Riting Skillz

So, a few years ago, at the instigation of my good friend Lady L, (you know who you are!) I began writing a musical called "How to be a Villain," based off Neil Zawaki's book of the same name. In it, each character parodies a well-known character from existing musicals, and they sing and dance about to song. Because that's what they do in musicals. (10 points if you can tell me the reference for the last two sentences!) Anyway, my parodies have gained in popularity, as in, now a whole 10 people know and like them, and they've found a proponent in the form of J.A. This summer I received an email from a middle school music teacher, friend to said J.A., asking if she could use my words in her upcoming school concert... in Colorado! Crazy. We struck a deal, and she's going to have her kids sing them sometime this year. I'm even getting paid a little bit for it! That's awesome, because I couldn't actually publish anything without getting sued, probably. So I guess the moral of this particular story is that obnoxious round objects get the attention.

Back By Popular Demand...

Remember many months ago when I had a series running through the blog of "How to's"? Well, in light of recent events I feel compelled to bring back this series, starting with...

How to craft a disscompliment:

What is a disscompliment, you say? It is the ever-useful, very special art of forming your words in just such a way as to make someone feel complimented and completely eviscerated at the same time. You all have met, I am sure, some staunch supporters of this type of wordcraft. They can be found in every classroom, workplace, and grocery store. Real connosseurs of this type of wordsmithing can carry on the process undetected until later, when the receivers have a strange mix of conflicting emotions to carry through the day.

So here are some prime examples of this subtle syntax:

1. "Wow, you are much better than I thought you were! I wasn't sure how you played when I heard you before, but I'm so pleased! You are so much better than I thought!"
2. "You look so put together today! What is the special occasion?"
3. "You know what I like about you? How comfortable you are with just being yourself. You really don't care what others think, do you? It's great to see someone who can just be weird without caring."

etc.
Any questions? It's now your turn...

Mariachi Mama

It's official... school is in session, and I am a doctoral candidate. So. Weird. I don't feel nearly old enough to be getting my DMA, and to prove it, I'm planning on spending my upcoming landmark birthday at Disneyland, pretending I'm still six. Shouldn't be too hard, as that's about where my maturity level is these days.

A lot of you have asked me what my program entails, so I will enlighten you. Today I rehearsed with my quartet, met with the dean to talk about art history (I mean... my program...cough cough), chatted in hallways, ate lunch, and then went to mariachi practice. That's right... I said mariachi. What else would provide such a perfect foil for those long hours of Beethoven and Ligetti? The whole quartet is in the class (that's right, I'm getting credit!), so it should be downright awesome. Or, as they say, realmente impresionante. On other days, it looks like I will attend my one class and rehearse with my quartet. Some more. So you see, it's a tough program, and you should all take me very very seriously. See that you do.

On This...My 71st Post

...begins a new adventure. This is where I live now:

A Generous Gift

So, I was at Neil's Fish 'n Chips with my dad the other night. This old man walks up to me and says it's so nice to see a young woman enjoying a meal with her father that he'd like to give me a present... a washer and dryer!!! In fact, he liked me so much he gave me two sets! Here's a picture of his generous gift.

A New Haiku For You

Summer
I have found a dime
And a nickel and penny,
But where is my brain?

Top 10 Things I Saw Last Year

I'm moving on to a new life phase, and it's been quite a year, (speaking in the "revolves around school" sense), and so I'd like to do a little review...*

10. Niagara Falls. I'd put this higher, but it's the 2nd time I've seen it. This time, it was from the USA side, and we went on the "Maid of the Mist," which was awesome. This is an incredible natural wonder, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

9. I conducted once again in Maine. (sigh, I heart Maine) It was kind of awkward and really pretty hilarious, but it was nice to see the support of those around me. All the conductors got a kick out of my attempt, and I remembered once again that it's cool for me to do that... once a year.

8. I got to spend all sorts of time at the Smithsonian this year. Some highlights included Abraham Lincoln's special exhibit, Julia Child's kitchen, Kermit the Frog, the Star-spangled banner itself, WWII propoganda posters, and Whistler's Peacock Room. I love DC, by the way, and the last trip included the bonus of seeing my friend Alexis get married and seeing my old friends Ashley and Stuart. Pretty great trip!

7. Florida. Oranges off trees. Golfing. Golf carts. Massages. Gourmet cooking. Quartet.

6. Above all else, I will miss the art and the Park in NYC. I spent many, many hours walking through Central Park towards Museum Mile last year. On one of my last days, I went to the Met Museum, and I cried because I had to leave it. I still get monthly emails from the MoMA, and it makes my heart frowny that I can't be there. [sigh]

5. I went to see "A Man For All Seasons" on the second night of the run. My friend got me an amazing ticket, and we both absolutely loved it. Frank Langela was the lead, and it was a stirring, thought-provoking performance. Broadway is one thing I'll definitely miss about NYC.

4. Juilliard Commencement. I'm done. [insert smiles and rainbows here]

3. Tesla Quartet premier recital in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Big doin's, and it was a fantastic experience.

2. Have I mentioned how much I love Maine? After spending three delightful weeks there, I spent another several days traveling down the coast, from Bar Harbor (pronounced bah-ha-bah) to Boston. The coast is amazing, and we saw things like Plymouth Rock and lighthouses and ate lobster and stuff. All good.

1. I kind of really sort of absolutely love my family. So, enter the cheese, they have to go at the top of the list. As much as I travel, I love coming home the best, especially when everyone is there. I'm lucky to have them.

*The order of these things is subject to subjectivity. The order does not necessarily reflect the views of the author or readership.