Rioka

This is the first day since I got my cello that I haven’t practiced. There hasn’t been a time since I got back from work when someone hasn’t been using the kitchen-living-dining room. I’ll be moving in a couple of weeks though, and then I’ll have enough space to keep it in my room and practice there. 4 months ago

I had my first lesson with my new teacher yesterday. It turns out I’ve been holding both the cello and the bow wrongly, so I’m glad I had someone to tell me before it became a habit. I’ll do plenty of work on my tone and bowing this week, so that next lesson we can move on to some fingerings. I’m impatient to progress, I don’t like being a beginner! 4 months ago

Not much seemed to happen throughout most of the 1200s, at lease that I could hear! But right at the end came, Philippe de Vitry, who I did like. Now moved on to Guillaume de Machaut, and it’s fantastic. 4 months ago

The list starts at 1100, so that’s where I started. I’ve got as far as 1200 now.
Highlights so far have been Perotin and Gaucelm Faidit. 4 months ago

I have found that LCM have grades in composition!
http://preview.uwl.ac.uk/files/LCM/lcm_exams/syllabuses/composition_grades_dip_thesis.pdf
I am very excited, as this will give me something concrete to aim for. It’s easy to put this off, otherwise. It’s also possible to get a diploma in composition from Trinity, but that’s a long way off!
So, now that I have a clear goal I will get started tonight. 4 months ago

Finally, some progress on this goal! I just got my very own cello today, it is beautiful and I love it. Now I am looking for a teacher. :) 4 months ago

Can I be a playwright?
Can I become fluent in another language?
Can I be beautiful?
Can I make someone fall in love with me?
Can I travel the world?
Can I accept the fact that the person I love most does not love me back?
Can I be a musician?
Can I hold down a job?
Can I make friends in a new place?
Can I build a home and a life for myself?
Can I be vegetarian?
Can I learn to get up in the mornings?
Can I live without caffeine?
How strong can I become?
How far from home can I go? 5 months ago

I tried Jazz dance, but only went to one lesson. It was different, and I might return to it at some point, but I decided it wasn’t something I wanted to focus on right now.

I also tried African drumming, which I quite liked. Sadly I wasn’t too sure of the instructor, so I haven’t been back since. However, there are some Taiko drumming classes in a town not too far from me. I’m hoping to make it to their one of their introductory sessions, and see if it will be possible for me to travel to the lessons.

I bought a sewing pattern to make a skirt for myself, and made a start on it. I don’t have a sewing kit, so I’ll be taking the slow route and doing it by hand. All I’ve managed so far is to cut the pieces and sew across certain edges to keep them from warping. I’m enjoying it, though, so planning to stick with it.

I went along to a Buddhist meditation group for the first time on Tuesday, which was very interesting. I struggled with the meditation itself, but the conversation was fascinating. I’m planning to go again this week.

Finally, yesterday I started learning Esperanto. I don’t speak any language other than English (despite getting an A in French at school), and thought it looked like an easier starting point than most. So far, so good! I like how logical it is, and I’m loving all the cartoons to help you learn :)

So, I’m up to 8 things now. I kind of want to keep going beyond 10, it’s been fun trying things out. But I do also need time to actually do the things I’ve already tried. It’s tricky…

Oh well. The next thing I’m planning to try is volunteering in a Theatre. Should be fun, fingers crossed. 5 months ago

Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
Animal Farm – George Orwell
1984 – George Orwell
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess
Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf
I, Claudius – Robert Graves
The Trial – Franz Kafka2 years ago

I want to lose weight. Not a huge amount. I am currently at just over 10 stone, and I want to be in the 9-9.5 stone range.
I don’t have a lot of time to exercise at the moment, but I walk to work and back on weekdays which takes about 70 minutes each day. I’m hoping to do a bit at weekends, maybe a stroll and swim on Saturday and a proper hike on Sunday.
In an ideal world I would also go jogging two mornings a week. I’m not sure this will happen. When I was jogging before I was getting horrible joint pains in my ankle and shoulder and could barely move. Bearing in mind I’m 22. I just don’t think I’m built for running.
I’m also planning to keep an eye on what I eat with http://www.myfitnesspal.com
Hopefully this will do the trick. 7 months ago