A real weekend (almost)

It's Monday morning. Friday night seems so far away. Six percussion members from Donna's band the Hubbub Club came to the house Friday night to practice. I asked Donna, "Is is all right if I watch a movie in the other room?" She replied, "It will be too loud. Why don't you use earphones?" (not a real question) Earphone were not helpful. As I watched Mamet's Homocide, the noise of drummers was all pervasive. Even at maximum volume I could barely hear the dialogue. By nine in the evening they were finished and I joined the crew with wine and snacks. As I entered the room the drummers asked me, "Who annoys you most in the band?" "The drummers!!!" but it was only a thought.

Saturday morning I took my usual sleep in with my 9 AM to 10 AM companion- NPR's Morning Edition. I cooked a soggy french toast and made espresso with the new machine. I washed my clothes, attended to my email and updated some of my new phone book. At Joey's urging I spend two more hours trying to connect the newly installed Windows XP to the Internet. Now a computer with a split personality, we have lightning fast Linex on one half and mentally deficient Windows on the other half. I actually bought a copy of the new Windows operating system but I cannot bring myself to install. I want a refund already.

I went to my favorite bargain store for groceries and an updated wine supply. I also returned two bad bottles. Donna cautions me against buying any meat, but the bargains on some gourmet items are hard to resist. I spent $175 and they say as you leave, "You saved $185." So I guess they paid me ten dollars to shop there.

Donna went to Berkeley to play giata with Kathy and Kevin Carr. Joey and I hung out and watched a flick, . He is also back on in his ping pong game, beating me two in a row.

Joey and I got together to play some music. I am performing at a fundraiser next Friday night to send the choir to Carnegie Hall here at Analy High School. Joe Craven is at the top of the bill. I had planned on doing one of my swing tunes, but Joey disagreed. "How about one of those folk songs you did at Jessie's party?", he said. After some deliberation we decided on Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone". He will play back up accordion. Donna sat in with us first on the snare and then on the tambourine. She would be great but does not want to perform.

After a leisurely breakfast on Sunday I took a couple of hours to catch up on my grading. Then visited Clair, my former vibes partner. We caught up. She now has more free time and less money. She's singing with a choral group and regularly playing standards with some local guys. She still wants me back to play with. That made me feel good.

Last night I fixed dinner, played a few games of ping pong, then back to the homework. I spent some time going through Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth. But most of it seems too dense for ninth graders. I ended my day falling asleep while reading Chapter 10 of Black Boy to prepare for my tenth grade class today.