The screen and light rig did not fall

Magnum Opus

Sweeping Performance

Magnum and sweeping are code words for way longer than it maybe needed to be. But it was fun.

Ready to rock and roll (so to speak)

The concert is going to be good but long and I've found a new way to make the time pass more slowly! This is the screen on which the Blake watercolors and other graphics are being projected. It hangs directly above the second row of altos and sopranos. I've convinced myself there is a good chance of it crashing to the stage during the show. It's my nature to find something like this to worry about. It's the way I am. :-)

The rule is

No lacrosse in the house before 8 a.m.

Master bath

If we had one, I wouldn't get to enjoy scenery like this. I'm going to miss the bathtub friends when the kids are too old to play with them.

Also, this, which looks to me like some kind of kitty rescue operation.

Jackie Greene

We've been waiting for this guy to come back to town and we just got the Music at the Zoo schedule which shows Jackie Greene there on Saturday July 28. We will have to miss it. I am SO disappointed. We saw him there last year and we were speechless afterward. He's very, very talented. (You all should go.) And after watching this clip I like him even more because he actually acknowledges the other musicians at the end of the song. You don't see many pop performers do that anymore. Sometimes they don't even acknowledge the audience applause at all.

Speaking of music, there were a couple of moments in rehearsal for Bolcom last night (first time with orchestra) that felt like the thrill Evel Knievel must have felt jumping over the Grand Canyon. Will it all go off as planned? We shall see...

Quack

Kids these days.

When I was fighting with my brother (over the bean-bag chair) we just shouted, SAVED SEAT!

What's with all this quack, quack seat back and I quacked the couch, I quacked the green chair, I quacked Peggy nonsense?

24

UPDATE: I have wasted the best years of my life watching this season.

That's exactly how we feel.

Preview of the Bolcom concert

Enjoy!
Quicktime required.

Also, Msp Mag article.

Ha!

I'm not sure about Fizzy Lizzy's poetry form identity but this fits me perfectly!

I am, of course, none other than blank verse. I don't know where I'm going, yes, quite right; And when I get there (if I ever do) I might not recognise it. So? Your point? Why should I have a destination set? I'm relatively happy as I am, And wouldn't want to be forever aimed Towards some future path or special goal. It's not to do with laziness, as such. It's just that one the whole I'd rather not Be bothered - so I drift contentedly; An underrated way of life, I find. What Poetry Form Are You?

Penguin, by Hank

I may be losing it

I've passed the audiology booth at Costco more than once in the past few months and thought to myself that I might benefit from an hearing test. I'm getting up there in years and I know I've inflicted some damage from my iPod-while-mowing sessions. You have to crank it to drown out the sound of the lawnmower, you know.

I met our new neighbors a few days ago and I swear to God they said their son's name was Weed. "Weed?" my other neighbor asked. "Are you kidding me? They named their child, 'Weed'?" "Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's what she said." "Maybe it's a family name; maybe Danish?" "Weide?" I have no clue.

The new neighbor came over yesterday and I'm pretty sure now she referred to her son as "Reed." Now that makes A LOT more sense, doesn't it? I felt a sense of relief for the child along with a sense of "I should call Costco first thing in the morning and schedule that hearing test."

Scene III: I was talking to yet another neighbor this morning and I told her, yes, I was mistaken, blah, blah, blah, the baby's name is "Reed." And neighbor #3 replied, "Are you sure? I was talking to neighbor #2 and she said the baby's name is

.......... (drumroll please)...........





JEREMY!

As Hope and Hank would say, "What the?!"

In conclusion: Now I don't know what in the world the child's name is but if it's "Jeremy" I will be scheduling a neuropsych evaluation in addition to the hearing test. I'm not sure they do neuropsych evals at Costco, however.

The doctor

Warming to the idea or accepting her fate

My daughter didn't have as nice a time at kindergarten round-up for the Chinese immersion school as some others did. She left insisting that she wanted to go to her old school. I must admit I've caught myself picturing her in the Chinese class next fall, screaming at the teacher to JUST SAY IT IN ENGLISH!

This afternoon we were out in the street riding bikes and talking with neighbors. We had some new neighbors come down the hill and around the corner, looking for a flat place to ride a scooter. We all introduced ourselves and when I asked Hope to tell her name, she said, "My name's Hope; ni hao." Like, whatever.

I hope she isn't going to hate us for putting her in this school. We think it will be good for her but I'm anticipating a rough first few weeks.

So glad

Can you imagine qualifying to run the Boston Marathon this year and training, traveling, and then tuning in to this weather forecast tonight in your hotel?

Nor'easter

Tonight I am thankful to be the slow runner that I am. (I know at least one of our choir members qualified to run it this year. Oy, that would stink so bad.)

More here: Runners' advisory

He's having a GREAT time

Have I told you all before about how much Mr. Bickerson LOVES to travel? Have I told you how he especially LOVES to travel to LAS VEGAS? If I haven't, it's probably because Mr. Bickerson does not enjoy traveling and especially does not enjoy traveling to a destination like Las Vegas. Especially when one of the other conventions in town is the National Association of Broadcasters.

But, knowing my guy -- a guy who loves crowds (not) and loves waiting in lines to rent cars and check into a medieval hotels (double not) -- the odds are in favor of him coming home with at least one semi-famous person's autograph for me. (Paul Harvey, perhaps?) Why? 'Cause he loves me and he knows I dig that dumb stuff.

I wish

I had known about this before Mr. B.'s birthday. That coulda been your card, honey. :-)

(Aw.)

A better Bolcom music video

The sun came out the today so I decided to slap together a less disturbing Bolcom slide-show. All Blake watercolors. The song is from the University of Mich. recording: The Little Girl Found. Enjoy the foundation-rattling choral music vibrations. :-)

Happy Birthday, Daddy

Can you guess which two American Idol contestants have inspired Hank and Hope's performance?

Breath of the Cannonball

The things you learn at a conference for speech pathologists in 2007:

GWOT = Global War on Terror (pronounced gee-wot)
OIF = Operation Iraqi Freedom
OEF = Operation Enduring Freedom
IED = Improvised Exploding Device
VBIED = Vehicle Borne Improvised Exploding Device (i.e., car bomb)
EFP = Explosive Formed Projectiles
RPG = Rocket Propelled Grenade
PRC = Polytrauma Rehab Center (The MN V.A. is one of four)

Bolcom concert in the news

...He realized in later years that this is how he thought about music: that it wasn't merely OK to mix classical and popular forms, as Haydn and Mahler had done, but that doing so might bring extra life to both genres. Moreover, he said, "It was the only way that I could integrate the various influences that have made me who I am, not looking at it as conflict but as a curious kind of harmony among themselves. It's the juxtaposition that creates the energy."

Continuing education

I'm at a conference today getting the last of my required CEUs for this two-year cycle. Guess what's new in the field of speech pathology and cognitive rehabilitation? The number of young veterans coming home from Iraq with severe TBI and what they call "poly-injury" meaning severe injuries to two or more systems in the body, that's what.

Business is booming and speech pathologists are in demand. Isn't that "great" news?

It's depressing. But there is one tiny tidbit of fun and that is that there's a lot of Guitar Hero utilized in the treatment of attention and related cognitive problems at the VA. I would enjoy a job that involves a little Guitar Hero action on occasion.

Your tax humor for the day

This is especially for my neighbor, Chris.

"Occupation" field

Take THAT, April snowstorm.

25 pounds

I feel like that's what I gained by missing my workouts while I was nursing my inflamed joints last week. But I went back to the lifting class today and I'm pretty sure I was able to grind away any remaining cartilage in my knees and wrists. You don't need cartilage, do you?

Homecoming

My mom sent this to me:

Welcome home

Children's art with a twist

Click on the green arrows in the lower right corner

Spelunking

We figured out a whole new way to have fun with (under) the new room.

Fat hand

Dear Virus Causing Inflamation to Every Joint in my Body (knees, hips, TMJ, elbow, spine),

Thanks for the visit. See ya. Till next time. Adios. Your cab is waiting. Get out of here.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Swollen Bickerson



Me? Complain much? Whine much? Never. :-)

Too cool for a homemade scarf?

A friend introduced me to yarn made from recycled saris. Really pretty yarn. I might have to make a bag out of the next one. I won't give it to Peggy, though.

Whoever invented Vicodin

I give thee thanks.

The urgent care doctor said I might have to live with this pain and swelling for one to three weeks. I made a sad face at him and then he said I should be glad that I have a little old virus because what I'm experiencing is nothing compared to the pain felt by people with chronic arthritis.

Everybody hurts

If this is what arthritis feels like I have new empathy for my mom and mother-in-law. It kind of feels like post-marathon ache but stronger in knees and ankles. And, to account for the hand, wrist and elbow pain, it feels like at the end of the marathon I decided to turn around and "run" it on my hands while someone held my feet and legs up "wheelbarrow" style.

(I shall stop complaining now.)

Fifth disease

It's going around (they sent home an info sheet from school) and now I think I have it. That would explain the sudden onset of red rash and aching knuckles, wrists, and knees. It's either fifth disease or too much knitting and squat-pressing. Hope has the rash, too, and Hank had a mysterious hand rash a couple weeks ago. I love it when the puzzle pieces all fall in place. So satisfying.

Speaking of puzzles, this is a great book:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

All Fools' Day

The jokes run the gamut this morning in our house; from Mr. Bickerson announcing that the teacher had called and all first graders have to report to school today to make-up the snow day from a few weeks ago, to Hope announcing, "Ha ha, Daddy! You have some REAL ants in your PANTS!"

Happy April Fools' Day!