(363/365a) (last palindromic day number of the year!)

palindromic photo...
"mirror(s) in the mirror"

I was very privileged to play with my dear cousin Pauli today, at the room he reserved at the KUG. 

a year ago this past new years eve, we sight read some silly stuff together, but i asked if i could crash his practice time and play with him, and he said yes. we read through some Granados and this Arvo Pärt piece.... it was so calming and relaxing, in spite of the piano having a very very very squeaky sustain pedal. I was antsy about having enough time to practice though, and I had errands to run in the city and Theodore to take from singschule to the opera (first rehearsal for Midsummer Night's Dream) so I left a little earlier than I would have liked.

Tomorrow I have a lesson with Elke, and I am going to sleep early :)

A new leaf (362/365a)

Hello Kitty!

Theodore and I found this cat on the way home. We see him/her quite frequently, but I have never stopped to take her photo. She was very camera receptive. We were on our way back together from one of Thomas' orchestra concerts (ysop), and from the abenteuerspielplatz, where I got to congratulate Fritz on becoming a grandfather. There was a guy there, who saw me with my instrument case, and asked if I played "violin or viola" ... on hearing "viola" he said "We really need a viola, do you like to play string quartets? are you good?" !!! First time for everything. The very last time I was standing in nearly the identical place, another dad asked me what I played (I also had my case with me) and he told me, with utmost confidence, that the viola is "a little bigger than the violoncello but not as big as the double bass." I didn't correct him.

The weather for the winter got me down, and so did a lot of other things. The worst is when you don't feel good despite doing the "right" things... excercising etc. But, wait, is that really the worst? What if the choice is between sad and healthy or sad and unhealthy? it's obvious what to chose, right? Logic!

More sleep, no afternoon coffees, pre-practice yoga, outside as much as possible, healthy food instead of junk, and plenty of laughing. sounds good right? To say nothing of me staying up past midnight again today because I wanted to skype longer with Labeeby. "Come what may, tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow."

Rous-sew? (361/365a)

For years, I thought this quote was by Rousseau, but it's by D.H. Lawrence, from his posthumous papers.
From earliest childhood, let us have independence, independence, self-dependence. Every child to do all it can for itself, wash and dress itself, clean its own boots, brush and fold its own clothes, fetch and carry for itself, mend its own stockings, boys or girls alike, patch its own garments, and as soon as possible make as well as mend for itself. Man and woman are happy when they are busy, and children the same.

I originally read it in the Idle Parent, where it was referenced tongue-in-cheekily to point out how little we ourselves do at home now, even as adults. I wasn't planning on it, but I kept promising Felix to fix the ever-growing hole in the seam of his snowsuit, and I also kept putting it off, either thinking of it too late at night, or when we weren't home. We designated today as "sew day" and yet I still didn't find time to do it. I spend the day practicing and since it was so nice we spent lots of time outside. Well, all of a sudden, in flies Felix, not "allowed" to play football, mad, and angry, trailing his snowsuit behind him, and without saying another word, starts sewing the seam. He doesn't stop until he's done. Then he brings me a blanket that also needed sewing, and tells me I have to do that now, or else I'll be cold at night.

theading the needle

mending the snowsuit

In the last ten minutes before I left for quintet rehearsal I sewed my blanket back together. It was more than rehearsal. We got to preview our new video, record a new piece, and build castles in the air for the future.

Empty Monday (360/365)

Glorious day to do nothing at all...
...sunny and not too hot

lazy in the morning...
...coffee and talk

we sadly waved goodbye to the slovenians... we found out later in the evening that it took them several extra hours to get home, because of the need of a tow truck due to coolant leak.

meanwhile brian took the kids the long way (nice walk on a nice day) to jackie and andi for dinner time and i got some time to myself
i did some work on my prefaces, finished the one about the Bargiel Octet. Phew! only 6 months after my own self-imposed deadline. better late than never. I did some photo editing, i caught up on my blog posts, and got to see some john oliver and eat some cake. very productive. then i dressed myself nice and warmly (probably too warmly) and walked myself over.

andi took this photo through the window

spring is officially here - dinner is outside!

father and daughter

i looked it up, in anticipation of the end of this week... to print this blog would be nearly 450 pages and cost, well, a lot....

Happy Easter-Foolsday! (359/365a)

Today is both Easter, and April Fool's Day.

centa went on an ostrich egg hunt in osterreich

another early morning [i left alone at 8, after finishing the easter bread and other such things]

the others came to easter service in Puntigam, where the slovenians, atheists and children sat in the front row, not knowing when to stand and sit haha. at an hour and a quarter it was too long for everyone, but the music was good!

at home centa prepared the egg hunt, the dinner table, the surprises, and we had quite a good time eating all the foods. :)

hidden in plain sight

the spread

henry found an egg.
martin points to the egg-carton: i also found an egg

dinner left the adults nearly comatose. naps were staggered, but eventually we all got to go together for a walk... (well, brian was still sleeping on the floor, but there was only so much daylight left) ... the sun was shining (in opposition to what the weather report said) and we sang the ave verum on the way, and an easter song that felix learned in chorus that he was very invested in us learning. we looked at the ducks along the mur, soaked in the spring, and didn't walk very far so that everyone would stay in a good mood.

we were all still full from easter breakfast, so those who needed food just grazed.

we made a gigantic easter fire at dusk, sang in 4 part harmony (for 8 measures, brian sang bass, otherwise it was just 3-part) played some card games. we did not stay up late tonight, but i tried contact juggling under mary's tutelage.

new video recording and Slovenians arrive! (358/365a)

charades

Video recording today starting at 8:30, that meant makeup at 7:30, that meant leaving at 7, that meant waking up...... too early, especially after yesterday's late night.

I got back from the recording right before Mary and Martin arrived with Agnes. The easter bread making was in full swing, eggs had been boiled (more than half of them had cracked!) shopping had been done.

then in the evening easter vigil mass (first time centa or i had been in a church here where "nobody did anything mean" ... )... i got there a little after 6pm for rehearsal, and mass finished a little after 10pm. theodore was still awake, ostensibly to wait for the easter fire, so we tried a tiny easter fire, that is, 2 branches of our dried out christmas tree, and i sang the melody from the ave verum, then theodore was off to bed. so from 10:30pm till 1am centa, brian and i cooked and cleaned so that pretty much everything would be ready for tomorrow morning. tonight will be another short night.

good friday (357/365a)

all the favorites

Almost not home at all today.... early morning rehearsal with quintet, we tried out new arrangements of wedding music, and also practiced some things for our next recordings. barely home, just for some food, although there was the idea of fasting... then good friday service. we played the 7 last words again, but Nadja played the cello instead of Olena, so we had to go through the music a few hours in advance. The church was in Gratkorn, very old fashioned, and very nice.

who cleans the cobwebs off the ceiling at church?

don't know how we're going to get all the family/tradition stuff done for easter.....