June 2007

Practicing in the Heat

June 3, 2007 14:47

Okay, so I was wrong. Having a burnt out microwave isn't so bad.

No air-conditioning in SW Florida is much worse.

That's right. I live in the tropics, it's summer, humidity is something like 80% and our air conditioner died. Besides having to kiss the funds for my new violin goodbye, I have to sit in the stifling heat over the weekend with every window in the house open and every fan turned on high. Having the microwave broken only aggravates the problem, since we are forced to use highly exothermic methods of heating our food (oven, stove, etc.).

Try practicing in this blasted weather. It's horrible. I practiced about an hour with frozen, icey paper towels on the back of my neck, but it's hard to think about Bruch with ice melting and dripping down your back.

So I've abandoned that and decided to sit outside, under a fan, reading Beowulf and eating lots of ice-cream. Ah, the lazy, breezy days of summer, few though they may be for us musicians.

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The Demise of the Microwave

June 2, 2007 11:08

Since my last post, I have toured the Midwest in search of the perfect college and teacher, taken the SAT, and done various other things that deserve a spot on a music related website. However, the topic upon which I have chosen to write is of a more pressing and serious matter.

The sad truth is that our microwave has died. Laugh all you want, this is a great tragedy in the Marsalli household. As we speak, my bowl of chili, which would've been ready in a minute in our microwave, is sitting on the counter, after having been transfered from three containers- storage, heating pan, bowl- with a slab of cheese sitting on top, just waiting to melt. Instead, it's just sitting there, looking at me, at an increase of 1% flexibility per twenty minutes. Then there's the matter of the cornbread. I have to put it in that monstrous cave called the "oven" to heat it up. Ten seconds, microwave time. And how often have you tried to pop popcorn the stone age way? Yeah, not easy, is it. Half the stupid things get burnt anyways.

Truth is, my mind has been on microwaves a lot recently. I'll be leaving about two weeks early for camp, so I can work beforehand and make some extra money. Unfortunately, the cafeteria will not be open and so I've been planning the cheapest route to filling my stomach using only a refrigerator/freezer, hot plate, and microwave. Let's just say it involves cold cuts, TV dinners, and granola bars.

And there you have my present thoughts on the grave matters present in this household. Until I have the time and the energy to write an essay of substance, this will have to do.

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More entries: November 2007 • May 2007

June 2007

Practicing in the Heat

The Demise of the Microwave

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