So, what's up lately?

Not much, really. Came home from San Francisco, and a conference where I alternated between unable to stay awake and hypercaffienated. My keel's been more even since I got home, can sleep in my own bed, next to my partner.

With, every morning about 5:30 or six, a crying dog in the next bedroom. Got to teach that puppy to tell time. He's much better than before I went away, though, and rarely cries at bedtime.

I've actually accomplished a fair amount in the past couple weeks.

• sent in my choices for the Toasted Cheese "Three Cheers and a Tiger" contest
• updated the Coro website.
• Figured out that the quota error I was getting trying to upload the previous item was due to 5700 spam messages. I hope I fixed that.
• Speaking of, on aphrael's recommendation I iTunesed the new Sting album, Songs from the Labyrinth, which is music of John Dowling, fl. 1590, for lute and voice. And now I can't seem to burn it to a CD my car's stereo will read.
• Got my contribution to the Family Letter together and mailed.
• Played some with [choral] music. I miss having time to play with my own music. But hey, the dog howls when somebody tries to sing.
• Filled in a questionnaire about music at the church, put out by the search committee, who are looking to replace the choirmaster/organist of 30 years.
• Useful telecon on Monday (!?)
• Non-confrontational outside advice board meeting on Tuesday (!!?!)
• Meeting usually across town (wasting an hour in travel) was actually here this time.

The Family Letter is actually a neat institution. My grandfather had 10 siblings; my mother had 31 first cousins. To keep this immense extended family together, the matriarch started this round-robin letter among her children as they left the nest, in the 19-teens and 20s. It's still going around, now with 2 or 3 more generations contributing. It takes about 10 months for each round; people stick in pictures, programs from weddings and funerals and ordinations and christenings, and a letter (removing their previous contribution). I've inherited the address list maintenance, since my mom's computer had a hard disk crash last fall, and she's getting on in years anyway. She's inordinately fond of spreadsheets, but then she trained as an accountant.

One of the four crossings in Cambridge over the commuter rail line is an elderly bridge, which is being replaced. That's nice, as far as it goes, but they're going to have it closed for two years. I can't imagine how, in good faith, it can take two years to build a 2-lane bridge that's about 30 feet long. I'm guessing somebody important lives there, and doesn't like the traffic. Meanwhile, traffic elsewhere in Cambridge sucks, big time.

And now it's my turn to stay home and entertain the puppy. There's a conference in town that toxicfur is going to, starting this afternoon and running through Tuesday morning. At least she'll be home at night.