Assistantship and other things

This week, I have been privileged to many things.  On Monday, I saw a master clarinetist from Kansas (originally from Romania) perform several pieces flawlessly, watch him teach, and speak with him for a while.  On Tuesday, I saw a woodwind specialist play masterfully three very different instruments:  the clarinet, oboe, and saxophone.  He then taught and spoke with the students.  Both candidates were very good, and I will be happy with whichever one the university chooses.  To be honest, it does not matter to me who gets the job, as I am leaving in the fall, but it is still very entertaining to see these great performers for free.

At the end of Tuesday, I performed on horn with a community band a folder of fun, easy music.  We played the "Declaration Overture," "Clash of the Ironclads," a Phantom of the Opera medley, "Heaven's Light," a prelude and fugue arranged from J.S. Bach, and a circus piece called "Circus Days."  Before and after the concert, ice cream was served.  It's a fun tradition that has been rekindled in the last year or so.

Wednesday morning, I woke up and saw in my e-mail inbox where LSU had given me an assistantship to pay for my graduate education.  One could not imagine the weight that was lifted from my shoulders.  It is clear that the weight of financial insecurity is far greater than the weight of uncertain future responsibilities.

I went straight from having read that to having gone to an old tradition in a nearby community of a potluck.  In Merigold, the United Methodist Church hosts a potluck of interesting food that one otherwise would never encounter.  I brought my girlfriend with me and my mother and we ate several very interesting potluck dishes.  This tradition has interested my mother to the point that she has been researching and writing a book about Merigold's food history.

It was a busy three days.