It's been raining lightly for over a day now. Rain can be nice, and can make a person feel rather poetic. But I didn't feel poetic as I walked on the sidewalks around midnight this morning, and then again around 4, and had to walk in funny hop-scotch-ish patterns to avoid stepping on huge, nasty worms. If they have a snowshoveling crew that comes out when it snows, why can't they have a wormshoveling crew to come out when it rains?

This feels surreal, my life right now.

I played three different pieces in Musicianship yesterday. Barber, Beethoven, and Handel. All together, that makes eight performances of various kinds over the past four days. And I don't even like performing!

Blah... I feel like I screwed up all the performances, too.

Oh, and my psych exam was postponed until Wednesday. Hah.

All my blog entries lately have been about music. Sorry, dudes, this must be getting really boring. I'll try to blog about something interesting next time.

Mike's senior cello recital was today. He did well. His Bach was really... wow. Beautiful. Definitely something special.

My performances today in the chamber music recital went okay. Not great, but okay. And I remembered that I'm performing two things tomorrow, too. And I have an exam. And something personal I'm worrying about, too. If only I could just sleep for a while. Like, maybe a week.

Last night I played as part of a string quartet for a performance of Bach's Cantata No. 80, Vaughan-Williams' "On Wenlock Edge," and Vaughan-Williams Five Mystical Songs. It was fun! :)

This afternoon is our chamber music concert. I'm playing a Beethoven sonata with Jen, and The Soldier's Tale by Stravinsky with all of us Stravinsky peeps. :) So now I just have to get through one more performance this weekend and then I can start studying for my psychology exam tomorrow.

Update on the whole workin' it thing: Not only do I love the 0400-0800 shift, but the 2400-0400 shift is reeeaally wonderful, too!

*yawn*

I performed in a recital tonight. Or rather, last night technically, before it was this morning. I played the third movement of the Barber - Presto in moto perpetuo. A crazy piece (crazy but cool), and scary to perform. Well, we made it to the end together, my fabulous accompanist and I, and it's over. Whew!

This is surely the greatest thing on the World Wide Web. (My best time so far is 58.3 seconds.)

Oh boy... I just love working the 0400-0800 shift!

*yawn*

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Dying once He all doth save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

I was really sad for a while. Homesick, discouraged, just generally sad. I'm still homesick I guess, and maybe a little discouraged too. But I'm doing better now. I'm in New York, visiting Jen and her family. They're all so wonderfully nice, and I think having a break is just what I needed. And tomorrow is Easter!

I don't really hate the violin. I feel bad for saying that.

I hate the violin.
I'm bad at everything I try to do.
I miss my family so much.
I wish I could go home for Easter.

Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould

"One does not play the piano with one's fingers; one plays the piano with one's mind."

O who am I
that for my sake
my Lord should take
frail flesh and die?

I went to both Lenten Tenebrae services here, both tonight and last night. The service was well done. The choir was good and the speakers were very good. I loved O Lord God and Let Us Love One Another and O Crux and O Vos Omnes and everything really. It was... wow. Surely, He has not forsaken us... God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all! And He sent us Christ... the Light of the world. And He's promised us that if we follow, we shall never again walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. So yeah, it's nice to go to a service like that. And tomorrow is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.