A Tale of Two by Two Cities

After two snow days (actually two snow days plus one hour), the winter weather calmed a bit and it was back to work on Thursday and Friday. Those last two days were doozies, though: the snow days got scheduled into what remained of the week, and after the bleak sow and ice days of gray, it was all about putting out fires - that's my job, I suppose.

To conclude the week, and really get away from work, I found solace in a wonderful concert by Chanticleer on their one-night only tour stop. I got to chat with my friend Matthew Oltman, tenor and now the music director of the group.

A "make-up" concert for the missed holiday performance - on tour in St. Louis.

I missed the annual treat of seeing Chanticleer perform its usual holiday concert in St. Ignatius Church on the University of San Francisco campus, but getting to hear them in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis was quite special. And although they usually never perform it outside of the holiday concert, Chanticleer sang the Biebl "Ave Maria" (seemingly just for me, at my secret request), so all is right with the world again! [See below for the majesty of this number...]

Inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, famed for its mosaics (and thankfully, for its acoustics).

On Thursday morning I was asked to pinch-hit for two keynote speakers who were weather-bound and trapped, unable to be at a student leadership conference on Saturday. So with less than 48 hours to prepare (and a concert and post-concert cocktails on Friday night, naturally), I went back to work Saturday morning and gave a 30-minute address on social change and innovation. Was told by the program coordinator that I knocked it out of the park and he couldn't believe I hadn't been doing that speech and presentation for years and was able to pull it off in under two days. Well, I guess the winter can't damped some of my skills. Score! That's how we do it...

Finally got some good rest, a full night of sleep to help me finally recover from the dreaded cold that is still "going around," did laundry, and got to 8:30 AM mass on Sunday in church number two of the week, St. Francis Xavier College Church, on the SLU campus. More Gothic loveliness. Now I'm ready for more "homework" and music, maybe the SuperBowl will be on mute, and then a new episode of "GLEE" - life is pretty good!

Sunday morning in St. Francis Xavier College Church.

And for my Super Bowl Sunday send-off (new episode of "GLEE" follows the game!), here's a video clip of Chanticleer (an older line-up) doing what they do best, from their holiday concert in me beloved Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City:

I've been learning to walk in snow and slush (better than ice) and to drive without strict adherence to the lane markers because so much of the streets are blocked by large drifts of slush that are not melting in the temperatures that hover around freezing, especially in the chilly overnights despite sunny days. I've even managed to rock the car out of slushbound parking spaces (not just once, but two times in the last 72 hours). Not bad, as far as life lessons go. I think I'll be able to face this upcoming very full week (long days running well into each evenings). Stay tuned for more news - I hope all good.