Sauvageau Yearbook

Stella 2012

2012-01-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

Stella is four months old and is 12lbs 12oz!!! She is cleared for solid food and will start with cereal this week. Here are some recent pictures.

Stella 10 2011

2011-10-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Stella's Birthday

2011-09-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday night on the way to the hospital, Sarah and I going to complete the incredible. Bringing a new life into this world, and oh what a journey for our baby girl...
Starts off with some cramping discomfort and pain, followed by contractions that would hardly refrain. On through the night the medicine is little use, Sarah continues to fight while enduring the bodily abuse. Early in the AM time to check the dilatation, 5 cms! thank goodness a little half-way celebration. Would you like an epidural? The nurse then inquired, THANK GOD YES! is what Sarah required. So in goes the needle about 4 inches long, and goodbye to the pain that was feeling so strong. But wait oh no babies heart beat was slowing, a C-Sections possibility now did begin growing. With the doctors advice we waited to see, if the babies heart and the medication would agree. After some time things went back to normal, and we were on our way to a birth that is formal. After many hours she was coming out her bush, breathing and squeezing 1-2-3 PUSH! Out comes her head we're almost done now, followed by her body all I think is.....wow. Stella Rose is born it's 5:54, 6 pounds 12 ounces its over no more. Sarah her mother and I her father, on September 8th 2011 we couldn't be prouder.
Happy Birthday Stella, you're beautiful
Thank you to everyone, family and friends for all your love and support. We are blessed to have you all in our lives.

Veronica's Birthday

2011-09-13T12:08:00.001-07:00

Veronica is now 12. As a special treat, we went to the big city of Montreal and went to the inaugral concert of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at their new home. This as of yet unnamed hall was sold to everyone in Quebec as the perfect place to hear a concert. It is! The construction is much like the Musikverein where (a-hem, a-hem), Claire and I saw a concert. It is a rectangle and there is not a bad seat in the house and is designed for unamplified music. Actually it is a rectange built into a bigger rectangle. I don't know the science. I just know that it works. As you can see, when you are waiting in the outer area, before they open the concert hall doors, you do have a beautiful view of the city skyline -- and a beautiful view of Veronica.

Here is the hall about 20 minutes before the concert began. It was sold out so imagine the place fully packed. Usually, Veronica and I have better seats. But, due to he way the house is set up, we had a great view of the stage, the acoustics were great, and so was the music.

Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kVRBJ0gPRg&feature=fvst

Now, this is the ending of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Music experts, music non-experts and everyone in between will concede that once you see this ending live, you think that you are going to burst. I have had the great fortune over the last 20 years of taking all my family members at one time or another to see Beethoven's 9th. With the exception of 2 of them, everyone has almost leapt off the seat at the conclusion. On Veronica's birthday, when I looked over at her at the conclusion she was fast asleep. The last time that happened was when Claire was a little one. I looked over and Claire was asleep...

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. ~Leo J. Burke

2011-08-24T05:20:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow, Leo Joseph is three months old!

I have struck a city - a real city - and they call it Chicago... I urgently desire never to see it again. It is inhabited by savages. Rudyard Kipling

2011-08-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, actually the savages invaded Chicago!

The first day in Chicago meant that we were to be greeted at the airport. When we arrived, Theresa was promply on the phone and told us that she would be right there at curbside to pick us up. There were five us us, and Theresa pulled up in her sedan and confused us by asking if that was all the luggage that we had with us. We said that it was - one bag per person, right? Kathleen assured Theresa that even though it was a sedan, Mag could sit on a lap and off we could go. Theresa looked somewhat chagrined as Al swooped in the standing lane with another sedan. MORE than enough room. Theresa looked a bit embarassed, for at that moment up pulled Colyn in a van! It was looking like each of us would get a private ride to the Flynn residence!

This was just the start of a lot of great generosity coming from the Flynns.

"Oak Park: One Tree -- Many Nuts."

“Don't grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.” - Michelle Held

2011-08-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

As the Stock Market was going up 500 here and down 400 there all week, we decided to hit the waves on Lake Michigan near New Buffalo. The New Buffalo area where Paul and Chris Flynn rented a great house right near a great beach, was our Tuesday escape from everything. Paul, Chris, Theresa, Al and Colyn invited us to swim, swim, swim. It was a great day because the sun was beatiful, the water was warm and the waves were wild!

Here a Mag, There a Mag, Everywhere a Mag Mag!

2011-06-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

We planted some Mags this year and had a great crop!

Fresh cut grass, dragged dirt, ring of a bat, a diving catch, a blocked ball, sweating, bleeding, diving into home. Not a bad way to spend a day!

2011-06-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

So says Veronica. She and her S&S Sanitation Team -- yes, it's coming -- cleaned up this season which is coming to a close.

With Coach Corey King at the helm, the King and his princesses have amassed quite a record. Veronica is now known as "The Fox". Last night, after a tipped hit that landed -- fair --the catcher for the other team picked the ball right up and stood next to home plate. Veronica, undaunted, quietly snuck from third to home plate for the score, a confused catcher waking up only when V's foot was on the bag!

These two movie stars were spotted in Rome during the Beatification Week of Pope John Paul II.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

2011-04-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Thank me later. This is how Kathleen and I raise our kids. Its who we are. All you others should take notes.

2011-03-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has a page on the web,
http://www.agr.state.il.us/programs/consumer/egg/eggconsguide.html that guides citizens in Illinois about the usage of eggs. It gives a lot of helpful hints:

"What should I do if I think a store is mishandling eggs?
People who suspect an Illinois grocery store or other egg outlet is not upholding the law should talk to the facility manager. If the problem persists, they should call the Illinois Department of Agriculture at 1.800.582.0468, TDD 217.524.6858, FAX 217.524.7801. "

And:
"Storage Tips:Leave eggs in their original carton to help prevent them from drying out.
Store eggs at 41 degrees with the small end of the shell pointed down in the carton.
Keep eggs away from foods with strong odors, such as onions and garlic, which can affect their flavor. Do not store eggs for an extended period of time."

There are no penalties for going against an individual "mishandling eggs" in Illinois. However, Cindy and Kathleen and Mom were astonished to find that Theresa has turned eccentric at an early age. While unpacking at the hotel, Theresa pulled out of her suitcase eggs, because she wanted to make cookies on her recent visit to Buffalo.

There is no question in my mind that Theresa's storage of eggs did not take place in the original carton, nor at 41 degrees. But more to the point, all found it striking that Theresa has such disdain for eggs from Western New York! Frankly, most of us throughout the country feel that Illinois has a "Bad Egg" problem!

I always thought eggs were eggs. But Theresa swears by Illinois-produced-sold-and-bought eggs, so much so, that she placed some in her suitcase flew them to Chicago and brought with her Illinois-purchased Brown Sugar.

These two beautiful girls have always reminded me of each other, though the older she gets the more she looks like herself. But one thing I do recall without fail is that when Kathleen was younger, I never saw her with a pair of socks that did not have a hole in the toes. Her toenails were razor sharp. Without exageration, some times her toe nail would slice right through the top of her sneakers. It is a family trait:

Kathleen, Veronica and Magdalene all came back refreshed and happy to have seen everyone, but the premise behind the whole extended weekend was for the girls to get together.

God's Sense of Humor

2011-03-07T06:40:00.001-08:00

This is what we woke up to this morning. 5:30 a.m. call that school was cancelled. "Yay! Hooray!" But it was up and at 'em this morning as they don't close down the law office. Here is what Luke came upon when he got to the office, having left his car there all weekend.

This is the time of year when one snowfall can mentally push us over the edge. Though the sun is staying up longer, it still is a challenge to smile through a snowstorm like this, unless you are Veronica and Mag who were out this morning enjoying all the fun that big snow brings.

I also spent some time at the Pre-Cana program. I do a class on finances for engaged couples and this time around, (Kathleen and I with four other couples do about 2 to 3 of these per year), there were about 20 couples including Maureen's friend Jessica.

One of the fellows who was there was a real nice fellow, but I wish he would have dressed a bit differently. After all, this is Pre-Cana, isn't it?

By the way, if it is lousy out as far as the weather is concerned, find a Veronica and cuddle up with her, because it makes the day go so much nicer:

The Cardinal

2011-03-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

Kathleen loves Cardinals. You have to turn the volume way up, but after I dropped the kids off at school, I had my camera and was lucky enough to get a shot of this guy singing. To hear it you have to turn the volume WAY UP.

Mag and I went for a trip to Montreal. We had a wonderful meal, (at Baton Rouge), where our littlest one ate a whole rack of ribs and devoured everything else put in front of her. We then toured the new Place des Arts which was pretty impressive.

The show we were going to see had just been played at Carnegie Hall. So, some explanation is in order. Brad Meldhau is a jazz pianist. Anne Sophie von Otter is a Swede who sings opera but does some cross-over music.

Mag loves going to Montreal and will probably be a big-city chick.

Kathleen and I also headed up to Montreal the next night to see a favorite, Stephen Hough. What we saw was piano at its best by a player who is at the top of his profession. Though it was not recorded that evening, this is the finale as performed by Hough in England's Proms Festival a couple of years ago.

Colyn left quite the impression on the ladies of the household.

Quite the ladies' man.

Curb to curb!

2011-02-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

A little souvenir from Montreal. Can't let that head get cold when you're snow blowing the neighborhood.

“Virtue is not hereditary.” -- John Adams

2011-02-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe it is... As Claire would say, we had a whackadoo week, all fun. Just Before the Buffalo Sabres decided to drop three games straight in Buffalo, Veronica and I had a chance to see them kick butt in Montreal at the Bell Center. At left, Veronica takes in the Canadian National Anthem. "O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée wrote the music as a setting of a French Canadian patriotic poem composed by poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. The lyrics were originally in French and translated into English in 1906. For some reason even though we were in the heart of French-speaking Canada, they sang the lyrics in English. In case you don't know they are quite interesting. "O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. "We were treated to a great show! Veronica had never been to a game before, and when I brought her in to the Bell Center it reminded me of the thrill of being at a professional sports event. 20,000 or so people were packed into the Bell Center and we were the only 2 rooting for the Sabres.
Then, we had visitors. Claire brought the most charming people with her to celebrate President's Day!
Colyn and Lauren flew in on the magic carpet provided by Claire. Lauren goes to school with Claire and they are both in the nursing program at D'Youville. Lauren also had the distinction of playing both Jasmine and Pocahantas at Disney in Florida. Her stories about them are great. She instructed us that Pocahantas and Jasmine have trouble with just two classes of people at Disney: 11 year old boys and drunk middle-aged men. Other than that, everyone is fine. Of course, I think everyone has trouble with just those two classes of people.

We went to the festival of Lights in Montreal. We also walked throughout old Montreal and visited Notre Dame Basillica. If you have not yet been, go! Our family has seen several concerts and celebrated Mass there as well, and I cannot think of any other place quite as beautiful. Kathleen and I have a soft spot in our hearts for the place!

It was all about birthdays as we celebrated President's Birthdays and C&C's birthdays. If youdo see Claire, ask her how the juicer works!

You Want To Hurt Me?

2011-02-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

Snow in Malone

2011-02-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

This is how to tackle a snowy Saturday.

Bleak House

2011-02-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

"The one great principle of the English law is, to make business for itself. There is no other principle distinctly, certainly, and consistently maintained through all its narrow turnings." Charles Dickens, from Bleak House. Kathleen and I watched "Bleak House", a fifteen part serialization of Dicken's classic. In our house, we are Dickens Addicts and thank goodness that we are not alone. I think that Masterpiece Theatre and Hollywood have such reverence for Dickens that it is hard to think of a bad adaptation of any of his works. A lot of that has to do, of course, with the fact that there is no such thing as a bad Dickens' story. But Kathleen and I came upon a 2005 version, done for Masterpiece Theatre, of Bleak House. It was one of the best adaptations of any novel that I have ever seen. Here's a taste of it. Spoiler Alert: If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, this gives some important endings away.
The cast was just great. We watched it on Netflix.

No Ordinary Explosion

2011-01-19T16:39:00.000-08:00

The filamenthad been seen hovering over the Sun's surface for over a week before it erupted earlier this month. The movie was by the Earth-orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in one color of ultraviolet helium, and another color of X-ray light specifically emitted by iron. The explosion created Coronal Mass Ejections which dispersed high energy plasma into the Solar System. This plasma cloud, though, missed the Earth and so did not cause auroras. The above eruption and an unusually expansive eruption that occurred in August are showing how widely separated areas of the Sun can sometimes act in unison. Explosions like this will likely become more common over the next few years as our Sun moves toward Solar Maximum activity.

A Priest We All May Know At One Time Or Another

2010-11-24T16:27:00.000-08:00

I like this guy. Nothing like tradition...

-Joe

“Life is like a piano... what you get out of it depends on how you play it.”

2010-09-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

The Pope's brother Msgr. Georg Ratzinger — for thirty years choirmaster of Regensburg Cathedral — recently gave an interview to the Swiss Catholic press agency KIPA, in which he divulged that Benedict XVI's favourite musical pieces are the Clarinet Quintet and the Clarinet Concerto. Inside the Vatican reported that Benedict was playing Mozart on his piano on the Sunday afternoon following his installation as Pope, when he returned to his old apartment to see his brother. And papal biographer George Weigel said in Newsweek after Benedict's election that "here is another surprise for cartoonists of the dour Ratzinger: he's a Mozart man, which I take to be an infallible sign of someone who is, at heart, a joyful person."

But let's hear Pope Benedict himself on the subject. In the extended interview that was published ten years ago as Salt of the Earth we read: "You are a great lover of Mozart." " Yes! Although we moved around a very great deal in my childhood, the family basically always remained in the area between the Inn and the Salzach. And the largest and most important and best parts of my youth I spent in Traunstein, which very much reflects the influence of Salzburg. You might say that there Mozart thoroughly penetrated our souls, and his music still touches me very deeply, because it is so luminous and yet at the same time so deep. His music is by no means just entertainment; it contains the whole tragedy of human existence."

Quicksand

2010-08-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Forget about the monsters, giant bugs and ghosts. When I was a lad, the biggest and wierdest danger to any hero or hapless wanderer in the movies was QUICKSAND!

Quicksand offered filmmakers a simple recipe for excitement: A pool of water, thickened with oatmeal, sprinkled over the top with wine corks. It was, in its purest form: "My gosh, we're sinking! Will we escape this life-threatening situation before time runs out?" Those who weren't rescued simply vanished from the script: "It's too late—he's gone." The alternative was no less random: Surviving quicksand has always required more good fortune than skill. Is that a lasso over there? A tendril from a banyan tree, perhaps. It is brought to mind as the children and I saw the Socerer's Apprentice -- the newest and coolest version of quicksand and ther serendipitous escape.

Speaking of quicksand, Maureen is married.

What can I say? Librarians rule!" --Regis Philbin

2010-07-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

I came across this article from NPR... check it out! Here

When words leave off, music begins. Heinrich Heine

2010-06-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is June. As any parent can tell you, it is crunch time for parents. The halcyon days when you can sit in a crowded and hot and sweaty auditorium awaiting your child's few minutes of fame. Of course, no school district is different when it comes to inconvenient timing, (not enough time to eat dinner), length, (at least 3 hours), and date, (but John, Paul, Mag and Veronica have something on that date, too.) But then the girls sit down at the bench and all those inconveniences are tossed out the window. Just the girls and the piano keys!!! Enjoy.

Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy. Robert Heinlein

2010-06-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

I rather enjoy making my children's lives difficult. However, it does pay off for them.

A little known fact is that some 15 years or so ago, Maureen, too, played the clarinet. She came to hate it.

Lost in the Music?

2010-05-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

If you have ever wondered what music for soundtracks is made of, I think you'll like the video clip you can find here . An aside: Gone "viral" is a show called Glee. Maureen and Claire both love the show, primarily because of this:
and this:

Hank Jones RIP

2010-05-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

"To me, music consists of melody, rhythm and harmony, and if it lacks any one of those three elements, then it's not music anymore." - Hank Jones Hank Jones, whose self-effacing nature belied his stature as one of the most respected jazz pianists of the postwar era, died on Sunday in the Bronx. He was 91. By the 1980s, Mr. Jones’s late-blooming career as a band leader was in full swing. While he had always recorded prolifically — by one estimate he can be heard on more than a thousand albums — for the first time he concentrated on recording under his own name, which he continued to do well into the 21st century. He is survived by his wife, Theodosia. Mr. Jones was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 1989. He received the National Medal of Arts in 2008 and a lifetime achievement Grammy Award in 2009. And he continued working almost to the end. Laurel Gross, a close friend, said he had toured Japan in February and had plans for a European tour this spring until doctors advised against it. “I never tried consciously to develop a ‘touch,’ ” he told The Detroit Free Press in 1997. “What I tried to do was make whatever lines I played flow evenly and fully and as smoothly as possible. “I think the way you practice has a lot to do with it,” he explained. “If you practice scales religiously and practice each note firmly with equal strength, certainly you’ll develop a certain smoothness. I used to practice a lot. I still do when I’m at home.” Mr. Jones was 78 years old at the time.

Jon Anderson

2010-04-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

When we saw Jon Anderson at B. B. King's Blue's Club we saw a lot of guys my age re-living the old glory days of the 70's when "Yes" was one of the great concert bands and bell bottom jeans and tank top shirts were the rage. If I remember it, I'll try to get my SUNY at Buffalo freshman ID posted and you'll see how much a hippie Uncle Joe really was. I sort of looked like a friendly Charles Manson. If you ask Paul what his favorite thing in NYC was, he'd tell you the nachos platter that had shredded beef up to the ceiling at B. B. King's. Meanwhile, while Paul was immersed in his nachos platter, this rather overweight 50 ish guy, (no, not me!) leaned over and told me that this was his 950th concert in his life. So, the guy has, in effect, for three full years of his life, been going to concerts. Given the fact that many of us spend one-third of our lives sleeping, (n.b., in Paul and John's lives it is about 2/3rds sleeping!), going to see concerts for 3 years of your life isn't something to be dismissed easily.

Jon Anderson

2010-04-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

The boys and I were lucky enough to get to see some plays, (West Side Story and Wicked) and some music, (Jon Anderson and also The Bad Plus) at some great places. John and I went out to play at the Blue Note in the Village and saw the Bad Plus. Through great seating, we were right up against front and center stage. A dream come true for me... If I had the time and money, I would have gone from the Blue Note, over to the Village Vanguard, then to Birdland, then to Dizzy's Club and then to Iridium. A lot of history there. But we also really got into Jon Anderson who is the lead singer for Yes. Paul was able to get some video of Anderson during the evening, and what a smoothie and what a great concert!!!!!!!!!

We were in the Big Apple because Paul had an appointment with the Perkins School for the Blind -- a weekend program to help prepare for life after High School. Yes, there is life after high school! We had a great time. If anyone would like to go to NYC just get in touch with me and with Paul and John and we will take you down. Time Square, Radio City Music Hall, the Apple Store, Central Park, the Met, the MOMA, the U.N., the Village, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, ESPN Zone, etc.

More Later...

Good Friday

2010-04-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

From time to time we have all prayed the Apostle's Creed. In the Creed there is a disjunctive and shocking statement: "He desended into Hell", that is, after His crucifixion, after His death, Jesus went to Hell. What does that mean? Well, here is what the catechism says: "The frequent New Testament affirmations that Jesus was "raised from the dead" presuppose that the crucified one sojourned in the realm of the dead prior to his resurrection. This was the first meaning given in the apostolic preaching to Christ's descent into hell: that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But he descended there as Saviour, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there. "Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, "hell" - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the Redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into "Abraham's bosom. It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Saviour in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell. Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him. "The gospel was preached even to the dead." The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfilment. This is the last phase of Jesus' messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ's redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption. Christ went down into the depths of death so that "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Jesus, "the Author of life", by dying destroyed "him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage." Henceforth the risen Christ holds "the keys of Death and Hades", so that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. . . He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him - He who is both their God and the son of Eve. . . "I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. . . I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead."

Holy Thursday

2010-04-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

HOLY THURSDAY is the most complex and profound of all religious observances, saving only the Easter Vigil. It celebrates both the institution by Christ himself of the Eucharist and of the institution of the priesthood. In His last supper with the disciples, a celebration of Passover, He is the self-offered Passover Victim, and every ordained priest to this day presents this same sacrifice, by Christ's authority and command, in exactly the same way. The Last Supper was also Christ's farewell to His assembled disciples, some of whom would betray, desert or deny Him before the sun rose again. On Holy Thursday there is a special Mass in Cathedral Churches, attended by as many priests of the diocese as can attend, because it is a solemn observance of Christ's institution of the priesthood. At this 'Chrism Mass' the bishop blesses the Oil of Chrism used for Baptism and Confirmation. The bishop may wash the feet of twelve of the priests, to symbolize Christ's washing the feet of his Apostles, the first priests. The Holy Thursday liturgy Mass that most of us go to, celebrated in the evening because Passover began at sundown, also shows both the worth God ascribes to the humility of service, and the need for cleansing with water (a symbol of baptism) in the Mandatum, or washing in Jesus' washing the feet of His disciples, and in the priest's stripping and washing of the altar. Cleansing, in fact, gave this day of Holy Week the name Maundy Thursday. The action of the Church on this night also witnesses to the Church's esteem for Christ's Body present in the consecrated Host in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, carried in solemn procession to the flower-bedecked Altar of Repose, where it will remain 'entombed' until the communion service on Good Friday. No Mass will be celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil proclaims the Resurrection. And finally, there is the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament by the people during the night, just as the disciples stayed with the Lord during His agony on the Mount of Olives before the betrayal by Judas. There is such an abundance of symbolism in the solemn celebration of the events of Holy Thursday layer upon layer, in fact that I can no more than hint at it in these few words. For many centuries, the Last Supper of Our Lord has inspired great works of art and literature, such as the glorious stained glass window in Chartres cathedral, Leonardo's ever popular (and much imitated) Last Supper in the 16th century, (above), and the reminiscence called Holy Thursday, by the French novelist, Franasois Mauriac, written in the 1930s.

Wednesday of Holy Week

2010-03-31T12:34:00.001-07:00

If you had not noticed, it is Holy Week. And, not only Holy Week, but the last day before Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter -- known as the Easter Triduum. In today's liturgy we hear of Judas. We all remember him as the traitor of the twelve. He was the man of whom Jesus spoke that it would be "better for him had he never been born." About 10 years ago I read Dante's Inferno. Dante and Virgil go to the lowest of Hell, the 9th circle. Dante becomes aware of a great shape in the distance, hidden by fog. Right under his feet he notices sinners completely covered in ice, sometimes several feet deep, contorted into various positions. These souls constitute the most evil of all sinners -- the Traitors to their Benefactors. Dante and Virgil advance toward the giant mist-shrouded shape and see that it is Lucifer.

He stands on the icy lake, his torso rising above the surface. Dante sees that Lucifer has three horrible faces, one looking straight ahead and the others looking back over his shoulders. Beneath each frozen head rises a set of wings, which wave back and forth, creating the icy winds that keep the circle frozen. Each of Lucifer's mouths holds a sinner -- all Traitors to a Benefactor. Two of them, Brutus and Cassius murdered Caesar in the Senate and appear with their heads out. Judas Iscariot is lodged headfirst, only his twitching legs protrude. The mouths chew their victims, constantly tearing the traitors to pieces, but never killing them. Such is that which betrayal does in its own fashion, is it not? It is perhaps the most chilling poem I have ever read. (Yes, I know, a terrible pun..., but it did scare me as I was reading it late at night.) It was, however, not the betrayal that cost Judas his soul to be given to Lucifer. After all, even St. Peter denied Christ three times. Most of the apostles fled on Good Friday. Even the sin of betrayal of Christ could have been forgiven. What could not be forgiven was Judas' despair and loss of hope, that is, the feeling that he could never have been forgiven by God.

“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.”

2010-03-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

When I was just a kid in high school many years ago almost everyone watched the Dean Martin Roasts. They would "roast" a guest for about one hour. I vividly recall sitting in the living room with my dad watching this particular roast of Don Rickles, when Foster Brooks came on. We were both laughing our butts off. However, Foster faded from view because of the change in public sensitivity concerning alcoholism and drunk driving. Brooks continued his career on television doing more sober characters. He died in 2001 at age 89.

I Stole This From Maureen's Blog

2010-03-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

This appears at Maureen's Blog, http://dusup.blogspot.com/

She has some great postings and you'll love it. I stole this from Maureen because it is so good.

--Joe

Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories.

2010-02-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

We have surveillance cameras in front of our house, and I thought you'd like to see what happened to Maureen when she first started dating Luke!

Despite the assault, the wedding is still on.

-- Joe

2010-02-13T09:24:00.000-08:00

Snow sledding and huskies. Magdalene and Veronica are ready for the trek!

Claire and Magdalene and Veronica were lucky enough to have gone to Lake Placid yesterday. There's nothing so funny to Claire as a prat fall:

Colyn first established this website as a compendium of memories regarding family. I'll never forget the time that Al and Theresa, Cindy and Luis, and Kathleen and I went to dinner and Theresa ruined the whole dinner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS37SNYjg8w

Kathleen, later, showed her prowess at driving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39qdhbkTko4&feature=related

Cindy leads the way in showing us how to get a good man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ0jRuASVEQ&feature=related

2010-02-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

The ending of the Bridge Over The River Kwai is one of the best endings in the history of movies. Alec Guiness won the Academy Award for Best Actor. The movie won the Award for Best Picture. Jack Hawkins and William Holden co-stared. Enjoy!

With the Academy Awards coming up, I thought that it would be nice to view a GREAT MOVIE. David Lean, who also produced Lawrence of Arabia and Passage to India won the Academy Award for The Bridge Over The River Kwai. The movie was adapted from a novel that was based upon the very real enslavement of British prisoners of Japan during World War II in building a railway in Burma. This is a great movie and well worth your time.

According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
"The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by Commonwealth, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project driven by the need for improved communications to support the large Japanese army in Burma. During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also died in the course of the project, chiefly forced labour brought from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, or conscripted in Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar). Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre."
The incidents portrayed in the film are mostly fictional, and though it depicts bad conditions and suffering caused by the building of the Burma Railway and its bridges, to depict the reality would have been too appalling for filmgoers. Actually, from what I've read, the conditions were very much worse than that which is shown in the film.

All is well in Malone. More on that, later.

--Joe

Lockdown in Newark

2010-01-08T07:58:00.000-08:00

There was an air-headed guard who allowed a major security breach at Newark Airport on January 3rd and he has been placed on administrative leave and booted from the airport, as a result of a security lapse, during which an unidentified man walked into a supposedly secure area of Terminal C. The foul-up occurred after the punished TSA guard stepped away from his post at the terminal's C1 exit-way - allowing the breach of security that fouled up flights for hours as thousands of passengers had to be re-screened.
Some have suggested the guard moved to chat on his cell-phone.
But be that as it may, I have learned a lesson. I am the most impatient man I know. I should take a page out of the book of these people who were forced to wait hours at Newark airport that evening.

Big Family Comedy Video

2010-01-01T18:15:00.000-08:00

At dinner tonight Mom started up a conversation about new family activities. This reminded me of the following clip. Just a funny little thing about family activities.. Theres no real visual in the clip so all you have to do is listen. Enjoy and if you can relate to any of this comment on this post. This was taken from a CD featuring Brian Regan. Click Here

SWISHnSILVER

AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

2009-12-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

Ahhh!!!! This morning , I woke up on the right side of the bed, & saw the most unusual thing.... maybe it's side- effects from the medication my doctor gave me.. noseis-aflaris..........

The challenger accepts his own challenge~~~

2009-12-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

Picture 1- Sylva's lamp; scapular at the top...

#2- Catherine Smith's rocking chair...

#3- Drafting table... a mess, yes~~~

#4- Footstool that used to be located in front of the fireplace...

Eleven Things:

1. Reinvent your interests

2. Be all that you wish to be

3. Surround yourself with..........

4. Don't forget to enjoy yourself

5. Rejuvenate often

6. Stay in motion

7. Encourage others

8. Show by example

9. Create something, anything

10. Be patient, but don't procrastinate

11. Don't forget to dream~~~~

May peacefulness find you daily!!!

2009-12-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

Is this working???

Wow, I made it !!!

2009-12-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

Christopher just taught me how to post things on this blog!!! Thanks 1st Godson!!! I'm in the loop...I'm in the loop...I'm in the loop !!! :) Aunt Ivan

This is funny, but painful... Simon and Isaiah in their glory

2009-12-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

What Happens With Procrastination

2009-12-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

I had to read 1984 as my chemistry book report. It is a great story, but the book report that followed it was about enough to shove a gun in my mouth... not literally. All I can say is Big Brother is watching.

Merry Christmas from the NICHOLS Family!

2009-12-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

Best Laid Plans

2009-12-16T07:07:00.000-08:00

Kathleen, John, Paul and I went to Cornwall, Ont last night to see a speaker, author Matthew Kelly. I read one of his books and it was very useful and inspiring. Of course, the boys were less than enthusiastic, but Kathleen and I bulldozed ahead, drove to Cornwall had dinner with the boys and went to the General Vanier auditorium in the company of about 2000 other eager enthusiasts.

To give you an idea, this is what we were supposed to hear:

Instead, a brave lady took the stage and explained to the throng that Mr. Kelly would not be coming -- immigration, you know -- and thus, no Matthew Kelly. John visibily moved his body and head as if to say, "I told you so... This was a bad idea from the get-go." I think John and Paul were of the mind that this is what happens to parents who force their kids to go to "lame" events.

Instead, the Bishop of the area, Paul-Andre Durosher, gamely, on an hour's notice, came to talk. Candidly, he said that he'd had a rough day and had just laid down to take a nap, questioning whether he'd even go to the talk when he got a call to give the talk. He did a bang-up job and it was fun.

Kathleen and I are off to Quebec City, Que. 25 years married. See you later.

25 Years of LOVE

2009-12-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

Today, we celebrated Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary. 25 YEARS! Wow. And what a couple. They eloped on December 17, 1984 in Notre Dame Church. Uncle Jay, Paul and Tom heard from a little bird that they were planning to get married and showed up to the wedding to be their witnesses. This morning after mass they renewed their vows.

Later this afternoon we picked out the perfect Christmas tree. It was a beautiful day.

To celebrate, Mom and Dad are going to Quebec City. They leave this Wednesday. Say a few prayers for them today, and this year. Personally, I have never met a more beautiful couple.

A Fox May Steal Your Hen, Sir

2009-12-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

A fox may steal your hens, Sir,
A Whore your health and Pence, Sir,
Your daughter rob your Chest, Sir,
Your Wife may steal your Rest, Sir,
A Thief your Goods and Plate,
A Thief your Goods and Plate.
But this is all but picking,
With Rest, Pence, Chest, and Chicken,
If ever was decreed, Sir,
If Lawyer's Hand is fee'd, Sir.
He steals your whole Estate,
He steals your whole Estate.

This tune was used in the comedy Love for Love by William Congreve (1670-1729) as A Soldier and A Sailor. The music was by John Eccles (1668-1735). John Gay wrote these words to the Eccles tune for The Beggar's Opera (1728).

The tune is sung by the fence Peachum, who has learned that his daughter Polly has wed the highwayman Macheath. He determines to turn Macheath in - to gain the reward and so that he can protect his daughter's dower.

Yet, as so often is the case, the dig at the lawyer is the punch-line, even though the darn play wasn't even about lawyers at all. Such is the injustice visited upon my profession...

2009-12-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here's Something:
More than one-hundred and fifty thousand books were published in 2009. Three centuries ago in all of the British mainland colonies of America, only thirty-one books were printed (if you discount a handful of broadsheets, proclamations, and volumes of laws). The pickings are slim—and grim—but here are the Top Ten Books of 1709:
1. Daniel Leeds. “The American Almanack.” All but three books published in 1709 were religious tracts, printed in Boston, and nearly all of them have to do with the day of judgment. Leeds’s almanac, printed in New York, is the only truly secular publication of the year, which fact alone makes it a stand out. It also boasts some wonderfully bad doggerel: “His neighbours Horse that over his fence doth neigh / Will make his owner, for’s presumption, pay.” At least the horse isn’t dead.
2. Thomas Doolittle. “A Prospect of Eternity.” For its cheering message about the importance of “weaning our hearts of this world.”
3. “An Appeal of Some of the Unlearned.” An anonymous response to a treatise called “An Appeal to the Learned.” There were no book reviews in 1709 (the book review was invented around 1750) and this exchange is as close as American letters gets, that year, to a back-and-forth. It’s not as cheeky as it sounds, though; the debate was theological, and the unlearned demurred: “we are not Contentious. We only Enquire.”
4. Cotton Mather. “The Cure for Sorrow.” Nine of the books printed in 1709 were written by Mather, a Boston minister, and two more by his father, Increase, who was, at the time, the president of Harvard College, which makes it hard to leave them off the list. Their literary efforts account for more than a third of the year’s books. This one has got the best subtitle: “An Essay Directing Persons under Sadness What Course to take, that they may be no more Sad.”
5. Increase Mather. “Solemn Advice to Young Men Not to Walk in the Wayes of Their Heart and in Sight of Their Eyes; but to remember the Day of Judgment.” The most popular book of 1709, it was already in its second edition, and saw a third before the year was out.
6. John Fox. “The Door of Heaven Open and Shut.” Fox, a lesser Doolittle, in my view, was better known for his earlier treatise, “Time and the End of Time,” which his Boston printer hawked on the title page (as in, “Fox, author of the bestselling End of Time!”).
7. Cotton Mather. “The Golden Curb for the Mouth.” A sermon against swearing: “O Sottish and Monstrous Impiety!”
8. Bathsheba Bowers. “An Alarm Sounded to Prepare the Inhabitants of the World to Meet the Lord in the Way of His Judgments.” The only book that year written by a woman, it’s twenty-two pages long, and Bowers spends a good three of them apologizing for having written it.
9. “The Massachusetts Psalter.” A book of psalms, translated into Algonquian, and set into type by a Nipmuck Indian named James Printer, whose printer’s fonts were, last year, discovered during an archaeological dig in Harvard Yard.
10. I’m holding this place for Benjamin Franklin, who was born in Boston in 1706, began his apprenticeship at his brother’s print shop in 1718, and became the scourge of the Mathers three years later, when he broke upon the literary stage in the guise of a fictional character whose name was a parody of two of Cotton Mather’s more dreadful sermons, “Silentiarius” and “Essays to Do Good.” In 1721, the sixteen-year-old Franklin, who would help topple the Puritan theocracy and change the course of American letters forever, by making our books better, introduced himself to the world: "I am courteous and affable, good humour’d (unless I am first provok’d,) and handsome, and sometimes witty, but always, Sir, Your Friend and Humble Servant, SILENCE DOGOOD."

Here's Somthing Else:
Here is the Current Best-Seller's List for Non-Fiction:
1 GOING ROGUE, by Sarah Palin. (Harper/HarperCollins, $28.99.) A memoir by the former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate.
2 HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom. (Hyperion, $23.99.) A suburban rabbi and a Detroit pastor teach lessons about the comfort of belief.
3 OPEN, by Andre Agassi. (Knopf, $28.95.) The tennis champion’s autobiography.
4 SUPERFREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $29.99.) A scholar and a journalist apply economic thinking to everything: the sequel.
5 ARGUING WITH IDIOTS, written and edited by Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe and others. (Mercury Radio Arts/Threshold Editions, $29.99.) The case against big government. (†)
6 TRUE COMPASS, by Edward M. Kennedy. (Twelve, $35.) The late senator’s autobiography.
7 A SIMPLE CHRISTMAS, by Mike Huckabee. (Sentinel, $19.95.) Christmas memories from the former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential aspirant. (†)
8 WHAT THE DOG SAW, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) A decade of New Yorker essays.
9 THE IMPERIAL CRUISE, by James Bradley. (Little, Brown, $29.99.) In 1905, during a diplomatic journey organized by Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft negotiated secret agreements with several Asian countries.
10 OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed, from the author of “Blink.”

Dad/Mom and their 11 children...

2009-11-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

Dad and Mom and their 11 children

...replied the following when asked to say the first word that popped into

their head to describe their child as young children (asked separately).

-Denise

(Interviewing Mom and Dad)

Uncle Luis and Uncle Joe II

2009-11-26T07:01:00.000-08:00

Many years ago, I was with the British National Security Services, and a larger, fatter Uncle Luis, (Aunt Cindy made him lose all sorts of weight after he served his time in prison), was bent on destruction through his unquenchable desire to have gold. It is amazing, that Uncle Luis and I were able to establish a cordial and loving relationship after this.

When They Were Young...

2009-11-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

A lot of the younger kids would not remember, but I sure remember when Theresa and Al were in the moving pictures.

It is astonishing to me that Theresa and Al simply walked away from this promising career, but they did want children. Oh the summers that they had...

-- Joe

"If you ever get a second chance in life for something, you've got to go all the way." --Lance Armstrong

2009-10-31T03:22:00.000-07:00

I ran a marathon in Venice, Italy last weekend. 26 miles. 42 kilometers. Not only was it a physical triumph, but an emotional, spiritual, mental feat. We began about 10kilometers outside of Padua, Italy and ran through little Italian towns until we ended up in St. Mark's Square in Venice. Throughout the run, people from the towns came out to the streets, cheering and encouraging the runners. Local bands played music about every 5 kilometers. For the past few years it has always been one of my life goal's to run a marathon. I can't wait to run the next one. The human body is amazing. We have all been wonderfully and fearfully made!

http://mysports.tv/default2.asp?e=VE09M&l=IT&n=NICHOLS%20CLAIRE&r=F901&player=1&ct_s1=09:35:10&nt_s1=&ct_s2=10:09:32&nt_s2=00:38:30&ct_s3=11:26:04&nt_s3=01:55:02&ct_s4=12:21:04&nt_s4=02:50:02&ct_s5=12:54:40&nt_s5=03:23:38&ct_s6=13:42:59&nt_s6=04:11:57&ct_s7=14:24:40&nt_s7=04:53:38&ct_s8=15:02:42&nt_s8=05:31:40&ct_f=15:27:25&nt_f=05:56:23&player=1&random=1840&k=finishbefore&index=2&index=5&cct=0000000000000000000000000000000000000000&player=1

This is my second semester studying in Austria. I was here two years ago in the Fall of 2007. I have been extreamly blessed to return here again. It's been incredible. I am growing as a person, as a woman, daily. I am done with school in December and this has been the perfect ending to my undergrad experience. Not only do I absolutely love the classes I am taking and the material I am learning, but I also love the places I have been able to travel to and the wonderful people I have met. Every day I grow. There is nothing like being able to say "I am a new, better person" at the end of each day.

She is the Victim of Cruel Poverty and Ignorance -- Atticus Finch

2009-10-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

Collin Wilcox died yesterday. She was seventy-four. She was also one of the best actresses that everyone saw, but no one knows. Here she is when she uttered her most famous line:

Then, of course, that led to one of the best legal orations done by anyone since Abraham Lincoln, and then, by an actor portraying a fictitious attorney:

That, of course, led to my two favorite actors sharing the stage:

One of her television performances that continues to be seen today in reruns was in a 1964 episode of “The Twilight Zone,” titled “Number 12 Looks Just Like You.” Ms. Wilcox played a plain-looking 19-year-old woman in a society of the future who resists a ritual “transformation” procedure to make her physically beautiful (she can choose from among standard models) and give her a longer life. You can watch her here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaVo2xifmSw

It is worth pondering now and again all of the "supporting actors" that make it possible for the main actor to pick up the award. It was nice to see that Gregory Peck genuinely thanked all those people when he picked up his award. And, of course, it is worth pondering and thanking those people who support us throughout the days, weeks and years for making it possible for us to do a lot of things.

-- Joe

None But the Lonely Heart

2009-10-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Stephen Hough is a graduate of the Julliard School of Music. He is, other than Lang Lang, the hottest property going insofar as pianist are concerned. He played this piece recently at the BBC Proms in London at the Royal Albert Hall. Tchaikovsky wrote this little "throw away" piece that is seldom heard, but perhaps one of the most beautiful solo pieces you'll ever hear.

Veronica and I had a great time in Montreal. We drove up yakking all the way. We then went to an Italian food kiosk and had some great pasta and bread, palled around and then watched the Symphony perform Brahms Double Concerto.

Kathleen is over jet lag. Paul was born with jet lag, so one can never tell the difference. But Paul is right back into the routine after his travels with the "old ladies" to France -- a top of France to bottom of France tour both figuratively and literally. You'll have to ask them...

Tom Sauvageau is forty. So is the anniversary of the first moon landing. Paul and Marcy came calling while Kathleen and Paul were away. Before visiting us, they saw some spitting snow in the Adirondacks, climbed Mount Jo, and had a fine old time.

Claire is doing well at school and met up with Joan, Kathleen and Paul at Lourdes, France for a couple of days. She had two big body guards with her so her trip through the heartland of Europe was made safe.

John is busier than all of us put together. He is doing tremendously at school, but also is finishing up cross country, is in the Model U.N., has a week long leadership conference in Washington, D.C. in November.

Magdalene has a cold so keep her in your prayers. She and Veronica are pushing hard at school, with their friends, with piano, and on and on...

Maureen is busy keeping her charges in order and intelligent.

That is Malone... And France.... And Austria...

--Joe

Heredity is what sets the parents of a teenager wondering about each other. ~Laurence J. Peter

2009-09-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

He is now sixteen

Flinstones, Meet the Flinstones...

2009-09-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

Talent and Fun

2009-09-01T20:08:00.001-07:00

I know that on this blog that I write a lot about music. Other than being with family, my favorite moments have been going to all sorts of concerts, from the Montreal Symphony with ALL of my children and many of my friends, and most especially with Kathleen, to seeing Opera in London with Maureen, the Vienna Symphony with Claire in Vienna, Jazz at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, The Who in Buffalo, BB King with Kathleen, Yes in Rich Stadium, 10 Years After in Niagara Falls, Blues in Chicago with Al and Theresa and, yes, even Liberace with my parents many years ago at Kleinhans, Greg Lake in Buffalo with Kathleen, Beethoven with Paul and Jeff Beck with John Diana Krall with Kathleen, Veronica and Mag, Patricia Barber with Joan and Claire and Maureen, and and on and on and on. Don't judge me as being an old man when I say that the canned music of today, with its misogynist lyrics is -- well, plain dull and sometimes outrageously offensive and demeaning. But here's a challenge: Name the best concert that you have ever been at. Best means: most fun.

Having said all that here's three guys having a lot of fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99kjFdLFjH4&feature=fvw and also,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDtcidMR_6I

It Is Hard To Forget

2009-08-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

There was a time, before they were married and had children and then went on to excel in their respective careers, that Uncle Luis and Uncle Joe had a very, very intense and negative relationship. It affected the entire Universe. Click here to see what I mean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRnSnfiUI54

a quick fix

2009-08-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

I was presented with an opportunity to get a ride two hours away from Niagara Falls (Erie, Pa) - I accepted immediately.

So this past Friday I left Chicago at 1pm and drove to Erie with a friend and his son. We got into Erie at 10:10pm and I picked up my rental car. I was at Joanie's by midnight. It was so nice to be with her!!!! We chatted and fell asleep looking forward to the rest of the weekend.

On such short notice I was hoping to get to see everyone.

Saturday morning just as I was finishing my run, Phil pulled up to Joanie's and we had a chance to visit. The time was short - but very precious to me.

Joanie and I went over to Mom and Dad's - I was able to surprise mom (she did not know I was in town) we had a wonderful relaxing visit. Her new dear friend Fodumo (I'm sure I have not spelled her name correctly) came for a visit and I am so happy that I could visit with her, she is a delight and her children only want "Anna" to stay with them when their parents are not home.

Dad came home from his errands with a basket of the most perfect peaches I have had this year, there is nothing like tasting western New York produce!!!!

Natalie, Sandy, Phil, Jay with cousin Mike Smith, and friend Paul all were at mom and dad's. Wow!!!! Thank you all for stopping by.

I was invited to join Phil and Sandy to their friend's Diane and Craig for dinner - yum it was so good. After dinner we headed to downtown Niagara Falls for a free concert by Rusted Root. The weather was perfect and the music was fabulous. They played for two hours and an encore. We went back to Diane and Craig's to finish what was left from dinner. Lots of laughs and good stories. I was back at Joanie's by 1am.

The next morning mom was at the door just after 7am, Tom jumped into the kitchen and soon after that Dad was with us and we had a great visit before I left.

I was on the road by 8:14am Sunday, met my friend in Erie at 10:30am and we were in Oak Park by 5pm Chicago time.

My visit was such a treat for me - thank you to everyone for sharing your time with me this past weekend. I wish I could get "home" more often and stay maybe a little bit longer, but it was a good quick visit and I look forward to getting back soon.

Theresa

APAWS FOR THE CAT, PLEASE!

2009-08-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

The cynics who hold that new music is meaningless may feel vindicated by Lithuanian composer Mindaugas Piecaitis's CatCerto. But, for the rest of us, the combination of cuteness and creativity compels congratulations.
Nearly 700,000 YouTube visitors have already watched the June performance by Nora, the talented tabby, and her accompanists, the Klaipeda Symphony Orchestra, with the composer conducting.
Enjoy:

Speaking of trees Speaking...

2009-08-01T17:38:00.001-07:00

I recently had my own awe-inspiring tree experience. Last week I and five of my friends backpacked through the backcountry of Yosemite for three nights, with one day of campground-camping on either end. We got off the trail with plenty of daylight left to explore a few of the more "touristy" things the park had to offer. Our first stop off the trail was a grove of Giant Sequoias. Let me tell you, if you have never seen these trees, there is nothing that can really prepare you for them. They are big, bigger than you think, bigger than I can make you think. To put it in biblical terms (it's always bigger when it's biblical) they were big when Jesus was a born, and I don't mean that there were also Giant Sequoias in the time of Jesus Christ, I mean that the same tree I was looking at last week was about 1000 years old when he was born. They are the largest living things on the planet, but they are neither the tallest nor the oldest. It wasn't their size that did it for me however, I'm not sure what word to use to describe what these trees were making me feel about them, but the words "majesty," "awe," "reverence," and others that I associate with being in the presence of something divine, or much greater than myself.

This is how they start out.

This is what they look like when they die.

For scale.

A live one!!

God is the experience of looking at a tree and saying, "Ah!" -- Joseph Campbell

2009-07-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

You can hug them, climb them, get shade under them and you can PLAY them.

The musical fun shown below reminded me that all things have what is called a "natural frequency." Tap it, shake it, blow on it or rattle it and you have Music. I found a cool and clearly written lesson on the physics of resonance and standing waves, if you want to know more, (I promise you won't get a headache from reading it). In musicians' terms, the lesson is this: You can't use not having a symphony orchestra in your backyard as an excuse for just listening to cicadas.

Here is Italian-born Burbank, Calif.-based sound designer/composer Diego Stocco's "Music From a Tree":

-- Joe

2009-07-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Double - Hibakusha

2009-07-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Just after 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, Tsutomu Yamaguchi, then a 29-year-old ship engineer with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was walking to the company shipyard in Hiroshima. Right then, "Little Boy", the world's first strategic atomic bomb, detonated in midair less than two miles away from Yamaguchi. The blast knocked him unconscious, burst his left eardrum and burned his upper torso. But Yamaguchi did not live in Hiroshima. To recuperate, he went home -- to Nagasaki. Three days after his injury, back home in Nagasake, Yamaguchi was recounting his story to a skeptical boss when "Fat Man", the second strategic atomic bomb, exploded all over that city, also less than two miles away. The shock wave tore off Yamaguchi's bandages. On August 15, 1945, when Yamaguchi was home, recuperating from his injuries, burns and high fever, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's unconditional surrender. "The reason that I hate the atomic bomb is because of what it does to the dignity of human beings", he recently explained to the London Times.

The very real argument is simply put: was the use of the Atomic Bomb, which killed 120,000 people instantly, a proper use. The answer is either, yes, because it saved American soldiers' lives who would have slogged through at least another year or two of war in the continent of Asia, or the answer is no, because in inhumanely targeted civilians and military indiscriminately. Whatever the answer, Mr. Yamaguchi cannot afford to be too judgmental. The Mitsubichi plant that he worked at made the planes, tanks and ships that devastated Pearl Harbor, China, and most of southeast Asia, the South Pacific, in a murderous rampage. Mr. Yamaguchi should probably read "The Rape of Nanking" to inform his opinion about what Japan's army and military-industrial complex did to the "dignity of human beings."

Still, a very interesting debate. Our former neighbor, Tom Immerman, God rest his soul, lost an eye on Guadalcanal. When I first moved in next door, he saw that I drove a Toyota. All he said to me is something I cannot print. He was a great guy. Years ago, when I was a kid, my grandfather was in a bar downtown in Niagara Falls with some WWII veterans. Japanese tourists walked in the bar and asked for directions to the Falls. One of the men at the bar looked at the unfortunate tourists and said, "Go to Hell. You had no trouble finding Pearl Harbor." The feelings still run deep...

For a fascinating re-enactment of the drop of the bomb, (if you have about ten minutes to spare) follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rHrV2QhArA

Here a Barber there a Barber Everywhere a Barber

2009-07-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Claire, Joan, Luke and I went to the Jazz Fest on July 10th to see Patricia Barber. It was an early concert so I picked another concert for 9:00 p.m. and, it turned out to be a young lady at the Club L'Astral, (where we saw The Bad Plus), by the name of Jill Barber.

This is about the fourth time I've seen Patricia Barber. And for once, she left me a bit cold. I love her voice. Moreover, she is one of the best jazz pianists around. But she has developed a bit of a coldness about her. She has over-developed the Keith Jarrett-like grunting while she plays. Her mouth now contorts into a circle when she is playing. But there is still the voice and the playing that comes through all the time. Sadly, throughout the concert, Patricia seemed more intent on playing the piano than on singing. But when she did sing, all sins were forgiven. After an hour and twenty minutes she said something like, "Well this went faster than I thought", excused herself and then came on for two more encores. One was of her own composition, "Snow" which is on her "Mythologies" disc. Don't get me wrong, it was a very, very good concert, but was one devoted to "Cole Porter Mix" her most recent album and I've never really been a Cole Porter fan. Now, having said that, one of the best concerts of my life was seeing Patricia Barber at the Spectrum in Montreal with Joan, Maureen and Claire when she did a version of Modern Cool and then sang the Beatles' Norwegian Blue. I guess everyone can have an off night. But, maybe you can see what I mean about what I saw when you see this video:

It is always nice to discover someone that you have never heard of before. Every year we seem to stumble into someone we had never heard of, but who is so fun that you become an instant fan. This year, it was Jill Barber.

She comes from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a jazz singer, western swing singer, composes her own songs and just blew us away. We were fortunate enough to have all had to go to the bathroom after the show, which delayed us. As we exited, Claire bumped into Jill Barber and as a result we hung in there and got her to sign three copies of her new album, Chances.

You should get the album, listen to it, and go see it.

Even, Even, Even More Jazz Fest

2009-07-13T13:43:00.001-07:00

I'm a glutton for Pink Martini. China Forbes, four months after giving birth, was in great form and voice. Wow. There was barely enough room for all 51 musicians to squeeze onto the stage. The Montreal Jazz Fest Orchestra and Pink Martini gave us the best show of the Festival which is saying so much. Martini's Thomas Lauderdale was front and centre at the grand piano making it sing almost as prettily as vocalist China Forbes. Having a child becomes her and how. She was stunning in a pale aqua chiffon gown that flowed around her as she did high kicks in silver stilettos. Now that's impressive! Her crystal clear voice rose above the swell of the orchestra as though sweeping us up in a warm salty wave filled with violins and French horns. Is it lounge or is it swing? Is it world music or is it classical music? Is it jazz or is it samba? The band's three albums — Sympathique, Hang on Little Tomato and Hey Eugene! — show mastery of all kinds of music It is what fun and music is all about. Pink Martini is like a romantic Hollywood musical of the 1940s or 50s. They Bring melodies and rhythms from different parts of the world together to create something which beautiful and fun. Call it Jazz or World Music or whatever you want, but they are brilliant musicians with brilliant tastes in material. The whole concert was conceived and based upon their as of yet unreleased album. Thankfully, yet again, I can give you actual video from the concert that we attended. John, Claire, Kathleen and I went and had a riot.

The Portland, Oregon-based ‘little orchestra’ was founded in 1994 by Lauderdale, a Harvard graduate and classically trained pianist, to play fundraisers for causes such as civil rights, the environment, affordable housing and public broadcasting. In the years following Pink Martini grew from four musicians to its current twelve, and has gone on to perform its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Canada and the United States.

Lauderdale met China Forbes, Pink Martini’s “diva next door” lead vocalist, when the pair was at Harvard. He was studying history and literature while she was studying painting, English literature and theatre. Late into the night in their college dormitory on the Harvard campus, Forbes would sing Verdi and Puccini arias while Lauderdale accompanied her on piano, and their creative collaboration blossomed. Three years later, Lauderdale called Forbes who was living in New York City, where she’d been writing songs and playing guitar in her own folk-rock project, and asked her to join Pink Martini. They began to write music and lyrics together for the band, and their first song “Sympathique,” or “Je ne veux pas travailler” (I don’t want to work) became a huge hit in France.

If you have the time, here's a link to an hour long concert that is well worth the time.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14951432

There were some great moments at the concert. One song, "Splendor in the Grass" hit Kathleen and I right between the eyes. Another moment was when China Forbes started conversing with a woman holding a newborn in a genuine display of the love of motherhood, China Forbes having a four month old child.

Even, Even More Jazz Festival

2009-07-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Joshua Redman. After Rockin' and Rollin' or whatever you can call it, with Jeff Beck, the boys and I went to see Joshua Redman. His new album Compass was the feature, and the band consists of one saxophonist, two bass, and two drummers. The idea of a double trio -- with Joshua Redman as the spearhead of two rhythm sections -- might suggest some kind of minimalist battle of the bands. In fact the concert Monday was much more than I or Steve, Luke, Elliot orJohn thought it would be. It also clocked in as one of my best fest experience so far. The songbook was mostly Redman, from the album Compass, with some input from stage-left drummer Greg Hutchinson. While the players have only recently developed a repertoire, the array of colour and feeling was vast enough, from earthy and angular to soft and cosmic. Rhythms were precise, also fun. Reading from charts in no way inhibited the energy of the evening. As democratic as it all was, with unpredictable entrances and exits, I had my favourites. Reuben Rogers was a splendid double bassist, with creative impulses, hands of steel and a perfect ear. He collaborated periodically with Larry Grenadier (who is the bass player in Brad Meldau's band -- no slouch there!) in pizzicato duets -- the only source of harmony save for the saxophone. Brian Blade was a subtle drummer, as adept with his fingers as with his sticks. Poor guy had nothing but trouble with his kit, though. At one point his foot pedal set came apart. At another point one of his drums almost flipped forward it was so loose. At the centre was Redman, athletic and indefatigable, knees rising stork like in a kind of ritual dance. Handsome as his tenor work was, he looked like a snake-charmer on soprano saxophone and was very memorable in a modern number titled Ghost. Near the end there was a surprisingly respectful treatment of the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and a virile fantasy on Gil Evans’s Barracuda. A good-humoured guy, Redman told the eventually rapturous crowd that this was the fifth gig for his double-trio quintet. Maybe the last, he added with a self-deprecating chuckle. I doubt it. At least I hope not. Here is a sample of what we saw and you can tell it was great. John and Elliot and Luke were in the fifth row, and Steve and I were midway back.

One of the more surprising things about Montreal during the Jazz Fest is that there is a dearth of restaurants in the immediate area. Kathleen and I found one on Friday night, right at the Place Des Arts. However, the jazz fest outdoors area has some real stinkpots. For example, Steve, Luke and the boys and I went to a "Bistro" outside near the Rio Tin stage which is the major stage there. We had goat cheese, other cheese and wine that tasted like cheese. I am so bound up as a result that I have not seen a toilet since I ate there! Seriously, I wish they could have some real nice places nearby rather than the St. Hubert or Eggspectation places that seem to sprout up like weeds, like Starbucks does. There is, though, a nice crepe stand that has been there for all of the years that I've been going. Great Crepes.

Our next concert was Pink Martini: Arguably the best concerts I've ever been to have been the Pink Martini concerts. That's not just my opinion. But, more on that later.

Even More Jazz Fest -- Jeff Beck

2009-07-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

Jeff Beck. I've been wanting to see Jeff Beck live ever since I was in junior high school. Finally, I was able to see him at the Jazz Fest. John and I went along with Steve Vanier, my partner, his son, Elliot, and Luke came along, too. Steve is not just a very fine partner, he's also a musician. He and some old, old friends have a band, "Slab City", and Steve is a saxophonist, pianist, guitar player, among other talents. And he had a question. "Is what Jeff Beck plays, jazz?" Fair enough. Some might call it "fusion", but it is really just rock. But if Jackson Browne can play at the Jazz Fest, (Saturday Night), then why can't Jeff Beck. Now, Jeff Beck is all over the place. He just released an album, "Jeff Beck -- Live at Ronnie Scott's". Maureen and I saw the club, (the show was sold out that night so we didn't go in the club), in London. It is a great album.

The show was sold out. So was the next one scheduled later that evening. Sure, people filled Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des Arts last night to see the legendary British guitarist, who had received the Montreal International Jazz Festival Guitar Show’s first Tribute award earlier in the day. And during the show, they relished every sustained note, tremolo lurch and outburst of controlled feedback from Beck’s Fender Stratocaster. There was a big six foot and more fat old man who -- after every single song -- stood up shaking his fist and yelling "YEAH MAN". It made me feel old, because I wanted to do the same thing, but John and his friend Elliot were both there.
Still, it’s hard to imagine that anyone left without expressing some amazement at the work of drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, who can be flashy and swing at the same time. Nor would it be easy to downplay the shadings and harmonies of keyboard player Jason Rebello.
But aside from the boss, the show-stealer was bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, who, at 23, has played with Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, among others. Although she’s more like a second lead guitarist, she can also shadow Beck’s lines or anchor the quartet as needed. She looked like she was a kid. Well, even Beck looked like a kid with his black hair and solid figure.
The set closely mirrored the selection on last year’s live disc from Ronnie Scott’s club. The group opened with Beck’s Bolero, as the man of the hour slid into the high registers, making his guitar squeal and scream. As the evening moved on, whether he was spraying clusters of growling low notes, as on the reggae scorcher Behind the Veil, taking the Beatles' A Day In the Life to strange and wonderful places or winding down with the lonesome Where Were You, Beck demonstrated why, in the world of rock guitar gods, he pretty much can’t be touched.

Luckily, some video was downloaded by the Montreal Gazette of the concert the boys and I attended:

Much discussion between the boys as we waited for the next show as to who the greatest guitarist was. Sadly for Steve and I when we mentioned Clapton, Hendrix, Beck, Page, Howe, McLaughlin, DiMeola, and others, the only one they had ever heard of was Jimmy Page. Oh, the staying power of Led Zepplin. We followed that gig up with one dearer to the boys' hearts: Joshua Redman, the great saxaphone player. Elliot and John are both in the band and both play the sax. More on that one, later...

The Yardbirds. On the left is Jeff Beck. The fourth from the left is Jimmy Page. With Beck, the Yardbirds embarked on their first US tour in late August, 1965. There were three more US tours during Beck's time with the group. A brief European tour took place in April, 1966.
The Beck-era Yardbirds produced a number of memorable, groundbreaking recordings, from single hits like "Heart Full of Soul", Bo Diddley's I'm a Man, and Shapes of Things, to the Yardbird's album. Beck's guitar with fuzz tone, feedback, and distortion helped revolutionize British rock. In addition, the Yardbirds began incorporating, believe it or not Gregorian chant and world music sounds ("Still I'm Sad", "Turn Into Earth", "Hot House of Omagarashid", "Farewell", "Ever Since The World Began") and various European folk styles into their blues and rock. Beck was voted #1 lead guitarist of 1966 in the British music magazine Beat Instrumental, and his work during this period influenced musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and many, many others.

More Jazz Festival

2009-07-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

Kathleen and I had a great time on Friday night, July 3rd, in Montreal. We started off with a beautiful diner at a new restraunt at the Place d'Arts in Montreal. Then, on to Eliane Elias. Not a lot of people who don't follow jazz as slavishly as I do will have heard of Elias. Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Eliane Elias’ musical talents began to show at an early age. She started studying piano at age seven and at age twelve was transcribing solos from the great jazz masters. By the time she was fifteen she was teaching piano and improvisation at one of Brazil’ s most prestigious schools of music. Her performing career began in Brazil at age seventeen, working with Brazilian singer/songwriter Toquinho and the great poet Vinicius de Moraes who was also Antonio Carlos Jobim’s co-writer/lyricist. In 1981 she headed for New York and in 1982 landed a spot in the group Steps Ahead.
Her first album release was a collaboration with Randy Brecker entitled Amanda in 1984. Shortly after her solo career began, spanning over eighteen albums to date; fifteen on Blue Note Records and three on RCA Victor Group. In her work Elias has documented dozens of her own compositions, her outstanding piano playing and arranging, and beautiful vocal interpretations. In 1988 she was voted Best New Talent by the jazz critics poll of JAZZIZ magazine.
Together with Herbie Hancock in their duet, she was nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Jazz Solo Performance” category for her 1995 release, “Solos and Duets” .This recording was hailed by Musician Magazine as “a landmark in piano duo history.”
In the 1997 Downbeat Readers Poll, her recording “The Three Americas” was voted Best Jazz Album. Eliane Elias was named in five other categories: Beyond Musician, Best Composer, Jazz Pianist, Female Vocalist, and Musician of the Year.
Elias just completed a new recording for Blue Note records. “Bossa Nova Stories” is a celebration to the 50th Anniversary of the Bossa Nova and features her vocals accompanied by a stellar rhythm section and strings recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

And we heard pretty much the whole album "Bosa Nova Stories" with a few gems like "Tangerine".

But she really remains unknown in non-jazz circles and that's too, too bad. Kathleen and I both noticed that she is a "muscular" player, that is, she really can play the piano with the best of any jazz musician. There are some, like Diana Krall, who can sing and play -- and Eliane Elias is arguably a much, much better piano player than Krall, (but Krall has a voice and presence and song selection that far outpaces anyone out there today) -- but Elias has to be counted as one of the top 10 piano players in jazz.

These are videos of the same band with Eliane Elias with three of the songs we heard. We were in the Theatre Jean Duceppe which holds perhaps 1000 people. There is not a bad seat, and we were in the fourth row.

And of course, just one more... The Girl from Ipanema" ("Garota de Ipanema") is a well-known bossa nova song, a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s that won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965 It was written in 1962, with music by Antonio Carolos Jobim.

Myth has it The Girl from Ipanema was inspired by Helô Pinheiro, then a fifteen-year-old girl living in Montenegro Street of the fashionable Ipanema district of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Daily, she would stroll past the popular "Veloso" bar-café on her way to the beach, attracting the attention of regulars like Jobim. This is Helo Pinheiro some forty years later, (and perhaps various surgeries later?) on the left. Its a great standard and has a fun story behind it, as many songs do...

International Jazz Festival in Montreal 2009

2009-07-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again...

Paul, Luke and Luke's brother, Joey, and I went up to the big city on July 1st and had a great time. The Bad Plus came to town. L'Astral, the new venue at the festival site, was a perfect place for the band. Aside from seeing them play in your friend's garage (if that friend happens to have a 7 foot Yamaha lying around), I can think of no other festival venue I'd rather see them in than the new, elegant, not-too-small, not-too-big L'Astral.

The trio was born in Minneapolis in the early 2000s. Pianist Ethan Iverson, drummer Dave King, and bassist Reid Anderson had all grown up in the Midwest and had played together in the late '80s. But Anderson and Iverson left for New York - Iverson as the musical director of the Mark Morris Dance Group, Anderson as a jazz bassist becoming known for bold compositions and strong playing - while King stayed back in Minnesota straddling the indie rock and jazz scenes with his group Happy Apple. When they regrouped in 2000, it didn't take long for them to realize they had something special. Applying a rigorous standard of arrangement to the songs of their youth, they found a way of winking at both Bill Evans and Igor Stravinsky while covering Blondie.
In their rising recognition from 2003 to the present, the group has divided the jazz community. It seems you're either head over heels, or you're disparaging their "moronic backbeat" as jazz critic Bill Milkowski did when their second record, Give, came out in 2004 to critical acclaim. A new record, For All I Care - their fifth major release to date - is a departure. For the first time, they are joined by singer Wendy Lewis, a Midwest-based indie rock singer who has known drummer Dave King for years. "We could have met with a saxophonist or guitarist, but we decided to work with the human voice. Wendy's a natural - a strong musician who isn't afraid to mix it up with a challenging band," Iverson said.
It is clear that Lewis is a masterful musician. Singing with the Bad Plus is like catching waves moving in different directions - Iverson's often dense piano work feels like Pierre Boulez laughing at grunge rock - and she stays artfully afloat. On a tune like Wilco's Radio Cure, Lewis's rich voice swirls in the dark emotion of the lyrics. Relieved of carrying the song on their own, the band comes to life behind her with an artful improvisation that parallels the original tune. And their show last night at L'Astral was mostly what I had expected, which, when you're expecting a great show, isn't all that bad. But there were a few surprises.
First off, Dave King is an even more amazing drummer than I had imagined. His is the perfect balance between orchestrated drum work and bursts of improvised energy. Seeing his big smile behind the kit just before he plays some edgey off-kilter fill is priceless.
Second, they played a few songs I had never heard before.
The set started with their trio tunes--many from the new record, like the Stravinsky and Babbitt pieces that they re-invent. Once they invited Wendy Lewis on stage I thought they would simply play the remainder of the new record. But no, they had some new gems too. A tongue-in-cheek rendition of Blue Velvet was successful, even if it showed what great jazz players they are in a backwards kind of way. And the first encore, Heart of Gold, sung by Reid Anderson, was such a magical moment. The song ended with the four musicians singing the refrain of Heart of Gold ("Still searchin' for a heart of gold") singing in harmony without microphones. But it was their cover of "Comfortably Numb" that blew the four of us away It was so good, that Luke thought that they were every bit as good as E.S.T. You should get the album.

Check out the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdPGjRDgEN4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fvideosearch%3Fsourceid%3Dnavclient%26rlz%3D1T4GGLR%5FenUS307US209%26q%3Dthe%2520bad%2520plus%2520comfortably%2520numb%26um%3D1%26ie%3D&feature=player_embedded

On our way out of the Bad Plus, while pushing through crowds at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, we stumbled past the Rio Tinto Alcan stage, where we were stopped in our tracks by an incredible sound: Uruguayan singer Inés Cánepa and her fabulous band. Cánepa sings what many would call "world music," but really she's just singing great songs in Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Accompanied by classical guitar, bass, drums and accordion, the engaging singer - sporting a floral-print sundress, despite the rain - danced, laughed, and sang her genre-bending songs, riddled with hints of R&B, folk and trip-hop.

We also got to hear a group called The Project from Mexico. It had a drummer who played guitar and base and who sang. Very Spanish/Mexican/French and a lot of blues.

Earlier in the evening there was some good old blues at one of the outdoor stages. We saw some drunks, some old people, (like me), some youngsters, something of everything.

Kathleen and I go again tonight to see Eliane Elias. More on that later.

John Nichols

2009-06-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Though the quality of the video is poor, (my fault), John received an award today. It was from the Franklin Academy English Department and this award comes after John aced the NYS Spanish Regents Exam with a non-weighted score of 100%. John has had an excellent year in sports and academics. Just an exceptional young man!!

Guest post on the Nichols Family blog...

2009-05-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Joe is absolutely right, this is turning into the Nichols family blog. But as I thought about it I could not help but think that those Nichols' just do so much cool stuff. How can I compete with London, Cantebury, Dover, uber-cute kids dancing and holding easter baskets...

The answer is I can't, but I am able to put up some pretty awesome pictures from a little vacation I was lucky enough to be a part of last summer (thanks again Phil). The Spain trip was too much to write about in one blog post (then this blog would look like mine), but I thought I'd just put up some of the funnier shots for all to enjoy... Above is our sweet Ghost Busters impression... oh wait no, this is us preparing for the great tomato fight of Bunol.

Look, we ran with the Bulls....

We made tia Tere smile in a picture...

Phil and Andrew got in a very manly slap fight...

We ate tapas and drank wine until it was dark...

We went to a church, we're Sauvageaus...

We went for a hike, we're Sauvageaus...

We tasted wine in Priorat!!!! With Josep, the owner of Vinedos de Ithica, delicious!!

We ate on a boat!!

We caught up with the family...

We did some other stuff too, I'm sure you heard about it by now. Either way, I wanted to put up something about this wonderful adventure even if it's a little late. I could not have asked for better traveling partners and the whole experience was incredible. Thanks Luis, Luisito, Andrew, Tias Carmen and Tere, Josep, Jose, and especially Phil!!!

Let's do it again.

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In case you're interested, I started grad school in January and am set to finish some time in 2011 with a master's in Education. Maybe then I'll be able to get a job...

I also moved back home with the parents ("roomates" for the general public). It's been fun, but we are all on completely different schedules and they have been very accommodating to me. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Can't wait for the summer, I have a trip to Yosemite planned for late July. I've heard it's breath taking there, can't wait to see it.

I'd love to see some of you this summer, don't know if I'll be able to travel much, but my roomates' casa es su casa!!

Miss and love you all,

-Colyn

To Get Some, You Have to Give Some!!!

2009-05-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

I swear I'm going to change the name of this Blog to the Nichols Family Blog if more of you don't start throwing something out there...

Maureen and I went overseas. We did a lot in ten days and it still amazes me insofar as the ground we covered and the things we saw. London, Cantebury, Dover, Calais, Bayroux, Omaha Beach, Juno and Sword Beaches, Point du Hoc, etc.

I've always considered London to be the entertainment capital of the world, or at least tied for first with New York. We were not disappointed. For example, the Venezualan Youth Orchestra has a jazz ensemble. They played and we were fortunate enough to get the cheap seats, the choir seats, that placed us right on top of the action:

From St. Patty's Day to Easter

2009-04-12T11:26:00.001-07:00

Here's a little update..
Here is Miss Veronica who was an Irish dancer on St. Patrick's Day.

Paul and John were alter servers at the Chrism Mass this year with Bishop Cunningham. John is holding the incense and Paul looks like he is about to make a run for it.

Happy Easter!

Miss Mag... striking a pose.
Here is Paul, sporting his Pink Easter Basket....

Helpful links

2009-04-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Here are some great links i found that you might find interesting...

http://podiobooks.com/ - this is a great site for finding free audiobooks. There are many genres to choose from. Hundreds of free audiobooks for your enjoyment.

Thalearial.blogspot.com - this is the book im writing

Repairingtheuniverses.webs.com - this is the site for the book im writing

Enjoy
Delta

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."- Mother Theresa

2009-03-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, for my Spring Break, I went on a Mission Trip to New Mexico to serve the poor on the Navaho Indian Reservation, with a group of twenty-or-so fellow students. Not only was it one of the most amazing experiences of my life, but I have also fallen in love with serving and missionary work. We were all divided into small groups- some went to the local highschool, others to the middle school, some went to work with the handicap and the elderly. My group worked with the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order Mother Theresa started. I have worked with them before (with Maureen) in San Francisco with AIDS patients, the homeless, and single, expectant mothers. They are, hands down, the most joyful and inspiring people I have ever met. They live completely off of donations, yet they do not ask for anything. People just give their time, talent, and treasure. It is such a beautiful thing. I have returned to Ohio with a changed heart. I am so joyful, and very much at peace.

The Early Bird...

2009-02-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

Before she became the brilliant and glamorous college student, majoring in history at Franciscan University....

"Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,Guess I'll go eat worms,

Long, thin, slimy ones; Short, fat, juicy ones,Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms.

Down goes the first one, down goes the second one,Oh how they wiggle and squirm.

Up comes the first one, up comes the second one,Oh how they wiggle and squirm. "

Guess who is on the left and who is on the right!

A clue: They are cousins who bear more than a passing resemblance.

Final picture is from the past. Aunt Cindy and Aunt Theresa got into an argument one day when they were young...

Ask For A Ride In Malone

2009-02-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

This is what I would expect if I was in Bangor and needed a ride to the Malone Airport:

There are people like that up here, you know...

Anne-Sophie Mutter

2009-02-11T08:33:00.001-08:00

Last night, Kathleen and I went to Montreal and saw the MSO with Anne-Sophie Mutter. Two days before that, Ms. Mutter played the same violin concerto, (Mendehlsonn's), in New York with the New York Phil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0sDAdyMtnk shows Ms. Mutter playing the same piece and wearing the SAME GOWN!!!! Ms. Mutter is known for her gowns. She is also known for her skill and she has a lot of that.

One thing that Kathleen and Ms. Mutter have in common is that they both were born in 1963 and they both married older men. In Ms. Mutter's case, she married Andre Previn, a great conductor-pianist. He is slightly older than me, just celebrating his 80th birthday this month.

Ms. Mutter Mutter was born in Rheinfelden, Germany. She began playing the piano when she was five years old and shortly after that began playing the violin. She had 2 children with her first husband, who died of cancer. In 2002 she married Mr. Previn, and they divorced two years ago.

When she was 13 years old, Ms. Mutter had her professional premier with one of the scariest yet greatest conductor, Herbert von Karijan. What were you doing when you were 13? Kathleen was in the eighth grade, and so were you when you were 13. This is what Anne-Sophie did:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L49-c3LEdtI

Ask Not What You Can Do For Your State, But Ask What Your State Can Do For You.

2009-02-07T09:48:00.001-08:00

Last week the New Yorker ran a story about the abandoned and screwed up "race" for the vacant Senate seat, (vacated by Hil on her way to celebritizing foreign policy), conducted by Caroline Kennedy. All in all it was an engaging article. But, the following quote sent my mind spinning:

"Caroline Kennedy’s friends are always saying how normal she is, and it appears that they are right. Normal people do not run for the Senate. Normal people with lots of money and families that they like tend to want to enjoy the money and the families. They do not spend their winters on the phone grovelling for support, or their summers at obscure state fairs ingesting disagreeable and fattening local food. Caroline Kennedy is normal. Until recently, she wasn’t even sure how much she wanted to work at all.
It was, evidently, Jacqueline Kennedy’s intention to raise children who were as unaffected as possible by the extraordinary circumstances of their lives, and it seems that she succeeded: Caroline Kennedy’s life has in many ways been indistinguishable from that of any other smart and reasonably diligent child raised on Fifth Avenue in the nineteen-sixties. She went to Sacred Heart School in New York in the lower grades, and then to Brearley. She was close to her brother; she resented her stepfather. In tenth grade, she went to boarding school at Concord Academy, where she smoked, like everybody else, and wore clogs, like everybody else. She put on weight and was hounded by her mother about it. (At her fiftieth-birthday party, according to one guest, many of the family toasts were about her obsession with being thin.) She had moments of greatness: according to the biographer C. David Heymann, when the police discovered pot plants that her cousin David was growing in her back yard in Hyannis Port, she took the blame.
After high school, she spent a year in London taking an art course at Sotheby’s. She went to night clubs and had a love affair. She went to Radcliffe. She majored in fine arts. She did the usual college things. The summer after her freshman year, contacts of her mother’s helped her obtain an internship at the News, and after college she went to work in the educational-film department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While there, she met a designer of museum installations named Edwin Schlossberg, and married him when she was twenty-eight.
After a few years at the Met, she decided to go to law school at Columbia. She interned for a summer at her mother’s lawyer’s firm, but then decided she didn’t want to practice. “I think that, like a lot of people who go to law school, she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do with her law degree,” Ellen Alderman, a friend from law school, says. “We were taking it more as we went along.” It seems as though Caroline did not, at the time, have a sense of what she wanted to do with her life or a measure of her own ambition. “I would say it was very much like her mom’s,” a friend says. “Her mom wanted to get smart things done, and she wanted to have some fun, and I think that’s probably what Caroline thought. She thought, I’m going to stay in New York, on the Upper East Side, I’ll marry this smart guy, that’s good, I’ll hang out with my three good friends from school, and we won’t do anything crazy. I’m stabilizing things up here—John can move downtown. Jackie was like, Relax, let’s have lunch, let’s go for a swim, have you read this book?”

Though Ms. MacFarquhar, the author of the article quoted above, opines on the normalcy of Caroline Kennedy, she goes on to deliver a portrait of a young life of being raised by the President and First Lady; not liking her step-father, (Aristotle Onasis, the Greek shipping magnate), going to boarding schools, London, then Radcliffe, worked at the Met, and, at one point "...she smoked, like everybody else, and wore clogs, like everybody else." Whether her use of tobacco and fashionably ill-advised footwear is her link to normalcy, Caroline Kennedy is far from "normal." If she is the poster-girl for "normal", I can only hope that my own children continue to be blessed with their abnormal lives!

2009-02-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, known as the Tallis Fantasia, a/k/a the Tallis Fantasia, is one of the most beautiful, peaceful, gorgeous, (other good words...), piece of music I have ever heard. Notice, I said "one of". This morning, before I came to work, I heard it on the radio program "Performance Today". If you have 18 minutes to kill, listen to the above rendition. This was composed by Ralph Vaughn Williams, an English composer who, had he lived, would have been 101 years old. He composed it in 1910 and it was one of his first successes. The work takes its name from the original composer of the melody, Thomas Tallis, who lived from 1540 to 1623. Go ahead and listen to it while you read the paper or do something else online. Better yet, turn your computer speakers up a bit and just relax.

If you have another 8 minutes or so, you can hear the tune that Tallis wrote that inspired the Fantasia. Tallis wrote it for the first Archbishop of Cantebury for voices. It was written in in 1567. The words: "Why fum'th in fight the Gentiles spite, in fury raging stout?
Why tak'th in hand the people fond, vain things to bring about?The Kings arise, the Lords devise, in counsels met thereto,against the Lord with false accord, against His Christ they go." It is from the second Psalm.

One English composer who deserves to better known is Thomas Tallis who in his lifetime was a reknowned composer of sacred choral music. Tallis remained a Catholic at time of considerable religious upheaval in the British Isles, and the fact that he was able to continue to write for both the Catholic and Anglican churches illustrates the esteem in which he was held. Aside from his association with Vaughan Williams across time, Tallis is probably best known today as the composer of Spem In Alium, an astonishingly beautiful motet for 40 voices. But that is for another post. Here is the theme that inspired Ralph Vaughn Williams:

There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and a tired man who wants a book to read. ~G.K. Chesterton

2009-02-03T06:23:00.000-08:00

When I was just an eeeedy beeedy boy, I watched this Twilight Zone episode with Burgess Meredith. Little did I know that I would become this man. Years ago, Kathleen and I and Maureen and Claire saw this on television and they all stared at me -- and said, "That's you!"

I had not seen any reference to this episode until recently:

My Last Word on Miss South Carolina

2009-02-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

This is not an exaggeration:

Nor is this:

Why I Hate Television News

2009-01-30T10:43:00.000-08:00

Miss South Carolina, (above), points to the notion of how ill-prepared our society is to play well with others. You see, Miss South Carolina, as smart as she is about hair, make-up, and what dress to wear for what portion of the pageant, she is equally and alarmingly ignorant of history, geography, current events and discourse. She does deserve this criticism, because she entered a contest that in some fashion purports to allow her a one minute public affairs question and answer. In plain English, she is stupid on subjects where it used to count. Though many of our fellow citizens are good at acquiring things they are negligent, at best, at acquiring knowledge -- unless that knowledge can be converted to currency.

If Miss South Carolina resided in my house, I would take her electronics away from her, tell her that she spends too much time trying to look pretty, and too little time studying and preparing to be a productive friend, family member and citizen.

So, when Miss South Carolina's publicist booked her on the Today Show one would have expected some type of chastisement at the hands of Matt Lauer. But Matt Lauer is an idiot himself. Touted as a "news person" he is really a "news personality". No longer can we expect the William Shirer/Edward Murrow/Walter Cronkite news person. We are left with Matt Lauer and his types, both conservative and liberal, who elevate the celebrity to something newsworthy. Thus, it comes as no surprise that he actually sympathetically laments for Miss South Carolina. Note in the following "news" interview how he hardly lets Miss South Carolina answer. Knowing a kindred spirit, he answers the questions for her. Thus, stupidity is elevated to a sympathetic condition rather than misplaced values or laziness. Watch:

Our Fourth Estate has gone from William Shrier/Ed Morrow/Walter Cronkite to Katie Couric/Matt Lauer and you name him or her. Shrier would have laughed at her, Morrow would have lectured her and Cronkite would not have wasted his time.

Now, That's Funny!

2009-01-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-31T15:37:00.000-08:00

"I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved."

2008-12-09T17:33:00.000-08:00

The above quote is by novelist Barbara Kingsolver, but as Ms. Kingsolver was not at Maureen's graduation on Sunday December 7, 2008, we all threw our arms around Maureen instead.

Maureen is now the proud recipient of a Masters of Science Degree from SUNY Albany in Library Science from the College of Computing and Information. Simply put, that means that she is brilliant and sick and tired of school.

Kathleen can be seen awarding the Graduate the Nichols Family Pomegranate Award. Maureen's persistence has been remarkable, as have been her marks and her attitude throughout the program. Her achievement was hard fought and well deserved. It is a remarkable achievement when you think of the number of years of discipline and patience and hard work it took to achieve. If it sounds that I am proud, well... WHAT'S NOT TO BE PROUD OF!

Maureen's tremendous accomplishment of being the first of the Sauvageau/Nichols grandchildren to earn a Master's Degree is something that we can all take pride in and strive toward.

"Though the law of every man's conscience be but a private court, yet it is the highest and supreme court for judgment or justice."-Henry VIII

2008-11-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

This semester I am enrolled in the course "Lives of the Saints". I've thoroughly enjoyed the class. This afternoon I hand in a paper about a saint that a.) clashed with society, and b.) effected and changed culture and society by their presence in the world. I chose St. Thomas More. His life is pretty incredible...here's a little taste of why:

The Roman Catholic Church prides itself in the beautiful tradition of venerating its saints, that is honoring the deceased men and women who sincerely lived out the Catholic faith to the fullest and are now living their reward in heaven. These virtuous departed changed and shaped their culture, society, and history in a profound, unique way. The veneration of saints invites the faithful to pay respect and homage to those men and women who helped minister in the sanctification of humanity by their life and example and continue to do so by their intercession. By living out the Beatitudes, which always culminate in love of God and neighbor, the saints reflect the glory of God and aspects of His supernatural perfection. Often times, these men and women were perceived as a sign of contradiction to their societies and cultures. Yet these men and women genuinely changed the world by their beautiful presence. Saint Thomas More is an ideal example of such a person.
Thomas More, saint and martyr, was born in the year 1478 to Sir John More a barrister and judge, and his wife Agnes Graunger More in London, England. Thomas More received an education at Canterbury College in Oxford and later acquired a law degree at Lincoln’s Inn. Starting with entrance into the English Parliament in 1504, More began a series of promotions in the legal hierarchies that eventually led him to becoming the Chancellor of England, a position never before attained by a layman (Huddleston). More married his first wife Jane in 1505, whom he fathered four children with, his most beloved being his eldest daughter Margaret. More remarried in 1510 after the death of Jane (Walsh, ed. 189). More’s household was always one of charity, learning, warmth, and happiness. It was during this time that More embarked on fashioning his famous writings and letters, including his most eminent work Utopia (Ackroyd 184). More performed his duties as Chancellor faithfully, which included the laborious responsibility of enforcing laws against heretics, the most notorious being Henry VIII who had succeeded the English throne in 1509. Henry VIII sought to divorce Catherine of Aragon and establish himself as the “Protector and Supreme Head of the Church of England”. After refusing to recognize the King’s title because of its attack not only on the dignity of marriage but also on the Catholic faith, More was imprisoned in the Tower of London and was tried and found guilty of treason. More was beheaded on July 6, 1535 (Walsh, ed. 190). Thomas More, from the moment of his death, was honored by the faithful and was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935 (Huddleston).
“The two cities, therefore, were created by two loves: the earthly by love of oneself, even to the point of contempt for God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the point of contempt for oneself. The first glories in itself, the second in the Lord. The first seeks glory from human beings. God, who is the witness of the conscience, is the greatest glory of the other” (De Silva, ed. 1).These words written by St. Augustine reveal the essence of St. Thomas More’s life, namely his message of the supremacy of truth over human authority. More lived out the Gospel in such a way that he clashed with society, yet in the end that same society remained changed because of his presence. More’s message was ostracized by the secular world in which he lived. He believed in the weight of the “inalienable dignity of the human conscience” that, as the Church tells us is “the most intimate centre and sanctuary of a person, in which he or she is alone with God, whose voice echoes within them” (Pope John Paul II). Surrounded by political and moral corruption, More remained faithful to his ethical and religious values by promoting justice and peace, serving both country and God.
St. Thomas was a man revered by his contemporaries for his remarkable brilliance in the cultural, philosophical, theological, and classical arenas. Despite his broad intellectual knowledge and because of his earnest attitude towards Catholicism, More never compromised his moral and religious beliefs, even to the point of death. Under relentless psychological pressure during his imprisonment, More refused to take the oath of Henry VIII. The reason for his pious refusal is best explained in a prayer written by More, “Good Lord, give me the grace so to spend my life, that when the day of my death shall come, though I feel pain in my body, I may feel comfort in soul, and with faithful hope of thy mercy, in due love towards thee and charity towards the world, I may, through thy grace, part hence into thy glory” (More 80).
As a layman, More not only incorporated his faith into his household, but also deeply into his occupation as a politician. It would be impossible for More to separate the two, his faith life and occupation, because his faith was his life. He lived out his devotion to God daily, in every act and decision that he performed (Roper 30-31). The harmony between the natural and supernatural that More achieved helps define this great saint. His simplicity, humility, and good natured wit in the midst of an extreme public life is beyond laudable. More truly lived out the words of Pope John Paul II that were written centuries after the great martyr’s death, “The unity of life of the lay faithful is of the greatest importance: indeed they must be sanctified in everyday professional and social life. Therefore, to respond to their vocation, the lay faithful must see their daily activities as an occasion to join themselves to God, fulfill his will, serve other people and lead them to communion with God in Christ” (Pope John Paul II).
The ways in which Thomas More fundamentally changed his society and culture continue to resonate in our world today. More dealt with issues that humanity, and in particular every civil order, continues to contest at present, namely the rights and values of the moral conscience. In the world today, just as in the time of St. Thomas More, there is a desirous need for credible politicians who lead others on the path of truth. Today, more than ever, in an era that continually infringes upon the dignity of the human person, we need politicians who advocate the marginalized just as More so passionately did. More never wavered in his moral stance. By his actions, he demonstrated that government is above all an exercise of virtue, at the service to every human person, and should never be severed from morality (Pope John Paul II).
Just as with most great saints, Thomas More’s life changed society and culture. His presence in the world not only effected his own society, but ours today. This remarkable man, who is the patron saint of politicians and statesmen, proved that when following the call to truth, one’s conscience will steer his or her actions towards integrity. More is an example of a layman who lived out his vocation with passionate love for God and neighbor. He is a model for all of us here on earth to never negotiate truth, but rather live in it and for it.

Hope you are all getting excited for Thanksgiving, I know I am!!!-C

malone new york makes npr

2008-11-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

here is the link for the npr story on malone new york
november 17, 2008

www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97105427

2008-11-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

This is me with my medal. Most likely my favorite pic of me of all time.

Here I am shaking hands with one of my many rivals. This one is also my friend and I trained with him over the summer today he beat me, but earlier in the season I beat him. As you can see friendly rivalry.

In this image I prepare to break the speed of sound.

Here my team watches as I receive my metal. I have come in 20 place in my district.

As you can see my coach is a classy irishman. He enjoys to golf, play cards, and of course coach cross country. His name is Scotty Watt. When he takes us to the track to do a work out, on the way home he drives his car next to us and plays bagpipe music while blocking cars. This has earned him the name Coach Scotland. He is a god amidst mere mortals and is as old as the hills.

In this picture I have just told him that I have made it to the Pennsylvania state meet for xc. He is deeply proud. That he can once again go to the state meet and actually see one of his runners in it.

Another Blog....

2008-11-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

http://dusup.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -- Winston Churchill

2008-11-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

A very active and busy past week, to say the least. Bernie and Joan decided to come to Malone to visit. What they did not expect was the unexpected snowstorm that hit New York north of Syracuse throughout Malone IN OCTOBER! That's the earliest storm that I've seen in my 27 years up here. Perhaps after these many years it could have brought some fond memories for Bernie. One of those fond memories is sleeping in a van with Joan in the Walmart parking lot in Watertown, waiting for the storm to blow over. Thankfully, it did, and they arrived in Malone.

The girls and Bernie decided to put the snow to a much better purpose. Literally for hours upon end, the girls showed Bernie that snow can be a fun thing, too. In Riverside, CA, I am sure it was not the 30 degree weather that we experienced in Malone. I can reassure you that the weather in Malone tomorrow and for the rest of the week will be in the 60's and perhaps a balmy 70. The snow is going for now but obviously we have not seen the last of it this season!

Paul, John and I (along with Claire and her roommate Meagan and friend Sarah travelled to Niagara Falls as Kathleen, Veronica and Magdalene travelled to Lake Placid and Tupper Lake and as Joan and Bernie travelled to Littlestown, PA. One of the things I love about travelling with the boys is along the trip we take the time to get to know each other and talk and talk and talk. I must admit it must be my engaging way of talking to Paul and John that engenders such interest at my every word. Here, Paul is enraptured my my discourse on how tough it was growing up in the North End in Niagara Falls while his mother's family basked in a privileged life while living in DeVeaux, home of the rich and famous. (By the way, I get a similar reaction when I talk to any Sauvageau about the tough life I had living in the 'Hood in Niagara Falls.

Of course, no trip to Niagara Falls would be complete without stopping off and staying with Phil and Sandy. However, with Medicaid reimbursements at an all-time low, Phil and Sandy have had to cut back on extras, like clothing for their children. Actually, Andrew and Rachel are doing their Johnny Weissenmuller/Maureen O'Sullivan imitation.

Natalie partied it up all weekend with trick or treating and a sleepover at a birthday party. It was reported to me that she and her middle school friends stayed up until 3:00 a.m. In other words, Natalie stayed up later than Claire, Meghan and Sarah, who went to Canada to party it up the same night.

From left to right, Magdalene, I and Veronica enjoy some time together on the farm. I have an itch on my forehead that Veronica is helping out with.

Actually, Kathleen took the girls apple picking in Canada and got the cafe a lot of home made apple pies from the place. I had to stay behind the fence so that I would not eat all the pies that they bought.

Congratulations to Christopher on his State standings in running.

An apology is in order to Colyn. I misspelled his name when I made a comment on his excellent blog. One of my donkey moments...

2008-10-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

/Users/christophersauvageau/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Modified/2006/2006_04_08/IMG_1668.JPG

Together at last!

2008-10-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

2008-10-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

2008-10-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

/Users/christophersauvageau/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2008/Papa's Mad/Photo 3.jpg ME And PAPA

WICKED

2008-10-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a grandma when I get to school. There's no question about it. I love to go to the the library, I love knitting, I love having my morning cup of coffee with my low cholesterol breakfast (no egg yolks for me!), I love my workout routine before I have breakfast. In fact, I love listening to Tchaikovsky while I study, his Violin Concerto in D, in particular. Where most fellow students are out partying each weekend, I spend quality time with my closest friends. Well, every grandma needs some spice in her life and this weekend I got it.
It was a great weekend. Last semester my two closest friends here at school, Nicole and Megan- who I had a blast traveling around in Europe with last year, bought tickets to see the show "Wicked" in Pittsburgh. Though we ended up being in the last row...in the balcony, it was superb.
Pittsburgh is about a half hour drive from our school, and sadly I have not been taking advantage of it. It truly is a great city. After a delicious meal at the Cheesecake Factory (do yourself a favor and try the Apple Strudel Walnut Cheesecake!) we headed over to the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. The Stanley Theater inside the Center is absolutely stunning, the 90 crystal chandeliers majestically grace the space, which compliment the original marble floors and pillars beautifully. It was built in the late 1920's and quickly became Pittsburgh's "Palace of Amusement" for the wealthy and poor alike, especially during the Great Depression when the Theater offered shows at a discount price if you bought your ticket before noon. I found out afterward that in 1936 on St. Patrick's Day, the Theater was flooded within two feet of the balcony and several people were trapped for three days until they were rescued.
After surveying out surroundings, we took our seats and the show began almost immediately with the electrifying opening song "No One Mourns the Wicked". Within minutes I knew I was going to love the show. The costumes, colors, voices, movements- it all flowed together perfectly.

"Wicked" takes the familiar characters of the "Wizard of Oz", in particular the Witches of the East and West and portrays them in a very entertaining way, exploring their pasts and how the "Wicked Witch" aka "Elphaba", became so "wicked". The performers were magnificent, I got chills as the performer who played Elphaba powerfully grabbed the highest note in the song "Defying Gravity". It was highly comical and I recommend it for all ages- children and yes, grandmas alike. It was a wonderful break from studying- great, wholesome fun.
I think of you all often and I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful fall weather...I know I am!
More stories to come when the two Nichols sisters unite at the end of this month!

Love and prayers,Claire

The Final Stretch

2008-09-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

December 8th marks the end of the of my final semester in Albany. I'll be getting my masters degree in library science, and it was just last week that I bought a new pair of glasses and the bun is mastered. All are welcomed to a graduation ceremony in December... although I don't know how enticing Northern New York can be in December. As school is coming to a close, I am getting ready for the next step... finding a job! So, if anyone hears about any libraries that have an opening... let me know.

In the meantime this semester I am looking forward to a little trip to Ohio in October. I'll be visiting Claire and we'll be going to a Coldplay concert together. I know I am looking forward to it!

In the more near future, I'll be going to "An Evening with David Sedaris." I have been looking forward to this since the beginning of this summer. He is by far one of my favorite authors, an absolute riot. Here is a little preview of what I am in store for...
SEDARIS

~Maureen