1/2/2023
Just like
last year,
I'm a day late with the HAPPY NEW YEAR! Better late than never, I guess?
The holidays were wonderful, great family times. I start getting
'twinges' about having to prepare for Spring semester classes, getting
prepared to leave the grandkids for several months, and then I realize:
"Hey, I'm on sabbatical! I don't have to leave!". But this year
brings a deeper realization, though. My final negotiations for
retirement are almost complete. I'm a few years out from the
actual retirement date, but the way things are designed I won't be
teaching in the Spring semester... ever again. Yikes! More details
on all this once things get set.
In the meantime HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR again!
1/13/2023
We're in Finland! After a visit with Mom and Dad in Indiana (that
went pretty well), we flew to NY and then from there to Helsinki
to see Daniel. We celebrated a late Christmas with him and Jussi
last night, and now we're just enjoying the cold, gray January that
Finnish weather has to offer. Fortunately it's not really cold
(temps hovering right around freezing), but the moisture pretty
much pervades everything.
But that's not preventing us from having a WONDERFUL time with
Daniel! We had lunch with Jaan-Olle, Director of Daniel's lab
and his thesis supervisor, and all seems good. Yay!
1/16/2023
We're leaving tomorrow to head back to New York, and then from
there home to Whidbey Island on Thursday. Jill and I both started
to get a little sad yesterday already, knowing we'll leave Daniel
and Jussi to their lives, and knowing it will be several months
(at least) before we gather again. But we're lucky! Think of it!
We get to see our kids, and they're doing amazing things.
And (as said above), what a great trip this has been. We saw some
terrific art (and some bad...), had some delicious dinners, and
mainly had a good time hangin' with Daniel. All seems well. I
hope so back home on Whidbey, too. We'll find out in a few days.
1/21/2023
We're back on Whidbey Island. One more time: what a GREAT trip it was
to see Daniel again!
but...
There is a small wrinkle in our homecoming. This morning Jill woke up
with a slight sore throat, so she thought it might be a good idea to
test for COVID. She did, she's negative. But I also did, and yes --
I tested positive. I don't really have any symptoms (yet) and I hope
this remains the status quo. The Seattle Cancer Care oncologist said
they wouldn't suggest Paxlovid unless I started feeling much worse.
I have been feeling tired, but I figured that was just jet-lag. In
the meantime, I stay at home and work on my laptop. The only annoyance
right now is the disruption to plans-made. I was really looking forward to
having dinner with Lian/Itay/Shai/Naomi and Jill tonight. darn.
1/24/2023
Update on the COVID: Jill did test positive the following day, so we
are weathering it together. At least we don't have to try to do that
'isolation' stuff in our home. The good news (knock! knock! [on wood])
is that neither of us seems to have a terrible case. My Seattle Cancer
Care oncologist called back and suggested that it was probably a
good idea for me to start with the Paxlovid drugs, so I have been
doing that since yesterday. Again (knock! knock!) I haven't experienced
any of the bad side-effects people have described. I guess they
aren't all that common.
So we're soldiering through. I finally finished going through the
119 applications to our music composition graduate program.
We'll be able to accept three this year. I still have about 60
Sound Art applications to read. Three acceptances there, too.
I've not been able to work on The Big Sabbatical Project much
lately because of all these things, but that's about to change.
In fact, as soon as I finish typing this I'm going to start
messing with some (virtual) water and making some more (virtual)
trees!
I also have a project with this blog I'm planning to start, too.
2/20/2023
Well, we weathered the COVID fun. I'm finally regaining some of my
sabbatical-project momentum. There is probably a whole lot more to
say, but I'm out of the habit now of saying it. I'l have to work
on this again.
3/1/2023
I'm in Indiana. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!! :-)
3/20/2023
Jill and I are in Japan. So much has been happening, and I simply
have not written it here. Why is that important? I don't know.
I gave a lecture yesterday at the J. f. Oberlin University here in
Tokyo (partly in Japanese!), and
met with some of Akira Takaoka's students at the Tokyo College
of Music. Today Jill and I went to Kamakura for some
sight-seeing/reminiscing. The weather was glorious, just a hint
of coolness against a sparkling blue sky. As we rode on the train,
one of the windows was slightly open and a subtle breeze came
through the car. The combination of light, blue sky, temperature,
everything... reminded me of a set of other times in my life,
all intersecting through time. Happiness. I am glad to be
alive.
How's that for a neglected blog entry?
4/2/2023
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!!
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!!
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!!
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!!
Birthday, Shai Neeman!!!!!!!
4/3/2023
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!!
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!!
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!!
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!!
Birthday, Naomi Neeman!!!!!!!
4/14/2023
Today I am 66 years old. I'm in Indiana. Life, oh my.
4/18/2023
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL!!!!!
Oh our son -- we are so happy that it's Daniel! As I said in the posting
above: Life, oh my.
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY ! ! ! ! ! ! !
4/26/2023
Getting marginally(!) caught-up with the ole blog here. So much has happened,
so much going on, I'm not really able to report it all. I probably should,
because I do believe that this blog will help function as my 'memory'
as I age. I've been working like a maniac on my Big VR Project, and I'm
finishing up the final scene (for now). My plan is to get back to writing --
text and music -- along with exploring some new technologies. Plus
playing with Shai and Naomi!
So, there's where I am. I have OFFICIALLY signed my retirement
letter. I promised "more details on all this once things get set"
a few weeks back, so I'll have to make good on that. Stay tuned!
7/1/2023
Several months since I've written any blog posts! So much has happened --
family things, professional things, life-event things -- and I think
maybe that's been some of the problem with writing them down. I had
this feeling that I needed to cover everything, and that was
impossible. My sense is that I'm going to go back and read through
these posts, using them to recall parts
of life, to chronicle what things were like, what I was like,
at various moments. I'm already doing this, to tell the truth.
I'll miss the past two months. Ah well, some
things weren't appropriate to 'blog' anyhow. I'll just try to
post random things now and then, and maybe that will suffice.
I was also really busy! I more-or-less finished my big
myplaces
VR project (currently calling it 'beta2' as some friends try it out). I
presented it for the first time publicly at the
2023 New Music Gathering
in Portland, Oregon a week ago. I think it was ok. I also finished
a few more modular-synth pieces
(summer-modular2023)
using some of the new modules I got at the end of Columbia's fiscal year.
Looking forward to a nice 4th of July celebration. The kids are coming out,
fun times ahead!
7/27/2023
Almost the end of July, and I still haven't written too much here.
We just returned from a terrific week in Toronto with our good friends
the Ellentucks. Sharlene had retired last month, and this was our
celebration. Why Toronto? Well, we wanted a northernly city because
of the insane heat down south, and it was a little late for us to
plan a large overseas excursion. Toronto seemed fun. And it was!
Great food, I got to visit my former colleagues Ellie Hisama and
Anton Vishio, and we even took a side-trip to Niagara Falls. Oh the power!
Things are good. I'm already starting to think about my syllabus for
this coming Fall. Yikes, I have to return to work! Just booked my
flight back to NYC today. Now I think I'll go work on some
more music.
8/1/2023 -- next page