You are Bobby. Full name: Robert Francis Kennedy.
Nickname: RFK. A graduate of the University of
Virginia Law School, you were the Attorney
General of the US from 1960-1963. You are most
well known for your passionate crusading for
human and civil rights. People basically either
loved you or hated you. You served as a US
Senator for a few years, until you ran for
President in 1967. You were assasinated in 1968
in the kitchen of a California hotel. Your 11
children, all who loved you very much, took
your death hard. The deaths of two of your
children are considered by many to have been a
direct result of the trauma of *your* death.


Which Kennedy Male Are You?
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"I am an idealist without illusions..."

John Fitzgerald Kennedy
29 May 1917 - 22 November 1963

One of my very favorite contemporary Classical music composers, John Corigliano has released a new Concerto, according to this interview from The Associated Press.

The reason why I like Corigliano so much is probably because he's one of the few composers I've actually met, in addition to Lukas Foss and Pauline Oliveros. While still at B-W I was fortunate to meet Foss and Corigliano during FOCUS Festival events. I attended a Masterclass given by Oliveros during my senior year, and since there were, maybe, 10 of us in the class, there was a lot of one-on-one time with the composer herself.

Anyway, Corigliano, in my opinion, has an impressive oevre, from song cycles (with text by Dylan Thomas...yum!), to concerti, to symphonies, to film scores, including The Red Violin, which I love.

It's official...
2 things:
First, Kevin is now, happily, employed full time by The City of Brecksville. His first day on the job was yesterday and he LOVED it. Thank God.

Second, this week I am in Television Heaven because of all the programming on the Kennedys. This Saturday, the 22nd, marks the 40th anniversary of JFK's assassination, which means there are actually decent programs to watch on TV other than the usual mindless network fluff.

So, last night I was watching American Experience: The Kennedys on PBS when I got a phone call at 10pm. It was Sue calling to tell me Andy proposed to her Sunday night! CONGRATULATIONS! YAY!


More links to Kennedy-related articles, photos, and stories:
JFK: The Unseen Photographs

shiver
We have not had heat in the office all week. Today I am huddled so close to the space heater under my desk, I will probably ignite my sweater. My fingers are practically frozen to my keyboard this morning, as it is a frigid 60 degrees in here. It feels like someone left all the windows open over night.

The repair guys have been unable to fix the heating system, since that involves climbing up on the roof, and since we have had such high winds here, they have been reluctant to do any work. (Go here to read about damage caused by the tornado touchdown in Wooster.) Incidentally, the winds were so high Wednesday night, they blew our backyard fence down. They also blew away the Century 21 sign in the front yard. Kevin asked me if we still had to sell the house since the sign is now gone. Yes, yes we do. *chuckles*

It is rather we who did propose you fill up your chalice.
Enchanted with this contrivance,
you ventured the deed.
You were rich enough to become a hundred times yourself in one single flower;
such is the plight of one who loves -
nor did you think otherwise.
-- Rainer Maria Rilke

point of grace
that heady feeling returns only for a moment
and i go back to a time of lesser everything
a walk around the block
alone together in the calm
in the dark with you
two paths once on the same journey
created by years
sustained by memories
forging on still because we do not know what is ahead of us
our two lights across an expanse
of meadow, of highway, of city
i can feel the distance
next to me
the unquiet mind
the lost hope; the emptiness and abandon
the unwanted life that hangs on
to what it only remembers to be real
all of it is nothing anymore
there is no life in this breath
there is no meaning in covenant
a face merely exists; a body's mass
inches apart yet miles away
and slowly i drift
as you just watch me go

-hew 11/7/03

It's getting chilly here again. I think I can safely put away the grill for the winter. Last night we had our last bbq and I stood outside shivering in Husband's jean jacket while I flipped burgers. Brr.

I have choir practice tonight, to which I ordinarily look forward, except this year has been different. I realize everyone has 'stuff' going on in their lives, but people just can't seem to leave it outside the door when they come in for rehearsal. The last few weeks have been nothing but bitching and moaning, complaining and negativity. I am tired of it. Regardless of how bad things get in my own life, I try to keep my complaints to myself, because life is too short to be in a sour mood all the time, and it's contagious. So I say to them, 'walk a mile in my shoes, and then you can have bitching rights.'

On the agenda for the weekend...packing and cleaning, cleaning and packing, and another Open House on Sunday. I can't wait. *snort*

Busy, busy, busy.

We're showing the house this afternoon, and again tomorrow evening. These realtors want to come in at the most inconvenient times. Last night, I got a call asking to come in this morning and I had to put my foot down and say 'no way'. Saturday morning is the only time I have to enjoy myself and get anything done around here. So they're coming about 2. Tomorrow we're showing at 5. Dinner time. Fantastic.

So, last night I gave in. Kevin previously had agreed with me that we'd skip trick-or-treat last night, keep the lights off, and hunker down in front of the TV. I think he was reluctant to talk to the nosy neighbors about us moving. Certainly everyone has seen the big honking Century 21 sign in the front yard, but we haven't really talked to the neighbors since it went up. Anyway, I think Kevin wanted to avoid having to answer too many questions, and understandably so.

But last night, right before I left work, he called me to tell me he had changed his mind and would I stop and pick up some candy on the way home. That was at 4. Trick-or-treat started at 6. So I hit Drugmart on the way home. They were out. Then I went to Tops. They were out. I came home, we ate dinner, and made a mad dash for Giant Eagle. They were nearly cleaned out, but we managed to get a few bags (7) of candy. We got home just in time.

Not a lot of kids this year, but I didn't hide in the house like last year and make Kevin do it alone. It was nice enough outside that we sat out on the front steps for several hours. Kevin and 80s Frank had their celebratory beers, and I had my mug of chai. The kids looked great. I am still bothered by the fact that no one rings the doorbell here. They just stand out there and yell "trick-or-treat". However, this year, hardly any of the kids even said that. Most of them just walked up the driveway to us, thrust their pillowcases in our faces, and stared at us. Some of them sort of grunted pre-historically till we gave up the candy, but most didn't say 'trick-or-treat' at all. Greedy little buggers.