That long?

Has it really been since before Thanksgiving that I posted anything for you to read? I'm terribly sorry. I guess I'll have to catch you up a bit on life before I begin my musings. I have three papers left to finish before finals, which seem to have snuck up on me. Can it really be only two weeks from today that I will be finishing my grammar course? Wow. That class has actually been a lot more interesting than I thought it ever could, but I'll still be glad when I no longer have to diagram sentences.

We're halfway done with Madrigals now. Last week's preparations were pretty stressful, but now that everything is rolling we're all okay. We've had a couple good shows, and I can't wait for my family to come see it next weekend. Oh, and there's been a bit of dispute over my costume. Yes, I am actually wearing pink again, but that's not the issue. While most people see fit to just tell us that we all look great, a couple of the guys decided to go a bit further. David told me I looked like a field girl, by which I think he meant shepherdess or something. Steve and Clint, on the other hand, decided that I look like a German bar maid, and have taken to calling me the beer wench. What will those Ferducci's think of next?

Yesterday was Christmas chapel. The only part I feel is worth mention was "O Holy Night," which was performed as a dance. Liberty played piano, I played violin and Jeff played oboe. The whole thing was just gorgeous, and I was so glad to be a part of it. I admit that I was nervous before--the room was so cold it could have put my instrument out of tune--but once I started playing, the experience was one of pure joy. I rarely get to play with other musicians, and to do so with such talented musicians and as an act of worship was indescribably great.

On a related note, Maria said the sweetest thing the other day. As I was leaving my lesson she got all motherly and made sure I zipped my coat and put on my gloves. She told me that the gloves were important because my hands are "precious." Of course she's right--without them how could I play the violin and make music? But it was the way she said it that made me smile. And this was at the end of a lesson that had already gone very well. She kept pushing the metronome up so that I would play my solo piece faster, and it was actually getting better as I got faster, to a certain point. Sometimes we just need to be pushed past where we're comfortable in order to make things even better.

And that's probably all for today, since I do have papers to write and novels to read.

-Kim