Had a date with the NYT over coffee this morning, before the craziness begins (craziness being my working on the thesis all day and all evening because it’s due on Tuesday — shyeah right).

OK so how cool would this be? Orchestra Hero! Who wouldn’t love to play the opening trumpet salvo of Fanfare for the Common Man or the Mendelssohn E minor violin concerto? Or the Bach double? Or the clarinet glissando at the beginning of Rhapsody in Blue?

I have to admit I have never played Guitar Hero, so I’m not sure how the whole thing works, or how similar it is to Rock Band. But being a violinist, I think I would love a techno-romp in the orchestra. And from reading the comments following the article, I see I’m not alone. I must admit a “Conductor” version would be completely boss.

I’ve been trying to think of more cool “classical” riffs I’d like to master. Maybe some Paganini etudes? Nah. That’d take me the rest of my life, and I’d *still* never master it. How about the trombone parts in Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique? Yeah. Dies irae makes me all warm & cozy & fuzzy.

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Back in the olden days, I waited tables. A lot. Wait staffing is one of the most difficult and thankless (not to mention low-paying) jobs out there, but I really enjoyed it most of the time. And I’m just enough of a server snob to nod in haughty agreement with this list of dos and don’ts for restaurant workers. And that’s just half the list, yikes.

Those rules, slightly modified, could probably be applied to *any* field of endeavor. I think I shall work on one for teaching music. Definitely. It’s on its way.

After I finish the thesis work….blark. Who wants to be me? *cricket*

FO

Last night was Beggars Night in our town, from 6 – 7 p.m.  On my way home from school (a rare night with no rehearsal), I hit the Wally and stocked up on trick-or-treat candy to give out with my sis Mavis and daughter Simone, who were going to stop by for coffee and a cluck, and to help feed the little beggars in their costumes.

We had roughly 250 treats to give away. We ran out in exactly 22 minutes.

I wish I’d taken photos to show you the enormity of it all. I suppose it goes with living on one of the longest (if not *the* longest), easiest to walk, heavily populated and well-lit streets in town. The houses are all equally accessible; no driveways or long front sidewalks to navigate in order to get to the door, and the homes are conveniently close together and close to the street (more bang for the begging buck).

Here is a picture of my street, taken during a snowstorm a while ago. It’s a typical old avenue with houses built at the turn of the 20th century. Anyway, everyone came to our door — everyone. Twenty-two minutes later, Simone gave out the last of the candy and we had to shut down operations. Amazing. Poor lil goblins.

Next year I’m taking video. I swear you haven’t seen anything like it in years.

Best part of the evening was seeing Jake and Justin. Justin’s bug costume had to come off in order for him to fit in his car seat (Hannah has pictures, though). Jake was a monkey, albeit too tired to cooperate with posing for a picture with the hood on. But I think you can gather the cuteness factor without it:

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All right, I’m out. Buying treats again this morning — my vocal jazz ensemble helped me sort some data yesterday for my delightful curriculum project. I owe them.

Boo!

…what never came. That’s all right, though. I’ll just get ready and go to work like all of you.

I took this photo at rehearsal a couple of weeks ago. Girls lying on the hard, cold floor but still having fun. I remember those days. Whether it was sitting/lying on the floor or huddling outside in the freezing cold at recess, we just loved being together. I hate to admit it, but I don’t see myself lying on the uncomfortable tile floor now. Ouch.

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For those who know him, this has “George” written all over it. Why are my students so weird?

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This sign is actually posted on the bathroom door at school. The faculty bathroom door at the high school.

Is this really what we’ve come to? I can remember a day when seeing something like that on a public restroom door would annoy and offend. You know, like now. It ranks right up there with the little keep-the-product-dry silicone packets that prominently warn, “DO NOT EAT.” Or the labels that say, “Remove lid before attempting to pour product.” And the incessant dumbing down runs rampant. I know you know examples of this. If I had time, I’d search some out. But alas, as REO Speedwagon once crooned: I believe it’s time for me to fly.

Fink out — but not down. The show is shaping up.

PS – check out the cartoon PK sent to me. Cute. And have I ever mentioned that “music” is not a verb? One of these days, Alice…

Random Neuron Firings

Andre Agassi must not care about titles that might be retroactively revoked. The fact that the world now knows he lied in 1997 to tennis officials about taking crystal meth doesn’t seem to bother him. Meh. Thumbs up to another reason why pro sports/entertainment figures should not possess role model status.

What bothers me is a memoir written in present tense. “So then my manager calls me and says…” Ugh. Forget attacking Agassi. Shoot his editor.

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I think Donny Osmond has one of the most amazing crooner voices of all time. Stunning.

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One down, 81 to go. Come on, boys.

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FOX News is biased. So is MSNBC. Get over it. I mean, be honest. When was the last time you heard a person say to the raving maniac on the other side of the political fence: “Oh, yeah, you’re right. I see what you’re saying. Point for you”? I ask you (rhetorically), how often does the Right say, “The libs have a point”? Or vice-versa? My point is, and no minds were changed. People are exceptionally passionate about their political views. I’m passionate about mine, you can believe it. You just won’t find me trying to beat it into the psyche of the other side, because it generally doesn’t work. Why? Because the other side won’t see your reasoning, no matter how salient and simple you think it is. That’s probably the biggest struggle for some folks. I’ve seen conservatives and liberals alike hold the sides of their heads and wonder why the other side can’t process simple logic. So what if the facts are right in front of their faces? They still won’t get it. They’ll follow so-and-so and thing-and-thing like sheep anyway.

I’m not bashing the politically zealous, mind. Nor am I poo-pooing political discourse, because I know it shapes a nation. I do think we should cleave to what we think is right and just and good for our country. I just think it would be really nice if everyone agreed on exactly what that was. *sigh* “Pollyanna! Time fer dinner!”

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And that is all for today. I love having the early morning off. Time for some Dunkin Donuts coffee and I dunno…mebbe some ham.

FO