Thursday Morning, October 26

1) Of course Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head would be in the orange drawer. Where will Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head appear next?

2) Difficult not to be swamped with feelings of Unhappiness this morning with, among other things, the Eq****x scandal fallout, the national news, a fracas in a high school Fycebykke group I belong to (but I'm not involved in the fracas), and the resolution that I'm going to need to tell a volunteer some unvarnished truth about overanalysis.

This is the face of 2a, mercifully presented with the Elizabeth Taylor filter.

2a) You might say I'm stuck in the area of creative tension between wanting to remain dignified and reasoned and true to Etiquetteer's Perfect Propriety, and the growing urge to tell people to f*** off because they're such ignorant, selfish, unreasoning @$$holes. I don't like this place.

2b) "F*** you" never solved any arguments. It just didn't.

3) There are several Scorpios in the office, and Tuesday after our team meeting there was a lovely cake for us, and cannolis, and birthday cards, and I could feel myself smile a mile wide.

Tuesday Morning, October 24

1) Sadly for me, for the last few days my musical obsession has been the operatic aria Susan Alexander Kane sings so badly in Citizen Kane. Lord knows I love the overdone, heavily freighted with gold curlicues and bead fringe, and I love Florence Foster Jenkins, but I need to shake this thing.

2) Needing to get more comfortable with uncomfortable conversations.

3) I do seem to be recommending Henry Beston's Herbs and the Earth to everyone these days.

Monday Morning, October 23

1) Wonderful night's sleep - first from 7:45 PM - 1:45 AM (!), and then from 4 - 7 AM.

1a) But awakened by a rather disturbing dream about 6:30: I was arriving at a train station to get my train; the platform was outdoors. I saw a train go by me toward the station, and then a runaway freight car all by itself. I was afraid it was going to run into the first train, but it turned on a track just before it might have hit it, and then fell over and broke apart. Workmen began running toward it, including one of them running on the tracks - and you guessed it, then my train appeared, speeding more quickly than either the first train or the runaway freight car. The train passed me on the platform, speeding toward the workmen. Oddly it now seemed that more men were running on the tracks now. I called out "Stop running on the tracks!" as the train overtook them, seeming to ride over a gigantic pile of men.

2) Citizen Kane and The Devil Wears Prada.

3) OK, let's go out and conquer the week!

Saturday Morning, October 21

1) Up at 6 AM for the 7 AM arrival of the furnace man. He departed at 7:42 AM, and I now have heat for the winter.

2) Jonathan and Darlene Edwards.

3) Where will Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head appear next? Perhaps in a Kehinde Wiley painting . . .

Friday, October 20

1) The nice furnace man arrived at 7:15 AM, and after installing the new motor, found out that the control board or something was also totally fried. So he'll be back tomorrow at 7 AM.

2) Vigorously busy work-at-home day. The time has flown!

3) Someone has posted a video on ye Fycebykke of my coffeehouse performance at last weekend's reunion. I confess quite frankly that I'm afraid to watch it!

Thursday, October 19

1) Happy birthday Grampa, happy birthday Cousin Susan! Grampa died in 1974, and Susan only last year. Each of them taught me a lot, in their own ways. Rest in peace.

2) Coffee and devotional in the . . . shucks, do I call it the study, the studio, the guest room? I think I will have to call it the gray room. The room's color remains the same no matter the function.

2a) This morning it was "On Reason and Passion" and "On Pain" from Gibran's The Prophet.

3) Listening to the off-to-school tumult on parents and children in the front stairwell, I think about the Last Roommate and how difficult that was for him; his daily routine was almost the complete opposite of everyone else in the building, including me, and he was very sensitive to noise. I feel sure that, wherever he is, he's in a more suitable environment now.

Wednesday, October 18

1) I forgot to mention that Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head made some new friends last week.

2) A two-hour thirty-three minute phone conversation was the nicest part of my day.

3) Tonight's audio/visual wallpaper has been "The Kingdom of the Shades" from La Bayadère:

Balanchine may have called the music of Ludwig Minkus "beer hall music," but I am unashamed to admit I love it.

Here the role of Nikiya is danced by the great Soviet prima ballerina Natalia Dudinskaya; it appears this role was the greatest of her career. Sixty years after this was filmed, I saw La Dudinskaya as a somnolent octogenarian in an acrylic Icelandic sweater, setting this ballet on the Company. And that showed me how tough a dancer's life can be.

Tuesday, October 17

1) Back to cold domesticity. Informal condo meeting late last night to evaluate proposals to repair, cap, and line our two chimneys. I didn't really know we had chimneys, LOL, but we all became aware of them a couple months ago when a squirrel used one somehow to get into a closet on the second floor. Oops!

2) Continuing the 2017 sub-theme of Systems Repair, I have no heat until Friday, when the Nice Furnace Man comes to install a new motor or something into my HVAC.

3) Starting two days of intense activity at the office, including volunteer committee meetings and training webinars. I tremble to think what my inbox looks like.

Sunday, October 15 - Interlochen 35th Reunion, Day Last

1) Throughout the night I heard the sound of wind and breeze, so much so that I was surprised how warm it was when I stepped out early in the morning.

2) In a development that will surprise no one who knows me, I was the very first person in the cafeteria. As Spring Byington famously said in Jezebel, "Punctuality is the politeness of kings, I always say." Also, coffee. Also, the internet.

3) Others drifted in, as they do, and we had good informal talk and joshing.

4) I recognized one of the - how shall I say this? - elderly ladies who had performed at the coffeehouse, and I both thanked her for performing and congratulated her on her performance. (The ovation she got was remarkable and earned.) It was a wonderful opportunity for me to hear about the - how shall I say this? - informal verging on rowdy atmosphere of coffeehouse vs. the more formal, recital-based atmosphere of student activities in the 1960s. And it made me reflect that, as students, coffeehouse concerns only one generation and its needs and likes; but alumni coffeehouse must take into account multiple generations - and sometimes those needs oppose each other.

5) Suddenly, it was 9:15! Time to haul ass to the memorial service. (Spin the GTS Wheel and you get "I've gotta motor or I'll miss that funeral."

6) En route through the concourse, I overtook a group from the 1960s, including a man who was asking how Lois G****w died. "Oh, she drowned!" I chimed in. "We were told she drowned at Camp back in the 1930s. When we were students they actually found the original dedication plaque and mounted it inside the theatre. I remember it said 'to enrich America musically.'" Well, it was like I'd given this guy the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. And that led to more questions at which I was at a loss to answer. I hope he reaches out to Byron, since he's been our official archivist now for so many years.

7) The service was sensitively done, and included two organists from the Class of 2019 - including, I was surprised to see, a girl. (Why is it that there are so few women organists?) And she was wearing metallic gold leather organ shoes . . .

When the chapel was renovated a few years ago, they updated the organ ranks.

8) M***** Jacobi, the daughter of the man who was president when I was a student, is actually a pastor, and she was invited to preside over the service. I was so very impressed with what she had to say. A good blend of readings and music (though I'll confess to being surprised by the inclusion of "What I Did For Love") and I wish more people had been there. They didn't read the names - but alas, that list is already very long and is only going to grow. (And we don't read the names at the MIT service, either.)

9) Next stop, Corson, for the alumni panel, which included a NASA scientist, a man working on international literacy for USAID, and a transgender pianist now writing for television. Gives you an idea of the breadth of our community - something we don't often consider. The panel used the pechakucha format - 20 images put on a screen for 20 seconds each as they narrate live - which was unfamiliar for me.

10) During the Q&A, the faculty moderator said something about the Academy schedule and how scheduled the students are. "Some of the residence life staff say 'There are four hours when we don't know what they're doing!" And when I raised my hand and was called on I said "I just want to encourage the faculty and staff to LIIIIIIGHTEN UP! Unstructured time is necessary for the creative mind!" And that got some applause.

11) En route to the farewell luncheon, I ended up falling in with some folks who'd performed at coffeehouse and had what I'd describe as an enthusiastic exchange of ideas.

12) Farewell luncheon in the gym. In little early '80s group someone brought up "How did you get to Interlochen? Were you involved in the process?" And it didn't happen the same way for any of us. I told of the story of my dad finding the ad in Natl. Geographic again. Others had had IAA recommended by teachers or neighbors, or had heard about it themselves and did all the work themselves to get here.

13) Nice farewell remarks from the new president, and another good opportunity to talk with him and his wife. He's the right one to lead us now.

14) Lots of hugs, lots of promises to be in touch - like every reunion.

15) And then packing and a very necessary 40-minute NAP in my remote, musty cabin. The alarm brought me to at 3 PM, and I sleepily dashed over to Stone to have some time by the lake to myself.

Not the greatest picture, but accurately reflects my mood at having to leave.

16) And then surprise, an impromptu Alumni Council reunion! To my surprise and delight, my friend Paula was passing through, and she and I and Robert and Brian got to catch up on many things. That was really special, just sitting around in Stone on those characterless (but admittedly comfortable) blue sofas.

17) The time came to leave, and I had serious confusion when the nice lady at the Stone desk said to go to "the yellow poles by the welcome center." "Welcome Center? What welcome center?" "It's by the entrance." "Which entrance?" And on and on . . . she had to get out a map and show me, and it's a new building. And if she'd said "By the Whippy Dip" I'd've known exactly what she was talking about. I guess I feel old now.

18) Me and two other alumni in the crotchie van. And we saw a rainbow many times on the way! A good omen, we all decided. And that's the happy ending of a memorable, sometimes bittersweet weekend.

This photo does not even begin to suggest how beautiful it really was.

POSTSCRIPT: My departing flight was three hours late leaving, so that I missed my connection, stayed overnight in Chicago for a total of four hours, got on the first flight back to Boston, and was inside my home just before 11 AM. And, as I often point out, "If that's the worst thing to happen, I'm doin' great." :-)

Saturday, October 14 - Interlochen 35th Reunion Day Two, Part II: Coffeehouse!

1) I went to Fine Arts an hour early to check out the setup - unsurprisingly I was the first. Instead of the usual, with all chairs facing the long wall in long rows, the performance area was set up in the front corner between the two entrances, with chairs in curved rows two-third back, and high-top tables for standees. I knew instantly that more chairs would be needed! They were not forthcoming.

2) I spent the rest of the time chatting with the staff and observing attempts at mitigating the harsh fluorescent lighting. I witnessed much discussion about theatre lighting that used to be in the building. Eventually the 1990s alumni running coffeehouse borrowed three floor lamps and set them among the piano and microphones. No other lighting, the rest of the room in darkness. Not great for lighting people, but for me it became like that warm special corner of the living room.

3) The crowds kept coming in, and I could see anxiety on faces about finding a seat, a place, a space, and friends. And then the lights went down and coffeehouse was launched. Throughout the night I recognized silhouettes across the room waiting at and outside the door, hoping to get in, to experience even a part of coffeehouse from where they were.

4) No run of show was posted in advance. The alumni hosts would pull four names from a hat at a time, and then announce the running order. Because I was obsessing about my script a teeny bit, I had to remind myself a couple times to be in the moment and just set aside my thoughts to experience what was happening.

5) And we had it all: original compositions, Cole Porter, “Sempre liberá,” poems, Rachmaninoff preludes, thinly fictionalized memoirs of school days, jazz, songs about Interlochen, and almost all of them preceded by statements about why Interlochen, why being back at Interlochen, why Interlochen friends and friendships were so important. More than once I felt that 100 very special people were missing this meaningful night; but I felt them all there.

6) Everyone had been given seven minutes, and as usual, everyone ignored the time limit until the hosts pointed out that we’d gone through half the time and only eight of 35 performers had performed.

7) So when my name was called, I approached the stage without nerves and went straight for one of those lamps, to turn it in the direction of the microphone. “I have not come all this way,” I said, “not to be in the spotlight.” Knowing that we were pressed for time, I dropped How to Decline a Marriage Proposal Made in Public (though that name got a big laugh). My other material was received well, I think, but I had to remember more and more that coffeehouse is not about presenting finished, polished work (necessarily).

8) The warm dark was more comfortable after I was done, and the beauty of the night continued until just after 11 PM. As a surprise, the hosts announced “We’ve heard from all generations tonight: the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, the 90s, the 2000s, but we haven’t heard from the teens.” And he brought up a 2013 graduate, a young woman in a pale leather jacket with a flute, who’s just released her first big band homage album. She sang one song from the album, “Be Mine,” and just - well, I could only think of Ella Fitzgerald. A fantastic close to a very meaningful night.

9) Then the fluorescents came up, and the evening ended in a hubbub of conversation and congratulations. I told that young singer how impressed I was, and she gave me a CD of her album! I got, and gave, some nice comments, and headed off in the rain. I hadn’t heard about, or organized, any late night shenanigans, and was content to go back to my cabin and sleep. But I suspect some shenanigans are taking place, and heartily approve!

10) Checking into Stone lobby briefly to look at email, I learned others had a - how shall I say this? - a less positive coffeehouse experience. A friend who graduated in the charter class, and a friend of hers, were sorry they couldn’t stay to hear my turn, but they could neither see nor hear standing at the back of the room, nor could my friend stand for very long at her age. Her friend commented “Us old folks all having to stand up, and these young people sitting down. You’d think they’d be more deferential.” “They weren’t brought up to it,” I replied. She was really put out by it. I know I will be when I get to be her age, too. As students, there’s only one generation to think about when having a coffeehouse: one’s own. A multi-generational coffeehouse needs some consideration for the aged.

Saturday, October 14 - Interlochen 35th Reunion, Day Two, Part I

1) I dreamt that my head was sticking out the end of my father's bed (he was not in it). I don't remember what else was going on, but my mother came into the room, appearing as she did when I was a child: smiling, dark hair. I was so glad to see her! It was a nice way to wake up.

2) 'Twas dark, and I was surprised when I saw 7:24 AM on the clock. OMG, I didn't want to miss breakfast!

3) Put myself together and was thrilled to encounter a schoolmate, Krista, just outside Stone. A small group assembled in Stone for coffee and baked goods with Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head. And good catch-up talk.

You cannot get to Thor Johnson from Stone any more. It's been walled up!

4) The new president made an official welcome to the entire alumni community at Corson at 10 AM, and I think he made a good impression. The audience was certainly enthusiastic! Before he arrived, I made sure that Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head had a photo op on stage.

5) Then the hilarity and chaos of a group photo call for all alumni in the Bowl, grouped by decade. This was made more hilarious and chaotic by friends seeing each other for the first time, sometimes in years. Certainly I was delighted to run into Christina and Brahim, and a few others. One of the alumnae running the photo call finally gave up and said into the bullhorn "I'm tired." This earned a huge round of applause! I can't wait to see the photos.

Roommates!

6) Roommate Ed and his wife and I ambled down to the lake and chatted a bit. Sunny, and very beautiful. Whatever they do to the lakefront, the lake itself doesn't change.

7) I hadn't realized that I would actually have to go inside the new gym, but that's where they were serving our brunch. As everyone knows, I am ambivalent about Interlochen even having a gym, much less such a nice one. I came here to get away from all that! But it can't be denied that it's a beautiful facility. 

The gym lobby. Lee Dennison, may she rest in peace, was a lovely, lovely person, and this is undoubtedly a solid tribute to her.

They have a rock wall in the new gym.

8) And they gave us a very good, tasty brunch! Eggs, salad, sausage, chicken, grilled veggies, all sorts of good things.

Gym brunch.

9) Long tables stretched the length of the room, and I was very surprised to see my old Russian Lit teacher Mrs. Garside sitting across from me! Almost the first thing I said was "I never did finish reading The Brothers Karamazov!" Lunch was really nice, lots of good talk, remembrances, photos - all the things you expect from a reunion.

Mrs. Garside!

10) After changing into my suit (I have to wear it for my turn as Etiquetteer during coffeehouse tonight) I was bused over to Norpines, the home of the president, for a donor reception. They've redecorated - lots of white, including a cape made of white feathers on a mannequin in the dining room, wonderful student artwork - and it contributes to the impression forming that Interlochen is beginning a new, more welcoming era. 

11) I gave myself a gold star for drinking red wine on a new white sofa, and not spilling a drop.

Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head made some new friends at Norpines.

12) The weather turned to rain, so I'm glad I brought my umbrella. After the reception, I ended up in Apollo to use the internet. The bonus was getting to talk to a couple of the staff, who have been great putting this whole weekend together.

13) And then reviewing my script for coffeehouse. At least three people have said "Can't wait to hear you sing!" They will be in for a disappointment. Editing, editing . . .

14) . . . and more editing over dinner at Stone: chicken tenders, tater tots, corn on the cob, and salad. It's like I'm still a student.

15) Then it really started raining, and I just decided to hunker down in the lobby of Stone to read the news and catch up on ye Fycebkke. So disturbing how President Trump is remaking the judiciary with so many conservative appointments . . .

To be continued . . .

Friday, October 13 - Interlochen 35th Reunion, Day One

1) All that’s worth recording of my journey is that the car service did arrive just before 3 AM, my flights were uneventful, and I spent about 30 minutes of my layover in O’Hare on the phone with Mother. I called her because it was Daddy’s birthday, our first without him.

2) Crotchie van (I continue to call it the crotchie van) collected me and three women, all attending the reunion. They had not been back to campus in longer than I.

3) The first surprise was that the entrance to Stone has been remodeled to include a glassed-in wheelchair ramp. The second was that the lobby of Stone has been refurnished. Gone all the lumbery sofas, gone the wooden lamp with a drawer (in which there was a lot of graffiti). Now there’s a flock of navy blue sofas, very conservative, very unimaginative, very characterless. But I suppose they're comfortable.

4) Once I got my key to my cabin, I headed over to Apollo Hall to check in - and the very first person I saw there was my wonderful friend Ellen from Alumni Board days! We hadn’t seen each other in at least three years. Merriment ensued.

5) My cabin is in the back of beyond of Penn Colony, which is OK - except that it’s just out of range of the internet. But the idea of staying off campus is unthinkable for me (as I don't want to be bothered with a car), so I suck it up.

6) I don’t know if I slept or just rested, but I necessarily remained in bed for a couple hours to restore myself. I can't get around on three hours of sleep the way I never could when I was younger anyway. :-) I don’t know when they replaced all the beds in these cabins, but I’m really glad they did.

7) I’d been invited to a meeting with the new president over at Mallory-Towsley (the adult education building, which was opened . . . wow, almost ten years ago!) I went over a bit early to use the internet and discovered they'd added a couple large spaces in the back.

8) The meeting was good. About two dozen volunteers, mostly former but some current, and a couple staff. Age ranged from an alumna who graduated in one of the very first Academy classes in the 1960s to young woman who graduated only last year. So many good, constructive thoughts - and a deadline: the centennial of the Camp in 2029. We have twelve years . . .

8a) So, the new president. When I was active as a volunteer over five years ago I'd had to say to a lot of people "[Insert Name of Most Recent Past President Here]'s relationship with Interlochen will end when he leaves. Ours is enduring, and our time will come." And that time is now. The new president recognizes that healing needs to take place, and that we need to move forward as a community, not as an autocracy. I am very encouraged.

9) Over to Stone for dinner, but I thought I would first go down to the lake, and then I got the biggest shock of the day. That rocky staircase, the one I ran down at top speed as a student but more sedately now - that staircase is gone! The entire waterfront has undergone a change that I can only describe as an abortion. (The motivation behind the change was handicapped accessibility, which is of course necessary and laudable - but there are ways and ways of making something happen.) An entire stand of trees has been taken down for what I can only assume is the Distinctly Middle-Class need for an unimpeded water view. The campus is losing its rustic authenticity.

9a) Now I am not one of Those People who believe that nothing must ever ever EVER change at Interlochen. As I've pointed out many times before, things embedded in amber are beautiful, but they're dead.

10) Then I walked into the cafeteria, and became completely disoriented. The old cafeteria lines are gone! All the seating has changed! I’m so confused . . . but the best of this is that that VILE dish room has disappeared and people can put their dishes on a conveyor belt.

11) I dined with David, the one other classmate I’d been able to find, but we were both so concentrated on talking I didn’t really eat enough. And then I rushed back to my cabin to drop off a couple things, and head to Corson for the orchestra concert.

12) Wonderful program of Prokofiev (Romeo and Juliet), Debussy (one movement of La Mer), and Stravinsky (selections from the Firebird). The conductor’s Traditional Conductor Hair (short in back, long and swept back in front so that it can fall forward during conducting and then be pushed back) was topped only by one of the violinists, who clearly borrowed Sergei Eisenstein’s hair and put it through the fluff and dry.

13) There’s still very little as exciting as walking into the Corson as the orchestra is warming up, and seeing all the students coming in late to cheer their friends. I was reminded of a concert from my senior year when Byron Hanson was conducting. R***** P******, arriving late, clonked on her wooden clogs to her seat in the exact center of a long row, causing Byron to turn full around on the podium and glare.

14) After the concert, feeling hangry, hotfooted it over to Fine Arts for the dessert reception. Delighted to see my junior year roommate Ed, and friends from other classes (almost no one from ’82 is coming this year), and felt like I needed more than dessert.

15) So off to the Whippy Dip (now more generally known as the Melody Freeze or the Mo Fro) to wait in line forever for a couple slices of pizza, feeling impossibly old and gawky surrounded by all those students.

16) A walk down the concourse shows that the display cases have almost all changed, and that that padded bed-like alcove near JVS has been replaced with a more traditional bench. I can't imagine why . . .

17) So this reunion is starting a little differently for me: enjoying many conversations hopeful for the future of the school under its new leader, but grappling with unhappy changes to the physical plant and the absence of many people I love.

Thursday Night, October 12

1) Where will Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head appear next?

Do you think maybe Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head has fear of flying?

2) You know, after my "own your homophobia"post on ye Fycebykke this afternoon, a colleague actually checked in to be sure I was OK. And I am, thanks, and that was very sweet to do.

3) I often put on a movie as a/v wallpaper while I'm puttering around the house. Searching for something watch while packing I stumbled on the exactly right film for the night before my 35thhigh school reunion: Xanadu, my favorite film of 1980 until I got to Interlochen and was taught that disco was bad.

3a) *snicker* And that yellow rayon shirt with the black piping and shoulder pads still fits and I am totally bringing it.

3b) Poor Olivia Newton-John, poor Gene Kelly!

4) The worst thing that can happen is that the car service is late and I miss my flight.

Thursday Morning, October 12

1) Awake, and up, very early after a night of relatively heavy sleep (but not enough), facing for the first time the enormity of returning to Interlochen tomorrow for my 35th high school reunion. I haven't packed, my flight leaves at 5:00 AM (oops!), the forecast calls for rain all weekend long (but forecasts change), I haven't been back for four years, and I signed up to perform at coffeehouse for the first time since I graduated.

1a) And did I mention I don't have a pair of blue corduroys?

2) Thoughts of what I need to accomplish at the office today, the extreme goodness of the first sip of coffee this morning, the welcome surprise of a dish of lamb cassoulet on my doorstep when I got home last night from the awards program (part of my sharing economy with the third floor neighbors). 

3) Systems failure/repair is sort of a minor theme of 2017. Issues with teeth, feet, HVAC, phone (I very much fear I'm going to have to get a smartphone), and now the chimneys (surprise!) all demand attention. Exasperating as some of these things can be, I am grateful for the ability to handle them.

Wednesday Morning, October 11

Today will be a day somewhat outside the routine:

1) How delightful to welcome a seldom-seen friend for dining room coffee at 7 AM - the most convenient time for us to hand off materials for a project. Just . . . yay!

2) This morning we have an all-staff breakfast meeting. I won't actually get to my desk until after 11 AM . . . and then I host a webinar at noon.

2a) With this particular group, I swear I'm gonna have to teach them all Webex first and then teach them how to use the software . . .

3) Tonight I emcee the HistoryMaker Awards for the fourth year running. It's great to be asked, and I really look forward to seeing everybody tonight.

Columbus Day Evening, October 9

1) Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head meets the Swarm:

1a) Where will Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head appear next?!

2) "All the sweet green icing flowing down . . . "

3) It's so unimaginative to observe how hot and humid the weather is today, but that hot, humid weather has affected everything thing I've done.

Columbus Day Morning, October 9

1) Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head helped out Etiquetteer this morning on a special project.

2) I have to say, it feels good to stop contemplating and actually do something.

3) On unscheduled days (which this is), my feelings of productivity are directly related to what or how much I accomplish before noon. Today feels good.

Sunday, October 8

1) One of those very very rare days when I open all the windows in every room.

2) With my back porch coffee and The Happiness Project came the realization that an engagement planned for today with someone I met a month ago would not take place. I tried not to let that knowledge impact the rest of my day, but it did form a minor undercurrent, like a thin dark line just under the horizon.

2a) Yes, I did post about that on Fycebykke, and it was great to feel supported by friends.

3) It felt good to write and publish a column - I do think I do my best work when I get questions from other people - and correspond with some folks, and handle some housework.

4) The T*** and C****** horoscope indicates issues in both my Scorpio and Libra from October 8-11. So I'm gonna try to lie low . . .

5) Mother called this evening - she and I have talked almost daily for the last week, each of us calling the other - with some nice stories.

6) There's really almost nothing like the car chase in Foul Play to improve one's move - "Kojak! Bang bang!" - and all the delicious absurdity of that movie. And I still love Manilow's "Ready to Take a Chance Again."

Saturday, October 7

1) After a late start, off to the Athenaeum to return a book.

2) Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head came out with me today, which led to a pleasant conversation with a young woman on the third floor.

3) Then to Boston Common - it was a beautiful day! - to grab a sandwich at Earl of Sandwich (housed in the old gentleman's convenience designed and promoted by Charles H. Gibson, Jr. of the Gibson House), and sit outside reading The Happiness Project, observing the passing throng, the loud rock band to which few were paying attention, and the faint evidence of an herbal aroma.

4) With time to spare before my next engagement, I ambled over to Brattle Books. After 30 years of browsing through used bookstores, it's inevitable that I'll find copies of books I already own, in this case Madame Curie and the Norwich history of Venice I just finished. And then that rare and beautiful thing happened: I went to search for a specfic book and it was there.

5) Pleasantly surprised by a phone call from one of the Bestest Friends Ever, and I spent around half an hour sitting on the Common catching up. Best impromptu moment of the day.

6) Walking to the T station, a woman wearing a T-shrt that read "Espresso Then Prosecco." And I remembered an old National Lampoon photo cartoon with the punch line "I've drugged myself into complete sobriety!"

7) By this time I was starting to drift into sleep - which is very bad when you are on public transportation on the way to meet a friend at a museum to look at art. But I started reviving when I walked into the MFA and, while I was early, my friend was earlier. :-)

8) We'd chosen the MFA for our rendezvous in part because I hadn't been in six months. And quite a bit has changed in those six months. We took in the special exhibitions first: a show of two Japanese woodblock artists, "Showdown! Kuniyoshi vs. Kunisada," which was quite interesting. Ghosts and goblins, legends, actors, beautiful women, and even, discreetly behind a screen, a small cabinet of erotic books.

Detail of In the Ruined Palace of Soma, Masakado's Daughter Takiyasha Used Corcery to Gather Allies . . . " from about 1844.

8a) But oy, every illustration includes about five incomprehensible Japanese names. When I was in fourth grade - fourth grade! - Daddy gave me Tolstoy's War and Peace to read. I gave up after one page, because the Russian names were just too much to deal with. (I don't think he'd ever read it himself.)

8b) And a gallery of the 11 canvases the MFA owns by Mark Rothko. Now of coure my first reaction to Rothko was "These are just big paint chips! All we need to do is add the Pantone number in the corner." But that isn't quite true; his paintings need to be approached with more subtlety, and are almost better as objects of meditation than as paintings.

My favorite of the Rothkos. Unsurprisingly, it's orange.

9) We did a circuit of the other galleries, noting where things had been moved or substituted and remembering how uninspired and dusty the MFA appeared 35 years ago, finishing up with a beautiful exhibition in the jewelry gallery.

Sharpest photo I could manage of a stunning Cartier pendant.

10) Drinks and impromptu dinner at B-Jo. I'm often interested in trying a new cocktail with rye in it, and lit on the "Noel en eté" on the bar menu. Strong and sharp as a drawn sword at the beginning and garnished with a sprig of rosemary, it makes you want to nurse it along for awhile.

11) Groceries, and then home. Wonderful to shake up the routine with a day off almost completely spent out of the house.

Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head!

Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head visits the steps of the Province House, no doubt to pay homage to Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Where will Weeping Baby Pumpkin Head appear next!