I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my wayå
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day

Do you remember this 1972 song by Johnny Nash? In spite of all the awful national news, the good news is that the infection in my eyes (Endophthalmitis) is gone, thanks to weeks of antibiotic and steroid eye drops as well as oral steroids. Deo gracias, my vision is nearly 100% back to normal! Thanks to all who sent messages and prayers to aid in my healing.

To celebrate, I invited my choir director at St. Mark’s, Mike Dupre and his girlfriend, Yuko, to a celebration dinner since they picked me up and took me home multiple times for evening rehearsals and services during this period. The food they chose was the prix fixe menu at Bernini, a restaurant with Japanese-influenced Italian cuisine. The restaurant was full of people, but the atmosphere seemed intimate and not noisy. The service was impeccable and unobtrusive.

Check out this video I took of the bubble smoke gun!

We enjoyed it very much! My favorite dish was the wagyu beef, perfectly cooked and full of flavor. It was definitely an experience to savor!

This past weekend we heard the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra perform Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 and I was most impressed with how many musicians were on stage.

It was my first experience with this particular Mahler Symphony which was very, very long, clocking in at 75-80 minutes long. I must say that I was proud of our Honolulu audience because there was no applause between the four movements, even though I did a silent WOW after the end of the third movement.

Here was a description of the work I found on The Classic Review:

Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 holds a special place as the composer’s final completed symphony. It was written during a period of profound personal crisis and contemplation. Mahler composed the work between 1908 and 1909, amid the lingering trauma of losing his young daughter Maria, his resignation from the Vienna Court Opera, and the diagnosis of a serious heart condition. Facing mortality directly, the Ninth Symphony is often viewed as Mahler’s farewell to life.

Mahler never heard his Ninth Symphony performed, as he passed away in May 1911, before its premiere by Bruno Walter in June 1912. Deeply reflective and introspective, the symphony continues Mahler’s exploration of emotional extremes and profound existential questions, integrating traditional symphonic structures with innovative harmonic and orchestral textures. Even though the symphony includes seemingly more optimistic dance movements, its four movements as a whole are imbued with a poignant sense of finality and acceptance, transcending typical symphonic narrative to become a meditation on life and mortality.

The Marble Palace Bed and Breakfast is officially opening for 2026 and I have three separate visitors coming in the next couple of months. David Lawrence, a history professor I met in Greece, will be coming the last week in February; Joy-Leilani Garbutt, concert organist, will be staying in the first week of March; and my long-time friend, Joan Ishibashi, who years ago was my son’s confirmation teacher, and with whom I have traveled extensively, will be here in the third week of March.

Here’s the postcard I designed this week:

Full speed ahead!