First located here at Les Histories de Moi I have done my “word cloud” at snapshirts.com. It is so cool! I have to get one of these shirts. (I plan on a black shirt with white print. I think.
At the concert on Sunday I said I wasn’t going to fret about something. (I can’t remember what it was, and I’m not fretting about something so I do wish I could go back!) But anyway, one of the string players laughed and commented on frets and string instruments and we wondered if there was a connection somehow between the fretting and frets. Anyone happen to know?
Meanwhile I will fret (I have to make several costumes for our high school son’s production of Frog & Toad (he’s Toad), and I’m moving into a very busy time professionally. (Anyone know where to find a brown swim cap? Anyone want to make an old fashioned bathing suit for me? Huh? Huh?) I used to enjoy sewing. That is no longer the case. But I will persevere. I know I can do it. I can be that little engine that could. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can ….
Meanwhile I’m trying to be more diligent about exercise (four days in a row now, with weights every other day!). AND I’m sitting at AVAC (my “athletic”—as if I’m even close to athletic!— club) drinking an expensive but pretty awful cup of coffee. Maybe this is there way of discouraging coffee drinkers? (It’ll definitely work for me … I won’t be buying another.)
In other news … I enjoyed Terry Teachout’s post about memories where he shares his, as he calls it, “top-ten you-had-to-be-there list,” and it made me not only jealous (but in only the most healthy way, mind you) but also somewhat sad. I’ve met a small number of “stars” in this little career of mine. I’ve worked with even more of them. (Nothing like Terry’s list, of course, but I’m just an oboist, for Pete’s sake!) Trouble is, I have the sort of memory that is so vague everything is more like a dream. (That is sad, isn’t it?) Anyway, I wrote to Terry about something else and brought up the few little “dream scenes” I have, and mentioned I might write them down sometime. He responded with “that’s what blogs are for.” Hmmm. I hadn’t even thought about recording these things on this little site; I have two fears 1) the memories are so wispy I do wonder if I’ve created them* and 2) I don’t want to appear to be bragging. Is that silly of me? But I suppose I might take his suggestion and see what I can put together. What makes me so darn sad, though, is that in the moment of meeting various people I was often unaware of their importance and I didn’t take advantage of the occasion. Sigh.
PS Yes, I know I told readers yesterday that I don’t drink a lot of coffee. And yes, this would be two days in a row when I have had coffee. But this coffee doesn’t COUNT (Just because!) and, besides, I just threw it away after a few sips. It was that bad! 🙁
*When I was younger I’d often state things as fact and my parents would ask if what I was saying was true or created and there were times (and still are!) when I honestly wasn’t sure. I have a very strong dream life and sometimes the dreams seem much more real than this life I lead.
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Opera chose me. I kicked and screamed and bit against it, but now I have to admit that this is what I’m best at. I’ve said that opera is a dead art, and I still believe that, because nobody is writing any decent ones now. But I don’t care: we have 400 years of it and we only do 20 per cent of what there is. I’m utterly devoted to the art form.
-David McVicar (opera director)
Quote found here, in an article by Jessica Duchen. McVicar goes on to mince nary a word. Clearly he’s a guy who says what he wants and has no qualms about stomping on toes. (Wish I could see the opera. Anyone want to hand me two tickets—one for the flight and one for the opera?)
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