Now, there are serious communications issues in that choir, starting with the director, who has the personality of a cocker spaniel: very very blonde, very enthusiastic, and not able to communicate what she wants. This led me to drop out a year ago for the fall term.

The spring concert, however, was scheduled opposite a concert given by a regional symphony, and one of the 2 remaining tenors plays cello with them. So they begged and pleaded, and how could I resist Palestrina, Byrd, and a couple others?

There were lots of new people, as required by a group that's lost over 3/4 of the members who sang with us when I joined in fall of 2003/4.

Surprisingly, the recording is quite listenable. Since this director took over, I've been mostly unable to stand listening to our music, because of intonation issues. She arranged us in quartets (to the extent that relative numbers allowed for it) this time, so everybody could hear all the parts. I guess it worked, because I'm not hearing the off notes; not wrong, exactly, just badly tuned. A few, here & there, perhaps, but on the whole, it's justly intonated.

Which makes me a little sad that I'm not singing with them this fall. Not very sad, mind you; even though I tried very hard not to engage emotionally or have any expectations, still it was less fun than it should have been.

Instead, to fill in the creative need, I've signed up for a novel construction course, which meets 8 Tuesdays through October & November. I hope to have the present revision of last fall's novel done by the time that starts, so I can do it all over again, after. Or do something else.

The revision process, while occasionally frustrating, is almost as much fun as the original writing was. I've missed having these people living in my head. There are a few new chapters; mostly polished old text, but with promises of a better resolution, and a more leisurely one. The "write a novel in November" thing doesn't lend itself to a considered resolution; it's more about "just finish the damn thing" and if it has a plot, that's a bonus. Foreshadowing? Purely accidental.

Anyway.

This summer we had an undergrad doing the "research experience for undergraduates" thing. We got some good stuff done; now to write it up. He'd like to apply to grad school this fall (to start a year from now), and having a submitted first-author paper already in would be a very big plus for his applications.

He's a great guy, hardworking and smart. And besides all that he liked my novel. What more could I ask for?

This afternoon I poked a bit at the web and set up an estimate for replacement rain gutters, and ordered information on replacement windows. All of this is rather overdue. My usual take on these things is, if the house is not falling down around our ears, it's all good. But the time for a tower of flaming dollar bills flickering out of every window has passed. So, we'll see.