So the concert on Sunday evening was spectacular. The stage at the Arts and Media Center was full--about fifty singers and a whole battery of percussion instruments for one of the contemporary pieces. The programming was imaginative and unusual but varied, the performance was impeccable and the facility looked and sounded great. It was very gratifying for me to sit there and watch this unfold. Most of the things the DCCC wanted to do have been accomplished. And there had been a show there last week--Young Peoples' Theater Guild--and there is one this week--DC Players "Charlie Brown." It is a real performance center. Even Fort Defiance Players will do their summer show there this year. I am very pleased indeed.
Gemzar infusion on Monday was uneventful--I had fewer effects than usual but continue to battle constipation. I know you have heard enough about this.
We have signed for the condo, it is ours now--some additional expense for a few months. And the deposit on the bathroom redo has been made and I urged them "full speed ahead." We actually bought a used wicker patio set for the screen porch already and are looking for the other furniture pieces that we will need.
And the decision has been made to list our house on April 5. That puts the pressure on to get the clean up/repairs done around here! At least the weather is cooperating for now--unless we get a late snow and freeze, it looks like an early spring that will play into our plans nicely. Keep hoping.
I have decided to write a series of "Taking Stock" postings. I want to reflect on our lives a bit--you are free to read or not. I will continue to report my treatment and progress as well.
Maestro, Maestro - verse 5-- and the last!
Maestro, Maestro, we salute you with a verse of "clap your hands."
Ave Verum, Mighty Fortress all 3 settings we intone.
Introit, detroit, descant, solo,
Camel songs sung Acapulco,
Flailing arms and sweating brow
To you dear Maestro we now bow.
Some references to pieces in our library here--and a couple inside jokes. We always referred to the final response as the "detroit" to parallel the Introit. A capella became Acapulco. And I never completed a rehearsal without sweating profusely.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Periodic update
Sorry, gentle readers. I am remiss--several days with no posting. Don't really have an excuse except that I have had a couple of bad days with my continual bowel battle--a Bowel Bowl--Colon Conundrum--so to speak. I certainly hope that this is not an indication of what I am in for as the series continue.
Otherwise, a nice week. We continue to plan the bathroom remodels at the condo. The work is going to be done by Kahle's construction--the Kitchen Center on north OH 66. And it is going to be a full gut job--everything will be new. The larger one will be done much like our current guest bath: while with black touches and with wainscoting. The smaller/master will have sand colored fixtures, also similar to our present tiny master. The only set back is that the work can't begin for about six weeks. Since we close Tuesday, we would like it to be faster but there are matters of material orders and scheduling to consider.
We have been able to get out to look at decorating possibilities and to do some shopping. Today we went to church, then to lunch. Tonight is the last regular concert in my Sunday at the Center Series, and it should be excellent as it is the Masterworks Chorale from Toledo. This is a forty voice group and that should fill the little Center with glorious sound. The new season, planned by Andrew Schultz, will be announced tonight. I have had a preview and he has done his usual fine job and is taking the series to a slightly different direction--nice, why else have a change of leadership?
Tomorrow is a Gemzar infusion--Series IV, Week 2. A week without Zeloda pills. Great.
Maestro, Maestro - Verse 4
Maestro, Maestro, we all love you and the way you've led us on.
No processing and no robes but many threats to wear chiffon.
Puce, brown, green, and tessellations,
This is how we know which song.
Titles have no recognition,
Who the heck is Jean Racine.
Better explain--the choir sings from the rear organ balcony, so it has never processed nor worn robes. But many times, a slightly swing/sway anthem has led to the suggestion that the women wear something frothy. With a folder full of music, any quick description finds the next piece--color works well--anyone know what tessellation is? Just one piece in the library had that on the cover. And also just one opus by Jean Racine-- never have seen another anthem by him and we never tackled the original French text.
Otherwise, a nice week. We continue to plan the bathroom remodels at the condo. The work is going to be done by Kahle's construction--the Kitchen Center on north OH 66. And it is going to be a full gut job--everything will be new. The larger one will be done much like our current guest bath: while with black touches and with wainscoting. The smaller/master will have sand colored fixtures, also similar to our present tiny master. The only set back is that the work can't begin for about six weeks. Since we close Tuesday, we would like it to be faster but there are matters of material orders and scheduling to consider.
We have been able to get out to look at decorating possibilities and to do some shopping. Today we went to church, then to lunch. Tonight is the last regular concert in my Sunday at the Center Series, and it should be excellent as it is the Masterworks Chorale from Toledo. This is a forty voice group and that should fill the little Center with glorious sound. The new season, planned by Andrew Schultz, will be announced tonight. I have had a preview and he has done his usual fine job and is taking the series to a slightly different direction--nice, why else have a change of leadership?
Tomorrow is a Gemzar infusion--Series IV, Week 2. A week without Zeloda pills. Great.
Maestro, Maestro - Verse 4
Maestro, Maestro, we all love you and the way you've led us on.
No processing and no robes but many threats to wear chiffon.
Puce, brown, green, and tessellations,
This is how we know which song.
Titles have no recognition,
Who the heck is Jean Racine.
Better explain--the choir sings from the rear organ balcony, so it has never processed nor worn robes. But many times, a slightly swing/sway anthem has led to the suggestion that the women wear something frothy. With a folder full of music, any quick description finds the next piece--color works well--anyone know what tessellation is? Just one piece in the library had that on the cover. And also just one opus by Jean Racine-- never have seen another anthem by him and we never tackled the original French text.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Crazy Quilt
The "irreverent" choir of St. John UCC is indeed a crazy bunch. Here are a couple of images of the quilt that they presented to us in recognition of 35 plus years of putting out an anthem a week. Note the nice choice of fabrics with a music theme--where would you find something like that? The close up shows two previous members' names, Ave Barr and Ruth Ludwig. And the last square catches everyone who ever "sat in" on Christmas or Easter or other special occasions.
Maestro, Maestro (verse three)Maestro, Maestro, we adore you and your love of music greats.
Bortniansky, Cherubini, Zingarelli, Rutter too.
Handel, Mozart, Stroede, Luther
Mendelssohn, Schuetz, Frank and Bach.
Chanting psalms and singing anthems,
Choir makes the service rock.
So here I am in series four, week one, day three. Fighting the usual colon conquest, this is usually not a good day. There are things I need to do but no energy to get it done. Yesterday was better than usual, I made it to band for the second week in a row. It is fun to go to rehearsal, though I doubt if I will be able to do the performance since it falls at the end of week three--a pretty dicey time.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Weekend Outing
Emily and I had a nice outing. We drove to Toledo mid afternoon on Saturday and checked into our motel. If you ever have a need to stay over in Toledo, try the new Hampton Inn and Suites on 795 at I75. This is the nicest Hampton we have every used. The rooms are large and nicely decorated. The beds are particularly plush and very comfortable. Emily does not like the design of the bathrooms which have the vanity in a niche of the room. The stool and tub/shower are in a separate room. It makes it impossible for one person to get up without waking the rest of the group. But this little quirk doesn't take away from the rest of the benefits--including a staff that seems very well trained and exceedingly polite.
Another advantage is location. It is only 10 minutes to downtown on I75 and a similar time to Levis Commons. We went there and looked around briefly, then had dinner at a Greek restaurant. We thought it was going to be Italian, but no--and Emily had a tough time finding something on the menu to eat. She finally decided on a pizza which was made on flat bread and had a lot of tomato slices--in summer it likely is scrumptious but winter tomatoes leave something to be desired. I had the best Greek salad that I have ever tasted--followed by stuffed cabbage rolls. So I was happy.
The TSO concert featured Sax Fourth Avenue which has a Defiance connection, having performed local several times and having one member who is a Defiance High School Band teacher. They played Phillip Glass, thankfully not as minimalist as I had anticipated. Though there were moments when you wished he would move on. Their encore was a greater success and they received an enthusiastic Toledo standing ovation. I suspect many in the audience didn't realize that saxophones could make music other than big band standards! With a young guest conductor, the orchestra's rendition of Scheherazade was the best I had ever heard. It was carefully crafted and balanced and soloist were superb. In all, we both enjoyed the performance.
Sunday morning we were up early as usual. Old folks don't sleep late even when they are in a nice bed away from home. So we passed on the free breakfast and went to Bobby E's just south of our location. A three egg omelet hit the spot. We lounged some, read USA Today and watched Sunday morning on CBS. After a quick stop at Sam's Club for some supplies, we got back to Defiance around noon. It was a nice break from what we do here on a day to day basis and I am so glad we decided to do it.
Another advantage is location. It is only 10 minutes to downtown on I75 and a similar time to Levis Commons. We went there and looked around briefly, then had dinner at a Greek restaurant. We thought it was going to be Italian, but no--and Emily had a tough time finding something on the menu to eat. She finally decided on a pizza which was made on flat bread and had a lot of tomato slices--in summer it likely is scrumptious but winter tomatoes leave something to be desired. I had the best Greek salad that I have ever tasted--followed by stuffed cabbage rolls. So I was happy.
The TSO concert featured Sax Fourth Avenue which has a Defiance connection, having performed local several times and having one member who is a Defiance High School Band teacher. They played Phillip Glass, thankfully not as minimalist as I had anticipated. Though there were moments when you wished he would move on. Their encore was a greater success and they received an enthusiastic Toledo standing ovation. I suspect many in the audience didn't realize that saxophones could make music other than big band standards! With a young guest conductor, the orchestra's rendition of Scheherazade was the best I had ever heard. It was carefully crafted and balanced and soloist were superb. In all, we both enjoyed the performance.
Sunday morning we were up early as usual. Old folks don't sleep late even when they are in a nice bed away from home. So we passed on the free breakfast and went to Bobby E's just south of our location. A three egg omelet hit the spot. We lounged some, read USA Today and watched Sunday morning on CBS. After a quick stop at Sam's Club for some supplies, we got back to Defiance around noon. It was a nice break from what we do here on a day to day basis and I am so glad we decided to do it.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Check-up Report
Just returned from my monthly check-up. The news is good. Blood work shows the tumor markers still going down--an indication of their slowed activity. Liver functions are still improving. The CT scan seems to be neutral--that is, some of the tumors are smaller, some are slightly larger. There appears to be no significant new activity. So the recommendation is two more months of the same regimen that I have used for the past three months. Gemzar for three weeks, Zeloda every other week. Then a week off. Now that will put us into spring for sure!
So rejoice, things are going as well as we could hope for. Thanks for all of your support, the expressions of concern and love are important and have been a real boost to me.
So rejoice, things are going as well as we could hope for. Thanks for all of your support, the expressions of concern and love are important and have been a real boost to me.
A Wonderful Surprise
The St. John UCC choir, which it feels like I directed forever, surprised us with a touching and entertaining surprise Wednesday night. They asked to come to the house after their usual 7 p.m. rehearsal. The whole troupe showed up, en mass, formed a semi circle in our living room, and sang a five verse homage to the tune of Hymn to Joy (with apologies to L. von Beethoven). Here are the first two verses:
Maestro, Maestro, we applaud you, and we want to make a fuss,
To acknowledge your direction over 30 years and plus.
Singing faster, singing slower,
Singing louder, singing soft.
Peppy carols, Lenten dirges
Wafting from the choir loft.
Maestro, Maestro, we admire you for your varied repertoire.
Leading us through sacred music, we your own irreverent choir.
Fearless, singing with conviction
No attention to our diction.
Garlic blessing, slaughtered Latin.
Slumber snot is what we've got.
The clever lyrics, crafted by Robyn, are filled with inside jokes that require some foot notes. We have long called ourselves the "irreverent choir" as we have had way too much fun poking at our literature, our services, and each other. Not a vocal person, I have never had much concern for diction--the goal is the right notes in the right places, in tune if possible, and once over lightly. Garlic blessing is what we called "Gaelic Blessing" by John Rutter. Our Latin, as we have several anthems that we always did in the original language, was truly utilitarian approximations. Slumber snot is what you get in "He Watching over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps" when you aren't very careful. I will give you some more of this in succeeding postings!
After the singing and presentation of the lyrics, we received a wonderful lap blanket with monogrammed blocks containing the names of everyone who has sung in the choir over those 30 years--surrounded by a variety of musical note fabrics--the work of of Judy. And a pillow autographed by all the current members. What a wonder tribute by an incredible bunch of folks! Thank you to all who helped make this happen.
Maestro, Maestro, we applaud you, and we want to make a fuss,
To acknowledge your direction over 30 years and plus.
Singing faster, singing slower,
Singing louder, singing soft.
Peppy carols, Lenten dirges
Wafting from the choir loft.
Maestro, Maestro, we admire you for your varied repertoire.
Leading us through sacred music, we your own irreverent choir.
Fearless, singing with conviction
No attention to our diction.
Garlic blessing, slaughtered Latin.
Slumber snot is what we've got.
The clever lyrics, crafted by Robyn, are filled with inside jokes that require some foot notes. We have long called ourselves the "irreverent choir" as we have had way too much fun poking at our literature, our services, and each other. Not a vocal person, I have never had much concern for diction--the goal is the right notes in the right places, in tune if possible, and once over lightly. Garlic blessing is what we called "Gaelic Blessing" by John Rutter. Our Latin, as we have several anthems that we always did in the original language, was truly utilitarian approximations. Slumber snot is what you get in "He Watching over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps" when you aren't very careful. I will give you some more of this in succeeding postings!
After the singing and presentation of the lyrics, we received a wonderful lap blanket with monogrammed blocks containing the names of everyone who has sung in the choir over those 30 years--surrounded by a variety of musical note fabrics--the work of of Judy. And a pillow autographed by all the current members. What a wonder tribute by an incredible bunch of folks! Thank you to all who helped make this happen.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Free Week Arrives
It was a fairly pleasant weekend. We enjoyed the high school musical Sunday and made it to church. Went to Wendy's for lunch one day--chili is one of the things that I can always taste, and it is even better with a single HB on the side! After church we went for lunch at the hospital, as we have for a couple of years.
So this is the week off, a reward for having completed another month of chemo. Still, I had to show up yesterday to be stuck for a blood draw and then endure the pre-CT scan prep of drinking about a gallon of contrast dye. It amounts to six glasses of the delightful stuff, fifteen minutes apart. So it takes an hour and fifteen minutes to complete. The CT is quick and efficient and includes another contrast that is injected into the IV line.
All this is in preparation for my exam on Friday. Some apprehension about the findings, of course, but like the entire deal, what will be is what it is. Have to handle it the best we can.
This should be a good week as I really never had serious problems last week--in a couple of days I should be able to enjoy pretty normal taste and have as much energy as possible with a jolt of Prednisone. We are planning on going to a Toledo Symphony concert on Saturday evening--the first one since Beth and I went Thanksgiving weekend (and before I started treatments) that has fallen on a free weekend. The others I have given away. We are intending to stay overnight so that I don't have to drive back to Defiance at 11 p.m. We will see how the plans work out.
So this is the week off, a reward for having completed another month of chemo. Still, I had to show up yesterday to be stuck for a blood draw and then endure the pre-CT scan prep of drinking about a gallon of contrast dye. It amounts to six glasses of the delightful stuff, fifteen minutes apart. So it takes an hour and fifteen minutes to complete. The CT is quick and efficient and includes another contrast that is injected into the IV line.
All this is in preparation for my exam on Friday. Some apprehension about the findings, of course, but like the entire deal, what will be is what it is. Have to handle it the best we can.
This should be a good week as I really never had serious problems last week--in a couple of days I should be able to enjoy pretty normal taste and have as much energy as possible with a jolt of Prednisone. We are planning on going to a Toledo Symphony concert on Saturday evening--the first one since Beth and I went Thanksgiving weekend (and before I started treatments) that has fallen on a free weekend. The others I have given away. We are intending to stay overnight so that I don't have to drive back to Defiance at 11 p.m. We will see how the plans work out.
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