more money gone...

Good lord. They have changed the style of dresses for Westminster Choir. This means I need ANOTHER friggin' black choir dress? This will be the fourth black choir dress I've bought for a choir in my time at Westminster. This is absolutely just ridiculous. And they're bloody expensive, too. And it's not like I'll ever wear them for anything BUT a choir performance. *sigh*

I don't object to having a uniform, b/c it looks good en masse and means I don't have to think...but for pete's sake.

Interests meme!

Not only was this a fun meme, it was a good opportunity to update my interests page!

LJ Interests meme results

1. beethoven: One of my first favorite composers. I have not listened to my favorite piece, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, in years, b/c it is so powerful for me, and I'm terrified that eventually I might get bored of it. That's probably silly, and I keep meaning to listen to it again...but I keep putting it off, to save it for an even more special occasion. Beethoven for me is one of those composers whose voice is incredibly distinctive. I think he's funny, and wry, and grand, and sarcastic. One minute he's constantly needling his audiences, and the next he's just off on some glorious sweep of melody. I do think he's a better instrumental composer than choral composer, though.
   


2. buffy: Aw, yeah. Before I watched this show, I thought it was stupid, b/c really, how could some teenage show about a petite blonde doll in cute clothes possibly be worth watching? I converted at some point after college. The witticisms! The banter! The plots! The not-really-all-that-good-action! The musical! The characters! Joss Whedon is my master now.
   


3. chess: If I had more time, I would make like ethicsgradient and get online to brush up my skills. As it is, my chess domination among friends and family is waning b/c of lack of practice. But I really threw myself into the game freshman year of college, and even now, that practice still stands me in good stead. There is really nothing as nail-biting as a tense middle-game. One of the best games I ever played was on Bike-Aid, against a fellow traveler who played me blindfolded (actually, with his back turned staring at a blank board.) We both played our darnedest, and played to a draw. Quite thrilling. Needless to say, he was really good!
   


4. gilbert and sullivan: One of my first musical loves! I was in a G&S operetta at Follen Church every year from 3rd grade until I graduated high school, and for the last 5 years I got all the male leads. It kicked ass. Learning to swagger as a young cocky Strephon permanently altered the way I walk, to this day (my mother calls it lumbering.) If I had 3 wishes, one of them might go to playing Jack Point or the Pirate King again.
   


5. josquin: Renaissance polyphany is one of the reasons I'm in the profession I am. I sang Vittoria's O Magnum Mysterium at music camp once, and then I lost it (you know how you lose songs) and then I found it again, and found that it wasn't unique - there was a whole CENTURY of music like it! That was a very special discovery. At any rate, Josquin is the composers who's at the top of the heap, really. Go listen to his Ave Maria if you haven't yet. (The famous one.)
   


6. michelle yeoh: Michelle Yeoh is an amazing martial arts star. As to why I love her: Wing Chun. The tofu battle. What on earth more can I say? Why don't I own this DVD yet? Bad fangirl! Bad!
   


7. queer eye: I love this show! I love the Fab Five. I love their snark, and enthusiasm, and very distinctive personalities, and their sarcasm and earnestness, and I love the way they always choose what's best for the subject, and how it wildly varies every time. It really is a make-better!
   


8. robin mckinley: I love this author. Hurrah for incredibly well-written fantasy! The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown are two that I don't think she'll ever beat. But I surely did enjoy Sunshine. And I really don't think she's ever written something bad.
   


9. taekwondo: Martial arts in general, and taekwondo in particular was my number-one obsession for at least 2 years after I got out of college. (It was number two or three or four for a few years before and after that.) Like chess, obsession produced significant improvement, and like chess, I have not had time for it in the past few years. I've come to terms with that for the present, but I will be doing it again in the future, and rejoining my old school is one of the major pulls to come back to the Boston area. Feeling that my body works well and feeling that I can combine my intention and action, brain and body, together into one purpose is a great feeling.
   


10. tng: Star Trek: The Next Generation. My very first favorite TV show! (Well, it shares the honors with A&E's Sherlock Holmes.) I had never realized a fictional TV show could engage with moral and social issues before I stumbled across TNG in 10th grade, and I fell in love. I would play "Wesley Crusher Being Hunted All Over the Ship by the Evil Possessed Crew Infected by Ashley Judd" all the time. Seriously.
    

Enter your LJ user name, and 10 interests will be selected from your interest list.