Harmonic Journal 11/30/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, November 30, 2015

"Give" by Scott Leonard, Barry Carl and Masahiro Ikumi, as performed by Rockapella

Harmonic Journal 11/29/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, November 29, 2015

"Je Suis Malade" by Sege Lama and Alice Dona, as performed by Lara Fabian

Have Fun Storming the Capitol!

Glenndy and I attended a double feature of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay" parts 1 and 2 and were able to see the new film a day before the official release.  Or is that a day and a 1/2 because of midnight?  I don't know.  We got cool pins of the hand signal the rebels do, as well as lanyards so that we could go in and out of the theater.

Anyway, neither Cindy nor I remembered crying so much the first time we watched part 1, but I probably just forgot.  I did not, however, forget Katniss' song.  On with part 2, the final portion of the final book of the great Hunger Games series.

• Johanna is the coolest.  Vicious, but cool, and hilarious.
• Love Katniss' outfits.  I'm glad that Cinna was able to design more of them before his demise.
• Peeta made me nervous, even though I remembered what happened at the end of the books.  Thanks for making me nervous, Josh.
• Oh, Gale.  So tortured.
• Effie's eyelashes could stab a person.
• I don't remember Julianne Moore's eyes being that light.  They were kinda freaky as Coin.
• Tried not to cry when they showed Plutarch.  
• I now can't watch Stanely Tucci as Caesar without thinking of Stephen Colbert acting as Caesar's brother whenever a candidate drops out of the presidential race.
• Poor kitty cat.  But at least he knew that Katniss needed him to stay.  
• The monsters in the sewers reminded me of the really old vampires in the Buffy series.
• "May your aim be as true as your heart is pure."  Oh boy.
• Ooh, the kisses!  Especially the one not in the triangle.  That was a surprise!
• "You love me.  Real or not real?"

Great job with the series, everyone.  Thank you for being true to Katniss' story.

DLR LotD 11/28/15

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Saturday, November 28, 2015

"You're just making everybody uncomfortable, like Miley Cyrus." -- Genie, to Jafar, in Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular

Harmonic Journal 11/28/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, November 28, 2015

"Love and the Lights" by Kevin Wright and Andy Zulla, as performed by Rockapella

Harmonic Journal 11/27/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, November 27, 2015

"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" by Theodor Geisel and Albert Hague, as performed by Rockapella

Harmonic Journal 11/26/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, November 26, 2015

"Simple Gifts" as performed by the cast of blast!




Happy Thanksgiving!

Harmonic Journal 11/25/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, November 25, 2015

"American Pie" by Don McLean, as sung by The King's Singers

Harmonic Journal 11/24/15

Harmonic Journal
Tuesday, November 24, 2015

"Kiss Goodnight" by Richard M. Sherman, as performed by Ashley Brown

DLR LotD 11/24/15

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

"Tita Sherry, I want to ride with you." -- Brady, at Toy Story Midway Mania and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure

Harmonic Journal 11/23/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, November 23, 2015

"True" by Gary Kemp, as performed by Spandau Ballet

Harmonic Journal 11/22/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, November 22, 2015

"Have A Little Faith" by Scott Leonard, as performed by Rockapella

Upstairs in the Spectre at Los Gatos

Los Gatos PellaPosse Trip

Days 2 and 3

Friday and Saturday, November 13-14, 2015

I woke up in The City of the Kitties and had my leftover pumpkin coffeecake from Hobee's.  I would have had my cinnamon-orange tea, but I didn't want to deal with finding a way to transport it once the bag was open.  Wendy had wanted some nice coffee from whatever place makes little designs with the cream.  She wasn't insistent on it, but we found a place that did that anyway: Purple Onion Cafe.  I ordered a savory scone, which had chicken sausage, cheddar cheese and green onion in it, along with a small macchiato.  When the counter guy brought us our drinks, he didn't know which one was which, so we kind of guessed.  Wendy took the smallest drink, thinking it was her cafe au lait.  I took the larger drink, thinking it was my macchiato.  She didn't really like hers, so she told another employee, and they said that she was drinking the wrong one.  So they gave her a cafe au lait.  I didn't want the teeny tiny macchiato, so I kept with the cafe au lait.  Sorry about that, Wendy!  My scone was pretty tasty, but we probably won't go back there again because that guy didn't know what was going on and it irritated us.  We had also asked about an event that was happening that night, just to see what it was.  He said that we would need to make reservations online and that they were out of reservations anyway.   We just wanted to know what it was about, and he finally told us.  It was like pulling teeth.  Maybe you shouldn't advertise an event that is now closed for reservations by placing a LOT of the event cards all over your storefront.  I'm just saying.

Teeny Tiny Macchiato and Regular Caffe Latte

We walked around Los Gatos, which is a quaint town.  I wanted to go into the antique shop but it wasn't open yet.  We thought we might have seen the store owner, but I didn't feel like waiting for her to get the store ready.  We walked along the Los Gatos Creek Trail.  Jeff didn't eat the poisonous berries.  I didn't fall down into the creek when I took pictures.  It was all good.  

Hugging a Tree on the Trail

While we were walking around town, I saw a sign in the distance that I thought said, "American Indian Deli".  Hmmm...I wondered if we could get some kind of Native American food, and Wendy wondered if it was Fry Bread.  We were intrigued, so we walked toward that store.  On the way there, we saw an Olive Oil store, so we decided to go inside.  We started tasting stuff and OMG, it was sooooo good!  I wanted the Mulled Spice Balsamic vinegar.  I also wanted other stuff and couldn't decide.  The guy helping us had just moved there from Rhode Island, and told us that they had other stores.  I told him where we were from, and he asked if San Diego would be close by.  I said, "Not really.  I would just go up here if I was going to do that."  Well, I could drive to San Diego quicker, but I'd rather go up the coast to Los Gatos. :)  The manager was there and told us that they were opening a store in Pasadena next week!  We got really excited, and told her that we would check definitely check it out. We Olive was wonderful, and I invited myself to Thanksgiving dinner at the guy's house because he was going to toss some vegetables in one of the olive oils and roast them or saute them over whatever.  I told them that I would be back after deciding what to buy that wasn't made of glass, since I could just get that at the Pasadena store, and they were so nice that I didn't want to leave Los Gatos without buying something.  We walked outside, and less than a minute later, I decided to get an olive wood dipping bowl.  I walked back to the store and giggled, asking, "Did you miss me?"  They laughed, and I told Ruth that I hoped to see her in Pasadena.

We then found the place that we had been looking for....except that it wasn't actually American Indian.  Rather, it was American Italian Delicatessen.  Yeah, I'm dumb.  We laughed and laughed at how stupid that whole thing was, but without that place, we wouldn't have found We Olive, so it was all just a case of serendipity!

We looked at the movie theater across the street.  See the sign in back of Jeff?

What do you think it means?

I thought it meant that "The Martian" was being shown in the main spectre upstairs, whatever a spectre is.  Jeff was trying to figure out what movie was out that had "Upstairs" in the title.  I told him that Upstairs was where The Martian was showing, in the main spectre.  Wendy, incredulous at our stupidity, explained:  "Spectre" is showing in the main theater, and "The Martian" is showing upstairs.  Ohhhhhhh.  It's still making me have a giggle fit as I write this 9 days later.  The best part of this is that Jeff grew up with a little theater in his town, and they had one film showing in the main theater, and one showing upstairs at all times.  Clearly, the fresh air in Los Gatos has made us idiots.  

Wendy had heard about a bakery in town, and we went to the information center to ask for help to find it.  Unfortunately, it was closed, and the map on the window was not helpful because it didn't have a close-up of the local business locations.  We looked at a pamphlet and it showed the bakery name and its address, but the map wasn't helpful, so we ended up using my Maps app to guide us to Manresa Bread.  They had a roll of paper posted that showed the time that each batch of bread was baked, and crossed them out when they were sold out for the day.  Well, that's fresh, folks!

List of Yumminess

 I ordered a banana chocolate almond croissant because I couldn't resist the thought of bananas and chocolate in my favorite kind of croissant.  I also just like to say "croissant" in the French accent.  I decided to save it for the next day's breakfast.  Throughout the morning walk, we noticed that there were a lot of dogs around Los Gatos.  We didn't see any cats, except for a mural on an apartment building. So why isn't the place called Los Lobos?  Wendy noticed that all of the dogs knew that they should stop in front of our hotel because the hotel puts out dog treats in a little container for all to partake.  No wonder we like this hotel!  

We walked back through town to our hotel to get ready for our afternoon in Santa Cruz. They had some snacks for the guests, so we took some for the rest of the day.  Actually, I ate my banana right away, while we perused the rose garden that was outside the other set of rooms.

I made reservations for us to have dinner at The Crow's Nest at sunset, and we were off to Santa Cruz.  We made our way to the famous Boardwalk, and walked along the beach for a little bit.  Wendy dedicated some sand to Steve and sent him a picture.  He later posted it on social media and told us that we rock and we're great fans.  Well, thank you!  We love you, Steve!

Boardwalk

Shadow Puppets

Living

I wanted to get some saltwater taffy, but most of the boardwalk shops and arcade games were closed.  Jeff dared to step foot over the restricted area just because.  We made ourselves hungry by checking out the different food booths that were closed.  People did start to show up later in the afternoon, and some booths started to open, but alas, they were not the ones we wanted to visit.  

We went to Neptune's Kingdom to use the restroom, and we checked out the mini golf course, which had a pirate theme, and a really cool special effect of smoke rings flying through the room when the pirates shot their cannons.  I wanted to have my fortune read by the pirate, so we all decided to get a fortune.  Wendy was annoyed by the lame gypsy, and the Brainiac fortune teller didn't even give a card to Jeff.  We had enough money on our card for Jeff and me to play BurgerTime.  It was so much fun to play that game again, but I forgot that I didn't have unlimited pepper and used it up too soon.  Jeff did so well that he got 4th on the board!  Yay, JEF!

We checked out the little museum upstairs, which had old school penny arcade games and pictures of the evolution of the boardwalk.  Look!  A mermaid!

It was finally time for us to go to The Crow's Nest.  We were hungry, so we didn't mind that our dinner time was so early.  They seated us at a table where we could see the horizon to the west to watch the sunset, and so that we could see the lighthouse.  We enjoyed seeing the changing colors of the sky as time passed and the sun set over the ocean.  

I ordered a cup of claim chowder, as well as the special salad with romaine lettuce, shrimp, strawberries, hazelnuts, havarti cheese, and avocado with a very light balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  The claim chowder had too much lemon in it, but it tasted OK.  Why do people put lemon in cream-based soup?  I don't understand.  I did, however, really enjoy the salad.  Also, it had an edible orchid.  So pretty!

Jeff enjoyed his pork chop, which was really big.  Wendy ordered a margarita pizza, but didn't like it as much as we enjoyed our dishes.  Sorry, Wendy.  

I had my eye on the dessert menu because I wanted to taste their semifreddo, which was made with maple syrup.  It was tasty, but not as good as the semifreddo that I love at my favorite Italian restaurant.  I mean, they didn't even give me the right kind of semifreddo shovel spoon, but The Crow's Nest is not an Italian restaurant, so I understand.

We somehow successfully made our way back to Los Gatos without getting lost.  Now that I know how to get around there, I'll forget by the time we return.  

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel, and took look at the plaque in the lobby that Jeff T had mentioned.  It had photos of Marilyn Monroe's wedding to Joe DiMaggio, which took place at the hotel.  Cool!

I drove Weff to the airport and dropped them off before getting gas and returning the rental car.  The TSA line was pretty long, so I didn't get to see them again before they boarded their plane.  I had a little while to wait, so I had an early lunch of sushi.  Mmmm...sushi.  

My flight back to Burbank was not quite full, and it was thankfully uneventful.

I had a great time in Northern California with Weff!  I'm looking forward to our next trip together to see Rockapella.  Thank you, Pella, for bringing us together! 

Harmonic Journal 11/21/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, November 21, 2015

"Harmonic Journey" by the 2003 Phantom Regiment

Harmonic Journal 11/20/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, November 20, 2015

"Sarasponda"

"

Harmonic Journal 11/19/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, November 19, 2015

"Taylor the Latte Boy" by Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler, as performed by Kristin Chenoweth

Harmonic Journal 11/18/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, November 18, 2015

"The Hanging Tree" from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, by James Newton Howard, as performed by Jennifer Lawrence

DLR LotD 11/18/15

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

"I forgot that you had pants on." -- Sherry, to Mox, at the Sailing Ship Columbia deck

DLR LotD 11/17/15

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

"Things happen at sea."  -- Sherry, at Coke Corner

Harmonic Journal 11/17/15

Harmonic Journal
Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Soundtrack from Hyperspace Mountain (music from Star Wars by John Williams)

Harmonic Journal 11/16/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, November 16, 2015

"Is It In You?" by Scott Leonard, as performed by Rockapella

Harmonic Journal 11/15/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, November 15, 2015

"Somebody Like You" by Keith Urban

Get Happy in Saratoga

Rockapella at Montalvo

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Montalvo Arts Center

Saratoga, CA

Ah, Montalvo.  My favorite venue because of so many wonderful memories!  I always look forward to Rockapella shows, of course, but probably none more so than the ones here.  So I eagerly packed and made my way to the Burbank airport to fly up to San Jose and meet up with Weff.  The fact that my flight wasn't full was a good sign that I was going to have a wonderful time.  When I arrived, though, there was a snafu for Weff, which involved airplanes versus birds.  Birds usually lose in these cases.  Poor tweeties.  Their flight was delayed for a couple of hours, so I picked up the rental car.  Luckily for us, I was the one to rent the car, so that we could save some time once they landed.  Folks, don't believe the sign that says that you'll get faster service through Hertz by using their kiosk instead of the line, at least not at SJC.  All of the agents were pretty slow, at least until mine came back from his lunch break.  He was pretty efficient.  I don't like that Hertz will do a credit check if you use a debit card.  I think he didn't realize that I was already paid up through Priceline (thanks, Priceline!), but still asked for another form of ID to make sure that I am, indeed, the PellaPusher.  I picked up the car, a Nissan Sentra, and waited at the cell phone waiting area.  It's not a parking lot.  It's just a street near the airport where people pull over to the curb.  It's weird, and it's only 30 minutes, so if your friend's flight is delayed, you may have to leave and wander around and come back or whatever.  I guess it was good that Hertz was hella slow, huh?  Anyway, I also figured out where we were going to go for lunch.  Not that I had any doubts.  I just needed to find a location that was still open.    

Weff finally landed, and I drove my limo to pick them up.  I need to get a black chauffeur's cap.  I wonder where I can get one of those, because that would have been fun to wear while driving a black vehicle to pick up my friends.  As I predicted, they were hungry.  So was I.  I mean, I had some snacks for myself while I waited, but I needed protein, stat!  We then made our way to Hobee's.  I'd say that we went directly there, but it wasn't so much direct as much as it was going the wrong way on the freeway until I finally relented and turned on my GPS.  Then we arrived.

HOBEE'S!!!!  Being in Silicon Valley means that we get to have Hobee's.  Several of the locations had closed permanently, and some closed for the day at 2:30, but the one in Cupertino was open all day until 9:00 p.m., so yes, of course, we found our way there, come hell, high water or even Helen.   It is pumpkin time, so I ordered their delicious pumpkin coffeecake to go with my Almost Joe's Scramble, and my beverage of choice: their wonderfully aromatic and delicious Orange-Cinnamon Tea.   Ahhhh....bliss.  Wendy ordered waffles with bananas and strawberries, and Jeff ordered a burger.  It was all good.  We were all happy.  We had righted the wrongs of the Ontario flight, and were ready to go to our hotel.

Hobee's Happiness

Yeah, we didn't go directly there, either, because we went the wrong way on the 17, and were halfway to Santa Cruz before I turned around.  Maybe I shouldn't have a chauffeur's cap, because I'm not very good at what I do, huh?  Somehow we arrived at the Los Gatos Garden Inn Hotel.  What a quaint little place!  The parking was tight, though, which did not make this particular chauffeur happy, but I managed.  While we were checking in, JT walked through the door, and I said, "Hi, Thacher!"  Wendy did not turn around because she thought I was kidding.  Then she heard his voice.  We talked to him for a little bit before he went to his room and probably immediately alerted the guys that we were there and to not venture outside lest they run into us.  :)

We settled in to our rooms, and then I realized I needed some ice.  I knocked on Weff's door and asked Jeff if he wanted to help me find it.  He told Wendy where he was going.  She thought he said, "Sherry and I are going to go find the guys."  Wendy thought, "That sounds about right."  No, no, no!  ICE!  It ended up being 20 feet away in a little alcove.  So that was a short trip.  Then I left them alone so I could unpack and get ready for the show.  The room was recently remodeled, and the shower was nice and big and had a place to sit down in it, and there were 2 separate shower heads.  Had there not been a drought, I would be in there for hours.  I'm not telling whether or not I'd invite anyone to join me.

We were ready to go and we wondered which car was Pella's.  I jokingly guessed that it was the white KIA that got our attention earlier due to their kick-ass parking job (not).  It was gone by the time we left...then we saw it at the Montalvo.  Yeah, Sher.  I'm not saying that I think somebody can't park, because the parking lot really was tight.  Montalvo now charges for parking, which Wendy previously paid online.  We still had to walk up that hill, though, and I was wearing high heels.  HIGH ones.  The things I do for fashion!  I decided to buy some wine because I could bring it into the theater if I bought the souvenir sippy cup.  OK, it wasn't a sippy cup like for toddlers, but sometimes wine is my comfort, is all I'm going to say about that.  It was some kind of white blend.  It was tasty.  Our seats were in the 2nd row, in the center.  Donors were in front of us.  Oh, all right.  

Happy Girls with Sippy Cup of Goodness

SUN BROTHERS

L-O-V-E
Nice recovery from that little snafu during the trumpet portion.  

Scott, regarding Rockapella: We love those kids, they're fantastic.
Scott again:  You have a beautiful town by the name of "The Kitties".  Los Gatos.
Ryan:  Meow.
Scott:  I can't hear what you said, your voice is so low.
Ryan:  I said, "MEOW".

Change The World
I love these kids, too.

During the break, we heard "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and I couldn't help but make some train motions.
Wendy:  "That Fred is playing some boss tunes."


ROCKAPELLA

Rock Around the Clock / Tell Me Something Good
I love Scott's Elvis moves at the beginning of the song.  OK, I love his Elvis moves ALWAYS.  Hi, Steve!

Jailhouse Rock / Folsom Prison Blues / Chain Gang
Ryan does a mime of the slide trombone.  Nice low note, Ryan!  My hair was buzzing from that!  Scott is very shiny.

Scott:  Jeff has two microphones on his throat for Los Gatos to hear.

Dancing In The Streets
Calvin has some James Brown moves in him.

Just My Imagination / Imagine
Ryan likes to tease and make his break in the intro really long.

Satisfaction 
Scott received a great reaction to his Mick Jagger moves.

Cupid
Steve talked to the guy in front of me:  I see you with yours arms crossed in front of you, thinking, "Sing to me, Boy."  I love his longer hair.  Steve has family here tonight. "The Dorians are here!"  What?  That's not your actual name.  Turns out that somebody actually did change their name to Dorian when they moved out West, so I was kinda wrong.  He pronounced "Los Gatos" wrong, and Scott asked him to repeat it. Steve found his Bostonian accent and said, "Las Gattas".  

Scott, regarding their album title: We know that's a pretty creative title...some Motown, some more.

My Cherie Amour
I love the way that Calvin does that "La la" jam.

Ryan:  Gracias por Los Gatos!
Scott:  My little girl ears can't make out his voice, because it's so low.
Ryan, regarding his dog:  Her name is Lola.  Lola was a showgirl for Hallowee'en.  We couldn't help it.

Scott, regarding Jeff:  Anything that requires intelligence, we send his way.

Scott:  Normally, at this point, we sing a Mills Brothers song.  But this time we're going to see what would happen if the Mills Brothers did Prince.

Little Red Wild Thing
Steve sings about eyes, but they're not flirty.  Awww....

Blame It On The Boogie
Ryan was having us repeat some stuff, which started out fine, until he went way crazy with his bass-ness, and none of us could repeat it.

<INTERMISSION>
Do you know what it's like when there's a long line to use the restroom, and the toilet doesn't flush when you use it?  I do.  After that moment of embarrassment, and telling the theater folks about it, I walked over to two ladies in the front row and said hi.  It was Em and Cathy from the Napa show.  Em asked if I was Steve's friend, because we have so many pictures together.  I said, "Yeah, now we are.  We follow them A LOT, so it just happened that way."  I did not tell them details.  I guess I do have a lot of pictures with Steve, huh?

Used Ta Be My Girl

Commercials
Taco Bell has Doritos taco shells.  I'm just saying.  I love Jeff's peacock flourish and the accompanying sound effect.  "Keep them in the can".  I JUST got that tonight.  I've heard him say it many times about the Dr. Pepper jingle.  Yeah, I'm slow.

Scott felt a connection with Cathy.  Cathy talked a LOT.  Scott has Waze on his phone and Apple Maps.  He said that Apple Maps works better.  The audience did not agree.  I am with the audience on this one, because it's part of why we had a lot of turn-arounds today.

Stand By Me
This song brings back such special memories when I'm in this theater.  Now it's not as special when they bring someone on stage and she sings (Cathy's not a very good singer, but at least she worked it)...but back in the old days, it didn't happen very much at all.  It's also easier for the girl to get up on and get off of the stage.  There were no steps there before.  My reminiscing got all jarred up by the craziness of this evening at that moment, but now as I write about it, I remember just how sweet that moment was.  Tears!

Ain't Too Proud To Beg
Cathy kissed Steve, Calvin and Ryan.  Girl, who told you that you could do that?!  Certainly not me.  

Thrift Shop

Carmen
There were many "WOW!"s in the audience during Jeff's solo, as it should be.  He was really on tonight.  Not that it seems like he's ever off.

Encore

A*Punk
Scott willed that back to the right key, man.  Phew!

Scott asked us if we knew what holiday originated in Portland.  It is Father's Day.  He learned that today, and felt like he had to share.  Well, thank you!

Scott said that they learned a new song today.  "This is absolutely new to us and it could be truly bad."  This would be their first time performing in front of people.
Sherry's brain:  New song! New song!  YESSSSS!

Get Happy
This song is a mash-up of "Get Happy" (sung by Judy Garland), "Happy" by Pharell, and "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke.  Yeah, you read that right.  I was VERY excited when I realized what the song was, because I had heard the Sun Bros version through Scott's subscription site.  They weren't getting it at first, so Scott had them stop.  He said, "This is the magic.  The magic is happening right here."  Ryan wasn't singing on Jeff's beat, and Steve was helping him along by singing the bass part, and then finally, they got it together, and it went quite well.  The rap during "Blurred Lines" went really well between Scott and Steve (they sing instead of rap), which was amazing because those are a LOT of words, and they did a great job with it.  I like Jeff's beat.  Ryan was having fun with his part, "Yeah, you do.  Right?"  Steve told us that they didn't want it to sound misogynistic like in the original song, so that's why Ryan acts like that.  I like it.  Oh, and then Jeff twerked at Ryan.  What is going on in this place?!  Ahhh, y'all need to hear this!  They will be working on choreography for it, and I'm wondering if more twerking will be involved.  I need to get that image out of my head now.

Up On The Roof / Wonderful World (off mic)
I do not enjoy it when people sing behind me during a Rockapella concert, especially when the guys are not using their microphones.  People, STOP IT.  I almost said that loud enough for the guys to hear.  Remember how I drank wine earlier?  Yeah.  


Meet and Greet
We talked for Fred while he cleaned up the sound board.  Wendy told him about City Winery closing its doors later this year.  We asked him how he liked the acoustics at CW.  He said that he really didn't like it because the sound was really hard to control with all of the hardwood floors.  It's such a shame that they gutted that beautiful theater and now it's going to be closed.  I really hope that they somehow can bring it back to the way it was.  If I had the money, I'd definitely help rebuild the inside.  

Scott asked what we thought of the new song.  I told him that I loved it.  We told him that they should always debut songs when we're there, especially in California.  I mentioned his arrangement of "Candyman", and asked if they'd be doing that.  He said that yes, they could.  I asked him not to debut it until Vegas, then realized that Vegas would be a holiday show.  He said, "Well, it's kind of holiday.  There's candy!"  OK, deal!  

Calvin gave me a hug across the table, and said he'd give me a real hug later, and he delivered on his promise.  He's such a sweetie.  

We gave Ryan a hard time for using our pictures for his Facebook cover and not giving us any credit.  He said that maybe he wouldn't use them anymore, then said he was kidding, and that he'd give credit next time.  Credit or not, we know that they're our photos, so it's not a big deal, RC.  While I was telling Steve that I liked his hair, he said that when it gets longer, it goes flat.  Ryan said that he's been chasing Steve around with volumizing hair stuff, and Steve said that he just didn't want anything called "volumizing" near him.

I gave Steve his birthday card.  It was of a Rottweiler dressed as Darth Vader, bidding him to come to the Bark Side.  Ha ha.  We also wrote little Star-Wars themed greetings when we signed our names.  I then gave him my birthday gift to him:  a photo book of his house concert. He signed my copy of the book for me after helping me pick up the contents of my purse when it fell down, Sharpies, sippy cup and all.  

I didn't pinch him, I swear.

Ryan pretending not to photobomb as Steve signs my book

Jeff said, "I need to see this book!"  He was jealous that we ate Filipino food.  See,JT, this is why you need to come over and spend time with us!  He told us that the hotel where we were staying was the place where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio got married, and that there's a frame in the lobby showing such.  Neato!

A bunch of us went to Applebee's afterward, which was fun. My favorite part of the conversation:  Steve asking me, "How's Bro? I really like that guy."  Aw, he likes you, too, FFE.  We just need to get him to a Rockapella show with Steve in it!

Late night smiles

Thanks for the picture, Steve and Wendy!

When we said our goodbyes, Steve thanked me for everything and gave me a kiss on the cheek, so I gave him one, too.  Swooon!  Sigh.

Good night, Pella.  Wish you didn't have to fly out so early in the morning.  Well, most of you. Safe travels, and thank you for a great show!

Next up:  Los Gatos and Santa Cruz

Standing Man

Glenndy, Mox and I saw "Bridge of Spies" last weekend.  I was still sore from the previous day's 10K, but I walked to the theater anyway.  Yay...but it was ouchful.  It was full of ouch.  Thank goodness I have friends who understand the ouchies, and don't expect me to run to the theater.  

• Tom Hanks, I love you.  He doesn't disappoint me here, bringing humor to his drama as always.
• You're secretly dating your boss' daughter, and she gets mad when you stand her up.  Perhaps you should have told her that it was because her dad needed you to work that night, so maybe she would have been a little more understanding.  Boys.  Sigh.
• Those German gang members were handsome.  Not that I want to be mugged by them for my coat.  That placed looked COLD.
• I liked how he kept trying to make his deal no matter what the CIA wanted him to do.  That took quite a bit of bravery.
• "Aren't you worried?" "Would it help?"  See, this is how we all need to think of stuff that worries us:  our reaction to whatever comes up defines us. 
• Mark Rylance played Abel quite well, making me feel empathy for him because of his calm.  I wish I could be calm like that in the face of adversity.
• Dude, what happened to your orders to kill yourself if you're about to get caught by the Russians?  
• The image of the Berlin wall being erected were quite stirring to me.  I guess I always remembered the wall just being there, so I didn't think of how it must have felt to see that happen.  
• Nice shot toward the end of the kids jumping over fences in Donovan's neighborhood, a reminder of the attempts made by those trying to escape over the wall.

I really enjoyed this movie.  Thanks, Mr. Spielberg.  :)

Harmonic Journal 11/14/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, November 14, 2015

"Wichita Lineman" by Jimmy Webb, as performed by Glen Campbell

Harmonic Journal 11/13/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, November 13, 2015

"Under the Boardwalk" by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick, as performed by Rockapella

Harmonic Journal 11/12/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, November 12, 2015

"Get Happy" as arranged by Charles Scott Leonard IV and performed by Rockapella

Link to sample by Sun Bros

Harmonic Journal 11/11/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, November 11, 2015

"Eternal Father, Strong to Save (Navy Hymn)" by William Whiting, as performed by the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club on the USS Arizona

Thank you for your service, Veterans of the US Armed Forces!  

Harmonic Journal 11/10/15

Harmonic Journal
Tuesday, November 10, 2015

"The Marines' Hymn" by Lt. Charles Zimmerman and midshipman Andrew Miles, as performed by The Commandant's Own, United States Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps

Happy 240th Birthday, Marines!



From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of UNITED STATES MARINES.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze,
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job --
The UNITED STATES MARINES.

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded

By UNITED STATES MARINES.

Harmonic Journal 11/09/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, November 9, 2015

"Would You Harbor Me?" by Ysaye M. Barnwell, as performed by Cantus

Harmonic Journal 11/08/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, November 8, 2015

"Black Cat" by Janet Jackson

Harmonic Journal 11/07/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, November 7, 2015

"Arcadia High School Alma Mater" by William Hendry and Reg Brooks, as performed by the Arcadia Apache Marching Band

Current lyrics:

Hail Alma Mater the Cardinal and Gold
We Sing of Thee Arcadia thy Spirit Strong and Bold
Far 'cross the land, our Voices Raised on High
All Hail Apache Sons and Daughters
All Hail All Hail

Harmonic Journal 11/06/15

Harmonic Journal
Friday, November 6, 2015

"Solid Men to the Front" by John Philip Sousa, as performed by the 2011 Arcadia Apache Marching Band

'PA-CHE!!!!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Sousa!

Harmonic Journal 11/05/15

Harmonic Journal
Thursday, November 5, 2015

"Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, as sung by Ariel/Jodi Benson

Harmonic Journal 11/04/15

Harmonic Journal
Wednesday, November 4, 2015

"Belle" from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, as performed by the Original Broadway Cast

Harmonic Journal 11/03/15

Harmonic Journal 
Tuesday, November 3, 2015

"You Are The Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder

Harmonic Journal 11/02/15

Harmonic Journal
Monday, November 2, 2015

"A Little Fall of Rain" by Claude-Michel Schoenberg, Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, as performed by Lea Salonga and Michael Ball

Harmonic Journal 11/01/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, November 1, 2015

"When The Saints Go Marching In" as performed by Louis Armstrong and Danny Kaye

Harmonic Journal 10/31/15

Harmonic Journal
Saturday, October 31, 2015

"This Is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas by Danny Elfman (demo)