WTF of the day

Both Dusty Springfield and Petula Clark were British, not American.

Oh god, America.

1. STOP IT WITH THE PANTS. I was happy before because I thought I would never again read a news story about someone suing over freaking pair of pants. If you're that upset about a dry cleaner misplacing an item of your clothing then you are A) paying way to damn much for your clothes, B) a shallow, self-centered freak, or C) both A and B and also a nincompoop.

2. I was planning on going to see Sicko tomorrow but I may or may not have to postpone it, because I had to make an appointment to get my eyes checked, because I'm going to need new contacts within a few months and may or may not have insurance past this month.

I think it says something that I need to postpone seeing a movie about how borked American health insurance is because my own health insurance is borked.

3. Philly doesn't want kids to help the homeless. I admit that the best way to help the homeless is not to give them food, it's to make them not homeless any more. However, that's not likely to happen anytime soon, especially not in Philadelphia, which of course is known for it's loving, caring, upright government.

But it's not like they're handing out cash that could easily be spent on drugs and alcohol or anything else not-helpful*. They're giving out food. Toothbrushes. Blankets. You know, things that primarily serve to keep people from dying, and maybe will in fact help them get off the streets. A school is helping others and using it as a civics lesson for it's students; I have no problem with that.

*Actually, if someone's a serious alcoholic one of the most dangerous things they could do would be abruptly stop drinking. I've read that alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs to detox from.

4. The RIAA can go rot in hell. Idiots.

Ahahahaha

A fight broke out at the first Boston Pops concert.

Hee. I think I appreciate this even more having watched a short documentary about Stravinsky's Rite of Spring this morning.

The Magic Flute: What?

Apparently, Mozart's The Magic Flute makes some degree of sense if either A) you're a Freemason, and/or B) You know ahead of time that it's about Freemasonry. Or something.

If neither of the above apply to you and you, say, watch a recording of a production of it in music class, you will spend the entire time getting progressively more and more confused. A giant snake? Why is a Classical-era composer writing an opera about what very much seem like Pagan beliefs? Why are we praising Isis and Osiris? The good guy is the bad guy and vice versa? What is going on?

We'll be discussing it on Friday in class, and I'm certainly looking forward to that. I actually found it hard to concentrate on the musical aspect of it, as I was so totally baffled by the plot. Isis? What is up with those kids? Weird.

A great man...

Beethoven is fantastic.

Seriously: the man was amazing. Completely ravingly insane? By most accounts, yes. Perhaps emotionally stunted? Again, most accounts agree. One of the most brilliant composers ever? Hell yeah.

"Eroica" is, in my opinion, one of the most spectacular works of music. It's just absolutely incredible.

Music to my ears, only it's kinda bad.

After eight and some months of sad, sad neglect, I've brought my violin back out into the open.

I honestly felt an incredible pang of guilt when I first opened the case and saw how out of tune she* was. Tuning wasn't actually that bad - I've never had too terrible of a time of it, other than the first 'high desert holy crap it's dry here' tuning - once I got the pegs unstuck. For a minute I was wondering if I'd have to take it up to Sam Ash or somewhere to see if someone with more skill could help out. Eight months of sitting under my bed, from winter (when the heat was on) to summer (hot and humid) to winter again had the pegs nice and stuck.

My fingers are embarrassingly sensitive now. Again, it's not as if I could have feasibly brought my violin with me to Europe, but still. I played for, what, fifteen years or so. For most of those years I didn't have, you know, feeling on the tips of my left-hand fingers. Then I stopped playing, and the last time my fingers felt like this I must have been 4 years old and just picking up a violin for the first time.

Unlike that time, when I was befuddled by how to even hold the bow, I've at least got a place to start this time. Vivaldi's (who was sort of a hack, IMO, but he's fun) Concerto in A Minor, allegro movement. It was an audition piece for something years ago, I believe, so I've still got the sheet music kicking around. I also have a recording of it on my computer, so that helps.

Now I'm seriously considering doing a (post-Christmas, as I'd be insane to do so now) a bargain hunt online. Fine tuners would, in fact, be nice to have, as would a mute, some sheet music I haven't played a hundred times, and a metronome. Or, for that matter, an electric violin so I could practice without inflicting pain on others.