what do you expect when you arrive in mid-December?

My building at night.  Top left two pairs of windows are mine -- bedroom on left, living room on right.


.....Things take time, especially if you've got major holidays right after you arrive.  German comic strip:  angel congratulates God on the birth of his new son, and God says, "Couldn't she have waited to give birth until after the holidays?"

I'm in the apartment and it's pretty nice, with some problems here and there.  One was just resolved yesterday:  I finally got them to sell me some tokens for the washer, and now I can do laundry (including comforters and mattress pads that were in the furnished apartment).   More pictures to come, but here's the side of the building with mural.  I put an red arrow on right where you'd have to drill through to hit my bed.

Internet connections, too, take their time.  Before they can install my wired connection (why it takes 2 weeks to flip a switch, I don't know), they gave me a wireless USB stick to connect with.  That's what I'm using now.  It's pretty slow, and it also doesn't seem to like my email.  (Receives, but I can't send.)  I do have an alternate that I can use for the time being.  I hope with the more permanent connection, email will be up to speed.

Sibelius.  That's the name of the musical score writing and editing program that is being used here for the project.  It's probably the predominant such program anywhere.  It's in its sixth edition, so guess what music plays when you open it?  Got it installed through the university here around December 21, and when my computer had a minor crash a couple days later, Sibelius decided it wanted the code number re-entered.  Unfortunately, that was available only in the music building, which was closed -- for the holidays.  Finally got it again on January 5, and am just now working on figuring out how to use it.  It's unbelievably thorough and complex (can even score accurately for Quintfagott), and is said to be quite easy to use.  Once you master it.  I'm getting there, if belatedly.

It's still pretty icy here, though we might be getting a short spell of above-freezing weather.  Here's what can happen to a bicycle:
(Icicle bicycle?)

Had a nice chat with a friendly grad student who helped me with Sibelius, and who knows the scene here pretty well.  Good to get another angle on things.  Also spent a little time with an assistant professor who is teaching a Wagner course -- Parsifal, now.  I sat in on their class, and guess what?  Most of the students hadn't done the reading!

Now maybe I'll actually sit down with the oboe concerti and dig in.