Apparently I am a magnet for bad luck this week. First, I lost my cello bow. Then my car got hit while it was parked in front of my house, and the guy didn't pull over. Hit-and-Run. I do not think my insurance is going to cover it because I drive an old car, and I just had liability. I am bleeding money at the moment. So to bolster my spirits, I went shopping for a cello bow today.
I think the process of buying a bow is the closest humans will get to purchasing a wand. So in the spirit of magic, here is a short excerpt from "why buying a bow is like purchasing a wand:"
They are both made of wood. Woods have different levels of densities, thicknesses, and levels of stiffness, and each person has their own individual style and preference. You have to try them all out before purchasing one. Do you prefer slender and whippy? Or dense and heavy? Bouncy or smooth? Octagonal or round? Although you can effectively use someone else's wand or bow, it will not be as effective as the one that chooses you.
Although I cannot vouch for wands, I would imagine that like bows, they are expensive.The bow I lost was a lightweight $300 octagonal bow. I was at the music store for 90 minutes and my decision came down to two bows, the one that I really hoped to buy ended up being too light for me and more expensive. So I'm kind of glad the "cheaper" bow I chose actually produced better sound on my instrument than the more expensive one. Let's just say it's a minor investment. The bow I just bought is cool looking. It is Brazilian. The frog (bottom of the bow; where you hold it) is made of snakewood, so it has cool markings--sort of like tiger-eye rocks. This bow has a tan leather grip, and gold binding. Normally, the grip is black and the binding is silver. This bow is heavier than my last one (although I've discovered that almost ALL cello bows are heavier than mine was) but it produces really good tone on my instrument. I'm excited. So the next time you see me play, you can tell me how good it sounds.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Surreal
Just had a very surreal experience-- playing cello at the Carlsbad Flower Fields. It was a beautiful day, and still is, although I'm stuck inside at the moment. It is times like these when I wish I could abdicate responsibility and just do what I want to do, which would be to go to the beach right now. Or take a road trip. Or something. At least shooting this video was a great way to take a break from reality, to do something a little more surreal, with some very cool new friends of mine.But now that its over, I'm back at work, and dreading the 15 page research paper I haven't started yet. (Due Wed.) I'm taking the next two days off of work to work on it, and if the weather is as awesome then as it is now, I'm going to have a hard time working on it.
Weekend Update
Weekend Update:
Last week, I was working frantically to finish our group project/presentation. I was so frustrated on Thursday, that I took an "angry walk." I ran into our dean of students, who asked me what I was doing and I told him that I was taking an "angry walk." We graduated from the same school back in 2002, but we were in slightly different programs, so I know him, but not that well. So he asked if it was because of someone or something at work, I said, "no," and proceeded to tell him about how awful my group was for this project. I totally cried, which means I'm REALLY stressed out, and I was feeling kind of awkward about it. The dean just listened and he was short on time, so he had to go.
After that, I felt a little better. More calm, but still anxious about it. On Friday, our group had an online meeting, and the one guy in our group refused to participate. He was totally ignoring me. It was so passive aggressive and childish. The other group member and I were worried because our presentation was supposed to be 20 minutes long, and we had no idea what he was going to say because he wasn't communicating with us.
Thankfully, we presented second, and it went smoothly, although I would say that it could have been much better. However, the content was good, and our classmates were receptive. Then the professor emailed me and said we did a good job. Fine, but the guy in our group did not present what we asked him to. But it is over.
The instructor let us out a couple hours early, so I called my grandma to see if she was home. She was, and we went shopping because I had to kill some time before a rehearsal I needed to go to in Oceanside for the wedding I'm playing in next weekend.
Then I went to the rehearsal. It was so fun. I told one of the girls that I just was amazed by how far along we have come as musicians (she and I played together in Junior High), that we could basically sit down and sight read Beethoven and make it sound good without much practice. I love this piece. It sounds so cool. And yes, it could use a bit of polishing, but it sounds pretty good for the minimal amount of practicing we've all done.
Then today, I played in a music video at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad. It was a beautiful day. I wish I could have spent the whole day outside. Here's why: Typically in May in San Diego, the weather is quite cloudy and/or foggy in the morning. The sun will come out in the afternoon, and then the fog will roll back in. Today, however, the day started out hot. It was perfect. The flower fields are amazing. Those of us who were in the shoot were wearing white and/or khaki. It looks so surreal. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to participate in this project.
Now, I'm back working at the library, and dreading the next paper I need to write in the next 2 1/2 days. But I'm really glad I took the break, by hangin' with my grandma, and going to the flower fields. I'm feeling less dread about the paper.
What this reminds me is that it is so good and necessary to take breaks from the hard things in life, and just breathe deeply, and enjoy the time we have on this Earth. I'm so thankful for this weekend, glad that my project is done, and I'm now ready to face the challenge of finishing this semester. Not as strong as I would have liked, but strong enough.
Last week, I was working frantically to finish our group project/presentation. I was so frustrated on Thursday, that I took an "angry walk." I ran into our dean of students, who asked me what I was doing and I told him that I was taking an "angry walk." We graduated from the same school back in 2002, but we were in slightly different programs, so I know him, but not that well. So he asked if it was because of someone or something at work, I said, "no," and proceeded to tell him about how awful my group was for this project. I totally cried, which means I'm REALLY stressed out, and I was feeling kind of awkward about it. The dean just listened and he was short on time, so he had to go.
After that, I felt a little better. More calm, but still anxious about it. On Friday, our group had an online meeting, and the one guy in our group refused to participate. He was totally ignoring me. It was so passive aggressive and childish. The other group member and I were worried because our presentation was supposed to be 20 minutes long, and we had no idea what he was going to say because he wasn't communicating with us.
Thankfully, we presented second, and it went smoothly, although I would say that it could have been much better. However, the content was good, and our classmates were receptive. Then the professor emailed me and said we did a good job. Fine, but the guy in our group did not present what we asked him to. But it is over.
The instructor let us out a couple hours early, so I called my grandma to see if she was home. She was, and we went shopping because I had to kill some time before a rehearsal I needed to go to in Oceanside for the wedding I'm playing in next weekend.
Then I went to the rehearsal. It was so fun. I told one of the girls that I just was amazed by how far along we have come as musicians (she and I played together in Junior High), that we could basically sit down and sight read Beethoven and make it sound good without much practice. I love this piece. It sounds so cool. And yes, it could use a bit of polishing, but it sounds pretty good for the minimal amount of practicing we've all done.
Then today, I played in a music video at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad. It was a beautiful day. I wish I could have spent the whole day outside. Here's why: Typically in May in San Diego, the weather is quite cloudy and/or foggy in the morning. The sun will come out in the afternoon, and then the fog will roll back in. Today, however, the day started out hot. It was perfect. The flower fields are amazing. Those of us who were in the shoot were wearing white and/or khaki. It looks so surreal. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to participate in this project.
Now, I'm back working at the library, and dreading the next paper I need to write in the next 2 1/2 days. But I'm really glad I took the break, by hangin' with my grandma, and going to the flower fields. I'm feeling less dread about the paper.
What this reminds me is that it is so good and necessary to take breaks from the hard things in life, and just breathe deeply, and enjoy the time we have on this Earth. I'm so thankful for this weekend, glad that my project is done, and I'm now ready to face the challenge of finishing this semester. Not as strong as I would have liked, but strong enough.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Group Project
I have never been more frustrated with a group than I am this semester. The two other members of my group made me the group leader, we divided up tasks, and then all hell broke loose.
One of my group members understood his assignment, but what he wrote was completely inaccurate. I asked him to rewrite it and thus far, he has stubbornly refused. He says he is going to present what he wrote to the class on Saturday, but I really hope he doesn't because it will not flow with the rest of our presentation.
I had to rewrite his section for the paper part.
I'm at my wits end. I've been emailing the professor, and I feel like I'm stuck.
One of my group members understood his assignment, but what he wrote was completely inaccurate. I asked him to rewrite it and thus far, he has stubbornly refused. He says he is going to present what he wrote to the class on Saturday, but I really hope he doesn't because it will not flow with the rest of our presentation.
I had to rewrite his section for the paper part.
I'm at my wits end. I've been emailing the professor, and I feel like I'm stuck.
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