It's been awhile since I last posted. It's not that I've taken time off. I've been really busy with things lately, but all in a good way. We went to Portland, Maine for a long weekend last weekend. It was nice, but the weather could have been better. Then I faced another really busy week at work.

Work... well, it's going much better now than it was. In fact, the IT department (and network infrastructure) is probably in the best shape it's been in in years. It turns out that a changing of personnel was a good thing, although at the time it didn't seem so good. It's funny how sometimes you want to hold on to things that really aren't working that well. You want to hold on to them because you've become accustomed to them. When things change and you reflect on where you are today, you realize that what you had and the way it was arranged really didn't work that well. So, I'm glad that it all happened. I'm glad the department is new.

I'm also glad to have a solid stable job! This graphic was in the Hartford Courant this morning. This is where are state stands on unemployment.

So I feel very fortunate to have a job, and I'm well aware that so many states are far worse off than Connecticut. In fact, Kent and I tell each other several times a week, "We are very fortunate." We don't take it for granted.

We went to the Hartford Symphony last night. We usually go out for a nice dinner beforehand. Last night we went to Max's Oyster Bar. I love the food there and they make killer martinis with olives stuffed with fresh Blue Cheese. The symphony performed...

Mozart - Overture to "The Abduction from the Seraglio"
Beethoven - Symphony No. 8
Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1 (Sirena Huang, violin)
Kodaly ' "Dances of Galanta"

Julian Kuerti was a guest conductor from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was quite an amazing young conductor who brought new life to the orchestra. I was impressed with young violinist Sirena Huang, who performed the Max Bruch g-minor violin concerto. It's a rich, heavy Romantic concerto that demands muscle mass to perform. My history with the concerto is that I also performed it in California, and I conducted the orchestra at the College of Idaho when my teacher, Walter Cerveny performed it, when I was a student in college.

Technically, this 14 year old violinist was there. But the concerto was a bit heavy for her. I would have teamed her up with a Bach or Mozart concerto. Leave the Bruch, the Brahms, and the Beethoven concertos for later when she's more physically and emotionally mature. Other than that, and a small lapse in memory in the third movement, she was quite remarkable. She has a wonderful career ahead of her, if that's what she wants in life.

And just when I thought the Bruch was the highlight of the evening, the orchestra performed Kodaly's Dances of Galanta. The work is filled with land mines of extremely virtuostic passages and fast notes, syncopation, and accuracy that is simply unforgiving. Yet, our local orchestra stacked right up to one the major orchestras. I thought I was listening to the New York Philharmonic! It goes to show you how much difference a conductor can make.

All in all, a wonderful evening.