Monday Symphony

My doctor’s nurse replied that they had received my message via myChart and that we would connect on Thursday at my already scheduled appointment. The frozen face, a recurrence of Bell’s Palsy, is not worse and seems to be fading. There is no sign of stroke.

Monday started with me dragging a bit. Monday is like my Saturday; I seldom have plans, and everyone still working is busy returning to work. I do laundry on Mondays. I have, like this Monday, found a symphony in Portland. I checked, and the Oregon Symphony is stopping Monday concerts after this season and offering a limited set of concerts on Thursday. I had noticed that 1/3 or more of the seats were empty at Monday’s concerts.

I had no electronic ticket for today’s symphony and had to call the ticket folks to fix this. They were mailing it to me, which meant it would arrive a few days after the concert. Hmmm. The ticket folks printed another ticket and placed it in will-call for me. They informed me they had new software and a new website, which was not a joy to work with. I had them delete, as I had no option for this online, the old phone numbers, as the software kept sending approval codes to numbers I don’t use.

I looked at a package for next year, as the symphony is playing a lot of its best hits next year. I know that the Oregon Symphony and other institutions have many empty seats, as the next generation of folks are not buying season tickets, and at $900 a person for all concerts in the upper balcony, it is a lot of money. At least for this concert, only the cheap seats were left. The dress circle appeared full.

I wrote the blog until afternoon, having risen later, 8ish, and then wrote the blog slowly while also writing a card to Mom Wild. I send Mom Wild a card or postcard every day the mail picks up. I have to get the card out in the mailbox before 9. Our mail now comes early.

After yesterday’s EMT adventure, I was going slow and being careful. There was no sign of a stroke, and I did not bite my left side cheek while eating today. However, I did sneeze often, as it is Spring in Oregon. I believe the robust pollen on these sunny mornings in Oregon has caused some inflammation and brought back Bell’s Palsy.

By 1, I was dressed and decided that with yesterday’s adventures, it was best to get out of the house and be with folks. I drove to the local Happy Panda (not the chain Panda Express, but our local place) and had my usual Orange Chicken, a yummy caloric disaster of sweet sauce over battered and deep-fried chicken breast. It comes, for lunch, with a cup of hot and sour soup, a scoop of white rice, and a spring roll. I used to go there with Michelle and Michael when we all worked together. I thought of them as I ate my usual.

I returned home, rewatched the latest Doctor Who, and soon took Air VW the Gray to the nearby MAX station. I did not take my hat, but was dressed in a new out-of-the-package shirt and a blue sweater vest. The new shirts fit (over a new washed T-shirt), and I now use suspenders to hold up my pants. I have not lost enough weight to move to another size, but my belt is not working, meaning I am trying suspenders. I do not like the look, but it is practical.

The MAX was quick, and I was soon at the Library stop. The wind was blowing in Portland, and it was cold. I was happy for the sweater layer and long sleeves. I walked in an increasing spiral, searching for a place for dinner or reading. I brought a book with me, Elric Volume 2. I had found one story I knew and skipped it. I would also skip another story included for reasons I am unsure; it is set in near-modern times.

Rain came. I had not brought an umbrella (I forgot to put one back in the cargo hold). At the same time, I spotted Treebeard’s Taphouse (Don’t be Haste). I entered the young person-filled tap house and spotted a seat in the sun by the window. The place was busy, and the one person running the bar had limited but excellent food, which took five minutes to appear behind the bar. I was concerned that nobody was there for so long, but then I remembered the place’s name. I opened a tab, had a light-ish locally made brew, and a cheese plate. The movie The Hobbit (Part 1, the extended version) was playing with CC and no sound on a screen.

I drank my excellent adult beverage and read. The cheese plate appeared, and while not overflowing with options, it was perfect for dinner for one (or shared with maybe three at the most). My book was still in some non-Elric story that I thought, while interesting, was not what I wanted to read. I tried to enjoy it (I would later abandon it and find an Elric story or at least one in that setting).

I had a smaller second beer, sticking to lighter versions as I did not want to sleep through the concert, and finished the food. It was nearing 6 when the talk for the concert began, and I paid my bill and walked the six blocks back to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

On the way to my seat, I saw the Rose City Brass Quartet playing before the show. I stopped and listened for a while. It was pleasant.

The talk was nice, and then I found my upper balcony cheap seat (not the cheapest, $29 plus fees). The folks behind me had put their stuff on the little bench next to my assigned seat. I decided to take an unsold seat (I knew I was the only person in the row) and not be in front of them.

The music flew by. The orchestra played a piece by the modern composer Derrick Skye, and I will have to find more by this composer. I liked the music, including an electric bass guitar and clapping. Both added to the complexity without overwhelming the flow and excitement in the music. Here is a version for orchestra, recommended.

Pianist Makoto Ozone led in Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin and improvised, improving the concert experience. We all know every note, but now the audience heard rifts on the original. Wonderful! Nearly everyone was standing and cheering after the piece concluded.

After the intermission, two more pieces were played. While Scherzo Fantastique looked fun for the conductor and the sound was terrific, I thought it was a bit plain compared to what we had experienced. My mind drifted, and I might have nodded off. The Bartók was atonal for most of the sound, but it was wild, angry, and dark, and showed the conductor and orchestra’s chops. It is not something to listen to while trying to relax.

It was an excellent concert, and even with me nodding off for Josef Suk’s piece, it was worth the experience. I walked back to the MAX with most concertgoers, mostly sporting gray hair like me, but none of them took the MAX. I got on a mostly empty car and, without incident, was soon home.

I read after getting into my PJs and was soon in my blankets, sleeping. I did not wake up, that I remember, but I could recall my dream this morning. It was strange, with me working again at Nike, but at a sporting event. The room we were in was filled with each person’s college team information, ignoring the company affiliation. The playing team’s coach came and appreciated our mixing of teams and our supporting our college teams.

Thanks for reading.