Working Hard

Working hard in Niagara Falls.

Applesauce!!!

I guess the apples were a bit tart!

A Late Night Posting

Ahh, I am definitely enjoying my break. And I finally have time to post regularly to this blog.

Unfortunately I don't have any new pictures of Dylan, so here is a picture of a painting of Jerome.

Oh wait, just kidding, I do have pictures of Dylan .....

From Papago Park

Bodhisattva

Asleep...Bodhisattva

IHOP!!!

We had a busy day. Nicole had a photo shoot at the Phoenix Art Museum, so Dylan and I went and kept her company. It is a wonderful museum, and Nicole was able to photograph some amazing costumes they have there. I will post some pics here when she gets them set up.

Dylan was great at the museum, except for when we strolled past the event Nicole was shooting, which at the time was featuring someone giving a speech and everyone was quiet. Right then Dylan decided to yell out, and I swear she yelled out "Maa"! Well, actually it was more like "baaa-baa ba - bma - eek".

I am going to be writing a piece of music based on the statue in the two pictures above for a concert at the museum in March. It is a 15th century Chinese wooden statue of Bodhisattva Guanyin, a Buddhist symbol for wisdom and compassion. I am looking forward to writing the piece. My goal is to write a piece that would not wake a sleeping baby. Of course, Dylan sleeps pretty soundly, so I have a wide range of possibilities...

I am not sure why I am awake right now, except that my new found freedom is keeping my mind moving and I am thinking about all sorts of things. Hoping the world continues to be a safe place for Dylan to grow up in. Politics are scaring me right now, because everything seems so polarized. I just hope that none of them are as loony as the people on the opposite side would want you to believe. I think we all have more in common than it seems at times like these when Republicans and Democrats are spending so much time expounding their differences. I watched Obama welcome the final troops from Iraq home, and I am glad that a war I didn't think we should get involved in is finally over. And looking back, although I am glad I voiced my opposition, it is difficult to say that the world is not a better place without Saddam Hussein in it. But I am glad it is over, we need to focus on ourselves right now. 

Scottsdale

Ok, I'm off my soap box. Guess I will call it a night. Enjoy this peaceful John Cage string quartet...

One more...

There's a 6-month Old In the House!

Today is Dylan's 6-month birthday. Her first Half-Birthday! 

Her mom put a silly thing on her head and took this picture...oh Nicole, good thing you are  getting these shots now before Dylan learns to say no :)

She gets to have fruit today for the first time. We think we will start her with bananas, as she has loved the word "bananas" for quite some time now. Maybe she will love the food too. She still loves her vegetables too, even making "mm, mm" sounds when we give her peas. That's my girl.

So, I am exhausted and relieved at how well these past few months have gone for us. To think that 6 months ago we were in NYU hospital just getting to meet Dylan for the first time. She was so little, but I can look back now and see that she was already herself, a little person, even though we didn't know who she was yet. It has been largely due to the support from our families and the fact that Nicole is an awesome mom that we have been able to make this transition and feel that we gave Dylan a safe and healthy first six months of life. Looking forward to all the new craziness with the next six months!

So...
I am 99% finished with the semester, I have only one more paper to complete which i am almost done with. It was a very successful semester for me. I completed a lot of music, wrote some papers that I am proud of, and learned a lot about teaching and being a student again. I am looking forward to finishing two pieces over the break, and also begin writing a string quartet that will be performed at the Phoenix Art Museum in the Spring.

The paper I wrote for "Intro to Ethnomusicology" was about improvisation and the ways it is misunderstood in the Western classical music world. My professor liked it, and asked if he could share it with the Director of the School of Music who is interested in expanding the way improvisation is taught and discussed in the department. Here is a link to the paper if anyone is interested in reading it:

Challenging Misconceptions: Redefining Improvisation

I still have not gotten the recording from the November concert - I guess the recording department is bogged down. Hopefully we will get it during the break.

We are excited to get back east and see family, relax, eat, and celebrate the holidays, and eat, and relax...and eat. I assume that Dylan will get to see some snow, but I hear that there really hasn't been any in Niagara Falls or Syracuse yet. I would be surprised if that doesn't change by January 5th.
And here are a couple of new things I have just been listening to:







 And Happy 103rd birthday Elliott Carter!!!

Dylan's Sounds, December 2011

Before she really starts talking, I thought I should share some of the sounds Dylan has been making recently.

Dylan's Sounds, December 2011

Dylan Cozy at the Tempe Art Festival

It was only 50° out!

How Dylan Spent Thanksgiving

Relaxing at Mandalay Bay

At the Controls

Dylan at the Lake near our Apartment

At The Zoo

Dylan's First Peas

Dylan turned 5-months old on Nov. 10th! So far Dylan has had rice (eh), oatmeal (yum), and now sweet peas (organic, not bad). Figure it is only going to get better and better from here on in. Green beans next, then maybe some other peas, then probably carrots, squash, then the good stuff (sweet potatoes, bananas). She seems to not be a picky eater so far, so we are hoping that continues:

The other news from Tempe, AZ....

I have a month of teaching left before winter break, two more papers to complete, two pieces of music to write, and a final presentation. Going to be a busy month. I would not be surprised if I do not get a chance to add anything more to this blog before then, so that is why I am going to make this a long update. First of all, my bike was stolen last week, so I now ride Nicole's bike with basket to school everyday. My dignity has taken another hit, but I'm still ticking. Dylan has definitely grown out of her new born and 1-3 month clothes, and into her 6-month clothes, so we have our first batch of hand-me-downs for the next little girl who is born. The weather got chillier this past week, down to the 50s in the mornings, so Nicole was forced to buy Dylan an adorable hat:

As far as school goes, I am finishing a few songs I worked on before leaving New York, hopefully will be sharing those really soon. I also performed a new piano piece at the composer's concert last week. I have not gotten a recording yet but will post when I do. I am working on completing a paper on improvisation for my Intro to Ethnomusicology class which has been very fun to write (that is actually not sarcasm). If anyone cares to see that I will post it here when it is complete. 

Otherwise our life here seems to be rather uneventful, other than the event that every day is with Dylan. Today we are going to take her to the art museum (thanks Mom for the membership). It is 64º out, so she probably won't get to wear her hat :(.

Personally, I kind of feel like we are in some sort of suspended animation period, even though I know the world and time is moving on it kind of feels like we are living in a grace period. I think it is because as busy as I am I am not working nearly as many hours away from home as I was in New York. I go to school in the mornings and I am usually done by 1 in the afternoon. After that it is up to me to complete what I need to complete. I love this kind of schedule, and we are fortunate that I am making just enough money for us to live comfortably. The student loan has been a part of that though, so I know that next year, when I would like to not take out another loan, things will be different. Brian Kassel was actually in town this past week, attending a week-long seminar on Buddhism. He has been living on a Buddhist retreat near Tuscan for the past month or so called Diamond Mountain (http://diamondmountain.org/). He lives in a yurt and helps bring food and supplies to the monks and nuns in return for the room and board. It was great seeing him and discussing Buddhism. Interestingly the concepts are very similar to ones that keep coming up in my classes, for instance the breaking down of assumptions concerning labeling and the meaning of self expression. My school is doing a festival in April dedicated to the music of John Cage, who studied Buddhist philosophy and used its concepts to create music where he tried to abandon self expression. He found that using the I-Ching and chance operations he could create music where neither he nor the performer controlled the outcome. There is much more to it than that, here is an interview with him discussing his philosophy on chance if anyone is interested (check out minute 18:50 for Cage's take on it):

Anyway, my point was, that one of the things I am enjoying most at this school is that I am not being forced to fit into a box of "classical composer". The school is constantly trying to redefine what a composer is, and they are honest that they don't even know what to call the music any more - "classical" is an antiquated term, "art music" seems pretentious, "institutional music" seems self-defeating. It is an interesting time to study this music, as orchestras around the country are failing financially and the method for transmitting music is changing so rapidly. 

I am looking forward to sharing some of my new works. Oh, and I have an album on Spotify :). Goal #1 from this year complete.

Here are a couple of youtube videos that represent my mind right now:

and

Check out Reggae Randy killing "This Old Man", especially when this old man plays four! - killer!

This Old Man

Not All Work and No Play

Halloween

First Bite!

Grandpa says it best...

The Grandparents Visit!

So, it seems that being a doctoral student and a father has ended up causing me to be pretty busy these days. However, that is no excuse to stop writing. I think the reason I haven't posted lately is that I am now past the initial excitement of the move and the new school, and I am smack dab in the middle of finding my footing. Not the most glamorous thing to write about. School is going well, but I am definitely feeling the effects of having been out of school for 7 years. I am reading some excellent books, and impressed by the way some people can write with such profundity while coming across in a personal and clear way. I am also impressed with the other composers here, and my professors, and intimidated (but motivated). I am working hard to keep improving my composition skills. There are so many resources available at the school that it is inevitable that I miss some opportunity every day. Kind of like New York in that way I guess.

Ok, enough excuses. Things are good! I must back up -

My Mom was here last week. We went to Sedona on Sunday and met with a cousin of hers (ours) whom I had never met. His mother was the younger sister of my grandfather's (Harold's) mother. He was amazingly nice, and told us all about the family. He even told me that I reminded him of Red, which was a the nicest thing he could have said to me. We spend the day there, and he and his wife showed us around the town, where they have lived for 7 years since moving from Lawrence, Kansas. He is a retired professor of communication studies at Kansas University.

My mom taught Dylan "buddum, buddum, butz", where they bang their heads together on the "butz". Dylan definitely got the hang of it, would move her head forward at the right time.

(PS, My mom had a big birthday this past week. I won't say which one, but whatever age it is she definitely doesn't look it!)

We stopped in Jerome on the way home. It was dark already, so we didn't get a chance to really see it, but let me just say that it is a famous "ghost town" which now has 400 people living there year round. It is pretty high up the side of a hill/mountain, and the drive up and down was a bit harrowing in the dark. We can't wait to go back during the day.

Nicole is still taking lots of photographs, here are a couple she took last week:

This past weekend my dad came to visit. Dylan had a nice time reading and hanging out with Grandpa.

 We went to the zoo on Sunday. It was a zoo! I mean, it was crowded! I think the most interesting animals were the giraffes, the galapagos tortoises, and all of the tiny homo-sapiens running around. I have never seen so many kids! Crying, laughing, yelling, you name it.

Oh, and Dylan had her first batch of "solid" food on Sunday night. Rice cereal! As expected most of it ended up adorning her bib, but she seemed to like the process despite being a bit confused by the "swallowing" part.

Until next time!

Dylan Laughing

Dylan Laughing

Love Songs

Here is the recording of the piece I performed at the composers concert. The text of the poems is pasted below.
Love Songs by Elliot Sneider

Poems by James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916), Indiana USA
“The Hoosier Poet”

A Life-Lesson

There! little girl; don't cry!
They have broken your doll, I know;
And your tea-set blue,
And your play-house, too,
Are things of the long ago;
But childish troubles will soon pass by. --
There! little girl; don't cry!

There! little girl; don't cry!
They have broken your slate, I know;
And the glad, wild ways
Of your schoolgirl days
Are things of the long ago;
But life and love will soon come by. --
There! little girl; don't cry!

There! little girl; don't cry!
They have broken your heart I know;
And the rainbow gleams
Of your youthful dreams
Are things of the long ago;
But Heaven holds all for which you sigh. --
There! little girl; don't cry!

A Very Youthful Affair       
I'm bin a-visitun 'bout a week
To my little Cousin's at Nameless Creek,
An' I'm got the hives an' a new straw hat,
An' I'm come back home where my beau lives at.  

He and I
Just drifting on together--
He and I--
As through the balmy weather
Of July
Drift two thistle-tufts imbedded
Each in each--by zephyrs wedded--
Touring upward, giddy-headed,
For the sky.

And, veering up and onward,
Do we seem
Forever drifting dawnward
In a dream,
Where we meet song-birds that know us,
And the winds their kisses blow us,
While the years flow far below us
Like a stream.

And we are happy--very--
He and I--
Aye, even glad and merry
Though on high
The heavens are sometimes shrouded
By the midnight storm, and clouded
Till the pallid moon is crowded
From the sky.

My spirit ne'er expresses
Any choice
But to clothe him with caresses
And rejoice;
And as he laughs, it is in
Such a tone the moonbeams glisten
And the stars come out to listen
To his voice.

And so, whate'er the weather,
He and I,--
With our lives linked thus together,
Float and fly
As two thistle-tufts imbedded
Each in each--by zephyrs wedded--
Touring upward, giddy-headed,
For the sky.

Mmmmm, Nicole Made Dinner

First Day of Fall

September 23rd, the AUtumn Equinox! (didn't it used to always be on the 21st?)

Yes it is the first day of Dylan's first Fall!

However, it is important to note that it is 107º today here in Tempe, so she is not going to quite understand the significance. Nicole is presently in the pool as I write this. I think this topic of Fall is on in which my Northeastern bias will come out - there is nothing like Fall in Syracuse or NYC, or the Northeast. I'll have to let her know that she doesn't really know a first day of Fall until she sees the amazing colors of the trees when driving on Route 81, or feels that brisk air while walking in Central Park. She will definitely have that experience.

 So, my Dad asked me to get some recordings of the new sounds Dylan is making. However, it seems anytime I get the digital recorder ready for her, she stops making sounds! Luckily, this morning I got some video of her and she makes some noises. Not all of her noises mind you, but a few.

 

Rockstar

First Concert

Tonight was the first composer's concert. My piece "Love Songs" was first on the concert, and I played piano for another composer's piece (Su Kim). It went well, a Dylan and Nicole came to support me. Dylan lasted through my piece!

She is Official

Taking a break.

At Target

Oh yeah.

Bumbo

Dylan in the Bumbo. Oh yeah.

A New Life Begun

Life is getting busy again! I have a few minutes now before heading over to the school. We have moved into our new apartment, and we are slowly unpacking all of our boxes. As we hoped, we have a much bigger apartment than we had in New York, and our stuff is fitting so nicely. No longer do we have to stack all of our glasses on top of each other to fit in the kitchen. No longer do I need to keep the tool boxes and the storage in my clothes closet! No longer do we have to keep Super's litter out for all to see and smell (it is now in the laundry room)! The place is wonderful, we have met a couple of neighbors, and everyone seems really nice and around our age. There is a DMA bassoon student across the way also, whom I haven't met yet but I have been told about. I think once we get more unpacked and settled we are going to have a nice time here.

The days are still very hot. I have been riding my bike to school now, about 2 1/2 miles each way. It is an easy ride; rather than have to go over the very busy main road and bridge, I go a back way along the "Tempe Town Lake" and cut over a smaller, less busy bridge which brings me to the west part of campus where my classes are. It is safer than I could have hoped, and is a beautiful ride. Going to school has been fine, but coming home in the 110 degree heat has been interesting. The ride is easy, but I am regularly sweating through my shirt, so averaging 3-4 shirts a day now :)

Dylan is going to be 3 months tomorrow! She is still great, smiling more than ever, blowing lots of bubbles, making all sorts of sounds. She laughed for Nicole a week or so ago, but hasn't really laughed out loud again since, but she comes very close. The only issue right now is that she seems to hate being alone at all when she is awake, so we have to constantly carry her around and have her next to us. This makes the unpacking take a bit longer than it would have, but that is ok. We'd rather spend time with her than anyone else. She loves her crib. Nicole is going to take some photos of her in it so I will post when those are ready. I think she will wait until the bedroom is more cleaned up and put away. The crazy thing is that Dylan has more clothes than Lady Gaga. She is just outgrowing her 0-3 month clothes, so we now get to jump into the plethora of 3-6 month outfits. She could wear a different outfit every day and still not run out I think.

School is going great. I love teaching, which I do every Tuesday and Thursday. My ethnomusicology class is really inspiring me to think about how to incorporate ethnomusicology into my doctoral studies. I am meeting with the professor, Ted Solis, today to discuss some of my ideas. My other class, Music Crossover and Borrowing, is a study about the ways 20th century composers have used other works, in almost collage fashion, in their pieces, and how this relates to the meaning and intent of the music. One piece in particular we are studying is Berio's Sinfonia, from 1968. The piece is shocking, but incredible. He combines music from Mahler's 2nd Symphony, Samuel Becket text, and James Joyce excerpts to create a commentary on 20th century music at the time and the political situation of the time (civil rights, Vietnam , etc.), all as part of a tribute to Leonard Bernstein, who conducted the first performance. I have embedded the piece below - it is in two parts. It is definitely abstract, but even on first listen you can hear the drama and theatrics, and understand the juxtaposition of time periods as a reflection on modern problems. I think it is still relevant today.

Part 1:



 Part 2:
 

Shhhh...she's sleeping.

In her new crib!

Here we go....

Oh Dylan

Dylan in Niagara Falls, August 7th 2011:

Dylan in Phoenix, August 19th, 2011:


She has so much more hair! We are four days away from moving into our new apartment. We have found out that our stuff is already in Phoenix, the truck has been here for a couple of weeks, so it was easy to schedule our move in for Friday. We will have to find a place to keep the trailer over the long weekend however, because the truck company won't come to pick it up again until Tuesday September 5th. We should be able to leave it across three parking spaces for the weekend.

We are so indebted to the Basuks for letting us stay here in Scottsdale for the past few weeks. We also got to know the Nadbornys who are also from Gloversville and have come over and visited with Dylan a few times.

Honestly, with all of the earthquake and hurricane excitement in New York, we are constantly reminded that we have left our friends and family and are really starting over. As much as it must have sucked to be in NYC this past week, we longed to be there with everyone, sharing in the experience. It is going to be a long transition getting comfortable here, and despite all of the great things happening at school I am sure that this year will be a trying one for us. However, it is so exciting seeing Dylan grow up every day. She is getting so tall! We have a pediatrician appointment tomorrow, so we will see how much she has grown. She is making new sounds all of the time, and interacting more than ever. Also, she might be getting the start of some teeth. Man, this kid is growing fast!

Well, I hadn't written in a while, so thought I would share a bit. I have to go plan for my class tomorrow, and finish a paper. More to come!

We Got The Apartment!!!

Yay, we were approved! We will be moving to 700 Mesquite Circle sometime in the next couple of weeks. We went to IHOP to celebrate (my how things have changed). Dylan was glad her bees came along.

Waiting Game...

Yesterday Nicole and I found an apartment we love. It is a 2 bedroom, in a complex of condos called "Papago Park". It is close enough to the school that I could ride my bike, and the complex is beautiful, safe, and quiet. It is near Papago Park, which is a large park in Tempe/Scottsdale which has a zoo, , a playground, and a botanical garden. So, we put in the application yesterday, and we are very confident that they will accept us and rent to us, but we have been waiting all day for a response and still haven't heard anything. I think this waiting is harder than all the searching we have done. Hopefully we will hear early tomorrow so that we can know one way or another. Fingers are crossed!

In the meantime, here is Dylan hanging out with me this morning:

Our New Car (and mountains)

Finally putting up a picture of our new Kia Soul. It is basically black, but actually has some tiny cherry colored specks which you can see in bright sunlight.

This picture was taken on Shae blvd in Scottsdale, on my way to see the Mystery Mansion Dinner Theater for which I will be playing keyboard this fall.

All Dolled Up

Great Conversation

Today Dylan greeted me when I got home with a big smile and a conversation. Made my day!

Rockstar

Evening

Watching the lightning off the mountains. This has been an amazing and stressful week. We all are still in an adjustment period. The peace and quiet here is calming. It is actually raining here right now, lightly. The sky is overcast so we cannot see any stars. I bet less than ten percent of the condos in this complex are occupied right now. Actually it might be even less than that. The thunder rumbles go on for five seconds. Dylan and I saw a bunny this morning, and some funny looking birds with tiny crests on their heads. I have to look up what they were.

I won't say that we miss the city too much, but I think that we are experiencing some culture shock. We went to get dinner tonight and the only places to eat are either chain restaurants like Applebees or other places that seem like they are trying to be chain restaurants. Not really finding any quaint little privately owned places like we are used to. The prices are definitely right though. We got a caesar salad for $12 which easily fed both of us and was good -with blackened chicken :)

The driving is relatively easy. Big, well paved roads. Everyone seems to tailgate though, it is kind of the norm to hang out a couple feet from the car in front of you. Doesn't seem too safe. There was an accident on one of the highways the day we arrived and they literally closed down the highway. We got stuck in terrible traffic as everyone merged to get off a one lane exit.

I am sweating out here on the patio and it is midnight. Time to get some sleep. Here is a picture of Dylan, happy as a clam :)