Day - 1704

Saturday, April 27, 2019

We went to 20th Century Cafe on Gough and Oak for lattes and pie.  What a charming little spot, a throwback to another era when radio was the cutting edge of technology.  This place has Viennese influences running through the menu and interior.  Such a sweet little place. Next time, I'll order the strudel.   

Day - 1705

Friday, April 26, 2019

Started a tedious, unpleasant project at work that will take a few days.  Blah.

Warriors won game six tonight, thank goodness.  They'll meet the Rockets on Sunday.

Watched Real Time and loved it as always.  Bill Maher really went after Mueller in his final New Rule.  I liked it.  I liked the NY Times Headline that could have been:  Mueller breaks precedent, Indicts Trump!

But instead, we have reality, which never plays well with delusional authoritarian narcissists.  

Day - 1706

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Went down a YouTube rabbit hole today for no reason, starting first with violinist James Ehnes...

and ending up with an old interview with Samuel Barber...

This is what makes YouTube so interesting, and so dangerous.  I can waste hours going down the YouTube vortex with no chance of escape.

Day - 1707

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Still tight on my right foot this morning.  Played for an hour, than stopped, showered, and headed home before work.

Warriors lost tonight in a game the LA Clippers controlled and led throughout.  Good game.  Mildly concerning.  The Clippers are no joke, especially for an 8th seeded team.

Good numbers for MSFT.  Wow.  Stocks keep going up and up and up.

Day - 1708

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

About to begin a very large project for a team I haven't worked with before.  Should be interesting. 

Mayor Pete continues to rise in the polls.  I'm not surprised.  He knocks it out every time he speaks in front of a crowd.  Other Dem competitors are trying to knock him down.  Good luck.  Part of the vetting process I guess.  No other new face has resonated as much.  I see him running the tables like Obama, with Biden and Sanders as his primary competitors.  Mayor Pete's as talented as Obama.  I like his youth, his way with language, his imagination, his husband!  I like it all. 

Japan is 24 days away!

Day - 1709

Monday, April 22, 2019

Sluggish this morning, but picked up steam later in the day.  Went to dinner with Margaret and caught up on life.  Watched episode 2 of GoT through HBO Now.  Very good.  Another build-up episode before the impending war.  Great great series, especially the second half.  

Day - 1710

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Happy Easter.  What a horrific tragedy in Sri Lanka.  So many dead.  It's such vicious attack and unfortunately the norm these days.  Very sad.  Hard to think about without feeling such emptiness.

A quiet day at home doing research on our Japan trip.  I'm enjoying a weekend without practicing. 

Day - 1711

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Alice and I went to Japantown for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  We had ramen at the famous Marufuku Ramen restaurant in Japan Center.  Worth the wait.  So delicious!  I loved it.  The portions are huge.  I ate half and look forward to lunch tomorrow.

The line 30 minutes before opening

Inside at 12:15

Deluxe Ramen - so good!

After lunch, we cleaned up the Airbnb for the next guest and took care of a few things around the house.  

Day - 1712

Friday, April 19, 2019

Another busy Friday and poker later in the evening. I had cards tonight, finally, but took a bad beat with a flopped fullhouse that lost to pocket Ks that hit a set on the turn.  Brutal.  But I bounced back and ended up UP for the night....first time in a while.

Day - 1713

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Downloaded Mueller report.  The Table of Contents is 10 pages long.  It's divided into two volumes.  A slow read, I'm sure, but an important read.  The sooner Asset in Chief is out, the better. 

Day - 1714

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Sorry to miss the next OCO concert in June...Mendelssohn's 5th Symphony and Brahms Tragic Overture are fun, energetic pieces.  I love Brahms!  Playing Brahms is about the best thing imaginable.  We ran through these pieces and a new composition by Nico, one of the first violinists in the orchestra.  Now's a good time to get new strings and restring my bow. 

Day - 1715

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Another evening of practicing after work.  Wow, I love Brahms.  Ratcheting up the Japan research.

Day - 1716

Monday, April 15, 2019

Rather than take a day off from practicing, which I should have done, I printed out the music for our next concert, even though we're coming back from Japan the weekend of the performance.  All because of Brahms.  We're playing Brahms' Tragic Overture, a piece I'd played in high school, and wanted to play on Wednesday during rehearsal.  Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 is also on the program.  Lots of notes.  I practiced for an hour.  It's a treat playing different music.  

Day - 1717

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Left SF for Oakland in the morning.  Had lunch at a sushi restaurant called Shimizu in Piedmont...very good.  Watched Tiger Woods win the Masters.  Amazing!

Our concert was at 3.  Rhonda and Biff, Howard and Leslie, and Richard and Lisa came.  They loved it!  We sounded good and all three pieces came together.  Even the Debussy.  What a challenging, brilliant piece. 

After the concert, we went to Star Pizza for dinner.  Good as always!  Great night!

Day - 1718

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Dress rehearsal this morning was held at the Methodist church, even though we're playing at the Holy Names auditorium.  We'll see how it goes.  We sounded pretty ragged and tired this morning.  We were off, way off, which could potentially mean we'll kill it tomorrow.  After rehearsal, I headed to SF, grabbed a sandwich on Irving, and had about an hour to myself before Alice and Austin came home.  They were paying their respects to their ancestors with Alice's parents today.  I took a nap after lunch.  Got the Apple TV going again.  I wanted to practice another hour or so, but didn't.  Too tired.

Day - 1719

Friday, April 12, 2019

Wow, heel is sore.  Not sure how badly I injured it.  I'll lay low for a week before getting back into league play.  I may have to cancel the rest of my league nights.

Stayed home and tried to catch up after practicing.  Concert in two days.  Dress rehearsal tomorrow morning.

Day - 1720

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Unfortunately, I tweaked my right heel tonight in league.  We'll see how quickly I rebound but I'm guessing it will take a while.  I only played five matches before stopping for the night.  Disappointing.  

Day - 1721

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Another evening of practice after work in preparation for Sunday's concert.  Busy weekend ahead.

Day - 1722

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Another very busy day at work.  Some days the flood gates open.  Practiced 30 minutes before our Tuesday night rehearsal at the Holy Names Performing Arts Center.  Rehearsal went well.  Still rough areas and the Wagner isn't clicking yet. 

Nicole's birthday today!  Happy Bday sweet niece!

Day - 1723

Monday, April 8, 2019

Another Monday morning.  I was sluggish at the gym and sluggish the rest of the day.  It was busy at work.  Earnings season is upon us again.  We'll see how my portfolio fares this quarter.  Practiced 90 minutes after work.  There are moments in the Debussy that are so beautiful. 

I love the spot from 7:50 to 8:20 in the first movement and 22:00 to 22:35 with the epic chord change in the third movement.  It's so beautiful and evocative of the sea.  This piece is so layered in its playfulness and creative uses of sound.  I've really come to admire it as one of the great achievements in music.  

Day - 1724

Sunday, April 7, 2019

We did manage a short bicycle ride in the afternoon after I practiced for two hours.  I've put a lot of time into this current concert and the results are beginning to pay off.  I feel I know most of the music and can play it all right.  The Wagner is still tough though because it's so fast. 

Today was relaxing and enjoyable.  I love these sorts of days.

Day - 1725

Saturday, April 6, 2019

It's nice to have a weekend with nothing scheduled.  Alice and I hung out at the house, planning Japan, ordering train tickets, setting up the Amazon Fire TV because the Apple TV wasn't working right.  All looks good now.  We watched two Somebody Feed Phil episodes and one Final Table featuring Narisawa, the Michelin star chef we'll visit in Japan.  It was rainy and cold today, so no bicycling.

Day - 1726

Friday, April 5, 2019

After work I practiced, did two loads of laundry, and cleaned.  I was in bed by 10.

Day - 1727

Thursday, April 4, 2019

First week of singles league play.  I was fired up for it, but played so-so.  My shots were too high and I lost games I couldn't close out.  Only two points out of first, but still.  I should play better next week.

No practice tonight.  Work was reasonable today.  I'm learning more about One Note, a great Microsoft program to stay organized and collect notes and screen shots.  Right now I'm using it for our Japan trip.

Day - 1728

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Rehearsal tonight at Holy Names University.  They have a nice little performing arts center.  It sounds good.  We rehearsed all three pieces.  It's coming along, but tempo of the Wagner is fast.  I'll do what I can with it. 

Came home and plowed through a Warriors game that I taped.  Warriors look good at the right time.

Day - 1729

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

So tired today...all day long.  I tried practicing after work, but couldn't do it.  After dinner, I went to sleep.  

Day - 1730

Monday, April 1, 2019

Tough getting up this morning.  Racquetball, work, practice, dinner, that's my Monday.

Day - 1731

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Checked out Peggy Guggenheim's Confessions of an Art Addict that Alice and I are reading.  I downloaded a copy on Kindle as well.  Went for a lovely bicycle ride in the afternoon.  Practiced two hours.  The notes are coming, but slowly.

Day - 1732

Saturday, March 30, 2019

After cleaning up the Airbnb, Alice and I drove to Fairfield for a day with Leo & Louanne. It was just the four of us.  Nice!  We heard all about their cruise to Southeast Asia and the family drama and conflicts centered around Sara and her kids.  Leo cooked steaks on the bbq and wow, delicious!

We played a simple card game after dinner that was fun. It's called 31.  You're dealt three cards.  Face cards are 10, aces are 11.  The object is to get 31 or as close to 31 with your three cards without going over, then knocking when you think you're hand isn't the farthest away from 31.  Two face cards and an ace is 31 and an immediate winner in this game. Everyone is given three chips.  In order for cards to tally, they have to be in the same suit.  So a hand with the 6 and 7 of clubs and ace of spaces is 13 points.  6, 7 and ace of same suit is 24 points.  When you knock, everyone else gets one turn.  A turn consists of drawing a card and discarding.  You can pick up the top discard if you want.  We had fun with it.  I like these simple card games.

Very nice day!

Day - 1733

Friday, March 29, 2019

Busy work day, then home to clean up.  No practicing today, even though I need it.

Day - 1734

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Full day of work, then practice afterward.