Things on my mind

In no particular order:

-I waste an inordinate amount of time at work just putting off stuff I know I can do later.

-Wheat Thins are so good. Even the Reduced Fat kind.

-My life the next week or so is going to be greatly determined by a friend of mine: Jeremiah. He should be calling me this evening sometime to let me know whether he wants to switch presentation days with me in our Vocal Pedagogy class. If he does:

I can take all of the next 3 days to prepare for the Naftzger Competition I have this weekend

I will have an entire week to prepare MY presentation for said Vocal Ped. class

I will have to give that man a bottle of booze of his choice for saving my butt, and likely my sanity.

-I am glad for this guy and his recordings of the early Italian songs I need to get memorized for said competition. I am listening to them on repeat to hopefully ingrain, at very least, the melody in my subconscious. Watch one of his videos. They're quite good; easily the best recordings of the songs I needed.

-Somehow I missed the "Kelli O'Hara is giving a benefit concert in OKC" memo. She sang someplace here on the 18th and I had no idea. She is so fantastic live, and I have only gotten to see her once. Color me irritated.

-I want to quit biting my nails. I have tried before, but I cannot kick the habit. I know all the tricks and suggestions and helpful tips, too. I guess too much of my wayward energy goes into that for it to be ok to let go of it. That can be added to my Summer Self Improvement Regime (more on that later).


Ok, it's time for me to order some toilets (and faucets, bidets, toilet seats, sinks... if it is a fixture in a bathroom, I'm ordering it (did I mention I work at a plumbing rep company? Haha))Nested parentheses! Agh!

But I can't post without media of some kind, so here is the Richard Strauss I'm also trying to memorize (Wiegenlied, sung by Renee Fleming; sorry the recording is so quiet):






Poetry by Dehmel:

Träume, träume, du mein süßes Leben,
Von dem Himmel, der die Blumen bringt.
Blüten schimmern da, die leben
Von dem Lied, das deine Mutter singt.

Träume, träume, Knospe meiner Sorgen,
Von dem Tage, da die Blume sproß;
Von dem hellen Blütenmorgen,
Da dein Seelchen sich der Welt erschloß.

Träume, träume, Blüte meiner Liebe,
Von der stillen, von der heilgen Nacht,
Da die Blume seiner Liebe
Diese Welt zum Himmel mir gemacht.


English trans. by Emily Ezust:

Dream, dream, my sweet life,
of the heaven that brings flowers.
Shimmering there are blossoms that live on
the song that your mother is singing.

Dream, dream, bud of my worries,
of the day the flower bloomed;
of the bright morning of blossoming,
when your little soul opened up to the world.

Dream, dream, blossom of my love,
of the quiet, of the holy night
when the flower of his love
made this world a heaven for me.