Actually, it's Annville. as in the Annville-Cleona High School Christmas Concert, at 7:30 last night (til 10:00 or later.) Should have been the Holiday Concert, since the senior high concert band played "Imani," a piece about the seventh day of kwanzaa, with "lots of color and percussion" though unfortunately not an "African log drum." That, along with two x-mas medleys (but not "Sleigh Ride", with the boys in dashing marching dress, red sashes and capes, and the girls with red bows on their butts), and then two hours plus (no less than 23 pieces) of choral Christmas music. Including cousin Alyssa, somewhere. I kept myself at least entertained by keeping track of the stars (like Amy Morgan, who played bari-sax, accompanied more of the choir pieces than anyone else, duly bowing after each, and choreographed the 'jazzy' moves for the chamber choir's rendition of "Rudolph.") The director was enthusiastic, but he seems to have forgetten to tell them to sing with their mouths open, as you could hardly hear the singing, even when the stage swelled to 200 people with audience members (I wanted to go up but Hannah wouldn't let me) for the "Hallelujah Chorus." We escaped to wander the hallways (fire-engine-red lockers and inscrutable construction-paper signs heralding "bum day," "penny wars," "gender day") but somehow didn't manage to miss any of the music.

To bring you up to speed: Wednesday was recording all day, from noon to 3am. Thursday we trained up to NY anyway, after some last minute packing/secret present making. Ben E-C and his gal Sofa accompanied us on the NJT to Penn. Then we walked through Times Square to meet Ben (G) at GCT. Thus began a whirlwind thirty-hour tour of the city, Hannah's first real exposure. dinner at Zen Palate, Strand-browsing, sleep and breakfast in Scarsdale, jazz at noon, rejected at the Met (no luggage allowed), so subway down to union square and walking around the Village; a sort-of depressing cartoonish exhibit at the New Museum, streets and streets. and pizza with jesse and josie.

i made the spur-of-the-moment decision (wasn't that the point) to travel back to swat and then meet hannah's folks for a few days. even though i didn't have any stuff with me besides address book and clean underwear in the jacket pocket. not even a toothbrush, but i reclaimed that in worth. put the armchair in my room, and grabbed another t-shirt. more trains - all of this travelling is parallel with the action in my book, which consists mostly of walking and walking all night and maybe resting a little in the day, meeting someone else and maybe having a battle. only about 70 pages left - i'll be free to see the movie in a few days.

it's nice to be here, the cozy little cottage full of warmth and warm things. family, frozen food. snl and reading and cookies. cordy (grandma) listens to an irishman and wonders if it's "babylon" or something with a d, maybe "dalrymple." "is that in ireland?" happy solstice yesterday, and i'll see you again soon.

by the rivers of babylon
where we sat down
and where we lay
when we remember zion