Journal of a Sabbatical

March 21, 1999

vernal equinox

I had this weird dream in the wee hours of this morning about aliens who were taking earth people to their planet to escape the Y2K bug. But somehow it wasn't benevolent. They wanted me to kill someone for them. Boats were involved. The aliens looked human but were subtly off. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I woke up sweating.

After breakfast at Andrea's Restaurant and shopping at Stop & Shop for Nancy's social work support group meeting (at her place tonight), it's up I-95/I-93 to Arlington for Stuart's concert. I missed the last concert of the Lumen Contemporary Music Ensemble so it has to be over a year since I've seen Stuart. He's got two pieces on the program today and one of them is new. A premiere! And not only that, but Don's bringing his new baby daughter Carmen with him.

The new piece is incredible and totally unlike Stuart's earlier work. I tease him afterwards asking if the Stuart Jones who wrote Steeplechaser is the same one we know. The clarinet player for whom he wrote it played the hell out of it. Hearing her play was a lot like hearing John Griffiths on the tuba - taking the instrument somewhere you didn't know it could go.

And Carmen! She's adorable. I didn't know infants could have that much hair. She's 11 weeks old and has a full head of hair and really bright eyes. She looks right at you. Don had to take her out into the lobby a couple of times but she was really good for most of it. And Don looks like he was born to be a Dad.

The concert deserves more of a review than I've given it, and Lumen deserves more of an audience than they seem to get. I told Stuart they need a web page. Ev thinks they need to record a CD. Kate thought Carmen needed a duck-billed baby outfit - but only if Don wore a matching one.

Ev, Don, and Stuart all headed off to their respective lives. Kate and I went to Tea Tray in the Sky afterwards for supper and (naturally) tea.

Over tea with Kate, I got this idea that I should try to get the pond/house lot I saw yesterday certified as a vernal pool so they couldn't build on it. I have no evidence that frogs or salamanders spawn in there, but I didn't really take that close a look. Kate suggested I could stock it with tadpoles. :-) The lot is probably of no environmental significance whatsoever. I'm just intrigued by the absurdity of building an executive home with a guaranteed wet basement problem.

I'm wired. Must be the tea.