Workout Mix

The title of this entry refers to the CD mixes Lindsay made for me so I could go to the gym with friendly, get-up-and-go music in my ears.

The mix starts off with a bang--Black Eyed Peas "Pump It Up." Let me tell you, I was in the mood for pumping it up at Maindy Pool Gym! The song got me started off fresh and full of energy. Some of her other choices were...interesting. I honestly laughed out loud when Celine Dion's "Power of the Dream" came on. 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, anyone? Speaking of 19996, that was 10 YEARS AGO. I remember those days, when Keri Strug tore her Achilles heel or something for the good of the team during the vault. Go USA gymnastics! I am old.

I also received pop-music education while listening to the mix. For example, Mandy Moore has a song titled "Yo-yo." Who knew?

I had some stipulations, of course, before Lindsay went about compiling the mixes. Outside the classical realm, I tend to stick to my Radiohead, my oldies, my indie rock, my folk, my bluegrass. I'm not really a sugary-pop, actress crossover kind of girl. I don't love me some Lohan, for example. And my R&B tolerance is minimal. But I have to say, even the one J-Lo song that makes an appearance isn't terrible. The lesson of the week: pop/rock music makes for exercise fun! And so does the occasional Jay-Z song.

So today's shout-out goes to Lindsay Thurman. Well done, sis! It's a good thing you didn't put Garth Brooks "Standing Outside the Fire" right after Celine--I think I might have flown right off the exercise bike with all the inspiration.

Cool Concerts and Crazy Cooking

Good morning, readers! I woke up around 9:30 today, hoping to get in some early productivity before going to a concert at 11:30.

What do you want to do first thing in the morning? I'll tell you what I want to do--pee. That's right (and I don't think I'm alone in this), my bladder is full when I wake up, and I feel the need to empty it. But, dear readers, I was thwarted for over half an hour! My housemate's brother was in the shower. Then, his girlfriend was in the shower. Then, my housemate snuck in to do her make-up. Note: this is a regular occurrence, and is becoming an annoyance.

Although my day started off rather tensely, I actually had a really nice Sunday. I went to a "Coffee Concert" at the History Museum. The museum has a rather nice theater for chamber groups and soloists, and once a month students get in free! With your ticket you can also get a free coffee, tea, or sherry afterwards (hence the name). Today I heard the Royal String Quartet of Warsaw, Poland. Let me tell you, they were AMAZING. I haven't been to a chamber concert that good in a long time. The program had a Mozart Quartet, a Webern slow movement (gorgeous!! Not typical minimalist Webern stuff), and Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8.

If you have never heard Shostakovich Quartet 8 (I hadn't before today), do yourself a favor and find a recording of it. Granted, I'm a sensitive person, but I had tears in my eyes during the first movement. You hear the primary theme from the first movement of his first symphony, but it is set as a dirge, and the transformation of that is just heart-breaking. The program notes set a nice context for the piece in terms of his life and the history in Russia at the time, and it turns out that he wrote the quartet as a memorial to himself, as he expected to die sooner or later under the Communist regime. It is intense, beautiful, and very clever. The concert was fantastic.

Sorry about my rambling--but I guess that's what these blogs are all about.

Today's shout-out (on the topic of randomness) goes to Chad Jewsbury for pestering me to update my blog. Thanks, Chad! This one's for you. :-)

Among other things:

-I have a mild addiction to Sudoku. I can't fall asleep until I've played a few games.
-I got a new phone! It's super-cool, and I get 1,000 text messages a month!
-I'm trying to find a good website to post pictures on, so people can quit bugging me about it.
-I am a chef now! Thank you, Momma, for the cookbook titled "Cooking Thin." (I know that, as the title of a book, it should be underlined, but I don't have underlining in the blogger toolbar. It's the price I pay for having a Mac. And a small one, I tell you.) I make all sorts of things! And they are all low-calorie and healthy! I made baked cod two nights ago, and chicken stew on Wednesday. Basically I'm cooking a new recipe every couple of days or so, and I'm finding that it's more exciting than peanut butter sandwiches and canned soup, and much less expensive than eating out. Plus there's that health factor. The more greens you eat, the longer you can jump across tall buildings and stuff like that, right?
-I have a presentation next Monday and I am not anywhere near being ready for it.
-I'm going to Bath, England next Saturday!
-I got free tickets to see Walk the Line on Wednesday.
-I get to play principal in Beethoven 6! Yay fun! Oh and we're doing the Nutcracker as well. The British are nuts. Come on, who plays the Nutcracker after Christmas? Crazy Brits, that's who.
-Jon Kuhns is the coolest horn player I know.
-I really miss Ruth Ann's ability to organize my closet/life. On that note, I did clean my room yesterday in an attempt to delay working on my presentation. I was on my hands and knees pulling hair out of the carpet. I know, I'm disgusting. I shed when I blowdry my hair. And then I go for weeks on end without vacuuming. Yuck.
-I miss my momma. She's super-cool.

Well, that's about it for tonight. That was a lot about me--now what about you? What's going on in your life? I don't want this to be a one-sided relationship, readers. Let me know what's up with you! :-)

Take care.

Cool Concerts and Crazy Cooking

Good morning, readers! I woke up around 9:30 today, hoping to get in some early productivity before going to a concert at 11:30.

What do you want to do first thing in the morning? I'll tell you what I want to do--pee. That's right (and I don't think I'm alone in this), my bladder is full when I wake up, and I feel the need to empty it. But, dear readers, I was thwarted for over half an hour! My housemate's brother was in the shower. Then, his girlfriend was in the shower. Then, my housemate snuck in to do her make-up. Note: this is a regular occurrence, and is becoming an annoyance.

Although my day started off rather tensely, I actually had a really nice Sunday. I went to a "Coffee Concert" at the History Museum. The museum has a rather nice theater for chamber groups and soloists, and once a month students get in free! With your ticket you can also get a free coffee, tea, or sherry afterwards (hence the name). Today I heard the Royal String Quartet of Warsaw, Poland. Let me tell you, they were AMAZING. I haven't been to a chamber concert that good in a long time. The program had a Mozart Quartet, a Webern slow movement (gorgeous!! Not typical minimalist Webern stuff), and Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8.

If you have never heard Shostakovich Quartet 8 (I hadn't before today), do yourself a favor and find a recording of it. Granted, I'm a sensitive person, but I had tears in my eyes during the first movement. You hear the primary theme from the first movement of his first symphony, but it is set as a dirge, and the transformation of that is just heart-breaking. The program notes set a nice context for the piece in terms of his life and the history in Russia at the time, and it turns out that he wrote the quartet as a memorial to himself, as he expected to die sooner or later under the Communist regime. It is intense, beautiful, and very clever. The concert was fantastic.

Sorry about my rambling--but I guess that's what these blogs are all about.

Today's shout-out (on the topic of randomness) goes to Chad Jewsbury for pestering me to update my blog. Thanks, Chad! This one's for you. :-)

Among other things:

-I have a mild addiction to Sudoku. I can't fall asleep until I've played a few games.
-I got a new phone! It's super-cool, and I get 1,000 text messages a month!
-I'm trying to find a good website to post pictures on, so people can quit bugging me about it.
-I am a chef now! Thank you, Momma, for the cookbook titled "Cooking Thin." (I know that, as the title of a book, it should be underlined, but I don't have underlining in the blogger toolbar. It's the price I pay for having a Mac. And a small one, I tell you.) I make all sorts of things! And they are all low-calorie and healthy! I made baked cod two nights ago, and chicken stew on Wednesday. Basically I'm cooking a new recipe every couple of days or so, and I'm finding that it's more exciting than peanut butter sandwiches and canned soup, and much less expensive than eating out. Plus there's that health factor. The more greens you eat, the longer you can jump across tall buildings and stuff like that, right?
-I have a presentation next Monday and I am not anywhere near being ready for it.
-I'm going to Bath, England next Saturday!
-I got free tickets to see Walk the Line on Wednesday.
-I get to play principal in Beethoven 6! Yay fun! Oh and we're doing the Nutcracker as well. The British are nuts. Come on, who plays the Nutcracker after Christmas? Crazy Brits, that's who.
-Jon Kuhns is the coolest horn player I know.
-I really miss Ruth Ann's ability to organize my closet/life. On that note, I did clean my room yesterday in an attempt to delay working on my presentation. I was on my hands and knees pulling hair out of the carpet. I know, I'm disgusting. I shed when I blowdry my hair. And then I go for weeks on end without vacuuming. Yuck.
-I miss my momma. She's super-cool.

Well, that's about it for tonight. That was a lot about me--now what about you? What's going on in your life? I don't want this to be a one-sided relationship, readers. Let me know what's up with you! :-)

Take care.