February 4

We are up to eight hours and four minutes of daylight and gaining more than five minutes a day now.  It is a stunningly beautiful and sunny afternoon.  I am sitting at the DR table with the sun full on my face, just drinking it in.  It is warm!  It has been blah and snowy all week so this is refreshing.  I am tired as I worked four days instead of two this week, subbing for someone who was sick.  There is alot of sickness going around; the sore throat, cold thing.

The Irish landed the first and only job he applied for and is doing paperwork today.   We are going to have caribou stew tonight with Blondie Brownies, a Friday night celebration.  It is a traditional Barrow recipe given us along with the meat which is fresh, by Crystal and Harry.  Harry's sister brought it down from BRW this week.  It will have rice, potatoes, and onions in it.

The fliers are full of SuperBowl party recipes, party ideas, and tips for hosting a perfect party.  Maybe next year.  I have an appt first thing Monday mornign to get my sub paperwork for the Anchorage School District in, so will not be doing any late-night SuperBowl partying.

This weekend we are going to be joining a library.  I am hoping we will be able to find Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin books. The movie, Master and Commander with Russell Crowe and Paul Betany, was based on these books.  Buffy left four of the 20 for our enjoyment.  The Irish being ex-Navy and I, daughter of a sailor, have been thoroughly enjoying the wealth of British Navy detail on everything from knots to daily life to food.

Playing the trumpet

Playing the trumpet is hard.  When I took a few pointers lessons from Bill Prue in the NEK, the first note I played was a 'C' above middle C.  Somehow the med-high notes are easier for me, even though they require more support and a tighter embouchure.  The book says if you play a middle C as your first note, start on page 4.  If you play a treble G, start on page 5.  It doesn't say anything about a C above middle C.

I am now taking lessons from Wayne Keller at Anchorage Music and Dance.  Wayne is a musical prodigy who can effortlessly pick up brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments with virtually no effort at all.  (He has roots in Unalakleet, incidentally, as do I.)  He is a self-taught guitarist and keyboardist as well.  I think, although I am not sure, I am going to be giving him a few voice lessons, something which I feel supremely confident at.

He speaks a different language than I.  He is cool, with fluid movements in adagio and vocal patterns in a mellow key whereas I struggle to find the perfect words to explain vocal technique to singers in a manner that will communicate best to them.

My lip muscles give out after ten minutes and I feel frustration welling up from my feet.  Why can't I do this, I wonder?  

For now, I am going to play for ten minutes four or five times a day and see what that produces. 

Any suggestions, anybody?