D was in the Santa Rosa Youth Orchestra when we were kids, and we always could not help but glance over at the harp player. She wasn’t hard to miss either. Her family was Quaker and the women wore plain dress. Ironically, it seemed anything but “plain” because she stood out so much, but I guess that’s not the point. At any rate, since we didn’t know that many harpists, our vision of them were either them being Quaker or Mormon. Shamefully, my stereotypes began, and I created a world in my head of harpists all looking like ethereal blonde headed women plucking the strings with bursts of of sun rays behind them.  SO BAD, I know.  But strangely enough, I kept meeting people who fit the stereotype.  Even worse, I know. 

I must admit though, that I am not too fond of the harp. I don’t mind it much, but it’s not on the top of my list of favorite instruments. So, it is amusing and refreshing to be thrown off a little by musical artist, Joanna Newsom. About a year ago, D and I were hanging out and D put on her first album. It was cute, it was charming, it was good to listen too, but then after an hour, I was done.

Recently, I heard “Emily” from her second album, and was a bit more intrigued. Warning, it is 12 minutes long. Almost like a modern day miniature symphony, “Emily,” is about her sister who is into astrology. It’s still cute and charming, but now with distinct movements and an added arrangement of strings by Van Dyke Parks. So, why don’t you decide to cook dinner tonight and put on “Emily” in the background while you’re chopping your vegetables?  You may be surprised, but hopefully you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I believe I have a love/hate relationship with this artist. She fits some of my stereotypes still, but in an intriguingly way, steps outside my molds. So yes, I think this one will go in the library.

During my morning routine, I heard on NPR that the SF Opera would be doing a live simulcast of Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor at AT&T Park.  Even better, it was FREE.  So I called up B and D if they wanted to go since they were already in the city.  

I got there at 6:30pm with B, and the line for the pre-registered tickets was insane. It pretty much wrapped around the whole park and when they started letting people in, only 2 people were checking bags for two lines! So, it took us an hour to even get in the stadium. People shoved, many cut in line, and the ol’ grumpasaurus came out in some.  But hey, FREE right?  Still though, this should’ve been done a little more productive in my opinion. 

We got our seats and B and I dashed to get our polish hot dogs, nachos, and water.  It was hot and had to have been in the 80’s… that’s hot for SF!  When the opera began, I was impressed by the picture quality.  The sound was pretty good, but then seemed to have gotten louder towards the end. I thought I was at a rock concert and my ears were gonna pop out.  In a way, it kinda was like a rock concert. During the overture, the lady sitting next to me started swaying her head back and forth.  (You classical nerds know what I’m talkin’ about.  You know, the classical music nerds who bob their heads up and down or side to side.) A milder version of head-banging, loud music, and beer.  Is this the new opera?

The opera itself was entertaining and the lead soprano was amazing. D and I were a little tripped out by her eyes, but then realized how well they worked for the mad scene. As a bonus, we also got to see the orchestra and conductor.  Something I would never see in those nose-bleed seats in the opera house!

We had a great time and scoffed only a little at the $4.95 bottle waters.  Next time, we’ll bring our own. But, there was something that really bugged me and I could not keep my mouth shut about it.  The whole time we were waiting in that ridiculously long line, I was thinking, “If this many people actually showed up to musical events or supported the arts, maybe the arts wouldn’t be in so much trouble.” And of course with me and my big mouth, I kept saying that out loud over and over again. eeesh.

This is so great.  You must listen to the ‘Oldest computer music’ unveiled!! It was played on a Ferranti Mark 1 Computer, a commercial version of the Baby Machine. Check it out HERE

Oh gee, happy day.

For B, I walked last Saturday for graduation. For him, I think it really symbolized the achievement of receiving my M.A. in Music. Luckily for me, the weather was nice and cool, and it did not get hot! The master’s graduates had to wear hoods of different colors that represented their department. Our department was pink, so I was the only pink hood that day. Amidst all the blue and white hoodies, many people came up to me asking, “What’s pink??”  And as I was the second to last person to walk in the masters group, the lady announced, “Nancy Cho, Master of Arts in Muuuuuuuuusic!”  B got it on video and we laughed hysterically when we replayed it. 

Then I received a card from my good friends that day.  Opened it up and it read, “Congratulations on your new status of Unemployed!”  Ha, it was a good read and oh-so appropriate! Now for those nasty school loans….. hsssssssssssssss….

B,D, and I went to Santa Rosa over the weekend to take our mom out for her birthday.  She said that she was turning 45, so I just added about 10 years to figure out her real age At any rate, she looks like she is still in her 40’s and no one would ever guess she was in her 50’s.  

We took her to this Italian restaurant, Ca’Bianca in Santa Rosa, and it was really pretty inside. The food was good, but unfortunately, I didn’t think that the gnocchi that B ordered, nor the pasta that my mom ordered was anything spectacular. B ordered the gnochetti (mini gnochhi), which looked more like, dare I say… well… honestly… like larvae. Minus the way it looked, the texture was close to eating gummy bears. I think that the supermarket brands can actually do better.

Mom ordered pasta with lobster and rock shrimp. I saw her plate and felt a little bad that the birthday girl ordered something that was non-eventful. It was good, but also mediocre. For the price, ambiance, and hype, it fell short. Well, the ambiance where we were sitting also fell a little short. We sat next to a cute fireplace, but it was also across from the kitchen. While we were talking, I was distracted (probably because I was facing the kitchen doors), by the hustle and bustle of the waiters going in and out of those freakin’ doors. Bang, woosh, the breeze of people walking by, woosh, bang….

But, my father had a tasty fish dish, I had an excellent pork tenderloin, and D had the melt-in-your-mouth Salmon Ravioli. The appetizers we had (polenta, spinach salad, and clams & mussels), were also very well done. I would probably go here again to try some different items on the menu. Maybe because B and I have been to so many fantastic restaurants, I’m becoming a little more particular. But again, for the price, ambience, and the hype, I thought that those two dishes were very mediocre. Well, B’s dish was even worse because of the larvae thing.

To end the weekend, B, Nigel, and I went on a walk Sunday before sunset at Point Pinole. It’s a beautiful place and I can’t believe it’s practically in our backyard! Wildcat Canyon AND Point Pinole? Two little treasures right here near San Pablo. Point Pinole has a few trails for easy walking and one paved. You can walk out onto the pier but you can’t if you have a dog. So as tempted as we were to stuff Nigel down our sweatshirt, we opted not to go out.

There’s some picnic areas there as well for BBQ’s and playing soccer. The view of the bay is fantastic and for those who love bird watching, this is a great place. We walked for about an hour and a half.  Nigel was beat… actually, he’s still tired and still sleeping on our bed right now. Lucky dog.

Yesterday, I went to the Music Department’s end of the year picnic.  The last one I’ll ever go to, waaaa! It was fun meeting up with people that I haven’t seen or talked to in a long while.  I also got to meet and chat with some of the new faculty members as well. 

What bums me out a little, is that none of my professors will be at graduation.  Waaa again! It’s cool though, they have trips and things planned. Honestly, if it weren’t for B, I wouldn’t be attending graduation either. But, he realllly wants me to go and see me walk, so I’m a goin’. Hopefully, the weather won’t be dreadfully hot while I sit in my black cap and gown….roasting… cooking… away… SPF78, here I come!  

Last Thursday, I went and saw Flight of the Conchords at Davies Hall. They were of course, hilarious, and I love them even more now.  The opening act was Aziz Ansari and he was just as hilarious.  B and I rent the DVD’s through Netflix, and I think I can say that I have a mild crush on them.  Their humour is very dry, so if you’re into that, check them out if you haven’t already.  

There were two things that bugged me about the show though.  

1. The sound was actually terrible.  Us and 8 of our friends said that it was difficult to hear what they were actually saying.  We probably got 70% of what they were saying, but luckily, many of us already knew most of the songs.  

2. Hecklers. These nasty hecklers were so annoying that 98% of the audience and I were actually getting… dare i say… bored.  We were getting tired of listening to them.  We paid to hear the FOTC, not to hear some annoying losers.  You could even sense that FOTC guys were getting a bit annoyed as well.  

Anyway, I have run into a minor problem with composition.  I have a few ideas in my mind, but I can’t for the life of me decide on what instruments or ensemble to write for!!  I keep going back an forth on things, and it’s a little amusing that this has become my dilemma.  Well, once I figure it out and start writing, I would like to pick up a few lessons this summer.