Lang Lang vows that he'll be back

Chinese pianist Lang Lang, an international star, showed up at the Green Music Center at midnight a short while back. Well, he phoned first.

When Sanford and Joan Weill were considering giving Sonoma State $12 million to complete the music hall, they asked their friend the piano virtuoso to do something they weren't qualified to do: check out the place for the quality of its acoustics.

Lang Lang (pronounced Long-Long) was in the area in January for a master class at SF State and a solo performance at Davies Hall. He asked SSU officials if he might come by during free time on a Monday night.

Green Center artistic director Jeff Langley and a few others expected him by 10:30 p.m. but welcomed him like kin when he, his mom and a small entourage arrived at about 12.

Langley said the 28-year-old sat at the Steinway on stage "and spent about an hour and a half playing and putting the hall through its paces."

He wrote later to the Weills, "I think the hall is extraordinary and I was very impressed with its acoustics and overall beautiful look."

And dig this part: "I look forward to making the Green Music Center a regular stop during my future world tours."

HITTING 80: Brother Tolbert McCarroll told guests at his 80th birthday celebration at Starcross, the simple yet globally known monastic community, he does have plans for the autumn of life.

But Brother Toby, who decades ago didn't foresee Starcross caring for AIDS babies in the U.S. and overseas, allowed, "Many of the important things in my life have been unplanned."

Aware that plans are just plans, he intends now to stay close to home, "focus on what's around me," and write at least one more book.

BUZZY MARTIN, meanwhile, hears that any number of celebs might attend tonight's public gala in San Francisco for the indie film (prodigymotionpictures.com) based on his book, "Don't Shoot! I'm the Guitar Man."

But Buzzy is sure he'll go eyeball-to-eyeball tonight with boxing world champ Evander Holyfield and Olympic gold medalist Henry Tillman.

WHAT A HOOT! Normally when Laurel McMurphy says good-night to her Chihuahua mix, Teeka, and dims the light in her 11th-floor apartment at Santa Rosa's Bethlehem Towers, the dog curls up and powers down until morn.

But normally no owl swoops in through the ajar balcony door at 1:30 a.m.

Laurel had no clue was what happening when Teeka jumped onto the bed, whimpering. Then she heard the fluttering of great wings.

She flipped on a bulb to find a barn owl gazing at her from the dresser. It flew into the bathroom and Laurel shut the door. She avoided the bathroom until nearly 9 a.m., when a volunteer with the Bird Rescue Center arrived to safely remove the owl.

Then came the task of cleaning up what the bird dropped. "He must have had a good meal," Laurel said.

It startled her think that despite all it clearly had eaten, the owl might have imagined it had room for Teeka.