Flying Solo
Today I made my first trip in the car alone. It was almost like deju vu as I drove to my piano lesson, just 4 weeks after my last one -- the same day I broke my hip.
The driving part is really easy, and not painful at all. It’s actually probably good for my right leg and hip to push on the accelerator and move to the brake as needed.
When I got to my teacher’s house in northwest DC, she came out to help me in with all my music.
We picked up where I had left off 4 weeks ago, with her telling me how all the hours of practice had improved the pieces I was working on. She has such a feel for the details of the music I’m playing. This is why I love taking lessons. She doesn’t let me get by with any crap, including incorrect fingering. “Use your fourth finger instead of picking up your fifth. I heard that break!” she said at one point.
By the time I was finished, I had a 15-pound book of Beethoven sonatas to take home. She picked one and warned me that I might be working on it for 6 months or even a year.
And then she walked me to the car and got me safely inside with all my music for the drive home.
It felt good to be cruising down Rock Creek Parkway, not apparently any different from anyone else on the road.
posted by Barbara at 4:33 PM
12 Comments:
Amazing you are out and about and driving yourself to your lesson! The body is an amazingly resilient vessel.
Good for you, Barbara! Maybe you'll record your playing and post it. I hope so.
Sorry your son had a negative impression of Oberlin. I guess first impressions really count, especially with a decision as big as this one. We'll see what happens. Where did he end up going? Any suggestions on the matter duly appreciated on this end.
Tut-tut -- My son went to Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, famous in addition for the demise of Jesse James and the local Maltomeal Cereal factory. It's a small, first-rate liberal arts school.
I also highly recommend Tufts in Boston, somewhat smaller in a more urban setting. My daughter went there and loved it.
D is a Tufts graduate! And I've done some copy editing for some Carleton College professors.
Glad you're getting around so well! I bet it does feel like an immense relief to know you can be so independent. Good for you!
Glad to hear that you are terrorizing your area with your driving again!! Isn't it great to be independent. Just remember... baby steps!!
Malt-o-meal! A comfort food from my childhood.
So glad you're back to flying solo -- I know that'll help with the cabin fever. Congratulations to you!!
Which sonata, by the way?
F.
Steve -- It does feel so good to be able to go under my own power!
Kelly -- At one point I noticed I was speeding and thought what a joke it would be to get a ticket on my first day back behind the wheel. Instead, I slowed down to the speed limit.
Anon -- Malt-o-meal never made it to Florida where I grew up.
The Beethoven sonata I'm going to attempt is Opus 10, no. 1. It doesn't look impossibly hard.
i never heard of malt o meal! i like the o part of the name though.
like Steve said, glad you're independent!
Opus 10, #1. Is that the one in C minor? I'm totally guessing at this point. Back when I was in college I knew all of the Opus number, keys, and could even hum a few bars of all of the Beethoven Sonatas. Now I only can do that for a few other than the ones I played. I guess I killed a few brain cells between then and now.
I'm so glad your life is back to a cautious level of normal- and after only a month!
yay for you already driving! that is great! one step at a time and you'll be back to your full self in no time!
ever buy one of those spiffy canes?
Edward -- I'll bet when the wind is right, Northfield smells like cereal.
Cyndy -- The sonata is in C minor. I'm still trying to figure out whether I like it or not. Sometimes it takes me a while to warm up to a big piece I don't already know.
Ash -- See today's post.
You're doing a great job, Barbara. Congratulations.
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