Sunday, June 19, 2011

NOI, Day 17

Today started off quite well: I slept until noon!

This meant I didn't get to go to church, but I really needed the rest.

When I got up, Rachel and I cleaned our suite bathroom together, and then I drove to a nearby Whole Foods to pick up a few things. I don't have a refrigerator in my dorm, so my food options are a bit limited, but I did find some good options. I also hit up the hot food bar for lunch while I was there, opting for sesame noodles with veggies and then adding a bunch of sauteed collard greens. I was craving green veggies! I also bought a bag of cherries and a pint of blueberries, figuring I could finish them off soon so the lack refrigeration wouldn't be a problem. {The blueberries are already demolished; Brooke and I made short work of them this evening during practice breaks!}

I called my Dad to wish him a Happy Father's Day. He's the best Dad in the world, in case anyone was wondering.

The late afternoon was decidedly less pleasant; I received sad news from a family member, which has since been on my mind all afternoon and evening. And I had to spend hours practicing Bartok, Strauss, Mozart, and Wagner -- all the new music for this week's orchestra cycle, which begins tomorrow morning with a full orchestra rehearsal, followed by sectionals.

At one point Brooke (who was also practicing) came into my practice room for a quick break, and commented jokingly, "At least with the Mozart I can tell if I'm playing the right notes or not. With the Bartok it's like I play it five times and each time is different, and I have no idea which one is correct."

She was kidding, of course, but it's unfortunately true that the less common tonalities of the Bartok (as opposed to something like Mozart) do make it far more difficult to learn.

I made good use of a metronome tonight. There's something perversely pleasing about getting in the zone with a metronome and repeating a difficult passage one click faster each time. Ahhh.

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