All about me

OK, not all about me, but somewhat about me, since I do have a life and interests outside of Tadpole. So two brief notes about things other than being dad/parenting that are going on right now.

First, on Sunday I attended an evening with Joan Baez at the CSO, which was simply phenomenal. I'm a bit young to really be in her demographic (I'm under 30 and as the person next to me observed may have been the only person in the audience without white hair), but I grew up listening to Joan Baez recordings. Of the performers from my childhood, she's the one I most wanted to see, and the evening did not disappoint.

Ms. Baez has a repertoire of 50 years of songs and all of them were on display on Sunday, from recordings that I first heard on the album "Very Early Joan" to a new song she is still working on inspired by the OWS movement. The entire evening was full of comfortable songs from my childhood mixed with music new to me; activist songs intermingled with folk ballads. I'll highlight three moments in particular - introducing Joe Hill, Ms. Baez commented that it was "an organizing song - but with a leader!" Later, she sang an arrangement of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" that reintroduced me to a song that I have long considered a familiar standard. Finally, after a standing ovation, she came back out to sing "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", "Imagine" and "Gracias A La Vida", inviting the audience to join on the chorus. Singing these songs with Ms. Baez and a full house at Symphony Center was an incredible experience. I'm delighted that R (not a Joan Baez fan) agreed to watch Tadpole and let me go.

Also, today marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a challenge to write a new 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November. Last year I managed to complete it, so I'm hoping Tadpole's nap schedule lets me write my great science fiction novel (with space jellyfish!) this year.

In fact, I think I'll go work on NaNo now - bye!