8:31 p.m. - 2006-05-07
in which I turn out to still be alive
Gosh, internet diary, it's sure been a while! For some reason, I haven't felt motivated lately to add new entries to this, the ongoing saga of Geoff's none-too-interesting existence. I think maybe the outlet that blogging (I am, after all, a blogger. I blog, and what I produce is a blog. This is what it is to have blogged.) used to provide has been taken over by SUDOKU.
I first learned of these mysterious nerd-puzzles about a year ago when Kia came home from a gig (job) raving about the mysterious book of number-based brain-teasers that a fellow hornist had used to occupy her mind during long breaks. Eventually we learned that the SUDOKU is in the newspaper everyday, same as the Junior Jumble and Hi and Lois. We immediately became enthralled by our daily Japanese torture-grid, and it soon took over my life in an obsessive, unhealthy way.
Speaking of Japan: YID VICIOUS IS GOING TO JAPAN!!! Chiba, it turns out, is Wisconsin's State Sister, and so the two states like to occasionally exchange their various cultural phenomenae. Last Sunday we were going to rehearse, but instead we drank lots of champagne and toasted ourselves, repeatedly exclaiming "Yid Vicious is GOING TO JAPAN!!!" We were all very excited and it was a fun time, hanging out together being excited and trying new champagne-based drinks.
For the first time, I tried a Boli-Stoli, which I learned of from Absolutely Fabulous (or, for those of us who are pathetic, AbFab). What you do, see, is pour some vodka in your champagne. Surprisingly, the vodka makes the champagne taste better. Not so surprisingly, you get fucked up but quick. When you get the chance, go easy on the Boli-Stolis.
OH, AND SPEAKING OF Russian things, like vodka, orchestra did Firebird this week. It was a good experience, partly owing to my past experience with Stravinsky's early breakthrough hit. The first time I got to play it was my high school senior year at Interlochen. It was shortly before graduation, and nothing else we had done in orchestra had left a huge impression on me. But when we did Firebird, I found myself listening harder and more intently than I ever had before. It felt like a whole other world I hadn't known was revealing itself, and it fit within the confines of an orchestra. Since then, my orchestra experience has been a pretty mixed bag, but every time I hear Firebird, it reminds me of why I ever liked classical stuff to begin with. The beginning and last two movements never fail to send a chill down my spine, ossified with bitterness though my spine may be.
Also, a rare, in fact annual, Tomato Box outing on Friday. On the upside, our new bass player is Brad, who is great. On the downside, our sax player bailed on us at the last minute, something about sick children or gambling debts or being in jail, one of those. But we pulled through. We persevered, saxlessly. It was a good time.
And, we're embarking on an east coast odyssey in a couple weeks, you know, just to keep our finger on the pulse. Also to visit Jamie, hopefully Nate, Milo Jones, Carl, Jill. Visit some museums. Eat some hoagies, grinders and heroes. Walk and eat. Ride the T. Concerts. Museums. Drink some Ballantine ale. You know: the east coast.
Well, that's about it for now, internet diary. Thanks for your patience, and I'll try and keep in touch more. By the way, did I mention that Yid Vicious is GOING TO JAPAN?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Next: The Pacific Rim Eludes Yid Vicious Yet Again, Part I...or DOES it???
