the pattyo

***Rude Awakening

I was minding my own business, not worried about anything other than my own part in the upcoming symphony set, when I realized I had not only forgotten to bow the string parts, but I had neglected to get music to the principals to do the master bowing. My heart went to my feet and I was absolutely terrified.

And then I woke up.

I am not the librarian of the symphony. I haven’t been the librarian of the symphony for years. I will never again (?!) be the librarian of the symphony.

But I still have these librarian nightmares, and they are always about bowing music.

It’s sort of like those school dreams many of us have; you realize you haven’t shown up to a class for an entire semester and suddenly it’s finals. You can’t even remember where the room is!

Okay. Maybe not everyone has those dreams, but I sure do.

But anyway, I’m awake now. I didn’t sleep in as late as I figured I would (no alarm clock on this “holiday” … I always find this day to be frightfully sad due to the horror of war, and it is especially sad this year) because the bowing fright caused me to jump right out of bed!

***Speaking of Which

I watched the 2004 (as well as the 2003 — which I didn’t realize was 2003 until Tony Randall spoke) National Memorial Day Concert on the tube last night. Seeing all the men who had lost limbs from our current war, and watching and hearing Charles Durning telling his horror story about Normandy was almost too much to take. Then, toward the end, a couple of singers sang “Let Their Be Peace On Earth” and somehow the triteness of that song came through loud and clear. To me at least. I wonder how those maimed men felt.

***Happier Things

The house is clean! I like that.

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***YUM!

Ahhh … BBQ! It sure smells fabulous.

Okay, so I’m not having one here … but the guy who lives behind me is having quite the party and I opened my back window to let in the scrumptious smell. That’ll do for tonight. (My parents are having Jameson and me over for a BBQ dinner tomorrow night and I think I can hold out until then!)

***Update

I did a little yard work. It’s amazing what a bit of embarrassment can do to a person!

***Ugh.

A couple walked by our house this morning as I was leaving for church. The woman looked at our pile of yard clippings on the parking strip (which has been covered with this junk for a bit longer than I care to admit) and said “That’s just depressing.”

I’m just embarrassed.

That minivan has got to go! Our yard has got to be worked on.

And I need to get my calendar cleared so I can start to work on all of this, but this week I have symphony so that won’t work.

Sigh.
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***Congratulations to Audrey and David!

Below is a picture of the bride and groom with several boys who were helping serve at the reception. Note the tie! Pretty nice, eh?

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***Just the Two of Us

Dan is off on a little vacation, so it’s just Jameson and me at home this weekend. I’m sitting here watching him play a demo Xbox game. I have to admit I just don’t understand video games. I have absolutely no interest at all in these things!

Now maybe if they had an exciting symphony video game …??

Then again, maybe not.

But here we are, in our quiet house. Tomorrow will be a very busy day (work and a graduation party and then a wedding to top it all off) and I’m sure the next few days will be full of other “stuff” (including practicing for the upcoming symphony concert) … but, alas, Jameson and I can’t do the vacation “thing” for now.

***Restless Leg Syndrome

A few days ago Dan sent me a URL that featured an article about Restless Leg Syndrome. Recently I haven’t been suffering as much with this. Until now. For some reason, the past few days have been miserable. It’s not just when I’m in bed any more, either. I’m sitting on the couch and I get it. UGH.

***Christians are Republicans

I recently read an article that said the the majority of Christians (and they aren’t talking cultural Christians, of which there are so many, but those who actually practice Christianity) are registered Republicans. This was not new news to me, although I’ve always wondered why this is the case. (I realize that for many it’s because they are one-issue folks who are anti-abortion, but that can’t be the all of it … can it?) The article suggested that it was because Republicans believe that the government should pretty much stay out of their business while the Democrats believe that the government needs to be more involved. I find this to have some problems. A Bible-believing Christian (I have to specify because some who call themselves Christians not only don’t read the Bible, but they don’t truly believe it either) believes that man is born sinful — that’s why we need Christ in the first place, right? So why the heck do we want to trust fellow man with huge issues like guns, and assume that all of us fallen folk will take care of the underfed and underprivileged people rather than have some government involvement?

And why would those who don’t believe in the sinful nature of man prefer to have more government involvement?

It seems to me it would be just the opposite. So I think the article was missing something, although I haven’t quite figured out what it is!

I will ponder this longer. I guess I just don’t get it. If a Christian believes that people are fallen, how can we then trust fallen people to make good choices? It’s a puzzlement to me.

Or maybe we don’t care about the rest of humankind? Maybe we are too busy thinking of our own rights? I wonder.

Anyway, I’m a registered Democrat, which either means I’m not a Christian or something is wrong with the statement “Christians are Republican”.

I actually consider myself a “Demlican”. ;-)
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***SPAM Poetry

Yep … I’m gonna start some. Keep checking back, as you’ll find some mighty fine poetry here soon. :-)

***Three Concerts, Three Nights

Jameson and I attended the LIncoln choirs’ concert on Monday. He performed in last night’s jazz concert and tonight’s band concert. I think I would like a night off now, thank you very much, but I have to say, music at Lincoln is doing very well!

All in all, I’ve actually been to five performances in less than one week; last week I had my #1 oboe student’s (Caitlyn Christie) Senior Recital at Valley Christian. Sunday I went to hear the UCSC Chamber Music concert in Watsonville.

What a busy 7 days it’s been.

***Meanwhile

The Giants have won 5 in a row!

Maybe the clue is that I wasn’t around to pay much attention to them … hmmm. Maybe they’re better off without me. CAN that be? I hope not! Because if that’s the case they are doomed. I’m not gonna stop watching when time allows!
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***A Jazz Singer in the Family?

Jameson decided last week, sort of spur of the moment really, to audition for the vocal jazz groups at Lincoln. I figured he might as well give it a go … he has a great sense of pitch and I know he can carry a tune.

Well, the results came in on Friday night. I couldn’t check them, though, because I promised Jameson that he could look first. He was at an overnighter at church. When he got home Saturday morning I thought he might go straight to bed (they don’t sleep at these overnight things, silly kids!) but he did get on the computer and go to the results page. And the news? …

Jameson is in Estetica! It’s the top vocal jazz group, made up of ten members.

Pretty darn cool, eh?

And I was remembering when Kelsey was singing in Opera San Jose’s production of The Magic Flute. She played the recording and video over and over … and Jameson, with his cute little-boy voice, could absolutely NAIL the Queen of the Night aria. Now I’m so sorry we never taped him. Just think of how much fun it would have been to bring a recording or video in to the jazz group.

Ah yes ….

Hindsight.

I think, though, that Jameson is happy that we didn’t record it. Oh well!
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***Sometimes I Wonder

Well, okay … more than just sometimes!

But anyway, I’m just home from church. We sang a song that says if we do this, God will do that sort of stuff.

You know, that just isn’t the way I think the God of All operates. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me that God isn’t someone we can control. I think he’ll do what he pleases. Because I believe in a God who is good, I don’t believe he does spiteful things, but I do believe he does things that I don’t understand at all and that, in the moment, seem pretty darn rotten. I have to trust that he sees the bigger picture, and that knowing all he also knows where things will lead anyway.

I just don’t think I can get God to act the way I want him too just because of something I do. (Unless I’m doing something that requires his discipline, perhaps!)

Maybe I just didn’t understand the song, though.

***Four Weeks From Now
Brandon will no longer be a college student. Wow!

And we’ll be in LA, having celebrated his graduation on the 19th.
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***Today

… the Giants actually won! And Schmidt pitched a fabulous game (only 1 hit, 13 strikeouts). We are still in last place, but at least tonight’s game was a good one.
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