I blinked and suddenly it’s been a year since I posted an update here. That’s what I get for blinking, I suppose.

Little has changed since my last update, even down to the usual late-October flailing. But this year, I’ve come to realize that what causes me to feel so off-kilter this time of year is at least partly Daylight Saving Time. Now that we’re on the far side of it, I find myself getting sleepy at an appropriate time and waking up much closer to the time that my alarm goes off. And it turns out there’s a good reason: DST messes with our circadian clocks because it creates a mismatch between the time of day and the sun’s zenith, as you can see in this excellent illustrated Washington Post piece. So welcome back, Standard Time! I missed you and hope you’ll stick around permanently.

Singing is going astoundingly well, though this week marks an unusual bit of down time, wherein I’m not actively rehearsing with Master Chorale or SACRA/PROFANA. Because both nature and my schedule abhor a vacuum, I’ve added some fun things. Between extra rehearsals for our upcoming Evensong at All Souls’ Point Loma, as well as our Procession of Advent Lessons and Carols service on December 4th, I’ve signed on for some Evensongs with the Cathedral Schola between now and the end of the year. And if that weren’t enough, my wizard rock band Potterwatch is spitting distance from releasing our first full-length album! We released one track, The Headless Hunt, on Halloween, and we debuted a few other to-be-released songs on our very first livestream performance as part of Wizrocklopedia’s PediaPalooza 2022 this summer!

I feel like I’m getting ahead of myself, though. So here’s a woefully incomplete description of what I’ve been doing with myself over the past year!

November 2021: Beloved Spouse was on Jeopardy, I sang Frank Martin’s amazing Mass for Double Choir with Master Chorale, SACRA/PROFANA released our holiday album, A Longing for Christmas!

December 2021: Beloved Spouse and I traveled to my hometown in Illinois for extended family adventures, musical and otherwise!

February/March 2022: Performed Anthony Davis’s incredible Voyage Through Death to Life Upon These Shores with SACRA/PROFANA in San Diego and at the ACDA West conference.

May 2022: Sang Beethoven’s 9th with Master Chorale and the San Diego Symphony and Maestro Rafael Payare.

June 2022: Sang Levin’s completion of Mozart’s Requiem with Master Chorale and the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra and Maestro Michael Francis.

July 2022: Sang music from Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con with SACRA/PROFANA and Bear McCreary (also attended SDCC!).

August 2022: Hosted my mom for my birthday, played bass guitar for people for the first time in PediaPalooza with Potterwatch!

September 2022: Potterwatch played our first live, in-person gig at Deft Brewing!

October 2022: Sang Verdi’s Requiem with Master Chorale and the San Diego Symphony and Maestro Payare, Potterwatch led San Diego Beer Choir at Societe Brewing, and Beloved Spouse was on Jeopardy’s Second Chance Competition!

November 2022: Premiered Marcos Balter’s Livro das Cores (Book of Colors) in the original Portuguese with Master Chorale.

And that brings us back to now! It’s certainly been an exciting year full of things that never would have occurred to 2021!Libby. but there’s still so much to look forward to this year and beyond. And that’s just the things I know about!

Here’s hoping it won’t be another year before I update, and here’s for good things to report the next time I do!

Love to All,

Libby

PS Have some adorable pictures of Clara and Hildegard. You’ve waited long enough!