Wolf n' Moose Spoor

::: Wednesday, December 25, 2002 :::

Well, our white Christmas was delivered this morning, and in fact our white New Year's as well, and perhaps our White Independance Day too :)

Probably about 8 inches on the ground right now, and still coming.

::: posted by Wolf at 8:35 AM 4 comments

::: Tuesday, December 24, 2002 :::

Merry Christmas everyone

::: posted by Wolf at 11:55 PM 0 comments

::: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 :::

Back in August, I decided (on the advice of a friend) to start on a Master's Degree. My Bachelor's Degree was in Music Education, and my original plan was to get a Master's both in Education and Performance ( Performance -- can be useful if I ever wanted to teach in a University or College - which my friend feels I would be great doing, and Education -- can be used to reinforce my teaching skills). The University wouldn't let me do both concurrently, so I decided to do Performance first (requires a few more classes -- primarily languages, and some of the classes will count toward the Education part, too). Performance also would be a little more challenging because I wouldn't automatically be accepted. I had to audition to show the department that I had what it takes to be a performer, not just any old undergraduate student.

Easy enough, right? HAH (as I said before, DON'T take advice from a friend, however well-meaning). I went to the audition in the afternoon, after being at teacher in-service all day, warmed-up for a bit, and did the audition. The bad part was that I had had bronchitis less than a month earlier, was on antibiotics for a week for it, and after a week without the antibiotics, got another sore throat. With my audition coming up, I went to the doctor, got a shot, more antibiotics, then went back after another week because with all of that, the sore throat was worse. The doctor told me that I had had "enough antibiotics to cure a horse" and he wouldn't give me more, thinking that it was probably allergy-related. So after almost three weeks with the sore throat, I sang the audition -- "the show must go on," right? Two professors told me that I looked pale, was sweating quite a bit (nerves and lots of water to keep the throat moist, probably), and didn't look good. My voice professor thought I looked
sick, and after the first note thought, "Oh-boy, she's sick." They let me finish, then my voice professor came out and that the good news was I would get more voice lessons (translation: I didn't get in).

My friends, professor, husband, parents, said I didn't get in because I was sick. I told myself that it was because I was (am) a second-rate, two-bit, hack of a soprano. So I continued with the lessons (the sore throat went away maybe two more weeks after the audition), got "more in touch with my inner-mezzo" (inside joke between my friend, the professor, and me -- when my professor first heard me on the radio at my job -- he told my friend who was taking lessons at the time -- There's a mezzo (lower female voice) in that one -- for those of you that have never heard me warm-up - you know when Mariah Carey would get really, really high? That's me -- easily -- nearly four-octave range. Sorry to brag.) and working up EIGHT new pieces for this audition (or as Perry put it -- my concert), I was ready to try again. They told me I wasn't good enough when I was sick (to me -- because I SUCK), so I had nothing to lose. My accompanist told me that they would have to be deaf NOT to hear the great changes
in my voice in those few months -- of course, he said they ARE probably deaf anyway. I did my audition (concert), and very shortly after, my voice professor came out and gave me TWO thumbs up. I'M IN!!!!! Of course, on the bad side, I don't know why I'm so excited. I will now be paying tuition (which will increase by at least 10% next year) for them to make my life miserable for the next few years. But I guess being accepted isn't too bad for a second-rate, two-bit hack of a soprano.

::: posted by Moose Cadet at 9:07 PM 5 comments

On the mead front, I plan to bottle this weekend, I went out and purchased my corks, some sorbate (to arrest fermentation) and a corker. This past saturday I spent my time cleaning labels off of bottles. Now some of the lables came right off after soaking them, but there are some that, let me tell you, contain adhesive that should be used on the space shuttle! I resorted to a wire brush and managed to stab myself at least 4 times.

Anyway, after sorbating and sulfiting the mead, i'll sweeten it up again and see what I get.

The dollar store even had velvety drawstring wine bags for gifts so I picked up a few of them too.

::: posted by Wolf at 8:49 PM 0 comments

Cookies!
Decided to bake tonight as the holiday is fast approching. Found a recipe at Cookie Recipes.com for Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti. Now i've never baked biscotti before, but I figured what the hell. So I printed out the recipe, or formula as I guess i'm supposed to call it per Mark's Blog, and gathered my ingredients. Tonight when I got home from work I decided I had enough time and away I went. The dough turned out to be a bit dry and crumbly when I added in all the flour and pistachioes and cranberries. I blame my eggs, they weren't the biggest so I added a bit more olive oil to try to make it a bit more tacky.

Overall, I suppose they came pretty good, had a different flavor than I expected, and at least they're red and green :) The MooseCadet says they're good so I'll take her word for it.

Also have the ingredients for a Hazelnut Cinnamon recipe that I think i might try.

::: posted by Wolf at 8:46 PM 1 comment

::: Friday, December 13, 2002 :::

Someone just sent me these:

Gig Haikus
============================
============================
Squeaking and squawking
All eyes roll to the heavens
The clarinet speaks
============================
One beat to change from
Harmon to cup to bucket
Hey, who wrote this s**t?
============================
The jam session starts
Somebody calls "Giant Steps"
Cold fear grips my brain
============================
Here's the! girl singer
Stepping to the microphone
Pitch, Time, All gone now
============================
Gig is going well
Some jerk requests "In the Mood"
I look at my watch
============================
I once had a dream
Big house, new car, big money
Now I play the bass
============================
Gorgeous chick tells me
"You sound just like Kenny G"
My ego shatters
============================
Three-eight, eleven-eight
Damn you Andrew Lloyd Webber
&n! bsp; Five-eight, seven-eight
============================
The woodwind doubler
Practicing the piccolo
Frustration defined
============================
Pit orchestra gig
Days and nights become as one
I have no damned life
============================
Bad intonation
Strings are sharp and reeds are flat
Brass too loud again
============================
Great changes, good groove
A one-in-a-million gig
No singer. Yippee!
============================
An oxymoron:
! "He played the accordion
With delicacy"
============================
The accordion
"Squeeze box," yes, but more often
"The Stomach Steinway"
============================
Bassoons forever
Try in vain not to sound like
A farting bedpost
============================
The strings slowly tune
When they're done the unisons
Are anything but
============================
"I can't find my note"
Bemoans the confused singer
Quit now," we all pray
=====================! =======
The contractor calls
Months of Andrew Lloyd Webber
"Bird Lives" no longer
============================
============================
Money's everything
Playing any gig that comes
Whores, we are all whores
============================
============================

That plate of hors d'oeuvres
Cost more than we're getting paid
Think we underbid?
============================
============================

Break time is over
Rest of band is returning
Now for that phone call
============================
============================

Rock drummer, lounge keys
Classically trained singer
Welcome to sub hell
============================
============================

God bless trust fund gigs
Only have to eat ramen
For a few more weeks
============================
============================

::: posted by Wolf at 1:12 PM 0 comments

::: Wednesday, December 11, 2002 :::

Huzzah for Da Moose! She passed her audition for Grad school!

**Smooch** Oh no, hon I didn't tell very many people. . .

::: posted by Wolf at 1:32 PM 4 comments