Wow, it's been an amazing first week in Wien! I can hardly believe it's only been a week, it feels like we've been here much longer. I wake up around 8-9 every day, and I usually hit the sack around midnight-1. I got up at 9 today, somehow, so I know my sleep cycle is getting settled, since I went to bed around 3:30 AM. It was really nice going out for the weekend, I had fun dancing and getting to know people better. I like people here a lot and I think I'll have some great friends before long. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
I'm going to das Rathaus (city hall) for the film festival tonight. They are showing La Traviata, one of my favorite (I only know a few) operas. So I am going to try to give a brief overview of life in the city so far.
There are two German class times, A at 9:30 AM and B and 12:30 PM. My class is during the B time slot. However, my roommate, Oliver, has an A German class so he wakes up a bit earlier. I tend to shower when he leaves and then head out to practice before my own class.
Our apartment is amazing. We live in Hietzing, the 13th Bezirk (district), which is, I'm told, one of the nicest and most expensive. It's a big apartment for two people.
I haven't done a lot of sightseeing or anything exciting except for going out last night. My main adventures have been learning how to order food, finding grocery stores, and randomly wandering around the city in my spare time. I think it's a bit easy to get lost in the city because a lot of the streets kind of twist and turn but using the house numbers you can usually head towards the center district which should help.
A few observations before I have to run. Imbiss stands are amazing. As much as I liked dirty water hot dogs in NYC, Kasekrainer and Kabobs are SO DELICIOUS!
The water in Wien is so clean and fresh you can just fill bottles from the tap and drink it, it's great! I have on average 4 bottles in the fridge and I'm considering cutting down on my Sprite usage. It's that good. I seem to remember New York having good tap water for a while but in TN, no thank you.
The U Bahn and public transportation in general is outstanding. My morning commute is still 30 minutes, but I assume it would be at least a 2-2 1/2 hour walk from my apartment to school. And 3 of us took a taxi back and split the fare 5 Euros each. Not bad at all.
That being said, other things around the city / I would guess Europe in general are really expensive. It was explained very well to us by one of the IES staff that it's part of the system here. The government provides tons of care like healthcare, several (4 I think) weeks paid vacation, coverage of family, etc. and the employee pays 1/3 through taxes while employers pay 2/3. Therefore, stores and shops raise their prices to make up for that. Seems like a pretty good system to me. I'm leaning more and more to the left on social issues. Still, implementing a system like this (okay, socialist) in the US would be very difficult. The transition would be chaotic. But we seem to be headed that direction, which is probably a good thing.
This place is soaked with history, you can't turn over a pebble here that doesn't have some sort of history. I went on a bus tour this morning and we had a fantastic lecture beforehand. I was upset when my microtrack battery said it was dead this morning. I've hardly used it.
There's so much to do here! Now that I'm all settled it's time to explore the city. I'll keep you all posted on my adventures I have. Tschüss!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Mariazell (Orientation)
Sorry I haven't been able to update. I will try to go back and split this up into smaller chunks and insert pictures. My computer battery is dying and I didn't take my adapters to orientation, and it's been a real pain setting up my new email address and getting wireless set up in my apartment. But this is what's been going on. I'll try to get caught up soon.
8/21/2010
Austria is wonderful! Today is only my third day here and I have already done so much. We are actually not in Vienna for orientation. When we arrived we met at a U-Bahn and bus stop and drove a few hours to this little town called Mariazell. We are in Styria and the mountains are stunning, I have never seen anything like them. And I know they are just the foothills of the Alps!
After packing and repacking and having difficulty checking in online for my flight, I went to bed and then woke up around 9. I checked my bags with no difficulty and went through security with plenty of time for breakfast / lunch at Noshville (I thought it was appropriate). The first flight to Washington (Dulles) was uneventful, except that I forgot my Vanderbilt water bottle when I got off. Oh well, I wasn't originally planning on bringing one, so no big loss.
I thought I had been through Dulles before but I think I would have remembered. It's a big, well-designed airport. At the gate it was fun hearing announcements in both German and English.
The flight itself was very pleasant. I sat next to a nice man from Macedonia who now lives in Las Vegas. He flies back to Macedonia once a year. He had at least one more flight after Vienna.
I got a window seat in the emergency aisle so we had plenty of legroom. There were only a few movies on (Toy Story 2) but I didn't want to just watch movies. I had started reading Maria von Trapp's “The story of the von Trapp family singers” on the first flight, and I continued to read it as we crossed the Atlantic. I was so disappointed that it was so overcast the entire time, since I really wanted to see the Atlantic and Europe from the plane.
I tried to force myself to sleep but wasn't very persistent and I kind of regret that, since I was so tired the next day. The flight went by quickly; it didn't feel like 9 boring hours. There was a woman with a toddler that screamed for a decent portion of the flight, but other than that I liked flying internationally.
Dinner was a choice of chicken or pasta (I chose pasta) along with bread, salad, and I think some kind of dessert. I had two beers, Ottakring, that were delicious. Breakfast was also good, with orange juice, yogurt, and I forget what else.
The Vienna airport was the first slightly nerve-wracking thing, as it took me a little while to find a bank atm to get money, and my luggage was very heavy. I successfully purchased my CAT ticket with the 10 Euros I got from Jeff before I left. Waiting for the train I met some fellow IES students, including a cellist Elianna and violinist Albert (from Northwestern). I think the other girl's name is Kristen. They helped me get to the IES building to drop off our instruments so we wouldn't have to haul them to our meeting spot later. I wasn't sure I was going to go but we had plenty of time.
After the cab ride there I ran into Zan, who joined us wandering around Vienna a little bit. We went through Stadtpark and saw the slightly ridiculous statue of Johannes Strauss. Zan and I decided to go back to IES and practice a bit, so we parted. The practice rooms (classrooms) are so reverberant! It was fun to play even just scales and etudes because the room made me sound so good. Haha.
We practiced for just over an hour I think and went out to get a bite to eat for lunch, when we ran into Elianna. I don't know where the other two went, but we invited her along. We stopped at a Greek place and I got a gyro plate and they each got Donner kebabs, which look amazing (almost the same ingredients as my gyro plate but in a kind of pita-bun).
Elianna and I got the rest of our luggage (we locked our instruments in a room at IES) and waited for Zan to check out and join us on the way to the bus stop meeting place (Hütteldorf). We finally made it and found the rest of the IES group. I didn't really meet anyone at first and Michelle had already gotten on another bus. Our bus left last, waiting until the appointed time in case any stragglers showed up.
It was about a 3 hour bus ride (I fell asleep near the end, so I'm not positive) and we had one pit stop where I met Anna and Tom who are both from Chicago. They are very nice. I bought a Sprite and a bottle of water.
The hostel we are staying at is Jufa, or Jugend & Familiengästehäuse. It is very nice. I am in room 306 with 3 other guys, and two next door who share a bathroom with us.
It's hard for me to remember everything that's happened, even though it's only the third day! I don't think we did a lot after our first night. I don't remember what we've had for meals but they have all been good. The Wiener Schnitzel today was a bit dry, particularly since I had Wiener Schnitzel in town today that was much better. I'm glad that I've put myself out there and tried everything. Nutella has been a major discovery.
I know on the first day we were introduced to the IES staff who are all so friendly and helpful. Kurt, Tobi, and Helmut are fun guys, and Kyle and Katya, the two student assistants are both very easy to talk to.
The second day was more meetings in the morning, but then we had the option of going to the lake or the town. I went to the lake, the Erlaufsee. It was so beautiful! I went with Zan and Michelle and met several other people while I was there. Tobi took a group of us on a hike around the lake, and I talked with Megan a lot. I forget where she is from but I'm pretty sure she goes to Johns Hopkins. After the hike we hung out on the pier for a while and I finally talked myself into swimming in the lake even though I didn't have swim trunks. It was just like Aspen! The water was pretty cool but not frigid, and I thought it was quite refreshing. Luckily, when I stupidly dove beneath the water with my glasses on, I found them after they had fallen off. My shorts were still damp this morning.
When we got back I had my German placement interview (all students who had at least one semester of German took a placement test in the morning) and found out, after asking, that I would be in Elementary II. So I am glad I skipped the basic German level, even though my German is horrendous right now.
Kyle and Katya gave a presentation on what they do and how they can help us if we have questions, and then I slept through the next meeting, but it wasn't that important and I picked up a packet when I woke up later.
The last thing of the night was a 'traditional Austrian evening.' They had some Austrian dancers come in and perform traditional dances in lederhosen. It was very fun to watch and they even taught us a simple dance which involved lots of thigh slapping. The accordion player was a nice old man named Hans. The dancers seemed to be having a great time. Perhaps the beer during their rest breaks helped.
Today after breakfast I had a few hours to kill before my housing meeting at 11:30. At breakfast I sat with and talked to Katya and though she was a little doubtful about walking to town she suggested the short hike up the hill to the church behind the hostel.
It didn't take long to get up to the top but the path did get a bit steep. As steep as any trail I took in Aspen, I would think. But it was a short climb and well worth the trip. The views were amazing! I ran into Emily Hall on the way down, a friend of Lucy and Rachael Schlossberg from Quartet Program. She's a really nice violist, a bit reserved like me. Actually, I think she's one of the most normal violists I've ever met, now that I think about it. Haha.
On the way back down I took another path and discovered that it kept going around behind the hostel. I went really far down, almost to the next town I think. It was a fun walk and everything around is beautiful. So it was nice to just go out hiking. I'm sure my hiking shoes will come in handy this semester because I plan on doing a lot of hiking.
I met my roommate, Oliver, yesterday. We met for our housing meeting and were told we lived in a nice part of the city, district 13. I'm very excited to get there tomorrow evening and get settled. I like Oliver a lot, he's a cool guy. He plays French horn. So that's two horn players I've roomed with.
During lunch I found Michelle, Joncie, Megan and Meagan outside and we talked about classes and looked at our packets. Joncie is a singer who goes to Chapel Hill who is related to the Sarratt's who built the Sarratt Center at Vanderbilt. Meagan is a singer at Illinois Wesleyan. It was good hanging out with them and discussing things.
I forget when we left but I was planning on walking to town anyway, since I figured the bus would be full, and I ran into Zan who said he was also going with some people. My roommate Oliver, Katy, Lily and Carli all walked to town together. It was a lot of fun. We stopped by the 'origin' spot where according to Mariazell folklore, the town was founded by a monk who escaped from robbers because of warning from the Virgin Mary. Grateful, he placed his wooden carving / statue in a wooden cell.
When we finally made it up to the city we decided to see the basilica first and then grab some lunch. The church was so gorgeous, it was very ornate and baroque looking. No pictures were allowed but that's okay.
Next Oliver, Carli, Lily and I found a nice restaurant and split two orders of Wiener Schnitzel, and we all had Radlers, a combination of beer and lemonade. It was very good. Carli told us how she sometimes faints when she exerts herself because of a certain heart condition, and Lily was badgered by the tiny dog at the next table that growled at her. Oliver also explained his tattoo, which has something to do with a book, but I forget the title of it. I really enjoyed hanging out with that group.
Carli and Lily waited for the bus but the other four of us walked back to the hostel. The way back was a good bit faster than the hike up.
At 7:30 the music students had a fairly confusing information session. I think I can get it straightened out.
Then we had 3 options for entertainment: Learn to waltz, Movie night, or Kegelbahn (Austrian bowling). I opted to learn the Viennese waltz. It was really fun, even though it was surprisingly difficult. Perhaps not too surprising given my two left feet. But I got the hang of it eventually. It's nice being a guy when you dance because there are always more girls than guys. I'm not even sure who all I danced with, but it was at least 5 different girls. I asked Michelle to dance first. The Blue Danube Waltz is a rather fast dance to start learning the waltz on. At first it was crowded and you kept bumping into people, but as the night wore on we had more room to dance. Then I hung out with two singers, Abby and Claire and we got some beers from the bar and sat outside and talked, mainly about musicals. It was a good night.
Now that I'm finally caught up, it's time for bed. I hope to get to update my blog and facebook soon once I get settled in my apartment tomorrow evening. I am very excited for this semester! I'm amazed at how many people I've met and how much we've done in just three days! I'm positive this will be a life-changing semester. Well, gute nacht!
8/21/2010
Austria is wonderful! Today is only my third day here and I have already done so much. We are actually not in Vienna for orientation. When we arrived we met at a U-Bahn and bus stop and drove a few hours to this little town called Mariazell. We are in Styria and the mountains are stunning, I have never seen anything like them. And I know they are just the foothills of the Alps!
After packing and repacking and having difficulty checking in online for my flight, I went to bed and then woke up around 9. I checked my bags with no difficulty and went through security with plenty of time for breakfast / lunch at Noshville (I thought it was appropriate). The first flight to Washington (Dulles) was uneventful, except that I forgot my Vanderbilt water bottle when I got off. Oh well, I wasn't originally planning on bringing one, so no big loss.
I thought I had been through Dulles before but I think I would have remembered. It's a big, well-designed airport. At the gate it was fun hearing announcements in both German and English.
The flight itself was very pleasant. I sat next to a nice man from Macedonia who now lives in Las Vegas. He flies back to Macedonia once a year. He had at least one more flight after Vienna.
I got a window seat in the emergency aisle so we had plenty of legroom. There were only a few movies on (Toy Story 2) but I didn't want to just watch movies. I had started reading Maria von Trapp's “The story of the von Trapp family singers” on the first flight, and I continued to read it as we crossed the Atlantic. I was so disappointed that it was so overcast the entire time, since I really wanted to see the Atlantic and Europe from the plane.
I tried to force myself to sleep but wasn't very persistent and I kind of regret that, since I was so tired the next day. The flight went by quickly; it didn't feel like 9 boring hours. There was a woman with a toddler that screamed for a decent portion of the flight, but other than that I liked flying internationally.
Dinner was a choice of chicken or pasta (I chose pasta) along with bread, salad, and I think some kind of dessert. I had two beers, Ottakring, that were delicious. Breakfast was also good, with orange juice, yogurt, and I forget what else.
The Vienna airport was the first slightly nerve-wracking thing, as it took me a little while to find a bank atm to get money, and my luggage was very heavy. I successfully purchased my CAT ticket with the 10 Euros I got from Jeff before I left. Waiting for the train I met some fellow IES students, including a cellist Elianna and violinist Albert (from Northwestern). I think the other girl's name is Kristen. They helped me get to the IES building to drop off our instruments so we wouldn't have to haul them to our meeting spot later. I wasn't sure I was going to go but we had plenty of time.
After the cab ride there I ran into Zan, who joined us wandering around Vienna a little bit. We went through Stadtpark and saw the slightly ridiculous statue of Johannes Strauss. Zan and I decided to go back to IES and practice a bit, so we parted. The practice rooms (classrooms) are so reverberant! It was fun to play even just scales and etudes because the room made me sound so good. Haha.
We practiced for just over an hour I think and went out to get a bite to eat for lunch, when we ran into Elianna. I don't know where the other two went, but we invited her along. We stopped at a Greek place and I got a gyro plate and they each got Donner kebabs, which look amazing (almost the same ingredients as my gyro plate but in a kind of pita-bun).
Elianna and I got the rest of our luggage (we locked our instruments in a room at IES) and waited for Zan to check out and join us on the way to the bus stop meeting place (Hütteldorf). We finally made it and found the rest of the IES group. I didn't really meet anyone at first and Michelle had already gotten on another bus. Our bus left last, waiting until the appointed time in case any stragglers showed up.
It was about a 3 hour bus ride (I fell asleep near the end, so I'm not positive) and we had one pit stop where I met Anna and Tom who are both from Chicago. They are very nice. I bought a Sprite and a bottle of water.
The hostel we are staying at is Jufa, or Jugend & Familiengästehäuse. It is very nice. I am in room 306 with 3 other guys, and two next door who share a bathroom with us.
It's hard for me to remember everything that's happened, even though it's only the third day! I don't think we did a lot after our first night. I don't remember what we've had for meals but they have all been good. The Wiener Schnitzel today was a bit dry, particularly since I had Wiener Schnitzel in town today that was much better. I'm glad that I've put myself out there and tried everything. Nutella has been a major discovery.
I know on the first day we were introduced to the IES staff who are all so friendly and helpful. Kurt, Tobi, and Helmut are fun guys, and Kyle and Katya, the two student assistants are both very easy to talk to.
The second day was more meetings in the morning, but then we had the option of going to the lake or the town. I went to the lake, the Erlaufsee. It was so beautiful! I went with Zan and Michelle and met several other people while I was there. Tobi took a group of us on a hike around the lake, and I talked with Megan a lot. I forget where she is from but I'm pretty sure she goes to Johns Hopkins. After the hike we hung out on the pier for a while and I finally talked myself into swimming in the lake even though I didn't have swim trunks. It was just like Aspen! The water was pretty cool but not frigid, and I thought it was quite refreshing. Luckily, when I stupidly dove beneath the water with my glasses on, I found them after they had fallen off. My shorts were still damp this morning.
When we got back I had my German placement interview (all students who had at least one semester of German took a placement test in the morning) and found out, after asking, that I would be in Elementary II. So I am glad I skipped the basic German level, even though my German is horrendous right now.
Kyle and Katya gave a presentation on what they do and how they can help us if we have questions, and then I slept through the next meeting, but it wasn't that important and I picked up a packet when I woke up later.
The last thing of the night was a 'traditional Austrian evening.' They had some Austrian dancers come in and perform traditional dances in lederhosen. It was very fun to watch and they even taught us a simple dance which involved lots of thigh slapping. The accordion player was a nice old man named Hans. The dancers seemed to be having a great time. Perhaps the beer during their rest breaks helped.
Today after breakfast I had a few hours to kill before my housing meeting at 11:30. At breakfast I sat with and talked to Katya and though she was a little doubtful about walking to town she suggested the short hike up the hill to the church behind the hostel.
It didn't take long to get up to the top but the path did get a bit steep. As steep as any trail I took in Aspen, I would think. But it was a short climb and well worth the trip. The views were amazing! I ran into Emily Hall on the way down, a friend of Lucy and Rachael Schlossberg from Quartet Program. She's a really nice violist, a bit reserved like me. Actually, I think she's one of the most normal violists I've ever met, now that I think about it. Haha.
On the way back down I took another path and discovered that it kept going around behind the hostel. I went really far down, almost to the next town I think. It was a fun walk and everything around is beautiful. So it was nice to just go out hiking. I'm sure my hiking shoes will come in handy this semester because I plan on doing a lot of hiking.
I met my roommate, Oliver, yesterday. We met for our housing meeting and were told we lived in a nice part of the city, district 13. I'm very excited to get there tomorrow evening and get settled. I like Oliver a lot, he's a cool guy. He plays French horn. So that's two horn players I've roomed with.
During lunch I found Michelle, Joncie, Megan and Meagan outside and we talked about classes and looked at our packets. Joncie is a singer who goes to Chapel Hill who is related to the Sarratt's who built the Sarratt Center at Vanderbilt. Meagan is a singer at Illinois Wesleyan. It was good hanging out with them and discussing things.
I forget when we left but I was planning on walking to town anyway, since I figured the bus would be full, and I ran into Zan who said he was also going with some people. My roommate Oliver, Katy, Lily and Carli all walked to town together. It was a lot of fun. We stopped by the 'origin' spot where according to Mariazell folklore, the town was founded by a monk who escaped from robbers because of warning from the Virgin Mary. Grateful, he placed his wooden carving / statue in a wooden cell.
When we finally made it up to the city we decided to see the basilica first and then grab some lunch. The church was so gorgeous, it was very ornate and baroque looking. No pictures were allowed but that's okay.
Next Oliver, Carli, Lily and I found a nice restaurant and split two orders of Wiener Schnitzel, and we all had Radlers, a combination of beer and lemonade. It was very good. Carli told us how she sometimes faints when she exerts herself because of a certain heart condition, and Lily was badgered by the tiny dog at the next table that growled at her. Oliver also explained his tattoo, which has something to do with a book, but I forget the title of it. I really enjoyed hanging out with that group.
Carli and Lily waited for the bus but the other four of us walked back to the hostel. The way back was a good bit faster than the hike up.
At 7:30 the music students had a fairly confusing information session. I think I can get it straightened out.
Then we had 3 options for entertainment: Learn to waltz, Movie night, or Kegelbahn (Austrian bowling). I opted to learn the Viennese waltz. It was really fun, even though it was surprisingly difficult. Perhaps not too surprising given my two left feet. But I got the hang of it eventually. It's nice being a guy when you dance because there are always more girls than guys. I'm not even sure who all I danced with, but it was at least 5 different girls. I asked Michelle to dance first. The Blue Danube Waltz is a rather fast dance to start learning the waltz on. At first it was crowded and you kept bumping into people, but as the night wore on we had more room to dance. Then I hung out with two singers, Abby and Claire and we got some beers from the bar and sat outside and talked, mainly about musicals. It was a good night.
Now that I'm finally caught up, it's time for bed. I hope to get to update my blog and facebook soon once I get settled in my apartment tomorrow evening. I am very excited for this semester! I'm amazed at how many people I've met and how much we've done in just three days! I'm positive this will be a life-changing semester. Well, gute nacht!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Packing
Packing was annoying but I feel like I was very thorough. I think I could live out of my bags for an entire year, if not my entire life, provided my place of residence included a fridge, washer and dryer, printer (if I was in school), pots, pans, utensils, and a bed with sheets. I can't really pack any of those things anyway.
Here are some things I remembered to bring during the packing process:
German dictionary
chapstick (Burt's Bees, no less)
laundry bag
Aleve
Here are some things I decided on bringing that I wasn't sure about:
compass
spare towel
extra travel size toothbrush and toothpaste
water bottle (I didn't think I had one but then I noticed my Vanderbilt water bottle that I've never used sitting on my table)
The Rest is Noise
The Undiscovered Self
Man's Search for Meaning
And here are some things I decided to leave home:
Barron's 501 German Verbs
X-acto stapler
Portal
Orchestral score of the Glazunov violin concerto (Great Twentieth Century Violin Concertos)
Bach Mass in A major vocal score
Every DVD I considered from my library
My backpack hasn't been this full since I had to jam extra stuff into it at the Aspen airport after over-packing my big bag. There is also a small travel pillow crammed in the front mesh now, which I am taking for the flight on advice from Chris.
Garment bag, sans pea coat that I forgot was on the back of my computer chair when I took this picture.
The big bag. I hope I left enough space for souvenirs on the trip back.
I stuffed my winter coat in the top part, behind the mesh section.
I think I can carry these along with my violin. I only have to do it two days, right?
Here are some things I remembered to bring during the packing process:
German dictionary
chapstick (Burt's Bees, no less)
laundry bag
Aleve
Here are some things I decided on bringing that I wasn't sure about:
compass
spare towel
extra travel size toothbrush and toothpaste
water bottle (I didn't think I had one but then I noticed my Vanderbilt water bottle that I've never used sitting on my table)
The Rest is Noise
The Undiscovered Self
Man's Search for Meaning
And here are some things I decided to leave home:
Barron's 501 German Verbs
X-acto stapler
Portal
Orchestral score of the Glazunov violin concerto (Great Twentieth Century Violin Concertos)
Bach Mass in A major vocal score
Every DVD I considered from my library
My backpack hasn't been this full since I had to jam extra stuff into it at the Aspen airport after over-packing my big bag. There is also a small travel pillow crammed in the front mesh now, which I am taking for the flight on advice from Chris.
Garment bag, sans pea coat that I forgot was on the back of my computer chair when I took this picture.
The big bag. I hope I left enough space for souvenirs on the trip back.
I stuffed my winter coat in the top part, behind the mesh section.
I think I can carry these along with my violin. I only have to do it two days, right?
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Balance
I've read a lot of useful advice about touring Europe recently. But I guess it just finally sunk in today that I'm going to be studying abroad. Studying being the key word. Not that I've thought of this semester as a vacation, but I haven't really gotten excited about what I will be learning in Vienna.
I will go back to Europe sometime later in life, if at all possible. I've already come to grips with the fact that you can't experience all of Europe in one trip, even if you have the entire semester. So I've picked my places carefully. Trips to Croatia, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and Hungary would have to fall into my lap. I'm planning on not going to any of these places that I once considered. Not to mention the other 3/4 of the European nations I didn't even consider visiting, like France, England, Ireland, Denmark, Amsterdam, Spain, Greece and the rest. You could live in Europe your entire life without seeing everything worthy of being experienced. So I'm okay with the fact that I won't get to see everything I want to see.
And if I never get back to see the rest of Europe, I can still be happy with this amazing opportunity to see it this one time, because most people can't afford to go.
The entire experience will be a new one, of course, but at least for traveling I can research things to do and places to see. I have no idea what to expect from my classes, teachers, and classmates. I hope they will be worth at least as much as the sightseeing I mean to do.
I won't know what classes I actually got until I arrive, but here is what I signed up for.
Music Performance Workshop. W - 4:35, R - 6:10, F - 12:15
Austrian Art and Architecture. M - 1:15, W - 1:00 (waiting list)
Gustav Mahler. M - 10:35, W - 10:35
Vienna Past and Present. W - 1:25 (waiting list)
The Classical Symphony. T - 1:25, R - 1:25 (alternate 1)
Advanced Music Theory. M - 1:15, W - 1:15 (alternate 2)
I wish I had signed up earlier before Austrian Art and Architecture filled up. I am especially excited about the Mahler class. I have read about places around Austria where Mahler, Brahms and Richard Strauss visited and found inspiration.
What excites me most about this opportunity is that I will be able to be immersed in the history and tradition of perhaps the most important city in the world for classical music. What I learn there won't be just information out of a book. I hope to take all of my experiences to heart and come out of this semester a better musician and a wiser individual, not just a world traveler.
I will go back to Europe sometime later in life, if at all possible. I've already come to grips with the fact that you can't experience all of Europe in one trip, even if you have the entire semester. So I've picked my places carefully. Trips to Croatia, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and Hungary would have to fall into my lap. I'm planning on not going to any of these places that I once considered. Not to mention the other 3/4 of the European nations I didn't even consider visiting, like France, England, Ireland, Denmark, Amsterdam, Spain, Greece and the rest. You could live in Europe your entire life without seeing everything worthy of being experienced. So I'm okay with the fact that I won't get to see everything I want to see.
And if I never get back to see the rest of Europe, I can still be happy with this amazing opportunity to see it this one time, because most people can't afford to go.
The entire experience will be a new one, of course, but at least for traveling I can research things to do and places to see. I have no idea what to expect from my classes, teachers, and classmates. I hope they will be worth at least as much as the sightseeing I mean to do.
I won't know what classes I actually got until I arrive, but here is what I signed up for.
Music Performance Workshop. W - 4:35, R - 6:10, F - 12:15
Austrian Art and Architecture. M - 1:15, W - 1:00 (waiting list)
Gustav Mahler. M - 10:35, W - 10:35
Vienna Past and Present. W - 1:25 (waiting list)
The Classical Symphony. T - 1:25, R - 1:25 (alternate 1)
Advanced Music Theory. M - 1:15, W - 1:15 (alternate 2)
I wish I had signed up earlier before Austrian Art and Architecture filled up. I am especially excited about the Mahler class. I have read about places around Austria where Mahler, Brahms and Richard Strauss visited and found inspiration.
What excites me most about this opportunity is that I will be able to be immersed in the history and tradition of perhaps the most important city in the world for classical music. What I learn there won't be just information out of a book. I hope to take all of my experiences to heart and come out of this semester a better musician and a wiser individual, not just a world traveler.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Random Thoughts of the Day
Stuff I have nowhere else to put.
You have to be at least 50 in order to drive a Buick. Probably the same for (old) Cadillacs and Lincolns.
Ramen is the best possibly discovery for college aged kids at night. Except possibly Oreos / string cheese.
A well-timed expletive can be hysterical. Right at the end of Inception when the screen cuts to black is a good example. I learned this tonight.
Animals make us happy. Particularly pets. I have to be careful not to watch hours of animal videos on YouTube. ninja cat-in-a-box, belly-flopping Corgi, and cats baffled by treadmill are my favorites, not to mention surprised kitty.
Old Spice commercials have officially crossed the line between weird / creepy and hilariously awesome.
When my niece figures out that I'm actually just as ticklish as she is, I'm doomed. I think she suspects, but I'm trying to keep it under wraps.
I guess that's all I remember.
I'm going to go make that ramen now.
You have to be at least 50 in order to drive a Buick. Probably the same for (old) Cadillacs and Lincolns.
Ramen is the best possibly discovery for college aged kids at night. Except possibly Oreos / string cheese.
A well-timed expletive can be hysterical. Right at the end of Inception when the screen cuts to black is a good example. I learned this tonight.
Animals make us happy. Particularly pets. I have to be careful not to watch hours of animal videos on YouTube. ninja cat-in-a-box, belly-flopping Corgi, and cats baffled by treadmill are my favorites, not to mention surprised kitty.
Old Spice commercials have officially crossed the line between weird / creepy and hilariously awesome.
When my niece figures out that I'm actually just as ticklish as she is, I'm doomed. I think she suspects, but I'm trying to keep it under wraps.
I guess that's all I remember.
I'm going to go make that ramen now.
What I've Learned Already
Preparing for this trip has been exhausting. Maybe that's too strong of a word. I have a really bad headache right now brought on from staring at my computer screen too long.
First, of course, I learned how to apply for my Visa. I got my passport back in November I think, when I was originally going to study abroad in the spring of 2010. I ended up staying at Vanderbilt last semester and I couldn't be more sure that that was the right decision. I loved spending a lot of time with the class of 2010. I miss them dearly.
So that was taken care of already. But I am glad I figured out how to fill out all the paperwork needed to apply for my Visa. Martha helps me with a lot of things but I did most of my Visa work by myself, so I was proud of that achievement.
I figured out how much Eurail passes were as well as plane tickets within Europe. Dad and I made a plan to cover my travel as efficiently as possible. I also know how to get to the Vienna airport as well as how to get to the Berlin Philharmonic from the airport there.
I researched what makes a great camera and how to take good pictures. As interested as I am in photography, and as great an opportunity as this is to get to take amazing pictures, I decided that a digital SLR camera was too expensive (they start around $500). But now I know what film speeds are (ISO), what aperture is, and how shutter speed affects the photo. I'm bringing my old Olympus 35mm point and shoot camera because I believe it takes better pictures than my digital (which I'll also be taking). I even thought about buying a cheap old SLR camera but I know it would take too long to learn and I don't want to risk paying $100 for my first batch of blurry pictures.
I got a sweet pair of hiking shoes. Not tons learned, though I know why my shoes are awesome. Being waterproof is the most obvious thing, since the last thing I want are wet feet while hiking. I also learned that the arch support is really good. That's kind of it. I have learned that there are far too many ways of lacing your shoes. It's kinda crazy.
In choosing my webcam I learned about HD, and 720p, 1080i, and 1080p.
And tonight I figured out how voltage, amps, and watts work, or rather what they are. I realized that a voltage converter isn't really what I need. Also, apparently clock radios will not keep time correctly, even if you use a converter.
Also, if you get leg pain after long periods of sitting, you may suffer from venous congestion. That doesn't really have anything to do with my trip but I looked it up recently.
Finally, I learned that shipping is super expensive and a budget killer. I've spent over $50 just on shipping. It sucks.
First, of course, I learned how to apply for my Visa. I got my passport back in November I think, when I was originally going to study abroad in the spring of 2010. I ended up staying at Vanderbilt last semester and I couldn't be more sure that that was the right decision. I loved spending a lot of time with the class of 2010. I miss them dearly.
So that was taken care of already. But I am glad I figured out how to fill out all the paperwork needed to apply for my Visa. Martha helps me with a lot of things but I did most of my Visa work by myself, so I was proud of that achievement.
I figured out how much Eurail passes were as well as plane tickets within Europe. Dad and I made a plan to cover my travel as efficiently as possible. I also know how to get to the Vienna airport as well as how to get to the Berlin Philharmonic from the airport there.
I researched what makes a great camera and how to take good pictures. As interested as I am in photography, and as great an opportunity as this is to get to take amazing pictures, I decided that a digital SLR camera was too expensive (they start around $500). But now I know what film speeds are (ISO), what aperture is, and how shutter speed affects the photo. I'm bringing my old Olympus 35mm point and shoot camera because I believe it takes better pictures than my digital (which I'll also be taking). I even thought about buying a cheap old SLR camera but I know it would take too long to learn and I don't want to risk paying $100 for my first batch of blurry pictures.
I got a sweet pair of hiking shoes. Not tons learned, though I know why my shoes are awesome. Being waterproof is the most obvious thing, since the last thing I want are wet feet while hiking. I also learned that the arch support is really good. That's kind of it. I have learned that there are far too many ways of lacing your shoes. It's kinda crazy.
In choosing my webcam I learned about HD, and 720p, 1080i, and 1080p.
And tonight I figured out how voltage, amps, and watts work, or rather what they are. I realized that a voltage converter isn't really what I need. Also, apparently clock radios will not keep time correctly, even if you use a converter.
Also, if you get leg pain after long periods of sitting, you may suffer from venous congestion. That doesn't really have anything to do with my trip but I looked it up recently.
Finally, I learned that shipping is super expensive and a budget killer. I've spent over $50 just on shipping. It sucks.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Countdown
I leave for Vienna in exactly one week!
My last day of work was pretty good. I worked a double, washing dishes all day. There are things I will miss about working there, and things I am glad to be done with. I almost made it all summer without mopping up vomit. I liked my co-workers and my boss is a great guy. It was a good first job.
Finally I have a blog about my semester abroad.
Today I received my new hiking boots / shoes and my Microtrack II recorder in the mail! I am super excited about both of them. Unfortunately, I have to go buy a memory card for the recorder which is, of course, more expensive than I had planned (actually I totally forgot I would need to buy one). I spent a bit more on the boots than I thought I would but I really like them and I think they are a good investment. I hope to hike a lot next semester.
My new hiking shoes.
My recorder. I hope this helps me practice more efficiently. I tend to focus harder and have a much lower tolerance for error when I record myself.
Also, yesterday between shifts I ran out to Target and found a really nice webcam and got it. I've played with it a little bit and it looks great! I hope to skype with a bunch of you when I'm abroad. It's a Logitech C270.
A webcam makes a fine addition to my laptop. And yes, that is my desktop monitor in the background. I just got out my laptop to play with the webcam.
I also picked up a voltage converter from Radio Shack. I was told I could plug in a power strip that way, which I figured would be cheaper than buying an adapter for each plug. I hope the guy is right. I talked to Jeff about it a while ago but I forget which one he told me he never took out of the box. For that matter I'm not even sure what the difference between converters and adapters are. I suppose I can just buy what I need there if what I have doesn't work or isn't sufficient.
Finally, in very recent news, I may be taking my sister's old phone with me. I am due for an upgrade, so I could get a number of models free, but Martha got a great phone that I like a lot so far. I think I just have to put my SIM card in it, though I'm not sure. We also changed my phone plan to where I can get and receive calls abroad cheaper.
That's all for today, I hope to write more before I leave.
I'm exhausted. Good night!
~ Austin
My last day of work was pretty good. I worked a double, washing dishes all day. There are things I will miss about working there, and things I am glad to be done with. I almost made it all summer without mopping up vomit. I liked my co-workers and my boss is a great guy. It was a good first job.
Finally I have a blog about my semester abroad.
Today I received my new hiking boots / shoes and my Microtrack II recorder in the mail! I am super excited about both of them. Unfortunately, I have to go buy a memory card for the recorder which is, of course, more expensive than I had planned (actually I totally forgot I would need to buy one). I spent a bit more on the boots than I thought I would but I really like them and I think they are a good investment. I hope to hike a lot next semester.
My new hiking shoes.
My recorder. I hope this helps me practice more efficiently. I tend to focus harder and have a much lower tolerance for error when I record myself.
Also, yesterday between shifts I ran out to Target and found a really nice webcam and got it. I've played with it a little bit and it looks great! I hope to skype with a bunch of you when I'm abroad. It's a Logitech C270.
A webcam makes a fine addition to my laptop. And yes, that is my desktop monitor in the background. I just got out my laptop to play with the webcam.
I also picked up a voltage converter from Radio Shack. I was told I could plug in a power strip that way, which I figured would be cheaper than buying an adapter for each plug. I hope the guy is right. I talked to Jeff about it a while ago but I forget which one he told me he never took out of the box. For that matter I'm not even sure what the difference between converters and adapters are. I suppose I can just buy what I need there if what I have doesn't work or isn't sufficient.
Finally, in very recent news, I may be taking my sister's old phone with me. I am due for an upgrade, so I could get a number of models free, but Martha got a great phone that I like a lot so far. I think I just have to put my SIM card in it, though I'm not sure. We also changed my phone plan to where I can get and receive calls abroad cheaper.
That's all for today, I hope to write more before I leave.
I'm exhausted. Good night!
~ Austin
The Laughing Man
I miss reading being a regular part of my life. There's nothing as wonderful as a good book. It's unfortunate that reading takes so much more time than watching movies. It's part of my philosophy that great things require sacrifice; we have to set aside time to experience them properly. Basically, scarcity means we have to make choices everyday about how we spend our time. Reading may take longer but I think that it provides a pleasure that cannot be replicated and is a process that cannot be truncated. I have not made that necessary sacrifice lately.
Recently I got an odd e-mail from Vanderbilt telling me to change my non-Vanderbilt Google ID. I take this to mean create a gmail account but I'm not 100% positive.
austin.e.stevens AT gmail DOT com is not available. They suggested austin.austinestevens.stevens. I thought that was kind of ridiculous and slightly narcissistic. I also feel like my old e-mail / screen name: shosty1937 needs to be updated. I have used that name for a while and want to create a new one.
Thinking up names is extremely hard for me to do. It took me 3 hours of looking at names to pick a name for my violin. (Madeline)
So one of my thoughts today was: thelaughingman. I am known for my laugh, right? Plus, it has an added reference to Ghost in the Shell, a favorite anime show of mine. I looked it up and saw that Ghost in the Shell actually takes this name from a J.D. Salinger short story of the same name. I looked it up and read it. Here it is. The e-mail address, however, is not available.
I loved The Catcher in the Rye, so I was interested in reading some of Salinger's other work. I really like his style of writing and that carries over into this short story.
It's a short story so you should spend 10 minutes and read it.
I really like the story-within-a-story. There are several layers to The Laughing Man in just a few pages. On the whole, it's a coming of age story. I guess there are two main characters, maybe three if you count the laughing man from the story the Chief tells the Comanches. The narrator learns something from watching the Chief. The Chief is the one having the important experience. The laughing man within the story is clearly symbolic of something. We just have to figure out what.
The Chief is a man in his early 20's who is kind of a camp counselor for a group of kids, called the Comanches. He takes them to parks to play football and baseball or to museums if it's raining. The kids look up to him as a real role model. The best part of their days are when he tells them parts of a story on the bus. Each time he tells an installment, making it a serial story.
The story is that of the laughing man, a gentleman-thief hero who is abducted and horribly disfigured by a group of bandits when he is a child. He wears a mask of red poppy petals to hide his terrifying face. He secretly learned all the bandits ways.
"Soon his ingenious criminal methods, coupled with his singular love of fair play, found him a warm place in the nation's heart."
He also communed with animals, learning how to speak with them.
The laughing man had many adventures, crossing the Paris-China border (a bit of nonsense that I love) frequently foiling the attempts of famous detective Marcel Dufarge and his daughter. That name reminds me of Madame Defarge from Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities. I don't see too much of a special connection except that they are both the villains of the stories. It's been a long time since I've read A Tale of Two Cities, as well.
The laughing man becomes the richest man in the world, donating much of his money anonymously to monks.
The boys are enthralled by the story, and the narrator pretends that he is a direct descendant of the laughing man.
One day the bus stops early and a girl, Mary Hudson, gets on the bus. She and the Chief are obviously in a relationship, and she even turns out to be able to play baseball with the Comanches. She joins them on a regular basis and the boys begin to expect her. We learn that she comes whenever she visits for a trip to the dentist.
The laughing man turns himself over to the Dufarges in exchange for the life of his best friend, Black Wing, a timber wolf who the Dufarges captured. They have no interest in releasing Black Wing, however, and take a stand-in timber wolf instead. However, while the laughing man gives his last words of advice to who he thinks is his friend, the replacement wolf tells him he is not Black Wing.
Infuriated, the laughing man pushes off his mask to confront the Dufarges. The daughter faints immediately, but the father covers his face and shoots him.
At this time the Chief decides it's time to go. The narrator asks if they aren't going to wait for Mary Hudson, which draws an irritable response from the Chief. At the game the narrator sees Mary sitting in the stands, between two women with baby carriages. The Chief goes to talk with her for a few minutes, then returns silently. Mary comes to sit on a random bench behind third base. When asked if she wants to play, she tells the narrator to leave him alone. Walking away from her, he bumps into another baby carriage.
The story ends with the death of the laughing man.
"When the Laughing Man's small eyes finally opened, Omba eagerly raised the vial of eagles' blood up to the mask. But the Laughing Man didn't drink from it. Instead, he weakly pronounced his beloved Black Wing's name. Omba bowed his own slightly distorted head and revealed to his master that the Dufarges had killed Black Wing. A peculiar and heart-rending gasp of final sorrow came from the Laughing Man. He reached out wanly for the vial of eagles' blood and crushed it in his hand. What little blood he had left trickled thinly down his wrist. He ordered Omba to look away, and, sobbing, Omba obeyed him. The Laughing Man's last act, before turning his face to the bloodstained ground, was to pull off his mask."
(Omba is the lovable dwarf that was a close companion with the laughing man.)
The story is simply fascinating. J.D. Salinger creates a group of believable characters in just several paragraphs.
So what has extra meaning, and what is just quirky writing? That is up to the reader to decide.
The sheer number of baby carriages near the end is a not so subtle hint as to the problem between the Chief and Mary Hudson. In that respect the story reminds me of the similar situation in Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway.
The story of the laughing man that the Chief tells the Comanches could tell us a lot about him. Is the laughing man a representation of the Chief on some level? The deformation is the defining physical characteristic of the laughing man. Maybe it's representative of the shortcomings of the Chief. He is seen by the narrator as perfect, but in reality he's not. We don't know what he says to Mary when he runs up to her at the last game. We have no reason to assume he's not a nice guy. But perhaps his story is just a reflection of his humanity and his flaws.
Of course, maybe the grotesque hideousness of the laughing man simply made for a more engrossing story to tell the kids. The important thing about the story is that in the end, the laughing man is killed off by the Chief. It's interesting to note the coincidence of the two conflicts occurring simultaneously: in real life between the Chief and Mary, and in the story between the laughing man and the Dufarges. Perhaps the outcome of the story can tell us more about the end of the relationship between Mary and the Chief.
The laughing man, as a criminal-hero, can be seen to represent a certain kind of freedom. He fits the mold of vigilante, like Robin Hood. And in the comic book style story the Chief tells, the hero always gets away, no matter how tight of a jam he finds himself in. The parallel of the two stories tells us simply that actions have consequences. That's why this is a coming of age story. That's what the narrator and other boys learn. Life isn't always fair. The laughing man was good at heart but because he crossed some lines his fate was inevitable.
I don't know. It's not exactly a story with a clear moral message like "robbing is still bad even if you donate it all to a good cause" or "sex outside marriage will always end badly."
For the narrator, he doesn't even know what the fight is about. That implication and juxtaposition is for the reader to make. But the death of the laughing man is still a coming of age moment. In a simpler sense, his death is a metaphor for the end of childhood. It's now time for life without a mask.
Recently I got an odd e-mail from Vanderbilt telling me to change my non-Vanderbilt Google ID. I take this to mean create a gmail account but I'm not 100% positive.
austin.e.stevens AT gmail DOT com is not available. They suggested austin.austinestevens.stevens. I thought that was kind of ridiculous and slightly narcissistic. I also feel like my old e-mail / screen name: shosty1937 needs to be updated. I have used that name for a while and want to create a new one.
Thinking up names is extremely hard for me to do. It took me 3 hours of looking at names to pick a name for my violin. (Madeline)
So one of my thoughts today was: thelaughingman. I am known for my laugh, right? Plus, it has an added reference to Ghost in the Shell, a favorite anime show of mine. I looked it up and saw that Ghost in the Shell actually takes this name from a J.D. Salinger short story of the same name. I looked it up and read it. Here it is. The e-mail address, however, is not available.
I loved The Catcher in the Rye, so I was interested in reading some of Salinger's other work. I really like his style of writing and that carries over into this short story.
It's a short story so you should spend 10 minutes and read it.
I really like the story-within-a-story. There are several layers to The Laughing Man in just a few pages. On the whole, it's a coming of age story. I guess there are two main characters, maybe three if you count the laughing man from the story the Chief tells the Comanches. The narrator learns something from watching the Chief. The Chief is the one having the important experience. The laughing man within the story is clearly symbolic of something. We just have to figure out what.
The Chief is a man in his early 20's who is kind of a camp counselor for a group of kids, called the Comanches. He takes them to parks to play football and baseball or to museums if it's raining. The kids look up to him as a real role model. The best part of their days are when he tells them parts of a story on the bus. Each time he tells an installment, making it a serial story.
The story is that of the laughing man, a gentleman-thief hero who is abducted and horribly disfigured by a group of bandits when he is a child. He wears a mask of red poppy petals to hide his terrifying face. He secretly learned all the bandits ways.
"Soon his ingenious criminal methods, coupled with his singular love of fair play, found him a warm place in the nation's heart."
He also communed with animals, learning how to speak with them.
The laughing man had many adventures, crossing the Paris-China border (a bit of nonsense that I love) frequently foiling the attempts of famous detective Marcel Dufarge and his daughter. That name reminds me of Madame Defarge from Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities. I don't see too much of a special connection except that they are both the villains of the stories. It's been a long time since I've read A Tale of Two Cities, as well.
The laughing man becomes the richest man in the world, donating much of his money anonymously to monks.
The boys are enthralled by the story, and the narrator pretends that he is a direct descendant of the laughing man.
One day the bus stops early and a girl, Mary Hudson, gets on the bus. She and the Chief are obviously in a relationship, and she even turns out to be able to play baseball with the Comanches. She joins them on a regular basis and the boys begin to expect her. We learn that she comes whenever she visits for a trip to the dentist.
The laughing man turns himself over to the Dufarges in exchange for the life of his best friend, Black Wing, a timber wolf who the Dufarges captured. They have no interest in releasing Black Wing, however, and take a stand-in timber wolf instead. However, while the laughing man gives his last words of advice to who he thinks is his friend, the replacement wolf tells him he is not Black Wing.
Infuriated, the laughing man pushes off his mask to confront the Dufarges. The daughter faints immediately, but the father covers his face and shoots him.
At this time the Chief decides it's time to go. The narrator asks if they aren't going to wait for Mary Hudson, which draws an irritable response from the Chief. At the game the narrator sees Mary sitting in the stands, between two women with baby carriages. The Chief goes to talk with her for a few minutes, then returns silently. Mary comes to sit on a random bench behind third base. When asked if she wants to play, she tells the narrator to leave him alone. Walking away from her, he bumps into another baby carriage.
The story ends with the death of the laughing man.
"When the Laughing Man's small eyes finally opened, Omba eagerly raised the vial of eagles' blood up to the mask. But the Laughing Man didn't drink from it. Instead, he weakly pronounced his beloved Black Wing's name. Omba bowed his own slightly distorted head and revealed to his master that the Dufarges had killed Black Wing. A peculiar and heart-rending gasp of final sorrow came from the Laughing Man. He reached out wanly for the vial of eagles' blood and crushed it in his hand. What little blood he had left trickled thinly down his wrist. He ordered Omba to look away, and, sobbing, Omba obeyed him. The Laughing Man's last act, before turning his face to the bloodstained ground, was to pull off his mask."
(Omba is the lovable dwarf that was a close companion with the laughing man.)
The story is simply fascinating. J.D. Salinger creates a group of believable characters in just several paragraphs.
So what has extra meaning, and what is just quirky writing? That is up to the reader to decide.
The sheer number of baby carriages near the end is a not so subtle hint as to the problem between the Chief and Mary Hudson. In that respect the story reminds me of the similar situation in Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway.
The story of the laughing man that the Chief tells the Comanches could tell us a lot about him. Is the laughing man a representation of the Chief on some level? The deformation is the defining physical characteristic of the laughing man. Maybe it's representative of the shortcomings of the Chief. He is seen by the narrator as perfect, but in reality he's not. We don't know what he says to Mary when he runs up to her at the last game. We have no reason to assume he's not a nice guy. But perhaps his story is just a reflection of his humanity and his flaws.
Of course, maybe the grotesque hideousness of the laughing man simply made for a more engrossing story to tell the kids. The important thing about the story is that in the end, the laughing man is killed off by the Chief. It's interesting to note the coincidence of the two conflicts occurring simultaneously: in real life between the Chief and Mary, and in the story between the laughing man and the Dufarges. Perhaps the outcome of the story can tell us more about the end of the relationship between Mary and the Chief.
The laughing man, as a criminal-hero, can be seen to represent a certain kind of freedom. He fits the mold of vigilante, like Robin Hood. And in the comic book style story the Chief tells, the hero always gets away, no matter how tight of a jam he finds himself in. The parallel of the two stories tells us simply that actions have consequences. That's why this is a coming of age story. That's what the narrator and other boys learn. Life isn't always fair. The laughing man was good at heart but because he crossed some lines his fate was inevitable.
I don't know. It's not exactly a story with a clear moral message like "robbing is still bad even if you donate it all to a good cause" or "sex outside marriage will always end badly."
For the narrator, he doesn't even know what the fight is about. That implication and juxtaposition is for the reader to make. But the death of the laughing man is still a coming of age moment. In a simpler sense, his death is a metaphor for the end of childhood. It's now time for life without a mask.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Inception
I finally saw Inception tonight. I drove home after work and then thought to myself, "why not? I can at least go check to see if it's playing. If not, I'll just come back home." So I drove down to the movie theater and caught the 9:30 showing. Bought a small popcorn and a drink for $1 each, and walked in to pick out a seat.
I actually didn't really know what the movie was about, I had just heard everyone raving about it. And here I am, raving about it. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and go see it. I am buying it immediately when it comes out and if I weren't leaving for Europe in a two weeks I'd go see it again.
I will state the obvious to get it over with: my mind was thoroughly blown.
An idea for a film hasn't been so brilliant since The Matrix. I can't even think of any other movies that are in the same class.
All other amazing movies I can think of are missing something these two movies have. I think it's the psychological games in combination with an incredible imagination / idea. What The Matrix and Inception share in common is a questioning or redefining of reality.
Star Trek and Avatar immerse us in another world. The Dark Knight keeps us guessing and is a moral critique of modern society. Minority Report explores the idea of free will. These are recent examples that come to mind. My movie knowledge is limited but I would say that these two movies reach the greatness of Blade Runner. And even Blade Runner, which explored what it means to be human, doesn't quite blow our minds like Inception.
Inception is a mix of fantasy, psychology, action, suspense, and drama. It takes the familiar and turns it on its head. And what's more familiar yet mysterious than dreams? We all have them, yet no one can explain them. We forget how strange it is to have dreams, and most people forget them soon after waking. I can never remember my dreams for more than 5-10 minutes, tops.
The idea of composing and entering our dreams (and others), not to mention sharing dreams, is so good I imagine that the producers heard the idea and instantly signed on. And the idea of life as a dream, or not knowing whether this is real life or a dream, goes back to Chuang Tzu.
I don't know of any other movies that juxtapose dreams and real life in the same way. I bet they are out there, I just don't know of them.
Inception has a sophisticated view of dreams and their manipulation. As I understand it, the Architect shapes the dream. His dream is shared somehow or rather other people plug into it via some contraption in a suitcase. A question not dealt with is how the architect builds the dream world. Control over the dream seems at times absolute and at other times at the mercy of the subconscious of ... someone.
When Dom explains how it works to Ariadne he says the other random people in the dream are provided by the other dreamer's (not the Architect) subconscious. In the dream, things that affect the body affect the entire dream. For example, when the van flips over, the dreamer in the next level experiences changes in gravity. In order to time their 'kicks,' where they jolt themselves awake, earphones and music are used to send signals.
The addition of time being experienced faster in dreams allows the suspense to add up. The 10 second free fall of the van in the first level of dreams means minutes in the second and third levels. This allowed for lots of slow-mo shots, which coupled with the epic soundtrack ratcheted up the tension.
Casting and acting were superb. I really like Ellen Page, I think she's very talented. Juno was a totally different film, so to see her play a more serious character was great, and she nailed it.
Once the stakes were set during the job when it was explained that dying in the dream wouldn't wake the person up, only send them to limbo, I was on the edge of my seat for the rest of the film. Would they make it out?
The psychological and dramatic aspects of the film set it apart. (The Matrix will get its own post about its philosophy) But the heart of Inception is a tragedy. Dom lost his wife because she got lost in a dream world and thought reality was still a dream, and that death was the only exit. The twist at the end was brilliant, though perhaps not unforeseeable if you were paying attention.
The question is asked several times throughout the movie, if you could live in a dream world, why wouldn't you? Would you be willing to sacrifice your grip on reality? What does it matter if it's not "real"? What does it mean to be real?
Finally, did the top stop spinning?
I actually didn't really know what the movie was about, I had just heard everyone raving about it. And here I am, raving about it. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and go see it. I am buying it immediately when it comes out and if I weren't leaving for Europe in a two weeks I'd go see it again.
I will state the obvious to get it over with: my mind was thoroughly blown.
An idea for a film hasn't been so brilliant since The Matrix. I can't even think of any other movies that are in the same class.
All other amazing movies I can think of are missing something these two movies have. I think it's the psychological games in combination with an incredible imagination / idea. What The Matrix and Inception share in common is a questioning or redefining of reality.
Star Trek and Avatar immerse us in another world. The Dark Knight keeps us guessing and is a moral critique of modern society. Minority Report explores the idea of free will. These are recent examples that come to mind. My movie knowledge is limited but I would say that these two movies reach the greatness of Blade Runner. And even Blade Runner, which explored what it means to be human, doesn't quite blow our minds like Inception.
Inception is a mix of fantasy, psychology, action, suspense, and drama. It takes the familiar and turns it on its head. And what's more familiar yet mysterious than dreams? We all have them, yet no one can explain them. We forget how strange it is to have dreams, and most people forget them soon after waking. I can never remember my dreams for more than 5-10 minutes, tops.
The idea of composing and entering our dreams (and others), not to mention sharing dreams, is so good I imagine that the producers heard the idea and instantly signed on. And the idea of life as a dream, or not knowing whether this is real life or a dream, goes back to Chuang Tzu.
I don't know of any other movies that juxtapose dreams and real life in the same way. I bet they are out there, I just don't know of them.
Inception has a sophisticated view of dreams and their manipulation. As I understand it, the Architect shapes the dream. His dream is shared somehow or rather other people plug into it via some contraption in a suitcase. A question not dealt with is how the architect builds the dream world. Control over the dream seems at times absolute and at other times at the mercy of the subconscious of ... someone.
When Dom explains how it works to Ariadne he says the other random people in the dream are provided by the other dreamer's (not the Architect) subconscious. In the dream, things that affect the body affect the entire dream. For example, when the van flips over, the dreamer in the next level experiences changes in gravity. In order to time their 'kicks,' where they jolt themselves awake, earphones and music are used to send signals.
The addition of time being experienced faster in dreams allows the suspense to add up. The 10 second free fall of the van in the first level of dreams means minutes in the second and third levels. This allowed for lots of slow-mo shots, which coupled with the epic soundtrack ratcheted up the tension.
Casting and acting were superb. I really like Ellen Page, I think she's very talented. Juno was a totally different film, so to see her play a more serious character was great, and she nailed it.
Once the stakes were set during the job when it was explained that dying in the dream wouldn't wake the person up, only send them to limbo, I was on the edge of my seat for the rest of the film. Would they make it out?
The psychological and dramatic aspects of the film set it apart. (The Matrix will get its own post about its philosophy) But the heart of Inception is a tragedy. Dom lost his wife because she got lost in a dream world and thought reality was still a dream, and that death was the only exit. The twist at the end was brilliant, though perhaps not unforeseeable if you were paying attention.
The question is asked several times throughout the movie, if you could live in a dream world, why wouldn't you? Would you be willing to sacrifice your grip on reality? What does it matter if it's not "real"? What does it mean to be real?
Finally, did the top stop spinning?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
I'm such a sap
Whoa, it's no longer July. Summer has flown by.
Lately I've been watching a lot of movies. Tonight, I'm at Martha's (my sister) watching over my niece and nephew (Grace and Hazard). I watched most of 4 movies: The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pork Chop Hill, and Definitely, Maybe.
I watched the original Matrix a few days ago, and that trilogy deserves its own post. Also, I want to watch the entire movie Pork Chop Hill, it looked brilliant. I've never seen another Gregory Peck movie besides To Kill A Mockingbird, which I saw long ago.
I saw most of Definitely, Maybe a while ago. It's always frustrating to come into a movie right after it starts. There are plenty of movies I have missed the beginning of because I ran across it on tv, or I just flipped the channel because I'd rather watch a movie from the beginning.
I promise, I will write a music post soon. There's some Grieg that I absolutely adore. I haven't been practicing too much, unfortunately. I can't believe I leave for Vienna in 17 days! I need to practice so badly! Ah! Too much to plan! But I'm very excited! Ok, enough exclamations.
Definitely, Maybe is one of my favorite romantic comedies. That really doesn't say too much, considering I have only seen a handful. Also, I keep missing the first 20 minutes or so.
There isn't a formula for what makes a movie good. I like all sorts of movies so it's hard for me to list concrete criteria. I'm thinking this will be a more general commentary about movie making.
For example, particularly in romantic comedies, how believable should it be? In books and movies, and perhaps it can be applied to opera, ballet, and music as well, what is most important is the quality of identification. We must suspend our disbelief. No matter how fantastic or outlandish the art may be, we have to see something that we can identify with in some way. Sometimes a story appeals to our sense of idealism. Life should be this way. I guess that's my interpretation of our love of predictable and clean fantasies and romances. Boy likes girl. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl by either doing something stupid or some unfortunate circumstance (in Nicholas Sparks' case, the tragic disease of the week). Boy wins girl back. They live happily ever after.
Cookie cutter and unrealistic have its place in the cannon, absolutely. The formula is called upon for a reason: it works. People are unsettled when there is no happily-ever-after. Thank God Disney changed all the original endings, entire generations would have been scarred for life.
I can totally buy the story of Definitely, Maybe. I loved the acting, it was very natural. The story is built as a giant flashback, where the dad is telling his daughter the story of how he met her mother. The father - daughter relationship is great. From an objective view, it helps the audience by putting our questions and thoughts into the mouth of the daughter. The dad answers these questions in a way that builds his character as flawed yet loving. It also serves the purpose of juxtaposing the dad of the past with the dad of the present.
It is storytelling on film. And the story is much more interesting because the dad makes it a kind of love mystery by telling a full story of his love life and letting his daughter (and us) guess who turns out to be the mother.
The main character (dad) is divorced, so in a way it turns the traditional romance story on its head by starting at the end and telling how it all came to be. The dad assures his daughter that there is a happy ending to this story, which is the most beautiful sentiment ever. I'll talk about it in a bit.
Going back to stories being realistic, I love this movie because it's so believable. The characters are round and dynamic. Life is chaotic and things don't end up the way we expect them to. It's messy, but luckily not scatterbrained or haphazard. Some stories try to tell too much. Like epics or movies like Babel. I love epics but it's very hard to keep all the characters straight. It's super realistic but too many side stories can confuse things. I'd say that's why I never finished Les Miserables, but honestly I have a habit of not finishing books, no matter how interested I am in them, for whatever reason.
Because it's realistic, I think it does a fantastic job of showing complex relationships. You see the interactions, the thought processes, the struggles, and the flaws. It makes falling in love so much more three dimensional.
So at the end of the movie, the daughter knows who her mother is, and they all go out to the zoo together. As the girl leaves to go home with her mom, she runs back. Her dad tells her that she is the happy ending of the story. I start to tear up at this point.
We could leave the movie theater relatively happy with this ending. We don't need the dad to find love, since he knows it was all worthwhile since he has a beautiful daughter to love. But then in a half expected epilogue of sorts, the dad and daughter go to the apartment of one of his former girlfriends, the one he is still in love with.
The Jane Eyre book she is searching for throughout the movie is a wonderful motif. It was given to her by her father and contains a great dedication, but was lost. The main character finds it and was going to give it to her immediately, but doesn't. This sets up my favorite line of the movie, right at the end: "I kept the book... because it was the only thing I had left of you."
It's cheesy but in a good way. It's satisfying and set up beautifully by the entire movie. It's like brie, which is the only fancy cheese I like or can think of, rather than velveeta or american. (Which probably shouldn't even qualify as cheese, really)
I love the characters. I love the realism of the plot. I love the dialogue. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It's a mature look at the trials and tribulations of love, and it makes us say, "yeah, it's hard, but it's totally worth it."
Lately I've been watching a lot of movies. Tonight, I'm at Martha's (my sister) watching over my niece and nephew (Grace and Hazard). I watched most of 4 movies: The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pork Chop Hill, and Definitely, Maybe.
I watched the original Matrix a few days ago, and that trilogy deserves its own post. Also, I want to watch the entire movie Pork Chop Hill, it looked brilliant. I've never seen another Gregory Peck movie besides To Kill A Mockingbird, which I saw long ago.
I saw most of Definitely, Maybe a while ago. It's always frustrating to come into a movie right after it starts. There are plenty of movies I have missed the beginning of because I ran across it on tv, or I just flipped the channel because I'd rather watch a movie from the beginning.
I promise, I will write a music post soon. There's some Grieg that I absolutely adore. I haven't been practicing too much, unfortunately. I can't believe I leave for Vienna in 17 days! I need to practice so badly! Ah! Too much to plan! But I'm very excited! Ok, enough exclamations.
Definitely, Maybe is one of my favorite romantic comedies. That really doesn't say too much, considering I have only seen a handful. Also, I keep missing the first 20 minutes or so.
There isn't a formula for what makes a movie good. I like all sorts of movies so it's hard for me to list concrete criteria. I'm thinking this will be a more general commentary about movie making.
For example, particularly in romantic comedies, how believable should it be? In books and movies, and perhaps it can be applied to opera, ballet, and music as well, what is most important is the quality of identification. We must suspend our disbelief. No matter how fantastic or outlandish the art may be, we have to see something that we can identify with in some way. Sometimes a story appeals to our sense of idealism. Life should be this way. I guess that's my interpretation of our love of predictable and clean fantasies and romances. Boy likes girl. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl by either doing something stupid or some unfortunate circumstance (in Nicholas Sparks' case, the tragic disease of the week). Boy wins girl back. They live happily ever after.
Cookie cutter and unrealistic have its place in the cannon, absolutely. The formula is called upon for a reason: it works. People are unsettled when there is no happily-ever-after. Thank God Disney changed all the original endings, entire generations would have been scarred for life.
I can totally buy the story of Definitely, Maybe. I loved the acting, it was very natural. The story is built as a giant flashback, where the dad is telling his daughter the story of how he met her mother. The father - daughter relationship is great. From an objective view, it helps the audience by putting our questions and thoughts into the mouth of the daughter. The dad answers these questions in a way that builds his character as flawed yet loving. It also serves the purpose of juxtaposing the dad of the past with the dad of the present.
It is storytelling on film. And the story is much more interesting because the dad makes it a kind of love mystery by telling a full story of his love life and letting his daughter (and us) guess who turns out to be the mother.
The main character (dad) is divorced, so in a way it turns the traditional romance story on its head by starting at the end and telling how it all came to be. The dad assures his daughter that there is a happy ending to this story, which is the most beautiful sentiment ever. I'll talk about it in a bit.
Going back to stories being realistic, I love this movie because it's so believable. The characters are round and dynamic. Life is chaotic and things don't end up the way we expect them to. It's messy, but luckily not scatterbrained or haphazard. Some stories try to tell too much. Like epics or movies like Babel. I love epics but it's very hard to keep all the characters straight. It's super realistic but too many side stories can confuse things. I'd say that's why I never finished Les Miserables, but honestly I have a habit of not finishing books, no matter how interested I am in them, for whatever reason.
Because it's realistic, I think it does a fantastic job of showing complex relationships. You see the interactions, the thought processes, the struggles, and the flaws. It makes falling in love so much more three dimensional.
So at the end of the movie, the daughter knows who her mother is, and they all go out to the zoo together. As the girl leaves to go home with her mom, she runs back. Her dad tells her that she is the happy ending of the story. I start to tear up at this point.
We could leave the movie theater relatively happy with this ending. We don't need the dad to find love, since he knows it was all worthwhile since he has a beautiful daughter to love. But then in a half expected epilogue of sorts, the dad and daughter go to the apartment of one of his former girlfriends, the one he is still in love with.
The Jane Eyre book she is searching for throughout the movie is a wonderful motif. It was given to her by her father and contains a great dedication, but was lost. The main character finds it and was going to give it to her immediately, but doesn't. This sets up my favorite line of the movie, right at the end: "I kept the book... because it was the only thing I had left of you."
It's cheesy but in a good way. It's satisfying and set up beautifully by the entire movie. It's like brie, which is the only fancy cheese I like or can think of, rather than velveeta or american. (Which probably shouldn't even qualify as cheese, really)
I love the characters. I love the realism of the plot. I love the dialogue. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It's a mature look at the trials and tribulations of love, and it makes us say, "yeah, it's hard, but it's totally worth it."
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