Did you ever have one of those days when everything just went right! Today's concert was the best concert ever! (Well. This year, anyway.) The Beethoven was just exactly Beethoven, and the Grieg was moving and clear and flashy and stunning. All of which would have made me thrilled by itself, but the best part was the Italian Symphony! It was so perfect! So completely together and focussed. Today was one of those rare concerts where you just think about the music and your body does exactly what it is supposed to do. It was like we were all living in each other's heads for the whole piece -- like the whole orchestra was one person. It was SO great! I had to bounce around backstage for ten minutes just to calm down enough to go home. *grin* It's a better high than drugs! I feel invincible today. (I think it even cured my cold. lol.) Anyway, I just wanted to share the happy vibes with all of you. Here's wishing you all have as good a day as I just had.  - posted by Purple Mangos @ 4:50 p.m. @ 

 
Alot has happened since my last post. I would have written about it, but I got sick, and it was all I could do to keep up with homework and work, so thanks for being patient meanwhile.

The big swing concert was on Friday. It went very well for me, which was a good thing, because it went horribly for the rest of the violin section. One of the nice things about playing the violin is that, unless your part is marked solo, generally you aren't going to find yourself playing alone at any given time. That was not the case during this concert! It was somewhat stressful, but at least it was a pops concert, so no one would have noticed anything anyway.

Over the weekend I finished my in-class driver's ed classes. Since it was very time-consuming, I'm glad it's finally done. Monday I got sick, so that was just school, orchestra and work. Tuesday I went with YY to a business etiquette dinner (5-course meal for a very low price) and was happy to confirm that my parents taught me well. Apparently, other people's parents should have worked a little harder, given some of what I saw at the dinner. lol. It was fun, anyway. The dessert was particularly good.

Skipping right along to yesterday. I took the midnight bus home on Thursday night, to get there in time for my optometrist's appointment. I got new contacts and my pupils dialated, as well as the driver's license form completed. Next stop was the drive test centre. Since my pupils were dialated, I figured it would be pretty funny. Girl hands in form saying she has 20/20 vision, and then can't see well enough to find the line to sign the rest of the forms on. *grin* When I went in for the written test, I got to watch the three people before me get their results... they all failed! Very confidence-inspiring for me. Fortunately, the test was easy, and I passed. Last stop was the mall, to buy a dress for the gala. Of course, they were on sale, and I am occasionally weak, so I bought two. Now I have one for my solo at the end of the year. I got home, had dinner, and went to the bus station to get back for work this morning. It was the midnight bus again. Unfortunately, somewhere between the bus station there and my apartment here, my wallet went missing. I'm still waiting to hear back on that, but I suspect I will be replacing cards shortly.

And now you're all caught up. I'll be writing on my school blog today or tomorrow, so check in there when you have time as well.  - posted by Purple Mangos @ 4:49 p.m. @ 

 
I was hoping to have the exciting news that I finally have a learner's permit to write about today, but apparently the gods don't want mangos to learn how to drive. (I knew there was a reason I was right to drag my feet all this time. lol.) It turns out that, according to the Ministry, I'm blind. I'll be going back to the city next week to have my optometrist verify that I am not actually blind, so we'll try this again next week. This driving thing is costing me alot of money, and I don't even have to worry about buying a car or paying for insurance and gas yet!  - posted by Purple Mangos @ 10:26 p.m. @ 

 
I am writing a journal for my Legal Ethics class. Since you all know that I am only good at writing regularly when I'm doing it online, I have decided to make it a blog. It will operate for the four months that I'm taking this class, and I have added a link to this blog for anyone who is interested. The rules are the same as for this blog (no personal names without permission, no location identifiers) with the addition of the requirement that any comments be school-appropriate. Also, I should warn you that the posts will be significantly longer than the ones I write here. I'm hoping to update it at least twice a week, probably on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you're interested in any of the material that I'm discussing, such as essays or novels, I'll try to provide you with copies or sources. I would appreciate any insights or comments you (my loyal readers) have.  - posted by Purple Mangos @ 5:05 p.m. @ 

 
Event #2 - Christmas Eve/Day
Christmas with the family was great, especially having SuperSis home. I got to sing in the choir for midnight mass for the first time, which included the choir tradition of drinking very nice alcohol between the rehearsal and the service. I love being Anglican. It was also good to hear that BR was doing better. (She was recently in a very serious bike accident and the whole church has been worried about her.)

This was the first Christmas morning in years that I didn't go to the morning service. Usually I go to watch MotivatedTea sing, but they gave the men of the choir a holiday this year. We opened presents around lunchtime, when everyone got up. I liked the part where MotivatedTea and I bought each other the same computer game. (Sort of. It's complicated, but the end result was that we each had a copy of the same game.) Christmas dinner was medieval, including a pastry castle for the centrepiece and wild boar spices. Oh, and don't forget the Good Queen Bess Mulled Wine. (I certainly didn't.)  - posted by Purple Mangos @ 1:06 p.m. @ 

 
Now that I'm back at the apartment and settled in, it's about time I finished all my holiday posting. I think, for the purposes of commenting, I will do this in seperate posts for each major event.

Event #1 - December 23rd, carolling
As you know, we went carolling this year. I had forgotten how much fun it was (even if it is alot of work to organize and also very cold!!). This year we had the regulars (MotivatedTea, Supersis and Bubbles) as well as Bear, A (from choir), RG from symphony and her sister. Rehearsal started a bit later than planned, but went fairly well once we got over the laughing. If you haven't sung Noel Nouvellet (sp?) in English you should try it some time and pay attention to the words. We try it in rehearsal every year and have yet to get through it without ending up on the floor. *grin*

Highlights of carolling for me:
1) RG's and sister's comments at houses who didn't feel inclined to come to the door even though they were home. It's always fun having new carollers along.
2) Not being eaten alive by the very large, excited dogs at some of the houses.
3) The lady who gave us homemade cookies.
4) The guy who worked at the same place that we were giving any collected money to. (I love random coincidences like that.)
5) The house FULL of people on their way to the airport (think TV sitcom Christmas) who offered a 400% increase on their first donation if we sang a second song.
6) The guy who said, after we sang, that we made him cry because it was so beautiful.
7) My all time favourite, the toddler (not very steady at walking yet) who was so excited to see the singing that he litterally smashed himself into the screen door (*blap*) to get closer and then stayed there for the whole song with those huge eyes that kids know how to make.

So, thanks to every one who participated and froze their fingers off for a good cause.  - posted by Purple Mangos @ 12:52 p.m. @