Greetings from The Alamo City

Got 2 of 3 moving trips out of the way - one more tomorrow just to get the last few things that wouldn't fit in the 12x6 U-Haul I rented (It's times like this I really love having a full-sized pickup with a tow package) - and I'm obviously now reconnected to the internet and staying in my house (!) in San Antonio, but still sleeping on a futon.

I'll do a New Year's post with show-off pix when I return!

So, here's a redhead.



Even her lips have freckles!

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Vanessa Mae: Iconoclast

Being an iconoclast myself, I like the ideas behind Vanessa Mae's renditions of classic chestnuts, even if the execution of those ideas is sometimes a bit... well... you'll see.

Toccata and Fugue in D minor:



And, since I play my own arrangement of this, Classical Gas:



While we're at it, let's eviscerate Vivaldi:



OK, this one is just bad, but her British accent isn't, so, Vanessa Mae murders Paganini's 24th Caprice:



Didn't like the earlier Classical Gas? How about Bob Marley meets Mason Williams in Raggae Hell:



Just to make a point, she can play straight ahead. Here's some J.S. Bach to prove it:



Her intonation isn't exactly perfect, but it is a live performance.

Finally, The Devil's Trill:

(No embed available)

And, of course, it doesn't hurt that she's the hottest girl in all of music at the moment. I. love. her.

No redhead today. LOL!

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Musical Monk Moves!

Not the blog, but ME!

What an amazing Thanksgiving. I drove to mom's place in San Antonio last Sunday, looked at a house on Monday, made the guy an offer on Tuesday, he accepted on Wednesday, and then on Thanksgiving Day - after the Macy's Parade - The National Dog Show was televised. Mom's Lhasa Apso, Lulu, won both of her rounds and got to the Best in Show round - that dog got a lot of air time! The Pointer won Best in Show - hilariously, Lulu took a dump on the lead-in to that round (Mom and I were initially mortified... and then we laughed ourselves into helplessness) - but Lulu is barely two years old, so she's going places fast. They even mentioned mom's name on TV! She was thrilled. Then we consumed mass quantities and passed out. LOL!

The house I ended up getting was the one I really, really wanted, which I posted a bunch of pix of in this post from September 27th. The guy ended up not getting any other offers as good as mine, and he was looking at the economy and next year's property taxes, so he came down some and I went up some, and there you have it.

The Monk's new abode:



Like I said in the earlier post, this house was owned by a contractor who redid every room in the house, so it needs absolutely nothing. His bathroom and floor tile work is particularly stunning, and there's even a kick ass glass brick wall into the front living area. No cheap PVC plumbing either. All copper with metal finishing at the sinks! Then there's the permanently installed gas grill in the back yard, which is connected to the house's gas lines, so no gas bottles to run out or refill. I'm psyched!

I thought it also interesting that I posted about that house on the 27th, and the last two digits in the address are also 27: A number that's permeated my life since I was born (On 12/15, of course). It will also be 5 years to the month since I moved to Alpine. I hate to leave as I love it out here in the desert expanse, but being home for Thanksgiving really drove home that my mom is 80 and needs some help now. I think I changed almost a half-dozen light bulbs alone! I'm the only child, so it's not like anyone else can do it, not that I'd want them to. This house is only a mile away from her in the same 'hood, so it's a slam dunk, gift from God type of deal.

Plus, I'll be 51 when I make this move, I've been on every continent in the northern hemisphere, and I've been to every State except Maine, so I guess it's time to settle down... just a little.

The house closes on the 19th, so needless to say, the rest of this month will be a Chinese Fire Drill and I doubt there will be many more posts before I move.

Have a Merry Christmas everybody!



I thought the over-the-shoulder look would be apropos for a moving post.

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