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Dec. 20th, 2008 11:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hermionesviolinHai, 12 hours of sleep! I went to bed at like 8:20pm. I woke up at 6:13 (about when I normally get up during the week) and opted to not get up just yet. My alarm was set for 8, and I ultimately got up a little before 8:30.
It was still flurrying out, and weather.com said 13F, feels like -3F (8:25am). (Predicted high for today: 23F.) That seemed a bit cold even for me. My concessions to the cold were: a sweatshirt instead of a knit top, thick socks inside my boots, and gloves in the pockets. I was expecting to feel underdressed, but I was actually mostly fine (I left my house around 10am). I was a little dizzy leaving my house intitially because the snow on our porch/steps was mostly untouched, but my walk to Davis T is mostly past Tufts campus, so the sidewalks were mostly reasonably cleared, which, yay.
***
I called Terry when I got in to Norwood and said, "I'm at Norwood Central T Station and I would like you to come pick me up and take me to lunch. Does that work for you?" and he said, "Uh, I'll be there in five minutes," in a tone which suggested it would not be a quick five minutes -- but after 15 minutes of walking in place and singing doxologies and "Abide With Me" and "Amazing Grace" to myself, I called him and said, "Should I just meet you at the restaurant? Would that be easier for you?" He said, "No, no, I'm almost there; I'm at the post office." He was taken aback when he picked me up, asked "Is that all you're wearing?" I said I was fine, that I had dressed appropriately for what I had expected, but that 15 minutes outside I was getting kinda cold and bored and I had to pee. He thought the little building by the train station was still open to the public (it hasn't been for years).
We always go to lunch at the same place, and one of the staff members, José, knows Terry from when they both used to work at the Ground Round. Last time we were there, when José came over to say hi to Terry, Terry introduced us. Today when he came over to say hi, Terry introduced us and José was like, "We've already met," and I was like, "Yeah." After José left, Terry said that the last time he was in here by himself, José had asked, "Where's your girlfriend?" and Terry said, "She's not my girlfriend," and José asked, "Are you sure?" and Terry said, "Yeah I'm sure." He also told me that he had "fibbed" and told him that I was married. To his credit, he immediately said something like, "Of course, I'm married..." I was like, "Yeah..."
At one point, he asked what I was doing after lunch and I said I was gonna help my grandma wrap Christmas presents and he asked where she lives and I said the housing complex by Norwood Depot and he said, "Hill Street?" and I said yeah and he said, "I lived there [crashing with a friend for a few months] when I first moved to Norwood ... 23 years ago." I said, "Wow, doing the math is weird; I was 2 then." (He was 18.) He looked horrified and told me to never say (things like) that again.
He said he could take extra time for lunch 'cause he got overtime for coming in early today to help clear the snow (they closed at 3:30 yesterday) except he couldn't today because it was still snowing (albeit only flurrying) so he was obliged to stay on-site and "keep an eye on the walkways." I said I wanted to have lunch some time while I was off for winter break anyway (he's working days Christmas Eve through the day after New Year's) so we agreed that we'd make lunch plans for some day that it's not snowing :)
***
I wrapped Christmas presents for my grandma and listened to her talk incessantly and played three rounds of Upwords and did not die (nor kill).
I got the 5:07 (which was about ten minutes late, maybe more) train back into South Station. I was a wimp and T-ed it to Govt. Ctr. As I was walking through City Hall Plaza, a woman said my full name and I stopped and turned -- and didn't recognize her at all. It was Alaina. She said to tell my parents she says hi :)
***
The Back Bay Chorale's "An 18th-Century Christmas."
The Great Hall at Fanueil Hall is small enough that I don't think there are really particularly bad seats, and I didn't really need to have sprung for Premium seats, but whatever -- my gift to the arts or whatever. (I think the chairs are uncomfortable, though.)
The conductor (Scott Allen Jarrett) said, "If you know of any Baroque Christmas music that we're not doing, let me know and I'll be sure to include it in a future program."
In the "Rejoice greatly" [Messiah], the Soprano sings a like 10-measure "Rejoice" (twice). Wow! (There's a long "Jauchzet" in Bach's "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen," too, but the "Rejoice" was far more impressive to me.) I actually wish that that section ended with the "He shall speak peace" where the orchestra fades out and the soprano sings the word "peace" unaccompanied.
Before the last piece of the first segment, the conductor said, "And as the angels said... we will end the first portion of our program with 'Dona nobis pacem' from Bach's Mass in B Minor, one of the greatest pieces ever written." I was like, "Wow, way to set a high bar for your performers."
After the sing-along (for which we all stood) was the closing piece, the "Hallelujah" from Messiah, and I was expecting to stay standing (yes, I've been to the Handel and Haydn Society's performance of Messiah for what, three years in a row?), but it seemed like everyone was sitting down, so I did, but some people stayed standing, so I stood back up.
[Addendum: I neglected to mention that the sing-along included three verses of "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and when we hit the refrain the second time, I was really struck by the "O come let us adore him" -- in part because of the shift to softer and sort of more intimate from more energetic, and also because it's this really evocative idea, this deep desire to adore/worship.]
***
Walking back from Fanueil Hall, there was a guy playing trumpet really pretty. I had no bills smaller than a twenty, so I just gave him all the change I had (which unfortunately was like 57 cents).
When I was walking home past Powder House Park a little before 10:30, people were sledding.
My housemate renewed her Hollywood Video membership (and added my name -- yay) today and rented Ocean's Eleven and Goodfellas -- "Now I wanna go to Vegas and shoot people," she said.
It was still flurrying out, and weather.com said 13F, feels like -3F (8:25am). (Predicted high for today: 23F.) That seemed a bit cold even for me. My concessions to the cold were: a sweatshirt instead of a knit top, thick socks inside my boots, and gloves in the pockets. I was expecting to feel underdressed, but I was actually mostly fine (I left my house around 10am). I was a little dizzy leaving my house intitially because the snow on our porch/steps was mostly untouched, but my walk to Davis T is mostly past Tufts campus, so the sidewalks were mostly reasonably cleared, which, yay.
***
I called Terry when I got in to Norwood and said, "I'm at Norwood Central T Station and I would like you to come pick me up and take me to lunch. Does that work for you?" and he said, "Uh, I'll be there in five minutes," in a tone which suggested it would not be a quick five minutes -- but after 15 minutes of walking in place and singing doxologies and "Abide With Me" and "Amazing Grace" to myself, I called him and said, "Should I just meet you at the restaurant? Would that be easier for you?" He said, "No, no, I'm almost there; I'm at the post office." He was taken aback when he picked me up, asked "Is that all you're wearing?" I said I was fine, that I had dressed appropriately for what I had expected, but that 15 minutes outside I was getting kinda cold and bored and I had to pee. He thought the little building by the train station was still open to the public (it hasn't been for years).
We always go to lunch at the same place, and one of the staff members, José, knows Terry from when they both used to work at the Ground Round. Last time we were there, when José came over to say hi to Terry, Terry introduced us. Today when he came over to say hi, Terry introduced us and José was like, "We've already met," and I was like, "Yeah." After José left, Terry said that the last time he was in here by himself, José had asked, "Where's your girlfriend?" and Terry said, "She's not my girlfriend," and José asked, "Are you sure?" and Terry said, "Yeah I'm sure." He also told me that he had "fibbed" and told him that I was married. To his credit, he immediately said something like, "Of course, I'm married..." I was like, "Yeah..."
At one point, he asked what I was doing after lunch and I said I was gonna help my grandma wrap Christmas presents and he asked where she lives and I said the housing complex by Norwood Depot and he said, "Hill Street?" and I said yeah and he said, "I lived there [crashing with a friend for a few months] when I first moved to Norwood ... 23 years ago." I said, "Wow, doing the math is weird; I was 2 then." (He was 18.) He looked horrified and told me to never say (things like) that again.
He said he could take extra time for lunch 'cause he got overtime for coming in early today to help clear the snow (they closed at 3:30 yesterday) except he couldn't today because it was still snowing (albeit only flurrying) so he was obliged to stay on-site and "keep an eye on the walkways." I said I wanted to have lunch some time while I was off for winter break anyway (he's working days Christmas Eve through the day after New Year's) so we agreed that we'd make lunch plans for some day that it's not snowing :)
***
I wrapped Christmas presents for my grandma and listened to her talk incessantly and played three rounds of Upwords and did not die (nor kill).
I got the 5:07 (which was about ten minutes late, maybe more) train back into South Station. I was a wimp and T-ed it to Govt. Ctr. As I was walking through City Hall Plaza, a woman said my full name and I stopped and turned -- and didn't recognize her at all. It was Alaina. She said to tell my parents she says hi :)
***
The Back Bay Chorale's "An 18th-Century Christmas."
The Great Hall at Fanueil Hall is small enough that I don't think there are really particularly bad seats, and I didn't really need to have sprung for Premium seats, but whatever -- my gift to the arts or whatever. (I think the chairs are uncomfortable, though.)
The conductor (Scott Allen Jarrett) said, "If you know of any Baroque Christmas music that we're not doing, let me know and I'll be sure to include it in a future program."
In the "Rejoice greatly" [Messiah], the Soprano sings a like 10-measure "Rejoice" (twice). Wow! (There's a long "Jauchzet" in Bach's "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen," too, but the "Rejoice" was far more impressive to me.) I actually wish that that section ended with the "He shall speak peace" where the orchestra fades out and the soprano sings the word "peace" unaccompanied.
Before the last piece of the first segment, the conductor said, "And as the angels said... we will end the first portion of our program with 'Dona nobis pacem' from Bach's Mass in B Minor, one of the greatest pieces ever written." I was like, "Wow, way to set a high bar for your performers."
After the sing-along (for which we all stood) was the closing piece, the "Hallelujah" from Messiah, and I was expecting to stay standing (yes, I've been to the Handel and Haydn Society's performance of Messiah for what, three years in a row?), but it seemed like everyone was sitting down, so I did, but some people stayed standing, so I stood back up.
[Addendum: I neglected to mention that the sing-along included three verses of "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and when we hit the refrain the second time, I was really struck by the "O come let us adore him" -- in part because of the shift to softer and sort of more intimate from more energetic, and also because it's this really evocative idea, this deep desire to adore/worship.]
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)Surprise bonus: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (Interesting juxtaposition, the lovely gentle "good tidings we bring, to you and your kin" with the varying "so bring us some figgy pudding.")
from Messiah
Overture
And the glory
Arcangelo CORELLI (1653-1713)
Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op 6, No. 8 ("Christmas")
Vivace/Grave
Allegro
Adagio/Allegro/Adagio
Vivace
Allegro
Pastorale
HANDEL
from Messiah
Pifa
There were shepherds - And lo - And the angel said
Glory to God
Rejoice greatly
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
from Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Dona nobis pacem
INTERMISSION
BACH
from BWV 140: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
Zion hört die Wächter singen
BACH
from BWV 51: Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen
Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen
Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren/Alleluia
Jan Pieters SWEELINCK (1562-1621)
Hodie Christus natus est
Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741)
from Gloria in D Major, RV 589
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Lauamus te
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus
Cum Sancto Spiritu
A Back Bay Christmas Sing-Along
See page 14 for words to the carols.
Deck the Hall
Silent Night
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Joy to the World
HANDEL
from Messiah
Hallelujah
***
Walking back from Fanueil Hall, there was a guy playing trumpet really pretty. I had no bills smaller than a twenty, so I just gave him all the change I had (which unfortunately was like 57 cents).
When I was walking home past Powder House Park a little before 10:30, people were sledding.
My housemate renewed her Hollywood Video membership (and added my name -- yay) today and rented Ocean's Eleven and Goodfellas -- "Now I wanna go to Vegas and shoot people," she said.