Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Summer vacation + work

70 degrees. A warm day for Monterey's standard. Just came back from a Tahoe camping trip and cannot decide to make today a working day or a relaxing day.

It turned out to be both. I cleaned up the house a bit and amazed by how time consuming are the chores. Practiced cello, clean up and backup the computers, install the web cam that I might use for future teaching. Had a Korean instant noodle for lunch with some left over vegetable from the refrigerator. Took a nap – very cool and unusual.

There are over 400 emails piled up in the university account, social account and professional account, plus teaching the IST technology workshop class. Hours just passed away.

Watched a few minutes of Jack-Ass over dinner; horribly bad movie. When I returned to the study, it is still bright outside, I played the Bach's prelude to the cello suite, it is not difficult to play but so hard to play well. The other piece, Shindler's list, was much easier to express emotion, and it is a very sad piece. The first time I listen to the cello solo on http://www.imeem.com/dearbee/music/_1AOJGmb/schindlers_list_cello_version I am hooked. I cannot find the music sheet anywhere so I have to go thru the trouble of finding a midi file, convert it to sheet music, remove the piano part, transcribe it an octave lower. But I am glad that I did it.

Walked around 8 PM in the Hatton field area and come back via Mission trail. It is peaceful and quiet, I did not see a single person for about 45 minutes. It felt like the whole world has retired. While I walked, I listened to Orwell's 1984, a disturbing novel with striking similarities to what happened in China during Culture Revolution. I arrived home around 9 PM, sit in the back yard in the dusk, the house seems overpowering, with the three –story tall wall painted red and dark, old windows. I think that is part of the Charm of old houses in Carmel.

Worked till almost 2 AM in the morning grading the student assignments, it is fun and rewarding to know students' inspirations, experience and goals.

A day ended. Surprised to find out even though I have total flexibility for a day, I choose the similar set of activities. I hope that is a good sign.