I'm funny like that

So, this past Sunday morning, I had no inkling that we would be agreeing to buy a dog.

Now that Sunday afternoon has occurred, I can't wait to get MAI PUPPA!!

I guarantee you that if that dog was closer (she's down in Martinsville - approximately 25 minutes away), I'd be seeing her every evening! I'd be dragging my family over there and spending as much time as I could with that pup. Needless to say, I'm excited.

I'd love to go down tonight, but unless it's raining, the lawn needs my youngest son's and my attention....so...I'm prayin' for rain!! heh, heh.

I finished the main story in Fable; well, I defeated Jack of Blades and threw away the sword. But, since I have the "Lost Chapters" version, I can continue playing and defeat him again. I suppose I'll do this, but I'm not a big fan of epilogue playing.

I liked the game for the most part, but what I didn't like was the sexuality of the game. By that, I mean, the game had sex in it. I'd prefer that the subject just be absent altogether. This game actually has requirements for engaging in sex acts to open certain content. That is not cool.

So, since I didn't feel like playing more Fable, I took on cleaning the shower. 40 minutes of scrubbing....spraying....rinsing....digging....scrubbing....spraying....rinsing.....digging.....man...

It was pretty epic. I wore my hot pink swim shorts that are a bit tight (I should have taken a picture of the fat, hairy, sweaty man for your vomiting pleasure). I got most of the junk washed down the drain, but this morning, I saw some gunk in the grout that I missed.../sigh.

And finally, last night, I bellied up to the piano and started working on my extremely small repertoire of Chopin songs. Since I can only play Chopin songs, my repertoire is extremely small. Currently, I can somewhat pound out two preludes:

Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4
and
Prelude in A major, Op. 28, No. 7

EDIT: Here are some recordings of the songs (not mine!)

In 2005, before we left Alaska, I decided to take piano lessons along with my youngest son. After the first couple of lessons, my instructor suggested that I focus on playing one piece so that I got something out of the lessons; she then pulled out three preludes, played them, and asked which one I'd like to learn. I picked Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4.

Over the next couple of months, I learned the fingering of the piece, as well as the "feel" and "story" of the song. As I got more and more familiar with it, I was able to put more emotion into my playing and in the end, I really liked my interpretation of it over most of the recordings that I've heard.

In short, I slowed the piece down, some what, and drew out the fourth beat a bit to emphasize it and add some feeling. Because the right hand is mostly playing a dotted quarter then a quarter note, I saw it as breathing. Measured breaths...in.....and out.....in.....and out. This view led me to see the song as a very condensed life played out.

During the first part, the breathing is combined with a descending chord progression until we arrive at the first "interesting" diversion from what has been established. I tend to look at this first part as childhood and the interesting part is leaving the nest to be one's own person.

The second part is much like the first with very few differences, which I see as the young person making it on their own by living similarly like they did when they were at home, albeit a bit differently.

The third part is the most exciting, different, and activity filled part of the song, much like the time between getting married, having kids, raising those kids, settling into a career, experiencing the joys and heartaches of life, and finally, retiring. It is loud, jarring, beautiful, convoluted, and messy!

The last part of the song is growing old. It reminisces about the first two parts in a different way; it slowly, but surely fades, continuing the descending chord progression, until it ends on a somewhat jarring chord....death.

There is an epilogue, though. Three chords at the end, played very quietly, signify the person at rest and at peace with the activity of their life.

I guess I have to record it now for you all, eh?