed her out to Steven and we had a chuckle. Then I pulled out my iPhone and photographed it. Her hair was the lightest colored large object around and caught the spotlight behind us so well that her hair literally glows in the photo. I showed it to Steven and told him we better stop laughing about her big hair because she's obviously an angel of some sort. We could not stop laughing.
After the talk, Deloria, Thomas, Marla, Steven, Carl and I went out for drinks and socializing at Santa Fe Bar & Grill's downtown restaurant and bar. We had a great time and were able to catch up. Marla mentioned she knows the big-hair woman and that her email is 'bigbucks.' LOL. What a riot!
Thomas wins an award for the best ring tone. He had the entire table in fits. It's hard to describe though. You'd probably have to have Navajo friends to understand it anyway.
Coffee
When I left, pdBean coffee was still in the CSF library. Dan, the coffee man, was one of the most important social organizers on campus. Staff, students and faculty from units all over campus would hang at pdBean, sharing ideas, reading magazines (it's the library, after all), and even arrange formal meetings around the coffee cart. On the first day of Music Camp, Steve asked me to arrange with Dan to make breakfast burritos and a carafe of coffee for us every morning. I discovered through Steve that Dan has moved his operation to a small shop on Cerrillos Road. It's beautiful! Still close to campus, and furnished with plenty of plush chairs, tables, and WiFi, it is a great hang out spot. Dan is doing well, too! The business has picked up, and he is happy with the move. Hurrah! The breakfast burritos have been a hit among our campers too.
Meanwhile, Robert Bond, fellow computer guru and now campus webmeistro, has bought the coffee cart in the library and his wife runs it. OMG. She makes the best iced coffee I have ever had. They actually prepare coffee ice cubes for it. I'm addicted! I don't think I'll find anyplace in Tucson that makes iced coffee with such attention to detail, but I'm sure as hell going to look for just such a place when I return...
Carl and Taos
Yesterday morning I was really worried about Carl's respiration tribulations! He just can't get enough oxygen at this altitude because of his asthma. He woke during the night and just could not breathe. When we were making plans for the day yesterday, I said 'just don't go to Taos!' thinking the altitude is higher and worrying about his breath.
Later, Carl called me from Taos! LOL. He enjoyed the drive and the area a whole lot. When I got off the phone with Carl, I looked at Steve Paxton and said 'he just called me from Taos!' Steve laughed and said he could tell from the look in Carl's eye when I said not to go to Taos that he would be doing exactly that.
Come to find out Taos isn't really higher in altitude than Santa Fe. The whole time I lived here I was delusional about Taos' altitude.
Steve's Construction Site
We passed Bobcat Bite on the way, so I snapped a photo of it out the window for Bernard who had mentioned it to me earlier this week.
So far, the construction site is just a foundation that needs a bit of work before they can begin actual building. Looks great, though. I snapped a few panoramic photos that I will stitch together for him when I get back to work (we have software for such projects in the labs that OSCR maintains).
IAIA
Last night Carl and I were invited to tag along with Deloria and Thomas, and Marla and Steven for a talk Marla organized at the Institute of American Indian Arts museum. Marla now has her PhD and has been hired to organize such events at the museum. Steven Miller, being married to Marla, gets recruited to run sound. Thomas Atencio still works security at the museum. Deloria Atencio, being married to Thomas, gets recruited to set up and break down chairs. I, being close friend to all of the above, and Carl, being married to me, get recruited to hang out, lend a hand, and look fab.
The talk, Branding the Native Artist: What does it cost to be famous?, was great, although poor Steven struggled with noise in the wireless mics the entire time.
One guy came up to Carl and said "get your hairy arm off my chair: are you Jewish?" Carl said "no." "Israeli?" "No." "Well what are you then?" Carl responded "Armenian." The guy laughed and said "Even worse. Northern Turkey!" Carl and I just looked at each other baffled. So I said to the guy, knowing full well everyone there was American Indian, "Are you Jewish?" "No." "Israeli?" "No, I'm Apache." Darnit... he didn't let me play the whole game. LOL. Then he said "here look at my work," and gave Carl a manilla folder with photos of artwork in it. Some of it was pretty cool.
After the talk, Deloria, Thomas, Marla, Steven, Carl and I went out for drinks and socializing at Santa Fe Bar & Grill's downtown restaurant and bar. We had a great time and were able to catch up. Marla mentioned she knows the big-hair woman and that her email is 'bigbucks.' LOL. What a riot!
Thomas wins an award for the best ring tone. He had the entire table in fits. It's hard to describe though. You'd probably have to have Navajo friends to understand it anyway.
Spirit and Music and Technology
19 07 07 10:21
Have you ever taken a music theory class? Ever taken a bad one that makes music theory into a set of hard, cold, repetitive, mathematical rules? Ugh. ...and yet music, although far too often described in such a stale theoretical manner, always transcends such descriptions and touches spirit. Wow. Music is mystery. I know for sure this is part of it's attraction for me. In place of mystery in God, I focus on mystery in music and mystery in relationship.
Makes me think, too, that technology can be similar. We generally approach it as cold, rigid, repetitive... I often find myself training people who want to pull out a pen and write down every step for completion of a task. Ugh. Maybe we need to find ways to teach and approach and IMBUE technology with spirit. It must be something we can accomplish! It's probably imperative as we approach an age of machine intelligence, too. Our survival could depend on it.
Peace,
Deep Listening
18 07 07 12:58
Last night we took the music campers to a concert at the Lensic, as you can see below. It was amazing! The Ghost Opera incorporated all kinds of non-traditional instruments and sounds of stone, water, metal, strings, etc... Being a 'Ghost Opera' it had dream-like qualities and mystical qualities. It seemed an excellent follow up to my Deep Listening workshop.
After the opera, Lindsey, Steve, Carl and I went to 2nd Street Brewery to, as Steve said, 'tip a beaker' and talk. One of the things that came up was my Deep Listening workshop and how perfect it was as a precursor to the concert. Lindsey also said she did not think my workshop went poorly at all, that for me to capture the attention of that age group for a full 45 minutes was amazing, and that their silliness was a sign that on some level they were engaged. Steve agreed. I think they are right. I need to learn to accept situations as they are!
I also fall back to my thoughts as a Planned Parenthood educator: if my one workshop is one of a dozen such messages that eventually encourage some of them to see music in a different way, then I have accomplished something important. People don't have to come to my understandings right away or in the way I would like them to. Everyone learns in their own manner at their own pace.
So, I think I did good!
After the opera, Lindsey, Steve, Carl and I went to 2nd Street Brewery to, as Steve said, 'tip a beaker' and talk. One of the things that came up was my Deep Listening workshop and how perfect it was as a precursor to the concert. Lindsey also said she did not think my workshop went poorly at all, that for me to capture the attention of that age group for a full 45 minutes was amazing, and that their silliness was a sign that on some level they were engaged. Steve agreed. I think they are right. I need to learn to accept situations as they are!
I also fall back to my thoughts as a Planned Parenthood educator: if my one workshop is one of a dozen such messages that eventually encourage some of them to see music in a different way, then I have accomplished something important. People don't have to come to my understandings right away or in the way I would like them to. Everyone learns in their own manner at their own pace.
So, I think I did good!
Music Camp
17 07 07 10:57
All through Chorus I felt extremely emotional, it is so great to be back at the Contemporary Music Program and see so much continuity between my hard work for years here, and the evolution that has begun to happen since my departure. I can see how much my colleagues appreciate the work I put into this program, and I'm excited by the creative ways it is continuing to grow. I love it here so much!
I feel like my workshop was a failure in some ways, though. At 11:15am I started a second 'Deep Listening' workshop, this time what I tried to do with the group was a performance of Zena's circle, a great piece for demonstrating fractal time. Some of you who are not musicians might be confused by this so let me sum it up in a few sentences... Most of the time when we perform music the math behind it's theory is the simpler mathematics of ratios and rational numbers: harmonies are comprised of frequencies that are related to each other by perfect ratios; we subdivide beats by twos, threes, fours, sixes, sevens... all fairly simple mathematical expressions. Even thematically we generally use simple ratios: a song might be divided into two or three sections with repetition of one or more section, for example...
What we're not used to doing is listening and incorporating fractal math into our performance, although we do on some level all the time. The variations of sounds we procure from a violin bow drawn across a string, imperfections in our timing may add some complexity to our music. This complexity we actually value a whole lot because if we remove it, music sounds sterile, unbending, cold...
Zena's Circle highlights musical complexity by creating a fractal rhythm. A circle of people sends a pulse through their hands and react to it as quickly as possible and simultaneously sounding. When people really concentrate on the performance, the response time of each person and the natural delays as sound moves around the circle becomes more chaotic even as it adopts a noticeable rhythm. The sound passed through the circle becomes fractal due to different response times of each individual, which may be based on the length of our arms and the time it takes for the impulse to react to reach our brain and then pass out our mouth, for example.
Well, in the end we could not perform it because some people wouldn't participate and were actually mocking the process. I didn't handle it very well either: what I tried was to forge ahead with belief that as we repeated the exercise it would eventually become less funny and the disruptive people might become interested. It never happened. There was not enough time to defuse their lack of interest in this manner. Sigh. It really is a beautiful piece when performed with concentration. Listening and performing it can also lead one to all kinds of musical discovery, if only because we rarely step back from music and try to understand the ways complexity adds character even as we perform music that is mathematically simple.
I just had a thought, though, which is to perform the piece with a dozen people serious about performing it on Saturday's concert. Maybe if the younger members of our group see us performing it with attention they will be naturally invited to pay attention and find something intriguing about it...
Highs and lows often go hand in hand. Despite my workshop setback, I love this place and am glad to be participating in this first annual music camp...
Summer Music Camp
16 07 07 21:40
On Friday right after work Carl and I left for Santa Fe so that I can help teach at the first College of Santa Fe Summer Music Camp. Carl and I went as far as Lourdsburg, NM the first night. Next morning we woke, had breakfast at a cool old diner with a waiter who had carefully arranged a rainbow of click pens in his back pocket (hmmm...) and hit the road again.
We ended up at Gila Cliff Dwellings. It was a beautiful day and hike, just 1 mile round trip with a lot of steps and ladders. Carl limped his way through, having just had knee surgery three weeks ago! I was worried but he knew his limits. We returned to the car and he iced his knee, and in the end he thinks the exercise was really good for his knee. Whew. The views at Gila were spectacular.
We stopped for an unexceptional lunch at a motel cafe at the intersection of Rts. 15 and 35, unexceptional save the hummingbird feeder outside the window which must have been attracting half a dozen birds! Then we took 35 to 152, backtracking to Silver City for the night. We stayed at a pretty bad motel, the Drifter, and had a terrible meal of Chinese fast food because we went out to find food too late to go to a better restaurant. Actually, we left the room in plenty of time but spent our time walking through downtown Silver City absorbing the local vibe until we realized it was 10 minutes to 9pm, and even the fast food restaurants close at 9 in a town of 10k like Silver City... Oh well!
The next morning we packed up and headed to Santa Fe via Rte 152 through the mountains to I25. 152 was absolutely beautiful! I snapped a panorama or two that I'll post when I can stitch them together...
On the way to Santa Fe we stopped in Albuquerque for lunch with José. What a sweet man! I wish we lived closer because I miss hanging out with him. We ate at Sophia's which was a treat.
We arrived in Santa Fe at about 2pm and hung out in the Contemporary Music Program with Steve Paxton (the director, my former boss and close friend) until Joy, his wife, returned home, then he sent us up to his house to meet her. It was great catching up with Joy. She said I should consider myself to be 'Gregory Paxton,' lol... She even slipped at one point and said 'when you left home...' as though I really was their adopted son who left the roost when I moved to Tucson from Santa Fe.
Today I woke early and Steve gave me a ride to the College. I saw a lot of friends. I'm not sure my Deep Listening workshop went so well, but some people seemed into it. I'll have one more chance tomorrow anyway. I am in the chorus, I think because Steve only had one other male voice in it and he needed more.
This evening I had dinner with Steve Berlyn, that's a longer story, though, and I'm getting tired. I think this is enough for now. More tomorrow, as well as some photos...
We stopped for an unexceptional lunch at a motel cafe at the intersection of Rts. 15 and 35, unexceptional save the hummingbird feeder outside the window which must have been attracting half a dozen birds! Then we took 35 to 152, backtracking to Silver City for the night. We stayed at a pretty bad motel, the Drifter, and had a terrible meal of Chinese fast food because we went out to find food too late to go to a better restaurant. Actually, we left the room in plenty of time but spent our time walking through downtown Silver City absorbing the local vibe until we realized it was 10 minutes to 9pm, and even the fast food restaurants close at 9 in a town of 10k like Silver City... Oh well!
The next morning we packed up and headed to Santa Fe via Rte 152 through the mountains to I25. 152 was absolutely beautiful! I snapped a panorama or two that I'll post when I can stitch them together...
We arrived in Santa Fe at about 2pm and hung out in the Contemporary Music Program with Steve Paxton (the director, my former boss and close friend) until Joy, his wife, returned home, then he sent us up to his house to meet her. It was great catching up with Joy. She said I should consider myself to be 'Gregory Paxton,' lol... She even slipped at one point and said 'when you left home...' as though I really was their adopted son who left the roost when I moved to Tucson from Santa Fe.
Today I woke early and Steve gave me a ride to the College. I saw a lot of friends. I'm not sure my Deep Listening workshop went so well, but some people seemed into it. I'll have one more chance tomorrow anyway. I am in the chorus, I think because Steve only had one other male voice in it and he needed more.
This evening I had dinner with Steve Berlyn, that's a longer story, though, and I'm getting tired. I think this is enough for now. More tomorrow, as well as some photos...
Condo in Mashpee, MA
09 07 07 08:26
Carl and I are having a hard time deciding whether to purchase this condo in Mashpee, MA. When we were both in Massachusetts in late May, we looked for a small place on Cape Cod near Carl's brothers' families, who both have homes in Mashpee, and relatively close to my family, who are scattered around Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. We succeeded in finding this particular condo, which needs a lot of repair, and made a fair offer, which the owner turned down.
Then, last week, we discovered the owner has re-listed the property for an amount much closer to what we were originally offering. Well, we re-submitted an offer and it took. Then, on Saturday, we received the inspection report. Ugh. Termite damage in the support structure. Heating system needs replacement. Floors need to be re-done. Porch structure needs to come up to code if we have to repair termite damage in main support structure. The list goes on!
Well, it still may be a great deal. A lesser condo in the same development recently sold for $25K more than our offer. It will probably cost us about $25K - $35K to fix the place up, but then again it will be worth a smidgeon more than what we pay for it, including these repairs, after we fix it up. However, we will suddenly have $300.00 more in bills per month for the homeowners' association fees.
On the other hand, if we save the money we can use the interest from it in other ways.
Carl wants a place to settle on the Cape. I'm not so keen on the hassle and expense. I'm going to defer to Carl's druthers, as it is his money anyway, but what a struggle to make a final decision on whether or not to buy this place! It's one of these things that is causing a little tension in our relationship. I hope whatever we decide is worth the frustration! I suppose these minor disruptions are good practice in communication skill-building for when we have a real crisis...
Then, last week, we discovered the owner has re-listed the property for an amount much closer to what we were originally offering. Well, we re-submitted an offer and it took. Then, on Saturday, we received the inspection report. Ugh. Termite damage in the support structure. Heating system needs replacement. Floors need to be re-done. Porch structure needs to come up to code if we have to repair termite damage in main support structure. The list goes on!
Well, it still may be a great deal. A lesser condo in the same development recently sold for $25K more than our offer. It will probably cost us about $25K - $35K to fix the place up, but then again it will be worth a smidgeon more than what we pay for it, including these repairs, after we fix it up. However, we will suddenly have $300.00 more in bills per month for the homeowners' association fees.
On the other hand, if we save the money we can use the interest from it in other ways.
Carl wants a place to settle on the Cape. I'm not so keen on the hassle and expense. I'm going to defer to Carl's druthers, as it is his money anyway, but what a struggle to make a final decision on whether or not to buy this place! It's one of these things that is causing a little tension in our relationship. I hope whatever we decide is worth the frustration! I suppose these minor disruptions are good practice in communication skill-building for when we have a real crisis...
Mom and Dad's trials getting to Arizona
15 02 07 19:51
Maybe this is a good time to start a blog! My parents are coming to visit!
Of course I had to go and get sick now, of all times. I went in to University Health Services Tuesday and they said, 'yup, yer sick all right. Need a note for work?' I called Michael (my boss) and he just laughed. I ended up going in to work for the morning, anyway, because I was NOT going to miss my super difficult computer science class.
Meanwhile, Mom and Dad were stuck in Nashville overnight because they were unable to land in Chicago, where they were due to have a layover on their way out here from Massachusetts. I felt badly because I bought them their tickets, and when I booked the flights it actually crossed my mind that it might not be a good idea to book them through Chicago this time of year. Turns out I was right.
They did catch a flight from Nashville to Tucson (through Albuquerque) Wednesday morning, thank goodness. They still ended up being late because Albuquerque had snow also, but they arrived safe, sound, and sane. OK, leave off the sane part, but they are here! Yaaay!
Mt parents are my best friends. I am so glad they are here.
They are meeting Carl for the first time and so far everything is GREAT! Not that I'm surprised, he is such a sweetie.
I am out of work sick today. I bet they think I'm skipping work because Mom and Dad are here. Oh well. I'm generally dedicated enough, I think! LOL...
Of course I had to go and get sick now, of all times. I went in to University Health Services Tuesday and they said, 'yup, yer sick all right. Need a note for work?' I called Michael (my boss) and he just laughed. I ended up going in to work for the morning, anyway, because I was NOT going to miss my super difficult computer science class.
Meanwhile, Mom and Dad were stuck in Nashville overnight because they were unable to land in Chicago, where they were due to have a layover on their way out here from Massachusetts. I felt badly because I bought them their tickets, and when I booked the flights it actually crossed my mind that it might not be a good idea to book them through Chicago this time of year. Turns out I was right.
They did catch a flight from Nashville to Tucson (through Albuquerque) Wednesday morning, thank goodness. They still ended up being late because Albuquerque had snow also, but they arrived safe, sound, and sane. OK, leave off the sane part, but they are here! Yaaay!
Mt parents are my best friends. I am so glad they are here.
They are meeting Carl for the first time and so far everything is GREAT! Not that I'm surprised, he is such a sweetie.
I am out of work sick today. I bet they think I'm skipping work because Mom and Dad are here. Oh well. I'm generally dedicated enough, I think! LOL...
Tombstone and Bisbee with the 'rents...
17 02 07 19:22
Well, feeling a little better today we all decided to venture out. We chose Kartchner Caverns as our goal, with Tombstone/Bisbee as our backup plan since they often sell out of cave tours at Kartchner Caverns. Well, they were sold out at Kartchner Caverns, so on we continued on to Tombstone and Bisbee.
We ate a late, unspectacular lunch. Late because we walked all around Tombstone looking for a place to eat that would not require an hour on a waiting list. We ended up eating at a place that had no waiting list but they took an hour to serve us. LOL. Oh well. Unspectacular because it was burgers. Tombstone is the most cheesy tourist trap I have ever seen.
Bisbee, on the other hand, is beautiful. The architecture is interesting, there is art everywhere, and much evidence of progressive thinking... it felt more like Santa Fe than anyplace I have been in Tucson. I took a photo of Mom and Dad in front of a peace wall.
We ate a late, unspectacular lunch. Late because we walked all around Tombstone looking for a place to eat that would not require an hour on a waiting list. We ended up eating at a place that had no waiting list but they took an hour to serve us. LOL. Oh well. Unspectacular because it was burgers. Tombstone is the most cheesy tourist trap I have ever seen.
Bisbee, on the other hand, is beautiful. The architecture is interesting, there is art everywhere, and much evidence of progressive thinking... it felt more like Santa Fe than anyplace I have been in Tucson. I took a photo of Mom and Dad in front of a peace wall.