Book completed

George Takei, They Called Us Enemy. This graphic novel is Takei's life story, especially his experience in two of the internment camps during World War II. I had thought I already knew a lot about the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry, but I learned a lot more. Great book. J. got it for me at DragonCon, and it's signed to me by George Takei!

A good time, despite migraine

This afternoon I managed to get some work done, even though this migraine was troublesome, and I was concerned about how I would be able to stand my evening activities. But, J. came home and lent his car, and I set forth.

First was a meeting at La Perla with two youth orchestra people. We talked about personnel issues, and I had a delicious meatball appetizer and some bread. And I did fine. The migraine had finally passed the stage where my head actively hurts, and so it's mostly body aches and tiredness, and even the increasing noise of the restaurant didn't bother me.

I could have gone directly from the meeting to my 7:30 pm concert, as it was just kitty corner across the street from the restaurant, but I wanted to get some library books, and I didn't want to walk around downtown in the dark, so I drove to the library and back. That took all of 15 minutes and I was still amply in time for the concert. And, just after I'd found a seat, SDH appeared! She's had Delgani connections but hadn't been to a concert yet. Or rather, I think she'd been to the last one but on its Sunday iteration, not the Tuesday. So she came to sit with me, and for once I had someone to chat with comfortably during the entire event! At intermission I introduced her to C. and his wife (they're all UO faculty), and afterwards she introduced me to her cellist friend, who is a sociologist, and who was also in the audience. So was SC, whom I know from work before his retirement, and JF, whom I helped teach that elementary school strings class last spring.

The concert itself... first we had a familiar-sounding Haydn piece. Then we had a newly commissioned piece about the internment of Japanese Americans... and the composer was with us! She introduced all the themes before they played the full piece. Then, after the intermission, we had Steve Reich's "Different Trains," and in hearing the whole thing, I felt like I really "got" it and I liked it! Then there was a very lovely short work that wasn't on the program. And then there was the reception, and then I went home.