"Aphrodisiacs"

What sayeth you, LadyRay? Are we digressing from the topics of cello and crafts? Yes. I MUST share this information with you though.

My dear neighbor, Lally, just moved out of our building. She gave me a bunch of stuff before moving, and one of items was a book called Brews and Potions: a Hand Book of Remedies, Spells, Elixirs, Cordialls, and Aphrodisiacs. It's compiled by Maurice Rickards, published by Hugh Evelyn Ltd. (London), and there is not date on the book. It's a funky little hardback book, and the pages are yellow with age.

My favorite recipe that I have found so far is by Cartoleomeo Scappi, who was a "private chef to His Holiness Pope Pius V." This what gold ol' Carty has to say about making a good aphrodisiac:

"To make a pie of bulls' testicles, take four of them and boil them in water and sale. Cut them in slices, sprinkle them with white pepper, salt, cinnamon and nutteg. Prepare separately a mince of lambs' kidney, gravy, three slices of lean ham, a good pinch of chopped marjoram, thyme, and three cloves. Prepare the pastry for the pie. Then begin to make a layer on your pie dish with the ham, then a layer of slices of testicles, sprinkle well with mince, and so on. Before shutting the pie, add a glass of wine. Put it in the oven and serve hot."

This may just inspire me to make a polymer pie of bull balls.

2 items sold today!

Today I sold this lovely "Bling-Bling Black Sheep" pin and that made me very happy. Seconds later, I sold my little shovel pin and that made me even happier. :)

But now I go to bed.

Brad Dutz Quartet reviewed!

Just before moving to the east, I recorded an album with Brad Dutz. Just now I found a review of it! AllAboutJazz. This is so very cool and makes me smile. :) I was fortunate enough to perform with the awesome members of this quartet (Brad Dutz, Paul Sherman, and Jim Sullivan) when I flew home to LA for the holidays.

I kind of miss doing projects like this one, but I feel that now is the time for me to focus on being a cellist. Sounds simple enough, but it's a huge thing.

I have realized that it's not WHAT I play that matters as much as how I play (and the others I play with). If the energy is present, music is there. If not, icky-poo-poo.

Beethoven revision.

I have decided to start the piece up-bow rather than down-bow. I thought it would be cute to play down-bow on an off-beat, but it just doesn't quite work. Well, I haven't figured out how. So I shall stick to the norm. :)

Long Day. Lots of cello stuff.

Woof. Yesterday was a rather long day. I had my orchestra repertoire class, my Baroque performance topics class, my lesson, orchestra, and then I performed in the composer's concert. My lesson was, of course, the high point of my day, yet I also got a lot out of my Baroque class. In my lesson we worked on Beethoven's 5th cello sonata in D major. This piece is quite fabulous. Especially the last movement, because it's a fugue, and fugues are one of my favorite things in the world. They are also ridiculously hard to make work well. The thing about Beethoven's music that I am learning more and more is that there is SO much musical information in every note/gesture/phrase/rest. And it is the duty of the performer to convey that meaning in a convincing manner. For example, let us take the first "statement" made by the cello at the beginning of the sonata in the first movement. It's a D major arpeggio. Big woop-tee-doo. But this is the first statement of the piece and it must be very strong and have direction. This figure interrupts the piano's sequential pattern and takes it to a new place. Within three seconds the whole musical gesture is entirely transformed from a rather stately motive and ascends in pitch while getting softer and sweeter (dolce). There are stacatto markings on the D and F# that follow a slurred pair of notes, and the motive finally lands on a high A. To go from a very "core"-sounding D on the C-string to a A on the A-string is incredibly difficult to do well. So of course this means OCD practice! I'm training myself to really enjoy every sound I make, not just play what's there. Also, for you cellists out there, I highly recommend starting the piece on a down-bow even though the first note occurs on an upbeat. This gives strength to the D. To compensate for the backwards feel of the bow, take two up-bows on the D and F# on the A-string (the notes with dots). However since these dots are under slurs, do not play "peck-ish" stacatto notes. These notes are almost a hybrid of stacatto and/portato and the bow does not actually stop on the string. Think of a brush stroking the string and then releasing just a bit of tension in the hair upon switching from D to F#. :)

Woo! That's just the first measure! Anyway, I have to go through a similar process with the whole piece. I also learned something quite interesting. Beethoven was a TERRIBLE proof-reader, and there was a lot of stuff left out. Slurs, dots, some dynamics, some other stuff. So if you're playing Beethoven's music and all of the sudden an unexpected musical thing happens that feels awkward, chances are that your instincts are correct and something is indeed awkward. If he writes a long note tied to a bunch of 16th notes and then randomly the tie is gone 2 measures later, take a look at the piano part, really examine what's happening in the music, and make your decision (sorry that sentence was way too long).

So today will be the first time I get together with the pianist and I'm really looking forward to it.

Flickr!

Because I'm too lazy to post actual pics, please visit my flickr page so that you can see not only the wonderful quirky kitsch I made last night, but also the many nasty dirty piles of snow that surround me!! (the link to my flickr is at the bottom of this page).

Boots.

The boot story ain't over! After walking to the bus stop yesterday in my new boots, I quickly realized that the awesome hardcore rubberness does SHIT for warmth. I was wearing really thick wool socks. but that doesn't cut ice. So during a break yesterday I went back down to Harvard Square and got another pair of boots. These ones were warm AND didn't slip on the ice. I finally own the best of both worlds. They are incredibly clunky and I think I look like a weird bird-creature wearing them, but who cares! Later on today I'm going to return the enormous rubber ones.

Yesterday I also attempted to get ice off of my car. I don't know if it's going to happen. I used a shovel thing, but then I pictured the shovel bashing my window in, so I stopped. I walked up the street to buy salt at the local convenience store, but they were all out. Apparently they will have more today, so hopefully I can dig my poor tires out of the ice before I teach at 10. If I can't get my car out, I'll have to reschedule....

Last night I was very inspired to make more weird stuff out of polymer clay. I made a little winter scene with ladybugs traveling home, a little turnip, a little corn, a little broccoli, a little shovel with a face and a heart, a 4-leaf clover, and a "buff egg man" (a little egg with muscles and weights). Pics will be posted soon.

Alright kids, wish me luck today. It's supposed to be in the mid 30's so hopefully some of these silly ice will melt.

I'm home. And alive.

That cutesy-wootsy snow ain't so cutesy-wootsy.

There was a storm yesterday, which left the whole city a MESS. This isn't news to anyone who is from the area, but of course it was an ordeal for me. The part that makes it very difficult is that I have to travel with my cello on the street. At one point I did have to literally CRAWL on a pile of snow with my cello on my back so that I wouldn't fall.

My suede boots, which have been sprayed with water-repellent, have kept me dry, yet they slip like crazy. A girl at Longy recommended buying a pair of "Yak Tracks," which aid in the death-fear-factor of walking on ice. So I went to City Sports after rehearsal (with my cello et al), got a pair of Yak Tracks, and realized that there was no way I could wear these things indoors. They are metal coils wrapped around rubber that go on the bottoms of your shoes that act as little clamps in the ice. Since these little guys are only practical while en route and not on concrete, I decided to buy a pair of tall rubber boots. These came from Eastern Mountain Sports, which is a few shops over from City Sports. These boots are hefty, yet not warm. So I bought 4 pairs of warm socks. $150 later, I felt guilty but more safe than before. I took the subway home, as the bus is just too gross and I didn't feel like trudging up my block from Mass Ave after getting off the bus. I exited the subway at Davis, and realized that I had no cash and that I should probably get some and deposit a few checks. Another little trek to the bank, no big deal. Then I realized that I was almost out of fruits/veggies, so I got some at the little Indian super-market a couple blocks down from the bank. At this point I had my cello, my huge shoe-box, and my canvas tote bag. After getting some groceries (including salt for my walkway), I added 2 more enormous bags to my load. Adding a good 30 pounds or more to myself, I made the final trek home. I almost tripped only once, which is a good sign. The rubber boots (which I wore immediately after purchasing) gripped to the snow pretty well.

The moment I turned onto Cameron Ave, I felt the most genuine sigh of relief I have ever felt (I think). I only had about 2 more minutes of agony before I stepped into my lovely apartment....

And now I'm here. I can practice cello, drink tea, and enjoy the warmth in peace.

Yay blog!

Ok, it's snowing outside. It has been since midnight (I think). I stepped outside this morning and everything was eerily quiet. I love how the snow absorbs street noise.

I have rehearsal at noon (at Longy) and I'm kind of scared of going out in the weather. Perhaps I'm being a ninny, but gimme a break. 'Tis my first real winter!

My cello teacher said the most excellent thing yesterday. He said, "Technique is easy stuff done really well." So beautiful. He was talking specifically about cello technique, but I think this could pertain to all aspects of life. As complicated as any system/process is, it is always made up of smaller units that make up the whole. If any of these parts is weak or lacking, the potential of the whole will be diminished.

And because most of you don't know me, my basic "deal" can be summed up in the title of the blog. :)
1) I play cello (I can't not at this point...I'm constantly inspired by new thoughts regarding music and am occasionally overwhelmed by the simple enormity of it all)

2) I balance this by making weird stuff. I've posted some pictures of my stuff, but you can also get your very OWN crafts at http://LadyRayCello.etsy.com

3) I treasure my surroundings. I try to make my world as comfortable as possible.