Week?! A whole Week?! (aka The Bump on my Nose)

Sorry for the delay, you know how it is.

Sunday I was heading to church, but was diverted when I neared the Central Library. If you recall it was Remembrance Day, and the ceremony began the same time as church (a problem with which I was hoping someone would deal). I was able to hear some brass bands playing customary English marches (as well as Nimrod), bagpipers, a religious service (including recitations for Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu congregants), and poppies aplenty.

Tuesday I had a 5- hour workshop with Tete a Tete, an opera company doing a contemporary version of Odysseus. The instrumentalists (including me) created music for the initial scene, and the singers created action that directly reflected the dialogue. Overall the workshop served two purposes: 1) We were forced away from our convention (i.e. written music) and had to tackle musical needs with greater thought and creativity, and 2) We physically ran through a workshop that would be normally be given to younger children, so we could experience what they would (with the hope that we will eventually be giving the workshops).

During the physical warm-up, we played several versions of tag, including freeze tag. We needed to run under people's legs to unfreeze them. In all the hustle and bustle, I scraped my nose, but not bad enough to be noticable (well, one person has noticed). And that was that.

Wednesday we attended the production of Odysseus Unwound. I sat next two a friend from Greece, who complained that they butchered the original story, although her sister didn't seem to mind as much.

Thursday was again another workshop oriented presentation, this time Artis..., which acts as a training and employment tool for musicians, theaterites, and dances. The emphasis is on school workshops and presentations, and after trainig is completed, the artists work at a specific school, year-round. Sounds like a nice, reliable goup.

Friday I got a new flatmate! Nancy is a master's oboeist at RNCM. She isn't completely moved in, but her sense of humor fits well with Sarah and myself, and she's teaching us British. I could write more, but I can't be bothered.

Today I did laundry, practiced, read Murokami's After the Quake (which I hope to write about later), and watched Casino Royale. Next weekend I plan on watching Casino Royale. Church will be missed once again due to a Brass Band competition in Gateshead.

//End of Post//