It is the first day of May. I’m not sure where the last few months have gone, but my calendar tells me that it is already May.

On the upside, I have been collecting interviews all week and I was able to knock two more things off my list of 30 things to do before I am 30.  After a few tears and a wait list, and some phone calls, I have finally found a therapist. That was some much needed good news, and while the financial investment is stressing me out a little, I am so relived that I can finally get the much needed help that I needed.

The second activity I got to cross off the list was going to the symphony. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra presented Stravinsky’s Symphony in C. Led by guest conductor Thomas Søndergård, the orchestra delighted my ears for almost three hours. Thanks to my status as a student, I was able to get really great seats for a super discounted price.

(Don’t worry, this was before the show started)

I learned a few things at the symphony.

1. People do not know how to dress for a night out. Errol and I got dressed up real fancy, and most people in the concert hall were in jeans.

2. I have no idea when you are supposed to clap. The orchestra was amazing. I wanted to clap after each movement, but no one clapped until the end of the entire piece. Then, each time the conductor left the stage and came back, people behind the scenes clapped to make sure that the audience did.

3. Conductors, good ones, get really into their craft. Thomas Sondergard is a really good          conductor. He was super entertaining to watch.

4. Your mind wanders when listening to music. I found myself daydreaming a lot. I loved the music, but it lulled me into a sleepy state and I started to think about all kinds of random things.

5. I would go to the symphony again. It was a great way to spend a few hours listening to music and not thinking about work, people, stress, anything. It was fun to get dressed up and be an adult, and it was really fun to watch people who clearly love music.

Here was the running order for the evening:

Schubert Symphony No3
Stravinsky Symphony in C
Schubert Symphony No4 Tragic
Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements

 

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was truly a gifted composer. According to his Wikipedia page:

Stravinsky’s compositional career was notable for its stylistic diversity. He first achieved international fame with three ballets commissioned by theimpresario Sergei Diaghilev and first performed in Paris by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913). The last of these transformed the way in which subsequent composers thought about rhythmic structure and was largely responsible for Stravinsky’s enduring reputation as a musical revolutionary who pushed the boundaries of musical design. His “Russian phase” which continued with works such asRenard, The Soldier’s Tale and Les Noces, was followed in the 1920s by a period in which he turned to neoclassical music. The works from this period tended to make use of traditional musical forms (concerto grosso, fugue and symphony), drawing on earlier styles, especially from the 18th century. In the 1950s, Stravinsky adopted serial procedures. His compositions of this period shared traits with examples of his earlier output: rhythmic energy, the construction of extended melodic ideas out of a few two- or three-note cells and clarity of form, and of instrumentation.

The symphony was definitely one of the more fun activities to cross off the list. I am 20 days away from completing number 10, and I am thinking to combine part of 5 with 6 and go to Turkey to ride in a hot air balloon. I’ve also been fantasy planning a million different trips, but hope to get at least one in the books for June or July….even if it just a quick weekend away.

1. Learn how to drive in the UK.
2. Present at an academic conference
3. Start a new tradition
4. Go back to therapy
5. Visit three new countries
6. Ride in a hot air balloon
7. Quit the tutoring centre
8. Volunteer for a literacy programme
9. Read a book that has more than 500 pages
10. Make my bed everyday for at least three months
11. Have a solid draft of my thesis completed
12. Master scorpion pose
13. Attend the symphony
14. Learn a rap song from start to finish
15. Host a dinner party
16. Create a  budget so I can pay down my student loans
17. Create something original
18. Create a solid workout regime
19.  Go on a long hike (6 miles or more)
20. Learn to dance
21. Eat an exotic meal
22. Learn to cook a fancy meal
23. Yell at a football match
24. Go horseback riding
25. Master British spelling and punctuation
26. Create a good sleep schedule
27. See my favorite group in concert
28. Fall in love
29. Stop holding grudges
30. Let go of my expectations