Oh, summer.
It's wickedly hot around here again. I had to stop at the (air-conditioned) grocery store for a breather on the way home from work. Took the opportunity to obtain a pint of Ben and Jerry's - a rather delicious coffee heath bar crunch* - so that wasn't all bad. Steph, David, and I have a trio rehearsal in half an hour, so I should probably eat some actual food before then, but I really just want to bathe in cold water. Hm. Maybe I'll have a salad.
* Íslendingar: hugsið ykkur kaffiís með stórum daimbitum í. Omnomnom.
It's been a week since SLSQ seminar, and I'm definitely feeling some withdrawal symptoms. As exhausting as it was, I really had a fantastic time. The Mendelssohn Opus 12 we were working on was great, it was really cool to get to hear everyone else play at the masterclasses, and sightreading was the best of all. We would usually start at about 8:30 or 9 pm, and go until well after midnight. The latest I ever stayed was 1:30, since I had to bike home, but I know some people would stay until almost 3 am. One evening we read through the entirety of Beethoven Opus 18 - six whole quartets - with five people rotating in and out of the violin and viola chairs. Playing viola again was a gas, too - I haven't picked one up more than two or three times in the past five years, so it was a bit of a challenge, but a good time was certainly had by all. Having a C string is awesome.
Anyway, that phase of the summer has come and gone, and the past week has been spent readjusting to "real" work. Granted, I've been trying to practice the violin every morning and evening - auditions in the fall :S - but I have managed to get a few things done in the geo department, and I'm actually getting a move on the German thesis! If I keep chugging at a steady rate, I should have Chapter 2 done by the end of the week, and then be ready to plunge into the meat of the matter, Ch.s 3-5.
The weirdest, coolest thing happened last week. Some of you may remember that ten years ago, in 1999, I went to Norway for a month for a summer camp through an organization called CISV (Children's International Summer Villages), together with my friend Emil. One of the best friends we made at that camp was a Lebanese boy by the name of Omar Bohsali, and after the camp ended, we kept in sporadic touch with him. He moved from Beirut to northern Virginia a year later, and ended up going to college at UVa three years ago. Early this past week, I got a PM on Twitter from him saying "just got into san francisco for a few days. Are you here?!?" We exchanged a few phone calls, and ended up meeting for a long, chatty coffee/hot chocolate at Coupa Café in Palo Alto (Sorry Nadeen). I think this is probably the first time I meet someone face to face after a ten-year absence, and it was great, great fun. We had some great moments of reminiscence about the camp, and got caught up on what we're both doing (and not sure we're doing) with our lives. If I ever make it out to the East Coast again (stupid schedule), I'll for sure try to stop in Charlottesville and see how he's doing.
Oh, and I'm ditching my shoulder rest. (Re: Violin.) I get such a freer sound without it. Now I just need to find a suitable sponge so I don't become a cripple in the process...
* Íslendingar: hugsið ykkur kaffiís með stórum daimbitum í. Omnomnom.
It's been a week since SLSQ seminar, and I'm definitely feeling some withdrawal symptoms. As exhausting as it was, I really had a fantastic time. The Mendelssohn Opus 12 we were working on was great, it was really cool to get to hear everyone else play at the masterclasses, and sightreading was the best of all. We would usually start at about 8:30 or 9 pm, and go until well after midnight. The latest I ever stayed was 1:30, since I had to bike home, but I know some people would stay until almost 3 am. One evening we read through the entirety of Beethoven Opus 18 - six whole quartets - with five people rotating in and out of the violin and viola chairs. Playing viola again was a gas, too - I haven't picked one up more than two or three times in the past five years, so it was a bit of a challenge, but a good time was certainly had by all. Having a C string is awesome.
Anyway, that phase of the summer has come and gone, and the past week has been spent readjusting to "real" work. Granted, I've been trying to practice the violin every morning and evening - auditions in the fall :S - but I have managed to get a few things done in the geo department, and I'm actually getting a move on the German thesis! If I keep chugging at a steady rate, I should have Chapter 2 done by the end of the week, and then be ready to plunge into the meat of the matter, Ch.s 3-5.
The weirdest, coolest thing happened last week. Some of you may remember that ten years ago, in 1999, I went to Norway for a month for a summer camp through an organization called CISV (Children's International Summer Villages), together with my friend Emil. One of the best friends we made at that camp was a Lebanese boy by the name of Omar Bohsali, and after the camp ended, we kept in sporadic touch with him. He moved from Beirut to northern Virginia a year later, and ended up going to college at UVa three years ago. Early this past week, I got a PM on Twitter from him saying "just got into san francisco for a few days. Are you here?!?" We exchanged a few phone calls, and ended up meeting for a long, chatty coffee/hot chocolate at Coupa Café in Palo Alto (Sorry Nadeen). I think this is probably the first time I meet someone face to face after a ten-year absence, and it was great, great fun. We had some great moments of reminiscence about the camp, and got caught up on what we're both doing (and not sure we're doing) with our lives. If I ever make it out to the East Coast again (stupid schedule), I'll for sure try to stop in Charlottesville and see how he's doing.
Oh, and I'm ditching my shoulder rest. (Re: Violin.) I get such a freer sound without it. Now I just need to find a suitable sponge so I don't become a cripple in the process...