More pics from China

One of the pieces I performed while in China was Halim's Fantasia-Tahmeel for derabucca and strings. Here I am just before the performance started.



















The performance went very well. Here I am at the conclusion with the conductor.



















We also got to meet many musicians from all over China. Here is Liana backstage with a musician who played many different types of flutes.



















Here we are with the entire group of musicians and dancers.

After Thanksgiving Sales

We hit the sales on Friday morning. I have never done it before, but I finally felt that it was time to be a part of the insanity. We woke up at 3:00 and arrivd at the IHOP by 3:30. We thought this would be a perfect place to start the day. Well lit, friendly, smoke free, and open 24 hours.



The only problem was this sign on the other door...
Closed from 1pm to 6am.

So, we quickly regrouped. We had to be in line at Goody's by 4:30 for the 5:00 opening. The reason being that the first 300 people received 10 gift cards. We didn't want to miss that. Luckily, just across the street was a place that would never let us down like IHOP did....The WAFFLE HOUSE. Smoky, cramped, bright yellow but still quite dingy at the same time. To make it even better, a Celine Dion fan had apparantly pumped about $5 worth of quarters into the jukebox. Boy, was Liana glad to hear that!

We called our shopping pals CK and Gaby and told them IHOP was off and to meet us at the WH. They were a little sluggish, but they finally made it.

Here I am with my friend Gabi at about 3:55am

At around 4:00 in the morning, everyone is feeling a little crazy.


We left Waffle House and made it to Goody's by 4:30. There was only one other person there, so we were all set. We got in, got the card, got the stuff, got in line, and got out. We were done by 5:20, and despite some technical difficulties at the register, none of us paid over $3 total.

Then we headed toward the other side of town and Shoe Carnival, where the first 100 people got $10 gift cards. We made it in time for the cards, and met some people in line who had just come from braving the crowds at Wal-Mart. We shared our tales of derring-do as we jumped around in the cold, trying to stay warm. We ran in at 6:00, got the card and started looking for shoes. I am proud to say that the pair of Vans that I had my eye on started at 50 bucks, but with my gift card, my coupon, and a temporary Shoe Carnival "10 minute only" mark down (that was lucky), I got them for $16.

Then it was off to Belk for some gift shopping, Office Depot for a super cheap 1 GB flash drive, and then to Hastings for the super-duper "All Used CDs $3.99 Sale". Among other amazing used CDs (My Spanish Heart, Return to Forever Retrospective, Rufus Wainsright-Want Two, etc.) I picked up the much needed Paul Simon Concert in Central Park. Yes, even the two disc sets were $3.99.

By that time we had had enough. Back to the house for "lunch". It felt late and I was starving. It was only 9:30.

Fake Meat

While in China we went to a restaurant that specializes in recreating vegetarian and vegan versions of traditional Chinese dishes. The fake Peking Duck looked amazing, but seemed to cost more than a real duck, so instead, we went for the roasted "ham" in a pumpkin shell. On the left side of the table are imitation pork rinds made from tofu. And while the "Spiced Cucumber Salad" may sound exotic, it's really just Bread and Butter Pickles. We also had some delicious lemon apple juice.

By the way, the service was incredible.

"Self Portraits" from China

Here we are at the Forbidden City. The earpiece is an audio tour device. OUr guidebook said that the audio tour was narrated by Roger Moore (James Bond). I thought it would be funny to be guided through the Forbidden City by 007. Much to m disappointment, it has been recently revised and is now narrated by a nice Chinese woman who obviously has no License to Kill.


Here we are at the Temple of Heaven. ou can see it in the background. The view was not as spectacular as hoped because it is undergoing restoration for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.


Here I am backstage with Halim


Me and my friend Tuyen Tonnu. She is an incredible pianist.


Me with my friend David Badagnani. He is Halim's archivist.

They Might Be Giants

Here's a pic of us at the Forbidden City. It's not posed, I swear. The little boy ran up to us just as the picture was being taken. Funny!
Click to enlarge.

and the posts begin to flow

OK,
Over the next few days I will try to get caught up on the events of the past month or so. China, PASIC, Tennessee, etc...

I just got back from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. I played Cloud Forest and Anubis with the percussion ensemble there and had a lot of fun working with the students. I also played a little derabucca on the concert.

Before that we did our second percussion ensemble concert of the semester here at UCA on Thursday night. Music for Pieces of Wood, Stained Glass, Cloud Forest, Run! Pandas, and a few other things. Then on Friday, Will Rapp gave a great clinic about the cymbal techniques of Benjamin Podemski (of the Philadelphia Orchestra). Very interesting stuff!

More to come soon, including more China pics (and a few from PASIC)

Coming Soon

For those of you that are getting worried...thanks for the concern. I'm fine, just busy. I promise a new post or two soon about PASIC and China and so forth...