On Monday my last violin lesson ended at 4:40. At 5 p.m. my lights were out and I was fast asleep until waking at my usual 5:45 a.m. on November 1st. Halloween grump? Nope.
No, I was just recovering from my big Tango weekend down in Boston/Cambridge. After a Sunday full of shopping with E., rehearsing with the orchestra, going to dinner with my parents (who came to Boston to visit with some family friends at a hotel downtown), dancing for 2 hours at the milonga, playing a set with the orchestra at 11 p.m., dropping off S. and J. at South Station at 12:30, and then getting on the road to Maine, I finally fell into bed at 3:15 a.m. to sleep for a couple of hours before getting up to teach school. Yikes. Hence my reluctant Halloween boycott.
During the weekend I learned how to make some really awful noises (on purpose!) with my violin. Scratchy, percussive stuff for Tango. Most of the people in the orchestra were totally chill and fun to play with, so it was a good time, and Hector is an absolutely amazing musician.
The only thing I regret was that I was antagonistic towards the first violinist, who was very good. Things got off to a rough start when she breezed into the first rehearsal and picked up my violin to look at it without asking. My heart was in my throat; I saved money for my violin for 10 years and bought it instead of buying a car and it is my baby and only people I know and trust are allowed to handle it. At that point I didn't even know she was a violinist, but even so it's rude (in my opinion) to pick up anyone's instrument without asking, particularly if you don't know them. Also, during rehearsals she was a diva and that attitude always makes me grouchy...but still I am kind of mad at myself that I didn't do a better job of letting it slide and abasing myself at her feet so I could learn all of her Tango violin secrets. I always expect people who make beautiful music to also have beautiful souls and to be intelligent and patient teachers...and that's just not the way life is. Somehow this always surprises me. You'd think I'd learn. Sigh.
It was still a good weekend. Now I have a ton of stuff to work on once Nutcracker is over and that is totally cool. I had some nice dances with J., who has developed a nice feel since I last danced with him in May. And I would have danced with M. for hours had I not needed to go on stage with the orchestra. M. is such a lovely dancer, and he listens to the music, and he now lives in Portland. Woohoo!
Two different people remarked on my centered-ness while dancing, so I think my Tango has improved. In fact, I think it's far better than it was pre-MS. It hardly seems possible, but there it is.
Now knocking madly on every wooden thing in sight. :-)