the infamous third week = done (that was easy)

First and foremost, Week Three is done--without any mental/emotional scratches, bumps, bruises, scrapes, breakdowns, etc. YIPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

What has happened: I've fallen even more in love with photography and the NBCCD photography studio; I'm now super-comfortable in the darkroom; I've developed two rolls of negatives (one roll of standard 35 mm film, the other a roll of 120 film, which we use in the Holga 120N cameras that we're using for Creativity in Photography); I've stayed after class far more often than I care to admit (but I don't mind: NBCCD is one of those places where I'm happiest, and I'm usually working on projects); and I've had a blast and learned a lot.

Yesterday I was at school until seven PM (TEN HOURS!!!). I had a Photoshop class in the morning (that was almost cancelled because no one could log onto their accounts because something was rather screwy with the server. After Drew cancelled the class, he tried logging on one last time--and it worked. So he took off running to catch the students who'd already left and told them that class was un-cancelled.), and then I developed the 120 film in the afternoon. Since I'd developed the 35 mm film during Drew's Film and Darkroom Techniques class on Thursday afternoon, I finished up with making a contact sheet of that roll. I then put the chemicals away (which meant either dumping them down the drain or putting them back in their respective jugs), turned things off, checked Facebook in the big computer lab, and (finally) walked back to MJC.

This week I'll do a contact sheet for the 120 film (for class), as well as making a print of one of the photos (said print won't be part of the assignment: I'm making it as a surprise for Adam--my FVA academic advisor--who posed for it).

I ordered my ticket to the Das Rheingold simulcast on Wednesday. I was so excited about it the night before that I didn't sleep well. Honestly! It's just a ticket. Okay, it's a ticket to two-and-a-half hours of music, singing, drama, a French horn section that is the best thing since the instrument was invented (including a favourite hornist who can knock my socks off in half a second), an opera company that's the best thing since opera was invented, and one hundred per cent pure happiness.

Here's a video of the Prelude. Make sure the volume is turned up as high as possible. And take note of the horn part--and then imagine it being played by the MOO's horn section. That's my cue to swoon.



They're also performing it on Opening Night, which will be streamed live on the Met's website this Monday starting at seven PM, six EDT. Since I have a high-speed connection here I'll listen--while watching a webcam of Times Square (it'll be simulcast there). I got the idea from a fellow commenter on the Met's Facebook page who'll be doing the same thing.

Since the weekend of the simulcast is also Thanksgiving weekend, I'll be going home afterwards (Mom will come up and we'll pack some of my stuff and then she'll drive me to the movie theatre).

Last week was the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, which meant that for almost a week you could hear music coming from just about every corner of downtown F'ton. And not just jazz and blues, either: there was folk, international music (I listened to a duo singing in Spanish and playing guitar and congas about half a block from school one evening), rock, visual art (including panels set up for graffiti artists)... And a lot of it was free, too. My favourite show was Reek Barrel from Halifax, which performed just past the intersection of Regent and Queen Streets on the evening of the eighteenth, and which blew my mind. See for yourself:

Fire Hoop

The Beat

Twirling Fire

They got the audience cheering, clapping, and screaming for the performers.

Last year was the first time I'd heard about the Festival, but due to the overwhelming workload of FVA year, I didn't go. This year I tried to make up for it and I think I succeeded.

TWO WEEKS TO DAS RHEINGOLD!!!!!!!! GO MOO FRENCH HORN SECTION!!!!