Lucas Patrico Avila

Lucas is a 2 1/2 year old boy in Chile. I have gotten a few letters from his mom, Sandra, with pictures Lucas drew. I don't think he is very cute, but that is only because the one picture I have seen is the one World Vision took--it makes him look sad and helpless. I would rather see him with a smile on his face. I hope to get a more recent photo, but we will see. Lucas has 1 brother and 2 sisters who are older than him, and he lives with both his parents. Like most 2 year olds he likes to play with toy cars, dance, sing, and draw :) I don't realy know much more. I guess I will have to write back and ask them some questions. I am excited about this; and look forward to getting to know Lucas and his family through the years, and watching him grow up into a young man seeking to please God!!!

Lucas... nevermind. The hermeneutics of color!!!

I got my violin case today!!! It's a bit heavy, but it's nice. It is a dark brown suede leather look (not real leather) on the outside, with black and forest green velvet inside. Well... it is not quite forest green, which is my favorite color, it is more of a green with a bit of brown in it; much like the tree leaves in the forest :P. It has a hygrometer (to measure the humidity in the case), a pocket for sheet music, and two pockets to store my shoulder rest, tuner, pitch pipe, and yata yata yata. I realy like it.

Another favorite color is dark blue. Why do people have to have a single favorite color? Are we looked down on if, when asked what are favorite color is, we say we do not have one in particular, because we have several colors we like? What makes a specific color appealing to one person's eye and not to another person's? I have never heard someone say gray, brown, or white--the absence of color--to be there favorite color. You cannot say they are not pleasant to the eye because they are used in many people's house decor, and paint. How do you know when you have found your favorite color? Can your favorite color change as you grow up? I can't say mine has in the past ten years. I don't know why I wrote all this about color? I intended to write about a two and a half year old boy in Chile. I will do that soon. In the mean time, what is your favorite color, and what are your thoughts about color? Go ahead and write me a comment, just put your name in it.
Goodnight

La Violina Vieja De Mi Abuela

Tonight was wonderful. I get to barrow my Grandma Jo's violin for six months. I will not be looking for a violin to bye until then, or maybe I will be able to borrow it for another six months or a year :) She wants to know that I will stick with it and not leave it for another instrument. I am really excited!!! It has two wooden bows--one with horse hair, and the other has nothing, so it will need to be re-haired--and the violin is light brown, the varnish on the top is dull and the bottom is shiny. I like it, it gives it character. I will have to improve my intonation quickly because I will not put any finger tape on to show me where the notes are. That will make it a bit harder to start my songs, but once I get started I generally do okay. I think it will help me improve faster. I love the violin!

Last time I wrote of me playing As The Dear for Sounds of Shasta during the offertory. The Lord was gracious and I was very pleased with it. I have noticed the pianos tend to be tucked in the corners of the churches; this makes it hard to get back there so I can see David's hands on the piano while we play. I had my back to about half the congregation; I will have to work on that. By Gods' grace my hands didn't shake very much, and I was on pitch most of the time. :) That is a huge improvement from when I played Amazing Grace for the Liberty Singers about nine months ago. I need to stand and hold the violin up more while I play; I also need to learn to use the bottom quarter of my bow, which will be hard. I am also trying to learn vibrato. It doesn't look very hard, but I have had a hard time with it. Practica, practica, practica!!!

Music

The other day, I got new strings for my violin. I love how they feel and sound, I think they are still warming up because they make funny noises periodicly, but I don't know much about it yet, so maybee it's just me. I am looking for a violin that has some character in its sound to replace the one I have been renting for a year. This Sunday I will be playing "As The Dear" with David G. on the ivories during the offertory. We will play it through the first time with no additions or glitter, and then the second time through I will play it fiddly :) and David will add to his part also. I do fine playing it without an audience, but whenever I play in front of someone new I shake and make mistakes. But I have to remember I am playing to bring glory to God, if that means I make many mistakes and "fall flat on my face," as Pastor Chris says, then that is what I want to happen. I just pray that is not what it comes to. I have been practicing this song all school year. So we will see what God does with it this Sunday! Pray for me.

Today, after my evening English class, Jonathan K. helped me with the guitar a little bit. The notes of the open strings of the guitar are the same as the violin, just inverted and with two extra. That is the next instrument I want to learn, if I improve on keeping a consistant beat, but I won't pursue it until I have dramatically improved on the violin. I am on the second to last song in my violin lesson book and about ready to move on.
My interest in music, which is becoming more and more an obsession, did not start until I finished high school swim. I joined the church choir a year and a month ago, the middle of November 2003, and started learning the violin the same time. I don't know what started that interest.

So I have been told, just a few years ago, I finally got over the same thing that Kim is going though now. Now it drives me nuts, but I can't get too mad because the family had to live with me doing this same thing. I use to plug my ears when they sang in the car, and if I could still hear them sing, I would chime in (of course singing a different song of my liking, louder) to drown out there harmonies. I would make their time singing miserable, I don't know why; I just didn't want them to have fun singing unless I wanted to sing--which was next to never. I know this because I complained about Kimberly doing this same thing and they kindly reminded me of those traumatic events in my past. I only remember one occasion of me doing that. But I must have done it more than once. That is now behind me, thank goodness. Now I am in the college singing group (Sounds of Shasta), learning the violin, have been in the church choir, I will start voice lessons next Thursday, and want to take music theory next year. I love music! ;D