...By my cousin via email. She's all, "And you should update your blog! Like right now!" I'm thinking, "Geez, we're impatient." So here I am. Updating.
Got my mondo government project done, yay! Now I can actually read a book that I want to read, not just some really long biography that doesn't give what I'm looking for. In other words, school is fine. Just need to remember: Sodium=Na. Blah. Missed that on the quiz, crap. A long with a couple others... Radon=Rn. Grr. (And shut up, Chris, I know you'd be getting on my back about it.)
Well, after much anticipation, the first Bible Bowl competition of the new season is this Saturday over Acts chapters 1-6. I'm kind of excited to get going again, as this time I think my team just might actually get to be feared. My mom did some really good recruiting, i.e., the sort-of social misfits that like memorizing and have kind of weird senses of humor. Geeks. well, not all of them are geeks, but mostly what the team is made up of. Er... yeah.
Taekwondo is still going well, nothing new to report at the moment. I'll probably test for yellow first some time next month. Thursday I kearned a technique for breaking someone's elbow from behind if I'm grabbed by the wrists. Whee!
Current Mood: Hungry
Random Useless Fact of the Day: Today with John's last day at my church, as he's heading up to Boston. Fare thee well, Tish. Don't act stupid and I'm sure you won't be abused for still being single.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Project "Death Waltz"
A couple of weeks ago, during Labor Day weekend, Phil passed me a peculiar piece of music that I found funny. This music? "Faerie's Aire and Death Waltz." Based on an ancient cro-magnon skinning chant, arranged by accident, and really funny to show to musicians. Trust me, that piece is utterly impossible to play without the assistance of a really elaborate computer program. For instance: There are harmonic intervals in the shape of pyramids, rectantgles, and really big long lines that take up the whole of the grand staff. There are insanely fast "Lord-only-knows-what" notes with about eight bars connecting them, and absolutely crazy dynamic symbols like fffffffffff. The best thing about the "Death Waltz," though, has to be the notation that's printed in with the 'song.' Stuff like, "Release the Penguins." "Light the explosives now, and.... now." "Balance chair on two legs." "Sing 'Hey, hey, hey-o, ho, hey!'" "Remove cattle from stage", and "Add bycicle" make the song so completely ludicrous it's funny.
And musicians hate it with a firey passion. I first showed the "Death Waltz" to Chris, who doesn't play an instrument but was still all, "What the heck is this crap?! Is it, like, five different songs printed on top of each other?" The next morning I showed it to my buddy Syd, whose face went all pale and she asked "How do you play this?!" When I explained about the song and showed her the notation, she laughed and dared me to show it to various members of the church orchestra. Who am I to turn down such a great time? I headed up the aisle to my third victim: Kirk, the director of the orchestra. When practice was over, I called him and said, "Hey, I thought this would be an interesting song. Only one page, but interesting." I handed up the "Death Waltz" and much the same thing happened as with Syd. This look of utter confusion came over his face and he muttered all the notation and stuff to himself, asking how in the world a person could physically stand this piece. (He especially hated the empty repeat signs.) The next people to stand up to the fury of "Faerie's Aire" were the bass player, who pretty much shook his head and looked scared, and one of the drummers, who had the day off. He displayed that same confused look as well and wondered if there even was steady beat throughout the whole thing.
That being done, I mosied up to the worship minister, and showed him the music, asking how it might be played. One glance and he was all, "'K, you don't, man, you don't." after that the service started, and the "Death Waltz was put away until second hour, when Syd and I traipsed down to the youth building, laughing at various reactions and figuring whose reaction was the most funny. We agreed that the worship minister had given us the most laughter, at least until I showed the "Death Waltz" to another singer. His reaction? "Oh my God, what is it?!?!" Syd and I? Pretty much dropped to the floor laughing, and immediately gave him the prize for the best reaction to joke music.
Second hour passed, as did third hour. When that was done, I headed on over to show the piece to a couple of my buddies in the orchestra. Joel: "Agh!" Nick: "'Add bycicle?!' What the...?" Steven: "That is awesome!" Olivia: "Get that thing away from me!"
And so ended the cycle of hilarity. It was a good ride, and I ended up with a sore gut from all the laughing I'd been doing.
School is going well, taekwondo is fine (I'm currently trying to figure sizes for sparring gear), dogs are still lazy, it's raining, and all is normal in Lake Woebegone.
Current Mood: All 'brainy-d' out.
Random Useless Fact of the Day: It's sad that I found more books on Barbara Streisand than James Madison in the biography section of the library.
And musicians hate it with a firey passion. I first showed the "Death Waltz" to Chris, who doesn't play an instrument but was still all, "What the heck is this crap?! Is it, like, five different songs printed on top of each other?" The next morning I showed it to my buddy Syd, whose face went all pale and she asked "How do you play this?!" When I explained about the song and showed her the notation, she laughed and dared me to show it to various members of the church orchestra. Who am I to turn down such a great time? I headed up the aisle to my third victim: Kirk, the director of the orchestra. When practice was over, I called him and said, "Hey, I thought this would be an interesting song. Only one page, but interesting." I handed up the "Death Waltz" and much the same thing happened as with Syd. This look of utter confusion came over his face and he muttered all the notation and stuff to himself, asking how in the world a person could physically stand this piece. (He especially hated the empty repeat signs.) The next people to stand up to the fury of "Faerie's Aire" were the bass player, who pretty much shook his head and looked scared, and one of the drummers, who had the day off. He displayed that same confused look as well and wondered if there even was steady beat throughout the whole thing.
That being done, I mosied up to the worship minister, and showed him the music, asking how it might be played. One glance and he was all, "'K, you don't, man, you don't." after that the service started, and the "Death Waltz was put away until second hour, when Syd and I traipsed down to the youth building, laughing at various reactions and figuring whose reaction was the most funny. We agreed that the worship minister had given us the most laughter, at least until I showed the "Death Waltz" to another singer. His reaction? "Oh my God, what is it?!?!" Syd and I? Pretty much dropped to the floor laughing, and immediately gave him the prize for the best reaction to joke music.
Second hour passed, as did third hour. When that was done, I headed on over to show the piece to a couple of my buddies in the orchestra. Joel: "Agh!" Nick: "'Add bycicle?!' What the...?" Steven: "That is awesome!" Olivia: "Get that thing away from me!"
And so ended the cycle of hilarity. It was a good ride, and I ended up with a sore gut from all the laughing I'd been doing.
School is going well, taekwondo is fine (I'm currently trying to figure sizes for sparring gear), dogs are still lazy, it's raining, and all is normal in Lake Woebegone.
Current Mood: All 'brainy-d' out.
Random Useless Fact of the Day: It's sad that I found more books on Barbara Streisand than James Madison in the biography section of the library.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Labor Day, Schmabor Day...
The Day to celebrate work-day, some geek celebrates work by playing all day.
But do I mind? Naw. Any excuse to get off of school is fine by me.
So yeah, everyone came home for the weekend, meaning that a merry game of "Screw the Sibling" (aka "Uno") was played. For those of you who have no idea what the heck it is I mean, a game of "Uno" is usually accompanied by yells of "That's mean!", "Sorry, Mom, I guess we're cooking breakfast tomorrow because I'm about to really tick you off...", and, of course, "Screw you!" "No, Kiddo, screw you." (Hence the name.) It's really entertaining, especially when husband goes against wife and reverses, as Phil calls it, the "Cycle of Vengeance". Always a good time. You go to bed feeling like your lungs have been ripped out and stomped on because you're laughing so hard. The game has really gotten more fun with the addition of this little machine that spits cards back out at you. You never know exactly when it's going to vomit out a few cards, but sometime you can predict, depending on who's been getting the most cards when the button is pressed. (Last time, the machine really hated my mom and Chris.) And when one of us plunks down a card that makes you press the button, well... There's the family name for "Uno" being yelled. Great times, great times.
I've decided to give the church's high school choir, "Extreme", a chance, mostly because I really need something to work my voice. Only problem is, this group is pretty dang puny and I'm sick of being told that I should hold back almost any and all power from my voice to avoid outdoing everybody else. Can I help it if even when I'm honestly doing my best to blend I don't succeed? Sing louder. I could use the help. Bleh. We'll see how it goes. If I hate it, then I'll just ask if I could join the adults' choir a little prematurely.
Taekwondo is still going well. Last night's lesson was full of kicks, so my legs were feeling a little weird this morning when I first stood up. I've almost got my form down, so I'm looking to get the next tape for my belt tomorrow night. (Three tapes: Two red tapes for form, one black tape for ground, or sambo, moves. All three tapes means that you're probably ready to test for the next belt.) I think I've pretty much got my kicks down; just need to remember to aim for the leg in the first part of a low/high kick.
School's all right thus far. Tomorrow I have tests in Spanish and algebra, and at least one quiz in government. Whee. So I'll have to go scale Mount Homework tonight after choir practice.
Current Mood: Tired
Random Useless fact of the Day: The number one most annoying person in history according to "Mental_Floss"? Nostradamus. Why? For making his prophetic visions vague on purpose: Using a mixture of French, Latin, Hebrew, Italian, and Greek; including few dates and scattered geographical references; and claiming that the "people of the future" would be able to figure all that crap out. (*coughcoughWeeklyWorldNewscough*)
But do I mind? Naw. Any excuse to get off of school is fine by me.
So yeah, everyone came home for the weekend, meaning that a merry game of "Screw the Sibling" (aka "Uno") was played. For those of you who have no idea what the heck it is I mean, a game of "Uno" is usually accompanied by yells of "That's mean!", "Sorry, Mom, I guess we're cooking breakfast tomorrow because I'm about to really tick you off...", and, of course, "Screw you!" "No, Kiddo, screw you." (Hence the name.) It's really entertaining, especially when husband goes against wife and reverses, as Phil calls it, the "Cycle of Vengeance". Always a good time. You go to bed feeling like your lungs have been ripped out and stomped on because you're laughing so hard. The game has really gotten more fun with the addition of this little machine that spits cards back out at you. You never know exactly when it's going to vomit out a few cards, but sometime you can predict, depending on who's been getting the most cards when the button is pressed. (Last time, the machine really hated my mom and Chris.) And when one of us plunks down a card that makes you press the button, well... There's the family name for "Uno" being yelled. Great times, great times.
I've decided to give the church's high school choir, "Extreme", a chance, mostly because I really need something to work my voice. Only problem is, this group is pretty dang puny and I'm sick of being told that I should hold back almost any and all power from my voice to avoid outdoing everybody else. Can I help it if even when I'm honestly doing my best to blend I don't succeed? Sing louder. I could use the help. Bleh. We'll see how it goes. If I hate it, then I'll just ask if I could join the adults' choir a little prematurely.
Taekwondo is still going well. Last night's lesson was full of kicks, so my legs were feeling a little weird this morning when I first stood up. I've almost got my form down, so I'm looking to get the next tape for my belt tomorrow night. (Three tapes: Two red tapes for form, one black tape for ground, or sambo, moves. All three tapes means that you're probably ready to test for the next belt.) I think I've pretty much got my kicks down; just need to remember to aim for the leg in the first part of a low/high kick.
School's all right thus far. Tomorrow I have tests in Spanish and algebra, and at least one quiz in government. Whee. So I'll have to go scale Mount Homework tonight after choir practice.
Current Mood: Tired
Random Useless fact of the Day: The number one most annoying person in history according to "Mental_Floss"? Nostradamus. Why? For making his prophetic visions vague on purpose: Using a mixture of French, Latin, Hebrew, Italian, and Greek; including few dates and scattered geographical references; and claiming that the "people of the future" would be able to figure all that crap out. (*coughcoughWeeklyWorldNewscough*)
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