Wandering (Somewhat Nerdy) Thoughts

This is my favorite time of year. I think I love it partly because it's so short and partly because it's simultaneously anticipatory and nostalgic. I look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas while missing the sunny carelessness of summer. Not to mention my penchant for cute sweaters. Fall colors, football, the smell of wood smoke, frosty mornings, crunchy leaves, and crisp temperatures make my heart happy. And don't forget the food. Fall always has the best food.

I finally started reading again. But I finished both my books in three days which is irritating because I don't have anything to read now. The Inner Game of Music changed the way I play music and teach music. Wow. That was a good book. Even if you're not a serious musician, I'd recommend it. I'm not sure what the point of The Catcher in the Rye is, which is probably the point. But that was a good read too. Even the cursing didn't really bother me that much. It felt like J.D. Salinger was doing it very deliberately for a very good reason that I have yet to figure out.

As you can see from my reading list on the sidebar, I've read mostly serious adult classic literature and young adult fiction. I'm doing this on purpose. I'm reading the classics because they are the books that I know I should read but never have time for and because I like them. I read young adult literature for fun. Now, I was brought up on a steady diet of classics and YA lit was never an option for school reading. I was actually a pretty big classics snob before I took a YA lit class a year ago. Young adult literature opened my eyes to what the rest of the teenage world was doing. I had never really understood why other kids my age would do such stupid stuff. It was a big paradigm shift for me to understand the thought process behind bad decisions in high school. Yes, some novels had a lot of swearing and sex and drinking, but all the books showed consequences to those things. So I got off my high horse and now I really like YA lit. But only the good stuff. John Green, Maureen Johnson, Gary Schmidt, and Marcus Zusack all write good stuff. I got to meet Gary Schmidt and shake his hand a few weeks ago. Pretty much the best thing that ever happened to me.

I love playing in a symphony. There's something really magical about coming together with other musicians and being a part of something bigger than we could ever do individually. I'm still a little intimidated to play with the legit symphony. I'm the youngest person in the room, and some of the musicians have played for more years than I've been alive. But I still love it. And I get paid, which is always nice.

I think I'll go clean my room now. Don't forget to be awesome.