Blimey! The weeks seem to be flying by...you know what they say about having fun etc! I'd say that finally I am settled in America and I have made enough friends already to see me through the yr (although a few more are always very welcome!). I also realise that my weekly blog is more like an 8 day blog and although I have the intention to do it every Monday, it doesn't always (in fact most of the time) happen! I'm currently in the music building computer lab on an applemac computer and obviously struggling, but I didn't want to admit defeat when the guy on the desk asked me whether I would mind using one! Anyways enough general chitchat...let's crack on with week 3...
In contrast to last weekend, with cars, trips to Dallas and big steaks, we had quite a reserved (and personally very welcomed) chilled out weekend. I met up with my wind trio on Saturday (2fl and a cl) and had a very productive practice. I'm pretty excited about playing in the recital hall fairly soon as we've picked some wicked repertoire to play. Whilst in the library, which incidentally is incredible, I was chatting to the guy on the music check out desk who happened to be a composer. He was really excited to hear about my trio and is going to write us a piece to perform at the end of the semester :0) You should check out his website, www.brittandrewburns.com (I think that's correct!). He writes some pretty cool stuff. Anyway, after the rehearsal I managed to catch a lift back to the mall with one of the flautists, Grace because she had an interview there. Again I bought things that I didn't particularly need (shoes obviously!) but I also got some A-MAZING bubble bath stuff. Grace then gave me a lift home because it was raining. This is the kind of attitude that most of the americans have. They are so unbelievably friendly and kind...sometimes it feels too good to be true!
Anyway...in the evening we decided to go out to dinner in the mall again at this mexican place called El Chico. After my last horrific experience at Taco Bell (I foolishly ordered Volcano Nachos - it has been the butt of Joe's jokes now for 2 weeks) I went for something a little milder in some shrimp, chicken and beef tortillas. The nachos kept coming, as did the sprite, and it was really lovely to be out with all the brits again. Afterwards we went to watch a film at the mall cinema. It's $2 a ticket and only $1.50 on a Tuesday which is ridiculous! The film was called Funny People and starred Adam Sandler as a comedian suffering with Leukemia. I was a bit disheartened by the lack of plot if I'm being honest, but there were some hilarious bits that Sarah Mawby and I could not stop chuckling about...and you know how loud my laugh is!
Practice is going okay although I feel like I'm facing a continuous battle with practice vs. the phenomenal UNT gym. Either of them are good for me I suppose but I have to say that I prefer sweating away to the sounds of Stevie Wonder and James Brown rather than in one of the dungeon-like practice cells playing Baermann scale passages. I can't emphasise how good people are here, especially the pianists. I am baffled at how they can concentrate for any longer than about half an hour although today there was this chinese girl next to me religiously practicing her octave stacatto scales who broke out into the cheesiest piano piece I have heard in a while (I think it's even cheesier than the stuff that Russell plays! :0p). My teacher is so unbelievably friendly but I feel like it is absolutely a teacher pupil relationship rather than a friendship one which has hindered my lessons in the past. One time he asked me what we call the 'pinkie' in England to which I replied, 'little finger!'. He thought this was much better as he has a lot of black, korean and spanish students and couldn't help but feel racist when he called it the 'pinkie' hahaha.
So I guess that is it for this week. Me, Joe, Tim and his girlfriend went to The Garage on Fry St last night and played pool and darts! It felt like home again and was a good laugh. Surprisingly I'm not really missing the alcohol and it was pretty funny to see the only legal drinker (Joe!) slowly getting legless as the night progressed. I suppose what I am trying to say is that I can no longer handle going to bed at 1am and getting up at 7am for a 9am lecture anymore and I am exhausted! There's another lab band gig tonight (3 o clock and 2 o clock) which I think I might go to but then I am definitely heading back for some Damien Rice, The Girl at the Lion D'or by Sebastian Faulks and a hot bath with my lavish, if somewhat expensive, bubble bath! Maybe I will have a little nap now before heading to the gym? hmmmmm
Anyway, apologies for the randomness and very grammatically incorrect week 3 blog. Hopefully I will write a bit better next week!
xXx
P.S. There aren't any pics because I am not on my laptop! (Stupid Apple Macs!)
In contrast to last weekend, with cars, trips to Dallas and big steaks, we had quite a reserved (and personally very welcomed) chilled out weekend. I met up with my wind trio on Saturday (2fl and a cl) and had a very productive practice. I'm pretty excited about playing in the recital hall fairly soon as we've picked some wicked repertoire to play. Whilst in the library, which incidentally is incredible, I was chatting to the guy on the music check out desk who happened to be a composer. He was really excited to hear about my trio and is going to write us a piece to perform at the end of the semester :0) You should check out his website, www.brittandrewburns.com (I think that's correct!). He writes some pretty cool stuff. Anyway, after the rehearsal I managed to catch a lift back to the mall with one of the flautists, Grace because she had an interview there. Again I bought things that I didn't particularly need (shoes obviously!) but I also got some A-MAZING bubble bath stuff. Grace then gave me a lift home because it was raining. This is the kind of attitude that most of the americans have. They are so unbelievably friendly and kind...sometimes it feels too good to be true!
Anyway...in the evening we decided to go out to dinner in the mall again at this mexican place called El Chico. After my last horrific experience at Taco Bell (I foolishly ordered Volcano Nachos - it has been the butt of Joe's jokes now for 2 weeks) I went for something a little milder in some shrimp, chicken and beef tortillas. The nachos kept coming, as did the sprite, and it was really lovely to be out with all the brits again. Afterwards we went to watch a film at the mall cinema. It's $2 a ticket and only $1.50 on a Tuesday which is ridiculous! The film was called Funny People and starred Adam Sandler as a comedian suffering with Leukemia. I was a bit disheartened by the lack of plot if I'm being honest, but there were some hilarious bits that Sarah Mawby and I could not stop chuckling about...and you know how loud my laugh is!
Practice is going okay although I feel like I'm facing a continuous battle with practice vs. the phenomenal UNT gym. Either of them are good for me I suppose but I have to say that I prefer sweating away to the sounds of Stevie Wonder and James Brown rather than in one of the dungeon-like practice cells playing Baermann scale passages. I can't emphasise how good people are here, especially the pianists. I am baffled at how they can concentrate for any longer than about half an hour although today there was this chinese girl next to me religiously practicing her octave stacatto scales who broke out into the cheesiest piano piece I have heard in a while (I think it's even cheesier than the stuff that Russell plays! :0p). My teacher is so unbelievably friendly but I feel like it is absolutely a teacher pupil relationship rather than a friendship one which has hindered my lessons in the past. One time he asked me what we call the 'pinkie' in England to which I replied, 'little finger!'. He thought this was much better as he has a lot of black, korean and spanish students and couldn't help but feel racist when he called it the 'pinkie' hahaha.
So I guess that is it for this week. Me, Joe, Tim and his girlfriend went to The Garage on Fry St last night and played pool and darts! It felt like home again and was a good laugh. Surprisingly I'm not really missing the alcohol and it was pretty funny to see the only legal drinker (Joe!) slowly getting legless as the night progressed. I suppose what I am trying to say is that I can no longer handle going to bed at 1am and getting up at 7am for a 9am lecture anymore and I am exhausted! There's another lab band gig tonight (3 o clock and 2 o clock) which I think I might go to but then I am definitely heading back for some Damien Rice, The Girl at the Lion D'or by Sebastian Faulks and a hot bath with my lavish, if somewhat expensive, bubble bath! Maybe I will have a little nap now before heading to the gym? hmmmmm
Anyway, apologies for the randomness and very grammatically incorrect week 3 blog. Hopefully I will write a bit better next week!
xXx
P.S. There aren't any pics because I am not on my laptop! (Stupid Apple Macs!)
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