Spoon Rings and Singer Things

Try saying that five times fast.


Mom, I have been wearing your spoon ring every day.  I love it because it doesn't look jewelry-ey, and things made out of cutlery are cool (your tea kettle wind chimes, for instance).  I don't know if you actually gave it to me or if I just started wearing it, but thank you either way.

Tonight was one of those brilliant moments in a singer's life when you open your mouth to start warming up, and the person in the practice room next door starts belting your rep, only a little better than you sing it.  I am not trying to elicit sympathy or to put myself down because I know I'm pretty damn good and don't need to worry about homegirl next door.  It is just one of the many times when you have to suck it up and ignore the rest of the universe.  You have to trust that your voice is different and be happy with your own progress regardless of how many sopranos know Chanson de Ronsard (although these pieces aren't really songs everybody knows.  What are the chances that this person would be singing them right now, too?  Seriously!)  It's fine, though.  I just listen to how she sings them and try to use the stuff she does that I like.  It's like musical scavenging except she decided to belt next door to me, so I don't feel bad.  And then I belt out something else impressive.  Oh my gosh, maybe this is how sopranos help each other but still feel like supreme goddesses of the universe!  You show the other person how good you sing something, so they can learn but still feel a little bad!  This is almost philosophical, and I'm so glad I'm writing it down.  Singers, tell this to your friends.

Even though I bash sopranos a lot, I only mean these things in good fun.  This is a disclaimer in case someone is taking me seriously, which should be hard to do if you have been reading this blog for the last two months.

P.S. The music kids are FREAKING OUT this week over a concert and midterms.  I remain calm because this semester is a piece of cake compared to what I am usually doing at Butler right now.  Maybe we are programmed to hurry everywhere and sigh a lot as we open our instrument lockers the week before midterms because that's what we usually do, but I don't really think it's necessary here in Vienna.