End of summer post
It's been a really long time since I've posted anything. One of the reasons was that this summer, I tried to severely decrease my technology use. June and July were spent without flicking on the TV (save for once when I was playing Indiana Jones Lego with my brother-in-law). I was curious to see if, without tv and time spent aimlessly browsing the web, I could be more productive in other ways.
The result? I started playing piano. Well, I've had to use our keyboard because our piano is so severely damaged from the last time we moved that it's not even worth it to fix (though I might look into replacing it in the semi-near future). The downside to a keyboard? Not enough keys. Seriously, sometimes I'm playing and I just have to imagine a note because it doesn't exist on the thing. What's fun about it is when I'm playing Baroque pieces, I can switch it to harpsichord, and then it sounds as it should. So the main part of my experiment was to see if I could learn to play a piece by Mozart on the piano.
An hour or so a day of practice yielded positive results. I have memorized and can play Mozart's Minuet in G. And I still love it, which for me is saying a lot as often times, I learn something and then lose interest. But I've also been working on learning Mozart's Sonata in A (Sonata IX), which, for anyone who has seen a Colin Firth movie, you've probably heard this piece as I seriously think it's been assigned his theme song in romantic comedies.
But I digress.
This has been a remarkable experience for me, and though I've gone back to watching TV occasionally, or browsing the web, it's really only a few hours a week as opposed to a few hours a day. I want to try this again though and see if I can pick a different skill to add to the mix. I'll keep playing piano (and have actually signed up for lessons which begin a week from tomorrow--I'm really excited!) for as long as I find it challenging. And believe me, it is challenging.
Other highlights of the summer? In no particular order: Seeing my nephew just about every weekend. Going to Sturbridge Village. Getting knighted at the Renaissance Faire in Guilford after shooting enough arrows to cut my finger (it is a bittersweet thing, really). Going to see plays at Connecticut College (Much Ado About Nothing, Dark in the Moon). Getting hugged by Conan--yes, THE Conan. Celebrating Chel & Larry's engagement. Finishing paying for my car (BiBi is mine now!). Bonnets.
Things I wish I could have done, though they may happen this fall: Visited Mystic Seaport. Visited Gillette Castle. Stayed for all of the Twelfth Night performance (mosquitoes were eating me alive). I wish I'd been more productive with writing--I sort of put it on hold and I regret that.
As the fall is upon us (and I've already had some home made apple pie from fresh orchard apples), I am eager for my favorite season. I want to progress with the piano, read more (I broke down and bought a Nook) and knit more...and I certainly want to write more. I'm waiting to hear whether or not I'll be accepted into the Long Ridge Writers Group Novel course...here's hoping. I've been nominated, so I guess that's half the battle!
The result? I started playing piano. Well, I've had to use our keyboard because our piano is so severely damaged from the last time we moved that it's not even worth it to fix (though I might look into replacing it in the semi-near future). The downside to a keyboard? Not enough keys. Seriously, sometimes I'm playing and I just have to imagine a note because it doesn't exist on the thing. What's fun about it is when I'm playing Baroque pieces, I can switch it to harpsichord, and then it sounds as it should. So the main part of my experiment was to see if I could learn to play a piece by Mozart on the piano.
An hour or so a day of practice yielded positive results. I have memorized and can play Mozart's Minuet in G. And I still love it, which for me is saying a lot as often times, I learn something and then lose interest. But I've also been working on learning Mozart's Sonata in A (Sonata IX), which, for anyone who has seen a Colin Firth movie, you've probably heard this piece as I seriously think it's been assigned his theme song in romantic comedies.
But I digress.
This has been a remarkable experience for me, and though I've gone back to watching TV occasionally, or browsing the web, it's really only a few hours a week as opposed to a few hours a day. I want to try this again though and see if I can pick a different skill to add to the mix. I'll keep playing piano (and have actually signed up for lessons which begin a week from tomorrow--I'm really excited!) for as long as I find it challenging. And believe me, it is challenging.
Other highlights of the summer? In no particular order: Seeing my nephew just about every weekend. Going to Sturbridge Village. Getting knighted at the Renaissance Faire in Guilford after shooting enough arrows to cut my finger (it is a bittersweet thing, really). Going to see plays at Connecticut College (Much Ado About Nothing, Dark in the Moon). Getting hugged by Conan--yes, THE Conan. Celebrating Chel & Larry's engagement. Finishing paying for my car (BiBi is mine now!). Bonnets.
Things I wish I could have done, though they may happen this fall: Visited Mystic Seaport. Visited Gillette Castle. Stayed for all of the Twelfth Night performance (mosquitoes were eating me alive). I wish I'd been more productive with writing--I sort of put it on hold and I regret that.
As the fall is upon us (and I've already had some home made apple pie from fresh orchard apples), I am eager for my favorite season. I want to progress with the piano, read more (I broke down and bought a Nook) and knit more...and I certainly want to write more. I'm waiting to hear whether or not I'll be accepted into the Long Ridge Writers Group Novel course...here's hoping. I've been nominated, so I guess that's half the battle!