There Are So Many People In Africa!

That's what Alexa said during science research...she was trying to say that poor people in Africa should stop reproducing because they can't afford to...let's not talk about that now.

My English teacher was absent again...she left us work that's completely unrelated to what she left yesterday... I went to practice in the band room today during lunch. Then I went again during Italian. So much cello...

I have mixed feelings about today's rehearsal... At first, I was only nervous about seating auditions and the fact that I had to sit first chair for the time being because we were seated alphabetically. So the first piece we started to play was Selections from West Side Story. When I got my music back in October, I realized that I had the bass part for this song. All of my other music was cello, so I figured that this must be correct. Maybe they just had the cellos and the basses playing the bass part? I've never heard this piece so how would I know? So, as we start, I realize that I'm playing differently than the other cellos. So, I look at the cello stand behind me and see that I have the wrong part. I told the conductor that I had the wrong part and he took my copy. I borrowed a copy from someone else and struggled to keep up. And, because I was in the front, I went to seating auditions first. I walk in and what is the audition on? That's right, West Side Story. So I tell the judges that I just got this piece and they said too bad just do your best. I failed. Epically. I'm surprised that they didn't kick me out the orchestra right then and there. I went back to the rehearsal room and struggled more. Then we had dinner. I ate quickly with Max and then went back to practice. It wasn't that bad after 20 minutes of playing it. Our conductor is molta strana (very strange (sorry for the Italian)). He is rather old yet he was jumping up and down and getting very into the music. He was overjoyed when we sounded good but he nearly cried when we sounded bad... He showed us a movie of Leonard Bernstein conducting this piece. Before we even started playing he had us sing.... A, G#, E, A, D#, and E. (That's the theme(?) from West Side Story) We didn't sound too bad for a bunch of orchestra kids. We also listened to recordings of the other two pieces. I enjoyed playing the songs with the orchestra, no matter how unprepared I felt.

I need a snow day tomorrow...... Almost all of the schools around me are already closed...but in Wantagh, snow days are just a myth. I need to spend all day practicing tomorrow...

This is another sunrise shot of the lake. I tried making a panorama but they didn't line up quite right so maybe another day.