Some stuff about things

2011-10-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

Wanted: a distraction

2011-03-10T01:56:00.000-08:00

Q: What is the most effective use of time during a practicing and grading all-nighter?

A: A blog post, of course.

I only wrote one post during 2010 and I figured it would be an easy goal to write twice as many in 2011. Here's the first step toward achieving that goal.

Because I'm playing with the Utah Symphony nearly full-time this year I often can't participate in the university orchestra. I shed no tears over this, but since playing in school orchestra is part of my assistantship I had to be assigned other duties to take its place. I ended up being assigned as a TA to a world music class. In theory this sounds like an interesting job, but it's proved to be tedious as best.

This past week I've had the joy and privilege of grading papers. They are short (3-4 pages) essays about a song or piece of music written during and/or about a time of conflict. Here are a few things I've learned from reading these literary masterpieces:

There's no point in writing things in one's own words when one can easily copy and paste someone else's.
Quoting Rocky Balboa can be useful when creating a supporting argument.
Something is terribly wrong with the American education system. These people should not have been allowed to graduate from high school with such poor writing skills.
Biphony is, apparently, a very important and useful music term that can be used to describe any number of musical characteristics.
Using the phrase "seems to be" will absolve you of all wrong-doing if the statement in which it appears is incorrect or downright ridiculous.
It is possible for a person to promote both pacifism and retaliation at the same time.
Toby Keith is one of the greatest artists alive today.
I really wish I didn't have to grade all these papers.

I'm up all night grading these papers and practicing for a lesson tomorrow. I should get back to work--thanks for indulging me in a quick distraction

Father's Day, a few months late

2010-01-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

On Father's Day last year I had a nice little experience. On Sundays, KBYU-FM airs recordings of Leslie Norris reading his prose or poetry. Mr. Norris was a poet and teacher from Wales who taught at BYU from the 1980s until 2004 or so. He was also the Poet-in-Residence at BYU for several years. I'm not especially familiar with his work, but it's always a pleasure to catch a snippet of one of his readings on the radio. This particular Sunday I turned on the radio as I was driving home from church. One of Mr. Norris's readings was on and it quickly caught my attention because I recognized the work being read.

In 10th grade English class we read a short story called "Shaving." Some of you probably read it in school as well--I think it's often used in high school English books. The story really struck me at the time, though, and I never forgot it. The plot, in brief, involves a teenage boy who, after coming home victorious from a rugby match, takes a moment to shave his ailing, bedridden father. The prose was simple and beautiful, and the tender yet melancholy nature of the tale made a lasting impression on my young mind. It was only months after this experience that my own father was diagnosed with cancer, and I often reflected on this story throughout his illness and for years after his death. I could never remember who the author was, and although I probably could have found out easily enough, I never thought to look it up.

As you've probably deduced by now, the story being read on the radio was the one I remembered from high school. I was so glad to hear this story again and to finally find out the author. As I listened to the story on that Father's Day, when my mind was already turned to my dad, I felt again my gratitude for such a wonderful father, my sorrow at his death, and my joy in knowing I will see him again. It was the best kind of experience I could have wished for on that day and I've been meaning to share it ever since. With the 9th anniversary of my dad's death on January 19th, I figured it was as good a time as any. To my dad, because I'm sure you have access to this blog wherever you are, I miss you and I love you.

Download a PDF of the story here.

Beethoven 5 x5

2009-09-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

This week I'm playing with the Utah Symphony. It's their season-opener this weekend and to draw a crowd they programmed a sure-fire hit: Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. There are few pieces of classical music that are instantly recognizable to the general public, and those that fall in that category are often written off by the musicians who play them as trite or cliche "audience pleasers" (Pachelbel's Canon comes to mind--ask any cellist how he/she feels about that piece). Some pieces don't deserve the amount of recognition they've gained over the years (again, Pachelbel comes to mind) but some are so well-known for a reason: they're really fantastic pieces of music. Beethoven 5 definitely fits in the latter category.

As best as I can remember, I'm pretty sure this is my fifth time playing this piece. It may actually be my sixth or seventh, but I'm not exactly sure and saying it's my fifth time seems more symbolic or something. I won't detail the other four times (seeing as I can't even remember if it actually is four, and also because it probably wouldn't be that interesting) but as I've been rehearsing and performing the piece this week I've been reflecting on the first time I played this symphony.

I'm pretty sure I was in fourth grade at the time and I performed it with the Uintah Basin Community Orchestra, or whatever name it was going by that year. The director, Mr. Priest, must have been pretty ambitious to decide to perform such a monumental piece with such a non-monumental orchestra. I don't remember many (or any) specifics about how our performance sounded or what it was like (I had nothing to compare it to anyway--I was only 10) and I often wonder what I would think if I heard a recording of it now, but even with our extremely amateur skill level there was no covering up the beauty and genius of the piece. We bumbled through it somehow and ever since then that symphony has had a special place in my violist heart. I remember feeling profoundly moved (as much as a 10 year-old can, anyway) at several moments in the work, and I still have odd flashbacks to the Uintah High School band room whenever I perform the piece.

I'm getting a little touchy-feely here, and you know I usually try to avoid that quality in general, but I'm on a little high right now after getting back from a performance and wanted try to pass that along as best I could. There is something transcendental about playing a Beethoven symphony. Yes, that does sound a little melodramatic and I hate to sound too grandiose about it all, but sitting in the middle of a tight orchestra and rocking some of the greatest music ever written is an experience to appreciate. There is nothing like it. My life is pretty great sometimes.

Boring lists

2009-04-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

Things I like:

Finding hidden treasures at thrift stores
Weather that includes temperatures of 75 degrees or colder
Feeling competent
Dill pickles
The good kind of soreness that reminds me of the existence of muscles I'd forgotten I had
Free time
Driving to the music of Steve Reich
Quiet, usually
Low expectations
A good batch of hummus
Funny British people
Reciprocating kindness, or having kindness reciprocated
Large open spaces
Corduroys and strange polyester shirts
Full-fat chocolate milk

Things I don't like:

Drama (as in overreacting)
Herbal tea
Musicians who can't count (I don't dislike the musicians themselves necessarily, but the incorrect counting thing can really bother me)
Dishes that somehow mix fruit and meat (lime chicken does not count--it's a marinade)
The effects of procrastination
i h8 lazy txt speech dont u >:-( lol
Wearing jewelry
Attempting to dress fancy
Unkindness and/or conflict
Having to maintain a high-maintenance person
Black licorice
Very specific shades of blue and pink that make me want to puke
Finding my own grammar and/or spelling mistakes
Trying something new and finding out I'm not very good at it
Jazz flute music

Things I don't particularly care about:

Politics, for the most part
The fanciness of my daily attire
T.V. (except my three shows)
Romantic comedies
That whole flirting competition thing
Video games
Power and/or fame
Celebrity gossip
Sharing spit (ie. eating food off someone's plate, drinking out of another person's glass, etc.)
Personality quizzes
Analyzing the deeper meaning behind everything
Ironing

A beard is a wish your heart makes....

2009-04-19T00:46:00.000-07:00

I have to prepare an hour-long presentation for a class on Monday, so of course I'm coming up with a blog post instead.

Some of you may know that I have a serious thing for men with beards. Not every man with a beard ever (apologies to ZZ Top and Lorenzo Snow) but I must say that a little facial hair can go a long way in making a guy look more attractive.

I'm not exactly sure where this came from. I've haven't known many men with beards in my life, and the ones I have known haven't exactly struck me as particularly tasty. I think I can attribute the realization of my follicle fixation to two guys I've met in college.

One was an oboe player in Michigan who grew the most fantastic beard. He would shave it off from time to time and it always surprised me how much less hot he was without it. Even when he shaved it off into a handlebar mustache he could still wear facial hair very well. Nothing happened there, of course. Like I would ever go for an oboe player anyway.

Example number two is a guy I met here at the U of U. What a beard! I first saw him when he conducted the music for sacrament meeting in my ward. Looking back, I can honestly say that I don't think I would have even given him a second look were it not for his lovely, tantalizing beard. It's truly a beauty to behold. Nothing has happened there, of course. Like I would ever go for a super hot guy anyway....

So there it is: I love beards. On men, that is. Thinking about this subject, I began considering famous men who definitely improve with some manly stubble. For example:

Exhibit A: Robert Downey Jr.

I never really thought of Mr. Downey as being all that attractive. There was something kind of baby-face-ish about him that didn't really do anything for me.

But with a beard....hottentot.

Exhibit B: George Clooney

Granted, Mr. Clooney is easy on the eyes in general.

But add a beard...much better.

Exhibit C: Harrison Ford back in the day

Good old Mr. Ford (emphasis on 'old') was fairly tasty back in his prime, beard or no beard.

But a beard, especially '70s-style, never hurts.

And last but not least,

Exhibit D: Hugh Laurie

Long before he became famous for portraying Dr. House, I knew Mr. Laurie from his British comedy shows, ie. Blackadder, Jeeves and Wooster, A Bit of Fry and Laurie etc. He's a great comedic actor and back then usually played the part of the goofy idiot. If you had asked me then if I thought he could ever be considered a sex symbol I would have given a hearty guffaw. Not that he's bad-looking, necessarily. He's pretty much just a non-descript British bloke.

But give him some stubble and a hit TV show...

So there you have it. Now that I've thoroughly presented myself as being completely superficial, I guess it's time to sign off. If you know any single, bearded, non-weird guys, send them my way.

Ode to Jimmy John's

2009-01-08T20:12:00.001-08:00

As some of you may know, I have an unhealthy addiction to sandwiches. I attribute this almost entirely to my friend, Eileen, who introduced me to a whole new world of sandwiches when we became friends in Michigan. I'd eaten sandwiches before, of course, and liked them well enough. They can be a very handy and practical food item. Just ask my sister, Jody, who ate a ham sandwich every day (as far as I know) of her Jr. High and High School careers, and may still to this day.

In any case, I discovered another level of deliciousness when I began exploring my sandwich options around Ann Arbor. There were many to choose from: Potbelly's (hot sandwiches at their best), Roly Poly (the Texas Tuna Melt was divine), more gyro/schwarma places than I'd ever seen (a huge perk to living in an area with a large percentage of Middle Eastern folks), and last but not least, Jimmy John's (said with a sigh).

There were Jimmy John's stores everywhere in Michigan, including seven or more in the Ann Arbor area alone. There was one right by my bus stop downtown and right near the halls where both the school orchestra and the Ann Arbor Symphony held their concerts. There was another right by the freeway entrance near the School of Music which I frequented when traveling to and from gigs. I actually spent quite a bit of time traveling around Southern Michigan for gigs (thanks again to Eileen) and more often than not had to eat lunch/dinner on the road. If given the choice I would invariably choose Jimmy John's over almost anywhere else.

Not only would I almost always choose Jimmy John's, I always ordered the exact same thing. I experimented with different sandwiches when I was first getting to know the shop, but I eventually came up with the perfect sandwich and haven't ordered anything different since 2006, to my knowledge. I always get the #2, "The Big John," which is roast beef with lettuce and tomato. That sounds pretty tame, but then I have them add onions, oregano, and their special sauce (which is probably just oil and vinegar). The combination can only be described as celestial. Superhuman. Transcendental.

My reason for writing this post, which sounds like it has some heavy corporate backing, is because of a couple of recent experiences:

1.) They just opened a store a few blocks from where I live in Salt Lake. Before, the closest one was a 20-minute drive on the freeway so I couldn't go there without feeling extravagant unless there was already a reason for me to be going through that part of town. Now that there's one so close, though, I'm afraid that every day will turn into a Jimmy John's day and I'll become one of those customers that the employees will know by name and will know what I mean if I order "the usual." That actually might be kind of cool and make me feel like I'm in a movie or TV show, but that's not exactly what I'm going for in life.

2.) I left my viola in a Jimmy John's a couple of weeks ago. I stopped there on my way to Salt Lake (there's a shop conveniently located off the I-15 Highland/Alpine exit). I was feeling paranoid about leaving my viola in the car, so I took it inside while I got my sandwich. Since my case is brown it blended in perfectly with the bench and one thing led to another.... I got it back and everything was fine, but my level of distraction while inhaling a sublime sandwich could end up being a very bad thing someday.

So, do yourself a favor and look up your nearest Jimmy John's and try my favorite sandwich. You won't be disappointed and if you are, I'll know we're not supposed to be friends.

Here's a link to an advertisement that captures how I felt when I moved to Utah and discovered there were no Jimmy John's shops within a four-hour drive. It was a dark day.

My kingdom for a date

2008-10-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

I had to watch a boring video for one of my classes, so I figured I'd take a dating quiz I saw on another friend's blog to make the time go faster. Here are my results:

Your dating personality profile:

Practical - You are a down-to-earth individual who is not impressed with material excess. You care about the stuff of like that really matters.
Religious - Faith matters to you. It is the foundation that you build your life upon. You trust that God has a plan for you.
Big-Hearted - You are a kind and caring person. Your warmth is inviting, and your heart is a wellspring of love.

Your Top Ten Traits

1. Practical
2. Religious
3. Big-Hearted
4. Intellectual
5. Liberal
6. Athletic
7. Adventurous
8. Outgoing
9. Traditional
10. Sensual

Your date match profile:

Practical - You are drawn to people who are sensible and smart. Flashy, materialistic people turn you off. You appreciate the simpler side of living.
Religious - You seek someone who is grounded in faith and who possesses religious values. You believe that a religious person can enhance your life.
Shy - You are put off by people who are open books. You are drawn to someone who is a bit more mysterious. You want to draw him out of his shell and get to know what he is all about.

Your Top Ten Match Traits

1. Practical
2. Religious
3. Shy
4. Athletic
5. Big-Hearted
6. Intellectual
7. Conservative
8. Traditional
9. Funny
10. Adventurous

The two strangest things to come out of this are that "sensual" is in my top ten traits, and that "funny" is almost last on my top ten match traits. I suppose it's not very realistic to expect a truly representative profile from answers to multiple choice questions. If you know any practical, religious and/or shy available men (preferably bearded) let me know.

October stuff

2008-10-21T18:44:00.001-07:00

I'm currently in Beaver, Utah on tour with the Utah Symphony. This is a very high profile tour, with visits to such big-name cities as Ephraim and Richfield in addition to Beaver. It's kind of a funny little trip, actually. Today we drove down to Richfield, played a one-hour school concert, drove to Beaver and checked into the hotel by 3:00 and had the rest of the day free. I took a sorely-needed nap (I still haven't recovered from my trip to Michigan), ate some food, watched the most recent episode of The Office (U.S. version), and now am going to practice for a while. Tomorrow will be much the same. Last week I was out of school because of fall break and this week is mostly taken up by this tour, so it feels like I'll have been out of school for two weeks. Life is tough.

Being on this tour makes me feel how I usually do when I play with the symphony: I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this. Not in an incredulous this-is-so-lame-I-can't-believe-someone-is-paying-me-for-this kind of way, but in a sense of true amazement that I get money for playing my viola. When I lived in Michigan I had a lot of orchestra work and got exposed to the professional (or semi-professional) scene. I was always amazed at how catty people got and how much they found to complain about. I was just glad and amazed to be getting any money at all for this, and to have people paying to come to the concerts. It was my first time playing in orchestras for money and even now, three years later, I haven't gotten over the novelty of it. It's nice work if you can get it.

As previously mentioned, I went to Michigan last week during my school fall break. It was perfect timing because I got to be there for the week leading up to the big shared birthday. Adam was born on my 20th birthday, October 19th 2001, and I enjoyed being with him on our special day (which was mostly his special day, and rightly so--it's way more exciting to turn 6 or 7 then 26 or 27) when I lived in Michigan. When it came time for me to move back to Utah in 2007, Adam was sad (as was I) but when we'd talk about me moving away he'd always end the conversation with, "But you'll always be here for our birthday, right Les?" How could I refuse?

Before my trip I bought a digital camera at Costco (my first) in anticipation of taking lots of cute/memorable/funny pictures. It turns out that I've been so used to not having a camera that I never remembered to take it anywhere (or even out of my suitcase). I ended up taking a few pictures on my phone, though, which actually has a pretty good camera. Here are a few:

I took this the first day I was there. Esther was still getting used to me, which may explain her apathetic expression.

She cheered up soon afterwards, though, and loved having me take pictures of her on my phone. Here she is doing the famous "Peace out, dude!"

She is a beautiul little girl.

We had Hawaiian haystacks for dinner one night. Eli made his into a work of art.

Since I took a picture of his I had a take a picture of everyone else's too.

We took a trip to Jenny's, a cider mill near Dexter with heavenly pumpkin donuts.

It was so great to hang out with my Michigan family for a week. It makes my little apartment in SLC seem all the quieter, for better or worse.

A new leaf

2008-09-23T17:03:00.001-07:00

Maybe I'll start posting more, maybe not, but I figured I should at least inaugurate my new URL with something. I don't have time to write anything really profound or informative, though, so I'll just go with a few free-association things.

I took a small road trip to Reno last weekend to visit my wonderful friend Eileen. My car, which I had previously named Animal but now is seeming more like a Telly to me, performed admirably, getting an average of 35 MPG and faithfully piping my iPod tunes throughout the whole trip. The only downside is that Telly doesn't have cruise control, but I'm ok with that. Here's a picture of my favorite road sign in Nevada:

My second favorite was one for a town named "Shafter" but I didn't get a picture of it. My trip to Reno was full of delicious food, healing of back pain, beautiful scenery, and nice people. Thanks Eileen!

Earlier this month I attended the Salt Lake City Greek Festival, which was held at the cool Greek Orthodox cathedral on 300 W. 300 S.

I've looked forward to this since last year when I couldn't go because of a recent surgery. I had lots of delicious food (including my first good experience with dolmathes) and hung out with good friends. And saw a poor lamb roasting on a spit:

That's about it for now. Maybe sometime I'll tell you all the exciting tale of starting my DMA program, but you'll all just have to wait. And keeping with the spirit of my previous funny/weird title posts, here's a link to an article along those same lines. Many thanks to my good friends Heather and Royce for sending it to me.

Sayonara!

2008-06-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Last week I took the plunge and quit my horrifyingly tedious job which was sucking the very soul out of my being. It took me all of about 12 hours to go from my first thoughts of quitting to telling my boss I was leaving. Once I actually began seriously considering it, it was obviously the right choice. So, in honor of ending my near year at Backstage Library Works, here is the final installment of silly/funny/weird stuff I stumbled across in the card catalogue.

The titles:

The rueful mating
Utilization of surplus prunes
How to be happy though pregnant
Short addresses to persons who are without hope
A nostalgia for camels
Sportin' ladies: confessions of the bimbos
Squirrel talk
Almost everything you hear about snakes is untrue
The romance of mining
Reindeer husbandry
The star-spangled beaver
The unsuspected but dangerously tuberculous cow
Terrestrial slugs
Sinister tennis
Urology illustrated

Organizations I wish I belonged to:

New England Society for the Improvement of Domestic Poultry
American Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge

Funniest mis-reading of a card:

East Indies hand-written, which looked like "East Undies"

Weird plot summaries:

A little old lady decides to help her detective son and sets out to find the clown who is missing from the circus.
A small girl wants to be something important, but can't decide whether to be a jester, a knight, or a king.
While trying to please his mother, a boy turns himself into a variety of animals.
The Golem, a clay man made by the Rabbi, saves a small village synagogue from some evil creatures from outer space.
An awkward elephant stops day-dreaming when he finds that all his time and interest is devoted to a flower garden.
With the aid of his good buffalo, a Japanese boy works to replace the copper bell he lost in the river.
Five mushmen, related to elves and such, push themselves up from Down There to see if they can survive Up Here, set up headquarters under an oak tree, and live their pioneer existence, avoiding That Cat and keeping dry so they won't melt.

Duties of a doctor of music

2008-04-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Dr. Richards, I presume?

2008-04-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

For those of you unable to read between the lines of my last two blog posts (which encompass 6 months of my life and contain very little real information), I thought I would announce that I've decided to attend the University of Utah in the fall for a Doctor of Musical Arts program. This was a long and arduous decision for me to make (as anyone who had to listen to me blab about myself and my brain during that time would know) but I'm feeling better and better about it day by day.

If you look in my blog archive to November-ish 2006 you'll see that I decided to bag music as a career and be a librarian. This is hardly news to most of you. In the year since my graduation from the U of Michigan I've been working two jobs: one as a data-entry-type robot at a library company and the other at the Springville Public Library. These two jobs have helped me figure out what I want and what I definitely DON'T want. I've really enjoyed working at the Springville Library. That is one of the few things I will be sorry to leave when I go to SLC.

I've also had a few opportunities to sub with the Utah Symphony, which I've been very grateful for. It's helped with my perception of the music world in a couple of ways: 1.) It makes me feel more like it's possible that I could be competent in that world, and 2.) It takes a little bit of the feeling of impossibility away from the thought of being able to make it as a musician. It's also fun! And it pays well!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want it all. I don't think I'd be satisfied just being a librarian for the rest of my life nor would I feel content with just being a musician, or at least being a musician the way I had previously gone about it. So I'm looking for ways to mix it all together, and I think they are two areas that can be very complementary. My future professor(s) at the U seem to think so as well and are very supportive of my interest in both areas, which is a major reason why I chose to go ahead with the program. My plan as of now is the do the DMA and a Master of Library science program at the same time, meaning that when I'm done with school I will have two masters degrees and one doctoral degree. Slightly pathetic. But as the judge said in the film What's Up Doc?, being a doctor in music doesn't mean anything if you can't fix a HiFi.

President Hinckley, we love you

2008-02-10T09:46:00.000-08:00

The pits

2007-11-29T18:41:00.000-08:00

Today I had a dream come true. No, some hot guy did not propose to me. No, I did not acquire omniscience. I was still judged by the color of my skin and not by the content of my character (well, maybe not) and I did not suddenly become independently wealthy.

But, the most realistic of my dreams came true when the Utah Symphony called me up and asked me to play for the opera in January: Tosca by Puccini, my favorite opera composer. For those of you who may not know, I absolutely love playing for operas. It's a perfect mix of music, drama and spectacle, topped off by the wonderful feeling of anonymity that comes from playing in an orchestra pit. There's something so relieving about people not being able to see me when I'm playing. It seems kind of silly, since the reason people usually go to concerts is to hear a performance not see it. But I usually like feeling invisible so pit playing is perfect for me.

So instead of having to wear a silly costume and wear pounds of makeup like this:

Or be uber dramatic like this:

I get to sit in a dark, cold pit like this:

I'd imagine that a professional orchestra opera pit would be a little less relaxed than the ones I experienced in my college days. Those usually included lots of snacks and goofing off. You never know, though. Musicians of any caliber can be kind of strange.

And here's a picture that came up when I did a Google image search for "opera diva". I don't understand it but it sure is interesting.

I have a great body

2007-11-19T21:16:00.000-08:00

This is hardly new information for any of you, but I work a lot of hours. My bank account is happy, but my soul is suffering. I've been having a couple of especially bad weeks--weeks which include 14-16 hour days and staying up all night staring at a flickering computer screen. I HATE those kind of weeks. A lot. And every time I pull out of those weeks I'm amazed that I'm still physically functioning.

I don't have a particularly nice-looking body, but it sure does its job well. I find it hard to believe that I can have days where my major source of calories comes from Smarties (thank you, Springville Public Library), or Pepsi and crackers, or whatever else I can lay my hands on, and not come away with some kind of serious illness. Maybe someday all those artificial flavorings and dyes and preservatives and partially hydrogenated whatevers will conglomerate in some nasty mass in my liver or kidney and then I'll rue the day I was so abusive to my body, but for now it's still trudging along and I'm sure grateful for it.

More funny titles

2007-11-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

Maybe this is getting old for all of you, but there's really not much more I can do to entertain myself at work.

Favorite titles:

The common sense book of drinking
Hopes and fears: scenes from the life of a spinster
Metric units to unite the world
The evolution of the snob
The mule on the minaret
Festal postlude (which isn't that funny, except that I first read it as "Fetal postlude")
The sacred and profane love machine
The naked bishop
Single and human
A short history of fingers
Faith, love and seaweed
St. Anne's gut
The sacred circle of the hula hoop
Homework and sweating

And my very favorite:

The golden rules of gynecology

For some fiction books, the digital record gives a short plot summary. Reading some of them leads me to think that maybe it would be better to not try to summarize the plot and let the reader be surprised.

While a school group is visiting the great temple at Nara, one young Japanese boy becomes separated from the Group, and, while finding his way back to the bus, helps a lost deer and two lost North Americans.
A little boy of India, who loves his pet kid too well to let his father sell him, becomes a successful flute accompanist to the small goat's dancing.
A twelve-year-old girl and two unusual friends conspire to prevent a retired sea captain from being sent to a home.
A moose-child goes north looking for other moose-children, but on the way he finds other playmates right in his own forest.

If this post makes you jealous of my job, the company is hiring in December.

If you squint your eyes, my job can be seen as entertaining

2007-09-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

To keep myself entertained at work, I keep a list of out-of-the-ordinary titles and authors that I see while going through the card catalogs. Here are a few of my top picks.

Interesting author names:

Alphonso Elkin Cumberbatch
Sir George Dancer
Hugh Huger
George Newt Best
Hugh Playfair
Alois Alzheimer
Charles Edwin Heartstill
Jesse W. Peebles
D.S. Rumph
Someone with the last name of Boobyer

Interesting/weird/funny titles of books or articles:

Know your Oklahoma fishes
The world of the wild turkey
New ways with partridges
A ruffian in feathers: the English sparrow
The house sparrow: the avian rat
Canary culture for amateurs
Monthly hints to canary fanciers
Giddiness of cloven-hoofed game
Pheasants and their enemies
How to live with a parakeet

Funniest publisher:

Kinki University

Apologies

2007-09-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm very sorry for taking so long to post, which I almost spelled "poast". It's hard to feel like writing on a computer when that's all I do at my job, but that's a sorry excuse. I posted two new, very wordy entries with no pictures today (three, I guess, including this one) and have some more in mind for another day. I'll try to do better in the future.

And for those who don't know already, I got another job at the Springville Library. It's ultra part-time so it won't interfere with my other job, and will give me a source of library work with human interaction. Imagine that! I haven't started yet because I got hired right before my surgery and have obviously been out of commission, but hopefully I can start this coming week.

One book a week.....ish

2007-09-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

When I first started my job in mid-July I was thrilled to have extra time to read. I suppose I had plenty of "extra" time to read when I was unemployed and sitting at home all day, but I was somehow more motivated by having a schedule to use my time off to broaden (aka use) my mind.

I've amassed quite a collection of books from various book sales and used book stores, always buying books with the most genuine of interest but rarely actually reading them. Mostly this was due to time constraints, but it's really easy to get out of the habit of reading--out of the habit of viewing reading as a top priority leisure activity and not one that you get around to when there's nothing good to watch on TV or your computer is out of commission.

All my books were packed in boxes (and most still are...) so I decided to unpack just one box and read something from that. The first book I read was Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver, an author I had heard so much about (which was why I bought the book in the first place) but had never read anything she wrote. I usually don't read stuff by contemporary authors, but I enjoyed her writing style and the story itself. The most basic of summaries: a woman in her late 20s returns to her hometown in northern Arizona for one year to teach at her old high school and look after her ailing father. Mostly it was a phychological reconciliation of her adult perception of her childhood experiences and ideas with the truth of how things really were. Mostly. It's really hard to give the basic premise of a book in a couple of sentences. Anyway, it was good.

Next came A Room With a View by E.M. Forester, which I will not try to summarize but will say that I enjoyed it immensely, especially because I've been on an Italy kick lately. After that, or in the middle of that, came Harry Potter 7, which I read in about 12 hours. I'm sure I have nothing to say about it which has not been said already, but I was impressed with the thoroughness with which Rowling tied everything up. She really did know how she was going to end the series when she started it. I am in no way any kind of Harry Potter fanatic. I've read all the books but I have not memorized characters' lines, I have difficulties even remembering who all the characters are when they're referred to later, and I can only remember a few of the most important spells/charms, and most of the credit for that knowledge can go to my dear nephews. So I don't really feel like I'm in a place to give any kind of informed critique of the book. Like I need to.

This was all followed by The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy, who has a special kind of depressing bleakness all his own. I started out this book disliking it intensely, mostly due to the title character and his idiocy, which seemed contagious. I grudgingly slogged through the first half and then, wonder of wonders, I began to like it. I liked it in the way that you like someone who maybe doesn't have a lot of likable traits, but you begin to understand them and appreciate them over time.

I foolishly tried to follow that book with For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway, but that didn't work. I just couldn't get into it. So now I'm happily reading The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, a very interesting and heartbreaking read. I've never thought so much about how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family and privileged upbringing.

Do not read this if...

2007-09-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, I used to have a big long post about a surgery I had in September. But now a lot more people are reading this blog and it seemed kind of weird to have all that personal body function-type information out for anyone to see. So if I know you and you care to hear about why I have a great 4" scar, let me know and I'll tell you. Otherwise, you can be left to wonder.

Leslie lops her hair

2007-07-29T10:14:00.001-07:00

I know my current hairstyle is very important to all my readers, so here's an update.

For the past year or so, I've been casually growing out my hair by default, meaning I've been too lazy or cheap to get it cut. Or maybe I was reluctant to get my hair cut while living in Michigan because of the bad hair cutting experience I had when I very first moved there. So, as usually happens when one doesn't cut one's hair, my hair had gotten pretty long (by my usual standards, anyway) and I decided last week that it was time for it to go.

Great Clips has always been my salon (can I use that word for Great Clips?) of choice, mostly because of the low price and the absence of older ladies with poofy hair, heavy perfume and long fingernails. I took along a picture of myself from a few years ago to give the girl an idea of what I wanted, but apparently she either had bad eyesight or a great imagination. With her scissors glinting in the fluorescent lights, she proceeded to cut my hair 20x shorter than I ever expected (or wanted) and in a style that has been puzzling me for a solid week. I can't look in the mirror without a sense of confusion and a useless attempt at trying to understand what she was thinking.

The good news is that I probably won't need another hair cut for a number of months, and I definitely use a lot less shampoo. Also, I don't have a lot of human contact so I guess I don't REALLY need to worry about looking like an idiot.

Thankfully, no pictures have been taking of me since I was divested of my hair and my pride, but this will give you an idea of what I look like:

First day of work

2007-07-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, today was my first day as an employee of Backstage Library Works. It was pretty much as I expected it would be--tedious in a way but with a lot of information to learn. When I used to do some cataloging at the HBLL I never really got into it because it was pretty overwhelming--cataloging work is full of rules and millions of things to remember. In fact, I hated doing it because I never really felt like I was in control or really understood everything I was doing. It's hard to feel good about something when you feel incompetent, you know. But it's a lot better this time around, thank goodness. It helps to have even the smallest bit of background and I feel like I'm actually getting the rhyme and reason behind it all. Or maybe I'm just having a steep learning curve to start with and will hit a brick wall in a couple of days.

I'm also discovering a trait that has been fairly dormant in me up until now: competition. It's pretty different working for a company as opposed to a library--at least the kind of library I'm used to working in. There are incentives and bonuses and (yikes!) penalties. When our little training group (6 new employees) were let loose to work on our exercises, some strange little flame was lit in me and I was determined to be the first one done. I was, and then the supervisor asked me go help other people. It feels like I'm back in grade school. Is it possible for me to regress in maturity? That's a scary thought.

Some good news:

1. I can dress as casually as I want. 2. I rarely have to actually interact with humans. 3. When my training is done and I start on actual company projects, my work time is really flexible. I'll get a key card that will let me into the building any time I want, except Sundays. Eventually, I want to work four 10-hour days and have three-day weekends. We'll see how that goes. 4. When my training is done, I can also listen to music all day while I work. 5. The building is only about 7 miles away, so I'm hoping to ride my bike.

Some bad news:

1. My eyes are all wiggy from looking at a computer screen all day. 2. I'm not going to make a whole lot of money ($9.50/hour). 3. I may go insane.

That about wraps it up. Thanks to you all for your support and interest. Whatever sarcastic or cynical remarks I may throw around, I am VERY grateful to have a job, especially one that could be helpful to me in the long run.

Caution: Cringe-worthy news story ahead

2007-07-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

Girl seriously injured by pool drain's suction
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)

A 6-year-old girl who sat on an open drain in a wading pool lost part of her intestinal tract to the drain's powerful suction, her family said.

Abigail Taylor was injured in the wading pool on June 29, according to her family.

Her father, Scott Taylor, said the suction caused a 2-inch tear in Abigail's rectum and pulled out much of her small intestine. Doctors had to remove the part of her intestines that remained, according to the family's lawyer, Bob Bennett.

Abigail remained in intensive care at Children's Hospital on Thursday and appeared to be improving, Bennett said.

Happy 4th!

2007-07-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the 4th has come and gone and as far as I know there weren't even any wildfires caused by fireworks. I celebrated my independence in the traditional way by watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Elf. I also went to a large family picnic in Little Cottonwood Canyon and went to the Stadium of Fire fireworks with Andy. We decided to get as close as possible, so we found a good spot right outside the stadium by the baseball field, pretty much directly underneath the fireworks.

We waited for quite a while, during which time my patience may or may not have expressed itself thusly:

But eventually we were rewarded with a rather spectacular fireworks display. It was really pretty amazing being so incredibly close--my eardrums were pleasantly rumbled and it almost seemed like the really big ones were going to hit me in the face. I nearly didn't go, as every day I'm becoming more and more a geezer, but I'm glad I did in the end.

Whenever I go to a fireworks show, though, I can't help but wonder what it would be like if they were bombs instead of fireworks, or if I was afraid for my life instead of afraid of getting caught in a traffic jam on the way home. War is so far removed from my way of life, historically and geographically, and I don't think I can even imagine how it would be to have no home, or to be concerned for my life and the lives of my family members, or even just to not feel safe going about my life from day to day. I am so blessed to live in a safe, free land, no matter how little I deserve it or how long it will last.

Plasmapheresis and other bad ideas

2007-07-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I decided it was time to make a little money. So off to the plasma donation center I went, armed with multiple forms of ID, great veins, low blood pressure and the cleanest of clean sex and drug histories. A number of hours later, after a finger prick, a urine test, a complete physical and being asked at least four times a series of questions about AIDS, HIV, drugs, and having sex in Africa, I finally made it to the donor floor. I successfully pumped out my near-liter of blood, they spun off my plasma, then they began the process of returning my red blood cells. Apparently my veins aren't as great as I thought they were because instead of the blood going back into the vein from whence it came, it started to pool up under my skin in a big bubble, a rare (so they say) occurance called "infiltration". I finally got the nurse to realize that something was wrong and they decided to stick me in the other arm to see if they could get it to go in that vein. My right arm rebelled as well, infiltration occuring again although this time under closer supervision, so they had to keep my red blood cells. This meant two things: 1. I can't donate again for eight more weeks, and 2. I lost almost a liter of blood. The technicians were all really embarrassed and told me to stock up on juice boxes and cookies out in the lobby. I felt pretty awful after the whole thing. I guess blood is important after all. Personally, though, I think the whole process would have been much more successful if "Big Momma's House 2" hadn't been playing on the TV monitors.

So here are some pictures of the sweet bruises on my arms from my plasma donation debacle. They don't quite do justice to the beauty of the bruises, but it's the best I could do.

Other bad ideas: unemployment, taking the Indiana Jones series too seriously, unemployment, eating a large box of Apple Jacks in a small amount of time, unemployment, being at home alone all day, unemployment, etc.

And another thing

2007-06-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

I forgot to share the news, which most of you already know, that I have my first subbing gig with the Utah Symphony in August. It's pretty cool, although the concert I'm playing for isn't much to talk about. It's a pops concert with Linda Ronstadt but hey, it's a foot in the door or a nose in the tent or something. If only Aaron Neville could be there too...

I've been keeping myself busy with various projects during this time of unemployment and seclusion. I'm finishing Mom's entertainment center, hauling dirt and very small rocks in a wheelbarrow, baking bread, tinkering around on the piano, painting my room and......becoming ambidextrous. I've been working on it here and there and my progress is almost imperceptible, but I have faith that I can achieve. Plus, think how much more popular I'll be on the dating scene when guys find out that I can write the lyrics to "Some Enchanted Evening" with BOTH HANDS.

Ok ok ok

2007-06-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Fine, here's a new post. It's not like I'm out of school and jobless and have lots of time, you know.

So, I'm back in the ol' UT. I've been here for about a week and a half and I haven't been to see anyone I know or been out to do anything. I'm quite enjoying the solitude, I must admit, although I may be enjoying it a bit too much. I should probably get out more.

I'll be getting out tomorrow when I go to Provo for an interview at the Provo Library. The very thought of a job interview strikes an icy dagger of fear deep into my heart. Interviews are definitely a weakness with me. Maybe they'll be so entertained by my spoonerisms and creative word usage that they'll hire me as the library jester. Seriously, though, say a little prayer for me. I have a phone interview lined up for next week for a position at the HBLL as well, and will be turning in a resume to another library-type place later this week. I hate job searching. Why can't someone pay me to putter around the house and bake bread?

The drive out to Utah was very beautiful. To spice things up, we went down through Urbana-Champaign (to see Jenny and Spencer and Aaron Hill) then drove on I-70 through Missouri, Kansas and Colorado. Missouri and the eastern 2/3 of Kansas were much prettier and more interesting than I had imagined they would be. Our drive was full of rolling green hills and.....rolling green hills and, well, more rolling green hills. I was mostly glad it wasn't Nebraska (sorry to any Corn Huskers who may be reading this), which I've had my fill of driving across. The final third or so of Kansas got a little old, though, although the monotony was broken by a series of obviously hand-made signs for Prairie Dog Town. The signs boasted a number of attractions, not the least of which was the world's largest prairie dog, a six-legged steer, and Roscoe the miniature donkey.

We were tempted to stop and see what all the fuss was about, but it was getting dark and we were sick of Kansas at that point. If you'd like to read another traveller's humorous account of Prairie Dog Town, check out this link:

http://www.popculturecorn.com/butter/issues/jun00/article-placetobe1.html

For a more serious article, go here:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/KSOAKprairie.html

So we got into Denver quite late that night after about sixteen hours on the road. We spent the next day in the city. My favorite part was going the mammoth-est REI I've ever seen. So many opportunities for coveting. The day after that we drove on I-70 through the mountains to Rifle, at which point we turned off onto a highway which took us to Meeker, then we took another road to Dinosaur, then turned onto Highway 40 and the rest is history.

So that's my life. I'm unemployed and down to my last $100 or so. Donations are welcome.

And here's a cool triptych I found online. It's made of various types of corn and other grains and depicts Lawrence Welk, Myron Floren (the bionic accordion player on the Lawrence Welk Show) and the Corn Palace in South Dakota. Random but slammin' awesome.

Five questions

2007-05-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

Apparently there's some fun blogger game in which one blogger (me) answers five questions posed to him/her by a fellow blogger. Andrea (Dewey Richards) gave me these five and I'm going to answer them with gusto in a firey spirit of self-importance.

1. If you could take a month long backpacking trip, where would you go and why?

This is a very difficult question. There are a million and a half places I would like to go, but in the end I think it would have to be the British Isles. I know it doesn't have much in the way of mountains but I've always had the dream of going all around England, Scotland and Ireland, although I'd rather go on a bike than by foot. My dad and I always had this idea in the back of our heads about taking a cycling trip across England. I'd like to do that someday. Or remote mainland China. Or the Greek Isles. Or Norwegian Fjords. Or Nepal.

2. If you wrote a children's book, who would you want to illustrate it and why?

I have no answer for this one, but I can tell you it would not be Edward Gorey.

3. What would be your dream job? Be specific.

My dream job would be........well, it would be awesome if someone would pay me to learn a bunch of random instruments really well so that I could tour around Europe as a street musician. Of course I would have enough money to have nice houses in lots of different countries so I wouldn't have to stay in creepy hostels. And I would learn all the languages. And learn the history and literature of all the countries. Basically, I would want someone to pay me to learn all the things I want to learn at my own pace and discretion. That doesn't really count as a job, though, so maybe I would say it would be great to work in some really cool archive in Europe, where I could work with old things and computers and help people. And could have as many vacation days as I want.....

4. If you had to choose another time and place to live, what would you choose?

I think it would be really interesting to be alive in the time period of 1900-1950-ish. I don't know about one place in particular--that time period is so fascinating in both America and Europe and I would want to see it all--from a safe distance, of course. I would also be curious to see Victorian England.....but only for a week or so. Especially if I had to dress like this:

5. What would you do with 5 acres of land?

I would have a horse and at least two dogs. I would have a small house and a large greenhouse and a wood shop. I hope the land would abut a lake. I would have a very large garden. Maybe I would rent out or donate some plots for other people to have gardens who didn't have land of their own. And I would probably take in a bunch of stray animals--maybe some kind of shelter? And the house would be set way back from the road with a long tree-lined driveway. Does that count? I don't really have great plans for land, just how I want to live

Exhibit A:

2007-05-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

A very dramatic day

2007-05-11T05:48:00.000-07:00

I found out on Monday that I don't have a job at BYU, as most of you already know. My new attitude is "good riddance". The one before that was "their loss not mine". The one before that was "I don't have a job!". It's kind of exciting, being unemployed.

That same day I gave the boys haircuts. Adam was no problem, but Eli really, really, really didn't want to get his hair cut. He has somehow become very fashion-conscious, as far as hair is concerned, and he wants to keep it long and tangly and "un-handsome". Both Dan and Andrea told him he needed to get it cut, though, so I got to do the honors. I hardly cut it at all--just some off the back so he wouldn't have a long nasty rat tail/mullet-type thing, but he sobbed the whole time and was really angry at me all night. I was already grumpy from the whole no-job thing and wasn't in the mood to deal with his loathing, so I went down to my room. Right before bed he came down and shoved a note under my door: "Sorry. P.S. Can you right back. P.P.S. I love you." It was really cute, even though I'm pretty sure it started under coercion by Dan. A few minutes later, though, he knocked on my door and he came in and we had a good long talk. I have very strong memories of things like that happening when I was a child. I would get so angry and vow to myself to stay angry forever, but it would quickly get more and more difficult to keep up appearances. Eventually something would happen and there would be apologies and forgiveness all around and I would be so relieved that I would talk and talk and talk. It was an interesting trip down memory lane from a different perspective, and a relieving conclusion to a very dramatic evening.

A glimpse into my psyche

2007-04-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

I took the Muppet Personality Test (link below) and this is what I came up as. I was kind of hoping for the Swedish Chef.

You Are Rowlf the Dog

Mellow and serious, you enjoy time alone cultivating your talents.
You're a cool dog, and you always present a relaxed vibe.
A talented pianist, you can play almost anything - especially songs by Beethoven.
"My bark is worse than my bite, and my piano playing beats 'em both."

http://www.blogthings.com/themuppetpersonalitytest/

Straight on through to the other side

2007-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

Oh, man. I'm way behind in posting.

So I thought I would post the news that I've resigned from my orchestral positions here. I just sent e-mails to the personnel managers of the two orchestras I have contracts with telling them I won't be returning next fall. I've been putting off making it official, ostensibly because I've been waiting to hear whether I have a job at BYU or not. I realized today, though, that staying here next year to gig would cause my soul to shrivel and wither away like the bad Nazi guy at the end Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (the actor who, as a side note, I saw play King Lear in London. He was very good.). My job at BYU is not solidified, and may never actually go through, and I don't know what exactly I'll be doing next year, but whatever I'm doing I'll be doing it in Utah and not Michigan. Not to give Michigan a bad rap (there's already plenty of bad rap coming out of this state...bad pun)--I've had lots of good experiences here and there are plenty of great things about Ann Arbor that Utah sorely lacks. Not to mention I'll have to leave Dan & Co., which will be traumatic for me. But I guess even good changes still leave you with a few pangs of sadness for things left behind. That's life.

That sounds like the opening for some new-age motivational/inspiration self-help book. I never knew I had it in me.

I'm supposed to be arranging a musical number right now for church on Sunday. We have a rehearsal at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Yikes.

Toodle-pip, as Bertie Wooster would have it.

This is the title for this post

2007-03-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

The most exciting thing to happen this week so far is replacing the zippers on my viola case. I know it's hard to believe that I would ever need to replace anything on my ghetto case, but the zippers finally bit the dust. So now my brown case is sporting brand new fire engine red zippers. I think everyone at the music school probably thinks I'm really cool. The whole project took about 12 hours and I went through a few needles and a number of episodes of Jeeves and Wooster. I'm glad I'll never have to make a living with my sewing skills (knock on wood).

I saw the dude on the bus again this morning and he invited me to a non-denominational lecture/question and answer thing about "exploring evidences of God in science, history and the existence of life." I may go, I may not go. There is free pizza after all. I didn't know what to call it in my planner, though, so it got written down as "God thing". I don't think He'll be offended.

Oh, and I must share an exciting moment from two weeks ago. That week we played Tchaikovsky Symphony 6 in the Ann Arbor Symphony. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but I've developed a bad habit of pushing up my glasses by scrunching up my nose and eyes so I don't have to use my hands. I feel like it has almost turned into a tic although that may be a bit dramatic. Anyway, during the concert, between the second and third movements, I did the scrunchy thing but happened to be looking at the conductor when I did it. He in turn happened to be looking at me and he gave me a big wink in response! I guess he thought I was winking at him or something and I feel like writing him a letter of explanation. The whole orchestra wondered who he was winking at. I guess it's a funny story? Or creepy?

I have some other thoughts to share, but they aren't as ridiculous as these so I'll have to save them for another time. 'Til then, I bid you adieu.

This is for all those people....

2007-03-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

...who have been checking my blog, if there are any. I haven't written forever, as you can tell. My recital's over and I got a sunburn in Arizona for spring break and now I'm slogging my way through the last month of school. That pretty much brings you up to date. Oh, and I had a great conversation with a really handsome and nice guy on the bus yesterday. He even tried to invite me to go do something but I had to get off the bus before he could get anywhere. That's the most action I've seen in a long time. I'm pathetic.

Wonder of wonders, a miracle, a miracle

2007-02-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

I passed my recital hearing. I'm going to explode.

It really is a miracle and I'm so grateful to God for blessing me with a clear mind and a relatively calm feeling. Yesterday, when I was feeling excruciatingly anxious, I was reading in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 3&4 where Laman and Lemuel were griping, saying how Laban was a mighty man and commanded a large army. Nephi replies that the Lord is mightier than all the earth and certainly mightier than Laban and his tens of thousands. Sometimes when there are a lot of bad or catastrophic or wonderful things going on in the world it makes me ask myself: what right do I have to ask God for something so small and insignificant as passing my recital jury when there are so many more important things going on? Today will most likely impact no one but me and will probably make no difference in the world. But for some reason this scripture made me feel like yes, God is mightier than all the earth but He is not too mighty to be concerned with the mundane details of my life that are important to me.

When I was done with my hearing Schotten chatted with me for a few minutes. He said that it was ironic that I've decided to not be a musician because my playing is "really coming together." First of all, it's weird to be getting any kind of compliment from him. Second, it would have been nice to get some kind of encouragement or positive feedback BEFORE my hearing rather than after. Third, that was nice of him to say. Sometimes it still feels like I may end up doing music after all, but I know that it won't be right away because I'm not in a healthy enough frame of mind (with regards to music) to make it work right now. Maybe someday--who knows?

Also, last night was one of the very few nights that something unsettled in my life disturbed my sleep. Usually I can sleep no matter what, but I kept having dreams that I didn't pass my recital hearing and had to wait until May to do my recital because there weren't any spots available in the hall until then. I woke up at least every half hour or so. Here's to that not happening again any time soon.

Ode to the joy of playing Beethoven will have to wait a little longer....I have to go to class.

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

Da da da da da da da da da da I am really strung out

2007-02-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

No, not in the wasted druggie kind of way, but in the procrastinating stressful, I-have-to-practice-or-I-won't-graduate kind of way. Last week was indescribably awful and I'm paying dearly for accepting too many gigs (ironic, no?) and having too little time to practice. I keep telling myself that it's just two more weeks of my life and then I don't have to worry about it any more, but these two weeks are going to be.....I don't even want to think about it. So off to the practice rooms I go. I will post again before too long and the next post will probably be an ode to the joy of playing Beethoven, my new hero and the new #1 on my list of potential after-life husbands, bumping Brahms to a distant second.

Pray for me!

Braaaaahms!

2007-01-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

I love Johannes dearly, but I'm feeling a bit overloaded this week. I'm playing Brahms Symphony 4 in two different orchestras, plus a Brahms quartet (A minor) and sextet (G major). Yesterday I spent over 6 hours playing Brahms, and by playing I mean struggling with awkward and infuriating, yet wonderful and important viola parts. Did you know he played the piano in bars when he was young to help make money for his family? He hated that a lot. He also never married--he's number one on my list of potential afterlife husbands if things don't work out in this life.

In other news, I dropped my phone this morning for the 168th time and lost the battery cover. The battery is currently being held in place by a very nice scotch tape job, but the phone is having trouble staying on. If any of you are having a hard time getting a hold of me you can attribute it to that.

Ciao.

Halfway there....living on a prayer

2007-01-13T07:51:00.000-08:00

After a relaxing and much-needed Christmas break in Utah, I've returned to Michigan and the winter of my discontent. I'm not discontented because it's winter (it's actually so mild here that it feels like a prolonged chilly spring), I'm just trying to get through this program without going crazy or completely losing my self-respect. I'm going to do my best to make sure that my recital isn't a bust, but it makes me feel a bit like an imposter because I know my heart won't really be in it. I think I just need to suck it up and deal with it. Millions and billions of people do things they don't want to--I think I can do it too.

The drive back was beautiful. The west has some kind of brilliant, incandescant quality to it that I sorely miss when I'm away. Wyoming was especially stunning--the sun was glaring and would have been annoying if I hadn't been telling myself to soak it up and appreciate it while I could. Here's a postcard I found at a random gas station somewhere in the middle of the state (Rawlins?).

It was also really great to see Kristen along the way in Omaha. She's my long-lost cousin/former roommate who just returned from her mission in Berlin. I enjoyed using my German-gibberish in conversation with her and hanging out with her family for a few hours, which is more time than usual for a stopover in Omaha! The weather was fantastic the whole way back--a huge blessing for which I'm very grateful. Hats off, also, to Eileen's faithful Ford Explorer (christened "Cracker") for its magnificent, trouble-free performance throughout the entire trip.

My next road trip is as yet undecided, but I'm pretty sure it will involve some children and Washington D.C. over spring break. Keep checking back for my next travelogue.

What goes through my mind during a concert

2006-12-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some artistic impressions from a concert I recently attended which featured Schubert's "Trout Quintet" for violin, viola, cello, bass and piano. I was having difficulty focusing.

Earplugs, anyone?

2006-12-13T23:42:00.000-08:00

I just got done with our last University Symphony Orchestra concert for the semester. I walked out of the hall feeling like I'd been covered in emotional vomit, but in the best possible sense. Explanation: Verdi, Rachmaninoff and Respighi. It was fun and oh so dramatic and exhuberant and LOUD. It can be very gratifying to play as loud as possible, especially with a double brass section (complete with a special crack team of off-stage trumpets), an organ, and ten percussionists backing you up. The opening of "Feste Romane" is especially brash--it's about the Romans throwing Christians to the lions. Very apt for Ann Arbor. The highlight of the evening, though, was definitely the solo pianist's tux. It was cream-colored with crazy silver embroidering on the lapels and cuffs, topped off with tennis shoes sans socks. Sometimes I feel jealous that guys are the ones who get to wear tuxes--there are so many possibilities for being creative.

That was just the beginning. The conductor hosted a party at the local pizza joint (outlandishly named "Pizza House") for the orchestra and friends. These parties consist of me sitting at a table nursing a cold one (rootbeer) and watching everyone slowly, or quickly, get trashed. I stayed for the whole party this time, which I've never been done before, and was one of the last to leave. On my way out I got a very emotional (and odoriferous) hug from one of the violists and got to see our conductor at his most inebriated. Interesting thing, alcohol.

Oh, and I've decided I want to be some crazy archive lady who putters around in the musty, dimly-lit basement of some library amongst stacks of dusty old books and wears the same cardigan to work each day and has strange socks and has some kind of nervous tic from not getting out enough. Or a monkey. Yeah.

Do you think polka dots have anything to do with polka the dance?

More of the same...

2006-12-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

I didn't mean for that last post to be so short, but I was at school and the computer keyboards there su..... um, are bad. (I'm trying to stop using the words "crap" and "suck".)

So I had this epiphany over Thanksgiving that I really don't want to be a professional musician after all. It was the culmination of many years of indecision. It has always seemed like such a difficult choice to make, but now that I've actually chosen to not be a musician it seems like the most obvious thing in the world. In retrospect, I can clearly tell that I was never cut out to be a performer, nor will I ever be. It's just not in my blood or my soul or my heart or my fingers or my gut or whatever body or spiritual part would be best to reference. The thought of not having to make my way in the music world has brought a profound, almost tangible feeling of relief. It seems like my life is my own again and freedom and liberty are in the air. It feels like I've been liberated from a tyrannical, oppressive regime and am free to make of my life what I choose. Yes, I am getting a bit dramatic and I don't mean to make music out to be some kind of evil force. I'm truly grateful for and humbled by all the wonderful experiences and opportunities I've been blessed with. It's much more than most people get in a lifetime. But I can't deny that I feel so so so much happier knowing that I don't have make a living with it.

So, that being said, I'd like to announce that I'm going to go to library school, a fact that most of you already know. I most likely won't be going next fall--I think I'd like to take a year off from school. Hopefully I can make some money and maybe buy a car or something. We'll see. I'll keep you posted, pun totally intended. Sorry for such a solemn, un-entertaining post

Violist no more

2006-12-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

Yes, the rumors buzzing about the country are true: Leslie is not going to pursue a career in music any more. I, for one, feel so terribly wonderful about this news that I wonder why she stayed with it for so long in the first place. That is a mystery for the ages.

FYI

2006-11-18T21:58:00.000-08:00

Dan asked about the Mozart picture attached to my last post. It doesn't really mean anything in particular, except that it's Mozart and I'm playing a Mozart opera. I just thought it was a funny picture. It's from a series of 5 advertisements for chamber music with the Berlin Philharmonic. The series is entitled "Komponisten Privat," and I guess it's supposed to be about classical music as a non-stuffy -performance hall kind of thing. Here are the other 4 pictures. They're all pretty great--look closely at Haydn.

And speaking of Germans, I just got invited to play in a throw-together orchestra for a graduate choral conductor masterclass with Helmuth Rilling. I don't know if any of you have heard of him, but he's a famous Bach/Mozart-type conductor. I'm pretty excited for it, even though that's a little bit geeky of me. Plus I get $50. That never hurts.

By popular demand....

2006-11-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

I may have inadvertently killed off any interest in my blog by taking so long to write another post. You must forgive me, gentle readers, for my apparent lack of interest in posting on my blog. Unfortunately, the demands of finer art of viola playing have had to come before the pleasures of blogging my dull activities.

The Flint Symphony week was super great, even though I harbor ill feelings toward Schumann Symphony 2. It's not my favorite piece and I've had to play it a number of times. But Enrique gave us a little pre-concert pep talk and told us not to play like we're doing a duty, but like we're doing "a joy." I usually don't actually look at conductors while I'm playing (mostly because they're outside the range of my glasses and I rely on my peripheral vision) but I took the opportunity to actually look at Enrique during the Schumann. He's one of the most musical conductors I've ever played with. Every inch of him expressed the music--he was even wiping away tears during the third movement. People say he cries at every concert and that it makes his mascara run. Whatever.

This week's "joy" is playing the U of M opera, Cosi Fan Tutte. The good news is that I like opera, the music is really beautiful and it's a pretty cool production with only a few scandalous parts. The bad news is that it's three hours of playing quietly and delicately and it turns my entire torso into one big convulsion. The good news is that I'm sitting at audience level and get to see a lot of what happens on stage. The bad news is that I can't be sequestered away in a pit and eat treats and wear purple socks. The good news is that it's over on Sunday and I have an entire free week after that to clean my room.

I know this is a sorry excuse for a post, but all my clever and creative ideas have suddenly left me. Fear not, there will be more posts in the future.

Inspired by Andrea

2006-11-09T06:19:00.000-08:00

Now that Andrea's come out with her blog I figured it's safe to tell you all about mine. I've had it for a few months but haven't bothered to tell anyone about it, mostly because I haven't bothered to post anything. I can't promise anything too exciting but, really, would you expect that from me?

This week I'm playing in the Flint Symphony. The conductor's name there is Enrique Diemecke. He's from Mexico and very espunky and esmiley. His hands are also about half the size of mine, as you may be able to tell from the picture. It's really enjoyable to play there because he makes the orchestra such a friendly environment, and orchestras usually seem pretty stiff and formal. I guess it's usually to maintain some kind of respect for the conductor and to acknowledge his/her role as the leader but I think it's possible to do that and, you know, have fun? Have feelings? Get excited about stuff? I have more opinions about repressed American orchestras, but I don't think they're worth spouting off here.

'Til next time, as the French have it, au revoir.

PIVA forever

2006-08-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Like the tide, it's time for me to move out once again and brave the wilds of Michigan. I'm leaving my native land for adventures in the unknown; adventures that will test my courage and stamina and walking abilities. Yes, the time has come for......public transportation.