ON THE ROAD - AGAIN

What would a sabbatical be without a little travel, I ask you? And I answer - Why, nothing at all.

So from February 28 through March 31, I will be on the road. First to London - although I am sure Her Majesty would be delighted to see me, and I her, she is so busy preparing for her tea with Helen whosis from the movie that I am sure she will not be able to see me. Just as well, as there are a bunch of friends I would like to see whilst there.

I am going to be visiting Mark and Kemi, of the TWO visits to Kwajalein fame (What?! You haven't read about their visits to Kwaj? Tsk, and tsk again, and hie thee to the appropriate prior entry. Or entries.) We will be going to visit a mutual friend who lives just outside of Paris, so that will be another fun (and gastronomically exciting) adventure. Our friend is a chef, you see, and is out hunting snails even now, in anticipation of our arrival. They are not actually in London but down in Southsea, near Portsmouth, so that's another little trip that leads to a longer trip.

And then to Austria. I was a student in Innsbruck in the mid-60's, at the University there, and spent almost two months in Salzburg, and haven't been back since. Soooo - I've been brushing up my German and I'm off, to visit old haunts (as these things go, so far most of my old haunts have been torn down - but Europeans generally are less into tearing down than are Americans, so the places I remember from my student days might even be there still.)

I will also spend a couple of days with some friends in Gaming (Niederosterreich, for those who like to follow these wanderings on a map) and then back to London for a couple of days, and I will return to the U.S. on March 31st, the day before Palm Sunday, just in time for the parade in the church with the palm branches and the looooong Gospel reading (The Passion).

I have some study work with me for the trip, and any time I run across a piano, I did bring my music with me, so hopefully I will not forget too much during this time away from my routine of daily practice. I have determined a couple of things - I do enjoy the practice, and am more disciplined about it than I thought I would be. I am also not a child prodigy - certainly not a child, nor, unfortunately, a prodigy. Even with a fair store of musical talent and experience, this comes with effort. I think of the child Mozart, five years old, whipping off minuets and symphonies and playing in front of kings and emperors and I want to wring his little neck.

Since coming back, I have been to concerts at Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and organ recitals at several churches. I heard a wonderful choir at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and went to the Metropolitan Opera for a great performance of Simon Boccanegra. I saw Kristen Chenowith in The Apple Tree and an odd-Broadway production of the C.S. Lewis book The Great Divorce. Love the book, hated the play. Takes a certain effort and a lot of hard work to make ole C.D. boring, but by heaven, they managed to do it. I went ice skating last weekend for the first time since 1992 and I did very well for an old man on rutted ice with rental skates that had no edges to speak of. The instincts came back, and the next morning I was able to get out of bed and walk around without pain or making suffering sounds. I was really rather pleased with myself.

Contrasting that with my two attempts at bowling - I hurt myself both times, and the second time a couple of those pains are STILL with me. If they survive the Europe trip, it's going to be back to the doctor. Imagine being too old to go bowling!

Now I know those who have suffered through these many pages are going to think I have a "thing" about the company on Kwajalein that didn't fire me - so they kept telling me - but I still somehow found myself out of work. (Last I heard they still hadn't found anyone for that spot. Maybe they don't WANT anyone....) Anyway, because of the way the company does things, when I left I had to pay for my own plane ticket from Hono back to New York, and then (once the flight was completed - not when the ticket was bought, mind you) along with the other reimbursable expenses for the leaving, they would write me a check. The total comes to something over $1,100. I bought the plane ticket in October - it is now the end of February, I am about to go away for a month and guess what?! No check. I was assured weeks ago it had been sent. So the man with the vow of poverty is carrying the subsidiary of Bechtel for over $1,100 from October until - well, now it will be April.

I know - I shouldn't let myself get upset. But - well, just but. If any of you are looking for a great present to give me, stock in this company would not be a good idea. (Although it would mean I could go to a stockholders meeting, and.... bad John. Bad John.)

So if, during the next month, you are coming to New York and were hoping to see me, let me know and I'll email you a picture. 'CAUSE I WON'T BE THERE!!! I love New York, and I am looking forward to coming back. Some neat stuff is going to be going on in April, and in May, and in June - and in June I might even learn what my next assignment might be. But for this month - new currencies, old places and new adventures, and change of scenery.

Have a wonderful Lent. (What did YOU give up?) I will be checking email hopefully at least once a day - and the Minister at the Jesuit community and my sister each have phone numbers where I can be reached in case of real emergencies. I will take copious notes, and who knows, there might even be an old-fashioned massive missive come out of this. I will be remembering many of you in prayer - well, some of you don't need praying for, and some are beyond help (Kidding, just kidding). And I would hope that every now and then, when you are engaged in conversation with God, you would mention my name. He is even busier than the Queen, and yes, He IS God, still - for reasons we cannot begin to understand, He likes to be reminded. So make Him happy - remind Him there is a fuzzy Jesuit wandering about Europe who might need the occasional taking care of.

That will make me happy too.

Love and hugs and prayers and stuff like that.