Haiku #201 - Kokopelli Goes Home!

Kokopelli desk lamp at hotel! He's home!
in the arid land
of cactus and big sky where
kokopelli plays


I'm home!  Sort of.  Tucson is the closest this tour will go to my hometown, about a 3.5 hour drive.  My sister went to the U of A, and my aunt has lived here for a long time, so I've spent a fair amount of time in this town.  Looking forward to seeing family and visiting some favorite Tucson haunts!

Haiku #200 - Cousins!

holiday weekends
my cousins and I performed
in the living room


My cousins from San Francisco came down tonight - we had dinner and then they got to see me conduct the show.  Yay!  I have three cousins close to my age on my dad's side, and when we got together on holiday weekends growing up, we'd put on plays (or, as I fondly remember them, whimsical absurdtaculars) in the living room.  Usually twisted fairy tales, as I recall.  One of them is currently in L.A. going to school for animation, and he's the one who designed the playbill for our one-night-only production of Little Red Riding Hoodlum. Good times with family. Ciao, San Jose!

Haiku #198 - Kokopelli Goes to San Francisco

on a perfect day
we'll get in a car and drive
to San Francisco






Kurt, Cherie, Clarkie, and I covered a lot of ground on our day trip - Lombard St., the Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli factory, Chinatown (dim sum for lunch!), Golden Gate Bridge, and the Castro.  The weather was perfect!  A nice outing heading into a five-show weekend - two more days in San Jose, then Tucson next week!

Haiku #195 - Tech Museum

gadgets and gizmos
so many things to play with
at the Tech Muse'm


Went with Kurt, Cherie, and Christina to the Tech Museum this morning - played with hands-on exhibits, experienced a simulated roller coaster and a simulated earthquake, and saw Born to Be Wild at the Imax. It was nice to be reminded what amazing things we are capable of doing, when we choose to use our consciousness for good...


I liked this quote:
"Optimism is an essential ingredient for innovation.
How else can the individual welcome change over security,
adventure over staying in safe places?" -Bob Noyce

Haiku #193 - San Jose

to the city by
the city by the bay - but
do you know the way?


Several people in our company have been singing "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" the past couple days, because that is what artsy nerds do when they're about to go to San Jose.  We're here for a week - looking forward to finding out what it is besides beside the City by the Bay. Looking forward to seeing my Bay Area cousins later this week!

Haiku #191 - Milonga

get your Latin jams
in unexpected places
Milonga, Spokane


Gabe, who plays Piragua Guy, has a friend/previous tour buddy in Spokane with a band called Milonga, and a bunch of us went out to hear them tonight.  Lots of dancing and enjoying the music, and then they made us finish our drinks and kicked us out promptly at 1:30. Oh well...it was fun while it lasted!

Haiku #187 - Kokopelli Goes to Seattle

caught the Space Needle
and Kokopelli in a
drive-by photograph


I got to see my best friend last night in Seattle, and also a high school friend I hadn't seen in over a decade!  We had a drink and apps at an awesome happy hour in Queen Anne.  My first time to Seattle, just a quick overnight.  I hope to go back soon!  We're in Washington state this week - Yakima, Olympia and Spokane.

Haiku #186 - Happy Easter!

just as I promised
like the daffodils in spring
after "death", new life
According to wikipedia, none other than Dear Abby
did research that proved this poem was actually written
by one Mary Elizabeth Frye.


This photo was taken at the bonfire memorial at Texas A&M - a really moving monument to the 12 students who were killed tragically in the collapse of the bonfire in 1999.  


My other favorite Easter-related poem is this e.e. cummings poem, set to music in two beautiful choral settings, one by Eric Whitacre and one by Gwyneth Walker.


Happy Easter!