TALES FROM THE CITY

I am doing the craziest job. Last week working 14-hour days. Thrown in at the deep end, there was nothing for it but to crisis-manage seven days a week. For instance, I didn’t really expect to be having to first build the venues I was supposed to be working in ……the orchestra rehearsing as I (try to quietly) move 600 chairs around them, labeling them with seat numbers…..

But there can be no better place in which to commute.
This city is beautiful. Taking the MUNI to work in the morning, a ten minute journey on the cute one-car KLM trains, I feel like a tourist in my wonder, but a local as the newspaper-stand man nods a good-morning recognition greeting to me, offering change as I stand by the ticket machines. I wear my weirdest clothes, and unlike in New York, nobody cares or stares.

Driving through Californian micro-climates for hours, to and from the concerts with the festival director, the soloist and her husband – lovely people. Several nationalities of humour going on in the car, but we nevertheless get on fabulously.

I smoke occasionally late at night on the back balcony, losing whole packets of cigarettes to the middle-class ‘Rear Window’ patios and random passageways in the perpetual SF breeze. The apartment directly behind has had the same dishes waiting to be washed in the sink for 12 days now. A photograph on the wall of the apartment across the way appears and disappears, depending on who is visiting.....
I observe these human scenes, but it is the mists which really fascinate me – forever changing over Twin Peaks in the near distance.
There is proper weather here.



I am staying in an apartment owned by singers, but clearly run by cats. Voices from behind every door - E rehearsing Mozart, the lovely S rehearsing show songs, J next door - a beautiful and powerful voice rehearsing for the Met.

Magnificat is totally in control. Pizzicato lounges around nonchalantly, venturing out of hiding only occasionally to get beaten up by her brother, and partake of some serious stroking and the ‘catnip high’ bestowed on her by passing adults. I’m very fond of Pizzi, and relate to her lifestyle utterly. If I were a cat, I would be like this cat. Aloof yet desiring of affection, but not willing to move too far in order to receive it....

FACING UP TO THE PAST

My online life seems to have migrated to facebook, and as if that isn't bad enough news for this blog, I discovered from a 19 yr old last night that something called (if I understood correctly) 'asmallworld' is about to 'take over' from facebook. Blogging is clearly not even yesterday's news anymore, but more like a relic from the upper jurassic period.

Frankly, it's asmallenoughworldalready for me, as recently I've become re-acquainted (via facebook and myspace and everyone else's spacebooks) with not only pretty much every ex-significant-other I ever had, but also people I merely bought a lettuce off in 1979. If I re-discover any more friends or acquaintances from my very distant past I'm in serious danger of losing my mystique.

So anyway, I went to Canada. And that was a blast. Met some amazing people, saw some brilliant music and did some very successful research for next year's jazz project. Oh yes, and I went on a boat underneath this......



I was under the mistaken impression that Niagara Falls was one of the Seven Wonders of the World (which believe me, it should be), until I did some online research. It seems that nowadays wonders of the world are being created and re-named all the time, rather like online communities, and far from being just seven, there are now about 150 of them. But sadly no Niagara.

Whilst I was away the TH managed to enroll himself on a 275 mile sponsored bike ride. Which is all very well, except I had to point out to him that he didn't even own a bike. (Forward planning has never been one of his strengths.) So I sent him off to buy a bike and he also came back with an i-phone - which is apparently completely essential biking gear. Yeah right. He has since started 'training', which is a rather glamorous way of saying that he now cycles to KFC when he has a craving in the middle of the night, rather than walks.
If you would like to sponsor him, you can do so online here.
It's a very worthy cause, and he's determined to do it, though heaven knows at what cost in medical bills afterwards....

And now I must pack. Again. Tomorrow to San Francisco.