and lots of good it does me.

Violin: Well I continue to "relax" and "take a break" after that competition, only getting in a couple hours here and there. But I've stumbled across a new idea which seems to be helping a lot. I was trying to figure out why it seems like I can't train my right hand and arm in the same way I can train my left. I was thinking about how I look at learning notes as a straightforward process, i.e. you work through the piece and keep telling your fingers to go in the same order and to the same place and eventually they get more accurate and more free from thought. And then it occurred to me that I don't think about the bow in the same way. I think about it as the thing that makes the music, and therefore can't be trained to do exactly the same thing every time. And, of course, while this is true, I think it is where some of my problems lie. So I began practicing with the idea in mind of trying to find a way to bow that I could replicate exactly the same way every time. Needless to say, it was very difficult. But when I started to find something, I felt a whole new level of ease come into my playing. It seemed that in order to repeat a bow stroke in the same way, I had to be in total control of all parts of my arm. So I gained insight into what it feels like to be in control enough to be consistent. I think this is very important, and will continue working on it.

Life: Well, much of my time recently has been spent obsessively watching the forums and pages of this shopping deals website I found. I think I must be part Jew. I've been ordering all this stuff (with money I don't really have) and it's been very strange. The tension is building as the PS3 launch date approaches. Unfortunately I have orchestra the day before it comes out, the day you have to camp and wait in line. So I may have to feign sickness. Is that immoral? Who cares.

Practice Time: 2 hours