Post-concert Libation

-Michèle (from my mobile phone)

Me & the as-yet-unnamed homeschool group

we had a great workshop session today!!

-Michèle (from my mobile phone)

Me & Elke!

Me & Elke White @ Damon's after 4 coaching sessions. Yay!!

-Michèle (from my mobile phone)

Total Chaos

I'm on US Airways flight 262 (aircraft N818aw), from SJC to PHX & I'm lucky to be here.

Getting on the plane was complete chaos. First, there was a man in my seat. When I said "Sir, you're in my seat", he replied, "they told me to sit here". He tried to move for me but then the flight attendant came by to tell me that he can't move; he pre-boarded in a wheelchair. (Then I felt like a complete dolt!)

I explained that I'm claustrophobic & really need a window seat, so the attendant told me to go with her to find another seat.

Meanwhile, it quickly became apparent that something was *very* wrong with the computers at SJC. First there were 2 people assigned to the same seat, then another group of 3 with the same seat, then a group of 4.

My problem paled by comparison, so I "put on my big girl pants" and took an aisle seat. I cried a bit during takeoff, but then the panic subsided & I seem to be ok now (with only intermittent moments of anxiety - "I will adapt", as 7 of 9 always said).

It turns out that with the ticketing problem, they ended up with one too many people on board & so asked for a volunteer to get off, offering them a round-trip ticket in exhange for taking the next flight.

We ended up taking off about 30 minutes late, but the pilot will make most of that up in flight & we'll only arrive 10 mins late or so. I'm going to have a bit of a tight connection, but I should make it.

I am sooo behind on my blogging! I need to write about Trinity's 10th anniversary concert - I am *so very* proud of them! - as well as playing jazz bells in church with Cliff & Lee, and the Sonos video shoot, AND the Area XII Conference at Riverside last weekend.

Fortunately, I should have some time at the hotel tonight to do that. I was hoping to have some pics & video from Trinity's concert before blogging about it, but now I won't get that until July some time & that's too late to wait, so I'll go with what I have.

Stay tuned!

-Michèle (from my mobile phone somewhere between San Jose & Phoenix)

Clear cards and Skycaps

I am at the San Jose airport this morning, on my way to a weekend full of coaching sessions, workshops, a concert, & a church service in Ohio (after which I visit my mom for a week!).

I recently invested in a Clear card. It cost about $100 (a yearly fee), but it has already saved me oodles of time.

Basically, in airports which have Clear terminals (all 3 Bay Area airports have them), I go through a special line at security. The Clear clerk puts my card into the reader & I provide whatever biometric info it asks for (ie. fingerprints or a retinal scan) & then the clerk grabs some bins and takes me to the xray machine. We basically cut in front of everybody else in line. I get through security really quickly now! Yay!

When I arrived at the airport and unloaded my luggage from the car, the skycap asked if I wanted to check in curbside. Just then, the terminal doors opened & I saw that the line to check baggage was almost out the door! So I decided to check in curbside.

The skycap asked if I new that there's a $25 fee for a 2nd checked bag, which I did. He also asked if either of my bags were overweight. I told him that my bells are, but I didn't know about the other. Turns out that my other suitcase (which has no clothes, but all the "extra" stuff I need like mallets, tool kits, toiletries, table cover, etc) was 48 lbs, and my bells are 56.

He told me that ordinarily he's have to charge me the $50 overweight fee, but he'd let me slide today.

So I paid the $25 for the 2nd bag & then tipped him $20, which saved me $30.

I love my Clear card & I love skycaps!!

-Michèle (from my mobile phone @ SJC)

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Jukka, Seppo, & me

Me with Jukka-Pekka Vainio & Seppo Kirkenen. Seppo directs the Finnish handbell choir Sonus Dolce[1] & is here in the US on a grant to study handbells. He will be attending the Area XII Conference in Riverside, CA, next weekend.

In exchange for some instruction from me, he will be accompanying me on piano at my Friday night Showcase concert at Riverside!

Jukka will also be joining us on cello for the concert - in fact, JP & I plan to play "Relentless"! Yay!

The 3 of us rehearsed at JP's house this afternoon. It's gonna be a *great* concert!! Can't wait!!

ps. Yes, I plan to post about Trinity's concert last Sunday, but I'm waiting to receive some pictures & video before I do. Stay tuned - it was an INCREDIBLE concert!!

[1] Missy Vainio commented:

For the record, the name of the group Seppo directs is Dolce, not Sonus. Sonus is the group I played in for several years when I was living in Finland. It was the very first handbell ensemble in Finland. Dolce is the second, and there are now four handbell ensembles in all in the country.