Percussion Concert 2011

Last night was Derek’s percussion ensemble concert. It’s always very entertaining and innovative. Below are the links in order to all the pieces. Feel free to look at what you like. The first and last ones were very entertaining. Rhythmic Jambalaya is a piece with Derek on marimba’s and one of his roommates on drum kit. I highly recommend that one. Tayipo is another piece that Derek does a lot with. A must see is the Award. It was a proud moment for us. Enjoy!

Primitive Music I

rock-fest for Four

Ostinato Pianissimo

The Banshee

Rhythmic Jambalaya (Another moment for Derek to shine)

Primitive Music II

Nude

Tayipo

The Award Please be sure to view all of this one.

Dream Chaser

African Welcome Piece

In the above piece Derek and some other kids start out off to the side that’s why when I pan around it’s dark. Unfortunately the camera couldn’t capture that.

The Caravan- May She RIP

I bet some of you were thinking I’d never part with my minivan. Let me tell you it was a very difficult decision. She was a faithful steed for 14 years, a great and comfy ride. I think her age was making us nervous and the thought that if we didn’t make a move soon we might not be able to with Derek thinking about going to grad school at the New England Conservatory in Boston. There was always the thought of putting money into an older vehicle was it really worth it. Anyway after a year of soul searching on and off we took the plunge. I am now the proud owner of a 2011 Honda CRV. It’s the EX-L model with all the bells and whistles accept the navigation system. The mileage is better which was a consideration in these times we live in. The color is called Urban Titanium. It also has intelligent 4 wheel drive which will come in handy if next winter is anything like the last one.

The Annual Burn

Last Saturday while I was working the boys did their annual thing. I guess it’s a guy thing. I never did get the fascination with burning. Above is the before and below Mark is posing to give scale to the picture. As a side note they started the fire old school. Greg had purchased some flint and they lit the pile without matches or any kind of accelerant. My cavemen…

Above right was a little patch of snow bravely trying to hang on.

Mark was very excited about the side rail extensions he purchased for his wagon. Their performance did not disappoint him.

This little patch of snow had his last day on April 11th. It amazes me how quickly it did go after how high the pile was. I was also amazed that the ‘broom’ plant behind it survived after being crushed and buried most of the winter.

Yes, it’s safe to say that spring is really here.

Spring is Here, isn’t it?

April 1st got the last laugh on us. We picked up almost 5 inches of heavy wet snow and made for a nasty drive to work at 5:20 a.m. I think nobody wanted to do any plowing at this late date.

As near as we can figure Joseph, our rabbit, is 9 years old. He seems to have gone into a different phase. He’s started chewing like crazy as seen above. He’s noshing on a small plant stand that Greg made years ago. It’s been in that spot as long as we’ve had Joseph and he’s never paid any attention to it. It’s going to need some serious refinishing. He’s also been hopping out front and nibbling on shoes. He spends most of his time out in the open now. In the evening he likes to hop up on the couch and be petted. I’m not sure what brought about all this change. Maybe it took him this long to finally decided we weren't going to hurt him.

Derek has been teaching Winter Percussion Marching Band at a nearby high school since January. When he interviewed for the job they thought he looked young but decided to take a chance on him because of how highly recommended he came to them. It paid off. The kids have been competing the last few weeks in Marching Band competitions. Last Saturday was the final event. His kids scored the highest that they ever have in the history of this group for the school. They didn’t win but they basked in a personal best.

The instructors were given sweatshirts and tee shirts.

The theme the group competed with was the music from the Magnificent Seven.

This job has been a great experience for Derek. He can be a very tough task master and has demanded excellence from his students. In return they have worked hard and come to respect him. They want him back next year and Derek is hoping he will be hired to run the fall Marching Band Percussion as well as the Winter Percussion group. The middle school band instructor has mentioned hiring him to teach percussion over the summer. Derek continues to be a member of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and Boston Civic Orchestra. They will be winding down the end of this month. The last 2 Sunday’s he’s been working with one of the women that hired him for the Marching Band group. She has a music studio and teaches flute. He has been working with some of her kids on rhythm things and really enjoys that. There are a lot of irons in the fire for him right now. I’ll keep you posted as things pan out. One more perk of this job has been a girlfriend. Leah taught the color guard so when they were at work they had to pretend nothing was going on. Some of the kids thought otherwise but they didn’t let on.

Catching Up

Last weekend was the full moon. This was a special one as it was supposed to be whiter, brighter and closer to the earth. The last time this happened was March of 1993. This moon was known as a Supermoon.

Last week was spring break for Derek and Em. 7 a.m. Sunday morning we drove Em to her boyfriend’s house on the south shore to catch a ride back to school. We have to drive through the city to get there. It was a clear morning; early on a Sunday is the time to go through Boston. I find cities interesting to visit, but wouldn’t want to live there.

The weekend was somewhat mild. I started riding my bike outside again. It will be a bit touch and go until the weather really cooperates. I rode Monday morning and by Monday afternoon it was snowing.

Cardinals look good no matter what the weather. Mark started back to work on Friday. Yesterday he came home for lunch and looked out back as a flock of wild turkeys were poking around. We counted 10 altogether.

There are five in this photo, can you find them?

They slowly made their way across the back yard scratching and pecking. Mark was having flashbacks to Thanksgiving…

We’re supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow over night. Winter isn’t ready to let go just yet.

Spring is in the Air

There are signs of spring everywhere I look.

The tree branch that fell during a storm has finally surface and been cut for burning.

Mark got the chain saw out and started cleaning up the winter damage.

The rack we got him for Christmas got installed along with the protective plastic covers for the edges of the bed.

I found little buds peeking out under the leaves.

The hawks have returned.

But the biggest sign of spring at our house is…

the bringing out the 4 wheelers. Mark lovingly cleans his up and gets it ready for a new season. Yes, spring is definitely in the air.

Bathroom Update

We’re slowly making progress in the kids/guest bathroom. We have completed the toilet upgrade and now have finished the new counter/sink/faucet upgrade. I think I must have been a crow in my past life because I love shiny, sparkly objects. I’ve always been a big fan of granite, it holds up very well over time and its beautiful with all it’s intricate grains. We’re still waiting to hear from our plumber so we can move forward with the shower portion of the remodel. Derek and Em start spring break on Friday, March 11th so we aren’t going to pursue anything until they resume classes.

Speaking of break, all this work has exhausted me and Joseph.