The last few months have been full of activity, starting with a great visit from my dad and stepmom, who flew out from Hawaii to spend Columbus Day weekend with us after visiting my brother in upstate NY. We took them to Calico Ghost Town, where Joseph had a blast entertaining everyone. He couldn't stay away from the live music - he seemed compelled to get as close as possible and dance to the beat. He ended up with two strands of Mardi Gras beads and a lace-trimmed hankie from some fancy ladies.
The college has changed to a compressed schedule, which is okay for most classes, but it cuts our rehearsal time in the music department. We only had 6 weeks between our fall and winter concerts. I think we did a pretty good job in spite of the lack of time and the change of venue (they're revamping the performing arts center, so we're using the
Church of the Valley). We had the
Hermitage Singers from St. Petersburg as our guests for the fall concert - they were excellent. Jacob enjoyed talking with the bass - his English wasn't good, but it was better than Jacob's Russian.
I've just been put in charge of the teen anime club here at the library. The staff member who ran it before was probably too young to be seen as an authority figure, and the teens ran roughshod over her, so she threw in the towel. I don't blame her. I'm sure some of the kids won't like me, but I think I'm mean enough to turn the group around. We're taking the month of December off, and I'm spending the time researching anime and manga - I know a little, but I'm not an expert by far. Jacob and Rachel have agreed to help me out - they're addicted to the stuff, and even know some Japanese. I've signed up with
Tokyopop and
ADV films to get ideas. I'll probably watch a few anime shows and read a few mangas over the next several weeks.
I bought an inexpensive lathe at
Rockler on my birthday, and have been having lots of fun with it.
This is a picture of my second project. Joseph really likes it. I've made two more since then. Jacob and Rachel are learning to use the lathe as well - Rachel especially likes turning the captive rings.
