I hope you all haven't given up on me quite yet! I am still out here in Oxford, alive and doing well. This past week has been very busy, and the two days I took off from homework to just do things myself did not include blog writing. I didn't have any inspiration, I suppose you could say.
Well now I have two forms of inspiration: the recent musical events in my life, and the mounting procrastination I am feeling as my paper is due in 18 hours and 25 minutes.
When I last left you, I had added a tagline about visiting Hertford College Chapel Choir in the hopes I would enjoy it and I would join. I certainly did enjoy it and I certainly have joined. The first rehearsal I attended was scary. Most of the people were knew, but the veterans had already been working on a piece, apparently, and so I felt slightly behind. It was almost entirely sight-reading and it all moved extremely fast. I did come to rehearsal equipped with skills I had learned from Dr. Epley, but I could definitely tell I was rather rusty. I hadn't been in a choir setting for 5 months, and that rust plus my nerves nearly got the better of me. After rehearsal was over, however, I talked with a few girls and realized they were just as intimidated as I was about the experience. We all felt equally ignorant and quickly bonded over it.
The following Sunday we sang the Evensong service. It went...alright. You could tell we were all nervous and had no idea what we were doing. Poor Grace seemed like she was going to cry (and she probably went and got really drunk after Formal Hall that night).
An extra rehearsal last Thursday, and the following rehearsals on Friday and yesterday before Evensong, have already improved our choir. We are all used to the way the hymns and psalms are written, and most are getting a bit quicker at sight-reading. I know that I have certainly improved at keeping and watching the beat.
I never thought being in a choir in Oxford would be so much different, though. I figured music in the US was the same as all the other Western Music countries. Now, although that is true in the big picture, the smaller picture is much different. The terminology and the notation are the biggest differences. Hymn words are written to the side of the music, as opposed to under the music. This tripped me up for awhile, and is probably what hurt my audition for St. Michael's. The music I have sang for the few Jewell church services I have attended certainly babied and spoiled me. Also, psalms are written with the text below, and divided up by measure and by note with punctuation marks, to be matched with the bar lines of the musical score above. Soon, though, I am sure these things will become second nature. I will be able to multi-task easier, which will improve so many areas of my life.
Finally, I leave you with translations of musical terms in English and American:
Semibreve= whole note
Minim= half note
Crotchet= quarter note
Quaver= eighth note
Semiquaver= sixteenth note
Hairpins= crescendo/decrescendo markings
Things I am currently missing/craving: Taco Bell, QT breakfast sandwiches, QT doughtnuts, Xbox, nice hugs
Things that have been acquired: A musical outlet, a new TV show to pass the time/procrastinate with on occasion, a few alternative easy food dishes
Monday, 26 October 2009
Friday, 16 October 2009
Ding dong
Well, this morning our house (primarily the ladies) got a lovely surprise.
Chrissy and I were getting ready to leave at about 9:45. We were going to buy ink for our printer, and she wanted to exchange a notebook she bought. Then the door bell rang. We assumed it was David, because he had just left to go back to his house.
I open the door and standing there very cute, and somewhat tentatively, were a lovely young couple.
"Um. Hi! Hello. Are...are you with the Warner's?"
In a matter of one second, a whole list of crazy situations ran through my head. Why on Earth would the Warner's send a couple to our door? Are they selling us something? Are they here to fix something? Is this a survey? Did we do something wrong?
"Well, hi. We're on our honeymoon, and I did the OOSC program about three years ago. I was in this house!"
She then proceeded to tell me how she was a 2007 Oxbridge Music graduate from Jewell named Eryn Bates, and how she lived in the room upstairs (what is now Karen's room). As part of her honeymoon with her hubby, they came to Oxford so she could show him around. Well, of course I welcomed them right inside. Who could deny such fresh faces and such excitement?
We (Chrissy, Karen, the couple and I) toured the house and found out the guitar that was in our common room was bought by her. We also discovered that her instructions for receiving voice messages were still on a piece of paper on our bulletin board.
She told us a few stories of her time in the house and in Oxford (some of which ring oddly familiar in our year, especially the ones about an “interesting” housemate). She told us how amazing it was when she was here, and asked if certain things still exist. Karen, Eryn, and I discussed Jewell Music faculty. Apparently Eryn also studied with Kathy (small world, eh?). She was very excited to be back and to show her husband around. He was a great sport about the whole thing, and kept reminding her to take pictures of the place, because she was getting too distracted to remember.
All in all, they were here about 45 minutes. And in those 45 minutes, my day was refreshed. I had woken up in a funk, realizing how much I had to do and how much I did not want to do it. But Eryn refreshed me. When I see couples happy like that, it reminds me of where I want to be someday, and of the things I want to do. Part of me is very excited for my marital future (though not excited enough to get married, like, tomorrow), and of traveling with my significant other. I have dreams of bringing Josh back to Oxford some day on a similar trip, and I am glad to know I am not the only one who desires that. This year will be something I wish everyone I love could enjoy with me. I wish everyone I care about the most was here seeing the same things, smelling the same things, hearing the same things, but perhaps not tasting the same things. Haha.
As a result, the rest of my day will be lost in random moments of reflection (around my homework). My day began with one of those moments that makes you realize a) just how small the world is, and just how much of an impact we can make, b) recognize all those that came before you, and the traces they leave and c) what your real dreams are for your life, and that they aren't as insane as some would like you to believe.
Chrissy and I were getting ready to leave at about 9:45. We were going to buy ink for our printer, and she wanted to exchange a notebook she bought. Then the door bell rang. We assumed it was David, because he had just left to go back to his house.
I open the door and standing there very cute, and somewhat tentatively, were a lovely young couple.
"Um. Hi! Hello. Are...are you with the Warner's?"
In a matter of one second, a whole list of crazy situations ran through my head. Why on Earth would the Warner's send a couple to our door? Are they selling us something? Are they here to fix something? Is this a survey? Did we do something wrong?
"Well, hi. We're on our honeymoon, and I did the OOSC program about three years ago. I was in this house!"
She then proceeded to tell me how she was a 2007 Oxbridge Music graduate from Jewell named Eryn Bates, and how she lived in the room upstairs (what is now Karen's room). As part of her honeymoon with her hubby, they came to Oxford so she could show him around. Well, of course I welcomed them right inside. Who could deny such fresh faces and such excitement?
We (Chrissy, Karen, the couple and I) toured the house and found out the guitar that was in our common room was bought by her. We also discovered that her instructions for receiving voice messages were still on a piece of paper on our bulletin board.
She told us a few stories of her time in the house and in Oxford (some of which ring oddly familiar in our year, especially the ones about an “interesting” housemate). She told us how amazing it was when she was here, and asked if certain things still exist. Karen, Eryn, and I discussed Jewell Music faculty. Apparently Eryn also studied with Kathy (small world, eh?). She was very excited to be back and to show her husband around. He was a great sport about the whole thing, and kept reminding her to take pictures of the place, because she was getting too distracted to remember.
All in all, they were here about 45 minutes. And in those 45 minutes, my day was refreshed. I had woken up in a funk, realizing how much I had to do and how much I did not want to do it. But Eryn refreshed me. When I see couples happy like that, it reminds me of where I want to be someday, and of the things I want to do. Part of me is very excited for my marital future (though not excited enough to get married, like, tomorrow), and of traveling with my significant other. I have dreams of bringing Josh back to Oxford some day on a similar trip, and I am glad to know I am not the only one who desires that. This year will be something I wish everyone I love could enjoy with me. I wish everyone I care about the most was here seeing the same things, smelling the same things, hearing the same things, but perhaps not tasting the same things. Haha.
As a result, the rest of my day will be lost in random moments of reflection (around my homework). My day began with one of those moments that makes you realize a) just how small the world is, and just how much of an impact we can make, b) recognize all those that came before you, and the traces they leave and c) what your real dreams are for your life, and that they aren't as insane as some would like you to believe.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
My First Tutorial (and an update)
I know it has been customary to post at the end of the week, but with my tutorial schedule falling to place, Thursday is kind of like the weekend for me. I am currently posting during my usual Lady Gaga dance break in between sections of homework. I finished one of the books for my minor tutorial, so I am celebrating.
My first real tutorial was last night, and I think it went fabulously. It was just like the tutorials I had at Jewell, with a bit of lecture/commentary and discussion about my paper and its “quality.” David seemed quite shocked by my first paper, which made my head swell up to about the size of the room. While writing the first half of my paper, I was completely confused about everything. And then Karen and I had this sudden revelation where all the pieces fit into place. All in all, it was one of the hardest essays for me to write. I had trouble in the beginning with terms, and then it took me FOREVER to actually find a way to begin and end the paper.
However, I at the end, I realized it was one of the better papers I had written, and I was quite glad when David said it made sense and that he could tell I knew what I was talking about. At the end of my paper he wrote a little commentary and the sentence “A great start – well done!” with an underline (and in an oddly similar handwriting to Dr. Coleman. Perhaps all British music professors have the same handwriting?).
But now that that paper is out of the way, the next five days will be hell. My first minor tutorial paper is due at 10am on Monday, and my next major one is due at 5pm on Monday. So, this weekend will be spent reading, writing, and drinking lots of tea. No partying for me (not that I ever go and party...um...ever).
For an update on things in my last post, I did not get into the St. Micheal's at the Northgate choir. I bombed a lot of my sightreading. I was not used to the British hymn notation, and although Tom understood that, it still hurt my chances. Also, I broke the number one rule of sightreading about three times: Keep going. Don't stop. And DO NOT START OVER. My nerves got the better of me, what can I say? All in all, though, I think it is for the best. St. Micheal's was going to be a bit too intense for me, I feel. The choir search is continuing. I am just waiting for emails back before it can move into phase two.
Besides paper-writing, I'm not up to much of anything else. It is pretty much how I was at Jewell: confined to my bedroom and my computer. Though, I do find time to get out every morning and run various errands, like the grocery store, etc. It is nice to walk around for a bit. You see something new every time. Today, however, I have made the decision to stay in the house all day. I have been out every single day I have been here, and I want a little relaxation. Though, my form of relaxation means reading books, books, and more books for my tutorial essays. But, at least I can do it in pajamas today.
Things I am currently missing: Taco Bell, Getting random text messages
Things that have been acquired: Animal contact. David Stuart had a cat, and the pub last night had a dog. I petted both.
My first real tutorial was last night, and I think it went fabulously. It was just like the tutorials I had at Jewell, with a bit of lecture/commentary and discussion about my paper and its “quality.” David seemed quite shocked by my first paper, which made my head swell up to about the size of the room. While writing the first half of my paper, I was completely confused about everything. And then Karen and I had this sudden revelation where all the pieces fit into place. All in all, it was one of the hardest essays for me to write. I had trouble in the beginning with terms, and then it took me FOREVER to actually find a way to begin and end the paper.
However, I at the end, I realized it was one of the better papers I had written, and I was quite glad when David said it made sense and that he could tell I knew what I was talking about. At the end of my paper he wrote a little commentary and the sentence “A great start – well done!” with an underline (and in an oddly similar handwriting to Dr. Coleman. Perhaps all British music professors have the same handwriting?).
But now that that paper is out of the way, the next five days will be hell. My first minor tutorial paper is due at 10am on Monday, and my next major one is due at 5pm on Monday. So, this weekend will be spent reading, writing, and drinking lots of tea. No partying for me (not that I ever go and party...um...ever).
For an update on things in my last post, I did not get into the St. Micheal's at the Northgate choir. I bombed a lot of my sightreading. I was not used to the British hymn notation, and although Tom understood that, it still hurt my chances. Also, I broke the number one rule of sightreading about three times: Keep going. Don't stop. And DO NOT START OVER. My nerves got the better of me, what can I say? All in all, though, I think it is for the best. St. Micheal's was going to be a bit too intense for me, I feel. The choir search is continuing. I am just waiting for emails back before it can move into phase two.
Besides paper-writing, I'm not up to much of anything else. It is pretty much how I was at Jewell: confined to my bedroom and my computer. Though, I do find time to get out every morning and run various errands, like the grocery store, etc. It is nice to walk around for a bit. You see something new every time. Today, however, I have made the decision to stay in the house all day. I have been out every single day I have been here, and I want a little relaxation. Though, my form of relaxation means reading books, books, and more books for my tutorial essays. But, at least I can do it in pajamas today.
Things I am currently missing: Taco Bell, Getting random text messages
Things that have been acquired: Animal contact. David Stuart had a cat, and the pub last night had a dog. I petted both.
Saturday, 10 October 2009
Naught Week
Another week has gone by, and what a busy one it was. Monday I met with both of my tutors for this term. My minor tutorial meeting was at 11am, at a coffee shop in a wonderful bookstore. Patrick Wadden is my tutor for Medieval History, and I can tell it is going to be wonderful. He's a hilarious Irishman who really knows his stuff. It's exciting, and very intimidating. He wants me to read my papers out loud to him, which is frightening. It means my paper quality has to be turned up an even bigger notch. To make it worse, tutorials are every other Monday at 10am. Baaaah.
That evening Karen and I met with our major tutor, David Stuart. We're taking the same tutorial (Medieval to Baroque Music), but we have different meeting times. David was also charming, and is a professional singer. He is in Hong Kong this weekend performing with one of the groups he is in. It sounds wonderful. I realize he will be a tremendous resource for me: informing me of performances, performance opportunities, and possible jobs for my later life. He, luckily, does not want us to read our papers aloud. It is the same system I am used to, only sped up. Instead of an 8 page paper due every other week, there is one every week. But it should not be so bad. I'm actually kind of excited about the first paper. It is about the beginning of notation, so the reading is dry, but it is overall very interesting. I've probably used the word “interesting” a bit too much, but it is the only word I think suffices, no matter what Dr. Horne would think.
My first real tutorial is next Wednesday night, making my paper due at noon on Tuesday. If this trend continues, it means the beginning of my weeks will be crazy, but the ends will be calm. Wednesday will probably become my ultimate goof-off day, where I go shopping or just lay around and do nothing. It is good to have at least one day like that a week.
Once a real trend emerges, I will probably travel a bit, which gets me really excited. Next month sometime Karen, her sister, probably Meghan and I are making a journey to Canterbury. It is one of the places I am most excited for. There isn't much in Canterbury (except for the kick-ass Evensong), but I want to go just for the allure of the name. It is one of the quint-essential Medieval towns (and the town that the Kansas City Renaissance Festival is based in), and I could not be more excited. Some time this term, though it might get pushed to the next one, I'd like to go to the Netherlands to visit my friend Eva. She was a German foreign exchange student when I was in high school, and we have still remained friends, though the contact has slowed through the years.
On a side note, I am auditioning for a church choir tomorrow: St. Michael's at the Northgate. The church is housed in the Saxon tower in Oxford (the oldest building of over 1000 years of age!), and the choir was fantastic. I'm really hoping to get in, even though finding a replacement for term breaks could be stressful. But, I can worry about that when term comes to a close. First, I have to worry about singing two songs, and sight-reading four others. Ahhhh! Crazy! If I don't make it in, I have no idea what I will do, but I will find something. I really need to join a choir, because it forces me to practice my voice. I cannot always trust myself to go practice solo work, but I can promise myself to sing in choir. And that will do for now.
PS: I got a package from my mom. Mountain Dew and sugary cereal have been acquired.
That evening Karen and I met with our major tutor, David Stuart. We're taking the same tutorial (Medieval to Baroque Music), but we have different meeting times. David was also charming, and is a professional singer. He is in Hong Kong this weekend performing with one of the groups he is in. It sounds wonderful. I realize he will be a tremendous resource for me: informing me of performances, performance opportunities, and possible jobs for my later life. He, luckily, does not want us to read our papers aloud. It is the same system I am used to, only sped up. Instead of an 8 page paper due every other week, there is one every week. But it should not be so bad. I'm actually kind of excited about the first paper. It is about the beginning of notation, so the reading is dry, but it is overall very interesting. I've probably used the word “interesting” a bit too much, but it is the only word I think suffices, no matter what Dr. Horne would think.
My first real tutorial is next Wednesday night, making my paper due at noon on Tuesday. If this trend continues, it means the beginning of my weeks will be crazy, but the ends will be calm. Wednesday will probably become my ultimate goof-off day, where I go shopping or just lay around and do nothing. It is good to have at least one day like that a week.
Once a real trend emerges, I will probably travel a bit, which gets me really excited. Next month sometime Karen, her sister, probably Meghan and I are making a journey to Canterbury. It is one of the places I am most excited for. There isn't much in Canterbury (except for the kick-ass Evensong), but I want to go just for the allure of the name. It is one of the quint-essential Medieval towns (and the town that the Kansas City Renaissance Festival is based in), and I could not be more excited. Some time this term, though it might get pushed to the next one, I'd like to go to the Netherlands to visit my friend Eva. She was a German foreign exchange student when I was in high school, and we have still remained friends, though the contact has slowed through the years.
On a side note, I am auditioning for a church choir tomorrow: St. Michael's at the Northgate. The church is housed in the Saxon tower in Oxford (the oldest building of over 1000 years of age!), and the choir was fantastic. I'm really hoping to get in, even though finding a replacement for term breaks could be stressful. But, I can worry about that when term comes to a close. First, I have to worry about singing two songs, and sight-reading four others. Ahhhh! Crazy! If I don't make it in, I have no idea what I will do, but I will find something. I really need to join a choir, because it forces me to practice my voice. I cannot always trust myself to go practice solo work, but I can promise myself to sing in choir. And that will do for now.
PS: I got a package from my mom. Mountain Dew and sugary cereal have been acquired.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
An Old Castle on an Unsatisfied Stomach
Well, it's been another week in Oxford. The introductory course is over, and the real work is about to begin. On Tuesday we went to Warwick Castle and Stratford-Upon-Avon. It was amazing. Warwick Castle was built in 1068, with many modifications and additions through the centuries, including major ones in the 16th and 18th centuries. I was ecstatic to be there. I mean, it's old. It's a castle. What more could I want? It was absolutely beautiful, and it was an amazing way to start the day.
Stratford-Upon-Avon was nice as well, of course. We had cheap pub food, looked at both Anne Hathaway's and Shakespeare's birthplaces, and say The Winter's Tale as performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. It was a fun time, but I enjoyed the castle more. It's just what I'm more into.
The rest of the week last week was filled with lectures. Oh, and that essay whose deadline is slowly and surely creeping towards us all.
Yesterday my house had a little family dinner. Chrissy and I made spaghetti and brownies (with a little help, of course). We made some meatless sauce for Adam and some gluten-free pasta for Karen (because our house has all the food issues, haha). It was a wonderful night, and a fabulous way to eat up the entire day and procrastinate!
This meal leads me to move onto the main part of this post. I'm going to discuss my major complaint about Britain: it's food. Food is the most important thing in my life. It dictates my mood and it is the center of my day. Thankfully enough, I'm young and must have good metabolism, because I can eat a lot when I want to. I'm one of those people that eats when they are bored, or when everyone else is, or just because the craving strikes. Someday I will probably have to control my food intake a lot more, but I'm glad that day is not today.
However, Britain's food has severely disappointed me. I do not know what I was expecting upon arrival, but it certainly was not this. My first British meal was bangers and mash, which I had at our local pub. The sausage was local and it just did not sit well with me. Though, the mashed potatoes were delightful.
As the days went on and I went out shopping for my usual food items, I realized I had entered a version of hell. The country was lacking two things I loved: sugar and Mountain Dew. No places serve Mountain Dew, and no store I have been to sells it (and believe me, I've been checking every little sketchy place). Mountain Dew makes up about 50% of my liquid consumption. Though not a healthy amount, it became a vital amount. I used it to survive late nights at school, and to survive working with idiots and QT. Thankfully, Britain does have Pepsi and Dr. Pepper, which have almost stopped my Mountain Dew cravings, though, I'm not sure for how much longer.
As for the other part of my unhealthy diet, I realized Britain's drastically low sugar amount when I bought my first box of cereal. First of all, to find a box of cereal that even remotely looked appetizing and sugary was difficult. There were no marshmallow cereals, or fruity pebbles. I managed to find two boxes of "chocolatey" cereal, and for fairly cheap. The next morning I woke to a shock: the cereal tasted wretched. It was not until I dumped about four spoonfuls of sugar on it that it began to taste a bit better. Things were not looking good.
Since then, I have been experimenting with what should be sugary and delicious things, but are not. If I bake my own things, they taste great, but pre-made doughnuts, brownies and cakes have so far been disappointing. Therefore Britain has made me resort to things I never thought I would to get that sugary fix: fruit. I have bought more fruit (of my own accord) in the past two weeks than I think I have in the past year. The fruit here, thank goodness, is just as good as in the US. It may even be better.
So, as the days progress I will continue to fight British food until I win. I will continue experimenting with different places, brands, and combinations until I find stuff I like. And, thankfully enough, Britain does love their salt, or I would be in a even bigger world of hurt. Soon though, I will have sugary cereal and Mountain Dew in a package from my mom. You cannot beat me yet Great Britain!
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