Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Dash to the Finish

It's Hell Month that wonderfully joyous holiday season again. As TeenTuna and I travel to school each morning we comment on blindingly tacky festively merry decorations on lawns and trees. Our favorite train wrecks objets d'art include three demon trees and a house that looks as if half-deflated winter figurines were regurgitated all over the lawn. Yesterday the snowman looked a little wilted. Today? Penguin was doing his leaning tower of Pisa act. If a saggy flightless arctic bird doesn't say Ho! Ho! Ho! I don't know what does.

Actually, I do know what does.
ANYTHING ELSE.

I'm not being Scroogy. It's just that December in musician-land is hands down, the worst month in the calendar year. From last Sunday (November 25th) someone in our household has either a rehearsal or performance every single day until ... December 21st. No kidding. It's like I want to look up into the heavens and yell, "OK, Baby G -- Just be BORN ALREADY!"

Five Gold Rings!

Tomorrow's schedule, for example is typical in that it is anything but. At 9am, I will be traveling to the Middle School to rehearse with the 8th grade orchestra where TeenTuna and I will be singing a duet -- French Grand Opera, if you must know -- accompanied by children who cannot play in five sharps, so it must be transposed up a half step which means High C's for EVERYONE! (Or just me)

Cinq anneaux d'or!

TeenTuna hemmed and hawed tonight about our upcoming rehearsal at school and ever-so-gingerly asked me that tomorrow....you know...if I couldn't...uh...

and then she started gesturing at my clothes.

"GET DRESSED UP?" I asked.
"Well, yeah," she said.
"I was planning on wearing a skirt. Is that ok?"
"Yeah. You know I want you to look...uh...."
"NICE?"
"Well, yeah. You know. It's school. It's all about appearances."

As she traipsed out of the room, I called out, "Remember what's more important. Is it the person or the clothes?"
"The person" she said reluctantly.
"You mean the person wearing the right clothes," I grumbled to myself.
"EXACTLY!" She yelled.
Ow.

So after our 8th grade rehearsal, I'm off to teach, and later that evening TeenTuna has a rehearsal with the University Symphony (3 hours! Night One of Three! Check your vocal cords at the door!), I have choir and then we gather each other up, head home and get ready to do much of it all over again on Friday.

Cinque anelli dell'oro!

But I have to admit, when it's all said and done, and the last concert is sung and Christmas is waving Sayonara in the rear view mirror as we are make our way East like the Kings of Old (sans camels and myrrh), we'll look back at the schedule of insanity calendar brimming with merriment and good cheer, and remember what a great time we had what a great time we had.

5 つの金の指輪

1 comment:

Antoinette said...

Think about those last five words and try to enjoy it now :)
Can't help it, I love December.
Although we don't decorate until *after* Saint Nicholas, which we celebrate at Dec. 5 th.
Oooo High C's *jealous* I'm an Alto