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Last Saturday, the husband and I went on an adventure. Where? To Scarsdale in search of Ardsley Music! A friend from work had inspired me to finally have my bassoon serviced and put in working order. I kept thinking I bought it a year ago, but when I looked it up - November 2005. Geez. Time flies. Anyways, I know I need a hobby, and I only spent $530 on it, so there was money in the budget for getting it serviced. Truly, this particular instrument is usually quite expensive. Even though mine is plastic, it was still a steal. And once we have our own place, I can practice without worry - if it winds up being too loud, I can always install some kind of acoustic baffle.

After riding back and forth down a residential street, we finally found out that this music workshop was in a building behind someone's private home. I know, it sounds hokey. But this was the real deal - service counter, instruments everywhere, staff walking around even on a Saturday. Hidden down a garden path behind a red house on a residential street. Go figure. Supposedly, they're going to clean it up, swap out a few pads and tenons, and then it's up to me to get practicing! I still have a couple of reeds that'll probably play...I should get a couple more. And a music stand.

Way back in September, I got my hands on a new iPod thanks (in very large part) to my husband. I agonized for weeks over which one I actually wanted - touch or classic - and, in the end, landed on classic. Since then, I've been working hard to fill it up with all kinds of goodness, from television shows to video podcasts. I even bought the a/v cables for it so I can play my cartoons over on the television set. :) Unfortunately, I was too scared to take it out of the house. What can I say...I'm just a tad clumsy sometimes, so I didn't want to risk dropping it. Anyway, I finally got my hands on a good protector for it, and it was like my birthday all over again! It's got a metallic blue look to it, just like the abstract wallpaper on my computer's background. All said, though, the iPod in it's cozy is like a tank in my pocket - it's so heavy. But if I believe it's sturdy, I'll use it more. And with all the neat stuff I'm finding to put on it, all the better. My latest find comes courtesy of NPR - the preview of it on iTunes really doesn't do it justice. It's absolutely beautiful:

Written for the Nashville Chamber Orchestra in 1995, "Blackberry Winter" has since become one of the group's signature works. [Conni] Ellisor says of the piece: "'Blackberry Winter' is American music. Indeed, this is Tennessee music ... In writing this piece, I wanted to be respectful of the rich heritage of both the dulcimer and the classical chamber orchestra, but I felt certain liberty in combining these traditions. Borrowing first from one, then the other, to create a work that is reflective of Nashville, the city that afforded its creation." -- WYNC New York Public Radio