For the first time since the start of this comic, I did not update on time! I am sorry. However! There are some new and exciting things going down.

First off, today I go for my interview at Chapters! I hope I get the job. Books are one of the few-ish things I am good at talking to people about. And I often end up helping other customers locate books when I go to browse myself, so *clearly* it is the job for me.

Second, I auditioned for ICE (Laurier’s Improvisation Concert Ensemble) on Thursday, and got in! Hooray! It is going to be fun, I think, and a really great experience. I like to improvise on the oboe because I can focus more on sound and tuning and articulation than on making my fingers do things they are not-so-inclined to do. Plus, it is creative. I am creative. Perfect match? I THINK SO.

Finally, I began composition lessons with Peter Hatch, and I’m already excited about what this year is going to be for me. He wants me to compose a comic and post it on the site. I have only a few ideas about how to go about doing this, but it should be pretty cool! I’m also supposed to do a collaborative project with an animation student somewhere, so if any of my fine and wonderful readers know of any animation students looking to do collaborative projects, please let me know!

This school year is looking shiny and spectacular! I’m playing “Two Insect Pieces” by Benjamin Britten in my coachings, and I bought a bunch of music at one of the local music stores, called Opus II, in Kitchener. Gordon Jacob’s “Seven Bagatelles”, Fibich’s “Počme”, and the Schumann Romances are just a few–my friend (and housemate) Nathan and I even got a couple of bassoon/oboe/piano trios we’re going to work up and play for a noon-hour student recital. (They are actually violin/’cello/piano trios because there was only one b/o/p trio there, and we did not like it.) This is one of the “DL Projects” (Down-Low Projects) some of us are working on this year–music we want to play, ensembles we’re throwing together, competitions we want to audition for that our professors are not going to know about. Although I might have already given too much away.

Sorry Jim, you aren’t allowed to know!

Annnnd a bunch of us went to the opening concert of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony at the Centre in the Square! It was great, they played Corigliano’s “Promenade Overture” which featured each instrument walking onstage as their part began–I loved how the tuba (go Jane!) walked in well after everyone else was ensconced. They played Dvorák’s ‘Cello Concerto next, with soloist Alban Gerhardt–what a great piece! There was far more soloistic oboe stuff than I was expecting, and lots of really neat interplay with the solo ‘cello. Gerhardt was incredible, too. Jim told us after that it was the fastest he had heard it played. Pretty crazy. Pretty awesome.

After intermission, they played “Pictures at an Exhibition”! Oh man! It was so, so worth going to this concert just to hear that played, well, properly. (The university orchestra and wind ensemble each played versions of Pictures two years ago. They were nice, but…not…professional level at all.)

What was really cool about this concert is that it was my boyfriend Spencer’s first symphony concert! It was neat for me to see his reactions, and I am *really* happy they played truly accessible, visually oriented things like the Promenade Overture and Pictures. He was all excited, and at intermission asked me if we could go see some more while he’s here. (I’ll have to see what’s coming up.) I’m especially pleased because now he has a taste of what my world is, what my life is about, you know?

Anyway. Good first week at school. Next weekend: Reed Jail and Dinner at Jim’s.

Ooh! I also finally took some pictures (new camera, woo!) of the reeds Cooper sent me, and am going to write up a review to the best of my ability–so don’t expect too much.