Searchlight, New Year's Eve

Cool poster

Early computer

This is a vintage piece from the Computing Scale Company of Dayton, OH, which later became part of IBM.

Does anyone know what this is?

Famous Steinberg

This is me with a copy of the actual New Yorker with the Steinberg cover called "The World as Seen from New York's 9th Avenue." Steinberg is one of my heroes.

I took this picture with my special “bent pencil” lens

Rachel eating miniature plastic hay

An essential part of our all-vegetarian Christmas meal.

Christmas at First Covenant

I played the Christmas Eve service at First Covenant. Lots of Christmas carols and one good gospel number. Ten strings and ten brass, plus rhythm section.

Capital Towers always has a bizarre vehicle parked out front

This was today's offering.

Nice sculpture near the piano

It was raining in Fair Oaks...

...so the chickens were all hanging out in front of the Chamber of Commerce building.

Mysterious corner of the Tower Cafe

We had the best mole sauce ever tonight. Also saw Up in the Air; excellent movie. Ran into Randy Solorio and his daughter (I know them from Best of Broadway)... they were going in to see Avatar.

A Russian wedding cake

The baker didn't know the word for it in English. You could stop a bullet with the frosting.

Antonio and me

Inside a piano I found a sticker from Antonio Bombal, my late teacher. I put my service record card next to the sticker.

It's bad enough to find a Thomas Kinkade

... but in this KFC restroom, there is an imitation Thomas Kinkade. Kitsch squared.

Incredibly old phone exchange

New musical

I assume this is a musical version of the Trojan War. I didn't look at it, but I can't wait to see the New York Times review.

I got back my box of piano leg repair tools

...and my client had packed them much more neatly than I would ever have. I hate it when amateurs do my job better than I do.

If you're in the drive-through lane at McDonald's...

...the one on Freeport near Taylor's Market, then you can look at this nice mural painted on a nearby wall. Note Ronald McDonald holding a surfboard.

Got my tuxedo back

I played in Grass Valley on December 2. Then on December 12, I was on my way out to a job when I realized that I couldn't find my tuxedo jacket! Turns out it was still hanging in the garment bag backstage at the Veterans Hall! Jennifer and I drove out tonight to retrieve it.

Great ruined piano

This is from my old friend Sherwin French. If you like this sort of thing, visit the World Association of Ruined Piano Studies site.

Another great Christmas gift...

...the toy safe guarded by laser beams.

The perfect Christmas gift...

....passion fruit-flavored fabric softener. I actually wrapped this as a gift to the mom of a needy family.

Look at the Christmas Scoop 2009!

Click here.

Christmas tree at the Tower Cafe

Disturbing image at Walgreens cosmetic counter

This sculpture celebrates a political issue at UC Davis

Little tree on a table at Jack's Urban Eats

Perfect for your pathetic bachelor Christmas.

Pirate mannequin at Evangeline's

Our Christmas party

Matias Bombal emceed our Christmas cabaret and did a great job! Martin Beal, Brady McKay, and Rachel Songer all bonded over the craft of singing.

Jon inside tent

The Tower Cafe set up a heated tent outside where people could wait for their table. They give you a wireless coaster which vibrates and blinks when your table is ready. Jon put it under his hat and the camera on my phone interpreted the little light from the coaster as a big halo.

Convenience store...

...and a painting of the store on a wall across the street.

Mysterious rock...

...in the shape of the Espresso Metro sign.

Veterans Memorial Hall in Grass Valley

I played with John Skinner's band at this hall in the foothills. Living history!

Tiny banjo...

...hanging next to a tiny example of sheet music, printed smaller to save paper during World War I.

Got the cards out

As always, we finished the cards and newsletter by December 1. A great way to stay in touch, though it seems less urgent in the Facebook era.

Guitar footpedals at 1st Covenant

...tacked to a piece of plywood...

Wii Sports Resort

After a friend brought it over for Thanksgiving, I bought Wii Sports Resort. It's worth the purchase for the table tennis game alone, though it has 11 other games included. It feels and sounds exactly like playing real table tennis.

Jesus rocks!

Steve, the guitarist at First Covenant, has this sticker on his guitar case.

At the Studio Theatre dressing room...

...there is a wonderful wall where actors have signed the bricks.

Alien technology fails us again

The sound guy at the show had a dead battery in his truck so John asked me if I could give him a jump. But when I brought my Prius over and popped the hood, he couldn't find the battery.

I found out later that the battery is in the back with the spare tire.

Playing in the rain

Tonight the John Skinner Band played at the Christmas tree lighting as usual. It rained and we got pretty wet. Fortunately, the security guys put up umbrellas and I don't think anything got permanently damaged.

Day at the movies

We went to see Fantastic Mr. Fox today. Quite good. Very much in the spirit of Roald Dahl.

History of Thanksgiving

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An amazing flute performance

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Rachel brought some black tea from England

It's a powerful drug.

Turning innocent kids into criminals

Since Rachel is visiting, I went to Hollywood Video to rent a copy of Mario Kart for the Wii. The salesman told me that all the copies were out; some were damaged, others were missing, and some were "referred to a collection agency."

Peanuts car

What is a Christmas tree without a moose?

Unbelievable concert

I went to a house concert at the home of John and Daphne Bruno in Davis: Tamir Hendelman (godlike) on piano, Jeff Clayton on reeds. Stupendous. They both play in the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

A Christmas Carol starring us!

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No farting in this bathroom

I would love to have been in the meeting where they decided how to graphically represent farts.

JibJab Rhythmic Gymnastics starring Mark and Jennifer

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The wait is over

There was until recently a restaurant in Granite Bay called Toast. It went out of business. Finally, I can say: "Toast is toast."