My story for the day

So today I was getting out of the bus in Canberra for my 3'rd last MuST class ever (so sad!!!), and I saw something that made me smile. In fact, it cheered my up so much that I thought it might just be worth sharing with the readers of my blog.

The first character of the story was a frail-looking old man who I shall refer to as Mr. Hendrickson, since I don't know his real name. He was, like 99% of the old people who travel on the bus, the sort of person that comes across as a very slow, serious person - the type that still lives back in the time that they were born. Or so it seemed momentarily, anyway.

Enter Ms. Cartell (again, I don't know her real name), a complete stranger to myself, Mr. Hendrickson, and anyone else around at the time. At the time of the bus's arrival, Ms. Cartell was emerging from the shopping block carrying a small white rectangular box - you know, the sort of box people carry pies, cakes and other stuff in. Ms. Cartell was just the average working woman in her 40's, minding her own business and enjoying the sunshine while walking across the park.

Upon exiting the bus in the deliberate, steady manner so characteristic of the aged population, Mr. Hendrickson lifted up his head to see Ms. Cartell walking across the park with the aforementioned box in her hands. Suddenly something about Mr. Hendrickson changed when he caught sight of the box and utilising a sudden burst of energy, he ran - or should I say hobbled rather quickly - across the park to Ms. Cartell, and confronted her with a certain degree of abruptness. Mr. Hendrickson's new attitude was comparable to that of the excitement of a young child when they catch sight of the lollipop stand in a supermarket when he lifted up his radiant, beaming face in anticipation to ask Ms. Cartell in a voice quaveringly high with excitement, "Are *excited panting* - are those (pointing to box) - Krispy Kremes?"

With commendable presence of mind for somebody who had just been confronted in a rather surprising manner by an excitedly energetic 80-year-old, Ms. Cartell replied sympathetically, "No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid they aren't." 

The look of disappointment on Mr. Hendrickson's face was rather disheartening, so much so that I wished I could by him a Krispy Kreme donut and see his happy, childlike eagerness return. As everyone returned to their business and went their separate ways I thought to myself - no, I didn't think of some life lesson to be learned from it - actually, I thought, "Well that was a rather funny happening! Pity about the anticlimax, though."

Looking back on it, though, I do have one thing to share from the story: I want to be as cool as Mr. Hendrickson when I get old. 

And that was my story for today. Yes, feel free to tell me how much I fail at telling stories; I know it's all true.

P.S. My new favourite word is rather.

Kitchen Capers

This is what happens when Mum leaves the house and leaves me in the kitchen with 2 hyper-active toddlers...

Joseph: just being his usual self. Caleb is becoming frustrated.

 

Joseph again being 'normal'. Well, normal for him.

 Joseph: "I have a brilliant idea!" Caleb shares his enthusiasm.

Back to work while I start working on Joseph's masterplan.

And here it is - a mega cookie! Yes, he is the coolest 4-year-old alive! Why didn't I think of that years ago? His hand shows a size comparison here.

After being cooked...

Smelling very tempting...

A proud moment! I felt like one of my [very many] life goals had been accomplished with the completion of this mega cookie.

The finished work of art...

Musical terms and their definitions

You have to be a musician to appreciate these.

Accidentals: Wrong notes.
Aria: The product of multiplying the singer's length by his or her width.
Cadence: A device for stopping a piece of music, the musical equivalent of a brick wall. Some cadences are less complete than others, and may be called 'deceptive' or 'unfair' cadences.
Choir: A musical organization thought to have been invented by F. F. Handel to assure the perpetuation of performances of Messiah.
Concerto: A sort of musical boxing match between one musician (the soloist) and all the rest (the orchestra), with the conductor acting as referee, in which nobody wins - especially the audience.
Copyist: A person hired  by composers to transcribe pages of their illegible notation into other pages of the copyist's own notation, equally illegible.
Counterpoint: A musical device similar to needlepoint, although not designed to be hung upon the wall or used as on seatcovers. Said to be a musical conversation, it more often resembles an argument. A favourite device of many Baroque composers, all of whom are now dead, although a direct connection between these two facts has never been conclusively established.
Dischord: 1. Not to be confused with datchord. 2. The emotional state that usually exists amongst a group of musicians, especially with regard to those in authority.
English Horn: A woodwind instrument so named because it is neither English, nor a horn. Not to be confused with the French Horn, which is German.
False Relation: The kind of relative who is supportive of one's musical career only if one is making money.
Flat: An adjective used to describe a tone that is slightly below pitch. This term ought to be used cautiously, so as not to offend anyone, especially when applied to a woman.
Flute: A sophisticated pea-shooter with a range up to five hundred yards and deadly accuracy in close quarters. Blown transversely to confuse the enemy, it can be dismantled into three small pieces for easy concealment.
French Horn: A brass instrument that resembles a snail, but sometimes moves more quickly. The French Horn is actually German, and should not be confused with the English Horn, which is French.
Glissando: The musical equivalent of stepping on a banana peel.
Key: Certain musical terms defy easy definition. This is one of them.
Music Stand: An intricate device for propping up music, except at crucial times - such as during the performance. It has a tendency to fall over, often of its own accord. It comes in two sizes - too high or too low - and it is always broken.
Nut: The narrow ridge across the neck of a stringed instrument such as the violin, situated near the pegbox. By extension, then, the term has come to be applied to any person who plays such an instrument.
Oboe: An ill wind that nobody blows good.
Quartet: All that remains of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra after its North American tour.
Quaver: What many performers do while performing.
Strings: A family of instruments that includes the violin, viola, cello, double-bass, and yo-yo.
Trill: The musical equivalent of an epileptic seizure.

Excerpted from "A Musician's Dictionary" by David W. Barber & Dave Donald. My teacher lent me this book to help relieve stress while preparing for my upcoming flute exam. I hope you found it as amusing as I did!