Frederick Chiu.

It kind of slipped my mind that I was to write all of you my weekly note. I had every intention of writing it at the office today but it got a little busy and before I knew it, the day was done. Once I got back to the apartment, I pretty much got comfortable watching a dvd I bought I forgot all about writing. Now that I'm on the computer, it dawned on me that I've not written to all of you. So, sorry for my absent-mindedness.

So, what did the past week hold for me? Well, on Mardi Gras (Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), I went to Miyabi for a nice last hurrah dinner before Lent begins. I figured most places would be more than busy and gathered that a Japanese restaurant would be my safest bet. I guessed right as I was the only customer at the restaurant. I grabbed a seat at the bar and had the chef's choice menu again. Let's just say by far it was the best Japanese food I had, period. The chef recognized me and even calls me his special customer. Heck, I know I've bonded well with him when he offered me sea urchin that came direct from California. I told him the next time I make it to his restaurant, I'll give him a budget to work with and calls in advance a couple of days earlier so he can do the shopping and figure out what he wants to serve me. He liked the idea a lot.

It was snowing pretty hard on Tuesday evening and pretty much entire morning of Wednesday. Joel closed the office on Wednesday which worked out pretty well because there were a couple of stuff I needed to get done. I took the bus to church for Ash Wednesday noon service. There were more people than the usual Ash Wednesday service and I think part of it had to with the fact that Drake's classes started later because of the weather.

Work at the facility was very uneventful over the course of the week and weekend. For the most part, the residents were all respectful towards one another and well behaved. That's the most you can ask from them. On Saturday, after I left the facility, I made it back to my apartment and gave it a good cleaning. You see, a couple of people from the young adults group will be meeting in my apartment once a week over Lent for the Lenten discussion group so I figured it would be a perfect time to clean my apartment. Later that evening, Joel, Kathy and I went to the Art Center for a classical concert by the pianist Frederick Chiu. I've not heard this guy before which is downright amazing because he should definitely be getting more exposure. His playing was immaculate and the three pieces he played prior to the intermission were played with his eyes closed. Yes, his eyes were closed the entire time. After the intermission, he played Beethoven's 5th Symphony on piano - yes, it's the same piece I heard the Boston Symphony play when I went to Boston two years ago. How good is Frederick you might ask? Well, let's just say he could definitely give the Boston Symphony a run for their money. The fact that he played a symphonic piece that was composed for an entire orchestra which was transcibed for a piano was unimaginable and his playing was utterly sublime. I truly was in awe of him. Needless to say if he makes it to DM again, I'll be sure to pay to see him again.

Sunday was a very good day. The 2nd Sunday sang at Mass and most of the time, whenever we get to sing, I'm always inspiried, but what made Mass extra special was the fact that in general, there was a sense of prayerfulness that emanated from the congregation. I made the comment to Fr. Jim and he agreed with me. It helped that the homily was inspiring too. All in all, it was a very good day. I even got to play two games of Scrabble with the residents.

I've nothing going on this weekend except dinner at Ann's. It's been quite some time since I motored to her place and both of us made the same comment today. I will be going to the Broadway play, "Twelve Angry Men" based of the classic movie starring a number of fine actors whose names all escape me now. I have the perfec seat for the performance and it's actually going to be matinee performance. I'll be working half a day on Thursday, take the bus straight from work to the Civic Center with roughly fifteen minutes to spare before the play begins. I'm really looking forward to it.

That's pretty much all the news from me.