Of Orchestra Practice and Camp

Last night was the first night of orchestra rehearsal at UAA.

I managed to find the room on the first try, something of which I am very proud. And apparently I pulled off the "I know exactly what I'm doing" look because nobody pointed at me and said, "Look at that poor girl going around in circles."

The room was small, could probably seat... Oh, 50 or so people. Maybe 70. I don't know. I am the girl, after all, who says "twenty thousand" and means three.

There were two other people occupying seats when I entered. They were seated at opposite ends of the room. The typical "I don't know this person so I'm going to be socially awkward and sit as far away from them as I can" outlook.

Of course, I can't complain because I did it too.

The room quickly filled, what with people crowding around the stage where we practice and the cello cases and bass cases takes up three feet in every direction. And by three feet I mean like, a foot.

Mr. Oliveras, the conductor and concertmaster, entered and The Great Chair Hunt began. And since I have absolutely no idea where anything is in the building, I exited the room with great confidence and began walking down the hall. One of the guys followed me and asked me if I knew where any chairs were. I stopped and shrugged and said, "Um, I'm heading to the bathroom." Thinking, now if you keep following me I'm going to be highly creeped out. He said "oh" and turned around and walked off. (Yay.)

Once we had all gathered back on stage, finally in chairs, with stands all properly placed, we realized that I was the only second chair violinist. As the music was passed out, everyone started to tune up and get comfortable. Mr. Oliveras sat down, took a deep breath, dipped the scroll, and we began. It didn't sound half bad, actually. I was impressed.

When we got to the last piece, by Tchaikovsky, I nearly had a heartattack. I was still the only second violinist to show up, but as we began to play, someone pushed open the door and another girl with a violin walked through. I nearly lept up to give her a hug.
And I'm not a huggy person.

Well, that's about all; we did well, and the next practice is Tuesday. I'm sure I'll have more to write.

This weekend I'll be gone for two days to camp, where no phones, ipods, or other distracting entertainment methods are allowed. It'll be a weekend of relaxation by the lake on the dock and games with friends and quiet hours. Probably a lot of rain, too. (Insert frown.)

Anywho.
Have a beautiful weekend.
Cheers.
~Allie