Four down, two to go...
Apr. 8th, 2004 10:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojChris on call again tonight, fifth call in less than two weeks. Somehow we're getting through, and I'm hoping against hope that Easter approaches something that can be called a holiday. He'll be post-call tomorrow, so that'll be a write-off in terms of Family Time, but on Saturday, for the first time in over a week he will be neither on call nor post-call. So that might be OK. We'll try to do the egg hunt that day, unless he gets yet another migraine. In which case I'll do it myself while he's on call Sunday or post-call on Monday.
***
I finally watched L&O:SVU from this last Tuesday. Can anybody explain to me why the word 'bisexual' seemed to be non-existent in this sordid tale of black men who are married but have sex with other men (during 'Poker' Nights - get it? Poker? Oh, the punny humour), and the closeted white men who fall in love with them? Like, seriously. Is the concept really that outlandish? Did the whole middle range of the Kinsey Scale just disappear while I wasn't looking?
***
Put up the new![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
thursday100plus challenge today and there's already two entries to it. I'm even thinking of writing an entry (of course, because how else should I occupy my time when I'm doing the single-mom thing on Easter weekend and have a paper and an exam looming ahead of me?). However, I might put it off because so far I seem to have been whacked with the angsty stick really, really hard. Can't seem to write anything remotely resembling uplifting.
***
Can anybody tell me how they make those moving icons? I got an idea for a fadeout for Blessed is the Norm, but haven't a clue of how to start.
***
Choir last night was amazing. We're actually getting the music, and getting it well. Laus Deo was majestic and dynamic and a whole bunch of superlative adjectives. Will Ye No Come Back Again, which I now discover is about Bonnie Prince Charlie, came off without a hitch. Including the stratosphere-scraping descants.
I'm always really happy when I see descants. As far as I can tell, it's the only real way we sopranos can prove we're worthy to be in a choir. I mean, we're the biggest section, and by far the dumbest. Sorry, but we are - we have the melody 95% of the time, so we never have to learn to sight read. So while the other parts are actually working, we just breeze through. Except for those embarrassing incidents where we screw up music any child could figure out, get the rest of the choir rolling their eyes, and make our conductor want to cry.
But descants? That's our forte. As long as we can do it without getting screechy, that's the one time when we actually add something to the choral experience. And it's always kind of neat to see the other parts get impressed by our three-bar-long high G's, or A's.
Then again, I once read a theory that perhaps sopranos are as dumb as sacks of hair because the high notes we hit scramble our brains. The music gods giveth, and they taketh away.
The other song we did very, very well was Wood River, with our conductor doing the solo. It's too bad he won't be able to do the solo for the performance, because he actually has a very, very nice voice. It was an interesting set-up, too - the guy up front providing the melody and directing at the same time.
I finally watched L&O:SVU from this last Tuesday. Can anybody explain to me why the word 'bisexual' seemed to be non-existent in this sordid tale of black men who are married but have sex with other men (during 'Poker' Nights - get it? Poker? Oh, the punny humour), and the closeted white men who fall in love with them? Like, seriously. Is the concept really that outlandish? Did the whole middle range of the Kinsey Scale just disappear while I wasn't looking?
Put up the new
thursday100plus challenge today and there's already two entries to it. I'm even thinking of writing an entry (of course, because how else should I occupy my time when I'm doing the single-mom thing on Easter weekend and have a paper and an exam looming ahead of me?). However, I might put it off because so far I seem to have been whacked with the angsty stick really, really hard. Can't seem to write anything remotely resembling uplifting.Can anybody tell me how they make those moving icons? I got an idea for a fadeout for Blessed is the Norm, but haven't a clue of how to start.
Choir last night was amazing. We're actually getting the music, and getting it well. Laus Deo was majestic and dynamic and a whole bunch of superlative adjectives. Will Ye No Come Back Again, which I now discover is about Bonnie Prince Charlie, came off without a hitch. Including the stratosphere-scraping descants.
I'm always really happy when I see descants. As far as I can tell, it's the only real way we sopranos can prove we're worthy to be in a choir. I mean, we're the biggest section, and by far the dumbest. Sorry, but we are - we have the melody 95% of the time, so we never have to learn to sight read. So while the other parts are actually working, we just breeze through. Except for those embarrassing incidents where we screw up music any child could figure out, get the rest of the choir rolling their eyes, and make our conductor want to cry.
But descants? That's our forte. As long as we can do it without getting screechy, that's the one time when we actually add something to the choral experience. And it's always kind of neat to see the other parts get impressed by our three-bar-long high G's, or A's.
Then again, I once read a theory that perhaps sopranos are as dumb as sacks of hair because the high notes we hit scramble our brains. The music gods giveth, and they taketh away.
The other song we did very, very well was Wood River, with our conductor doing the solo. It's too bad he won't be able to do the solo for the performance, because he actually has a very, very nice voice. It was an interesting set-up, too - the guy up front providing the melody and directing at the same time.
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no subject
Date: 2004-04-08 08:23 pm (UTC)so what's wrong with angst now and again? fic doesn't always have to be uplifting. i do hope you write something. it's been too long....
no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 06:21 pm (UTC)Well, you know what they say, be careful what you ask - you may well get it ;)
About singing conductors
Date: 2004-04-09 12:03 am (UTC)1) they set the tympani up backwards (there are only 2 of them - you think they could get it right!)
2) My girlfriend Margie who played the timpani and sang 2nd alto had never thought about practicing in her choir robe - she ended up playing the whole song through her sleeves
3) because the typical high school choir has a dearth of men in it our director Mr Gould decided at the last minute that he would have to help the basses out and he did have this wonder full bass and the audience would never know he was helping as his back was to them, there was just one problem - he didn't tell me - what difference would that make you ask - I was the soloist! He damn near scared the pee out of me! Fortunately after 4 years of solos I'd learned to handle most any sitaution and I recovered OK.
You know I just realized, I bet we could trade choir stories forever OK
just two more
1 went to state, think it was senior year- director trying to get the tenors to provide a more manly sound tells them if they do, maybe the altos will date them, entire choir cracks up and he can't figure out why. I, fourth alto in the state (couldn't sight read worth a damn), was dating - you guessed it the first tenor in the state, we were from the same home town and had during lunch made the typical teenage spectacle of ourself so the entire state choir knew we were an item.
Graduation - I graduated on my 18th birthday as valedictorian of my senior class- was required to wear a white gown intead of a blue gown - made me look like moby dick- I got to sing one last solo with the choir Battle Hymn of the Republic. The choir was seated on the football field behind sr class. I get up to go back to the mike and the speaker for commencement starts to rise I swear the lady was going to tackle me or something and I saw the principal get up to quickly introduce me while someone from the school board reigned her in.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 06:32 pm (UTC)LOL!! Yeah, that would be nice to know beforehand :D :D
I swear the lady was going to tackle me or something
LOL!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 04:56 am (UTC)I love the phrase "dumb as a sack of hair."
I've known a few smart, sweet sopranos in my time (you're one of 'em;
I'm just a second soprano with a medium-quality voice, though, and I can't sight read for shit, so who am I to talk?
no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 06:23 pm (UTC)LOL yeah, that's been my experience too. Not always with the bitchy (though our whole section was rather unladylike after one very bad concert) but the five brain cells... yeeeah. If that ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 06:06 am (UTC)That is a true cultural phenomenon and they refer to it as being on the Down Low (or DL). Black men who sleep with other men or indulge in relationships may not refer to it as being homo- or bisexual. They choose to act as if the act of sex with another man is completely separate from who they are. Culturally, many blacks see being gay/lesbian/bisexual as being a "white" thing or something that doesn't really exist in the black community. (Don't ask. It's ridiculous, I know.) A lot of blacks who indulge in any type of same-sex behavior bury it, as if it's not really a part of them or what they do, therefore they refuse to use any pre-existing terms to identify themselves.
Another interesting note that I just found out -- black lesbians in this area (and possibly outside of this area, though I never heard of it before) refer to themselves as 'Women Who Love Women' and not lesbians. Some refer to themselves as lesbians, but there are many who won't. Unbelievable.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 06:30 pm (UTC)Yeah I don't know if you saw the ep, but Fin explained that to the others on the squad. And got some raised eyebrows, to which he replied something like, "What? I read about it."
A lot of blacks who indulge in any type of same-sex behavior bury it, as if it's not really a part of them or what they do, therefore they refuse to use any pre-existing terms to identify themselves.
Yeah... bizarre.
The thing was, though - they had explained the whole self-identification thing pretty well, IMHO, so it wasn't so much the characters participating in the behaviour not labelling themselves that bugged me. What really bugged me was that everybody else forgot about bisexuality too. Eg, this ex-boyfriend of Olivia's had slept with a man. Therefore, he was gay. Not bi, but gay. The black guy who finally broke down and confessed what was going on to Fin repeated several times, "I'm NOT gay!" Which, OK, denial and all that - but then he tells Fin, "Look, I have relationships with women, I have sex with men," and what does Fin say?
"I got news for you. That means you're gay."
Um... really?
Some refer to themselves as lesbians, but there are many who won't. Unbelievable.
::sigh:: Why can't we all just get along?
no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 06:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 06:30 pm (UTC)Thanks :) And I hope your Easter's wonderful too.