So, since this first month had a bunch of random costs which won't reoccur on a monthly basis, I haven't really been able to make or assess my budget. Nevertheless, I think that I can say that I haven't really had any problems cutting back on expenditures.
I haven't eaten at a restaurant since I moved here; well, I ate Wendy's for lunch one day when I was craving a frosty(but it wasn't a very good frosty), and we ordered Thai food delivery one night. Other than those two times, I've made all of my meals and my idea of a treat was to buy myself a samosa for 1.29$ at the local deli the other day.
Anyone who knows anything about my 'social' life in Winnipeg knows that it basically revolved around restaurants. I'm not at all surprised that I am having no problem with this new restaurant-free living. It is much cheaper when socializing involves bringing a bag of chips or a cheap bottle of wine over to a friend's place.
Anyway, I'm not writing any of this to brag, rather I just wanted to set up for the main point of this blog entry. So here we are, set up; I am comfortable with not spending much money.
Point of this blog entry: When I returned my cds to the library today and was informed that they were overdue... 3 days, 3 cds, 2$ a day = 18 bucks! I could have bought one of those cds for that amount; but in more tangible terms, I could go to 2 barbecue/potluck/wine and cheese evenings; I could have bought 14 samosas!
I realize that it's not a huge amount of money, and I don't really even think about it like that, but it just depicts the point I am at in terms of financial thinking and budgeting. Last year, I would never have been similarly affected by that amount of money.
New Topic!
I'm very close to finishing my piece. I'm just applying some editing to it while I'm not blogging. I have just over an hour before I leave here for my classes tonight, so it's about that close to being finished.
It's odd, yesterday at around this time, I was frustrated that this piece was going to turn out a total piece of crap. Later on, I left it for the evening - almost having lost hope- and went for what is becoming a weekly tradition, Sunday evening dinner/hanging out with Judy O. I had printed out a copy before I left and I ended up reviewing and editing it as I walked home; making use of those 7 steps where I could actually use the light between street lamps. Maybe it was the wine, maybe walking by my favorite 'castle' house (I'll post a picture eventually), or maybe it was having taken a few hours away from the piece, but I actually had some good ideas. When I got home, I poured another glass of wine and fixed/changed those areas of the piece with which I was particularly unhappy and then I actually had something to work with. Earlier this afternoon, I sat down and marked up the score with details I needed to fix up and now here I am - Happy with my piece.
I am also pretty sure that I don't need to present my piece today, more likely tomorrow sometime, so I will be able to apply even further improvements tonight if I still want.
I'm excited for this evening - my first Orchestration class as well as first Composition Lecture. A total of 5 hours of lecture.... but I'm sure it will be amazing!
I will post later about how it went!
2 comments:
Hey Michael~
when you compose music, do you compose for all the instruments in the orchestra? that sounds so difficult and complicated....(@0@)
I can't even imagine how you manage all that....
I've got like zero knowledge about music what-so-ever....
I'd like to come and listen to your orchestra one day....!
do you gus do year-end-performance sort of thing? do you record videos??
This year, I will be writing for all sorts of combinations. My main project will be for a smaller group, so 4 or 5 players (I will find out later today what exactly the instruments will be). I will also be orchestrating some other piece of pre-existing music.
My chamber piece will be performed in March and the Orchestral piece in January. I hope that I will be able to have recordings made of the pieces, perhaps a video too if someone I know has a camera available.
I won't say that composing for orchestra isn't difficult, but it's like anything else you study; you learn how to organize things and patterns so that things make sense. Rather than think of the orchestra as 50 individual players(or however many people), you can divide it into Strings, Woodwinds, Brass (and Percussion). Each of those groups can be divided, but that gives an idea of how a composer can simplify things.
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