PDQ Mahler

In our Orff methods class today, we decided to play with pennies. How, you might ask. Somebody conducts using the penny, while everyone follows what the penny does with their voice by saying the word "penny". So if you held the penny high, we said it with a high pitch, low was low. Bouncing it fast repeatedly, you say it repeatedly. We found many different methods to conduct using a penny. The teacher then turns us loose to create our own song, using a penny. We were allowed ten minutes to plan the song and use whatever creative tools we felt necessary. My group used Pacabel's Cannon mixed with urban rap. Quite unique, but the real gem was the group that went before us.

Their group consisted of about nine people. They walked in like it was a serious performing choir group. Once up they started off with the guy with a deep rich voice on the first beat of every measure doing "Penny". Each person continued to be added with their own parts. They layered about eight different parts with varying words, rhythms, pitches, etc. Then they developed it even more, and changed parts, creating such complex layering. The climax was the girl who was belting out something is a high operatic voice, just making it full out power across all levels. It was absolutely magnificent. They even got a standing ovation from a couple of the other students. I so wish I had a recording.


And I'm sorry, very few people will understand the title of this. But as the class was discussing the performance afterwards, this term so aptly fit the discussion. We had a good laugh about it, but hardly anyone here will understand it *sigh*

Thing that pisses me off

So I get home from my workshop today, and I find out my brother has actually cleaned a little bit. Do you want to know what he cleans? He cleans my scriptures and journal, which I happened to leave out this morning. Does he clean the dishes that I can't do, or take out the trash, which I also can't do? Maybe the bathroom, which I've tried to wipe down once in a while, and wasn't cleaned once during my entire month home while having surgery? No, he cleans up anything that is remotely related to church and puts it out of his sight. Give me a freaking break. Even a family picture which I decided to put in our living room. After several attempts at keeping it in the living room and my brother throwing it back in my room, he decides to 'lose' a nice family picture with eight of nine siblings, which is a very rare occurrence. It's also a recent picture. He's also thrown out some of my church CD's which I had to retrieve from the trash.

Come on brother, you haven't been to church in a year and a half now. Seeing church stuff around really shouldn't bother you that much. Get over your freakin guilt every time you see some church related thing. Geez. Get a life.

They're not laughing with you...

So I'm now back in Lexington and have a decent internet connection and the keyboard is just the right height for me to be able to type with both hands. So let the writing continue, and an amusing incident from church.

Two years ago, I ended up dating a girl from my branch for a couple of months. When we broke up, one of my reasons was basically that I needed to spend more time on school(read music). In the most blunt form, I was basically saying I would prefer to play music than date you. It really wasn't a bad break-up at all. I'm sure neither of us lost any sleep.

This Sunday, I was talking to her sister, who I hadn't really talked to in quite a while. So when I first went up and said hi, she mercilessly laid into me and was making fun of me and my tuba. I didn't mind that too much. It just got me thinking, I wonder what they talked about right after we broke up. I'm sure that they're the type that would just lay into somebody and make fun of them, and let's face it, I gave them about the biggest opening for them to make fun of me, which I'm sure they did. I know I've done that with my roommate from my freshman year. Whenever a girl would do something stupid that one of us were dating, we ripped them(and girls in general) up one side and down another. It's quite fun.

So, I'm just glad that they probably had a few laughs at my expense. Granted, not everyone can say that, but I usually follow the quote my sister sent to me...

"Those who laugh at themselves never cease to be amused"

And if I hold myself to that most of the time, I'm sure I can let other people be amused as well.

Just letting you all know...

I love music.

Update

Since some people may be curious as to what’s currently going on and wondering about my lack of interaction as of late, I’ll take a little bit of time to update everyone on life. First off, being at home with a dial-up connection is not my idea of fun, and I end up tying up the phone line. Second, I finally had the shoulder surgery done. Typing one-handed is also not my idea of fun. It may be up to a month before I can actually use my arm to type. Hopefully less. Completely severed tendons do take some time to heal, and then never completely.

On a bright note, I do get to see This Girl this weekend. Since our birthdays are within five days of each, we decided to celebrate in-between our birthdays.

On a humorous note, my family completely forgot about my birthday, to the point that when I was talking to This Girl on the phone that evening, she had to remind me that it was my birthday.

On a happy note, I’ll have the bandages off on Monday, and I can actually shower without trying to keep bandages dry.

On a depressing note, I actually took pain pills twice, whereas my last surgery, I didn’t take any. I hate medicine. Despise it. I like to feel in control of my body all times, and feel that I should be able to overcome pain as well.

On a sad note, I’m bored out of my mind. Can’t drive, play, run. Heck, last night was the first night I was able to sleep in a real bed. It hurt a little bit when I woke up, but not as much as I thought it would. All I do is sleep and read, and play an occasional computer game that only requires one hand. Not what I’m used to.

So there’s an update on the life of Trueblat. Hope you enjoyed, and maybe I’ll write somewhat more often once I get back to Lexington in a week or two and have DSL.