Ouch $#@!

Managed to nick my left middle finger today cutting onions. Happily it was on the side of the finger and not the tip. At least my husband took pity on me and did the dishes.

Ouch, I've been given the finger.

2008 Musical Challenge

Received my assignment for chamber music class tonight. Beethoven Piano Quartet, opus 16, Grave and Allegro in E flat Major. It's going to be lots of fun shifting for the high G, A-flat and B-flat notes. I can find the notes when I look at the fingerboard but I won't have that luxury sight reading.

This week officially marks a half year of cello study. I couldn't have imagined when I started six months ago that I would even attempt playing something as hard as this assignment by now.

Boring stats:
12/17-1/14/2008 (4 week period)
1 x Weiner Exercise
3x String crossing exercise
3x Thumb exercise
1x Trill exercise
1x Vibrato exercise
1x Prelude exercise
3x Work on Bach Bouree
1x Work on Swan
3x Scales, thirds, octaves
3x Suzuki exercises
1x Scales with drone
1x Upper bow exercise
3x Silent bow exercise
5x Long bow exercise
5x Circle bow exercise
6x Work on Bach Minuets
4x Double stop exercise
1x Reading Suzuki Cello Book I

A Real Vacation

Today, I'm off to visit a girlfriend and hang out for a week. A real vacation with nothing to do planned and lots of sleep.

Yesterday (Saturday), was a good session with SMA. My Suzuki Cello book 1 arrived Friday. One of the students played some of the tunes as memorized on violin on the viola. Since the viola is tuned the same as the cello we could play together. That was fun. Couldn't play all the notes sight reading at the tempo she took. Didn't even attempt the perpetual motion or etude that doubles all the notes. Something to work on for next time.

Wow, I Didn't Lose My Place

First chamber music class for 2008. Cold read some Beethoven Trios and although I certainly couldn't play most of the notes, I didn't lose my place! That's a first for me. Also got roped into playing a violin part for a Corelli Trio Sonata and it actually sounded pretty good -- maybe playing the cello is helping my violin playing...

Year of the Rat

FYI 2008 will be the Chinese "Year of the Rat". I thought you'd enjoy seeing my drawing of the rooster from this week's drawspace challenge instead. The Rooster's Chinese Year was 2005.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Celebrated last night by watching "Coconuts", having a glass of wine with the husband and listening to Weird Al Yankovich's version of "Peter & the Wolf"

This morning, took a 6 mile walk with a friend. It was in the 80's.
Still waiting for the promised cold spell...