So as many of you have guessed by now, I was not killed in the Chino Hills earthquake of 2008 (neither was anyone else for that matter). In a somewhat ironic twist, my iTunes random shuffle has decided to play a movement from contemporary minimalist composer John Adams, entitled Shaker Loops: A Final Shaking. Yet this magnificent piece, written for sting quartet, was not inspired by any California seismic events (as was his opera I Was Looking at the Ceiling and then I Saw the Sky), but rather the historical Shaker religious sect. Nevertheless, this piece is one of my favorite Adams works. The way he creates melodies you’ve never heard of and chords you’ve never dreamed of is absolutely astonishing.

Earlier today I had the opportunity to visit, Los Angeles High School, the high school that I can literally see from my front door, and the high school that the majority of my middle school students will end up at. So today, I ran into about 30 or so of my former students, the majority of whom are freshmen, and had just begun their high school experience. I could tell that many of them are still “learning the ropes” as they expressed missing middle school very much. I also was able to run into a few students that I taught from 2004-2006 (who are currently juniors), and they reminded me just how old I am getting. My guess is soon I’ll be approaching the age that my students think I am at already.

Now only a few more days until work begins again…..not that I’m counting.