Spring sunshine

It snowed here in Chicagoland last night. Not a lot, but noticeable. Now that it is April and springtime, I have started again to sit outside for 20 minutes or so in the morning. I have a sleep problem. Last summer I watched a video from my health insurance company about sleep, both its importance and how get better sleep. The bottom line was five recommendations:

1. Pick a wake-up time and stick with it.

2. Stop caffeine by 2 pm.

3. Limit alcohol 3 hours before bed and drink one glass of water for each alcoholic drink.

4. Limit exercise 4 hours before bed.

5. Get 15 minutes of sun every day, preferably in the morning.

I have no problem with numbers 2, 3, and 4. I have not tried #1 because I hesitate to give up any sleep I can get, whether it's in the morning or night. 

Number 5, 15 minutes of sun, is very pleasant. I take my coffee (well before 2 pm!) and sit in the backyard. But this is Chicago, so sitting in the sun for much of the year is just not practical. So I am delighted that April is here, snow or no snow. I had to clear ice and snow off the patio furniture and put down towels to soak up the wetness, but I sat for at least 15 minutes. I watched a squirrel find something to eat. I did the New York Times crossword. And I had peace.

Salvador Dalí

 Yesterday we took the train into Chicago and visited the Art Institute with friends. We went to see the Salvador Dalí exhibit in particular, though the Art Institute has so much wonderful art, you don't need a particular reason to visit.

The title of the exhibition is Salvador Dalí: The Image Disappears. It was a relatively small exhibit, fitting in three rooms, but with an interesting assortment of art, most of which I had not seen before. Some of the paintings were like those pictures that you can look at two ways and see different images. Like this:

There were a lot of music references, which surprised me. Richard Wagner was in one of the paintings! I can't say I saw what the notes said was happening in all of the works, or why Dalí created some of these works, but it was certainly interesting. 

Concert Time!

 Last night was a late night for me - I'm not used to staying up so late. But, the community orchestra that I play in had a concert -- a special concert in Orchestra Hall (Chicago), the home of the Chicago Symphony. 

I have played on that stage before, both with this same community orchestra (the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest) but also decades ago with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, a training orchestra for your musicians in their 20s. The Hall has had a major renovation since I played their in the 1970s. The downstairs, where the dressing rooms and offices are located, is amazing. First of all, there is an actual women's dressing room! In the 1970s the women were put in a room not designed as a dressing room - there weren't that many women in the orchestra (or any professional orchestra!) at that time. There are also "quiet rooms," a ping pong table, showers, and lots of space! 

Leaving the downstairs and proceeding to the actual concert - we played the premiere of a symphony by one of the members of the SOPRF and parts of the Te Deum by Hector Berlioz. The Te Deum includes a large choir and children's choir. The audience was enthusiastic - it was mostly friends and relatives, but still... 

So we all finished the concert in a glow of happy accomplishment. Here is my section (I am next to the tall young man):