If all the college/teenage girls out there put as much determination and dedication into their studies as they did into wearing as strategically little clothing as possible on Halloween, I truly think the world would be a better place. It's been raining all day and started snowing a few hours ago...and they're STILL out there, flouncing and tottering around in their abhorrent miniskirts and fishnet stockings and high heels. Look, I don't think guys will find you attractive when they discover you have frostbite. Furthermore, do you really want the kind of guys who are drawn to you because of what you are (not) wearing?
Sheesh...sometimes, I'm ashamed to be a girl.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Bhutan
http://www.news.com.au/world/bhutans-royal-wedding-how-the-king-proposed-when-she-was-just-seven-years-old/story-e6frfkyi-1226165294876
http://abcnews.go.com/International/bhutan-royal-wedding-commoner-queen/story?id=14727724
Bhutan...a new addition to my list of top 5 ideal vacation spots. Wow.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/bhutan-royal-wedding-commoner-queen/story?id=14727724
Bhutan...a new addition to my list of top 5 ideal vacation spots. Wow.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Cosby Show
Someday, if I get married and start a family, I'm going to have them watch this show...at least the first couple seasons. This is the sweetest, funniest group of people, exactly how I dream for my future husband and kids to be like, and exactly the kind of family I want...somehow, five kids seems like the perfect number when I watch this show. (I am too easily influenced.)
Anyway, it's all on Youtube. Highly, highly recommended.
Anyway, it's all on Youtube. Highly, highly recommended.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Sound
For perhaps the first time in my life, I am happy with the way I sound when I play the violin. Some of the time, that is. It's taken me eighteen years to get to this point, so you can imagine how valuable this sense of satisfaction is for me, and how scared I am that it will go away.
I guess loving your sound is like looking in the mirror and loving the way you look, except ten times better, because the way you look is just...well, how you look. You can analyze your appearance and micromanage it as much as you want, but when all is said and done, it can only reveal so much of yourself. Looks have limits, and personally, I don't find the visual aspects of a person to be very interesting. They can deceive, they can hide and be hidden, they can be faked and manipulated and changed altogether. But the kind of sound you produce (if you're a musician)...if reflects not only your physical capabilities and skills on the instrument, but also your personality, your values, and--at the risk of sounding cheesy--your soul. You can't fake sound; it's probably the most honest, intimate expression of yourself that you can share. Hating your sound is like looking in the mirror and hating the way you look, except much much worse. I can say, with some personal experience, that it's a very depressing, insecure feeling.
I'd listen to Francescatti and feel as if I was basking in golden sunlight. I'd listen to Szigeti and imagine myself as a melancholy aged man whose heart was broken years ago. I'd listen to musicians around me at school and smile at how personable and distinguishable each one's sound was--L's pure innocence, Q's bravado and heart, K's openness, B's deep wisdom. Then, I'd listen to myself with dismay and think, "...this is me? There's nothing special here." I felt like I had no personality, that I was as plain and unmemorable as my sound. Then, over the summer, someone told me, "You have a gorgeous sound, but it rarely shows itself. The average listener probably won't catch it." I felt like a frog who finally got the kiss that turned her back into a princess. I told a friend about this incident, and he said, "That makes sense." I asked why, and he answered, "Well, that's sort of how I'd describe your personality."
Loving your sound means finding those special moments when it's really YOU playing, not your nerves or your instrument or even the music...YOU, and then sustaining those moments for as long as possible. If you don't love your sound, I think it means either a) you don't have the physical capability/skills to express yourself effectively, or b) you aren't finding those personal moments and holding onto them. If you are properly expressing yourself with your sound, you have to love it, because when all is said and done, it's YOU--what you believe in, what you find funny or sad or moving, what kind of heart you have--and how can you not love you?
I guess loving your sound is like looking in the mirror and loving the way you look, except ten times better, because the way you look is just...well, how you look. You can analyze your appearance and micromanage it as much as you want, but when all is said and done, it can only reveal so much of yourself. Looks have limits, and personally, I don't find the visual aspects of a person to be very interesting. They can deceive, they can hide and be hidden, they can be faked and manipulated and changed altogether. But the kind of sound you produce (if you're a musician)...if reflects not only your physical capabilities and skills on the instrument, but also your personality, your values, and--at the risk of sounding cheesy--your soul. You can't fake sound; it's probably the most honest, intimate expression of yourself that you can share. Hating your sound is like looking in the mirror and hating the way you look, except much much worse. I can say, with some personal experience, that it's a very depressing, insecure feeling.
I'd listen to Francescatti and feel as if I was basking in golden sunlight. I'd listen to Szigeti and imagine myself as a melancholy aged man whose heart was broken years ago. I'd listen to musicians around me at school and smile at how personable and distinguishable each one's sound was--L's pure innocence, Q's bravado and heart, K's openness, B's deep wisdom. Then, I'd listen to myself with dismay and think, "...this is me? There's nothing special here." I felt like I had no personality, that I was as plain and unmemorable as my sound. Then, over the summer, someone told me, "You have a gorgeous sound, but it rarely shows itself. The average listener probably won't catch it." I felt like a frog who finally got the kiss that turned her back into a princess. I told a friend about this incident, and he said, "That makes sense." I asked why, and he answered, "Well, that's sort of how I'd describe your personality."
Loving your sound means finding those special moments when it's really YOU playing, not your nerves or your instrument or even the music...YOU, and then sustaining those moments for as long as possible. If you don't love your sound, I think it means either a) you don't have the physical capability/skills to express yourself effectively, or b) you aren't finding those personal moments and holding onto them. If you are properly expressing yourself with your sound, you have to love it, because when all is said and done, it's YOU--what you believe in, what you find funny or sad or moving, what kind of heart you have--and how can you not love you?
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