IrishOboe

I very much enjoyed today and didn’t let any woes bother me.  I enjoyed each activity and am not panicked about anything.  Life is good.  I started the morning off by sleeping in accidentally, which meant forfeiting an hour of morning practice, but I fit it in in the afternoon so it all worked out.  I started the day at school with a half-hour of Baroque dance.  My teacher from last spring invited me to join her in a concert but I can’t make the Sunday rehearsals so she met with me quickly to bring me up to speed.  It was great fun to dance again and my muscles are surely not used to it!  I find it odd that I have no concerts scheduled except for one week in April where I have two.  Anyway, it should be great fun.

Having spent far too much time trying to decipher my notation homework I decided to write a brief update since I’m not hurling sticks at people – I mean dancing.  The Flower Clock came up randomly on my MP3 player and it still is so dear to me.  For those of you who weren’t following my life – oh my, was it 10 years ago?  I played that oboe concerto with the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra.  The dress I bought for it is hanging in my closet here, though I’m not sure I have as much space to breath anymore . . .  And I still can’t believe my own boyfriend didn’t practice his part – oops, he just found me on facebook I better not say anything bad about him. ;)

For various reasons I had two hours of classes canceled yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  By some strange coincidence I got about two more hours of practicing in each day (well, tomorrow hasn’t happened yet . . .).  Not only can I play better but I’m more relaxed and can enjoy classes and lessons more since I’m better prepared.  Imagine that.  I hope I can schedule more practice time without terribly neglecting something else.  Here’s to trying!

It really is.  I don’t think I’ve ever been on the run for so long, though I’m definitely had more stress and more solid hours of working but in college I did a lot of work in my room.  I’m sure my schedule is peanuts compared to many I know, but it is quite a challenge for me to be prepared and maintain energy for all of it.  I could get a number of space cadet awards for certain actions these past two weeks but I won’t relate the stories.  I am sufficiently humbled.

As you probably noticed by the lack of updates, I’m either doing better with the homesickness, very busy, or both.  It’s been a particularly busy week with most classes canceled so we could do all day workshops on 12^th century chant, which has been a complete blast, but I still had to prepare for class and practice and I refused to give up my evening activities and the weekend was packed, too, so I haven’t had a minute.  Oh wait, that’s not true.  I started reading one of Brenda’s books and I have a hard time putting it down.  I carry my computer down to breakfast and read until the last minute and have to run to class.

I have some clips from the chant sessions, and I’d love to write about it, but that will have to wait.  Though I am too busy to moan about being homesick, I have not forgotten the people I love.  Here’s a special hug to my special nephew who turned four years old today!  Grandma and Grandpa got to be with him and silly Aunt Janet (who?) is stuck ‘way far away in some place called Switzerland!

I love you, Jonathan!

It’s so easy for me to be completely out of touch with American news and customs while keeping busy here in Europe but I was reminded that today is Veterans Day and wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has serve in good faith to protect life and promote peace.  I am aware of what a privilege it is to grow up and live in peace.  War is a terrible thing and I cannot pretend to understand when it might be justified and when it does more harm than good.  One can never know what the world would look like if some action or other had not been taken.  Yet I believe there is evil in the world and if all people who tried to do good never lifted a finger in defense of the defenseless the forces of evil within and without humans, individually and communally, would surely overcome the helpless.  Here’s a special thanks to my favorite veteran who faithfully reads my blog.  I love you Grandpa!

8:30-10 Yoga (when I can)

10-11:30 Music History (800-1300)

12:15-1:15 German for foreigners

8:30-10 Yoga (skip out early)

9:30-11 Gehörbuildung (medieval aural skills) with CY

11-1 Musicus and Cantor with CY

2:30-4:30 Renaissance dance

I get to go home at a decent hour on Thursdays, and that makes me very happy!

 (More)

The Schedule

8:30-10 Yoga (when I can)

10-11:30 Harp class (every other week)

12-1 Ensemble Gesprechstunde (lecture on the music for ensembles)

1:15-2 Voice lesson

3:30-4:15 Harp lesson

4:15-5:45 Instrumental workshop (playing by ear with Ken)

8:45-9:45 Advanced Renaissance dance

For some strange reason I do not abhor filing taxes.  It’s a bit like working on a difficult puzzle and I don’t earn enough to make paying a percentage that painful and I’m not thinking about the money when I’m trying to decipher the crazy maze of instructions.  I think I’m moderately smart and well able to read English and yet I always seem to mess something up.

Tuesdays are a bit of a challenge for me, but I get to top it all off with Bible study.

8:30-10 Yoga (skip out early)

9:30-11:30 Notation

2-3 History of Instruments (I think I’m going to drop this simply to have the time to practice on Tuesdays)

3-4 Fiddle class (where we read pieces in original notation)

4-5 Ensemble coaching

5-6 Fiddle lesson

7-?? Bible study

Mondays are light days.  That’s good because it helps me from being tempted to work on Sundays.  I may or may not go to Yoga from 8:30-10.  The problem is what to do between 10 and 11.  For some inexplicable and heretical reason the library doesn’t open until 11am.  It’s hard to find a practice room.  So it’s tempting to stay home and work until 10:40 when I have to bike to class.  It takes 13 minutes to bike to school and 20 to bike back.  Remember the hill.  Random mouth off: I bought a printer and wasn’t it nice that it came with ink and I suppose I should be happy it came with a power chord because it didn’t come with a USB chord to plug into the computer.  I have extra at home, but not there.  What a stupid way to save a few bucks.  HP goes a few steps downwards in my books.

I thought I’d keep it up while I was ahead in hopes that next weekend I can write about classes.  Yesterday was not such a pretty day weather wise, and I missed hanging out with all the folks from church.  I didn’t even get to enjoy coffee hour because we had a meeting for the musicians playing for the Christmas service.  Am I learning to recharge my batteries around people??!  Enough of that.  I read in church, a very manageable text and didn’t do nearly so good a job as with the difficult texts.  It’s all psychological I tell you.

Once again I’ll share the week without talking about classes, even though I’m itching to tell you about all the fun stuff I get to study.  It was another great week for adventures outside school, though I am in danger of overbooking myself.  What am I saying?  I passed the point long ago.