FRIDAY, DEC. 28 

“What is Happening in Venezuela?” The referendum and the limitations of the Bolivarian Revolution, a discussion with Raymond Lotta at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

SATURDAY, DEC. 29 

Open The Farm Meet and greet the animals at the Little Farm in Tilden Park as you help the farmer with morning chores, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. 525-2233. 

Monarch Butterfly Walk Take a short walk to view clusters of monarchs, learn about their life cycle and migration. At 10:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. at Mulford-Marina Branch Library, 13699 Aurora Drive, San Leandro. 577-6085. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Peace and Freedom Party End of Year Party from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph/Alcatraz, Oakland. 527-9584. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 30 

Family Workshop: New Year’s Party Make noisemakers and party hats from 1 to 4 p.m. at Mocha, Museum of Children’s Art, 528 9th St., Oakland. Cost is $7. 465-8770.  

Reptile Rendezvous Learn about the reptiles that call Tilden Park home at 1:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

“Leopard Shark Feeding Frenzy” Feed our resident leopard sharks and learn more about them and our other aquatic inhabitants at 2 p.m. at Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, 4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward. 670-7270. www.haywardrec.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Olivia Hurd on “Buddhist Stories of Compassionate Wisdom” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000 www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, DEC. 31 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

Dragonboating Year round classes at the Berkeley Marina, Dock M. Meets Mon, Wed., Thurs. at 6 p.m. Sat. at 10:30 a.m. For details see www.dragonmax.org 

Free Boatbuilding Classes for Youth Mon.-Wed. from 3 to 7 p.m. at Berkeley Boathouse, 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Classes cover woodworking, boatbuilding, and boat repair. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

TUESDAY, JAN. 1 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 2 

Meet Some Musical Animals from Wildlife Associates at noon and 1:30 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $8-$10. 642-5132. 

“Learn How to Tune and Wax Your Skis/Snowboard” at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Teen Chess Club from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6133. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, JAN. 3 

Babies & Toddlers Storytime at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043.  

Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters Club meets at 6:45 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline at Alcatraz. namaste@ 

avatar.freetoasthost.info  

FRIDAY, JAN. 4 

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

Circle Dancing in Berkeley Simple folk dancing in a circle, each dance taught before we do it. No experience or partners needed. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut, at University. Donation $5. 528-4253. www.circledancing.com 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

SATURDAY, JAN. 5 

New Year Waterfront Walk Join Berkeley Path Wanderers and Friends of Five on an easy, level walk exploring waterfront history, effects of the recent oil spill, and possibilities and plans for the future. Meet at 10 a.m. at Shorebird Nature Center, 160 University Ave., south side of University west of Adventure Playground; AC Transit 9. Dress in layers. 848-9358. www.berkeleypaths.org 

Explore Bird Songs with Steve Beck from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $8-$10. 642-5132. 

Benefit for Revolution Newspaper’s Expansion with Larry Everest and Luciente Zamora from 2 to 5 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. Donation $10-$25. 848-1196.  

“Dafur: The Crisis and The Tragedy” A discussion of the work by Fathi M. El Fadl of the Communitst PArty of Sudan at 10 a.m. at the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Libary, 6501 Telegraph Ave. 595-7417. 

Frame Your Masterpiece Workshop, Sat. and Sun. from 1 to 4 p.m. at Museum of Children’s Art, 528 9th St., Oakland. 465-8770. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732.  

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755.  

SUNDAY, JAN. 6 

Berkeley Rep’s Family Series, a monthly theater workshop for the entire family at 11 a.m. at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, Nevo Education Center, 2071 Addison St. Free, but bring a book to donate to the library at John Muir Elementary School. 647-2973. 

“Birth is a Miracle” A documentary, followed by discussion, at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732.  

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

MONDAY, JAN. 7  

Contra Costa Chorale rehearsal at 7:15 p.m. at Hillside Community Church, 1422 Navallier St., El Cerrito. New singers welcome. 527-2026. www.ccchorale.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 3, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7419. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/landmarks 

Public Works Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 3, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., Jan. 7, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee

FRIDAY, DEC. 28 

CHILDREN 

“Habari Gani?/What’s the News?” Kwanzaa stories with April Armstrong for ages 5 and up at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223. 

THEATER 

Encore Theatre Company & Shotgun Players “The Shaker Chair” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m., at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Jan. 27. Tickets are $20-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Paul Mooney Comedy Show at 8 and 10 p.m. Through Dec. 31, at Black Repertory Group, 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $25-$100. 652-2120. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Wild Music: Sounds and Songs of Life Percussion discussion with Ken Bergman at noon and 1:30 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $8-$10. 642-5132. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mack Rucks Group at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Moodswing Orchestra at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

David Grisman Bluegrass Experience at 5 and 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $30.50-$31.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Ali Weiss and Cris Kelly & Manda Bryn at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Musiciens sans Frontiéres, Talons of Peace at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Albino, heavy afro-beat, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Space Heater at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, DEC. 29 

CHILDREN  

Folksongs with Chris Molla for ages 3-7 at 10:30 a.m. at Berkeley Public Library, West Branch, 1125 University Ave. 981-6270. 

Music with Melita and Friends at 11 a.m. at Studio Grow, 1235 Tenth St. Cost is $7. 526-9888. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Otro Mundo at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Lady Bianca Blues at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

The Zydeco Flames at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun/Zydeco dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

James Brown Tribute at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $7-$15. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Jenny Kerr and Kenny Schick at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

The Bobs, a cappella, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Unreal Band, Lucky Dog at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Justin Hellman Quartet at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 30 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mon’s Music Trio, featuring Si Perkoff, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Evie Ladin at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Creation at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Lyrics Born at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $35. 548-1159.  

Dani Torres, flamenco,, at 5 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

MONDAY, DEC. 31 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bobi Cespedes Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Reservations recommended. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Balkan Bash with Édessa, Brass enazeri, Joe Finn at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jesus Diaz’s The Cuban Connection at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $25-$27. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Montana Slim at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

New Year’s Eve Jazz Service with Dan Damon, jazz pianist, poetry and reflection at 5 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. 524-2921.www.epworthberkeley.org 

Medicine Ball Band featuring Pee Wee Ellis and Lady Bianca at 8:30 p.m. at Plymouth Church 424 Monte Vista, at Oakland Ave. Cost is $24-$30. 444-2115. 

High Country, Dix Bruce & Jim Nunelly at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $26.50-$27.50. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

What It Is at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. Cost is $10. 843-8277. 

Flamenco Fiesta at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. at Cafe de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $55-$85. 287-8700.  

Spanish Harlem Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $100. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, JAN. 1 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Benefit for the Birds” with pianist Matt Herskowitz and flutist Carol Alban and others in a benefit concert to raise money for local and international bird rescue efforts, at 7 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$20. 542-7517. 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 2 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Whiskey Brothers, old-time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Matt Morrish Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Moh Alileche & Ensemble with Danse Maghreb at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ledisi at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, thruogh Sun.. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, JAN. 3 

CHILDREN 

Clown Around with Mr. Yoo Who at 4 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, South branch, 1901 Russell St. 981-6260. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Wildly Colorful, Whimsical” Drawings by Eva M. Schlesinger on display at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St., through Jan. 848-0237. www.jcceastbay.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Adam David Miller will read from his recently published memoir, “Ticket to Exile” at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. at Masonic, Albany. 526-3720. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ray Bierl at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Brian Melvin Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

The General Jones, Last One Picked, The Happy Clams at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

FRIDAY, JAN. 4 

THEATER 

Encore Theatre Company & Shotgun Players “The Shaker Chair” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m., at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Jan. 27. Tickets are $20-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Big Bang: New Work at Mercury 20” Artist’s reception at 6 p.m. at Mercury 20 Gallery, 25 Grand Ave. at Broadway, Oakland. 701-4620. 

MUSIC AND DANCE  

Latin Jazz Youth Enemble of San Francisco at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Danny Caron Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Sukhawat Ali Khan with Sacheko Kanenobu at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Bluegrass Buffet with the Earl Brothers, The Whoreshoes, Five Dollar Suit at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $15.50-$16.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Mere Ours, Marianne Barlow at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Skribble Violent Insight, Beyond Oblivion at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Trainwreck Riders, Tinktures, Di Di Mao at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Valeria Troutt at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $7-$15. 548-1159.  

Ledisi at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, thruogh Sun.. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, JAN. 5 

CHILDREN  

“Marina’s Capoeira Countdown” with author Oscar Wolters-Duran, followed by an art activity, at 1 p.m. at The Museum of Children’s Art, 538 9th St., Oakland. 465-8770. 

Fratello Marionettes “Peter and the Wolf” at 10:30 a.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. For ages 3-8. 981-6223. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Justin Chin and Cynthia Cruz at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 559-9500. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition Open Reading from 3 to 5 p.m. at at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Park on the street, not in Lodge parking lot. Free. 527-9905. poetalk@aol.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mario Lavista Quinteto Latino at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. www.trinitychamberconcerts.com  

Alex Pfeifer-Rosenblum at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Macy Blackman & The Mighty Fines at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Lakay featuring Mystic Man, King Wawa and Alexa Weber Morales Band, Haitian and Afro-Brazilian at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Kompa dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $15-$12. 525-5054. 

Sotaque Baiano, Brazilian, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Kate Isenberg, Golden Loom at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Caren Armstrong at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Julian Pollack Three-O “Sea of Stories” at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

7th Direction, Crooked Roads, Ten Ton Chicken at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

Dangers, Graforlock, Wait in Vain, Owne Hart at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 6 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Tree Spirit” Landscape paintings by Betsy Kendall, black-and-white and painted photographs by Gerry Keenan, and organic materials sculptures by David Turner, on display at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. through Feb. 28. 204-1667.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Tribute to Max Roach” with young musicians performing in two groups led by drummer Kamau Seitu and by Bay Area keyboardist Rudi Mwongozi, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Tickets are $15-$20. 836-4949 www.blackmusiciansforum.org 

Trio Mopmu & Brass Menagerie at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Pete Madsen at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Don Neely’s Royal Society Jazz Orchestra featuring Carla Norman at 5 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $20. 525-5054.  

Kaz George Quintet at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Adrian Legg at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. \ 

MONDAY, JAN. 7 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Photographs of Life in Kabul, Afghanistan” by Mojhgan (Mo) Mohtashimi opens at The LightRoom, 2263 Fifth St. 649-8111. 

NIAD Faculty and Artists 25th Anniversary Show opens at the National Institute of Art & Disabilities, 551 23rd St., Richmond. 620-0290. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Actors Reading Writers “Moments of Clarity” stories by W. Somerset Maugham and Alice Munro at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 932-0214. 

Edie Meidav will read from her novel “Crawl Space” as part of the Jewish Writers in the Bay Area Series at 7 p.m. at JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. 655-8530. 

Poetry Express with Michael Hardy at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Le Jazz Hot at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $6-$12. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

This New Year’s Eve, for the 23rd year in a row, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra kicks off its new season with a free concert in Berkeley. In fact, remarkably, all of their concerts are free. The concerts are subsidized by grants and membership, which guarantees you the best seats. The theme of this year’s New Year’s Eve concert is Prodigies with music by Mozart and Mendelssohn as the examples.  

Between the ages of 12 and 14, Felix Mendelssohn composed 13 symphonies for strings that were performed by members of the Berlin court orchestra at Sunday concerts given in his parents’ home. Thinking of them as student work, exercises, he never published them. In fact, they were virtually ignored until after World War II. The String Symphony No. 9 in C Major from 1822, which will be on the New Year’s Eve program, was written when Felix was fourteen but not published in a practical edition until 1962. It is known as the Swiss Symphony because of the yodeling that can be heard in the trio of the scherzo, the symphony’s third movement. The Mendels-sohn’s had gone on holiday to the Swiss hinterlands in July of 1822 and young Felix remembered and used the sounds he had heard during that vacation when he returned to Berlin. 

The Mendelssohn string symphony gives us insight into the mind of a young genius while it was still budding. By way of contrast, the two Mozart pieces on the program reveal a former child prodigy as a full-blown talent. The Horn Concerto No. 2 (actually the first) in E-flat major, was one of four concerti Mozart composed for his friend, and the butt of many of his jokes, Joseph Leutgeb.  

Leutgeb had been a successful horn player in Vienna, Salzburg, Frankfurt, Paris and Milan and was an old friend of the Mozart family when Mozart began composing pieces for him in Vienna in 1783. By that time, Leutgeb had fallen on hard times. Instead of working as a full-time musician, he had taken over his late father-in-law’s cheese and sausage shop. He borrowed money from Leopold Mozart and Wolfgang, who had recently moved to Vienna and married Constanze, urged his father not to press the already hard-pressed Leutgeb about the loan. Mozart occasionally stayed at Leutgeb’s home when Constanze was taking the waters at Baden in the summer of 1791. They remained friends until Mozart’s death later that year. 

At the same time, Mozart could not resist having fun with Leutgeb. Mozart’s autograph score is headed, in red crayon, “Wolfgang Amadé Mozart has taken pity on Leutgeb, ass, ox, and fool, at Vienna, 27 May 1783.” The second horn concerto Mozart wrote for Leutgeb has a running commentary of insults written in four colors of ink above the horn parts. 

Also on the program is the Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major, an early Mozart masterpiece from his 23rd year, featuring violinist Robin Sharp and the Orchestra’s conductor Benjamin Simon doubling on viola. The back and forth movement and weaving interplay between the “male” violin and the “female” viola, like twisting strands of DNA locked in a helical embrace while performing a cosmic pas de deux, is one of the most ravishing achievements of any music ever composed anywhere in the world. With two prodigies, two concerti, a sinfonia concertante for two string soloists and a conductor doubling on viola, this should be a delightful way to open the double-faced doors of Janus on New Year’s Eve. 

The San Francisco Chamber  

Orchestra  

Sunday, Dec. 30, at 3 p.m. at Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco;Monday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley; and Tuesday, Jan. 1, at 3 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto. Free. 

For more information on membership, reserved seating and CDs, call 415-248-1640 or visit www.sfchamberorchestra. org. 

Following a year that unfolded with more than a few surprises on East Bay stages, 2007 opened up with a bang and never really settled back. Big and small companies alike put on memor-able shows, and the overall level of theatricality appeared a couple notches higher than in the past. 

There were the completely original productions, homegrown by the little, labor-intensive troupes, like Clown Bible, Ten Red Hen’s musical comedy circus from Scripture, at the Willard Metalshop Theatre, and George Charbak’s TheatreInSearch staging of his wry retelling of Gilgamesh (“With a Long Prologue”), the oldest chestnut of all, at Ashby Stage—both innovative and unique.  

Russian actor-director Oleg Liptsin adapted Dostoevsky’s “Notes From Underground” as Apropos of the Wet Snow, also at the Metalshop, with excitingly theatrical interactive video meshed with phenomenal performances by Liptsin and Ai-Cheng Ho from Taiwan. (We’ll see more of Liptsin’s splendid stagecraft in 2008.) 

At the professional theaters—those abiding by Actors Equity contracts—there were such successes as the brilliant black comedy Pillowman at Berkeley Rep (and an interestingly operatic To the Lighthouse), as well as Pinter’s Birthday Party and seldom-performed (in America, at least) Terry Johnston’s Hysteria at the Aurora. CalShakes (just past the tunnel) came on strong with a bright version of Marivaux’s Triumph of Love and a gripping, modernized King Lear.  

Shotgun Players continued to perfect a stylish house look with Berkeley’s Lorin District-born Eisa Davis’ Pulitzer-nominated Bulrusher, as well as staging David Mamet’s intriguing Cryptogram at Ashby Stage and a swashbuckling Three Musketeers outdoors in John Hinkel Park.  

After a splendid season, including unusual stagings of Lessing’s pioneering parable of tolerance, Nathan the Wise, and a fabled postwar classic, Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance, never staged before hereabouts, TheatreFIRST, Oakland’s only resident company, lost its Old Oakland storefront stage and at present is still searching out a new home, meanwhile valiantly producing staged readings. 

Ragged Wing Ensemble put on a kinetic, exhilarating show of Andre Gregory’s (the Andre from My Dinner with ...) Alice in Wonderland, with Amy Sass’ fine direction.  

San Francisco’s A Traveling Jewish Theatre ended a Bay Area tour of (Berkeley’s) Aaron Davidman’s brilliant staging of Death of a Salesman, finely acted by all, including company cofounder Corey Fisher as a vernacular old shoe of a Willy Loman, at the Julia Morgan Theater. 

Central Works, the stalwart residents of the (Julia Morgan-designed) Berkeley City Club, continued their own special chamber theatricality with Lola Montez (Louis Parnell as a charming, if deluded, Ludwig of Bavaria), Anne Galjour’s Bird in the Hand and a reprise of Every Inch a King with the original cast (except original director, cofounder Jan Zvaifler taking on the role Claudia Rosa premiered). 

At the opposite end of the spectrum from Berkeley Rep or CalShakes, the community theater companies were running strong. Berkeley’s Actors Ensemble, resident in Live Oak Theater, celebrated their half-century mark with a string of productions, including one site-specific—Strindberg’s great A Dream Play, directed by David Stein—performed in and around the Berkeley Art Center, just across the street. 

Altarena Playhouse in Alameda also had an anniversary, producing a comedy of their own late ’30s vintage: Morning’s at Seven, well played by an ensemble under the fine direction of Sue Trigg. The Masquers in Pt. Richmond staged Anouilh’s charming and slightly mys-terious Ring Around the Moon (in Christopher Fry’s translation) and a finely-done staging by Phoebe Moyer of Michael Cristofer’s Shadowbox. Contra Costa Civic Theater in El Cerrito put on a refreshing Meet Me in St. Louis, directed by Tammara Plankers of The Masquers. 

Small companies put on shows like Helen Pau’s surrealistic Viaticum at Live Oak, Cocteau’s The Human Voice—a predecessor of the solo show—produced by Antares Ensemble with Shruti Tewari at the City Club, an ambitious Brecht piece (once titled Private Life of the Master Race when done in Berkeley at the time of the U.N. Charter convention; this time by Oakland’s Eastenders at Berkeley JCC), a feisty pirate musical (by Starlight Circle Players) at the Unitarian Fellowship on Cedar, and Noises OFF was one of a series of collaborations between Shift Theatre and Berkeley High Drama. 

SubShakes (Subterranean Shakespeare) put on a briskly dramatic rendition of The Bard’s “Scottish Play”--and released “Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits,” a fun CD of songs featuring some old troupers from various Berkeley walks of life. Wilde Irish staged THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN by the author of PILLOWMAN at the City Club.  

Woman’s Will plays all-female Shakespeare in the parks, staging an ambitious ANTIGONE (Mac Wellman, not Sophocles) at the Temescal Arts Center, site of much performing arts activity. And Virago in Alameda put on ORPHANS, starring Robert Hamm, as well as work he’s written for the stage. In the basement of LaVal’s, Impact continues to mount its series of burlesque reviews and theatrical entertainments to enthusiastic audiences. 

The Marsh sadly pulled out of its Berkeley base in the Gaia Building, but continues to produce solo pieces by locals like Mark McGoldrick, as well as family shows—(Berkeley’s) Emily Klion’s SIDDHARTHA, THE SHINING PATH (ongoing, with music in part by her husband, jazzman George Brooks) at their Mission Distrist San Francisco center.  

The S.F. Playhouse hosted Berkeley favorite, director Joy Carlin again. Golden Thread, comprised of many East Bay artists, has put on many of its ReOrient festivals and other Middle East-focused work at the Thick House and the Magic Theatre. And Robert Ernst, cofounder of Berkeley’s Blake St. Hawkeyes, found a stage for his play with music, CATHERINE’S CARE with AlterTheater in San Rafael. 

UC’s Drama Dept. produced ambitious shows, and is set to stage Euripides’ THE BACCHAE, directed by Aurora founder Barbara Oliver. CalPerformances continues to bring in top world theater, most recently the Bunraku, Japan’s extraordinary national puppet theater. 

This grab-bag doesn’t even to mention stage entertainments under other categories thatare plenty theatric—from opera to Oakland Magic Circle’s ongoing banquet performances. From pure fun to aesthetic or ethical contemplation, East Bay theater in 2007 had it all.

I first read Oscar Wilde in 1954 at age 10. This was in an exceptionally cheap and poorly printed edition of his collected works published by Walter J. Black & Co. My parents, knowing I was an insatiable reader (the first full-length book I recall having read was David Copperfield when I was eight) dutifully subscribed at my request to Black’s series of classics, which included the works of practically everybody of note in English literature, including those bête noirs of highbrow snobs Arthur Conan Doyle, H. Rider Haggard, and Rudyard Kipling. 

Throughout most of the 1950s we lived in a government camp in Palisades, Idaho where my father, a civil engineer, worked on constructing what became Palisades Dam. The nearest public library was more than fifty miles away in Idaho Falls and, although we used the library regularly, we also subscribed to books and magazines that were delivered once a month to our post office box—the Landmark books on American history and biography for me, the complete works of Zane Grey for my dad, and the Book of the Month Club monthly selection for my mom. Of course, I also read Zane Grey and the Book of the Month Club selections but (aside from the monthly Donald Duck comics) nothing gave me as much pleasure as Black’s classics.  

How I looked forward to the monthly arrival of the latest volume which I would immediately unwrap before stealing away to a secluded place to devour in one gargantuan gulp. And, although I adored Robert Louis Stevenson, H. Rider Haggard, and Mark Twain, I was overwhelmed by Oscar Wilde. 

The Black edition contained nearly everything—all the plays, including Salomé, most of the essays—“The Soul of Man Under Socialism,” “The Critic as Artist,” “The Decay of Lying,” and “Pen, Pencil, and Poison.” Also The Picture of Dorian Grey and a wide selection of Wilde’s poetry, including “The Ballad of Reading Gaol,” which I promptly memorized and declaimed to whoever had the patience to listen.  

I did not understand most of what Wilde wrote, but I knew I had found an author who could construct a perfect English sentence at will and was endlessly witty and always subversive. Like Stephen Fry, who wrote a marvelous essay on reading Wilde as a young gay boy for The New Yorker (and, of course, played him to perfection in the movie Wilde) Wilde’s epigrams and witticisms thoroughly undermined the conformist culture of the age (although the ‘Fifties were not nearly so conformist as many believe) and provided me with my first experience of intellectual and emotional liberation.  

Unlike Stephen Fry, I’m not gay, but like Fry, I literally worshipped Oscar Wilde. Naturally, I wanted to learn all about him, but the only biography available in the Idaho Falls public library was the thoroughly entertaining Oscar Wilde, His Life and Wit by Hesketh Pearson, which passed rapidly over the trials and was singularly unhelpful about what crime Wilde was charged with. I assumed he had run afoul of a government-appointed literary censor. Since I knew little about heterosexuality (and what I thought I knew was almost entirely erroneous) homosexuality was well beyond my ken. I could not find “somdomite” (Queensberry’s misspelling) in the dictionary and even after I got my parents to buy The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, superbly edited by H. Montgomery Hyde, I remained confused by the testimony regarding stained bedsheets and gifts of cigarette cases to lower-class boys. I understood only that Wilde was accused of corrupting youths and, since by that time I knew that Socrates had been similarly charged, I came to view Wilde as a martyr to free speech and thought. 

After I finally figured out (with the aid of more explicit biographies) what the sordid details brought up in the trials meant, my opinion of Wilde did not change. And, after having taught European history and literature for more than 30 years, Wilde has remained (along with Tolstoy) my favorite author. I have always been angered by critics who have denigrated him as superficial and second-rate. Fortunately, the definitive answer to all such ill-considered criticism is the brilliant biography of Wilde by Richard Ellman, which makes the unanswerable case that Wilde’s plays are more intricately structured than previously recognized and that beneath the surface cleverness lies considerable profundity. 

I have also long been struck by the fact that, as fascinating as Wilde was in print, he was evidently even more so in person. Almost everyone who knew him, including George Bernard Shaw, considered Wilde the most brilliant talker they had ever met. And this was in age of remarkably witty and engaging talkers including James McNeill Whistler, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Henry Labouchere, and Shaw himself. 

When asked what person from history I would most like to have known, I find it a tossup among Jesus of Nazareth, Abraham Lincoln and Oscar Wilde (closely followed by Churchill, Jane Austen, Disraeli, Sheridan and Byron). I have no doubt that each would be hugely interesting and even entertaining but I am absolutely certain that Wilde would make me laugh more than all the others combined.  

ALL IN MY HEAD  

(An “encounter” on the corner of Allston & Harold Way, Berkeley) 

She said:  

You know—  

it may be all in your head 

She spoke this  

not directly at me  

but into her cell phone 

though I couldn’t help  

but recognize  

as she walked on by 

how right she was  

no matter who  

she was talking to  

and while appearing  

not to be, no doubt  

that message was for me 

I heard it loud and clear  

like the most recent thoughts  

all in my head 

SECOND SISTER 

At the Berkeley Farmers’ Market  

I choose a few  

fresh zucchini, yellow squash. 

The woman takes 

and weighs my bag.  

Receiving my money, she says  

“You look like my  

brother—  

He lives in Atlanta  

but his presence is here 

standing before me.”  

She doesn’t look like  

the one sister I have 

but her warm face is  

familiar.  

If I had a second sister  

it could be she. 

She thanks me.  

I thank her in return  

and walk away,  

heading home to Georgia  

where I’ve never been. 

NOTHING’S LOST 

Since I have nothing to worry about  

I do worry about nothing 

I have nothing to lose  

and sure enough  

nothing does come up missing  

time and time again 

Every time nothing's lost  

I have nothing to find  

and that means another wasted day  

looking around the house—  

under sofa cushions,  

piles of papers and mail— 

searching for nothing.  

Then I realize that I’ve left a window open,  

so I put my shoes on, go outside  

and start hollering for nothing:  

Nothing, Nothing!!! 

Can you understand  

the predicament I’m in?  

I should never have let myself  

get so attached to nothing. 

WITH ANY LUCK 

As I’m passing by corner market,  

heading two doors down to laundromat,  

heaving loads of my dirty clothes,  

the owner bellows through doorway:  

“14 million!” I stop in my tracks.  

He points up toward Super Lotto sign— 

knows I’ve played before. 

In a timeless moment I imagine  

everything around his pointed direction  

begin to disappear, one by one:  

the Lotto banner, stacks of newspapers  

and copies of TV Guide’s latest edition,  

wilting lettuce in his meager produce section,  

Twinkies and Ding Dongs  

gone 

until whole store fades out 

as does rest of his body,  

leaving only a finger’s  

illuminated trajectory  

guiding my vision into night sky numbers  

far beyond millions. 

Way out there my mind speeds  

through billions and billions of stars and galaxies,  

reaching other side of  

infinite universe. 

Back on Earth, I tell him  

I’ll likely buy a ticket next week— 

there’s decent chance the jackpot  

will be over 20 million by then. 

Right now I have just enough in my pockets  

for the washers and dryers.  

I want to get these loads done as quickly as  

possible— 

counting on some free time at end of the evening. 

With any luck,  

I’ll leave with everything I came in with— 

clothes now clean, folded  

and not having lost a single sock. 

Whenever I pass the site now, I instinctively glance at that little sentry booth, and it’s never occupied. I wonder whether it’s been that way ever since that day in 1984, when the lawyer deposited two big cartons of documents on the floor of our office. Selina, chemist, toxicologist, and my wife and professional partner, offered him one of the chairs surrounding her cluttered desk, and he wasted no time coming to the point. 

“The guards on both shifts have come down with cancer, and I’m representing a widow. Most of this stuff,” he gestured in the general direction of the boxes, “I got hold of through the discovery process. We’re not allowed to disclose any of this information except as necessary for this case. There are also copies of pages from the log books the guards had to keep, and they recorded every time noxious odors came from the chemical plant. I leave it to you to figure out what is useful and how it can be used.” 

The problem with the discovery process is that the other side is liable to bury you under paper—and nowadays under hard disks with e-mail messages. Plowing through everything from purchase orders to laboratory notebooks, the objective was to find something that correlates with the odors described in the guards’ log. Most of this work belonged to Selina, but, as it happened, I knew one of defendant’s retired engineers, and my contact was willing to talk. 

“Oh yes,” he confirmed, “not only did they release all of that stuff to the atmosphere, but they also dumped a lot of hazardous wastes on the ground.” He then proceeded to give me a pretty good idea about what we should be looking for in those boxes of papers. 

This was literally a smoking gun case—or rather a smoking chimney case. For many years, the guards had entered into the log every incident of detectable fumes emanating from defendant and every telephone call to defendant complaining about the odors. Odorous substances are not necessarily toxic, and many non-odorous substances, such as carbon monoxide, are deadly, but there were enough descriptions of the odors in the logs to give us a fair idea of at least some of the gases the guards had inhaled. 

Unlike in some of our cases, everything came together quickly. The attorney was efficient and got us everything we needed, from weather data to medical records, without delay. Since we’re all exposed to so many carcinogens, it’s seldom possible to definitely link a cancer to a specific causative agent, but, given all the information at our disposal, it did not take us long to make a convincing case for the guards’ cancer being probably caused by releases from defendant’s premises. 

The attorney took our report to defendant’s lawyers and, very few days later, was back in our office to pick up all of the records and to admonish us that our lips were sealed.  

Defendants had immediately decided that they did not want this case to go to court and our report to become public, and plaintiff’s attorney had to do what was in the best interest of his client, even if that was not in the public interest.  

Since plaintiff’s lips were sealed, we were never told the amount of the settlement, but we knew that the widow was well satisfied. And so were we. Financially. 

While attorneys are normally paid a percentage of the settlement, experts are paid an hourly rate, which is supposed to prevent avarice from clouding their professional judgment.  

So Selina and I were paid—by the hour—for doing honest work. Still, I couldn’t get away from the fact that our fee for doing that work came out of the hush money the widow had received. 

Yes, as I drive by that now-empty guard booth at the entrance to the Richmond Field Station, there’s a feeling of satisfaction about the widow having received what was her due without having to relive her past agony on the witness stand, but there’s also the feeling of guilt for having been part of a cover-up. 

Twenty years later, the silence was broken, and the notoriety the site achieved was beyond anything I could have hoped for but by then others had been injured.  

As I listened on Nov. 6, 2004 to the many citizens vent their outrage during the Assembly committee hearing on Campus Bay called by Loni Hancock, I felt both relieved at the truth emerging and grieved at the additional damage caused by 20 years of sealed lips. 

For Jesse 

All armies seem the same— 

They strut with the chins of dullards 

In a sentimental vise of duty,  

A synchronous mating of unripened men 

While the elders watch, saluting— 

In China, in North Korea, all over the planet 

The dead seriousness of patriotic 

Stupification, the vulgar sentiment 

To protect family, Country, and some God. 

All armies seem the same—the elders 

Salute, are proud, know that the ranks  

Emptied of anonymous cadavers 

Will again be filled by the raw youth 

Who vibrate in their chains with images 

Of heroism, never imagining the  

swimming 

Of bloody limbs before them.  

These are the gifts of mothers and family 

A gift returned with metal or casket— 

These are the ceremonial rites  

Which make the deepest evil into virtue. 

All armies seem the same to me,  

They beat to a metronome of a false blessing,  

They march to a symphony of  

blaming. 

All armies seem the same to me: 

The elders salute, promise is impaled. 

It’s still the same, Tom Joad, 

“everybody might be just one big soul” 

and people need food for their bellies 

and clothes on their backs 

and a safe place to sleep 

and this morning I wondered 

just how far we’ve come since 

the 1930s when the dust storms 

and the banks 

drove people off the land 

and the Okies and the Arkies 

were the immigrants 

lured by handbills that promised 

work for good wages 

picking peaches and harvesting grapes 

families of three generations  

a fourth on the way 

lived and died and gave birth 

in jalopies and jungle camps 

along Route 66 

chased by vigilantes with clubs 

“keep moving, you can’t stop here...” 

crossed the dry desert  

made it to the California line 

turned back by border guards 

outlaws in their own land 

desperate, hungry 

willing to take any kind of work 

pitted against each other 

by unscrupulous contractors 

hired by the big landowners 

to keep wages down 

keep people from organizinG 

to fight for their rights 

feed their families 

hold onto their pride and  

self-respect... 

These days, Tom Joad, it ain’t much  

different. 

In Eureka California county officials 

evict homeless families and demolish their encampment 

inventing a health crisis to win public sentiment 

(in the 30s vigilantes burned down  

roadside camps) 

In Palo Alto “creek dwellers” are  

rousted  

by the police from under a bridge  

their sleeping bags and few belongings 

thrown into dumpsters as so much trash 

(deputy sheriffs clubbed Preacher 

Casey under a bridge) 

In Santa Cruz sleeping under a blanket is a crime 

(like they told the Joads, “don’t let us 

catch you here after sundown”) 

In San Francisco homeless veterans fight  

for housing in The Presidio, former home of the military 

and elder tenants are evicted  

as building owners use any means  

necessary  

to increase profits 

and people who’ve paid many  

thousands  

of hard-earned dollars in rent 

have nowhere to go... 

...and this morning in Berkeley  

California 

on the main street in rush hour 

while well-dressed people  

on their way to jobs 

hurried into the coffee shop 

and back to their cars  

an old white man in tattered pants 

ragged shirt and mud-caked shoes 

shuffled in for his cup of coffee  

and shuffled off silently 

bearing his bundle of earthly goods 

(people reading their morning paper 

turned their eyes away) 

and a homeless black woman  

took up her corner position 

as rain clouds threatened 

and a rainbow filled the sky 

with no pot of gold at the other end 

I lent her my umbrella 

and drove my old Chevy  

back to my apartment 

to look for work... 

...and I don’t have a farm to lose 

or even a house 

I’m one step over the line 

from being out on the street 

afraid to let my daughter know 

my friends know 

how close to the edge I live 

how much I feel in common 

with Tom Joad and his Ma  

and little Muley and Preacher Casey 

and how good that WPA camp looks 

and what a struggle it is to pay the bills 

and take care of my health needs 

and how scary it is to get old 

where there’s no place to fall 

and all those years I worked to support 

myself and my daughter 

and marched and sang out  

for human rights and liberty and justice 

and like Karl Marx said 

all I have is my labor power 

in this land of the brave 

where freedom does not include 

the right to a roof over your head 

or health care for all who need it 

or dignity and security in your old age. 

Woody Guthrie, it’s like you wrote 

after Steinbeck’s big American saga  

when Tom Joad says goodbye to Ma: 

“Everybody might be just one big soul 

Well it looks that way to me 

Everywhere that you look in the day  

or night 

That’s where I’m a-gonna be, Ma, 

That’s where I’m a-gonna be. 

Wherever little children are hungry  

and cry 

Wherever people ain’t free 

Wherever folks are fighting for their life 

That’s where I’m a-gonna be, Ma, 

That’s where I’m a-gonna be.”

For thirty miles a black car had followed her closely at the posted maximum speed—by dark night on a lonely two-lane road. 

And for the past ten minutes the driver behind had switched on his inside dome light and frantically hand-signaled her to move to the right, as if he wanted to pass—very unsafe on the hairpin turns coming up ahead. 

But it was Saturday night. The man might be hurrying to a party. To be rid of him she signaled, turned off onto the narrow shoulder, and stopped. If he wanted to pass he would proceed. 

He did not, but halted close behind her. 

Watching as he left his car, she checked her door and window locks and reached to her glove compartment for the small pistol she had recently bought and licensed. 

When the man’s face appeared by her window she raised her gun and loudly demanded: “What’s the matter with you?” 

The man’s eyes dilated with fear; his arms flew up and he stammered “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! I just want to warn you: Your tail lights are out. You could have a bad rear-ender in town!” 

“Oof!” 

She should have laughed, but all she felt was enormous relief, and her hands shook as she lowered her gun and opened her window an inch to apologize. 

She was not a timid woman, but in her position she had to be careful, especially when traveling alone at night. Not quite a year ago one of her coworkers was ambushed and killed on this same deserted road. Like her, he had been one of the increasingly small number of physicians still offering legal abortions. In the north of the state, she was, after his death, one of only two remaining. Threats and fear for the safety of their families had driven off all the others. 

Now she saw that her friends were right: She was evermore greatly needed, but she also needed a vacation, for even she was becoming paranoid. She must escape from this fear for a time—go somewhere far away, to where no one knew her, or of her work ...