Thursday, May 22, 2008
look out on a summer's day
What a crazy two weeks this has been!
Okay, so last week, I found out that I will be taking remedial math as soon as I graduate high school. I had kind of resigned myself to this thought anyways, it's just a bit depressing to see it on paper that in college, I'll be eligible for "3rd of 4 Development Math". Blaahhhh.
Dad sent us all an article today about how people's attention spans are decreasing as we become more conditioned to high-speed everything. I've been thinking this for quite some time. The topic of the article was lack of attention in college lectures, but that's not the only area of concern. Think about it. When classical music was THE music, songs lasted about 10-12 minutes on average. Skip ahead to 40 years ago, songs were 5-6 minutes long. Skip ahead to now, songs are about 3 minutes long. Now think about movies. Movies used to be, on average, 4 hours long. Now movies are, on average, 1 1/2-2 hours long. I hate hearing from people, "I hated that movie, it was so long!" Can you really not sit still for more than 2 hours? That's why I appreciate movies that dare to be 3 hours or longer, such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, The Pianist, Walk the Line, etc. etc. It also explains part of why we hardly ever actually WRITE anymore. Almost everything is done on computer, because typing is faster. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but there was a time when people took the time to write beautifully on paper, and it was a skill developed and practiced. Now calligraphy is basically obscelete, because no one wants to take the time or attention to write presentably.
Today I registered at Northwest Vista for fall dual credit classes. I'm taking English 1 and French 1, and I'm very excited. I've always wanted to speak French, plus, assuming I major in music, a romance language looks great on a transcript. The dual credit advisor also gave me a brochure for this summer's drama and music camps for children that they need volunteer counselors for--and since I have experience in both (and TEACHING both), she said that I would have a guaranteed spot. so this could be fun! Plus, they're building a new Performing Arts center on the campus, which I'm excited about.
Grand Recital was on Sunday night. It actually went very well! The Blairs, Cohoons, and Amy and Mr. Fehrenbach were so great and came. :) I was very pleased with how Fantasy turned out. And I thought my singing was alright. CJ is a fantastic accompaniest.
My heart breaks for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. His daugher, Maria Sue was killed in an awful car accident. Please pray for them, that God will give them peace.
These days I'm playing Chopin's Ballade in G Minor. It's definitely one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It's about 7 minutes long, and completely breathtaking. Oh, if I didn't mention it before, I love Chopin now. I think the reason I didn't like his music for so long was because I hadn't heard enough of it, and developed a premature opinion.
My Psaltina costume is close to done! I just have to decorate it. Never ending thanks to Teresa for making it! I actually see the play coming together these days. We're getting into choreography, and I think it will be great when it's finished.
Oh, something worth mentioning. Today is May 22. Which means that my family has officially lived in San Antonio for exactly 7 years now. We left Hawaii on May 21, 2001, and got to San Antonio on May 22. It's so strange for me to think about that. Living in Hawaii was incredible, and one of the best times of my life, but when you think about it, I lived there for two years, from right after I turned 6 to right before I turned 9. The rest of my life that I remember has been spent here in Texas. My goodness I miss Hawaii! I miss the people and the beautiful, unique atmosphere.
Now I must go make dinner.
Okay, so last week, I found out that I will be taking remedial math as soon as I graduate high school. I had kind of resigned myself to this thought anyways, it's just a bit depressing to see it on paper that in college, I'll be eligible for "3rd of 4 Development Math". Blaahhhh.
Dad sent us all an article today about how people's attention spans are decreasing as we become more conditioned to high-speed everything. I've been thinking this for quite some time. The topic of the article was lack of attention in college lectures, but that's not the only area of concern. Think about it. When classical music was THE music, songs lasted about 10-12 minutes on average. Skip ahead to 40 years ago, songs were 5-6 minutes long. Skip ahead to now, songs are about 3 minutes long. Now think about movies. Movies used to be, on average, 4 hours long. Now movies are, on average, 1 1/2-2 hours long. I hate hearing from people, "I hated that movie, it was so long!" Can you really not sit still for more than 2 hours? That's why I appreciate movies that dare to be 3 hours or longer, such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, The Pianist, Walk the Line, etc. etc. It also explains part of why we hardly ever actually WRITE anymore. Almost everything is done on computer, because typing is faster. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but there was a time when people took the time to write beautifully on paper, and it was a skill developed and practiced. Now calligraphy is basically obscelete, because no one wants to take the time or attention to write presentably.
Today I registered at Northwest Vista for fall dual credit classes. I'm taking English 1 and French 1, and I'm very excited. I've always wanted to speak French, plus, assuming I major in music, a romance language looks great on a transcript. The dual credit advisor also gave me a brochure for this summer's drama and music camps for children that they need volunteer counselors for--and since I have experience in both (and TEACHING both), she said that I would have a guaranteed spot. so this could be fun! Plus, they're building a new Performing Arts center on the campus, which I'm excited about.
Grand Recital was on Sunday night. It actually went very well! The Blairs, Cohoons, and Amy and Mr. Fehrenbach were so great and came. :) I was very pleased with how Fantasy turned out. And I thought my singing was alright. CJ is a fantastic accompaniest.
My heart breaks for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. His daugher, Maria Sue was killed in an awful car accident. Please pray for them, that God will give them peace.
These days I'm playing Chopin's Ballade in G Minor. It's definitely one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It's about 7 minutes long, and completely breathtaking. Oh, if I didn't mention it before, I love Chopin now. I think the reason I didn't like his music for so long was because I hadn't heard enough of it, and developed a premature opinion.
My Psaltina costume is close to done! I just have to decorate it. Never ending thanks to Teresa for making it! I actually see the play coming together these days. We're getting into choreography, and I think it will be great when it's finished.
Oh, something worth mentioning. Today is May 22. Which means that my family has officially lived in San Antonio for exactly 7 years now. We left Hawaii on May 21, 2001, and got to San Antonio on May 22. It's so strange for me to think about that. Living in Hawaii was incredible, and one of the best times of my life, but when you think about it, I lived there for two years, from right after I turned 6 to right before I turned 9. The rest of my life that I remember has been spent here in Texas. My goodness I miss Hawaii! I miss the people and the beautiful, unique atmosphere.
Now I must go make dinner.
Monday, May 12, 2008
this is swear to you, and this i swear to me
It really gets to me that Taylor Swift insists on being insanely catchy. It makes it extremely difficult to get her songs out of your head--especially when you particularly dislike and mock her.
Add to my list of favorite male singer/pianists: Brendan James.
Grand Recital is next week. I'm playing Fantasy in D Minor. According to the faculty at the Conservatory, I'm one of the best.
We'll see.
Next week is the last week of school. This makes me excited. I can't believe I would ever say this, but I think I actually have found a place in my heart for Great Books Tutorial. Dr. Lund is an amazing tutor, plus, next year we get to read some Shakespeare. Which will be a bit more fun than philosophy.
Reading list for this summer!:
110 People Who Are Screwing Up America, by Bernard Goldberg
Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks
The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory
The God Makers, by Ed Decker and Dave Hunt
The Inheritance, by Louisa May Alcott
Blink! The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell
Behind A Mask, by Louisa May Alcott
This Is Your Brain On Music, by Daniel J. Levitin
I'm pretty much excited.
Another thing I'm definitely excited about is the church mission trip. Eeeee I can't wait. Not one bit.
Why does blood turn brown when it dries? And why do the tears well up in your eyes? Why didn't I learn to ride my bike when it was warm and sunny outside? Why can't little kids tie their shoes? And why can't the white people play the blues? Why can't I fall in love with you?
It must be because of the season...
If you haven't seen Expelled!, go see it. Not even kidding.
Nathan is home, which once again gives me someone to mess around on the piano with. His new compositions are actually quite interesting.
That's all.
Add to my list of favorite male singer/pianists: Brendan James.
Grand Recital is next week. I'm playing Fantasy in D Minor. According to the faculty at the Conservatory, I'm one of the best.
We'll see.
Next week is the last week of school. This makes me excited. I can't believe I would ever say this, but I think I actually have found a place in my heart for Great Books Tutorial. Dr. Lund is an amazing tutor, plus, next year we get to read some Shakespeare. Which will be a bit more fun than philosophy.
Reading list for this summer!:
110 People Who Are Screwing Up America, by Bernard Goldberg
Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks
The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory
The God Makers, by Ed Decker and Dave Hunt
The Inheritance, by Louisa May Alcott
Blink! The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell
Behind A Mask, by Louisa May Alcott
This Is Your Brain On Music, by Daniel J. Levitin
I'm pretty much excited.
Another thing I'm definitely excited about is the church mission trip. Eeeee I can't wait. Not one bit.
Why does blood turn brown when it dries? And why do the tears well up in your eyes? Why didn't I learn to ride my bike when it was warm and sunny outside? Why can't little kids tie their shoes? And why can't the white people play the blues? Why can't I fall in love with you?
It must be because of the season...
If you haven't seen Expelled!, go see it. Not even kidding.
Nathan is home, which once again gives me someone to mess around on the piano with. His new compositions are actually quite interesting.
That's all.
Name:
