home

the past 3 weeks in vienna were pretty incredible and i will post about my concerts, my epic plague that lasted basically the entire time, the huge amounts of snow we got compared to new england, and the monteverdi marienvesper conducted by nicholas harnancourt that i saw. there is also going to be a post dedicated to the club scene in vienna.

but for the time being, i am home. last night we went first off to the 24 hour gas station at four corners and got iced coffee, doritoes, 25 jelly munchkins, and cape cod chips, went to my house and saw my family and my dogs for the first time in four months, and then went to see my dear friends.

the first big culture shock, seeing the 50 different kinds of gum at the checkout counter and thinking, whoa, there are usually only like 4...

it is good to be home.

Lack of motivation due to runny nose and holidays in three days

I've been attempting to take notes in my history lecture, which I usually just listen to online in my warm room because we've had such crazy weather the past few weeks. I felt like being a good dooby for my last week before going home for Christmas break, and Melissa and I are going to meet up after class, but now I'm feeling a bit like it was the hugest waste of time. Here are my detailed notes:

14.12.10

Zentrale Themen: Absolutismus, Aufklärung und aufgeklärter Absolutismus

Erste Phase

            -Osmanischen Probleme in Ungarn, Beginn in 1526

            -mitte 17Jhundert uandert sich

            -Osmanischen Reich

Konflikt zwischen zwei Kandidaten für Herrschafter: Osmanischen und Habsburger

Es ist so schwer immer ihn anzuhören. Achhhhh meine Naseeeeeee

Goldenen Apfeln mit Rome und auch mit Wien

Chrstlichemäche Europas

Bösen Osmanischen Feind

Je ne peut pas faire attention.

Je dois cette lecture noch einmal hören. Shit. I need to practice my French before I let myself go back to that country. Uhghhhh only 45 more minutes.

19 Jhundert Habsburg Monarchie hat ein ähnlicher Problem mit der Osmanischen Reich, Nationalismus

ICH WERDE STERBEN.

Französische Forstellung

Herrscher regiert ganz allein

Katholischer Herrschaft

„Vernewert“---ich weiß nicht warum das wichtig ist...

echt, ich werde sterben.

niesen-to sneeze

husten-to cough

verstopfte Nase- stuffy nose

die Halsentzündung, das Halsweh, der Halsschmerz -sore throat

trocken- dry

sich die Nase putzen, sich die Nase schnäuzen – to blow one’s nose

schläfrig – sleepy

elend, ärmlich, erbärmlich, unglücklich, jämmerlich – miserable/unhappy/wretched is how i feel right now sitting in this class

only 25 more minutes, I can do it.

At least i’ll feel like i accomplished something after going to this class. Even if I have to listen to the entire recording online.

Plan:

Buy card with melissa.

Coffee at kaffe küche with the money she owes me.

Hit supermarket on way home, white chocolate.

Go to H&M with ladies, slash, also exchange Jim’s present to be safe.

Oh my goodness only 15 more minutes. I can make it I can make it.

Confessional Absolutismus

            -im Anfangsphase sehr stark von der Kirche

1718-1790 (I don’t know what happened in that period of time)

joseph der zweiten, leopold der zweiten jünger Bruder

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 7 minutes.

Is it sad that I’m impressed that that kid just asked a question since I don’t even know what we’re talking about?

I hate when everyone laughs at something he says and I don’t laugh because I don’t know what the joke is. At all.

hey wait, class is over!!! yesssssss.

An affair to remember

This morning I got a brioche at my fav coffee place, Kaffee Küche, located in the Schottentor/Universität U-Bahn station, and it was filled with hot apricot jam. Later tonight I grabbed some apricot punch at my favorite crêpe stand in the old campus Christmas market, where I go at least weekly to practice my French with the guys who work there. They're from the Normandy area and one of them practices English with me, and then gives me the word when my brain thinks only in German. His English is accentless, which is impressive for a French guy, and he thinks my French is the same way (which is impressive to them for an American). I'm sad that after this week they will all be back home, and I won't have nice crêpe-making guys in striped sweaters to practice French with.
But back to the point. I go to the stand firstly to practice French, but secondly because they have the best apricot punch.
This weekend I made apricot dumplings (from the frozen food section...) and two weeks ago I invested in a jar of apricot jam to spread on my morning toast/roll. In restaurants, I will always go for the apricot dessert, whether it is crêpes filled with marmalade or a chocolate thing with apricot garnishes.

It's official.
I have fallen in love with apricots in Vienna and it is getting out of hand.

Stephansdom

Last night I sang there---check out the video on facebook, because blogspot always has issues uploading videos, it seems : http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1576220005713&saved

it was pretty incredible, and extremely cold.

Tupietastic

H&M

Store by the University that is wayyy to expensive but so so so pretty!

would have to not eat for a week if I found something worth it to buy.

New Title

Changed the title because it's been on my mind for a while.

It's the end of "Wilkommen und Abschied" by Goethe, and in my translation: "In my veins, what fire! in my heart, what fervor!"

That is what this year is about.

Orphée aux enfers

I did a presentation for my class on the Orpheus myth in music on Monday and just wanted to share this with everyone because even if you don't like opera, this is just such a good version of a whicked funny duet, which was in fact composed and premiered in 1858 in Paris. And it shocked even the Parisians. 
Just to prepare you for the scene, you're about to see Jupiter (Zeus) disguised as a fly seducing Euridice, who in this parody of the Orpheus myth, fell in love with Pluto, who was disguised as a shepherd and bee keeper, got bitten by a snake "by accident" and descended to Hades to be his girlfriend. Pluto made the mistake of leaving her alone for like 3 days while dealing with business in Mount Olympus, so that she  got bored enough to be turned on by a fly. Oh Offenbach, gotta love you.
 click here for a good time

For my other musicology class, I was originally going to present on piano Romances by Clara Schumann, but I wasn't there the night they discussed the dates of the extra block classes and apparently someone got confused and took my topic. I was going to switch to something else by either Chopin or Schumann, and then the professor told me today that whoever had had Schumann's "Carnaval" dropped it, so now it's mine!!!! yessssss.