Born Under Punches

Born Under Punches DID YOU KNOW? The German language has two different verbs for to eat, depending on whether a person is eating (essen) or an animal is eating (fressen). I have also learned the German word for to strike a deathblow. Look out, world. It was a really, oustandingly lovely day today. Just so you know. But its a busy week in my life, between classes, choir, marching band, career fair, thinking about grad school applications, marathon training, information sessions, UROP, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, housewarming parties, a floor-sponsored trip to some island in the middle of Boston Harbor, and who knows what else. Heck, I didnt even have time to call Sams Mom tonight. Good thing she reads my blog, huh? Today I also completed the long distance runaround from the music offices to the HASS office to my advisor twice this week so I could propose my music minor (6 classes) and provide evidence of the completion of my music concentration (3 classes, and a GIR). Youd assume that at MIT I could register for classes or turn in important forms on a computer or something, but then again you know what happens when you assume, dont you? Well, I guess some of our more ambitious code monkeying students wouldnt come out of their rooms for more than 30 minutes each term if they didnt have to run over to the gym to schedule classes. And then I have homework! And not just psets! I have homework in my HASS classes, dude! I assumed that taking two science classes and three HASS classes that I love would decrease my workload a little bit this term, but you know what happens when you assume, dont you? Anyway, heres what Im punting right now to blog: 21F.403: German III Write a modern-day parody of a fairy tale. Mine is a version of The Three Little Pigs where the wolf is a health code inspector. Well, only the first two paragraphs are due tomorrow. Ill make it work. Trust me. 21M.303: Writing in Tonal Forms I Write the first 8 bars of a minuet for string quartet. Dr. Ruehr helpfully told us that this should basically consist of a memorable moment in the first four bars and a less memorable moment in the second four bars. Well, Ive got the first part written already, and then the second part should kind of follow by definition, right? She also bought us sticky buns and scheduled a minuet dance lesson for us to get us more in that baroque mood. 21M.500: Senior Seminar in Music: Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison has asked us to perform some of Bachs greatest hits in class, mostly from the Art of Fugue. Since Im a singer and terrible at piano, he let me perform and analyze some of the cantatas instead. So, Ive gotta practice Movt. 5 of Cantata 101 for Wednesday and hope that my voice changes back to a range where I can sing tenor parts again. Weve also got to choose from a list of 12 diverse pieces for our project on improvisation. Im really jockeying for Liszts first Transcendtal Etude, Ives Concord Sonata, or Bachs Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue. If I dont get those, oh Ill just die. I might write an entry on teacher recommendations, just as a way of reminding myself that I need to start getting them too. GET TO WORK SAM HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING THIS STUPID BLOG ENTRY?! If I inspire just one little girl to dance, it was all worth it.