Because of illness, on Monday I rescheduled my lesson with Peter (usually a Tuesday event) to this morning, at 9 am. It was the only time available, so I took it. Got up this morning at 7:45, out the door, and to BU by 8:45 (the train even went express from Wash. to Harvard Ave!). Get to Peter's studio, and he's not there yet. So I open the door and start warming up.

9 am.

9:05 am.

9:10 am.

9:15 am.

Around 9:17 am, my phone rings. "Hi Heather. I'm so sorry, but I JUST woke up. Can we reschedule?"

(sigh) I know I rescheduled first, but I did so over 24 hours in advance. I woke up so early and was so good, and he didn't come!

So I practiced the rest of the morning. I know that I'm glad it worked out that way, but still.

Oh, and my new lesson this week is on Friday at 12:30. During his auditions lunch break.

76

Shoot.

Day One of Back to Life consisted of:

Sleeping, coughing, going to orchestra, coughing, practicing, coughing, getting thai, coughing, emailing various people about various things, coughing, drinking tea, and oh yes....

Coughing.

I'm too scared to take cough syrup. See back two posts for reasons why.

Recuperating

Things seem to be improving, although it is very very very VERY slow. I'm finally eating a little bit more normally and no longer feel feverish all the time. I have no idea what the heck attacked my body over the past three days, but it was pretty awful. Definitely some type of flu. Unfortunately, now Molly seems to have something as well, and Tatiana called yesterday to report a fever. Everybody's sick.

I played somewhat successfully at Emmanuel this morning, considering how crappy I feel. Julian Kuerti was the conductor for this weekend (http://bso.org/bso/mods/bios_detail.jsp?id=24300114). He and I were both TMC fellows in 2005. It was good to see him again, and work with him - he seems to be doing very well for himself (hence the weblink previously) and is even conducting the BSO in March for a full weekend of concerts.

This morning it snowed about 3-4 in - enough to cover everything quite nicely.

I'm going to finish lunch and then keep on my recuperating schedule. Which means a nap soon, followed by lots of vitamins.

After spending all day yesterday in bed feeling miserable, and throwing up all the cough syrup I took around 1 am last night, I finally managed to get myself up this morning to go to Emmanuel for rehearsal. It wasn't too terrible, and I'm slowly starting to get my appetite back, although when I eat, everything has that "you're still pretty sick" taste. Ugh. I really want to feel better RIGHT. NOW.

I canceled the wedding consultation for today, as well as backed out of going to a concert with Molly this afternoon. After this pity-party blog entry, I will commence to put pjs back on and climb back into bed. I feel so gross.

So I am sick. Sick as a dog. I have a fever and chills, my body aches terribly, and I am coughing almost nonstop. When I try to eat, I feel like I'll throwup, so I haven't had much more than a few crackers. I really want to take some vitamins to help me fight this thing, but I'm afraid they'll just make me sicker on an empty stomach.

I don't mind the occasional cold, but this is really awful.

Last night a few people dropped by to eat cake in celebration of Jesse's 23rd birthday. It was a very good time, the cake I picked out to make (called Yummy Chocolate Cake, and was from the St. Johns cookbook) was excellent, and enjoyed by all.

I'm playing in a masterclass today for Katie Wolfe, a violin prof at the Univ. of Iowa. She gave a good recital the other night, so I'm interested in what she'll have to say to me today. Should be a lovely time.

Also - I'm sick. I could feel it start last night around 11:30, and sure enough, I wake up today and my nose is going ballistic and I'm coughing. Adelaide had just started a cold when I saw her on Tuesday, so its either that or any other number of things. Kinda would love to stay and home and do nothing today. Oh well.

So sad about Heath Ledger. I saw A Knight's Tale with my friend Amy in high school, and after it was done we walked to the next theater it was showing at and watched it again. It was a good time. He was only 28.

Baroque violin class started this morning - should be a very good time, as long as I remember to keep my violin more in front of my body than with modern violin.

Molly and I had sushi for dinner and it was AMAZING.

I totally crashed and burned on my face playing the 2nd mvt of Brahms today in my lesson. Hope that doesn't happen again.

Played hide and seek on the 4th floor at BU with Adelaide today while Heidi had a lesson with Peter.

Now I must research about what kind of cake to make for tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. I'm thinking chocolate.

Bathroom Woes

I had plans of sleeping late, making coffee, enjoying my morning off in my peaceful, happy apartment, etc etc etc.

Instead, at 8:45 am, two men pounded on my door loudly - REALLY loudly - and then, since they had keys, they open the door, and of course by this time I am just coming out of my room half asleep and confused, and have to go release the door chain, otherwise they can't get in, and then here comes Molly too, also half asleep and confused. Neither of us have anything of importance today other than practicing at some point. So this was not a welcome event.

Since then, we have heard a lot of pounding and the sounds of tiles breaking. As Molly said - "poor tiles...."

Grrr. I bet we'll have to clean up after everything, too.

I am currently at NEC, very very early because I didn't want to go all the way home inbetween Emmanuel this morning and Cantata Singers this afternoon. I had Wendy's for lunch, too! yum.

It is COLD in Boston today, but the sun is still shining!

Heidi sounded beautiful last night! Afterwards, she and Tat and Nat and Rose and I went to the Parish Bar for drinks. It was a very pleasant evening.

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, meaning no school. However, I was informed yesterday that my bathtub walls are being retiled. That should be fun.

Saturday

Today is Saturday, aka the least busy day for me thus far this week. I am playing at Emmanuel! That is happy happy news. Tonight also is Heidi's concert, which Tatiana is also coming to. I am sending Heidi good mind-vibes all day. She'll sound great, as always.

Now that I've calmed down about the insanity of Packer fans, on to other news. After all the hype, Ari is not my standpartner. It was a mistake on the orchestra scheduler's fault - Ari does not have the time to be in orchestra (meaning he must pay for DMA classes - BU is weird) because of the schedule of his string quartet, Jack. Kinda wish sometimes I had that excuse......in any case, there goes those opportunities for pizz lessons.

In all seriousness and sympathy, however, Ari has had a rough month. His grandparents both died in car crash - from what little I could gather yesterday, I think his grandfather had a stroke while driving, and they ran into a concrete sidewall. So sad.

Time to go to BU for practicing. Ugh.

From Today's Metro Newspaper:

"Legally, a parent can restrain a child." ~D.A. Jane Kohlway, explaining why felony charges weren't pressed against Mathew Kowald of Portage, Wis. Kowald was arrested for restraining his 7-year old son and taping a Green Bay Packers jersey to him after the boy refused to wear the jersey during the game Saturday.

Ok. While I was not BORN in Wisconsin, I've lived there longer than anywhere else in my life, ages 8-18. My parents live there. I consider myself a Wisconsin native. Two of my sisters are huge Packers fans. Holly even gave Hannah a Packers jersey for this past Christmas. But this is just ridiculous. While I will be watching the game on Sunday evening with friends, after the second Cantata Singers concert, I will not hang myself if they lose. Its been over ten years since they've gotten this far, and yes, its exciting, and LORD PLEASE DON'T LET THE PATRIOTS BEAT THE CHARGERS, I WANT THE PATRIOTS TO LOSE, but good grief. I hope that man in WI gets punished in some way, because as much as this might annoy people (like Hannah, among others) its JUST A GAME. They will still get millions of dollars even if they lose, while I will play amazing, incredible pieces of music that speak about history and humanity like tonight at Cantata Singers, and the hall will be only a bit over half sold.

I sound bitter. I think I am, actually.

Speaking of the Patriots/Chargers game - this was ALSO in the Boston Metro paper today:
"I hate that song." ~Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, on the "San Diego Super Chargers" fight song.

In other news - if you are within 3,000 miles of Boston, you are required to attend tomorrow night's performance of Heidi Braun-Hill with the Chamber Orchestra of Boston, playing the Vivaldi Concerto in G Major (and no I don't know which number it is and yes I realize there are over 400 Vivaldi violin concertos and at least more than one is probably in G Major).

I'm so tired. And its not even a full week yet until Monday.

Some happy links:

http://chamberbos.squarespace.com/braun-hill-interview/
(This is an interview of my sister for the concert she is doing this weekend.)

http://www.theoryofpaul.net/denver_08.phtml
(Pictures of Paul's recent travels - my favorite is the one of Mary and Daniel and Paul with Paul holding the blue towel! Also very nice to see Paul handling Emily Ruth so gently.)

Other happy news - Mary, this is for you:
We're doing Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique for this orchestra rotation, and we are using FOUR HARPS! KB would be so proud....

Molly is watching the third Pirates of the Carribean movie in the living room. I'm torn from watching with her or just going to bed. My first quintet rehearsal is tomorrow morning at 10, and have I even looked at the music since December? Of course not! After getting up this morning at 7 to practice before what I thought would be class at 10, I should just go to bed now and get up early again to practice before rehearsal.

Thats what I SHOULD do. Here is what I WANT to do:
Go see the National Treasure sequel. Right now.

Thursday's Idiocy

I am a bit of an idiot.

I somehow managed to misread my course schedule for this semester every single time that I checked it in the past week (which is about 5 or 6). Baroque violin class is on TUESDAYS, not Thursdays. So this morning, at 10, I'm wandering around the 2nd floor of CFA like a madwoman before finally going to the scheduling office to ask about it. This is throwing my mind in a loop. Grr.

I also figured out that someone found my blog by searching for Cantata Singers. So - I would like to say that yes, while the music is incredibly depressing, it will be a very good concert, very interesting, and very moving. So you should go.

After all the hype about Ari being my standpartner, he was not at orchestra yesterday!! I was all alone. Which I don't mind, it just then seems like I'm playing so loud ALL the time because I can really only hear myself. I wonder whats going on with that - maybe he just wasn't back yet from break.

This just in.

I'm sure that you all will be VERY happy to know that my standpartner for the current BU orchestra rotation is:

Ari Striesfeld.

AKA: my very first standpartner for my first orchestra concert at Eastman.
AKA: part of CCE at Soundfest, 2004.
AKA: for those who didn't know, he is doing his DMA at BU now with my teacher (meaning, since I will be doing my DMA next year, he and I shall be in the same studio for quite some time now.)

The gods seem to continue to throw us together. Maybe this would be a good opportunity for him to finally give me those pizzacato lessons.

Done!

Hurrah! Another application completed.

I'm so sick of doing school applications. I've spent almost all day working on this stupid thing. This will be my last one for school. EVER. (sigh) It has been a very long, stressful and depressing day already, and its only 4:15. I'm a wreck.

Some items to sigh upon.

1. As predicted, the huge amounts of snow came this morning. I trekked to Cambridge and back for the salvation of my bow hair. I get there, and D. Hawthorne informs me the entire bow might be warped. (sigh)

2. School starts on Wednesday. My last semester as a master's student. Soon it will be on to DMA. (sigh)

3. Because my printer broke a year ago and I haven't replaced it, I have to go to the library tomorrow to print off DMA appl. materials. I wish my printer still worked. (sigh)

4. I have exactly 4 weeks to memorize the 2nd and 3rd mvts of Brahms concerto and get the whole thing to first DMA audition level and then, two weeks after that, competition level. I also must relearn and revamp the Bach g minor Adagio and Fugue for my audition. (sigh)

5. I'm playing Cantata Singers this week. The money is very yay! The music, however, consists of this: 1st half, a new piece about documents stating that the US knew what was happening to the Jews in Europe in WWII but did nothing. Incredibly depressing. 2nd half, a Kurt Weill piece about the Old Testament - we're doing an excerpt, mostly from the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah - aka pre-Babylonian captivity for the Jews. (sigh)

6. (Insert other reasons here, whatever they may be, or whatever I'm forgetting. I feel empty.)

Messiah Gig (and other assundry items since returning to Boston).

I had a Messiah gig this morning at a unitarian church. This is what I found in the bulliten, after a brief bio of Handel and history of the piece:

"In many parts of the world it is an accepted pratcice for the audience to stand for the "Hallelujah" chorus. Tradition has it that King George II rose to his feet as the first notes of the triumphant "Hallelujah" chorus rang out. Royal protocol has always demanded that whenver the monarch stands, so does everyone in the monarch's presence. Thus the entire audience stood as well, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries. It is lost to history the exact reason why the King stood at that point, but the most popular explanations include:

-He was so moved by the performance that he rose to his feet.
-He arrived lat to the performance, and the crowd rose when he finally made an appearance.
-His gout acted up at that precise moment and he rose to ease his pain.
-After an hour of musical performance, he needed to stretch his legs.

I like the third speculation the most.

I've been back in Boston for almost a week now, after a nice stay in Houston with David. We finally saw Rothko Chapel, which at first, I didn't get, but after sitting there quietly for a few moments, it starts to give a sense of peace and contentment, and the paintings begin to have different qualities that are not noticed at first. I liked it. We also figured out his Mac issues, which, surprisingly, were not entirely helped by the Mac Genius guys. They are suppose to know everything, and the three visits to the Mac store clearly showed that they do NOT. However, as David and I discussed, they are quite cute, and therefore, its not so bad to have to keep going back.

As much as I loved the warm weather in Houston, I was quite annoyed by the almost 70-degree weather when I got back to Boston. Its returned to almost normal now, and tomorrow predicts a snowstorm, which I would love. School starts on Wednesday, and my schedule consists of thus:

MWF - Orchestra
Thurs - Baroque violin class

Other than those regularly scheduled items, I have lessons and chamber music (which is Schubert Cello Quintet this semester). I am quite in love with my schedule at the moment.

This is a long post! Oh my goodness.

Babies, Family, and Food

Braun Christmas Vacation 2007 included:



Pictures of: Emily Keener (Mary and Daniel's), Madeline Knepper (my cousin Ben's) and Elijah Knepper (my cousin Matt's)


Christmas Eve picture, after the Lessons and Carols service


Hannah poses to demonstrate the ENORMITY of food consumed (including Fritos) for the past two weeks.


More to come LATER!