my pretty reed is sounding not so pretty....

please please please hold out until friday when i'm performing in rep class!!

i think i'm actually going to have to buy a calendar to plan out this whole recital thing. i have to learn the harder piece before i learn the piece that comes chronologically next; i have to turn in all these forms and shit AND i have to go to like a million other recitals.

remember my big red assignment notebook in 8th grade that they MADE you carry? and mine was like 6 inches thick and full of random shit and loose papers, and i would always drop it all over the place and be late for class? yeah.

today's saxophone listening is the first movement of the ibert, "la meneuse de tortues d'or", which i think means something like, "the herd of golden turtles". hot. i played this when i was 12. so it's not that hard. but with the bad microphone, my dying reed, and no piano, it sounds pretty boring. hey, no one said my recital had to be exciting. it'll be exciting enough just wondering if/when i'm going to throw up from nervousness.

Ibert 1

effing g#

here's the 3rd movement of the harbison, entitled, "couples' dance". let's see....in the first part, i squeak...the second part is only 45 seconds long because that's when i mess up...so just imagine that it ties in nicely with the third part.
Harbison 3-1
Harbison 3-2
Harbison 3-3

in other news, here's the link to mel-the-beer-champion. BEER
if i drink 100 beers, i get a prize.
right now i have two. beers, not prizes.
but the champ is tired from saturday night when she accidentally snuck into "the funkbox" to hear "mammojam". yeah, you heard that right. hence the lack of updating. but hey, with the harbison somewhat firmly under my belt...that means....that...i still need to practice. a lot.

but it's so hard to practice while taking 13 whole credits!! plus, i have to watch american idol and the oc. today i had my hopkins class, "theory of knowledge". this will be fun because my roommate megan is in the class with me. also the class is "theory of knowledge".

i had three whole classes today. after theory of knowledge, i proceeded onwards and upwards to music history 4, with the love of my life, talle. talle is the new dave sullivan. I LOVE YOU, TALLE!!! talle even knows my name. he missed the first day of class, and came in the next day, and apologized for being in europe. "sorry guys, i was in germany. but really, the important thing is that i get into heaven." i laughed for like 20 minutes. <3 <3 <3

finally, ms. rand is having baby #2 in may!! congrats, ms. rand!

eat your hearts out

wind ensemble concert on feb. 11th!!

make sure to listen for this: HOLST

OKAY, HARLAN?? SAY MY NAME!!

and also this, while watching the guest conductor's wrists: MILHAUD

lastly, please enjoy the 2nd movement of the harbison, "line dance", recorded in one fell swoop.
Harbison 2

harbison!

today i decided that recording an entire movement at once is never going to work. so, i broke the first movement of the harbison into three sections, depending on rests, and also where i messed up. (i have yet to figure out how to edit/paste/whatever on this recording program).

now all i have to do is play each section much better, play the whole thing though in one go, learn the other two movements, and get with my pianist! also, learn the rest of my recital.
Harbison 1-1

Harbison 1-2

Harbison 1-3

impending saxophone recital

so, i've decided it might be a good idea to try and practice for a few minutes here and there. in order to encourage myself to do this, i will (hopefully) post clips of my practicing every day. today's lucky winner is the 2nd movement from ibert's histoires. this movement clocks in at just over a minute, and was the only thing i could manage to squeak out without blatant errors. enjoy!!!

loose translation: the little ass

a very special end to a very special vacation

last night, i drove paul to albany to see ben's comedy show. it was funny. go ben. unfortunately, the experience was somewhat overshadowed by the drive back home.

the setting: midnight, on the highway in a blizzard, going 25 mph.

mel: paul, i don't know how to get home from here.
paul: we're fine.

an hour later: a giant truck decides to pass me. and then swerves. i scream and try to get out of the way, and the car does a 360. also around this time, i start to feel like i have to pee.

we pass a sign that says, "rest area in 13 miles".
more than half an hour later, we are not at the rest area. i begin to get concerned that if i do get into an accident, the first thing that will happen is that i will wet my pants. after passing a sign that says, "two more miles to that bathroom!" i realize that i cannot possibly hold it for 15 more minutes. so i stop the car in the middle of the road, get out, and start peeing. only i can also see a car heading very slowly in my direction. i peed for what seemed like five minutes while the approaching headlights got closer and closer.

i hop back in the car.
paul: you smell like pee. also, we're going the wrong way. right now, we're in the catskills.
me. oh. my. god.

an hour and half later, we arrive back in niskayuna.
paul: i hate you.
mel: i never want to see you ever again.

and well, i feel like this experience pretty much captures the essence of my break. i'll be back in bmore later tonight, kids!!

what i have done this break

or more accurately, what i haven't done this break.

see anyone
do anything
eat any food
practice
sleep at night
be awake during the day
go for more than three hours without crying

the only thing i can remember doing is that one day i woke up early to go to the dentist.
goodbye, 2005, year of death. here's to a bigger and better 2006 where i can look forward to failing my recital, getting rejected from law schools, and losing my health insurance.