Thursday 15 October 2009

It's been a while.

I'd completely forgotten about this blog (easy to do) so I figured I'd make up for it with a very long update (which no one is going to read).

Right now I'm back at Berklee, five or so weeks into my third semester. Finally getting into my majors right now. In particular I'm stocked up on production/engineering classes, which so far involves a lot of listening and a lot of maths. Also conducting class gives me the opportunity to display my wonderful Harry Potter impression. Unfortunately shouting 'expelliarmus' at the conclusion of Beethoven's 7th didn't go down too well with my professor.

When I was younger I didn't use to read books (I was too busy playing my N64 and building badass lego spaceships) but recently it's become far and away my favourite hobby (music no longer counts as a hobby since it's what I do...). I never even read Harry Potter back in the day (I know, right) although I've now read the last one after seeing all the other movies. The advantage of my late interest is that I get to read a load of awesome stuff for the first time. Favourites so far include Orwell's 1984, which I shouldn't have to explain, Joseph Heller's Catch-22 which is one of the funniest things I've read, and also I absolutely loved Richard Dawkin's The Blind Watchmaker (I also read The Selfish Gene but I didn't think it was as good). Right now I'm onto Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose which is incredible so far. I still have a lot of catching up to do.

As for other stuff, I went to my first ever NBA game the other night. Celtics vs Nicks. No surprise we dicked all over them. It's the only American sport I care for and it was pretty awesome live, although the insane amount of advertising/music at a sports event is something my English mind struggles to comprehend. The cheerleaders, on the other hand, are a feature I feel is missing from sports back home. Let's just say they were nice.

Last night I went to Symphony Hall for my first BSO concert of the season. It was Stravinsky's Scherzo Fantastique, Rachmaninoff's The Isle of the Dead, and then, one of my favourite pieces of music, Shostakovich's 10th. If you haven't heard it before, then make sure to find a recording somewhere because it will bkow you away. Planning on going back on Saturday night for another concert (all these shows are free because of the $5 college card I have for the BSO - ridiculous bargain).

Off course, I couldn't make a post without some videos. First off, here's the new John Mayer single (new album Battles Studies comes out on my birthday):



And now for some comedy: