quote:

Originally posted by markb:
Chanukah or Christmas?

I'll celebrate anything.

quote:

Originally posted by kluurs:
What books have you read more than once?

What pieces are you working on right now?

What do you think of owl finches?

I re-read books all the time. It drives Mr. Nina crazy. I just finished re-reading most of Jane Austen and am currently in the midst of "Far from the Madding Crowd." I guess I'm in a bit of an England gentrification obsession right now.

I'm working on holiday accompaniments right now--the only new, challenging ones are a really good arrangement of "Bring a torch, Jeannette Isabella" and Elgar's "The Snow," which I am really enjoying. (Thanks again to WTG for finding that clip!)

I LOVE owl finches--something about their ultra-clean white faces with that black outline.My all-time fave finches are black-cheeked waxbills but they are very uncommon. They have a longer black tail (longer than most finches) that points in the direction they're going to zap to, and tons of personality.

Here's a pic:

How are your finches? At some point I'd love to find out how you are set up (I assume indoors?). We've never had any luck with getting our finches to breed indoors.

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:

quote:

Originally posted by AdagioM:
How are you liking the Pacific Northwet? Did you move again? And have you tried that adult piano group at Classic Piano?

We're in the process of moving this weekend! We should be 100% into our new house (boxes and all) come Monday afternoon. Whoopee!

I do like the Pacific Northwet, but I'm not in love with its colder weather. Oddly, the rain doesn't bother me--but the cold really makes me want to just sit under a blanket and watch stupid TV and do nothing. However, our new house appears to be much cozier and well-built, so a lot of the generic chill in the house will hopefully be a thing of the past.

I still haven't gone to that piano group, but I hope to. I think it sounds like fun.

Congrats on the move! And if you're going to sit under a blanket and watch TV, you could always knit while doing so (always evangelizing, me).

The adult piano group at Classic has a slight change for December. Here's the info, in case you're not on the mailing list:

Just a reminder that the OMTA Adult Playing Class for teachers and students is being held again at
Classic Pianos on the corner of Milwaukie and Powell on Saturday December 10 at 10:30 am.

Please note that it has been changed to the second Saturday of December and will be held in the
Schimmel House – 3038 SE 10th Ave. Right off Milwaukie onto SE Franklin St and then right at the
2nd cross street on to SE 10Ave.

Are you going to go? That is right after our holiday concert. I don't suppose they'd be interested in hearing me do a sing along?

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:

I don't know if my piano habits have changed much. I am still playing more or less daily, some days with more success than others. I'm still doing my accompaniment gig, which is a ton of fun and has improved my sight-reading, performance anxiety and ability to "wing it" immeasurably.

I keep going back and forth with what I'm working on. I went through an impressionist sort of phase where I became obsessed with Ravel (and what got me listening to Mompou), but I can't play a lot of his repertoire. Bummer for me. Then, for example, I'll re-ignite my obsession with Haydn, which I generally *can* play. And sprinkled in there are a bunch of song accompaniments--some more interesting than others. I've really grown to admire Sondheim's compositions.

I'm not a big turkey fan and I cut significant corners by starting with Pepperidge Farm herb cubed dressing and enhancing it with a bunch of veggies, onions, spices and jamming it into the turkey.

I'm listening right now to Mompou playing Mompou. Wow. Why would anybody bother trying to record his music when his playing is a matter of record? Luscious!

Haydn rules BTW! Love him too.

How about Poulenc? Have you tried him?

I've listened to Poulenc but never played anything--at least, not that I recall. Can you recommend something "entry level"?

So, my little Ninotchka, tell me more about your idyllic youth growing up in a smaller, friendlier, more in touch with nature Phoenix in the mid-to-late 20th century. Was it really a much more outdoorsy kind of place? Was it cooler in the summer back then? What do you think has been the worst change in Phoenix as the population surged in the 80's and beyond?

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
Are you going to go? That is right after our holiday concert. I don't suppose they'd be interested in hearing me do a sing along?

I'm teaching at Twisted that morning, so I can't make it. But really, I'd actually have to play the piano, and I haven't for quite a while...

quote:

Originally posted by Matt G.:
So, my little Ninotchka, tell me more about your idyllic youth growing up in a smaller, friendlier, more in touch with nature Phoenix in the mid-to-late 20th century. Was it really a much more outdoorsy kind of place? Was it cooler in the summer back then? What do you think has been the worst change in Phoenix as the population surged in the 80's and beyond?

Well, little Motya, I think a lot of people view their childhoods as idyllic, so it's hard for me to claim that my AZ experiences were truly different. But it is true that the Valley of the Sun is a LOT different now, compared to how it was when I grew up. It's hard to describe the impact that the massive growth had: in 1960, when I was a wee babe, there were only about 440K people in the metro area. Heck, even in 1970 as I approached high school, there were only about 550K. Now there are 1.5M people. They are all in houses built on once untouched desert, they are all using water, driving cars on roads that were previously nonexistent, shopping in malls and stores that have had to be built, etc., etc. Traffic and air pollution have become significant problems. Native wildlife (even birds) are becoming less prevalent.

When I was a kid, a lot of us had horses in our backyards. We were able to ride around in the open desert, from our houses. Even the kids who didn't have horses were able to tool around on their bicycles. "Outside" really meant outside for a large percent of the population, not back yards. Especially for kids.

On the plus side, all those people live in a relatively small percentage of the state's total area, leaving a lot of it more or less untouched. You don't have to go too far to get out of town, though it is true that you have to go farther and farther. But the congested, populated part of Arizona is pretty much limited to the Phoenix area.

From my perspective, it really was a more outdoorsy place. Again, however, I think most people of a "certain age" can say that about their childhoods. We are a more paranoid society now, and it's less likely that we'd let our kids loose on horseback or bicycles to roam the streets until dinnertime.

And yes, I think it's a fairly well-documented fact that Phoenix is warmer due to the urban heat island effect. The stat I've seen is that the average nighttime low has risen 5 deg C since the 1950s. So perhaps I'm not delusional when I say I remember discussions about turning off the A/C in the summer and opening the windows before my parents went to bed around 10:30 (that time indelibly etched because it was time for Johnny Carson on KTAR (now KPNX)). Actually, I kind of resented when they changed the call letters for all our stations sometime in the 1990s. I have no idea why they did that.

There were some positives that came from all that growth, however. For one, I got a really spiffola job in a company that didn't move to Phoenix until about 1980. But the real problems occurred, IMO, as a by-product of Phoenix' civic and governance model being based on growth and only growth. That brought in the land speculators, cheap housing developments, urban sprawl and its attendant problems. The power in Phoenix city government for a long time (OK, still) was held by a small handful of people who were primarily in it for the money, seeking an opportunity to build a bunch of stuff with minimal planning or oversight, make their cash and move on. One of the best documenters of all that is Phoenix, and Phoenix history is my pal Jon Talton. This is his blog, the "Rogue Columnist." His experiences match mine, except he's a much better historian and writer than I am. I recommend his "Phoenix 101" series on the blog.

So, whaddya think? When it comes time to retire, will you head back to the southwest, or stick it out in rain country?

It's really too early to tell. We're here for at least 5 years or so. It would be ideal to do both. Alas, I don't see Mr. Nina ever "retiring," so my fantasy of buying an Airstream and driving around the US is probably not gonna happen.

Casa Grande or Sierra Vista?

Douglas or Nogales?

(And "neither" is not an acceptable response to either question!)

Sierra Vista
Douglas

But if I had to pick, I'd go with Elgin or Jerome or Bisbee or Patagonia. I think.

Bisbee and Patagonia are near the top of my list of places I'd like to visit in Arizona. But, since you're in Oregon now, tell me, what are the "must visit" spots in Oregon that you haven't been to yet?

congrats on your move and your bra size.