{{{Susan}}} Lots of ~ma headed your way.

Meanwhile in Tennessee, we are having our fourth snow day of the week (so that makes for a full week off from school, including MLK Day on Monday), and our street is still basically a sheet of ice. Yesterday the temperature was just above freezing for a few hours, but since it was accompanied by heavy cloud cover and freezing rain, that really didn't help matters. The next time we're supposed to get above freezing is sometime on Monday, so god knows how long it will take for all the roads to be drivable again. In my 15 years here I've never seen snow/ice shut the city down for this long!

Wow, thats a lot. Are the kids climbing the walls? I hope they get back to school this week. We actually got an apology email from the superintendent of ltc's school district for not cancelling on Tuesday, which turned into a very not good driving day. Last year he cancelled way too often, but this was definitely an overcorrection.

So the SF Symphony was delightful, and surprising in a couple ways. First, the Tennessee Williams Theater in Key West is a very nice venue. The first piece I wasn't looking forward to because only strings, and that isn't really my thing but I always enjoy watching anyway. It ended up being a piece by a black woman composer in the 20s, and we all were swept away with the piece. It was entrancing. Price (1887 – 1953) | “Andante Moderato for String Orchestra”. Then there was Bach, which was Bach and enjoyable, and piano, which is always a hit with me. Keyboard Concerto No. 4 in A Major. The 3rd piece I had looked for before the concert to see what it was and hadn't been able to find anything, which made sense because it wasn't even completed yet. The pianist, who is collaborating with the composer, said that what we heard would be the first time it was heard, and the last because still a work in progress. It was amazing. Montgomery (b. 1981) Rounds featuring Awadagin Pratt, piano. I will follow them in the future. The last piece was Brahms's Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, which was Brahms. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the 2 pieces I had never heard of were our absolute favorites. And a good time was had by all!!

Other than the symphony there was eating, swimming, and relaxing on the boat house. Why am I so tired?

Good evening from the foothills where it rained most of the day but I was mostly working so it wasn't a problem.

but now that I've read David's post I am even more exhausted. Sounds like so much fun.

Both are true. Very fun and I'm very tired.

Tonight I took Matilda with me to a viewing of cult comedy The Wrong Guy (1997?) with Dave Foley and Jennifer Tilly. I'd never seen it and it was hilariously funny in the vein of Steve Martin's The Jerk or the Man With Two Brains. Very silly but very smart and so funny.

Afterwards went to dinner with Jennifer and Phil, and Matilda got to hang out with them and know them, which was fun. We recreated the picture of baby Matilda with them 16 years later.

Today we celebrate the birth of the lovely Windsparrow. I hope that you have a lovely day and that the year to come brings much joy and laughter.

I am on the east coast. My alarm went off at a heinous hour. I am coffeed but still don’t want to be awake. But I’m supposed to do work? That seems so unfair.

It is unfair that we have to be working at this hour, even for those of us with bodies on east coast time.

Yeah, that ain't right, meara.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Windsparrow! May your day be lovely and the year ahead filled with goodness.

Having to work is completely ridiculous. The stream of 3 day weekends we’ve been having is showing me that I would really be ok with retiring. Sadly my bills say otherwise.

I should probably set up a meeting with my financial guy and see if I will be able to move into a retirement place when I turn 60.

Rainy day and a Monday, grey and dreary.

Matilda is up but not quite out the door.

[Two seconds ago from her: "Okay, I'm leaving! Wait...I don't have my shoes on."]

I don't have to go to work but I still have to get up at 6:45 on schooldays to make her to-go breakfast sandwich and lunch. Also, rousting her out of bed is an active project that takes 40 minutes.

When we had brunch with Iris's family on Saturday, Janet (Iris's mom) and I were discussing Matilda's gap year. Janet said she did an AFS program between high school and college and spent time in Denmark and then traveling in Europe which she loved and really helped her in her college focus.

AFS options: [link]