The school is closed this week so there was not the usual urgency in rising this morning. However I did get in reasonably early in an effort to enjoy as much of thanksgiving as possible. In the event I worked until about 2pm and went home for a breather. My new tenant had been able to sign the contract during the day so I went home to receive messages which were a relief. However I also got one message that indicated that my dear mum (or mom as they ridiculously say over here) was not well with and infection. Just before I left I was relieved to discover that she was back home and set for recovery. I was back for the 7pm Vigil Mass which was followed by choir practice.

Thursday was a ‘day off’ but I had a Mass in the morning. It was well attended and I was able to offer a song from Iona (Glory and gratitude) for them to sing at home. Back home I became a bit domestic and then attended a family dinner with one of my cantors.

The starters included prawns and stuffed mushrooms. Then at the table we had turkey with all the trimmings, and I do mean ALL. I left around 6pm and returned briefly before joining friends at a local bar for a couple of beers. Then I was back home to a French red and a movie.

I woke late this morning, enjoyed a full breakfast and explored the TV. I have had it for almost 2 months but not had the time to play with it. I was delighted to discover the channel which hosts Chelsea TV so now I am able to indulge in my favourite team more easily. It was good to spend the morning in the apartment while outside the world was manic with ‘Black Friday’. This is apparently black because there is an illusion that American is in credit and this day is one of sales and queues and disappointments as folk discover that what they are queuing for has been sold out last night! It is good to avoid such mania.

Parents from the school gave me a pecan pie a few days ago so I’ve been chomping away at it since then. I’m now half-way through the challenge! Slightly disturbed by feeling that I should get my domestic cleaning self to work again I escaped for some restrained retail therapy returning in the early evening. The guilt is still there so I suspect I’ll be cleaning the kitchen etc soon.

It was good to receive a message from Christopher Walker’s partner. Clearly CW is as busy as ever.

On my Bose docking station Bob Dylan is playing ‘Live at Budokam at’. It was good of him to pop in. This is perfect music for cleaning and preparing a meal so I’d best get on with it.

I slept really well last night and enjoyed the fact that I had forgotten to set the alarm. The breakfast news indicated rioting and protests were widespread over the non-indictment of the police officer who shot dead a black youth in August.

I was in work at 9am and then played a funeral at 11am. When I drove in the rain was quite heavy. By 11am it was a downpour. After the funeral I returned to the office but then got reminded about an invitation from the Parish Seniors’ Club to share a Thanksgiving dinner. It was a splendid affair and my first such dinner with turkey, sweet potato (and meringue!) green beans and cranberry jelly. I had a good chat with the old folk on my table. I think they liked my accent! They were very interested to hear about HM the Queen, who, as you know, is a personal friend of the family.

I returned to my desk to find a few emails from my lettings agents. Of course everything is last minute with them and they seem to have overlooked the 5 hour time difference! I am hoping to have the tenant sign tomorrow.

I spent the rest of the afternoon (till 8pm) sorting out instrumental parts for next Sunday. Shortly before 8pm there was an almighty thunderclap. The fact that my office has no windows prevented me from appreciating the seriousness of this and it dawned on me why I was the only one daft enough to remain. The grounds were deluged and the walk to the car got me thoroughly soaked. At the traffic lights I idly selected the weather forecast on my iphone and the screen showed life-like lightning flashes. They were not wrong … it was a wonderful display in real life!

I got home after a careful drive and watched TV before retiring at 11.30pm … late for me.

A day off is always welcome but this one started at 6am when I awoke and set about doing some home admin. In fact it was preparatory work for the tenant for my Sheffield mansion! I wrote to banks, utility companies and the letting agents and had it all sorted by 10am.

The clouds lifted at 11am and I enjoyed the rays for a while before popping down to the shops for some sheets, trousers, sewing kit and an iron. I bought an iron when I arrived but it was so cheap that it has already broken!

The news over here is relating tensions as the city of St Louis awaits the judge’s decision regarding the police response and subsequent killing of 18 year old Michael Brown by a white police officer. There will be an emotional response whatever is announced.

Now at 7pm I am knackered and doubt that I’ll survive even one film but here goes …

Well yesterday’s Yard sale was a waste of time. I don’t know how she had come by her stock but if coffee makers and photo frames floated your boat then you should have been there. For anything else, forget it!

On my way in to work I stopped at the Goodwill Store where I bought a computer desk and a chair.

Then I did a bit of re-drafting of a Worship Aid for a wedding, printed the one for a funeral which I then play for. In the afternoon I got on with some work since this week was Thanksgiving and the world seems to close down for all except the musician! The office may close but they still want me at Mass! So I thought that if I did 3.5 hours today then I might be able to be good to myself during the week.

I was getting a bit hungry by 3pm when the phone rang and it was someone who wanted to discuss Tuesday’s funeral. Some of my colleagues took pity on me and found me some food … it was a real take of the 5000 … and I was fit for the two evening Masses. I had decided to play Crown Imperial by Walton and it went well despite precious little time to practise … after 7 masses it would, doubtless, be perfect!

I was home by 7.30pm and watching a film and in bed by 10pm.

Today, Sunday, I awoke thinking of John Bell! It was his birthday a couple of days ago and I had forgotten it so I sent off an email just to assure him that I was still alive and to wish him HB.

Then it was a mad dash in to work to play for the first of 4 masses. There were a lot of people at mass today. The 0930 had a new singer newly arrived from Washington and today we had 3 violinists from the Dil Family and one flautist … so I called it the ‘Dil plus One Orchestra.’.At 1100 the Choir were on good form despite there being a few away with illness. The 1230 was great with a dynamic old priest, Fr Rock, who is a great Presider and homilist and so gracious in his thanks. My previous ‘boss’ could have learned many lessons from him.

On my way back home for a break I stopped at the Goodwill again and found just the right size of desk unit (long but not deep) which I could hide in one of my walk-in cupboards but use with the doors open. Now I’ll just have to find someone who can help me shift it up 3 floors to my apartment. Back home I received a Skype from Corrie. It is good to keep in touch with folk from UK so I do encourage Skype. Let me know if you’d like my address.

I had thought of stealing a few zzzs before returning for a rehearsal and the last of Sunday’s mass onslaught! In the event I had a Skype with Kieran Fallon of Worksop and spent the remaining time shifting the Goodwill desk from my car to its new position.

When I did get to the church I had to relocate the rehearsal to another room as an Hispanic family grieving the loss of a young member from a motorbike accident had decided to say the rosary for him. Today we had violin, trumpet and a professional pianist creating a wonderful decoration to the assembly song. The Deacon started the homily by saying that this was the last homily we’d hear this year. Call me strange but I broke into an ‘alleluia’!

I returned home and celebrated a good day by opening a bottle, with which I would accompany a Skype with Peter Coats, a friend from the Iona Community currently writing his memoires in Jamaica!

Then came the TV and an opportunity to watch Chelsea win again!

Today was a great day.

It all started with a successful Skype call with my dear mum as she grappled with all that technology could ask of her. I miss being able to pick up the phone and chat so Skype is a good substitute.

Then I headed down to the beach but the clouds soon came so I returned home for lunch and phoned social security. I first applied for a social security number on 29 September and was told it would take 2 days. I was impressed but after a week I phoned the office and was told it would be a month after which I was later told it would take 6 weeks because I was a non-citizen. Today I rang and was informed that my card had been sent out on the very date I had applied but that it had been sent to the wrong address. I should visit the office again with all my documents.

So that’s what I did and with some trepidation caused by the full waiting room, I sat down. Moments later I was called to the desk and greeted (acknowledged would be a better word) by a young woman who was clearly looking forward to the end of her Friday and the catalogue of undesirables that came to her window. She expressed no apology but did sort things and even gave me the number I needed before getting the printed card in 10 days time.

I then stopped at a charity shop and bought a computer desk and a chair for about $60.

I went into the office announcing my legal status to all who might have been interested, printed out the Worship Aid for tomorrow’s funeral, ate a cookie and took up an invitation to join a select group of colleagues for a salsa class. Anyone who knows me well will know that I do not dance easily. I can recall Kathy Galloway desperately trying to teach me a few years ago to no avail. My three colleagues had bought in an excellent tutor and for the next 90 minutes we had his undivided attention. I really enjoyed it and nobody died.

After the salsa we went into town for a guided tour of downtown. It was a whole different world which I had not yet discovered. In due course we got to a restaurant and had a genial meal. My dear colleagues insisted on paying for me!

I returned home for a soupcon and a film going to bed a little early as I would be up early for a yard sale in the morning.

Tuesday was a heavy work day, as ever, starting early with final planning for Sunday. By midday I’d got as far as printing the Worship Aid. At noon we had a meeting of the Executive (yes that’s me too!) accompanied by pizza. and ice tea. Then during the afternoon I did the usual music rehearsal with the school for tomorrow’s Mass followed by some planning for a two funerals this week. I got home at a reasonable time in the evening and settled down to some movies. It was strangely cold so I didn’t go out.

On Wednesday I awoke to news that it had been the coldest November night on record and whilst we did not get the snow that had paralysed so much of USA it was cold. For the first time I reached for a jumper. I started work with the usual School Mass then had a meeting with the Liturgy Co-ordinator, planned a scheme for dealing with the Advent Wreath, started learning Walton’s Crown Imperial for Christ the King. Strangely I had never learned it before but this year the time is right.

The evening meant choir practice and although three had phoned in sick there was a goodly attendance and a joyful noise was heard. We had quite a laugh as when I’m tired  tend to keep myself awake with my own brand of humour. After a few weeks of bemused expression they are beginning to get it.

Back at the apartment I managed a short film and hit the sack

This morning it was still cold and I was in the office soon after 8am. I decided to get my stuff in order for Sunday and also for the funeral later in the morning. There was a pleasant surprise, the like of which never happened in my previous employment. A group of parents arrived to give the staff a ‘thanksgiving’ cake. Mine was a pecan pie, the pronunciation of which is achieved by forgetting all consonants except the ‘p’.

I was also able to return the portable bed and sheets that the housekeeper had lent me until I got a bed. In the middle of this assignation my brother Chris spoke with me on Skype. I am nearing agreement to rent out my Sheffield mansion so his advice is invaluable.

The funeral was interesting in that in the absence of any requests the priest and I had got together and produced an Order of Service. Of course when we got there  met the niece who presented her intentions which included a young singer who would sing ‘a capella’ (or ‘Acapulco’ as we unpretentious musicians prefer to call it). She was a fine singer but her pronunciation of the latin (Ave Maria) was curious. The mini skirt and platform shoes added to her aura.

I decided to go home early today as I had been doing excessive hours of late. I stopped at a charity shop and bought a shelf unit. as the staff carried it to my car the back fell of so then I had to return to the store to buy a hammer.

By 3pm the shopping bug hit me again and I was off to Aldi. Any later and the traffic would be terrible. It feels wrong buying kitchen utensils which I already have in abundance back in Sheffield but have to buy again here. Tonight it was a cast iron casserole pot … always useful, I suppose.

Later I went off to relax at a local bar band in the event I discovered another which named Dachshunds I had thought was a dog-grooming centre but turned out to be an agreeable place of libation boast 3 craft beers. I got chatting to a couple who had friends in Sheffield and whose origins were Wales! I returned later for a film or two.

Friday is normally my ‘day off’ but I started with my first monthly music rehearsal with the senior end of the middle school. It was a good-humoured affair in which for each song I taught I allowed them to ask a question. most questions were pretty banale eg When was I born? My reply was to ask what possible value could my answer have unless they intended buying me birthday presents? In the end I told them that it was one day after one of my nieces’! They also asked my favourite football team .. Chelsea of course. The best question came after the event when I was asked what I thought of American Independence (as a Brit). I replied that I was not in favour of invasion at all unless it could be assured that there were benefits eg improved safety from local oppression. we went on to discuss the invasion of Hawaii and the dismissal of its Queen.

After the rehearsal I visited a musician colleague from another parish about 40 mins away from me. He had been the expert at my interview so it was good to spend more relaxed time with him. His church, St Jerome at Largo was most impressive and fairly recently built. The man church boasted a 3-man organ which had grown somewhat since its Casavant origins and now had an antiphonal section with en chamade trumpets (now that’s lost the readers who are not organ pundits!). Even the chapel had a neo-classical instrument of some quality. He had been there 25 years and I could see why. He had the music just as he wanted it and his office suite was extensive.

We lunched at a restaurant near Indian Rocks Beach … my first take on fish’n’chips here.

On my way home I stopped at the Central Music store. I introduced myself to the manager and invited him to visit St Lawrence to give an updated assessment of our instrument which is an extensive Rodgers 2-manual (with floating 3rd) digital organ with additional ranks of Buffatti pipes.

On Saturday I arose early to visit my first ‘yard sale’. I managed to get a door mat for $2 and a bed ‘comforter set’ for $5. I’ll leave it to your imagination to guess what that is! My best buy was a BOSE sound-dock for an I-phone. It is an earlier version of the one I brought with me from UK. My one has not worked since my arrival since the power lead seems to have developed a fault. Having proved that by swopping cables it did indeed work, I then obtained a further lead and now I have 2 sound-docks! I bought the older one for just $5! Those who know me well can only imagine my delight.

By midday I was at work in preparation for a wedding at 1pm. The bride, who arrived in the most stretched limo I have ever seen, arrived at 1.30pm. No one sang but all were pleased.

Then followed masses at 4pm and 5.30pm and a wedding meeting. I was home by 8pm and, within a couple of hours, in bed.

Sunday was a day of wall to wall Masses. The 0930 was blessed by 2 excellent violinists and a flautist for whom I had written parts during the week. The 1100 enabled the expanding choir to show itself to good effect. There was a sense of pride in their achievement with which I was much relieved. The 1230 was also the Rite of Acceptance for 15 catechumens/candidates). The 7pm introduced a new young trumpeter to the parish.

During the afternoon I had returned home to Skype some friends which is always a delight.

Now it is Monday and as I gaze from my balcony at midday there are storm clouds gathering and it is raining. I am using the time to scan the internet for a home desk and cabinets. Thank God for ‘craigslists’.

Midweek is my peak work time in terms of planning and preparation. Normally Tuesday is the most intense with having to get the Order of Service (which here they call a ‘worship aid’) planned and completed.

Tuesday this week was Veterans Day which meant a national holiday but since I still had deadlines I went in. The bonus was that there were no meetings as there was no one else about! So in addition to producing a final draft worship aid I was able to produce instrumental parts for our growing bunch of instrumentalists. My first ‘meeting’ was with our excellent flautist who wished to look at schedules and what my intentions may be,. She came armed with fine coffee which went down well. The printing of the worship aid was put on hold until the details regarding the RCIA Rite of Acceptance could be confirmed.

Late in the afternoon I had a wedding meeting (with the parents of the groom!) The couple had pre-selected titles that I had never heard before but google came to the rescue and the sheet music was located.

In the evening I went to play for a funeral at a local crematorium. The family were a lovely bunch and with the deacon, had planned a great celebration including video and not a few eulogies. “There are two occasions,” said the Deacon, “on which you need God – now and at the hour of our death”. Food for thought.

Wednesday began with the School Mass. There had been no rehearsal yesterday so the children were great in that they picked up the new material enthusiastically.

After that we had our monthly liturgy meeting. It is an occasion on which we evaluate and plan ahead. I wanted to explore my hopes for singing/instrumental groups at all masses. Particularly at the 930am I wanted to try out a family choir idea so that children and parents could sit together around the piano and learn the songs in 30 mins before mass. We had tried this at Stamford Hill (UK) and it worked famously well in its loose, low commitment and ad hoc manner.

During the afternoon the detail of the RCIA rite got confirmed and I was able to produce the order of service. Choir practice was in the evening and we held it in the mezzanine behind the church which was being used. we had four new members join tonight so we began to sound more like a choir in what was a good space for rehearsal.

After a good day I stopped by for a beer at my local before watching another film courtesy of Netflix.

Thursday was almost a day off. I went to the beach for a couple of hours, did some paperwork, went into Verizon to hand in my old I-phone (for $200) and ended up getting another ‘free’ tablet. Because I am a non-citizen and currently without Social security Number I had to pay a deposit of $400 for the free tablet. I think it’s to prevent tourists coming over and getting the freebies! Currently Apple has $1200 of my deposits which I will get returned in about a year!

I did about 3.5 hours work on school masses for December and got some other forward planning done. Even though it was 9pm when I got home I felt rested!

Some time on Friday my technology got jinxed. My Armani watch lost time and my iphone6 failed to receive emails. I can explain both, I suppose. The watch needed a new battery which was easily replaced and the iphone suffered from the fact that I tried to download to it my I-tunes library. Of course it chose to delete all other documents and settings! … or was it human error? Surely not.

So Saturday was a domestic morning and I went in for the afternoon to create some instrumental parts for our flautist and to play for the 2 vigil masses. All the masses today featured, in place of a homily, a film relating to the capital appeal. St Lawrence is asked to contribute about $1.3million to expand and modernise the seminary (there are 35 diocesan seminarians!), build a new school and cater for retired priests.

After the masses I returned home and  was in bed by 10pm.

Sunday morning started early, as usual. The cantor was ill so I sang and played for the first 2 masses. The flautist turned up for the 1100 and therefore yesterday’s efforts were not wasted. The 1230 Mass also celebrated the retirement of 6 parishioners. The Pastor invited them to use their newly discovered free time for the benefit of the church community! Never misses a trick.

I went home during the afternoon to watch a film and then returned later to write some guitar chords for the 7pm Mass. By surprise the folk who had offered to play/sing last week all turned up. One was a very young but hugely talented violinist who sight-read all the parts I had prepared and then some more. At the end of Mass I was delighted to have a 16-yr old trumpeter introduce himself to me. He would play next week. The St Lawrence orchestra was beginning!

After Mass I dropped into the Longbar, a bit of a local and then went home for a bite and to watch Chelsea beat Liverpool!

Today Monday I got up late … well at 9am. I did a bit of housework then pootled down to the beach. In the afternoon I spent over an hour on the phone waiting to chat to someone about my social security number which still had not arrived after my application on 29 September. Why is it that a phone operative only gets round to you as you are getting into the shower? Anyhow I was assured that it takes 6 weeks for non-citizens!  I also did some paperwork and bill-paying then went shopping to Aldi. In the evening I enjoyed two films on Netflix. A relaxing day off!

Tuesday began early with a 7.30am start in the office. This enabled me to get a few things done before the meetings began. The meeting today focussed on RCIA Rite of Acceptance on Sunday 16 November. By the end of the meeting we had quite a dramatic take on the opening of the rite which would grab the attention of the congregation, we hoped.

After the meeting I set about creating the Worship Aid for both the forthcoming Sunday and November 16. I also created a worship aid for the next 3 school masses. At 2.30pm I had a rehearsal with the school using those worship aids!

On Wednesday I was in early again for the school Mass and then worked on instrumental parts for an event on Friday. I also created the music for the choir which would meet to rehearse later tonight.

On Thursday I was in at a more reasonable time getting in 2 hours work before meeting Leo the musician for the Spanish masses. It was a great meeting and I learned a lot about the sound equipment of the church! I left work at 2.30pm and spent time shopping, and getting my hair cut. I have become a regular visitor to Buddys which is a furniture rental shop which sells off some ex-rental stuff at very low prices! Today I bought two more lamps. Aldi next door was also good to me. Of particular note was a fine prosecco!

On Friday (my day off) I got up later and did some work transferring my iTunes library to my new iphone. Unfortunately, in the process I mucked  up the email accounts so now I cannot receive messages on my phone. In frustration with apple whose support services were also down, I went to the beach for a couple of hours. Then I left my ‘day off’ and went to work to prepare for the evening event … the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) was holding an Evening Prayer and Reception at St Lawrence. It was their first visit to St Lawrence and they had expected 30-60 musicians but in the event 110 turned up.

I had designed the Evening Prayer to include a Blessing of Musicians. We gathered with my ‘Always in your presence’, had an invitatory and Psalm tones from Notre Dame Paris, the hymn was Haugen’s ‘When in our music God is glorified’, the Responsory was ‘Let nothing trouble you’ by Bernadette Farrell who also supplied the Magnificat. We closed with ‘Watch O Lord’ by Marty Haugen.  I directed and served as cantor with guest musicians on piano, organ, guitar and flute. It was great to see so many from my own choir present for the evening.

The bottle of prosecco bought yesterday came in very useful later that evening!