Its official: one of the courses I’ve enrolled in this fall (Color) is being taught by the mother of one of my violin students, who also lives just down the street from me. This could get awkward very quickly.

In other news, I had quite a lovely interview with Picture People in Annapolis on Monday and understand fully that they need to contact my references and their district manager before hiring me. Honestly, I expect a call back by the end of this week, but who knows. The place certainly looked swamped and in need of some love when I went in. And I thought the photo lab in the castle was gross…

Also, the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival was absolutely amazing. I was too enthralled (and sweaty) to take any pictures, but Matt and I have resolved to go every year from now on, so photos will be coming eventually. We saw performances (all wonderful) from Shemekia Copeland, Junkyard Saints, The Bernard Allison Band, Catfish Hodge, Three Dog Night, The Melanie Mason Band, and Robert Randolph and The Family Band, not to mention a harmonica workshop. Everyone there was friendly, etc etc. I bought some beautiful jewelry from these guys, and we ate the best Gyros either of us had ever tasted. All in all: success.

Categories: Home, Job Hunt, Music
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Orchestra: today 4-6, tomorrow 10-4, Sunday 2:30-4

As much as I love Bloch’s Sacred Service and enjoy playing with choir… this paper is not going to write itself. In a way it saddens me to think I’m writing my final final-paper for who knows how long. Not that I really enjoy writing, but its a rite of passage I’ve grown used to.

I’ll be home next weekend to photograph a wedding on the 21st and see all the of beautiful people I missed over Easter Break. Perhaps sometime then I’ll work on this paper. And can I say that I do not appreciate upper-level final papers with specific prompts? I’ve been following your syllabus all semester, can you please let me explore what I want now?

Although I suppose a paper on how Jekyll&Hyde foreshadowed super heros isn’t too in line with the class, but it would make for an interesting argument.

Categories: Crusading, Music
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Within the next week or so I should be hearing back from both MICA and SCAD on different subjects. It all depends on money though, unforunately. On that vein, I’ve applied for ten full-time photography jobs and heard back from none. Starting next weekend I’ll apply to jobs decidedly not in my field, because I’ve got to do something that gets me health insurance.

Other than that, I’m just trying to finish up two papers (before Easter Break next Thursday) in between all of these orchestra rehearsals. I’ve got a gig-thing with the Bloomsburg Community Orchestra just helping them out for the spring oncert, but its pretty much taking my entire tomorrow and Sunday. I’ll be home next weekend and decidedly working, but no one’s perfect.

For now its off to the gym, class, and pleny of work to keep Friday feeling like a Monday.

Oh right and then there was that part where Sarah came up last weekend. We went into Philadelphia to hit the Liberty bell, Independence Hall, and Franklin Institute. There were cheesesteaks at an almost-sketchy diner and a dinner of cereal. Overall: awesome.

Categories: Crusading, Home, Music
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Because using people’s images without their permission is my forte.

Orchestra Tour:

St. Purim Party:

Categories: Music, Photography
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Until that time, here’s my electronic music project, cleverly labeled “Project 1“.

Exciting update: Take the time to read this paragraph. Its the funniest thing I’ve EVER run across in a scholarly article.

“In a fascinating piece of research last year, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that most toilets flush in E-flat. This is naturally a phenomenon of crucial concern to Wagnerians. The story related by Wagner in Mein Leben concerning the musical inspiration for the opening of the Ring is well known. Lodging in La Spezia in September 1853, Wagner took to his hotel bed, tired and debilitated by dysentery. He fell into a trance-like sleep and it was in that state that he thought he heard rushing water that gradually coalesced into E-flat arpeggios. This, he claimed, marked the inception of Das Rheingold, though scholarship has sometimes taken a more sceptical view. With the new American research we may perhaps be forced to revise our thinking. If toilets flush in E-flat, could the initial inspiration for the Ring actually have been the flushing of an Italian lavatory cistern?” (source)

Categories: Music
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I should really be doing further Wagner research right now, but here are some exciting photos from my Honors Band escapades.

I stood behind them:

Show me more… »

Categories: Music, Photography
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“Who, for example, has not had occasion to become convinced that what goes on at the present day [1850] in an ordinary synagogue is the merest caricature of Church-song? Who has not been shocked and held to the spot, partly by horror and partly by a sense of their absurdity, at hearing those gurgling, jodeling and babbling sounds confusive of all trace of sense and spirit…?” – Richard Wagner, Judaism in Music

I don’t suppose that any of Wagner’s Jewish friends (for there were indeed many of them) thought to say: “Richard, buddy… you know how our religion has been around for thousands of years longer than yours? Yeah I’m pretty sure your worship music evolved from ours. And honestly, Church-song hasn’t even changed in 300 years. Do you understand the Latin of your service any better than you understand the Hebrew of ours? Asshole.”

But that’s just my opinion.

For the record, it really needs to stop snowing, at least long enough for the lovely Physical Plant employees to shovel the sidewalks around here. Either that or it needs to snow enough that both the Honors Band Festival and the Orchestra Cram Session are cancelled this weekend. The latter situation not looking hopeful, I need to get back to research.

And here are those new hair/glasses photos you all asked for about a month ago…

Categories: Crusading, Music
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