NYRO's final concert of the 2007-08 season

Dear Friends of the New York Repertory Orchestra:

As our last concert of the season swiftly approaches, mark your calendars for our final musical extravaganza of 2007-2008! We have a great program planned, full of favorites and rarities – please come and enjoy it with us. Here is the information:

• Date: Saturday, May 17, 2008
• Time: 8:00pm
• Place: Good Shepherd-Faith Church (152 West 66th Street)
• Admission: FREE
  

Program:

• Vincent D'Indy: Suite from "Karadec"
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor – Anna Polonsky, piano
• Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E minor "From the New World"
  

A few notes on the music we'll be playing:

The opening work on the program will be the delightful Suite from "Karadec" by French composer Vincent D'Indy. Originally written as incidental music to a play based on Breton legends, these enchanting and tender pieces end in a boisterous Breton wedding celebration.

By turns stormy, introspective, and joyful, the Piano Concerto in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the composer's most celebrated works. Greatly admired by both Beethoven and Brahms, this concerto has also been a favorite with audiences since its first performance. Almost operatic in its dramatic and emotional content, the concerto beautifully illuminates the expressive intensity that lay just below the graceful and elegant surface of this great composer. With pianist Anna Polonsky making her NYRO debut as soloist, this will be a performance to treasure. (Read more about our soloist below.)

The main work on the program will be the monumental Symphony No. 9 in E minor "From the New World," by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. One of the great masterpieces of the orchestral literature, Dvorak's "New World" symphony is steeped in the composer's musical experiences and explorations from his time spent in America. A favorite of audiences and musicians the world over, this great work will be a fitting conclusion to our wonderful season.

A word about our soloist:

Pianist Anna Polonsky is widely in demand as a soloist and chamber musician. She has appeared as soloist with the Moscow Virtuosi, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and many others. Ms. Polonsky has collaborated with the Guarneri, Orion, and Audubon Quartets, and with such musicians as Mitsuko Uchida, David Shifrin, Richard Goode, Ida and Ani Kavafian, Cho-Liang Lin, Arnold Steinhardt, Anton Kuerti, Gary Hoffman, and Fred Sherry. She is regularly invited to perform chamber music at festivals such as Marlboro, Chamber Music Northwest, Seattle, Moab, Santa Fe, Bridgehampton, Bard, and Caramoor, as well as at Bargemusic in New York City. Ms. Polonsky has given concerts in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Alice Tully Hall, Zankel Hall, Merkin Hall, the 92nd St. Y, and has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. A frequent guest at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, she was an artist member of CMS Two during 2002-2004. In 2006 she took a part in the European Broadcasting Union's project to record and broadcast all of Mozart's keyboard sonatas, and in the spring of 2007 she performed a Carnegie Hall solo recital, inaugurating the Emerson Quartet's Perspectives Series.

All in all, a great way to end our season on the highest note possible – great music, great performers, and great fun – I hope we'll see you there!

Best regards,
David Leibowitz, Music Director
New York Repertory Orchestra
www.nyro.org

The streets are alive... with the sound of jackhammers (UPDATE)

Since Tuesday morning, the heavy-duty water repair contractors have been out on 1st Avenue cutting large holes in the street and chipping away at concrete with jackhammers. They've also deployed large replacement pipes and giant steel plates to cover the holes when they're done working for the day. I suppose that means that while the water leak was repaired two weeks ago, the DEP still needs to replace the pipes.

The good news is that my water service hasn't been interrupted all week. The bad news is that when they're not working, I hear the constant "ba-dump-dump" of car tires rolling over the steel plates. And, of course, trying to watch TV with construction noise in the background isn't easy.

This, too, shall pass.

If you're looking for me, I'll be in Liberty City

I picked up Grand Theft Auto IV this evening on my way home from work, and played it for almost an hour before I realized I was hungry. I took a break to eat and watch part of the Rangers-Penguins game (Pens win!). I have a feeling I'll be playing this game after work for a while.

Stanley Cup playoff hockey in HD? Not tonight.

One of the joys of having HDTV is watching sports, and at this time of year, watching the Stanley Cup playoffs in HD. This past week I've been watching all the games on Versus HD, which magically appeared in my channel lineup when the playoffs started.

However, tonight's game between the Penguins and the Rangers is only on Versus in SD, at least here in NY. I can't believe that the Penguins don't broadcast their games in HD, so I have to assume that Time Warner is blacking out Versus HD for some reason.

I should just be thankful that I can see the game at all.

It's over for Star and Al

Star Jones has filed for divorce from Al Reynolds. The two parties didn't give a reason. You think maybe it's because he's gay? No, that couldn't be it. Just because the man had the most awkward bachelor party ever doesn't mean he likes dudes. He's just really into bathrobes, crappy liquor, and simulated sex shows that don't get anyone excited.

BEWARE OF POPE

On Wednesday afternoon I checked the Pope's NY itinerary and noticed that one of the street closures on Friday April 18 (that's today!) was 87th Street between 1st and York. That's a block south of my apartment on 1st Ave. The pope will be at a special worship service at St. Joseph's Church on that block at 6 PM tonight. When I went to work this morning, the NYPD had already put up parade barricades along 1st Avenue and on 87th St. My block appears to be unaffected, but I'm sure it's a mob scene on my street right now. Normally I might be interested in a spectacle like this, and stand out there with my camera and try to get a picture of the Popemobile as it goes by. But the security for this visit is so heavy that I think I'll just stay out until 8 or 9 PM tonight and try to avoid the entire mess.

In other neighborhood news, the jackhammers and concrete saws that drove me crazy on Tuesday evening turned out to be there for a good reason: a leaky water main that had flooded several of the basements on my block. However, in fixing the problem, the water department had to shut off the water to the entire block on Wednesday evening and didn't turn it back on until Thursday morning. I discovered this when I got home from a long night of eating and drinking and all I wanted to do was pass out. I had the flexibility of making other arrangements for the night (and more importantly, for the shower I would certainly need and want on Thursday morning) so I was able to weather the crisis. When I got home on Thursday night the hole in the street had been filled with fresh asphalt and the water flowing from the tap was clear and plentiful.

I would like to apologize to the DEP guy that I complained to on Wednesday night. I'm sorry I gave you a hard time; I know you didn't want to be out there any more than I wanted to be without running water. I am especially sorry for suggesting that the water issue was in any way related to the pope's visit this evening. I did not really think that you were all terrorists disguised as water department repairmen planting a giant bomb in the street as a plot to kill the pope. You have to understand: I'm crazy and sometimes a little paranoid.

The streets are alive... with the sound of jackhammers

There must be some kind of water main leak under 1st Avenue right outside my apartment, because for the second night in a row, there are construction workers outside jackhammering (is that a verb?) a giant hole in the street. They're cutting and pounding away AS I WRITE THIS, which makes it difficult, if not impossible to watch TV or enjoy life in general here. I appreciate that evening construction work is better than early morning, and I'd rather have them fixing the leak than letting it seep into the basement next door (watch out for that drainage hose across the sidewalk!). I also understand that my neighbors a block over on 2nd Avenue have it much, much worse, what with their entire street torn up with subway construction. But it's still annoying me right now, and it's my blog, so I'll write about things that annoy me if I want.

Home theater improvements

Last week I bought a HDMI-DVI adapter that lets me hook up my Macbook Pro to my HDTV. Now I can use my 42" TV as an extra monitor. Why? Well, why not? It's there, it's beautiful, and the Mac can output 1920x1080 to fill the entire screen. Right now my extra HDMI cable is only 6 feet long so I can't sit comfortably on my sofa and use the TV as a monitor. I have to put the Mac on my coffee table and lean over to make it work. So at some point I'll get another HDMI cable that's longer and then I work in my living room with two monitors.

The other reason to get the adapter is that my old Dell PC has DVI outputs on the video card, so I can hook up my PC to the TV. I intended to keep the old PC as a media server anyway, so this way I can put it in the living room as well and just connect it directly to the TV. I still need to figure out just what I'll keep on that PC. I have room on the Mac for all my music and photos so I could just use it as a backup system. I'm not making any big changes until my housing situation is resolved. As long as I have the office then I have no reason to overload my living room power outlets with more equipment.

Another thing is that mucking about with my home theater setup is that it lets me avoid bigger things in my life, like thinking about where I want to move and what I want to be when I grow up. I should be devoting some time to those issues, but I'd much rather tinker with my computers.

Gawker doesn't want me to work for the rest of the day (or the week)

They just posted a link to Nerve's top 50 comedy sketches of all time. And in the comments, people have posted their own favorites that didn't make the list. I might just have to go home early, hook up the Mac to the HDTV, and go to town. Speaking of which, I've got another home theater post rolling around in my head, so look for that in the next day or so, whenever I get around to writing it.

another subway ranter?

I was on the 6 train this morning instead of my usual 4/5 commute, at least until I changed trains at 14th St. An older man got on the train at one of the stops. He was dressed in a decent-looking blazer and slacks, and had what looked like a violin pin on his lapel, and he was carrying a newspaper. As soon as the doors closed, he said he was an example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, that anyone could be in his position, and that we should all pray each day to our higher power. Then he read his paper. He didn't go on about Jesus or ask anyone for money, so I don't think he was preaching. When he got off the train a few stops later he walked past me and I caught a whiff of his odor. I don't know if it was old man funk, homeless guy stink, or something even more foul, but he had a nasty air about him. Maybe he was just hoping someone would offer him a clean pair of pants.

God has no place on public transit

On my way home from work last Friday night, I had the pleasure of having a subway preacher standing next to me and loudly proclaiming that Jesus was his savior and the one true god, etc., etc. I hate subway preachers. I don't like most forms of subway shilling, whether it's two kids doing a breakdance routine (always the same spiel, usually the same music, only the faces are different), a homeless person asking for money, or people selling candy. When I'm on the subway I just want to listen to my music and/or read my book, and all these interlopers force me to turn off my music (I can't hear it over theirs) or put away my book. However, I reserve my greatest loathing for subway preachers. At least with the other unwelcome types, you know that the show or the begging will be over by the time the train gets to the next stop. But with subway preachers, they just stay where they are through every stop and tell you all about how you're going to Hell if you don't accept Christ. This guy got on the train at 42nd St. and started by reading something from the Bible, and as soon as he got it out I knew that I'd be stuck with him next to me until I got off the train at 86th St. Sure enough, when he finished with his Bible passage, he started going on about how all the problems of the world were due to too many gods, and that Jesus was the only true god. And he kept it up, even though everyone in the car was ignoring him. When I got off at my stop, he was still going strong, telling everyone that he was on his way home to meet his wife and kids and that they were going to church that night. Well, good for them.

Later that night, I was back on the 4/5 train going downtown, on my way to Brooklyn. I was reading my book and listening to my iPod again (sometimes I can multi-task) when this woman got on the train at 59th St. She put her bags down on one of the benches, stood up at the end of the car, and started talking about Jesus. Then she started singing a gospel song, complete with clapping and exhortations for the rest of us to clap and sing along. Honestly, where do these people come from? I think she gave up somewhere between 42nd and 14th Sts. and moved to the next car, so I got a few free minutes with my music before I switched lines at 14th St.

I have no problems with anyone's religious beliefs or with free speech. But is a subway car really the best place to spread the word? Maybe I don't get it because I'm Jewish and nothing in my belief system tells me that I need to convert the heathens. In fact, rabbis actively discourage potential converts. You don't want any part of this, trust me.

I may not be the best source of information about Windows Vista

I got a tech support call from James last night. His Linksys router may be flaky, and it wasn't connecting him to the Internet. After about 15 minutes we figured out that the cable modem was fine and that the router was most likely the problem, so I gave him a few suggestions and we got off the phone. I don't know yet how everything worked out.

The bigger issue was that James was relaying to me what his Vista laptop was telling him about his network connections. One status message was "local only," he couldn't find the menu box where he could get to a command prompt, and he couldn't even tell me his IP address. I don't have Vista on my PC at home, and I bought the Macbook Pro so I wouldn't have to deal with Vista at all. So when he was telling me about these various error messages, I couldn't help him with them. I realized that I'm going to have to learn Vista eventually if my friends and family are going to continue calling me for computer help. And that's not likely to change. But I don't want to upgrade my home PC to Vista. Maybe this is where I get a copy of Vista and install it on my MBP with Parallels (a virtual machine manager) so I can just find my way around. I don't think I can get everyone to switch to Macs.

NYRO's next concert: March 29, featuring Stravinsky, Strauss, and the Dvorak Cello Concerto

For those of you who aren't on my e-mail list, here is the concert announcement from NYRO's music director about our next concert in two weeks. It's going to be a hell of a show.


Dear Friends of the New York Repertory Orchestra:

Spring is in the air and our March 29th concert is fast approaching – and you’re invited!

Once again, we have a great program planned and hope you can enjoy it with us. Here is all the information:

Date: Saturday, March 29, 2008

• Time: 8:00pm
• Place: Good Shepherd-Faith Church (152 West 66th Street)
• Admission: FREE
  

Program:

• Igor Stravinsky: Octet for Wind Instruments
• Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
• Antonin Dvorak: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra – Eric Jacobsen, cello
  

A few notes on the music we’ll be playing:

In “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks” German composer Richard Strauss depicts, with great good humor, the jokes and tricks of the legendary prankster, Till Eulenspiegel. Written for a dazzlingly virtuosic (and huge!) orchestra, Strauss uses all his considerable skills to bring to life Till’s madcap adventures in a delightful musical romp that is be sure to bring a laugh and a smile to all.

The main work on the program will be the glorious Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. This concerto is one of the most popular works for solo cello and orchestra, and the touchstone to which all other solo cello works are compared. A monument to the composer’s incredible gift of haunting melody and rich harmony, the concerto is more than a showpiece for the solo cello – the depth of emotion and range of expression combine to make this, in actuality, a magnificent symphony for cello and orchestra. And taking on the virtuosic solo cello part will be the spectacularly talented cellist Eric Jacobsen. I know that this will one of the high points of this or any season. You won’t want to miss it. (Read more about Mr. Jacobsen below!)

The opening work on the program will be the delightful Octet for Wind Instruments by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. This sprightly work is full of charm, wit, and sly humor and is a most appropriate companion to “Till Eulenspiegel” Also, it gives us a chance to showcase our wonderful NYRO woodwind and brass players.

A word about our soloist:
In the fall of 2003, cellist Eric Jacobsen appeared with Renee Fleming at the opening of Zankel Hall, at Carnegie Hall and on the Late Show with David Letterman. He has worked with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project and traveled to Japan where the ensemble had residencies in the National Museums in Nara and Fukuoka. Mr. Jacobsen has collaborated at The Tenri Cultural Institute and The Angel Orensanz Foundation in performances with musicians from Armenia and Iran. Mr. Jacobsen is a regular presenter and performer at Brooklyn’s Bargemusic and he has recently been appointed curator and musical director of the 92nd street Y’s Makor Center Classical Café. Also, Mr. Jacobsen has appeared as soloist with the Chamber Soloists of Austin in Texas , the Riverside Orchestra, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, the Greenwich Village Orchestra, and the Lake George Chamber Orchestra and he has been heard on NPR programs ‘Sound Check’ and ‘Performance Today.’ This is his first appearance with NYRO.

So...we anticipate another great evening of music with New York’s finest all-volunteer, community-based orchestra – the New York Repertory Orchestra. I look forward to seeing you on March 29th.

Best regards,
David Leibowitz, Music Director
New York Repertory Orchestra
www.nyro.org

------------------------------------------------------

PS - Don’t forget to mark your calendar for our Season Finale on May 17, 2008

Program:

• Vincent d’Indy: “Karadek” Suite
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor – Anna Polonsky, piano
• Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E minor “From the New World”

My current reading list

I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. I finished The Mask of Command a few weeks ago, then took about a week to read Will Leitch's God Save The Fan (during which time the author signed my copy at a book reading downtown). I'm currently enjoying Alex Ross' The Rest Is Noise, an overview of music of the 20th Century. Normally I try to alternate fiction with non-fiction, but I received a number of books as holiday gifts, all of which were in the non-fiction category, so I'm working my way through those now. In particular, I am fascinated by Ross' recounting of the history of atonality and the popular reaction to innovations in composition by Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, and Bartok. (I'm only 120 pages in, so no spoilers!)

When I'm done with The Rest is Noise, I have Stephen Colbert's book on my shelf, and the book about the guy who spent a year reading the Encyclopedia Britannica. My non-fiction parade looks like it's going to continue for a few more months.

My new favorite blog

Straight Outta Johnstown

If someone starts up a Westmont blog, my head might explode.

another new feature

When I can't think of anything interesting to write about, I'll just add something new to the already-busy panel on the right side of the blog. Today's new addition is a chat applet that's supposed to connect you (the reader) directly to me (the blogger) via Google Talk/Gmail Chat whenever I'm online. Now, if you want to tell me directly and immediately what you think of one of my posts, you can use the chat feature instead of leaving me a permanent comment. Of course, it's Google chat, so your message will be archived forever in my Gmail account. So keep that in mind if you're the type who prefers not to leave any electronic footprint behind.

Don't mess with a good thing, OR a substitute funny

I had planned to post a detailed schedule for a typical Thursday, the point being that I'm a creature of habit and I do the same things and eat the same food every Thursday on my way to orchestra rehearsal. But then I went and changed some of my patterns today, and that messed up my universe to the point that I got stuck on the subway, was nearly late for rehearsal, barely had time to eat, and generally couldn't have had a worse time getting my evening started. Things improved from there (I can say right now that our next concert on March 29 will be spectacular!) but I decided to scrap what I was going to write.

Instead, I present this, with no fanfare. Really, I couldn't do it justice. There are many, many comedic gems on the site, including this, this, this one here (ooh la la!), and this other one from the later period. I think my parents may have some of these in their collections.

Freezing my ass off for astronomy

I remembered almost at the last minute that there was a full lunar eclipse last night, so after dinner I bundled up and hustled over to Carl Schurz Park on the East River to check it out. The last lunar eclipse I saw was in 1989 or 1990, and I camped out in front of my house in a lawn chair with binoculars, and all the neighbors thought I was either spying on them or watching for UFOs. When I got to the esplanade, I found a small crowd of fellow amateur astronomers and an assortment of telescopes. Members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York were there with information about what the eclipse was, how long it would last, and what other stars were visible during the eclipse. When the moon was about halfway shadowed by the Earth, Saturn became visible just below and to the right of the moon. One of the astronomers reoriented his telescope to point it at Saturn and people lined up and took turns gazing at Saturn and its rings. I'd never seen Saturn's rings before, but there they were: a little line angling through the small disk that was the planet. I could also see Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and another unidentified moon of Saturn, both of which were visible just as tiny specks. The moon itself turned a light reddish color, and through another telescope I could see seas and craters more clearly than on a full moon evening. Later, as the moon was totally shadowed by the Earth, other stars appeared over Manhattan: Sirius, Rigel, the constellation Orion, the Big Dipper, and Polaris (the "North Star"). I hadn't seen stars over Manhattan since the blackout in 2003 and while there weren't as many stars out as there had been that night, it was still a better show than we get in the city on any given night. I called Kate, who was at home in Park Slope, and she could see all kinds of stars out while the moon was obscured. I really do have to move out of Manhattan.

By 10:45 I'd been outside for about two hours, and while I was enjoying the show, I was also freezing. The total portion of the eclipse was nearly over, so I walked home as fast as my chilled legs and feet could take me. Once inside I realized I could have been watching the eclipse from my window, as the moon had risen high enough that it cleared the buildings across the street. I had a cup of hot tea and got my blood circulating again, and today I'm happy to report that I don't seem to have frostbite or any other permanent damage. The next lunar eclipse is scheduled for late 2010, and I just hope it's a little warmer. Why can't the universe schedule all eclipses for warm summer nights?

One purchase begets others

Since I bought the Macbook Pro two weeks ago, I've had to make some other, ancillary purchases. Last week it was an external hard drive to keep at the office for backups. Tonight it was a new laptop backpack.

I have a tough time finding laptop bags that I like. I've tried standard bags that go over one shoulder, a messenger bag (first detailed here, later derided as "the Big Bag"), and several backpacks. My favorite bag was the backpack I got for attending Novell's BrainShare conference in 2002. I took that backpack everywhere for 18 months until the shoulder straps began to give and I tore a hole in the bottom two days after the NYC blackout by carrying too much weight. I had hoped to get a replacement backpack at BrainShare 2004, but they gave us rolling bags instead. Don't get me wrong: I love my rolling bag and I use it on trips out of town, but it's not much good outdoors on NY sidewalks, and forget about carrying it up and down the subway stairs. I used the messenger bag for about two years, but with everything I carry to work (probably more than I need) it was too hard on my neck and shoulder.

For the past 15 months I've been using a backpack I got at a VMWare training class, but it's starting to wear out now. I really prefer a backpack to anything else, despite how unprofessional it might look, so I looked for a tough but still fashionable backpack to hold my stuff. I settled on a black Wenger backpack I found at J&R. It's another "big bag" but this time I want something that can hold my laptop, my lunch, a book and maybe even a change of clothes if it's a weekend and I'm going away. It certainly looks sturdy enough for my needs. I'll see how well it performs on Thursday when I have rehearsal after work. If it fits my music stand along with everything else, I'll be ecstatic.

UPDATE: It doesn't quite fit the music stand, but it won't stick out as much as it did in the VMWare bag.

More Guitar Hero?

My friends and readers know I love Guitar Hero (even though I don't play it enough, as the figurative ass-kicking I received from one of my guests after the Super Bowl party proved) and I can't get enough of the game. Sometimes I wish every song was a GH song. Last night at dinner the restaurant had an '80s rock station on the sound system, and when "Paradise City" came on I said I could play it on GH when I got home, then I remembered that it's not in any of the games (yet). My friends also know that I have a bit of a thing for Aerosmith. I've seen them live three times, and while they're approaching Rolling Stones-like longevity, I still listen to their older music, mostly material from the '80s and '90s.

So it is with excitement and trepidation that I greet the news that the next GH title will be dedicated to Aerosmith. I've never thought of Aerosmith as a great guitar band, though there are a few songs with excellent solos from Joe Perry, "Sweet Emotion" and "Dream On" among them. The latter song is going to be a free download this weekend so I will have to find some time to work on my Joe Perry impression on Saturday or Sunday. But I'm not sure that an entire game devoted to Aerosmith is the best next step for the GH franchise. There are so many great rock bands and songs out there that are crying out for the GH treatment that I wonder if this move is just a way to throw a bone to the GH owners who haven't upgraded to the group- and party-friendly Rock Band game. Or maybe there's a huge Aerosmith fan among the GH hero design staff. I'll buy the game in June, there's no question about that. I mean, it's not like I'm the best manager of my own cash flow (see here and here for two recent examples).

Follow-up on the previous post: I bought a WD MyBook external drive on Wednesday evening and I've been using that for Time Machine backups. I'm leaving the drive at work so I have an offsite backup. If you're not backing up your data, you should do it immediately. One hard drive failure can cost you years of photos, music, and documents. Do it! Do it now!!

still loving the new Mac

I've spent lots of time on my new laptop this week and while I'm still figuring out how best to use all of its features, I'm really enjoying it. I hooked it up to my 19" widescreen LCD last night and unlike Windows, which would prompt me for what kind of monitor it was and how to configure it, the Mac just added it as a second screen. Right away I could drag an application like Firefox to the LCD panel and use two monitors like I do at work.

One thing I haven't been able to do yet is take advantage of the Time Machine backup feature. I have a spare external HD at home, but when I tried to format it for the Mac I got an I/O error that I haven't been able to solve. I might end up buying a new, larger external HD anyway and keep the other one for my PC. Otherwise the Mac has been everything I wanted and more. I've been carrying it back and forth to work since I got it, and while I think I'll stop doing that eventually, for now I can't really bear to be parted from it. It's just that much fun to use.

I have a new toy, and I love it

Last Friday, I caved and clicked the "buy" button. Less than a week later, I am now the proud owner of a MacBook Pro. As of yesterday, the FedEx tracking still said it was in Shanghai, but it appeared at my desk at 11 AM this morning. I commemorated the occasion by taking photos of the unboxing. So far, I'm really happy with it. I've been telling my friends that I'm not excited so much as filled with a sense of smug self-satisfaction. I guess this is what it feels like to own a Mac.

Tales of moving

Saturday was moving day for several people close to me. James and Jessica moved to their new apartment in Bed-Stuy, and since James was busy at a school debate tournament in New Jersey, I had to stand in for him and help Jess. "Help" consisted of making multiple stops in the U-Haul van that she and our friend Jeremy rented to move things they were giving away. We started in Fort Greene at the old apartment, dropped off several bags of junk at Housing Works in Brooklyn Heights, moved an air conditioner into Kate's new apartment in Park Slope (she was also moving on Saturday), and then drove out to Jeremy's place in Queens to drop off chairs and couches at his apartment. We picked up Jess at her new apartment on the way to Queens, so I got to see the new place and I gave it my seal of approval.

We stopped at a McDonald's for lunch and went through the drive-thru lane. I haven't eaten at McDonald's in years, so I ordered one of their new Angus burgers. I'm still waiting to try it, because they forgot to put mine in the bag. I had to eat chicken nuggets instead. At least I got lots of fries.

After lunch we drove the U-Haul out to IKEA in Hicksville on Long Island. Jess and I were both riding in the passenger seat, with one seat belt for both of us. Had we been in an accident, I would be dead now, as the seat belt was right across my throat and windpipe. IKEA was another adventure. We only took about 90 minutes to shop, but it took about an hour to collect all our things from the warehouse and another hour or more waiting in various lines. The home delivery line in particular took an hour. We had arrived at IKEA at 3:30 PM, and we left around 7 to drive back to Fort Greene. Then we had more cleaning and moving to do before we finally ate dinner at a tiny bistro on Carlton Avenue at 10 PM. I took a cab home with my sole purchase of the day, a new LACK coffee table that already has a chip out of one corner. Stupid $30 coffee tables. But it went together in about 10 minutes on Sunday morning, so it was ready for the Super Bowl party that evening.

Speaking of moving, I will have to find a new apartment by midsummer. It's a long story that I won't recap here, but my building is for sale and the new owners want to make some big changes that wouldn't be fun (or possible) with people living there. So a few phone calls and conversations with lawyers later, I've agreed to move out and be compensated for my trouble. I'm looking at renting for another year or two, hopefully in Park Slope in Brooklyn, and then I'll take a serious look at buying an apartment in an affordable and maybe decent neighborhood in Brooklyn. This will be the first time I've lived outside of Manhattan, and while I'm apprehensive about re-learning all my commutes and bike routes, I'm excited about the change. I have some time to think about where I want to live and I don't have to feel rushed. It's going to be fun.

"That was a hell of a thing."

That was the most exciting fourth quarter of a Super Bowl that I've ever seen.

I had my regular party going on again this year. I made Buffalo Chicken Dip, James made Cincinnati chili, and we had baked beans, hot dogs, cookies for dessert, and lots of beer. The party turned out to be a couples event, as everyone there had a spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend with them. That was unintentional but a funny touch. We were enjoying the game but not really into it until the 4th quarter. When New England scored to take a 14-10 lead with 3 minutes left, the air went out of the room. I don't think any of us thought the Giants could come back and score a touchdown against that defense. But wow, we were wrong. Eli Manning played out of his mind. I've watched the replay half a dozen times and I still can't figure out how he avoided a sack AND threw the ball to David Tyree, who caught it with his hand and his helmet. And when Manning floated that ball to the corner of the end zone for Plaxico Burress, we went nuts. We were screaming and jumping and calling people and just freaking out. And then we had to wait and see how the Patriots responded. When the game ended, we were all drained and elated. I said "we get a parade on Tuesday!" The Giants' victory parade will go up Broadway from Battery Park to City Hall, and that goes right by my office building, so I'll be there.

I'm still kind of giddy about this game today. It's not my team, and it feels much different from the Steelers' championship two years ago. That game was crappy and didn't have as exciting an ending, and I felt relieved more than anything else when it was over. I'm not a Giants fan but unless you're a Patriots fan it's impossible to watch the way that game ended last night and not root for the Giants to pull out the win. It's that kind of exciting victory that has me in a great mood today. We don't get to watch football again until September, so I'm glad the game went out on such a high note.

On not pulling the trigger

I was thisclose to clicking "place your order now" for a brand-new Macbook Pro from the Apple Store when one of my colleagues forwarded me a blog post about rumors of new Macbook Pros coming soon from Apple. After talking to him, I closed the browser window.

I've been waiting for a while to buy a Macbook Pro. I've been thinking idly about it for about a year, and when I decided last fall that my next computer would be a laptop, a Macbook Pro was a natural choice. I don't want to use Windows Vista, I've gotten to like the software that comes with Mac OS X, and many of my friends have Macs and love them. A Macbook Pro would have the RAM and processor requirements that would be equivalent to my last few desktop PCs. And with a laptop at home, I could finally sit in front of the TV and use my own laptop instead of the one from work that isn't quite mine no matter how much I tweak it.

But a Macbook Pro would cost about twice what I paid for my last PC. It would be the most money I've ever spent on a computer. I bought a custom-built PC in 1998 that cost about $2500, and the only reason it cost that much was that I bought it through a vendor friend of mine and I wanted to give him some business. (Actually, the Macbook Pro would only be slightly more expensive than that PC, but with the warranty and the tax the difference is significant.) I know that for the price, I'm really getting two computers: Macs can run Windows as well as as OS X.

I guess what I'm really afraid of is that I'll buy a Pro now, and then in a week or two Apple will announce the new lineup and there will be some hot new feature that I really want but can't have. One of the rumors is that the Pro line will get the same multi-touch trackpad that the new Macbook Air has. Another rumor is that they'll update the hardware with the latest Intel processors. I know that every technology purchase is obsolete the minute you get it. On the other hand, if I'm one of the first ones with a new piece of hardware then I get to be one of the first ones to figure out what's wrong with it. The advantage of buying a Pro now is that the hardware has been tested by the user community and most of the issues are known. I'm not sure I want to be an early hardware adopter when I'm not that familiar with the OS either.

So I'm waiting for now. I'll give it a few more days. Maybe I'll do my taxes in the next few days and see how that affects my financial situation. Maybe Apple will decide to announce the new Macbook Pro specs next week and I can make a truly informed decision. Or maybe my gadget lust will overcome me, I'll click that "buy" button, and I'll hope that whenever the new laptops are announced my reaction is "meh."

Saturday night with the Philharmonic.

Saturday night was the first concert on my New York Philharmonic subscription series. Riccardo Muti was at the podium, and the first piece was Schumann's Piano Concerto with Radu Lupu. I'm not that familiar with this work except for the last movement, but I enjoyed watching Lupu interact with the other musicians and take cues from them. For example, the oboist would play a melody and Lupu would listen to how the oboist played it, then he would follow the same style a few measures later when the piano solo had the same melody. The orchestra for the Schumann was smaller than usual, with many of the Philharmonic's principal players missing. I don't know much about how a world-class orchestra operates, but it made sense to me that the assistant principals would lead their sections for the smaller concerto and then the heavyweights would come onstage after intermission to play the second half of the concert.

The major work on the program was Bruckner's Symphony No. 6. I don't know this piece that well either, but it is one of Bruckner's lesser-known symphonies, and undeservedly so. It's a beautiful work, with majestic fanfares for brass and sweeping melodies for the strings. I particularly enjoyed principal horn Philip Myers' solos in the Bruckner. I heard Myers play Strauss's Horn Concerto No. 1 with the Philharmonic three years ago, and I noticed the same quality of tone and vibrato in his orchestral playing as in his solo performance. There's also a huge difference between watching the NY Philharmonic on a big screen and with a professional sound system out in Lincoln Center Plaza (as we did back in September) and hearing them inside Avery Fisher Hall. The strings have a richer color and the brass resonate to the point that you can almost feel the sound. In short, it was glorious. I'm looking forward to my next concert in March, and I'm already excited about the Philharmonic's 2008-2009 season, when they will send Lorin Maazel off with a series of performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 8, his largest work. I will not miss that unless I'm dead, and even if that happens I'll find a way to haunt Lincoln Center.

One more thing: our programs had an insert with a list of people who had been subscribers for three or more years and were in the audience that night. I've never seen something like that before, but it was an innovative way to honor long-time listeners. And I recognized several of the names on the list as local musicians and minor celebrities. This is my first year as a subscriber, but it won't be the last. Maybe in a few years I'll see my name on that list.

Newark Pants Party report and photos

I went out to Newark on Saturday night for another Deadspin reader meet-up. The event was a Seton Hall-Louisville college basketball game at the brand-new Prudential Center. I took the PATH train over there, which was my first time on that train. If you like seeing the ass end of New Jersey, it's the train for you. We stopped at The Arena Bar, the only bar near the arena, and met up with the rest of the group. There were little kids in the bar, which reminded me of the 12-year-old coal miners on "30 Rock" a few weeks ago. I think one of these kids was playing poker at a table in the back.

We got to the game right around tipoff. We were sitting behind the Seton Hall band, and I noted that one of their game songs was the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean. At first the game was lopsided in Louisville's favor but Seton Hall closed the gap by halftime and in the second half they got out in front for good. As a Georgetown fan I didn't want to cheer for "The Hall" but the atmosphere was infectious and soon all of us were screaming and high-fiving over SHU baskets. I forgot how much fun college basketball games can be.

After the game we took the PATH train back to Manhattan and took the subway to the Village. On the E train we ran into a group of girls dressed like flappers. So one of us asked them "are you going to a flapper party?" They said "no, we're going to a '20s party." OK then. They challenged my friend Jeff to a dance-off, and I think it's safe to say they got served.

We ended our night at Kettle of Fish in Greenwich Village, where I discovered the joy that is Six Point beer. I don't remember which beer I had, but I had a lot of them, and a shot of Wild Turkey. It was a great night.

Photos are in the usual place. I haven't tagged them with commenter names, but I will on request.

Tim Page on Leonard Slatkin and the NSO

Sunday's Washington Post had a debate between Tim Page "One" and Tim Page "Two" over the benefits and effects of Leonard Slatkin's 12 years as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra. Slatkin is stepping down in June and moving on to other opportunities in Detroit and elsewhere. I'm not sure the "two minds" approach works as a story-telling device, but it's a unique way to explore the good and bad aspects of Slatkin's tenure in Washington. I was a fan of Slatkin before he came to DC, and a smooth sales rep from the Kennedy Center talked me into buying season tickets to the NSO based largely on the orchestra's hiring of him in 1994 (he conducted a few concerts a year in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons before taking over full-time in 1996). I was a student at Georgetown at the time and I had avoided the NSO up to that point, as its reputation was not that good. Also, I couldn't really afford season tickets, but when the guy told me that getting in early was the best way for me to get to hear Slatkin conduct, I broke out my then-pristine credit card and paid up.

And it was worth it. I was a season ticket holder for four seasons, and the orchestra's playing improved each year. I especially enjoyed Slatkin's renditions of Mahler's symphonies; one of the highlights of my time in DC is hearing the NSO perform Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in January 1995. Slatkin had a particular fondness for the Labeque sisters piano duo, but I think it was justified: two years in a row I made sure to get tickets to their performances with the orchestra. Slatkin also emphasized American composers, and often included new works or seldom-performed works on his concert programs. I moved to New York in the fall of 1999 and so I have missed the remainder of Slatkin's time with the NSO, but I was aware that the excitement about Slatkin had abated. I still think Slatkin is an extraordinary musician and conductor and I'm sure he will continue to make his presence felt on the American musical scene. He'll leave behind an orchestra that is in much better musical shape than when he arrived, and I hope that the NSO continues to grow. I think Slatkin's legacy will be that he gave the NSO the push it needed to become an orchestra on par with other great American orchestras.

Conan O'Brien plays Rock Band, sings like Edith Bunker

"Your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear, Archie!"

'Who's going to clean up this mess?"

Gawker and Gothamist are both covering this story about an out-of-control New Year's Eve party and the resulting swath of destruction left behind in the host's apartment. People splashed wine on the walls, poured beer down the stairs, left an unspeakable mess on the couch and even tore the shower curtain off the rod in the bathroom. I've been to some crazy NYE parties, but nothing like this. It sounds like something out of a movie. The host is asking people for Paypal donations to cover the cost of the clean-up. I think that if you throw a party and your house gets trashed, you get what you asked for. I've thrown a few big parties too, and my apartment has always been a mess afterwards. The clean-up from any sort of party, whether dinner or alcohol blowout, is the big downside and one good reason why I haven't had anything bigger than an Oscars party at my place in over two years. I do have responsible friends, which may be one reason I've never faced a disaster of a mess like this one, but I still don't need to take chances.

another year, another end-of-year post

Continuing a tradition, it's the end of 2007 and I'm listening to the Classical Countdown on WQXR.com and writing my last blog post for the year. It's been an unusually good year around here. I rode another 1100 miles on my bike, I played some challenging music with NYRO, I upgraded my home entertainment system, and my job stayed mostly the same. I lost a cat in January and got a new one in June. (After six months, the cats are now tolerating each other the way North and South Korea share a border: lots of talk, the occasional skirmish, but mostly coexistence.) I made some new friends on the Internet and had the usual successes and failures in my personal life. Lately there have been more successes: meeting Kate has been one of the best things to happen this year and I hope that our relationship continues to grow stronger. I didn't follow through on last year's resolution to travel more, so I'll reuse that one for 2008.

As usual for me, tonight's plans involve a party, though a much smaller one than I've gone to for the past two years. If you're going out, stay safe, and if you're staying in, what's wrong with you?

See you in 2008!

heard last night on the subway

It was actually the uptown 4/5/6 platform at Union Square, but it was still in the subway. I was on my way home and I heard bagpipes and drums as I descended the stairs to the platform, so I thought it might be an actual Scottish bagpiper group down there. It turned out to be a lone bagpiper and another guy playing one large hand-held drum. The bagpiper was white and the drummer was not, so I'm not sure they were together. Also, the piper wasn't always playing to the beat of the drummer so musically the performance didn't mesh. Finally, the most important details was the songs the piper played. Instead of the usual "Scotland The Brave," "Amazing Grace," or other Highland tunes, he played off-key versions of "Over There" and I think a Christmas carol or two. I have to read more about it, but I think there's a reason bagpipes play certain melodies and not others, having to do with the key of the instrument and the notes it can play. In other words, this piper couldn't hit all the notes of these songs on his instrument. I wish he'd gone "Over There" to play.

I'm slightly famous

I must note that my commenter alter ego, Peter Cavan, received a mention in Dan Shanoff's yearly Christmas poem for Deadspin. This, along with my comment of the fortnight and presence at two Pants Parties, makes 2007 the Year of Deadspin, at least for me.

The next step for "Peter Cavan" is that he need his own blog. Maybe I'll work on that for 2008.

Busy busy busy...

Work has been kind of crazy for the past few weeks. We've got a couple of projects that are due early next year and so many of us are scrambling to get things done before the holidays. My vacation starts tomorrow (though I'm not going home until Sunday) so I'm trying to get all of my work done by the end of the day. The last thing I want is for someone to call me while I'm at home next week. (I should probably be working instead of blogging....)

Also, it's holiday party season and my schedule has been booked solid with gatherings of one kind or another. Monday night was the office party on Wall Street and I took it easy on my liver, my stomach, and my dancing shoes. I did have a great time enjoying the firm's largess and another year at this job. The evening reminded me that as much as I sometimes complain about work, I know some great people here and I have an extremely generous employer. As for the rest of the week, I have dinner with new friends tonight, as-yet-undetermined birthday plans tomorrow, two parties on Friday night and something else on Saturday evening. And then there's the matter of passing the time on the 7+ hour train ride back to Johnstown. Last year I watched episodes of "Heroes" that I'd downloaded, but this year I don't have any TV series to catch up on. Maybe I'll work my way through some Netflix movies and some podcasts instead.

It's a twister! It's a twister! Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

Schools across the NY metro area canceled class today in anticipation of a monster snowstorm bearing down and expected to drop between two and ten inches of snow by the end of the day. I slept in a little this morning, thinking that it would be raining when I got up and I wouldn't want to walk to the gym. Also, I had a couple of drinks last night and a big dinner so I felt a little lazy. Of course, there was no snow, ice, or rain this morning, just dry streets and a cold wind. I stayed home and did some pushups while watching Tuesday night's episode of Boston Legal.

ASIDE: I'm not sure why I watch that show anymore. It's become a vehicle for David Kelley's left-wing rants about Iraq via Alan Shore. I'm as liberal as the next raised-in-PA-living-in-NY Democratic Jew, but even I'm getting tired of the same shtick each week. Also, Crane, Poole, and Schmidt NEVER loses. Even the firm on The Practice lost a case once in a while. But I like William Shatner/Denny Crane, so I guess that's why I stick with the show. And with the writers' strike, there aren't that many original episodes of anything left.

Anyway, we're looking at a big storm today, and another one on Saturday night. That might give me an opportunity to stay in and do some serious cooking and movie watching/Xbox gaming. I finished Halo 3's single-player campaign last night so now I can focus on getting my ass handed to me by 12-year-olds everywhere on Xbox Live. I'm also playing Guitar Hero III, but my guitar needs a tuneup. The GHIII guitar comes in two pieces and sometimes the neck doesn't connect to the body properly, so some of the fret buttons don't work at critical times, like last night when I was trying to play "One" by Metallica. At the fast section the green button is crucial to the main riff, and it wouldn't respond so I failed the song. I'm going to try a couple of DIY fixes and see if I can improve things.

End of year meme

This is quite Myspace of me, but whatever. At least I'm posting here.

As 2007 comes to an end...

1) Where did you begin 2007?

At an overcrowded party on the Upper East Side with the woman I was dating at the time. We should have just stayed home.

2) What was your status by Valentine’s Day?

Single, cold.

3) Were you in school (anytime this year)?

I went to a Linux training class in August.

4) How did you earn your money?

Doing the same job I've had for the past seven years.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?

Just for my other job with HealthTV, not for any actual health problems.

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?

No.

7) Where did you travel this year?

DC, Johnstown. Wow, I haven't wandered much. That would explain the surplus of vacation time.

8) What did you purchase that was over $1,000?

My HDTV and my new sofa.

9) Did you know anybody who got married?

Some friends in the orchestra.

10) Did you know anybody who passed away?

My ex-wife's grandmother, and my cat Vladi.

11) Biggest surprise?

Kate.

12) Did you move anywhere?

No, and thank God for that.

13) What concerts/shows did you go to?

The Police at MSG, Madama Butterfly at the Met, Avenue Q on Broadway

14) Are you registered to vote?

Yes, but I didn't vote this year. In my defense, it was an off-off-year election.

15) Who did you want to win Dancing with the Stars?

I don’t watch it.

16) Where do you live now?

The Upper East Side of Manhattan, in the same apartment I've had for the past four years.

17) Describe your birthday?

It's next week, but it will include taking the day off work, probably dinner, and maybe a movie. I'm easy to please.

18) What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2007?

Go to a meetup of online friends and have one of the best nights of the year.

19) What has been your favorite moment?

Watching the New York Philharmonic season premiere concert in Lincoln Square with Kate.

20) What's something you learned about yourself?

I'm doing better on my own than I ever thought possible.

21) Any new additions to your family?

My cat Grady

22) What was your best month?

September.

23) What music will you remember 2007 by?

Icky Thump by the White Stripes, Paul Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses, Barber's Violin Concerto

24) Who has been your best drinking buddy?

My friends from work.

25) Favorite night out?

The Deadspin night at Shea is a close second to the NY Philharmonic concert in Lincoln Center with Kate.

another one of these e-mail survey things

It's been a busy week here at Five Guys Productions, and I haven't had much time to think about blogging. I got this survey on Wednesday evening and replied to it then but I'm posting it now. (I have been down this road once or twice before.) I changed one answer from the e-mail version: I remembered that the last time I cried was not when my ex-wife and I decided to break up, but was in fact this past January, when my cat Vladi passed away. I felt bad that I'd made the mistake in the e-mail, so I've rectified that here.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

My father's older brother, who was killed at the age of 6 in a bombing
raid on Glasgow, Scotland, where my grandfather had sent his family to
avoid the bombings in London.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

When my cat Vladi died unexpectedly in January.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

No. It's deteriorated from years of typing on computer keyboards.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

Pastrami.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

No.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

I'd either think I was the coolest guy ever, or a jackass, depending on the day.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?

All the time.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS

Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

No.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?

Life.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

Yes, otherwise I can't get them off my feet.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?

I've moved heavy appliances on my own, so yes.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

Mint chocolate chip.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Face.

15. RED OR PINK?

Red.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

I worry about everything.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?

My family.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?

Yes, but those of you I don't know will get a spamblocker response.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

Blue khakis and brown loafers I bought at Macy's on Monday.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

Tuna sandwich and tortilla chips.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

Georgetown-Alabama basketball game on TV.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

Silver.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?

Coffee, simmering tomato sauce.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

Kate.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

Yes, Jess is one of my oldest and closest friends.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Football and hockey.

27. HAIR COLOR?

Dark brown.

8. EYE COLOR?

Brown.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

Yes, and I need to change them.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?

Pizza.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Happy endings. I like to think there's something to hope for.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

The Mist. That was a scary movie.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

Brown & white striped shirt.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

Winter. I love the wind and snow.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?

Don't these two usually go together?

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?

Apple pie a la mode.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?

N/A

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND

N/A

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

I'm between books, but I want to pick up a copy of His Dark Materials
before The Golden Compass opens.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

Nothing. I'm using a laptop with a touchpad.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?

Nothing - I had to work late.

42. FAVORITE SOUND?

An orchestra playing Beethoven.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

Beatles.

44. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?

London.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

I play the viola.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Johnstown, PA

a new option for buying classical music online

Deutsche Grammophon has just opened an online store. They're offering their usual excellent selection of classical albums in 320 kbps MP3 files (the highest quality you can get in MP3 compression) as well as a list of out-of-print records. Most albums are $11.99, which is $2 more than iTunes, but you're getting higher-quality DRM-free files for the extra money. DG is one of the labels that I prefer when I'm shopping for classical music. They get well-known artists and they produce high-quality recordings. I've never regretted a DG album purchase. While I still prefer to get my classical music on CD so I have the physical media, for $11.99 per album I will see what I can dig up on their site.

The worst Steelers game I've ever seen

In 1989, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Miami Dolphins in a rainstorm in Miami. The Steelers were not playing well and were taking on a Miami team with Dan Marino. My father lived in Washington, DC but was in Johnstown for the holiday weekend. He came over to my mom's house to visit with my brother and I for the afternoon. My mother was out for the day and I think my brother, who was not a football fan at the time, spent the afternoon in front of the computer upstairs. My dad and I watched the Steelers game in the back room (the den). Both teams were sliding all over the wet field, but Pittsburgh got all the breaks and won the game 34-14. I'd watched football with my dad before, but this is the first game that I remember watching with him and following the game closely. We had leftover turkey sandwiches for lunch and I remember my dad carving the rest of the meat off the bird, even though it wasn't technically "his" turkey to carve. Since my dad lived in DC and I lived in Johnstown, I didn't get to see him more than once or twice a month, so I remember that I really enjoyed having the afternoon to share the game, some food, and some conversation with him.

When I saw the rain at Heinz Field for last night's game, I remembered that game from 18 years ago and thought about how much fun it would be to see the Steelers dominate an inferior Dolphins squad again. Well, Pittsburgh won again, but it took 59 minutes and a field goal at the end of regulation to do it, with the final score of 3-0. It was absolutely the worst football game I've ever watched. If my team hadn't been playing I would have changed the channel by halftime. It was depressing, boring and nerve-wracking all at the same time. I could have used a hug when it was over.

What I did with my holiday weekend

I handled the roasting of the turkey (my friends brined it for us). I also made cornbread, and we made the gravy a team effort. Thanksgiving dinner was a huge success, even if we ate a bit later than we originally planned.

I made a large batch of homemade granola. It's great with plain yogurt.

I saw Beowulf (not that good, but the 3D was kind of fun) and The Mist (really scary, though Stephen King always does that for me).

I got to spend time with my friends, and endure the Mii-creation process on their Nintendo Wii. They made me a worried Mii.

I watched A LOT of football. Probably way too much.

NYRO's non-holiday concert: Wagner, Haydn, Shostakovich on December 8

I'm really glad The New York Repertory Orchestra doesn't do "holiday" concerts. There's enough of that around. We're playing a great program of Classical, Romantic, and 20th century compositions in two weeks. Here's the whole scoop from our music director:


Dear Friends of the New York Repertory Orchestra,

I want to wish you the best for this Thanksgiving/Holiday season and invite you to our next concert on Saturday, December 8 @ 8pm.

As always, we continue our tradition of bringing you great music, fantastic soloists, and the exciting music-making of the New York Repertory Orchestra - New York's leading all-volunteer, community-based orchestra!

Our program on December 8 offers a rich and varied program with music by Wagner, Haydn, and Shostakovich. Our soloist (making her NYRO debut) is the world-renowned violinist Christina Castelli (see more below). We look forward to seeing you on the 8th!

Here is more information about the concert:

When: Saturday, December 8, 2007 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: Good Shepherd-Faith Church @ 152 West 66th St. (between B'way & Amsterdam)
Admission: FREE

Program

• Wagner: Prelude to Act I of “Parsifal”
• Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D Major (“London”)
• Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 – Christina Castelli, violin
  

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Here's more about the music we’ll be playing:

The major work on the program will be the Violin Concerto No. 1 by Dimitri Shostakovich. A monumental piece, Shostakovich himself likened it to “a symphony for solo violin and orchestra,” rather than a traditional virtuoso concerto. With its great breadth of expression and brilliantly realized structure it is an epic work of haunting beauty.

Also on the program will be the Symphony No. 104 (“London”) by Franz Josef Haydn. This wonderful piece (Haydn’s final work in the genre) is a delight from beginning to end. Full of high spirits and classical elegance, the symphony was critically acclaimed at its premiere in 1795 for its ”fullness, richness, and majesty in all its parts. [It will] surpass all his other compositions.” In short, one of the masterworks of the symphonic repertoire.

The concert will begin with the Prelude to Act I from Richard Wagner’s final opera Parsifal. The magical Prelude perfectly sets the tone for this “sacred drama” - a mysterious, spiritual journey with music of the most unearthly sublimity. “The musical beauty,” according to composer Claude Debussy, “is incomparable and bewildering, splendid and strong. Parsifal is one of the loveliest monuments of sound ever raised to the serene glory of music.”


About our soloist:

Violinist Christina Castelli is one of today’s most dynamic young soloists. She has won acclaim throughout North and South America, and Europe. A Laureate of the 2001 International Violin Competition in Brussels and the Grand Prize winner of the 1997 William Primrose International Competition, Ms. Castelli has been a featured soloist with major orchestras worldwide, including those of Cleveland, Atlanta, Seattle, Colorado, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, as well as the Belgian National Orchestra and the National Orchestra of Colombia.

So...have a great Thanksgiving and we look forward to seeing you on the 8th of December.

Best regards,
David Leibowitz, Music Director
New York Repertory Orchestra
www.nyro.org

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And mark your calendars for the rest of our exciting season!

February 9, 2008
Schreker: Overture to “Ekkehard”
Farberman: Concerto for Jazz Drummer – Tim Froncek, drums
Sibelius: Symphony No. 3

March 29, 2008 –
Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
Ellington: Suite from “The River”
Dvorak: Cello Concerto – Eric Jacobsen, cello

May 17, 2008
D’Indy: Suite from “Karadek”
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor – Anna Polonsky, piano
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”)

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All Concerts are performed at:
Good Shepherd-Faith Church (152 West 66th Street)
Admission: FREE - 8:00pm

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

A year ago tonight, "a couple of beers after work" turned into an eight-hour drinking binge and ended with me brining a turkey and making gravy while completely bombed. I'm still surprised the turkey was edible. This year, I have a cold that, while mild, is going to keep me from getting totally wasted. I'm going to see Beowulf at 10 PM tonight, so I have a hard cutoff for the drinking anyway. Tomorrow morning I will make cornbread, then take an assortment of pans and cooking implements to my friend Greg's place, where I am once again in charge of roasting the turkey. I look forward to an afternoon of watching football and trying to stay out of the tiny kitchen while everyone else works. The rest of my weekend plan involves more football and cooking things like homemade granola and jambalaya from a box. (Hey, don't hassle me: after all the cooking that will go on tomorrow, I will be glad to throw some andouille and rice in a pot and let it simmer.) After this weekend, it's a mad dash through December until Christmas, so this may be my last weekend to be lazy for a while. Oh, who am I kidding? I can always find time to be lazy.

Lord of the Rings trilogy live-blog

I promised I'd do this when I got my HDTV, and I waited until there was a cold day with nothing else going on to actually do it. I'm watching all three extended editions of the Lord of the Rings movies today. And I'm going to see if I can live-blog the whole thing.

10:30 AM: I just started Fellowship of the Ring. Enjoy Gollum now, we're not going to see him again for four hours. Also, I thought there was a scene in the beginning where Elrond and Isildur were at Mount Doom about to destroy the Ring, when Isildur turns away from the fire. Maybe that's later.

10:43 AM: Bilbo and Gandalf are having bread, cheese and tea, and I'm having oatmeal. Wow, this is shaping up to be a THRILLING live-blog. We'll see how long I keep this up.

10:51 AM: I just noticed that Gandalf wears one of those braided belts that all the white-hat guys wore at Georgetown back in the day. I'm not sure what that says about my favorite wizard.

11:09 AM: Frodo and Sam are off to Bree. Someone I know is trying to talk me into an adventure vacation. I'm not a hiking, getting dirty kind of guy. For some reason, Frodo and Sam walking off into the wilderness looks appealing. Too bad I know how this ends. They get into a lot of trouble.

11:16 AM: Better fight scene: Gandalf vs. Saruman or Count Dooku vs. Anakin Skywalker (the 2nd time)? I like anything involving lightsabers, but seeing two wizards square off is cool. It's always bothered me that a wizard apparently needs a staff to perform magic. Shouldn't Gandalf have some skills that don't require him to be holding his staff?

11:30 AM: It's the "second breakfast" joke, one of my favorites. I think it's time for coffee here.

11:47 AM: Can someone remind me how Liv Tyler got the part of Arwen? Have we heard anything from her since 2003?

11:55 AM: I watched The Matrix last night. I hadn't seen it in years. It's weird to go from scary, creepy Agent Smith Hugo Weaving to elf lord Elrond Hugo Weaving. Maybe tomorrow I'll watch Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and get really freaked out.

12:00 PM: HERE's the scene where Elrond tries to get Isildur to destroy the ring at the Cracks of Doom. Isildur tells him to piss off. Now I remember why Elrond is such a jerk in these movies.

12:12 PM: "The Ring must be cast into the fire from whence it came. One of you must do this." Don't all volunteer at once, people.

12:14 PM: Legolas: "You have my bow." Gimli: "And my axe. Well, my OTHER axe." Yes, I'm reusing jokes from the first time I saw this movie.

And that's the end of disc 1.

12:22 PM: One thing that has always bothered me about Elijah Wood in these movies is that he has a huge neck. He's not a big guy but he's got the neck of a defensive lineman.

And as they leave Rivendell, it's late October or November, but they don't close the windows or put up curtains. How temperate is that place? It must be like Miami there.

12:24 PM: We get the "Fellowship" theme for the first time. It gives me chills.

12:27 PM: Frodo slips in the snow and the Ring on its chain falls off his giant neck. If the elves can make swords that glow blue in the presence of orcs, you'd think they could give him a sturdier chain for the most powerful ring in the world.

12:35 PM: Why do the doors of Moria open to the Elvish word for "friend?" Shouldn't it be the Dwarvish word for "friend?"

This is turning into the live-blog of unanswered questions.

12:43 PM: I've got a 2 PM appointment to look at a friend's computer problems. I hope I'm done with this movie by then. I've already made it clear I've only got an hour or so to work on the computer. I don't want to be up until 3 AM with this thing.

12:48 PM: Sting is glowing blue -- orcs are nearby. Gandalf's sword should be glowing too, since he and Bilbo acquired them from the same weapons stash in The Hobbit and both are Elvish-made.

Incidental super-geeky note: my home PC's network name is Mithrandir, Gandalf's name in Elvish. My iPod is Glamdring, the name of Gandalf's sword. I've got other peripherals with Elvish LOTR names. No, I do not live in my parents' basement, and I have kissed a girl.

1:02 PM: I know Gandalf isn't really dead, but the aftermath of the battle of Moria is so good that I get a little misty anyway.

1:13 PM: In a male-centric universe, the relationship between Galadriel and Celeborn is the only one that is dominated by the female. Arwen and Eowyn, warrior-elf and shield-maiden they may be, but they end up subservient to their husbands. Galadriel wears the pants in that marriage. Cate Blanchett must be used to that, though. She did play Elizabeth I.

1:28 PM: I love Gimli. He's so shy around Galadriel. The gift scene is one of my favorites that was restored in the extended edition.

1:35 PM: It's great that a filmmaker finally found a use for those two giant statues of kings beside that river in New Zealand. It's almost as good as the U.S. electing four men as president who just happened to look like those faces on Mt. Rushmore.

1:50 PM: That's a lot of dead Uruk-Hai. I'm cutting it close, but I think I'll be done by 2.

1:57 PM: Credits. I just made it. Back in an hour or so for The Two Towers.

3:55 PM: I'm back, and The Two Towers is up. By the way, these movies look incredible on my HDTV, and this is with a progressive-scan 480p normal DVD player. I wonder how they would look with an upconverting one. I'm thinking of getting one of those for the holidays, so maybe I'll try this whole event again in February.

4:04 PM: Here's Gollum!

4:06 PM: What an eccentric performance.

4:16 PM: I think employees would take their jobs more seriously if the boss made them swear obedience and cut their hands with a dirty blade in a special ceremony on the first day. It could be part of orientation.

4:25 PM: I hate to see orcs and Uruk-Hai fighting. Can't we all just get along?

4:34 PM: I never noticed until now, but there's horror movie music when Treebeard makes his first appearance.

4:47 PM: Aragorn and Legolas switch between Elvish and English so much it's like Spanglish. Or Elvglish, I suppose.

4:53 PM: The big debate for this movie: Ent poetry vs. Vogon poetry --which is more yawn-inducing?

5:03 PM: Merry and Pippin are like lazy college guys. All they want to do is have fun, smoke weed, eat, and drink. Sure, they grow up in these movies, but is that really a gain for them? I guess everyone has to graduate and become responsible sometime.

5:16 PM: I like that the scene where Gandalf and company free Theoden from Saruman's power uses much of the original dialog from the book. In particular, Wormtongue's lines are straight from the book. "'Lathspell' I name him. Ill news is an ill guest."

5:20 PM: Theodred's funeral scene is my only complaint about the material added back for any of the extended editions. I thought the original film's sequence worked much better. In that version, Theoden visits Theodred's grave, having missed the funeral entirely due to his enslavement. I thought that was far more tragic.

Also, I could do without Eowyn's song of lament.

5:34 PM: The Smeagol/Gollum debate now reminds me of the "Formidable Opponent" segment on The Colbert Report.

5:41 PM: Faramir has found Frodo and Sam, and that's the end of disc 1. I'm officially halfway through.

5:55 PM: So it's true what they say: shield-maidens can't cook. What is in that stew, gristle? All the more reason for Aragorn to take the throne of Gondor and Arwen as his wife. Then he can have a professional chef of Gondor preparing his meals, instead of Eowyn's feeble efforts.

6:09 PM: Helm's Deep, named for Helm Hammerhand. I just noticed the statue inside the fortress's gates is holding a hammer like Thor's. Nice touch.

6:21 PM: We take a break from the action so Galadriel can bring the audience up to date on why we're watching everyone on this quest.

6:36 PM: The added scenes with Boromir, Faramir, and Denethor help to explain why the writing team changed Faramir's character to make him more loyal to the misguided policies of his father. I'm not a fan of that one, but at least it makes more sense in the long version.

6:52 PM: I'm taking a quick break before the Battle of Helm's Deep to switch over to the end of the Penn State-Michigan State game. Let's see if the armies of Joe Paterno can defeat the orcs of East Lansing.

6:55 PM: The orcs will win this day. Damn. Back to Helm's Deep.

7:05 PM: I love the pacing in this movie. Just when I'm getting into the battle scene, we cut back to the Entmoot.

7:06 PM: If Merry and Pippin are growing taller as a result of drinking Ent water, how do their clothes still fit?

7:19: This always happens when I watch this movie - I'd almost forgotten about Frodo and Sam in Faramir's custody. To tell the truth, Frodo and Sam's story is my least favorite part of the book. I enjoy the battle scenes too much.

7:21 PM: I've said this several times before, so I'll say it again -- I wish Howard Shore had stayed true to the text when the Ents march on Isengard. The book says that they march to the sound of trumpets, but his score has a choir singing with drums underneath. It just doesn't work for me.

7:33 PM: I sure do enjoy it when Theoden and Aragorn ride out together from the Keep. They must be on magical horses, because real horses won't ride over or through obstacles. Although orcs don't exist, so maybe horses would ride through them. I should stop thinking about this and just enjoy the movie.

7:40 PM: Merry and Pippin get high. And when they get the munchies, they're sitting on top of the hoard of Isengard. And they WILL get the munchies. They're hobbits, after all.

7:47 PM: Credits. Time for a break. I'm a little hungry so maybe I should eat dinner now, before starting the next one. I don't think I can watch and eat and live-blog all at the same time.

8:38 PM: Time to start The Return of the King. It's going to take me about 4 1/2 hours to watch it, and I'd like to be done by 2 AM. So I will eat, watch, and try to comment all at once.

8:42 PM: Also, the Penguins gave up two goals while I was watching, and Penn State lost while I had that on. I should stick to the movies.

8:50 PM: I'm glad I have a strong stomach. I can eat and watch Gollum tearing into raw fish.

8:59 PM: In this version, Saruman gets a good death sequence. I know they cut the Scouring of the Shire for length, but I still wish it could have made the big screen. We do get closure on the Saruman storyline, though.

9:04 PM: Before beginning the drinking contest, Gimli says the rules include "no regurgitations." Do they follow IFOCE rules, or did the IFOCE get their rules from this movie?

9:14 PM: All the men are sleeping in some kind of anteroom, but Eowyn is sleeping by herself in the great hall of Edoras. That's got to be freezing at night. Doesn't she live here? Shouldn't she have her own room?

9:27 PM: Can't someone sweep up around Rivendell? There has to be an elf gardener somewhere. And re-forge that sword already! Aragorn was supposed to take it with him from Rivendell, not get it when the trip is nearly over.

9:39 PM: Hey Gandalf -- maybe all that coughing is a sign that you should cut back on your leaf-smoking habit. It must be traveling and rooming with Pippin. That guy is a bad influence on everyone around him.

9:54 PM: I love the lighting of the beacons. It's one of the things that didn't come from the book but it works so well in the film. And it's some of Shore's best music.

10:08 PM: Time out for a phone call.

10:32 PM: We're back. Frodo, Sam, and Gollum are climbing the stairs near Minas Morgul, AKA "The Emerald City." The orcs do remind me of the flying monkeys.

10:43 PM: These are some dirty hobbits. They must smell like mud and feet and ass, after months without baths.

10:54 PM: Theoden has quite a tent set up for an overnight camp. Rugs, tables, torches, and more. I think he has a satellite dish and a big-screen TV in there too. Is this a war camp or a tailgate party?

11:03 PM: I would follow Theoden into Hell itself, and he hasn't even given his best pre-battle speech yet.

11:13 PM: I forgot about the cave of the dead and how the skulls pour out like popcorn from the crumbling castle. I'm not sure what that's about, but I'm surprised our heroes can get out of the cave amid that mess.

11:21 PM: I love fightin' Gandalf.

11:22 PM: I'd love to get a "Grond!" chant going at a rock concert. What band would be appropriate for such a chant?

Time for disc 2. I'm almost done.

11:31 PM: I just remembered the fortune cookie from tonight's dinner. It was no fortune at all. The "fortune" was an ad for a Nostradamus special on The History Channel. I got one last month from a different restaurant and took that place off my list. I can't take this one off, though. It's right across the street.

Hey, my first comment! It's only taken 13 hours!

11:33 PM: It's Shelob time. Peter Jackson indulges his love of horror movies.

11:45 PM: Even if I were a soldier of Gondor, I think I'd crap my pants at what came through the gate after it was shattered by Grond.

11:57 PM: The Witch-King of Angmar shatters Gandalf's staff, but I swear he has it later in the movie. It doesn't matter. Rohan has come at last. This is my favorite moment in the entire trilogy.

12:16 AM: That is the greatest battle scene ever committed to film. I have nothing else to say.

12:21 AM: I'm glad the Houses of Healing scene made it into this edition. And we get a glimpse of the Eowyn-Faramir relationship. Bear in mind, I am a hopeless romantic.

12:32 AM: Oh, Faramir, I could get lost in your eyes forever.

12:40 AM: Even in his orc armor, Sam is still carrying his pots and pans. I guess the other orcs didn't notice they had a chef in their midst. Or they didn't think anything of it.

12:47 AM: That's some mouth you got, Mouth of Sauron.
"I guess that concludes negotiations."

12:57 AM: Pippin: "The eagles are coming!" There's a Don Henley joke in there somewhere, but it's not coming to me.

1:11 AM: Why does Gandalf take the crown of Gondor from Gimli? Did the dwarves make it? And why does this movie have like six false endings? That's always annoyed me.

1:13 AM: And now, a musical selection by the King. "Eh Nooniam." (Or something like that.)

1:21 AM: Aged Bilbo looks like Emperor Palpatine.

1:30 AM: THE END.

With breaks for food, phone calls, and tech support, that took 13 hours. I thought it would take even longer. Even so, that was a great way to spend a free Saturday. I don't know if I learned anything new about the trilogy watching it this way, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. I'd do it again, but not for a while. My ass needs a break.

I think the next marathon may be all the Star Wars movies in order. That may have to wait until after football season.

my day at the ballpark

I spent most of Tuesday at a technology seminar at Yankee Stadium. One of my vendors secured invitations for myself and a colleague, so we went to the Bronx this morning to learn about data de-duplication, get a free meal, and a tour of the stadium.

When I arrived at 10:15 AM, there was no sign of anyone outside the stadium. For those of you who have been to Yankee Stadium before, the subway lets you out in a run-down looking neighborhood, and I felt a little conspicuous walking around a deserted building looking for the employees' entrance. I eventually found it and my friend, and we went up to the club level and the "Great Moments Room" for the seminar. We watched a PowerPoint presentation, learned about the company's technology, and got a bit of a sales pitch. Then they gave us lunch (hot dogs, potato salad, grilled chicken, ribs, corn on the cob, and dessert) and gave out one free gift (apparently a gift certificate for the Yankees' team store).

Finally, around 1:30 PM, they started the tour. Our tour guide Larry (who looked like he was right out of NY Central Casting) took us down to the field and showed us the home dugout. Everyone took photos of themselves sitting where Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada spend their summers, including me. (I may not be a Yankees fan, but when else will I have a chance to get that photo?) Then they showed us the clubhouse (no photos allowed!) where we learned that Thurman Munson's locker is still there, as is Cory Lidle's, but Munson's still has his name on it while Lidle's remains unmarked. Derek Jeter has two lockers, supposedly because he gets so much fan mail. And Alex Rodriguez and a few other free agents still have lockers, even though they won't be back with the team, because as long as they haven't signed elsewhere they're still technically Yankees. After the clubhouse we walked around the warning track to see the monuments in the outfield, and then we were done with the tour and on our way back to work. Hey, it was better than spending the day in the office.

I am all grown up

It has taken me nearly two years, but slowly my apartment has become a place where I feel like it's my own space. Last year I got a new dresser and some new shelves, this year I got my HDTV, and last Friday I got a real sofa to replace the love seat I'd had since I lived in the Village. The new sofa, a queen-size sleeper sofa from Macy's, fills out the living room in ways the old one never could. And it has one significant advantage over the old one: I can stretch out on it and take a nap. On Saturday night I came back from a night out with some friends, put on some music, and promptly passed out on the sofa. I see many afternoons and evenings of TV watching on this sofa.

The old love seat went to the spare room/office, where it at least fits the space it's in. I don't think I can fold it out into a bed with the desk in there, but it's another place to sit that isn't my office chair. I haven't decided how long I'm going to keep it. The old computer desk that had been in that room went out to the street on Thursday night after rehearsal, and by Friday morning it was gone, no doubt rolled away by another Upper East Side resident.

I also treated myself to a new comforter and some new bedsheets. I never thought I'd get excited about home furnishings like this, but it makes me feel good to have a home that looks like an adult lives here. And my friends appreciate it too.

an up and down weekend

I had planned to spend my Friday evening playing Guitar Hero III and Halo 3. But when I got home after shlepping the new guitar through Macy's furniture department and across Manhattan, I only got as far as entering my virtual band's name before my Xbox 360 crashed. It had crashed a few times on Thursday night but I hadn't thought anything was wrong. When I rebooted the console, I got the dread "Red Ring of Death." My game console died before I could play one note or fire one round. I filled out the form on Microsoft's support site, so now I have to wait for Microsoft to ship me a box so I can return the console to them for repair. According to my Xbox-owning friends and some forum posts, I can expect to wait 4-6 weeks to get the console back, and it has a good chance of failing again. By the time I get the whole thing sorted out, I'm sure Guitar Hero IV will be on store shelves. So instead of a night of video gaming, I watched a movie and played around on my desktop PC.

Saturday night was much better. We cooked a recipe I hadn't made in years: smothered shrimp and sausage over cheese grits. I had some help in the kitchen, and everything was delicious.

On Sunday I watched the NYC Marathon from my apartment. I cheered on a few of my friends from street level, then I watched from my fire escape and took some photos. Also, in the morning, before the marathon got underway, I ordered a new sofa from Macy's (which is why I'd been in the furniture department on Friday evening). I'm moving the old love seat into the office so it can be more of a guest bedroom, throwing out the old computer desk and 19-inch monitor to make room, and getting a new queen-size sleeper sofa for the living room. At last I will have a couch large enough for three or more people to sit on it, and long enough for me to stretch out without having to put my knees up on the armrest. I should have the new sofa on Friday, so I have to figure out what to do to make room by then. Anyone want a 19-inch CRT? It's in good shape. It's just enormous.

It's been a week already?

It's November 1, and I resolve to make an effort to finish the year strong and post more often than once a week.

I've been practicing Guitar Hero in anticipation of getting Guitar Hero III this week. My copy of the game (with wireless guitar) is scheduled for delivery tomorrow, and I've already planned my Friday night around hours of virtual shredding. If it doesn't come in for some reason, I will either a) shop for a new couch or b) try to find it at a retail store in Manhattan or c) all of the above. I have also just this afternoon received a copy of Halo III from a friend, so I've got that in my future as well. I'm going to have to make up a schedule for my free time now to accommodate my gaming habit, my TV watching, and viola practice. And let's not forget my social life.

Speaking of the viola, the best thing that's happened lately is that I got a new case. The old one was falling apart on the inside and showed the signs of 16 years of use. Also, I was tired of carrying it horizontally over my shoulder while my friends in the orchestra slung their violins on their backs. During my week off from rehearsal I shopped around online for a new case and ordered two of them, one each from two different stores. The one I really wanted arrived first, and when the viola fit perfectly inside it, I kept it. Going to rehearsal last week was a pleasure. It's so much easier to carry the viola like a backpack, and this case has feet on one end and a handle on the other, called a "subway strap," so it's easy to hold the case standing up on the train. When the other case arrived on Monday, I just shipped it right back to the vendor. It's not quite as much fun as a new gadget, but it'll do for a while.

Last night I got to play around with a Macbook Pro, and now I really want one. We were watching a slide show with a soundtrack from an iTunes playlist, and it was almost creepy the way the music lined up with the photos. One song ended just as the slideshow (a travelogue) got to the climax of the trip. And this was not a playlist that was meant for use with this particular set of photos. I'm not crazy about Safari, but if I can use Firefox on the Mac then I think I can manage. I still have a few months to wait before I will think about replacing my desktop PC, but Apple will get some major consideration from me this time around.