The Changes

Check out the Mission Film Festival, www.missionfilmfestival.ca Oct 1-3, which kicks off with a celebration of the legendary salmon return of 2010. You should try to stop by!

-->The Student Environment Centre (SEC) and Friends of the UBC Farm (FOF) are thrilled to be hosting a conference at the end of September entitled “Food is Fundamental”. The conference is being held to educate, discuss and take action on pressing “food issues” that concern people, the environment and the economy in both local and global contexts.

I'm coming out: I'm an American Idol fan. I'm guessing that the reason for my fandom may be at the heart of the show's popularity: I would LOVE to get up on stage and open my mouth and have a big, beautiful voice pour out of it.

As things stand, I can at best hope for half that equation (the standing up on stage half). And given that the only thing to pour out would be a fine, even at times kinda nice voice, but nothing special and nothing to hit the high notes with, I don't see myself getting up on stage anytime soon.

it was really rainy out today so i couldn't go out for my walk. instead, i put on my bellydancing CD and danced my heart out. it was such a wonderful experience that i thought, hey, let's get a whole bunch of women together and do that! so that's what i'm wanting to do some time this year. probably after i've finally defended and published my thesis.

in the meantime, i'll keep on with my practice and my blog.

ok: here are the challenges I am having with violin so far.

I could only afford to sign up for a 30 minute lesson once per week. I have only had the one lesson so far and I am wondering if I will ever make progress that way.

I am scared to use the instrument to practice because it sounds so terrible at the moment and I share my house with two other people.

I did it! I went to my first violin lesson tonight. My teacher was thrilled with the way my hand seemed familiar with the bow, she told me I am a natural, which of course thrilled me to no end. Now I just have to get past the thing that always seems to snag me - practice. I just have to set aside some time each day to practice, which I am committing here, right now, to do. Ohhhhhhh, I am so excited to play it!

I've been wanting to learn an instrument for a long while now but have no time and I've been scared of the large commitment involved. So.....when my friend said I could learn the basics of playing harmonica in just 2 lessons, I jumped on it. Two lessons later, I have in fact learned the basics of harmonica, but now I need to practice and keep working on it. That's really the hard part and I'm posting it here in hopes of motivating myself to find a teeny bit of free time to dedicate to this new (fun, but challenging) hobby. Anyone else play harmonica out there? How long did it take you to learn?