Life in Manteca 35: Blossoms, restaurant review and lots of music

Sheri and I decided to check out a restaurant after the movie a week ago.  We were looking forward to it, but in the end were disappointed.  The restaurant is **Las Casuelas, which is close to Sierra High School on Yosemite.  To start with the what we found positive.  The decor was very nice with decorations of things with a Spanish connection.  Sheri commented on getting several ideas for the house.  The service was satisfactory.  They provided bean dip and salsa for your chips.  The bean dip was satisfying.  But the most important part, the food, was very much lacking.  Sheri ordered a couple tacos of carne asada.  The were topped which lots of extra stuff she did not enjoy.  She didn't even get through one taco.  I ordered the steak milanesa.  It was so over done it could have been any cut of meet.  In fact it tasted like over fried and dried out chicken.  Not anything like the milanesa I use to enjoy in Argentina.  I took it home and ate it as ketchup meet the next day for lunch.

Caleb had volleyball tournament last week.  It was a combined coed young men's/women's tournament.  The Northland team did not lose any games, and were declared the champions.  Natalia and Heather were there as well. 

The blossoms are blooming all over the valley.  I did not attend the Almond Blossom Days in Ripon, but have enjoyed the blossoms all the same.  There are miles and miles of them.

There has been lots of music, with Caleb being in two groups, the past couple weeks.  There is more music to come.  We attended the High School dessert and pop concert.  There were a few group numbers, but mostly solos.  Caleb presented "Your Song" accompanying himself on the piano.  It was an enjoyable evening.  Sunday we attended a sacred and classical concert presented by the stake.  Caleb sang, "I Have Not Seen, Yet I Believe" with Miranda playing piano.  This is a Sally DeFord song.  It was very nice.  For me it was the highlight of the night.

after Sunday night concert

I did something I normally wouldn't.  Caleb wanted to go to a flute concert with classical and jazz music in Turlock at the university.  It presented a flutist visiting from Arizona State who first did classical, and then jazz.  I part I enjoyed the most was the Bach.  However there were also some nice jazz pieces.  After this we had dinner with Charity and Anthony.  They had the missionaries over.  We met the MTC companion of our missionary in our ward now.

Music Reviews: Donny Osmond ****"This is the Moment," ****^"The Best of Andrew Lloyd Weber"

These CDs we have in our personal library as they are downloaded to Itunes.  The first, for the most part, This is an album of Donny Osmond singing songs from musicals.  Because he is putting them in the context of pop music rather than in the musical setting, they at times lack the emotion that goes with the song.  A couple cases in point would be "This is the Moment" the title song.  It just doesn't have the same flavor as when Dr Jekyll is considering consuming his own substance he has created to test it.  Also his version of "Anythng's Possible" lacks the dancing fish the version of Caleb on You Tube from when he was in Suessical.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da1l8CSeEAA
However his other song from Seussical, "Solla Sollew" is very well done.  Listening to Donny Osmond and Vanessa Williams sing, "Not While I'm Around" is just beautiful.  He ventures out of the musical realm and sings "You've Got  Friend in Me" From Toy Story.  He also provides some musical theater history singing George M. Cohan's "Give my Regards to Broadway."

The Donny Osmond song I like the best however, is from the other album, "Best of Andrew Lloyd Weber" "Close Every Door."  Donny singing with the children's choir is just perfection.  This album also offers excerpts from "Phantom of the Opera."  I has Sarah Brightman singing "Piu Jesu." A couple other highlights are Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything" and Mandy Patikin and Patty Lupone singing "High Flying Adored."  Mandy Patikin is exquisite in this rendition.  I am also partial to this as this is the cast I saw in New York.  Another perfect song is Glen Close singing "With one Look."  There are a couple songs that I don't enjoy.  One is "Jesus Christ Superstar"  Combining Christ and rock music doesn't work for me.

Caleb's Music

Schedule for the next few weeks

Sunday 2/26/2012, Stake Musical Fireside; Northland building 7 p.m.

Caleb is singing with Miranda accompanying

Tuesday 2/28/12, Sierra High School advanced choir concert 7 p.m.

Green Room, Sierra High School, Caleb has a solo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waRT-ZsS7EY&NR=1&feature=endscreen
Caleb's solo from You Tube

Mar 3 YM/YW Camp Fundraiser.  5:30    Northland Building; pulled pork dinner, $8 per person, $25.00 family donation.

Silent auction for items of worth (If you care to donate contact Caleb at 209-665-4439 or 404-379-9085.)  Sierra High School Jazz band to play

Mar 16 6:30 p.m. stake activity, Northland Building, Ole! Fiesta.  Music, Mexican food and games.

Caleb is going to be really busy over the next week.  Of these four events, Caleb will be singing or playing in three of them, and sometimes both.   Miranda is also accompanying on piano this Sunday.

Music Review: *****Simon and Garfunkle, ****Air Supply

This is some of the music I have been listening to today that I am home sick.  Also since I down loaded Itunes to my computer, and then Miranda taught me how to download songs from Sheri's computer.  I didn't download them all as there is lots of Mark's old emo-rock music which is not pleasing to me.  However I did get over three days worth of music, meaning I am not going to listen to it all in the next day or so. 
One of the albums I brought over was Ultimate Air Supply.  The have a soft mellow tone, and often the lead singer, although a guy sounds more like an alto voice.  It really confuses me.  However Air Supply sings some classic songs.  My favorites are "All out of Love," "Sweet Dreams," "Making Love out of Nothing at All," "The Power of Love" and "Without You."  I love the lyrics of the chorus in Sweet Dreams.  "Close your eyes
I want to ride the skies in my sweet dreams
Close your eyes
I want to see you tonight in my sweet dreams"

Love, that is not working out, or is ending is a common theme for Air Supply.  For example from "All out of Love"
I want you to come back and carry me home
Away from this long lonely nights
I'm reaching for you, are you feeling it too
Does the feeling seem oh so right...
I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right believing for so long
I'm all out of love, what am I without you
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong

We also had some of the Simon and Garfunkle: Greatest Hits on Itunes, but I bought the CD at Walmart so we now have the complete album.   Bridge over Troubled Water and Sounds of Silence have long been a couple of my favorite songs.  I sang Bridge to Sheri at our wedding reception:  When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all

I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way

See how they shine
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

Art Garfunkle does such a good job with this song written by Paul Simon.  It is a classic.  In fact it was the song of the decade 1970s even though it came out in 1970.

Miranda's Talk

http://miranda-lifeasiknowit.blogspot.com/2012/02/talk.html

I usually like to post talks.  However Miranda posted this on her own blog.  She gave it in the singles ward.