Tuning Up

Sleeping in the theater, I had a blanket and pillow rolled up in a janitor's closet, was convenient. There was a Greek Diner around the corner, where I could get breakfast any time of the day or night, I wasn't drinking at all and we had a great source of Lebanese hash. I needed to be there, to turn on the lights and let the orchestra members in for rehearsal, then I'd go back to sleep, an audience of one, listening to the Boston Symphony tune up in my dreams. I loved this. The sound, the shape of the sound was incredible. I remember the first time, a Sunday afternoon, that Beverly Sills sang cue-to-cue (a technical rehearsal, sung at half-voice) for Traviata; Michael called back and told me the tuning was based on 440 cycles, from the first violin. An "A", but this was subject to some variation, perfect pitch being a somewhat relative term. Who knew? Michael said that oriental orchestral tuning was usually 448 cycles, still an "A" but with a edge. A violent storm moves in suddenly and I have to shut down. Mike has a drummer coming in to the college, a big deal, and he wants to bring him out for dinner, which might overlap with Kim's yearly visit on his way to the F1 race in Montreal, so I do need the new grill. Cooking for six is the same as cooking for eight. I usually cook for either two or four, eight is double four, so I end up with left-overs. Usually I can fold it into an omelet. If not I dry it, grinding it into a powder, mix with fruits and nuts. Call it dinner.