Here we have a marvelous musical joke. Even our non-musicians should enjoy:
Beethoven's Ninth
The symphony orchestra was performing Beethoven's Ninth.
In the piece, there's a long passage, about 20 minutes, during which the bass violinists have nothing to do.
Rather than sit around that whole time looking stupid, some bassists decided to sneak offstage and go to the tavern next door for a quick one.
After slamming several beers in quick succession, one of them looked at his watch and said, "Hey! We need to get back!"
"No need to panic," said a fellow bassist. "I thought we might need some extra time, so I tied the last few pages of the conductor's score together with string. It'll take him a few minutes to get it untangled."
A few moments later they staggered back to the concert hall and took their places in the orchestra.
About this time, a member of the audience noticed the conductor seemed a bit edgy and said as much to her companion.
"Well, of course," said her companion. "Don't you see? It's the bottom of the Ninth, the score is tied, and the bassists are loaded."
Wow. It's been a looooong time. So here are seven highlights of the past couple of months.
1.
From October 15-17 Angelus Press hosted a series of conferences in Kansas City to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Society of St. Pius X. I went, and so did Edward and the Devil's Advocate. We found many familiar faces, and every time I looked at the ocean of cassocks, habits and veils I felt ready to explode with happiness. The speakers were Mr. John Vennari, Dr. Andrew Childs, His Excellency Bishop Fellay, Father Cyprian OSB, Father McMahon, Father Novak, Father Gardner, Father Rostand (District Superior), and Father Iscara. The conferences were amazing. I took copious notes and I wish I remembered every word they said, but if I did it would take me months to type it all out! The conferences were recorded, however, and Angelus Press has them for sale. Of course I couldn't let the occasion pass without writing a poem. I'll post it at the end, along with the link to the setting that a fellow-musician made of it, recorded by the St. Melchior Schola of LaSalette.
2.
The Music Department faculty chose me as this year's recipient of one of our named scholarships, the Sister Alice Eugene Tighe Scholarship. It isn't huge but it's a scholarship, and a great honor! I was surprised but delighted when the letter came to tell me about it. Deo gratias.
3.
Last Saturday I went to hear the regional round of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions. It was pretty awesome. I enjoyed hearing a variety of beautiful arias, and I was right about one of the three winners. Not bad - I had a one-in-eight chance, since I didn't hear the first half!
4.
This afternoon is the Aria Competition at Webster. Four of our wonderful senior voice majors are competing - two sopranos, a mezzo and a baritone - and I don't even know which one I want to win; they are all good friends of mine and they all have glorious voices!
5.
Yesterday I went to St. Charles, to the opening of my friend's art studio. She does pastel portraits, and they looked beautiful on her walls. She was a piano major with me here at Webster, but she was always a fine painter as well and so I am not surprised that she was chosen to fill the open studio at the Foundry Arts Center.
6.
Sunday is going to be a musical day. I'm playing Dussek's Piano Quintet Op. 41 with an excellent quartet from the Community Music School at three; then at seven, Mr. Schene is playing (for the first time, as he told me last night), Chopin's Piano Concerto in F Minor. Oh the awesomeness...
7.
I have to talk to Mr. Schene next Wednesday about recital repertoire, grad school applications and auditions, and other such things. I can't believe I'm a senior already...
****
Here are the words to the song I wrote, and here is the St. Melchior Schola's performance of Billy's music. Enjoy:
A Trad Anthem
in honor of the SSPX's Fortieth Anniversary
All gathered at the Hilton
To show Tradition's flame-red rose
Is very far from wiltin'.
In cassock, veil and habit see
Our Fathers, Sisters, Brothers,
And our beloved Bishop too,
The head of all the others,
To celebrate the fortieth year
Of our Society,
Founded that fair November first
Of nineteen-seventy
By our Archbishop brave and bold,
Our dear Marcel Lefebvre,
The holy founder whom we all
Must love and thank forever!
We fight as one for truth and faith
And for the holy Mass,
And valiantly we face the storm -
We know this, too, shall pass.
Led by our founder's spirit,
We carry on the flame,
For God's eternal glory
And the honor of His name.
Our faith be clear, unmoving,
Set down in deathless stone,
For many souls' salvation,
For God - for Him alone!
Until the foe is conquered
We hold our flag on high,
The Holy Mass our banner,
"The Mass!" our battle-cry.
So shall we fight as soldiers
Of a Captain sacrificed
Until, the battle ended,
All is restored in Christ.
Here is one of the loveliest motets I've heard in a long time, in Italian: Leo XIII's poem Neve non tocca, to the Immaculate Conception, beautifully set by Father Lorenzo Perosi (a dear friend of St. Pius X and composer to the Vatican during his pontificate.)
And here is Edvard Grieg's marvelous Ave Maris Stella.
10) Wearing pants makes you the talk of the town.
9) You haven't seen a pagan in weeks. (Kidding! That one's kinda harsh)
8) Social functions include multiple priests.
7) You walk into a restaurant and are greeted with the sight of a statue of St. Joseph.
6) You show up to Mass on Sunday and half the office is there.
5) You can't go ANYWHERE without running into a Trad you know(and this is both a blessing and a curse, lol).
4) You have company prayers every morning.
3) You look over and see your boss reading the biography of St. Joseph on his lunchbreak.
2) You go to view an apartment, and see that it comes pre-marked with the epiphany chalk-marks on the doorway.
And the number one sign you've hit the Trad big-time:
1) You wake up and decide you'll scoot in a bit late, because what the hey? It's Tuesday 11AM mass, but then get there and realize with dismay, that it's standing room only.
The rock singer Todd Rundgren dropped into St. Louis on tour last Friday, and Webster University's choir director was asked to provide a group of singers. Among the group was yours truly. I've already heard countless reactions on telling my friends, mostly summed up in: "Agnes did WHAT!?!!!?"
The theatre was packed, and we all had, as the Post-Dispatch article of the following day remarked, "the time of our lives." It was loud, it was wild, and it was a blast. Maybe not something I'll repeat often (to save my ears! We were right in front of the drums!) but certainly a night to remember, enlivened by some amusing repartee with the bass player who kept telling me not to smile (and as those who know me know, it's pretty hard for me not to smile!)
The full article is below.
****
http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/reviews/article_62ab043b-f644-5a01-b734-a7182af69154.html
Rundgren concert is magical
By Daniel Durchholz • Special to the Post-Dispatch | Posted: Saturday, September 11, 2010 8:00 pm |
What seemed like a fairly esoteric pursuit for Todd Rundgren turned into a magical musical night on Friday at Roberts Orpheum Theater, where the veteran recording artist played two complete albums from his distant past: 1974's "Todd" and 1981's "Healing."
Both are regarded as being among Rundgren's more insular works. Despite a few lush ballads and straight-ahead rockers, "Todd" is rife with sonic experimentation and studio tomfoolery; "Healing" is a synthesizer-driven concept album about spirituality.
But in concert, Rundgren brought them springing back to life by turning the stage into a time capsule. Psychedelic costumes as well as period lighting — vintage lasers and a primitive video screen — recalled the eras in which the music originated.
More modern contrivances — wireless instruments, headset microphones — as well as rollaway carts for the drum kit and keyboards allowed Rundgren and his five-piece band to come and go as was necessary, giving the stage a constantly evolving look that added to the presentation's theatricality.
The show's first half — the "Todd" portion — was a potent reminder of that album's eclectic nature. As it unfolded, Rundgren embodied the smooth, soulful balladeer on "A Dream Goes On Forever" and "The Last Ride"; the bold but trippy guitar hero on "Everybody's Going to Heaven/King Kong Reggae" and "No. 1 Lowest Common Denominator"; and the willful nut who thought it would be a great idea to insert Gilbert and Sullivan's "Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song" into the middle of a rock album. Despite an early vocal flub, he eventually mastered the song's machine-gun verbosity.
True to the album's spirit, Rundgren even brought out a tap dancer for a few rudimentary steps during "Useless Begging." But he judiciously excised the tedious synth workout "In and Out the Chakras We Go" from the proceedings, and the first set ended with the gorgeous, downbeat "Don't You Ever Learn?"
For "Healing," Rundgren and his band were occasionally joined by some singers recruited from Webster University. Not only were they terrific, they seemed to be having the time of their lives.
As Rundgren sang the album's probing lyrics, he paced back and forth and gestured significantly, as if he was rethinking anew issues addressed in songs such as "Flesh," "Compassion" and "Time Heals."
Out of sequence though it was, "Sons of 1984" — actually the finale of "Todd" — served as the show's encore. As the curtain came down and the band dropped out, the audience continued singing its chorus for some time — a remarkable ending to a remarkable show.
****
I was doing my usual reading of the blog Conversion Diary, when the author mentioned being locked out of her car, and someone suggesting that she get into it "Dukes of Hazzard" style...having never seen the show I googled it (yes, I AM a child of the technological age) and saw this video to enlighten myself:
WOW! I'm SO inspired...
"Well, I'm back," as Sam said at the end of the Lord of the Rings. In the past couple of months we've been nomads, staying for a while with cousins and, in my case, visiting a friend of the family in New York for two weeks. Now I am back at college, comfortably settled in my new apartment with the Devil's Advocate, and classes are already started and going quite well; and the family is preparing to make the final move.
During my visit to New York I was told to look out for the statue of Atlas at the Rockefeller Center, bowing before the Blessed Sacrament he faces through the doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral. I went, therefore, and admired both church and statue; and a while later this sonnet began to take shape, though it has undergone many revisions since.
Atlas
I walked on broad Fifth Avenue one day
And saw a towering form, a Titan tall,
Holding on high the heavens' heavy ball -
Of strength unequaled such a grand display,
I stood and stared. His bending knee I saw -
Bent, though, in reverence, rather than a fall;
What reverence moved this mightiest man of all,
Bearing the heavens, thus to bow in awe?
Across the avenue I traced his gaze,
Past two proud portals, down high halls of stone
By incense dimmed, aglow with candles' rays,
And in the monstrance bright, a sun ablaze -
The One whom Atlas humbly knelt to own,
And whom all creatures even so must praise!
I came across these two guys on Youtube, and WOW-Here they are making fun of the Backstreet Boys:
I think I actually like this video better, though....
I about fell out of my chair laughing...They are SO expressive!! :D
This is for our bearded readers to enjoy... or beardless, for that matter...
http://ubersuper.com/uploads/2010/04/the-trustworthiness-of-beards.jpg
Here is something I wrote thought y'all would enjoy. I couldn't remember if I posted it before... I couldn't find it anywhere so I guess I did not. its a play on Alfred Tennysons "the charge of the Light Brigade" but I have never actually read "the Charge of the Light Brigade" I have only heard it a couple of times......
could be heard the gallop of there feet
"Charge!" cried the head one
as they thundered down curb steep
And charge they did out of obedience to there king
for there deaths shall not be remembered and of them no-one shall sing
Over the pavement they thundered
crushed by Good-Year tall and strong.
Some cried "stop you damnded fools
or your charge it will not be long!"
Over the road of death
did charge the light Four-score
smashed form right and left
by black and Grey Four-doors
Half-a-yard, half-a-yard, half-a-yard onward.
Through the pavement of death the leaves they did thunder.
Charged they over the medion
Charged without rest
Charge they cried
as the next curb came abreast.
again downwrd they stormed
with the wind at there back
"Give 'em blood and thunder!"
cried they at attack.
Then came a Fifteen passenger,
with a large sliding door,
and that was the death
of the remaining two score.
Half-a-yard, half-a-yard, half-a-yard onward.
Through the pavement of death the leaves they did thunder.
and on cold winter nights,
when the trees they do sigh,
is remembered the leaf brigade
and how they did die.
"When someone asks you 'think about what Jesus would do', remember that a valid option is to freak out and turn over tables" -- Unknown (HT to @Aquinas and More)
N.B. HT means "Hat Tip", that is my facebook friend is crediting the folks at Aquinas and More...
A husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart.
The husband picks up a case of Budweiser and puts it in their cart.
'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife.
'They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans he replies.
'Put them back, we can't afford them demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping.
A few aisles further along the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.
What do you think you're doing?' asks the husband.
'It’s my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' replies the wife.
Her husband retorts: 'So does 24 cans of Budweiser and it's half the price.'
On the PA system: 'Cleanup on aisle 25, we have a husband down.'
Summer vacation. Sigh. Now that my life isn't ruled by an academic schedule I feel like I'm not getting anything done. Now that I have time to practice four or five hours a day, I need to actually sit down at the piano and not leave it until I know I've gotten something productive out of the music. Of course, I suppose the productivity would depend on my state of mind after a couple of hours, but my fingers can certainly manage.
Next week I am going to be in New York for a concert and the graduation ceremonies at BVM Academy, from which a few friends of mine will be graduating that weekend. It is going to be a blast! We're planning all sorts of music for the concert, covering the whole gamut of musical periods from Baroque to twentieth century - from piano solos, duets and duos to violin-and-piano and violin duets, to arias and even a double mandolin concerto by Vivaldi! I hope it is recorded, because it promises to be an impressive piece of work, showcasing the parish talent as well as a few "guest artists" from the Jam Session group.
I can't believe we are so close to moving day! Only a few weeks. After that I may not be able to post for a short while but when we are settled I will see if I can do a post on "Moving After Sixteen Years!" That one should be interesting!
I've begun to work seriously on Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto and a couple of Chopin's Etudes. They are crazy hard, but oh so gorgeous! Here is Murray Perahia playing part of the first movement of the Concerto (this actually begins around the middle and the first part is not posted but it is still awesome!):
I discovered that a couple of my friends who graduated Webster last year (and had been dating for a couple of years) are getting married in June. I am so happy for them! Of all the pairs I saw at college they seemed to have one of the most solid and happy relationships - I was wondering when they would get married and I am delighted that I'll be around for it. Here's to Chris and Alyssa - may they have many happy years!
The Viking and family and our friend JuxtaCrucem are over to dinner tonight. Oh, the fun!
Tonight, another school year at Queen of the Holy Rosary ended. For my younger siblings, it was their last, as we will be leaving St. Louis soon. For me, there will be another year as I finish college at Webster, but I will miss my little brothers' smiling faces (and their occasional teasing) in class.
The evening began with the entrance of our students singing "O Queen of the Holy Rosary," which has been, up to now, our unofficial school song. Father Kurtz made a few remarks and then each class came up for a short performance. My kindergarten/first grade class gave a charming rendition of two little songs, "The One-Tune Piper" (the title leaves little to be said about the song) and "It's Fun" (about the delights of singing in solfége!) The second and third grade recorder class followed with "O Sanctissima" in two parts, and then the fourth and fifth graders performed "Dona Nobis Pacem" as a three-part round on recorders, followed by a hilarious poem about the end of the school year. The seventh and eighth graders closed the performance half of the program with "Sick," by Shel Silverstein, which was very funny.
The second half of the program consisted of awards - beginning with the kindergarten graduations, of course, and going on through Jog-A-Thon awards and certificates of excellence to the graduation of our single eighth grader. Unfortunately, the notes of his valedictory speech were misplaced so he simply thanked the teachers who had helped him through the years and then Father Kurtz handed him his diploma. After presenting bouquets to the volunteer teachers (my white and yellow roses will have to go in front of Our Lady after I post this!) Father gave the children "the last lesson of the year," a well-worded sermon on the Last Judgment -- "the final exam that we'll all have to take, and cramming is not going to help for this one." Then the whole school took the stage for a rousing rendition of the "Alma Mater" Father had written for us to the tune of the New Zealand national anthem - "Regina Coronae." The children had learned it solidly in a week, and it sounded beautiful. Then Father led a last prayer, declared the school year officially closed, and we scattered about the gymnasium to have refreshments and chatter. I was quite proud of my musicians and received several compliments on their progress; and after a while we all piled into the van and came home.
I'm glad I have another year to teach these children. Like any children, they can be a bit rowdy sometimes, but they are delightful to teach and I love hearing how they progress. The biggest jump this year was doing a lot more sight-reading with the older recorder classes. They took to it very quickly and next year I hope to give them some real recorder music by Telemann or Vivaldi, or possibly some Renaissance dances. The sky's the limit... :)
1) Can't take my OCD clients....can't go onnnn....On Tuesday I was informed (via the oh-so-personal medium of... The Written Note) that there were streaks on the floor (I challenge her to prove this-I'm a pretty OCD cleaner myself) of my clients' home and that she now wants me to use not only a different cleaner, but also a different mop. Which, by the way, was a totally crappy mop. So I do what she says and noticed that her method has now added an additional 15-20 minutes to my cleaning routine...GRRRR!!! I can practically FEEL the days of Purgatory being lopped off as I work....
2) I'm into manga! Cue the nerd music....I've always liked Bizenghast and a friend has recommended to me another good manga called Bleach, so we'll see how it is. Considering I am a cleaner-I suppose this is a fitting manga for me, hahaha, although I read the first couple pages online and it seems to be about fighting...hm..my friend happened to be a guy, so this might explain something :)
3) I found a new Gothic Lolita outfit that I want to buy!!! Yay!! Happiness, happiness...here it is: (it's a jumper)
http://www.qutieland.com/products/big/DPS0014-10.jpg
With this shirt worn underneath (I think the bow-part will hang down over the jumper quite nicely):
http://www.qutieland.com/products/big/SGB0003-7.jpg
Now I'll just need to call some Swedish Banks and arrange The Funding...mwahahaha ;)
4) I'm going on a trip! My sister is graduating next Thursday, so I'll be hopping on a plane next Tuesday and be out in Cali the rest of the week. Yay! I haven't been in Cali in ages....I miss the "homeland", haha (not to mention my family-duh..that kinda goes without saying.) By the way-if anyone wants to be the epitome of coolness and give me a ride to or from the airport, please feel free to let me know ;)
5) I made a grub-tacular Potato Gratin for a potluck on Sunday! I used this recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/scalloped-potato-gratin-recipe/index.html
And just substituted a bag of coleslaw for the shredded cabbage and two handfuls of Bacon Bits for the bacon. The general consensus was that it was definitely yummy...which is good, considering I had never made it before. :D
6) Speaking of Sunday, Stephanie and Ryan's baby got baptized! Yay...
7) There's a Pirate exhibit at the Science Center!!! :D Must!! See!! Pirates!!
At recess at school my friends and I did all sorts of things on the swings(until the teachers banned them, not so much for our safety as for the little kids' safety). Here are five of them (ordered from least fun to most fun).
- One interesting thing is having shoe flinging contests.( Beware, anyone passing in front of us!)
- We can also swing side to side and try to grab on to the poles and each other and usually ended up running into each other.This was fun until someone ran into someone else.(Then it gets hilarious,yet painful. :P)
- A two-person thing to do on the low swings is to twist around each other's chains, then have someone else push you so you untwist, and sometimes run into a pole.:P
- One of the first things we came up with is to put the swing on your hips and keep your legs straight so they don't hit the ground and get pushed that way.(see diagram)
Here I go again! This week was Finals Week for me so I may as well give you a day-by-day breakdown.
I'll begin with last Saturday, which was rather a bittersweet day. I taught my last lesson to my student at the Community Music School, whom I was teaching through my Pedagogy class, and we were both rather sad to be parting. She's a bright little lass and I think she will do very well with whatever teacher she is assigned to next. That night, the choirs and orchestra gave their All-Bach performance which doubled as our Dr. Bowers' farewell concert. She has been directress of choral studies and music education for twenty-four years and her departure will leave a big hole in the Webster family. We began with the magnificent Cantata No. 11, a.k.a. the Ascension Oratorio; that was followed by the beautiful Mass in A Major. After the intermission the Chorale alone led off with the motet Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, "Sing ye to the Lord a new song." I sang the soprano part in the second movement's solo-quartet and received a good bit of praise for my singing afterward. The concert ended with a hysterical rendition of P.D.Q. Bach's mock-oratorio "The Seasonings." I think the audience had fun with that - we certainly did!
On Monday I had Orchestration Review, where we listened to the recording of our final projects as performed by the Chamber Orchestra the Thursday before. We didn't get to mine, sadly, but the ones we did hear had turned out very well! That day I also finished and turned in my Piano Pedagogy final, which was a take-home due on Tuesday. (WHAT?! You mean Inés didn't procrastinate till the eleventh hour and fifty-ninth minute? Miracles will never cease.)
Tuesday, since I'd already turned in the Pedagogy final, I only had to be at college for a few minutes - the length of time it took to sing my voice jury. I sang Er, der herrlichste von allen from Schumann's beautiful song-cycle Frauenliebe und -Leben and Joseph Szulc's setting of the marvelous Verlaine poem Clair de lune. It sounds like moonlight and I love it. That night Tata came home from Argentina and handed out some gifts from the journey - new Jules Verne books for the Three Musketeers, a fan for Stick, a book on Rosas for the Devil's Advocate, and for the rest of the girls, a small heap of jewelry which had been his mother's (R.I.P.) Since we share our collection, these will probably be worn by all of us at some point or another and will be a lovely reminder of our Yaya. To his dismay, however, Tata discovered he'd left behind the pile of Piazzolla and Ginastera scores he'd acquired for me in Argentina. Ah well... now I have something to look forward to from the next trip!
Wednesday was the day of the Eighteenth-Century Counterpoint final and this was the one I was most nervous about, simply because there's so much information to remember - composers' dates, treatises on counterpoint and their authors and dates/places of publication... crazy. However, I acquitted myself well according to our professor, (though he hadn't graded them yet, he'd had time for a look at mine before I asked him,) so I am happy. That afternoon I also taught a piano lesson to my new student Kyle, whom I've been teaching for a month now. At fourteen, he is the oldest of my small group of students; he is doing very nicely and I enjoy teaching him.
Thursday was really rather uneventful. Since all my finals were over, after teaching my recorder classes at Queen of the Holy Rosary I stayed at home to help Maria with the babies, since Mami and Tata were off for a conference Tata's giving in California. In the afternoon I did head over to college for a bit and rehearsed my Beethoven sonata and concerto for a couple of hours before going to meet the children at the Viking's, because the house was getting inspected and we couldn't return until later that night.
6.
Today I taught music at Q.H.R. again, talked to Father Kurtz about music for First Communions this upcoming Sunday, and then came home and helped with the babies until it was time to go to Webster one last time -- this time, for the Senior Honors Ceremony for the College of Fine Arts. I drove the Vespa, and as I parked a little way from college, it started to rain in big, heavy drops. I thought wildly, "Oh gosh... if the road's wet I'm going to get killed going back. Please God, don't let it really storm till I get home." And indeed, the rain was gone by the time I walked into the Community Music School building. The Dean announced the names of those from all the departments who had "Latin honors" and then, between performances by some of the students, the chairs of the several departments went to the microphone and called, one by one, the names of the students of their own department who had been chosen by the faculty. Each one received a white silk scarf with the name of the department on it in black. The program ran thus:
Welcome by the Dean -- Art Department Honors -- Ryan Carpenter, piano, performing Messiaen's Regard de l'Esprit de joie -- Alison Brandon-Watkins, dance-major, dancing a piece she choreographed -- Dance Department Honors -- Music Department Honors -- jazz performance by Pete Lombardo and Andrew Miramonti, jazz honor students -- Conservatory of Theatre Arts Honors -- Meadowlark, by Courtney Halford, soprano, accompanied by Ryan. (I was incredibly proud of him when she announced at the beginning of her piece that since her accompanist was sick, Ryan had been handed the accompaniment at the last minute and figured the thing out in half an hour - and it was not easy!) Then the Dean gave another short speech and I headed for home, looking nervously at the menacing clouds from time to time. God is good, for the threatened storm didn't break while I rode... and indeed, it hasn't yet!
7.
To crown a glorious day, the Devil's Advocate and I went to hear the Cuban concert-pianist Horacio Gutierrez play Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Hall. The piece always makes me cry and this time was no exception, though instead of tears, this time was more like silent, dry sobs that made my throat ache. I wouldn't have traded it for anything though... the music was pure glory from beginning to end. I could see very well why Gutierrez is considered one of the greatest pianists in the world today. His technique was flawless, but it wasn't just that. Anybody can play the notes right, but he made the piano sing like a living being. It was magnificent.
The second half of the program was Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony, for baritone and soprano solos, chorus and orchestra. As usual, the Orchestra and the Symphony Chorus performed magnificently, but the piece is not one I'd choose to hear again. (Coincidentally, however, the premiere performance of this piece was paired with no other piece than Rachmaninoff's Second Concerto... with the composer at the piano. Now, for that, I'd go through the Vaughan-Williams again! Anybody got a time machine?)
As I sit here working out a business plan and balking at the sheer complexity of it, I really start to resent the Feminists. This is THEIR fault. Yep..I should be picking out curtains and baking bread, or at the very least, mildly answering phones in some nice, decently-paying secretarial job, but NO. Thanks to Feminism I have very few choices when it comes to getting that decently paying job, and am forced to practically do financial gymnastics just to make ends meet. Why is this, you may ask. Why not get that decently paying secretary job-they still exist! Um, no...for someone with no college degree. No...they don't. And this is why: thanks to the mass exodus of women entering the workforce, the wage pool has been polluted with legions of "hobby workers".
Since Feminism has sold women the lie of "a job is what you need!", we now have loads of married/or otherwise provided-for women working. And yes, I have a BIG problem with that, and here's why: if I go into an office and apply for your basic entry-level job (since I have no degree, that's pretty much all that's open to me) and I get the job, I will be offered about $10-12 an hour, if the boss is generous. This is not a livable wage. (Leo XIII would be turning in his grave) With today's inflation-ridden cost of living, $80 bucks a day (BEFORE taxes, mind you) ain't gonna cut it. But bosses get away with offering these joke wages because of simple economic supply and demand. Going back to the above example, if I try to negotiate for a higher wage, the boss has very little incentive to pay me more because there are plenty of (hobby-)"working women" who are more than willing to take the job for those wages. Why? Because in their mind they don't HAVE to be paid "a livable wage". In their mind, when they think of food and rent, it's "oh, well my husband'll pay for that." Women aren't really working for wages-but for the grown-up girl's version of "spending money". Which thus drives down wages for those of us who DON'T have a husband and who DO have to worry about how food and rent will be covered with that kind of pay.
Let's face it: most women today are working because they are bored and lack the ability to decide on their own how to spend their time productively. They are seeking a job because they are bored-and work is NOT for bored people. Work is for hungry people. When we have a whole segment of the working population working because they are looking for a diversion, then work itself becomes a twisted caricature of failed duties and dodged responsibilities. The health of the business (and by extension, the economy, as the business is the basic unit of the economy) is threatened because these workers are not really "working"-they are "playing" in a sense. They don't have the drive and commitment necessary to sustain the hardships required to do the job right. If these women are bored (whether they are living at home with parents or married) then I say to them: take up a hobby! Volunteer in a soup kitchen! That's what women USED to do when they were bored! They didn't go run into the workplace and drive down everyone's wages. Do everyone a favor: stay home and let those of us who are working because we have to put food on the table do our job and be paid fairly for it.
So as I finish my rant and go back to sitting here staring at my business plan, it hits me: I might have to actually HIRE these silly women... O_O Uh oh...cue the "Psycho music" (deet deeett!!)
Wow what a week! I knew it would be busy so here goes.
NOTE: I've been on a major business/finance mental odyssey with a lot of book-reading going on, so a lot of my quick takes are gonna revolve around that. :)
1) In the book, Conspiracy of the Rich, Robert Kiyosaki says that we are headed for a full-fledged Depression in the next few years. Uh-oh...I guess it's time to step up my game (business game, that is).
2) In that vein, I'm kicking around the idea of expanding my housecleaning into running crews or possibly starting another business and phasing out housecleaning. Who knows? In any case I'm restless and need a new challenge. :)
3) There were gay guys KISSING outside my house yesterday morning!!!! I was SO grossed out, I didn't know what to do!!! (Am I allowed to call the cops on them?)
4) I have become a Donald Trump fan. Yes. That's right. THE Donald Trump. I used to think he was just some dumb rich guy, but then I read a book he co-wrote with Robert Kiyosaki (who is one of my absolutely favorite authors) and I found DT to be surprisingly down-to-earth, so...
5) I read the book "Think Big and Kick Ass In Business and Life" by Donald Trump, and well, he's not Catholic, so obviously I didn't agree with everything he said, but for the most part, the book RAWKED!!! I plan on reading it again! :)
6) Wednesday was the Day of Grossness: I dropped my tweezers in the toilet and had to fish them out, and then I found a huge bug on my kitchen floor. Apparently he had passed on, thank God, haha..so all I had to do was sweep him up, but still, it was GROSS. Bugs-Ew!!
7) My Easter dress STILL isn't here, boohoo. Although according the the EMS tracking site, as of April 20th it is currently in Shanghai. Sigh...the wait continues.
Here is a question I found while doing senior research on Father Nelson H. Baker. He printed a monthly newsletter called The Victorian and inside he would answer questions about the Faith among other things from jokes and anecdotes, to recipes and information about his Charity Homes. I thought this was interesting coming from a January 1927 issue.
A girl may not serve mass because the Church has decreed that only men and boys may do so. It is in the mind of the Church that her services be carried on and executed by men. Our Lord in instituting the Priesthood chose men and the Church following His example has chosen men to fulfill the function of the ministry. A server in assisting the priest at mass is taking the part of a "minister" or helper who in the early ages of Christianity was known always as an acolyte and who received a special blessing or ordination for his office. The order of acolytes is still a "part" of the ministry of the Church. It is a sacred tradition the "women must keep silence in the church." That is, take no active part in the performance of the public liturgy. This is meant, not as a slight, but as an expression of the Divine law that men were "created to rule." It would be unbecoming for women to go out of their place to take the place meant especially for men.
St. Paul made it a rule that women should keep their heads covered while in church. In formulating this law the Apostle meant to show the respectful attitude women ought to display when in the presence of God and also in the presence of the "stronger sex." The custom is only one of the particular enumerations of eastern legislation which always made it imperative for women to veil themselves when in public. "The man ought indeed to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man." (1 Cor. xi: 7) Whether this is agreeable to the modern spirit of emancipation of women, we leave to others to decide.
Baker, Father Nelson. The Victorian. January 1927 issue.
(The pictures I supplied myself and were not part of The Victorian)
A happy and blessed Easter to you all! Here's another hymn-translation to celebrate the Feast:
All together, joyfully
Making woe and sadness flee,
Let the Church be joined to raise
Mary's honour and her praise:
Virgo Maria!
Who in joyful, glad surprise
When the Lord again did rise
Flowered like the lily mild,
Seeing her arisen Child:
Virgo Maria!
Whom with glad united lays
All the choirs of heaven praise;
So we join the heavenly throng
In a new and gladsome song;
Virgo Maria!
O thou Queen of Virgins fair,
Hear thy children's humble prayer;
When the strife of death is o'er
Grant us life forevermore,
Virgo Maria!
O thou glorious Trinity,
Undivided Unity,
By Maria's merits free
May we saved forever be:
Virgo Maria!
May you all be filled with the joy of the risen Lord and may He shower you all with His grace! From the Sequence in today's Mass:
Forth to the paschal Victim,
Christians, bring your sacrifice of praise:
The Lamb redeems the sheep;
And Christ the sinless One,
Hath to the Father sinners reconciled.
Together, death and life in a strange conflict strove.
The Prince of life, who died,
Now lives and reigns.
What thou sawest, Mary, say,
As though wentest on the way.
I saw the tomb wherein the living one had lain,
I saw His glory as He rose again;
Napkin and linen clothes, and angels twain:
Yea, Christ is risen, my hope, and He
Will go before you into Galilee.
We know that Christ indeed has risen from the grave:
Hail, thou King of Victory,
Have mercy, Lord, and save. Amen. Alleluia.
This nice picture of Sister M. Lucia doing the laundry (one comes from the convent blog, http://dominicansisterswanganui.blogspot.com/
As many of you may have noticed the site now looks near finished. Thanks to Glo who helped insert the posting date in the upper left-hand corner of every post! She is now the honorary TC tech support member. Yay for Gloria!
If a person lives each and every day like they were fasting (one regular meal and two smaller ones not combining another full meal) does it still count when they fast during Lent? Would it be better to force this individual to eat more instead of less? What do you think?
I understand that you girls like to check up on the site daily, but 200,000 hits since last month seems a little excessive.
In honor of the feast, here are two of the loveliest carols on earth: the Basque carol Gabriel's Message, which is usually sung as a Christmas carol because of the last verse, but works equally well as an Annunciation carol; and the marvelous medieval carol Angelus ad Virginem. I love the elegant poetry of it, which is harder to appreciate if you don't know Latin, but there is a very good translation, Gabriel from heven-king, with a variant of the same tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5GUdUYUF8A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM7kR66pICI
In honor of the day, here is a new translation: the lovely hymn Te Joseph Celebrent. The translation is not as literal as I would have it, but I think it gets the point across.
Te Joseph Celebrent
Joseph, the hosts of heaven give thee praise;
The Christian choirs to thee lift their lays,
Who by thy shining merit didst deserve
The noble Maid to chastely wed and serve.
Thy Bride, with child by grace, when thou didst see,
And doubting filled thee with anxiety,
An Angel came to tell thee, "O believe,
That by the breath of God she did conceive."
The newborn Lord embracing tenderly,
To Egypt far away with haste didst flee;
And sought Him in Jerusalem with fears,
And finding, mingled gladness with thy tears.
The dead are blest by happy destiny
Who earn the glorious palm of victory;
But thou wert happier, who living still
Set eyes upon thy Maker, by His will.
Have mercy on us, Trinity most high;
By Joseph's prayers to heaven may we fly,
That we may lift to thee our grateful song,
Above the stars throughout the ages long.
-- tr. Inés de Erausquin, March 19, 2010.
Since today is Laetare Sunday, here is the sonnet I wrote last year, based on the Introit and its Psalm (121), plus one verse of Psalm 124. I wish I remembered exactly how I connected the other Psalm to this Introit; but they seem to fit together very nicely. The original Latin is below; the parenthesized phrase is the one I couldn't quite fit into the rhythm/rhyme scheme.
Laetare Ierusalem
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, rejoice!
Let all who love her be united here;
Ye who in sorrow once did lift your voice,
Rejoice, rejoice with gladness and great cheer,
That you be filled from comfort's breast! Be glad,
Jerusalem; her lovers, gathered be;
Ye who before were wretched, weeping, sad,
Exult with merriment and gaiety!
I was made glad by what was said to me,
Into the dwelling of the Lord we go!
And let abundance in your towers be;
Let holy peace be in your strength, also.
O, they who trust in God shall ever be
As Sion's Mount - unmoved eternally.
Laetare Ierusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam: gaudete cum laetitia, qui in tristitia fuistis: ut exsultetis, et satiemini ab uberibus consolationis vestrae.
(Psalm 121) Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi: in domum Domini ibimus. Fiat pax in virtute tua, et abundantia in turribus tuis.
(Psalm 124) Qui confidunt in Domino, sicut mons Sion; non commovebitur in aeternum, (qui habitat in Ierusalem.)
Edited to add: the "Fiat pax" and "Qui confidunt" are added to the "Laetatus sum" in the Gradual. (Three cheers for my faithful Liber...)
Okay, sorry guys-I hate to double-post and all, but my sister Susie went to the hospital today and was diagnosed with some weird form of diabetes. Would you all mind saying some prayers for her? She woke up this morning in some kind of shock,(hyperventilating, severe kidney pain etc.) and my other sister Molly and my brother took her to the hospital (my parents were out of town), and the doctor pulled Molly aside and told her that it was a good thing she took Susie in, as she would have died! (Her exact words were "You saved your sister's life") Susie is in stable condition now, but whew! Thanks in advance for the prayers, I appreciate it!
((Spoiler Alert!))
Favorite Quote:
"Come, come! We simply MUST commence with the slaying and such!"
-The Mad Hatter
(speaking of the Red Queen and said in a cheerful tone and at a tea party, no less)
I have not seen the Disney cartoon of AIW since I was about eight, nor have I ever read the books, so it was with a pretty fresh mind that I went to the Tim Burton remake last weekend. The movie opened last Friday and is the "continuation" of Alice In Wonderland. It answers the question of what would happen if Alice ever grew up and came back to Wonderland. Although it is released by Disney, don't expect too much sugary "cuteness"-Tim Burton definitely leaves his mark on the film by adding a dark element to everything. I really like some of Tim Burton's movies, (Nightmare Before Christmas BABY!! What, What!?!?) so I loved it, but some might find the movie distractingly morbid at times.
The storyline is pretty good, although it moves quickly during the first forty-five minutes: Alice goes to a stuffy aristocratic party, faces a perplexing decision, and then (surprise, surprise) falls down a hole en route to chasing down a white rabbit. She arrives in Wonderland only to be interrogated by the inhabitants over whether she is indeed the RIGHT Alice, finds out that The Red Queen has usurped the crown, and that a "Champion" is coming to slay the "Jabberwocky" and put everything right again. Everything is still as strange and unusual as the first time she was there, it's just now everyone is oppressed and miserable (and wants HER to fix it).
The characters were extremely well-done: the Mad Hatter isn't just a chaotic wacko- he actually has observable motivations and you really feel sorry for him at times. The Red Queen is...well....absolutely terrible, just as she should be. The White Queen was beautiful and graceful, so much so, that it was purposely hilarious at times. And finally, Alice was very well portrayed: I really liked how they showed her as brave and smart, yet not in a feminist kinda way. I especially liked how her suit of armor had a little skirt on it- even though she's kicking butt, she still kept her femininity and the similarity to St. Joan of Arc was striking, at least to me.
There are really only two things I didn't like about the movie: the soundtrack could have been better-it was done by the very talented Danny Elfman (who did an AMAZING job on the soundtrack for The Nightmare Before Christmas) so I was disappointed when there seemed to be a lot of "ripped off" music: there was very Lord of The Rings/Howard Shore-esque music during the climactic last 30 minutes and other parts were strongly similar to the soundtrack for Black Beauty (1994). The other thing that I didn't like was how the proportions seemed to be deliberately off, to the point of being distracting and taking away from the pacing of the movie: The Mad Hatter's eyes were abnormally huge, and the Queen's minion/right hand man's legs were abnormally long and lanky. Although, knowing Tim Burton, I'm sure he did this on purpose. The Red Queen's head was also waayyy out of proportion to her body, but for some reason with her it wasn't annoyingly distracting-I rather marveled each scene at how on earth did they do that? The White Queen was also very distracting but for a slightly different reason: her "cosmetic proportions" were off: dark brown eyebrows with whitish-blonde hair?!? Hello?! Although maybe they had to do that to balance out the PLUM lipstick....she's definitely a Tim Burton heroine. ;)
Anyways, music and proportions aside, I'd say the movie is excellent and definitely worth your money (I saw it twice, and plan to see it again). Although if you are a loyal fan of the books and/or dislike the "artistically morbid" style of Tim Burton you probably won't like it, regardless.
Rating: PG
Run Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes
I translated this wonderful ballad of St. Teresa the year before last, for my 'Creative Writing: Translation' class. In this Lenten season, perhaps it is fitting that I post this beautiful prayer for complete resignation to God's holy Will.
THINE AM I.
Thine am I, I was born for Thee;
What is Thy command for me?
Majesty most sovereign,
O Thou wisdom without end,
Goodness, to my soul a friend,
God most High, that e'er hast been,
Look on the vileness and sin
That today sings Love to Thee.
What is Thy command for me?
I am Thine, that Thou didst make;
Thine, redeemed, O Lord, by Thee;
Thine, for Thou didst suffer me;
Thou didst call; my self, then, take.
Saved by thee from hell's dark lake,
I went not astray from Thee;
What is Thy command for me?
What, good Lord, dost Thou command
That this worthless servant do?
O, what work is given into
This, Thy sinful servant's hand?
See, sweet Lover, here I am,
Lover sweet, I come to Thee;
What is Thy command for me?
See my heart, O Lord - I place
It within Thy hand. My soul,
Entrails, life and body whole,
All I fix upon Thy face;
Sweet Redeemer of our race,
Since I gave myself to Thee
What is Thy command for me?
Give me death or give me life,
Health or sickness give to me,
Honor give or infamy,
Give me greater peace or strife,
Strength or weakness to my life,
I accept it all from Thee…
What is Thy command for me?
Wealth or poverty be given,
Consolation, misery;
Joy or sorrow give to me,
Give me hell or give me heaven,
Scorching sun or joy of living,
I surrender all to Thee;
What is Thy command for me?
If Thou wilt, give prayer to me,
Or give dryness in its stead;
Pour devotion on my head,
Or if not, sterility.
O Thou sovereign Majesty,
I find peace in none but Thee;
What is Thy command for me?
Wisdom, knowledge, grant to me,
Or for love, give foolishness.
Give me years of thy largesse
Or of starving scarcity;
Cloudy days or clarity,
Whirl me hither, thither, free.
What is Thy command for me?
Wouldst Thou have me leisure lie?
I will laze for love of thee;
If my labor thou wouldst see,
Laboring for thee I'd die.
Tell me when, where, how and why,
Tell, dear Lover, tell to me,
What is Thy command for me?
Calvary's pain or Thabor's light,
Desert land or fruitful rest;
Be I Job in deepest plight,
Or John at his mother's breast;
If a fruitful vine I be
Or unfruitful, pleasing Thee,
What is Thy command for me?
Be I Joseph bound in jail
Or as Egypt's ruler great;
David suffering great travail,
Or David in royal state,
Be I Jonah in the whale
Or from his dark prison free,
What is Thy command for me?
In my speech and silence too,
Be I fruitful, be I not,
Let the law show me my fault,
Let me joy in Gospels true;
In my joys and in my woe,
Thou alone, come live in me;
What is Thy command for me?
Thine am I, I was born for Thee;
What is Thy command for me?
-- St. Teresa of Avila -- tr. Inés de Erausquin. Oct. 19, 2008.
In your charity please pray for the soul of our grandmother, Muriel de Erausquin, who died on Monday, Feb. 1. Many thanks...
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre – A Bishop for the Church
A movie on the life and work of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, scheduled to come out in late 2010: here is a link to the trailer!
http://www.lefebvrethemovie.org/?page_id=9
This one was too good to pass up.
The Perfect Worker
1 Bob Smith, my assistant programmer, can always be found
2 hard at work in his cubicle. Bob works independently, without
3 wasting company time talking to colleagues. Bob never
4 thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always
5 finishes given assignments on time. Often he takes extended
6 measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee
7 breaks. Bob is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no
8 vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound
9 knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Bob can be
10 classified as a high-caliber employee, the type which cannot be
11 dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be
12 promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be
13 executed as soon as possible.
Addendum:
That idiot was standing over my shoulder while I wrote the report
sent to you earlier today. Kindly re-read only the odd numbered
lines.
Hey TradCats,
As you may have noticed we are currently in the process of redesigning the TC site. We are experimenting with different themes for the site and your feedback is important to us. Please excuse any inconvenience during this period and please feel free to comment on anything you might like to see from this site that we don't already have (music player anyone?), or any suggestions for how you would like the site to look. Thanks for all you've already done and continue to do! God bless!
Warning: Rant to follow, but I just HAD to get this off my chest.... >_<
Okay, so I'm checking my email a few days ago and I get an email telling me that February 14 is S.A.D. day. Yes, that stands for Single Awareness Day. The first thing I think is "No way...you have GOT to be kidding me..." Are we this pathetic??!! I mean, come on! I'm single, yeah I'd LOVE to have a man in my life, but that doesn't mean I'm going to try and hi-jack the couples-day! Are we this immature as a society that the single people can't stand to experience a day devoted to romance without trying to turn the focus on themselves?! This would be like all the childless women declaring Mother's Day the new Infertility Awareness day!! I mean, come on...I didn't even remember it was Valentine's day until about half way through Mass (and Mass is at 10am out here...) Geez....
Gasp, gasp...okay, I'm done now...on another note, my internet is going to be up and working this Thursday, so expect to see more of me around this blog... mwahhaha
Hey Howdy, here's a poem I wrote on my way back from a trip to Tomball(North Houston). Sorry for some reason my line spacing is weird. Enjoy.
Here I sit in silence killing,
the Whiteness of this pageI'm stealing.
all for rhymes that equal what?
Here I sit with no direction
giving random word selection,
saying things that equal what?
I could use this time of writting
to write on ships or seagull sightings,
but alas in Tomball I can not.
Maybe I could write of that forest wall
built of pine trees straight and tall,
but instead I sit here writing squat.
Ok, here's the rules. Take the name of our blog, TradCats, and see how many words you can make from it. Points are awarded for each word according to the number of letters used i.e. a = 1 point, at = 2 points etc. A bonus of 10 points will be awarded for the longest word. Have fun!
Greetings TradCats! In light of the upcoming feast of St. Valentine (and the lack of recent articles) we are going to host our second article contest and first of this year. The theme for this contest is, you guessed it, St. Valentines Day! There is so much to talk about with this one subject that it should be rather easy to think of something to share. i.e. Why doesn't anyone say Happy St. Valentine's Day like they do for St. Patrick? What is the modern view of love and why is it wrong? Who is St. Valentine? What is the origin of giving/receiving valentine cards? etc. The deadline for the contest will be St. Valentines Day, February 14th, 2010. All articles will be reviewed by a panel of judges in funny white wigs. The winner of the contest shall receive bragging rights and a spiritual bouquet of 15 decades of the rosary (like I said before, I'm a poor college student). God bless you all and may St. Valentine guide your key strokes!
Some friends of ours, the Romo family, have had some complications regarding their Visas. They are here legally, they are a very loving, very generous family; they let us stay with them for three weeks after hurricane Ike, when we had no power. They fed us, helped us during our stay with them. Now through some complications with their children's visas they may have to leave the U.S. They are having their hearing tomorrow morning at 7:00 am; they can use all the prayers they can get, so I ask y'all to please remember them in your prayers.
-Tom
TradCats! I will be posting a new contest this Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 12:00 AM here on TradCats. The winner will receive bragging rights and a spiritual bouquet (sorry, I'm a poor college student). That's all I can tell you at this time so be sure to check the site bright and early Saturday morning! As always, tell your friends about the site so they can take part as well! À
It’ll be the fifth day of Juillet
and none a cent to pay
to eat, drink and be merry
no world cup talk shall I carry
the boredom! please take it away!
The drone and talk of the ‘universal’ game
really, no point scoring its just quite lame
‘The Germans will surely win the cup!’
the home turf the krauts won’t give up
Boca, River, AFA, no reason for shame
Men and boys in powder blue stripes
gave it their all, Maradona’s old yikes!
Italians, and Aussies, Poles, and Croats
Fans from all over, eating their brats
Watching for a ball between the pipes
90 minutes 3 times a day
Please kick a goal, we pray!
For heaven sakes, it’s a game
But, not a yellow or red how lame
Turn off the TV and walk away
Come to my house if you understand French
I got a grill in the back and a white painted bench
make sure you get the date right
and try with all your might
cease the talk of the sport perfect for a wench!
Where’s the barrister of the gov’ment
Sullivan come to our aid in this moment
Please all baseball lover’s unite
and give this futbol’er’ a fright
To say soccer’s glorious I’m hell bent
A man's sport requires speed
leather, pine tar, bats is what you need
or a ball up and in now that's intimidation
a deuce on the ribs, even music to the chin
could make a man a boy and take heed
Gibson, Koufax, Williams, and Ruth,
men with real guts, an example for youth
not running incessantly and kicking a ball
all that action and no scoring at all
Futboler's are actors y’all know it’s the truth
Gehrig, Maris, Hornesby even Shoeless Joe
they'd never settle for that sort of show
faking it and making it seem like a trip
and that long hair they wear is just not hip
Psst! Beckham’s really a girl I hope you know
Well! As our good Jude Emblem suggests that when we have an interesting day we tell about it, I will tell you all what happened yesterday.
The morning was pretty normal. Chilly and a bit damp; I drove the Vespa down to college and as it turned out, my 9 am class was cancelled due to a power-outage, (which was mended by now but we still didn't have class). I did my hour's stint at the front desk of the Community Music School, then practiced; went to choir rehearsal (we are performing Karl Jenkins' L'homme Armée: A Mass for Peace, a very interesting work, just gorgeous in places and a bit weird in others); had a bite of lunch; counterpoint; and a wonderful though somewhat short piano lesson, as my teacher wasn't quite well. Then I headed home, taught a piano lesson, and headed off to Opera Studio rehearsal (the last dress rehearsal before our performance Friday.)
It was misting heavily now, with occasional big drops splashing. I drove slowly, and made it to college without incident; but as I swung into the parking lot of Webster Hall, I found that the motorcycle spots were taken up by cars. How irritating! I turned and headed out, assuming I'd have to park by the music building and walk... and I was late already.
But as I slowly turned the corner of the driveway I met a car coming in... and so sudden was its appearance that, startled, I braked sharply, skidded and went down with a crash. I felt the Vespa come down on my right foot and as I jerked free I thought "Oh, this is not good..." through a blinding flash of pain.
I lay still for a minute, trying to get my breath, until I heard a voice call my name and found that the driver of the car was one of the girls who did our make-up for opera. Coincidences... She and a kindly professor who happened to be there helped me up and we parked the Vespa (unharmed barring some scratches) and waited for Public Safety to show up, since the professor had called them. They took my name and number, made sure I was all right (was I? I don't even know) and then I parked the Vespa properly and went in through the back-stage door which a very repentant make-up girl opened for me. An hour and an ice-pack later I got into my costume and made it through the scene, without shoes and with a throbbing foot; but evidently I can act better than I think, for none of the directors noticed that I was limping. (Stage makeup must make all the difference.) :)
Performance over, I got myself back into my own clothes and shoes and drove the Vespa very carefully over to the Community Music School half a block away, where I sat at the front desk till midnight (oh, work-study!) and then drove home to bind the hurt foot and collapse into bed. Today it still hurts pretty badly but continuous icing is helping and I am sure I will be good as new in a couple of days. Deo gratias, it wasn't any worse.