Monday, March 8, 2010

The Impromptu Solo (and other wandering thoughts)

Well, I dried out and warmed up - so life got exceedingly better later on Sunday evening. Today was busy with violin practice, Master's swim, strength/core work, random errands, and then to top everything off - a 3.5 hour dress rehearsal with the symphony.

It was a long day.

But...a HAPPY long day.

And by 9:45 pm, I could (literally) feel all systems shutting down. Thankfully at rehearsal (and because I'm sitting in the 2nd violin section) - my part isn't too difficult. No uber-tricky passages or complicated rhythmic sections. There is, however - a lot of measures of rest during another unpronounceable Polish composer's symphony. Which means I have to think and count - two things that at the end of the day - get annoyingly tricky.

I only totally embarrassed myself once by LOUDLY playing the wrong note. Unfortunately, it was when the entire orchestra was supposed to be silent. It echoed...around the entire performance hall (the acoustics are lovely, I might add). Yes - I earned my first stare from the conductor, and he made everyone do it again. Oops.

I had a momentary flashback of running hill repeats during Cross-Country season in high school. I lost count of which repeat I had just completed, and my coach made me start over from scratch. And when I complained...he made everyone else on the team restart their repeats well. Suffice to say, I learned my lesson - and never complained about Coach Payne's instructions (yes - his actual name was "Payne".)

Back to the Symphony. Trust me - my one-note solo wasn't intentional. After swimming and lifting and too-many-hours-of-violin-practice-to-count, I could no longer be held accountable for my actions. Hopefully it won't happen at this weekend's concerts.

Gulp.


Driving home, though - I found my mind wandering with random bits. Let me share...

-I'm flummoxed at the recent Nutella commercials. If you don't know what Nutella is - let me paraphrase: It's this incredibly yummy, but highly calorific hazelnut/chocolate spread. Heaven. NOT good for you by any means.... Nutella is trying to market itself as "part of a complete and healthy breakfast." I think there's even a line in there about kids eating toast because its covered with Nutella.

Dude - you could cover vegetables with the stuff and kids would lick it off. Part of a "balanced" breakfast, my ass. Which, coincidentally - is exactly where the Nutella will end up if you eat too much of it.

-TLC's "Our Little Life" MUST be a cross between "Little People, Big World" and "John and Kate + 8". And I can't believe I'm watching it. (But in my defense... I just got back from a 3.5 hour rehearsal...).

-Anabelle is afraid of our automatic garbage can. It's operated on battery power and opens when you hold your hand over the sensor - I love it. The cat, however, is afraid.

-Someone at Master's asked if I was racing Oceanside 70.3, and I couldn't stop laughing. For real. Just in case you were wondering...absolutely not. No way. And I'm actually...really happy about that.

-I think Bison Stir Fry with Quinoa will be my new staple this year, instead of Tofu Stir Fry with Brown Rice. Nathaniel will like the meat-part, probably won't enjoy the Quinoa. I don't think he could even pronounce it....

-I'm running track tomorrow night with Charisa and her running peeps. I've wanted to be a part of this running group for SO LONG - but it just didn't seem to fit in with last year's race schedule and objectives. This year is MUCH different - and I can't wait. It's been 10+ years since I ran with a team of any sort on a track...Um...I'm a little nervous...like I have butterflies in my stomach. But another part of me knows that this has been a LONG time coming - yea!

-Its been two days since I had a diet coke. There must be something wrong with me. I'm slightly alarmed.

-For the first time in recent memory - I watched The Oscars specifically for the fashion. I've NEVER done that before...In my defense, I was still trying to de-thaw from yesterday's rain-soaked bike ride.

-I also watched bits of the "Mantracker" Marathon on the Science Channel. But that wasn't for the fashion (although cowboy hats are sort of hot). Actually - I think being on the show with Nathaniel would be A LOT of fun. He's awesome at Land Navigation, in great shape, and we love the outdoors and hiking together. This would just bump up the intensity a bit... Kind of like a mix of "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" - but you don't get eliminated (only caught). Plus...its filmed in awesome locations...we'll see....

-I watched a lot of TV post ride yesterday. I think the cold numbed my brain - oops. Perhaps another reason for my impromptu solo at tonight's rehearsal.

-But I ALSO de-thawed Mom's Czech dumplings and sauteed the pieces with eggs and egg whites. I covered everything in ketchup and it was THE BEST cold-workout recovery food EVER.

-Someone Special gets home sometime on Friday. And no, not a House Monster... I CAN'T WAIT!

As long as I survive tomorrow's track workout, things should be great for the rest of the week. More rehearsals, some great workouts on the schedule, a few concerts over the weekend, and the love of my life returning after being gone for a while...can't get much better!

17 comments:

San said...

Oh, track running is so fun. When you can hold up, which I never can. Ahem.

Mini-Solo LoL, Might be that your subconciousness wants to tell ya, that you should play 1. violin. ;-)
Oh, I would like to go to a concert again, but it should be movie music. Lord of the rings would be cool. I missed it in 2007.

Enjoy the rest of your week, don't worry about the concerts, you'll do fine.

ADC said...

Lance Armstrong eats nutella and since we saw that we are eating it too :)))

Beth said...

I hope the track workout goes well today Marit - I'm sure it will!! Track work with a group is as awesome as masters swim - so much better to do it with others!! YEAHHHH!! :)

Jennifer Harrison said...

I know you have waited a long time for track - so enjoy tonight!! I love that you are playing your violin and loving it so much!! What a great thing.

Nutella: I think others have had recent problems w/ that stuff, too. For some reason, I like it but not that much (phew!).

Have fun tonight!

Rebecca DeWire said...

I think it is so cool that you are part of the symphony. I didn't even know that you were a talented violinist until recently.

Enjoy your track workout, sounds like fun (but also painful)!

Dave said...

Back in college, we would make impromptu soloists stand up, wave to the band, and acknowledge their mistake. So at least you just got a stare. :)

Trigirlpink said...

No diet coke in 2 days?? The HORROR!

Violins and more violins.. I'm becoming very educated in the world of violin concertos and Mendendelssohn work. Mr. Totenberg has about 8 BU grad students coming to the house every week for lessons.

Molly said...

Confession: I've never had Nutella and really have no interest in doing so - the thought of it just doesn't appeal to me.

Angela and David said...

Have fun at the track!

The thought of sitting and counting in an orchestra would terrify me. I'm so impressed. I struggle just to keep the beat to music.

Ahhh, Nutella. Yet another product we can't have in our home.

Heidi Austin, PT, DPT said...

im so freakin obsessed with nutella. i eat it all of the time now. i know it's not healthy but i can't say no. if i could only forget my feelings of entitlement.... that won't happen anytime soon.

but have fun with your running buddies. sounds fun to me.

cherelli said...

Mmmm, nutella. That - and other sugary foods - was banned from our house growing so whenever I had sleepovers at a friends one of the first things I'd ask was "do you have Nutella?" closely followed by "do you have Fruit Loops?"...it kills me they try to say it's healthy. In Grade 12 choir we entered a regional competition singing John Lennons "Imagine" - I misstimed the length of a pause between verses, belted out a half word and then repeated myself as everyone else started. Embarrassing (but we still won!)...good luck on stage in your performance!

Maria said...

Wow, those are quite the thoughts. First off, I'm sure youre very excited about Friday, I can relate to the S.O. being gone for chunks of time.
I hope the track run went well.
You should probably start posting videos of your house monsters, I would love to see a cat reacting to an automatic garbage can!

D said...

You had me until "no diet coke..." Unacceptable. You better have had (at least) one by now.

And I'm totally with Molly on the Nutella. Blah.

Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete said...

haha. that orchestra moment totally reminded me of my clarinet playing days! Yes, the entire band had to remarch a section after I messed up. Crazy.

have fun with the track meetup!

Damie said...

Marit-
What do you mean Nutella is not good for you? I am kind of in a panic because I eat the stuff daily. spoonful here, spoonful there. SHoot!!!!!! okay, i want to hear more symphony stories- I wasn't sure if you were doing it in Cali. I think that is so awesome. I played piano for 12+ years and finally expressed my teenage hate enough my mom let me stop. Of course I was never close to your level, but I can respect how hard it is to do what you do! you are talented!!!!

Runner Leana said...

I think it is so great that you are playing with a symphony! When I was younger I really wanted to be a part of a symphony too...but the sad part is that they just don't need that many clarinets and I'm just not good enough. But I did really enjoy playing in high school and throughout part of university until I school became too busy.

And what? Nutella isn't good for you? But those commercials say it is? I do enjoy a nutella and marmalade sandwich every now and then...idea courtesy of Ryan!

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