So I realize I haven't updated in a long time, and I realize that makes some people sad. So, because it's either update my blog or do history homework, I'm choosing to tell some stories from the last month or so.... I know some of you have heard at least some of theses stories, so just bear with me, k?
So, as it turns out, Oldenburg has gangs. This weekend, two rival gangs threw two big parties, which basically meant that Oldenburg had to bring in police from all over the region to keep them from committing any felonies. The most fun part of this was when they closed down part of the street I essentially live on. I was, at the time, walking home. The nice police man told me I could either go a totally different way, or go through the grave yard that happens to be right there. So, 10:30pm on a Friday night finds me tramping through a snowy graveyard, in my concert black, carrying a horn, a backpack with my school stuff, and a large bouquet of flowers.
As the concert black implies, we had orchestra concerts this weekend, one on Friday at the Uni, and one on Saturday in Hage. Ask anyone here where Hage is, and they won't be able to tell you. I googled it, and it's about as far north and west as it is possible to go in Germany. We still don't know why we had a concert there... but it was fun, although it made for a rather long day with the bus trip and all.
I also played a sort of recital on Friday before the orchestra concert. A few months ago I was snatched by a composition teacher here, who thought it would be amusing for all of her students to write pieces for horn. So I premiered eight things on Friday.... some went better than others (*cough pieces about elephants that are microtonal and require water in the horn cough*). It was sort of cool to be part of the composition process.... to have veto power when there was something I didn't know if I could play, and to watch how people edit compositions. But next time I think I'll pass... its REALLY nerve wracking to perform a piece alone with the composer present...
The weather (I love complaining about the weather). As I've maybe explained, Europe is having a "snow crisis" filled winter. Today, for example, it snowed about 3 inches in the morning, so all the buses stopped running, I missed history, and now, two hours later, its just above freezing, melting, and raining. But hey, the humidity is only 95%, so it's not quite as wet as it could be.
Last night I went to Hamburg to play with an orchestra my uni orchestra conductor conducts. Hamburg is kind of far away, but I'm orchestra starved. I got home just before 2am because the trains don't run enough late at night. I actually met the orchestra director in Bremen (he was there teaching) and we drove the rest of the way to Hamburg together (which was nice because it meant I was only on my own on the way home)... and I invented a new word (which he will probably tease me about until the end of time). I couldn't remember the word for snow plow, so I made one up: das Strasseschneeputzmachineding. Literally street-snow-clean-machine-thing. He knew what I was talking about..... he also laughed for about the next ten minutes. The real word is der Schneeraümer, or the snow cleaner. I was on the right track...
The countdown has officially started.... I will be done with everything (but some papers I have until the end of March to write) on Sunday. I can't WAIT for a real break. Daddy also gets here on Sunday. Hopefully bearing gifts of burrito making supplies and spicy stuff.
Oh, and I passed my test :)
