Reliving the Past

There is nothing like a little nostalgia to make me think about what I'm doing with my time and energy. And money, come to think of it. Today I took my young nanny-charge, D to a shop nearby called Artscraps that sells really just a bunch of junk for pretty cheap. I walked in to find that the place hadn't really changed in the eight or so years since my last visit, besides the bulk bags being $5 instead of $4.

D's favorite TV show is Junkyard Wars; a reality-gameshow where teams of three scientists/mechanics/nerds compete to build working vehicles that usually accomplish some sort of task (amphibious vehicles, catapult cars, etc.). Although nothing in the store was motorized, D was thrilled to have so much workable material at his fingertips. Together we spent almost $20 on fabric scraps, pvc straws, colored paperclips, egg cartons...you get the picture. He spent the rest of the afternoon working on building a car, while I furnished the inside of a cardboard box to look like a miniature dining room. I felt like such a girl. It was wonderful. There is something so magical about the creation of an entire world at your disposal. You'd think that with a real apartment at my furnishing disposal I'd be less engaged in this imaginary world, but that was not the case. I felt the same excitement as I used to get from playing with my American Girl dolls.

Last night I had another experience with revisiting an old memory by way of Schubert's Variations on Trockne Blumen. I find that it is one of the most liberating experiences to play a piece that has been put aside for at least a year, then realize 'oh, that's how it's supposed to sound'! It's not that I didn't play it well last fall, but now that I don't have to worry about my low register speaking I can more fully enjoy what the piece is saying. I realized that I missed playing it. It's a recital possibility, along with (tentatively) the Lowell Liebermann Sonata, The Francis Poulenc Sonate, and Claude Bolling's Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano. But that is months away still, leaving plenty of time for me to work up the Carl Vine Sonata.

Today was my first Tuesday back from school, meaning it was the first thrift store 25% off day of my summer and I missed it because I was working. It's not that I don't have enough clothes, I'm just worried that someday they're going to have something amazing and somebody else is going to get it first! Oh well, mom found me another Juicy sweatshirt (this one is purple) to supplement my growing collection (that have each set me back less than $10) so I suppose all is not lost.

On one final note, I have now read seven chapters of Women in Love so I think I have free reign to share my opinion. While it retains the old school charm of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, this novel is much more focused on character development through dialogue. There is approximately 600% less pining for lost love (don't worry, there is still enough to get your fix), and unlike the women authors the plot follows the male characters just as much as the ladies. I like it so far. I hesitate to say that the characters remind me of people I know because people I know would only think a lot of the dialogue, resisting the urge to say it aloud. I will settle for saying that these characters think like people I know.

Well that's what's on my mind today. I'm hoping to get at least one good thrifting trip in this week, but in the meantime I've been scouring the free craigslist listings. It's my version of online shopping.