I love...
acoustic
fingerpicked guitar
acapella
harmonies
call and response
vibrato
polyphony
barrelhouse and swing piano
suspension
So last night I went to a piano recital and alternately felt shitty for being a bitch, and ecstatic for having the most fun I've had this week. I made the mistake of going with a girl that I'm friends with, but not necessarily close to. In retrospect, I guess things got awkward really fast because pretty soon after the music started, I began ignoring her, and she began inviting conversation by commenting on EVERYTHING possible at thirty second intervals. (Hey he's kind of cute, for an old, guy. Do you like guys with long hair? I once dated a guy with long hair. Hey, doesn't this remind you of sufjan stevens? I'm kind of hungry, where do you want to get dinner after this??)It bothered me that she was unable to appreciate.
I'm really excited at how enjoyable live music has become to me though. Recently, I was confronted by my mother who is worried that I don't "smell the roses" enough. I tend to take some of the things she says with only half the considerations since I know she is quicker to worry than most. Whenever I visit her, we inevitably fight because she thinks I try to do too much at a time, and I think that she's limiting my opportunities by asking me to slow down. It's hard for me to find people who relate to this because most Indian parents are the opposite, pushing their kids to get good grades, and get into good schools. My parents are an incredible contrast. They periodically ask me if I 'still think I want to go to medical school' and why I don't 'do something more fun'. That's not to say they are not supportive.(I think they are more supportive than most considering I am pursuing something that they are pretty much dead against.) They think that by 'doing too much', I squash my chances of happiness since I "zip by all the roses"
Oddly, the more idle time I have, the unhappier I am. I don't like to have to "stop and smell the roses". I would rather be able to smell them constantly than to take breaks to remind myself to enjoy myself. In that sense, I think 'stopping to smell the roses' is a stupid concept because if you're happy with what you're doing, you won't need time to slow down . I think I carry most of my 'proverbial roses' with me. I don't need to stop to enjoy the things I already have.
