Beijing and Beihai

http://travelgalitz.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/beijing-and-beihai/

Cleaning the Closet

I was looking for a map of Shanghai in the hallway closet and found unexpected gems. This closet is full of antique mysterious flotsam. I tossed maps and souvenirs of places forgotten with time. Exhumed ancient mementos. Cleansed binders of scholarly pursuits of yore. I was pleased to find my very first Chinese lessons from 1992. Since I wrote everything like it sounded to me back then, I had fun trying to interpret my notes. I discovered a poem that I just re-learned this year. I remembered learning a song but hadn't heard it since and couldn't remember the name. Just considered it a casualty of time. Found the song in my notes and then on the net. I remembered the melody as being pretty and find that my opinion hasn't changed. Here it is. It's a little jazzier than the version I learned but the melody is basically the same.

Summertime

Once again I have fallen into the no practice mode of summertime. After chamber music class stopped in April, I haven't felt compelled. Did join my husband to play continuo at some early music recorder workshop sessions. The music was pleasant and within my range for sightreading.

Vacation begins in two weeks -- I'll be off to China for 33 days to study Mandarin and plan to spend a couple of days at the Shanghai Expo. Then my sister-in-law invited me to join her at a Eastern European Folk Life Workshop in upstate New York for the second week in August.

August 23rd school starts and I begin working on my Master's Degree.

Neat

The magnet school I help out has been just listed as one of six finalists in the White House Commencement Challenge. Pretty neat, huh? http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/notifying-commencement-challenge-finalists

One Down One To Go

We had about 10 minutes to rehearse before the recital with the guest violinist. Last movement went too slow but we'll get another chance to play on Friday. I'm surprised at how well one can hear the cello part even with the mute on :)