First the Bad News

This in the mail this morning:

Public Safety would like to notify the community that this morning Saturday, November 22, 2003 at approximately 2:50am a male student reported he was assaulted on High Street near Huber Ave.

The male student was walking by himself when he was approached by a male who made a homophobic comment and struck him. The student continuing walking a short distance and then was approached by the same suspect and four others who began punching and kicking him. The suspects then left the area on foot and headed north on High St. The student was brought to Middlesex Hospital for treatment.

that's the opposite side of campus from where I live, about a 5 minute walk from the CFA. I have walked home from the CFA by myself at such an ungodly hour. In the future, I'm going to either bicycle (it's downhill going home) or take Xena with the hope that she might intimidate somebody. High Street is a major enough street that I would have thought it was "safe."

and

I will not be going home during winter break. A mis-reading of schedules lead me to beleive that there would be time for christi and i to spend a week at home. but this was in error. i won't be home for thanksgiving either. my thansgiving day tickets are non-refundable, so i'm not going to be able to change them, even in the unlikely event that i could book a flight home at this late date.

however, I have a two week spring break, at least one week of which will be spent in California. Possibly (hopefully) both weeks.

Good news

the good news is not as good as the bad news was bad, but i felt that if i just said "bad news" and "other news," that would come off as too pessimistic.

I went to the Music in Sacred Spaces symposium and head many lectures about church architecture and a little bit about music. Nothing came up that was useful for my paper, aside fromthe notion that processions create a sort of temporary sacred space, through the music used and the objects carried. but my paper, while it involves processions, is a bit more secular.

Went to a concert of 17th cenutry sacred chamber works afterwards. the program notes seem to be very interresting. i'll read them later. the trio used a 17th centure tuning system, which was not meantone. it was closer to equal temperment, so more keys sound better, but was period appropriate.

after the concert, several symposium participants and grad students went to the organizer's (prof Jane Alden)'s house for drinks. The party didn't break up till like 2:00 am. she served some sort of apple brandy. it's two nights in a row that i've perhaps gotten a bit loopy in a social setting, but rest assured, a trend is not starting.

One interresting thing is that all the musicologists there can look at a score and hear how the harmonies work. none of the composers there (grad students) have that skill, although aaron can read rhythms very well, as he's a percussionist.

I think I'm missing a fundamental musical skill.