Managed to distract myself entirely at work today with the following three books: "Occasional Essays in Musicology" about Australian music, a biography of Peter Cook (<3) and "Slonimsky's Book of Musical Anecdotes". I will quote to you from it. You KNOW you want to read it.

How I do adore musicians.

COMPOSER ANECDOTES
( Mozart's Nose )
( Tales of Rossini )
( The Musical Fan )
( Chopin and the Skeleton ** )
( Debussy ** )

MUSIC QUOTES
( Some musical quotations )
( Musical Definitions )

MUSICAL DOCUMENTATION
( Music Criticism - Pleasant and Unpleasant ** )
( Modulating Birthdays )
( Translations into French ** )

MUSICAL MISCELLANEUM
( Rimsky, arranged by Korsakov )
( Half an Octave Down )
( A (really bad) musical joke )
( One Sharp )
( A Musical Offering )
( Ah, Hindemith! )
( Figured Bass ** )

Have been typing for two and a half hours now. Deeply concerning. Is 12:45am.

Good-looking Frenchman ahoy!

total work done on extension 2 = 0%.
total work done on music 2 composition = 100%.

music for the win!

I can't say anything, really. I have only pictures to express my utmost joy.



( IT'S HARPTASTIC. )

My teacher brought it over yesterday morning, replaced a couple of strings and showed me everything about it, and then we all drank tea and Dad talked to him at length about red shift and blue shift.

Then I played until I had torn off the skin on my fingers.

I'm only online to find the music for Dowland's "Lachrimae Antiquae", and then it's back to the back room...

Only drawback is that I now definately can't come on Road Trip. Sorry.

But - I HAVE A PEDAL HARP!

And GOD, it was expensive.

( Btw; for those who do Ancient... )

Sue and I are going to organise something in the second week of the holidays where y'all come to my house and we watch a) Scrubs, and b) The Prestige. So anyone who wants to come and see the harp, come then!

Oh, LOVE.

The whole "come to my house and watch movies" thing doesn't seem to be working quite so well.

Here's a new proposition.

Come to my house and watch LotR movies. Yes, all of them. With the projector. Extended editions. And as many of the extras that we can fit in before we pass out from sleep deprivation.

Sounds fun?

You know you want to.

I'll give you my Brave New World notes.

Please?

And off into the morning sun,
She strides, and flinches 'neath the glare,
To attend to a business that must be done,
Suff'ring from a panic not at all rare
That one sees in schoolgirls, bright and young
With sparking eyes and tossing hair,
Who go to sit examinations
To showcase their studies and dedications.

But for now she skips the building tall
And joins her friends in tête-à-tête
(Without mention of the examining hall
Or forebodings upon being late).
In coffee, one often forgets all
Distractions to one's current state.
And glowing teeth and glowing braces
Shine forth from these enthusiast faces.

Then down to each unfriendly table,
And ev'ry cold unfeeling chair,
The students sweep; hardly able
To breathe within the stifling air.
Name, class, date: they mark the label,
And study the paper, chaste and fair.
Until the teacher booms: "Commence."
And sheerest panic leads onwards hence.

Flicking thus through ev'ry page,
("If only I had studied more!")
Past ev'ry section, task and stage,
("Is it a) or b)? I can't be sure!")
And ev'ry question divines such rage!
("If I run, can I make it to the door...?")
These hysterical proceedings are not infrequent.
(Especially when said student is rather piquant.)

And on it reels, 'til the cry: "pens down!"
How rare that action matches the phrase!
In nib-scratching the authorative voices drown,
Until teachers wake students from their daze.
They float out like opium-addicts, all heads bowed.
(But Minerva has induced their haze).
Then home again, to work away -
To-morrow will be like today.

^"On Trials and Tribulations". Impressions recorded during last year's School Certificate, I exhumed and edited the manuscript last week as I judge it to be particularly relevant at this time.

For a moment Lord John's eyes blazed, and then, with a tremendous effort, he mastered his anger and leaned back in his seat with arms folded and a bitter smile upon his face. To me all this was dreadful and deplorable. Like a wave, the memory of the past swept over me, the good comradeship, the happy, adventurous days—all that we had suffered and worked for and won. That it should have come to this—to insults and abuse! Suddenly I was sobbing—sobbing in loud, gulping, uncontrollable sobs which refused to be concealed. My companions looked at me in surprise. I covered my face with my hands.

"It's all right," said I. "Only — only it is such a pity!"

"You're ill, young fellah, that's what's amiss with you," said Lord John. "I thought you were queer from the first."

"Your habits, sir, have not mended in these three years," said Summerlee, shaking his head. "I also did not fail to observe your strange manner the moment we met. You need not waste your sympathy, Lord John. These tears are purely alcoholic. The man has been drinking. By the way, Lord John, I called you a coxcomb just now, which was perhaps unduly severe. But the word reminds me of a small accomplishment, trivial but amusing, which I used to possess. You know me as the austere man of science. Can you believe that I once had a well-deserved reputation in several nurseries as a farmyard imitator? Perhaps I can help you to pass the time in a pleasant way. Would it amuse you to hear me crow like a cock?"

"No, sir," said Lord John, who was still greatly offended, "it would not amuse me."

(A. C. Doyle)

I love studying medieval music.

Stages of Courtly Love

♥ Attraction to the lady, usually via eyes/glance.
♥ Worship of the lady from afar.
♥ Declaration of passionate devotion.
♥ Virtuous rejection by the lady.
♥ Renewed wooing with oaths of virtue and eternal fealty.
♥ Moans of approaching death from unsatisfied desire (and other physical manifestations of lovesickness).
♥ Heroic deeds of valor which win the lady's heart.
♥ Consummation of the secret love.
♥ Endless adventures and subterfuges avoiding detection.

I've been putting this off for a week but I know if I leave it any longer I'm going to forget everything... I haven't summarised the second act yet though it's all so clear in my memory. Anyway this is a full, unabridged review of my recent experience of "Jekyll and Hyde" the musical in Townsville. It was an amateur production, but "amateur" in finance alone - the only reason it must be classified as such is because the actors weren't getting paid.

Please also forgive my wonderous and wide-eyed attention to detail - this is the first time I have ever seen the show and I don't know what things are commonplace in this version of the production. Just bear with me.

Also bear in mind that there are lots of details and things I picked up on because I saw the show twice - 4th February, to be exact - at 2pm and again at 8pm. I'd love to scan in the program pictures and such but for copyright reasons I'm afraid I can't. So you'll have to make do with my limited command of the language... and now without further ado, I will begin.

( J&H Review, 4th Feb, Civic Centre Townsville QLD )

Hmm. That took me several hours. I should really go and finish my art essay now.

*tips hat*

Bye for a while.

Ok, ok, Tristan. Try not to die of happiness.

*hyperventilates*

I HAVE THE WHOLE LESTAT! PREVIEW! LIVE! ON MP3!

^&*#%$_)*^%$*(&#^&#(

So trade with me, y'all! (List)

Life rocks.

Not really.

Did I just say that?

Marry me, Arthur Kipps.

Taking this with a lot of trepardation...

( Girly Quiz Thing. )

Nabii, I think I did worse than you...

In other news, I want a stuffed Shonn Wiley.

I think that would freak him out a little, though.