oboeinsight

Kim, over at her Wolf Trap Opera blog now writes about counting. She writes about both ticket sales and blog hits.

I count. I counted at my old blog, and there I was getting a lot of hits per hour. But I have a feeling it was counting my hits, and of course I was on my site a lot, going from page to page. Not so this new counter (I’m now using site meter) with this new blog. So my total hits are fairly low. Which sort of hurts my pride. But sort of doesn’t. I mean … if I were doing this for hits … well … I probably would have quit a long time ago, eh? (And if I think these stats are low, I should be quite devastated by the pattyo! But I blog there mainly for family. Hits don’t matter. Really.)

I like this new counter, though. I can see a world map, and where folks are coming from.

Heck, maybe I’ll even finally remember where all these countries are!

… I got this:

My interests are: Sailing, sword-fighting, making love to women, high-powered financing, reading, and playing guitar, piano, violin, mandolin, trumpet and the oboe.

I would describe myself as honorable, manly, confident, eloquent, poetic and wise.

I could have also rated the person as “hot or not” on a ranking scale of 1 to 10.

I didn’t. But after reading the first sentence, about his interests, the words “honorable and wise” simply didn’t work for me. Maybe that’s just my problem.

It’s interesting: I’ve run across a few sites recently where the writer says he or she can play a string instrument, a brass instrument, and a woodwind instrument. I really wonder just how well well these people play them. Can someone really do it all? Do any of my readers know of such a person?

In Other News, and again due to Google Alerts, I ran across this:

Martin Constantine’s production skilfully shows the twins’ imagined world closing in around them; their logical responses are magically brought to life by Alison Crookendale and Talise Trevigne. The Quiet Twins moves and disturbs.

Ms. Trevigne sang in Opera San José this past season. Sounds like she’s doing okay without us! (RTWT)

And finally there’s this (again thanks to Google):

The festival starts on Sept. 1 with maestro Chung Myung-whun conducting a performance of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote” and “Symphony No. 40.”

Are they saying that one performance will include both an opera and a symphony? I wonder! The article is about the The Daegu International Opera Festival, which certainly sounds interesting. Anyone want to fly this lowly oboe player to Korea? C’mon. You know you do.

I don’t suffer from EOS but, rather, suffer from the opposite.

Excessive Ovation Syndrome is what so many folks have; they give ovations to nearly everything. I know some people like that. But I’m not one of ’em.

The truth of it is, I just don’t stand. And no, it’s not what you think; I don’t remain seated because I’m a snob or because I’m thinking, “That just wasn’t good enough.” I’m sitting because I’m uncomfortable standing up. Maybe it’s the introvert in me. Maybe it’s because I’m actually fearful that others who have remained seated will think I’m clueless. I really don’t know. But I can tell you there are times when I truly do wish I could stand and I just can’t do it.

I’m sick. Sick, I tell ya. Is there a cure? I wonder. Do tell me if you know of one.

Hearing a couple of my colleagues (Hi Kathy! Hi Susan!) talk about touring with “WOT” (Western Opera Theater) makes me just a tad envious.

Yes, I know touring can be incredibly tiring, but I never did it. Not even once. And I wish I had.

Well, okay, I did a “tour” to Tahoe with San Jose Symphony (RIP). But that wasn’t a real tour; we took a bus up to Tahoe, stayed in the most plush resort ever (it had just opened and it was in the summer, so I guess that’s why we got in). All tenured members of the SJS had private rooms (gee, and why did we fold again?). I was young and thin enough to don a bathing suit and enjoy the water slides. Yes, I had three children by then, but I had managed to lose the baby weight. These days I don’t even own a suit and there’s no way you’d get me in one—And how funny is it that every time I type “suit” I first type “suite”?—

Anyway, I guess I’ll always wonder what it would have been like to do a real tour. I was asked to tour with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (which actually has a good oboe/EH book, btw), but I felt it was important to be home with my kiddos.

And how do touring oboists handle the reed situation anyway? Different climates, different altitudes. Yikes! (Playing up at Tahoe was sure a challenge, I can tell you that.)

But I ramble … surprise, surprise!

Speaking of tours … anyone watching THE tour? The Tour de France, that is? I’ve been recording it for Jameson (he’s been in Disneyland and yes I’m terribly terribly jealous of THAT tour.). The Tour de France is broadcast live (a good reason for us to have cable TV these days — that and the Giants games) which means the broadcast begins at 5:30 AM here in California.

… but OUCH! Just a short bit before the finish line a ton of riders crashed. Now when we oboe players say we “crashed and burned” at least we don’t go away with bleeding, with the possibility of broken limbs. (Although a broken reed sure can hurt.) Ouch, ouch, ouch!