If happiness is like a bright and wandering bird, appearing one unexpected moment and gone the next, it has been a lovely and faithful companion these past two days. From sitting in a circle singing Bach chorales, to reading Haydn and Mozart and Beethoven quartets into the wee hours of the night; from provoking ridiculously fat squirrels who make angry bird sounds when agitated, to totally surprising myself by buying a ruffly floral mini-skirt at French Connection...life has been good.
I spent today primarily with three fantastic people. With the one in the morning, I admit it took a while for me to recognize what a special girl this is...now that I know, I look forward to every moment we spend together, even if it's just walking home from school. It actually puzzles me when, like a ray of sunshine, I suddenly realize how great someone is. This doesn't happen often, because usually friendship is like cooking--whether it's a slow marinating meat or a five-minute grilled cheese, there is always an observable process. Camaraderie and a close bond don't just appear out of thin air for me. But once in a blue moon, I'll meet someone, think they're okay for four years, and then all of a sudden, see them in a whole different light. It was sort of like that moment when you're in the shower and, like a bolt of lightning, you randomly realize what the last word in your crossword puzzle is, and you're like "YES!!!" That's how I felt when I really became friends with this girl. It was awesome.
The one in the afternoon, I've known for quite a while. Since he's new to Boston, I took him through the usual tour I give visitors--down Newbury, around Boston Common, back up Boylston, and conveniently ending at Legal Seafood (where he, being the usual infuriating sweetheart, refused to let me pay). It was lovely, one of those times spent with old friends who never change...there's never a dull moment with a quirky companion who is basically the embodiment of Weird Jennifer times ten. At one point, he told me he was considering changing majors (from classical performance), and I thought maybe he was interested in jazz or something, but no--what he had in mind was becoming a sushi chef. Ha! So great.
And the one in the evening is my concert-going buddy of three years, and one of those Mark-Zuckerberg-type geniuses who tend to talk faster than I can think, except completely minus the ego. Another example of a totally unique and interesting individual, but in his own subtle and quiet way. It just confirms my suspicion, that the people I gravitate toward tend to be the ones who are truly one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-blue-moon types, but who aren't aware of it, and who don't hit you head-on with their specialness and uniqueness.
As a musician, I tend to meet a lot of eccentric personalities who are Different with a capital D. You know it, they know it, the world knows it, and the minute they walk into a room, it's obvious they're Different and proud of it. That's cool and admirable, but definitely not my type.
On a separate note, tonight I watched a fantastic rendition of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. It's obviously an epic piece that never fails to activate your dopamine neurons and get that blood pumping. Watching it performed at such a high level made me want like CRAZY to play in an orchestra for the rest of my life. With music like this, how can it get any better? It also reminded me of when NEC played it two years ago (see September 2010 entry entitled "What Feels Good"). I went rummaging around Instant Encore to find the live recording. There's no doubt that we rushed, and we certainly don't play with the same flawless beauty or precision as the BSO...but I think we had ten times the energy, and twenty times the fun.
Here's the last movement:
Dreams of a Witch's Sabbath
Is that cheer at the end not worthy of a Red Sox game or a Linsanity buzzer beater? It's so great--not because it shows we were good, but because it shows we made the audience happy. :)
