Today I had a very relaxed morning, then Travalon and I went to a free concert of students playing "world percussion." The first set was Brazilian music, with all sorts of drums and two things that looked and sounded like ukuleles. Romance music and African beats? Yes, please! I cried with joy because I am such a dork, and of course you probably realize this means I have a new life goal: to play the ukulele (or whatever that instrument is) in a Brazilian band. That was from the south of Brazil, and it was gentler music; then they had some much louder drumming from the north of Brazil. The third section was drums from India and an actual musician from India who played free-form jazz on the saxophone and also scatted, but like talking scatting, not singing scatting. That part I was not as in love with. The final section was samba from Brazil, and that was too loud for Travalon, so he waited outside. I, however, loved it.
Then he left for Milwaukee, while I went to meet Tiffy, and we got lunch at the Globe and ate at her sister's place, since the Globe is very small so there was nowhere to sit in there. We went shopping on State Street, and she bought Badger gear for her niece for Christmas, while I bought myself a piece of petrified wood. It's so pretty! On State Street we heard lots of live music: two caroling choirs and a brass band playing "When the Saints Go Marching In." Eventually we had dinner at Himal Chuli, then we drove to Asbury Methodist Church for the Christmas handbell concert. We go every year (except last year, when they didn't have one because of COVID), and every year it's perfect, with the tables draped in red, the people wearing sparkling tops, and the bells just sounding so Christmasy. Tiffy asked if I had thought of joining the bell choir, since they are recruiting, but apparently only experienced handbell players. I said it would be too hard for someone with my terrible powers of concentration to only play every fifth note. I'd rather play a carillon - then you get to play bells, but you play all the notes yourself. I told her how Travalon and I wondered why every university campus seems to have a carillon, and she asked if we ever figured out why. I said my conclusion is that all American universities do whatever was the happening thing in fifteenth century France - just look at the outfits people wear to graduate, especially with advanced degrees. And they sure did love carillons in fifteenth century France. This year there were no cookies after the concert, but they did have an encore called "Jingle Bell Samba," so ending on kind of a Brazilian note just like my day had started. They also played "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" in both 7/8 time and 3/4 time in different medleys, but not once in straight 4/4 time as God intended. Actually, I really liked the 7/8 time, it really swings. My favorite song by Sting, "Straight to My Heart," is in 7/8 or 7/4 time, I forget which. It's like "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck, which is in 5/4 time and really swings, except once when I heard a Muzak version in 6/8 time. Now THAT was awful.
The night was not over, because Travalon would be out late (as I am writing this at almost midnight, he's still not home yet), so Tiffy said let's do something else. Usually I could just park at my church, but tonight is the festivities in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, so the parking lot was packed. We ended up going to the Essen Haus, where a polka band was playing, and that was a ton of fun. It's nostalgic for me on so many levels: I used to hang out there in college, then later I would go with the choir after choir practice for beer and pretzels, and of course Travalon and I had our wedding rehearsal dinner there. I did have a pretzel and a half, and a very dark German beer, so that was probably enough carbs for the rest of the week. The "new" jeans I got at Goodwill seemed to fit at the time but now seem way too large, but maybe after tonight that won't be an issue!
Famous Hat
Last night on the community radio station (the one where all women are represented unless they are prolife), I heard the weirdest thing: a solo violin playing with a gamelon. Talk about opposites! A solo violinist shows off his skill, while a gamelon is a bunch of people playing together in unison. To add to their insignificance, there are usually dancers during a gamelon concert, but I watch the gamelon players. As if the music weren't hypnotic enough, they move together in a mesmerizing synchronicity as they play. The gamelon is way cool, but is it an instrument or an orchestra? Perhaps the closest Western analogy is a handbell concert, where the individual members must work together as a system. 
