oboeinsight

The weather is so much better now. Whew! This means that I actually slept straight through the night. NIce.

I’ve painted my studio. I thought I’d just get started today—maybe do one wall or at least edge things. But the thing is, once I begin I may as well finish because I hate cleaning the roller and brush. So, aside from the touching up I’ll know I’ll have to do, the painting is done. I’m quite happy with the color, too! Wallpapering is next on the agenda.

Dan replaced the ceiling light. It’s amazing how something as simple as a ceiling light can change the way things look, you know?

And I have some new students! What great fun it is to get some new oboists in the studio. It’s even more fun to think they’ll actually really BE in a studio soon!

So lots of exciting news. Lots of good things going on around here.

I really should have thought to take a “before” picture of what will be my studio. But of course I didn’t. And it’s too late now! (When I know I have to do something with a room I usually do something to it that will force me to get to it. In this case it was ripping off the wallpaper border. I’ve also hauled out a ton of furniture and it’s sitting in the hallway which is quite inconvenient. (Yes, I do this all myself … call me muscles! I’ve been thinking, in fact, of dropping my exercise club membership since this sort of work really does qualify as exercise and I’m realizing I can’t continue to pay for the membership anyway.)

So you may get an “after” picture here, but that’s it. Oh well. There are still a few things in the room which don’t allow me to begin the work; Dan has a desk in the room that needs moving and I think it’s too heavy for yours truly. It’s also a nice piece of furniture (we don’t have much of that sort!) and I don’t want to damage it. And the ceiling light has to be changed because … well, this is going to sound very weird … it smells incredibly horrible after being on for about 10 minutes. I can’t work in the room without good light, so I need something up there. One thing I don’t (and won’t) do is any kind of work with electricity. I’m a wimp that way.

I’m also realizing that one thing leads to another. (Duh.) From the soon-to-be studio window I look out on ivy that is growing up the side of the house (I hate ivy!) and it’s nearly reached the window. Can’t have that! So perhaps this weekend (should it not be as hot) I’ll be working there too. (Another great way to get exercise, right?)

Today is my biggest teaching day, so it’s off to exercise (while I still have the membership I’d better use it!) and then it’s oboe time.

And about today’s MQOD: I’ve never heard Brahms’ Violin Concerto in an elevator. Have you?

I found wallpaper at a fabulous price today. (It was returned, so they were selling it at a very good price!) The background is very neutral, with thin gold stripes and a larger black stripe. (I was planning on choosing stripes because I’m not in the mood to do any matching of pattern at all. This should really be a breeze! I also think I’ve found the paint color I want. And I thought I found the carpet, but then I read up on it and found that it wouldn’t be a wise buy; apparently olefin is not a wise choice. I’ve also measured the room, and it seems that while the room is 10’5″ X 11’1″ I have to purchase by the yard. Rats. This means I have to go with 11 X 12.

But first things first. Painting is #1, wallpapering #2. Carpet is last on the list, and may not even be a possibility, what with no playing work and all.

It’s exciting to think about this room. It’s not exciting to think about the work.

And isn’t that life?
—–

because you did a search on

nude pics of patricia mitchell

Forget about it!
(There must be some famous Patricia Mitchell I’m unfamiliar with. Anyone want to enlighten me?)
—–

As I suspected, it wasn’t the conductor. But the whole plot was so … so … operatic.
—–

Well, well, well … do the Giants deliberately lose just to make me sad? I wonder.

And I was rereading my last entry and in reading what I cut and pasted from another site …:

An Oboe has a special sound all unto it’s own that creates a feeling no other instrument can.

Heh … so not only do they write weirdly, they write poorly. C’mon folks: it’s=it is. Figure it out. It’s easy.

And yeah, I realize they aren’t saying an oboe is a form of music, but that oboe music is somehow a form of music. And I’m guessing what they are saying is really this:

Oboe is far superior to all other instruments. It can be more expressive than anything else, and yet can still be witty , fanciful, march like and, well, do anything any other instrument can do … only better! So choose a fine oboist for your next event and you will be more than happy. Your life will change. You will become whole. And you’ll understand the meaning of life.

I suppose I ought to offer my writing expertise to the company who was promoting the every-so-fab oboe!

But moving on …I have to say that playing for church today was really good for my heart.
—–

Another hot day in San Jose.
Too hot to think, to hot to play.
I really should attempt to wind
a reed or two. But never mind.

There. Poetry of sorts. Or not. I really need to go back to my feeble sonnet attempts. I know I’d never be good enough to be published, but I did enjoy the work.

I went through all of my poetry books yesterday. I had forgotten how many I had, how many I need to read again, and it was nice to see they don’t lose their value as much as fiction does. Not that I’ll part with any books; I get rather attached to them.

Referer Check: Someone landed here because of a search on oboe + player + salary. My answer? For now: ZILCH.

Sigh.

I did play at church today, and it felt so good to make some music for real live ears. Yes, I play at home just “for fun” (or practice), but it’s kind of nice to have someone listening. I guess it makes it more purposeful, and certainly, when playing at church, it becomes more meaningful.

So how have I been wasting my not-so-precious time? With the lack of work I’m watching a lot of Giants games. Unfortunately they aren’t always obliging with happy wins. What’s with that, I ask you?

Next week I believe I’ll begin the Destruction of Kelsey’s Room™. It’s time. Or past time. It’s just difficult to get up the energy to hop to it. I have wallpaper to remove, and lots of painting. I’ve never painted a ceiling before and I’m really hoping for some help (Ohhhh Daaaan!). The carpet desperately needs replacing, so I’m hoping to find some great deal. It’s a small space, so surely I can afford something … yes? And bookshelves. I need bookshelves. For lots of books, CDs and music.

If I had limitless funds I’d put in double doors … maybe pocket style … so that students could easily see into the room when they arrive for lessons. Alas, that can’t happen. So I’ll have to locate myself in a place in the room where students can manage to spot me, and I them, as they approach our front door. (My practice has been “If you see me come right on in” and I’d like to continue that. I don’t like to disrupt one lesson to open the door for the next student, and I warm up before the first student so I prefer they just come in to the room.)

Oboe: A form of music?
I ran across this paragraph at a site advertising music for events:

Oboe Music is one of the most popular forms of live music for Events. An Oboe has a special sound all unto it’s own that creates a feeling no other instrument can. A talented Oboe Player can take any style of music and give it a special twist to suit their own instrument. Keep the Champagne and Caviar flowing the night is just getting started!

So … we are a popular form of live music, eh? :-)
—–

“You are excused. You are entitled to a one year exemption. Thank you for your service.”

So there you go. Checking the website twice each day, not knowing if I could go anywhere, and I was never called. Now that it’s over I do my typical pattything™ and think, “Well, gee, I think I would have made a great juror, and it would have been sort of fun to be in on a case.”

Yeah. I’m weird that way.

In BookLand News …
The program I use for my book records links to Amazon and gives me a value for most of the books I own (some are not on file, usually because they are too old I guess). They suggest that two of my oboe books are worth hundreds of dollars. Heh. I have a sneakin’ suspicion they are wrong. But if anyone wants to buy Oboe Reed Styles for $499 I guess I’d be willing to part with it! ;-)

Because of that, though, I’m going to go back through to the bags of books I’m dumping to see if there’s anything there I should actually be saving. One thing this program can’t do, though, is give me a value for an autographed book. Of course I’ve read that most autographs don’t make a difference in value, but I would still like to check and see if some books change in value due to one (say, for instance, Stories of Ray Bradbury).

Books, I am being reminded, love dust. Skin does not love dust. I can’t believe how dirty some are, and how hard all of this work is on my hands. I guess it’s good that I have no work right now, eh? (I’m trying—ever so hard—to look on the bright side of having no jobs.)

As my husband observed, I’m in cleaning mode right now. Lack of work, hot days, and a messy, cluttered house all contributed to this. I’m bagging and boxing and throwing things away. I like to do this, but I always have to be careful; I tend to want or need something about a week after I get rid of it. Still, there’s something so freeing about getting rid of things. And I do love a clean house! It runs a close second to loving a good reed.

But cleaning a house is much easier and more likely for this OboeReedKiller™.
—–

Someone landed here when doing a search on booing at concerts etiquette.

Hmmm.

Is there ettiquette on booing? Should we boo on a certain pitch, or for a certain amount of time?

The only hard and fast rule I can think of is this: Never boo at the oboe or English horn players!
—–

my old oboe …??

Well, no, please don’t. But it’s been reported that a man’s ashes were put into his clarinet (with the remaining ashes “in the lining of the clarinet case” whatever that means).

Hmmm.

I honestly don’t care what someone does with this old body of mine once I’ve departed this earth. But please, sell the darn instruments! I can’t imagine just putting my oboes and English horn in the ground. I might not be in working order anymore, but I’m thinking they’ll still be okay.

Got it?

(If someone does insist on placing me in an oboe buy a Linton and use that. Please.)

In Other News…
I check at 10:00 to see if I have jury duty. My guess is that if I’ve made it this far into the week I’m not going in, but of course I won’t know for sure until I’ve made it through Friday.

Unfortunately while I didn’t have to go in yesterday I did have two of my four students cancel on me. One cancelled for a legitimate reason, the other did not. I wish students understood … I wish their parents understood! … that this is how I make my (not very good) living. The student who cancelled for a poor reason wasn’t charged as it was her first offense, but I’m starting to rethink that “first offense” rule. They should know better, as they’ve all read my student policies.

Meanwhile…
It’s too darn hot. Heat makes it difficult to want to do anything. So mostly I’m playing around with Delicious Library and “iSighting” (yes, I turned it into a verb) all of my books. Well, nearly all; this is making me clean out the books I know I don’t have any interest in. So far I’ve put together two bags of “charity books” and two bags of journals. (Unfortunately charities and libraries won’t take my journals. Sigh. Such a waste, but I know I’ll not read them again, so I guess they’ll go into the recycling next week.) The program is wonderful; all I have to do is scan the barcode and it enters most of the books. Some, either too old or too obscure, I manage to get in by entering the ISBN number myself. When the books are entered most even show up as little book icons with the actual front cover and all. (Some of my books are a little too obscure to get that treatment, though.) I did the family room books yesterday. (They are then going into bags until I get the oboe studio up and running.) Today it’s the bedroom bookshelves (one bookshelf of fiction, one of poetry). I’m not sure if I’ll attempt to tackle the ones in Dan’s office, but if I do I’ll only be scanning my books—I think all my Faulkner is in there and I’m not sure what else. Then I want to figure out how to organize them, and keep notes on them. It’s a cool program. But all this rambling … it is more than you need to know, eh?

What I really should do, of course, is practice. But in this heat. Ugh. I feel like I’d keel over and die.

And then someone would find me with my oboe at my side and suggest I should be buried with—if not in—it.

Oooh. But you could bury me with my oboe reeds. They are already dead anyway.