Teacup Cafe XXX

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Gwai,

There's a Werner Herzog movie about going into the amazon jungle to build an opera house. Have you heard of it? I tried watching it. I admit, even I'm not that desperate to see an opera house built.

Fitzcarraldo, mais oui. Awesome movie. You know, they actually pull a real steam-ship over a real mountain. It's mind blowing.

Also the recent movie about the Vietnam war, Rescue Dawn, is directed by Werner Herzog. We own it, but I haven't watched it yet.

I saw it. It was kind of strange. Far more main stream than most of his stuff. I'm a huge fan of his. He usually does very meditative, slow, arthouse films, but Rescue Dawn confused me, because it seemed to be basically just a high-quality Vietnam movie.

Originally Posted by Tessar

Believe it or not, I'm not a huge Diana Damrau fan. I think she has a wonderful voice and everything, but I just don't really like the way she sings.

Nor am I. I actually don't think her voice has a particularly pleasant tone; it seems a bit on the bland side, to me. What really worries me, though, is the way I've heard people talk about how sexy she is. O.o

Okay, in my opinion (and I realize not everyone feels this way), it's all about knowing -when- to throw in that virtuosity.

And to what extent.

I just prefer people who (again, in my opinion) are true musicians over just flashy showmen.

Yep. Haven't heard much from Barbara Bonney, but I take your word for it.

That's why I really don't care much for boy sopranos or child soloists. They can certainly have gorgeous voices, but they lack (purely due to age) musicality and any real connection to the music. Again not that I don't enjoy it from time to time, but overall it's just not my cup of tea.

That's often true; I just went to hear a children's choir singing on Sunday, and I was sort of like "...Well, that was worth the 5 dollar student price I paid." But sometimes you get a really great choir with a top-notch director, who makes them extensions of his musicality. Then they rock.

... of course all that said, I really hope you enjoy the concert!

So do I. I expect to, and that's the first step. The step I was supposed to be taking about the Brideshead movie, but so far its not working; I think I'm going to end up crying myself to sleep after I see it.

I do enjoy Vivica Genaux very much, too.

My favourite mezzo-soprano. She rocks. Not very fond of the music on the Farinelli CD, but I'm so glad I got, because it introduced me to her voice.

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

Not my bears. I would never have had the presence of mind to take a picture. No, I got my gear packed and moved on to another site. But I saw coolers that had just been sliced open like an overripe melon...and they broke into cars, too.

Saw plenty of bears, though, ambling after cubs down the road to the lake, midday. After the first *Wow!!* it was just plain miserable.

I really thought the state of NY should have posted a warning on the website...with pictures.

In bear-related news, apparently a bear was just seen right off-campus last night. A couple of friends and I were wandering off into the dark for a bit of the ol' green fairy; we passed someone else, who told us that he had just seen a bear about a minute ago, barely off-campus. We decided to wander off into a different dark that night.

[Nurvingiel]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Unfortunately, that could also mean they see us as tasty.

You don't view this as a problem?

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

My dad was telling me about this story he'd heard about a guy, eccentric, who tried to live with some...uh, grizzlies. He'd walk with the grizzlies, try to pet the grizzlies, and finally he made supper for the grizzlies. Ya know?

Do you mean Timothy Treadwell? I firmly believe the poor guy had an untreated mental illness. Though, he did seem to get on with bears. The bear that ate him was a newcomer to the area and was very, very hungry. It seems like the local bears were used to him and probably wouldn't have eaten him (unless they were desparate).

Originally Posted by sisterandcousinandaunt

Not my bears. I would never have had the presence of mind to take a picture. No, I got my gear packed and moved on to another site. But I saw coolers that had just been sliced open like an overripe melon...and they broke into cars, too.

Saw plenty of bears, though, ambling after cubs down the road to the lake, midday. After the first *Wow!!* it was just plain miserable.

I really thought the state of NY should have posted a warning on the website...with pictures.

Broke into cars!? Wow. Now I'm picturing a bear with an unbent coat hanger jimmying the lock of a Dodge Neon.

And yes, the state of NY absolutely should have posted a warning on their website and at the campground. It's totally insane that they did not. I went camping in Oregon at the beginning of May and was very impressed with American parks. I guess those New Yorkers need some clues from the west coast.

They should also shoot those bears. As sad as it is, a bear that is so used to humans that they will break into cars is eventually going to maul someone. Even if they move the bear, the animal won't forget that humans always have food around.

And hey, about our band, Tessar should be our vocalist.

[Tessar]

I'm wondering if I should attempt a little light vocalizing. My chords are still pretty swollen from the sound of my speaking voice, but I started taking the anti-inflammation medicine yesterday, so it's better.... and a little vocalizing will (supposedly) help my cords recover more quickly too. Don't wanna overdo it though.

But first, a nap. Who's with me? *curls up in the corner*

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Don't advise vocalisation; it seems like a bad idea at this point.

[Mari]

*happily joins Tessar* I'm always up for naps! *brings a pillow and a huge stuffed animal to cuddle with*

[Tessar]

I did some very, very light humming, lip bubbles, and "ah, oh, eh, oo" scales but believe me I never tried to make it into a full voice.

My falsetto's completely gone at this point, I can't get higher than a D4, my low range is uncomfortable, and when I did the actually vocalizing part after the humming/bubbles my voice was really unsteady and I don't think I could've used my full voice if I'd tried. Couldn't do more than maybe five minutes... might've been less. My jaw got tight and my throat felt a little rough, so I just stopped.

I really don't have the energy to manipulate my 'support' muscles at all, so I left that off and just worked in really short phrases so that I didn't have to hold up any air pressure or anything.


I promise I know what I'm doing . These days I do know when to stop... the only thing that concerns me is this tissue thinner... depending on how long it stays in my system, I wonder if that will be affecting my vocal cords for the next few weeks? I only have a five day supply, but I don't know how long it affects you after you stop taking it.

I'm not really expecting to get back into the swing of vocalizing for more than 15 minutes for at least another three weeks, so I wont be disappointed if I don't, but ugh... going from literally being able to sing for upwards of three hours without a pain to overnight not being able to do more than five minutes at a time bites hardcore.

I also have an audition coming up on August 25th, so I may have to cancel that since it's for a school opera and I don't want to sing for the teachers if my voice isn't back properly yet. Boo.

[Mari]

*snuggles with Tess*
No singing, just napping. *wraps herself around Tessar*
There is no escaping me in cuddley mood

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

*cuddles up, too*

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Mari

*wraps herself around Tessar*
There is no escaping me in cuddley mood

...and a married woman! O_O *is scandalized, scandalized!*

[Mari]

Che, who was that the page before who wanted to be rich so he could marry some singer?
The kettle, etc.

*cuddles with Sis*
If you really want to, I'm sure you can join us though.

Hiya Sis! Thanks for your heart. It was lovely. So were the rest of all the replies by the way. *loves Entmoot and the Mooters*

[Tessar]

Heeeee... ^_^ Cuddlin'. *snoogles for Mari and Siscuz*

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

I spent the afternoon with nice people.

This has a good effect on my optimism.

[The last sane person]

*tentatively joins the snuggle pile*

[Mari]

Yay! Optimism is good ^_^
I got a sunflower today, but I gave it to my grandmother. I think she liked it.
I liked it too.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

tentatively, my ass. *slides lovely pillows under her friend*

[Mari]

Whiieeeehhhh! Big cuddley pile! *snuggles closer to everyone*

[Curufin]

So my brother is now engaged to the most horrible woman I've ever met.

I guess that means I don't have a brother anymore, because that woman is NOT going to be a part of my life.

[The last sane person]

Well ...

... That sucks.

Not much to say or do to help you out on that one.

[Curufin]

Yeah, I know. God, she's the biggest...er...I probably shouldn't say it on a family board. I wonder if there's any way I can get out of going to their wedding...

[The last sane person]

Yeah. Protest on moral grounds.