Antitheses

Opposite to the other, yet they remain in me. Simultaneously and side by side.
All a part of the experience of life.
and all a part of this soul's definition.

Perduta ho la speranza in voi mirare,
e di speranza sola nutrivo il core.
Ahimè! Ah! come farò, se per amare,
la fede ho già smarrita,
la fede nell'amore?
Perduta ho la speranza in voi mirare,
e di speranza sola nutrivo il core!


Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.


O del mio amato ben perduto incanto!
Lungi è dagli occhi miei
chi m'era gloria e vanto!
Or per le mute stanze
sempre lo cerco e chiamo
con pieno il cor di speranze?
Ma cerco invan, chiamo invan!
E il pianger m'è sì caro,
che di pianto sol nutro il cor.

Mi sembra, senza lui, triste ogni loco.
Notte mi sembra il giorno;
mi sembra gelo il foco.
Se pur talvolta spero
di darmi ad altra cura,
sol mi tormenta un pensiero:
Ma, senza lui, che farò?
Mi par così la vita vana cosa
senza il mio ben.


A part of you has grown in me. And so you see,
it's you and me together forever and never apart,
maybe in distance, but never in heart.

Thought of the Day

"That's God gettin' ya."

Such a familiar phrase; my best friend uses it all the time when random, funny and often painful things happen. I used to hate it; maybe I thought it was blasphemous. Anyway... Sometimes I wonder what I need to learn from them.

Just as the knees were almost up to par, the TMJ acted up. Just as that ended, I started muscle spasms in my upper back and neck.



It came to the point Friday where I had to stop my piano trio in the middle of a performance, and walk out. The pain was unbearable, and the playing, impossible.

I've never had to do that.

Slight blow to the pride, but I don't feel too badly about it. There are so many other things in life that are far more significant than one failed performance.

There has been one cure all for this--service.

No matter how poor my spirits are, I only have to help someone in an appreciable way. It usually solves the problem right quick...

So, try it! You'll like it!

Expert Ignorance

A family friend offered me a note with several numbers on it. They belong to some string players; he thought I would be interested in playing music with them.

This sort of thing has happened before, and more often than not, they haven't been superb players. I truly enjoy making music and having fun with different players from all walks of life, but sometimes I feel as if I'm in a spelling bee with first graders. (I've been on the first-grade side quite a few times myself.)

An elitist? Not at all. I rehearse and perform for hours each day with so many talented musicians, and I've been privileged to do so. I think sometimes people don't understand what I do for this major, for this profession, and for this love of music.

I wonder if I flaunt as much ignorance when I offer an opinion on an English major's composition as they would offering editorial advice for my orchestral scores.

Probably... any judgment would be well deserved

I suppose I'll keep my opinions to myself.