Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Constructing Phrases
I'm playing a gig tomorrow with the orchestra in which we have been asked to dress up as construction workers. The Maestro will be using a hammer to conduct (actually pound out) the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Busloads of sixth-graders will descend upon the performance hall to hear me play variations on "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" while I'm wearing my son's plastic yellow hard-hat. Sometimes it's hard to believe I get paid for this.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
A Rare Perfect Day
Sundays. Generally, I hate them. The final day of the weekend always gets eaten up by chores to get ready for the work week, shopping trips for household necessities, and preschooler interventions after candy-intensive fun binges. Add to this the aimless mornings sipping tea in our pajamas while we watch the kids tear the house apart, and there you have it. The week is over.
Today, we had a Plan. Recognizing that our older son is desperately in need of a return to the unrealistic expectations of attentiveness he enjoyed prior to the arrival of young Charlie, we arranged a special preschooler-only outing for him. Leaving the baby in the capable and indulgent hands of the grandparents, we whisked Joshua away to the big city for a day out on the town. (The Town being Denver, home of the Broncos and birthplace of White-People Jazz.) If you don't know Joshua very well, I should perhaps explain that he has rather cultured tastes for a three-year-old. One of his favorite DVDs is a performance of Stravinsky's Firebird ballet. He likes listening to classical music, and can sing all the instrumental themes of Peter and the Wolf. I suppose having two parents involved in the arts has shaped his tastes somewhat. Don't get me wrong, he still thinks poop is really funny, but he does have a flair for all things dramatic.
So we took him to see the hit Broadway musical, "The Lion King". Before it started, he seemed a little nervous because he thought there would be real lions on stage. Once it started, though, he was totally engaged the whole time. He's never seen the Disney animated movie, so the story was new to him. He sat quietly the whole time, applauded enthusiastically, and told us afterwards that he liked "EVERYTHING"! He also enjoyed walking around downtown briefly, seeing all the skyscrapers. We had a nice sushi dinner, and returned to a happy baby, an easy bedtime, and now a bit of free time. I suppose I'll have to do some laundry now, but at least the week has been saved.
Today, we had a Plan. Recognizing that our older son is desperately in need of a return to the unrealistic expectations of attentiveness he enjoyed prior to the arrival of young Charlie, we arranged a special preschooler-only outing for him. Leaving the baby in the capable and indulgent hands of the grandparents, we whisked Joshua away to the big city for a day out on the town. (The Town being Denver, home of the Broncos and birthplace of White-People Jazz.) If you don't know Joshua very well, I should perhaps explain that he has rather cultured tastes for a three-year-old. One of his favorite DVDs is a performance of Stravinsky's Firebird ballet. He likes listening to classical music, and can sing all the instrumental themes of Peter and the Wolf. I suppose having two parents involved in the arts has shaped his tastes somewhat. Don't get me wrong, he still thinks poop is really funny, but he does have a flair for all things dramatic.
So we took him to see the hit Broadway musical, "The Lion King". Before it started, he seemed a little nervous because he thought there would be real lions on stage. Once it started, though, he was totally engaged the whole time. He's never seen the Disney animated movie, so the story was new to him. He sat quietly the whole time, applauded enthusiastically, and told us afterwards that he liked "EVERYTHING"! He also enjoyed walking around downtown briefly, seeing all the skyscrapers. We had a nice sushi dinner, and returned to a happy baby, an easy bedtime, and now a bit of free time. I suppose I'll have to do some laundry now, but at least the week has been saved.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Another Halloween Idea Exchange
Joshua: Are we going to decorate our house with cobwebs?
Me: Maybe. We have a lot of cobwebs on the *inside* of our house, though. Isn't that spooky enough?
Joshua: Are we going to decorate our house with poop?
Me: No, Halloween isn't really about poop.
Joshua: Yeah... Halloween is about BUGS!
Me: Maybe. We have a lot of cobwebs on the *inside* of our house, though. Isn't that spooky enough?
Joshua: Are we going to decorate our house with poop?
Me: No, Halloween isn't really about poop.
Joshua: Yeah... Halloween is about BUGS!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
We Have an Understanding
Joshua (wearing a plastic red fireman hat): Let's get in the firetruck and go warn people not to play with fire.
Me (wearing a plastic yellow construction helmet because I get to be "the captain"): Just a minute. I have to fix my hair. I can't fight fires with bad hair.
Joshua: Yeah, mom, I know.
Me (wearing a plastic yellow construction helmet because I get to be "the captain"): Just a minute. I have to fix my hair. I can't fight fires with bad hair.
Joshua: Yeah, mom, I know.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Big Throbbing Organ and Alternative Lifestyles
This week I am spending my evenings rehearsing with the regional orchestra in which I play second flute. The theme of this Saturday's concert is Dreams of Power and Decadence, or as I have renamed it, Dreams of Better Tuning in the String Section.
Up until the first rehearsal, I admit that I was not looking forward to playing this concert because it features an organ soloist (those of you with maturity levels rivaling a twelve-year-old's may please insert a big throbbing organ joke here) and I can't remember the last time I enjoyed the oft blathering sounds of the pipe organ. The concert opens with the seldomly performed Toccata Festiva by Barber, which contains unusual sounds that will, I'm guessing, confuse the little old ladies that salt and pepper the plush red seats of the hall. Think of an ethereal Take Me Out to The Ballgame in a spiral nebula, or the custom sounds of Martian cell-phone ringtones downloaded from a planetarium. And a triple canon with organ, French horn, and timpani. The concert also includes the Saint-Saens Symphony #3, which includes some incredibly powerful and glorious moments courtesy of that big throbbing organ which you were sniggering about before. If you know the difference between listening to a recording of music in your car versus hearing it live in a concert hall, now imagine sitting in the middle of the orchestra feeling every vibration down in your gut, through the soles of your feet. I feel an overwhelming urge to get up and cheer during moments of this music.
The organist, a colleague of my husband's at the university, was telling us about an odd occurrence which he takes part in regularly: midnight organ recitals. As it turns out, these after-hours concerts are extremely popular with the Goth crowd. He is planning his next concert for Halloween night. I thought that to be an interesting pairing of two fringe elements, the pasty faced and slightly archaic classical organists of the world entertaining the also pale and black-lipstick-wearing Gothic audience with the obligatory Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
When I really try and picture it, though, I always see The Count from Sesame Street in the audience. "ONE spiky leather dog collar, TWO spiky leather dog collars... ah ah ah!" Perhaps I'll have to attend one of the recitals just to see if any muppets show up.
Up until the first rehearsal, I admit that I was not looking forward to playing this concert because it features an organ soloist (those of you with maturity levels rivaling a twelve-year-old's may please insert a big throbbing organ joke here) and I can't remember the last time I enjoyed the oft blathering sounds of the pipe organ. The concert opens with the seldomly performed Toccata Festiva by Barber, which contains unusual sounds that will, I'm guessing, confuse the little old ladies that salt and pepper the plush red seats of the hall. Think of an ethereal Take Me Out to The Ballgame in a spiral nebula, or the custom sounds of Martian cell-phone ringtones downloaded from a planetarium. And a triple canon with organ, French horn, and timpani. The concert also includes the Saint-Saens Symphony #3, which includes some incredibly powerful and glorious moments courtesy of that big throbbing organ which you were sniggering about before. If you know the difference between listening to a recording of music in your car versus hearing it live in a concert hall, now imagine sitting in the middle of the orchestra feeling every vibration down in your gut, through the soles of your feet. I feel an overwhelming urge to get up and cheer during moments of this music.
The organist, a colleague of my husband's at the university, was telling us about an odd occurrence which he takes part in regularly: midnight organ recitals. As it turns out, these after-hours concerts are extremely popular with the Goth crowd. He is planning his next concert for Halloween night. I thought that to be an interesting pairing of two fringe elements, the pasty faced and slightly archaic classical organists of the world entertaining the also pale and black-lipstick-wearing Gothic audience with the obligatory Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
When I really try and picture it, though, I always see The Count from Sesame Street in the audience. "ONE spiky leather dog collar, TWO spiky leather dog collars... ah ah ah!" Perhaps I'll have to attend one of the recitals just to see if any muppets show up.
Monday, October 02, 2006
An Omen?
I'm not sure what this portends, but this morning when I dumped out Joshua's cereal bowl into the sink, I saw very clearly that the discarded Double Vision Apple Jacks (Limited Edition) spelled out, in soggy pastel pink and green, the word "BOOB".
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