Sunshiny Days

Ich kenne den Wert eines Königreichs nicht aber ich weiß, daß ich ein Glück erlangt habe,
das ich nicht verdiene und das ich mit nichts in der Welt vertauschen möchte.

Good evening, my friends. I would say Rabbit thrice, but it is much too late for that, but with it the calendar has at last passed into a distinctly autumnal month. It seems as though just yesterday a Frühlingslied had been stirring in my heart. Now it is already time for an Autumn carol! And of course there are such things as Autumn carols; there is one in Cyrano de Bergerac! Now that it is Autumn, however, the time has come for me to evaluate my accomplishments, as listed among my Summertime Plans. Let it first be noted that I do not believe in Summertime, only in Autumtime, Wintertime, and Springtime, and that this is highly relavent to my second Summertime plan, but we shalln't speak of that until I have evaluated my first Summertime plan.

My first Summertime plan was to have my hairs cut, and this I achieved with great success, having them cut not once, but thrice: once on 12 May, once on 18 July, and once on 12 September. The hairs-cut on 12 May was an enormous success, the one on 18 July was a monumental failure, and the one on 12 September was another enormous success.

My second Summertime plan involved the completion of an orchestral work about a mysterious subject that somehow relates to the Three Seasons (as I have now revealed). That is not the subject, but it is an integral part of it. I have some progress, but not much. On the whole, this plan was not followed very much at all.

My third Summertime plan involved the composition of music for the pianoforte. I finished nothing of this nature, but I started things that may or may not be finished one day.

My fourth Summertime plan was CIY/Move 2008, which was a joyous adventure without fail.

My fifth Summertime plan was to achieve mastery over the inane pianistic technical excercises that I absolutely do not improve in playing no matter how much I play them. As such, I failed miserably, but that does not matter any more, now that I no longer play the piano for the Academy. Freedom! Seriously, I have hardly been able to play the piano freely since the summer of 2007! Freedom!

My sixth Summertime plan was mastery of theory 101, which I achieved in full and beyond. In fact, I attended one meeting of Theory 201 at the Conservatory before transferring out, and I found that I would not be hearing anything I had not already studied until the year 2009 had significantly progressed. Of course, by that time, I had already begun the motions to leave, but it was certainly encouraging that I was doing better thing by leaving. One of the primary pitfalls of the Conservatory (and of any music department) is its domination by performers, so that those who given't a whit for performance are tormented by excessive demands thereabout and by inadequacy on the intellectual matters that are actually interesting to them (or rather us). I imagine that you, dearest of friends, are growing weary of my incessant criticism of the Conservatory and of Musical Education, and for that I say that I no longer have a source for such criticism, so these are merely the dregs if my frustration.

My seventh Summertime plan I sincerely hope turns out as well as our visions declare. We dove in blind! We could not have done this if we knew what we were doing! It is still probably the most fun I have ever enjoyed. I just hope that which remains is delightful and not an interference or irritation.

My eighth Summertime plan, to study the New Testament in Greek, I did not do at all. It is not easy to summon the will to drudge through a text, no matter what it is, in a language with which one knows only the simplest vocabulary and an understanding of the grammatical structures (which may or may not be remembered). I say, reading is what English is for, and speaking too. Seriously, though, I still would quite like to pick up this discipline. Perhaps my more monastic life at school will make it easier.

My ninth Summertime plan to read wonderful and interesting things went just fine, though it was often obscured and prevented by Summertime plan the seventh. If I choose to detail this, I shall do so in an independent posting.

My tenth Summertime plan was GenCon. That is all.

My eleventh Summertime plan to practice sport was not quite as successful as it ought to have been. I did engage in sport from time to time, but by no means regularly or frequently. I did spend a good deal of time outdoors, though, and that was half the purpose. At least I am still full of youth and vigor, hence many manful strengths.

My twelfth summertime plan involved the acquisition of bagpipes and the mastery of their performance. Needless to say, this was never more than a good dream.

At last, I come to my final point, and that is that this Summer was truly a time of extraordinary happiness, in whose origin I can take scarcely any responsibility, excepting my embrace of the discipline of happiness, though the ease with which happiness came can hardly allow me to count it as such. Indeed, this came of a dual origin: the Joy of Christ that is beyond circumstance and sensation, and circumstance itself; for indeed just as I did not give myself the former Joy, these peculiar circumstances originated without my meddling, as the greatest and most peculiar of circumstances tend to do. Perhaps I am a strutting and prancing fool, but I still pronounce my thankfulness here to my friends and to the Almighty God, without whom I likely would not have any friends. Happiness is a happy thing, but Joy is greater, and surely Joy is greater that we yet in mind perceive, and that too is happy.

Now, having said something of a perfectly sincere tone, I grow uncomfortable. I ought to get over that. Good night, dearest of friends.