The Astronomical Society of Kansas City will be onsite at Union Station’s Science City with telescopes and volunteers. The planetarium will air the NASA event live just after midnight.
Hope to see you there!
Month: August 2012
Five Thousand Eight Hundred Forty-Four
Days … but who’s counting? Apparently, I am.
Yesterday was my 16th anniversary with my employer. Oddly enough, I had completely forgotten about the anniversary until my boss entered my cubicle, late in the afternoon on Wednesday, August 1st, and presented me with a card and token gift. Very strange indeed, since I hadn’t seen him in probably ten days and he usually misplaces or forgets things like anniversaries and birthdays.
But the real highlight of my day came when I met an old friend and her husband for dinner and a jazz concert. I’ve known her just as long as I’ve been employed, although she up and retired earlier this year. We still get together, usually once a month for this first Wednesday concert, called Spirituality and All That Jazz, but sometimes for lunch as well. Last’s night’s theme was:
The Sensational Swingin’ Saxes
TODD WILKINSON & JIM MAIR
A Night of Exceptional Sax Educators Cutting Loose
performing with Tim Whitmer & The Consort Band
I surprised myself by leaving the camera bag in the car. Serendipitous in that I could then attempt to take some better photos than I could have managed with my cell phone camera. The lighting at Unity Temple isn’t the best, so I changed the ISO to 800, and eventually 1600, but most of the photos I took were very blurry. I took a few from up front and those turned out better.
The group played mostly jazz standards, including Duke Ellington’s ‘Things Ain’t What They Used To Be” (in honor of the Royals); “Stella by Starlight”; a Harry Allen chart called “Jake’s Lament”; a Charlie Parker chart called “My Little Suede Shoes”; “Body and Soul”; “The Preacher”; and they closed out the concert with some blues … “Blues Up and Down.” I missed some of the song titles because I couldn’t always understand Tim or Todd (less gain on the microphone and/or better diction please). The second song I recognized, and could almost hear the words being sung in my head, but for the life of me I don’t have any idea what the name of it might have been.
The concert wrapped up shortly after 8:30 p.m. I said my goodbyes to my friends and hit the road home. The sun had already set and the full moon (well, three hours short of being a full moon) had risen behind me.
I had a great time, catching up with friends and enjoying some amazing saxy jazz or jazzy saxes … take your pick.