With the threat of a snowstorm, my flight back to Honolulu was cancelled this morning, and the earliest I could leave would be Wednesday morning. So it was with some gladness that I received a text message from Joey Fala: Some snowstorm . . . if you want to practice, meet me at Woolsey at 10:10ish.

Instead of just sitting in the hotel all day watching the snow come down, I was happy that Joey had suggested that I pack my music and organ shoes — which I threw into my suitcase the day before leaving Honolulu.  I thought I was just coming to hear Joey’s graduate recital and didn’t even think about bringing music and shoes! But now I’m so glad I had them.

The experience of being in that practice room, hearing another student practicing Duruflé next door, brought me back to my graduate school days at Westminster Choir College, where the organ practice rooms were located in the basement of the residence halls. With me practicing Bach’s Clavierübung, the cacophony of it all was marvelous! Although my fingers are still pretty rusty from not playing for two months, I believe I made some progress today.

My first challenge, as it is for any organist at an unfamiliar instrument, was how to turn on the organ. I guess I didn’t understand Joey’s instructions to me, but after a few attempts I figured out what he was saying. A wall panel turns on the blower and gives you up to 60 minutes of “air time.”

After two hours and running out of blower time, I decided to get some lunch and go back to the hotel. By now the wind had kicked up and the snow was coming down harder.

I spent the afternoon working on the newsletter for St. Andrew’s Cathedral, since it is all done online. No rest for the wicked!